SPORT
Fletcher wins prestigious award P23
OPINION P9
FEATURES
The Middle East’s WMD The Chocoholic’s Dilemma dream hotel
Student server down for third week after hack
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‘She will live on in our hearts’
• Hackers uploaded an image of dead baby • Server has been down while BU investigate • Hacker claims takeover was a ‘political protest’
EXCLUSIVE
Michael Seymour DEPUTY EDITOR
@michaelgseymour THE Bournemouth University server taken over by Iranian hackers is still down almost three weeks after the cyber-attack took place. The hackers uploaded a graphic image of a dead baby to the ‘dakar’ server, used by some students to do work as part of their course.
The Rock has taken the decision to blur the screenshot of the uploaded image (below) due to its extremely graphic nature. The server, was taken over by Milad Hacking and LinX64, members of the Ashiyane Digital Security Team (an Iranian security and hack group) and displayed graphic anti-Israeli content, in a “political protest”. Latest attacks by the group are shared on Twitter using the hastag ‘#DEFACED’. The website displayed an image allegedly of an unborn baby after it had been removed from its mother, which had been shot with “dirty
Israeli bullets”. The image had come from a file sharing website using Iran’s .ir domain. The website also displays the name of the Ashiyane Digital Security Team, which is linked to the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – a branch of the Iranian military formed after the Iranain revolution – and is run Behrooz Kamalian. The security team was founded in 2002 and claims to be the oldest hacking group in Iran. A closer inspection of the server appears to show the attack took place between Friday, March 7 and Monday, March 10. The ‘dakar’ server was taken down shortly after and Bournemouth University is continuing to investigate. The attack on the server caused some students to panic over whether their work had been deleted on the BA (Hons) Digital Media Design course’s Facebook wall. Digital media design student Paul Bird, 20, who uses the server as part of his course said: “People have been
Continued on page 8
Our tribute to BU student Tayla Woodard
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WARNER BROS.
2 news
Thursday 27 March 2014| The Rock
Students place 32,000 mints for advert Nikita Lewis NEWS EDITOR @nikitalewis
THURSDAY, 27 March 2014
News
Pop-up schools considered by Council
6
Opinion
Production line education is good for no one
10
Features
The horses that heal Dorset
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BOURNEMOUTH students have collaborated with Walker Agency to launch a digital advertising campaign for SMINT UK. With the SMINT UK brand shying away from a hard sell campaign, Bournemouth-based agency Walker decided to get BU and AUB students involved with the creative project. The agency and the students worked together on March 24 to produce the featured image built by laying out individual smints. George Barlett, studying advertising at BU, was one of the participants involved with the venture. He said: “The collaboration was about celebrating creativity and the agency thought it would be a great idea to get local creative students involved. “It was a long day meticulously placing 32,000 Smints but a phenomenal piece of art came out of it. At the end of the day, it’s the little things that make the big picture and being able to look at the finished product and think, ‘We did that’, was worth placing
Students collaborated with Walker Agency to build the image using individual SMINTs every Smint.” Another student who was involved with the event was Tamsin Raine who said the day was ‘mesmerising’.
“It was inspiring to work with such passionate people, and the results where simply fantastic. I hope it inspires other creatives to challenge their talent and abilities
like it did with myself,” said Tasmin. A video of how the work was put together is available on our website. Visit www.bournemouthrock.co.uk to watch.
Reports of domestic abuse rise but convictions fall Joe Nerssessian
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @joenerssessian CONVICTIONS for domestic violence have fallen dramatically across Dorset, despite more of the incidents being reported to police.
Last year just 7% (599 of 8183) of reported domestic violence incidents led to convictions by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a drop from 9% in 2010. This contradicts statistics released last month showing a huge soar in domestic violence incidents across the county with a 38% increase in the last six years.
The data was gathered by the office of Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, who said Labour would ensure police forces published domestic and sexual abuse league tables. “The scale of domestic abuse is shocking, yet the government and the Home Secretary have turned their backs,” she said.
Sport
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Yvette Cooper says Labour would ensure police forces publish domestic abuse league tables
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“This is not a fringe issue. It accounts for one in five violent crimes committed across the country with two million victims every year; it puts lives at risk, scars children and destroys families.” The news comes just a week after Clare’s Law was launched across the country to help tackle domestic abuse. The law was named after Clare Wood who was killed by her exboyfriend in 2009 and will allow women to find out whether partners have a history of domestic violence. Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, Martyn Underhill has welcomed Clare’s Law after he promised voters he would bring it to Dorset as part of his manifesto. “I welcome the adoption of Clare’s Law which will give people the opportunity to make an educated decision about the future of their relationship. “It will also strengthen the framework around the release of information about the violent past of partners. This is a valuable tool in our work to pre-empt domestic violence. “Clare’s Law will allow people to seek the information they need to escape an abusive situation before it ends in tragedy. “Domestic violence is complex, deep-rooted and societal. It is a huge problem and one that we need to address very seriously at every level,” added Mr Underhill.
news 3
The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
Tayla Woodard 1993-2014
Students say their heartfelt goodbyes to Tayla Woodard
Tom Beasley EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TomJBeasley ONLINE tributes are continuing to pour in for Bournemouth University student Tayla Woodard, who suddenly died this month. Tayla, 20, died in hospital on March 9 after collapsing the night before. She had attended a drum and bass concert in London that evening with her boyfriend, Alex Rickett. He posted his tribute to Tayla on Facebook. “A week today the brightest star in my life passed away, taken from us too young,” he said. “Words can’t describe how much I miss you. Rest in peace Tay. I love you always.” Tayla’s death is currently being treated as unexplained by the Metropolitan Police, but they have said that the circumstances are not suspicious. She was in the final year of the BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism course at BU and had written for The Rock on a number of occasions. Tayla’s funeral service was held at Egloshayle Parish Church in
her hometown of Wadebridge in Cornwall on March 22. Many of her friends from BU travelled to attend the service. Traditional hymns were not played at the service, which instead played some of Tayla’s favourite songs. Tributes on the student’s Facebook page describe her as a “sweetheart” and a “beautiful girl”. Fellow third year journalist Tazz Gault, pictured top right, said: “Tay was such an amazing girl and the kind of friend anyone would wish for. “There aren’t words to truly describe the hole that’s been made
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There aren’t words to truly describe the hole that’s been made by her early departure in so many people’s lives
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by her early departure in so many people’s lives. “She was such a beautiful girl and has been taken from us too soon. “Love you kitty, we all do.” Katie Hind, who worked with budding entertainment reporter Tayla on the showbiz section of the Sunday People, said on Twitter that
Tayla “was a budding journalist I was proud to mentor”. She added: “Tayla would have been the best.” Sally Fish, pictured bottom left, was one of Tayla’s housemates. “We are all so devastated that our beautiful Tayla is no longer around to make us laugh and smile,” she said. “We are left with such amazing memories of the times we had with her. “Her funeral service was a beautiful send off and she is probably the only person to ever have a drum and bass track as their exit music in a church. “I’m sure she would have loved that.” Jessica James, who studies Event Management at BU, said: “So glad to have so many lovely memories with you! “R.I.P Tay, love and miss you forever and always.” Karen Fowler-Watt, who is a lecturer on the journalism course, and associate dean at the BU Media School, also paid tribute to Tayla. “We were very sad to hear of the death of Tayla, a Media School student at Bournemouth University. “Tayla was a very hard-working and impressive student who was popular with her peers. “We have spoken to her family to offer our sympathies and we are
also providing support for her fellow students at this difficult time.” In addition to her studies, Tayla was an employee of The Old Fire Station - the bar and nightclub run by the students’ union at Bournemouth University.
Tayla will continue “to live on in our hearts, for she may be gone, but she will never be forgotten
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In an online statement released soon after the news broke, SUBU said that they were “deeply saddened” at the shocking news of Tayla’s death. “To everyone who knew her, Tayla lit up the room with her warm, energetic personality and she will be sorely missed,” SUBU said. “The tributes pouring in via social media are a testament to her amazing character and the lives she has touched. “Tayla will continue to live on in our hearts, for she may be gone, but she will never be forgotten. “We offer our sincerest condolences, and our thoughts go out family, friends and colleagues of Tayla in this very difficult time.”
Tribute from the team at The Rock All of the staff at The Bournemouth Rock would like to add that we are deeply saddened and stunned to hear of the sudden and tragic death of student and friend Tayla Woodard. We offer our deepest comfort and condolences to her family and friends at this difficult time. Additionally, we would like to thank Tayla for being such a huge and important part of the early development of the newspaper that you are reading right now. Without her and her fellow contributors, the paper that we all value so much wouldn’t have grown and evolved into what it is today. For that Tayla, and everything else, we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your star shone so brightly, and it was tragically extinguished far too soon.
4 news
Thursday 27 March 2014| The Rock
UCAS sells student data to advertisers
Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief Tom Beasley Deputy Editor Michael Seymour News Editor Nikita Lewis Deputy NE Hailey Hammer Deputy NE Hollie Wong Assistant NE Joe Nerssessian Opinion Editor Chris Fay Assistant OE Priscilla Ng’ethe
Nikita Lewis NEWS EDITOR @NikitaLewis
UCAS is selling more than a million students’ data to advertisers such as mobile phone and energy drinks companies. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service controls admissions to UK universities and attracts 700,000 new
applicants each year. Students have the choice of opting out of receiving direct marketing, but at the cost of missing out on course information and career opportunities. Students at Bournemouth University voiced their concerns and opinions on the matter. Sammy Jenkins, studying Multimedia Journalism said: “I don’t think it’s right for UCAS to do this considering students pay them when they are applying for
university. Students use them as a secure and easy way to apply for university, so to then go on and sell student information is a complete violation.” Student Sinead Lambe felt the same, adding: “I think it’s disgusting, students shouldn’t have their details sold on by the very outlet that is supposed to monitor the process into university.” Some students felt differently. Anna Valerie Pujol- Mazzini said: “It’s not surprising, our
Features Ed Anna Hayward Assistant FE Ross Maffey Sports Editor Jack Cozens Deputy SE Ben Fisher Chief Sub Marcin Bryszak Assistant Chief Subs Anna Pujol- Mazzini & Ross Took Online Editor Poppy Jeffery Deputy Online Editors Charlotte Willis & Ethan Taylor Social Media Ed Rhee Stacks The Rock needs you. We still have many jobs available on the editorial and business staff, as well as online. To find out more and register your interest, visit: www.bournemouthrock.co.uk/getinvolved/ Letters to the editor must be signed (including the course of Bournemouth University students, the working title and school for staff members, company name, or home address for individuals outside BU). Prior to the publication, letters will be verified for authencity by the editor. Anonymous letters will not be published. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters in regard to libel law, length, taste, grammar and punctuation.
Letters to the editor: editor@bournemouthrock.co.uk
UCAS has sold student data to companies like Vodafone, Red Bull, O2 & Microsoft JAMES STANLEY
data is used and sold by so many companies already.” Similarly, student Katie Pathiaki, 20, said: “I think it’s not that outrageous. The random Windows software salesmen and PPI recovery have to find their customers from somewhere.” Reanne Waite, 19, a college student, who recently used UCAS to apply to university, was infuriated. She said: “I think it’s ridiculous. They shouldn’t be allowed. Are we not protected by some sort of law?” “It comes as no surprise, the majority of sites do it. Data mining is the new gold mining,” said Bournemouth student Alex Folkard. Data campaigners have condemned UCAS’ behaviour as “underhand”. As the gateway to university, UCAS attracts almost every student applying to a British university from the UK or oversees. It is alleged that UCAS tells potential advertisers “We help them reach university - we help you to reach them.” There is no law preventing UCAS in selling access to student data, as it does not sell individuals ‘data’ directly, but instead markets access to it, using its own channels to deliver marketing. UCAS has since said: “UCAS and UCAS Media comply strictly with all applicable laws and regulations, in the way in which we handle personal data.”
Fire service warns residents to stay alert Hailey Hammer DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @Hailey_Hammer DORSET Fire and Rescue Service has urged students and elderly residents to stay alert after eight fires were caused by unattended cooking in two weeks. District Commander Stuart Jeneson said these fires are mainly caused by elderly people who may fall asleep or who may be inattentive to their cooking, as well as students who decide to cook after a night out on the town. He said it is important to realise how dangerous the mere smoke from these fires can be. “If you’ve been out on the town and just fancy a sausage sandwich, the grill pan you decide to use may not have been washed since last time and can be dirty with fat. The heat turns the fat to liquid then gas, which then can ignite fire. “It is actually quite nasty. Some of the gas produced from a normal chip pan is absolutely deadly,” said Mr Jeneson.
“There is a misapprehension amongst most people when it comes to fires, as they assume it is experienced in a way they have seen on TV. Real fires in starting stages involve vast amounts of thick smoke, and very little fire. Firefighting troops are trained in doing house searches blindfolded because often the smoke is too thick to see through. “It is not normal to burn to death, but the smoke will kill. After a while you will start breathing in smoke without noticing it, and without a smoke detector you will not be able to hear it happening as the fire does not make much sound. “The smoke will start to poison you and act as a narcotic by putting you to sleep. It will also stimulate your breathing because you are not getting enough oxygen, so you breathe more. That’s why you are rendered unconscious very quickly, and can do nothing about the situation,” he said. Mr Jeneson added that it is possible to wake up despite the narcotic effect of the smoke, but arms and legs may not work as they should do, so it will be difficult to do anything about the situation. “When we turn up to fatal fires we often find casualties that look
Stuart Jeneson warns smoke is as dangerous as fire like they are all right, but they are covered in soot and you can see that they have breathed in smoke,” said Mr Jeneson. His advice is to keep fire doors closed so that smoke is kept within a confined space, and to use common sense when cooking after a night out on the town. “Most people keep fire doors open, but the moment the smoke gets out in corridors, it cuts off escape routes.
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“We are not saying not to go out and have a good time, but it is that little bit of thought at the end of the day that is needed. “Get a take-away or ask someone to cook for you. If you decide to cook yourself, you need to be sensible and understand what you are doing,” said Mr Jeneson. He added that although some students think a small fire is a bit of a joke, it is important to stay alert.
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The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
EDL visit BU’s Islamic Awareness Week Hollie Wong DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @HollieWong BOURNEMOUTH EDL members caused a stir during the last event of Islamic Awareness Week held at Bournemouth University. A large group of men, claiming to be from the counter-extremism thinktank Quilliam, attended the talk and posed some difficult questions to converted Muslim speakers Hussein Thomas and Musa Ugandhi. However, a video uploaded to the Bournemouth EDL YouTube channel confirms that they were in fact members of the English Defence League. Jonathan Russell, Political Liason Officer for Quilliam, told The Rock that none of the men involved are Quilliam employees. Soon after the last of the two speakers had finished his address at the event, organised by BU’s Islamic Society, the group of English Defence League members entered into a heated debate with members of the society. The EDL members posed queries about female genital mutilation (FGM), Sharia law and the oppression of women in regard to the hijab, the head decoration that many female Muslims wear. Speaker Musa Ugandhi defended his religion. “What you see on the news is
Guest speakers Hussein Thomas and Musa Ugandhi not from Islam,” he said. “Your disapproval is with certain cultures, it’s not Muslim culture. “FGM happens in certain places in Africa and Asia, but it doesn’t just happen with Muslims; it happens with Christians as well, therefore your issue is with the culture.” One of the Bournemouth EDL members agreed, saying that FGM is wrong “no matter who does it”. The representative recording the talk justified their presence. He said: “The reason we’ve come here today is because we’re concerned that people have come to Bournemouth University to talk about Islam and there are components of Islam that are a threat to us and we’re concerned for our children who are of the age to be in
H. WONG
university.” The first speaker of the night, Hussein Thomas said: “You can have your concerns because it’s up to you to have them, but the first thing you’ve got to do is research. “You’ve got to come to the table with some substance.” The debate became so heated that one of the Bournemouth EDL members stepped outside the lecture theatre and paced back and forth before more members entered. Audience members became particularly agitated when the men suggested that the Muslim women in the room were oppressed due to their decision to wear the hijab. One woman shouted “do I look oppressed?” and another said that the EDL members were “oppressing
The EDL are a highly controversial campaign group us right now”. A female Muslim in the audience urged the Bournemouth EDL members to do more research. “You’re judging Muslims by the actions of minorities,” she said. The debate ended with shouts and jeers from both sides. In the YouTube description attached to the video, the Bournemouth EDL members describe the Islamic Awareness Week event as “A Night Of Cultural Terrorism at Bournemouth University”. The group go on to say that they had no cause to disrupt the event, but “would have emptied the building by what ever means necessary” in the event of discussion around jihad or the promotion of
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Sharia law. The English Defence League defines itself as “a human rights organisation dedicated to peacefully protesting against Islamic extremism”. Its founder and leader Tommy Robinson formally left the organisation last year with the help of the Quilliam thinktank. Desk Editor for Press and PR at Bournemouth University, Nathaniel Hobby said: “Bournemouth University is committed to encouraging all students to grow, debate and develop whilst at university. “We have a duty of care to protect our students and are confident that all of our students remained safe during the debate.”
Social media crimes on the rise in Dorset Joe Nerssessian ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @joenerssessian FACEBOOK crimes in Dorset have gone up by over a third in the last three years according to new information released by Dorset Police. The number of crimes relating to the social media site reached 205 last year, a rise of 38% since 2011 when there were 77 incidents reported to police. The data was released by Dorset Police following a Freedom of Information request by political thinktank Parliament Street, who also questioned 24 other police forces across the UK. Steven George-Hilley from Parliament Street said: “The Government must do more to tackle this new wave of crime which is often intrinsically linked to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. “Every police officer should be equipped with the very latest cyber skills backed up by tougher
sentences for online offences to ensure criminals do not gain the upper hand.” The news comes just a month after Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, Martyn Underhill, backed a partnership between Bournemouth University and five police forces in the South West to battle cyber-crime. The initiative aims to teach police officers innovative ways of tackling online crime. Mr Underhill said: “Cyber-crime is a growing threat in Dorset and people need to be better informed against the risks of using their computer or smartphone. “It is crucial to raise greater awareness of cyber-crime. Wherever I go in Dorset, the public have made it quite clear that they are worried by cyber-crime and fraud. The government and the South West region of police forces have identified that this is the most significant emerging threat to our residents. The FOI request also revealed there were nine incidents of Twitter crime reported to Dorset police last year, up from one in 2011. In 2012 a Dorset teenager made
Facebook is one of the main social networks where users experience cyber-crime FACEBOOK & J KLEEMAN national headlines after sending Olympic diver Tom Daley a tweet saying he had let down his father after missing out on a medal. Daley’s father, Rob, died following a cancer battle in May 2011.
Reece Messer, who tweeted using @rileyy_69, before the account was suspended, was arrested by Dorset Police and questioned over the message. Eventually officers gave Messer,
who was living in Weymouth at the time, a formal warning for harrasment. Nationally reports of Twitter crime have risen sharply, doubling from 677 in 2011 to 1,291 last year.
6 news
Thursday 27 March 2014|The Rock
Schools in church halls considered Collect rail
Schools across the country are struggling with overcrowding
Joe Nerssessian ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @joenerssessian
PA
BOURNEMOUTH Borough Council’s efforts to cope with the surge in pupil numbers led to them considering the idea of ‘pop-up schools in church halls’. In a report published by the Local
Government Association (LGA) it was revealed Bournemouth Council had tried to turn church halls or day centres into pop-up village schools, but were rebuffed by the Department for Education (DfE) The pop-up schools would have helped to meet the rising demand for primary school places. Last year 1,924 children started school in Bournemouth, a huge rise from 2006 when 1,347 pupils began. Neil Goddard, Service Director for Community Learning at Bournemouth Council, said although the DfE didn’t reject the idea it was funding the schools that proved difficult. “After detailed discussions with the Education Funding Agency it became clear that current school funding regulations were not flexible enough to allow such a provision. “The concept of a village school is an innovative solution that Bournemouth considered and would offer a small school experience with one or two year groups only. “Once these children had reached the age to transfer to secondary school the option would be there to close the provision if no longer required,” said Mr Goddard. Councillor Nicola Green, Cabinet Member for Education also supported the idea for new pop-up schools and believes the government needs to accept the “idea that primary schools may not look like they have in the past”.
“The pressure doesn’t stop, and the physical space children need is a real challenge,” added Mrs Greene. Two new primary schools are to open in 2014 and a free school opened last year in an office block as temporary accommodation. The council say there is now no room for expansion after extending schools with modular buildings, adding bulge classes and turning spare space into classrooms. Mr Goddard says the biggest barrier has been planning issues, in particular the case of St Michael’s Church of England School where a project had to work around a protected tree, leading to spiraling costs. “Sometimes it can feel like the urgent need for additional school places is not fully appreciated by all of our colleagues,” said Mr Goddard. The Council are now considering other options from the consultation process which could include the controversial move to build on green belt land. The overcrowding of schools is an issue for schools across the country and earlier this month the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that one in five primary schools are already full or over capacity. The NAO predict that nationally more than a quarter of a million extra places will be needed by Autumn next year to avoid further overcrowding.
tickets on campus
THE university have installed a new rail ticket collection machine at Talbot campus. The new machine is next to the photo booth in the ground floor of Poole House and will allow staff and students to collect tickets ordered online. As an incentive to use the new machine students and staff can win a £50 post office voucher by collecting tickets. To enter: take a picture of a rail ticket that you have collected from the machine and email it to tplangroup@bournemouth.ac.uk. before April 18. The 10 digit ticket code needs to be clearly visible in the photo. Winners will be announced on April 23 during the university’s ‘leave your car at home day’. The installation of the machine is another move to encourage students to use public transport across Bournemouth alongside their own bus service and annual bus pass cards. To book rail tickets online students can use a variety of websites including: www.thetrainline.com www.redspottedhanky.com
No makeup selfies raise over £2m for charity Nikita Lewis NEWS EDITOR @NikitaLewis THE #nomakeupselfie is still going strong after raising more than £2m over the weekend for Cancer Research UK. The selfies, which started trending last Tuesday, involve women posting a picture of themselves without makeup to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, whilst urging friends to do the same and donating £3 by texting Beat to 70099. The trend, which was not started by Cancer Research UK themselves, has raised a significant amount of money for the charity. Carolan Davidge, Director of Communications at Cancer Research UK said: “Thanks to people choosing to donate to us as part of the #nomakeupselfietrend, we’ve been overwhelmed with the donations and support in the past 24 hours. “The no makeup selfie is still going strong, and with the trend not being something Cancer Research UK started, it’s been fantastic to see so many people
getting involved and wanting to use their selfie to raise money for our life-saving research.” Female students at Bournemouth University have also been posting their naked faces onto social media. Anna Hayward, 19, a BU student said: “I think the selfie craze has really raised awareness of the great work cancer research does, I think every girl should take a selfie. “Many of my guy friends have also gotten involved by putting on loads of make-up and taking a picture, putting aside their ego and reputation, which I think is great.” The trend has snowballed and made a huge impact on social media, getting the attention of national newspapers, radio and TV news. Celebrities have also jumped on the bandwagon in aid of raising awareness and donating to the charity. Beauty queen Amy Willerton, Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan and ex-pop star Kym Marsh have all contributed to the cause via the internet. Yet the trend has been met with controversy as some commentators feel that the campaign is more about self-gratification. Student Prisicilla Ng’ethe said: “Despite the negative commentators, it’s for a good cause, as it has raised a lot of money within days.”
Women across the country have shown their support for cancer charities on numerous social media
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The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
SUBU crowns brand new full time officers Hollie Wong DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @HollieWong BU students have elected their new student union team of fulltime officers for the next academic year. Candidates were standing for four different roles on the SUBU team: Vice President for Lansdowne, Vice President for Welfare, Vice President for Education and SUBU President. The winners were announced in a special election event held at Dylan’s Bar at Bournemouth University. The first elected team member on the night was Peter Briant for Lansdowne VP. In his new role Peter intends to encourage the cohesion between the Talbot and Lansdowne Campuses and improve student contact time with tutors, something stressed in student feedback. Vice President for Welfare was announced soon after, with former part-time officer Reece Pope victorious.
Chloe Schendel-Wilson was crowned SUBU President at a special election event held in Dylan’s in front of crowds H HAMMER & H WONG Reece wants to build upon the work he’s done as a part-time officer by getting SUBU to stand up against mental health issues. Ellie Mayo-Ward was the third successful candidate to be announced, taking up the role of Vice President for Education. Ellie believes that all students should have the opportunity to get involved in their education and utilise available resources.
She told SUBU: “I know how important it is for students to get engaged to increase their employability prospects.” Elections for the SUBU President went through five rounds of voting in the AV system. Chloe Schendel-Wilson was announced as the new SUBU President after receiving 811 votes in the final round of voting. Chloe currently sits on the
Activities Council and is an active supporter of BU’s clubs and societies. She told SUBU: “I have been involved enough in SUBU to know exactly how I can take it forward.” The election campaign for each candidate began on March 17 and culiminated in Dylan’s on Friday March 21. Many of the campaigns caught the attention of students, from lavish campaign videos to baked
goods; candidates utilised all of their resources to make their campaigns memorable. The elections used the AV voting system. This online preferential voting system allows students to rank candidates in preferred order. SUBU says that this voting system allows students to use their vote in ‘a more constructive way’ as they can express preference over multiple candidates, not just one.
Ukrainian in the UK: “I will never move back”
Protests began over the Ukrainian President’s refusal to have closer ties with the EU
Hailey Hammer DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @Hailey_Hammer A UKRAINIAN student living in Bournemouth has said that the current crisis means he will never move back to his home country. Bogdan McHugh said he misses Ukraine and loves to go back on holiday, but he says will never move back on a permanent basis, especially after Crimea was annexed by Russia.
Bogdan moved to the UK with his parents nine years ago and so he has followed the conflict in his homeland from a distance. He said he has had opportunities over here that he would never had in Ukraine and stated that it would be better for the country to move towards the European Union rather than Russia. “I think it would have served Ukraine better to move towards Europe instead and get influence and economic bonds with European countries,” said Bogdan. “I really do not know what is
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going to happen now.” His reasons for not wishing to return to Ukraine do not have anything to do with fear of the conflict, which according to Bogdan has not been as violent as portrayed by the British media. But the country has been struggling financially for a long time and the 18-year-old said there is no way he could have pursued his dream of acting over there. “Since the country is still developing they do not have the resources to support culture the way that England can.
Bogdan Mchugh won’t return to Ukraine permanently “My life here is so much better than it would have been had I stayed in Ukraine as I would never have had the same opportunities.” Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the necessary papers to make Crimea part of Russia last week. He laughed off sanctions from Western countries like the USA and France, who tried to stop the annexation from taking place. When told that the US had added Bank Rossiya, allegedly favoured by senior officials, to its blacklist Putin said he would “definitely open an account there”.
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Bogdan said that the shift in the region may have both emotional and financial consequences. He said: “Ukraine is going to lose part of history. “Yalta in Crimea hosted the famous conference after World War 2 where Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met to discuss the future of Europe. “It is a shame for the town not to be part of Ukraine any more. “Crimea also holds a lot of historical castles and buildings that attract tourists, so the government will lose out financially as well.”
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Thursday 27 March 2014 |The Rock
Students praised for lads’ mag ban
‘Lads’ mags’ will no longer be sold on campus
Joe Nerssessian ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @joenerssessian BOURNEMOUTH University students are leading the way in fighting sexism, according to a feminism campaigner. In an open meeting earlier this month, students voted in favour of a motion to ban the sale of
B.SUTHERLAND
magazines such as Nuts and Loaded from the student shop. The controversial decision has been heralded by the ‘Lose The Lads’ Mags’ campaign, which was started by women’s rights groups UK Feminista and Object. “Bournemouth students are leading the way in the fight against sexism,” said Sophie Bennett, Acting Director of UK Feminista. “By stopping the sale of degrading, pornographic lads’ mags the students’ union is sending a clear
and crucial message to all students that it’s not acceptable to treat women like dehumanised sex objects. “There is extensive evidence showing that sexist lads’ mags like Nuts and Zoo fuel attitudes underpinning violence against women. We live in a society where over 80,000 women are raped every single year in the UK and one in three girls experience sexual harassment at school on a daily basis. If as a society we are serious about ending sexist violence we need to tackle the attitudes underpinning it. And that’s exactly what Bournemouth University students are doing,” added Bennett. “Student unions around the country should follow Bournemouth’s lead. Exposing students and employees to sexist, degrading lads’ mags in student union shops can in fact constitute sexual harassment or sex discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Both legally and ethically, lads’ mags are well past their sell-by date.” The motion marginally passed at the Student Shout meeting on March 13 after 50% of the students voted for the ban, with 46% against and the rest abstaining. The meeting was attended by just over 100 students, meaning
any motions achieving 50% or more would be binding. Bournemouth University has 16,683 students across its two campuses. Yet not all students seemed to be pleased with the decision. Cleo Early, a third-year Psychology student, said: “They’re not all about degrading girls. There’s loads of magazines for girls, there should be some for guys too.” Jasmin Snook, a journalism student at BU, commented on The Rock website: “This is absolutely pathetic. Ashamed to be from a university that moans about such trivial things. Embarrassing and pathetic!” Jasmin added: “I know many students that have been offered to go on work experience at Nuts magazine… (Which is great as it is incredibly hard to get work experience for journalism) “You going to ban us from doing that as well?” The motion was proposed by Annie Hall, then Vice President of communications for SUBU, who are yet to comment on the vote. However, the magazines look to have been removed from the student shop. The Rock are interested in hearing your views on the matter and have set up a poll on our website. To vote go to www.bournemouthrock.co.uk.
Nightclub holds clothes swap event Hollie Wong DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
Hackers had links to Iranian Government Continued from front worrying on our Facebook group that their work has been deleted, but fortunately it’s still there. “They have overwritten the index.php, meaning you can’t display any other pages other than the one upload by the hacker.” The index.php of a website is the default page which is displayed. In October 2011, Her Majesty’s (HM) Treasury put Kamalian on a list of targets for financial sanctions against Iran for human rights issues and was sanctioned by the EU as he “and his organization helped the regime crack down on protesters during the 2009 political unrest in Iran”. Along with the baby image, a message was posted saying: “We Love Mohammad and Amir Rastegari,” referring to the deputy head of Tehran’s environment department for monitoring and supervision, who is also a rear admiral in the Iranian Navy. The news was first published on The Rock website shortly after the cyber-attack, where it was then later shared on Iranian forums, triggering abusive comments from readers using Iranian IP address’. Details of the BU investigation will be available on the Rock website when they become known. See opposite for an in-depth look at the difficult relationship between Iran and Israel, as well as the problems which plague the Middle East.
@HollieWong HALO nightclub hosted a clothes swapping event this month to encourage people to donate their unwanted clothes for charity. ‘The Swap’ allowed people to donate their own unwanted clothes in exchange for clothing items donated by other volunteers. Alex Ball, Deputy Manager of Halo, helped co-ordinate the recycling initiative. He said: “I think The Swap is a good thing. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You’re going to get more use out of something than just throwing it in the bin.” Any profit made through entry fees and donations at the event went to Lewis Manning Hospice in Poole. The hospice provides free care and support for people in East Dorset living with cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other lifelimiting illnesses. The nightclub’s ground floor was stocked with rails of donated clothes and also featured independent stalls with handmade jewellery, ties and pillows. The Swap team aimed to source all exhibitors, resources and clients both sustainably and
Our top stories on the website There’s loads of exclusive content and web-only stories available over at bournemouthrock.co.uk. Here are some of the stories you have been reading the most online in the past month. 1. Bournemouth students pay tribute to Tayla Woodard
Halo nightclub was stocked with clothes donated by volunteers for visitors to look through H. WONG locally, in order to encourage the idea of organic growth within the community. The event was also used to promote up-cycling - a process which converts wastematerials or unused products into materials of better quality and environmental value. Feedback for the event was mainly positive; one vendor wanted to encourage more events like The Swap to promote recycling and environmentalism in the local
community. The Swap was particularly popular among students. BU student Eve Hewitt, 18, said: “The turnout could have been better but it was a great idea to bring people together and raise money for charity.” Eve also supported the originality of the event. She said: “I think it’s important for people to shop at independent stalls as the vendors who run them invest so much time and energy into their stalls.”
Alex Ball also supported the communal aspect of the event in regard to Halo nightclub itself. He said: “We’ve put on a series of community club events to open the building up during the day for people to use free of charge so the building is actually getting some use during the day. “The club is sat there doing nothing during the day, so we opened it for things like The Swap so people can get some use out of it.”
2. Bournemouth EDL appear at Islamic Awareness Week event 3. Hacker uploads dead baby image to BU server 4. Review - Scene Asia restaurant 5. Lads’ Mags sale banned on campus 6. Bournemouth University tweets for a pimped summer ball by MTV 7. Local mums go against spending trend
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OPINION
Thursday 27 March 2014 | The Rock
Iran shouldn’t get the bomb, but Israel shouldn’t have it either
Editorial Michael Seymour DEPUTY EDITOR
@michaelgseymour
Conspiracy Not every world view is a sane one
9
Education No dark sarcasm in the classroom
10
opinonseditor @bournemouthrock.co.uk
Depending on where you get your news, there won’t be many days where you don’t see a piece about the Middle East conflict, and the problems which plague the region. Israel and Palestine are currently ‘negotiating’ in the latest round of peace talks, which come to an end in mid-April. A solution still looks no closer to being found. Israel continues to build settlements in occupied territories – a breach of international law and breaking the fourth Geneva Convention (which defines the humanitarian protections for civilians in a war zone) despite maintaining their innocence. The United States is currently facilitating the peace talks, with Secretary of State John Kerry playing a key role in the process, but America clearly supports the Jewish state of Israel. A quick scan of their media coverage of the conflict will confirm this. Palestine, and the neighbouring states who support them, are of course not innocent in this conflict either. If they had their way, Israel would be wiped of the map – a worrying thought, whichever side off the fence you sit on – and terrorist organisations on this side regularly carry out attacks. Hamas currently holds the majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament (74), but is listed as a terrorist organisation by the US, Britain and the European Union, Egypt and Japan, to name a few. Iran, Russia and Turkey are some of the big names who do not classify
Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Hezbollah, the Iran-funded, Lebanese-based, political party is also regularly involved in conflicts with the state of Israel, and its paramilitary wing is considered to be more powerful than the Lebanese army. It too is considered a terrorist organisation by America, France and Canada among others, while Britain and the EU only consider the military wing to be terrorist. The fact that there is no clear ‘good guy’ in the conflict makes it difficult for the West and other developed nations to intervene. But it is not helped by the fragility of the region either. The enemies, allegiances and aims of each player in the conflict contradict the other. Unlike the Second World War, where the battle lines were clearly drawn between the Allies and the Axis forces, the Middle East conflict is a mire of battle lines. If one domino goes, the entire stability of the region will inevitably collapse. This is why Iran should not be allowed to develop the nuclear bomb. No secret has been made of the fact that if they did get to the point where they were successfully able to develop a nuclear weapon, Tel Aviv would be in the crosshairs. Israel has made this point explicitly clear in the UN Security Council and great effort is being put into ensuring they do not develop the capability. But at the same time, they want to develop nuclear power. Is allowing Iran to enrich uranium a risk too far? But then why can Israel have atomic weapons? If Iran is to go undefended against the threat of annihilation from the Jewish state, I would argue that Israel should have to give up their weapons of mass destruction in the interest of balance.
Nuclear weapons have the power to wipe nations off the map Although the nuclear weapons are not officially declared by Israel, they have been listed as one of the four nuclear-armed countries not designated a Nuclear Weapons State by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – the others being North Korea, India and Pakistan. This poses one of the biggest
threats to the region as the rhetoric escalates, and it seems unlikely Iran will stop pushing to get one of their own while the mushroom cloud looms overhead. See our cover article to read about the Iranian hackers who took over a BU server in political protest against Israel.
‘Conspiratards’ bring in ratings but put the rest of us at risk Chris Fay
OPINIONS EDITOR @JChrisFay The possible explanations for the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 as given to us by CNN are interesting to say the least: hijacking, engine failure, black holes and aliens – just what any reasonably-minded person would consider. CNN is rightly being ridiculed for this. And CNN did this for ratings, which is not news. Nor is the fact that conspiracy theories or theorists exist. What is worrying however is the exposure these theories are being given. Even if it is just for ratings, publishing and giving time to insane and often dangerous theories is reckless and irresponsible. From what I can see, these people have been getting louder and louder since 9/11. Cable
and satellite news, the internet and social media have been the digital petri dishes that have given an oversized megaphone to the most insane fringe of the population. So long as they are just talking, just making noise, what harm are they doing? They are putting us all at risk by being the loudest voice in the room and skewing the public perception of some very important and complicated issues. Like water fluoridisation. It’s not a mind control tool and it’s not for population culling. It’s for the prevention of tooth decay. But this doesn’t stop the loud and largely misinformed fear-mongering anti-fluoride groups publishing blatant lies in opposition. Then there is the more important issue of infant vaccination. Vaccines have lowered infant mortality rates in a way that few other medical or scientific breakthroughs have. These innovations have resulted in the near eradication of diseases that once ravaged our species. One struck-off doctor, an unscientific study and Jenny
McCarthy combined to produce the anti-vac movement. Claims that vaccines cause autism, that it’s a plot to control our minds and kill our children have resulted in the resurgence of measles in New York. It was considered eradicated by the year 2000. These are some dangerous conspiracy theories, but at least you can say that they are born of concern. Not so much in the case of the Sandy Hook and Aurora shootings. There are some who don’t think that these events happened. They demand that those crying victims you saw on TV and the dead kids were all actors complicit in an insidious plot to take away America’s guns. There have been phone calls, online campaigns of hate and threats on the lives of people who have already lost so much, all in the name of paranoia. Some believe that Jews control the world. Others think that a shadowy group known as the Illuminati or the NWO is in the driver’s seat. Some think reptilian aliens in disguise
are running the governments of the planet. And there are those that would tick the box “all of the above” when it comes to our secret rulers. Why do these ‘conspiratards’ believe what they do? Why do they harbour these nonsensical ideas? It gives them hope that the world is about them, that there is someone in control and there is a plan, even if it’s evil. There is no one in control, no all-seeing eye and no reptilian plot. There is just a rudderless world adrift in the chaos of geopolitics and natural disasters, and no amount of posts on Facebook will change that.
Really, no one is watching you
10 opinion The plight of the modern male student Ross Maffey
@RossMaffey The days of living off nothing but smart-priced noodles, frozen pizzas and scrambling after every last penny seem to have vanished. The more recent exuberance of university lifestyles often brings a stigma, and in some sense an expectation, of the day-to-day lives of male students. To me, there’s a monotony in the hobbies and conversations between male students involving sex, alcohol and the gym. Society has created a perception of this ‘lad’ student. We all know them: the type of people who thoroughly enjoy losing consciousness to the wrath of vodka, walk around clubs in packs, and spend too much time on their physical appearance. I think it’s common, and fair enough. But when it comes to other people being judged and labelled due to the behaviour of the minority, it’s a step too far. We’re required to tolerate verbal abuse from other boys, whether it’s due to appearances or lifestyles, and let them get away with it. Just label the insults as ‘banter’, and then carry on - everyone does it. The hottest topic of the day would be the echo of how many tens of kilograms each of their muscles were forced to lift today or how drunk they got last night. Are they proud? Or do they do this to state their dominance? It pressures other guys that may not share the same values to partake in heavy drinking or general idiotic behaviour that would otherwise be uncharacteristic of them. University is all about the social aspects as well as the education, but when people start mocking and insulting others because of differences in social activities and views, a stand needs to be made. If you don’t adhere to the criteria set by these ‘lads’ then you’re inferior. If you’re unable to down your drink and sleep with that girl then you become oppressed. I find it offensive when boys are expected to materialise girls, and act in certain ways, because of the portrayal of stereotypes in the media. Are we supposed to behave like that, even if it’s not entirely what we want? It can be hard to say no. It’s getting to the stage where ‘students’ behave wildly because they think they need to; it’s expected of them because they’re ‘students’, not because it’s their own will.
The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
‘Production line education’ is good for no one
Tom Beasley
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TomJBeasley When did this country stop trying to enrich its children? This is a question that becomes more important with every new cohort of children that passes through our education system. Education for British youngsters is no longer treated as an experience. It has simply become a production line that moves kids along the exam conveyor belt until they are neatly deposited at the other end into the world of work with a polished, hefty CV. Theoretically, it’s an efficient and effective system. Unfortunately, efficiency and effectiveness is not what education should ever be about. The job market is in such a mess that everything young people are told places continuous emphasis on how difficult it will be to find work. As a result, actual learning and experimentation is placed on the back-burner in favour of an omnipresent focus on employability. Nothing that anyone does at school is done with enrichment in mind. Years of education focused entirely on passing examinations, writing resumes and acquiring jobs have taught this generation that unless something can go on your CV, it probably isn’t worth doing. As a university student, it’s horrifying to see a generation of
young people who don’t care about politics or engaging with the wider issues of being a student. As long as they walk out with a degree to put on their LinkedIn profile, their university experience has been a complete success as far as they’re concerned. It’s just another step on the production line. I was stunned the other day to see a post on the website of a UK university newspaper that rubbished the idea of politics at university as something that’s not what the university experience is about. This couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, politics and university have always been closely entwined. Academia provides the perfect forum for political views to be shaped, challenged and championed, but modern students don’t seem to have any inclination towards having an informed opinion. It’s clearly easier to party hard and glug down the tenth Jägerbomb of the night instead. This isn’t the type of scenario that the education system should be encouraging. Education should not aim just to turn people into good, compliant employees; it should mould the youth of today into well-rounded human beings with interests, aspirations and goals. That simply isn’t happening. Under the guidance of the last Labour government, and now radical Tory reformist Michael Gove, the education system is simply a conveyor belt of identical robots built to enter the job market. The production line just goes on. And when that’s the case, no one stands out.
Gove has overseen the growth of ‘production line education’
PA
Rugby means everything to the Welsh Hollie Wong
@HollieWong It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Six Nations completely takes over Wales. Streets, clubs and pubs are crawling with red jerseys and pints of Brains beer. Writing from a Welsh perspective, it’s difficult not
to mention the acrimonious relationship we share with the English on the rugby field. The sporting anthem ‘As Long As We Beat the English’ comes to mind. After our Championship victory last year, expectations were high, making our defeat to Ireland an even harder pill to swallow. Losing in Dublin was a Welsh tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Losing by a massive 23-point deficit, as Irish hearts
Welsh kicker Leigh Halfpenny was injured against England
PA
soared, our entire tournament was shot in 80 minutes. How would we beat the likes of England and France when we couldn’t even get close to the Irish? Two weeks later, we may have pummelled France, but the Championship was out of our control and headed to English soil after they gained victory against both Scotland and Ireland. On March 9, the biggest game for the Welsh had finally arrived. Without the loyal turf of the Millennium Stadium and the chorus of singers chanting “Bread of Heaven” that comes with our home ground, Twickenham was going to be tough. The game was messy and rigid, more suitably named ‘England vs. Leigh Halfpenny’s boot’. England’s head coach, Stuart Lancaster, said “that win was right up for me there”, after claiming his first victory over Wales. With our Championship hopes dashed and our star kicker, Halfpenny, injured, there was little optimism left in Wales. On the tournament’s final weekend, Wales may have finished with a great 48-point win over Scotland but all eyes were on the Stade de France. The tension was incomparable to
any other game of the tournament but ended in a deserved win for Ireland and a rightful send-off for their most capped player and captain, Brian O’Driscoll. Wales may not have ended the Championship as victors, but honestly, neither did England, and that made this year’s loss that little bit sweeter. We were beaten fair and square by two teams that performed with more gumption and creativity than us on the day. But the Irish and English teams are back on our soil next year and the Welsh chorus will be louder and more passionate than ever.
Want to have your say?
The Bournemouth Rock Opinons section is always looking for the views of its readers. Disagree with something you read? Have a view you want to share? Email us at
opinonseditor@bournemouthrock.co.uk
features 11
The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
FEATURES
A night in chocolate heaven
The Chocolate Boutique Hotel is the world’s only chocolatethemed hotel and is pefect for any chocoholics trying to get their fix Katie Benham @ katiebenhaaam
Spirits
Psychic reveals his encounters with the spirits
12
Cycling
Cycling brings community together
15
featureseditor @bournemouthrock.co.uk
Chocolate. Few people can say they don’t like it, even fewer can say that they have created a successful business out of it. Only one person can say they have made a successful hotel business from the delicious substance. The Chocolate Boutique Hotel, which has opened its doors to the likes of Sir Bob Geldof and Mathew Horne in recent weeks, is the only chocolate-themed hotel in the world and lucky for us, it is situated right here in Bournemouth. This makes it completly unique. The 15-bedroom Grade II listed building is where founder and owner Gerry Wilton decided to combine his passion for and experience in the chocolate business with providing people with a novelty weekend they won’t forget. “It’s definitely one of those things people like to tick off,” says Gerry, “and because people love chocolate so much, they are already excited before they get here. Most people really like it.” The Chocolate Boutique Hotel takes full advantage of its luxurious status with a towering chocolate fountain on reception and a martini glass teaming with treats. There are chocolate extras for the guests in all of the bedrooms and traditional bar snacks such as peanuts and crisps have been replaced with a martini glass full of chocolate buttons for guests to enjoy while they await their ‘choctail’. The hotel, which averages four stars on the Trip Advisor website, also offers a variety of chocolaterelated classes, like teaching guests how to make chocolate, which are run all over the country. Lessons involve chocolate portrait painting and truffle making, as well as showing children how to ‘temper’ chocolate themselves in the most traditional of ways. “Some people come just for the
Sir Bob Geldof SKY ARTS classes, they don’t necessarily stay. They’re very popular,” he adds. Since it opened seven years ago, the unique concept has been a great success and has featured in The Sunday Times Travel Magazine as one of the top six novelty hotels to visit.
Martini glass at reception teeming with chocolate KATIE BENHAM CNN have also praised the hotel, listing it as one of the best places to visit for a ‘girlie getaway’. “It’s just interesting when people pick up on it and then say things about you and it goes all around the world and journalists are wanting pictures so that they can run a feature on you. We do get quite a lot of press coverage and international press coverage,” says Gerry. He owns the trademark for the chocolate hotel in the UK and says this has removed any “direct competition”- a valuable asset to have within the busy tourist area that Bournemouth is, with no limit to the wide variety of hotels available to rest your head. With Gerry’s expertise in the field of chocolate (he bought the second chocolate fountain in the world and started his business from there), he was confident that his hotel was
going to be successful - and it is. “I know now after the seven years we’ve had it that we could put this in any city in the world and it would work,” he says. “Every weekend is full with us.” As a family-run business, his plans are to open up more hotels in the future in different cities, and to continue to expand his children’s parties, which are proving to be extremely popular. Most people are fairly passionate about chocolate, so it will come as sad news that in “ten years’ time there won’t be a tremendous amount left,” according to Gerry. “It’ll be about £10-15 a bar because we don’t pay enough for it and the farmers don’t get enough money.” It is for this reason that we must make the most of the novelty before it becomes a luxury that too few of us can enjoy.
The Chocolate Boutique Hotel offers chocolatey treats such as their delicious choctails KATIE BENHAM
12 features
Thursday 27 March 2014 | The Rock
Talking to the other side
Bournemouth-based psychic Kerin Webb believes he can talk to the dead and people travel from all over the world to hear from their loved ones. Kerin has fought death, feared insanity and found hope, all at the hands of the spirits who he says talk to him
Kerin is internationally renowned, with people from as far as the United States seeking his help (left); Kerin helps clients from his home in Bournemouth (right) H.WONG
Hollie Wong @HollieWong The suburban estate that houses the medium and psychic Kerin Webb is unexpectedly conventional. He welcomes me in, moving towards the chair where he seats all of his clients, seating himself next to a workspace of treasured spiritual tokens and a writing pad. Eerie music is protruding from somewhere in his living room which is crowded with books and some other spiritual symbols. A plaque from Mensa also adorns the wall. A former counsellor and hypnotherapist, Kerin Webb now works as a psychic in Bournemouth. His transition to become a fulltime psychic only began five years ago, due to his own scepticism in his psychic abilities, but he has never regretted the change in vocation. “I left it a long time,” begins Kerin. “In some ways I kick myself, I wish I had done this sooner. If I’d have known then
what I know now, I would have grabbed this opportunity with both hands. But life is what it is and I love doing what I do now.” With a self-confessed analytical and logical outlook, Kerin feared trusting the intuition he always felt about his psychic abilities.
known then “whatIf II had know now, I would’ve grabbed this opportunity with both hands
”
“I’d had psychic experiences as far back as I can remember.” But when growing up in Winchester, he stifled his abilities. “Anything to do with the paranormal had negative connotations,” says Kerin firmly. But Kerin’s curiosity never faltered. He has gone from experimenting with card predictions as a teenager to fully-fledged encounters with the dead. “I always scored well above average on the card predictions.” He credits the spirits with saving his life in a cycling accident and also during the hurricane of 1987, when he was trapped in his mobile home
while at a spiritual festival. “I was praying on my hands and knees for protection. But very soon the wind hit like a steam train.” Sitting on the literal edge of his seat and motioning his hands to demonstrate the beating winds, he says: “I remember I was suspended in mid-air, I could see myself floating in the air, tables and chairs were coming towards me but they fell short and then the next instance I found myself floating some distance away onto some soft wet grass, totally unscathed.” Kerin’s spiritual experiences continued until he finally accepted the spirit he claims to connect with, named ‘Aurora’; the name Aurora is Roman for ‘Eos’, Kerin’s company name. With Aurora, Kerin’s predictions have changed and developed as he grew to accept her influence. “It’s often easier to pick up a negative event when learning, the theory behind this is that negative events leave stronger imprints through time because there is often grief attached to them. “As I became more practised, I went to the spirit and I said how grateful I was for giving me evidence that’s validated but I didn’t want to always be waiting for a nasty event to happen.”
When Kerin became confident and comfortable enough, he began to offer free readings to his clients. “This was a way of developing my skill and proving to myself that spirit would stand up to the plate with me.” Kerin’s success continued and he began to value his psychic abilities as more than just work. One particular client stood out for Kerin on a deeply emotional level. A mother who had recently lost her daughter in a car accident longed to connect with her again and restore her own faith. Kerin feared not sensing the daughter, which would suggest to
I was praying on “my hands and knees
for protection. But very soon the wind hit like a steam train
”
her mother that her daughter had not reached the afterlife. During the prediction the daughter came through very strongly and Kerin was able to sense many important elements in the daughter’s life, including the rock band Muse. “Whilst it never makes up for a
tragic loss,” began Kerin solemnly, “it healed her mum’s heart, helped her to move forward from a place of uncertainty and disbelief and any kind of survival to be certain that although her daughter isn’t around her in a physical sense, her daughter still exists spiritually.” A man of faith himself, Kerin’s tone lifts when reaching the heartening conclusion of his client’s struggle. His hopefulness resides in preserving another’s faith as well as his own. “I do this practically on a daily basis; I want to know there’s another side. And when I see this evidence, my faith is reinforced in my own life.” The psychic arts are viewed by many with caution and doubt. That included Kerin for a long time, but in sitting with Kerin, immersed in the warm suburban environment where he sees his clients, it’s obvious he is not looking to fight with sceptics. He is merely providing his visitors with an element of closure or hope. “The reading always comes from a position of love; clients can find some way to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel.” To find out more about Kerin Webb, go to: http://www.kerinbeautiful-day.co.uk/
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The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
The horses that heal
Horses are being used by therapists across the UK to improve people’s lives. Nicola Mitchell is one therapist showing Dorset that this therapy makes a difference Anna Hayward FEATURES EDITOR @hayward94 In a small field on the outskirts of Bournemouth, Shetland ponies graze and shelter from the cold lash of the rain. Only five or six hands high, these small, fluffy ponies seem to be just like any other horse. However these amazing animals are held in high esteem by equine therapists who use horses to help people from all walks of life such as those with autism or substance abuse problems. Equine learning therapists believe that horses reflect people’s behaviour and emotions, thus teaching us about ourselves and how to improve our lives. Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is experimental learning through interaction with horses on the ground, so there is no riding involved. Nicola Mitchell is an EAL therapist. She believes in the
psychological benefits of working with horses. “Our body language comes out in the horses - they act as a mirror to our moods and emotions. “They are highly sensitive to body language,” she says. For Nicola, who has been riding for over 40 years, her EAL training taught her that she “knew absolutely nothing about horses” and that she “needed to just observe and let things happen”. EAL gives you an insight into yourself that normal therapy may not asit is a living creature reflecting your behaviour rather than a therapist simply trying to interpret it. Nicola herself has always been ‘horse mad’. She has loved horses since she could walk and while other girls had posters of their celebrity crushes on their walls, Nicola’s wall was littered with ponies. So when the 59-year-old volunteered at the Fortune Riding Centre in 2011, it seemed natural for her to combine passion with profession. Since then, Nicola has built her own business based in Dorset, Aspire with Horses, which has helped an array of people build skills,
confidence and self-perception. A normal session would involve getting the person to pick the pony they would like to work with and then helping them lead and groom the ponies. It is through leading and grooming the horses that the person learns about themselves. However this is not always straightforward because the pony has its own thoughts and feelings, which clients have to take into account. “The horse may not want to move. So the person needs to think is it something they are doing which is reflecting in the way the horse is misunderstanding what they are wanting. Certainly for people with learning difficulties, who don’t have any spatial awareness or personal space, it very much comes out in how they work with the horse,” says Nicola. She adds that the therapy can have a massive impact on clients and their behaviour in a short space of time. “The difference can be enormous. I’ve had a lad with Asperger syndrome who wouldn’t even walk in the field to start with, who ended up after just two or three sessions
leading and grooming horses.” The therapy, though, is not just exclusive to helping a single person it can also help families grow closer. “It’s really lovely because they can come out and work together. It’s also nice for the siblings of autistic children because they often get neglected, so it’s quite nice to do things as a family,” says Nicola. For many families that use Equine Assisted Learning, especially those with autism, it gives them the chance to have a break from the hardships of daily life. “I’ve got one family who I’ve worked with for a long time and she said it’s lovely to have the freedom to run around, have the space and not to be looked at and have your behaviour judged by anybody because a lot of people with autistic children get stared at and judged.” Nicola worked as a P.E. teacher for eleven years and as a youth worker for five, so she has a wide experience with young people but wanted to offer them something different. “I wanted to offer a bit more because school isn’t for everybody and there are an awful lot of children out there who could benefit from
something else,” she says. Many colleges and universities are now offering animal-based courses such as Kingston Maurward College in Dorset, which offers courses such as equine and animal management. Using animals for therapy is a common practice around the world and is not a new concept with some researchers believing that it began as early as the age of the caveman. The first documented case in England was in the late 1800s when William Tuke found that using farm animals ‘enhanced the humanity of the emotionally ill’ at the asylum he was working at in York. For Nicola and other therapists like her, the work is very rewarding. “I feel good when I see the smile on people’s faces when they know they’ve achieved something. “Some people have had such a tough life and so it is good to see them come out onto the field to do some successful work with a horse and to feel they are getting something back.” To find out more about ‘Aspire with Horses’ call Nicola Mitchell on 07811 056 430 or email her at nicolamitchell@ equineassistedqualifications.com
Nicola works with ponies Rosie and Domino and Daphne the Donkey who live at High Mead Farm. Equine therapy is used across the UK to help people
ANNA HAYWARD
14 features
Thursday 27 March 2014 | The Rock
Wonderfully wacky Doctor Jazz visits Bournemouth
72-year old Doctor Jazz has an alternative approach to life reflected perfectly through his bizarre yet entertaining musical performances. He entertains audiences regularly at Buffalo Bar Poppy Jeffery @PoppyDJeffery Whisky in hand, washboard sat behind him and eyes twinkling, Doctor Jazz, otherwise known as Keith Western, is the eccentric grandad we all wish we had. With a passion for jazz and a love for making people smile, his performances are like nothing else. Starting off with a backing track of 1930s jazz he begins to sing. His voice is reminiscent of Louis Armstrong, his idol, with gravelly tones and evident passion for the music. Dressed head to toe in a mishmash of colours and styles, with a patchwork waistcoat and paisley scarf paired with bright red trousers, he really looks the part of an entertainer. The act isn’t like anything you’ve ever seen before. He never gives a straightforward music performance, but an entertainment act with audience participation and party poppers. He repeats the same few jokes over and over - not brilliant jokes,
Origins of Jazz Although its origins are unclear, jazz, being over 100 years old has played a pivotal role in the development of society and music throughout the world. The genre was created in the Southern region of the United States. It proved to be popular among many African-American slaves because it provided freedom to those that had little rights in the early 1900s. Here are some interesting facts about jazz that you may not know.
but they work. The audience, to whom he refers lovingly as “brothers and sisters”, are warming to him. He grabs a silver megaphone from his bag and decides to sing into it. As the audience begins to sing back, he starts holding it up to his ear, laughing to himself as the crowd replies. They repeat his scat singing back to him with varying accuracy. Wise true to his years, he speaks of life and what it means: “Respect life, respect other people and respect yourself and have fun. “The issues that we all have, most of them are not worthwhile to worry about but it takes time to realise that.” It soon becomes very clear that he is a doctor of jazz but also wants to make people feel better through
Inviting a few “people up on stage, he lets one young man take charge of the washboard, teaching him how to play it, dancing with a couple of girls
”
music and laughter. Buffalo Bar is a brilliant place for his performance. Dark and bohemian, with rock twist-rickety chairs, theatre seats and an old lamp next to a broken piano,
I am eccentric but “I know what I’m doing and I function well with my slightly nutty aproach to life
”
it is the perfect place for him to introduce young people to jazz. Buffalo has played host to Doctor Jazz on most Tuesday and Thursday nights for over a year, so he is a real favourite performer with the regulars. The crowd though are not a jazz lot. They are dressed in rock t-shirts and many have dreadlocks and piercings; but they can’t deny that Doctor Jazz is entertaining. At 72, he works the stage like nothing else, as if he was always meant to be a performer. He dives into a bag filled with party poppers - cheap ones from a local shop, and throws them to
Doctor Jazz playing in Buffalo Bar in Bournemouth POPPY JEFFERY people who are waving manically at the promise of a free gift. Some people choose to fire them that second, and others wait until a prominent moment in his next song, a number about being unable to play certain instruments, but playing them anyway. He then picks up an invisible trumpet and begins to play, smiling at the crowd. Inviting a few people up on stage, he lets one young man take charge of the washboard. He teaches him how to play it, dances with a couple of girls, (who he had invited to “come forth and multiply”), and then switches to play his imaginary saxophone. Born into a “hippy family” in Bournemouth, he has lived here most of his life, and spent the rest of it travelling around the world; he lived in the Netherlands for a number of years. He has travelled extensively on a budget, and was inspired by a trip to China. “China’s something else. You’ve got to try to travel because it does
broaden your mind a lot,” he says. Doctor Jazz wasn’t always a performer though. He used to be an Art Deco antiques dealer, a career that does indeed suit an eccentric man such as himself. He then retired and one of his sons suggested that he should turn his love of New Orleans jazz into a performance - a suggestion that turned out to be a brilliant idea. He also runs a local event, the Slim Slam Boogie, a variety show based around jazz. Similar to his own act, it features singing and entertainment through the ages with an overarching retro feel to it. For a man with such a distinct character, he is remarkably down-toearth and enterprising. A brilliant performer, who prides himself on having fun and bringing back the sounds of New Orleans, as well as the African-American jazz of the 1920s and 30s. He sums himself and his way of living up perfectly: “I am eccentric but I know what I’m doing and I function well with my slightly nutty approach to life.”
Jazz fuses together African rhythms, American blues, and elements of pop music Jazz musicians founded
The average big band has 15
the drum set
members
Early jazz men said “to jazz” meant to fornicate
The words “cool” and “hip” were originally jazz terms
Jazz was popular in “speakeasies” (illegal bars) during the 1920s
Louis Armstrong
RIKSARKEVIT
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The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
The children inspired by Olympic star Wiggo
The cycling centre has a 25 metre circuit and has 12 qualified track coaches ROGER PAPP
A rapidly growing cycling centre is encouraging the whole community to get on their bikes and experience the drama of track cycling, reliving the success of London 2012’s heroes Chrissy Marshall-Bell @cmbell310 A world championship rainbow jersey adorns a young cyclist as he takes to the saddle on the Bournemouth Cycling Centre track. It is a replica, of course, but it serves a far greater significance other than the said child’s aspirations: cycling is on the rise in Bournemouth – and it’s accessible to everyone. The outdoor track, nestled in Slades Farm Park in Ensbury Park estate, is establishing itself as a haven for youngsters and adults alike wanting to hone their skills on the bike. And once the skills are acquired, it is a discipline of Britain’s fastest growing sport which most undeniably become obsessed with. “There’s definitely a big demand for riding the track, our youth membership has gone up,” says Graham Hurst, a Poole Wheelers rider and one of the Centre’s 12 qualified track coaches. “To paraphrase a young person’s expression, it’s cool. “And the young riders have people to look up to now, such as Bradley Wiggins, Chris Hoy and Laura Trott.”
The mandate of the coaches is to get “more people to enjoy the sport, whether that’s on the road, on the track or social riding,” he added. “It’s nice to have three clubs in
It’s an adventure, “the sheer adventure
of riding a brakeless track bike for youth and adults is amazing
”
the region with a wide spectrum of riders.” Another coach, Jason Falconer, is well-placed to elaborate on what is being done to increase the number of cyclists in the South West. Jason leads school sessions and his catchment area stretches as far west as Weymouth. Put simply, the track – opened in 2011 - is becoming a hotbed of sport in Dorset. Everyone wants a piece of it. “It’s the development of the sport we’re focused on,” he says. “I coach kids from Wey Valley, in Weymouth, from Ringwood, Wimborne, across the Bournemouth and Poole area. “They all love it and as the sun comes out schools want to do alternative sports and hire the track, the bikes and the coaches. “We’ve got a lot more of a programme being offered this year,
for all ages, and I really think this can be our best year ever.” Jason paints a picture of what it is like riding around the 25 metre banked circuit: “It’s an adventure, the sheer adventure of riding a brakeless track bike for youth and adults is amazing.” Roger Papp, of Bournemouth Arrows, is in charge of the accreditation that all riders have to obtain before they can race on the track. However, it is not daunting - the skills are easy to acquire and allow
anyone to ride on the track. “The accreditation is to ensure safety in groups,” he said. “It’s never an issue and we make sure everyone gets through it stage by stage. “We teach them how to ride properly and the emphasis is on gaining the track skills. “The work Jason and the other coaches do develops them and allows them to move onto the club scene if they want to. “During May to August we get over 2,000 users on the track.”
Inspirational Bradley Wiggins SJAR ADONA Jason’s coaching sessions account for a large proportion with 519 children taking up sessions last summer. They hire the Centre’s track bikes at £3 and sessions cost as little as £2. It really is open and available for anyone. To find out more Bournemouth Cycling Centre visit www.bournemouth.cc or alternatively visit: www.poolewheelers.com to find out how to attend a Poole Wheelers Saturday club session.
The Bournemouth Cycling Centre is open and enjoyed by the whole of Bournemouth
ROGER PAPP
16 features Photography Showcase
Thursday 27 March 2014 | The Rock
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Poppy Jeffery I got a DSLR camera for my 17th birthday and a new lens for my 18th and I have taken it everywhere with me ever since. I love taking pictures of sunsets and nature the most. The natural beauty of the world is something that never fails to take my breath away. A photo can capture a beautiful moment or day, and that’s something I find really special. I also love taking photos of people, musicians and strangers. Capturing emotion is always lovely, or capturing the energy from a performance helps to encapsulate the moment forever. If I can get that into one photo then I am happy. My photos are from Kent and Bournemouth mainly, and a few are from my travels in Majorca, Dublin and Paris last year.
Photographer’s Picks
1) I had never seen a sunset as beautiful as this one in Majorca last summer. The low angle of the sun in the sky made it possible to photograph it just before it set. I love the colours and the vibrant orange against the black silhouette of the houses and trees in the foreground. 2) This was taken in March last year in Wingham Wildlife Park in Kent. The tiger in question had such beautiful colours and was such a majestic looking animal. I just wanted to get a photo of it to show its vulnerable side, looking through the cage. 3) This is from my trip to Croatia in 2011, in Plitvice Lakes National Park. I love the colours in the pure blue lake and the contrast of these to the trees surrounding it. The whole area was very peaceful, with a waterfall running through the lake.
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18 features
Thursday 27 March 2014 | The Rock
What’s On: Your entertainment guide Frank Skinner, Tinie Tempah and The Wanted headline this month’s live entertainment Theatre Macbeth 2070 Poole Lighthouse 29.03.14
Tap Factory Poole Lighthouse 08.04.14
This play takes a futuristic twist on one of Shakespeare’s best tragedies. In the year 2070, the Earth is dead and everything has resettled on the planet Mars.
The Tap Factory is an innovative show that blends percussion, tap and urban dance to excite audiences. The production has toured through Europe and South America and features male acrobats and dancers who perform alongside live percussion.
Battle Lines: WW1 and WW2 Poole Lighthouse 03.04.14
La Boheme Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 09.04.14
This is an amazing insight into the people left behind by men who went to war. Battle Lines is made up of a duo of plays that tell real stories from the first and second World Wars. The first play addresses the struggles families had to survive after the men left for the Great War, and the second play explores children’s experiences of being evacuated in World War Two.
This classic love story has been enjoyed by audiences for generations and tells the tragic tale of a selfindulgent girl who falls for a penniless writer. Ellen Kent has directed the opera that will be sung in Italian with English subtitles. It is performed by opera and ballet internationals.
Sing a Long a Grease Poole Lighthouse 05.04.14 Sing and dance along with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in the Lighthouse’s new screening of Grease. Audiences will join in singing to numbers like ‘Summer Nights’ and ‘Grease Lightning’ with lyrics on screen and the host teaching you how to jive like they do. This is the perfect evening for Grease fans.
Nabucco Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 10.04.14 Ellen Kent presents Bournemouth with another production that was one of her first works. It depicts the struggles of the Hebrews as they are forced into exile by Babylonian King Nabucco.
Music Jason Derulo BIC Windsor Hall 28.03.14 After the release of his new album Tattoos, Jason Derulo is coming to Bournemouth. This is Derulo’s
Tinie Tempah is performing at Bournemouth’s BIC as part of his new UK-wide tour largest UK tour to date after his first UK tour was cancelled due to a neck injury that he sustained. Fans can expect a night of old and new hits, including his UK number one ‘Talk Dirty’ which in its first week sold 160,000 copies. The Wanted BIC Windsor Hall 31.03.14 The loveable boys are hitting Bournemouth as part of their new Word of Mouth World Tour. The Wanted released their new album Word of Mouth in November last year, featuring hit singles ‘Chasing The Sun’ and ‘Walks Like Rihanna’. This show promises to be one of their biggest and best yet. Russell Watson In Concert BIC Windsor Hall 05.04.14 The two-time classical Brit Award winner is visiting Bournemouth on his new UK tour. The artist has been singing since he was a child and his new album Only One Man was released in November. He will be supported by one of Britain’s Got Talent’s rising stars, Jonathan Antoine. Tine Tempah BIC Windsor Hall 06.04.14
Frank Skinner is making a big comeback to stand up comedy PA
Despite this show being rescheduled from December last year, Tinie Tempah plans to give the fans his best show yet performing songs from his second album Demonstration. Tinie Tempah is one of the countries most well-known rappers, having won two Brit Awards. It’s a show that’s sure not to leave you disappointed.
Mark Runyon
Manic Street Preachers 02 Academy Bournemouth 08.04.14
Susan Boyle in Concert Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 15.04.14
Formed in 1986 and eleven albums later, the Welsh rock band are still going strong. They are embarking on a new tour after their album Rewind The Film made number four in the charts. They will be playing a variety of songs from their eleven albums to cater for all their fans.
Susan Boyle rose to fame in 2009 when she competed in Britain’s Got Talent and has since released five albums, appeared in her first film role The Christmas Candle and is now embarking on her first nationwide tour. She will perform songs like ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.
ABBA Mania Poole Lighthouse 11.04.14 ABBA Mania is now recognised globally as one of the best ABBA touring productions and it is bringing a special concert to celebrate the 40 years since ABBA won Eurovision. Fans new and old will be singing along to classics like ‘Mammia Mia’, ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Winner Takes It All’. Sophie Ellis-Bextor 02 Academy Bournemouth 13.04.14 Sophie Ellis-Bextor is stopping in Bournemouth as part of her ten-date UK tour. Fans new and old can enjoy old classics like ‘Murder on The Dancefloor’ and material from her new album Wanderlust. Matt Cardle 02 Academy Bournemouth 14.02.14 Matt Cardle first rose to fame on The X Factor, which he won in 2010. Since then has sold £2m worth of records and achieved two top ten albums. His new tour will see him play songs from his three albums including his newest release Porcelain.
Comedy
Comedy Nation The Old Firestation 27.03.14 This Comedy Nation night will bring audiences the talents of awardwinning comedian Mitch Benn who will be supported by hilarious comedians Danny Ward and Fin Taylor. With cheap drinks and comedy galore this event is one everyone will enjoy. Alan Davies: Little Victories Tour Poole Lighthouse 04.04.14 Alan Davies is best known for being the self-confessed dunce of QI or as psychic detective Jonathan Creek. He returned to stand-up last year with his Life Is Pain tour. This new show is not to be missed. Frank Skinner: Man in a Suit BIC Windsor Hall 13.04.14 He has been entertaining us with his comedic wit for over 20 years and is now bringing his stand-up to Bournemouth. His new sold-out show ‘Man in a Suit’ will have fans in stitches of laughter.
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The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
Jack Cozens SPORTS EDITOR @JCozensTCN
Falcons national stage win 20 Speedway legend’s send off 22
Hello and welcome to the sports section of The Rock. We once again have a couple of success stories for Bournemouth University’s varsity teams, as well as a feature on Gary Havelock’s farewell at Poole Stadium, from a first time speedway viewer’s perspective. This week’s topic of interest centres around the bizarre goingson at Stamford Bridge last Saturday, where Andre Marriner wrongly sent off Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs, after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had handled the ball. While Chelsea’s eventual rout of Arsenal took all of the initial attention, focus soon turned to the mistake of the officials. What made the decision all the stranger was that Marriner paused for some time after the incident before awarding the penalty and showing the red card, giving him ample time to make the right call. Oxlade-Chamberlain did the right thing by admitting that it was he who should have bee sent off, and both he and Gibbs were cleared to play on Tuesday. By the same virtue, Marriner himself was right to apologise for the error, something we see only sporadically in all walks of sport. But arguably the most impressive
sportseditor @bournemouthrock.co.uk.
Marriner was the centre of attention after mistakenly sending off Kieran Gibbs decision in the whole situation is that to allow him to referee on Saturday. All too often we see knee-jerk reactions in sport as a result of events similar to this, so it was refreshing to see Marriner given the backing he deserves - both from his peers and managers like Roberto Martinez. It’s not the first time we’ve seen an error as grand as this one - think Graham Poll at the World Cup in 2006 - but it is the first high-profile incident in some time, and the point of lamenting the decision falls down when you consider that the decision came at a point in the match where Arsenal were unlikely to recover. Well done to the referee(s) - how often do you hear that in football?
PRESSASSOCIATION
Ben Fisher
Will Burton
Referees need help. For too long it has been far too easy to point the finger at the man in the middle of the field, dressed in black. The linesmen should have done more to help Andre Marriner regarding Saturday’s gaffe, as should players and managers. Of course this is not easy, but the game needs to be as transparent, honest and open as possible. Post-match interviews with referees are not the answer, though.
Who’d be a referee? They receive double the abuse of players for a fraction of the salary. Yet there are men and women across the country willing to do the job – so why not support them? If players didn’t spend 90 minutes attempting to con officials referees would feel able to overturn a decision like we saw on the weekend involving Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gibbs. Better sportsmanship leads to fairer decisions.
DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
CHIEF SPORTS WRITER
Killick looking to replace ‘best defender in the league’ Will Burton CHIEF SPORTS WRITER @wjburton92
Fletcher’s Sir Tom award 23
Refereeing gaffes
Poole Town manager Tom Killick is currently on the lookout for defensive cover after selling his star centre-back Will Spetch to Conference South side Sutton United. “It’s a big loss,” said Killick. “I would say he’s the best defender in the league. I wouldn’t swap him and Jamie Whisken for any other pair in the league, so losing Will is a big blow. “I hope he does well at Sutton and forges a good career over there. We’ve just got to try and plough on without him.” The 22 year-old defender will be going full-time with his new side, signing a contract until 2016 for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £6,000. Spetch, who made 34 appearances for the Dolphins this season scoring six goals, expressed his admiration for his former club, the fans and
former boss Killick via his Twitter account, “Great B.O.D. [Board of Directors] Great supporters. Lastly a massive thank you to @tomkillick. #topgaffa” Another tweet from Spetch read, “One of the hardest decisions of my life to leave @PooleTownFC. 8 great years that will never be forgotten, will always be a DOLPHIN at heart”. Spetch kept a clean sheet on his Sutton debut in a goalless draw away to Dorchester Town last weekend. Midfielder Steve McKimm said via the club’s website: “Will Spetch did very well on his debut and I think he’s going to be a good addition to the squad.” Killick has been tipped to replace Spetch with former captain Michael Walker, who is currently plying his trade at rivals Weymouth. “We’ve been connected with a few people in the light of Will Spetch’s departure. He [Walker] is someone who’s certainly been under consideration.” The Dolphins have already brought in defender Jacob Wannell on loan from League Two side Exeter City. The 19-year-old, who can play on the left or in the centre, made his
Jacob Wannell was brought in for the departing Spetch debut in the Dolphins 2-0 defeat to Hemel Hempstead. “I think he [Wannell] had a difficult debut in so far as the circumstances in which he had to play were very difficult for him, but
W.BURTON
I think he did well enough,” said the Dolphins boss. “We’ve got until this Thursday [today] to bring in anyone else that we might want to bring in so we will see what happens.”
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VARSITY
Thursday 27 March 2014 | The Rock
National recognition for BU Lacrosse player
The BU Varsity Men’s team finished second in their league, with Max West rewarded with a place in the English Universities team
Will Burton CHIEF SPORTS WRITER @wjburton92
Max West has been selected as part of a 20-man squad to represent a combined English Universities Lacrosse team at the National Championships in May. West, who plays for the BU Varsity Men’s first team said: “I was
really pleased to be chosen as part of the English Universities squad. “At the trial there were a lot of very good players, so to be put in a team with them is really gratifying.” “Competing at the British National Championships will be a great opportunity to play lacrosse at a high standard against some of the best talent in the country. “I’m hoping I will be able to prove myself capable of playing effectively against experienced opponents. “The training and experience I’ll
gain will be valuable when I return to the Bournemouth varsity team after my placement year.” BU’s Varsity Men’s first team had a successful campaign this year, finishing second in the Western 1A League, losing on one occasion to Cardiff University. “This season was a big step up from last season,” reflects Max. “I was really proud of our efforts this year and finishing second behind a really impressive Cardiff team was nothing to be ashamed of.
SPORTBU
“The games this year were a lot more even and aggressive, which adds to the fun in my opinion.” Max’s BU teammate Leigh Baker was selected as one of three reserves for the English Universities squad and will be eager to step in should an injury occur. West and the rest of the English Universities squad will represent the English Lacrosse Association at the British National Championships on May 3-4 in Cheshire at Wilmslow Lacrosse Club.
BU Falcons swoop to national victory Tom Beasley EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TomJBeasley The BU Falcons cheerleading team have scooped three prizes at the British Cheerleading Association’s Western Classic in Exeter. The Falcons’ biggest achievement was a second place finish in the Open Co-ed Cheer Level 3 competition, where they missed out on victory by only three points. They also achieved success with a third place trophy in the Co-ed Open Group Stunt segment and in the Hip-Hop category, where they finished fourth. “The pride I felt when our team achieved three trophies was unbelievable,” said team member Bee Allmen, who was competing for the first time. “Considering it was my first competition, I was nervous as anything but the feeling and the buzz from the screaming crowds
The Falcons took part in the Western Classic in Exeter, claiming three awards in the process and the support of your team overcomes any anxiety you feel. “The moment you step on the floor just reminds you of what it feels like to be a valued member of a team.” The BU Falcons are a team formed of 41 girls and four boys. They train for ten hours every
week in order to take part and achieve in highly competitive national competitions. “We just want to make the student union and the university itself proud of everything we do,” said Bee. “BU Falcons are not just a team, but a family and no matter what the
BUFALCONS
outcome, you know there are always improvements to be made.” The Falcons will compete again next month at the University Nationals in Telford on April 17-18, which is the British Cheerleading Association’s flagship competition for student teams.
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The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
A world of sport FA Cup Semi-Final - April 12-13 FA Cup holders Wigan play Arsenal on Saturday April 12, after the Latics beat Manchester City 2-1 in their quarter-final - a repeat of last year’s final. League One side Sheffield United take on Hull City in the second semi-final the following day – this being Hull’s first semi-final in 80 years. Blades fans will have high hopes that their team can pull off another upset having already beaten a team in the tier above, Charlton, in the previous round. Both ties will take place at Wembley.
London Marathon - April 13 Double Olympic champion Mo Farah will be competing in his first full marathon in London, but his preparations suffered a setback having collapsed after finishing the New York half-marathon earlier this month. Farah, Britain’s most successful distance runner, will be hoping to transfer his dominance on the track in major championships to the road when he runs the 26.2-mile race for the first time. The Virgin Money London Marathon takes place every year to raise money for charity.
Peter Rawlins examines what’s happening across the globe this coming month
ICC World T20s, Bangladesh - March 16 - April 6 The ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 continues this month, with England playing their second fixture against Sri Lanka on March 27, hoping for a victory against a side that they lost their first warm-up game to by five runs. They will play South Africa on March 29. The 2014 event involves 16 nations, with Australia looking to defend the title they won in 2013.
Malaysian F1 Grand Prix - March 28 - 30 The second race of the 2014 season takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with pre-season favourite Lewis Hamilton hoping to finish having been forced out of the Australian Grand Prix after just three laps, as team mate Nico Rosberg took victory. The race here last season was one of controversy as Sebastian Vettel ignored team orders to win against teammate Mark Webber, now retired. It remains to be seen whether Red Bull will be challenging again this season.
Will Kent takes a look at the latest sporting champ and chump After 133 caps for Ireland, Brian O’Driscoll finished off his memorable rugby career in perfect fashion by lifting the Six Nations trophy for just the second time in his 15 year-long international career. Not only does he leave the Irish set-up with a winners medal, after only just beating England for the top spot with a nail biting 22-20 final win over France, he’s also the Six Nations all time leading try scorer - a true icon. Ireland’s all-time highest scorer, with 46 tries, O’Driscoll is undoubtedly a legend within the Irish side and will be sorely missed. Whilst concerns have risen over who will be able to fill the huge gap he’s left in the side, Brian O’Driscoll can leave international rugby to one side with this final happy memory and finish out his Leinster career in hopefully just as impressive style. Whether O’Driscoll would leave international rugby with a victory boiled down to the last match of the tournament, but Ireland managed to make it a very memorable occasion.
WINNER
‘FreeD’ technology adds extra dimension Marcin Bryszak @marcinb93 We’ve had HawkEye. We’ve had smart sensor racquets. Now, it’s time for the newest technological advancement in tennis: say hello to the freeD technology. Introduced for the first time to tennis at the BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells, California this month, the freeD, or Free Dimensional Video technology, shows 360-degree replays of action sequences, which are recorded by 22 high-speed ultra HD cameras. Television producers are then able to pause the motion and create still images of the action - much to the excitement of commentators who can analyse in detail strokes, rallies and movements of the players. “It’s not about a representation of reality, but it is the reality itself,” said Diego Prilusky, the Creative Director and head of CGI at Replay Technologies Inc - the brains behind the system. This
American company has previously used the system in the American football league [NFL], basketball league [NBA], as well as the PGA Golf Tour, and MLB baseball league. “We use multiple cameras and we combine all the different information in one, three-dimensional space and you get a scanning of all the arena. “Having that 3D scanning, you can really move the camera around, and you have the freedom to shoot all [the arena] at once,” said Prilusky. The idea for the 3D image came when Replay’s founders Oren Yogev, Matteo Shapira, and his brother Aviv discovered that they could create a 360-degree video of instant replays, and noticed that there was a gap in a market which constantly seeks new ways to enhance the viewing experience of broadcasted events. The freeD technology allows for a more comprehensive representation of reality and action than the conventional, 2D footage, which is constrained by the ability of a camera to shoot footage only from a single angle at a time. The system is new to tennis, but its creators admit that they found inspiration in the famous scene from the 1999 movie The Matrix, where
LOSER
The control centre where the replays are created REPLAYTECHNOLOGIES the main character Neo leans back, almost to ground level, to dodge the numerous oncoming bullets. “Everyone was amazed at the ‘bullet-shot’ technology of The Matrix films,” said Eric Finney, the Executive Vice President at Replay Technologies, Inc. “The movies were an inspirational catalyst for the creation of Replay technologies and freeD technology,” Indian Wells became the first tournament to use the technology after ATP Media approached the
company’s CEO Yogen after seeing freeD in action on Sunday Night Football and the NBA’s All-Star Weekend 2014. Soon, however, the Replay Technologies’ freeD system will be used at more events. “We have signed a contract with Roland Garros, so freeD technology will be used at the French Open 2014. We are actively pursuing deals for the remaining Grand Slams, including Wimbledon and the US Open, but nothing has been finalised yet,” said Finney.
The new golf season is soon to enter full swing with the first major of the year just weeks away. A victory at Augusta would have been the perfect way for Tiger Woods to silence his critics. However, his almost typical latest injury worry fits his past few years perfectly. Just as he looks set to overcome his demons, something else pulls him back down. Due to this, Tiger Woods is this issue’s loser. Despite not winning a major last year, Woods did win multiple tournaments and was almost named PGA Player of Year, all signs that Tiger’s struggles of recent years might be over. But dropping out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational – seen by many as the Masters warmup event – through injury has meant Tiger’s 2014 couldn’t have started in worse fashion, with his Masters appearance in serious doubt, let alone his chances of winning it.
22 sport
Thursday 27 March 2014| The Rock
Farewell meeting for speedway legend Havvy goes down a storm Riders’ reaction As the speedway community witnessed a grand parade for one of its greatest sons, Havelock’s peers paid homage to his career
“” “” “” “”
Havvy is just an out and out total professional. He’s such a great all-rounder and he’s been a terrific bloke to share a career with
Dean Barker
Gary Havelock (right), pictured here while World Champion in 1993, celebrated his career with a send off at Poole Stadium GRZEGORZ DZIOBAK
Jonathan Coles @JonnyColes Elite sport isn’t something that necessarily springs to mind when people mention Poole, or even Bournemouth. Whilst a mention of Barcelona, Wimbledon or St. Andrews instantly brings with it sporting images, you would be hard pressed to find somebody who feels the same about either Dorset town. Therefore it may surprise many to find out that Poole is home to one of the country’s leading speedway teams: the Poole Pirates. The Pirates are reigning British Elite League champions and are seen as one of the premier teams
in the sport, having won the league a previous five times. I travelled to Poole Stadium on Friday to watch former Pirate Gary Havelock’s farewell meeting and experience the sport for the first time. Havelock, the 1992 World Speedway champion, raced for Poole for 5 years from 1998-2002 and is widely respected across the sport. The Teeside native called the town ‘his second home’ in explaining his reasoning for choosing Poole Stadium as the venue for the event, adding that he was ‘absolutely made up’ with the numbers who attended. A host of speedway stars from all over the world turned out from the event, with the two teams being made up of riders from places as far flung as Australia. For those who are unfamiliar with the sport, motorcycle speedway, commonly referred to as simply speedway, is a sport where up to
six riders race anti-clockwise round an oval circuit for four laps, power sliding round the corners. A sport with a high degree of risk where crashes are not uncommon, riders can reach speeds of up to 70mph on relatively short straights. Whilst it may not sound that fast, it takes the riders just one minute to complete four laps of the track, showing you just how quick it actually is. Havelock himself decided to end his career after a crash in March 2012 where he broke his collarbone, arm and several ribs, and now manages the Coventry Bees, another Elite League team. Popular all over the world, speedway is most prevalent in northern and Central Europe, with Great Britain being one of the leading exponents of the sport. As someone who has never been particularly into motorsports, I was
slightly sceptical about attending the meeting, but I needn’t have been. The speed at which the riders attack the corners is thrilling to watch - considering the bikes have no brakes - and it’s impossible not to be impressed with the style and control the riders display as they slide through the corners. For anyone stuck with something to do one evening I would thoroughly recommend a trip to watch the speedway. Regardless of whether or not you think you’ll like it the sheer spectacle of seeing someone hurtle towards a wall with no brakes is exciting enough, and there are not that many places in this country where you can watch a truly world class sport aside from football. So next time you don’t know what to do with yourself, consider a trip down to Poole Stadium - it’s well worth it.
I grew up with Havvy and he was inspirational even in the early days. We went grass tracking together and we often stayed at each other’s houses when we were racing
Mark Loram
I think one of my proudest memories was riding with Gary and Joe Screen in the World Pairs qualifier at Bydgoszcz. We won the round and beat Sweden and Poland!
Andy Smith
There was never anyone more proud and patriotic than Havvy and he would always jump at the chance to ride for his country.
Scott Nicholls
sport 23
The Rock | Thursday 27 March 2014
Cook hoping team can build on strong season Ben Fisher DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
Round-up
@benfisherJ Steve Cook says he is hoping that AFC Bournemouth can continue to replicate the success of his old club Brighton. The defender left Brighton with just three appearances under his belt before joining the Cherries two years ago. Since then, Cook has played an integral role in keeping Bournemouth afloat in League One, before a dream promotion last summer. Cook and his team mates are now looking to follow in the footsteps of Brighton, who could make the play-offs for a second year running. He said: “Brighton finished their first season in the Championship tenth and made the play-offs the season after and this year they have a great chance as well. “I think next year we will have a very strong side and hopefully can make a play-off push so Brighton are a team we want to emulate. “They get mentioned in the dressing room and I think it would be stupid not to look at a team like that and do as well as they have. “They were struggling down the bottom of League One when I was at Brighton, so they are definitely a model club and we need to carry our momentum into next year.”
Steve Cook wants AFC Bournemouth to follow in the footsteps of his former club Brighton Cook and another former Seagulls defender, Tommy Elphick, have forged a ruthless partnership in the heart of the Cherries defence following injury to Elliott Ward. The defence picked up four clean sheets in the process this month, including 1-0 victories at Blackpool and Blackburn. “I think we have done well and it
has been long and hard but with a few games to go we are in a strong position,” said Cook. “It was huge for us, starting the month like that, and that was what we had targeted because we needed to improve that. “I think if we can keep clean sheets then we have enough up front to be able to win games.
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“We have worked a lot more with the back five, with Lee Camp and it stems from just hard work. “It’s a team thing, [with both] strikers and wingers stopping crosses, and it comes from the front. “Not a lot has changed, but Elliott Ward picked up an injury so we had to form a partnership quickly and fortunately for us, it has come off.”
In line with Marc Pugh’s statement of intent in the previous issue of The Rock (March 6), AFC Bournemouth have made the most of a packed fixture list this month, with the side recording four clean sheets in a row, with a 0-0 draw at Dean Court against Middlesbrough preceeded by two 1-0 victories away to Blackburn and Blackpool, which followed the side’s 5-0 thrashing of Doncaster. Eddie Howe stated his intent to chase a play-off push, but the Cherries manager came in for greater praise himself from the club’s man-of-the-moment Steve Fletcher (see below), who said that Howe could be the England boss in the future. January acquisition Yann Kermorgant expressed his concern over being able to be involved consistenly for the remainder of the season, with the Frenchman eager not to aggravate a heel injury in order to be fit for next season. Eunan O’Kane signed a threeand-a-half year deal to stay at Dean Court until 2017, with the popular 23-year-old returning to the starting line-up after recovering from a hip injury.
AFC Bournemouth hero wins award Sam Rourke @rfcrourke AFC Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher was the recipient of the Football League’s newly-named Sir Tom Finney Award at the 2014 Football League Awards. Fletcher was honoured with the award at the gala ceremony at The Brewery, London, in front of over 600 spectators from Football League clubs, sponsors and the football industry. Previously known as the ‘Credit to the Game’ award, the Sir Tom Finney Award is given to a player who has had an exceptional career, in honour of Preston North End legend Sir Tom Finney, who passed away last month.
And after joining the Cherries as a teenager from Hartlepool United in 1992, Fletcher amassed an incredible 728 appearances for the club, scoring 121 goals and aiding the Cherries to three promotions. Fletcher finished his playing career on a high, winning promotion to the Sky Bet Championship in the 2012/13 season and he continues to work for the club as Head of Recruitment and an ambassador. The former striker was ecstatic to receive such a coveted accolade and the award was made extra special given his family ties to Sir Tom. “Sir Tom Finney is one of the greats of English football. It makes it extra special that my grandad actually played with Sir Tom Finney,” said Fletcher. “My grandad was capped three times for England and on all three times Sir Tom was in that line-up along with Stanley Matthews, Jackie Milburn, Billy
Wright and some greats of the game, so from a family point of view its makes it that little bit extra special. “[I’m] proud, honoured, humbled - words can’t describe how I feel at this time.” Fletcher paid special tribute to his grandad after receiving the award, and wished he had been alive to witness him make it as a professional footballer. “My grandad passed away when I was 15, just short of me getting a professional contract and it’s one of the biggest regrets of my life, that fact that he didn’t see me turn professional. I am absolutely devastated that he never got to see me play.” Fletcher admitted he has found it hard to adapt to not playing professional football again, but says he has come to terms with his switch in roles. “It’s difficult, I’m not going to lie,”
Fletcher proudly presents his Sir Tom Finney award PRESSASSOCIATION said the 41-year-old. “You live in a bubble as a footballer and I knew it was going to burst some time along the line and [I would have to] come to terms with it. When it actually
pops, it is devastating because you become institutionalised in the sport, I still have that rapport with the players and supporters, but it’s not the same.”
24 sport
Thursday 27 March 2014 | The Rock
O’Kane aiming for the Premier League
I don’t believe it! PSG super fan dares to tame wild Zlatan Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not so unforgiving after all. The Swedish star handed his shirt to a super fan, who stormed onto the pitch after PSG’s victory at Lorient on Friday. The striker, famed for his nononsense attitude and the ability to perform the impossible, met the fan before heading back into the dressing room. The boy confronted Ibrahimovic in search of a cuddle and the striker’s shirt, demands that the former Barcelona star obeyed. The young fan was later escorted off the pitch for committing what is deemed a criminal offence. However, the giant striker was unfazed, trotting off down the tunnel after doing his gesture of goodwill.
tweet -twoo Eunan O’Kane hopes his time with the Cherries will yield a return to the top tier of English football in the near future
Ben Fisher DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR @benfisherJ Cherries midfielder Eunan O’Kane is determined to return to the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth. 23-year-old O’Kane was released by Everton as a youngster and soon returned to his native Ireland with Coleraine, before Torquay lured him back to England. His impressive performances at Plainmoor earned him a move to Bournemouth in 2012, where his career has blossomed ever since – attracting Premier League interest along the way. “It has been surreal at times if I am honest and if you had said 18 months ago I’d be in this position I would probably have laughed at you,” said the Northern Irishman. “I am over the moon with how things have gone and we have grown as a team throughout this year and last. “When you get released from a club like Everton you come away thinking ‘I want to prove you wrong’.” “Although I am not in the Premier League yet, I have
managed to carve out quite a career and hopefully I’ll be back there soon.” O’Kane wowed potential suitors with a stellar performance against Liverpool’s star-studded midfield and his form in the second tier has not gone unnoticed. The boyhood Reds fan was, according to The Mirror, tracked by Premier League sides Norwich City and Aston Villa as a result, but O’Kane insists the speculation will not get the better of him. “The Liverpool game was a big occasion for me personally, as a boyhood fan, and it put me in a very big shop window in terms of the number of people watching me. “It was nice on the day to put in a good performance as a group though,” he said. “It was a very good experience and if I can come away from every game with one or two more people talking about me then it’s good. “It’s nice that people recognise you play well, but you’re only as good as the last game you’ve played.” Cherries boss Eddie Howe would appear to share the same work ethic. The manager - touted for the England job as recently as last week - maintains his side will target the play-offs while it is still mathematically possible to reach them.
Such plans were momentarily put on hold ten days ago though, when the Cherries returned to the south coast empty-handed after a late Dorian Dervite goal ensured lowly Charlton victory. But Howe’s men responded by securing a 1-0 victory at Barnsley last Saturday, thanks to Steve Cook’s injury-time header and O’Kane is delighted at the way their debut season in the Championship has turned out. “We have been on quite a good run and have been playing quite well,” said O’Kane. “The table is a pretty picture to look at for now in terms of us being away from relegation. “I don’t think we really had any expectations this season and the main goal was to simply avoid being relegated and I don’t think anybody here is surprised where we are at the moment. “There were not many of us here with Championship experience but as it’s gone on we have all improved.” The Cherries, prior to Tuesday’s highly anticipated contest against Leeds stood ten points outside the play-off places with nine games remaining. And Bournemouth can relish upcoming home ties against QPR and Reading - both of whom currently occupy play-off positions.
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O’Kane has impressed so much, that the club were forced to tie the midfield schemer down to a new contract which will run until 2017. The midfielder has become almost an automatic choice on the teamsheet at the Goldsands Stadium under Howe and O’Kane insists the club meet his aspirations. “I was more than happy to sign the deal here as the club want to go to where I want to go to – the Premier League,” said O’Kane. “The club play football the way I want to play and I think I suit the type of player that the manager is after. “We have a good squad here and you have to better yourself every day. “The gaffer coming in showed us that we could prove ourselves last year in that league and we’re testing ourselves again this year. “Why not take that next step to the next level now?”
“Sorry to everyone... we promise that we will try hard to put it right.” @m8arteta on #CFCvAFC @Arsenal
#LFC manager Brendan Rodgers tells press conference ‘there’s no doubt we are on right road to winning a title...’ @BenSmithBBC
No one can say @ValeYellow46 has lost his bottle, excellent fight. Turn to page 23 for an assessment from defender Steve Cook
@AllanMcNish