Bristol University’s Independent Student Newspaper Issue 243
•
Monday 21st November 2011
• www.epigram.org.uk
Uni tells poorest students: get a job
Film & TV Why Adventure Time will change your life
27
• Bristol to be least affordable Russell Group
university for those from low income families • Find work to study, disadvantaged students told Tom Flynn Editor Bristol is set to be the least affordable English Russell Group university for new students from low-income backgrounds from 2012, Epigram research has found. Its current bursary system provides up to £1260 a year for students from the lowest-income families, and helps almost 33% of students meet the cost of studying in Bristol. But from next year most bursaries are being axed, continuing only for a small number of students from the local area enrolled on the ‘Access to Bristol’ scheme. Despite all other universities in the prestigious Russell Group retaining some form of meanstested cash bursary to supplement maintenance costs, Bristol have replaced their scheme with tuition fee waivers worth up to £5,500. In a briefing to University Council members on the new access measures, the University states that the purpose of the change is, ‘to send a simple message to students from the lowest income families that they will pay no more in fees than they do now.’ ‘Our Student Recruitment team believes the key message that has been heard by prospective students, particularly those from the poorest backgrounds, is about tuition fee debt and our fee waiver packages are intended to address this.’ In the report, the University also cites anecdotal evidence in support of its new system, saying, ‘Feedback from our recent open day is that applicants and parents from low income groups were impressed by our financial support package. The University was also praised in The Sunday Times 2012 University Guide for having, ‘one of the most generous packages of student support’.
Max. 1st year 2015 Bursary and cash bursary scholarship spend
Institution University of Oxford
£4,300
£7,150,000
University College London
£3,500
£7,319,000
London School of Economics
£3,500
£2,203,000
Imperial College London
£3,500
£4,017,000
University of Cambridge
£3,500
£7,135,000
University of Nottingham
£3,000
£11,878,000
University of Warwick
£2,500
£4,040,000
University of Birmingham
£2,000
£2,029,000
University of Sheffield
£1,400
£5,445,000
University of Manchester
£1,000
£13,802,000
University of Leeds
£1,000
£10,666,000
University of Liverpool
£1,000
£6,740,000
Newcastle University
£1,000
£2,388,000
Kings College London
£1,000
£3,050,000
Southampton University
No data
£1,990,000
University of Bristol
£0
£643,000
However, the value of fee waivers as support for students has been called into question, as they offer no help until long after graduation. Alex, a 2nd year economics student, told Epigram, ‘I’d find fee waivers completely useless. I’m aware that my student debt is there and rising but it’s not important to me while I’m still studying, I’d much rather have the cash to help me with living which is a far more pressing concern’. Bristol’s access agreement, already approved by OFFA (the Office for Fair Access), implies that without bursaries, poorer students have to find part-time work in order to meet the basic costs of studying in Bristol. The access agreement in place before the bursary system was cut makes assurances that students eligible for state support will have sufficient funding to cover ‘normal maintenance costs’. Continued on page 2
Culture Clash Big Apple vs. Big Bucket
e2 Travel
Miss Understood Should beauty pageants still exist? Comment 15
Epigram
21.11.2011
News
Editor: Alice Young
Deputy Editor: Jenny Awford
Deputy Editor: Abigail Van-West
news@epigram.org.uk
jawford@epigram.org.uk
avanwest@epigram.org.uk
Inside Epigram Features 12 War on drugs
Bristol axes cash support for university’s poorest students
Faye Planer investigates who the Mexican Government is really fighting
Comment 13 That joke isn’t funny anymore Hugh Davies argues that Italians should be glad that Berlusconi has resigned
Letters and Editoral 17 Keep calm and shut up
Nathan Comer on why he hates imitations of the famous wartime poster
23
Wording of access agreements 2010-12
2012-13
Our analysis of the costs of living and studying in Bristol, undertaken at the time that our original Access Agreement was produced, suggests that these measures should comfortably ensure that students eligible for state support (whether full or partial) have sufficient funding at their disposal to cover normal maintenance costs while at the University.
Our student funding office’s analysis of the costs of living and studying in Bristol suggests that, for those students in lower income groups, our core student finance package, combined with state support and some part-time working should comfortably ensure that eligible students have sufficient funding at their disposal to cover normal tuition and maintenance costs while at the University.
Continued from page one However,the access agreement for 2012-13 concludes that, ‘state support… and some part-time working should comfortably ensure that eligible students have sufficient funding at their disposal’ (emphasis ours). Additionally, in a separate briefing for University Council members, the university explicitly states that one reason for not offering bursaries is because, ‘Students can cover these [maintenance] costs through a combination of national support and a reasonable level of part-time work’. However, the view that students should need to work in
order to afford to live and study in Bristol is not widely shared. Stephen Williams, MP for Bristol West, told Epigram, ‘Students should be able to take part time jobs while at university in order to supplement their income, but it shouldn’t be necessary for them to work in order to meet the basic costs of studying at Bristol. Working for long hours would be to the detriment of study and it would not be fair for students from richer backgrounds to be able to devote all the time that they wish to study and so obtain a better degree result than their poorer compatriots.’ Chris Ruff, VP Activities
for the Students’ Union, commented on the impact on the student experience. ‘These bursary cuts are alarming because it will essentially mean that those students that can afford not to work will have a richer university experience, and those that can’t will miss out. Clubs and societies enhance your employability and provide an essential respite from your academic work.’ When asked to comment, Lynn Robinson, Deputy Registrar at the University, told us, ‘It is true that fee waivers will not support students while they are at University but our significantly extended hardship
funds will. We are looking to re-launch and re-badge these to ensure that no one in need is deterred from applying. We have always included part-time work in our assumptions about student income and we agreed the levels with the Students’ Union at the time of our first Access Agreement.’ It may be that fee waivers will encourage poorer students to apply to Bristol, but it seems certain that those who do will find it more difficult to fund their living and studying under the new arrangements. With little time left to amend their access agreement, it remains to be seen whether the University will take steps to remedy this.
Music 23 Young Pilgrim Epigram finds Charlie Simpson has come a long way since his Busted days Flickr: Dick Dangerous
25 Bon Iver
Christopher Lanyon reviews their live show
30 Science 30 Understanding nature
Epigram explains why the leaves change colour as autumn approaches
Sport 35 Olympic hopeful
Ex-Bristol student and England women’s hockey player, Dilly Newton, talks about her Olympic ambitions
Meetings
Editorial team Editor
Tom Flynn Editor Tomeditor@epigram.org.uk Flynn editor@epigram.org.uk Deputy Editors Deputy Editors Bauckham Jon Jon Bauckham jon@epigram.org.uk jon@epigram.org.uk Hannah Stubbs Hannah Stubbs hannah@epigram.org.uk
hannah@epigram.org.uk
e2 Editor Matthew McCrory e2 Editor e2@epigram.org.uk Matthew McCrory
e2@epigram.org.uk News Editor AliceNews Young Editor news@epigram.org.uk Alice Young news@epigram.org.uk Deputy News Editors Deputy News Editors Abigail Van-West Jenny Awford avanwest@epigram.org.uk jawford@epigram.org.uk Jenny Awford Abigail Van-West jawford@epigram.org.uk avanwest@epigram.org.uk Features Editor Features Editor Tristan Martin Tristan Martin features@epigram.org.uk features@epigram.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Deputy Features Editor Andrew White Andrew White deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk
Comment Editor Comment Editor Patrick Baker Patrick Baker comment@epigram.org.uk comment@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Science Editor Science Editor Emma Nick CorkSackville deputyscience@epigram.org science@epigram.org.uk
Letters Editor Letters Editor Emma Corfield Emma Corfield letters@epigram.org.uk letters@epigram.org.uk
Sport Science Editor Editor Deputy Tom Sackville Burrows Emma sport@epigram.org.uk deputyscience@epigram.org
Culture Editor Culture Editor Zoe Sherwood Hutton Calum culture@epigram.org.uk culture@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Sport Editor Sport Editor David Stone Tom Burrows deputysport@epigram.org.uk sport@epigram.org.uk
Deputy MusicCulture Editor Editor ZoeNathan HuttonComer music@epigram.org.uk deputyculture@epigram.org.uk
Puzzles Editor Deputy Sport Editor Lily Buckmaster David Stone deputysport@epigram.org.uk Head Sub Editor Emma Editor Corfield Puzzles Lily Buckmaster Sub Editors Jennifer Head Sub Hooton, Editor Harriet Layhe, Kate Corfield Moreton, Rosemary Wagg Emma
Music Editor Deputy Music Editor PippaComer Shawley Nathan deputymusic@epigram.org.uk music@epigram.org.uk Deputy Editor FIlm Music & TV Editor WillShawley Ellis Pippa filmandtv@epigram.org.uk deputymusic@epigram.org.uk FIlm & TV Editor Deputy Film & TV Editor Adeane WillAnthony Ellis deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk filmandtv@epigram.org.uk Deputy Film & TV Editor Science Editor Nick Cork Anthony Adeane science@epigram.org.uk deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk
Sub Editors Photography Editor MarekLayhe, Allen Harriet Kate Moreton, Rosemary Wagg Illustrator Illustrator Sophie Sladen Sophie Sladen Web Designer Web Designer Maciej Kumorek Rob Mackenzie
News:
Mondays, 1.10pm, The White Bear
Features:
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Comment: Tuesday 22nd Nov, 1.30pm, The Hill Culture:
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Music:
Friday 25th Nov, 4pm , The White Bear
Film & TV: Thursday 1st Dec, 1.15pm, Union 3rd Floor Science:
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For Lifestyle, What’s On, Fashion, Travel and Money see e2, page 2 Epigram is the independent student newspaper of the University of Bristol. We are supported but not financed by the University of Bristol Students’ Union; however the views expressed are not theirs. The design, text and photographs are copyright of Epigram or its individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission.
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Epigram
21.11.2011
3
Protest attracts only 17 Bristol students Robert Grant Josephine McConville News Reporters
Josephine McConville
The University of Bristol Union transported just 17 people to join the thousands of students attending the protests in London on Wednesday 9th November. The march, which began outside the University of London at Bloomsbury and continued through central London, was against Government cuts to education and public services. In his presidential campaign UBU President Gus Baker seriously criticised his predecessor James Ashton-Bell for not providing adequate transport to the protests last year. This year the UBU provided a minibus and a Megabus for the student protestors. Baker gave his reaction to the demonstration to Epigram. ‘The government seems intent on ripping apart higher education. Fee hikes and a cut to EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) will stand in the way of bright, ambitious young people from ordinary backgrounds getting to universities like Bristol. UBU marched in London on Wednesday to protect our
current students and to ensure those that come after us have the same opportunities that we did.’ The march, organised by the NCAFC (National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts), came exactly a year after the Conservative Party HQ at Millbank was attacked by a minority of protestors in the first of the student demonstrations, leading to hundreds of arrests. In the days before Wednesday’s march police sent warning letters to some of those involved in last year’s demonstration and stated that they had the authority to use baton rounds, leading to an accusation from organiser Michael Chessum that the statement was, ‘Part of a deeply cynical attempt to precriminalise’ the protest. The Metropolitan Police said they had 4000 officers on duty. The NCAFC said 10000 people attended the march. Demonstrators chanted ‘No ifs, not buts, no education cuts’ and ‘You can shove your rubber bullets up your a***’ in response to the warning issued by Scotland Yard. Police made 24 arrests in the otherwise peaceful protest. Some of those arrested were in Trafalgar Square, where a small group of protestors tried to
The national protest took place in London on 9th November
set up tents in the style of the Occupy movement which has established itself in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, College Green in Bristol and in numerous other cities around the world. Epigram spoke to several members of the public who were at the demonstration.
Lucy Woods News Reporter
Jessica Wingrad News Reporter
the burglars left a knife from the kitchen in Karan’s room. A forensic team, who arrived the next day to take fingerprints, believe that the knife was used to prise open drawers. It seems the burglars were only interested in high value items, as they stole three laptops but failed to take a Kindle and passport, among other things. According to Andrew, the police ‘Did all that I could expect’. The landlord has agreed to install bars in the window to prevent future break-ins. According to Councillor Gary Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Targeted Improvement, ‘This time of year often sees a peak in the number of burglaries and
Flickr: tob83
Cotham and Redland are the city’s hotspots for burglaries
William Tuckwell, a 1st year Politics and Philosophy student at Bristol, who attended the protest on the minibus, told Epigram how the protests were intended to put pressure on the government to rethink their ‘destructive cuts’. ‘The police resources deployed were largely
disproportionate for the size of the demonstration; there was little conflict to be seen.’ He added, ‘I don’t know anyone else from Bristol who went, which is a shame. I get the impression that the University is a little under politicised, hopefully there will be a better turn out in the future.’
Tragic M5 crash claims seven lives
Burglary in Cotham house Two weeks ago, students renting a flat in Cotham became the latest victims of burglary. Despite a dramatic reduction in burglary incidents in Bristol, students are still three times more likely to be burgled than any other group in the city. One of the tenants, Karan, told Epigram how she was in her room and heard three men outside. Shortly afterwards, three pairs of hands came through the open window. The men swiftly walked away, were seen leaving the garden and then later driving off in a silver estate. The police were called but little could be done. Just a few days later, on a Friday night, another resident of the flat, Andrew, arrived home and immediately noticed his Macbook was missing. He had not locked his door and had therefore provided easy access to the burglars. He says ‘I then went into Karan’s room and saw that the window had been wrenched off its frame. I just completely panicked. I had come back on my own so was pretty shaken. It’s a really horrible feeling.’ In a sinister turn of events,
Tamara White, 20, an Anthropology student at Goldsmith’s University of London said, ‘I think we have to be realistic. I think the march has been successful in that it’s got large numbers of students on the streets. It’s just being that annoyance that won’t go away’.
we know that students living in shared houses are vulnerable’. Bristol Neighbours website endeavours to explain why students are so at risk: ‘Take your typical student home of 4 or 5 students. Each of you probably has a phone, maybe an iPod, a laptop or computer, computer game consoles, the list of temptation goes on.’ The website goes on to highlight the dangers of living in “The Zone”. These are the areas of Redland, Cotham, Bishopston, Ashley Down, and Montpelier, which are often targeted by burglars due to the high numbers of students living in the area. Students are advised to register valuables on immobilise.com.
The southbound carriageway of the M5 was closed for two days following a pile-up of 34 vehicles, on the 4th of November. The investigation into the cause of the pile-up has led to an inquiry into smoke coming from the fireworks display of Taunton rugby club next to the M5. However doubt has been cast on this theory since experts claim that the display would not have caused the heavy blanket of smoke reported by witnesses. Acting Sgt Richard Davis from Gloustershire Police commented that, ‘The weather conditions at the time were atrocious, visibility was severely reduced, obviously it was dark and foggy.’ Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham has said that, ‘From witness evidence there was very significant smoke across the carriageway that in effect caused a bank, similar to a fog bank, which was very distracting and very difficult to drive through.’
Three lorries at the heart of the crash were engulfed in flames. At the front of the wreckage two Iceland lorries collided with a TNT lorry, causing other vehicles to crash. 15 fire crews were called to the scene to deal with the inferno which resulted. Seven people were killed and 51 injured when the vehicles collided. 25 of those injured were taken to Yeovil District Hospital for treatment while 17 victims more seriously injured were rushed to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. A spokeswoman for Avon and Somerset police said that eleven of those injured remain in hospital in a stable condition. Among those killed were two lorry drivers, as well as an elderly couple returning from Wales, a father and daughter driving home after attending a funeral in Berkshire, and a father-of-two from Somerset. Colin Bentley of the Taunton Rugby Club has said, ‘Everyone at the club is incredibly upset at the terrible loss of life – no one could fail to be moved by it. My heart, soul and prayers go out to those affected. The club is
supporting the police in their inquiries.’ Tom Hamill, a teacher from Bristol, was involved in the accident but he managed to escape. Hamill carried a baby from the wreckage whose mother was carrying her toddler to safety. Other heroes have emerged from the tragedy including Roger Neno from Wester Super-Mare who smashed the windows of burning cars in order to pull the passengers to safety. Neno described the scene as ‘hell on earth.’ The road was re-opened in what the police referred to as a ‘rolling road-block’ whereby vehicles are led slowly by two vehicles from the Highway Agency past the wreckage. Fuel spillages damaged 40 metres of road along the M5 and ‘intense fire’ caused damage to 60 metres of road. Speakng after the accident Transport Secretary Justine Greening said, ‘Thank you for the tremendous work that the emergency services have done today and indeed the local hospitals who have treated the injured.’
Epigram
21.11.2011
4
Remembrance Day parade marches on Joe Kavanagh News Reporter
stay at least until Christmas. The campsite is part of a global protest sparked by the Occupy Wall Street demonstration, whose aim is to provoke a discourse on how best to improve our current economic system. They have been pitched at College Green for over a month and are growing in number as more like-minded people join their campsite. There are currently around 40 tents at the site, which includes communal areas for discussions and meetings, public toilets and even a makeshift cinema. For the moment at least, neither the Council nor the Cathedral is eager to press for an eviction. Rev Dr David Hoyle, the dean of Bristol Cathedral, wants to wait as long as possible before doing so, and says, ‘We have asked them to leave because we feel they have made their point, but I haven’t set any time frame at all. A tipping point for us is if the protest is escalating.’
Marek Allen
This year’s Remembrance Day Parade was peaceful and dignified, despite fears of tension between Occupy Bristol protestors and the general public. Although there were concerns that the protest would be a disturbance to the Parade, most of the campers were visibly cooperative, with the majority of its members wearing poppies and respecting the traditions of the ceremony by standing in an orderly line at the front of the site throughout. The parade started at 10.30am and consisted of veterans, cadets, local officials and marching bands. The route began at College Green, the site of the protest, and continued to the Cenotaph in time for the minute’s silence at 11 o’clock. Fears over potential
disruptions to Sunday’s ceremony were proved unwarranted by the protestors themselves. Perhaps in order to dissipate these fears, some campers had placed a twometre-high figure of a red poppy at the front of the main tent. A release on the Occupy Bristol website stated that the police and military were happy for them to stay during the parade and highlighted that they had the ‘utmost respect’ for the sacrifices of British soldiers. Whilst the mood on Sunday was largely amicable, the camp has been asked to disperse already by the staff of Bristol Cathedral, which owns College Green, and also by some members of Bristol City Council. Steven Williams MP, who represents Bristol West, also spoke out and requested that they leave in time for Remembrance Sunday. Despite these objections, the protestors have stayed put and plan to
Crowds gathered at Broadmead to watch the procession
Proposed revival for Bristol Metro scheme Ellie Pierce Hayley Terretta News Reporters
Flickr: rbrwr
Clifton Down station could be involved in the new metro line
First Great Western chartered a one off train journey around Bristol on Friday 4th November as part of the Rail Priority Conference 2011. The train travelled on the city’s old train tracks, some of which have not been used to carry passengers for over half a century. Guests on board the two carriage diesel train travelled along the Portishead line, sections of the Avonmouth line, and around the Henbury loop. Passengers included Colin Medus, Head of Highways and Transport for North Somerset Council and Mark Hopwood, Managing Director of First Great Western. Julian Crow, First Great Western Manager for Western England highlighted the
importance of the event as a way to reinvigorate the campaign for the Greater Bristol Metro Scheme, saying ‘This event today will hopefully demonstrate the potential effectiveness of these lines.’ This scheme was first proposed in 2008 and involves both the restoration of old lines, as well as the creation of new stations, to improve the transport links between Greater Bristol and the city centre. The journey was an attempt to demonstrate that the unused passenger lines are not a million miles away from being usable, as well as boosting awareness for the plans. Supporters of the scheme feel strongly about the need for the implementation of these plans for several reasons. It is felt that a wider reaching public transport system would take the pressure off the often congested city centre roads,
as well as improve Bristol’s environmental sustainability. Supporters also point to the overcrowding of current train services. Currently passengers occasionally are unable to board due the popularity of the service – unsurprising given that rail travel in the West of England has increased by 65% in the past five years. Despite these incentives, progress has been sporadic: during the week of the event, a further setback occurred when a funding bid of £43 million for the Portishead line works was rejected. According to Medus this was due to a lack of evidence that the project would directly lead to new jobs in the area. While those involved are still hopeful that progress can be made and the proposed scheme remains a key part of the Joint Local Transport Plan 3 2011 to 2026, it seems that it is going to be a longer process than pioneers may have hoped.
Cuts to affect women more than men, says Fawcett Society Katy Briefel News Reporter
Flickr: Zolaczaki
A report compiled by the Bristol Fawcett Society alleges that the Government’s spending cuts will cost Bristol’s women £45 million, double the cost to the city’s men. People took to College Green to protest against the cuts with
many fearing they will cause greater inequality in the city. The protest was organized by Fawcett Bristol, a local gender equality activist group who fear that the impact of spending cuts on women will entrench and increase gender inequality in the city. The 100-page report demonstrating the impact of the cuts, produced by Fawcett Member Anna Mapson, 33,
offers a stark warning that changes in benefits and taxes will cost Bristol’s women £44,825,450 and that cuts to housing benefits leave women up to £15 a week worse off. She said it could be used as ‘local evidence’ for local decisionmakers. For example, the group claims key findings in the report showed that 7,000 women will lose £10 - £15 a
week with changes to housing benefits. This will affect about 3,300 men. Ms Mapson, from Southville, said, ‘Disabled women, black and ethnic minority women and asylum seekers are being hit with cuts from all angles.’ The group warns against the council cutting the health and social care budget by £7.3 million, claiming the number of women needing these
services outnumber the men by several thousand. The report explains that the changes to the benefits and tax system includes cuts to tax credits, benefits to pregnant women, family and care benefits and unemployment benefits. The report is part of a wider Fawcett Bristol project called ‘Cutting Women Out in Bristol’. Fawcett estimates that 70%
of these government cuts ‘hit women’s purses directly.’ It argues women make up 63% of council workers in Bristol. The council are planning 240 job cuts in 2011/12. Fawcett Bristol believes ‘The spending cuts here in Bristol are… likely to widen the equality gap between women and men and are likely to have a serious impact on women’s human rights.’
Epigram
21.11.2011
5
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Epigram
21.11.2011
66
Bristol barber brands vulnerable customer
Tom Powell
Jam Cut on Stapleton Road, where the incident took place
A Bristol Barber has been found guilty of common assault after shaving the word ‘fool’ in inch-high letters into the hair of a man with severe learning difficulties. The hairdresser in question, Michael Campbell, had only been working at Jam Cut on Stapleton Road for three weeks
when the incident occurred on February 11th. Michael Ricketts requested a pattern, but was unaware that he left with a smiley face and the derogatory term ‘fool’ shaved into the back of his head. Campbell was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and has to wear an electronic tag with an overnight curfew for three months. The Chairmen of the Bench, Eddie Strong, told Campbell, ‘We are satisfied that you were aware
of Mr Ricketts’ difficulties.’ Detective Constable Mai Wong from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary Hate Crime unit commented, ‘Michael Campbell has taken advantage of a man who was vulnerable and trusted the people he came into contact with. I hope that this case will encourage victims and their carers to report incidents, knowing we will listen to them and thoroughly investigate their concerns.’
Flikr: Michael D W
Tom Powell News Reporter
Bristol’s 2012 Olympic torch relay route revealed
The Olympic torch is to pass through Hotwells, Henleaze and Old Market on its way to the 2012 games in London. It will travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the UK giving thousands of people the chance to take part in Olympic celebrations. Nearly 10,000 people have backed a campaign to elect Jeff Knight, one of Bristol’s most popular Big Issue sellers, as an official Olympic torch bearer.
Illegal Costa Coffee Bristol’s green scheme sparks local protest has national impact Shannon Kneis News Reporter The new Costa Coffee branch that has opened at the junction of Whiteladies Road and Cotham Hill, has developed into an ongoing source for local controversy, due to incorrect licensing. Recently, it has come to light that the franchise is operating illegally. This particular Costa Coffee is currently trading under the old license, based on retail use and has not applied or been granted a cafe license, which is a legal requirement for their trading.
pivotal time, as the Bristol City Council recently refused the opening of a new Costa Coffee on Gloucester Road, on the grounds it would be ‘harmful to the diversity of the local shopping area.’ This was a due to a petition signed by 3,000 people against the opening of a Costa Coffee cafe. Bristol County Council are planning to serve an enforcement notice to the franchise. This will notify Costa to stop operating outside of the terms of planning permission. The notice will also order them to acquire the correct license.
Flikr: Simon Q
The Costa Coffee branch on Cotham Hill has caused outrage within the local community
The Costa coffee shop has opened on hostile territory, as it is replacing a family-run newsagent, which has been in business for almost a century. Whiteladies Road has already witnessed many supermarkets and large brand names overtaking local independent stores and for some this particular opening has sparked a necessity for action in the form of a local campaign. Keep Whiteladies Local is, ‘A campaign to protect, revive and celebrate diversity’ on the road. The organisers blame the ‘high density’ of corporate dominance for creating a ‘lifeless atmosphere’. The campaign comes at a
Holly Naden News Reporter The University of Bristol’s Sustainability Department has introduced its latest scheme, ‘Green Impact Hospitals’, to promote environmental awareness to students nationwide. The Green Impact Scheme was instigated four years ago by University of Bristol’s Sustainability Department in partnership with the National Union of Students Services Limited (NUSSL). In this time, the movement has spread nationally, and the Green Impact scheme has been adopted by over 50 universities within the UK. The principles of the scheme include recycling, reducing waste and cutting down on water usage. If these actions are successfully completed, departments are given points and subsequently gain awards, the highest being the Platinum Award. Green Impact has now been extended to hospitals, since the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has recently
united with the University of Bristol and NUSSL. The project is designed to help hospitals celebrate becoming greener and reducing their negative impact on the environment by using the accreditation scheme. If the pilot project succeeds it will be launched in many other hospitals. The Head of the University’s Sustainability Department, Martin Wiles, commented that, ‘Our new partnership with University Hospitals Bristol
“
The Green Impact Scheme has been adopted by over 50 universities within the UK
”
NHS Foundation Trust is very exciting. We’ve seen that relatively minor changes to the way we do things can have a big effect, and this will hopefully be the case in hospitals too.’ The Energy and Sustainability Manager at University Hospitals Bristol, Samuel Willitts, also commented that the Green Impact Hospital Scheme, ‘Complements the central schemes the (NHS Foundation)
Trust is already investing in, like better recycling systems and more energy efficient buildings.’ Green Impact teams are involved in over 1,500 individual sustainability actions each year. In the last five years there has been a 2.9% reduction in carbon emissions and a 12.5% reduction in water use. The amount of waste going to landfill has also decreased, from 60% in 2007 to 44% last year, through the encouragement of recycling facilities. President of Bristol University’s Green society, Georgina Bavetta, commented that, ‘Reducing our consumption of energy is key to achieving a sustainable future. By rolling out the Green Impact scheme across public institutions we change the norm and get important issues of sustainability into the public discourse.’ Bavetta commented further, saying, ‘When large institutions like universities and hospitals implement a scheme like this it challenges people to question their own consumption. By combining an efficiency drive with decreased waste and usage we can make a real difference.’
Epigram
21.11.2011
7
Charity labels Yeates case a hate crime Gjeta Gjyshinca News Reporter
Under current British law ‘hate crime’ refers to criminal acts that are motivated by hostility towards a certain aspect of the victim’s identity – generally their race, religion or sexual orientation. Hate crimes are therefore seen as aggravated and incur tougher penalties in court. Weston has argued that ‘If all domestic violence, rape, murder, stalking etc against women were classified as hate crimes, it would allow the government to accurately monitor incidents and expressly reflect their prominence.’ While a number of charities, including Amnesty International and Women’s Aid,
campaign to protect women’s rights and stop violence against women, Equality South West has been the first to call on the government to change the current classification of crimes. In a poll on the Equality South West website asking people whether they think violence against women should be classified as a hate crime, 80% of voters answered ‘Yes’. However, it remains to be seen whether the government will instigate a debate on this subject. Every year 3m women in the UK are victims of violence. Weston hopes the move ‘might begin to change people’s attitudes towards women.’
Marek Allen
The government has been encouraged to initiate a debate proposing that violence against women is reclassified as a hate crime. The proposed changes, which have been instigated by charity Equality South West come shortly after it was revealed that Joanna Yeates’s murderer, Vincent Tabak, viewed violent pornography, in which images of strangulation and sexual abuse were displayed. Brenda Weston, Equality Development Officer for
Equality South West, said, ‘If a white man had watched images of the persecution and killing of a black man before doing the same thing himself, the images would certainly be classed as incitement to racial hatred and the murder as a hate crime.’ Prosecutors decided not to show the jury the collection of films, which featured women being choked, found on Tabak’s laptop. The decision was made to ensure that Tabak received a fair trial. Weston added that ‘Now seems like an appropriate time to consider why, when Jo Yeates was killed because she was a woman, the circumstances are different.’
Tabak was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court (pictured here) to 20 years imprisonment
‘Question Time’ panel debate Bristol riots Jenny Dye News Reporter
Anh Nguyen
Bristol University Debating Union held a panel covering the August Bristol riots
The Bristol University Debating Union held a question-time style panel on Thursday 3rd November on the riots that took place in Bristol and across the country in August. The incidents occurred in Bristol on the 8th and 9th of August and cost Avon and Somerset police over £400,000. Following the riots, 53 people were arrested and 23 were charged. Police are still trying to identify 24 suspects. The panel including the Labour MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, and Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West, Stephen Williams, discussed issues such as the causes of the riots and how the underlying social issues could be addressed. Dennis Stinchcombe MBE,
director of the Bristol Riverside Youth Project, which involves young people in sports activities, had been running a summer camp when the riots kicked off. He said 16 out of the 24 young people on the camp cited boredom as the main cause. Liberal Democrat MP, Stephen Williams, felt that the riots had been essentially apolitical, saying, ‘I think they were a collective moment of madness’. President of Bristol University Green society Georgina Bavetta argued that the riots were still, ‘Political actions in a wider sense’, and that they were a signal of an unequal society. The panel debated the controversial issue of whether social media sites should have been taken down to prevent the planning of further riots. John King, representing the Freedom Association, claimed
that he would have condoned the shutting down of social media. Labour MP, Kerry McCarthy, did not hold the same view. The suggested deactivation of Twitter and Facebook had been a ‘knee jerk reaction in parliament’, she said. She described the clean up as ‘absolutely fantastic, bringing communities together’, and pointed out that this had also been organised online. McCarthy criticized what she called the ‘incredibly sad’ sentences dealt to rioters who committed minor theft. She continued saying that, ‘young lives are being wrecked in the process’. The Conservative Bristol City Councillor, Alex Pearce, disagreed and argued that, ‘Tougher love for the minority would actually improve the rights of the majority of citizens’.
Local Liberal Democrat MP calls for constituency change Sophie Mew News Reporter
number of constituencies in England from 533 to 502 and that constituencies must be within 5% of the new 76,641 limit set. In a hearing to the Boundary Commission, Webb gave evidence that the current proposals would disrupt the local community and break up long-lasting constituency ties. Webb commented that ‘The current grouping of market towns and villages in the Thornbury and Yate constituency makes a lot of sense, as does the grouping of urban fringe communities in the current Filton & Bradley Stoke seat. In each case a local MP can gain specialist knowledge
of the very different issues facing these different sorts of communities and can therefore represent them more effectively. By contrast, the plans by the Boundary Commission to group together historic Gloucestershire market towns and rural villages together with the urban fringe of Bristol would not create coherent constituencies.’ His proposals include retaining his current seat, but adding to increase the seat’s population to its required level, all of which were in the previous seat of Northavon until 2010. Both the Thornbury & Yate and Filton & Bradley Stoke are seats which were created at the new general election.
Liberal Democrat MP, Steve Webb urged officials to reconsider the boundary changes in Bristol
Flikr: Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrat MP for Thornbury and Yate, Steve Webb, has called for officials to reconsider their choices concerning boundary changes for constituencies. The plans come as part of the Government’s aims to save £12m on making the House of Commons ‘more effective’. The Pensions Minister’s statement on Monday 7th November, came after the Boundary Commission announced plans for major changes to the electoral map. The boundary alterations
would result in Webb’s current constituency being divided up, so his house would be in a different seat to his constituency office. Under the proposed reforms, he appears to be the MP worst affected by the changes. A report by the Boundary Commission proposes to combine the town of Yate with the area surrounding Mangotsfield due to its ‘close communication links’ in the new constituency of Yate. The reforms also plan to combine the towns of Thornbury, Filton and Bradley Stoke into the Thornbury and Filton constituency. These are partly due to new laws introduced to reduce the
Epigram
21.11.2011
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Child porn found on Tabak’s computer
Virtual shopping experience comes to Cabot Circus
Jodie White News Reporter
‘public interest.’ Bristol Crown Court Judge, Justice Field, sentenced the Dutch engineer to a minimum of 20 years imprisonment at the end of October following an extensive investigation into the murder of Jo Yeates, whose frozen body was found on a country lane in Failand, North Somerset, on Christmas Day last year. The 25 year old had been throttled to death by Tabak in the Clifton flat she shared with her boyfriend, in what police believe to have been a sexually motivated attack. Following the verdict by
the jury it was revealed that Tabak, 33, indulged in violent pornography involving the throttling and domination of blonde women during sex, as well as the bundling of women into car boots, with many videos posing striking parallels to the way in which Yeates was murdered. This information was not disclosed to the jury at the time due to the judge’s belief this information would prevent Tabak from a fair trial. Police are currently still awaiting guidance on the child pornography case from the Crown Prosecution Service.
Marek Allen
Child porn images have been discovered on the laptop of Vincent Tabak, who was sentenced to life imprisonment last month for the murder of Bristol architect, Jo Yeates. Avon and Somerset police found 30 images of children being sexually abused on Vincent Tabak’s computer. The material was all classified as category four, which typically means that they ‘depict penetrative sexual activity involving a child or children, or both children and adults.’ Tabak however, has currently not been questioned over the images as the matter has been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, who will give initial guidance on the case. The case will be assessed according to a number of criteria before deciding whether or not to pursue further action, including their consideration of what they deem to be of the
Visitors to Cabot Circus last week could do their grocery shopping using their mobile phones with the arrival of Ocado’s virtual window display. Shoppers scanned their chosen items using their smartphones to order from the virtual window, which was open 24 hours a day
Government grants ‘Do something, Gromit!’ £11m to South West Zaki Dogliani News Reporter
Sarah Lawson News Reporter
Bristol City Council is set to receive an extra
£18m to help primary schools local areas best, who will decide where this cash boost will be spent.’ The money comes from leftover cash from the transport and local government budgets, and will be allocated in January. The government also issued an emergency £500m fund to create new primary school places. Over the past four years, the number of children starting primary school has risen by
20%, which is one of the biggest increases in the country. Conservative Councillor Alastair Watson, chairman of the children’s services scrutiny commission said, ‘It is very good news that we are to get an extra £18m. The authority will still have to be very creative in how it uses this money most effectively.’ The council has already created 676 extra primary school places over the past four years, but another 400 are needed for next September. For 2015, it is expected that 3,000 additional places will be needed– this is equivalent to building 14 small primary schools. It is unlikely that many new schools will be built, but existing schools will be altered and prefabricated buildings will be added to accommodate the influx of students. Councillor Clare CampionSmith, the Liberal Democrat cabinet member for children and young people said, ‘We welcome this announcement of additional funding.’ She continued saying, ‘It is a step in the right direction and shows the Government recognises the scale of the challenge we are facing.’
It was one of the UK’s bestloved TV shows but creators of Wallace and Gromit Aardman Animations may have to halt production at their Bristol studios for financial reasons. A report titled ‘Securing the future of UK animation’ put forward the case that the UK animation industry, that was until recently very successful, is now in crisis and in need of help. Aardman Head of Broadcast, Miles Bullough, told Epigram that while films made in the UK receive government help in the shape of a 15 to 20% tax credit, UK TV animation receives nothing. He claimed, ‘Subsidies and government support for the animation industries of France, Germany, Canada and India to name but a few have distorted the market and put the UK at a huge disadvantage.’ Refuting claims that Aardman is planning to move current TV productions overseas, Bullough added, ‘What we want to do is make British shows here in Bristol. We just need a tax credit to level the playing field with our overseas competitors to help us to do so.’ He warned, however, of
Aardman Animations may have to halt production in Bristol
potential problems with UK animation being moved abroad. ‘Do we want to see Bob the Builder driving on the righthand side of the road? Do you want our children thinking that the emergency services number is 911? That is what will happen if we don’t watch out.’ In the report, Cities of London and Westminster MP, Mark Field, called upon the government to ‘support the animation
Flickr: Melanie-m
The West of England is celebrating the news that more than £11m has been allocated to improve the local area, whilst at the same time the government is set to give Bristol City Council £18m additional funding to create new primary school places. This economic boost is part of a government drive to help Britain during the recession, and to revive projects that have fallen by the way-side. The cash injection comes from the Growing Places Fund, which was set up to build new roads, houses and business parks. From the £500m available, £11.32m will be given to the West of England LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership), which covers Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire councils. The 38 LEPs are made up of councils and businesses and have the task of stimulating economic growth in their own area. The idea is that each LEP can decide which areas of infrastructure need investment,
in order to help the local economy in the long term. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said the cash injection would ‘unlock much-needed local infrastructure and get the homes we need built. It will be local enterprise partnerships, made up of the people and businesses who know their
industry at this critical juncture in its history.’ The report claimed there would be a net benefit to the UK economy of introducing a tax credit, ‘Animation is so labour intensive that by keeping work in the UK the revenue from National Insurance, personal taxation and corporation tax would be greater than the cost of the tax credit.’
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21.11.2011
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Epigram
21.11.2011
Features
Editor: Tristan Martin
Deputy Editor: Andrew White
features@epigram.org.uk
deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk
The daily realities of Occupying Bristol
Epigram reports back from the Occupy Bristol encampment on College Green, finding it tense, troubled, but rather optimistic
Zack Wellin
No summer camp anymore. Tensions rise along with the mud in the ongoing saga of Occupying Bristol.
Sam Lubner Features Reporter
proper support and care. He had been homeless since 1996. ‘I’ve spilt blood for my country’, he said as he boiled water over a fire, ‘but I would never spill blood for my government’. Shortly after, I heard arguing at the other end of the camp. The people had returned to see that their tent had been taken down and they were being evicted. This was a complicated issue as many who were not involved in the violence had lived in the tent too. It looked
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As I went to work setting up a tent, one of the dogs strutted over and urinated all over the tarpaulin. I was beginning to think this was some sort of omen
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like another fight was about to start but they eventually left without incident. They were friends with a lot of the other activists and their departure put everyone in a terrible mood as they considered the very real possibility that they would return at night, drunk, and attack them or set fire to their tents - something that had happened a few times before. I approached a man
with blond dreadlocks and a camo green keffiyeh wrapped around his neck. ‘People may think we’re idealists, but by putting ourselves out here we are facing very real societal problems such as alcoholism and violence, and we have to do our best to fix this. While the media may say this shows how everything is falling apart here, it puts us in a better position to deal with these issues in a way that someone working a 9-5 office job wouldn’t be able to’. This was a perspective I had never considered before. No one can say whether the occupy movement will achieve its longterm goals but ultimately this is what it all boils down to. To say that the activists are simply camping out and hoping for a better world to come is missing the point. They are actively helping the community by giving their time and passing on skills to others. Some of the people staying there had been previously living on the street and both times I visited they, and members of the public, were benefiting from cooking workshops and lectures. By doing this, they are dealing with these grassroots issues of homelessness, unemployment and a general lack of empathy in society through education, empowerment and cooperation.
signs as one walked around. It may be a struggle but simply by existing, the camp is proving its own principles in this microcosm of society. One can hope that this will lead to greater changes but we
can’t say for sure. Nevertheless, Occupy Bristol has created a community based on its members’ ideals, and is setting an example that we could all live by.
The lengths that members of the camp will go to in order to help others is proof of this. A man known as Viking had just returned from carrying a 25kg bottle of water for a mile to the site just so activists and visitors alike could enjoy a cup of tea. It was rare to see someone not fixing the pathways or making
Zack Wellin
I suppose I arrived at the wrong time. People weren’t willing to talk a lot and some were visibly tense. I wandered around and overheard a meeting, and pieced together what had happened. In the early hours of the morning a fight had broken out at the camp and a man had been sent to hospital. Whoever had bottled him had left and it was decided that the tent where the perpetrator lived, and where it had all taken place, would be taken down. Hoping to find out more, I offered to help out around the camp. Harry was the first to take me around the site as we did some maintenance on the tents, not really sure what to throw away and to keep. I picked up an armful of empty water bottles and carried them outside. ‘You know’, a woman muttered as I walked past, ‘those are probably piss bottles’. I dropped the bottles. Later on as I went to work setting up a tent, one of the dogs strutted over to me and urinated all over the tarpaulin. I was beginning to think this was some sort of omen. ‘To me, it’s all about fairness’ was Harry’s response when I asked him why he had come
to protest. This caught me off guard. There was no rhetoric of destroying the system or taking power, he was a man who was willing to camp out for almost a month, while juggling his work as a sound engineer and barman in the process, but for what exactly? It was clear to see whatever was happening with the ‘Occupy’ movement worldwide, things were still going strong at the camp on College Green. One of the most surprising aspects was the background of the protesters. Among the hardcore activists were teachers, youth workers, IT consultants, soldiers and an insurance specialist that quit his job in anger at the way the banks had been abusing the system. They were all united in their anger over poor financial regulation by an irresponsible government but there was no talk about hanging the banker or anything like that. But their anger seems justified, living in a world where a Vodaphone can pay £1,400 tax on 3.5bn profit while the Occupy Bristol site receives daily complaints from the public that their tents are damaging the grass outside the cathedral. I soon found myself talking to a veteran of the Gulf War, Bosnia and Northern Ireland who, after being shot in the back, was discharged without
‘I’ve spilt blood for my country, but I would never spill blood for my government.’ - A veteran of the Gulf War, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, this occupier has been homeless since 1996.
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21.11.2011
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Driving change with social enterprise Epigram investigates the growing trend of tackling social issues with business principles, rather than the traditional charity model Jony Levin Features Reporter
GetEntrepreneurial
Social enterprise may seem like a contradiction in terms for some, but is fast emerging as a powerful way to go about effecting social change. The Occupy movement is fed up with a society based on self-interest and have made demands on governments and corporations to put the interests of society first. This question of whose interests are preferred lie at the heart of social enterprise and are useful in defining what is meant by the term. Nowadays, every company is familiar with the rhetoric of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); an obligation that corporations have to feed something good back into society. The 1990s saw the rise of CSR in almost all companies’ agendas and saw the creation of new departments within large corporations. Predicated on
Social Enterprises are businesses with a social aim at the core of their operations.
Adam Smith’s infamous invisible hand, these companies were and are still obliged by law to pursue the highest returns possible to maximise shareholder value. Social enterprise on the other hand is focused on ‘others-interest’, whereby social entrepreneurs benefit financially from improving the welfare of other members of society. They
share this priority with charities and philanthropy but differ in their approach - as Michael Porter from Harvard Business School puts it, ‘Businesses acting as businesses, not as charitable donors, are the most powerful force for addressing the pressing issues we face.’ Social entrepreneurship seeks to innovate and create new models
that are financially sound to effect lasting social change. A recent publication by Social Enterprise UK - ‘Fightback Britain’ - showed that this social change is pervasive in all economic sectors and regions of the country,particularly focusing on deprived communities: 38% of social enterprises working in the most deprived communities
in the UK compared to 13% of standard businesses. It also showed social enterprise is successfully tackling social issues from within, with almost nine out of ten having at least one female director and almost one in ten having a director under the age of 24. It is estimated that 14% of social enterprises are start-ups bringing greater
dynamism and innovation to the economy. In comparison to the public or private sector, social enterprises are better able to balance commercial and social outcomes, work with excluded groups and reach out to local communities. The Bristol Social Enterprise Conference last weekend focused on how students can make the transition from social consciousness into finding entrepreneurial solutions to social problems. The event brought together students with budding social entrepreneurs to discuss and debate issues and opportunities; debates explored the role of social enterprise in higher education, new inventions tackling climate change and new systems of money. As support and financial backing for young people’s ideas in social enterprise continues to grow, young people have a new and valued stake in shaping the world we live in.
Challenge for Change is all about getting people cycling. ‘I love cycling. Cycling’s awesome!’ says founder Thomas Stockell. After working on similar projects back home in New Zealand, Thomas decided to set up a company that would get people on their bikes. ‘In terms of how we get people cycling. It’s one thing to say: you should ride a bike, it’s fun, it’s easy, it’s good times. And people go, ‘Ahh no way, I can’t cycle. It’s too hard, it’s too hilly, it’s too scary… all the rest. So... we go in to a town, and we get the companies in that town to compete against each other, to see which can get the most staff to ride for ten minutes. When they have that experience, they think, ‘Well maybe I could ride a bike.’ We keep the scores on our website, and then there are surveys and marketing campaigns and so on, but that’s the guts of it: giving people a positive experience of a behaviour, to change their perceptions towards it. For me the difference between social enterprise and a business that just makes money, is that a social enterprise feels good. You’ll make profit - because making a loss is bad, right. So it’s about doing good things, it’s about doing them well, it’s about making money, and its about re-investing that money to do more good things.’
Enabling Enterprise sets out to ensure that students have more than just grades when they leave school. Students participating in the programme have started their own businesses, grown in confidence presenting their ideas and learnt valuable leadership skills along the way. Here is what founder Tom Ravenscroft had to say about it: ‘Enabling Enterprise grew out of my experience as a teacher, as I taught secondary school business studies as part of Teach First. It quickly became very obvious that students weren’t in the least bit interested in learning how to invoice, they wanted to learn how to be more entrepreneurial. The big outcome that we’re really looking for is that students, particularly from challenging schools, leave school with a full CV. We’re trying to create a program that is rigorous and challenging and effective for students, that schools will actually put in as part of the timetable. So we provide teaching resources. We provide the curriculum materials, and then we train the teachers to deliver the program. The key thing is that we have a mission that we strongly believe in. And it’s a mission with a social outcome. For us, it’s that one day every student will leave school equipped with the skills and the experiences and the aspirations to be successful.’
The People’s Supermarket is a cooperative shop in London. Headed up by entrepreneur Arthur Potts-Dawson, it is trying to bring a new way of shopping to Britain’s streets. The model is simple: affordable, locally sourced, sustainable shopping on cooperative principles. If you want to get the cheap groceries you have to become a member. In becoming a member you agree to offer four hours of work per month in exchange for 10% off everything in store. Along with bringing affordable local produce to the masses, the hope is that the scheme fosters a sense of community in an otherwise heartless high street. With the success seen in the London store, there are now groups around the country hoping to replicate the idea. Ex-University of Bristol student Dan Iles told Epigram about his plans for a cooperative supermarket and how he thinks social enterprise should operate. ‘A social enterprise has to be environmentally sustainable, and socially constructive – one that builds community.There are already organic, local food shops in Bristol, but the problem is that (this one) has to relate to people from low-income backgrounds, and the ethnically diverse people in the area. So it can’t turn out to be another middle class, luxury food health shop, where people feel excluded.’
FoodCycle wants to address the estimated 400,000 tonnes of reclaimable wasted food every year from retailers whilst tackling the four million people affected by food poverty in the UK. On their website, they claim to combat the 2.4m unemployed people in the UK especially the one million 16-24 year olds - by providing them the opportunity to develop their skills and affect their community positively within their organisation. By combining volunteers, surplus food and a free kitchen space, nutritious meals can be made and positive social change in the community can be achieved. As a nation wide organisation FoodCycle feeds, and has fed, thousands of needy people in numerous cities. In Bristol, they run a soup kitchen every week in Easton for the homeless, immigrants and the hungry swathes that mainstream society neglcts. The Bristol team, run by co-ordinator Amy Hale, combine their work in the community with the student-run Student Restaurant every fortnight, providing a nutritious 3-course meal for a £3 donation towards their work. Alice Watson, a key member in the Bristol team, feels that, ‘It is really important to give something back to our city’, adding that, ‘It is a bonus that we self sustainably cover our running costs’.
Epigram
21.11.2011
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Mexico’s ‘War on Drugs’: A war of interpretation? Faye Planer Features Reporter
Instead of reducing the violence, Mexico’s ‘war on drugs’ has resulted in a dramatic increase in killings, torture, and other appalling abuses by security forces, which only make the climate of lawlessness and fear worse in many parts of the country
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Kara Newhouse
‘Neither Rights Nor Security: Killings, Torture, and Disappearances in Mexico’s War on Drugs’, is the title of a 212page report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) earlier this month. The report coincided rather poignantly with Mexico’s ‘Day of the Dead’ - a yearly celebration to remember deceased friends and family. Given that President Calderón repeatedly claims that 90% of the 40,000 victims of his ‘war on drugs’ are criminals, he no doubt believes that these dead should be forgotten. But investigations carried out by HRW have shed serious doubt over who is being killed and who is doing the killing. Their findings support the numerous testimonies of indignant relatives of supposed ‘narcomuertos’ (the name given to those killed in relation to narco-trafficking) whose deaths are never investigated. During this year’s ‘Day of the Dead’ celebrations special respect was paid to the innocent victims of the ‘war on drugs’, respect that the Mexican government is denying them. But the ‘war on drugs’ is just one instance of a ‘war of interpretation’ in Mexico. Ciudad Juarez, a city where six to eight people are murdered every day, held the equally grotesque title of having the highest level of murders of women during the 1990s. Thinking
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A fountain in Mexico City died red in a protest against the enormous death-toll of the ‘War on Drugs’.
that these murders were not being investigated because the police were ill informed, a small group of women sought to raise awareness with local authorities. They did not anticipate being told that these murders were ‘normal’ for the city, as the then governor of the state, Francisco Barrio, infamously stated. It was commonly believed that these women had brought their violent ends upon themselves - through being prostitutes, heroin users, or being immodestly dressed. For this ‘reason’, the deaths were not being investigated. A long fight ensued for what was essentially the right for women to be safe in public, and that their murder be considered unacceptable. In fact, it took eleven years of domestic
and international pressure for the Mexican government to even start investigating the murders which are were known as ‘femicide’. The terrible problem continues and it would seem changing some men’s attitudes towards women is a war yet to be won. The recent report by HRW has been a blow to the Mexican government’s prevailing interpretation of its ‘war on drugs’ - which is ostensibly to annihilate the drug cartels by deploying 50,000 troops since 2006. In claiming that only criminals are killing criminals, and no victim is innocent, the government has so far argued that its strategies are working. But the HRW report raises
serious doubts over this claim, highlighting that in the last four years only 997 investigations have been opened into organised crime related homicides, with only 22 people being convicted. So few cases have been opened because ‘narcomuertos’ are never investigated (in Ciudad Juarez that is true of 90% of murders). Relatives stand by in stunned silence as they are told by police that their sons, brothers, or fathers were involved in organised crime, but they are never given any proof. Government officials are increasingly being accused of deliberately changing the details of the crime to make it appear that the victims are criminals rather than civilians.
By Calderón’s own admission, most of the police and the military are corrupt and they are often the ones responsible for surges in violence, judging from the 1,615 accusations of crimes committed by soldiers against civilians since the ‘drug war’ began. The HRW report declares that justice is carried out with ‘near total impunity’, as it is the military jurisdiction which is responsible for their conviction, and they essentially protect their own. To date not a single soldier has been held to account. Left without justice and without security, the Mexican people live in fear of both the security forces and the drug cartels while their government tells a completely different story
- Americas Director at Human Rights Watch, Jose Migues Vivanco.
to the reality that they are living. One of the biggest consequences of this state of fear is that journalists are not reporting the true facts and activists are having to weigh up the risk of protesting. Despite this, a number of peace movements are gaining confidence. One such movement in Juarez simply asks residents to leave their houses and go for a walk to show they are not afraid. It is time to question the meaning of the violence; who is causing it, who is suffering, and what sort of a government is overseeing it? This year the ‘Day of the Dead’ became the ‘Day of the 40,000 Dead’, however the Mexican government choose to interpret it.
Land grabbing means the system’s bust Laura Ho Features Reporter
of land have been sold, leased or licensed in large-scale land deals since 2001, mostly by international investors. The situation is spiralling out of control and there is a desperate cry for help and attention from those who are suffering under the fists of corporate greed, while multinationals make a quick profit from simply owning a plot of valuable land and being able to satisfy overseas food consumption demands. In fact, this problem has grown exponentially since the food price spikes of 2008 with cheap food production being the aim of all Western food providers. Oxfam has recently launched its biggest ever campaign: the GROW campaign, with the tag line: ‘The System’s Bust’ and its chief focus is to address the broken global food system. Land grabs are the first of four main pillars of the campaign. The other three being food prices, climate and smallscale farming. Oxfam groups
up and down the country are campaigning for, ‘effective global rules to get land grabs under control – rules which ensure local communities see the benefits of investments and which help make sure that governments provide secure access to land for smallholder farmers, and especially women.’ A recent report by Oxfam on the global food crisis called ‘Growing a Better Future’, puts the problems down to the governments that do not take enough action to protect citizens against land grabbing and other atrocities. ‘The global food system works only for the few – for most of us it is broken... The failure of the system flows from failures of government – failures to regulate, to correct, to protect, to resist, to invest – which mean that companies, interest groups, and elites are able to plunder resources and to redirect flows of finance, knowledge, and food.’
Oxfam protests against land grabbing taking place across the world
Flickr: Oxfam Italia
Among the student population ‘land grabbing’ may sound like a fairly bizarre concept, but for many people across the developing world, it’s a serious threat to their everyday lives. ‘Land grabbing’ means largescale land acquisitions made on unethical grounds. It usually takes the form of large wealthy companies buying huge amounts of agricultural land in poor countries for commercial investment. The problem is that this land is normally already supporting poor local families’ livelihoods. These people have often lived and worked on this land for generations and suddenly find themselves being forcibly evicted with no consultation, warning or compensation and never being able to return. Sometimes this is because (although having lived and worked on the land
for hundreds of years) they have never acquired official legal rights to live and work there. In other circumstances it is realised through more devious means such as coaxing village decision makers into signing contracts they don’t understand. And it’s women – who produce up to 80% of food in some poor countries – that are most vulnerable. The most frustrating aspect of the situation is the fact that, often the land is left idle by investors who have bought it - knowing its value will rise - to sell it on again for profit. When the land is used for agriculture often the results reduce food production, which is detrimental to the current global food shortage: 10 million people still die every year from hunger. 70% of land grabs take place in Sub-Saharan Africa. Southeast Asia and Latin America are other hotspots. Oxfam’s research indicates that as many as 227 million hectares
Comment
Epigram
21.11.2011
Editor: Patrick Baker comment@epigram.org.uk
Berlusconi resigns after G20 farce The infamous Prime Minister goes out with a bang as Italy breathes a sigh of relief Hugh Davies
Flickr: MediaItalia
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Tripoli, home to the late Colonel Gaddaffi
Mr Berlusconi was hardly losing sleep over the dire state of Italy’s economy
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Silvio Berlusconi’s decision to step down marks the end to the career of one of the most controversial and amusing politicians of the 21st Century. The choice has caused an almost total collapse of investor confidence in Europe’s third biggest economy. It has sent interest rates in Italy to levels that triggered bailouts in Portugal, Greece and Ireland. However, with debt at 120% GDP, Italy is widely considered to be ‘too big to bail.’ The Italian Prime Minister’s welldocumented buffoonery and his blissful ignorance to the gravity of Italy’s predicament might oddly make the man rather well suited to such a crisis. However, they are going to have to manage without their portly generalissimo, much to the relief of many onlookers. When Berlusconi first appeared on the political stage in 1994, Italians knew
that he owned three television channels, a daily newspaper and several other companies. They also knew the billionaire had been taken to court in connection with suspicious business activities and clearly had conflicting interests. All this asks one question - why on earth did they continually elect him? His followers were in fact surprisingly loyal throughout his career. Then again, wouldn’t you have been? With the prospect of infamous weekly soirées ‘chez Silvio,’ Berlusconi guaranteed his pals prominent positions and lucrative careers, and in return they provided him with the title of Italy’s longest serving post-war Prime Minister. At the heart of Berlusconi’s domestic policy was one central theme: procrastination. To be fair, reforming a country, especially one with Italy’s economy, is an unenviable task.
I, myself, would probably put it off for as long as possible. Berlusconi was not much better at diplomacy, seeing it as little more than seduction. Whenever possible, he sought to wine and dine his way into the hearts of the world’s most powerful. He failed to fulfil the countless promises of reform which he made during his formative years in the 1990s. Indeed, very little has changed since then; Italian society remains dated and conservative, whilst sufficient efforts have not been made to breach the vast North-South economic divide. If Berlusconi’s political career is to be considered a running joke then the recent G20 summit in Cannes certainly provided the punch line. The Italian Prime Minister was up to his usual mischief. He appeared to spend his whole time goggling and giggling. His purpose at the conference was clear - to amuse
his European counterparts and seduce the young females amongst them. Early on in the proceedings, the Italian was captured turning around after greeting the Danish Prime Minister in order to catch a glimpse of her backside. Days later, the romantic was at it again: this time the Argentine president, Cristina Fernandez, was the victim of the Italian’s beady eyed examination. Such behaviour clearly indicates that Mr. Berlusconi was hardly losing sleep over the dire state of Italy’s economy. Perhaps the Italian had diplomatic reasons for such outlandish behaviour, although the benefits of an Italian alliance with either Denmark or Argentina do not appear immediately obvious. Such an alliance is, in any case, now unlikely. However, the most shocking moment came when Merkel and Sarkozy were asked if they
felt reassured by Berlusconi’s promises of action. The two glanced at each other and were unable to suppress smirks. Seeing two of Europe’s biggest players sniggering away at the expense of their Italian counterpart is alarming to say the least. It is for this reason, that embarrassed Italians all over the world will be welcoming Berlusconi’s resignation with open arms. In a world where politics is dominated by dull, sterile characters such as David Cameron and Angela Merkel, Berlusconi provides some welcome light relief.His frivolous private life and disregard for political correctness meant that, perhaps at the expense of his nation, he never ceased to entertain. When asked if he was regretting his decision to step down, Berlusconi quipped, ‘On the contrary, I feel liberated.’ One dreads to think what he is capable of, now that he is finally ‘liberated.’ After all, he always appeared so restrained. He currently remains embroiled in three different court cases – one for bribery, one for corruption and one for paying an underage prostitute for sex. Aside from his announcement to step down, Berlusconi has made another big decision. He has decided to delay the release of his fourth album. Presumably his fans will understand given the quandary currently facing the Italian. Ironically, the mellow love songs, which the Italian writes himself, could be exactly what a fractious, panicstricken Europe need. Silvio, go and get the guitar.
Immigration is Britain’s ‘blind spot’ Jevon Whitby up the largest percentage of all immigrants. On this highly controversial issue, most of us remain opinionated, but woefully uneducated. However hostile the rhetoric about ‘welfare scrounging,’ immigrants represent only 2.7% of the UK welfare bill. This is not to suggest that our concerns are completely misplaced. Immigration does pose a large problem and voters are right to be worried. For example, insuring that the census could
be translated to include all non-English speaking families cost the taxpayer a staggering £500m. The real problem is that immigration is becoming a severe ‘blind spot’ in policy formation and voter choice, so laden with negative sentiment and panicked prejudice, that any factual debate is all but impossible for either side. When the Labour Party were in Government, immigration was a poisonous issue, warping welfare, employment and housing policy and spawning a multitude of vile headlines in the run up to an election in which embarrassing immigration policy seemed to hold great sway over voters. With a Conservative-led coalition in power, immigration
is the ultimate political dead ground, assumed to be in ‘safe hands’ and ignored whilst the government nevertheless cuts 20% from the UK Border Force’s budget and security checks are dangerously relaxed. Hopefully, this recent farce in the ongoing immigration shouting match will become another aspect to be ridiculed. Clearly lax policy under Labour and budget cuts under the Coalition have caused administrative blunders, rather than some great political or racist scandal. With any luck the righteous left and the paranoid right will see that the recent argument over immigration policy has been a ludicrous pantomime, and resolve to have a rational debate in the future.
Flickr: Fadmanchester lFlickr: i cHuffles16 k LRPS r : purplemattfish
Of all issues in British politics, few are quite as toxic as immigration. The recent resignation of the head of the UK Border Force, Brodie Clark, over who was responsible for relaxed security checks, has muddied the waters further. Provocative‘cat,passport checks and racism’ headlines aside, it is clear that immigration is a problem about which we as a nation are still deeply worried. Are we overly scared of discussing immigration or immigrants? Despite our high levels of fear, most voters seem to know little detail about immigration. A recent study by Oxford University showed that British people believe the group which should be admitted most readily are students, who actually make
Epigram
21.11.2011
14
Are you having a laugh?
A fundamental truth
Gervais’ Twitter remark sparks row about how far humour should go
Gjeta Gjyshinca
Picselect: Museum of Natural History
It was always going to cause a stir when Ricky Gervais started casually throwing around the word ‘mong’ on Twitter – a word sometimes used offensively about people with Down’s syndrome. The director of the Down’s Heart Group, Penny Green, said the comments were, ‘Incredibly upsetting and distressing to families of disabled children.’ Combine Gervais’ ‘mong’ jokes with the pictures he posted of himself pulling ‘mong-faces’, and it’s not hard to see why. This kind of controversy inevitably raises the question of whether comedians go too far, and just what ‘too far’ is. Has society become so used to cruel jokes aimed at its most vulnerable that it’s now second nature to accept the use of a word like ‘mong’ without questioning it? It certainly seems so, when younger generations are rating just how sick the jokes on ‘Sickipedia’ are, using phrases like ‘that joke caused a ‘lolocaust.’’ They may not mean any harm, but isn’t it always going to be too soon for jokes about the holocaust? So, at what point is it just not funny anymore? The person a joke is aimed at proves to be a major factor in how an audience reacts. The British seem to be much more comfortable when Charlie Sheen, for example, is the butt of a joke. At the 2010 Golden Globes, Gervais joked that it would be a night of ‘partying and heavy drinking or, as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast.’ He also called 85year-old Hugh Hefner ‘the walking dead’ and joked that the award for special effects should have gone to the team who airbrushed the Sex and the City 2 poster - something I can’t help but agree with. These jokes could easily have caused offence – in fact, they did cause controversy in the US; it seems the Americans are a lot more sensitive when it comes to satire. However, the British generally accept offensive jokes when they are aimed at the most privileged of society. That’s fair enough – Gervais’ joke that the acting in the film The Tourist was ‘twodimensional’ isn’t going to change the fact that Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie were both paid millions for their performances. And, ‘walking dead’ or not, Hugh Hefner
Al Tanner
was still about to marry 25year-old model Crystal Harris. The tone changes, however, when jokes are aimed at the powerless. Despite the sparkling wit behind jokes like ‘good monging everyone’ and ‘two mongs don’t make a right,’ insulting someone with Down’s syndrome is simply not funny. The situation is similar to the media storm Frankie Boyle caused with his comments about Katie Price’s disabled son, where everyone seemed to agree that he had crossed the line – fine, make jokes about Katie Price, whose whole life is a publicity stunt anyway, but don’t drag her son into it. While Gervais has denied using ‘mong’ to refer to people with Down’s syndrome – though his use of it in describing Susan Boyle’s appearance seems dubious – the fact remains that ‘mong’ still carries certain connotations, even though, as Gervais argues, words change. When ‘mong’ is used as an insult, it inevitably associates the characteristics of Down’s syndrome sufferers. Don’t get me wrong, there
is such a thing as being too politically correct. A holierthan-thou attitude is no more welcome than a ‘mong’ joke. Humour is important but does not have to be taken too far to have an impact. Just look at Peter Kay and Michael McIntyre – neither are controversial yet they are two of the biggest comics in the UK. Comedians’ material should not be censored, but it remains up to the individual to judge what is funny and what infringes on others’ rights by debasing and insulting them. Perhaps British comedian Tim Minchin had a point in a recent interview when he said ‘Compared to the storm, it’s a non-issue…we’re talking about this week while 20,000 more Africans die in Somalia.’ A lot of things become ‘non-issues’ when you take an example like that, but that doesn’t mean we should dismiss them. If we allow ourselves to grow accustomed to the casual use of offensive words like ‘mong,’ we run the risk of also becoming prejudiced against the groups of people who are the victims of these distasteful ‘mong’ jokes.
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Material should not be censored, but it remains up to the individual to judge what is funny and what infringes on others’ rights by debasing and insulting them
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If the most happiness for the most people is a goal of society, fundamentalism is never the method. The polar opposite to the folly of fundamentalism is true, free education. If that is provided then all other positive virtues like compassion, selflessness and empathy will follow naturally. If they don’t follow, then education can’t have been true or free. By ‘education’ I don’t mean Maths and French; I would define education as the fusion of topic-based teaching, vocational skills, a knowledge of human nature and history. It is the ability to weigh up evidence, self-reflect, evaluate mistakes and come to conclusions independently. Crucially, education relies on the freedom to interpret information about the world from impartial sources. Capitalist fundamentalism is driving the gap between rich and poor to new extremes. In 2008 Gordon Brown described City financiers as the nation’s ‘great example,’ and his ‘personal inspiration’ just as their divisive greed led the country to calamity. The Tories are making no real moves to regulate the banks and are handing tax cuts to corporations, while further dissolution of the welfare state should come as no surprise. Government now doesn’t try to hide that the main agenda is to protect the interests of the ultra-wealthy, confident that the corporate-media can expertly manufacture consent in a parody of democracy. The insistent media parroting of the ‘debt crisis’ is permitting government policy to evade democratic scrutiny, just as illusory WMDs permitted the probably illegal – and unquestionably immoral – invasion of Iraq. If this sounds like paranoia, consider the questions, ‘who benefited from the war?,’ ‘who will benefit from privatisation of education?’ and crucially, ‘did the media make these things easier or harder to execute?’ The past couple of centuries have seen victories for liberty: the abolition of slavery, the vote for men without title, the vote for women, and universal healthcare. Each of these things came about not through generosity from on high, but through struggle from below. Of course, the rulers took the credit, and
that’s fine if it makes them happy – those who matter know the truth. Today the right that people deserve and demand is education, and it is being denied. Is this because ‘there isn’t enough money’ - after all, we built the NHS in a state of bankruptcy - or because a stratified, bickering, ill-informed society is the easiest to control? I’m not advocating revolution or an assault on government or corporations. Power and money will always be attainable, and it is a person’s right to seek these things. But in the same way that one would enjoy a drink without wishing to become an alcoholic, it is rational to suggest a move away from fundamentalism, weaning those corrupted through excess back to enjoying their vice in moderation. Those who find ‘personal inspiration’ in stratospheric wealth for the few, at the expense of the many, are either morally perverted or haplessly confused. My inspiration comes from the teachers, lecturers, students, NHS staff, council workers, writers and investigative journalists whose work defines the humanity in virtues of empathy and equality. It is vital to protect institutions symbolic of what a decent society can achieve, like our beloved, and now besieged, NHS. We consider free healthcare to be a right in the UK. How would we respond to a politician suggesting that healthcare is a luxury that must be privately paid for? The idea that education is a luxury should be just as abhorrent. These things are certainly not new, but are surmountable hindrances to true democracy. Pessimists in the 1940s guffawed at the NHS as a naïve socialist dream, but they were wrong. But sadly, the NHS had to be born from warfare. Profit-driven fundamentalism is using its armies of the corporate-media to wage war against true, free education. We must demand our human right, a National Education Service, because education is the best – and probably only – path to equality. And as investigations from around the world repeatedly conclude, equal societies are happier societies. Destroy fundamentalism, demand education.
Epigram
21.11.2011
15
The Big Debate Miss Understood: Should beauty pageants still exist? No
Alice Hodgson
Jessica Wingrad
more than air is between those ears, it seems. Miss Zimbabwe speaks truthfully when she states that ‘the media only likes publishing the bad things.’ George Best’s promiscuous behaviour with an alleged seven ‘Miss Worlds’ is common knowledge. The use of ‘Miss World’ by contestants as a platform from which to achieve greater things is often presented as being a way to fulfill only superficial aspirations. However, the media frequently fail to mention that Miss World has raised more than £250 million for children’s charities over the years or that this year’s winner will now spend a year visiting and supporting a range of global charities, supported by the Miss World’s Beauty with a Purpose Programme. On balance, no matter how much charity work the contestants do following the competition or how many degrees they have, there is no doubt that Miss World objectifies women. However, although a few may be exploited, the vast majority of these women made their own decision to enter the contest. The idea that beauty pageants mean we will not be able to have equality is a moot point. Equality is to do with choice; women have the right to enter beauty contests. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.
Flickr: IsmaSan Flickr: BossMeyers
Two hundred protesters outside the venue have marred the recent Miss World contest in Earl’s Court. Of course this pales in comparison to the feminists who stormed the Albert Hall in 1970. Similarly, it looks trivial alongside what happened in 2002 when one hundred people were killed in Nigeria. This was after comments in a newspaper suggesting that a contemporary prophet Mohammed might choose a bride from the pageant sparked rioting. The heated comment put forward by Sabrina Qureshi, the founder of Million Women Rise, that contests like this lead to incidents like the murder of Joanna Yeates, show it is still an issue that will be written about. It seems unfair to start branding the contest an anachronistic affront to feminist dignity and describing the individual contestants as ‘airheads.’ It has come a long way since scantily clad women walked the catwalk and mantras such as ‘your face and body are your fortune’ were taken seriously. Now, the women are encouraged to take pride in their looks and intellect with organisers dubbing the competition to concern both beauty and brains. This year, over a quarter were graduates and half spoke three or more languages; something
Yes
The purpose of the oldest running beauty pageant competition, Miss World, is allegedly to raise money and awareness for charities by judging women on a skill which they display – one skill of course is prized above all others: their appearance. Behind the façade of the Beauty with a Purpose campaign, which is ‘working tirelessly to raise funds for many good causes,’ the Miss World competition is a chauvinistic exercise in which women are objectified. To the feminists who died in order that women can gain respect and equality, and indeed to those feminists of today, this pageant is outright insulting. The Miss World competition was conceived in 1951 by Eric Morley and, as the website explains, it was ‘the audience it attracted who guaranteed its success.’ Presumably, the ‘audience’ being referred to are ignorant sexists. From those origins in the 50s, the competition has gone on to receive international renown. It is one of the foremost beauty competitions alive today. Those who advocate the competition argue that it is a rich tradition, which celebrates beauty and helps to raise millions of dollars. I, and many others around the world, regard the competition in very different
terms. Apart from the obvious argument that this competition gives a dangerous image to young girls about the importance of looks, the Miss World competition offers an array of reasons as to why the contest should not go on in the modern world. Intelligent, determined women of today such as Angela Merkel for example, should be the role models that women to look up to. Instead the Miss World competition champions physical beauty alone. The fact that the competition raises money for charity is frankly a poor excuse. It gives the Miss World organisation peace of mind, at least. If those women are so concerned for the world they should drop the tiara and get their hands dirty in the truly impoverished parts of the world rather than posing with sick children, before returning to their cosy five star hotels. The perversity of this industry is sickening. Women may be ‘agreeing’ to do it but they are sadly brainwashed symptoms of a society, which demands that women look and act in a certain way. This pageant is not a celebration of beauty; it is a glorification of depravity.
A case of drunken identity
Alex Benedyk argues that Bristol’s alcoholism breeds insecurity and stops students from embracing their true personalities
Alex Benedyk
can someone’s personality be originally for him or her to want to transform into such a monster? This endless desire to change yourself when socialising is robbing people from the emotional quality that they really need: selfconfidence. People should trust themselves to be liked and appreciated when they are merely being themselves. This complete lack of confidence might shed light on some other mysteries in the world today such as rocketing suicide rates and the explosion of social networking at the expense of real conversation. We have been trained into
a mode of self-doubt. There is so much more to binge drinking than just having fun. I strongly believe that young people are rejecting who they are. Hence, they have become addicted to a shadow of themselves, in which they can only temporarily indulge on a night out. It is the easy option, a social escape route. A limited alcohol consumption for university students would force people to value themselves in light of who they really are, not for what they can artificially become at the cost of their liver. Then, and only then, will Bristol provide the leaders, not the ‘numpties,’ of tomorrow.
Flickr: whoselondon
When I tell people getting drunk is not really my thing, they remind me I’m a fresher, as if I had forgotten which year I was in. At this point, it is my turn to be patronising: ‘I see myself as a first year university student.’ The reaction is predictably disgraceful. ‘With that attitude, you will miss out on the university experience.’ The conception of the
ideal university experience as splitting your social time between getting drunk and being drunk is misguided, immoral and a national disgrace. The ability to have a conversation with someone is perhaps the most underrated skill in the world. Its usefulness has been neglected for so long, that I am starting to think it has ceased to exist for many students. People drink to achieve a more ‘sociable’ existence, but at the expense of their genuine personality. They start speaking more rubbish than a politician and become excruciatingly annoying. How unappealing
Epigram
21.11.2011
Letters & Editorial
Editor: Emma Corfield letters@epigram.org.uk
‘Pro-choice’ motion unclear
Referendum
Union needs to be neutral about abortion
Imagine my excitement upon hearing that the latest Epigram had finally arrived at the library. I swiftly abandoned my work and rushed to retrieve one. With my intellect stimulated by the first two articles in the Comment section, I turned the page, whereupon I found a bland, tedious and appallingly erroneous article: ‘Cameron’s Major problem’. Mr Hindmarsh clearly has not kept abreast of legislative changes this year. The much publicised European Union Act 2011 ensures a referendum in the case of ‘massive changes’ in the EU, such as a treaty change. Hindmarsh’s argument in support of the proposed EU referendum is therefore a non sequitur as such a treaty is already promised by law. Patrick Ayers
I write to express my concern about the ‘pro-choice’ motion that was passed on Saturday 29th October. The language of the motion was vague, and referring as it did to British abortion law being ‘more restrictive than almost any other European country’, it had the potential to mislead. A quick internet search would show that far from being restrictive, this country’s abortion laws, even if not permitting de jure abortion on demand, are in fact relatively liberal, allowing abortions later than most other EU countries, and having broad exceptions which allow relatively easy access to abortion. Moreover, at the Students’ Conference, the amendments to the motion (that were proposed by the Students for Life society) were not debated,
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which unfortunately meant that both sides of the argument could not be fully heard. The University of Bristol has a designated Student Health Service, and the Abortion Act of 1967 and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 1990 are law in this country. Therefore, it would seem that there should be nothing to prevent a student of this university accessing medical advice and counselling services in the case of an unplanned pregnancy and making the decisions that she is legally entitled to make. Abortion is a contentious issue for many
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people, and the existence of both the Feminist Society and Students for Life at Bristol shows that there are diverse views within the student body, and no one answer to this difficult question which so many women have to face at the level of personal experience. As individuals, we are entitled to freedom of speech, and thus to be pro-choice, pro-life or anything in between. Why should the Union be a moral arbiter on a complex issue about which they were previously neutral, in such a way that risks alienating at least some of its own students? Tamzin Simmons
Letters may be edited for clarity or length
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other UK students’ union bar Oxford and Leeds. If anything, this must, again, put into question its intentions. I hope that I have demonstrated that my concern for the motion is not unfounded and that whilst, on the surface the motion seems ok, looking at it from the pro-life perspective, it is rather concerning. Viv Barrow
To get in touch, send an email to letters@epigram.org.uk
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about alternatives. Only then would the woman be in a position to make an informed choice. The tone of the motion does not give me confidence that this will be the case and therefore the purpose of the motion is questionable. Finally, I am surprised that this motion has actually been proposed as I am unaware of the Union being anti-abortion prior to its proposal, just like every
Wikipedia Commons
Epigram is relatively agnostic about tuition-fee rises. Whilst we did not support their introduction, on the whole, if the university gamble doesn’t pay off, then the graduate doesn’t pay out. This is as it should be. But for many in the country less familiar with students’ finances, the real details were lost around a year ago in a heat haze of misconceptions, recriminations, face-saving gestures, and soundbites. The unfortunate and offputting mantra that ‘you will have to pay £9,000 a year for university’ has already been cack-handedly beaten into the head of every aspirational child in the country. In letting £9,000 fees become such an issue, the government has done immense damage to the standing of universities in the eyes of the less well-off. There has been little effort to set out how sugared the pill is, or to explain graduate repayment schemes to those not familiar with them. In the days when the bill first passed parliament, the Liberal Democrats in particular took great pains to explain that, caught between the teeth of two parties with different but real plans to increase tuition fees anyway, they had agreed to support the government only in return for vast improvements in the way that graduate debt is repaid. But latterly, the LibDems and the government have abandoned all attempts to explain their rationale, and are instead focusing their efforts on sounding tough about reducing the average tuition fee debt a student will accrue. It’s this baffling retreat that is causing far more damage than the fee increases themselves. Instead of explaining what’s been done and why, a generation of teenagers has been abandoned to the narrative that university is too expensive for them. Whilst collecting the statistics on the front cover of this week’s paper, Epigram noted with just a little horror how strenuously universities are having to spell out to potential students that they will not have to pay until after they graduate. This chaos and confusion has now claimed the poorest students at our university as one of its biggest scalps. Whilst we believe the University’s assumption that students will easily be able to fund themselves with part-time work to be not just faulty, but out of touch, we recognize that external factors may have helped persuade them to move money out of bursaries and into fee waivers. The access agreements that universities must submit to OFFA are chiefly concerned with attracting students to apply and study at universities, and for this reason a spokesperson told us that they are ‘neutral on the shape that financial support takes’. The University’s chief concern is likely to ensure that the sting is drawn out of tuition fee amounts in order to appeal to confused and concerned applicants. But removing bursaries and putting in place fee waivers instead is misguided and short-termist. It tackles only the perception of how difficult access is, rather than providing real help to students struggling to get by 20 at university, who will soon find that real support for students has been replaced with a measure unlikely to be of any help at all until their own kids have started school. Other universities aren’t making these mistakes, instead providing a mix of support, or giving students cash that they can pay down debt with if they so wish. With time running out to revise access agreements, Epigram believes that its high time Bristol joined them.
that it is important that each woman has the freedom to exercise reproductive rights, this resolution does not specify what would be classed as an activity ‘eroding women’s reproductive rights’. I know that the pro-life society does not in any way seek to intimidate women or remove their rights but there is a risk that pro-life talks may now be included in this bracket. I would hope that the Union would specify precisely what this means. In addition to this, if the Union becomes truly pro-choice, it will be obliged to make available, on demand, literature highlighting the pros and cons of abortion. This would therefore need to include materials compiled by pro-life charities which seek to educate a woman about the facts of foetal development and risks associated with aborting her child (which are grossly neglected in pro-choice literature) in addition to details
Crossword
University must reconsider scrapping bursaries
I am writing about the recently passed ‘pro-choice’ motion at the UBU Students’ Conference. (See ‘Controversy at UBU Students’ Conference’ in issue 242). I believe that the statements and intentions of the motion are unclear. The proposer of the motion said that the Union want to have permission to present all options, including pro-life alternatives as well as abortion. Bearing in mind that the first note (that the Union has a pro-life society) is followed by statements about the popularity and majority acceptance of abortion, with the second resolution quoting ‘that the VP Welfare and Equality will raise awareness of, and promote campaigns against, any activities likely to erode women’s reproductive rights’, the tone of the motion hardly seems unbiased towards both pro-life and abortion options. Whilst I completely agree
Epigram
21.11.2011
17 Scribble by Jen Springall
Keep calm and shut up
The Joris Luyendijk banking blog Going native in the world of finance Joris Luyendijk’s Guardian blog is a nine-month experiment to determine how the complex world of finance works and if it can be made accessible to outsiders like herself. Luyendijk, an anthropologist and journalist, believes that, ‘just like politics is too important to leave to politicians, finance is too important to leave to bankers’. Her interviews with London financial workers are posted on the blog and enable greater understanding of the financial sector and the people who work within it, exposing their work, subcultures, daily routines and thoughts on how they are negatively portrayed by the media. The first ten interviews were with men, but Luyendijk recently interviewed a dozen women, who were keen to clear up certain conceptions about the sector. ‘People in finance don’t work in the areas that caused the crisis. Most are not with institutions bailed out by taxpayers’ money. Most don’t make the huge amounts you find in newspaper headlines.’ They also candidly claimed that there are more males in the industry because ‘fewer women want this lifestyle than men’ and that in order to last there a woman needs to ‘behave like a man’. All of Luyendijk’s insightful interviews are anonymous to protect workers’ jobs. http://www.guardian.co.uk/ commentisfree/joris-luyendijkbanking-blog
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@ProfBrianCox Arrived in Palawan maleroned up to the eyeballs with a sore toe and an ear infection. I feel unusual, to quote Whithnail. Brian Cox, particle physicist and professor, 43
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It started off innocently enough. The World War II propaganda poster, dug out of the attic of a Northumberland bookshop, was a darkly humorous slice of history. After its rediscovery in the early ‘00s, the poster has enjoyed unprecedented popularity, providing people across the country with an inspiring message to persevere through adversity. It has also allowed its private sellers to make a pretty penny off of something that was only intended to be used in the scenario of a British defeat, just as I’m sure German distributors would have enjoyed selling replicas of Eva Braun’s cyanide capsule had the war turned out differently. But it is not the implied cynicism of such a marketing move that bothers me. Indeed, they are decent, somewhat amusing posters, and it’s easy to understand their mass appeal. It is the endless, inane parodies that have risen out of a bizarre obsession with the design, however, which simply boggles me. What is it about it that has captured people’s imagination so? Is it the typography? The bold red background? The way it cleverly links two imperative statements with a conjunction in one sentence? The first of these parody posters that I saw was a ‘Keep Calm and Party On’ rebranding. Clever. I see what you did there. Whilst illogical in its depiction of cool and collected party people (deliberately, I hope), the replacement is fairly innocuous, and I’m sure at least one person that received the novelty party invitations actually showed up. Unfortunately though, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Other fairly inoffensive but increasingly annoying attempts soon followed, such as ‘Keep Calm and Dance On’ or ‘Keep Calm and Buy Shoes’ (you know, for women? You like shoes, don’t you, Women? YOU LIKE THEM, DON’T YOU?). With all this distinctly un-calm frenzy, the centre could not hold, and very soon mere anarchy was loosed upon the world. A website was started so that anyone could attempt mindless, quirky humour – ‘Panic and Kill Bunnies’, ‘Now Stop and Hammer Time’ and ‘Stop Surfing and Draw Some Very Cool Robots’ are but a few of the offenders. During the recent riots across the country, a popular Facebook group using a personalised version of the poster along with the slogan ‘Stop Looting you Antisocial Wankers’ became popular. The baffling thing about this pastiche, apart from its bad grammar and sheer existence, is its excising of any resemblance to the original poster. Where has the ‘and’ gone? I thought ‘and’ was the whole point! You guys used to love ‘and’! One of the main problems with attempting humorous alterations is that it has just never been funny. Not one attempt. In fact, some that I have seen have been so anti-funny that they make me doubt that I will ever experience amusement again. Moreover, the moronic excitement exhibited by the plebs that enjoy making these parodies – and remember, that just means typing words into a website – seems to be the complete antithesis of the stoicism that made the original poster so popular in the first place. It’s not the first time that we’ve seen such excitement over something so meaningless. Flash back to 2008, and every idiot with a Facebook account had a profile picture of himself stylized in the same way as the Obama ‘Hope’ poster, as if a grassroots campaign would accordingly start up. More recently, the Conservative campaign poster during last year’s elections has endured many awful parodies – suddenly everyone with a keyboard and an internet connection was a budding Private Eye writer. This isn’t in itself a bad thing, but the number of posters I saw around campus pastiched with the slogan ‘tOrEe SkUm’ or ‘KNOBHEAD’ makes me seriously doubt the satirical ability of the student body. These parodies are generally just an attempt by the uninteresting to appear interesting and clever. Unfortunately, the idea is so banal that it actually highlights the complete opposite. Can’t we just try and be a bit more original? If you really want to do an un-funny send-up of Obama, why not just appear in blackface at a Tea Party rally and be done with it? Or is it WWII memorabilia in particular that gets people excited? In that case, why not just take another propaganda poster? Or better still, how about ‘personalising’ the uniforms? Hugo Boss designed the Nazi uniforms. If everyone wants to look the same, then they may as well be stylish when they do it.
Nathan Comer
Epigram
21.11.2011
18
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Epigram
21.11.2011
Culture
Editor: Zoe Hutton culture@epigram.org.uk
Artistic success and the cult of personality John Orloff’s latest film, Anonymous, unearths the age-old debate over Shakespeare’s authorship. Epigram wonders: why do we care?
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John Orloff’s new period thriller Anonymous reignites the authorship debate which has surrounded Shakespeare’s work for centuries. This particular conspiracy theory argues that Shakespeare was an illiterate actor while the man holding the pen behind the greatest play of our canon was in fact Edward de Vere, the 17th of Earl of Oxford. The film clumps around a ridiculous plot of illegitimate children and farreaching cover ups. When de Vere (Rhys Ifans) uses Richard III to incite rebellion against his oppressor William Cecil I was not impressed by this integration of Shakespeare’s work into the film but was instead left yearning for the subtleties of a Shakespearean history. I am willing to bet anyone in that cinema would have infinitely preferred a film adaption of any Shakespearean play than this heavy-handed nonsense. This is the irony of the film: it only serves to highlight how much more important the content of a work is than the context it’s come from. Nevertheless, our obsession with authorship in art shows no sign of waning. The interest that surrounds authors is so intense that writers have continually attempted to deflect this scrutiny by deliberately obscuring their identity. It is widely known that many female authors used to publish under male or genderneutral pseudonyms with Charlotte and Emily Bronte presenting Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights as Currer and Ellis Bell respectively. Mary Anne Evans became so successful under the guise of George Eliot that her work continues to be credited as
such today. Despite what GCSE teachers may have insisted, this wasn’t because it was impossible to be published as a woman but rather an attempt to avoid the expectations readers and critics inevitably brought to a book adorned with a female name on the cover. This is demonstrated by J.K. Rowling’s decision to use initials to avoid alienating young boys - it is impossible to say whether Harry Potter would have become the phenomenon it did if her potential audience had known she was
a mother in her early thirties. Whether it’s driven by sexism or not, the name on the cover of a book affects our interest in it.
“
Our obsession with authorship in art shows no sign of waning
”
Choosing a book is comparable to choosing a friend to go on holiday with - you’re going be seeing a lot of them over the
next few weeks so it’s perhaps natural that we take an interest in their writers. Best-selling crime author Stephen King was so concerned that his record-breaking sales were driven by his name being on the dustcover rather than the words inside it, that he began writing under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was an admirable attempt to break this fixation with authorship, but the attention the mystery surrounding Bachman’s identity received until King
Culture Club: Are Bieber and Black are destroying the music industry? Justin Bieber. Rebecca Black. There are three things that are certain about these two people. One, that at one point in your life, you have wanted to punch them. Two, that they will probably make, in their lives, more money than the rest of us can dream of, and three, they think they can sing. ‘Think’ being the operative word here, for it seems that almost everybody can sing and make music these days. In an industry that is obsessed by looks, it is becoming less and less important for someone to actually have any musical talent whatsoever, and instead
it is increasingly important for someone to have the ability to make pre-pubescent girls cry in their pillows having not being able to touch them at a premiere (rather embarassingly, something my sister did). The prime culprits in fuelling this are shows like The X-Factor and America’s Next Top Model (watched for research purposes only, obviously), are the prime culprits in fuelling this increased interest in commercial and viral music. Programmes like these suggest that, so long as you are vaguely attractive, then - screw the vocals - you could become a singer, and more
importantly, a star. Of course, this isn’t anything new, but at least back in the 1950s, singers were required to have at least some musical talent. It’s not always bad either Hugh Laurie was never going to be the world’s greatest blues singer (British, middle class, questionable singing voice), but on the other hand, he does have the significant advantage of being the hottest older guy on television and an amazing actor (my love for Laurie may just defeat any point this column may have…). I’m not saying that everyone in the music industry today
can’t sing. Particularly in less commercialised genres such as folk you can see real musical talent shine through, but even the keenest Bieber fan must admit that we’re seeing less and less real musical talent and more of their supposed ‘star quality’ these days. Of course, you could argue that charisma in itself is a quality that should be cherished by the music industry and listeners alike. To you, I say, do you really want more Justin Biebers corrupting your ear drums? No, I thought not. It would be Hugh Laurie any day. Charlotte Woodley
was eventually revealed, shows just how hard the literary world feels they deserve to know the origins of a book. However, it is not only the search for artistic integrity that had led writers to mislead others about their identity. The current dominance of the celebrity autobiography means that best-seller lists have never been so full of ghost-written titles. David Beckham’s My Side shifted well over a million copies, and while it may be about his life, the words were
actually those of Tom Watt. Katie Price’s children books caused controversy in 2008 when they were nominated for the British Book Awards despite her having openly admitted to using a ghost-writer. Does the incredible sales of these titles suggest that readers are not so concerned with authorship after all? Or does it in fact argue that the cult of personality is so strong that the most important words in a book are the author’s name on the spine? Anonymous is about false claims to authorship, but genuine anonymity is allowing a work to go without a name. It is this sort of anonymity that the public seems eternally fascinated by and ultimately unable to allow. In January this year, the anonymously published novel O:A Presidential Novel caused a huge stir in America as rumours about authorship engulfed the media. It is widely rumoured to be based on real events from within the White House assumed to have been written by a close aide to President Obama. Here, the anonymity of the author makes him a possibility of creation in himself, because if we don’t know who he is then he can be anyone. Does knowledge of who an author is enhance our understanding of their writing? It’s impossible to say, but what is clear is that readers care. They care about who is telling them the story and they feel they have a right to know. Is this because we feel his identity, his back story is a piece in the puzzle of understanding his work? Or is it just that we hate to be excluded from a secret? Kirsty Morrissey
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21.11.2011
21
The Really Arty Show impresses again TRASh DramSoc 27 - 29 October Directors: Various Writers: Various
In January 1946, quirky, eccentric, loveable Juliet Ashton is futilely searching for the subject of her next novel. In an unexpected letter from Dawsey Adams, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society, she finds it. What follows is a series of letters from various members describing their war time experiences; most are lighthearted, the staunch refusal by members to attend meetings without proper refreshment, hence the potato peel pie.
as one of the most sought after productions of the DramSoc calendar, acting in TRASh was inevitably of a high standard; but standout performances include Ollie Gyani’s German worm in the aforementioned James, Endgame’s Hamm (Ed Phillips) and Tom Rawlinson’s lead detective in interrogation drama The Pillowman. In fact, the latter seemed to be the only extract that relied on no comedy to capture the audience and resulted in being truly harrowing. However the following final piece, The Monster in the Hall, despite being especially well-staged, suffered from this sinister overtone and so unfortunately wasn’t as funny as it should have been. I personally found the dramatization of a role-playing game involving a woman with machine gun breasts ingenious and a highlight. Due to their clever, clever use of music in the show, DramSoc made Calvin Harris change his tune to being acceptable in the 90s, and indeed TRASh is more than acceptable every year. Unfortunately, the time to see the show is more than over but DramSoc president Edmund Cuthbert is already thinking ahead: ‘With well over a hundred people auditioning this year, we are always looking to expand the show, and hope TRASh 2012 can be even bigger and better’. Sorcha Berry-Varley
However, the book preserves its witty humour while in no way trivialising the horrors of occupation. The enigmatic Elizabeth, although the central character of the book, never sends a letter, due to her mysterious disappearance; taken by the Nazis or resistance members disapproving of her liaison with a German, or elopement, the frustration and fear of her friends creates a serious undertone. A brilliant and uplifting novel. Rebecca Hare
Jamie Corbin
TRASh (The Really Arty Show, for those not in the know) is DramSoc’s annual showcase of familiar dramatic faces and fresh(er) talent,in the structure of eight plays across eight decades. From Brecht to Beckett, even featuring Burton, the extracts give us a speedy overview of 20th century drama, especially good for those low-attention span members of the audience. It was interesting to see no single-sex extracts compared to last year and in fact a couple of cross-dressing roles, sometimes used to quite comic potentialfor example Tom Wragg-Smith in the OTT yet amusing Cloud Nine. Sophie Barker also played a boy, alongside some amusing insect friends, in Rose Wardlawdirected adaptation of James and the Giant Peach. Beginning with a cinematic silhouette of the characters against a cyclorama (i.e. big lighted backdrop) to clichéd yet visually striking effect, and involving a charismatic voiceover and strong cast, the unusual choice of extract proved unanimous favourite of the evening. Indeed,
An Appeeling Read
Apocalyptic painter is Tate Britain’s latest offering
tate.org.uk
JOHN MARTIN Apocalypse Tate Britain, London Until 15 January 2012 Cost: £12.70 (£10.90 conc.)
John Martin was a British artist producing predominantly biblically inspired works in the Victorian era. However, the most interesting thing about his art, and this exhibition in particular, is the fact that he appears to have created cinematic works which tap into the tastes of today. If you cast your mind to a film
such as The Day After Tomorrow (2004) then you aren’t far off envisioning something similar to one of the scenes displayed in John Martin: Apocalypse, currently showing at the Tate Britain. He typically paints small, inferior, and sometimes even indistinguishable figures cast against the enormity of a dramatic landscape. He tapped
into the almost sadistic thrill that a viewer experiences when witnessing destructive events safe in the knowledge that they aren’t directly affected. Fear is overcome by enjoyment, but a certain kind of enjoyment which toys riskily with danger. Yet this isn’t the end of it with Martin. The success of this exhibition lies partially in its
juxtaposition of apocalyptic scenes and images of a utopian Heaven. Images such as ‘The Plains of Heaven’ not only heighten the drama of their catastrophic counterparts, but they seem to parallel the idealistic endings of so many popular films today, The Day After Tomorrow included. As a result, it isn’t difficult to
conclude that John Martin: Apocalypse is undoubtedly worth visiting. It unnervingly caters for modern tastes in a way that will leave you wondering how you could possibly have so much in common with a Victorian art viewer, an uncanny yet enjoyable experience. Emily Erskine
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21.11.2011
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Epigram
21.11.2011
23 Editor: Nathan Comer
Deputy Editor: Pippa Shawley
music@epigram.org.uk
deputymusic@epigram.org.uk
Following this Young Pilgrim’s Progress At the tender age of 26, Charlie Simpson is already on his third musical project. He relays his experiences to Will Jinks As a man who was able to substitute screaming preteen girls with tattoos and Jägermeister within a matter of months, it was evident from the off that Charlie Simpson was never the kind of person who was shy of change. His third incarnation is, fittingly, his third musical direction as, in the latest offering from a career which has witnessed both the heights of the chart and the second stage of Download, Young Pilgrim is an album largely built upon the resurgent folk influences which permeate the music of Bon Iver and Mumford and Sons, among others. This is something which, Simpson remarks, is a result of his first musical influences and is something he has always wanted to do. ‘Growing up I used to listen to a lot of 70s Americana; I’d go back and listen to people like John Martin and Crosby, Stills and Nash, and I’ve always had a love for solo, acoustic songwriters like Elliot Smith. It was always there inside me. It was just a case of when I was going to do it’, he reveals. This tendentious approach to songwriting is certainly reflected in the album on the stripped down guitar sound of tracks such as ‘Hold On’, and is fundamentally one of the values Simpson most faithfully adheres to as a songwriter, summarising, ‘I think that’s the exciting thing about music: the minute you get stuck making the same record twice is the time when it’s just not exciting any more’. It could never be denied that Young Pilgrim is a shift in sound; and yet it is not a total metamorphosis, with the album incorporating some recognisable elements in the soaring choruses which Simpson trademarked in Fightstar, his other band who are currently taking a backseat to accommodate a variety of solo projects. ‘We’re on hiatus, basically’, explains Simpson, ‘two of the other guys are currently working on an electronic record, and Omar is doing a lot of session work right now. There’s no rush in my mind and we speak to each other all the time, but at the moment it’s too early to tell since I’m going to be touring in Europe at the beginning of next year and I want to do the festivals in summer’. Fightstar was of course the band where Charlie Simpson eventually broke free of the stigma he attracted as a third of one of Britain’s
most successful boy bands of the new millennium; it is remarkable that he did so in the notoriously hostile hard rock genre, where a former Busted member would ordinarily receive about as warm a welcome as Ryan Giggs at a family reunion. Simpson explains the band’s hard-won success as a combination of dedication and exposure. ‘What was great about that particular time was that we had champions with the likes of Kerrang! and Rocksound who really pushed Fightstar. For me, there was always scepticism around what we were doing, but you can’t argue with honesty, you can see through whether someone is being genuine to what they are doing or not in any respect. I think that’s
what led to people getting on board with Fightstar: the fact that it was honest’. From their inception Fightstar made their mark by juxtaposing brutality with melody, furious verses contrasted with infectious choruses. When asked whether the heaviness was a conscious choice, a reaction to the commercial appeal of his previous band, Simpson is responding to a question he has clearly been asked many times in the past, and never tires of putting to rest. ‘People often think that. I don’t think I was thinking “let’s make the heaviest sound possible”, because the next record was heavier. The stuff we started writing for the EP was a little more grunge based, I suppose it just got heavier as time went on and we worked on it,
Dan (Haigh, Fightstar bassist) is a huge metalhead, so his influence is clear’.
“
It was always there inside me. It was just a case of when I was going to do it
”
With a new solo project taking off, there will of course be a number of Fightstar fans concerned about the future and how these two projects will coexist. Simpson does not seem to see it as a problem, however, noting that the solo work can function as a lifelong project rather than an immediate shift in priorities. ‘For me it is great that I started doing the solo thing at this age because
I see it as something I can keep on doing. The great thing about doing a solo project is that you’re only depending on yourself rather than other people. When bands get to a certain age they get married and have kids, and things change, whereas for me this is something that I’ve started now which I can continue for the next 20 years. Whenever I’m not doing stuff in a band I can just make my own records,’ he says. With regards to any preference between the two, Simpson acknowledges the ridiculousness of favouritism. ‘It’s like choosing between your children! I get a great sense of satisfaction doing a show like this on my own, as it’s something I’ve built from the ground up by myself, but they are both very different.’
The solo work is clearly something Simpson has been looking forward to for a long time, the result being an album which displays a more personal approach to songwriting. The future for Charlie Simpson will revolve around the balance between the solo performer and the member of the phenomenally successful post-hardcore band Fightstar. Is there any room for a Busted reunion? ‘Never in a billion years.’
‘Young Pilgrim’ is available on PIAS Recordings now
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21.11.2011
24
King of the Blues? Richard Gillies speaks to C.W. Stoneking Blues is a genre with a long and complex history which, over the years, has gradually been dragged further away from its origin: the American Deep South. From its dubious relationship with the folk genre to its mistreatment at the hands of countless hack rock bands, the blues has been battered out of all recognition. However, over the past few years, time travelling blues-calypso merchant C. W. Stoneking, ably supported by his Primitive Horn Orchestra, has cut a fresh path through the mind-stultifying banality of modern blues. His refreshing old-time sound and surreal live shows, packed full of bizarre tales of shipwrecks, fortunetelling gypsies, and jazz funerals ensure that he is in no way just another Dave Matthews Band
clone. In fact it seems that C. W. would rather distance himself from what the blues has come to represent in recent decades. ‘I’ve never been able to stand much modern blues, and I’ve never thought of myself in that regard, although there’s a lot of blues influences in there. Blues is just a label...I just do the music I like,’ he explains. Despite sounding like he just stepped out of a time machine, fresh from 1931 New Orleans, C. W. Stoneking in fact grew up in Northern Territory Australia in the 1970s – perhaps not somewhere immediately associated with the old country blues of the American south. ‘I guess that the circumstances really got me into it. When I got going I just found lots of things appealing to me - old jazz and things like that - and over the
years I sort of bundled it all up into something’. Surreal stories are a major feature on his records as well as in his live shows – ‘Talking Lion Blues’ tells a convoluted tale of a man trying to make a quick dollar from a talking lion, while New Orleans hokum-ballad ‘The Love Me Or Die’ tells of a love potion which forces the victim to fall dependently in love with their poisoner. ‘A lot of the time when I’m writing a song a story starts to emerge, and then I get interested in the story myself.’ Stoneking’s recent success seems to be tied in with a more general rise in popularity of all things vintage in recent years. Certainly he is not alone in his fascination with old-time music – Seasick Steve has become a household name of sorts, but there are also younger artists like Delaney Davidson (of The Dead Brothers), Frank Fairfield, and obviously Stoneking himself taking fistfuls of influences from old American singers like Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Haggard and Lee Sexton, revitalising the genre and bringing it to a younger audience. ‘There appears to be a resurgence in that vintage sound, for sure. When I started playing it was really just a bunch of old bastards in there scabbing about doing stuff,’ he reminisces. ‘But I’ve definitely seen over the years lots more young dudes. I guess a lot of it is tied in with certain popular bands who’ve taken bits here and there for various things they’ve done, and there’s been movies like O Brother Where Art Thou which came out – a lot of people got into old-timey stuff after that.’ So after releasing two albums packed with country banjo blues, exotic calypso rhythms and New Orleans style jazz-ballads, what comes next for Stoneking? ‘Well, having done a couple records I’m kind of less inclined to care about it so much. Stick to the one thing you know? If a tune comes out and I like it, I’ll put it on the record, even if it sounds like some type of disco song – probably won’t but you know what I mean…’
The leaders of the pack Wolves in the Throne Room represent a new, sensitive and intelligent side of black metal. Mike Hine catches up with one half of the Washington duo, Nathan Weaver Fifteen years ago, if you’d have asked the average music nut what comes to mind when one utters the phrase ‘black metal’, the response would probably have been something along the lines of ‘You mean those guys in Norway that run around the forest with capes and facepaint pretending to worship Satan? Those bands suck/rule!’ And that’s probably as far as the debate would have gone. But the past ten years or so, black metal has morphed into a wholly new beast. Gone are the days of church-burning shock tactics and goofy photo shoots. Scandinavia as a force in extreme music has dwindled, and the torch of black metal has been lifted by bands hailing from the dark recesses of American West coast as well as Central Europe. There is a small faction of lonely and pathetic internet purists who turn their noses up at a band like Wolves In The Throne Room for being forwardthinking, experimental and willing to adopt a philosophy which is not steeped in some kind of comic-book evil cliché. However, the rest of the music world has started to do something unthinkable a decade ago: it is taking black metal seriously as an extreme artform. There have been the non-sensationalist documentaries (Until the Light Takes Us), album reviews from major publications and websites, and most recently even
a feature in The Guardian. If this offends the underground tenets of so called ‘true metal’, then thank Satan. Are there people out there that still think metal is good for nothing but scaring your mum and neighbours? Nathan Weaver, one half of Olympia, Washington’s Wolves In The Throne Room is renowned for his insightful and measured discussions concerning the ideology that drives his band’s music. Epigram recently caught
“
We’re struggling to find a life which is more spirtually fulfilling
”
up with him to find out more about the band’s genesis and motives: ‘We started the band about eight years ago and the plan from the start was to create a band that focuses on issues that you can talk about. Black metal is a big influence but we’re also influenced by the local underground culture where we come from, which is really concerned with ecology and forest defence. It’s a punk culture, which is not so much political, but more concerned with questioning the basic tenets of modern civilisation.’ It’s a bold statement, and might sound a little selfaggrandising taken out of context. However, the band’s whole raison d’être is backed up not just in their musical
approach, but in their individual lifestyles. They live on a selfsufficient piece of land that practises largely traditional, ethical farming techniques. When not performing the tiring, labour-intensive manual work that comes with running a farm, Nathan and Aaron Weaver try and musically channel their awe and respect for the natural beauty of the Cascadian mountain region that they hail from. But Weaver is quick to play down any notion that they are somehow living an idyllic pastoral existence away from the evils of modern society. ‘We do try to connect very deeply to the place where we live, but it’s not as if we’re walking round every day and are constantly in touch with spiritual reality, that’s not true at all,’ he explains. ‘We’re just regular people like anyone else struggling to find some sort of life which has meaning, and which is more spiritually fulfilling.’ Weaver has an almost disarmingly genuine way of speaking about his beliefs in black metal’s ‘mythic and poetic agenda’. The hardened cynic in all of us wants to cast this aside as hippie naivety. But Weaver is the first to admit that his ideology is ‘often something you can be really interested in when you’re a younger person, then you kind of outgrow it, tempered by experience, by the fact that you need to be perhaps a little more realistic about things.’ But for the time being, it seems the band’s quest for self-
fulfilment in an increasingly superficial and shallow world is on the right path. But it is by no means perfect. Indeed many critics are keen to point out the dichotomy present for a band that is interested in glorifying nature whilst performing in a transatlantic touring band, playing with electrical instruments: ‘We’re torn between two possible futures. We have the extreme, technological, media driven future on one side, and a more peaceful path on the other. I think that acoustic or folk music may be more in tune with natural rhythms, but black metal reflects this great tension, where we’re torn between these two possible futures, and the agony that is inherent in that. So that’s why it’s the music that we have chosen, because we don’t feel we can simply retire into the woods and strum guitars.’ This ‘agony’ is what drives the band’s ‘dynamic and energy’. The music is a vast, sorrowful, ‘psychedelic wash’, in which moments of great beauty and relaxation creep through its tumultuous surface. Whatever you make of Wolves In The Throne Room’s intensely personal and self-aware musical quest, one can’t deny that they stand out from the crowd and force you to think about some pretty huge issues that face us as modern people. And that’s more than you can say for your average metal band.
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21.11.2011
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Brace yourself for Braids Eliot Brammer caught up with Canadian art rock experimentalists, Braids Way back in January – and 10 months can feel like years in the warped time-frame of indie music hype – Canadian outfit Braids released their debut Native Speaker. It’s a brilliant album of experimental dream-pop crafted from eerie, melodic, restless soundscapes, a showcase of vibrant and arty young talent figuring out its transition into adulthood. Undoubtedly, it owes a large part of itself to the fashions of North American indie in recent years, with Feels-era Animal Collective, Battles and Grizzly Bear all cited as important influences in the making of the album. For some listeners, the album probably sounds a little too indebted, but there’s enough originality and variety in the songwriting, and glimpses of an electronic influence, to make it one of the most promising debuts of 2011. Lead singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s arresting vocals are a big part of the album. As the instrumentation twirls and pulsates behind her; it’s certainly not formulaic, and represents a band still feeling their way into their own space and sound. This liveliness is reflected in the songwriting process. ‘One of the aspects that make our band unique is that all four members have entirely equal input. We’re all interested in a wide range of music, so during songwriting a lot of different styles are presented,’ Standell-Preson says. The album garnered much critical acclaim, recently being shortlisted for this year’s Polaris Music Prize in Canada. Braids
haven’t quite exploded into the public view as much as some bands touted at the start of a year often do, but that’s not necessarily such a bad thing: tour mates Wild Beasts started as a critics’ choice band before reaching more widespread appeal with Smother, and now sit pretty amongst the finest of Britain’s current crop of intelligent guitar groups. I put it to the band that they might look at the headliners of their UK tour as an example for themselves when they start to plan their second album and maybe look to establish a bigger profile for themselves further into their career, but Standell-Preston insists that the band are in no rush to cash in on their hot property status in the music press. ‘I think what [Wild
Beasts] have done with this record is amazing and I congratulate them on their success. We want our progression and growth in the music to be very natural and deserved. All four of us like the rate at which we’re moving.’ Wise words for a band with so much before them. The first few years of a young band’s life are always likely to be equally inspiring and challenging for their development, and while StandellPreston describes their recent first headline tour of North America as ‘a really good experience’, the band have clearly recognised the need for space for their sound to grow and to allow new experiences to colour this developments. With the current UK dates likely to be the final leg of their tour before
starting recording again, the prospect of a new album next year is both very real and very exciting. When asked about their plans for the future and how she thinks the foursome will grow as a band, Standell-Preston hints towards a future direction. ‘Since recording Native Speaker, my perspective on life has changed dramatically. I find that I am more interested in describing the beauty that is life, rather than complaining or speculating about it,’ she explains. One of the best things about Braids is their total unpredictability. Even listening to Native Speaker now it still throws up the odd surprise. Whatever they come up with next is an exciting prospect. Regardless of the outcome, it is sure to be just as uncompromising.
A bon hiver with Bon Iver BON IVER Colston Hall 11 November 2011
Scanning the crowd at a sold out Colston Hall, it is evident that Bon Iver has become a musical refuge for the sensitive bearded-man. It is at last cool to be both masculine and openly moved. When Bon Iver take the stage it quickly becomes clear that Justin Vernon has come a long way from his lonely cabin in Wisconsin; he’s accompanied by eight multiinstrumentalists; including two drummers, making the stage look like it might be set up for the world’s least likely metal band. All this and the fact that Colston is probably quite a lot bigger than your average cabin, in Vernon’s words, ‘This is a fucking cool room.’ As the band crash into storming opener ‘Perth’ we see a transformed Bon Iver; the stripped-down aesthetic that made For Emma, Forever Ago has
been forgone in lieu of intricate arrangement and gigantic soundscapes. This is the last night of their European tour and Vernon seems tired, his usually haunting falsetto occasionally getting buried beneath the screeching violins and stomach-shaking baritone saxophone. Tonight, it seems as if Vernon’s iconic voice may be playing second fiddle to, well, a fiddle. These fears are soon forgotten as the once delicate ‘Blood Bank’ is transformed into a stomping, anthemic rock song, featuring a surprising shred solo
from Vernon. Old favourite ‘Flume’ descends into a jazz breakdown before swelling back into its familiar chorus; an unexpected but not unpleasant change of direction. This ‘music for music’s sake’ theme perpetuates throughout the set, reaching its low point in the incongruous 80s-style ballad ‘Beth/Rest’ and high point in a virtuosic saxophone solo. Unfortunately those in the crowd who came for wistful love songs quickly become impatient and prove that just because you cheer, it doesn’t mean a musician will stop being musically oblique. It is a slight relief then when Vernon is left, standing alone under a spotlight, for an absorbing rendition of ‘Re: Stacks’. For the first time a true hush falls over the audience and they are enthralled. Between songs he is charmingly American (there are a lot of ‘thank y’all’s’) and he seems genuinely humbled by the enthusiasm of the crowd. But there’s one thing he says that really hits the mark; ‘This is the last night we’ll all be playing together, and it’s kind of fucked up and kind of sad.’ And
he’s right, it is sad to see the end of something that is punctuated with moments of brilliance. As Vernon strums the first chords of set closer ‘Skinny Love’, smiles erupt in the crowd and the whole audience mouth along in a kind of whispering catharsis. The band leave the stage to a roaring, cheering, stamping applause that refuses to wane until they return, beaming, for their encore. ‘For Emma’ is a triumph of arrangement with beautifully sweet saxophone lines sweeping over the simple guitar chords while the two drummers beat out intricate, complimenting rhythms. It is moments like this, in the re-imagining of the songs from the first album, where we see the real beauty of Bon Iver. Before the final song of the night, ‘The Wolves (Act I and Act II)’, Vernon asks the crowd to ‘please sing along... and when we stop singing, you’ll know when, we’ll come back to the microphone and just shout and scream. We want you to scream with us, we promise, it’ll work.’ And once again he’s right; it does work. Christopher Lanyon
A Journey into Trip-Hop Bristol’s very own musical export. Reflecting the diversity of the city, elements of dub, reggae, jazz and soul combined to lay the foundations for the laid-back, transcendental ‘Bristolian sound’. Later becoming known as trip-hop due to its psychedelic propensities: an experimental genre that efficaciously utilises strings and synthesisers to create a dissociated hypnotic sound with large atmospheric overtones. The widespread influence of trip-hop can still be found in Radiohead, Björk and Air. Although a wonderfully diverse genre, there are three albums that stand out in terms of their contributions to trip-hop, mass appeal and, most importantly, general musical aesthetics. Massive Attack : Blue Lines ‘Dance music for the head, not the feet’ as described by Daddy G, who, along with 3D and Mushroom, flipped the U.K. music scene on its head with their widely acclaimed debut album. The progenitors of triphop produced an introspective take on hip-hop and electronic music, effortlessly fusing the two with elements of dub and soul, creating an ethereal texture that became one of the smoothest sounds of the 90s. Unlike those of their vaguelycorresponding US hip-hop counterparts, Massive Attack’s lyrics were often reflective in nature, offering a deeper insight into their inner mental workings: ‘It’s a beautiful day, well it seems as such / Beautiful thoughts mean I dream too much’. Assistance from former part-member Tricky and a host of inspired collaborations, including Shara Nelson and Horace Andy, gave Blue Lines the diversity and edge needed to propel itself from one of the best records of 1991 to one of the top few hundred of all time. Highlights: (1) ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ - its grandeur symphonic arrangement had never (and to this day, still hasn’t) been employed in a dance song to such outstanding effect. Shara Nelson’s imposing soul vocals remain iconic. (2) ‘I quietly observe, standing in my space’. ‘Daydreaming’ is a stream of consciousness between Tricky and 3D, with the former providing an impeccable flow over the distinctive beat.
Portishead : Dummy Drawing heavily from vintage film soundtracks, Portishead fashioned an explicitly vivid sound closely resembling what we can only describe as music for the opulent alleyway: a bleak yet rich affair you just can’t let go of. Released to widespread acclaim, Dummy cemented trip-hop’s name in
music worldwide, winning the Mercury Prize in 1995 and later being included in Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time. Owing to its stylish neo noir mood, Beth Gibbons’ bleak, fragile vocals and a host of excellent jazz samples, the album crafts a sound, which, although remaining completely unique, probably best epitomises trip-hop: a psychedelic excursion through hard-hitting downtempo waves of warm black treacly oceans. Highlights: (1) Partly through the isolating lyrics and a fantastic string arrangement, ‘Roads’ reaches what must be the ceiling of emotional expressiveness in music. (2) In ‘Glory Box’ a video of Beth Gibbons dressed as a man was used to further explore the lyrical issues of typical gender roles in relationships: ‘We’re all looking at a different picture / Through this new frame of mind / A thousand flowers could bloom’.
Tricky: Maxinquaye Subsequent albums by Tricky have shown that Maxinquaye was by no means an accident. Each sound is drawn out into a delicate pattern, interweaving into another, and another, until it produces a richly layered form. In particular, the opposing grains in texture of primary vocalists - Tricky’s thin sprechgesang whispers and the opaque singing of Martina Topley-Bird - create a disturbing sonic quality used to display paranoia and insecurity. Highlights: (1) The silver-tongued ‘Feed Me’ snatches you in with its enticing bass and seemingly out of time melody. (2) ‘Hell Is Around The Corner’ is a measured wander down the corridors of Tricky’s wellendowed mind and a fantastic display of the proficiently effectual rhythm in his snakelike murmurings. Luke Swann
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Reviews TAKE CARE DELICACIES Drake Mobile Disco Simian Universal 29 2010 November 14 November 2011 Delicatessen
Drake could easily be written off as another rapper in an already saturated commercial rap scene that seems to be short on ideas and originality, but ignore him at your peril. His debut album Thank Me Later ushered in a new age of hip-hop as well as breaking records (it sold 447,000 copies in its first week of release in the US, becoming the fastest selling hip-hop album of all time). Instead of lyrics littered with the usual boasts of girls, fame and money, Drake produced an album documenting the trepidation and discomfort of his newly found fame, while simultaneously showcasing a keen ear for off beat rhythms and big choruses. Take Care therefore arrives on a wave of hype and anticipation. The piano led opener of Drake’s second offering Take Care finds him keenly feeling the expectations that has fallen upon him, ‘people discussing my career again/ asking if I am going platinum in a year again/ don’t I got this shit people want to hear again?’ This theme completely absorbs Drake throughout the first half of the album where he constantly seems to be vying for acceptance from fans (‘Shot For Me’), the industry and even himself, asking in ‘Headlines’ why he has to be like ‘all those Soapstar rappers’.
50 WORDS FOR SNOW Kate Bush Fish People 21 Nov 2011 It’s probably less surprising to Kate Bush devotees that she should write a whole album on the theme of snow than for it to be her second release of 2011. The first three songs (spanning over thirty minutes) balance a sparse beauty between Bush’s piano and vocals, with only an occasional background reminder of soft drumming, before the album bursts into percussive life with single ‘Wild Man’. A raw, erotic affinity with nature sustains her wintry concept, from the snowman that leaves her pillow ‘soaking’ in ‘Misty’ to the lustful imagining of an exiled yeti in ‘Wild Man’. Of course, she’s no stranger to eccentricity: 2005’s Aerial saw her singing the number Pi to 137 decimal places and Rolf Harris guesting. But having Stephen bloody Fry literally recite fifty words for snow over the shuffling title track, as Bush goads him on, is as bizarrely embarrassing as it sounds. Fortunately, intimate album closer ‘Among Angels’ is a shimmering reminder of Bush’s breath-taking quality. Fans will be delighted with her newfound productivity, but it’s a shame that Bush sometimes strains too far for abstract operatics, when music comes so beautifully from the simpler arrangements. Eliot Brammer
YOUNG FOOLISH HAPPY Pixie Lott Mercury 14 November 2011
The rest of the album lyrically falls into two distinct streams, swinging from the bravado smothered ragsto-riches tales of money and fame in ‘Underground Kings’ to Drake’s bread and butter emo-hop of introspective post-club ponderings. ‘Take Care’ unashamedly samples the Jamie xx’s reworking of Gil-Scott Heron’s ‘I’ll Take Care Of U’ while enlisting help from Rihanna to produce one of the album’s many highlights. Further guest appearances also appear later in the album to varying success with Andre 3000 comically misjudging the mood of the angst ridden ‘The Real Her’ seemingly stating that every woman form Houston, Atlanta and Vegas has ‘rabies’. Take Care follows on from Drake’s last offering; skillful detailing the headaches of fame set to understated but unique production that perfectly complements his thick syrupy delivery. The record successfully manages to avoid being suffocated by guest appearances, preferring to use the starstudded cast as supporting roles, however, in the wake of recent releases by Kanye West and The Weeknd, the story he tells may not be so original as it once was. Mike Limb
ERSATZ G.B. The Fall Cherry Red 14 Nov 2011 Obligatory preambles and potted Fall histories aside, LP numero 29 from Mark E. Smith’s rag-tag band of anti-musicians sees the group ploughing a well-established lone furrow. In line with their previous offering, 2009’s stonking Your Future Our Clutter, we are treated yet again to demonic psychobilly guitars and the more novel delights of what appears to be Smith’s attempt at an evil Louis Armstrong impression (‘Greenway’). A great Fall song is magically and violently birthed when their leader’s caustic, poetic, footballterrace ranting meshes perfectly with the group’s thunderous and ominously repetitious backing. When it clicks it’s unbeatable and Ersatz G.B. indeed boasts several cuts which rank at the high end of their recent output, chock full of classic Smithisms: ‘I’m so sick of Snow Patrol/ and where to find Esso lubricant’. Elsewhere, ‘Happi Song’ is sung by Smith’s wife/keys-player Elena Poulou, with a wonderful Nico-esque drawl. The lengthy ‘Monocard’, however, is bogged down by its own repetition, but this is an album with enough surprises amongst its ranks to prevent it becoming one of those clunky mixed bags (of empty tinnies) that the Fall have occasionally produced. Mike Hine
The prospect of John Legend and Stevie Wonder appearing on the same album is a rather exciting one, until you realise that the record they feature on is that of bronze-thighed pop singer Pixie Lott. Lott recruited both Legend and Wonder to add gravitas to her pseudo-soul sound, with the former featuring on ‘You Win’, an attempt at a smooth love song, exposing Lott’s voice at its scratchiest. After a chance encounter with Stevie Wonder at a restaurant in Los Angeles, Lott persuaded him to perform a harmonica solo on the annoyingly chirpy ‘Stevie on the Radio’. Other collaborators on the album include Kanye West protégé Pusha T, and hip-pop star Tinchy Styder on ‘Bright Lights (Good Life) Part II’ which is the highlight of an otherwise uninspiring album. There is a feeling that Lott’s producers brought in industry heavyweights in a bid to cover up the fact she struggles to hold a tune at the best of times, but Lott’s five-sheets-of-sandpaper-a-day tone permeates through all attempts to cover it up. ‘All About Tonight’, the first single taken from Young Foolish Happy, is the closest Lott comes to reaching the heights of her debut album Turn It Up, and will probably save her from being ditched by
FORENSIC R’N’B The Spartan Dreggs Damaged Goods 22 Nov 2011 The Spartan Dreggs are yet another musical offering from Mr. Billy Childish. However, unusually for the prolific artist, he takes the backseat in this project. Long time collaborator Neil Palmer takes over on vocals and guitar whilst Childish takes on the ‘tug-boat bass guitar’, but this doesn’t mean that the Dreggs stray anywhere from the template of Childish’s enormous back catalogue. Palmer’s vocals may be slightly more tuneful than Childish’s gruff shout, but this is still lo-fi, 60s inspired rock’n’roll. Forensic R‘n’B was never meant to be an album. Its contents were initially released as part of a singles club with all the songs being sent out on 7-inch to the lucky subscribers. The fact the album is just a compilation of these singles does show. The Dreggs do have some great songs such as the title track or the 60s psychedelia of ‘The Physics of Blown Sands and Desert Dunes’ - you could call them ‘singles’. They also have nearly the same amount of weaker material - these could almost be called ‘b-sides’. Forensic R’n’B has its moments but it plays simply like what it is - a disjointed collection of 7-inch singles compiled in order of release. This is one for Childish completists only. Seb Jones
her loyal fans. Such devotees might be interested in Lott’s love life, but her account of a day spent with her beau on ‘Perfect’ is nauseating for anyone who does not find the idea of her getting it on with her orange boyfriend in front of the telly particularly cute. Album opener ‘Come Get It Now’ sounds like a Simply Red cover, although Lott’s irritating nasal voice makes Mick Hucknall sound like one of God’s cherubs in comparison, but even this isn’t the low point of the record. The honour of worst track undoubtedly falls on ‘Birthday’, which features the inspired lyrics ‘it started out as the worst day/but now you got me feeling like it’s my birthday/you got me singing like oh oh oh’. Weak lyrics such as these are found in abundance throughout the album, so it’s a surprise to learn that Lott has been honing her songwriting skills since she was 14. It was announced in July that Lott had been signed to prestigious modelling agency Select, so one can hope that this, combined with her ongoing collaboration with high street chain Lipsy will mean that there is little prospect of a third album. Pippa Shawley
MOONCHILD Charlene Soraia Peacefrog 21 Nov 2011 If you know the name Charlene Soraia than odds are you are either too familiar with songs covered by X Factor or know a worrying amount about tea, with her cover of ‘Wherever You Will Go’ by The Calling having been recently used to flog Twinings. A self-confessed fan of 70s prog and with hippy pretensions, Soraia’s debut album, Moonchild is an inoffensive piece of Jazz-Folk-Pop comprising of an alright voice but forgettable lyrics held together by a couple of competent, if not obviously bored, session musicians. When not covering other people’s songs, Moonchild lacks centre, with tracks such as ‘Daffodils’ and ‘Bike’ appearing vague and strangely cold. The only track on the album to have any bite is ‘Bipolar’, with Soraia’s acerbic lyrics providing some emotion to proceedings. However, even this is cursed with an annoying refrain and an audio production that consistently fails to impress throughout, being too reminiscent of Soraira’s fellow Brit School graduates, Adele and Kate Nash. A frustratingly shallow album with moments of beauty, Moonchild cannot hide what it truly is, an album designed to cash in on Soraia’s recent exposure on X Factor and maybe sell a couple more boxes of tea. Tom Rudrum
Film & TV
Epigram
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21.11.2011
Current cartoon crop spans the age gap In lieu of Cartoon Network’s recent shift towards more adult-friendly output, Alex Norris highlights its potential for genius of an innocent view of a bizarre world: a world of silliness, surprises and short attentionspans. The network’s newest line-up of cartoons, including shows Chowder, The Marvellous Misadventures of Flapjack’ and Regular Show continue this channel’s tradition of non-traditional animated programming. Adventure Time with Finn and Jake is a particularly beautifully-crafted show, a show made by adults who just love cartoons. The show, now in its third season, follows two righteous adventurers, the 12year-old Finn, and his magical shape-shifting dog, Jake, as they wile away their days in the Land of Ooo, in a postapocalyptic Earth, set after the magic has come back into the world. The companions help ever-troubled villagers fight monsters and rescue princesses, usually from the clutches of their rather complicated archnemesis, the Ice King. Finn’s wild, directionless energy, and unquenchable hunger for justice, and Jake’s scepticism and questionable mentoring,
make loveable characters that enthral both children and ‘innerchildren’. It has accumulated an unexpectedly large teenage and
toilet-humour. Its abundance of in-jokes and easter eggs, such as a hard-to-spot snail that waves to the audience in every
adult following, with very active internet fans, due to its depth and complexity under a shroud of silliness and occasional
episode, and sayings such as ‘Mathematical!’ and ‘Oh my glob’, keep fans talking. Many of the writers come from a past of
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Despite the recent uprising of ‘Adult Cartoons’, and longrunning shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park still on the air, there is still room for cartoons that present a skewed perception of the world around us, through the eyes of a child. Cartoon shows have something it is sort of acceptable for adults to watch, as well as children, and this is partly due to channels such as the American Cartoon Network. From its beginnings in the early nineties,Cartoon Network’s line-up has included children’s shows that are sprinkled with slightly disturbing touches and subversive humour that open them up for a (rather strange) adult audience. Anyone who grew up watching Cow and Chicken, for example, a show where every character is ugly, and starring a cow with large naked udders, a scrawny chicken with disturbing dangly bits under his beak, and a trouser-less Red Guy, will know what I mean. But these also appeal to adults through nostalgia-inducing portrayals
indie comics, another medium full of understated brilliance and off-beat humour. Writers even create their own fan art, with one comic by storyboard artist Natasha Allegri actually becoming the gender-swapped episode Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake. This show is brimming with the love of its creators. It is impressive that every 11minute episode can introduce memorable one-off characters, such as the evil but scientific Why Wolves, or the incredibly nice walnut-headed Duke of Nuts, and develop more regularly-occurring characters such as Princess Bubblegum, Marceline the Vampire Queen, and Lumpy Space Princess, while also including an interesting plot, lots of action, and perhaps a short song. The animation is beautiful, with rubbery movements and an elegant simplicity that captures a world where everything is soft and fun to look at, even the baddies. There is also impressive voice-work from the 14-year-old Jeremy Shada as Finn, alongside John
DiMaggio (a.k.a voice of Bender in Futurama), and Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants), and guest voice-acting from big names such as Andy Samberg and Neil Patrick Harris, and also cult personalities such as Andy Milonakis and Paul Reubens. Cartoon Network’s new shows all have their own individual, carefully-wrought style, and they are made with love that has been rare in animated television since the Golden Age of Hollywood animation. Adventure Time in particular has been made to stand the test of time, exploring universal themes such as the confusing feelings of a 14-yearold, friendship, and adventure, mixed with the retro influences of fantasy novels, video games, and Dungeons and Dragons. The creator, Pendleton Ward, has made a show that is retro as soon as it is released. It is silly much in the same way as old Tex Avery cartoons seem to us now, with strange retro references, set in a bizarre, disconnected world. Watch this show: it will change your life.
Keeping story’s essence is the key to a masterful adaptation Ottilie Wilford fights film’s corner in the raging debate on the medium’s ability to succesfully adapt literary works to the screen
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Kaya Scodelario, who plays Catherine Earnshaw in Andrea Arnold’s recent adaptation of Wuthering Heights, revealed in a Guardian interview back in September that she had never read Emily Brontë’s classic novel, nor was she planning to. In fact, she claimed her unfamiliarity with the text was part of the reason Arnold cast her to begin with. For me, and I presume many of the other countless adoring fans of Wuthering Heights, it is hard to read Scodelario’s comment without flinching. For any adaptation from novel to film it is inevitable that lovers of the book in question will want to be sure their baby is in safe hands. By and large reading is an intensely personal experience; characters, settings and ideas are specific to the reader’s imagination and so it is unsurprising that people feel defensive and anxious when their own private vision is ravaged by producers and directors. It is true that sometimes decisions about movies are made for lucrative purposes; to appeal to the widest possible audience. This is seen in The Golden Compass adapted from Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights, which glosses
over the book’s strong antireligious message in order not to put off potential cinemagoers in America. However it is important to remember that once a book is published there should be no restriction as to who should be allowed to interpret it. One could argue that a film adaptation is the visual manifestation of a collaboration of various visions of a book, through the producer, director, casting agent, scriptwriter et al. Furthermore the concept of a story being subject to different
interpretations and therefore altered from the original is by no means a new phenomenon. The Greek myths began by being told orally, then were written down and addressed by Greek dramatists like Euripides and Aeschylus and later on used by Latin poets like Ovid; every teller taking them in a slightly different direction. It is a testament to the story that it can survive despite being at the mercy of the successive tellers’ own personal takes. Film should not be seen as an insufficient mode of
storytelling. There tends to be a misconception that it is somehow inferior to other art forms like literature and art whereas in fact all of these have their fair share of ‘trash’. For many people who do not read, the film will be the only contact they have with the story. In fact it could be seen as a disservice to the book when people talk about film adaptations ‘ruining’ them. As seen in some of the reception We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Adventures of Tintin received, from hardcore fans
who are upset at the aspects of the books that have been lost in the film. Extreme examples are the recent Brideshead Revisited (2008) or The Great Gatsby (1974) which represent these atmospheric and richly layered stories with all the subtlety you might find in an episode of Hollyoaks. However vulgar the lack of appreciation for these classics may feel, the magic of the actual text remains intact and just as exceptional as ever. In reality it is to the credit of these novels that filmmakers still feel they bear contemporary
relevance. An intriguing aspect of film adaptations is their role as historical documentation; the themes they choose to focus on from the novel speak volumes about the context in which they are made. In Wuthering Heights a black actor, James Howson, has been cast as Heathcliff, making his alienation and outsider status a by-product of race rather than class, a problem that feels more congruent with our society. Another example is Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now which resets Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in The Vietnam War; by telling the same story with the same characters in a different context a link is forged between Belgian colonialism in the Congo and the American invasion of Vietnam. Or like in Clueless in which the eponymous heroine of Jane Austen’s Emma is an all-American teenage girl, emphasising the comedy of manners that takes place in Georgian-Regency uppermiddle class village life is not dissimilar to a Beverly Hills High School in the 1990s. Rather than being puritanical about film adaptations we should see them as a tribute to the timelessness and endurance of stories.
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Exploring America’s Finest: The Sopranos Robbie MacInnes delves into America’s most prestigious televisual export: the world of Tony Soprano and his New Jersey ‘The best TV show of all time? Probably The Wire. What’s that? The Sopranos? I’ve never really had the time to watch it. I’ve heard it’s good though.’ This is a common response and it fills me with rage. I long for the big hammy fists and pugilistic knowhow of Tony Soprano for just these occasions. The fact is that outside of the US, far too few people have watched The Sopranos. It was the first of HBO’s highbrow programmes to achieve both commercial success and critical acclaim. Viewing figures and awards make it the most successful television programme in cable TV history. Plus it has a brilliant opening sequence, far cooler than the gimmick of an originally good song being butchered by an increasingly weak artist each season (read: The Wire). So why hasn’t everybody watched it (The Sopranos) at least twice? Well, it is certainly true that a show such as, say, The Wire is more accessible, despite the fact that many squares who don’t listen to a lot of hip hop need subtitles to keep up with the street patois of west-side
B-more. The merciless writers of The Sopranos demand that their viewers tune in like clockwork. An offhand comment about an event from two episodes (hours) earlier is not intended to pass unnoticed, and if you miss it, you will suffer. They also presume an audience familiar with Mafia hierarchy and traditions. And this is important because many of Tony’s deepest crises occur when the ultra-conservative mafia
code that he lives by, or claims to live by, becomes at odds with the ever-changing and far more liberal wider society that he inhabits. One such case occurs when his highest earning henchman is discovered to be homosexual. Tony is torn between his own position of ‘not really giving too much of a fuck’ and pressure from his crew who are all baying for the man’s execution. In the end, a far more powerful New York boss humiliatingly takes the
decision out of Tony’s hands and ‘Gay Vito’ meets a grisly fate. Constantly witnessing and indeed perpetrating such violence naturally begs the question, are we supposed to like Tony? This is the main thread of the programme: Tony making his case that, despite how he earns his living, he is essentially a good guy. A fairly definitive ruling is handed down on this matter in the final season, but until that point doubt reigns.
A good example of this moral confusion is the demise of the odious Ralph Cifaretto, whom Tony murders for incinerating a racehorse they co-owned. But Ralphie, by far the most putrid of all the show’s many rotten apples, had only received a black eye for the earlier crime of beating his young girlfriend to death. And not only does Tony himself compel viewing, but the very machinery of the American Mafia is far more diverse and layered than that of, say, a Baltimore heroin ring, and it is tremendously interesting to discover how such a creature operates. Tony and his mob have a finger in every illegal pie going, from the more ‘harmless’ vices of gambling and prostitution to selling hard drugs. Not to mention the old classic: money lending (incidentally, if you are ever having trouble collecting a debt off a friend/ enemy then
turn to the Sopranos for some top tips). The programme is built around the by now affluent and middle class Tony, with every aspect of his life (crime family, real family) and psyche (psychiatrist, dreams) open to scrutiny. There is no such character in most other shows, a random example being, say, The Wire unless, as Guardian critics will tell you, that character is the great city of Baltimore itself.
Fresh Meat needs more time to mature Emily Fitzgerald has a bone to pick with Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain’s latest comedy vehicle, based at a fictional university
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are delivered with intent and self-awareness, the jokes in Fresh Meat do not match up to its unwitting characters. What I’m sure is funny on paper does not quite translate on screen. Ashton’s character, Vod, is particularly misjudged. With her devil-may-care attitude and recreational drug use, Vod is something of a female Superhans. Or, at least, I think, that is the idea. As it happens, whilst Superhans is funny in Peep Show because he remains
an unabashed two-dimensional character throughout, the comedy behind Vod’s character disappears as soon as we realise that she is just as insecure (particularly about her grades in English) as the rest of them. In fact, most of what could be potentially funny in Fresh Meat is short-lived. Josie (Kimberley Nixon) is introduced to us as sweet and seemingly naïve, a bone fide girl next door. When Kingsley (The Inbetweeners star, Joe Thomas) accidentally slips
the term ‘glory hole’ into their first conversation, Josie, who does not recognise the term, googles it, much to Kingsley’s distress. The reign of Josie’s innocence, however, is brief. After a series of one night stands, blazing rows and the arrival of long-term boyfriend, Dave, we are forced to conclude that Josie is not as innocent and perfect as she seems. We just hope that Kingsley, who remains likeable Simon-fromThe-Inbetweeners, will get out
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When I first heard that Channel 4 had commissioned a sitcom which centred on the painful business of being a university student, I thought they were onto a winner. Created by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, writers of the hilarious Peep Show, expectations were, naturally, high. If anyone could capture both the awkward and volatile sides of university life, I thought to myself, it would be them. You can imagine my disappointment, then, after my first taste. Despite the promise of its title, Fresh Meat is anything but. Armstrong and Bain’s new sitcom centres around six students who, through no choice of their own, move into a shared house off-campus, rather than the halls of residence at the (fictional) Manchester Medlock University. Things get off to a bad start. Urban cool-girl, Vod (Zawe Ashton), arrives at the house to find social recluse Howard (Greg McHugh) blow-drying Peking ducks … without any trousers on. ‘Sorry,’ he retorts, pulling down his jumper, ‘I’ve just got used to wearing trousers of the mind’ - the first of some truly great one-liners. Unlike in Peep Show, however, where witticisms
alive. Fortunately, there is JP (comedian, Jack Whitehall – who knew he could act?) to provide comic relief from all the drama. JP is the embodiment of the public school boy – spoilt, arrogant… and absolutely hilarious. With lines like ‘I’m rocking a pretty tasty face’ and ‘I, my friend, am a certified vagina miner’, delivered with the perfect balance of stupidity and snobbery, Whitehall can be credited for stealing the show.
Without him, Fresh Meat ceases to be a comedy and enters Channel 4 teen drama territory. The last of the six is Oregon, played by ex-Bristol student Charlotte Ritchie, a middle-class straight A student, who is on a mission to reinvent herself. Oregon is certainly the most psychologically interesting of the bunch, and instantly recognisable, as her web of lies leads her into trouble (we all told a lie or two in those first few weeks). Desperate to impress, Oregon tugs on heartstrings as we watch her fail again and again to stand up to streetwise Vod and enter into a doomed relationship with her English tutor. Ritchie manages to capture the real insecurities and disillusions of young students, although this is more often heartbreaking than funny. With consistently high ratings from week to week, Fresh Meat is destined for a second series, which will hopefully lend itself to some character growth and meatier narratives. It is a shame, however, that’s its first series fell short of fantastic, considering the creative hands behind it. Fresh Meat might have some viewers hooked, but I certainly won’t be coming back for seconds.
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Arnold reaches new Heights Depp’s rumbunctious romp Director: Andrea Arnold Starring: Kaya Scodelario, James Howson, Oliver Milburn
flicksandbits.com
Andrea Arnold may not seem like the obvious choice to direct an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s tempestuous classic, Wuthering Heights. Fish Tank, her last feature film, seems as far removed from period drama as possible. The two films do, however, share an emotional core: a fixation with sexuality and pain in young people. Arnold’s version dispenses with the second half of the novel, only showing the central passion of Heathcliff for Catherine. The orphan (Solomon Glave) is brought to the Yorkshire moors from the streets of Liverpool. Despite the overt and brutal racism which he faces, Heathcliff strikes up an intimacy, which grows to romantic and sexual attraction, with his rescuer’s daughter, Catherine (Shannon Beer). This is never complete, however, as the limp but refined Edgar marries Catherine, played in the second half by Kaya Scodelario of Skins
physically through the senses comes with such directness that the immersive power of the experience pushes aside the odd minor flaw. This is a bold retelling, which, although not for the literary purist, comes to portray the same extremes as the novel in an altogether modern way. Jasper Jolly
rum-diary-movie-trailer-blogspot.com
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
fame. Catherine and the older Heathcliff (James Howson) are therefore doomed to bitterness and death. This Wuthering Heights aims to distance itself from the conventional. While having the same plot – albeit with rather more swear words than were admitted to the Brontë lexicon – this version is utterly different stylistically to most adaptations of 19th century literature. Gone is the stirring score (or indeed any music) and the sweeping panorama. Instead, the cinematic ear is drawn to the quiet, personal sounds of breath, of beetles and moths moving, and the eye is confined to the blurry, close shots of tangled hair or Catherine’s lips kissing Heathcliff’s wounds. That is not to say that this is a quiet, understated work; Wuthering Heights is a violent film, and Arnold has brought an intensity to every movement, every frame. Occasionally this intensity gives an unnecessary precedence to metaphor over action – an over-eagerness to be different. This is no bad thing in itself but here it leads to the film dragging in places. That apart, however, Wuthering Heights is forceful and absorbing, and Arnold’s idea of emotion as something felt
THE RUM DIARY Director: Bruce Robinson Starring: Johnny Depp, Giovanni Ribisi, Aaron Eckhart
It’s hard to say who The Rum Diary really belongs to. Johnny Depp found the short story in Hunter S. Thompson’s basement in the 1990s and together decided to publish the forgotten book, first written in 1960 when Thompson was only 22. Since Thompson’s death in 2005, Depp has taken on The Rum Diary as his passion project and roped in Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I and The Killing Fields) to write and direct the film. The result of the trio’s collaboration is mesmeric. It has Thompson’s mastery of the surreal, Depp’s alcoholic charisma and Robinson’s unchallenged ability to convey the eloquence of the inebriated tongue. Paul Kemp (Depp) arrives on the island of Puerto Rico to find some freelance journalism work for a struggling newspaper, but soon finds himself failing to balance his work with his penchant for hotel-room miniatures and an equal thirst for trouble. Kemp
is left with the dilemma of continuing his happy-go-lucky lifestyle or bringing down the American capitalists looking to exploit island property. He does neither in the end, making the plot rather innocuous. But this is not the point of the film. Much like Withnail and I, the film doesn’t go anywhere, but its appeal lies in the absurdity of the situations and the twisted logic of the poetry spilling from the mouths of the self-destructive wordsmiths. The writing is combined with the effortless cool of Depp, who is characteristically underwhelmed by the bizarre and conveys all emotion through the subtlest of facial twinge. Depp is joined by a stellar supporting cast, in the lecherous set that hang around
the newspaper offices. However, Michael Rispoli and Richard Jenkins are wildly upstaged by Giovanni Riposi’s Moburg, a correspondent who drinks 470-proof rum (which makes an impressive flamethrower when expelled and lit), listens to Nazi propaganda records and solves his health issues by visiting a hermaphroditic witch doctor. One final word should be handed to Amber Heard as Chenault (Kemp’s love interest), whose sensuality and elegance is reminiscent of a 60s Bond girl. This film is visually stunning, impeccably cool and full of superb comedic performances. However, the writing is the stand out feature. If you love a great script, go and see this film. Tom Stevenson
Timberlake misses a beat Clooney on the Oscar March Director: Andrew Niccol Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy
The protagonists are not depicted vividly enough to make the audience care
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Cillian Murphy to pick up the pieces character-wise. He has a remarkable ability to humanise indecent people without invoking much pathos. He is wasted in films like these. Ultimately, despite a good idea and some above average moments, In Time is destined to become one of those films that future sci-fi blockbusters with solid premises but little else to offer get lumped with. The most unremarkable film of the fortnight. Ben Behrens
THE IDES OF MARCH Director: George Clooney Starring: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
I am here to answer that burning question playing on all of your minds. Why spend your last few jingly coins on The Ides of March, rather than another wild night in Bunker? The answer is simple really: Ryan Gosling and George Clooney. However, not for the somewhat obvious (aesthetically pleasing) reasons you might assume. George Clooney directs, and has co-written, the screenplay for this gripping political thriller, with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon. He also found the time to star at the helm, playing Governor Mike Morris. The film follows Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling), an idealist young campaign worker, as he supports Morris competing in the Democratic primary elections, with an eye towards the subsequent Presidency race. Gosling shines in his rise back into Hollywood’s affections. As he leaps up a diverse stepping stone path of movies this year, Gosling delivers a truly classy performance. He effortlessly
thefilmpilgrim.com
Andrew Niccol’s In Time presents a world in which human ageing has been eradicated and time itself has become currency, so whilst the poor very literally struggle to live day-to-day,the rich can live forever with thousands of years on their clocks. It is an undeniably intriguing premise but like Surrogates, Repo Men, The Island and countless others, In Time runs out of interesting ways to explore its core idea pretty quickly. It’s not long before it
cars and beat people up whilst never being too busy or lifethreatened to make a generic smart quip. Fundamentally, despite the obvious evils of the system that govern In Time’s world, the protagonists are not depicted vividly enough to make the audience care whether they overthrow it or not. It is left to
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IN TIME
becomes an identikit chase film with protagonist Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) running amok with his new girlfriend in an attempt to overturn the system. This is a shame because In Time is certainly intriguing for the first 30 minutes. Working man Salas suddenly experiences all manner of riches when a stranger whose life he has saved donates his 100 years to him. In a touch of genuine subtlety and depth Salas runs to his 5-star hotel, only to stop himself and walk as he realizes that for once he is not desperate for time. It’s a poignant comment on the difference between rich and poor in this film’s society. Such subtlety is soon a distant memory as Salas suddenly acquires the ability to drive fast
portrays Myers’ naive sense of political idealism, before learning some uncomfortable lessons about the realities of American politics. For those of you yawning after just reading the word ‘politics’, do not fear, for in American primaries, this goes hand in hand with inappropriate sex, chicanery, bribery and blackmail. An impressive ensemble cast follows Myers’ journey, allowing us to understand the character’s development in various lights. Rachel Wood does well as the token pretty intern, who becomes a victim of the electoral games. Marisa Tomei is a welcome surprise as the hard-as-nails reporter. Most notably in this ensemble are Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti, who play the rival campaign managers. These two are tasked with the challenge of
keeping some of the more dense political narratives engaging. Despite some outdated subject matter, they keep the dialogue sharp with their snappy banter. Clooney demonstrates his skills as director, through sustaining both dramatic tension and a moral focus. He respects us as an audience enough to allow us to interpret the subplots of electoral politics using our own critical searchlight. There are times that the movie harks back to its roots as a play, Farragut North by Beau Willimon, with a fair amount of sitting around talking and looking very serious. Nevertheless, take along a sharp mind and an appreciation for great film, and you will be sure to feel your money was well spent. Kathryn Jessup
Epigram
21.11.2011
Science
Editor: Nick Cork
Deputy Editor: Emma Sackville
science@epigram.org.uk
deputyscience@epigram.org.uk
Is there such a thing as useless science? David Mountain explores how seemingly pointless science has provided us with some of the most practical innovations of the last century David Mountain Science Reporter
$4.5 Billion NASA’s budget NASA began investigations into water purification for long space flights. The method of removing toxic chemicals that they came up with, known as ‘sorbent dialysis’, was found to be much more efficient at removing toxins from the blood than previous dialysis methods. If you have ever been woken up by a smoke alarm, you may again thank - perhaps grudgingly - NASA, which needed to create a machine sensitive to smoke for the Skylab space station that was in orbit from 1973-1979. Ignoring the slight inconvenience of a ruined
lie-in, the smoke alarm has saved countless lives since its creation. The list of inventions reliant on space travel goes on and on: digital cameras, longdistance phone calls, the CT scan, cordless tools. Even the padding in the soles of your trainers was originally developed to cushion astronauts during launch. We now return to solid ground and onto something far less glamorous: the screw worm fly. These flies make a truly nasty living by laying their eggs in the wounds of cattle and humans. When the eggs hatch maggots then proceed to eat the animal from the inside out until it drops down dead from shock and ammonia poisoning. To some people, Dr Martin Hall’s expertise in this type of fly may seem a trifle inconsequential, especially when life sciences is still haunted by the Nobel prizewinning Ernest Rutherford’s damning view that ‘all science is either physics or stamp collecting’. However, when Hall discovered that the New World screw worm fly had inadvertently been introduced into Libya in 1989, he recognised that it presented a potential catastrophe to the continent. Were the fly to spread, not only would all domestic bovine livestock be threatened, but so would Africa’s many wild cattle and its millions of human habitats. Hall had to rear some of the maggots into adult flies in his hotel room before the
NASA
As a palaeontology student, I have often wondered whether my years of study at university will actually be useful: will my knowledge ever help anyone? Consider, for example, the three scientists from Stockholm University who in 2002 wrote a paper entitled ‘Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans’. Or the combined might of seven Australian scientists that it took to produce ‘An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various Surfaces’. Depending on your disposition, these papers will either make you laugh or despair – these people must be intelligent, so why are they wasting their time on such trivial matters? However, once I began to dig a bit deeper, it became apparent that the benefits of such science can be far-reaching and entirely unexpected. In defence, then, of improbable knowledge, I offer here a brief tour of how some of this more dubious research has helped the likes of you and me. Space travel always seems to be in for a kicking. It’s certainly exciting, but what benefits does it have down here on Earth? NASA’s eye-watering budget – this year’s being just shy of $4.5 billion – probably doesn’t help garner sympathy. Yet the challenges of keeping men and
women alive in outer space have forced scientists to think well and truly outside the box – often with brilliant results. Consider the kidney dialysis machine, which helps an estimated 20,000 people in the UK alone. Without this treatment kidney failure would eventually prove fatal. The first dialysis machine was invented in 1943 by the brilliant Dutch physician Willem Kolff, who, owing to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, had to improvise with beer cans, sausage casing and a washing machine. It was substantially improved when
What did NASA ever do for us?
government would believe him, but, authorities alerted, an international effort quickly eliminated the population within the next three years, using the radioactive isotope, Cs135, to sterilise the male flies. Ever heard of cryptogamy? To many, the study of algae, mosses, lichens and the like may seem a rather remote, genteel affair compared to, say, weapons technology, but it may have helped us win the Second World War. Geoffrey Tandy, a
seaweed curator at the Natural History Museum (yes, that is a job) was accidently recruited to help crack the Enigma Code when the Ministry of Defence mixed up cryptogamy with cryptography, the art of solving codes. However, his knowledge of preserving seaweed specimens was crucially important when soaked notebooks were recovered from German UBoats. Using the technique he had learned for drying seaweed, he was able to recover the
coded messages written in the notebooks, thereby helping the Allies gain an enormous advantage over the Nazis. It is now thought that solving the Enigma code helped shorten the war by up to two years. So if anyone else is struggling to care about their poster project, that essay due in next Friday, or even their entire course: have faith. From comfortable shoes to winning a war, it might just lead to the innovation the world was waiting for.
The chemistry behind autumn colours Emma Sackville Deputy Science Editor
Flickr: Theophilos
Autumn can seem a bit rubbish. It’s raining and cold much of the time. Christmas is still quite a long way off, despite what the major retailers seem to think, and it now gets dark at around halfpast four. On the rare day when it’s not chucking it down, though, the turning of the leaves can provide some spectacular scenery. So why is it that most plants go through a transition from green to orangey–yellow at this time of year? In spring and summer the leaves of most plants are green due to the presence of a pigment, chlorophyll. Light from the sun is a combination of the three primary optical colours – red, blue and green and the colour that we observe is the one that’s reflected instead
of being absorbed. Chlorophyll absorbs all the red and blue light; the light that is reflected after hitting the plant has less blue and red content and so appears green. The molecules of chlorophyll are found in substructures
within the plant cell called chloroplasts. It is these parts of each cell that are responsible for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process through which plants convert carbon dioxide and water to oxygen and sugar using light energy from the
sun. The sugar provides energy reserves for the plant to draw on in its continuing chemical reactions, particularly during the hours of darkness. These terms - chlorophyll and photosynthesis - may seem familiar from the murky days of secondary school biology, but a further, lesser known, set of compounds also play a part in the colour of leaves: the cartenoids. These absorb a mixture of blue and green light from the sun and so appear yellow. Cartenoids boost the efficiency of each leaf, ensuring that none of the light energy from the sun is wasted. Chlorophyll absorbs the red light then cartenoids soak up as much remaining light as they can and transfer the energy to the chlorophyll to be used in photosynthesis. Plants generally contain a lot more chlorophyll than cartenoids though, so the overall colour of the plant is
more green than yellow. A third set of compounds is also found in some plants – the anthocyanins. These molecules take in blue and green light, so the colour they reflect to the human observer is red. Anthocyanins are responsible for the red skin of apples, but light is required to make them.
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Green chlorophyll, yellow cartenoids and red anthocyanins
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This is why apples are often both red and green – the red side of the apple has more exposure to sunlight. In the same way as some animals go into hibernation, deciduous plants shut down for winter. As autumn arrives, the lengthening nights trigger the destruction of chlorophyll,
cartenoids and anthocyanins. It’s a waste of energy to maintain a concentration of these molecules in the absence of sunlight to react with. In the majority of such trees, the colour of each leaf is now dependent on its changing composition of green chlorophyll, yellow cartenoids and red anthocyanins. Chlorophyll is broken down fastest, leaving the yellow cartenoids, which degrade more slowly. In trees without anthocyanin, the yellow colour fades as the cartenoids eventually break down, leaving a boring brown colour. In plants that do produce anthocyanins during the autumn, the dwindling concentration of cartenoids gives way to orange and finally red as only the anthocyanins remain. The end result, though, is the same; dead leaves litter the pavement, following their intenselycoloured death-throes.
Epigram
21.11.2011
Can we do anything with stem cells yet?
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Luke Worley seeks answers from Professor Anthony Hollander, Head of the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Bristol
‘Landmark’ procedure In 2008, 30-year old mother of two, Claudia Castillo, was suffering from TB and faced the entire removal of her left lung. Such intensive surgery carries a high risk of death and a marked reduction in quality of life. Professor Anthony Hollander, Head of the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Bristol, used Castillo’s stem cells to construct the world’s first tissueengineered trachea. This was then transplanted surgically, restoring the function in her lung, and saved her life. This month Azellon Cell Therapeutics Ltd, which Hollander co-founded, announced a trial of their stem cell ‘bandage’ to heal tears in meniscal knee cartilage. Surgery, the only currently available treatment for these injuries, is known to lead to an increased risk of osteoarthritis - sometimes requiring a total knee prosthetic joint replacement in later life.
which are the living parts, with some sort of three-dimensional scaffold which carries the cells and gives them a shape. There was a particular approach here that the European team decided to take which was to use a decellularised donated trachea from a dead person as a scaffold, where the dead person’s cells have been removed to avoid immunorejection of that donor trachea. It then becomes an inanimate, non-living tube of largely collagen [a structural protein]. The idea was to seed Claudia’s own cells, made from MSCs, onto the outside of this tube and at the same time to seed, onto the inner surface, epithelial cells grown from an upper airway
Can you describe how it first felt when the operation was successful? Well, it was a gradual dawning. We knew on the first day that her airway function was fine and over the first few weeks it became clear she wasn’t going into acute rejection, but at any point it could have failed and it wasn’t a completely trouble free recovery over those few months. However, as we approached
six months, we got more and more confident and actually, for me, the most transforming moment in my scientific life was when three months after the operation I went to Barcelona and met Claudia for the first time. Standing next to her, knowing that this lovely young lady was alive and standing there with a 6 cm segment of tissue-engineered windpipe in her that I’d had a significant part in growing was a moving moment. It made me realise that that’s what I want all my science to be doing - making a difference to people, as well as
being exciting science. Would you say this represented a milestone in stem cell research? I think it was a landmark because it was the first time a threedimensional organ that had been constructed using stem cells. It caught the imagination of the public, but the scientific community also has been very warm, positive and respectful of what we did. Even though it was only one single case, it showed what might be done in other organs in other cases.
University of Bristol
How was the bioengineered trachea created? Claudia Caustillo’s bone marrow sample was taken in Barcelona and flown over to Bristol where we isolated a particular kind of stem cell called mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) which give rise to cartilage, bone, skin, ligament and tendons etc. The techniques we’ve been developing for treating osteoarthritis, isolating the MSCs, growing them up and turning them into cartilage cells is pretty much exactly what we did for Claudia, except that we needed to create six million cartilage cells without, at that stage, putting them onto a scaffold. For tissue engineering you need to combine your cells,
biopsy that was taken at the same time, because those cells grow very well. Those cells were grown up in Bristol, by my colleague, Professor Martin Birchall, and then had to be flown back to Barcelona. Martin went to Bristol Airport, having rung EasyJet head office (because EasyJet is the only airline that flies to Barcelona from Bristol) to warn them that we were bringing these things they said that’s fine. They got to the check-in desk and could not board because it was in culture medium of more than 100 ml of liquid. This nearly meant the whole project failed and Claudia would probably have died. In the end a friend of a friend who flew planes in his spare time flew over from Germany at the cost of €10,000, picked up the cells and flew them to Barcelona!
Professor Anthony Hollander
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Never say never! Exciting times for stem cells!
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Which obstacles need to be overcome before such methods are used routinely in clinical practice? Delivering stem cells to damaged sites, for example, to an infarcted part of a heart after a heart attack, to an osteoarthritic area of cartilage or to a degenerating part of the brain or spinal cord etc. to try and repair localised lesions, I think, is very achievable. Creating organs is much more challenging: at the time we did the trachea, I said that I don’t see this being used for larger organs. To decellularise a heart or a liver seems very impractical. The trachea’s a tube - it’s relatively thin, and using detergent to pull out cells and yet retain the structure was relatively straightforward. I had to eat my words a couple of years later because a team in Detroit has started decellularising rat hearts, and then later sheep hearts, and then repopulating them with stem cells, and there’s another group elsewhere looking at decellularised liver. So although none of them have been implanted in patients, it shows in principle it can be done. Nevertheless we’re some years away because those organs have multiple cell types, more than just the two that we were using, but never say never! Exciting times for stem cells!
Scientific stagnation in the Middle East Eleanor Bird Science Reporter The Middle East, once a nucleus of scientific development, is now comparatively barren in its research output. What halted the scientific rise of the Muslim world? An exhibition entitled ‘Arabick Roots’, which recently closed after five months at the Royal Society in London, aimed to highlight the reliance of the Society’s early Fellows on
discoveries made by Arabic and Islamic scholars. In the centuries prior to the Enlightenment in Europe, a period commonly referred to as the ‘Dark Ages’, the knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Romans was all but lost. Only the translation of sufficient texts into Arabic for retention by Middle Eastern scholars ensured its preservation. Here science flourished, promoting progress in such diverse disciplines as mathematics, astronomy, optics and philosophy. As Barack
Flickr: Vobios
The first Americal medical school established overseas, Weill Cornell Medical College, is a branch of Cornell University based in Education City, Qatar
Obama declared in his speech in Cairo in 2009, ‘[Islam] carried the light of learning…paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance’. The ‘Golden Age’ of Arabic science, from the 8th to 13th centuries, is well documented. Ibn al-Haytham discovered the laws of refraction and alKhwarizimi developed solutions to quadratic equations. In medicine, Cassem Aga told the Royal Society of inoculation before Jenner’s great discovery. The quest to re-map the Earth and sky relied on the observations of Muslim astronomers. Arab scientists made breakthroughs that revolutionised our understanding of the world around us, and the modern scientific method was born. The last seven hundred years tell a very different story. There is a huge disparity in the Muslim world between population size and research output. The Middle East only produces 4% of world scientific literature. A recent study found Muslim countries have fewer than 10 scientists and engineers per 1000 people. What is preventing the Middle East from competing with the West and East Asia? Is it Islam that’s irreconcilable with modern science? If so, why was this not the case historically? It would, of course, be
misleading to suggest that these issues originate in a simple incompatibility between science and Islam. Research in the Middle East operates under unique religious, cultural and economic restraints. Autocratic cultures, a traditionally unbalanced education system and a highly stratified economy are all contributing factors. Though religion might be considered a barrier by some, in other countries the devoutly religious continue to make great advances in science; Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project, has described himself as a ‘serious Christian’. And there is nothing unique to Islam that might obstruct progress: Muslims in Spain were at the height of
civilisation whilst the remainder of Christian Europe was in the Dark Ages. More worrying is that large frustrated populations seem unable to access real educational opportunity, and that female participation in
Contribution to world research output: 4% science remains low. Research funding is scarce, sporadic and incompatible with sustained academic activity. The language barrier too is a significant problem. Modern scientific work at an international level requires communication in
Upcoming Exhibition December 3rd: M Shed will host an exhibition celebrating the ‘Children of the 90s’, Bristol’s ground-breaking birth cohort study, ahead of its 21st birthday next year and alongside the 75th birthday of the Wellcome Trust. Researchers who use the data set will be on hand to tell you about it and if you were born in Bristol you may even be eligible to join the cohort! Find out how the study is used: from information about how a baby should sleep, to what amount of exercise is best for you, to cutting-edge genetic health research. http://mshed.org/whats-on/events/children-of-the-90sexhibition-3-december/
written English, and here Muslim countries tend to lag behind. Worse still, restrictive regimes such as that presiding over Syria are known to prevent freedom of inquiry, weaken professional societies and limit international collaboration. There are however signs of hope. The recent ‘Arab Spring’ could represent a scientific revolution. A national project for scientific development has been revived in Egypt following the resignation of former-President Mubarak. In Qatar, American universities have established campuses at Education City initiatives elsewhere suggest a renewed emphasis on science training. The key to progress is in expanding educational opportunities, founding centres of excellence, and encouraging freedom of thought. Dubai has shown that Islamic cities, with certain compromises, can compete with their Western counterparts in engineering ambition. The long-term challenge though will not to be met by funding impressive buildings. There are more deeprooted issues to contend with, encompassing both cultural constraints and the historic tension between faith and reason.
Epigram
21.11.2011
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Disney galore at O2 Academy SCORE David Stone Deputy Sport Editor For most tourists visiting Bristol, the evening is often the best time to walk around. The Suspension Bridge is
magnificently lit up, the hordes of builders queuing outside Greggs have gone home and the lovely wine bars and gastro pubs of Clifton have their welcoming doors open. However, if you had happened to be strolling around Bristol on
the evening of Wednesday 2nd November there would have been some different sights to behold. A pack of semi-naked men dressed in togas have just gone running past you, there’s a mermaid being carried by two dogs and several Smurfs are
arguing with a bouncer outside Mbargos. Freshers’ week was ages ago, you think to yourself, so what is this madness? Fear not, it’s the time of the year that Bristol’s finest sporting clubs and societies gather together: it’s SCORE. This year’s theme
was Disney and took place at the O2 Academy. Here we have a few of our favourites photos of the night. For more, just search either Chris Jacobs Online or UBU Sport and Health, both on Facebook.
Where’s my fixtures? In order to get as many great articles into Epigram as possible, we’ve fixtures and results onto our new website: www.epigram.org.uk
All photos by Chris Jacobs
Whatever happened to... Prince Naseem Hamed? Tom Mordey Sports Reporter Frank Warren, one of boxing’s most opinionated voices, once said that Naseem Hamed was ‘The most exciting fighter that I’d ever been involved with. At one stage, in the early part of his career, he could have gone on to become one of the great fighters.’ This is high praise indeed from a man who has managed illustrious names such as Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan. Perhaps Warren has a point though. After all, ‘the Prince’ did finish his career with an impressive 36 wins out of 37 fights. However, Hamed has completely dropped off the map in a sport full of high profiles. Retirement in boxing never takes you fully away from the public eye. Lennox Lewis often pops up ringside, while Mike Tyson now fancies himself as a Hollywood actor (remember that cameo role
in The Hangover?) So what exactly has happened to Prince Naseem? Fighting at bantamweight, Hamed flew through the ranks with a flurry of knockouts, and won a couple of titles with an unorthodox technique that gained him many admirers. Such form earned him a shot at the WBO Featherweight title
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Some of his more spectacular entrances included arriving via a flying carpet
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in 1995. He won the title with panache and style, destroying the defending champion and Welshman, Steve Robinson, at the Cardiff Arms Park. Solid retentions of this belt followed, including a 35 second annihilation of Nigerian challenger Said Lawal. Hamed then fought in an eagerly anticipated unification clash in 1997 at the London Arena against IBF champion
Tom ‘Boom Boom’ Johnson. Again, the Prince’s explosive power propelled him to victory in a manner that defied even his harshest critics. Such critics were growing rapidly in number however, unhappy with Naseem’s arrogant nature and in particularly his glitzy ring entrances. Some of his more spectacular entrances into the ring included arriving via a Chevrolet Impala, a flying carpet and an elevator. His customary party trick was a front somersault over the top rope into the ring. This was all fantastic for box office hits, but was not so appealing to boxing traditionalists. Still, his showboating in and out of the ring won him a shot at American glory. In an epic fight with Kevin ‘Flushing Flash’ Kelley at Madison Square Gardens, New York, Hamed was really tested for the first time in his career. Despite being knocked down three times, ‘the Prince’ showed extreme courage to come back and knock Kelley out in the
fourth round. It was after this fight that George Foreman famously stated that, ‘he’s for real… the Prince is for real.’ Following this, Hamed became one of boxing’s household names, defeating challengers and big names alike to retain his WBO title fifteen times. With a record of 35-0, Las Vegas was the venue for a much anticipated fight in 2001 with long time rival, Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. Hamed was the overwhelming favourite, yet was shocked by a unanimous decision that ended his unbeaten run and cost him two belts. This defeat shattered his sky-high confidence and he returned to the ring for one final performance in 2002, a dire win over Manuel Calvo that ended in a cacophony of boos from a disgruntled crowd. He then announced his retirement, which was largely due to a chronic hand problem and family commitments. Pundit Barry McGuigan, when asked about a possible return for the Prince in 2006, advised him to
‘stay retired and enjoy your life.’ Unfortunately, though, controversy has followed him around in recent years. He picked up a string of driving offences, which culminated in a 90mph crash that saw him sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2006, a verdict that cost him his MBE. Released after 4 months, he is content to run a vast property empire rather than return to the boxing world. He has recently made
appearances in Amir Khan’s corner, looking unrecognisable from the talent that humiliated so many in the sport. It seems that weigh-ins are a thing of the past for ‘the Prince’: Naseem has evidently avoided the scales since his retirement, no longer sporting the featherweight look of yesteryear. Whether viewed as an enigma who set boxing alight in the mid-90s or an egotistical waste of talent, ‘the Prince’ was one of the great British sporting characters.
Epigram
21.11.2011
33
Bristol students compete on the international stage in Kenyan Sevens Charlie Reed Sports Reporter
David McAviney
‘I don’t know if you heard but I’m going to Kenya.’ This was the sentence uttered endlessly by five University of Bristol 1st XV players selected to compete in the internationally acclaimed Safari 7s tournament in the Nairobi National Stadium on November 5th and 6th. The Safari 7s is Africa’s premier rugby 7s tournament, attracting elite teams from around the globe including Samoa, the Emerging Springboks, Spain, Auckland and of course, Kenya. Ever since the inception of the competition sixteen years ago, Bristol have sent a team to compete usually consisting of a handful of university students, bolstered by some representational players. This year, students Charlie Reed, Dan McAviney, Jack Burrows, James Stephenson and James Trueman were joined by two players contracted professionally with Bristol: one England Students old boy and a Zimbabwean training with Edinburgh. Hopes were high. After a tedious overnight flight (comprising predominantly of coach Rob Higgitt’s game of musical chairs to find a personal TV that would play Harry Potter) everyone arrived in Nairobi, looking forward to a couple
of relaxed days before the tournament. Of course, this was not to be, as our attempt to bronze our pasty white English bodies by the hotel pool was tainted by the Samoa side walking past topless, bearing tribal tattoos, rats tail haircuts and ridiculous torsos. The stand off was not helped by Dan McAviney’s childish overexcitement about seeing Mikaele Pesamino, the IRB 7s
player of the year 2010. On to the rugby though, and after drawing the ‘group of death’ with the Emerging Springboks, Auckland and Mwamba (Kenya’s best 7s club side) we struggled through the first day. Going down by four points in a closely fought encounter with Mwamba knocked the morale of the team, and we proceeded on the downward spiral to lose heavily to the Emerging Boks
and Auckland. So after day one, Bristol were bottom of the group, heading in to the third tier Bowl competition. Whether it was the stark wake up call or a reaction to Bob Reeves’s rallying cry to ‘play as a team!’ day two was a completely different story. Bristol started the morning strongly against Uganda 7s, playing with confidence and flair to finish comfortable winners 19-0. The
rout didn’t stop there as the team went on to thrash the Royal Welsh Regiment in the semi finals by twenty one points. On to the Bowl final then, which saw Bristol matched up against Belmont Shore, America’s supreme sevens side, who annihilated Mwamba in the semis. Due to the time constraint in 7s (only fourteen minute games), the start is absolutely crucial, and due to
Belmont Shore’s quick fire two tries, Bristol were always playing catch up. Nevertheless, inspired by our concussed captain, Dan McAviney, the team fought back strongly, but ultimately in vain, as Belmont Shore squeezed home by three points. Despite ending on a disappointing note, everyone was proud to have been apart of such a prestigious tournament, playing in front of 15,000 hedonistic Kenyans who created an incredible carnival atmosphere. The icing on the cake was the lap of honour at the end, in which some of the Bristol players signed autographs and were even hauled in for television interviews. Let’s just hope it doesn’t become an IRB world 7s venue too soon so Bristol can still get invited back.
Results Saturday 5th November Pool Stages Bristol 17-21 Mwamba Bristol 7-43 Auckland Vikings Bristol 0-46 Springboks Sunday 6th November Bowl Quarters Bristol 19-0 Uganda Bowl Semi Bristol 26-7 Royal Welsh Army Bowl Final Bristol 14-17 Belmont
Sports Club Quick Fire: Epigram meets the Riding Club Laura Lambert Sports Reporter Bristol’s Riding Club is in the spotlight this week in our Sports Club Quick Fire feature. Epigram caught up with its club captain, Annabel Henderson. How many members does the Bristol Riding Club have? We have 100 signed-up members this year, which is a really good turnout. We held trials at the beginning of this year and the 20 riders that were invited to trial were whittled down to just 8 to form the Bristol Riding Teams (we have an A team and a B team). How often and where does the team train? The teams train for an hour every Monday night at Wickstead Farm Equestrian Centre near Swindon. We train throughout the year in preparation for competitions. We take part in 4 initial competitions as part of a league, and then if we do well
in these we progress through to Regionals and then possibly Nationals. Did the team produce some good results last year? Last season was a very successful one for the Riding Team – both the A and B teams reached Nationals, having performed solidly throughout the year and winning Regionals. At Nationals, the B team came 2nd overall and the A team won! Let’s hope we can produce similar results this year! Where is the Riding Club’s favourite place to go for socials? We are sponsored by Po Na Na so we tend to go there quite a lot. We also do a range of activities as a whole club, including meals out and an annual trip to Badminton Horse Trials.
Talking of Badminton Horse Trials, isn’t the Team Coach a pretty big name in the equestrian world?
Yes, our coach Paul Tapner is an Australian three-day eventer who won Badminton Horse Trials last year (2010)! Some of us were there watching him, and his success clearly rubbed off on the Bristol Riding Teams! Paul regularly competes at Advanced level eventing, including the World Equestrian Games in 2010 where he competed as part of the Australian team. What is offered for beginner level riders and others that are not on the team? Aside from the teams we have over 40 people currently taking riding lessons, which take place at two riding schools close to Bristol. These lessons cater for riders of all different abilities and riding club horses are used. A key point of the Bristol Riding Club is that no-one is required to own a horse to have lessons or be in the teams. This means that the Riding Club appeals to many more people and the inter-university competitions are therefore much fairer, as it is all down to the rider’s skills to
get good results. What is the most enjoyable part of being a member of the Bristol Riding Team? Training is really good fun and it is great to represent the university; also, the competition format is such that we are competing against universities from all around the country, on a range of different horses.
Ben Murray competing in Belgium, representing Great Britain
What is the funniest thing to happen in a university competition? People falling off is always quite funny (if they don’t hurt themselves), and learning the wrong dressage test is a pretty embarrassing mistake. Who are the ones to watch this year? Ben Murray is a 3rd year at
Bristol and has competed each year on the A team. He is on the World Training Programme for the Student Riding Nations Cup, which shows how highly regarded he is on the student equestrian circuit. Another one to watch is Jordan Daniells, a fresher who shot straight onto the A team having impressed Paul at Trials!
Epigram
21.11.2011
34
Lacklustre batting costs the Bristol cricketers dearly at BUCS indoor event Luke Smith Sports Reporter Seven members of Bristol cricket’s 1st XI squad travelled to Exeter on Sunday 6 November for the BUCS Men’s Indoor Cricket Competition. Bristol were eliminated in the first round courtesy of two heavy defeats to more experienced sides, but this should not detract from what is looking like being a successful year for the University of Bristol Cricket Club, with preparation already underway for the summer season. Bristol were pooled alongside Bournemouth and Bath at the Devon Cricket Centre in the six-a-side Indoor Competition, but came unstuck against both universities, despite having Gloucestershire CCC player and first year Bristol student, Michael Beard, in their ranks. Against Bournemouth, Bristol lost by 34 runs chasing 102, while up against a traditionally strong Bath team, Bristol were humbled for just 56 to record a fourwicket defeat. Despite this, the bowling was very promising; Bristol have much depth in the seam and spin department this year. It was the batting that let them down and this will need to be rectified over the winter. Speaking after the event, club vice-captain Dan Brown told Epigram, ‘It was an enjoyable day but with little reward. We did not realise just how different a game it is from 50 over cricket and came up short to some well-prepared sides.’ On Bristol’s chances
in the summer, he added, ‘We have attained some quality freshers and with some hard work during the winter, we should have another successful season.’ Brown is right to be optimistic for the summer. Last year, Bristol 1st XI missed out on a promotion play-off by virtue of net run rate only in the BUCS Premier League B South, and reached the quarter finals of the BUCS Trophy, the national knockout competition. In 2010, the
1st XI won the BUCS Western Men’s 1A. The 3rd XI were runners up in the BUCS Western Conference Cup last year and were beaten by UWE 2nd XI in their final league game where victory would have seen them crowned champions of the BUCS Western Men’s 3A division. It is no wonder that club is targeting promotion for all three men’s teams in 2012, as well as Varsity 20/20 wins for the 1st XI and 2nd X, a feat that
was also achieved in 2011. To do this, though, there will have to be strong contributions from new members (not to mention returning members), as five members of last years 1st XI squad graduated over the summer. The club’s pre-season programme is currently being put in place by coach Andy Stovold with games against Cheltenham College, Cardiff MCCU and Gloucestershire Academy in the pipeline. The BUCS league and cup
programmes will follow preseason, and the summer will be rounded off with a cricket week, featuring the Varsity 20/20, a fixture versus MCC and an Old Boys match. The club’s members are currently awaiting the appointment of team captains and the selection of winter training squads next month. The women’s section of the club fared better in their BUCS Indoor Competition, as they qualified for the women’s finals at Lord’s in January when
they travelled to Glamorgan in October for group matches versus UWIC and Bath. Susan Little was the standout player on the day for Bristol, who were captained by Martha Illet. Bristol lost their first game, falling just two runs short of UWIC’s mammoth 157-4, but when they recorded a two-wicket victory over Bath, and then Bath beat UWIC, Bristol’s superior net run rate saw them through. They now look forward to visiting the home of cricket next term.
University cheerleading: blood, sweat and cheers? Tom Davoll Sports Reporter
How did you get involved with the Jets? I was keen to get involved with gymnastics, but having
How are men used in cheerleading squads and routines? There are three main squads - the Pom squad, who cheer for the American Football team, the all-girl squad, and the co-ed squad. The latter is the one that I and the rest of the guys are a part of. Each of us is assigned to a group with 4 girls and 1 guy in each, and we assist with the lifts and also with the tumbling routines. We have to do some dance routines, but the main
focus is on the stunts. Does the disproportionate gender ratio have any negative effect? No, not at all. There is such a high level of teamwork, communication and trust involved in every routine that it creates a great bond and spirit between everyone. I am never aware of being outnumbered, and feel as if I am a part of just another sporting team. However, it does affect the uniforms we wear, as the guys basically have to wear the girls outfit, with some extra-tight trousers added on. Not the comfiest! You referred to cheerleading as a team sport - what would you say to people who think
that it isn’t a sport? I would say come and have a look at what actually goes on. I have played a lot of sports, and cheerleading is one of the most demanding out there. We train three times a week, and I am in the gym on most other nights working on conditioning. You have to have great athletic ability, stamina and also good technique to be successful. As I said, communication and teamwork are also really important aspects. What kind of reaction have you got when telling people you do cheerleading? Most guys are surprised and shocked when I tell them. It is a shame that male involvement in cheerleading still suffers from
Cheerleaders: not all like this
stereotypical ideas, but hopefully if more men get involved then the message will spread that it is actually a hugely demanding and rewarding experience. What sort of competitions are you involved in? For cheerleading, there is no University league, so we compete against clubs from all over the
Flickr: Zieg3rman
For most people, cheerleading immediately conjures up images of all-American girls shaking pom-poms to the sound of an incredibly cheesy backing track. However, there is much more to it than this simple stereotype. Epigram caught up with secondyear Christian Dell, a new recruit and one of only seven male members in the hundred-strong Bristol Jets cheerleading squad, to find out what it feels like to be a man living in a woman’s world.
discovered that there was no club at Bristol, I was told that cheerleading was the next best thing. A lot of the routines are made up of gymnastic moves, plus it’s very demanding and a great way to keep fit.
UK. The way it works is that each team is assigned a safety level, which determines what kind of lifts and flips can be done, and then teams compete within their respective ranking levels. Our next event is at Crystal Palace Sports Centre on December 4th. It would be great to have as much support for the Jets there as possible.
Epigram
21.11.2011
35
University of Bristol Olympians Epigram meets Dilly Newton (BSc Geography 2010), England women’s hockey player and London 2012 Olympics hopeful year. Within the squad itself, there are no Northern Irish girls, one Welsh girl and four Scottish girls. The rest are English.
Tom Burrows Sport Editor In the fourth of our series on Bristol University Olympic hopefuls, Epigram caught up with another England hockey player, Dilly Newton. Dilly was called up to the national team after her impressive performances at the 2009 Junior World Cup. However, she put her hockey on hold to complete her geography degree and therefore joined up with the England team in 2010. She is currently training with the Great Britain squad at Bishop Abbey and is one of 25 girls vying for a place in the much-coveted, final squad of 16. Firstly Dilly, what were you in? I was in Goldney Hall.
What is the training schedule like? It’s very tough. We train at Bishop Abbey on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and do gym work on Wednesday and Friday. While we are training, selections are ongoing. There is an upcoming training camp in San Diego and the Champions Trophy in Argentina (January 2012) that you must be selected for. We’ve then got the Four Nations test event in London in May and so it is a very busy schedule.
halls
How did the High Performance Squad help you? It was brilliant. It was fantastic for any medical related issue, nutrition talks and for giving an insight into what is required to be an elite performer. Moving away from Bristol, when did you start playing hockey? I started playing at school when I was about 10. After playing a match at school, an umpire came up to me and said that I should join a local club. I therefore joined
M.Paine
What are your favourite Bristol memories? Good question. There are so many! I really loved Goldney Hall, sports nights and the university hockey club. I also loved the city itself.
Dilly (left) will be hoping that the home crowd in London will spur her team on to victory
Eastbourne. From there, I progressed up from county to regional to national level. When did you get called up by England? I started playing for England youth when I was 12. I was then called up to the national team after the Junior World Cup in 2009. However, I wanted to concentrate on my studies in my final year and specifically my dissertation and so asked if I could do that first. Thankfully, they were very understanding and I therefore started training with the national team in 2010. So far, I have only played test matches for England and so
I have not yet been officially capped. Were you able to play much for the university? I absolutely loved university hockey. Luckily, there was also a National Performance Centre in Bristol (the Hockey West NPC). This provided excellent training facilities and a high performance hockey programme for selected players aged 1823 years. Such centres gave aspiring international hockey players top quality coaching alongside specific strength and conditioning programmes. As well as this, I played for Clifton Ladies’ on Saturday, who are
in the Premiership. How well did you get on with Georgie Twigg and Charlotte Craddock (the other Bristol girls in the GB squad)? I get on really with the two girls. I am currently rooming with Georgie in Bishop Abbey. Charlotte has put her studies on hold to concentrate solely on hockey and I think she’ll complete her final two years after the 2012 Olympics. When did you start training as a Great Britain squad? We started training together as early as 2009 and so when I joined the squad they had already been training for a
Is there a competitive edge within the squad then? Yes, there is but it has to be competitive for people to improve and the group to progress. What is the new Olympic pitch like? I think it’s brilliant. The colours are really different – it definitely shows the modern, new image that hockey is trying to create ahead of the Summer Games. What are the teams to watch out for at the Olympics? Argentina and Holland are the favourites, but every nation will be competitive. Finally, what would it be like to compete at London? It is everyone’s dream. It would be unbelievable. However, you have to be realistic as there are a lot of good players within the squad and only a certain number can be selected for the final squad.
Hockey at the Olympics First Appearance Field Hockey was first introduced as an Olympic Sport for the 1908 Games in London... although the first women’s hockey event was not held until 1980 in Moscow The Favourites India and Pakistan were tradionally the strongest teams in the sport, between them winning every men’s gold from 1928 to 1968 Olympic field hockey games were first played on Astroturf pitches in 1976 at Montreal. After this teams from Western Europe and Australia began to take home the medals In 2008, Germany and the Netherlands took gold in the men’s and women’s events London 2012 The Hockey Centre will be located in the Olympic Park. There will be two pitches, one holding a capacity crowd of 15,000 After the Games The Hockey Centre will be moved to Eton Manor in Leyton, the capacity will be reduced to 5,000 Leyton Orient Football Club also made an application to use the stadium post-Olympics
Obscure Olympics: A bluffer’s guide to archery Michael Hindmarsh Sports Reporter
and the target, measuring only 122cm x 122cm in diameter, is made up of nine rings, the very centre being worth the maximum ten points. Matches are decided in three or five sets, each consisting of three arrows. The competitors fire alternately, creating a sense of tension. All the tournaments function as knock-out competitions: the highest scoring archer (or archers) progresses to the next round. Britain finished in 4th place in 2008, which, frankly, was very disappointing. This was because £3 million had been pumped into British archery during the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, while other sports suffered budget cuts of around 60%. Following the tournament, the
archers publicly accused their coaches of incompetence, which helped compound the misery. Fortunately, ahead of 2012, the outlook is more positive for Britain’s archers. The team have been using state-of-theart cameras to improve their accuracy. This allows them to analyse the movement of the bow and arrow in extraordinarily close detail. It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that their results have improved dramatically. Last year, Britain achieved considerable success in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, winning several gold medals. However, all the medals came in the ‘compound event’, which does not form part of the Olympic programme. The main British archery
hopefuls include Alison Williamson and Nicky Hunt. Williamson is an experienced competitor, having appeared in five Olympics. Her most notable achievement to date was winning bronze in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Moreover, in the recent Commonwealth Games, she impressively picked up two silver medals. Hunt, meanwhile, won two gold medals in Delhi in the ‘compound event.’ British officials will be hoping to persuade her to compete in the Olympic event. There has been difference in opinion concerning archery as a spectator sport, with some rightfully saying that those in the stands might struggle to see the arrows hitting their target,
while Tom Dielen, secretary of the International Archery Federation, has said that Lord’s is capable of creating ‘an amphitheatre atmosphere’. The real question, though, is whether Britain will be able to break the Far East’s dominance in archery.
Flickr: Roger Smith
Lord’s is the home of cricket. It’s been the scene of so many famous English victories (and humiliating defeats) in the Ashes. But, next year, this legendary cricketing venue will be transformed into an Olympic arena, fitted with impressive temporary stands. The sport? Archery. The word might well conjure up images of bloody medieval battles and kings meeting gruesome deaths, but archery has achieved levels of popularity in some countries comparable with snooker and darts in the UK. The 2008 tournament in Beijing attracted
a global audience of 35 million, an impressive figure given that it is often considered to be one of the ‘minor’ Olympic events. In Korea, it is viewed as a national sport and, over the last few decades, their teams have dominated the major competitions. Prior to their silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, the South Korean women had won every Olympic gold medal since 1984. The men aren’t too bad either – they are the reigning champions. So what does the sport actually involve, aside from a crossbow, an arrow and a target? In the Summer Olympics, four events take place: the men’s individual, women’s individual, men’s team and women’s team. The distance is always 70 metres
Epigram
21.11.2011
Sport
Editor: Tom Burrows
Deputy Editor: David Stone
sport@epigram.org.uk
deputysport@epigram.org.uk
Bristol defeat arch-rivals after stunning last minute comeback Bristol UWE
68 63
Sunny To Sports Reporter
In the most recent instalment of our series on Bristol Olympians, Epigram met geography student and England hockey star, Dilly Newton. Whilst at Bristol she has represented her country at both the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. She hopes to go one better this year by playing for Team GB at London 2012
Page 35 Alex Sheppard
Bristol (in black) made an impressive fight back in the final quarter
hit a shot that landed straight in the net to send the gym into a pandemonium in the final seconds. The final score: Bristol 68 - 63 UWE. After the game Bristol coach Doug Mclaughlin-Williams said, ‘After a disappointing loss at Southampton a few weeks back, the team trained exceptionally hard leading up to our first match against our local rivals. I’m extremely proud of our guys’ mental preparation and more importantly, for giving one hundred per cent for the entire 40 minutes. We still have work to do but this win was a big step in the right direction.’ Bristol will have to do it all over again when they face UWE in the return fixture on 30th November.
The Men’s First XI Cricket team travelled to Exeter to compete in BUCS Men’s Indoor Cricket Competition as part of the pre-season. Was it a success? Epigram also finds out what it’s like to be one of the seven men in the hundred-strong Bristol Cheerleading squad.
Page 34
AlexSheppard Shappard Alex
November 2nd was the biggest BUCS fixture of the season for the Bristol men’s basketball team, against fierce local rivals, UWE. The rivalry was made even more intense this year after Bristol’s coach from last season accepted the job as UWE head coach. Shaken by an agonising loss at Southampton in the season opener, Bristol were determined to overcome their early season setback in front of their home crowd. Anything less than a win would leave their chances of getting promoted crushed at the hands of UWE, who already had a win under their belt this season. From the opening tip of the game, it was clear that this was not just an ordinary season fixture. The intensity was skyhigh with both teams treating it like a championship game. UWE jumped out to an early 10 point lead but captain Dan Ratcliffe kept Bristol in the game with a series of jump shots and putbacks. Joe Scarborough also provided a spark for Bristol by knocking down some tough outside shots to prevent the deficit from growing further. The UWE shooting guard put on an impressive offensive display, scoring virtually every basket to lead his team into an 11 point 1st quarter lead. Although Bristol started strongly heading into the 2nd quarter, defensive
lapses, second chance points and a few questionable calls helped UWE maintain their lead going into the half as the score stood 39-27. The second half, however, belonged to Bristol. Led by 2nd year guards, Andy Salmon and Justin Pak, Bristol narrowed the half-time deficit. The home side’s tactics also worked to perfection, with a full-court press making them difficult to break down. With the 3rd quarter almost up, Bristol found themselves only three points behind their archrivals. Then Salmon delivered a moment of magic, when he hit a 30-foot buzzer beater to tie the game going into the 4th. The shot capped a shift in momentum as it raised the roof of the gym and injected belief that a magical comeback was on. The start of the 4th quarter saw the lead change on numerous occasions, as both teams traded baskets. Justin Pak answered nearly every basket that UWE made, putting on a remarkable personal scoring run, capped off by a deep 3 pointer. The defensive effort of Bez Tesfayohannes cannot go unmentioned as he completely shut down the red-hot UWE shooting guard. In the heated final minutes, UWE players conceded a crucial unsportsmanlike foul on an attempt of a 2-handed breakaway dunk by first year forward, James Throup. Throup had the composure to knock down both free-throws under nail biting pressure. With the game virtually won, Throup then
Inside Sport
Several members of the Bristol First XV Rugby squad competed in the Safari 7s tournament in the Nairobi National Stadium, Kenya. In Africa’s premier rugby 7s tournament, which draws elite teams from all around the world, how did the boys from Bristol get on?
Page 33 Top photo: George Sedikides
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