University of Bristol Independent Student Newspaper
www.epigram.org.uk
Monday 5th October 2015
Issue
Freshers reluctant to engage News in sexual consent workshop
Chaos on the train to Tokyo World, as students escape
Sexual consent workshops, which have been introduced as part of Welcome Week,
Emily Faint Online News Editor
It has been suggested that a lack of relevance to students, and a sense that they are already informed about consent, are key contributors to the poor attendance numbers. This sentiment wildly contrasted by the fact that 1 in 7 university age women have experienced a serious physical or sexual assault during their time at university in the UK. The sexual consent workshop delivered as part of the University’s Welcome Week 2015 was developed by the Student Union in partnership with the Somerset & Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (SARSAS). The scheme has received national publicity from The Times, The Guardian and major international site, Buzzfeed, for its sex-positive approach to teaching consent. continued on page 3
Page 3
Style Check out what the most stylish Bristol students wore to Welcome Fair this year Page 31
Features Kate Wyver visited Calais, and reports on the hardships of living in ‘the Jungle’ Page 8
Food Fast food gets a healthy Epigram/ Marissa Mir
Students at the ‘Reclaim the Night’ protest in November last year
makeover as Superfoods opens on Park Street Page 24
Epigram
One year after Epigram learned that Hall Wardens ‘had not complied’ with the University and Student Union’s initiatives to address the issue of sexual consent as a mandatory part of the Welcome Week programme, the response from incoming first years to these newly instated sexual consent talks has been described as ‘very poor’ by Manor Hall JCR President, Tom Phillips. He told Epigram: ‘They were all offered a sexual consent talk… but attendance was very poor.’ It was suggested that there had been some
miscommunication within the hall’s student body as to the real importance of the workshop, despite all residents receiving an email stating: ‘While attendance is not mandatory, we strongly encourage you to attend.’ An anonymous first year resident of Manor hall, who claimed to be one of only five students out of the entire hall to attend the talk on consent, said: ‘It was very informative. I really think things like that should be mandatory.’ Despite the University’s positive efforts to include an obligatory page on this topic in the online induction, any real engagement with the discussion of consent has yet to be seen. Lucy Freedman, a first year resident of Badock hall, reported that approximately 24 students from her unit attended the talk, with numbers varying wildly across other Stoke Bishop halls.
onto train tracks Michael Day
were ‘very informative’, yet attendence at non-mandatory sessions ‘very poor’
from an overcrowded train
05.10.2015
News Editorial
Editor: Sarah Newey
Deputy Editor Adam Becket
Deputy Editor: Becki Murray
editor@epigram.org.uk
abecket@epigram.org.uk
beckimurray@epigram.org.uk
A note from the editor
Inside Epigram Comment 15 Where are grads better off? Down South or up North? Lewis Graham discusses the geographical limitations placed on UK graduates
Travel 28 15 things that happen on your year abroad
Camilla Gash looks back on her year in France
Music 48 Tokyo World
Miss Tokyo World last weekend? Or want to relive the day? Take a look at the double page spread in Music
It’s been a bit of a frantic week at Epigram, what with Welcome Fair, changing deadlines and dealing with the national media. But we’ve definitely hit the ground running, and learned a lot in the process. Never when we first reported on the chaos en route to Tokyo World, did we expect it to receive so much media coverage. News outlets including the Guardian, Daily Mail, Bristol 247 and the Metro have contacted us asking for images and quotes, and our News Editor, Sorcha Bradley, even appeared on the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2. It’s interesting that there has been such a high degree of interest in a bunch of students forcing their way off an overcrowded train. Perhaps it’s because of the relevance of Jeremy Corbyn’s recent commitment to renationalise train companies, or because of the hugely negative and accusatory reaction of the train companies themselves, or even due to the rarity of similar incidents. Whatever the cause, I think one interesting journalistic point to emerge from the story is the ease at which situations can be manipulated and misreported in the press. Many of the original reports in the mainstream press suggested that students were unruly and wanted to disembark the train at Redland, or thought pulling the emergency cord was a laugh. From speaking to people who were actually there, it is clear that this was not the case, and demonstrates the importance of accurate research before writing articles. Everyone will have their own opinions about whether pulling the emergency cord was justified or not, but it is important to provide readers with all of the facts, not half of them. Journalism should not be about telling people what to think, but giving people both sides of the argument so they can make up their own minds.
But what is almost more concerning is the comments which have been left on articles that are so anti-students, calling us ‘spoilt kids’, or suggesting that students are ‘young idiots who think they have a right to do exactly what they want regardless of the laws.’ Students are often stigmatised in the media, and I think that if it was a group with a more mixed demographic there would not have been the same rude and prejudiced comments.
Everyone will have their own opinions about whether pulling the emergency cord was justified or not, but it is important to provide readers with all of the facts But this week hasn’t purely been about trains! Indeed another hugely important issue that has been raised is that of sexual consent. The University and Student Union has made a huge inroad in including sexual consent workshops and quizzes in Welcome Week for the first time this year. Drawing attention to the issue is vital, and I was shocked when an Epigram investigation discovered in October last year that 46 per cent of students thought a rape culture existed at Bristol. Although I think it would have been even more positive is sessions had been made mandatory, it’s great to see the University and Union beginning a discussion with students and putting the issue on the agenda.
Sarah Newey
Interested in writing for Epigram? Join a facebook group! Epigram News 2015-2016 Epigram Features Contributors 2015-2016 Epigram Comment 2015-2016 Epigram Science and Tech 2015-2016 Epigram Letters 2015-2016 Epigram Living 2015-2016
Epigram Travel Section 2015-2016 Epigram Style 2015-2016 Epigram Arts 2015-2016 Epigram Film & TV 2015-2016 Writers Epigram Music Writers 2015-2016 Epigram Sport Writers 2015-2016
Editorial team
Sport 53
2
“
Epigram
An interview with Henry Olonga
Ed Henderson-Howat interviews the former Zimbabwean cricketer who stood up to Robert Mugabe
Editor Sarah Newey editor@epigram.org.uk Deputy Editors Adam Becket abecket@epigram.org.uk Becki Murray beckimurray@epigram.org.uk Online Editor Ciara Lally ciara.lally@epigram.org.uk
Features Editor Alex Green agreen.epigram@gmail.com Deputy Features Editor Becky Morton bmorton.epigram@gmail.com
17 Stay up, take drugs, study?
Alfie Smith explores why 14 per cent of students admit to using a study drugs regularly
gobrien.epigram@gmail.com
Travel Online Editor Annabel Lindsay alindsay.epigram@gmail.com
Film & TV Online Editor Kate Wyver kwyver.epigram@gmail.com
Style Editor Hattie Bottom hattie@epigram.org.uk
Sport Editor Marcus Price mprice.epigram@gmail.com
facebook.com/epigrampaper
Deputy Sport Editor James O’Hara johara2.epigram@gmail.com
twitter.com/epigrampaper
Style Online Editor Pheobe Jordan styleonline@epigram.org.uk
Sport Online Editor Malike Ouzia mouzia.epigram@gmail.com
issuu.com/epigrampaper
What’s On Editor Ben Duncan-Duggal
Webmaster Mihai-Alexandru Cristache
Features Online Editor Richard Assheton rassheton.epigram@gmail.com Deputy Style Editor Plum Ayloff payloff.epigram@gmail.com Comment Editor Jordan Kelly-Linden jkellylinden.epigram@gmail.com
Deputy Comment Editor Stefan Rollnick srollnick.epigram@gmail.com
Deputy Online Editors Hannah Price Comment Online Editor hannah.price@epigram.org.uk Liam Marchant
Science and Tech
Online eennosdann.epigram@gmail.com
bduncanduggal.epigram@gmail.com
Chief Proofreaders Guy Barlow lmarchant.epigram@gmail.com Arts Editor Mattie Brignal Lucy Stewart Editor Comment Editor Science Editor mbrignal.epigram@gmail.com Ed Henderson-Howat Science & Technology Editor Tom Flynn Sub-editors Patrick Baker Nick Cork Alfie Smith e.hendersonhowat@epigram.org.uk Margot Tudor editor@epigram.org.uk Deputy Arts Editor comment@epigram.org.uk science@epigram.org.uk asmith.epigram@gmail.com Saskia Hume Ed Grimble Maria Murariu Deputy Editors Managing Director Letters Editor Deputy Science egrimble.epigram@gmail.com Deputy Science & Tech Esme Webb Editor Jon Bauckham Emma Corfield Rebecca Butler Emma Sackville Kate Dickinson Editor jon@epigram.org.uk Arts Online Editor Sophie Milner deputyscience@epigram.org Matt Davisletters@epigram.org.uk rebecca.butler@epigram.org.uk Ella Wills Hannah Stubbs Amy Stewart mdavis.epigram@gmail.com Culture Editor Sport Editor astewart.epigram@gmail.com hannah@epigram.org.uk Director of Operations Business Team Calum Sherwood Ryan Furniss Tom Burrows Letters Editor Hannah Lewis e2 Editor Music Editor r.furniss@epigram.org.uk culture@epigram.org.uk sport@epigram.org.uk Sophie Hunter Vlad Djuric Matthew McCrory Gunseli Yalcinkaya Johnny Battle shunter.epigram@gmail.com Deputy Culture Editor DeputyMike Sport Editor gyalcinkaya@epigram.org.uk Christensen e2@epigram.org.uk Sophie Van Berchem News Editor Zoe Hutton David Stone Living Editor Katie Llewellyn News Sorcha Editor Bradley Deputy Music Editors deputyculture@epigram.org.uk deputysport@epigram.org.uk Rashina Gajjar Alice Best Alice Young sm.bradley.epigram@gmail.com Caitline Butler rgajjar@epigram.org.uk Rachel Prince Music Editor cbutler.epigram@gmail.com news@epigram.org.uk PuzzlesOlivia Editor Mason Deputy News Editor Ellie Sherrard Nathan Comer Lily Buckmaster Deputy Living Editor Deputy News Editors Alfie Smith Abbie Scott Alex Schulte music@epigram.org.uk Amber Roberts Abigail Van-West ascott.epigram@gmail.com Head Sub Editor aschulte.epigram@gmail.com aroberts.epigram@gmail.com
avanwest@epigram.org.uk News Online Editors Jenny Awford George Clarke jawford@epigram.org.uk gclarke.epigram@gmail.com Features Editor Emily Faint Tristan Martin efaint.epigram@gmail.com features@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Music Editor
Emma Corfield
Music Online Editor Pippa Shawley Living Online Editor Sub Editors Sam Mason-Jones Will Soer deputymusic@epigram.org.uk Harriet Layhe, smasonjones.epigram@gmail.com wilso.epigram@gmail.com
FIlm & TV Editor
Kate Moreton, Rosemary Wagg
Film & TV Editor Will Ellis Travel Editor Illustrator Ella Kemp filmandtv@epigram.org.uk Camilla Gash Sophie Sladen ekemp.epigram@gmail.com cgash.epigram@gmail.com
Deputy Film & TV Editor Investigations EditorEditor Deputy Features Web Designer Ben Parr Anthony Deputy Travel EditorAdeane Deputy Film & TV Editor Andrew White Rob Mackenzie bparr.epigram@gmail.com Georgia O’Brien deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk deputyfeatures@epigram.org.ukElla Ennos-Dann
www.epigram.org.uk For the latest news, features and reviews
instagram/epigrampaper_ epigram_eats_out epigram_travel epigramstyle
Printed by: Morton’s Print Morton Way Horncastle Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Epigram is the independent student newspaper of the University of Bristol. The views expressed in this publication are not those of the University or the Students’ Union. The design, text and photographs are copyright of Epigram and its individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission.
Advertise with Epigram! Epigram has a print readership of 12,500 and is one of the best ways to advertise to Bristol students. To enquire about advertising, please contact Vlad Djuric at vd12738@my.bristol.ac.uk
News
Epigram
05.10.2015
3
@epigramnews Editor: Sorcha Bradley
Deputy Editor: Abbie Scott
Online Editors: Emily Faint; George Clarke
news@epigram.org.uk
ascott@epigram.org.uk
efaint@epigram.org.uk; gclarke@epigram.org.uk
Attendence to workshops low in many halls Mark Ames, Director of Student Services, said: ‘The issue of sexual consent is something the University takes seriously. As part of our proactive approach, all new residents were given information about sexual consent in their e-induction. The peer led workshops provided a further opportunity for students to explore their understanding of sexual consent and were attended by approximately half of all students invited. Feedback is being collated to inform how we develop these workshops in the future. ‘We hope these interventions will set a positive tone and culture around sexual consent, and help students make more informed choices in their relationships at a time when they are also having to deal with many of the other opportunities and challenges associated with starting University.’ It is clear that the University has made a major step forward with the introduction of the sessions and the partnership with SARSAS, yet, more progress needs to be made to raise engagement and awareness of consent in students.
Steve Rhodes
continued from front page Participants were required to take a quiz about the reality of UK sexual assault statistics and discuss the definitions and identification of consent. The quiz was reported on by Buzzfeed News who further outlined the required steps: ‘The quiz…presents the participant with a series of scenarios in which they have to choose whether to “play” or “stop”.’ Flora Doble, a second year Classical Studies student who attended volunteer training sessions to deliver the workshop to students, told Epigram: ‘I was already very aware of the many ‘general’ principles of consent but what I did learn were some truly startling statistics, such as 3/10 men being a victim of sexual violence at some point in their life.’ The programme focused particularly on ‘Myth Busting’, ensuring that students acknowledge the misconceptions surrounding
rape and sexual assault. Ignorance has long surrounded issues of sexual consent, with shocking figures reported by Amnesty in 2005 that around one third of people believe that women who flirt are partially responsible for their assault. Tackling the pervasive problems of victim blaming, a fundamental aspect of the rape culture Epigram reported on only one year ago in October 2014, is of paramount importance. Jamie Cross, Equality, Liberation and Access Officer at Bristol SU, told Epigram: ‘We are really pleased that sexual consent workshops have taken place this year. Not all students attended a specific workshop but there were other planned opportunities to discuss these issues via the online induction and the introductory uni smart talks. We are confident that this initiative will grow, develop and become even more successful.’ As NUS Women’s Officer, Susuana Amoah, told The Guardian: ‘We…are no longer in a position where we can continue to allow the issues women face on campuses across the UK and beyond to be ignored.’
“
Emily Faint Online Editor
Students forced to escape onto train tracks Students pull emergency alarm to escape severely overcrowded train on way to Tokyo World claustrophobic so I started panicking and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. People around us were shouting to the guys nearest to the window to smash it open.’
‘It was awful, I was trapped in the corner. I’m claustrophobic so I started panicking’
Epigram
Students walk along the tracks back to the platform.
Sorcha Bradley News Editor
at Redland Station. A third-year Computer Scientist told Epigram that ‘No one knew what was going on, the driver made an announcement over the tannoy but no one could really hear it.’ The initially jovial atmosphere turned to fear as students inside the severely overcrowded train began to panic and chant ‘Let us off, let us off!’ Describing her experience onboard the train, a third-year History student told Epigram, ‘It was awful, I was trapped in the corner. I’m
A student jumps into the luggage shelf to avoid overcrowding.
Epigram
Chaos ensued between Clifton Down and Redland Station last weekend as students travelling to Tokyo World pulled the emergency alarm to escape a severely overcrowded train. Students were forced to jump from the train and walk along the tracks in order to get back to the platform.
The incident occurred on the 14:48 train to Stapleton Road, as students traveled to attend the popular music festival Tokyo World. An estimated 150 to 200 students attempted to get on-board the two-carriage train at Clifton Down station, which was then kept waiting at the station for approximately fifteen minutes. The train eventually left the platform, only to be stopped between Clifton Down and Redland stations for approximately twenty-five minutes due to further overcrowding
One student jumped into the overhead luggage storage shelf to avoid the mass of people. The emergency alarm was then pulled, and students jumped a metre from the train onto the tracks. A female student was seen lying by the side of the track after fainting and having a panic attack on-board the train. One Aerospace Engineer told Epigram how he had to divert the crowd of people jumping off the train away from the ill student, fearing that she might be trampled. He then described how students
ran away from police officers as they walked down the tracks towards the train, causing many students to scramble up a bank and over a fence rather than walk back to the platform. A third-year Economics student described the event as ‘totally surreal.’ Another third-year Physicist said, ‘I’m glad we all got out when we did. The train driver should have either realised there were too many people and kicked us off at Clifton, or carried on to the next station before stopping.’ Speaking to Epigram, Julian Burnell of Network Rail said: ‘These individuals put themselves and others at great risk, and inconvenienced hundreds of other people. The railway is a hazardous environment, which is why railway trespass is a criminal offence, carrying a maximum fine of £1,000. We will be assisting the British Transport Police in their enquiries.’ The festival itself, however, went off without a hitch, with Tokyo World posting a heartfelt message to their followers on Facebook the morning after the event: ‘Wonderful people & beautiful vibes. Thank You x x x’
Epigram 05.10.2015
4
Bristol made car could be fastest on planet George Clarke Online News Editor
“
The Bloodhound’s goal is to reach over 1000mph
Carbon fibre panels have been removed along the side of the car to enable visitors to see some of the car’s inner workings, including its three
Bloodhound SCC at the Winter Gardens, Canary Warf, London, 25/09/15
power plants; a Rolls-Royce EJ200 Jet engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon, a cluster of Nammo rockets and a supercharged Jaguar V8 engine that drives the rocket oxidiser pump. The car also displays several key parts that have been made by 3D printing technologies, including the steering wheel which has been custom designed to match the contours of driver Andy Green’s hands.
In order for the Bloodhound to reach its maximum speeds it needs a perfectly flat area of over 12 miles long and 2 miles wide. The Hakskeen Pan Northern Cape in South Africa is the chosen destination for the record attempt, as the dried lake bed represents the nearest to a perfectly flat surface that can be found on Earth. The Bloodhound will next be seen completing some low-speed tests of about 200mph at Newquay
El Hormiguero
Jeremy Irons in 2014
Old Vic greets star
For more information about the 250th anniversary programme visit: www.bristololdvic.org.uk
Les Murray at the PoesieNacht Literaturhaus Salzburg in 2013
LiteraturhausSalzburg
return of Pink Mist, the critically acclaimed tale of three young Bristol men deployed to Afghanistan, who must now face their own personal physical and psychological battles. Further 250th anniversary productions will be revealed in November 2015. Long Day’s Journey into the Night will be the first time that acclaimed British film, theatre, television and opera director Sir Richard Eyre will have directed a production at Bristol Old Vic. It is particularly poignant as it is the place that inspired him as a schoolboy to work in theatre after seeing Peter O’Toole play Hamlet in 1957. The theatre completed the redevelopment of its Georgian auditorium, rehearsal spaces and back offices in 2012. In 2016 the theatre will begin the final phase of its redevelopment by transforming its front of house spaces which have been designed by the current RIBA Sterling prizewinners Haworth Tompkins.
World renowned Australian poet Les Murray, now 76, is due to give a reading at the Bristol Poetry Institute Annual Reading on Thursday, 1st October. He is also due to give an exclusive seminar for the English Department before the reading, which is open to all staff and students enrolled in the department. Murray is Australia’s foremost poet, and one of the leading contemporary poets writing in English, with his work being published in over ten languages.
His work has won him many literary prizes, perhaps the most prestigious of which are the TS Eliot Award (1996) and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry (1999), on the recommendation of Ted Hughes. One third year English literature student told Epigram, ‘I’m really excited to hear Les Murray perform and it’s great to see the university putting on events like this, especially in such a wonderful venue. Whilst studying poetry in tutorials can be very rewarding, there is nothing like the experience of listening to live poetry from one of the best!’ The event is to take place in the Will’s Memorial Building, 6pm. If you would like to attend the reading, free tickets are available at http://www. bristol.ac.uk/arts/research/poetry-institute/ events/.
Epigram / Adam Becket
Jeremy Irons will be helping Bristol’s Old Vic celebrate its 250th anniversary by starring in Long Day’s Journey into Night directed by Sir Richard Eyre. Britain’s oldest working theatre will be celebrating the anniversary with five productions - one from each century the theatre has been running - as well as a production of a Shakespeare play to mark the 400th anniversary of his death. So far, the theatre has revealed that the 19th Century will be represented by Jane Eyre, a production which was first staged at the Old Vic in 2014. The play, directed by Sally Cookson, will be returning from its stint at the National Theatre. Long Day’s Journey into the Night will represent the 20th century. The Pulitzer prize-winning play, written by Eugene O’Neill, captures one summer’s day in the life of the Tyrones, a dysfunctional family tied together by secrets. Lesley Manville will star alongside Jeremy Irons. The 21st Century will be represented with the
Airport in Cornwall later this year. To date, the team has raised around £40 million. It is estimated to still cost another £17 million to get through the next year. The project has received persistent help from military engineers from the Army and RAF and is about to become part of the Great Britain campaign which aims to promote the UK overseas.
Les Murray gives an exclusive talk to Bristol students Sorcha Bradley News Editor
Esme Webb News Reporter
Flikr: Paul Gravestock
Over the weekend the Bloodhound SSC went on display to a sell out audience of 8,000 people for the first time at Canary Wharf. The car, designed in Bristol, is the result of eight years of research and is hoped to beat the world land speed record. The current record of 763mph was set by the Thrust SSC back in 1997. The aim for the Bloodhound is to do 800mph next year, with the overall goal being reaching over 1000mph. The car will be driven by the current record holder RAF Wing Commander, Andy Green, who will be breaking his own record some 19 years later. The car, which is 13.5 metres in length and has a two metre high tail fin, produces more than nine times the power output of all the cars in Formula One combined.
Epigram 05.10.2015
5
Bristol charity supports male trafficking victims Unseen recieves huge grant from the Big Lotto Fund
The Home Office predicts there could be as many as 13,000 slaves in the UK alone Unseen is keen for students to get involved in their work through raising awareness and fundraising. Get Seen for Unseen from 12-18th October will be a mass participation campaign, culminating with the UK’s national Antislavery Day on Sunday 18th October. Supporters are invited to highlight slavery by wearing their brightest neon clothes and joining an event such as the Glow in the Dark event in Bath.
UN/ Martine Perrett
Unseen, a Bristol based charity, has received a grant of nearly £500,000 from The Big Lottery Fund to support them in their project to open the first 24-hour safe house for male victims of human trafficking. Unseen seeks to point out the number of male victims who have been trafficked and exploited throughout the UK, despite trafficking being seen as a crime which affects mainly women and girls. The house, which is the first of its kind in Britain, will be staffed 24 hours a day by trained staff who understand the emotional and physical support needed by male victims of slavery. Survivors will be helped to access healthcare, legal assistance, education and whatever else is necessary to help them recover and become independent members of the community again. Whilst the concept of slavery may seem alien to us in our day to day lives, this crime is not consigned to the past and continues to affect communities across the UK. The Home Office predicts that there could be as many as 13,000 slaves in the UK alone. Slavery is defined as any kind of activity where one person holds another person in compelled service. This can be anything from forcing someone to work using mental or physical threat, to treating humans as a commodity to be bought and sold. Human trafficking is an example of this type of slavery and involves the transportation of people in order to exploit them.
This can be in forms such as commercial abuse, sexual abuse or bonded labour. The refuge for male victims is just one of Unseen’s projects to combat slavery today. There is already a safe house for women in the South West and a resettlement, integration and outreach project. The charity works closely with Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council, and the importance and success of their work was recognised by The Big Lottery Fund. ‘We are delighted to receive this funding,’ Kate Garbers said, when asked about the impact of this grant. ‘It will enable us to open a dedicated centre where men with multiple, complex needs can begin to start their recovery in a safe, nurturing environment.’
“
Abbie Scott Deputy News Editor
Fans attend an MTV show last year which raised awareness about human trafficking in Asia.
Students trek across India on film-making expedition Emily Faint Online News Editor
“
Nick Riddle
The threat of man-eating wild cats is one of the greatest in the world due to rapid urban expansion ‘By the time we were up in the mountains of the Western Ghats the monsoon had hit. Combined with the high altitude, this was much colder than I’d brought appropriate kit for, and made sleeping rough extremely challenging.’ Contrary to the perception that extended travel is reserved for large budgets, the Biology and Zoology students were able to reduce expenses by sleeping on bare ground, forgoing even the basic luxury of tents. They endured sleeping in fields of
Angus Walker takes a selfie with local children
Epigram / Oli Broadmead
Nick Riddle
Oli Broadhead on the road
snakes, atop bus shelters and were even warned away from open areas following a fatal attack on a local by a man-eating leopard. Angus Walker said of the warnings they received from the villagers: ‘You cannot walk through those mountains. Not even the locals walk there.’ The threat of man-eating wild cats in India is one of the greatest in the world due to rapid urban expansion into their natural habitat, with approximately 85 people a year being killed across India by tigers alone. Given that humans were not originally a natural part of the diets of tigers and leopards, this number is only set to increase as big cats
Epigram / Angus Walker
Two Bristol University students and aspiring filmmakers, Oli Broadhead and Angus Walker, undertook a 1200km expedition on foot across India’s east and west coasts to document the human lives, culture and wildlife of the subcontinent. Beginning in the Bay of Bengal, Broadhead and Walker spent three months of the summer break following the sacred Kaveri River to the Arabian Sea, a trip akin to that taken by the wellknown English adventurer, Alistair Humphreys, who completed a similar trek across India in 2009. Oli Broadhead, a third year Biology student, who conceived of the initial idea in the spring of 2015 told Epigram: ‘The actual route ended up varying hugely from Alistair’s, but the main reasons behind it, such as cheap travel, the appeal of areas untouched by tourism and the
unique culture remained.’ The duration of the trip took the pair through India’s monsoon season, during which downpours can last relentlessly for days. ‘The greatest challenge was probably the cold,’ said Broadhead, 20.
learn to hunt humans. As a result, the danger of man-eating big cats in the area forced the pair to take a 200km deviation from Alistair Humphrey’s original route for their own safety. After returning to the UK this September, the two students intend to juggle their full-time studies with producing a documentary of their travels. Given the strong presence of nature filmmaking in Bristol with the BBC Natural History unit’s headquarters based right on Whiteladies Road and the city’s reputation as European Green Capital 2015, Broadhead and Walker hope to screen their adventures to the public and plan further expeditions in the future.
Epigram 05.10.2015
37
Tackling human trafficing
Students lose out
Rosie Riley is a final year medical student at the University of Bristol. As her third year summer project, she devised a training programme for healthcare professionals based in a general practice setting, in how to identify and manage victims of human trafficking.
‘I decided to do this because I found out how big human trafficking is. I didn’t understand why no one was talking about it.’
Rosie became interested in human trafficking when she discovered that up to one third of victims of trafficking present themselves in healthcare settings, and 13 per cent of all healthcare professionals believe that they have come into contact with a victim of trafficking at some point. This percentage was increased further
if the healthcare professional worked in maternity services. Rosie realised the potential impact of recognising victims and offering them help in a medical setting. ‘I decided to do this because I found out how big human trafficking is. I didn’t understand why no one was talking about it.’ Included in her training programme was how to identify victims of human trafficking and how to manage and refer these people during a consultation. The effectiveness of the training was measured by getting each of the trainees to fill out a pre- and postcourse assessment form rating their own knowledge and confidence in various categories. These categories covered awareness and knowledge of human trafficking; health impact of human trafficking on victims; and confidence of the healthcare workers in how to identify someone who is a potential victim. In the three week period allocated to this project, Rosie trained 57 healthcare professionals from nine different general practices and sexual health clinics from across Bristol in six separate sessions. There was a significant improvement in how
the healthcare professionals rated their knowledge and confidence. The project won ‘Best External Student Selected Component’ in the South Bristol academy.
Rosie’s report has been used in a systematic review funded and commissioned by the Department of Health
Rosie previously demonstrated her passion for tackling human trafficking last February, when she was invited to present her work at a Stakeholder’s workshop, hosted at the Royal College of Psychiatry in London. It was a conference organised to discuss how the NHS should respond to the problem of ongoing slavery. Rosie’s report has been used in a systematic review funded and commissioned by the Department of Health and some of the training tools she’s made are being used to aid Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult training in the South West.
Ben Parr Investigations Editor Students are nearly twice as likely to lose their tenancy deposits, the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) has warned. The DPS’s findings revealed that students renting accommodation in the private sector are more likely to lose at least part of their deposits than other tenants. These findings have been released shortly after the Bristol Student Union published a housing survey that found the average upfront costs, including deposits, for a student renting accommodation in Bristol is £600. Deposits are taken by landlords and letting agents to cover any loss or damage that the tenants may cause. As part of a tenancy agreement, by law, they must protect the money in an authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme. The DPS has found that less than a third of students actually receive more than 90 per cent of their deposit back at the end of their tenancy. However, this is well below the national average of more than 57 per cent.
The most common reason given for not returning the full deposit to student tenants at the end of their lease is having to clean the property, followed closely by repairs. The DPS have suggested that many students are losing their deposits simply because they do not know their rights well enough to challenge a landlord or letting agent when they do not return the deposit. This claim is backed by new research conducted by Ombudsman Services that found that British students needlessly lose out on over £335 million by not knowing their rights. The research also cited students being too embarrassed to challenge or complain to their landlords or letting agents. ‘Students must be aware of their responsibilities as tenants and act accordingly throughout their tenancy – or risk losing money when they move out,’ said Julian Foster, Managing Director at The DPS. ‘As well as asking their landlord to confirm where their deposit is protected, taking simple steps such as checking household inventories and communicating regularly with landlords can help ensure that deposits are returned in full.’
Flickr-Louise Whittle
Rees v Ferguson: Election Round 2 Abbie Scott Deputy News Editor Labour’s Marvin Rees is campaigning to become Bristol’s next elected mayor in May 2016. The election will see Rees once again standing against George Ferguson, the current mayor against whom he ran in the last election. Many are asking whether Rees, who was the favourite to win in 2012, has learned from the mistakes of his previous campaign and will gain the majority of the votes this time around. Since being defeated by Ferguson in the 2012 election Rees has taken a back seat in politics, but this May we will see the two coming head-to-head for the second time. Rees admits that his loss to Ferguson was disappointing, but believes the last election was a valuable lesson and now feels equipped to take on Ferguson again. Since 2012, Rees, a former journalist and NHS manager, has been continuing to campaign with the Labour party. He founded and directed the Bristol Leadership Programme which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop skills for employment and leadership, something which may gain him support amongst young people in Bristol. Having grown up in Bristol, Rees has witnessed first-hand the inequality felt by the people here, such as the ten-year life expectancy difference across the city. As a
“
“ “
Abbie Scott Deputy News Editor
member of the Labour party, he says his work will focus on tackling poverty. In order to do this he wants to reinvent the role of mayor to become the city leader, not just the council manager. ‘Labour must live up to its heritage and be the party of change. We cannot win this election by offering the same old politics. Equally importantly, Bristol will not benefit if it is offered the same old politics,’ Rees insisted in a recent press conference.
Ree believes the last election was a valuable lesson
Some of Rees’ initial priorities include closing the inequality gap and eliminating child poverty by building a strong inclusive economy. He plans to make Bristol a living wage city by ensuring it has high quality jobs and by prioritising the elimination of fuel poverty. Rees will be coming to give a talk to the Bristol Labour Students on Tuesday 6th October at seven p.m. at Alteregos on Whiteladies Road; this will give students a chance to ask how exactly he envisages achieving these aims. It will be also be an important opportunity for him to gain support from young people - who he claims are central to his vision for Bristol.
Epigram
05.10.2015
Features
@epigramfeatures
Editor: Alex Green features@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Editor: Becky Morton
Online Editor: Richard Assheton
bmorton@epigram.org.uk
rassheton@epigram.org.uk
The human face of the Calais crisis Kate Wyver Deputy Film and TV Editor ‘I want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark, home is the barrel of the gun and no one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore.’ 100 miles away from London there are four thousand people in a makeshift camp displaced by war, violence and broken economies. Last week I went in a group of six with £2000 to Calais to distribute aid and hear people’s stories. As we emerge from the Eurotunnel it is impossible to ignore all the wire. There are curls and spikes of razor sharp metal everywhere we look. From the roadside the camp is a mass of blue and black plastic sheeting, piles of rubble and rubbish, some parts slightly hidden in amongst the shrubbery. It is a mess. The camp’s nickname, ‘The Jungle’, feels rather apt.
Media attention has been focused on the political ramifications on the crisis rather than the human suffering of the refugees.
understand that economic migrants’ lives are also threatened because of their situations.
‘What is the solution?’ ‘What is our future?’ ‘Can you take me back with you?’ As we talk it becomes clear that people think we have answers. Someone asks advice on the best country to go to. Someone asks if it’s true that Britain are
sending trains to collect them. Everyone asks about London. More than once we are offered several thousand pounds to take someone back with us. One of the misconceptions about refugees is that they are poor. It’s not a difficult thing to believe from looking at the way they are living, but lots of them have money. They wouldn’t have been able to get this far without it as people smugglers charge thousands of pounds for their services. If the rules were different they could simply fly
from their home countries and apply for asylum. But airlines do not allow this because if someone’s application is rejected, the airline has to pay to take them back. Instead they have to be herded and hidden and constantly put themselves in danger in order to attempt to get somewhere safe.
‘What do you need?’ ‘To get to the UK.’ A lot of people ask about us. When I ask one man for a photo he refuses and insists instead on using my camera to photograph me. When I say I’m from London, nearly every time there is a kind of celebration, ‘London, London, London!’. Despite not being let through the border, they still love the UK. You can tell the hope is in England even though there is so much bitterness towards it. Lots of people back home have been asking why they need to come to England, why can’t they just stay in France? For three reasons: 1)Many speak English. 2)The application for asylum in France can take up to two years. 3)Many have lived in England before and/or have family and friends in England.
Epigram/Kate Wyver
Refugees in Calais account for as little as 1% of the total number of people seeking asylum in Europe.
I was expecting there to be more hostility towards us, but everyone is incredibly welcoming. Most of the people we pass are very friendly, far more so than back home. We are offered dates, coconut and lots of
tea and coffee. When they have next to nothing, their time, tea, trust and stories are all shared with us. Telling a stranger about a traumatic journey must make some of the attached emotions resurface so talking to us cannot have been easy. As I talk to a young man from Iraq, an English language student, a plane passes overhead. ‘Take me with you!’ he laughs up at it. ‘Sometimes you think differently. You wish you were Spider-Man.’
“
Nods and calls of ‘Hello, my friend’ greet us as we walk along the muddy paths and wind in-between tent hooks. It is hard to tell what percentage of the camp is made up of economic migrants and how many are refugees. We speak to a lot of both. The difficulty with categorising them like that is that people have sympathy for refugees as they are fleeing from war, endless military service or persecution because of their religion, but the media sees economic migrants as simply running away to move to a country where they can get better pay. A lot of people don’t
Epigram/Kate Wyver
“
From the roadside the camp is a mass of blue and black plastic sheeting, piles of rubble and rubbish.
As I talk to a young man from Iraq, an English language student, a plane passes overhead. ‘Take me with you!’ he laughs up at it. We learn how not to distribute aid as a van races past with a man dangling a jacket out the back, jeering at men on bikes, teasing them with the jacket then finally throwing it to the man at the front and pulling out another. A cameraman stands behind him, capturing it all. It causes a stir as more people see this happening, and people start to run to get what they have got in the truck. As they go further down the road they have a crowd gathering around them. Some people jump on the truck. They’ve got this on camera now. This is the image they’re going to sell in their documentary. Instead of the many ordered distributions I’ve seen where people queue and take their turn, but the public will see refugees scrabbling and stealing. It’s a sight that
Epigram 05.10.2015
9 many would find sickening. There’s a man in a suit. ‘We might be in the jungle but we still want to be clean.’ As well as the money we raised, we brought two cars filled with donations. Distributing our 200 pairs of jeans takes forever. They are incredibly picky. At first it seems funny- surely any jeans are better than no jeans? But then it begins to make sense. They need to be able to move in these and feel comfortable in them. If you had been living in the same clothes for weeks and were given an opportunity to be a bit choosy, you wouldn’t just take any old thing. I am given a tour of the nightclubs that have popped up in the jungle. I speak to a man who tells me that last night he tried to break into a lorry and failed, then got so drunk he couldn’t find his way back to his tent. The latter part of this seems like something you’d hear at Glastonbury. The former something from a nightmare.
“
Some people try to get to the UK every night. Others have given up on the UK and are looking to get to a different country, while others apply for asylum in France, ‘I’m not going to risk my life again to get to England.’ One man I spoke to said he broke into lorries every night for the first week he was in the camp. He said that every night the driver would see twenty or so of them hidden in his van, but would be too afraid they would attack him to confront them. So he would drive to the border and inform the police who would then beat up the hidden passengers. So he stopped trying. ‘I left my home because of violence. I don’t want any more.’ Some are wary of cameras and against journalism in general because of the picture the media has painted of life in the camp. But on the flip side it is the media that has created an influx of volunteers, getting the word
Refugees collect water from an unclean source.
out there. We are careful to ask before we photograph, and are prepared for a lot of rejections. At times it feels like the camp is a tourist attraction and we are being invasive. At other points people ask me if I can take a portrait of them, and it feels like a powerful tool to tell someone’s story.
‘We are treated like animals.’ ‘It’s David Cameron’s fault, he calls us insects.’ ‘My house was ash.’ ‘Our stories are too terrible.’ A man from Kosovo waves hello as he’s getting a haircut. He tells us he lived in London for ten years before being found and sent home. Seven weeks ago he tried to get to England on the train and broke his leg in four places. The night after he went to hospital his
friends got across the border. He was in hospital for twenty days and has been in a cast for the last month. He is waiting two more weeks for it to heal and will then try again. He says he doesn’t need anything. He just needs to get across. ‘I will see you again.’ When we arrive in England the journey back seems ridiculously short. That’s it. That’s what hundreds of people are dying for. On Monday I hear from Twitter that the French police have forcibly moved some people on from the camp. They’ve beaten someone up. They’ve stolen some papers and are refusing to give them back. They’ve sent bulldozers in. They are pepper spraying people and destroying their tents. I see a picture of a mass of smoke rising from a group of tents. We spoke to the people who were living in that grouping of tents only yesterday.
As I’m on the coach back to Bristol I look at the fields we’re driving through. I imagine what they would look like with five hundred tents packed into them, clothes hung over tree branches and tins being opened with knives and spoons. I wonder what it would be like if it was us instead, if it was us in that field trying to make our own way, having left behind everything we own and everyone we know. I wonder if we would invite people into our makeshift homes as they came to help out and if we would offer them tea and coffee. I wonder if we would pose for photographs without having showered for days. I wonder if we would have the resilience to keep smiling and fighting and trying. At times it seemed as though the camp could be a place for working together against a common enemy, sharing resources and stories and
Little sanitation exists in ‘The Jungle’.
hopes. But at the end of the day it is not a final destination and everyone is trying to move on. At night when they try to break into the back of a stranger’s lorry and hide for hours upon hours just waiting to be found by the driver or worse, the police, it must be the loneliest place in the world.
No one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear sayingleave, run away from me now I dont know what I’ve become but I know that anywhere is safer than here.’ ‘
- extract from ‘Home’ by Warsan Shire
Epigram/Kate Wyver
Epigram/Kate Wyver
Lebanon has taken in over 1.2 million refugees.
Epigram/Kate Wyver
People ask me if I can take a portrait of them, and it feels like a powerful tool to tell someone’s story.
Epigram
05.10.2015
10
Is David Cameron our only naughty politician? Ben Kew Features Writer
“ Another politian who has had his fair share of naughtiness has to be the nation’s Marmite, Nigel Farage.
Well, an obvious place to start would be Cameron’s aspiring successor, Boris Johnson. The shaggy haired Mayor of London has had a personal life laden with controversies and misdemeanors, notably his
extramarital affairs. Even the esteemed deputy speaker of the House of Lords, Lord Sewel, was caught up in controversy this summer when he was filmed by The Sun snorting cocaine off a woman’s breasts with a £5 note, and was consequently forced to resign. Then there was of course the parliamentary expenses scandal, which encompassed nearly 400 politicians who claimed over £100 million of taxpayer’s money for expenses that ultimately were not necessary. These examples are of course just a drop in the ocean of the shenanigans that surrounds the private lives of figures in British politics, much of which we will never hear of. Even the great Winston Churchill was known for over imbibing, mismanagement of his accounts that almost led him to bankruptcy and pursuing his romantic life with ‘Serious gusto.’ He famously said to a woman who told him he was drunk ‘I may be drunk now, but you’ll always be ugly!’ Part of what appeals to many people about Jeremy Corbyn is his clean, honest image, of a man who is principled and has little interest in exploiting his power for selfish pursuits.
Nigel Farage has attracted his fair share of media attention for scandals
This might be the case, but you can guarantee that if he manages to stay leader for the next five years, the right-wing press will dig as far as they can, and will almost certainly get results. After all, he is 66 years old and has had three wives. His naughtiness will surely be
exposed eventually. Many describe politicians nowadays as selfish and out of touch people who shamelessly pursue their own personal agendas and interests.And this may be true. However what is almost certainly true as well is that politicians are
Flikr/European Parliament
Claims surfaced earlier this week that whilst at Oxford University, David Cameron performed an ‘obscene act’ with a dead pig as part of an initiation ceremony, as well as regularly smoking cannabis. The extraordinary allegations came from a recent unauthorised biography of David Cameron by Lord Ashcroft, and led to a scandal dubbed ‘Pig-Gate’. However, is Cameron the only politician who has been exposed for having a naughty side?
shameless promiscuity. Boris is the father of an illegitimate love child, and has had multiple affairs whilst with his wife Marina. He has admitted to smoking ‘large quantities’ of cannabis whilst at Oxford. He only recently told a London cab driver to ‘Fuck off and die’ after he was heckled about his inaction over the private hire taxi firm, Uber. Another politician who has had his fair share of naughtiness has to be the nation’s Marmite, Nigel Farage, who has been held responsible for many of UKIP’s gaffes and controversies. Whilst openly expressing his love for alcohol and cigarettes, the disgraced UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom once described Farage as also having a ‘weakness for women.’ It was reported in 2014 that he had a romp with a 32-year-old UKIP press officer Annabelle Fuller, and in 2006 that he had sex seven times with Latvian TV reporter Liga Howells, before passing out and ‘Snoring like a horse.’ Figures such as former Home Secretary David Blunkett, Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten have all admitted to having
only human, and behind their slick presentation, rehearsed speeches and generic answers, the reality of their private lives can be very different. Especially if it involves drugs, claiming expenses, or calling upon their ‘droit du seigneur.’
Is student politics dominated by the left? Tom Horton Features Writer
Rightly or wrongly, it is generally assumed that universities are bastions of left wing thought. The cliché is that students become radicalised whilst at university, influenced by the left wing bias that is prevalent within higher education. This stereotype extends beyond just students but also to the university
as a whole, with academics also generally assumed to be left wing. However, closer analysis of the political views of students’ would suggest this is not entirely true. The political views of students’ at Bristol certainly do buck the national trend. An Epigram poll taken just before the election found Labour to be the most popular of the political parties, with 30 percent of students intending on voting for them. The Conservatives
perhaps not quite as decisive as some may have imagined. What is perhaps most notable about this statistic, however, is how little presence the sizable minority of right wing students seem to have within the university. For example, left wing political societies massively outweigh their right wing counterparts. Notably, there is currently no UKIP society at Bristol University, despite all other major political parties seeking election in
Epigram/Philip Bruland
Bristol Left overshadowed last years Arts and Social Sciences Protest
came in second, taking 26 percent of the vote, with the Greens gaining 20 percent and the Lib Dems 16 percent. UKIP got six percent and the SNP got two percent. Taking Labour, the Green Party, the Lib Dems and the SNP as being left wing, it seems that the Bristol student body is at least more left than it is right; supporters of these parties make up 64 percent of those polled. Whilst this does mean that left wing students form a strong majority, it is
England being represented. In addition to societies directly affiliated to political parties, there are also groups such as Bristol Left and Marxist Society that represent the left. Societies not only represent broad political standpoints, with there also being groups that campaign on more specific issues. Notably, these societies all have a very progressive feel; there are a number of groups supporting women’s rights and a number of societies that aim to protect the environment. Whilst obviously you can be right wing and support these causes, there is a clear absence of traditional, conservative campaigns within the university. It would seem that within the university, right wing and conservative views go much more under the radar than their left wing, progressive counterparts. Perhaps this is in part due to the university culture that is cultivated by academic staff. Academics, as well as students, seem to exhibit a strong left wing bias and it could perhaps be the case that students are influenced by the views of lecturers. There are many possible explanations for why right wing students seem to have a disproportionately small presence within the university, but perhaps the political climate that right wing supporters deem themselves
to be in makes them less vocal about their views as they seek to avoid conflict or fit in. In the politics department, for example, lecturers frequently make it clear that they are left wing.
” Left wing political societies massively outweigh their right wing counterparts.
The fact that right wing students seem to have a fairly muted voice could be viewed as a failing of the university to encourage a broad spectrum of political expression. Perhaps if stereotypes about the political orientation of academics hadn’t been allowed to become so ingrained then the political debate within Bristol’s academic community would be richer for the greater inclusion of different perspectives. However, the left wing student community cannot be held accountable for the right being more muted. If the stereotype that the vast majority of students are left wing is to be dispelled, then it is the job of the right to make itself heard.
Epigram
05.10.2015
119
‘Your internship could hospitalise you... but probably won’t pay you for the pleasure’
82 percent of those using unpaid interns admitted they could perform tasks that were genuinely useful.
But these experiences are extreme. You should not have to live in a tent or have a relationship with the US President in order to highlight the reality of internships. A selection of Bristol students have told Epigram
about their individual experiences as interns. We feel it’s crucial that their stories are documented and disclosed so that future interns can make more informed decisions. This summer, a third year English student from the University of Bristol interned for free at one of the world’s most renowned fashion magazines. Think ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ but minus the makeover and add the manual labour. ‘They wouldn’t be able to function without me,’ she often found herself thinking; yet this student was not paid for her contributions. The employment rights pressure group Intern Aware commissioned a YouGov study of 682 businesses and found that 82 percent of those using unpaid interns admitted they could perform tasks that were genuinely useful. This represents a potentially widespread breach of minimum wage regulations. Worse still, the internship did not provide the kind of experience that would be beneficial for a future in the fashion industry. The work she was doing consisted of ‘Taking clothes off of hangers, packing them up, and returning them,’ she told Epigram. She remembers a very specific incident where she assisted at a photo-shoot. After she had been forced to re-pack clothes, as her boss preferred the items to be on hangers, the fashion intern was then expected to take the clothing back to HQ at ten o’clock at night. This request
Epigram
Internships. We all want them, and increasingly, we all need them. But are we so desperate for the experience that we’ll contribute wageworthy work for nothing? The problem is that more often than not, working for free is an intern’s only option. Naturally, not everyone can afford this. Yet if you’re one of those people who cannot intern for free – you have no bargaining power – you are replaceable. This gives rise to a larger, more worrisome issue - the employment world appears to favour those with more money from the outset. Unpaid internships are gateways to lucrative careers such as those in law, media, and politics but they are often situated in extortionately expensive cities like London or Paris. Unpaid internships are a wealth bar. The interns who can afford unpaid work are usually affluent locals, dependent on the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’, who collectively do not promote diversity in the workplace. With employers increasingly refusing to give jobs to graduates with no prior work experience, the demand for internships is higher than ever. Our generation is facing a far more arduous struggle to find jobs than our parents did and it is this kind of desperation
that is beneficial for many employers who are seeking out interns. Unfortunately, many interns will not make a stand against their lack of pay or wish to remain anonymous out of a fear of damaging their careers; after all, the reason we all want these internships is to get a glowing reference and a chance to secure a job for ourselves. This is why the only intern abuse stories that have made global headlines include when US President of the time Bill Clinton was found to have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky - unpaid intern for the White House. Similarly, you may be aware of the Wall Street intern who died of exhaustion during his gruelling internship, or of David Hyde, the unpaid intern who lived in a tent in Geneva because he could not pay rent whilst working for free.
”
Ellie Sherrard Features Writer
On-set at a photoshoot
Ally Seyward
Elle International Conference, 2015
undoubtedly supersedes the suggested hours of any intern, especially an unpaid one. Ally, a fourth year French student from the University of Bristol, lived in Paris during her year abroad and interned at Elle magazine. She was paid 500 euros a month but accommodation cost 800 euros a month. ‘If you don’t have financial support from your parents how are you supposed to live and work in Paris?’ she told Epigram. Ally’s working hours were ‘Technically 9:30am to 6:30pm’ but she worked until 7:30pm every day and often stayed as late as 11pm. This overtime was treated as an expectation. However, the time when she felt she should have received more monetary acknowledgement was when she wrote the speech for her boss to give at the Elle International Conference, as her English language skills were a valuable resource for the company. Ally was not awarded credit in any form. At one point, Ally was admitted to hospital for suspected meningitis. Instead
she was diagnosed with exhaustion - the result of long, late, and intense hours at Elle. Ally told us that Paris is ‘Very well known for abusing interns.’ This should not be a justification. Nevertheless, Ally gained a tremendous amount of experience. She feels she could now go into any job with a confidence that she did not have prior to her internship. She also told Epigram that she enjoyed being free from the pressure of a contract.
”
Ally was admitted to hospital for suspected meningitis. Instead she was diagnosed with exhaustion
A third year Business student at the University of West England is currently interning at a public relations firm for his placement year. Yet this leading international film, television and entertainment
PR consultancy pays just £40 a week,for a year.He had originally been promised £6,000, however upon his arrival this intern was informed that the offer had in fact been retracted. As it was too late to apply for and find another placement for the year, he was forced into a year-long unpaid internship. He stressed to Epigram just how hard it is to muster the motivation to get up and go to work every day when you do not get paid. Clearly, every experience is different. What is certain, however, is that we are dependent upon our governing bodies to increase the rights of interns. Uniform regulations must be put in place that diminish exploitation and make internships available to all so that work experience does not fuel class systems. Until then, all we can do as students is be more aware – know your worth. Have you had a similarly nightmarish internship? Contact Epigram Features and write about it for us - @EpigramFeatures
Arts degree English degree
Your degree is just the start
History degree
Our training & development programmes are designed to help you learn the most from an outstanding variety of work
Science degree
Geography degree
The experience stays with you Work in: Actuarial Assurance Consulting Deals PwC Legal Tax Technology
We welcome all degree subjects at PwC. In fact last year, almost half our graduate recruits had degrees in arts & humanities, science, law or social sciences. Surprised? Don’t be. We see your degree as just the start. The foundation to providing help to take your career in all sorts of directions – from accounting to consulting and tax to technology. You need to be passionate about business and we’ll provide an environment where you can learn, grow and excel in your career. Join PwC – we’re focused on helping you reach your full potential. Take the opportunity of a lifetime pwc.com/uk/careers
/pwccareersuk @pwc_uk_careers © 2015 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved.
Create value through diversity. Be yourself, be different.
Comment
Epigram 05.10.2015
@epigramcomment Editor: Jordan Kelly-Linden Deputy Editor: Stefan Rollnick Online Editor: Liam Marchant jkellylinden.epigram@gmail.com
lmarchant.epigram@gmail.com
srollnick.epigram@gmail.com
More than just a cut in wages
Twitter reacts
Alistair explains why the changes to Junior Doctor’s contracts will leave our healthcare in tatters
Alistair Wood Comment Writer
”
apply to work abroad do so in these two countries, so it is possible we lose far more. These cuts will only compound our lack of doctors and increase the pressure on the NHS to crisis levels. There is now a growing part of me that fears this is what our government wants. Previously,
Whichever way you look at it, this deal compromises patient safety in both the short and long term.
of the NHS and a change towards an Americanstyle health insurance system. And secondly, with Labour currently regarded as unelectable by most political analysts, now would be the perfect time for a move against the NHS. This could be wrong; it is possible that the government is merely trying to continue what the International Monetary Fund described as excessive austerity measures. Even so, ideological or not, this change is bad news for the NHS. The British Medical Association (BMA) says the new contract is putting patients at risk, as it will result in junior doctors working dangerously long hours. Another point raised is that the new system will effectively result in financial penalties for those taking time out to conduct research or have children. Medical research is clearly crucial to the advancement of patient care, and while the second point is regarded as discriminatory by many, the BMA says it could still lead to further staff shortages. Whichever way you look at it, this deal compromises patient safety in both the short and long term. Although the complex junior doctor contracts could do with some reform, this is not it. If you want to help do something about this, please sign this petition so that the issue has to be debated in parliament. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108782
Flickr: Rolled Up pictures Samantha’s flickr:Sleeves
I believed the NHS to be untouchable in politics because of its near universal popularity among the electorate. However, by slowly bringing the organisation to its knees, the government could introduce significant ideological transformations to our health service. This may seem like a wild conspiracy theory, but there are two things that suggest this is the case. Firstly, there is obvious opposition amongst more right-wing Tories to a fully publicly-run NHS. This is starkly demonstrated by the fact that the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, co-authored a book in 2005 calling for the ‘de-nationalisation’
Flickr / Ileanapita
Since 2008, all we have heard from government spokespeople about bankers’ bonuses is that they could not possibly be capped or lowered, as we would lose these highly skilled workers to foreign countries. This may be true; however, the government is ignoring this principle when it comes to protecting the National Health Service. Currently, junior doctors have an initial salary of £22,636, but can earn up 50 per cent more through a complex system called banding, which requires many night and weekend shifts. By the later stages of their training, about ten years in the future, they earn an average of £56,000. Considering that those medics who started after the rise of tuition fees are expected to leave university with around £70,000 of debt - and they are also some of the brightest minds in the country - it is not like junior doctors are being overpaid. The new contract being forced upon junior doctors can be summarised as a 10 to 30 per cent pay cut. This is partly due to the scrapping of overtime pay for work from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday to Saturday, as these hours are considered ‘sociable’. Given you can be a junior doctor into your late thirties, so may have a mortgage and children to look after, this is going to make life a lot more difficult for many in the profession. Many predict that the real problem with this contract is that it makes being a doctor in the UK a far less appealing job. Is it worth becoming a doctor when you could make so much more, and work so much less, in another industry? Currently the NHS faces a shortage of GPs, psychiatrists and A&E doctors, among others. Across all 28 countries within the EU, only Slovenia, Poland and Romania have fewer doctors per head. Furthermore, the NHS is losing about 1,600 doctors (one per cent of the total) a year to Australia and New Zealand, where the pay is around 50 per cent higher and the hours a third less for a fully trained doctor. However, only half of those that
Epigram Comment’s caption competition Our Comment editors get this new feature underway, by demonstrating why they will never get a job at Private Eye
Flickr / conservativeparty
@LiamMarchant95
@JdotAdotKdotL
@StefanRollnick
Think you can do better? You probably can. Send your best captions to @EpigramComment and make sure you follow us to take part in next week’s competition!
Epigram
05.10.2015
12 14 In praise of the sports pass
London calling: where are grads better off?
Well, at least they listened... sort of
Down South or up North? Lewis discusses the geographical limitations placed on UK graduates
Jordan Kelly-Linden Comment Editor
Lewis Graham Comment Writer A recent study by the Intergenerational Foundation has suggested that university graduates may, as the Guardian put it, be ‘better off up North’ rather than migrating to London to work. Cities like Manchester and Newcastle have been touted as prime locations for balancing work opportunities and quality of life. It all sounds very promising for those students already fretting about London’s nightmarish living costs, most of whom are already well into five figures of debt. Except, really, it isn’t. It remains the case - and the Foundation’s report does not dispute this - that London remains by far the most prosperous city for new graduates. Moving there may be ‘just something you [do]’ for many, but it is not without good reason. London still boasts the largest GDP per capita than any other UK city, over ten times higher than nearest rival Manchester, and fifteen times higher than Glasgow.
“
Flickr / Flying Fin
In March of last year Epigram reported on a survey, run alongside the investigation into the cost of sport, which demonstrated that the student body was immensely dissatisfied with sport at the University of Bristol. Up to 82 per cent of the respondents said that sport at Bristol is not accessible to everyone, regardless of financial background. It was thought that the £250 upfront fee, required for students looking to represent the university in BUCS and beyond, was disproportionately expensive. Students further expressed the view that the membership prices discriminated against those from a poorer financial background, who were unable to afford the cost of joining a Focus sports club. The start of this academic year will see the implement of a brand new sports pass. So the question arrises: did Sports, Exercise and Health listen? Well, last week I spoke to Steph Harris, our Sport and Student Development officer, and the answer is: sort of. The lowest entry membership is now set at £50, which is ‘considerably cheaper for those students just looking to participate in sport on a casual level’. The cost of a gym membership, however, hasn’t changed. This part of Sport, Exercise and Health takes up the most resources and so has had to stay the same. Moreover, those looking to participate in Focus sports haven’t benefited from these changes. The top tier sports pass has increased in price by £40. As it stands, it will now cost you a whopping £290, plus the cost of the mandatory new kit supplied by our latest sponsors, PlayerLayer - and £80 or more for a club tracksuit isn’t exactly ideal when it comes to affordability. Steph would like to stress, however, that this is ‘not the end of the story’. Already a feedback form has been circulated around the sports executives and the club captains. Even if the sports pass is not yet perfect, the membership banding is thought to be the fairest and best model that they could implement in time for the start of this year. While these changes haven’t quite pleased everyone, at least we can see that the university have tried to take everyone’s concerns into account. Although clubs such as Swimming and Water Polo, who are not able to benefit from just buying the £185 Swim Active pass, are feeling a little hard done by, the sports facilities at Bristol have become a little more affordable for those students who just want to stay fit and healthy while they study.
London is ‘prohibitively expensive for most young people’.
Sought-after graduate jobs are also centralised in the capital: London boasts 18 of the top 20 UK law firms’ head offices, including all five of the ‘magic circle’ firms, in addition to the headquarters of four of the top five UK retail banks. After spending years of hard work (and money) on a degree, and given the opportunities London offers, its allure seems obvious. The closest the report comes to suggesting that job opportunities are better outside of the capital is that ‘there is a huge untapped pool of graduate opportunities outside London with businesses missing a trick by not locating in these areas’. This is all well and good, but until businesses follow this advice and move outside the capital, it remains a missed trick. The report does recommend cities like Manchester for offering decent (if not quite to the extent of London) career opportunities, with a much better quality of life in comparison. The problem, however, is that it relies on an overly narrow definition of ‘quality of life’, practically using it as a synonym for ‘cost of living’. The acknowledged reduction in elusive career opportunities outside of
London is offset - and, it would seem, exclusively - by a comparatively more affordable housing market. The real crux of the report is therefore not that graduates are ‘better off up north’ but that London is ‘prohibitively expensive for most young people’. With jobs in London unavailable to many, graduates should instead look elsewhere. In other words, many graduates, deep in student debt and unable to afford living in the capital, will have to ‘settle’ elsewhere. The report does not conclude that there are better job opportunities outside of London than previously thought, despite the use of terms such as ‘Northern powerhouse’. Rather, it simply tells us what we already know - that there are opportunities outside of the capital, though generally not as lucrative, for those who can’t afford to live in London. This is not an issue of balancing job opportunities and ‘quality of life’ as suggested, but an unfortunate and necessary compromise between career aspirations and one’s budget. Despite what the report seems to say, for many the ‘London calling’ is as strong now as it ever was; yet due to the inflated cost of living, fewer and fewer graduates will be able to follow it.
An age-old show of strength: the new Prevent strategy Darcy explains why Cameron’s new anti-terrorist policy is thoroughly flawed and seriously misguided
Darcy Rollins Comment Writer
”
But all this demonstration of strength is actually to the detriment to that which Cameron is aiming to do.
It was a rousing statement without a doubt, and one backed up by the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which enables public authorities to act against signs of terrorism and indeed goes further by imposing obligations upon them. Teachers have a statutory duty to spot signs of ‘non-violent extremism’, while universities must monitor and report students with ‘extremist opinions’. This policy is clearly focused on finding potential threats and dealing with them. This demonstration of strength, however, is
Suddenly, Banksy’s graffiti messages don’t feel like a bit of rebellious fun anymore
actually to the detriment of Cameron’s aims. It was recently reported in the Guardian that the independent reviewer of terrorism laws, David Anderson QC, has said that the new laws have the potential to play into the hands of extremists. Attempts to catch potential terrorists earlier in the process of radicalisation has translated to a ban on non-violent extremists. This, Anderson believes, could further alienate British Muslims by ‘hardening perceptions of an illiberal or Islamaphobic approach’ while aiding those ‘who peddle a grievance agenda’. There is some irony in the fact that Cameron
Flickr / Dr Case
‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime!’ A Tony Blairism to end all Tony Blairisms. Spoken before his leadership and days after the horrific James Bulger incident (the murder of a toddler by two older boys), the phrase resembled the new Labour tendency to occupy both sides of the fence. More than that, it captured the zeitgeist of the moment. In the aftermath of a catastrophe, it told a shocked public what they wanted to hear: that the government was a force to be reckoned with vis-à-vis the forces of evil etc. etc. Essentially, a message was being sent, one of reassurance, one of focus, one of certainty - and that a problem was going to be dealt with. I use the example of Blair at the height of his soundbite prowess to illuminate what David Cameron is aiming to say with the new Prevent campaign. Blair was (at one point) a man with his finger on the pulse of the public conscience, who named Diana the People’s Princess before the Royal Family knew what to say. Cameron seemed to be attempting to channel
Blair at his prime as he spoke on countering extremism: ‘Together, we can do this. Britain has never been cowed by fear or hatred or terror. Our Great British resolve faced down Hitler; it defeated Communism; it saw off the IRA’s assaults on our way of life. Time and again we have stood up to aggression and tyranny.’ Much like Blair identified crime as endangering our nation, so Cameron has identified the extremist ideology of Islam.
has actively denied any causal link between ‘grievances’ (so to speak) such as poverty and wars waged by the West, and radicalisation. By denying that any blame for radicalisation can be left at the door of the British Government, the tough and simplistic, good versus evil mindset strikes again. Although seemingly righteous, this mindset often misunderstands the situation. By ignoring the other causes of radicalisation yet attempting so earnestly to fight against it, and thus potentially contributing further to that radicalisation, the Prevent strategy is so convoluted and misguided as to be almost comical.
Epigram
05.10.2015
15
A pack of porkies: intiations and embellished truths Ed reminds us that some stories from university antics are not always exactly as they seem....
Ed Fernyhough Comment Writer Most of us by now are surely aware of Lord Ashcroft’s allegations against David Cameron in his unofficial biography of the Prime Minister, ‘Call Me Dave’ – that in his youth he placed his genitalia in the mouth of a dead pig as part of a strange university initiation ritual. ‘Pig-gate? Are you sure?’ I wondered as I first read this, and I’m certain I’m not alone in the thought. The simple answer to this verbal expression of apathetic skepticism is an assured no. Having witnessed initiation rituals personally
could have found their way to the author via lies and embellishment. They could be true in their entirety. What all these stories have in common is triviality and ultimate irrelevance. We have all heard the wild stories from initiations of people behaving in strange ways and doing disgusting things. The amount of alcohol consumed at such events is unequivocally ridiculous, and as a result the stories seem slightly more believable. And yet, personal experience has revealed a lot of drinking and vomiting but not much more. A few welcome drinks and a spontaneous night out will cement camaraderie just as much as drinking Bailey’s from a crusty shoe. The latter will provide you with a trite story that might keep a couple of pals sniggering for 30 seconds on the way to the off-license, but you’ll lose your pride and waste your student loan when you inevitably bring up a stomach full of the most random items from the latest Ocado home delivery. The former? You might actually have a good time without coming home smelling like tabasco and vomit. You might even avoid a wild allegation of indecently interacting with deceased undomesticated animals. It is usually very difficult to validate claims of misbehavior at initiation ceremonies. Whilst the incident involving David Cameron is not an impossibility, stories from these events are usually
“”
We have all heard the wild stories from initiations of people behaving in strange ways and doing disgusting things.
in the past, it is difficult to discern conclusively whether Ashcroft’s story is entirely libelous or whether it contains elements of truth. Once a group of overexcited adolescents are sufficiently imbibed, the sight of bare buttocks at these rituals is common – exposed genitalia a rarity but not unheard of. Nobody usually has a pig’s head going spare. Ludicrous stories of initiation rites frequently circulate and always seem to be unfalsifiable, usually including a lot more than foul concoctions of food and drink. Such tales include the alleged consumption of half a litre of vodka using a dead salmon as a glass, or a couple of boys being forced inside a toilet cubicle with a box of cigars, forbidden to leave until the box emptied. Are these stories true? They could have been fabricated for the sake of this article. They
Stories from these events are usually contrived though no less foul, and should be treated with the necessary skepticism.
contrived though no less foul, and should be treated with the necessary skepticism. If you want to justify your personal disdain for the man, there are better reasons. If you want to avoid petulant and salacious allegations 30 years down the line from bitter associates, avoid overly embarrassing or incriminating situations in the first place. If initiations are your idea of fun, go ahead, but remember that there are other ways of having it.
Speaker’s Corner: Why should we care about local politics?
It is a lesser known fact among university students in Bristol that in 2012, the city was given the chance to decide whether or not it wanted to elect its own mayor. Bristol was one of the lucky few - to be exact, one of the lucky 11 English cities to be given this opportunity, and now? Well, we have a mayor. And until last night, I had no idea what this meant. Anyone from Bristol who voted in the Labour leadership election would have noticed a number of other selections on the ballot paper, one of which was deciding Labour’s Mayoral candidate for Bristol. For those (me) who were too excited by Corbyn’s phenomenal win to realise that anything else was going on in the world, Marvin Rees was selected as Labour’s Mayoral candidate in Bristol. With this decision made, I wondered what was at stake in next year’s Mayoral election. In a city of extremes, where both wealth and poverty are prevalent forces, what can be achieved by a Mayor and should students care about this election? Local politics has a reputation for being slightly dull, really. Bins, housing and parking. Although
Flickr / jthornett
Holly Harper Comment Writer
seemingly mundane, these things matter and directly effect peoples’ day to day lives. If local politics is done well, it can be a vital forum for change and debate, especially on issues such as housing, which affects students as much as permanent residents in the city. I spoke to one of the leading figures within Marvin Rees’ selection campaign, Kye Dudd, on why it is so important to get a Labour Mayor elected in Bristol. One of the main talking points was the disappointment of the current Mayor, George Ferguson, an independent candidate who is running for re-election next May. Dudd argues that in both the referendum and the subsequent election in 2012 ‘ordinary people didn’t know what the mayor was’, a lack of knowledge which resulted in extremely poor turnouts in both elections. The referendum in 2012 saw a 24 per cent turnout; this fell to as little
as 10 per cent in areas with a traditional Labour vote. Dudd spoke strongly about Ferguson’s failed attempts to get more funding and power for the city, efforts that would have been more wisely directed towards the growing problem of private rental in Bristol. This is a man more widely recognised for his garish fashion than for any meaningful local policy. To Dudd and many others in the city, Marvin Rees and George Ferguson, the two leading candidates in the upcoming election, represent ‘a tale of two cities’. Having grown up in one of the poorest areas in Bristol, Rees is all too aware of the desperate situations of poverty that occur across the city everyday, whilst Ferguson has funded much of his own independent campaign. Whilst no Mayor can attempt to overturn the
savage cuts to local authorities, Dudd argues that Marvin Rees has both the experience and ideas to make Bristol a more equal and fair place. One of Rees’ flagship policies is the creation of a City Office that would become a representative board for major institutions in the city: NHS workers, university staff, the police, trade unions and businesses. This board would work to integrate the many institutions that make Bristol the city it is, a progressive strategy which would bring together the many facets of this great city - from media and the universities to businesses. Every Bristollian, students and permanent residents alike, should be able to feel the benefits of progress.
Epigram
05.10.2015
Science & Tech
@EpigramSciTech Editor: Alfie Smith
Deputy Editor: Matt Davis
scienceandtech@epigram.org.uk
deputyscienceandtech@epigram.org.uk
Super Gonorrhoea plagues Leeds
Flickr: : NIAID
Students in Leeds and the NorthEast are not only worried about essay deadlines and nights out, for a new strain of drug resistant Gonorrhoea is spreading quickly through the city. Not using protection whilst having sex may possibly result in the contraction of a super STI (sexually transmitted infection). Super Gonorrhoea was first discovered in 2011, and was probably accountable for the 19 per cent rise in infections in 2014. The treatment nowadays is normally a combination of two different antibiotics, which if the infection is caught early, usually results in little or no long term side effects from the disease. So what makes this Gonorrhoea that has been diagnosed in just under 20 patients in the North East of England ‘super’? Unfortunately, just like MRSA, it has developed antibiotic resistance to one of the most common antibiotics used to treat it, Azithromycin. This outbreak highlights several of the problems facing the NHS at this moment in time. One such issue is that despite the extensive sex education programmes that children sit through at school, unprotected sex still happens, with the consequences of STIs costing the health service millions every year. The bacterial disease Gonorrhoea affects roughly 30,000 people in the UK every year. Fortunately, we have other antibiotics that can be used (at the moment) to treat Gonorrhoea or the clap as it was once named; after
a treatment that involved clapping the affected organs between two very heavy objects. Gonorrhoea causes a thick yellow or green discharge from the sexual organs, if an infection remains untreated for a long time it can cause infertility in both men and women. A Gonorrhoea infection also increases your risk of contracting AIDS. It is easily identified via simple tests; a swab for women and a urine sample for men. As super Gonorrhoea is resistant to one of the two common antibiotics, this makes it harder to cure as doctors want to try and prevent it becoming resistant to the other treatment. They will try and monitor the patient to make sure they finish their antibiotic course properly
“
Matt Davis Deputy Science & Tech Editor
Super gonorrhoea is only the tip of the iceberg.
to prevent the infection mutating a resistance towards it. However, this extra diligence will require more time and money. Quite recently, the treatment for sexually transmitted diseases was taken away from GPs and given to local authority councils. This creates problems of deciding which council pays the bills as people who have infected each other won’t always be from the same county. An outbreak of super Gonorrhoea will require
a dialogue to be opened between different local authority councils, promoting cohesion and encouraging co-operation between them. For every one pound that is spent on the local health service, the NHS theoretically saves £12.50, so it is therefore vital that the local authorities keep to the budgets and don’t spend their STI funding on something else. There has yet to be a case of super gonorrhoea in Bristol, the outbreak appears to have localised in the North East, but as the infection is quite difficult to detect in women, chances are that it may very well have spread. The infection can be asymptomatic (no discernible signs of illness) in 10 per cent of men and roughly half of women, and so far all of the cases in this outbreak involve heterosexual partners. Super Gonorrhoea is only the tip of the iceberg. As a sexually transmitted disease, Gonorrhoea is getting a lot of publicity. However, it is important to remember that the real problem here is antibiotic resistance. How do we tackle the fast approaching situation of trying to treat mild infections (like the common cold) when all of our current stock of antibiotics are rendered useless? Antibiotic resistance was labelled as one of the top three concerns for the U.N. World Health organisation a few years ago and it is a growing problem for the UK’s doctors. The overuse of antibiotics in the past has left us with drug-resistant bacteria and a medical service now necessarily cautious when treating patients with simple infections.
App of the week: Twicket Science Writer James Green
“ On average in the UK, 10 per cent of bought and paid for tickets go unused
However, after downloading the app, I noticed that there seemed to be people getting around the pricing limitations by adding very high postage and packaging, with premiership football tickets being sold at face value (£250) but with an extra charge of £25 supposedly for couriering. This may be a way that
users are making money from the site. I asked the app developed for comment but received no reply on this issue. The larger the app’s community grows, the more prone to scalps it becomes as the early users show the way for later opportunists using just another tool to sell over-priced tickets. This is why the long term shift will probably be away from self-governing to a paid moderator(s) set-up. Whatever your opinion is on ticket touting, this app will provide a choice; between selling your ticket for a profit to the highest bidder, or selling it to someone who actually cares about the match/concert for the exact money you paid. The moral decision, at this moment in time, is left to you. Are you the die-hard fan wanting only the best for your band? Or a salesman who knows when they can make some extra cash by overpricing a ticket they don’t really care about? The choice is yours. I know which one I’d choose. (7/10) Good idea, with some excellent relative bargains to be made, but a self-policing community leaves itself open to abuse.
Flickr: : Eva Rinaldi
If you ask anyone who has ever tried to buy a ticket at the last minute, they will most likely tell you that it is a nightmare. With the buyer shelling out a lot more than the tickets are worth, ticket touts and nefarious websites cash in on your lateness. This app was designed three years ago by Richard Davies, a webpage designer, who was sick of people making money from selling tickets at inflated prices. It involves the exchange of tickets at face price or below and was originally based on Twitter (hence the name) until sheer popularity gave it its own app. The original idea was for people to give away tickets for free, as an alternative for nobody using them (on average in the UK 10 per cent of bought and paid for tickets go unused). This eventually evolved into selling tickets for face value or below, with the idea that people would rather true fans got the tickets. In 2013, the first year that the app was running, the site facilitated the exchange of 45,000 tickets (this was when app was
still linked with Twitter). The app gives you a list of tickets going in the local area with the selection ranging widely from comedy gigs, festivals and premiership football matches. The app is selfregulated with the community able to report sellers who either don’t send the tickets, or who are requesting a price above face value and so are going against the ethos of the site.
Epigram 05.10.2015
17
Clear liqueurs key to clear head Bring up drinking in a group and the conversation will often arrive at hangovers. Everyone has their own system with a theory on what drinks cause the roughest mornings. These beliefs are rarely grounded in actual research and even the scientific study of hangovers is far from complete. However, recent research has formed a loose consensus on how best to avoid a hangover.
tests were inconclusive. The study did find that factors such as lack of sleep and hydration played an important role in the subject’s ability to perform cognitive tasks the next day. When ethanol breaks down it forms aldehyde, formaldehyde and formic acid. These three are the main cause of hangover symptoms.
concentrations of methanol (which is itself highly toxic) variants. The ingestion of these other chemicals greatly reduces the body’s ability to remove aldehyde and that, at least, can cause a greater concentration to be present the next day. Water before sleeping has been shown to be far more effective than
taste and colour, they’re mostly water. So if you’re drinking spirits, have a few more glasses of water. Lastly, a human being’s tolerance to alcohol and reaction to it is partly down to their genetics. Research by the National Institute for Health (US) found that the red flush, often attribute to East Asians as ‘Asian glow,’
Theories linking genetic deficiencies as the cause of negative reactions to some drinks have already been made
Flickr: : JasonJThomas flickr:Niarwalonly
The theory behind drunkenness is simple enough. All drinks can be divided into water, ethanol and whatever else. This third group, under the umbrella term congeners, are either the by-products created in the actual process of brewing a drink, or stuff that’s added in later like preservatives and sweeteners. Congeners often give a drink its distinctive taste and colour. Without them, all a bar could serve would be ethanol dissolved in water. Darker drinks traditionally contained more congeners, but the influx of already mixed products like Aftershock and Sourz are adding a new spin on this old belief. New work at Brown University has backed up many of the conclusions made earlier by Dr. Damaris Rohsenhow. Carried out by the University of Michigan medical school in 2010, Rohsenhow’s group tested whether or not darker drinks, like Bourbon, created more severe
symptoms the next day compared to gin and vodka. The study found that the feeling of a hangover was much worse after drinking exclusively bourbon. Almost all studies on the matter accept this statement. The Brown study not only confirmed this, but extended it to other beverages such as beer and cider. It found that darker
“
Gege Brown Science Writer
spirits caused the strongest hangover symptoms. However, Rohsenhow’s research warned that although the feeling was worse, the cognitive ability
Congeners in dark drinks are often alcohols and break down to form similar compounds to the ones above. Some even contain significant
afterwards, which everyone already knew. However, dehydration plays a minor role in those people drinking beers and ciders because, despite their
is caused by a deficiency of several enzymes involved in breaking down aldehyde in many populations, including East Asians. Theories linking genetic deficiencies as the cause of negative reactions to some drinks have already been made.These theories hypothesise that the inability to break down some congeners effectively causes a higher level of trigger compounds to be present the next day. Not all humans have the same digestive abilities and it’s plausible to think that this may roll over into what drinks we can and can’t consume without severe side-effects. Research into this, and much else to do with hangovers, is still in its early phase and should be taken with a pinch of salt and a slice of lemon.
Stay up, take drugs, study? Alfie Smith Science & Tech Editor During a conversation with a few friends starting their first year, I was surprised to see the casual acceptance of study drugs as part and parcel of the university experience. I had assumed it was still a niche thing found only at medical schools and the like. It turns out, several university surveys, sadly none for Bristol, found that an average of 14 per cent of all students admit to using a study drug regularly. The numbers were higher
for Cambridge and Imperial College London. The three most often mentioned are Modafinil, Ritalin and Adderall (all US trading names). All three are central-nervous system stimulants, while the latter two rely on commonly stimulated channels such as Dopamine. There’s little long-term research on how these effect students who use them to study, this is a new trend after all. All three are clinically approved for treatments ranging from ADHD to narcolepsy to Multiple sclerosis. Each has been studied in depth for all known prescriptive side effects. Modafinil is primarily used to keep
There is also a long study by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (a non-partisan body despite the name), focused on doctors, found that a six to twelve month use period lead to a normalisation of the above average concentration of dopamine, which resulted in a feelings of fatigue and depression during detox. Another study found the change in brain patterns due to dependence on Modafinil was similar to nicotine in that the benefits from early use are lost due to the normalisation of the concentration of neuro-transmitters. Put simply, these three study drugs boost concentration because they
over-stimulate the brain. This additional focus is dependent on the brain reacting to an above typical level of neuro-transmitters. However, the effects are only temporary because the brain becomes accustomed to this level of stimulation. This is where caution should be advised. The benefits of study drugs are short-term, useful to overcome a difficult period sure, but soon they, like all other stimulants, coffee, nicotine, energy drinks, become normalised to the point where you need the boost of extra stimulants to function normally.
flickr:Nick4900
flickr:Kurt Faler
chronic fatigue sufferers, such as narcoleptics, awake and focused. On the NHS choices page you can find a long list of commonly caused side effects such as severe headaches, heart irregularities, nausea, depression and constipation. Side effects can be treated against, with their severity reduced by co-medications; however, a non-prescribed user, such as a student, has no access to these co-medications and may suffer the full weight of any side effects. For the two dopamine stimulants, all the above apply plus a host of other strange symptoms such as ‘persistent dry mouth.’ While there is nothing to stop a student getting the above side effects, there’s also the potential for other effects not listed on any label, because they are taking a stimulant that has no physiological purpose. These medications are tested on people with a deficiency, an underlying medical condition, which needs to be relieved. The stimulating effect of these drugs comes from this excess of neurotransmitters. There’s little directly on this kind of regular use by students, but there have been several studies carried out on healthy adults generally. A study on US Air Force pilots, once commonly given Adderall and Modafinil to stay alert at all hours, found chronic insomnia post-use and the inability to form healthy sleep patterns.
Epigram
05.10.2015
Letters
@EpigramLetters Editor: Sophie Hunter shunter.epigram@gmail.com
in this issue catch your eye? Hypocrites: the tabloid press’ Anything Disagree with an article? Want to respond our writers? Write us a letter and send it audacious ‘humanitarian’ U-turn toto shunter.epigram@gmail.com So, you survived freshers’week...What next? Katie Dickins Letters Writer
Flickr/ Eric E Castro
I imagine that the Financial Times doesn’t enjoy being in this ‘esteemed’ company...
Sophie Hunter Letters Editor
While some may view their sudden change of narrative as an honest experience of self-realisation, I am sceptical. Their quick retreat from scaremongering headlines with xenophobic undertones, spreading hostility and fear to the solemn questioning of how a humanitarian crisis was ever able to reach this stage seems like a frantic attempt at back peddling. The recent claims of The Sun’s ever controversial columnist, Katie Hopkins, that Britain is about to be ‘deluged by a wave of immigration’ only goes to show that the façade of humanity brought about by the photograph could and would only last so long. Within such a profit and sales driven market it seems journalistic morality goes out the window. The emotive front pages that covered of all the major daily papers on Thursday 3rd September are difficult to forget. Thankfully, however, users of social media did not fail to notice the hypocrisy of the tabloids in shaming the outcome of a culture they helped perpetuate. One Cambridge University student (@feedthedrummer) tweeted ‘Tabloids create public fever to the point the PM thinks it’s bad PR to help children, then play high horse in crisis.’ While another user (@davesgould) wrote ‘The Sun. Demonises and dehumanises refugees and migrants for years. Sees public opinion change. Publishes
this. Scum.’ Twitter user @CalsHungry tweeted ‘Daily Mail using gory images to sickly sensationalise the migrant crisis and guilt trip their reader’s apathy... without acknowledging the climate THEY’ve helped to cultivate in the first place with anti migrant, supernationalistic rhetoric.’ I am thankful their hypocrisy hasn’t gone unnoticed. The shifting narrative and tone within tabloid writing is, in my opinion, shameful. In this occasion, they have latched onto a devastating catastrophe and have used the emotion built up around the image to guilt-trip their readers, without taking any responsibility themselves. Their use of rhetorical questions is sickly sweet and almost ridiculous to read.
“ “
Personally, I have never regarded the tabloid press as institutions of high moral integrity. So besides the click-bait online content and the sensationalised headlines, the quality of content has usually deterred my newspaper choices from the likes of The Daily Mail, The Daily Express or The Sun. But regardless of my personal preference, I understand the need for a broad range of newspaper sources to suit the wide nature of the market.
Utter lack of professional and moral integrity
Nevertheless, the British media’s u-turn reaction to immigration, following the widespread publication of the heart-wrenching photographs of Aylan Kurdi: the three year old Syrian refugee whose body was found washed up on a Turkish beach in early September, exposed the extent of the tabloid press’ utter lack of professional and moral integrity.
An opportunity for them... to hop up onto the moral high ground
Perhaps the tabloid press’ sudden shift in stance really was a beautiful moment of short lived integrity within the vulture-like industry. However, it was probably was an opportunity for them, despite the hypocrisy it, to hop up onto the moral high ground and sell more papers. Well, to them I say: shame on you.
Dear first years, If you are reading this… congratulations, you survived the infamous freshers’ week! However you spent your first week of university life, speaking from experience I can safely say, the hardest part is over with. But after such anticipation and build up towards those seven days of new faces, places and names you may be asking yourself ‘what next?’ You are likely to receive a lot of conflicting messages as of how to spend your valuable time as a first year. Your peers may be telling you to treat this year as a year off. After all the stress of university applications and A Levels, why not enjoy being young in a new city surrounded by lots of exciting people and interesting things to do? Especially as for most courses the grade you receive at the end of first year doesn’t count towards your final degree classification. Others, probably your parents, will spread their pearls of wisdom by encouraging you to immerse yourself in your studies. The realist inside of you knows that keeping on top of your work this year will go some way to ensure you’re not drowning in the deep end come second and third year. And as much as you may like to deny it, you probably do find your chosen subject interesting- although not always at nine a.m. on a Monday morning! Make the most of the teachers and resources around you. Another classic first year message is to #getinvolved. University life is renowned for its huge range of extra-curricular activities, clubs and societies to join, and if you went to last Friday’s fresher’s fair you probably saw that for yourself! But it is true, there will never in your life be so many organised, cheap and fun activities at your door step. Nor are
you likely to have this much free time, until you retire at least! So whether you take up a new sport, go on the ski trip, act in a play or write for Epigram, make the most of the opportunities on offer - you won’t regret it. Another word of advice given to many a first year is to not panic when it comes to second year housing. The private market is a mine-field compared to the cushy world of halls. But don’t allow yourself to rush into living with people you don’t really like, signing for a house you know isn’t right or being scammed out of enormous agency fees without searching around the market first. It can and probably will be a stressful time, but it is very important not to get carried away - you won’t regret waiting a bit longer just to be sure about your decisions. For many of you reading, this will be your first time living away from home, and this can be a daunting prospect. Although it was only a week ago, waving off Mum and Dad may seem like a distant memory, so you may already feel the pangs of home-sickness. Don’t think any less of yourself for missing home, almost everyone will feel the same at some point. But it is sometimes useful to resist visiting home for a few more weeks. Don’t visit home if you know once you get there you might not want to come back. After all, family is only a Skype call away. But really, as much as we all like to generalise it, everyone’s first year will be widely different. There are so many factors that make up the experience, no two first years will be the same. How you choose to spend your time and the emphasis you place on studying, partying, extra-curricular activities and organising for next year is a completely personal choice. My words of advice would be to strike the balance right. This isn’t to suggest life stops after first year, far from it, but remember to enjoy your time at Bristol and make the most out of having plenty of it ahead of you.
Tweets of the fortnight: ‘*overheard at Bristol freshers’ fair Northern Society* Are you from the north: yah yah Notting Hill. #uobproblems’
@Drivad -
‘Bristol Uni have severed ties with dominos pizza and I’m seriously considering dropping out’
@Sambird92 -
‘So apparently it doesn’t matter where you’re going...you will be walking uphill. #BristolProblems’
Flickr/Zhu
@RobertDL97 -
C U LT U R E
Epigram/ Adam Becket
Epigram
05.10.2015
Arts
Editor: Mattie Brignal
Deputy Editor: Ed Grimble
Online Editor: Amy Stewart
arts@epigram.org.uk
egrimble@epigram.org.uk
astewart@epigram.org.uk
@EpigramArts
Bright young things: A day at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival Online Arts Editor, Amy Stewart, spends the day volunteering at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival to join in celebrating some of the best children and young adult authors of the moment. Adults and children from the West are flocking to the Bath Children’s Literature Festival running until Sunday 4th October. Holding events such as Q&A style talks with authors and book signings the festival will run for two weeks. This is a great event for lovers of children and young adult fiction and is a chance to hear from your favourite authors’ latest work. The festival was established in 2007 by John and Gill McLay after finding that at other literature festivals children’s events seemed second rate
“
The sheer excitement of reading oozed out of every pore of the festival
to the adults’. Now their event currently stands as the largest dedicated children’s book festival around with most events costing under ten pounds and all based in
Epigram/ Amy Stewart
WHO
writing which Ness approached in a modest and mature way. The sheer excitement of reading oozed out of every pore of the festival and was most evident when weaving through book signing queues. The queue to meet Chris Riddell was an absolute delight to help chaperone; seeing the range of fans grinning and clutching a pile of books ready for him to sign was so lovely to see – even the parents I spoke to adored the books as much as their children! As someone who was read to by my parents every night unashamedly until I was about eleven, I found this type of festival celebrating writing for a young audience an excellent and exciting way of keeping an interest in reading for a generation of children growing up in a digital world. Bath’s enormous literacy event coincides with education secretary, Nicky Morgan’s, current literacy drive announced
Patrick Ness on 24th September to increase English students’ reading abilities. Alongside David Walliams, comedian, children’s author and former Bristol student, the pair aim in five years to make British students some of the most literate in Europe with our students currently sixth in European rankings. This comes after significant research from the British Cohort Study linked greater literacy and mathematics ability with reading for pleasure. Bath’s Children’s Literature Festival has been way ahead of the game having organised the festival for 9 years running. Co-founder and artistic director of the festival, John McLay, insisted that he ‘didn’t want to tick any educational boxes whatsoever’ when I quizzed him about what he hoped children would take from this festival. Instead he stated that the festival was ‘about entertaining’ and ‘bringing children to books of their own accord’. From spending a day at the festival I felt this atmosphere and approach to reading wherever I went. Each event I attended was stimulating, exciting, and engaged with children in a way that reflected the oft-overlooked maturity they Amy Stewart possess.
WHAT
Hieronymus Bosch Painter 1450 - 1516
Flickr/ cea +
With his highly individualistic style, it is little wonder that Bosch’s art was the source of such controversy throughout the 16th century. Both the style and subject of the artist’s most acclaimed works were unconventional; for, whilst religion provided inspiration for many artists in the 16th century, few chose to represent the dichotomy of heaven and hell quite like Bosch. Changing attitudes towards art throughout the subsequent centuries have seen Bosch labelled a heretic and a fantasist, but today it is generally accepted that, although Bosch’s actual paintings were not orthodox for his time, the substance and moral values within them were in fact consistent with the ideals of heaven and sinful humanity at the time.
“
Bath’s enormous literacy event coincides with education secretary Nicky Morgan’s current literacy drive
Flickr/ T_Marjorie
Bath’s city centre. As a volunteer, my first event of the day was with Martin Brown, the wonderful illustrator of the Horrible Histories books. His talk was an exciting cartoon drawing masterclass inviting children to be creative even if their drawings were not realistic. Brown excitedly drew cartoons on alternating easels following eager suggestions from the audience ranging from carrot noses to triangular ears. All the families around me were absolutely hooked by this artistic display and attention hardly wavered even during the bite-sized history lessons that Brown slipped into the event. Following Martin Brown, children’s television presenters Sam and Mark held a reading of their first children’s novel entitled ‘The Adventures of Long Arm’. The duo dived into the first two chapters of their novel which included a lovely selection of illustrations and lots of silly jokes that went down a treat with both old and young. The giggling continued when parent-child pairs were called up on stage for a ‘How well do you know your child’ test which proved very entertaining and slightly embarrassing for one parent who wasn’t sure of his daughter’s favourite crisp flavour! My last event of the day was ‘mic roving’ for a Q&A session with young adult author Patrick Ness about his new book ‘The Rest of Us Just Live Here’ which focuses on the normal people within the fantastical worlds he creates. This talk was clearly aimed at an older audience and was set up as a formal discussion with Ness about his books and writing inspirations. The event attracted a varying age range and an abundance of questions about young adult
Bosch used religious and moral narratives as inspiration for his work, but he painted in a very unique style which was widely copied and undoubtedly influenced artistic movements to come. Triptychs, oil paints and impasto (unglazed) painting mark Bosch’s signature style; all are present in his most acclaimed and notable work, The Garden of Earthly Delights, which is a magical but macabre representation of human desires, joys and sins. Though we can only attribute 25 or so painting to Bosch in certainty, it is little wonder that his dark but fantastical works have elicited such profound responses in artists over the centuries.
Epigram
05.10.2015
41
Setting the bar high for Bristol’s poets Arts Deputy Editor Ed Grimble praises the Spoken Word Poetry and Creative Writing Society’s first Raise the Bar of the year lovely guy Miko Berry, and former teacher turned figurehead of contemporary spoken word poetry, Mark Grist. Bravely balancing works that ranged from deep personal insecurities and fears all the way through to thigh slapping hilarity, the way Berry works a crowd is tremendous. To engage with audiences on such varying emotions is testament to his skill as both poet and performer. If you do anything after reading this article, get online and watch him performing the terrific ‘150’. It absolutely blew the roof off Balloon. Since his video for ‘Don’t Flop against Blizzard’ became the first spoken word video to reach one million views on YouTube (it’s now just shy of five million), the Poet Laureate of Peterborough has
spoken word scene is. The collapse of the regular Inky Fingertips slam event last year was certainly a disappointing wobble, but thankfully it does seem to be an anomaly as far as the future of spoken word in Bristol is concerned. As well as Raise the Bar, the city boasts a number of other poetry nights with the Big Chill playing host to a monthly slam, Hammer and Tongue, and the open mic Milk still going strong at Halo, although these are just two of the plethora to put in your diaries. Raise the Bar will return again in October and if last week’s opening salvo tells us anything, it’s that the Balloon will be buzzing again to the sounds of Bristol’s finest poets for many more months to come.
been catapulted into the position of almost being the face of the UK spoken word scene. Delighting audiences with his friendly, almost conversational manner of performing, Grist’s set was a sterling end to the night. Renditions of his poems (check out ‘Girls Who Read’ and ‘Board Games’) are interspersed with anecdotes about his life and the events that led him to where he is now. The inherent distance between performer and audience is bridged, and by the end of the set you really feel like you’ve known Grist for years. The size of the audience in attendance should mean that Raise the Bar will continue to grow and develop over the coming year and is tremendously reassuring in demonstrating how strong the Bristol
Danny Pandolfi
Last year Danny Pandolfi, the then president of the University’s Spoken Word Poetry and Creative Writing Society, established Raise the Bar as a monthly night of spoken word with the dual functions of giving aspiring writers a platform on which to perform their work, whilst also showcasing some of the nation’s finest poets through guest headline sets. With its new home in the renovated Balloon Bar in the Union Building, I take great pleasure in announcing that the first Raise the Bar of the year was a stunning success, and the future of the evenings is bright indeed. For new faces, the format of Raise the Bar is simple: three hour long sections consisting of several five-minute open mic slots and a longer set by one of the month’s headliners. The words ‘open mic’ can often send shudders down the spine, conjuring up images of drunken ramblers or dreadful poetasters and are greeted with no small degree of suspicion. The standard on show at Raise the Bar was excellent, however, with spoken word veterans and greenhorns alike delivering some barnstorming verses to a warm and receptive crowd. One thing immediately noticeable about Pandolfi’s events is the palpable sense of community and camaraderie in the room, and the buoying effect this has on poets is clear to see. The night’s two headline slots were filled by European Slam Champion and all round
From the Desk Of: Corrine Altass-Hye Corrine Altass-Hye is a new poet to the Bristol scene, having only been writing and performing for just under a year. She has spent the last year working her way around the open mic events in Bristol, London and Bournemouth performing her poetry and this summer she performed at her first festival, Boomtown, for Boomtown Drugs Project. Corrine is also resident poet for Verbal Remedies in Bristol. Her writing focuses on personal experiences and opinions and has been described as being ‘as thoughtful as it is thought provoking’ by Yack! Magazine. Just before the end of the summer she was elected president of the University of Bristol Spoken Word Poetry and Creative Writing Society. Here is an extract from one of her newest poems, which Corrine performed at Raise the Bar last week, titled ‘Do I tell them?’ The full version of the poem is available in the Arts section of the Epigram website.
I forgot to shut my blinds properly last night. The sun light beams in through the slight gap I left at the bottom. I scratch my head and with squinted eyes stare directly into the sunsine. I wasn’t sleeping anyway. Yesterday, in class, during a discussion about the world, I overheard a child questioning the world. He said, ‘If the adults know that there are bad things going on in the world that hurt other people, why don’t they just stop doing all the bad things?’ Now, sat in front of me, gazing up at me, Are thirty dry, hard sponges ready to absorb whatever water pours out of my mouth and trickles into the holes that are so desperate for answers. Ashamed, I tell him I’ll answer his question tomorrow and point to the other tiny hand that’s gone up at the back of the classroom, in my desperation to avoid any further interrogation. The sun light beams in through the slight gap I left at the bottom. I scratch my head and with squinted eyes stare directly into the sunrise. That’s the reason I wasn’t sleeping anyway.
WHERE
Flickr/ cea +
Bosch lived in a city in the Duchy of Brabant, which was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Netherlands. Bosch’s most acclaimed works were bought by Philip II of Spain, and are now owned by the Prado Museum in Madrid. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Bosch’s death, however, many of Bosch’s paintings will be transferred to the Hetnoordbrabants Museum in Bosch’s own hometown. This exhibition will be a unique and moving experience, for not only will the exhibition feature the largest collection of Bosch’s works ever shown in Hertogenbosch, but it will also feature the results of the Bosch conservation and research project.
WHEN Though little is known for certain, it is widely presumed that Bosch was born around 1450, because of a self-portrait showing the aged artist which was produced shortly before his death in 1516. There are very few records of Bosch, who left no letters or diaries, and did not date his work (although he did sign it, which again was unusual for the time.) Part of Bosch’s attraction for artists in undoubtedly this intrigue and ambiguity, particularly given the unconventional stylings of his works for the time at which we presume he was painting.
WHY
Everything that we know about Bosch we have inferred from his paintings themselves, for there is very little else that we can use as a resource to inform us of Bosch’s life. Therefore, we know virtually nothing of his personality or his own thoughts on his art, and so we can only guess as to his inspirations, influences and ideals through our interpretation of his works. Today, it is widely presumed that Bosch used art as a medium to convey his thoughts on spiritual and religious truths; though many of his painting are ambigious, most of them convey some kind of spiritual metaphor - and it is left to the viewer to decide exactly what that is.
Giles Lingwood
Epigram
2015
Arts
Editor: Mattie Brignal
Deputy Editor: Ed Grimble
Online Editor: Amy Stewart
arts@epigram.org.uk
egrimble@epigram.org.uk
astewart@epigram.org.uk
@EpigramArts
Bright young things: A day at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival Online Arts Editor, Amy Stewart, spends the day volunteering at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival to join in celebrating some of the best children and young adult authors of the moment. Adults and children from the West are flocking to the Bath Children’s Literature Festival running until Sunday 4th October. Holding events such as Q&A style talks with authors and book signings the festival will run for two weeks. This is a great event for lovers of children and young adult fiction and is a chance to hear from your favourite authors’ latest work. The festival was established in 2007 by John and Gill McLay after finding that at other literature festivals children’s events seemed second rate to the adults’. Now their event currently stands as the largest dedicated children’s book festival around with most events costing under ten pounds and all based in
Bath’s city centre. As a volunteer, my first event of the day was with Martin Brown, the wonderful illustrator of the Horrible Histories books. His talk was an exciting cartoon drawing masterclass inviting children to be creative even if their drawings were not realistic. Brown excitedly drew cartoons on alternating easels following eager suggestions from the audience ranging from carrot noses to triangular ears. All the families around me were absolutely hooked by this artistic display and attention hardly wavered even during the bite-sized history lessons that Brown slipped into the event. Following Martin Brown, children’s television presenters Sam and Mark held a reading of their first children’s novel entitled ‘The Adventures of Long Arm’. The duo dived into the first two chapters of their novel which included a lovely selection of illustrations and lots of silly jokes that went down a treat with both old and young. The giggling continued when parent-child pairs were called up on stage for a ‘How well do you know your child’ test which proved very entertaining and slightly embarrassing for one parent
“ “
The sheer excitement of reading oozed out of every pore of the festival
Epigram/ Amy Stewart
WHO
Patrick Ness secretary, Nicky Morgan’s, current literacy drive announced on 24th September to increase English students’ reading abilities. Alongside David Walliams, comedian, children’s author and former Bristol student, the pair aim in five years to make British students some of the most literate in Europe with our students currently sixth in European rankings. This comes after significant research from the British Cohort Study linked greater literacy and mathematics ability with reading for pleasure. Bath’s Children’s Literature Festival has been way ahead of the game having organised the festival for 9 years running. Co-founder and artistic director of the festival, John McLay, insisted that he ‘didn’t want to tick any educational boxes whatsoever’ when I quizzed him about what he hoped children would take from this festival. Instead he stated that the festival was ‘about entertaining’ and ‘bringing children to books of their own accord’. From spending a day at the festival I felt this atmosphere and approach to reading wherever I went. Each event I attended was stimulating, exciting, and engaged with children in a way that reflected the oft-overlooked Amy Stewart maturty they possess.
WHAT
Hieronymus Bosch Painter 1450 - 1516
Flickr/ cea +
With his highly individualistic style, it is little wonder that Bosch’s art was the source of such controversy throughout the 16th century. Both the style and subject of the artist’s most acclaimed works were unconventional; for, whilst religion provided inspiration for many artists in the 16th century, few chose to represent the dichotomy of heaven and hell quite like Bosch. Changing attitudes towards art throughout the subsequent centuries have seen Bosch labelled a heretic and a fantasist, but today it is generally accepted that, although Bosch’s actual paintings were not orthodox for his time, the substance and moral values within them were in fact consistent with the ideals of heaven and sinful humanity at the time.
who wasn’t sure of his daughter’s favourite crisp flavour! My last event of the day was ‘mic roving’ for a Q&A session with young adult author Patrick Ness about his new book ‘The Rest of Us Just Live Here’ which focuses on the normal people within the fantastical worlds he creates. This talk was clearly aimed at an older audience and was set up as a formal discussion with Ness about his books and writing inspirations. The event attracted a varying age range and an abundance of questions about young adult writing which Ness approached in a modest and mature way. The sheer excitement of reading oozed out of every pore of the festival and was most evident when weaving through book signing queues. The queue to meet Chris Riddell was an absolute delight to help chaperone; seeing the range of fans grinning and clutching a pile of books ready for him to sign was so lovely to see – even the parents I spoke to adored the books as much as their children! As someone who was read to by my parents every night unashamedly until I was about eleven, I found this type of festival celebrating writing for a young audience an excellent and exciting way of keeping an interest in reading for a generation of children growing up in a digital world. Bath’s enormous literacy event coincides with education
Flickr/ T_Marjorie
Bath’s enormous literacy event coincides with education secretary Nicky Morgan’s current literacy drive
Bosch used religious and moral narratives as inspiration for his work, but he painted in a very unique style which was widely copied and undoubtedly influenced artistic movements to come. Triptychs, oil paints and impasto (unglazed) painting mark Bosch’s signature style; all are present in his most acclaimed and notable work, The Garden of Earthly Delights, which is a magical but macabre representation of human desires, joys and sins. Though we can only attribute 25 or so painting to Bosch in certainty, it is little wonder that his dark but fantastical works have elicited such profound responses in artists over the centuries.
Epigram
2015
39
Setting the bar high for Bristol’s poets Arts Deputy Editor Ed Grimble praises the Spoken Word Poetry and Creative Writing Society’s first Raise the Bar of the year lovely guy Miko Berry, and former teacher turned figurehead of contemporary spoken word poetry, Mark Grist. Bravely balancing works that ranged from deep personal insecurities and fears all the way through to thigh slapping hilarity, the way Berry works a crowd is tremendous. To engage with audiences on such varying emotions is testament to his skill as both poet and performer. If you do anything after reading this article, get online and watch him performing the terrific ‘150’. It absolutely blew the roof off Balloon. Since his video for ‘Don’t Flop against Blizzard’ became the first spoken word video to reach one million views on YouTube (it’s now just shy of five million),
the Poet Laureate of Peterborough has been catapulted into the position of almost being the face of the UK spoken word scene. Delighting audiences with his friendly, almost conversational manner of performing, Grist’s set was a sterling end to the night. Renditions of his poems (check out ‘Girls Who Read’ and ‘Board Games’) are interspersed with anecdotes about his life and the events that led him to where he is now. The inherent distance between performer and audience is bridged, and by the end of the set you really feel like you’ve known Grist for years. The size of the audience in attendance should mean that Raise the Bar will continue to grow and develop over the
coming year and is tremendously reassuring in demonstrating how strong the Bristol spoken word scene is. The collapse of the regular Inky Fingertips slam event last year was certainly a disappointing wobble, but thankfully it does seem to be an anomaly as far as the future of spoken word in Bristol is concerned. As well as Raise the Bar, the city boasts a number of other poetry nights with the Big Chill playing host to a monthly slam, Hammer and Tongue, and the open mic Milk still going strong at Halo, although these are just two of the plethora to put in your diaries. Raise the Bar will return again in October and if last week’s opening salvo tells us anything, it’s that the
Ed Grimble
Danny Pandolfi
Last year Danny Pandolfi, the then president of the University’s Spoken Word Poetry and Creative Writing Society, established Raise the Bar as a monthly night of spoken word with the dual functions of giving aspiring writers a platform on which to perform their work, whilst also showcasing some of the nation’s finest poets through guest headline sets. With its new home in the renovated Balloon Bar in the Union Building, I take great pleasure in announcing that the first Raise the Bar of the year was a stunning success, and the future of the evenings is bright indeed. For new faces, the format of Raise the Bar is simple: three hour long sections consisting of several five-minute open mic slots and a longer set by one of the month’s headliners. The words ‘open mic’ can often send shudders down the spine, conjuring up images of drunken ramblers or dreadful poetasters and are greeted with no small degree of suspicion. The standard on show at Raise the Bar was excellent, however, with spoken word veterans and greenhorns alike delivering some barnstorming verses to a warm and receptive crowd. One thing immediately noticeable about Pandolfi’s events is the palpable sense of community and camaraderie in the room, and the buoying effect this has on poets is clear to see. The night’s two headline slots were filled by European Slam Champion and all round
Arts Introducing: Corrine Altass-Hye Corrine Altass-Hye is a new poet to the Bristol scene, having only been writing and performing for just under a year. She has spent the last year working her way around the open mic events in Bristol, London and Bournemouth performing her poetry and this summer she performed at her first festival, Boomtown, for Boomtown Drugs Project. Corrine is also resident poet for Verbal Remedies in Bristol. Her writing focuses on personal experiences and opinions and has been described as being ‘as thoughtful as it is thought provoking’ by Yack! Magazine. Just before the end of the summer she was elected president of the University of Bristol Spoken Word Poetry and Creative Writing Society. Here is an extract from one of her newest poems, which Corrine performed at Raise the Bar last week, titled ‘Do I tell them?’ The full version of the poem is available in the Arts section of the Epigram website.
I forgot to shut my blinds properly last night. The sun light beams in through the slight gap I left at the bottom. I scratch my head and with squinted eyes stare directly into the sunsine. I wasn’t sleeping anyway. Yesterday, in class, during a discussion about the world, I overheard a child questioning the world. He said, ‘If the adults know that there are bad things going on in the world that hurt other people, why don’t they just stop doing all the bad things?’ Now, sat in front of me, gazing up at me, Are thirty dry, hard sponges ready to absorb whatever water pours out of my mouth and trickles into the holes that are so desperate for answers. Ashamed, I tell him I’ll answer his question tomorrow and point to the other tiny hand that’s gone up at the back of the classroom, in my desperation to avoid any further interrogation. The sun light beams in through the slight gap I left at the bottom. I scratch my head and with squinted eyes stare directly into the sunrise. That’s the reason I wasn’t sleeping anyway.
WHERE
Flickr/ cea +
Bosch lived in a city in the Duchy of Brabant, which was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Netherlands. Bosch’s most acclaimed works were bought by Philip II of Spain, and are now owned by the Prado Museum in Madrid. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Bosch’s death, however, many of Bosch’s paintings will be transferred to the Hetnoordbrabants Museum in Bosch’s own hometown. This exhibition will be a unique and moving experience, for not only will the exhibition feature the largest collection of Bosch’s works ever shown in Hertogenbosch, but it will also feature the results of the Bosch conservation and research project.
WHEN Though little is known for certain, it is widely presumed that Bosch was born around 1450, because of a self-portrait showing the aged artist which was produced shortly before his death in 1516. There are very few records of Bosch, who left no letters or diaries, and did not date his work (although he did sign it, which again was unusual for the time.) Part of Bosch’s attraction for artists in undoubtedly this intrigue and ambiguity, particularly given the unconventional stylings of his works for the time at which we presume he was painting.
WHY
Everything that we know about Bosch we have inferred from his paintings themselves, for there is very little else that we can use as a resource to inform us of Bosch’s life. Therefore, we know virtually nothing of his personality or his own thoughts on his art, and so we can only guess as to his inspirations, influences and ideals through our interpretation of his works. Today, it is widely presumed that Bosch used art as a medium to convey his thoughts on spiritual and religious truths; though many of his painting are ambigious, most of them convey some kind of spiritual metaphor - and it is left to the viewer to decide exactly what that is.
Giles Lingwood
Epigram | 05.10.2015
43
Erdkunde: The Study of the Earth Minimalism collides with banality in Wood and Harrison’s curiously empty exhibition. Mattie Brignal reviews Bristol Museum and Art Gallery’s ‘Erdkunde’ exhibition running until 3rd January 2016. Erdkunde is the result of an invitation extended to Bristol-based artists John Wood and Paul Harrison by the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery to create an exhibition inspired by the museum’s rich stockpile of geological artefacts. But Erdkunde seems oddly devoid of the spirit of works, which include the first ever geological map of Britain by William Smith and the ground breaking palaeontology of William Buckland. The exhibition is housed in a small, square, whitewashed room. All four walls are covered with a few dozen sketches, photos and words printed on paper and loosely arranged as if on a bedroom wall. Cutting diagonally across the room is a large rectangular block onto which a looping film is projected. The film takes the form of a lecture (lecture notes having been thoughtfully provided) and is silently
presented by Wood and Harrison, both bald and in their mid-forties, who stare over the camera’s shoulder, completely po-faced. Wood and Harrison’s artistic work makes thorough use of lists and Erdkunde is no exception. The piece opens by presenting the audience with a series of statements: ‘This is a lecture’; ‘This is a film’; ‘This is Figure A.’ The use of lists later returns with a vengeance: ‘Some things take a minute.’ Pause. ‘Some things don’t exist.’ Pause. ‘Some things are important.’ Pause. ‘Everything is important.’ I try and fail to remember a lecture that has dragged as long as this – aeons of geological time seem to pass. Mercifully, the pair soon set off to the countryside for a series of ten-second stills. It’s here that the film offers a glimpse of the pair’s artistic eye: a beautifully eerie shot of two empty chairs overlooking the
Epigram/ Mattie Brignal
rolling west-country hills; a spirit-level delicately poised on a tripod parallel to the horizon; a shovel suspended upright in a sleepy wheat field. All are elegant and interesting shots but no more than that. Shots of trees and fields of cows seem to just chronicle the geographical rather than explore it or tease out its nature. The final section of the film presents a dozen separate assortments of related and unrelated objects. A hairy hand swoops into shot with outstretched index finger and points to an object. We are informed via caption that this object is the most violent, foolish, important, funniest, etc. This relentless, arbitrary taxonomy gets old pretty quickly. The obsession with classification along with the prevalence of measuring instruments both on screen and on the wall is presumably a nod to the scientific quantification of Smith, Buckland and their ilk. But are the pair paying homage to the scientific method or just mocking it? This remains unclear. The wall collages also shed little light on the pair’s underlying concept. Used well, juxtaposition is a powerful tool. Putting
things that don’t belong together side by side is often wickedly employed by artists who want to disturb, amuse or challenge our lazy expectations about where things belong. Wood and Harrison’s placing of the word ‘Saturday,’ next to a 19th century topographical survey, next to a picture of a bookshelf evokes very little. The walls merely present interesting old geographical renderings and uninteresting pictures of buckets, easels, penguin hardbacks and sketches of stills from the film. The lack of interplay between the pictures prevents the collages from becoming any more than the sum of their parts. Erdkunde is far less clever, absurd and amusing than the pair’s other exhibitions. What the duo presumably intend to be a dead-pan, minimalist showcase of their clever geometric art comes across as a dull pastiche of avant-garde cinema framed by posters. The gnawing suspicion that the work is meant to showcase ‘existential comedy’ is ever-present. If the piece is meant to be funny it fails, but if it isn’t trying to be funny, what it is trying to be is anyone’s guess.
Mattie Brignal
Ros Paton: Decay of the Urban Space Brisbane-based painter Ros Paton explores the fragility of urban architecture in ‘Lamina’. Ed Grimble reviews. City planners the world over never seem to grow tired of describing various expensive metropolitan edifices as ‘long-term investments,’ ‘architectural legacies,’ or words to that effect. This endless conveyor belt of euphemisms can grow tiring to the average city dweller. It is, therefore, refreshing to see Australian-born Ros Paton expose the precariousness and physical fallibility of these structures in her latest exhibition at Bristol’s Grant Bradley Gallery, ‘Lamina.’
Artificial structures form the crux of Paton’s subject matter in ‘Lamina.’ However, the word itself has stronger medical and botanical connotations. Laminas are, in essence, layers, that sit one atop the other
Epigram/ Ed Grimble
“ Paton documents the beauty that can be found in transcience and weakness
in order to produce a larger whole. Bone and membrane structure are laminar, but Paton takes the idea a step further by applying this very organic idea to the artifice of the built environment. The artist seems to be forcing the admission that these constructions, which we revere for their resilience, are no less vulnerable than those of the natural world. In one painting, ‘Magic Wall,’ a simple wroughtiron gate and brick wall are worn down and overgrown with weeds. In a single quotidian scene Paton depicts plant matter and forged metal as both being susceptible to the same unrelenting decay. However, many of Paton’s still life compositions feel cluttered and uninteresting. In ‘Madame Stechelain’, a bell hangs in front of a breeze block wall and trestle fence. The quantity of forms offered, as well as clumsy juxtaposition of colour and line, in these kinds of images distracts the eye from what seems to be the true focus of Paton’s works: texture. The other portion of the exhibition consists of hyper close-ups of decaying surfaces. It is in these compositions that Paton’s love of palimpsest and urban degeneration
‘Gladys’, Ros Paton
seriously comes to the fore. With no sense of size or scale to be found, these pieces forgo discernible form and instead force attention towards colour and texture. In ‘Gladys’ (pictured), Paton perfectly balances elements that seem jarring to create a surface that is truly laminar. Indeed, she seems too to be documenting the beauty that can be found in this depiction of transience and weakness. The idea that our belief in the permanence of our urban structures is ultimately fallacious, and that the power of decay is largely irresistible, is certainly one that should be borne in mind when assessing urban renewal projects and city developments. The proposed Bristol Arena, with its price tag of £91 million, is one such example. Glossy artists’ impressions and spiels about the benefits to the local area shouldn’t totally mask the fact that, fundamentally, these edifices are our own insecure attempts to monumentalise in the face of the inevitable degeneration that affects all things.
Ed Grimble
BURSTRADIO.ORG.UK
Coming soon- Burst Presents! Every Saturday at the Union Bar
LISTEN LIVE FROM th 19 OCTOBER
Epigram
05.10.2015
Film & TV
@epigramfilm Editor: Ella Kemp
Deputy Editor: Kate Wyver
Online Editor: Georgia O’Brien
ekemp@epigram.org.uk @ella_kemp
kwyver@epigram.org.uk @KateWyver
gobrien@epigram.org.uk @_georgiaobrien
A gamechanger: The future of video games in the film industry Film & TV writer Sam Toller reflects on The Gamechangers - and how the gaming industry may overtake film.
Flickr / Ars electronica
GTA’s Hollywood-esque panoramic scenes
Flickr / Etahos
Flickr / El Hormiguero
Gaming is becoming increasingly immersive
Smiling Dan plays the arrogant boss in ‘The Gamechangers’
Sam Toller Film & TV Writer It’s been a good few years since Daniel Radcliffe put down his wand once and for all. After an extremely patchy period - the less said about The Woman in Black the better - there now seems to be a little magic in Radcliffe’s presence. Daniel Radcliffe stars in the BBC docudrama The Gamechangers depicting the controversy around Rockstar and the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Radcliffe plays Rockstar founder Sam Houser, whilst Bill Paxman plays Jack Thompson, a campaigner determined to bring Rockstar down. This role couldn’t be further from Radcliffe’s days as Harry. He plays the arrogant, bossy prick character with a surprising level of ‘dickheadedness’ from everyone’s favourite boy wizard. The film itself is extremely well put together, with certain scenes mimicking the camera style of the Grand Theft Auto video games. A clever use of colour differentiates between the rebellious games developers and the moral campaigner fighting against them. All the performances are reasonably strong and it’s always nice to see Joe Dempsie, forever Chris from Skins, pop up in something new. He plays the sidekick role intelligently, knowing when to play himself up and when to drop back.
“
Today’s graphical capabilities can make a PS4 game look as smooth as any feature film
As a double act, Dempsie and Radcliffe are strong, with Dempsie’s portrayal of Rockstar’s ‘fixer’ and best friend to Houser
coming into it’s own as Houser gets more and more agitated by the media. My second favourite thing about the film is the way Radcliffe’s Houser becomes progressively more paranoid over the course of the legal battle, trusting fewer and fewer of his colleagues and friends. At about two thirds of the way through it feels like watching one of the classic gangster films that the GTA series emulates. By turning this docudrama on GTA into a corporate gangster film, where the lead hero trusts nothing but his own arrogance, it captivates the viewer in an intelligent and subtle way - taking what could have been a dull documentary and making it a truly engaging watch. Now, that’s my second favourite thing about The Gamechangers. The first is that it tackles something that’s been on my mind for a while. In response to the fact that he can’t put nudity into the game, Radcliffe’s Houser exclaims that ‘These things happen in books, and films, and music all the time and no one even cares!’ Later on in the film, he tells Dempsie’s character that his dream is to see the day when video games are on par with literature and films; when video games are seen as art. It’s this small, barely explored idea within the film that interests me so much. In recent years, video games have become extremely intricate and well written, whilst today’s graphical capabilities can make a PS4 game look as smooth as any feature film. Games like The Last of Us and Heavy Rain have captivating and sensitive characters that the gamers care about, intricate narratives that are on the same level as most Netflix dramas and incredibly well formed characters based on motion capture performances from actors such as Juno’s Ellen Page. Titles like these deserve to be compared to our favourite television series, rather than being snubbed as childish games and rejected for lacking any intellectual value. Over the past few weeks, reports have been published suggesting that video games can actually be good for humans, increasing mind power, reflexes and multitasking capabilities - which thinking about it is a no brainer. The fact that it’s a virtual world doesn’t mean it can’t teach you something.
I put my good time management skills down to a misspent youth playing Sims all day. Video games, like films, allow us to be someone else for a while, to have their unique skillset and help them overcome their challenges, whether that’s saving the world in the new Call of Duty or serving up dinner in Cooking Mama. Either way, the gamer is learning something new. It may not be the entire practical skill, but they are certainly learning something about the skill set needed to complete those tasks. One upcoming game, No Man’s Sky, is set in a randomly generated universe which the player can traverse by spaceship, exploring new planets and logging rare species. This universe is so expansive that the developers had to create their own virtual space rovers to explore the universe they had created; it was so vast that even they had no idea what was in it. One of the developers mentioned that even if you only spent one second on each planet, it would still take you longer than your lifetime. It’s games like these that will be inspiring the next astrologers, astronauts and scientists to go forward and change the world. Furthermore, what defines literature and film as art anyway? They’re entertaining, sure, but then so are video games. If we can agree that literature and films have a deeper meaning, that they teach us about how to live our lives and how to interact with each other, then the day is coming when video games can most certainly offer us the same thing. Of course, some video games are more artistic than others, but just as books and films teach us about what it means to be human, so can video games. It’s unfortunately not as common as it could and should be, but even shooting games have their place in this artistic revolution, teaching us about the horrors of war, at least now and again.
“
The video game world is full of references to music, literature and film
Far Cry 2 was set in a fictional West African civil war, full of corruption and vileness. Drawing from classic literature such as The Heart of Darkness, this video game really challenged the way you saw in-game violence, as your choices would have a direct effect on the politics and lives of the country you inhabit. Their buddy system, in which a computer character would rescue you if you were dying, meant that you built a strong relationship with that buddy over the course of the game. However, these buddies could and would die on you if you didn’t have their backs - Marty Alencar dying because I’d run out of health packs was much more painful than any TV character death. He was there for me but I hadn’t had his back and now he’s gone. I can get another buddy, but it will never be good old Marty. It’s moments like these which only video games can produce, when all the fun you’re having makes you genuinely consider the realities of real world conflict. This reference to The Heart of Darkness is not uncommon for the video game world is full of allusions to music, literature and film, to the extent that it’s now difficult not to acknowledge video games in these other art forms. The world of video games is now most certainly a world in its own right, and one that cannot be ignored. It is one of the biggest industries in the UK, with many saying that computer coding is the language of the future. It’s time we brought video games out of the shadows and admired them for what they can truly bring to our lives. New perspectives, deep and meaningful stories, practical advice and lessons, moral guidance, exercise for the mind and inspiring stimulation for the soul. These are all the things that for centuries we have absorbed from popular culture. It is now time that video games be added to the list, just as Sam Houser predicted.
Epigram 05.10.2015
46 30
Experiencing a Bollywood blockbuster in Asia’s largest cinema Film & TV Deputy Editor Kate Wyver remembers her experience of viewing Bajrangi Bhaijaan at Raj Mandir, Jaipur.
Eventually everyone settles down a bit, but the chatting and cheering remains. Chants break out every so often, with one section of
travels with the girl in an attempt to return her to her mother. The film follows the geo-political difficulties of travelling between Pakistan and India and the conflicts between Hinduism and Islam. The film’s director, Kabir Khan, admitted in an interview that he ‘Needed Salmn Kahn’s super-stardom to discuss the Hindu-Muslim issue and to bring it all out in the mainstream consciousness’. For a comedy, Bajrangi Bhaijaan is rather heavy in subject matter. The film received a lot of negative press and outcry from some Hindus for its title. ‘Bajrangi’ is another name for the Hindu god Hanuman. ‘Bhaijaan’ is a word often used by Muslims to describe an elder or a close friend you respect. Some argued that associating a Muslim word with a Hindu god insulted the religion, although
Epigram / Kate Wyver
“ “
For a comedy, it is rather heavy in subject matter
‘Like walking around the inside of a wedding cake designed by Wes Anderson’
the audience replying to another. I don’t speak Hindi so I haven’t got a clue what they’re saying. This is one of the biggest obstacles of seeing a Bollywood movie - I don’t speak Hindi and this film doesn’t have English subtitles. Thankfully the acting is so overly dramatic, and the plot is fairly simple, so it isn’t hard to follow. The film, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, has become the second biggest Bollywood film of all time. The lead, Salman Kahn, is one of the most famous Bollywood actors around and is known as Blockbuster Kahn. As soon as he comes on screen, the audience roars. The same happens for his female co-star, Kareena Kapoor. Kahn plays Bajrangi, a man in India who discovers a lost little girl from Pakistan. He reluctantly takes her under his wing and then
Epigram / Kate Wyver
You’d think we were at a football match. Everyone is pushing, stepping on our toes, clambering past to their seats. Many remain standing for a while, talking to friends a few rows away. Food is dropped and drinks are spilled. Phones are shining bright. Cheers and chants ring out. We’re in Asia’s biggest cinema, the Raj Mandir in Jaipur, India. For someone who is used to small, quiet cinemas in England where the most prominent distraction is loudly crunched popcorn, this is chaos. The Raj Mandir, often referred to as the ‘Pride of India’, is a spectacle in itself. Being there felt like walking around the inside of a wedding cake designed by Wes Anderson. The walls are covered in looping icing-sugar pastel patterns. The carved ceilings are spectacular. Even the bathroom is a work of art. The eccentricity of the space makes you feel like you’re in a movie set, about to be filmed yourself and projected onto the enormous screen draped in red curtains. The film starts as soon as the audience are let in, so the opening credits are barely noticed through all the hustle and bustle. People continue to talk as the credits fade and the dialogue begins. It’s almost as if it’s just an unwelcome disruption in the background.
this contrast is what the director was aiming to help fix through the message of the film. While I understood the premise of the film, admittedly bits got away in my inability to speak the language. I’m still not quite certain why a rather moving moment between a young girl and her mother was interrupted by an upbeat song about selfies, or later why there was another song about chickens. However, I was so swept up in the drama and over-exaggeration that the odd anomaly didn’t really matter. To say the least, my first Bollywood film was quite an experience.
Scream Queens
Film & TV Writer Tom Besley reviews the TV oddity born from the mind of the creator of Glee that has a shocking new tone.
It’s a stylish and inspired take on the horror/dark comedy genre
Much of the work done in these episodes aids in setting up the series’ big mystery – who is the Red Devil and why is he hunting the girls? Flashbacks to twenty years earlier colour the sorority and characters’ backstories
Scream Queens - ‘Glee meets American Horror Story’
while weird quirks and motivations pop up all over the place, making it impossible to begin making predictions at this early stage. It’s a large cast and all of them feel like they could be murdered by the Red Devil in the coming weeks, making this show an exciting and addictive one. All in all Scream Queens is bound to be a hit and anyone who feels like they can stomach the show’s more shocking side will definitely find there’s fun to be had here. It’s a stylish and inspired take on the horror/ dark comedy genre and as long as it’s able to keep its momentum up, this should be an exciting and hilarious season of television.
Do you agree with Tom? Join the discussion online @Epigram Film to let us know! No more accapella for Lea...
Flickr /David Shankbone
The main conflicts of these opening episodes come from sorority president Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts) who clashes both with moralistic new pledge Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels) and the brutal antagonist embodied by the new college dean Cathy Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis). The script is filled with zingers and put-downs as the girls’ hilarious squabbles provide much of the series’ dark humour. For the most part it is highly amusing, but sometimes threatens to veer into more mean-spirited territory, particularly when characters such as the heavily put-upon Ms. Bean and the questionablynicknamed Deaf Taylor Swift get involved. The death scenes delivered are also all suitably nasty and the special effects quite disturbing.
“
The script is filled with zingers and put-downs
For the most part, however, the show is terrific fun, propelled forward by a psychedelicpop soundtrack that fits perfectly with the fast pace and the brightly-designed sets. The humour is often on point as well, satirising the girls’ preoccupation with partying overtaking appropriate measures against imminent danger - most notably in a scene where one of the girls absurdly texts and tweets as she is being murdered by the Red Devil. Both Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis take great pleasure in chewing up the scenery and so far provide an exciting focus for what lies ahead. The more toned-down Grace, most likely the series’ final girl, isn’t as soft or timid as other horror protagonists either, keeping pace and challenging Chanel on each count of the sorority’s insane requirements. Supporting cast members Nasim Pedrad and Niecy Nash both shine in comic roles on the side as sorority chief and terrible security guard respectively.
Flickr/ vagueonthehow Flickr / Maureen Barlin
Fox’s Scream Queens is both stylish and gruesome; transferring the horror/ slasher genre onto the small screen in a fusion that critics have labelled ‘Glee meets American Horror Story’. Is it any good? We’ve watched the first two episodes to find out. Scream Queens is the latest project from Glee creator Ryan Murphy, focusing on sorority Kappa Kappa Tau whose members are being hunted and murdered by the mysterious Red Devil.
Epigram 05.10.2015
47
Everest Film & TV Editor Ella Kemp reviews the newly released blockbuster Everest, and tells why it fails to live up to our high expectations. Disappointment is a terrible feeling. If I don’t enjoy a film, I like being able to blame it on something - an unimaginative script, poor acting, flimsy visual effects or another weak link in the production. The problem with a disappointing film is that you know that it should have been good and that every ingredient was there, yet it still fell flat. I’m sad to say that this is what happened with Everest.
The film tells the true story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster and the survival attempts of two expedition groups. I’ll be honest, the trailer had got me extremely excited. Films depicting a true story seem to be more credible, have a more intense dramatic core and tend to pack a bigger punch overall. Add to that a fantastic star-studded cast and very impressive visual effects and you have the biggest hit of the year, surely? Alas, my broken heart tells you that’s not always true. The truth is, Everest is a film that lacks an identity. It tells a fascinating true story about hope, ambition and survival, portraying some terrifying situations and terrific adventurers. The problem is that whilst the story itself is captivating, the film is not. The
“
Flickr / PunkToad Flickr / James C Farmer
“
The truth is, Everest is a film that lacks an identity
first half feels incredibly slow as we watch the climbers prepare themselves for their feat while the actors make small talk, mere shells embodying the real life climbers’ characters. Once things kick off we have mountains, storms and climbers sliding in and out of the screen and frankly all over the place, making the film feel like quite an unenjoyable and irregular rollercoaster. The atmosphere goes from being flat to invasive, and the film rarely made my heart pump quite as hard as it did, surprisingly, while watching the trailer. The characters we meet in this film should be endlessly fascinating - but through their layers of mountain gear and thick kiwi accents no emotion transpires, thus demoting them back to their primary role of actors. They are credible for extremely short periods of time, which is a shame, as from time to time there are truly some stand out moments. No surprises from the likes of Clarke, Gyllenhaal and Brolin, but John Hawkes was a particularly enjoyable element for this writer. The film’s aesthetics seem to be quite confused. The original score dances on an emotional spectrum, building up tension quite gradually one minute and pumping adrenaline into the thinnest air with the next. In terms of visuals the viewer is blessed with some stunning aerial shots of the mountains, before zooming in on the frozen and broken climbers. Perhaps true to reality, lining side by side natural beauty with human struggle, it makes for a visually messy and frustrating aesthetic experience. Now the question is, are Everest’s various flaws and issues due to the crew’s creative
Mount Everest, on which the blockbuster is set
decisions, or do they come from the actual problem of cinematic adaptation itself ?
The overall production suffers from a too-many-cooks syndrome
The story the film decided to tell is phenomenal and must definitely be heard by the world, but was film necessarily the best medium with which to do so? A story that focuses on such a short
period of time, featuring extremely intense and high danger situations involving, at the end of the day, such ordinary people, isn’t necessarily embellished by a disaster/drama/adventure film which strips the story of its emotional depth with big names and bigger visual effects. Everest isn’t a bad film as such, as that would imply it was void of any value. It tells a fascinating story and the intentions are undeniable. However, the overall production suffers from a too-many-cooks syndrome in which all the various elements congregate towards an essentially messy and disappointing blockbuster. Live and learn. Everest is showing at Odeon and Showcase now.
What’s On?
What can I do in Bristol this week? Head over to Watershed for Checking in... Brunches, a series of four screenings every Sunday of October telling the trials and trebulations of cinema’s hotel dwellers. The series promises big hits starting with Key Largo, opening the event on October 4th.
Sam Toller Co-Director of InHouse Media
Editors’ Picks
Georgia Online Editor
The Martian
Macbeth
The Walk
In cinemas September 30th
In cinemas October 2nd
In cinemas October 9th
Every time this trailer has come on in the cinema I’ve been embarrassingly excited. Having fallen head over heels in love with Interstellar and being a sucker for a true story - and a nice helping of Matt Damon - I am counting down the days until I see this film.
Adapting tricky so see how depiction anti-hero
plays for the screen is always I’m waiting in trepidation to this turns out. Fassbender’s of Shakespeare’s most famous is sure to be memorable.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in this new blockbuster about the man who walked between the towers of the world trade centre. It’ll be fascinating to watch Hollywood’s approach to this true event in comparison to the 2008 documentary Man on Wire.
Fargo
How to End Poverty in 15 Years
Parks and Recreation
Coming to Netflix on October 12th
aired September 23rd
Out now
The Coen Brothers are up there with my favourites, so when they created a TV spin off of one of their best films it went down a storm in my books. Season 2 returns on October 12th and promises to be as fantastic as the first one.
Professor Hans Rosling fascinating insight into could eradicate one of biggest problems in this documentary. Catch it
leads this how we the world’s investigative on iPlayer.
Watching a series after it has finished airing has its advantages, namely being able to binge watch almost a whole season in one sitting. The show had me hooked from the start with hilarious storylines and well-developed characters. I have only three episodes left to watch as I write this and I’m genuinely sad that it’s going to be over soon!
Epigram/Ella Kemp
Kate Deputy Editor
Flickr / Pockafwye
Flickr /eLENA tUBARO
Flickr /Sam Javanrouh
Ella Editor
Films to Faces
1. Shaun of the Dead It’s just hilarious. It’s the only film I can watch over and over again, and every time I watch it I’ll notice something new. 2. Pulp Fiction Because it’s just cool. It just is. I can’t explain. I’m sorry. It just is. 3. High Fidelity It’s about a record store owner who loves lists. There’s a bit where he gets interviewed for a newspaper, like this, and they ask who his top five artists are. He gives them five and then he asks if it can be seven instead. He keeps ringing her up to change the list. And that is this question. I know that tomorrow I will come up with a different list of three films and think those are my favourite. Who would you like to see interviewed next for Films to Faces? Tweet us @EpigramFilm with your suggestions!
Epigram
05.10.2015
Music
@epigrammusic Editor: Gunseli Yalcinkaya gyalcinkaya@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Editors: Alex Schulte; Caitlin Butler aschulte@epigram.org.uk; cbutler@epigram.org.uk
As someone who loves The Streets, seeing Mike Skinner dj at Tokyo World was kind of like watching your best mate attempting a dj set, after having bought his first decks quite recently. His mixing skills are really not fantastic, and he played handful of the same tracks I saw him play back in February, but you can’t deny the strength of his charisma, something his mc repeatedly referenced with calls of ‘you are now watching a living legend!’ The set wasn’t artful in any sense, but it was still very enjoyable, with selections like his own ‘Blinded By The Lights’ mixed into modern reggae classics like Damian Marley’s ‘Welcome To Jamrock’, with Skinner nonchalantly chatting over the top from time to time.
Online Editor: Sam Mason-Jones s.masonjones@epigram.org.uk
Tokyo World is back... and so are the students The newly renamed Tokyo World hit Bristol this Saturday with serious force, building on what is now becoming a pre-term staple in the student calendar and beyond. Now seemingly a well-oiled machine, the entrance to the festival itself was hassle-free. Regardless of the long walk around the edges of Eastville Park, we were eventually met with short queues and quick security checks. First up was Jeru the Damaja, who started the day off at the After World stage. With some well-scratched 90s beats accompanying his own distinct flow, he turned up the festival heat in the early afternoon sun. Despite an unsuccessful attempt at crowd chanting and handing over to The Beatnuts for the last half hour, the set continued strong. Jeru appeared later by the side of the stage, spliff and beer in hand, happy to chat and enjoy the rest of the day. After relishing some weighty sounds from Submotion Orchestra, a course was set for Leeds stalwart Paul Woolford and something a bit more upbeat. Playing a set of funk and disco based techno, whilst dropping the occasional break beat tune, he more than obliged, bringing one continuously euphoric groove atmosphere to his hour and a half set. It was then all too natural to drift over to the Tokyo Hi-Fi stage, which, armed with the RC1 sound system, boasted the trio of Aba Shanti-I, Mala and Coki. The slow crescendo of Aba’s set perfectly set the scene for Mala, who, instead of dropping those well-worn classic heavyweight tunes, played out new material – evidence of a scene now fully renewed as a hive of energy and creativity. This new material pushed the assembled crowd of bass heads to feverish levels of hype. It also created a climactic release, only fulfilled by the simultaneous explosion of a fresh VIP of Kahn’s Abbatoir and the fireworks from the main stage ‘volcano’. Despite having this to live up to, Coki certainly managed to pick up where Mala left off, dropping old school DMZ tunes for the dub-heads, then gradually moving to more of a mix between dubstep and grime. There can certainly be no doubt that the decade old combination of Malibu & Coke has not grown any less potent. Wrapping up proceedings at Alfresco Disco was Leon Vynehall, whose jazzy techno tracks and precision mixing provided the perfect soundtrack for a winding down dance, as well as throwing up many a shout for ID’s. Despite a couple of dodgy sound systems, Tokyo World has again displayed the strength of the Bristol music scene, as well as the famed enthusiasm of the city to get down. // Charlie McNelly //
Epigram 05.10.2015
4925
It’s five thirty at the Blast stage, and the crowd have just sung a somewhat halfhearted rendition of happy birthday to Kurupt FM’s MC Grindah. It’s was an odd note to end a pretty solid set, but not to worry, as the revellers soon livened up again as the inimitable Sir David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan MBE positively bounced onto stage. There’s something undeniably comic about a 67 year old imploring you to ‘Pull up’ and ‘Give me some signal’ . Rodigan, however, played this to his advantage by prefixing his pleas with ‘If you’re from the West Country’, ‘If your Mum loves reggae’ and a personal favourite ‘If your Dad’s a drum and bass fan’ – he got plenty of signal on all three counts. The set was something of a potted history of reggae, dub, jungle and drum and bass, with nods to Stephen Marley, Shy FX, and Shabba Ranks, but new music took centre stage later on. The veteran DJ proved he isn’t out of touch by dropping Major Lazer’s ‘Watch Out For This’ and Solo 45’s newly released ‘Feed ‘Em To The Lions’, much to the rapture of the now huge crowd who belt out the hooks. Rodigan is dynamic, and, above all, fun. There are few better combinations than reggae music and the Bristol sunshine. // Milo Giles // The South West’s own bass legends The Stanton Warriors had the assembled masses whipped into a maelstrom of a party atmosphere long before the lights went down at the Afterworld stage (a fifty foot fire and laser-spewing volcano) and the roadies began to tune up. The anticipation is palpable; no one wanted the music to stop. The thirst for rhythm is soon quenched though, as Tokyo World bill-topper Roots Manuva (aka Rodney Smith) stepped onto the stage and his bassist thumped out the bassline to ‘Bashment Boogie’. The South London rapper’s backing band are tight throughout, on only their nineteenth gig together, and the singer is especially impressive. The set peaked with UK rap anthem, the brilliantly British ‘Witness (1 Hope)’, where Smith waxes lyrical on the merits of ‘Pints of bitter’ and ‘Cheese on toast’. Towards the end he was visibly put out by being told he’s running out of time and apologised profusely for missing out songs off his new album Bleeds, set for release on the 30th of October. This dampensedthe mood a little, but didn’t compromise the hip-hop/funk/bass majesty of the music. The obligatory post-festival fireworks get the gasps but the real awe was reserved for Roots Manuva. // Alex Schulte // As someone who loves The Streets, seeing Mike Skinner DJ at Tokyo World was kind of like watching your best mate attempting a DJ set, having bought his first decks pretty recently. His mixing skills are really not fantastic, and he played handful of the same tracks I saw him play back in February. You can’t deny the strength of his charisma, though, something his MC repeatedly referenced, with calls of ‘You are now watching a living legend!’ The set wasn’t artful in any sense, but it was still very enjoyable, with selections like his own ‘Blinded By The Lights’ mixed into modern reggae classics like Damian Marley’s ‘Welcome To Jamrock’, with Skinner nonchalantly chatting over the top from time to time. // Will Soer //
BESTIVAL 2015
Epigram
50
05.10.2015
Any aficionado of ‘indie’ music worth their salt simply must have an inherent and longstanding disdain for, as an example, the genius of Abba. Beyoncé is respectable, purely for her ingenuity in building such a successful career. Plus she is friends with the President. Taylor Swift is doing wonders for the music industry. Lady Gaga is simply a woman with an interesting and controversial image. Music journalism can often point out what pop stars do outside of their musical career, not what they are actually famous for. In short, pop artists simply aren’t respected for doing what they do best: making music. In my humble opinion, this is a mistake. It is so easy to observe the lyrical genius of someone like, say, Alex Turner, or Thom Yorke. Yes, it is true, The Libertines have released an album fairly recently. But ask yourself this; is it any good? Or is it good because you are conditioned to think it so? Kudos, and no offence intended, if you genuinely do like the Libertines; there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone is always entitled to their own opinions. But if you like them because you think it’ll score some points when you put them on at your next pre-drinks, then shame on you. Let us examine another recent album release; Emotion, from the Canadian pop-starlet, Carly Rae-Jepsen. This album is as close to perfect pop as anyone could possibly dream of. It is fairly difficult to feel miserable when listening to such joyous and infectious tunes. Is Miss RaeJepsen cool? One would think not and some may avoid listening to her album as a result. But it seems very silly to like or dislike a band or artist purely with the intent of maintaining a ‘cool’ credibility, such as it is. Why put yourself through listening to music that you may or may not secretly despise in order to enhance your image?
flickr:: doblecachanilla
We should completely embrace the fantastic and wonderful nature of the beast that is popular music. There is some genuine intelligence and incredibly enjoyable songs amongst the weekly Top 40 chart. So what, not all pop artists write their own music? Someone clever does, and they are given due credit through extensive royalties. Elvis Presley didn’t write his music, whereas Katy Perry has written almost everything she’s ever released. Frank Sinatra did not pen his lyrics, and neither did Marvin Gaye compose such classics as ‘Heard It Through The Grapevine’. Ke$ha, meanwhile, has co-writing credit on nearly all her songs. So stick that in your metaphorical pipe and smoke it. Sure, there is rubbish amongst pop music, like there is in any genre. I could never say every pop song released since The Beatles is worthy of praise. But there is some true brilliance; anyone who claims that they do not like Taylor Swift’s music is almost definitely lying to themselves on some, perhaps deeply hidden, level. However, I ask why hide it? What is the harm of finally putting the snobbery aside and admitting to yourself, yes, One Direction do actually have some pretty fun tunes? Have a long hard think about what your favourite Rihanna song really is; mine is Pon De Replay. And that is not with a single hint of irony. It’s a good song. Need I remind those who continue to naysay popular music that it is popular for a reason? A lot of people enjoy the music that is in the charts; they do actually purchase it. The genre is, by very nature of its definition, aimed to appeal to the masses. And this it does. But it does this with skill. If you put pop music in its context, you can respect or despise it, like you can a song in any genre. It is fair enough to turn one’s nose up at something that a majority like, and instead listen for hours to something that no one will have heard of, if what is unknown is genuinely more to your taste. There is indeed pleasure in being the first to find good music, and maybe showing off about it to your friends. But it seems fruitless to genuinely prefer something simply because no one has heard it yet, and completely disregard a song that is actually rather pleasurable to listen to, but is also playing on Capital FM. There really isn’t anything destructive with listening to your instinct. It’s probably right. So next time you’re considering what to put on your party playlist, if you really want to put on some edgy, underground, house music, fine, go for it. But if you secretly have the desire to blast some vintage Gwen Stefani, then please just accept it. Let your guilty pleasure be guilty no more.
fli c
kr :J
an
a
Be
am
er
Let’s listen to pop music more... Deputy Music Editor Caitlin Butler argues that although we might seek to avoid pop music because we think it is uncool, we should instead should lose a bit of inhibition and embrace our inner Swiftie...
Epigram 05.10.2015
25 51
Battles La Di Da Di Warp September 18th, 2015 7/10
If there is one way to describe Battles’ new album, it is, quite frankly, weird. La Di Da Di is aptly named, as the album is an entirely instrumental forty-nine minutes of riffs and bass structures. Battles employ some clever use of synths; these are certainly original, if nothing else. Each song is carefully structured and there is not a note out of place. Individual songs aren’t totally striking, but the piece as a whole manages to be very self-contained and pleasing in its clearly drawn boundaries. It is both introspective and exploratory at the same time; ‘Dot Com’ is perhaps most evidential of this; the song moves in entirely unexpected places, yet completely works and leaves you with a sense that the tune has gone exactly the way you wanted it to. Although La Di Da Di may not be revolutionising the face of synth pop and rock, it is still worth having a little groove to.
Caitlin Butler, Deputy Music Editor
The Dead Weather Dodge and Burn Third Man Records September 25th, 2015 8/10 Dodge and Burn, The Dead Weather’s third studio album, crackles with their trademark intensity and eccentricity. Opening track and lead single ‘I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)’ sets the tone with Alison Mosshart’s bluesy drawl soaring over a huge Led-Zeppelin-esque riff. Jack White’s contribution to the album is greater than it was for Horehound or Sea of Cowards, adding to his virtuosic drumwork (see Mile Markers) a couple of brief and brilliant guitar solos and rambling vocals on the gloriously weird ‘Three Dollar Hat’. White’s prevalence means that the songs come closer to his solo work than before. However, that’s no bad thing, and Mosshart in no way lets him overpower her. The album ends on the completely unexpected note of the heartfelt melodic piano ballad ‘Impossible Winner’ which, quite incredibly, complements the rest of the album’s crazed atonal moments beautifully. We’ve had to wait five years for this Nashville blues-rock super-group’s return to the recording studio, but damn. It’s been worth it.
Milo Keevil-Giles, Music Writer
Ought Sun Coming Down Constellation Records September 18th, 2015 9/10
Despite the descent suggested by its title, Sun Coming Down, Ought’s sophomore effort is shot through with light as the Montreal post-punks step out from the midnight of their compelling debut. The eight tracks of the album mark a subtle update of the band’s sound, providing evidence of a sonic step forward whilst retaining the essential component parts of the debut from which we could rarely wrench our gaze. In terms of delivery, frontman Tim Darcy continues to channel pure Mark E. Smith, his voice identical to the ageing pioneer on the barked chorus of lead single ‘Men for Miles’ and the stream of consciousness pleasantries of startling centrepiece ‘Beautiful Blue Sky’. Typically tight and with an evident enjoyment in their song-writing cajones, this is an incredibly potent record which brings a glimmer of sunlight to the dark underbelly of the Canadian music scene. This is a band who have an immovable grasp on exactly what they are doing and where they are going.
Sam Mason-Jones, Online Music Editor
Kurt Vile b’lieve i’m goin down Matador September 25th, 2015 8/10
Kurt Vile’s latest release is his most accomplished to date. Despite leaving behind his lo-fi bedroom recording beginnings, he has retained the feeling of intimacy which has underlined his past works. The opening track ‘Pretty Pimpin’ is Vile’s chance to do what he does best. His simplistic lyrics and thumping guitar riffs add up to far more than the sum of their parts. In true Vile style, he brushes off his dark tale of existential discovery with an unorthodox brand of humour, serenely coming to the conclusion, ‘I’m pretty pimpin’. Just as he recorded this album at studios spanning all the way from the east to the west coast, the tone of the album is equally diverse. From the mellow vibe of ‘Life like this’ to the heavy riff and banjo picking of ‘I’m an outlaw’, Vile has condensed the essence of his multifaceted back catalogue into twelve tracks. Referring to b’lieve I’m goin down… he said ‘I really wanted it to sound like it’s on my couch’, and this pretty much sums up the album. It effortlessly combines his roots in folk and country music with a wholly more grown up approach to production. The couch-like charm of his early home recordings remains but as an overall experience, Vile’s music has this time matured into something that really works.
William Bouette, Music Writer
Epigram invites you to our COFFEE AFTERNOON! Do you want to meet the team and other writers? Do you want to get more involved with Bristol’s best society? Then look no further… Head to Mocha Mocha at 3pm on Friday 9th October for coffee and FREE cake!
*Cake free when you buy a coffee
Sport Edward Henderson-Howat Deputy Online Editor
53
‘I didn’t necessarily change the situation in Zimbabwe but I did something, I didn’t stay silent.’
‘We didn’t do a lot [...] but we did something, and I think if you do something you lessen the opportunity for regret because we at least spoke out against the injustice.’ Olonga’s final lesson was to quote the tale of the Good Samaritan and question who his
neighbour really was. ‘It’s the guy in Zimbabwe who is beaten by the police and doesn’t have a voice, it’s the disenfranchised voter who can’t express their right to vote, it’s the MP who’s been beaten up and gets a little footnote in the paper, it’s the person who’s been told they won’t get food aid unless they vote for the ruling party. It’s the widow who doesn’t have a voice to represent them. ‘So hopefully when I get to the end of my life I can look back and think I didn’t necessarily change the situation in Zimbabwe but I did something, I didn’t stay silent.’ And how many of us, in sport and in life, can say the same? Epigram Sport would like to thank the Bristol CU for organising the event and giving us the opportunity to speak to Olonga afterwards. Flickr: Football wallpapers
”
this heinous stuff,” and he was right because somewhere inside of me I was not allowing myself to stay silent.
Flickr: Bob Flickr: Bob
Flickr: Moral definition
For some it could be the end, and for many this is where the Olonga story finishes. However, in interview, Olonga spoke in great depth about the rock in his in his tumultuous life – his Christian faith. ‘Professional sport is very much up and down. When you win you have the heights of euphoric joy [...] when you lose, it sucks. If you get your sense of importance from the highs, when you hit the lows it can make for very dark valleys and then when you hit the highs with the pendulum swinging the other way you can drink yourself silly to celebrate.’ ‘My faith throughout my career kept me very well grounded and gave me the right
perspective on life - that winning wasn’t too important […] there are sports people who have done everything they can to win: taken drugs or they’ve cheated. If winning becomes too important to you, you can do immoral things and one of the things about my faith is that it made me look at my sport [...] in a very balanced way.’ It is also through his faith that Olonga reaches one of his most surprising conclusions: ‘I have nothing to forgive Mr. Mugabe for because I’m not the one he sinned against, I’m not a victim of his brutality. ‘The problem with us human beings is that we like to judge horizontally, we think “he’s a worse sinner than me” [...] so we can stuff ourselves up with pride and think “oh I’m so glad I’m not like them” – I think to judge is ultimately left to God. ‘I don’t have much beef with Mugabe personally but there are other people who do and I was trying to represent them but as far as I’m concerned I won’t be one of those people who condemns him.’ A final question was whether he regretted his actions. ‘My life changed, there is no doubt about that, my life is a shadow of what it was. I was an international cricketer who would be raking it in if I was still playing now. I found myself unemployed as a former cricketer, a “has been”. ‘But’, and after a long pause he said ‘it was a time when people needed to speak out and there were people who had a voice in Zimbabwe not speaking out.’ With a genuine sense of pain Olonga described some of the atrocities. Pregnant women who had their babies cut from their wombs, mothers who had their eyes gouged out with machetes and were burned alive. ‘Make of that what you will but the world stood by and said nothing, many people could have stood against it but chose not to.’ This, it seems, was Olonga’s choice. Carry on playing cricket for Zimbabwe and act like nothing was happening, or risk his entire career by taking a stand. ‘One of the things that Andy said to me was “we will regret this in 50 years’ time if we don’t take this opportunity to speak against Flickr: Tim REckmann
“ ‘I have nothing to forgive Mr. Mugabe for because I’m not the one he sinned against, I’m not a victim of his brutality.’
05.10.2015
An interview with Henry Olonga the man who stood up to Mugabe
Flickr: Real Madrid HD
The word courage is used far too often in sport. No one can seriously contend that the act of hitting a ball or taking a catch requires true courage, but when Henry Olonga stepped onto a cricket field in Zimbabwe 12 years ago, he demonstrated every facet of the word. In sporting a black armband to mourn the death of democracy in his country he risked his life, his livelihood and his family at the hands of Robert Mugabe. Now exiled in England, he recounted his story at an event organised by the Bristol Christian Union, and spoke in person to Epigram Sport afterwards about his remarkable journey. Olonga was the first black person to play Test cricket for Zimbabwe, but following his historic debut in 1995, he began to discover some of the horrors that were going on in his country; in his own words, ‘some of those stories churned my stomach’. The crunch came in the early 2000s when farms across the country were ‘repossessed’ or invaded by Mugabe’s henchmen, with political opponents being thrown in prison, beaten and tortured. At the time, one farmer put it to him and star player Andy Flower that they ‘could not fight a World Cup in 2003 in good conscience without challenging what is happening in this country’. Olonga and Flower then hatched a plan to wear black armbands in their opening World Cup match. ‘We wanted to let the world know that we disagreed, we wanted to let the world know that they needed to pay attention to what was happening in the country’. The fallout was massive. Following his protest he revealed that ‘they wouldn’t even let me take drinks onto the field, so I really got ostracised by the authorities and my team […] they didn’t even want me on the balcony at one point.’ Many of these decisions were coming from the management, but while Flower was still allowed to play Olonga was not. ‘Andy had the support of the team because they said they wouldn’t play if he didn’t play. But’, he added quietly, ‘I had no support.’ By now, however, the fallout in the dressing room was the least of his worries. ‘I got death threats and had to leave the country in the midst of the World Cup.’
Epigram
Epigram
05.10.2015
54
The Premier League in Europe: where did it all go wrong?
bank. Five Premier League teams are in the world’s top 10 richest, 14 in the top 30 and all 20 of last season’s teams are in the top 40. Tottenham are richer than Atletico Madrid, West Ham are richer than Roma. On the field that means that Stoke can afford the wages of Xherdan Shaqiri, Crystal Palace can sign Yohan Cabaye, Everton can pay £28 million for Romelu Lukaku.
“
if English clubs want to start competing in Europe again they just have to do one thing: get better at winning football matches.
Yet you must be careful what you wish for. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga, a Bundesliga devoid of the usual competition of a decent Borussia Dortmund team, at a canter. Having secured the title in April they shut down, losing three of their remaining four league games as well as their cup semi-final with Dortmund on penalties. The result in Europe? Failure. They went to the Nou Camp and were hammered 3-0. It could, and should, have been more. They put up a decent fight in the return leg, winning 3-2, but the damage was done. So is the Premier League paying the price for being the self-proclaimed greatest league in the world? Maybe, but probably not. Perhaps it’s simply that we’re not good enough anymore. Messi and Ronaldo aside, freaks of nature that they are, the Premier League has the
individual talent to compete with anything its European cousins have to offer. For every Suarez there’s an Aguero, for every Bale a Hazard, every Neuer a De Gea. Yet time and time again, on the biggest stage, English clubs come across as tactically inept. Arsenal and Chelsea’s exits last year, at the hands of Monaco and PSG respectively, were not down to a lack of talent, lack of fitness or even a lack of desire. Both were down to a gross disregard for game-management. Having pulled a goal back, with the score at 2-1 in the home leg, Arsenal should have taken their medicine, shut up shop and gone to Monaco
with the tie in the balance. Instead they poured forward, were hit on the break and went out on away goals. When PSG went down to 10 men at Stamford Bridge Chelsea should have seized the initiative and put the game to bed. Instead they sat back, allowed PSG to stay in the game and (shock) eventually went out on away goals. And herein lies the answer. Yes, Bayern are good, so are Madrid and Barca aren’t bad either. And yes, the Premier League is perhaps more physically and mentally demanding. But if English clubs want to start competing in Europe again they just have to do one thing: get better at winning football matches.
Flickr: Marc Puig i Perez
There was a time, between 1976 and 1982, where for six seasons on the trot the European Cup found its way across the channel to this green and pleasant land. The trophy rooms of Anfield, Villa Park and the City Ground all played proud host to the old trophy, known affectionately as big ears. In 1984, Liverpool won it again, capping an unprecedented era of success for the clubs of a single nation in Europe. But between 1985 and 1990 English clubs would be absent from Europe’s premier competition, banned as punishment for the role of Liverpool fans in the Heysel Disaster. Manchester United’s 1999 victory represented the only success in an otherwise barren 20 years. Two decades of non-participation and then failure, ended eventually by Liverpool’s memorable 2005 penalty shoot-out win over AC Milan. Yet where United’s Nou Camp triumph represented a false dawn, Liverpool’s night of glory in Istanbul heralded a new era of success. Of the following seven finals only one was without English participation, and one was an all-England affair. However, in the last three seasons no English club has reached European football’s showpiece finale. And it’s not just the lack of finalists that’s alarming. Between 2007 and 2009, there were three seasons in a row with three English semi-finalists. In two of the three most recent seasons the Premier League hasn’t even had a
quarter-finalist. So why the decline? One argument is that the standard has never been so good. Rarely, if ever, have three teams of the calibre of the current Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona outfits co-existed. Of that trio one (although interestingly never two) has reached the final of every competition since 2009 and only two have been won by anybody else. The concentration of such a bulk of Europe’s footballing talent amongst so few teams is remarkable. Between the 2010 World Cup, 2012 European Championship and 2014 World Cup there were 33 available starting berths on the winning side. 25 of them were filled by players of one of the ‘big three’ and the 26th, Jordi Alba, joined Barcelona immediately after Spain’s Euro 2012 success. Of the 12 most recent Champions League exits by English clubs , eight have been accounted for by either a knockout defeat to Barcelona, Bayern or Real, or failure to qualify from a group containing one of them. Opponents in the final during England’s period of dominance in the late 70s and early 80s included Malmo, Borussia Monchengladbach and Club Brugge. Another argument is that the competitiveness of the Premier League is detrimental to European performance. The clichéd phrase ‘no easy games at this level’ does genuinely seem to ring true of the English top flight. In 2014-15 Chelsea and Manchester City combined won three games by four or more goals. Barca and Real? 21. The cause of such competitiveness lies, inevitably, off the field. In the
Flickr: Ben Sutherland
Malik Ouzia Online Sport Editor
Epigram
05.10.2015
55
English Phoenix from the Ashes Epigram Versus
memberships are available for £63.50. Furthermore, the University of Bristol does not offer a discount on memberships to those who pay earlier in the year. Both the University of Liverpool and the University of Birmingham have an early-bird discount, with Liverpool offering first-year students a £32 discount and Birmingham offering all students £35 off if they buy memberships early on in the year. However,Bristol’s gym memberships are not as expensive as those offered by the University of Bath. Peak gym membership costs £269 at Bath, while off-peak gym is still an eye-watering £199. Nevertheless, at Bath a sports pass is included free of charge as part of tuition fees. This gives students there free access to the swimming pool, tennis, squash and badminton courts, as well as to the indoor sports
“
Continued from back page...
To use a footballing cliché, the series is perhaps best described as a tale of two halves - or in fact two types of pitches
way they batted. In England’s camp, Adam Lyth and Jos Buttler could not buy a run, while Ian Bell’s shaky form puts doubts over his Test future. If it was not for the brilliance of the omnipresent Joe Root and some effective seam bowling from the likes of Wood, Broad and Finn, the series could have been very different. That’s not to say that there were not any stand out moments. The series is most likely to be remembered for that spell of bowling from Stuart Broad on the first morning at Trent Bridge. With the series poised at 2-1 and talisman James Anderson out injured, Broad stepped up to the plate
Their aim is to correctly predict the Premier League scores for the next round of games. Last week, Deputy Sport Editor James O’Hara took on Italian football expert Professor John Foot. James’ correct prediction of Man United’s 3-0 victory over Sunderland ensured back-toback wins for Epigram Sport. The score currently stands at Epigram Sport 4 - 3 Guests Check out this week’s results... www.epigram.co.uk/sport
In fact, their batsmen looked impenetrable, particularly Steve Smith who scored a memorable double hundred at Lord’s, while Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc were intimidating and showed some of the form that saw England obliterated down under in 2013/14. It was perhaps the below average performances of many of the star players that took the edge off the series. Australia’s fast bowlers Johnson, Starc and Hazelwood were generally poor while only Chris Rodgers and Steve Smith could claim any credit for the hall, athletics track and astro pitches. One area unaffected by the new sports pass is the intramural and recreational opportunities at the
and blew Australia away, returning with remarkable figures of 8-15 on his home ground. The Oval Test also saw the end of Michael Clarke’s test career. While he was a controversial character off the pitch, there is no doubt that he was a magnificent cricketer on it, averaging just short of 50 over 115 test matches. As the sun sets on another cricketing summer there are still many questions left unanswered. Who is our front-line spinner? Who will open the batting? For the time being, England fans won’t mind one bit - you can’t get bored of beating the Aussies!
and follow us on twitter... Flickr: Nic Redhead
So much can change in the space of a summer. After England were rather unceremoniously beaten by New Zealand at Headingley at the end of May, pundits, players and fans alike were calling for Alistair Cook’s head and writing off any chance of regaining the Ashes. Eight weeks later, after winning a pulsating ODI series 3-2, showcasing a new, exciting brand of cricket and playing five Ashes test matches, England lifted the little urn at the Oval. Not surprisingly, the critics have almost disappeared. While the Ashes series of this summer was exciting, it’s fair to say that it wasn’t one for the purists. All five games were incredibly one sided affairs, with none of the games going to the 5th day. On the 10th anniversary of the famous 2005 Ashes series many were expecting batting collapses and nail-biting run chases, but throughout the series the contest was over by the second day. To use a footballing cliché, the series is perhaps best described as a tale of two halves - or in fact two types of pitches. In the three games played on green, bowler-friendly pitches, at Cardiff, Egbaston and Trent Bridge,
England’s seamers exposed Australia’s apparent inability to play the moving ball, highlighting why they have not won an Ashes series in England since 2001. However, at Lord’s and the Oval, where the sun shone and the pitches were flat, Australia flourished and appeared quite at home.
Flickr: Paul Hayday
Oscar Beardmore-Gray Sports Reporter
Each week, one member of the Epigram Sport editorial team will put their esteemed football knowledge to the test against a guest.
university, which still have to be purchased on top of or instead of a sports pass. The cost of these activities range from free classes in Yoga or
Zumba to £25 per person in men’s fivea-side (women’s five-a-side is less than £5 per person). Intramural rugb y costs £400 for a team of 25-50. James, a second year mathematician who plays tennis for the University, said the new system remained expensive. ‘It is cheaper to compete in BUCS now which is nice,’ he said, ‘but £50 is still an awful lot to pay, especially since I will be representing the university. And when you consider the cost of the kit and the travel expenses, it’s still a lot of money’. Do you think the new sports pass system is a good one? Does it encourage participation in sport, exercise and health at the University of Bristol? Let us know by tweeting us @EpigramSport, commenting on this article online or by answering our poll at epigram.org.uk/sport. We want to know what you think!
@epigramsport
Fantasy Football
Epigram Sport is running its very own Barclays Fantasy Premier League. Feel free to join to pit your wits against other readers and various members of the Epigram editorial team. Liga de Epigram Code: 1568501-366592 Good Luck!
Epigram
05.10.2015
Sport
Editor: Marcus Price sport@epigram.org.uk @marcusprice106
Deputy Editor: James O’Hara
Online Editor: Malik Ouzia
deputysport@epigram.org.uk @JamesOHara14
sportonline@epigram.org.uk @MalikOuzia
The price of sport at Bristol James O’Hara Deputy Sport Editor
Following consultation with students on the cost of sport and physical activity at the University of Bristol, Bristol SU and Sport, Exercise and Health (SEH) have jointly unveiled a new sports pass membership system in the hope that it will improve participation levels at the University. Perhaps the most significant change in the new system is the more flexible range of passes on offer. Costing £50, the Get Active pass is by far the cheapest and includes access to sports facilities such as tennis courts, as well as the opportunity to compete in BUCS. In contrast, the £290 Active Plus pass is the most expensive, allowing access to the gym and swimming pool at peak and off-peak times, in addition to fitness classes and the existing benefits of the Get Active pass. Further changes to the sports pass system includes the opportunity to buy off-peak gym access and peak swimming separately. These passes are available for £185 each. The changes come off the back of a long consultation process within the university, taking into account the views of students, staff and academics.
@epigramsport
There was a further investigation by SEH into the cost of sports passes at other universities in the UK. Matt Birch, the newly-appointed director of SEH at the university, welcomed the changes to the sports pass system, which were formulated before his arrival. ‘I think what they have come up with is a significant improvement. It’s more inclusive,
“ ‘It’s not the end of the process, it can’t be’.
and I think the £50 entry level offer will hopefully make sport much more accessible to more students.’ Steph Harris, Bristol Student Union’s Sport and Student Development Officer, echoed Birch’s comments. ‘This is a significant change and one that we hope will make a real difference to the accessibility of sport and physical activity at the University.’ Nevertheless, both Birch and Harris were eager to emphasise
that the new sports pass system is not perfect, and will be improved over the coming years. ‘It’s not the end of the process, it can’t be,’ said Birch. ‘We’re keen to get feedback on the SEH website, on the Student Union website and through Student Union representatives, because we know this is going to be an ongoing process and there are further things we can do to improve the offer. ‘We recognise this is the first step of many to ensure that students at Bristol have the opportunity to access sport at whatever level they
wish and that our provision is up to scratch,’ added Harris. Indeed, it is apparent that there are still several areas that might need addressing. It is still £15 more expensive to stagger payments for the Sports Passes over the year excluding the Get Active pass, which is only available as a one-off £50 payment. Consequently, this could make it more difficult for those on a tight monthly budget to get involved in sport in comparison to those who are more financially secure. If compared to other universities,
Bristol’s sports pass is still on the expensive side. At the University of Edinburgh, a peak gym membership for one academic year can be purchased for just £109, while offpeak gym membership is even lower at £60. Even Oxford University, often stereotyped as an elitist establishment, has cheaper gym and swimming packages on offer than Bristol. A swim pass is available for £86 at Oxford, while Pulse Gym
Continued on pg. 55
Protect your laptop and phone with the No.1 student insurance provider. Our student insurance covers includes: • theft, loss, accidental and liquid damage • cover anywhere in the UK and up to 30 days worldwide • monthly payment option at no extra cost** • 24 hour* laptop and phone replacement
Build your cover at endsleigh.co.uk/university or search Endsleigh Student Insurance
24 HOUR * REPLACEMENT
Sophie, Nottingham University Insured a £500 laptop plus an iPhone 5s for just £10.49** a month
*If your item is lost, stolen or unrepairable we’ll replace it within 24 hours – 1 working day of your claim being approved. **Price is based on a student living on campus, insuring a £500 laptop (excluding Apple and Sony laptops) and an iPhone 5s. We work exclusively with Premium Credit Limited (PCL) who arrange finance for monthly payments. Credit is subject to status and is not guaranteed. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting their website at www.fca.org.uk/register. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited, Company No. 856706 registered in England at Shurdington Road, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire GL51 4UE.
265mm x 164mm landscape Freshers JW.indd 1
21/09/2015 13:46:39