Bangerz blasted page 44
Shark evolution page 51
page 39 Jesse Armstrong interview Issue 265 Monday 14th October 2013 www.epigram.org.uk
Cracking job, Gromit!
Flickr: FDWRMaddie Flickr:FDWR
Bristol University bids £20,000 for Gromit statue, helping raise £2.3 million for Bristol Children’s Hospice
US shutdown: Bristol student reports from Washington D.C. Last Monday at midnight the US government officially went into federal shutdown for the first time for 17 years. The last time this happened, Bill Clinton was the President. The shutdown is the result of a dispute between hardline conservative Republicans and the President over the Affordable Healthcare Act (AHA), nicknamed ‘Obamacare’, which went into effect on Tuesday morning. continued on page 3
Union building works delayed by ‘last minute complications’ Building works in the Students’ Union have been delayed until the 14th October. Works on the North Side of the Union were halted to prioritise the completion of the Anson rooms. However, the Anson Rooms are still yet to be finished. As a result of the delay, plans to hold the Freshers’ Fair in the Union had to be altered due to a lack of space and the building works. The Fair was moved to the Harbourside where societies had to set up their stalls in a number of tents. continued on page 3
Spencer Turner News Reporter The University of Bristol won its very own Gromit, known as ‘Bark at Ee’, at the extremely popular Gromit Unleashed auction. A total of 80 Gromit statues were auctioned, raising a staggering 2.3 million pounds for the Bristol Children’s Hospice at the Mall’s outdoor pavilion, which was transformed into an auction room for the evening with 500 Bristolbased guests invited to the event. Over the summer ‘Bark at Ee’ was the red and white Gromit located on Queen Square. Photographed by thousands of Gromit spotters, it will be put back on display for students, staff and members of the public to enjoy once more, although the location of ‘Bark at Ee’ is yet to be decided. The 5ft Gromit was designed by Leigh Flurry, who is a designer and illustrator based in Bristol. The close association that Leigh has to the city meant that this Gromit was top of Bristol University’s most wanted list at the auction. Professor David Clarke, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, commented, ‘we had our eye on “Bark at Ee” before the auction due to his local connections and we feel he should remain in the city’. The auction of the Gromits was viewed by a 17,000 strong online audience as it was streamed live online. The University of Bristol successfully secured the ‘Bark at Ee’ statue for a price of £20,000. Various bidders from around the world purchased the Gromits at the auction, which was presided over by Tim Wannacott of Bargain Hunt fame. The auction fetched over double the anticipated amount of money, which will be of huge benefit to the local children’s hospital here in Bristol. Whilst Bristol University spent £20,000 on their Gromit, ‘Bark at Ee’ was not the most expensive one at the auction. That accolade went to GromitLightyear, designed by Pixar Studios which fetched £65,000 at auction. ‘Bark at Ee’ will accompany Bristol’s ‘Going Going Gone’ gorilla which was purchased in 2011 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Bristol Zoo and is currently located in the ASS library.
Inside
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European Fashion Week special
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Epigram
14.10.2013
News
@epigramnews Editor: Laura Webb
Deputy Editor: Laura Jacklin
Online Editor: Joseph Quinlan
news@epigram.org.uk
ljacklin@epigram.org.uk
newsonline@epigram.org.uk
Inside Epigram Features 11 Love in the 21st century Features explores the recent boom in using the internet for everything from relationships to onenight stands
Comment 14 Legalisation of class A drugs
Is the best way to tackle the UK’s drug problem simply to legalise them?
Travel 24 Discovering Jordan
Travel documents the undiscovered joys of the Middle East
A note from the editor As the third week of term dawns and the teetering pile of books in the corner comes ever closer to collapse, the suppressed knowledge that university is more than a boozefuelled holiday camp becomes difficult to ignore. Those arriving at university for the first time have survived their indoctrination (read: Freshers’ Week), begun to realise that the hills stay this steep and perhaps started to wonder if getting 40% is quite as easy as everyone says it is. Those returning may not find the step up quite as exciting as it seemed in key stage two but have begun to realise that the expectations are largely similar: a shiny new pencil case and the drive to work harder than ever. But what of these expectations? As students, it can often seem that they are heaped upon us from all directions. Seize all of the opportunities. Make all of the friends. Have all of the fun. Why aren’t you smiling, haven’t you heard this is the best time of your life?? Work hard, play hard, find a job and get good marks. Make the mistakes you can’t make as an adult, form the memories
you’ll tell your grandchildren, find the person you’ll share the rest of your life with. Don’t delay, chances like this don’t stick around forever, kids! Few people would argue that the scope of opportunities on offer at university is a bad thing, but students often feel pressured to excel in all areas. While some thrive in such conditions, others feel overwhelmed and stressed to the point where mental health issues can be triggered or exacerbated. In our Features section on page 8, students who have experienced mental health problems while at university share their thoughts. The invisibility of mental health problems means the issue has historically been treated as taboo; although the university and UBU have strategies in place to help students, tackling the problem is equally about creating a dialogue about mental health problems in order to break down the stigma surrounding them. Following World Mental Health
Day, which took place on October 10th, Epigram will be sharing a number of student stories on the Features section of our website. As reported in Issue 264, up to 92% of students will feel mental distress during their university career - it is vital that those who suffer know that they do not do so alone. Josephine Franks
Writers’ meetings Every fortnight, our editors hold meetings for anyone who wants to write for Epigram. If you’d like to get involved, or simply want to find out more information, come along to any one of the following meetings or contact the relevant editor via their email address below. It’s never too late to get involved - we look forward to meeting you!
The Centre Spread 28-29 Geoengineering the future Science & Tech takes over the centre spread, focussing on vital research to mitigate global warming.
News
Living
Film & TV
Science & Tech
Features
Travel
Music
Sport
Comment
Style
Arts
Thursday 17th Oct at 1.15pm The Refectory
Tuesday 15th Oct at 12pm Hawthorns
Tuesday 15th Oct at 1pm HIghbury Vaults
Thursday 17th Oct at 12.15pm The Refectory
Wednesday 16th Oct at 1.15pm The Refectory
Friday 18th Oct at 12.30pm ASS Library Café
Tuesday 15th Oct at 1.15pm The White Bear Wednesday 16th Oct at 8pm Highbury Vaults
Arts reviews the short film and animation festival held on the Harbourside i
Music 42 Meeting Johnny Flynn Music catches up with Johnny Flynn to discuss his new LP, tour and more
Editor Josephine Franks editor@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Editor
Editor Alex Bradbrook Tom Flynn deputy@epigram.org.uk editor@epigram.org.uk
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Patrick Baker
Tuesday 15th Oct at 12.30pm The Refectory
Wednesday 16th Oct at 1pm Highbury Vaults
Arts Editorial team 35 Encounters film festival
Thursday 17th Oct at 1pm The White Bear
Film & TV Editor Gareth Downs filmandtv@epigram.org.uk Deputy Film & TV Editor Matt Field Editor deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk
Nick Cork
Film & TV Online Editor Style Editor Commentcomment@epigram.org.uk Online Editor science@epigram.org.uk Alejandro Palekar Maddy Streets Jessica McKay Letters Editor Deputy Science Editor filmandtvonline@epigram.org.uk commentonline@epigram.org.uk style@epigram.org.uk
Emma Corfield Emma Sackville jon@epigram.org.uk Science & Technology Editor ollie.yorke@epigram.org.uk Letters Editor Arts Editor letters@epigram.org.uk deputyscience@epigram.org Hannah Stubbs Molly Hawes Claudia Knowles Emma Leedham Culture Editor Sport Editor hannah@epigram.org.uk News Editor scienceandtech@epigram.org.uk arts@epigram.org.uk letters@epigram.org.uk Calum Sherwood Laura Webb Tom Burrows e2 news@epigram.org.uk Editor Deputy Science & Tech Editor Deputy Arts Editor sport@epigram.org.uk culture@epigram.org.uk Living Editor Matthew McCrory Sol Milne Rose Bonsier Tori Halman Deputy Culture Editor Deputy Sport Editor e2@epigram.org.uk Deputy News Editor deputyculture@epigram.org.uk deputyscience@epigram.org.uk living@epigram.org.uk Zoe Hutton Laura Jacklin David Stone News Editor laura.jacklin@epigram.org.uk Science & Tech Online Editor Arts Online Editor deputysport@epigram.org.uk deputyculture@epigram.org.uk Deputy Living Editors Alice Young Stephanie Harris Erin Fox Sophia Hadjipateras Music Editor news@epigram.org.uk News Online Editor scienceonline@epigram.org.uk Puzzles Editor artsonline@epigram.org.uk shadjipateras@epigram.org.uk Nathan Comer Joseph Quinlan Lily Buckmaster Deputy News Editors newsonline@epigram.org.uk Sport Co-Editor Music Editor Izzy Kerr music@epigram.org.uk Abigail Van-West Head Sub Editor Hetty Knox Mike Hegarty ikerr@epigram.org.uk Deputy Music Editormusic@epigram.org.uk avanwest@epigram.org.uk Features Editor sport@epigram.org.uk Emma Corfield Pippa Shawley Hugh Davies Living Online Editor Jenny Awford features@epigram.org.uk Sport Co-Editor Deputy Music EditorSub Editors Morwennadeputymusic@epigram.org.uk Scott jawford@epigram.org.uk Harriet Layhe, Jacob Webster Danny Riley livingonline@epigram.org.uk FIlm & TV Editor Deputy Features Editor jacob.webster@epigram.org.uk Kate Moreton, Rosemary Wagg deputymusic@epigram.org.uk Features Editor Will Ellis Sophie Padgett Travel Editor Tristan Martin Illustrator deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk Olivia Lace-Evans Sport Online Editor Music Online Editor filmandtv@epigram.org.uk features@epigram.org.uk Sophie Sladen George Moxey Dan Faber travel@epigram.org.uk Deputy Film & TV Editor Features Online Editor sportonline@epigram.org.uk musiconline@epigram.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Web Designer Anthony Adeane Michael Coombs Andrew White Rob Mackenzie featuresonline@epigram.org.uk deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk
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Epigram
14.10.2013
33
Completion of Union building delayed until mid-October Olivia Lace-Evans News Reporter
Maddy Harrison
The Anson Rooms
The foyer of the Student Union
Maddy Harrison
Maddy Harrison
Blackwells bookshop at the Union
Continued from page 1 Rob Griffiths, UBU President, said that their only options were ‘to be a month behind on the whole project, or put some of it on hold and get the Anson Rooms done’. Griffiths blamed the scale of the project and some unforeseen last minute problems, for the work not being completed on time.
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The completion of the Anson Rooms has been prioritised
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The Union has also faced increased renovation costs. Although the original allocated budget was £26.6 million, a further £3 million has been spent on removing asbestos from the building. During an inspection of the University it was found that the Students’ Union building had the worst case of asbestos and mould out of any university building in Bristol.
The delay has also meant that the student activity space on the top floor of the Union has had to be sacrificed. Consequently, a number of societies have had to change plans and locations to adapt to the delays. Tim Smith, Station Manager for UBTV, told Epigram, ‘The refurbishment is certainly frustrating for societies as space is incredibly limited. We do, however, have to accept that building delays are commonplace in this kind of job and that when the work is complete it will all be worthwhile. Improvements to the student experience, such as the one this refurbishment will offer, should not be criticised.’ However, many societies have found that their activities have not been as severely disrupted as they expected. The Bristol Islamic Society was one of the first societies to use the new rooms. Yusra Siddiqui, Female Representative for the society, told Epigram about her experience using the Anson Rooms. ‘I don’t think we had any problems with the new
space. It was good, and very well equipped for what we wanted. We couldn’t get a look at the before using it, but other than that there has been no consequence to us because of the building work.’
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Space is incredibly limited
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The new Anson Rooms are being designed to become a multi-purpose space. The rooms will include state of the art lighting equipment, funded by Bristol Alumni, as well as a stage and room dividers. Societies who have been impacted by the building works have been able to apply for grants from the Lifeline Fund to help subsidise transport costs to other venues. The South Side of the Union is scheduled for completion by September 2014 and there are no reports of these works being delayed. Rob Griffiths asks for students to ‘please hang in there’ until the work on the Anson Rooms and North Side are completed.
US government in federal shutdown Race for Bristol Bristol Law school research student, Lydia Morgan, visiting the Library of Congress reports. Lydia Morgan US News Reporter Continued from page 1 The Act ensures that all Americans have healthcare insurance for the first time. The vehicle for this dispute is a congressional measure known as a Continuing Resolution (or CR), a budgetary matter. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to pass the CR to fund federal (national) level government agencies. Congress is meant to pass a formal ‘Appropriations’ bill annually before the end of the fiscal year, 30th September in the US, but often fails to and conventionally passes a CR instead. It is effectively a stopgap measure so that
Congress can continue to debate details on fiscal matters without disrupting the rest of the government agencies. On Friday 27th September the conservative element of the Republican Party, known as the Tea Party, persuaded more moderate Republicans to back an amendment to the CR resolution requiring a one year delay to the AHA and removing certain taxes on medical devices. Having passed in the Republicancontrolled House, it failed to pass in the Democratically controlled Senate. If it had passed, it would have been seen as a major blow to President Obama’s signature healthcare reform. After several versions of the CR bill went back and forth between the houses on Monday, alternately
Flickr: DannyMac15_1999
Capitol Hill Building, Washington D.C.
stripping and reinstating the amendment it was clear that a political stalemate was inevitable. As of Tuesday morning the Federal government was in shutdown, with only ‘essential’ workers retained. Nearly a third of all Federal workers, around 800,000 were officially furloughed, meaning they were given an indefinite leave of absence, without pay. It means parks, like Yosemite in California, the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial, the Library of Congress, federal run museums, like the Smithsonian museums, of which 17 are here in DC, are shut. People who work on homelessness assistance programs and in Federal Education agencies have all been sent home. Essential services, including the military, police and social
services have not been furloughed. Congress is still in session and Congresspersons are still paid. Around 176 Congresspersons from both parties have opted to forego their pay in act of unity with those furloughed, who may now struggle to meet mortgage payments, insurance costs and other expenses. Why is this such a contentious issue? The AHA was passed 3 years ago, but Republicans argue that it was in a Democratically controlled House and not sufficiently scrutinised. Since then, hard line Republicans have made 42 separate attempts to derail the AHA. A significant blow to the Republicans was losing a Supreme Court case arguing the Act was unconstitutional,. The argument was focused on the so-called individual mandate, requiring Americans to buy health care insurance or pay a fine. With AHA now in force as of Tuesday, the shutdown is effectively a political stalemate. Republicans accuse Democrats of being unwilling to negotiate, referring to Obama’s historic talks with Iran as hypocrisy because he refuses to cede ground in domestic matters. Democrats accuse Republicans of holding the government to ransom in a losing battle. Obama sees this as his only viable reform, with gun control and immigration reform unable to get off the ground because of powerful lobbying groups. Republicans believe that once implemented, the AHA will be impossible to repeal and alter a basic American value in limited government.
Joe Quinlan Online News Editor Bristol will provide the backdrop for the world’s first city-wide treasure hunt where participants must rely exclusively on their smartphones for clues and hints to win the £500 first prize. Behind ‘Race for Bristol’ is University of Bristol student Andrew Kinny, who, alongside friend and University of Bath student, Charlie Kowszun, has set up the company ‘Treasure Hunters’. As many as 400 people are expected to gather on College Green at 2pm on 19 October in order to participate in the race, at which time all entrants will be given access to the first clue. ‘It’s an event which takes place over an afternoon’, Kinny told Epigram. ‘There are codes stuck up on various walls and interesting landmarks around Bristol and by using the smartphone platform that we’ve provided, you decipher where the clue’s telling you to go’. This process continues as participants race around the city in the hope of being the first to solve all of the clues. ‘It’s a really good way to engage people with some of the incredible things that are all around the city but no one ever notices because they just walk straight past them without a second glance’, Kinny added. The students are being supported by ‘Basecamp’, the University of Bristol’s hub for student start-ups which helps those with innovative ideas get their business off the ground. Kinny explained to
Epigram how he and Kowszun came up with the idea. ‘Well basically we were just trying to think of something we could do as a project, some kind of business. And we were thinking about really bigscale events like, for example, the Red Bull Air Race in London – just something to get a lot of people involved and excited. And then we came up with this idea with the help of my Dad who is a computer programmer and he had the idea of the smartphone platform’. Kinny, a third year economics student, did however reveal the difficulties of organising such an event alongside his academic commitments. ‘It’s been a challenge to juggle my degree with this project, but it’s been so incredibly rewarding. I’ve learnt so much about marketing and starting a business, as well as more about what I actually want to do in my life’. It seems that the determination to make the project succeed is largely down to the type of career Kinny wants in the future. Specifically, not one in which he is ‘happy to sit behind a desk, to be a cog in the machine – I really feel like I’ve got the drive to do something more’, he told Epigram. ‘The long-term vision for Race for Bristol’, Kinny said, ‘is a kind of huge treasure hunt involving thousands of people over a number of weekends around major cities around the world. Perhaps televise them and have something like a £100,000 first prize’. The event costs £7.50 to enter.
Epigram
14.10.2013
4
Do-you-think-he-saurus? Dinosaur spotted at harbour
Adam Bushnell
The replica of Bristol’s very own dinosaur as it is constructed at the harbourside Adam Bushnell News Reporter On Tuesday 1st September work began on a project to
assemble a life size replica of Bristol’s very own dinosaur, Thecodontosaurus. The University of Bristol’s Dinosaur Project Fossil Curator Pedro Viegas and local artist Robert Nicholls
are working together on the project which will be open for students and members of the public to view until November at the M Shed location on Princes Wharf. According to a University
of Bristol official press release ‘the recreation of Thecodontosaurus is the culmination of a three and a half year project run by the University of Bristol and funded by the Heritage
Lottery Fund’. The dinosaur has very local connections as the fossils were first discovered on Durdham Down, close to the location of the present day Stoke Bishop Halls, in 1834 and at the time was only the fourth dinosaur to be discovered globally. It is thought that the dinosaur would have roamed around the area 210 million years ago. The Bristol Dinosaur project was founded in 2009 ‘to discover more about the bones’ , both those found on The Downs and also at another site in South Gloucestershire. The pioneering project, which is a ‘first-ever’ event in the UK, according to Mr Viegas, will finish at the end of 2013. Mr Viegas told Epigram that the project is still looking for financing opportunities that will allow it to continue beyond this date, in delivering great work both to ‘science and the community’. He went on to say that the project is unique in that he and his team will be ‘building a dinosaur live to the audience. Anyone can come and see for 2 months
how dinosaurs- that we see in so many museums- are made. During the project there will also be a series of talks taking place, both at the University and at M Shed. Despite all of the publicity however, Mr Viegas emphasises that the main thing driving his work on the project is his love for it. He told Epigram, when asked why he does it, ‘because I believe in it, and this is what I love to do. Get the rocks, remove the bones, prepare, curate, catalogue and make them available to science. And after all is done, do a great exhibit event so everyone can see, admire and learn more from it’. Some readers may be sceptical as to how it is relevant to students and whether it is of interest to them. Mr Viegas reassures all that the project is very relevant to students – ‘it is a great way for students to learn more and develop their professional skills - I have now ex-volunteers/students that are doing PhDs or even working in laboratories thanks to the training and knowledge they got from working in my lab.’
New discovery by Bristol professor: £1000 spent on shape of chocolate affects flavour uni preparations Juliette Motamed News Reporter
flavour depends not only on what molecules are present but also on their rate of release and the order in which they are released – all these are affected directly by the shape of the food.’ In spite of this, Professor Barham confirms that when it comes to particular shapes of chocolate improving or worsening the flavour, this is all down to personal preference. ‘We all have very different food preferences. Generally we prefer foods that we
Flickr: Garybludlow
Bristol Professor of Molecular Gastronomy, Peter Barham, confirms that shape of chocolate affects taste.
had as children and were enjoyed alongside other pleasurable experiences. So if a chocolate manufacturer changes the shape of a familiar confectionary those who loved it will most likely find the change to be a worsening of the overall flavour, while those who were indifferent will probably find the novelty improves the flavour, at least the first time they try it!’ Professor Barham urges any Bristol students interested in gastronomic research to get involved by either taking part in undergraduate research projects or making up original projects. ‘There are from time to time undergraduate final year research projects in the psychology and physics departments involving chocolate – so the best way would be to change to one of these subjects and then try to persuade the academics to let you do a project on chocolate in your final year – or in any other department think up a relevant research project and ask to be allowed to do it as your own project.’ On the other hand, before all of you avid chocolate eaters pick up that next bar, its benefits on cognitive functions on the brain are not yet established as Professor Barham tells Epigram: ‘The jury is out on this one – there certainly are a number of active molecules in chocolate – whether these are in sufficient concentration to have a real effect is not really established.’
University of Bristol student invests in room decorations
Bertie Darrell News Reporter Research from vouchercodes. co.uk suggests that parents are spending up to £425,000,000 preparing students for university nationwide - up to £1000 per student. The website’s study, carried out on 750 parents with children at university, suggests that roughly £200 is spent on high tech technology, whilst £60 is spent on cooking equipment. Archaeology student Sophie May did not slack on the decorative efforts in her room. May told Epigram, ‘for me the essential things were a gorgeous lamp, a bedside table and my photos. What more could I ask for? I want to feel like I’m at home not at prison’. Anita Naik, consumer editor at VoucherCodes. co.uk said,
Bertie Darrell
From Magic Stars to Minstrels, Dairy Milk to Double Decker, everyone has their favourite type of chocolate, and with that comes different shapes of chocolate, which is more important an you think. Bristol Professor of Molecular Gastronomy, Peter Barham, has recently confirmed that the shape of chocolate does in fact affect the flavour.
As well as the recipe of the particular brand of chocolate, its flavour is also determined by the speed at which it melts in the mouth, as a quicker melt provides a more intense flavour. Professor Barham explained the inextricable link between chocolate flavour and shape as he told Epigram: ‘the shape of food affects the rate at which the aroma and taste molecules are released – the higher the surface area the faster they will be released. The overall
‘While we don’t want to admit it first impressions do count, so splashing out on a big ticket item from a laptop to a leather jacket really can make the difference in giving your child some serious campus confidence.’ The website’s research suggests that 40% of student parents have to make vast cutbacks on their own expenditure to support their children, with nearly one in ten having to ask their own parents for extra support. Naik suggests that the investment of such a sum of money is a positive rather than negative one, ‘Above all, the gesture you’re making by investing in all this student starter kit is the most important thing. By spending money to ensure your child has the best possible start at university they’ll feel fully supported and know that whether they are 20 or 220 miles away from home, you’ll always be there to give them what they need.’
Epigram
14.10.2013
Students take Ritalin to aid study Student carers lack support Sarah Newey News Reporter
Flickr: Barbourians
Ritalin: one of the ADHD drugs taken by students to aid studying
Max Miller News Reporter Increasing numbers of students are taking ‘smart drugs’ such as Ritalin and Modafinil to help them with their concentration and studying, with busier schedules and pressure being blamed. The drugs, which are usually prescribed for ADHD, are being taken by students in top universities to enable them to study for longer. According to the Care Quality Commission,
there has been a 50% rise in NHS prescriptions of the drugs since 2007. Sky News has also discovered a black market in these drugs surrounding top universities. With drugs usually associated with partying, in the case of ‘smart drugs’ the rise in students taking these drugs is to simply to keep up with work. With the all-nighter increasingly becoming a rite of passage and way of life for some students around exam and essay deadline time, the use of substances such as Ritalin and Modafinil shows no
sign of slowing. It has also been specifically linked with elite and top universities around the world. One Oxford student told The Telegraph that up to one in four students had taken Modafinil. The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told Sky News ‘I’m very concerned. Let’s be clear. This is drug abuse.’ Side effects of Ritalin include increased blood pressure and heart rate, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, headaches, stomach pains and mood swings. Modafinil also has side effects that can include diarrhoea,
dizziness, headaches, loss of appetite, sleeplessness and depression. Despite these clear dangers, students are still feeling the need to take these ‘study drugs’ due to their hectic schedules. With students nowadays under pressure to juggle university work with part time jobs, searching for internships, boosting their CVs and a social life, the attraction of these drugs can be seen. It appears that study drugs are another consequence of changing student attitudes.
Nationally, up to six per cent of students are carers; yet the National Union of Students’ new report, ‘Learning with Care’, suggests little is being done to support those providing unpaid support for others who cannot provide for themselves. The report has shown that over 50 per cent of student carers have seriously considered dropping out - compared to 11 per cent of those without caring responsibilities. This is perhaps a reflection on universities, as all the student carers asked suggested the support they received was uncoordinated and unsystematic. Furthermore, the NUS are concerned that a lack of financial assistance is also making studying at university difficult for student carers. Two thirds said they regularly worry they would not have the money to meet their basic living expenses, perhaps unsurprising as full-time students are not eligible to receive the Carer’s Allowance. Consequently, student carers are three times more likely to take on high-risk debt than students without any such responsibilities. Dr Moira Fraser, Director of Policy and Research, Carers Trust, said, ‘This is an important piece of research and we support its findings. We know that student carers are underrepresented in further and higher education, and that carers who might be considering continuing
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with their education face considerable barriers. Providing them with the support they need to pursue their studies is vital.’ Female carers are particularly affected - not least because the majority of student carers tend to be women. Of those aged between 16 and 24, only 10 per cent of women carers are in education, compared to 17 per cent of men. It was the NUS women’s campaign which decided to launch a further investigation into the implications of caring, after the ‘Pound in your Pocket’ programme suggested student carers were disadvantaged. NUS women’s officer, Kelley Temple, said, ‘Student carers - the majority of whom are women - are an invisible group in many universities and colleges. Despite the valuable service they provide to society, their support needs are often misunderstood or ignored by their education providers.’ In Bristol, there are some organisations who are involved in providing student carer support. The Carers Support Centre provide help in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, including counseling services, training and support groups. Students from the University of Bristol work with the Centre via the Jolidays society, who organise trips away for young carers. However, overall student carers in further and higher education in Britain are struggling, a problem the NUS are beginning to highlight.
Freshers get free bikes Bus hub at Stoke Bishop Billie Turner News Reporter
Billie Turner
Cycling to uni
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Students taking part in the scheme are eligible for fifteen days free bus travel - for rainy days or when they just feel a bit lazy!
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The new scheme works with the City Council to encourage and promote the benefits that these bikes can bring to individuals and the community. Improving health, easing road congestion and helping the environment are all issues that the new scheme is hoping to address, and of course, to lessen the strain on the ever busy Wessex Red bus service in its most hectic periods. If the trial proves a success, the intention is to open the scheme next year to a wider sector of the university, making it accessible to a greater number of Bristol students. A similar trial is also being run across two halls at UWE. The Sustainability Team
are also offering bike support for all University of Bristol students: free ‘Dr Bike’ sessions are running twice a month to keep bicycles healthy, and there have been guided bike rides from Stoke Bishop to Woodland Road led by the cycling club, ensuring students are in the know about the most direct routes to lectures. These free services complement the existing strategy of increasing cycle parking capacity across halls and the precinct which will continue this year with the opening of the brand new cycle hub on Old Park Hill. This new scheme continues what is fast becoming a tradition of cycling in Bristol, following on from it becoming the UK’s first Cycling City with the government investing £11.4m in encouraging people to get on their bikes. Being a cycling city also means a range of cycling activities to take part in, including Bristol Bicycle Week which begins on 20th October and will see a Fancy Dress cycle ride, advice on improving your cycling technique and even bike decorating tips to spruce up your two wheeler. Check out www.ubu.org.uk for more information.
Sinead O’Connor News Reporter The University’s decision to build new student accommodation in Stoke Bishop campus to house up to 460 more students has been accompanied by a much needed Transport Hub. The University Transport Plan’s main aim has been to improve the public transport system by creating a new road and vehicle access from Parry’s Lane, allowing quick and easy access for the residents of halls such as Hiatt Baker to the bus services. The new Transport Hub, which began operating this term, is central to the main population of Stoke Bishop Campus and has meant the entrances of Hiatt Baker and University Hall have been affected. So far, the operation of the Transport Hub has largely been viewed as a success, with students of the area praising the regularity of the buses arriving and the speed in which they reach the University precinct. The new system has not been without its glitches though, as the first few days of lectures were interrupted by the operation of the buses
The new transport hub at Stoke Bishop
for many students. ‘I went to get the bus at around eight in the morning so I’d be on time for my nine o’clock lecture,’ Stoke Bishop resident Lauren McComish told Epigram, ‘but there were none until twenty to nine at which point six came at once. Most of us were late to our lectures, which was not the best impression to make in my first week.’ This seems to have been an isolated incident, however, as the buses appear to have been running smoothly since. Residents of Stoke Bishop have told Epigram that the 400 metre
Sinead O’Connor
Bikes are being offered to students staying in the Stoke Bishop area as part of a new bike loan scheme. The plan is that free bikes will be available to all those who have opted out of the free bus pass given to Freshers. Students living the furthest from the new transport hub, in Churchill and Wills Hall, are currently undergoing a test trial. Success in the scheme may deem it feasible for others to benefit in the near future. There are a range of bikes styles to choose from to suit all needs, including road, hybrid and mountains bikes. All bikes come with a cycling starter pack which provides a lock, lights, helmet and reflective
bag. On top of this, students taking part in the scheme are eligible for fifteen days free bus travel - for rainy days or when they just feel a bit lazy!
walking distance between the Hub and the majority of the halls is ‘convenient’ and a ‘vast improvement’ on the previous main bus stop, with the Hub being widely viewed as a success thus far. The impact of additional students on the facilities in Stoke Bishop was one of the main concerns during the development process, and only time will show how the accommodating of a significantly increased amount of students affects the operation of the bus services.
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Epigram
14.10.2013
Huge drug supply to West University support for Country seized by Zephyr educational charity Last week, the Zephyr Specialist Unit for tackling serious and organised crime told drug dealers that they ‘will be waiting’ for those seeking to commit offences in the South West. This follows the sentencing of 11 people under Operation Dusk, which has seen the seizure of nearly £12,000 worth of heroin, more than £300,000 worth of amphetamines and approximately £45,000 worth of mephedrone (otherwise known as M-Cat). Cocaine and several kilos of cutting agents were also discovered, along with fraud believed to be in excess of £50,000 committed across the country. The Zephyr Crime Group was set up in September 2010 and comprises of officers from five police forces; Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall and Dorset. The recent investigation involved close
liaison between Zephyr and several neighbourhood policing teams, following the disclosure of information from members of the public.
£12,000 worth of heroin
£300,000
worth of amphetamines
£45,000
worth of mephedrone Operation Dusk saw the sentencing of three women and eight men on 23rd September, all of whom pleaded guilty to serious drugs offences. The lengthiest sentence was given to Mark Taylor, otherwise known as Alan Lawless, who was sentenced to ten years and six months imprisonment for his offences in conspiring to commit fraud
and supply Class A and B drugs. Other defendants, ranging from the ages of 29 to 48 were charged with similar offences including intent to supply and money laundering. With over 100 arrests since its formulation and the recent triumph of Operation Dusk, it would appear that Zephyr is experiencing success. Detective Inspector Paul Fell has said, ‘This operation has resulted in a significant amount of drugs being taken off the street, along with thirteen people brought to justice, making the south west a safer place. Drugs cause misery to families and communities and we are committed to tackling those that distribute them.’ ‘We will now seek to recover the money these people made from dealing drugs to ensure they have in no way benefited from their crime. The crime unit urges anyone with concerns about drug dealing in their area to contact their local beat team or anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Eleanor Cox News Reporter IntoUniversity, a national charity that assists young people to get into higher education, have opened a centre in Bristol with support from the university. Opened in April 2013, the centre aims to offer support for young people in the community from disadvantaged backgrounds or for those who may struggle to work in their home environments. Rachel Reid, the centre leader said it ‘aims to raise aspirations and work with young people who may not know much about applying to university.’ Families that display apathy towards their children’s education make it harder for them to study at home, which in turn makes it harder for them to do well and reach the top universities or enter top professions than their more privileged counterparts. It is students like these that
Bristol Neuroscience Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary Spencer Turner News Reporter The 11th and 12th October marked the tenth anniversary of the Bristol Neuroscience Festival as Bristol was transformed into the ‘capital’ of neuroscience. The Festival was open not only to all university students, but also all members of the public and is a celebration of Bristol’s pedigree as a leading city for brain research. The Festival consisted of a series of free talks which ranged from discussions on stress, pregnancy, pain and other topics, as well as including providing a ‘hands-on’ element with various workshops for adults and children alike.
Even though the Festival was held at the University, largely in the Wills Memorial Building and the Victoria Rooms, it was a celebration of the devotion of the entire city to pioneering excellence in the field of brain research. There were are a significant array of external partners, such as At-Bristol, Happy City, Bristol City Council, BRACE, Glenside Hospital Museum and UWE. The Festival, now in its tenth year, was originally founded in 2003 at the University of Bristol in order to allow neuroscientists to benefit from each other’s expertise and mutually share in the city’s facilities. Such is the success of the Festival; other cities around the country are
using the same model developed here in Bristol for their own neuroscience festivals.
Bristol was “transformed
into the ‘capital’ of neuroscience
”
One of the highlights of the Festival was Professor David Nutt; the former chief drugs advisor to the government and one of Britain’s leading neuroscientists who gave a lecture detailing his career to date. Moreover, there was a SciArt photographic exhibition, with 36 neuroscience images to enjoy, whilst there was also the
Flickr: ZEISS Microscopy
Neurons: the Neuroscience Festival celebrated the complexity, intricacy and fascinating nature of the brain
opportunity to ‘knit a neurone’ and enjoy music which had been specifically produced with neuroscience in mind. In the spirit of accessibility, all events were free. All tickets for the talks were available on ‘Eventbrite’ and all other activities did not require a ticket, so you could have just turned up and experienced what the festival had to offer. If you missed the Festival but have any interest in the complexity, intricacy and fascinating nature of the human mind, the Bristol Neuroscience Festival will be back in Bristol next year as a place to enjoy the finest talks and activities the world of neuroscience has to offer.
IntoUniversity aim to help. The University of Bristol provides the funding for the centre and has agreed to do so for at least five years, as well as providing important help for the centre. As well as financially assisting they also provide the centre with rooms and lecturers, and student mentors that attend the university. There are twenty mentors at the Bristol East centre that attend Bristol University, including Maria Hughes, a second year History student, who has been mentoring a local teenager. She told Epigram,
the Year “13Ofstudents
participating, 77% progressed to higher education
”
‘It’s an extremely rewarding experience which helps them to raise their aspirations and
Mentoring a participant
IntoUniversity Bristol
Clare Wrigley News Reporter
73
answer any questions they may have about further education.’ 82 per cent of participants felt they were more likely to go to university as a result of taking part in the programme, and of the Year 13 students participating, 77 per cent progressed to higher education. This compares with a national average for state schools of 34 per cent. So far, 1011 students have participated in the scheme in some way. The centres provide academic support for children of varying ages, and help at all stages of education from GCSEs to A Levels. It also helps them through the process of applying to university.
Not such a great escape: bike thief captured by basketball team Alex Cawthron & Louise Godwin News Reporters A local Bristol basketball team showed that they were a force to be reckoned with after helping to catch a thief who attempted to steal one of the players’ bikes. In the last week of September a 22-year old was chased by the 15 strong basketball team who went to reclaim the stolen bike after the attempted theft. The unusual incident took place outside a church in South Bristol, where the bike was left unchained whilst the owner went to play basketball. The Avon and Somerset Constabulary reports that upon noticing the thief cycling past, the owner and the rest of the team began to shout and chase the man. It seems that the thief thought he had got the better of them as he reportedly swore and made hand gestures. However, it seems that his getaway was doomed to fail. Clearly the thief overestimated his cycling abilities as the team managed to keep up with him until he could pedal no more. To add to his misfortune, he headed straight into a cul-desac, and it was here that the basketball team finally detained the man. Following this the police were called, and the 22-year old was arrested and issued a caution after admitting his guilt.
PC Ben Jeffries said that, ‘Whilst the circumstances of this man’s attempt to steal the bike are quite funny, we shouldn’t forget that bikes are easy pickings for thieves if they’re not secured properly’. This is certainly something students should take note of, as thieves may see student bikes as easy targets. Recent statistics show that theft of bicycles in Bristol is prolific, with the Avon and Somerset Constabulary reporting that on average 38 were stolen every week in the city in 2010 and 2011. Unsurprisingly the areas worst affected are those densely populated by students; Broadmead, Old City/ Queen Square, and City Centre/ Brandon Hill. PC Jeffries went on to advise that: ‘the best way not to get your bike stolen is not to scrimp on a lock – spending around 10% of the value of the bike is a good guide’. This message is also supported by The UoB Transport Plan. They advise students to ‘get a decent D Lock bike lock from a cycle shop and park your bike either in a locked cycle facility or in an area with good natural surveillance, i.e. where your bike is likely to be seen by people regularly throughout the day.’
Epigram
14.10.2013
Features
@epigramfeatures
Editor: Hugh Davies
Deputy Editor: Sophie Padgett
Online Editor: Michael Coombs
features@epigram.org.uk
deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk
featuresonline@epigram.org.uk
Ups and downs: a mental health special
In a special feature, Epigram appealed to students to write about their experiences of mental health problems at university. With cases of depression on the rise and new statistics that reveal 1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental illness in their lifetime, this is an issue which must be addressed. More personal tales and useful information will appear online throughout this week. Caitlin Waddell Features Writer Six months ago, I found myself sitting in a deserted, artificially lit cold library on a Sunday morning. Accompanied only by the whir of surrounding computers, the soft, soporific patter of fat city raindrops falling on the faceless windows, and a teetering pile of lecture notes, ready to be written up. I was oblivious to these distractions, as I feverishly turned page after page of my well-thumbed textbooks. I didn’t identify it at the time, but the feelings of panic, desperation and intimidation that I felt fervently scribbling notes, and for weeks afterwards, were the signs of depression. I quickly sank into an entrenched stupor, eventually being unable to leave my room for lectures. I became increasingly irritable and experienced incomprehension and resentment that my peers could be happy and successful and had left me languishing behind. I felt alienated and disbelieving that I deserved to study at Bristol. I considered drastic measures to in any way avoid the shame of being a ‘drop-out’. I eventually admitted
that I was in trouble and suspended studies. I expected some form of catharsis in taking this step, but my feelings of fear only augmented rapidly into numbness, detachment and grief for the university career that I had anticipated and dreamed of.
“Despite what
many people think, depression is a medical condition
” One in ten people will suffer from depression or anxiety each year, with one in four experiencing a mental health disorder over the course of their lifetime. In recent years, the numbers of students in the UK seeking counselling for depression has doubled, alongside a worrying trend of reduced funding for pastoral services. The process of seeking help from the University, in my experience, wasn’t particularly smooth. Plucking up the courage to apply for a counselling session in the first place took time. A friendly
invitation to a 20 minute ‘preassessment’ session was useful in that it was agreed that further counselling would benefit me, but to then be informed that no further counselling would be able to be offered left me feeling a little at sea. Despite support from my tutor, not being able to attend therapy was a huge factor in my decision to leave Bristol. Although I understood that May, a peak time for demand on the Counselling Service, would make it difficult for me to see a counsellor and that relaxation and group sessions were available to me, I needed much more focussed help and support. Even speaking to a student who had been in the same position would have been beneficial. I truly felt as though I was the only one unintelligent enough to be struggling with the pressure of university life, despite good marks. I leapt on the first train home with barely a glance back. I told only a few of my close friends why I hadn’t returned after Easter, and many I haven’t seen since. Despite the
expectation that I would begin to feel better, I withdrew further into myself, and at my worst was paralysed with fear by the idea of going into a public place. The awareness of the stigma over mental illness affected me; the admittance that I was anything less than perfect wasn’t an option. Despite what many may think, depression is a medical condition. Millions of people, irrespective of their background, age or income, suffer from it every day. I certainly felt guilt that I should be depressed, despite studying at an excellent university, having a roof over my head and supportive family and friends. In reality, I probably had no choice in the matter. Genetic predisposition to depression, alteration in hormone levels and stress can
be triggers. When researching for this piece, I was horrified by comments on articles about mental illness in university students, with streams of remarks such as, ‘I don’t think it is depression, it’s just an excuse to get their parents’ attention’, and, ‘sounds like thousands of students need a slap and a cup of tea’. The peddling of the image of the typical university student, paying £9000 a year to binge drink and sleep in lectures, does millions of hard working students a disservice, and furthermore made admitting my reason for leaving difficult. It felt like a bad, lazy excuse. In the knowledge that depression is something that I may have to cope with for
the remainder of my degree and beyond, I worry that, as such an easily concealed and stigmatised problem in a high achieving and competitive environment, many may unnecessarily be held back by the admittance of a weakness, or a difference to others. Easier access to an empathetic ear, be it a paid counsellor or a volunteer, is vital for students to hold their worries to the light and examine them, before they escalate into something more deeply rooted. I have been back at Bristol for a week and I’m not ‘better’. But maybe this was my catharsis?
three years, I knew I was prone to having a rich and volatile emotional state. Yet recently these episodes had become more frequent and more intense. I was hugely reluctant to go and see my GP about this, if it weren’t for my mother and girlfriend I wouldn’t have done. I felt that by being labeled as depressed I would become depressed. If I could avoid the label so too could I avoid the condition. But more importantly it was personal pride. I felt weak by succumbing to this notion, I felt like ‘It’ had won, and I was still unsure as to what even ‘It’ was. Was it, ‘It,’ or was, ‘It’, just me? I was prescribed a three-
month course of Citalopram, a very common antidepressant. The first two weeks are rough, the side effects really throw you but since then things have improved considerably. No longer do I experience the crashing lows but at the same time no longer do I get the real highs. I suppose it’s a balancing act. Is it worth it? That’s up to you, I certainly feel a lot more stable. The lines in depression are very fragile and very fine, and they deserve the utmost respect and sensitivity. It takes a lot to hold your hands up and say, ‘I think I’m depressed’, but sadly its seems today it takes even more to say, ‘No, I think I’m OK’.
Following an eighty percent rise in the number of deaths caused by ‘legal highs’ in the past year, the government have set about tackling the war on these new, dangerous and readily-available substances. Yet rather than trying to bust dealers on the streets or shut down anonymous internet suppliers, perhaps they should examine the biggest dealers of them all – the NHS. Over eighty percent of doctors in the UK admit to overprescribing antidepressants for people suffering from depression, with more than fifty million prescriptions of antidepressants being issued last year. Whether you are popping Prozac, cooking up Citalopram or snorting Sertraline, it seems that Lily Allen is right – ‘everyone’s at it’. The problem with depression is that unlike a broken leg, a sore throat or piles, no case is the same. Each case arises from an infinite number of reasons, be it hereditary, relationships, death, birth, weight, work, money, lifestyle, drink, drugs, the list goes on. Yet the treatment is the same and the
infrastructure of the NHS is sadly not adequate enough to nurture each case as being individual. Thus prescriptions are being handed out like flyers at a fresher’s fair, with the GP only too glad to see the back of you as you walk away with a magic pill. Problem solved. Yet it is so much more than a pill that you are now prescribed, it’s also a label. You are depressed.
“ It’s a bit like being
underwater whereby your body and mind slip into a numb state of negativity
”
It’s hard to describe how I feel when I get very down but it’s a bit like being underwater, whereby your body and mind slip into a numb state of negativity. You can see the surface above you, but during that time, no matter how hard you swim, you cannot breach it. It is cold, it is lonely, it is terrifying and it makes no rational sense to me.
If I am upset with someone or something, I will target that problem and seek to resolve it. If I am frustrated or angry I will find a way to calm down. With this however, there is no rational reason or cause, nor is there any obvious solution. It became completely intangible to my life or state of affairs. I was at one of the best universities in the country, studying a fantastic course, surrounded by wonderful friends and having regular sex, yet still I felt like this. Fed up, pissed off, anxious, exhausted, low. Aka: Depressed. That word has been dangerously belittled within our culture today. Too often it is used to describe the mundane firstworld problems that we all endure. Like the word gay or cunt, it has been abstracted, we struggle to find the true meaning of it in our language and within our lives, something which has devastating consequences. The power of language is an incredible thing, and too often is it overlooked. Today’s society and the NHS must work together in restoring the word depression to its
rightful place, both culturally and medically. The Germans take a far more rational and ironically, a far more British approach to this subject. A radical change of lifestyle is a respected prescription - eating healthily, reducing one’s alcohol intake and participating in regular exercise. It seems so obvious and trivial, but one would be amazed at how effective it is. Sadly our youth culture of today is not receptive to this notion. The idea of self-help is absurd to us; help should be given without having to make personal sacrifice, it should not be something that we have to work for. Where has our stiff upper lip gone? When sitting in the waiting room of my local doctors’ surgery five weeks ago, it was this thought that ran through my head, ‘am I really depressed?’ Having suffered from terrible ‘low’ moments over the past
flikr: Feggy Art
Anonymous Features Writer
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Brooker’s sour grapes are worth commenting on Following Charlie Brooker’s recent resignation from the Guardian, Chris Giles analyses whether commenting online has gone too far
Satirist, writer, and dramatist, Charlie Brooker, has reportedly resigned from his post at the Guardian. It is alleged Brooker asked his editor to switch off the comments underneath his column. When the editor, Alan Rusbridger, disagreed he supposedly decided to quit. Nonchalantly, Brooker denies this happened. Whether or not the story is true, Brooker’s opinion of reader comments are that he’s ‘not a huge fan of them’. This all seems a bit silly and immature, but maybe he has a point. Brooker describes some of the comments as ‘white noise’. Is
he deaf to the sound of public debate or is open journalism just an orchestra of amateur violinists voicing opinion? For the purpose of this article I scrolled down a few comment threads on articles. A lot of it was bonkers. Yet some of it was extremely insightful. To have the good we must put up with the bad. In the olden days before we were all addicted to the ‘Black Mirror’ of our phones, tablets and computers, newspapers were not interactive. The public was a passive audience to the views of media proprietors. Fleet Street once had a monopoly over the flow of ideas.. The internet and social networking has revolutionised the media and the exchange of information. Now everyone can comment, share and tweet articles and often influence the story. This is open journalism. When Lee Rigby was murdered in Woolwich it wasn’t Sky News which gave us films of the scene. It was passers-by uploading videos to Youtube, sharing and tweeting, not reading, but leading the story. A sharp criticism of open journalism is the industry’s infestation of trolls. These are large, ugly and solitary beings that trawl the web offering facetious and sometimes offensive comments. Trolls
hide behind their computer screens usually in y-fronts in the caves of their bedrooms. Personally I feel a bit sorry for them. Regardless, open journalism has given trolls a platform to flood their views. Particularly with female columnists misogynist trolls are rife and relentlessly dish out abuse. This sparked the recent #twittersilence in protest against sexism on the web. Open journalism should be constructive, not deranged. I spoke to former Bristol student Tony Gallagher, the editor of The Daily Telegraphy about this. He commented ‘we can get up to 40,000 comments a day compared to the fact we publish barely 20 letters a day. It’s a massive change and you can’t ignore it but there is a ‘mob’ mentality which is wholly unwelcome
and should be resisted if they try and compromise your editorial integrity’. This is the reality and nature of the web. It is a hot crucible of thought and free speech. The great scientist Charles Darwin once said ‘It is not the strongest nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one most adaptable to change’. Gallagher concured, ‘technology is changing us every day, and is having a massive impact on all newspapers, as a result survival depends on our ability to evolve quickly.’ The newspaper is facing an existential crisis. The numbers of print papers in circulation is constantly in decline. Online newspapers are in competition with a whole array of new enemiesblogs, Youtube, twitter etc. The answer is for newspapers to fully embrace open journalism.
Like your political views, it used to be the case, generally speaking, that you would read whatever newspaper your parents read. To engage with this increasingly disloyal readership the industry should help the interaction with the audience flourish. The more you ‘share’ the more you care. Open journalism is also good for journalists too. My last article on Epigram has so far been tweeted an enormous five times. Yes five times. It has literally gone viral. Two of those tweets were me shamelessly self-promoting, so maybe I’m not the best example. The point still stands. Before the internet if you read an article in print you would probably be less willing to cut it out and send it off in a letter to a friend. The
instantaneity of the internet allows for articles to be spread like wildfire round the globe. It is also democratic. The sharing of an article does not necessarily mean you agree with it, but it legitimises the topic as something important to you. If an article gets loads of attention it is the public declaring that ‘this stuff matters’. So perhaps Brooker has a case of sour grapes. It’s also slightly hypocritical from someone of the antieverything liberal persuasion. But I like Brooker and I think he has a point. The amount of people that do comment on articles and share is still quite a small fraction of the population. This will only increase with time. The dynamic has altered. We are no longer pawns to the kingpins of the media pulp.
flikr: Garycycles7
flikr: feline dacat
Chris Giles Features Writer
Bad conduct: men still orchestrating problems Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, is the first woman to have conducted the Last Night of the Proms in its 118 year history. Ahead of the concert on September 7th, Vasily Petrenko, principal conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, caused upset with his comment regarding female conductors; ‘a cute girl on a podium means that musicians think about other things’. Although he was quick to follow this with some clarification, explaining that these views belonged in his homeland, Russia, and that the comment was taken out of context, it raises important questions surrounding the role of women in the world of conducting. Marin Alsop herself remarked, ‘There is no logical reason to stop women from conducting. The baton isn’t heavy. It weighs about an ounce. No superhuman
strength is required’. She went on to say that, ‘good musicianship is all that counts’. So, there we have it, being a good conductor should have nothing to do with gender. The last time I checked, all the qualities deemed necessary to be a conductor, such as being a good motivator, an effective communicator, being disciplined and able to work efficiently, have nothing to do with being a man or a woman. Despite this, it seems we are still far from a world in which conductors are judged on merit and skill alone. There is an invisible barrier, or a ‘glass ceiling’, if you like, which prevents many female conductors from reaching the top spots. Of the twentytwo conductors at the helm of the highest-budget orchestras in the USA between 2012 and 2013, only one was female. In the same time period just 12% of the doctoral degrees in conducting awarded in the USA were given to women. As Alsop has put it, there’s no physical reason and, as far as I can tell, no other fundamental flaw across the whole female gender which makes women unsuitable as conductors.
So, what is it that produces statistics like these? ‘As a society we have a lack of comfort in seeing women in these ultimate authority roles’ declares Alsop. Could we be seeing so few female conductors because orchestral players don’t like being told what to do by a woman? Surely we are not as outdated and ignorant as this? Any musician who sincerely has this view, publicly or privately, would do themselves no favours professionally. If we reverse the logic of Petrenko’s comment, couldn’t male conductors, good looking, young or otherwise, also be distracting for players? I would hope that most members of the audience are more concerned with the conductor’s performance and their ability to get the best from the orchestra, rather than their gender, or anything else wholly irrelevant to conducting a symphony orchestra. For music lovers surely the quality of the performance is all that matters? Some would suggest that the job should go to the person best equipped for it, male or female. This is
sadly not yet the case, the playing field still needs to be levelled and opinions need to be changed. The notion of women as conductors needs to be accepted universally and seen as perfectly normal, a notion that can perhaps be nurtured if we consider influencing young musical minds through the course of education. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where in the world of classical music the problem lies – who or what is keeping the number of female conductors so low?
Some would argue that they’re not given enough coverage by critics. Some say the blame lies with recording companies, or with music colleges, where I’ve read stories of women being discouraged from pursuing a career in conducting solely due to their gender. Progress has been made; over the last few decades we have seen more female conductors breaking through. The gender divide is also more balanced if you look outside of the U.S.A – internationally the proportion of female
orchestral players has grown in many of the leading orchestras, with certain sections of several orchestras being predominantly female. Many prestigious orchestras are led by women, not to mention the success of numerous female soloists. Whilst this is all good news, the lack of female conductors on the podium remains a frustrating mystery. There remains a lot to be done; the world of conducting needs to catch up.
Derek Gleeson
Sophie Jackson Features Writer
Epigram
14.10.2013
10
Sound the horn: poaching is out of control Ollie Grant Features writer Increasing demand in Asia for rhino horn and ivory from elephants is having a drastic effect on the species in East Africa. With a global population of fewer than thirty thousand rhinos, compared with the five hundred thousand that lived in Africa and Asia at the start of the 20th century, and with a depressing thirty thousand elephants slaughtered in Africa last year, the continent is facing a serious problem. The demand is coming from Vietnam, Thailand and especially China, where John Heminway, an American author and filmmaker, estimates that eighty per cent of middle class families have admitted to having purchased ivory. Rhino horn reportedly sells for up to $30,000 per pound, with people in Asia willing to pay such high prices because it is regarded as a symbol of wealth and also because it is believed by some to contain supposed medicinal properties. It is simply made of keratin (the material in our fingernails) however, and Western medicine has proved such claims to have no truth in them whatsoever. The Kenyan Wildlife Service has reported that there are fewer than forty
thousand elephants in the savannah compared with the 167,000 that inhabited it in 1979. With just 1,025 rhinos remaining in the country, it is hard to disagree with The Christian Science Monitor’s claim that we are witnessing ‘an ecological catastrophe’. It is desperately sad to see such large numbers of these incredible animals wiped out, not only because of their beauty but because their presence boosts the tourism industry in East Africa massively, generating millions of dollars and many, many jobs. If the animals go, so will the tourists, and jobs will subsequently be lost and lives will be impoverished.
“
Rhino horn reportedly sells for up to $30,000 per pound
” Elephant and rhino poaching also have some far wider and already visibly drastic consequences, as it is a key source of income for major terrorist groups, such as al-Shabaab, the Somali terrorist group responsible for the recent attacks in
the Nairobi at the Westgate Shopping mall. Such groups have turned to wildlife trafficking and poaching as a response to a recent loss in income. In 2010, The Elephant Action League discovered that Al-Shabaab’s ivory trafficking through Kenya ‘could be supplying up to 40% of the funds needed to keep them in business’. There is no surprise then that President Obama sees the issue as a threat to national security and has responded by announcing this summer that his government will contribute $10 million in an attempt to fight rhino and elephant poaching in Africa. But what else can be done? Military solutions, which involve more rangers with guns patrolling parks and game reserves, have brought some positive results but they have come at a large cost, both in terms of equipment and lives, with shoot-outs resulting in numerous deaths. Others argue that education is a more effective approach, claiming that improving awareness of the importance of elephants and rhinos as symbols of national heritage is the way forward. Hands off our Elephants, a conservation partnership established in July of this year, is seeking to bring together government, private sector groups and activists
flickr:25kim
Ollie Grant assesses what can be done as poaching of elephants and rhinos in East Africa shows no sign of stopping
in an attempt to do exactly that. It seems that they are on to something, but only time will tell whether they can persuade the people in power to make the required changes. Some have suggested creating a legal trade in ivory and/or rhino horn, but with the potential to earn huge amounts of money through poaching, those that are desperate and poor will continue to do so even at the risk of losing their lives. Therefore, demand reduction, which targets the root cause of the problem, is more sensible. This links in with the point on raising awareness, as through YouTube movies and social media campaigns steps can
be taken to gradually reduce both the demand for ivory and rhino horn and the price that people are willing to pay for them. Shoring up the prosecution system is another approach which is underway. Of the 157 poaching-related cases in Kenya in the last three years, less than five per cent have resulted in prosecution, and just three of those convicted were given a jail sentence. In August of this year, Kenyan courts sentenced a Chinese woman to over two years in jail after she tried to smuggle ivory from Kenya. Kenya’s parliament is currently debating a proposed Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill, which would result in prison terms
of up to fifteen years or fines of over $100,000 for those convicted of ‘threatening endangered species’. This could be a big step forward if passed, as it will act as a strong deterrent to those considering rhino or elephant poaching. Richard Leakey, a prominent naturalist, has warned that there could be no elephants left in Kenya within the next ten years unless some drastic measures are taken. There is no simple solution, but through a combination of military force, raising awareness and demand reduction, we can help to preserve two of East Africa’s most magnificent creatures.
McBride’s mean memoirs will be forgotten
With Damien McBride’s memoirs recently published, it brings to light a trend among politicians and their advisors of releasing ‘tell all’ autobiographies. In recent years both Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell, among others, have also released so called ‘explosive’ memoirs. These biographies have had an effect on public opinion, and in these particular cases, the Labour Party. McBride himself has claimed that he released his memoir now, so that Labour isn’t affected as much at the next election. But is this true? Can Labour bounce back? From Gordon Brown not knowing that porn channels existed, to the knowledge that Tony Blair once accidentally sacked a junior minister, McBride’s book certainly lifts
the lid on the New Labour era. He told BBC 2’s Newsnight that he was offered more money to release his book directly before the next election, and so by releasing it now, he is in fact doing Labour a favour. If he is going to release a book, when better than when labour still have time to bounce back from it? This would seem to be his logic. In a way it makes sense, in that these facts would come out eventually, and so by releasing them all now it means that they won’t be leaked at a more politically sensitive time. What he doesn’t seem to have realised is that people’s views of Labour might be permanently smeared due to the revelations of what they were up to last time they were in power. McBride’s autobiography seems to have caused much more damage politically than those written by Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell. They both steered clear of writing anything about politicians that were still in power. McBride has done no such thing, and maybe that is why his book has been so much more controversial. In writing about Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, among others, he has gone further than both Mandelson and Campbell
and caused real trouble for his former party. At a time when Miliband wants to be talking about his policies, he finds himself being asked about how much he knew of McBride’s former actions. This is not ideal in the run up to the next election. Another worrying aspect of the McBride situation is that he was offered more money to release his memoir just before the next election rather than now. He told Newsnight that he was ‘offered much more money, a much more lucrative contract, to publish it in April 2015 to do maximum damage to the Labour Party.’
“ McBride’s book
certainly lifts the lid on the New Labour era
” This is concerning as it demonstrates once again that there are people trying to influence the election through sheer financial power, rather than letting party’s policies and actions be the deciding factors. This is not healthy in a democracy,
although it is not new, and it has long been known that both parties, Labour and Conservative, have been in thrall to large donations from singular bodies for a while now. McBride’s admission of such financial pressure only acts to remind people that it is still happening. That this admission has not had more attention also displays a dangerous amount of apathy towards this issue. McBride’s book has been met with a tirade of criticism from various people, including Alistair Campbell, highlighting the differences between his and former ‘spin doctors’ publications. Campbell, talking to the Sunday Times, pointed to the fact that McBride admitted to criminal actions in his book. These criminal actions involve leaking the budget before it was actually released. This could have had untold economic reactions at the time, but he got away with it, saying that the numbers weren’t correct, when in fact they were. Campbell called him ‘a shyster’ and accused him of ‘utterly despicable behaviour’. He also said that the book ‘will be forgotten in no time’, which brings up the important point that in a time when people seem to have very short memories when it comes to politicians,
this book could well have no effect on an election that is still over a year and a half away. Jeremy Hunt seems to be involved with a new scandal every year, but still he manages to carry on in power, therefore a book written this long before the election surely won’t have
the apocalyptic effect some seem to fear. And so that is the main thing to remember when it comes to this, and other political memoirs. They may be scandalous, they may have reactions in the polls, but in six months’ time, it’s unlikely that many people will be talking about them.
flickr: ARChiVED Department of Engery and Climate Change
tflcikr: AnthonyMack
Max Miller Features writer
Epigram
14.10.2013
119
Pixelated passions: cyber romance goes viral or another and it’s something that has been in this world since the beginning. While all of these aspects of ‘Love’ are very consistent, the term ‘searching for Love’ has taken on a whole new meaning. New innovations have expelled the necessity for male interests to woo across the dance floor of Lounge, or offer to buy cheesy chips from Donnavan’s on the way home. Now, courtship has taken on a new and more distanced form, with digital advancements being made through pixels that provide a cyber-connection to get heart rates going. Now, you can ‘search for Love’ in Google, with endless dating websites and forums to meet and greet potential heartthrobs as easily as it is to reject them. Taking matters of courtship onto the Internet isn’t the first time they’ve changed. In novels, Mr Darcy has been traded in for Christian Grey, suggesting that even in fiction, our generation is looking for a new and different kind of romance. I’m not suggesting that anyone who rejects the idea of a man on horseback must therefore be bondage-inclined, but it can’t be ignored that attitudes towards the idea of relationships are altering, (and quite drastically at that). The expectations and ceremonies involved in meeting someone have been around for centuries, but traditions are changing. We’re now at the point where courtship has morphed in and out of so many time frames that there is no normal, just the normal for now. But, has this new way of meeting potential partners revolutionised relationships or simply quelled any
chance that fate ever had in bringing two people together? Yet more technological interference has taken the age-old ceremony of meeting someone a step further. A computer isn’t even needed anymore. All that is required is the standard iphone/smartphone, which almost all Bristol students have managed to acquire (despite the rise in fees) and for their GPS to be on. I’m sure that the likes of Tinder and Grindr are no mystery to most of you, but what is it that we think about them? G r i n d r caters to the fast and furious, aimed mostly for ‘guy seeking guy fun’. It’s effectively a market of scantily clad men taking photos of their torsos (as well as the contents of their boxers), on their phones in the bathroom mirrorrevolutionising the concept of a one-night stand to as little as an hour if GPS permits. The universal fear of rejection can be shrugged off as swiftly as swiping from one profile picture to the next, making sex one of the most accessible and convenient things to have at your fingertips. Tinder, on the other hand, is tame in comparison. It’s not as directly overt as Grindr, where messages
as simple as ‘wanna?’ or a graphic photo are all that is needed to spark a meet and more than greet. Instead, Tinder keeps you guessing. No one knows who likes who first and whether they get a heart or a cross is almost irrelevant, because there are so many more to get through and such little time. I have m a n y friends who enjoy Grindr and who have formed relationships f r o m Tinder- and they seem genuinely happy. I suppose it’s the same as using JSTOR to find an article for an essay instead of having to wade through archives yourself. These resources simply have a readily available catalogue of what you want, whether it’s instant sex or a relationship. Yes, it’s a change and a far cry from Mr Darcy’s declaration of ardent admiration for Elizabeth, but it’s something nonetheless. So much has moved on, developed and re-invented itself in the last ten years and I suppose the way we meet people is one of them. However, there is one thing that is still the same, at least for now, which is that; we’re young and we’re free - so let’s have fun. flickr: Mike mohammadali
pre-medieval times up to modern day, offers a fascinating insight into one thing in particular…that four letter word, l.o.v.e.-Love. It’s a word that a whole cinematic genre dedicates itself to. It’s a word that has its own calendar day. It’s a word that sends some people running for the hills at its utterance, while others are aimlessly looking to find it for themselves. Whatever this word means to you, it’s something that is everywhere, it’s something that we all search for in one way
flickr: Mike Licht NotionsCapital.com
Izzy Gormezano Features writer As a student who has spent almost three years studying books, my degree is the epitome of selfindulgence. I have housemates who pour over textbooks until 3am as they wade through law and medical degrees in order to fight for justice and save people’s lives. However, though I may be no expert on human rights, nor be hugely wellinformed on the nervous system, I do think that reading books, from
UBU Volunteering presents
SPEED DATING Monday 28 October 2013 • AR2, Anson Rooms • 7:30pm £5 ticket includes free drink upon entry, live music and entertainment Tickets can be purchased at the Students’ Union and online via www.ubu.org.uk Limited tickets will be sold on the door All proceeds go to UBU Volunteering and the Kids’ Christmas Party supporting local children in Bristol.
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Comment
Epigram
14.10.2013
@epigramcomment
Editor: Rosslyn McNair
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Should we embrace the freedom of entertainment? As more and more people choose to illegally
days of paying for entertainment those of the past?
Stealing music
online is immoral
“
As a society we don’t want to pay much for music anymore, it’s that simple. 2013 was the first time since 1999 that the global music industry has seen any significant increase in revenue. Although this has just been a rather modest rise of 0.3 per cent, it has been music to the fragile ears of industry executives who have been struggling to navigate a consumer market who want everything for nothing. If you were struggling to see a real case of market failure look no further than HMV, a high street giant which for more than a century had been shining so brightly, completely blind to the rise of online downloading looming on the horizon. Ten years ago, an HMV MD was recorded as saying ‘downloadable music is just a fad and people will always want the atmosphere and experience of a music store rather than online shopping’. And how naïve he was! Of course, now, even in the age of downloads our brazen disregard for the value of music is having a detrimental effect on the industry. We don’t want it cheaper, we want it free. The problem is that our generation does not place any value on the ownership of music, just the convenience. If millions of
“
the amount of information available to us
We don’t want
it cheaper, we want it free
The answer comes in the form of the entrepreneurial wizardry of music streaming apps like Spotify and Deezer which are revolutionising the way we listen to music. There are numerous controversies with these models, like the royalties paid to artists but these subscription and advertisingsupported ventures are saving the music industry people who simply do not place the same value on listening to music as we used to. Legally downloading and streaming music is the only way to keep our favourite artists strumming. Imagine some dystopian future where Simon Cowell reigns as supreme overlord of music and we’re subjected to the awful chart crap that’s churned out nowadays. If we don’t stick our fingers into our virtual pockets then that may well be a reality.
The internet
has supersized
Flickr: The Come Up Show
“
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Flickr/TempusVolta
people keep refusing to pay premiums for music, although the demand for new material will be there, artists will lack the resources to produce and instead have to relentlessly tour to earn an income. In the long run that’s not good for them, for us and for the music we love. Stealing music online is immoral and illegal; it makes you a bad person. I don’t need to tell you that so I won’t. One major problem is that internet regulation has never had the teeth to forcibly stop file sharing. In the same way I wouldn’t buy a ticket for a festival if I knew I could just walk in, why would I pay a premium for an album I could listen to for free? The moral imperative not to do so isn’t as great as stealing a book from Waterstone’s or some trainers from a shop. Fortunately the number of people illegally downloading music has fallen from its peak in 2006. Around 1 in 10 of us use file sharing sites compared to around 1 in 5 ten years ago. So, what is changing our habits again?
“
I would start by saying that I have never bought a CD but that would be a lie. When I was 7 I fondly remember begging my mother in the middle of a Tesco supermarket to buy me Britney Spears’ new hit album, Baby One More Time. That was 1999, that glorious year when we thought the Spice Girls were going to be around forever (they split a year later) and we all wanted to marry Paul from S Club 7 (no? that was just me?). 1999 was also important for another reason. It signalled the birth of Napster, the peerto-peer file sharing service whose ghost would devastate the music recording industry for more than a decade.
Charley Bendall Earlier this year the Pirate Bay turned ten; as the hub of illegal downloads survives a decade of legal pummelling from the music industry giants, should we be celebrating the wealth of entertainment available or be putting these new freedoms to listen and watch back in a predigital age box?
Write for Comment: Email comment@epigram.org.uk with w ideas, questions or just to register your interest. Once you’ve done this, you’ll receive article suggestions each fortnight. Alternatively, just send in an article on a topic of your choosing.
Not so long ago, the rebellious sat glued to the radio, stealing away their own pieces of pop culture to play back on tape deck at their own convenience, pirate stations catered for these audiences blaring out new genres from the blurred legal dimensions of the sea. Later, shabby pirated videos tainted with the odd cough or toilet trip, and burnt CDs became the privilege of those not wanting to wait, or indeed pay for their entertainment. Sure, a fishing boat hidden out at sea blaring out forbidden soul to millions of groups crowded eagerly round a wireless under the name Radio Caroline is a little more romantic than what sites like ‘Kick Ass Torrents’ bring to mind, but the principal of letting more people listen to more music is the same. There has always been this impatience, this feeling of entitlement to entertainment and there always will be. Is illegal downloading not just a big step in the same direction, swelled by the unrelenting flood of the digital age? The internet has supersized the amount of information available to us, and we celebrate this as a liberty, yet we continue this endless battle against the expansion of access to music and film. Why can labels and production companies not just accept this growth as a similarly positive feat and move with the tide, rather than relentlessly campaigning for more costly and eventually fruitless legal measures? Without ‘piracy’ we could still be restricted to the BBC’s one radio station,
a single prescribed dose of music as many suffered with in the early 1960s. Instead, after a revolution in music technology, the combination of YouTube and torrent sites allows thousands of new bands to find themselves on the iPods of a dedicated fan base, with sell out tours, all before they have even been signed. This is freedom of entertainment at its best. Macklemore, a benefactor of such success, has gone Platinum despite keeping his independence from a label. It seems if the music really matters, the profits should not, the artist posting on his Facebook page: ‘cannot afford the album, pirate that shit and share it.’ Those behind the complaints, the directors, the production companies and record labels, are certainly in no jeopardy; The Social Network, a film which fell victim to a particularly viral stream of torrent downloads has still raked in $224,920,315 to date. Certainly, any dent made by people enjoying these films for free is both invisible and irrelevant.
“
Music and film
industries should
“
Izzy Obeng
and illegal
Yes
download what they watch, play and listen to, are the
“
No
finally accept defeat
Those on the other side, who have famously been punished for their contribution to the hugely popular network of torrent downloads, are left financially crippled by fines. Joel Tenenbaum, a Boston graduate, who was ordered to pay $675,000 for thirty illegally downloaded songs, mockingly commented: ‘They’re trying to create an urban legend out of me, the kid who downloaded music’. Crushing down these supposed criminals in such a heavy handed manner is undeniably petty; several enormous fines to an unlucky few are powerless to stop the flow of free music downloads. Piracy has only grown stronger and more resilient since the 1960s and will continue to do so. The music and film industries should finally accept defeat, appreciate the power of the illegal download, with its unbeatable ability to spread entertainment and instead ride the swell of its success.
Epigram
14.10.2013
12 14
Legalising Class A drugs is the best solution for addicts
With Breaking Bad finally gone from our Netflix screens the question must be posed as to whether it would have all gone so horribly wrong if crystal meth was legal instead. In fact, it seems as if a wide range of problems associated with Class A drug use could be solved if the substances were legalised, with the most notable of these benefits being the disruption of large organised crime cartels, which have already caused an estimated 60,000 deaths in Mexico alone since the start of the ‘war on drugs’. Hundreds of tonnes of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine precursors are smuggled through Mexico each year, fuelling a decades long conflict with a heavy human and financial cost. But serious drug distribution, and the inevitably associated violence, is not just confined to the likes of Los Zetas and other cartels. Britain has some of the highest prices for street
competition between gangs led to violence. There was, as there is now, a trade off between usage rates and the damage associated with consumption. Additionally, due to the higher profit associated with selling stronger liquor, much of the alcohol sold was extremely inebriating, and so was far more damaging than if it had been legally available. The modern variant of this is ‘cutting’street drugs with other substances to increase bulk, many of which are themselves psychoactive; a notable example this year was a bust in Canada where three kilos of desmethyl fentanyl, an opioid painkiller 40 times stronger than heroin, was seized in an illegal lab. Fentanyl, cut into bags of ‘heroin’, is extremely dangerous for unsuspecting users, and overdose is very likely.The desmethyl derivative was so potent that four of the police officers were affected, and one hospitalised, simply from handling the drugs through protective gloves. Legalisation of ‘hard’ Class A drugs would therefore not only powerfully disrupt the supply lines and their associated violence; it would also be much safer for users. Addicts who have access to pure legalised drugs, through a regulated governmental source, would remain safer from infection and accidental overdose, as well as avoiding
crime to fund their habit. For users of ‘club drugs’ such as MDMA and ketamine, which are generally associated with fewer major criminal operations than ‘the big three’, decriminalisation would encourage people to be more open about what they use when going out, perhaps preventing accidents and deaths in clubs. Recently, Manchester’s Warehouse Project issued a statement about a man who had died from supposedly taking a bad batch of ecstasy, and several other people on
the same night were taken ill. Having drug testing kits in clubs and removing the need for dangerous secrecy could prevent further casualties. We could take a leaf out of Portugal’s book, which passed legislation in 2001 decriminalising all drugs for quantities deemed less than ten days’ worth of personal use; instead of it being a criminal offence to be caught with drugs, users now go to a hearing with a psychologist, a social worker and a legal advisor. The punishment for possession
has been compared to that of parking illegally. And has it worked? Portugal has seen reductions in drug use and rates of new HIV infections, whilst the number of people seeking addiction treatment has almost doubled, suggesting a successful shift from the view of drug addicts as criminals to patients. In light of these benefits, perhaps in prohibition we are creating the very same problems we are trying to resolve.
Flickr: higlu
Alex Saad
drugs in Europe and that, coupled with our fiendishly high intake, means that tackling drug distribution and associated crime costs around £17.6bn per year. Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary Mike Barton recently wrote a piece in the Guardian advocating controlled decriminalisation of Class A drugs. In it he argues that it would eliminate the demand, and hence the supply, of illegal dope. He claims that, ‘decriminalising [dealers’] commodity will immediately cut off their income stream and destroy their power. Making drugs legal would tackle the supply chain much more effectively and much more economically than we can currently manage. If an addict were able to access drugs via the NHS or some similar organisation, then they would not have to go out and buy illegal drugs. And buying or being treated with diamorphine [heroin], say, is cheap.’ There are several examples where prohibition hasn’t worked and decriminalisation has. The prohibition of alcohol in America in the 1920s led to a flourishing organised bootlegging scene for brewing moonshine and, although overall alcohol consumption dropped, crime rates rose by 21% as
On the simply disatrous demise of Mr Mark Darcy
“
Writers are running a huge risk by killing off popular characters
“
Devastatingly, due to Helen Fielding’s shocking decision to kill off the wonderful Mark Darcy in her new Bridget Jones novel Mad About the Boy I will now have to file away Bridget along
with my other ‘don’t feel like crying tonight books and films’, in amongst the likes of The Notebook, The Pursuit of Happyness and, of course, Bambi. Helen Fielding has decided to change the reason her novels were so popular in the first place and she’s not alone. We constantly see writers killing off our favourite characters. Are they simply being cruel or is there method to this madness? In literature there are countless examples of main characters’ contribution to the plot being cut short. The degree to which I am enraged is usually
dependent on the style and theme of the book. Take Little Women, for example. I was utterly traumatised by Beth’s death but this was not necessarily a bad thing. Her death enriched the book and added an essential element: realism. But gritty realism was hardly Helen Fielding’s original aim and it doesn’t seem fair that hardcore Bridget fans should have to endure Mark Darcy’s death simply because Fielding wants to be taken more seriously as a writer. They didn’t sign up for realism, they signed up for foolish drunken behavior and funny
Flickr: Nisarg Photography
When I pull on my slanket, snuggle up in front of the TV with left over egg fried rice and whack on Bridget Jones I am not doing it to challenge myself intellectually nor go through any emotional turmoil. I am doing it because Bridget offers the ultimate in ‘comfort viewing’.
relationship problems. And JK, oh JK. Realism is hardly achievable when you have broomsticks flying around and people turning into werewolves. Sure, Albus Dumbledore’s death was all part of some masterplan, but there was almost an international day of mourning announced the moment he fell from the astronomy tower and I, ultimately, felt cheated by his absence in the seventh book. Some fans were so outraged they vowed to boycott the final book of the Potter series altogether, posting angry messages on online forums
her and nipping off to Japan. That wasn’t a workable scenario’. A reasonable explanation, sure, but this won’t stop the possibility that ratings will drop after this shocking series finale.
“
Perhaps his death will simply be a drunken hallucination
“
Rowena Henley
such as ‘Muggle Space’. And this is not an unusual, or even unjustified, reaction to the death of a favourite character. Writers are running a huge risk that they will loose fans completely by killing off popular characters. This is certainly the case with Bridget Jones; devotees have rooted for Bridget to find a man for many years and just when she has Fielding condemns her to the most distressing single status of all: widow. With television we may be looking at a different story. Here, there is an even greater jeopardy that viewers will become disillusioned, but often the reason for the death of a main character is due to a drop in ratings in the first place. I know that, for me at least, the death of Marissa Cooper was utterly soul destroying, but the producers of The OC knew they were losing viewers due to a lack of shocking drama and therefore had to turn to extremes in order to reign people back in. Furthermore, there are reports that the actress Mischa Barton wanted to leave the show. This is also a main cause of main character killings; when asked about the controversial Downton death of Matthew Crawley, Julian Fellowes responded ‘We couldn’t have three years of them [Matthew and Lady Mary] being in love and suddenly him taking against
There have even been miracle cases of resurrection simply down to audience reaction. Bobby Ewing, the younger brother of JR in the 1970s soap Dallas was killed off in a car crash. The death created such uproar that it was then decided to bring him back to life and the writers concocted a storyline where the death had all been a long and vivid dream by his wife, Pam. I wonder if Mark Darcy will experience a similar scenario. Perhaps his death will simply be the drunken hallucinations of Bridget after one too many glasses of pinot grigio at the office Christmas party. Here’s hoping.
Epigram
14.10.2013
13 13 15
Rouhani and Obama can bring Iran in from the cold
“
Flickr: Casey Hugelfink
It is clear now that some agreement has to be made so as to combat poverty in this important country
Just eleven years ago, Iran was described by George W. Bush as being part of the ‘Axis of Evil’ and relations seemed to be getting worse. Even over the last few years, contingency plans have been made by the MoD which pinpoint Iran as a possible target, and constant criticism and sanctions have been levelled at Iran in response to its nuclear programme. Iran has always been seen as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, where the West is hated. With Rouhani comes a chance of a fresh start, a chance for Iran to throw off its pariah status. Hatred has Flickr: Joint Chiefs of Staff
On the 4th August 2013, a political event occurred that was arguably ignored by many that changed the balance of world politics. The Iranian Presidential elections signalled the end of Ahmadinejad, a hardliner, and instead ushered in a new era under Hassan Rouhani, a more moderate politician. In his election promises Rouhani stated he would attempt to improve relations with the West, whilst also improving the economy. Iran remains an international pariah due to its position on human rights, its nuclear programme and
harmony, those in Iran simply want the sanctions to end so food is affordable again. Whether one thinks that the sanctions are necessary or not, it is clear now that some agreement needs to be made so as to combat poverty in this important country.
“
Adam Beckett
its refusal to cooperate with the international community. As one of the powerhouses of the Middle East, Iran should be a country with a seat on the top table, yet it has been shunned by its refusal to speak to the West and its disobedience of international law. The sanctions applied by the US and the EU against Iran in lieu of this have hindered its exports and imports, severely holding back the economy: one US dollar was worth 36,000 rial in April, as opposed to the 16,000 rial one was worth in 2012. Additionally because the US and the EU refuses to buy oil from Iran, Iran loses out on its most valuable commodity. Therefore it is imperative that under Rouhani Iran moves on so as to kick-start the economy and improve living standards in the world’s 18th richest country. Whilst liberals in the West call for rehabilitation as part of grander vision of global
been bred between the US and Iran for decades since the 1953 coup which reestablished the unpopular Shah. When the Iranian Revolution occurred in 1979, and the Islamic Republic was created, Iran was seen as one of the most ‘evil’ countries in the world, something that has continued since. The Oscar winning film Argo demonstrates how much vilification of the US there is in Iran, and vice versa. The US shot down an Iranian passenger plane in 1988, something they claim was an accident, and whilst the victim’s families have been compensated, the US has never apologised for the event in which all 290 people on board were killed. Furthermore, the US supplied Iraq with chemical weapons that it used against Iran in the Iran-Iraq war. Thus one
might be able to understand why Iran has sometimes retaliated. No wonder, Ahmadinejad went to the UN and raged against the West, and refused to consider any possibility of talks. However, imagine if the world was without that animosity between Iran and the US. I’m not suggesting that Iran would become a US ally, but if both countries had diplomatic relations, then there would be an opportunity to move on. Look at how China is now accepted by the West, and respected as a result. Rouhani has the ability to make these changes and advance from the past. Recently he announced he would be looking into restarting direct flights between the US and Iran, an act which hints at wanting more than just a relaxation of sanctions. With
restored diplomatic ties, perhaps Iran could help mediate between Israel and Palestine, or help deal with the Syrian Conflict. Now, this won’t happen tomorrow, and whilst Rouhani’s visit to the UN was a start, it was nowhere near the end. Both his and Obama’s speeches gave hope to people wanting reform, but neither met. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, met Rouhani which is symbolic in showing the change; no previous Iranian President would even think of meeting such a senior US official. Rouhani also met Baroness Ashton, the EU’s Foreign Representative, highlighting that the EU has a part to play as well. Now the world holds its breath, hopingthat this rhetoric isn’t empty, and leads to concrete agreements.
There are no Blurred Lines on the danger of censorship
Olivia Petter
“
Musical censorship is a road universities should try to steer clear from
“
The infamous lyrics ‘I know you want it...I know you got it’ have been circulating the population’s heads all summer and although the song may no longer hold its number one title in the UK charts, there seems to be no stopping the controversies surrounding Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams’ Blurred Lines. Following in the footsteps of Leeds, Edinburgh, Derby, Kingston and West Scotland University, The University of Bolton has become the sixth university to ban the popular song from playing on campus. Word on the street is that Bristol may be the next university to follow suit but how necessary is this censorship? Most students listen to music to disconnect from the intellectual
Student bars have been booming sexually provocative songs from their speakers for decades, so why has Blurred Lines caused such a stir? Although the song paints women in a submissive light and the lyrics ‘tried to domesticate ya’ aren’t exactly pleasing to the feminist’s ear, but since when has popular music ever complied with social and political boundaries?
Nottingham University is considering banning the song because it ‘condones sexism’ - but people seem to be forgetting that sexism is, unfortunately, the subject of lot of popular music. A surprisingly large majority of songs in the UK chart addresses issues such as misogyny, violence and even racism - yet censorship has never been necessary. ‘S&M’ became Rihanna’s 10th UK number one in 2011 and while there were obvious criticisms of her glamorization of sexual violence, censorship was never even considered by Universities. And even if it was, would it really have made a difference? It’s likely that more and more universities will follow suit and ban the song so as to avoid any stigma about what message they are sending to their students if they allow the song to be played. So why are universities suddenly so desperate not to be associated with this controversial song? Is there some sort of universal truth that playing a song in a public space is a way of promoting the song’s content? I don’t think that Topshop, River Island (and
any other high street shop with a chart filled playlist) are promoting student shoppers to ‘talk dirty’ to one another, as recent number 1 artist Jason Derulo would suggest. One has to question the value of censoring a song that has already been number 1 for 12 weeks, in a sense perhaps the damage has already been done. Musical censorship is a road that universities should try
to steer clear from. One of the best things about being a student is independence and being able to make your own choices, and music is a huge part of this. We certainly haven’t seen the end of controversial song lyrics in popular music so does this mean that we will eventually only be able to listen to university approved music on campus? And if so, what would qualify as
such an approved song? It is a shame that the derogatory treatment of women is such a common theme in today’s popular music culture, but banning the song from university will not solve the problem. Whether we hear them in our Students’ Union or not, artists will continue to write lyrically shocking music for publicity, and we as students will continue to dance to it.
Flickr: Red Fishing Boat
drones of their degrees - so what difference does it really make if the song playing in Bar 100 is a little controversial? Are students really concerned with the issue of sexism when they hear that catchy introduction and start dancing?
Epigram
14.10.2013
Letters
@EpigramLetters
Editor: Emma Leedham letters@epigram.org.uk
‘Real women have curves’: it’s just a catchphrase I should start by saying that I’m writing in response to an
Flo Cullen-Davies
the country – London was third. The financial implications would also be easier to ignore if the house to which we all waste away our money turned out to be the walled and ceilinged paradise that we expect when frantically phoning for chequebooks at the desks of surprisingly over-friendly letting agents. Yet the Victorian oasis we all saw when looking round is, in reality, rife with structural flaws. Students are thrown into little more than hovels that no non-student would ever choose to live in. The walls are always damp, the doors and windows see the idea of insulation as little more than a pipe dream and by the end of the year at least one room in the house (usually the bathroom which has needed retiling for a decade) is essentially written off. No one would live in these conditions, and yet students are forced to. To put it another way, there is no aisle in Sainsbury’s labelled ‘student’ where they sell salmonella ridden chicken and bread that is so green and fluffy that it looks like the Cookie Monster (who was, admittedly, blue). Nonetheless perhaps we should all just be thankful. We have roofs over our heads. We pay nearly double the
rent of students in the north and our houses crumble into disrepair twice as rapidly. So as we move into October, let’s all raise a glass to this year’s paradise. Just remember that when you are bickering about who has the best house, it is a redundant discussion. One of you has damp, one of you will not get your deposit back and both of you will be freezing by December. Alex Longley
Want to have your say? Email us: letters@epigram.org.uk Follow us on Twitter: @EpigramLetters
Flickr: Rob7812
Flickr: LauraLewis23
In a few months’ time the annual Bristolian ‘grab for land’ will begin. Thousands of students will be frantically searching letting agencies for their dream student house. Fraught discussions surrounding who needs what room, why we even want to live with him in the first place and whether or not there is a dishwasher will culminate in the signing of a contract and the passing over of an unexpectedly large deposit. And an agency fee. And one month’s rent in advance. This is swiftly followed by a playground discussion between friends of whose house is the biggest, cleanest, newest, swishest and best located. Some time after this comes moving-in day. Then the honeymoon week, during which we are all really happy with our rooms. And then we all live happily ever after. Or we get damp, or burgled, or the boiler breaks and the kitchen floods. As each of these catastrophes unfolds – and each of us will have at least one houserelated fiasco whilst at university – the question will arise as to what on earth it is that students pay for in the letting market. The value for money is certainly not in the agency fee. Friends of mine had a veritable army of slugs (imagine a slower version of the video game Worms) living in their kitchen cupboards for the entirety of their second year. In spite of having paid a three figure sum for the upkeep of their property, no amount of calls to one of Bristol’s biggest student letting agencies culminated in any help in dealing with the problem. This is coupled with the injustice of so-called ‘deposits’ , whereby nine times out of ten students may as well set fire to the money and hope for the best. My landlord claimed £50 from my house in second year for carrying one bin bag from the kitchen to the dustbins outside upon our departure. In any other aspect of life such polite robbery has a name – theft. The only reason such actions are tolerated is that students do not have ‘real jobs’ and therefore lack the means to mount any form of meaningful complaint. In almost all financial aspects student lets are little more than a con, with little to no value for money on the part of the tenant. This problem is accentuated by the knowledge that Bristol was named as the city with the second most expensive private student rents in
Flickr: lydia_shiningbrightly
epigrumper who complained that the catchphrase ‘real women have curves’ is as negative in its effects as the pressure women are under to be thin. The phrase ‘real women have curves’ is not, I concede, ideal. At its worst it’s another form of judgement for women to contend with. And even if the intention is for ‘curvy’ to be an entirely inclusive term, encompassing any body type above a size skinny, this is problematic too – as if to suggest that obesity can’t be just as grave a problem as anorexia. But the idea that this catchphrase is as harmful as the movement it attempts to counteract aggravates me far more than the catchphrase itself. I realise I’m on eggshells here, so allow me to make myself clear: I am in no way condoning the idea that there is any such thing as an ‘un-real woman’ but, believe it or not, I don’t think the catchphrase in question is either. To take it so literally – as the epigrumper in question did – would be to attack a straw man. It’s not saying (although I appreciate the comedic conceit) that ‘some females, though born with two X chromosomes’ aren’t real. Nor is it attempting to shun the 91.6% of us who aren’t endowed with an hourglass figure. It’s there to say that women who don’t starve themselves are healthier than those who do. It’s targeting the ‘skinny culture’ that pervades our everyday lives: the culture of stick-thin celebs and their latest diets plastered across every page of every woman’s magazine at every check-out up and down the country; of mannequins and models whose shapes represent a
tiny minority and yet are the sole clothes horses for nearly all our fashions; and of glamour models who, despite garnering more attention for their busts, are also all thin. On the subject of glamour models, it would be fair to argue that they exacerbate the pressure on women to be curvaceous at least as much as to be thin. But whereas I’m depressed by the increasing number of women opting for breast enhancement each year, I don’t find it as disturbing as the fact that nearly half of 10 and 11year-old-girls say they want to lose weight, not to mention that the number of teenage girls needing hospitalisation for eating disorders was up by 69% between 2011 and 2012. I’m fully aware that eating disorders are multifaceted, but there is conclusive evidence that our societal obsession with weightloss and slim figures is a large contributory factor. You may think I’m coming down a little heavy on the epigrumper who, quite rightly, had her qualms regarding the catchphrase ‘real women have curves’ – most of which I agree with. But I think honing in on the phrase’s shortcomings doesn’t do its good intentions justice, and is petty in comparison to the problem it’s attacking. Sure, it could do with some improvement – perhaps a more scientific and politicallycorrect way of putting it would be ‘healthy women have enough body fat so as to allow them to menstruate’, but somehow I don’t really think that would catch on, as a catchphrase should.
Epigram
14.10.2013
17 13
Puzzles
Brought to you by Emma Leedham
epAnagram
Fortnightly news quiz
Can you unscramble the dances performed on Strictly?
How much do you know about the events of this fortnight?
Flickr: Beacon Radio
1) Actor Danny Dyer announced his new role in which British TV soap? 2) Which body released their 5th assessment report on the science of climate change? 3) Which British politician became embroiled in a dispute with the Daily Mail? 4) NASA has asked for volunteers to stay in bed for how long? 5) Which British political party claimed it would freeze energy prices if voted for in the 2015 election?
Last week’s answers: Kingsdown, Redland, Broadmead, Cotham, Hotwells, College Green, Clifton
6) Which Team GB medalist helped Team USA to a sailing win? 7) Which best-selling American novelist passed away aged 66?
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8) Which Irish singer wrote a letter to Miley Cyrus imploring her to reign in her controversial behaviour? 9) Which UKIP member quit their role as an MEP after being condemned for calling women
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‘sluts’? Flickr: PNG’s e etc...
10) The Swiss army carried out a training exercise by simulating an attack on which neighbouring country?
Picture quiz: Ex-
Factor faces
Can you work out who these ex-X Factor contestants are? Flickr: Beacon Radio
Flickr: Beyond The Barricade Photography
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Last week’s answers L-R: Alastair Stewart, Derren Brown, David Walliams
Want to write puzzles for Epigram this year? Email: letters@epigram.org.uk
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14.10.2013
Twigs’ style branches out Twigs is a hot new singer who is currently supporting the magnificent James Blake on his ‘Overgrown’ tour. Not only is Twigs’ life fascinatingly mysterious (she’s basically un-googleable), but so is her style. www.chartattack.com
Look 1
Get the look
ASOS www.fallingformusic.blogspot..com
Look 2
Boohoo
Get the look
This might be a more relaxed, daytime/library-friendly look as it’s suitable for any occasion when your focus is on comfort. To emulate Twigs, simply acquire the biggest, fluffiest, cosiest jumper you can, reclaim those ‘chavvy’ gold hoops and fashion some stringy plaits. If you’re feeling brave enough, work a bold red lip too to make it look like you made an effort.
Boohoo www.wetheurban.com
Look 3
Get the look
Here Twigs opts for a Spanish Bolero/Matador look that is so easy to channel. Embellished jackets are so versatile and can make any plain outfit pop. I love the intricate gold detail on her beige and white jacket, and its cute lapels and curved collar. The twisted plaits neatly tie-in with the bull-fighter theme (very animalistic).
www.last.fm
Look 4 This is the craziest (and also my favourite) Twigs look. A flashy, brash shirt is your base layer. On top of this don a metallic dress; Twigs’ shiny pink pinafore is so cute. Now for the piece-de-resistance, the hair: you’re aiming for Esmeralda/Peruvian queen/ Festival-princess! Twist some strong, bright ribbon into a chunky, loose braid. Now find the biggest, floweriest, most magical headband you can - be it real flowers or a booze-soaked castoff from Glasto - and finally frame the face with a fringe if you have one, or stray ringlets.
ASOS
Get the look
ASOS
ASOS Jessica Emily
Perhaps better left undiscovered Alexa Chung, having stormed the fashion elite for years, tantalizing thousands of teenage girls with her effortless cool, has finally decided to disclose the secrets to securing a spot at the top of the It-girl pile. It, as the book is so modestly titled, arrives in a most promising form. The pastel pink, canvas-covered hardback causes the reader to swoon at the prospect of a fashion legacy sitting in their very hands as one flick through the pages reveals hundreds of eyecatching photographs. However, as soon as you start to actually read the book, Alexa’s spontaneity (as she calls it) results in an extremely simplistic, almost childlike view of fashion. She begins by divulging her guilty pleasure to her fans - the Spice Girls. Although this can be forgiven, her continuous lack of depth throughout the book makes it difficult to relate to the author. You are left wanting more, but not in a form of fascination or idolisation, but merely due to the fact that the book seems entirely void of personality, intelligence, and above all, fashion. A particularly bland chapter is a section entirely devoted to getting dressed in the morning. This is a gripping idea to any Alexa Chung follower, as they hope that they will finally be able to perfect her impeccable style by being given this sneak peek into her morning rituals. Instead, readers are left staring blankly at a meaningless list. Chung’s advice to ‘look in a mirror’ makes it seem as though she is completely ignorant to her audience, as I am sure every person reading this book is capable of knowing that a mirror is essential in avoiding a fashion faux pas. Perhaps its simplistic nature was due to the fact that Chung sent every chapter directly to her publisher via email, instead of reading through the book as a whole first. This gives the book a disjointed and unnatural feel. It doesn’t have the spontaneity that Chung so desperately wanted, but merely feels thrown together, or unfinished. A higlight is the section on heartbreak, listed as a main motivator for this project. This is in reference to her rock and roll relationship with Arctic Monkey’s frontman, Alex Turner. This is the only part of the novel where genuine emotions and personal aspects of Alexa’s life are touched upon, with personal songs clearly listed in the book. It is clear that writing is not Alexa Chung’s forte, and therefore, when she uses other forms to express her emotions and experiences, it allows the reader to finally connect with her on a more personal level. Having immediately finished the book, I was left disheartened, almost as though I had been cheated. However, this feeling quickly dispersed and was replaced with an appreciation of the book in its complete form. Beautifully bound, with a fantastic range of photographs, It is a credit to any bookshelf, perhaps if only to flick through and admire for its aesthetics rather than its content. www.waterstones.com
Here, Twigs overlays a funky strawberry shirt with a bejewelled crop top (an essential party piece), adding a multicoloured fur for good measure. Throw in some chunky signature jewellery, puce lipstick and twist in some cute topknots (writing with your hair a la Twigs’ ‘Love’ scribble totally optional - looks fantastically difficult) and voila!
Alexa Chung:‘It’
Amelia Impey
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What’s on this fortnight? Living
Bored of your books? Sick of your seminars? Loathing your labs? Fear not... What’s On is here to help you inject some variety into your week!
The story behind the speech When? Thursday 17th October, 5pm Where? 2D3, Social Sciences Complex
Style
will be hosting sports sessions Throughout the fortnight, UBU ving a go at trying something for anyone who’s interested in ha d, what’s more, there’s no new. There’s no commitment, an need to have a sports pass. touch rugby, dodgeball, Sports on offer include: lacrosse, volleyball. badminton, volleyball and sitting For more information, log onto: s/ubuactive/ www.ubu.org.uk/activities/sport
Gigs on this fortnight
14 Oct: RUDIMENTAL at the O2 (sold out) 15 Oct: CHVRCHES at the Anson Rooms
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING at the O2
16 Oct: SUB FOCUS at the O2 17 Oct: JOHNNY MARR at the O2 18 Oct: DEF HAVANA at the O2 19 Oct: TRAVIS at the O2 ALISON MOYET at Colston Hall 20 Oct: LONDON GRAMMAR at the Anson
What’s On
Gary Young, of The Guardian, will be giving a public lecture entitled The Dream: The Story Behind Martin Luther King’s Most Famous Speech. It is free for all to attend and followed by a drinks reception. Wikipedia
Travel
Try a new sport with UBU Active
Rooms ALUNA GEORGE at the O2 21st Oct: BOWLING FOR SOUP
Know When? Monday 21st Oct, 10am - 3.45pm about Where? Colston Hall an event in Seize your chance to really make a difference Bristol that you to someone’s life by giving blood! session will think should be Abedonor held at Colston Hall. For more featured in What’s inform ation, check out: On? Let us know! www.facebo ok.com/ Email deputy@ epigram.org.uk !
UOBSaveALife
Black History Month: the great debate
When? Tuesday 22nd October, 6.30pm-8pm Where? Wills Memorial Building, Room 3.32
at the O2 23rd Oct: BLUE at the O2
Chvrches Henry Laurisch
Do something amazing: give blood
Blue Man Alive!
As the culmination of activities to celebrate Black History Month, some of the biggest names of Bristol’s political scene will be attending a debate at the Wills Memorial Building. Speakers include the Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson; Charlotte Leslie MP; Marvin Rees and Jude Smith Rachele.
CULTURE
Sharron Franks
Epigram
14.10.2013
Arts
Editor: Claudia Knowles
Deputy Editor: Rose Bonsier
Online Editor: Erin Fox
arts@epigram.org.uk
deputyarts@epigram.org.uk
artsonline@epigram.org.uk
@EpigramArts
Spaceships and drug dealers - Encounters 2013 Euan McCarthy In 1995, Brief Encounters was held in Bristol as a one-off celebration of cinema’s centenary. However, its popularity meant that it returned the following year, and was joined in 2001 by Animated Encounters to form the Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival. Now held annually in September, and celebrating its 19th edition this year, the festival takes place in venues around the Harbourside, this year centred on the Watershed and the Arnolfini, to showcase a wealth of short films ranging from documentary to drama, encompassing comedy and experimental films along the way. With support from the British Film Institute, BAFTA and Aardman Animations, the festival has grown into a major event for the film industry and film fans alike, screening over 200 short films over a five day period. On arriving at the festival, the Watershed’s café was thronged with people and a palpable sense of excitement seemed to fill the festival venues. The festival had a lot to offer, from Q&A panels with editors, directors, writers and film industry buffs, to the DepicT! series of 90 second films, and short films by more established writers and directors such as Jesse Armstrong (Peep Show, The Thick of It). The festival wasn’t restricted to the silverscreen; a Pop-Up Cine Chalet on Park Street looped various Swiss films about the darker side of life, inviting viewers to reassess their perceptions of Switzerland. Hand-drawn and animated film Anomalies, by Ben Cady, won the Animated Encounters Best of British Award, and examined the often irresistible human desire to meddle with things better left alone. Other personal highlights included the beautifully-shot and brilliantly-acted Rosemary Jane, directed by Carolina Petro, which saw a woman head to a council estate in search of marijuana to help her depression and insomnia. The astounding Orbit Ever After, a sci-fi rom-com, followed a boy in orbit above Earth with his family, and
the girl of his dreams, orbiting in the opposite direction. The film, which starred well-known actors Mackenzie Crook (The Office, Pirates of the Caribbean) and Bronagh Gallagher (The Commitments, Pulp Fiction), won the Brief Encounters Grand Prix, thereby qualifying for nomination for the Best Live Action Short
Tearing Light Apart Watkins is the mastermind behind two vast screens that encase the orchestra within. Throughout the performance lights project onto both screens, rising and falling with the intonation of the music as it steadily builds towards an epic finale of Love Will Tear Us Apart. The start was slow, with a monotonous flashing of white circles dragging on too long. However it soon became apparent that Watkins was merely lulling the audience into a
Encounters Festival welcomes submissions from first-time film-makers, and those on a budget.
false sense of calm meditation – only to be smacked with a blasting sequence of jagged, rippling lines that mimicked the band’s iconic Unknown Pleasures album cover. Watkins, originally from Birmingham, works mainly with moving image production and animation. Music seems to resonate deeply within his life and work; he collaborated with creative director Jamie Hewlett on the Gorillaz animations that had an unprecedented role in their rapid rise to fame.Watkins also assembled the team that won
him Designer of the Year in 2006. A member of Hewlett’s design company Zombie Flesh Eaters, he later set up his own Birmingham based studio, Beat13, with fellow artist Lucy McLauchlan. The pair focus on McLauchlan’s murals and installations, in one instance covering an entire building in an ethereal leafy dreamscape.
Southbank Centre
Last week Colston Hall played host to a spectacular explosion of sound, light and overall artistic magnificence. Live Transmission, an electro-orchestral reworking of Joy Division music, has been masterfully pieced together by Scanner, the Heritage Orchestra and exploratory visual artist Matt Watkins. The show was originally commissioned for the 2012 Brighton Festival and is currently touring the country.
Project Revolver
Claudia Knowles
Film category at the Oscars. Encounters Festival is undoubtedly a must-see for any serious film fans. The sheer number of screenings, workshops, and fringe events makes the festival an event not to be missed for any aspiring writers and directors. With a wealth of categories,
WHO
More of Watkins’ work can be found on his website, w w w. m a t t . b e a t 1 3 . co.uk For a full review of Live Transmission, flip forward a few pages to Music
WHAT
Studio Ghibli (1985-present)
An acclaimed Japanese animation studio. Founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, this company has created eighteen feature films, some of which are acknowledged as being the greatest ever created. The directors take a traditional handdrawn approach to animation to
Check out the other winners and look out for news on next year’s festival at http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk
create a potent blend of romance and fantasy.
Les Choix de Trillion
Ghibli’s films are acclaimed for their emotional, thematic and artistic complexity. They draw upon Japanese mythological and cinematic
influences to create strange and spellbinding worlds of magical creatures and complex human characters. Recurring features include strong female protagonists, a concern for environmental issues and an interest in adolescent emotional development. Masterpieces include Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies.
Epigram
14.10.2013
35
Nobel on the cards for Norwegian Wood author Isadora Provatos
“
Murakami explores the colliding
contradictory worlds of dream and reality
”
Born to a Buddhist priest’s son and an Osaka merchant’s daughter in Kyoto, Murakami grew up in a heavily Westernised culture, exposed to American literature and European music from a young age. His 1987 novel Norwegian Wood, whose title was inspired by The Beatles song, quickly became an international phenomenon. My favourite of Murakami’s novels is Kaf ka on the Shore (2002), which earned him the World Fantasy Award for Novels in 2006, and is one of his most metaphysical and surrealist works. It was cited as one of The New York
Times 10 Best Books of 2005 and is both hypnotizing and mindbending. The novel follows two stories as they delicately intertwine; the life of a young boy who embarks on a journey to escape his pressing fate and find his lost mother and sister. He finds work in a private library in Takamatsu run by the ethereal figure of Miss Saeki and the ambiguous Oshima, spending his days and nights absorbed in literary masterpieces whilst embroiled in a police inquiry into a brutal murder that he seems involved in. Meanwhile we meet Nakata, a simple minded pensioner with the telepathic ability to read cats’ minds. He in turn embarks on a quest to solve a mystery that takes him across Japanese landscapes and metaphysical boundaries. Murakami explores the colliding contradictory worlds of dream and reality, complementing the backbone of magical realism that he achieves in such exquisite detail. The heady sexuality and intense suspense is only a further indication of his talent. He is a truly exquisite and innovative writer who will surprise and overwhelm; a truly elegant and conscientious favourite for this year’s Nobel Prize.
Flown Away
Pirates of Carabina
Rose Bonsier
Random House
Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist and internationally acclaimed author, winner of the Jerusalem Prize and Franz Kafka Prize is this year’s favourite candidate for the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature Award. The prize is awarded to a candidate who has produced a comprehensive body of work that provides revolutionary idealism and inherent humanism. Murakami is well known for his socially conscious novels such as the The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and Underground (both 1997), addressing issues such as the war crimes in Manchukuo, China, as well as the Aum Shinrikyo gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system. He addresses issues of physical violence and collective consciousness, weaving characters’ stories through a surreal and emotional voyage.
Presented by emerging company Pirates of the Carabina, FLOWN is a real rarity. Part of the Bristol Circus Festival at Creative Common, this remarkable circus drama simultaneously showcases the most incredible aerial and stunt performances and tells an engaging story of show disaster. Each act strikes a wonderful balance between fast-paced and raucous farce and some truly beautiful
movement and story-telling. Whilst the over-riding tale FLOWN tells is of a dangerous and disorganized circus show, there are also a number of sub-plots and subsections that weave gracefully in and out of the main narrative. You even get to hear about the lives of the performers as they step forward in turn to the microphone to tell you about how they ended up in this chaotic circus act. Other stories are told through the performances themselves, with one particularly wonderful duet telling a love story in the air. The acts alone are breathtaking, with highlights including one performer hanging from a suspended hoop by only one hand, and dangling an ironing board from the other. I thought this was superbly impressive, until later when she performed with the hoop again, supporting not only her own weight but another performer dangling from her feet. The group perform these very demanding tricks with faultless fluency and grace.
WHEN
WHERE
WHY
Founded in 1985, the company creates a new film every couple of years. Always popular in Japan, Ghibli received worldwide attention following Spirited Away’s Oscar win in 2003. Although Miyazaki has recently announced his retirement from directing films, there are numerous young directors keen to continue his pioneering work.
In 1996, Disney won the rights for the international distribution of Ghibli’s films; Miyazaki sent them a samurai sword in order to emphasise that there should be no cuts or changes to his work. The films are widely available in both subtitled and dubbed versions. Film 4 often showcases Ghibli’s work, whilst their latest release, The Wind Rises, is expected to be in UK cinemas early next year.
Animation is transcended into high art whilst still remaining incredibly enter taining and popular. The joyous exub erance of its magical worlds is juxtaposed
One of the most heart-breaking and lovely routines involves one of the performers spiralling round a pole that switches from being balanced against the floor to being suspended in the air. All such aerial performances were facilitated by other performers tightening and slackening the ropes, so precision and timing on this count too had to be impressively flawless. The show was no doubt added to by the equally good live music and vocals, which quite literally took off during the final act as musicians and instruments were suspended in the air. The musical accompaniments included a spine-tingling rendition of the ethereal classic She Moved Through the Fair, every bit as good live as any one of the wellknown recordings. Pirates of the Carabina are quite clearly a stunningly creative company, and this coupled with their immense skill and physical strength makes a show that’s unmatchable in comparison to any circus or aerial performance I’ve seen before.
Sam Abreo with its presentation of human suffering and resilience. Colourful cinematography and soaring soundtracks combine in order to create a cinema that rejoices in the power of the imagination and the indomitable power of the human spirit. Les Choix de Trillion
Epigram
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Ninian Doff 2013
“I’m a feral child who was raised by wolves...”
Former Bristol student Ninian Doff talks about winning the DepicT! award at Encounters this year with his 90 second short film, Cool Unicorn Bruv (pictured). Doff has worked with Darwin Deez, Mykki Blanco and, most recently, Chrystal the unicorn. You studied Film and Theatre at Bristol a few years ago. Did you return for the festival? Yep, I live in London so popped down for the weekend. Was a lot of fun to be back in Bristol and Brief Encounters is a great festival. Very easy to meet and chat to other filmmakers there. Which was your favourite film that you saw? On a whim I went to see some Estonian animation short films and some were amazing. Particularity In The Air by Martinus Daane Klemet. I read that you’re a mixture of English, Scottish and Dutch. Your name’s definitely more interesting than any old English number. You’ve said before that you’re “a feral child who was raised by wolves as one of their own”… Where are you originally from (if not the woods), and where are you based now? Ha ha I’m mainly Scottish. Well, born and bred in Edinburgh but a Dutch Mum and English Dad. Also grew up in Dublin for 5 years... so who knows. Currently I’m in London! You’ve worked a lot with musicians and artists on previous films, was Cool Unicorn Bruv the first solo project you’ve done? It was the first short film I’d done in a while but I’ve always done a huge range of different types of films: comedy sketches, shorts, music videos, skateboarding videos, graphicsy animation things. I’ve been making films
since I was about 14 so there’s been all sorts - some good some absolutely rubbish. How did you come up with the idea? I was offered a unicorn! It’s a bizarre story, I got phoned on a Thursday night to be told that someone had booked a unicorn for a photoshoot the following Wednesday and it seemed a shame not to do more with it so maybe I wanted to make a film. How can you turn that down? So it was written on Friday, cast the following Tuesday, shot on Wednesday, edited on Thursday, graded and finished on Friday! Whole thing from initial idea to completion in one week... if only it was always that easy and fast. DepicT! is the award for the super-short films, allowing only 90 seconds. With such a short time-frame each second is of vital importance. Do you think this teaches directors to be more efficient and particular with their work? For sure. I think one of the hardest things in learning to make films is discipline and ruthlessness in story and editing! Think long and hard before you let your short creep over the 10 minute mark I say. In general the more ruthless, tightest edit is the best one. When you have worked with other artists, such as Darwin Deez and Martin Brooks, what’s the process you go through with them, is there much collaboration of thought or do they let you do most of the creative work? The reason I love music videos is the creative freedom. All my videos have been ideas I wrote from scratch and presented the ideas to the musicians, when they say yes I get to make them! Simple as that. It’s just a great way to push yourself, try strange ideas and be proactive. Other forms of filmmaking tend to drag out into months of meetings
The Open Sessions
Mozart’s the Magic Flute
Bold and original new plays from Playwrights across the South West
Opera Project return to present their interpretation of the spellbinding classic
@ Bristol Old Vic 9th-19th October
@ Tobacco Factory 15th-26th October
and planning - part of the fun of music videos is they often have to be finished a few weeks after you get the money so you just charge into them. That tends to keep them very fresh and creative.
It’s probably quite a good/inspiring thing for filmmakers just starting out to know, you can get so disheartened starting out but you just got to battle on.
The Initiation, which you worked on with Mykki Blanco, begins with him almost crawling towards the camera with the same gothic obscurity as Frankenstein’s monster – but with a computer generated second face on top of his head. Filming that must have been strange. Can it be difficult to get your ideas across sometimes? With such surreal bizzarities it’s often hard to see how great something is until it’s done, they must have a lot of trust in you!
Now, about Bristol. What do you remember most about the city?
For sure. My ideas often invole things that are hard to explain or picture so I often include video tests in my treatments (the pitch that gets sent to the musician). For Mykki Blanco there’s actually a test film of me crawling round with a 2nd face on my head as explanation of the idea! Then I guess, as I build a bigger body of work, people trust me more. Mykki was amazing - never queried or questioned a thing. Just went for it 100%. All of your films seem to focus on a simple idea, and build upon this rather than overcomplicating the screen with unnecessary effects or themes. Having said that, these ideas (a unicorn, riding a bike with no hands, CGI’d double-faced rappers) aren’t your average passing thoughts. What’s the strangest thing you’ve wanted to capture on film?
If you hop over the right wall there’s an entrance to a secret tunnel which leads to an underground weird abandoned ballroom and then even further underground down the tunnel a strange sort of theater. I won’t tell you where though, it’s a secret after all! What advice would you have for any budding film makers amongst the Epigram readers? Well firstly just do it do it do it do it do it. The only way you can ever learn about film making is to just make loads of films. So super short length restrictions are a perfect way to do that. Don’t worry too much about it having to be perfect, just throw yourself into it. On a practical note, don’t forget about close-ups in a scene, they’ll save your life in the edit. Having typed that I just realised Cool Unicorn Bruv doesn’t contain a single close-up so that leads me onto my next and most important point: don’t take any rules or advice too seriously, no one knows what they’re talking about. Just go do what feels good to you. What’s up next for you?
So so so many. I’ve written so many music video ideas that didn’t get made. Especially when you’re starting out you just write loads and get constantly rejected. I think I’ve got over 70 treatments for music videos that didn’t get made, a few of them I think are some of the best ideas I’ve come up with.
I’m currently shooting a commercial, then I’ll hopefully do another music video soon, working on a comedy series and writing a feature! In the immediate future though: taking my dog for a walk.
Bristol Festival of Literature
Forced Entertainment: Tomorrow’s Parties
@ multiple venues including Arnolfini, The Parlour Showrooms, Mshed, Bristol Museum and The Watershed 19th-27th October
A whole variety of literature related talks and workshops across the city
Interview by Claudia Knowles
@ Arnolfini 25th-26th October
Innovative theatre company Forced Entertainment discuss a multitude of possible futures
Check out reviews, articles, pictures and what else is on at www.epigram.org.uk/arts or Facebook : Epigram Arts
Anson Rooms
Presented by
Chvrches
London grammar
15 oct
20 oct
Frightened Rabbit
Karnivool
7 NOV
14 NOV
hALF MOON RUN
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
24 nov
26 nOV
Crystal Fighters
Mindless Self Indulgence
29 NOV
5 dec For information and tickets for these gigs and more visit
PEACE 12 DEC
www.ansonrooms.co.uk
#LikeYourBike
Like Your Bike Week Sunday 20 October - Sunday 27 October All events are FREE. Some require booking*. To secure your place email ubu-community@bristol.ac.uk. Date
Event
Time
Location
Sun 20
Make Sunday Special
11am - 4pm
Baldwin Street
Mon 21
Bike Maintenance Class*
12 - 2pm
The Hawthorns
Tue 22
Rave Spinning Class*
8 - 9pm
SEH Gym, Tyndall Avenue
Wed 23
Women only Bike Maintenance* 6 - 8pm
Bristol Bike Project, BS1 3QY
Thu 24
Intro to London to Paris Cycle & Pedal Powered Cinema*
6 - 8pm
Roll for the Soul Cafe, BS1 2JL
Sat 26
Fancy Dress Bike Ride
3pm
Suspension Club Night
9pm
Meet at the Water Tower on the Downs Anson Rooms
University of Bristol Cycling Club Ride
10am
Sun 27
Meet at Clifton Suspension Bridge
www.ubu.org.uk /BristolSU
@UBUBristol
Film & TV
Epigram
14.10.2013
@epigramfilm Editor: Gareth Downs
Deputy Editor: Matthew Field
Online Editor: Alejandro Palekar
filmandtv@epigram.org.uk
deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk
filmandtvonline@epigram.org.uk
A brief encounter with Jesse Armstrong Gareth Downs caught up with the writer of Peep Show to discuss projects: past, present and future... grab him for a chat. He described his Future Encounters nomination for No Kaddish in Carmarthen – a first foray into directing – as a huge honour and told Epigram that Encounters has a wonderful ‘collaborative’ atmosphere; an important quality when it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a living as a comedy writer. Jesse explains that America and its plethora of cable channels is a far more opportunistic nation, where it is possible to get a job on an already well-
Photo by Anne Oswald insideencounters2013.wordpress.com
Spencer Turner & Olivia Webb Filth is only Baird’s second foray into the world of directing. It’s the on screen adaption of Irvine Welsh’s 1998 novel of the same title and for only his second outing Filth is courageously dark and outrageous in equal measure. James McAvoy plays Bruce Robertson, the misanthropic detective who uses psychological warfare in an attempt to disgrace his colleagues and grab the coveted Detective Inspector position. Whilst in charge of a brutal murder case, Bruce quickly turns them against one another in a web of dishonesty, creating turmoil both in the office and their lives. For a book which was written largely in first person and, at times, narrated by a talking tape worm, it is not surprising that until now this novel had been deemed ‘unfilmable’. However, Baird succinctly interprets this mesh of strange occurrences to form something just as gripping as it is horrific and repulsive. As Robertson and his decaying psyche roam the underworld of Edinburgh’s desolate streets, Baird applies a fusion of comedy and horror to generate a pantomime villain that quickly comes to epitomes the very worst of human nature. Yet, the crueller this modern day Dorian Gray becomes, the more you seem to like him as he indulges his own bad behaviour we find ourselves rooting for him too. Baird’s application of emotion increases throughout the film, and rare moments of tenderness are created, which bizarrely stir some sense of sympathy within the audience. Such moments however, are few and
far between and lead the audience to question whether this film is a black comedy or a drama. Bruce’s fellow colleagues are so gullible and dreary that it feels like a sitcom, whilst the surreal and disconcerting scenes of Robertson’s dream like encounters with his psychiatrist are inherently comparable to those within the 1970’s title A Clockwork Orange. Arguably, the film doesn’t have enough ‘laugh out loud’ moments to qualify as a black comedy, nor does it delve deep enough into the concept of the human condition for it to be a drama. As Bruce’s sanity corrodes, so does the fluidity of storytelling. This sleazy, dangerous and repulsive character suddenly demonstrates compassion towards a woman and her son whose husband he tried to save earlier in the film. As a cocaine snorting, alcoholic and sex-addicted bully Baird makes it inherently difficult for the audience to fully sympathise with Bruce’s deteriorating mental condition as the film reaches it denouement. Filth’s unspecified genre means that whilst the film has its enjoyable moments as spectators we are ultimately left feeling unsatisfied with the conclusion. Perhaps this is Baird’s intention, to make the audience experience the uncertain nature of mental illness. McAvoy is really the ‘glue’ that holds this film together. In Filth he has departed from the type of roles he is familiar with and adopted a brutality that we have never seen before. In playing Robertson, a drug riddled
established show, citing The Simpsons as an example. ‘It’s all about hitting a tone that you’re comfortable with and then exploiting it’, he explained.
‘‘
I’d tell myself to get into beetroot earlier...
’’
Peep Show, then, is the epitome of exploitation of a tone. One of Britain’s best-loved comedies has now become Channel 4’s longest running sitcoms. ‘I love the show and I love being involved with it’, and he and Sam Bain have avoided the danger of falling into a rut thanks to such wellconstructed characters. He was also quick to shift some of the praise onto David Mitchell and Robert Webb, the leads who do such a fantastic job of keeping the tone of the show true. Jesse has every right to be immensely proud, for the show sits proudly
on Britain’s mantel, showcasing the comedic talent that we boast. He followed Peep Show with the almost equally successful Fresh Meat, which taps into the life of a group of university students. Jesse described it as a ‘very low concept show’, in the same mould as Peep Show, where an eclectic gaggle of students, from highly contrasting backgrounds, are thrown together and forced to play nice. The show was enormously popular due, in part, to the ‘Rolls Royce performers’, as Jesse called them. Messrs Whitehall and Thomas were already exceptionally well known in the comedy universe, so landing them added to the pulling power greatly. What was it, then, that possessed Jesse Armstrong to go one better than just penning the script and take the camera in hand? In short, Sam Bain; his writing partner on all his illustrious projects encouraged him to
turn his brief, semi-autobiographical – only in the sense that it was inspired by his own upbringing – script, into a short film and Jesse decided to dabble with directing. The result, No Kaddish in Carmarthen, could breathe new life into the comedy genre when it airs on a wider scale at the British Film Institute London Film Festival this month. It is a beautifully directed and sharply written work of art. Jesse Armstrong is making strong career moves, and it would surprise me greatly if he doesn’t continue to contribute towards the promising state of British comedy. He does regret one thing, though. When asked if he could tell his younger self one piece of advice, he was quick to answer. ‘I’d tell myself to get into beetroot earlier’ he said, with complete severity, because ‘if you roast it and grind it up with some tahini and some garlic, then it makes quite a nice dip’.
Review: No Kaddish in Carmarthen No Kaddish in Carmarthen is Jesse Armstrong’s directorial debut and although only 13 minutes long, it’s an absolute treat. The story follows Gwyn, an angstridden teenager who is yet to discover a version of himself that he is comfortable with. His adopted Jewish, ‘Woody Allen’ esque persona is the source of many of the picture’s loudest laughs but at the heart of this story is a message about self-acceptance. The writing is of the highest quality but one shouldn’t expect anything less from a man regarded so highly in
British comedy. Not surprisingly, for he has spent so long working behind cameras, his direction is wonderful. Praise must be awarded to Sion Davies who, carries the comic timing of an actor far more well versed than he is. Jesse Armstrong’s foray into directing certainly does not disappoint.
No Kaddish in Carmarthen Dir. Jesse Armstrong, 13 mins
Filth isn’t quite filthy good psychopath, McAvoy immerses himself in the role with such vibrancy that some critics have called Filth his best acting performance to date. McAvoy’s talents allow us to enjoy the limbo between comedy and drama, and we experience the full spectrum of the outrageous through to the slightly touching when we learn of Robertson’s past life. Eddie Marsden’s performance as Clifford Blades, the wealthy chartered accountant who mistakes Robertson’s affectations as friendship, is also convincing. Jim Broadbent as
Robertson’s psychologist, however, borders on the bizarre. Filth is certainly a departure from Welsh’s original novel. A large amount of the content has been toned down and has dispensed largely with the tapeworm that provides some of the novels narrative. Nonetheless, Baird has done well to convey Robertson’s offensive character, and McAvoy does the job of bringing it to life. Perhaps the film doesn’t quite manage everything it wants to, and there are some scenes that leave you a little
filthmovie.co.uk
Jesse Armstrong should be a household name. His work on Peep Show, The Thick of It, Four Lions and Fresh Meat, amongst others, has been nothing shy of genius. Why is it, then, that few people know his name? The man responsible for some of Britain’s best cult comedies hasn’t indulged in the limelight that he should legitimately be afforded, and that’s a somewhat endearing quality. Jesse recently featured at Encounters Film Festival and Epigram managed to
confused. Filth is unfortunately left in a void between gimmickry and serious drama, despite this, the film does have its sharper moments, which will leave many audience members satisfied. Upon leaving the cinema the one thing about Filth that we were both sure of was the soundtrack, which has to be said, was brilliant.
Filth is in cinemas now Dir. Jon S Baird, 127 mins
Epigram 14.10.2013
40 30
vulture.com
‘Methmerized’ by Breaking Bad Finale
deliver an epic and poignant finale. Out of this final series however, I feel that episode 14, the aptly named Ozymandias, was almost certainly the best of the season. After the huge revelations and twists of this episode the two final episodes, while still full of intrigue could not quite level up to the emotional impact and key plot points that Ozymandias delivered. Once we hit episode 15 we see Mr White apparently on his last legs,
‘‘
As Saul says, ‘No bad deed goes unpunished’
’’
but though seemingly out for the count and gradually succumbing to his cancer, White remains resolved to deliver his legacy and preserve his fearsome reputation. The final episode sees a final confrontation between White and one of the most ruthless characters to come out of the series, Jack, and perhaps some just deserts for the sickening Lydia. Personally I would have liked to have seen more of Jesse in the final episode; in episode 15 he was given some decent screen time, but perhaps the final episode does not do his character justice. After such a long and punishing series for Pinkman, it might have been nice to see some more of him in the closing moments of the episode. While many fans have been willing Walt to succeed, he is undoubtedly one of the most ruthless villains in recent television history and one who will be watched and re-watched with the same fascination and fear of the
first viewing. The way Cranston and Vince Gilligan, the series creator, have managed to keep his character fresh makes for continually brilliant viewing. With the series finally coming to a close we might ask could Walt’s actions ever be justified? At what point did the bumbling chemistry teacher finally step over the line from protagonist to villain? Gilliagan has suggested his most unforgivable act was turning down the chance to receive free cancer treatment at the goodwill of his former partners Gretchen and Elliot Schwartz, a move which would have kept him out of the meth business and his family safe. As a story about greed and ambition Breaking Bad has given us a series that will define Crime shows for years to come. The strong Western elements, intriguing villains and constant good vs. evil dilemmas have kept viewers addicted. The series ends on its strengths, with violence and revenge and an always brilliant Cranston.As Saul says, ‘no bad deed goes unpunished’ yet ironically viewers are likely to leave with the words of Jack still in our ears from episode 14 ‘Jesus, what’s with all the greed here?’ Safe to say Mr White’s greed will be remembered in infamy for years to come.
Head to epigram.co.uk/film for more reviews and opinions including - Downton Abbey - Prisoners - The IT Crowd and many more.
A truly ‘marvelous’ flop Ben Marshall Empty puns, loud noises, a bloated budget and wooden acting. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Marvels: Agents of Shield. Modern critics often claim that there is a war going on between the small and the big screen. Television greats such as Mad Men or The Wire challenge the status of quo of cinema as a superior art form. In the battle of the blockbuster though things haven’t changed much. As with other recent comic book hero adaptions there is little joy to be found in this new show. The large ensemble cast fails to create any drama since the show’s creators are seemingly only willing to explore in any depth the already familiar star Agent Coulson. Beyond him we are presented with several young American whippersnappers all experts in their fields but back stories ending there.
While the CGI of the show is impressive for television it falls far short when compared with The Avengers. Similarly the shows budget has been allowed to cover an impressive array of vehicles, though it remains a little confusing why an organisation supposedly secret from the public has its logo plastered everywhere. The acting is roughly on par with a Head and Shoulders commercial with each character seemingly delighted by every conversation or event that transpires. The puns are incessant with a grudging smile being the best that an audience member is likely to achieve. The emotional climax of the show falls very flat and is left to an extent quite unexplained. Yet despite all this as a proper comic book fan boy I will be tuning in next week hoping for a better performance. It took a while for Marvel to truly find its legs in cinema and perhaps the same will be true of TV.
rsvlts.com
hollywoodreporter.com
After six years the cult phenomena of Breaking Bad came to a close on Sunday. Whether you have been an avid follower form the beginning or a later arrival such as myself there is no doubt it has been a thrilling journey. A show which was almost cancelled has become a modern masterpiece and the final two episodes are no exception. Available on Netflix in the UK Breaking Bad follows the criminal dealings of former chemistry teacher Walter White as he goes on to cook crystal Meth with his former pupil Jesse Pinkman. Bryan Cranston plays the monstrous White in this tale of pride, greed and downfall, with all the seriousness that such a brilliant character deserves and in the final episode we see Walt returning with a vengeance to
moarpowah.com
Matthew Field reviews the final cook off between Walt and Jack in Breaking Bad
Epigram
14.10.2013
41
Brief Encounters in Bristol
runnerrunnermovie.com
Emily Golding explores Encounters, Bristol’s Short and Animated Film Festival
Run-of-the-mill thriller swindling fraud - on the other. There’s a questionable motive here too. Runner Runner serves as a way to express some concern about the culture of online-gambling, but it also acts as a means to generate it; glamorising its dark underbelly. And all while sporadically mentioning Wall Street gloom. It’s badly textured, with no allure. Don’t hedge your bets on this one. It’s a washout.
Runner Runner is in cinemas now Dir. Brad Furman, 87 mins
watershed.com
overcome their oppressor – all tediously commonplace and incredibly mediocre. Ben Affleck is not bad, too, as the online-gambling tycoon but it’s a seriously redundant role after his performance as Tony Mendez in the Oscar-winning drama thriller, Argo. Though his performance is slightly less self-aware than Timberlake’s animated Richie, he does just seem to be going through the gears, in autopilot. This film is seriously below par. It oscillates continually between glamorisation on the one side, and condemnation – gambler’s paradise and ‘naughty, naughty’ money-
canada.com
Max Griffiths
Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck have much to play for in Brad Furman’s exotic gambling thriller – but an unimaginative, hackneyed plot leaves a lot to be desired. Brad Furman’s Runner Runner is a glossy run-of-the-mill film about money, gambling, and power, set against the backdrop of economic austerity, in the context of the U.S banking crisis. Justin Timberlake gives a fairly convincing performance as Richie who, after being swindled online gambling, travels to Costa Rica to meet the site’s magnate, Ivan Block, and get his money back. Courtship ensues – Block offers Richie a six-figure job, and Richie becomes the tycoon’s protégé. It’s all bikinis, cards and cocktails. In charge is Block, played by Ben Affleck, a big, broad, boundless entrepreneur modelled on your usual self respecting, crocodile feeding, tax evading businessman. smart, shady and self-assured. But (gasp!) Block’s not to be trusted and after a couple of run-ins with the local mob and stern warnings from the FBI, Richie realises it is all a big ruse. Poor old Richie. But it’s all OK, because Block’s femme fatale Rebecca Shafran, a vacantly written, “heard it all before” role for Gemma Arterton to try her best with, falls for Richie and helps him
When will we ever meet your mother...? Matthew Floyd Despite rumours of the show’s conclusion at the end of its eighth season, the hugely popular American sitcom How I Met Your Mother returned to the small screen recently to premiere its ninth and officially final run. This opening double episode follows the usual gang on their separate journeys to Barney and Robin’s wedding, during which all of whom become embroiled in various capers in a half-hearted attempt to fill the 40 minute running time. Recent episodes bring me to question how many of the 9.4 million viewers are watching out of loyalty and hopeless optimism for a return to the wit and charm of the earlier seasons. Unfortunately, the appropriate analogy for my continued viewership of the show is that of a relationship that has gone on too long in the eyes of both parties. Any evidence of the witty and often clever
The 19th edition of the third largest into a central London jobseekers film festival in Europe returned to the office. The professional quality of West Country, its birthplace. Leisurely the screenplay, cinematography sprawled across the Harbourside, with and editing belied the filmmakers’ short films at the Watershed, and status as apprentices of their trade. animations at the Arnolfini. By the It is the short film format that calibre of shorts on offer, it was worth grants artistic license to the wackiest being lured inside as summer bade of directors and sends right-brain us farewell. The festival boasted out a hemispheres into overdrive. With bevvy of treats for film-swots, industry entries hailing from across the globe, insiders and curious cinemagoers traversing climates and cultures, the alike over its weeklong duration. weird and the wonderful were on every Films were shortlisted for awards, agenda. The animations in particular and the entire category screened at ran amok with conservative notions of once, in lieu of a full-length feature. what film is, and how it should be made. The ‘Fresh Flix: Shoot from the hip’ Anamole’s Island combines oldcategory found itself with a veritable school graphics with absurdist eclectic mix of entries in its shortlist. humour; think Captain Pugwash on Accompanying a Q and A session with moderate hallucinogens. Noodle Fish some of the filmmakers, there was showcases the cream of the crop from a showcase for aspiring young film South Korea. The viewer has a birds students. Opening with The Beast, a eye view of a stunning stop-motion fairy tale set upon Welsh moorland, universe, carefully constructed from whose plot blurs the lines between hundreds of uncooked noodles, in reality and fantasy, the short films were which our hero, a little fish in his extensive in their variation, yet united little pond, is swept out to sea, and by a theme of “regaining control in a finds himself battling existential world full of chaos”. Continuing with niggles, trying to discover once and raw Scandinavian dramas, we met a for all what is ‘outside of the water’. young Danish tomboy confronting Aside from film-screenings, there her new sexual identity in Damn was a cornucopia of industry insights Girl; and an unimaginably visceral and workshops. Imaginations ablaze depiction of a group of anorexic with possibility, yet without bank teenagers struggling through balances to match, found joy in mealtime in rehab, in the Swedish a crowd-funding session run by a triumph Eating Lunch. Crocodiles panel of independent filmmakers without Saddles owes its soaring – including the team who raised beauty and poignancy to the charm over £100k on Kickstarter, for their and innocence of Kaddi, the young upcoming production The Fitzroy. protagonist of German and Gambian descent. Through this documentary, we are offered a privileged peek into her development through childhood. My personal favourite was the sublime yet snappy Arcade, a scathing verbal showdown between two best girl friends, blasting one another to pieces on a computer game at the local arcade. In just five minutes of footage, director Nida Mazoor alludes to a deep consideration of social issues ranging from over-sexualisation of women, to family ruptures, and the fragile status quo in intimate female friendships; silkily weaving Tarantinesque glossy visuals together with a witty script.Dead Man Down Other highlights included a onceFor a film screening with a twist,Released 3rd May 2013 in-a-lifetime visit from the sensational there was a ‘Cinechalet’, an open venueDir. Niels Arden Oplev, 118 mins of his 80th Richard Williams, in honour often screening episodes of Pingu - a birthday, and a digital re-mastering of nod to this year’s country in focus, his masterpiece, Who Framed Roger Switzerland. With doors wide open Rabbit?. Eager editors were clamouring to carefree wanderers along Bristol’s for a seat when BAFTA ran an editing Park Street, Encounters’ very own master-class with the renowned ‘Swiss Cottage’ was one of a number Nicolas Chauderge (above), of Fish of fringe events, including a solar Tank and Wuthering Heights acclaim. powered cinema in various local parks. Once again, the week’s festivities The cinematic treats were perpetual did not fail to deliver, and if I were as the week played out. The mindto have any quibbles at all, it is that blowing contribution from NFTS to the Encounter was all too brief. the NAHEMI student film-makers For info on getting involved category demonstrated just how high next year, stay up to date at: http:// the bar has been set. In their offering, www.encounters-festival .org.uk / The Mass of Men, a nail-gunman lays
dialogue,relatable characters and charming performances which won over myself and millions more are almost completely lacking. Instead, the show has descended into a generic formula featuring unsatisfying stereotypes of the original personalities accompanied by barrelscraping plots. Adding insult to injury are the increasingly intrusive laugh-track which only highlights the poor writing, alongside the protruding soundtrack which prescribes feelings in place of genuine emotion. Josh Radnor, portrayer of central protagonist Ted Moseby, looks unsurprisingly bored through this opening episode, particularly following his second gig directing, writing and starring in an above-average movie; 2012’s Liberal Arts. Potential new viewers are advised to keep away, however long-term followers will presumably, like myself, see it through out of commitment to this once joyous series, regardless of its current quality.
Epigram
14.10.2013
Music 26
@epigrammusic
Editor: Mike Hegarty
Deputy Editor: Danny Riley
Online Editor: Dan Faber
music@epigram.org.uk
deputymusic@epigram.org.uk
musiconline@epigram.org.uk
Miles ahead: interview with Johnny Flynn
toured together a few years ago, they must be the same thing.” It is very naïve, and kind of lazy journalism.’ On the other hand, he concedes that being regarded as friends is immensely favourable to being ‘pitted against each other by record executives like it’s the early 90s.’ Indeed, Flynn appears
rather fond of his humble origin-story. ‘The big major labels have less of a grip on things… the music that’s being made now is by these artists and collectives, with a spirit of collaboration and friendship and openness. We got where we are by operating with that spirit.’
“Flynn’s troubadour style and poetic disposition places him a long way from
”
Mumford and co.
Of course, music is just one side of Johnny Flynn’s coin. Besides his umpteen triumphs
on the stage, Flynn’s film career is steadily gaining momentum; next year he’ll appear onscreen with Anne Hathaway in the musical Song One. When I ask if this is the beginning of him being led astray to Hollywood, he’s amused but quick to clarify his ambitions. ‘I’m not that fussed about being what you
might call a “Hollywood” actor. I’m much more interested in doing indie films or theatre projects… I don’t have any desire for the fame or the money.’ This answers my next question before I can ask it; how come he hasn’t collaborated with his close friend Robert Pattinson? Why no cameo in Twilight? Flynn laughs. ‘We talked about doing a project together, that’s maybe still in the works.’ Our conversation drifts back to music, and it becomes clear that music and acting are tightly entwined in Flynn’s mind. ‘For me, the time spent acting in a play or doing a film is important for the music… I go into writing thinking of songs as scenes or whole plays in themselves, and I kind of cast myself in them.’ That story-telling element is present throughout his back catalogue. His debut album A Larum was written during his time with Shakespeare troupe Propeller, and has become something of a cult classic for its Bard-esque and sometimes obscure lyrics. Flynn adds that his latest, Country Mile, owes a similar debt to the novels of Robert McFarlane. For all his success, Johnny Flynn is refreshingly modest. And for all the theatrical eloquence of his music, he couldn’t be less pretentious. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit play at the Student Unions’ Anson Rooms on October 14th.
Live_Transmission: style and substance Music writer Mike Limb bears witness to the electro-orchestral re-incarnation of Joy Division at Colston Hall
Flickr: InstitutePsychedelicVenezolano
Two years ago, Johnny Flynn started recording his third album: Country Mile. In the interim, he has kept himself relatively busy. He’s been on tour around the USA supporting Mumford & Sons alongside Mystery Jets. He’s garnered critical acclaim for performances in Jerusalem at the West End Apollo, The Low Roads at the Royal Court Theatre, and the Twelfth Night / Richard III double-bill at the Globe. He’s gotten married and had his first child! He’s starred in a string of independent films. And he’s just finished shooting Song One (2014) opposite Anne Hathaway, which he has also written the soundtrack for with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley. Now with Country Mile completed, he’s embarking on a European tour with his band The Sussex Wit. “It’s weird how things turn out. It’s been kind of mad. I suppose I’ve had a pretty epic year.” Flynn has consistently been labelled as a member of the British “nu-folk” scene, along with Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons, etc. The branding seems strange; Flynn’s troubadour style and poetic disposition places him at the opposite end of the genre to Mumford & Sons stadium-filling folk anthems. He clearly has mixed feelings on the matter: ‘I’m also friends with bands that play hardcore punk… It’s weird, people seem to think, “Oh, they use some acoustic instruments and they
Flickr: Ron Henry Photography
Johnny Flynn is back with a new LP Country Mile. Ahead of his gig at Anson Rooms this month, Max Moore spoke to him about music, acting and getting pigeonholed.
In an age of music where remixes and edits of songs are almost as prominent as the original composition themselves, it seems apt, that 33 years on since Joy Division disbanded after the tragic suicide of lead vocalist Ian Curtis, the work of one of the most influential bands in British musical history has been re-interpreted into a new live AV performance entitled Live_Transmission. Originally conceived by Laura Ducceschi for the 2012 Brighton Festival, the performance has been built into a staggering multiplatform collaborative piece featuring the Heritage Orchestra, ‘electronic music pioneer’ Scanner and visual artist Matt Watkins. Live, this formidable trio, together with members of the angular math-rock trio, Three Trapped Tigers and Ghostpoet bassist John Calvert, have developed an innovative, multisensory performance that has been showcased as far afield as the Sydney Opera House. Joy Division were one of the seminal acts of the British post-punk and art rock scene. Made infamous by Curtis’s intense live jittering energy and
possessed dancing, their output swung wildly from the regimented, disparate rhythms of ‘Transmission’ to beautiful, haunting, wall of sound ballads such as ‘Atmosphere’. They truly were and still are, a band that meant so much to so many. Taking on such an iconic, influential band such as Joy Division is therefore not only a tremendous challenge, but also a risk, and so it was with some trepidation that I took my seat in Colston Hall for the Bristol date of the UK-wide Live_Transmission Tour. A thick layer of electronic samples marked the start of the performance, soon accompanied by soaring strings that announced the arrival of the 30 strong members of the Heritage Orchestra. Taking control of the sonic output, Scanner masterfully looped and splices the orchestra’s sounds into a shuddering drone that intermittently was punctuated by the hypnotic bass chords of the opening song ‘Transmission’. From here the performance rapidly gained volume and momentum, as a projection of a runner paced across the performers, with ‘Digital’ and ‘She’s Lost Control’
dispatched with a crash of crescendos and industrial fuzz. Visually the performance was stunning. The two screens that flanked the front and back of the stage were utilised in a manner that accompanied, rather than impinged of the rest of the performance. At one point, scrawled hand written lyrics scratched across the stage, providing a surprisingly personal moment in ‘Isolation’ and helped to highlight the accomplished lyricism that Curtis was famed for “But if you could just see the beauty, These things I could never describe, These pleasures a wayward distraction, This is my one lucky prize”. In other places, the iconic Unknown Pleasure album artwork was given an extra dimension, morphing into a TRON-like valley, accompanied by a wash of electronics and soft synths that brought the two hour performance to a close. The reworking of the bands discography is undoubtedly an accomplished piece; delivered with formidable technical skill as well as an impressive visual feast. However, throughout the performance it was
easy to feel slightly disconnected from the music. The main appeal of Joy Division songs for me is the unflinching intensity that is at the core of their songs, constructed by the raw, simplistic combination of guitar, synth, bass and drums. As a consequence, assembling such a large and allencompassing sound meant that, at times, some of the songs felt stifled by a fog of electronics and overdubs. This resulted in some of the interpretations, such as ‘End Eternal’ and ‘Atmosphere’, coming across a bit flat and overdone. This said, it is important to stress that not all musical offerings disappointed. Indeed, arguably the most cherished, and therefore one of the most challenging songs of Joy Division’s output to take on, Love Will Tear Us Apart, was beautifully reimagined as a stripped back and slowed down encore. Although prone to being hit and miss at some points, this track especially proved the ‘Live Transmission’ experiment could achieve breathtaking results. For more on the visual artist behind Live_ Transmission, skip to the Arts sextion
Epigram
14.10.2013
25 43
Cloud Control
A storm has slowly been brewing around this Sydney via London four-piece. Music writer Matty Edwards caught up with them at Start the Bus:
have fun on stage. For example touring with Supergrass, who are pretty old-school was refreshing because everything was so raw and natural. So you’ve released your second album this year: how do you see the progression from Bliss release and the EPs in terms of the new album? J: I think there’s a definite progression. We just had more time in the studio that allowed us to kind of explore spaces that we’d always wanted to explore. I guess on the first album we had a tiny budget working in my parents’ tiny lounge room, so there are special limitations that come with that, but we embraced them, we wanted them. This time we kind of turned it all on its head and went wherever the song needed to go. There was a deliberate decision to not be restricted to the organic instruments like on Bliss release we just thought ‘if it sounds good, put it in!’ But do you sometimes think that ultimate freedom and no limitations can be a bad thing?
So is this your first time in Bristol, guys? Jeremy: This is actually our third headline show and we’ve also played a few support slots. We like coming to Bristol, it’s cool here and we normally have a good time. Cloud Control and Bristol are quite well acquainted. You’ve toured with / supported a host of pretty big bands, including Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, and also Weezer recently. Do you think
it’s important for up-and-coming bands or that it shapes you in a particular way? Ulrich: I was actually thinking about this the other day for another interview! I think the main thing that touring with bands like that is that it just helps put things into perspective. These bands are massive and they’ve been doing it for decades but they can still have fun, they can still remain spontaneous and sort of human. It’s really interesting to see them actually
J: Definitely. Too much choice is frustrating sometimes because you have to choose between lots of stuff that’s good and you think... ‘Yeah it’s good, but is it Cloud Control?’ U: There still has to be limitations on ourselves, even if they are really subconscious. I’m sure you’ve been asked about this many times before, but just briefly tell us a little about where you’re from – the Blue Mountains J: Well it’s where we grew up and where
This is the shit! - This Is The Kit live at the Folk House otherwise conventional tracks such as ‘Spinney’ and ‘Moon’ provides the music with a brittle, gravelly undertow. There is a strong sense of physicality in the music and a clear focus on the sounds themselves as textural. Perhaps the best song of the night is ‘Earthquake’, a skeletal groove which unifies the band
as one pulsing organism more so than anywhere else during the night. It is the case that their performance consisted of highlights rather than one relentlessly impressive spectacle. However, the band achieves a tricky marriage of fragility and skilful musical
J: There are some definite similarities but also some huge differences. I love London, it is what it is. It’s a truly international city, which Sydney is not. Like New York it’s a huge city that allows niche stuff to happen and a meeting point for different cultures, which is really cool. Do you manage to write on tour around the hectic schedule or do you need lots of time and space to be creative? J: It’s really hard to do both (write and tour), because touring is so tiring. Most of your down time is filled with conversations like this, which is fine and necessary, and there’s no personal space so it’s difficult to find that hour or two to get something out that you’ve got. I also think we’re not a great jamming band. It takes time to find something really simple that works, like Gold Canary for example. How do you create something like that again? The drum beat and that clap is so good and so simple. U: We are more of a digestive band that needs time to hear stuff back and digest. We like to digest (laughs).
Rising folk: George Ezra
craftsmanship that avoids coming across as overly polished or diluted. With the capacity for moments of genuine beauty and the ability to crawl under your skin, one hopes that This Is The Kit’s music will garner the recognition it blatantly deserves. Ben Hickey
Flickr: doobidooh
It may be a matter of personal preference but to me it feels like many young folk musicians approach their craft with too much wide-eyed innocence and not enough dread or anxiety. Since This Is The Kit has expanded from a female duo into a fully-fledged five piece, their wintry songs have managed to transcend the conservative, stultified sound which has increasingly come to characterise the contemporary folk scene. Favouring the more fully realised material on this year’s full length Wriggle Out The Restless, This Is The Kit’s performance at the Folk House is a beguiling one. It is intriguing at times to watch helmswoman Kate Stables perform. She has a particular idiosyncratic tic of jerkily tightening her posture during songs and a skittish, off-beat stage patter, all habits which help to bring out the uncertainty and caginess in some of their music. The spare and haunting songs such as ‘Easy Pickings’ are often enthralling to watch in this setting; Stables’ vocals, backed by a scrawny banjo part, waver and shiver while the guitar on
Maybe there’s too much focus on where bands are originally from rather than where they’ve made things happen. What was the transition like moving from Sydney to London?
Flickr:geckoo76
Cloud Control released their second record Dream Cave this summer. It’s a soaring, swooning, psych-tinged work that marries Californian vocal harmonines with electronic loops and really great songwriting. Since their Australian Music Prize-winning debut back in 2011 the four-piece have relocated from the Blue Mountains in Queensland, to Sydney, and now to London. Epigram caught up with a layed-back Jeremy and Ulrich from the band before they played their headline show in Bristol last week:
our families still are. It was pretty cool to grow up in a suburb of Sydney but also have the bush literally in your back yard, but it’s not hugely relevant anymore, maybe not even towards Bliss Release because I was the only one who was living there.
George Ezra is not your average male singer-songwriter; the kind that wails about an ex-girlfriend he had during his GCSEs and performing horrendous covers of Wonderwall at every chance he gets. Rather, Ezra’s songs are mature beyond his years and have a sense of meaning that you don’t come across too often. There’s a kind of rasp to his voice and, though that sounds extremely unappealing, it is quite the opposite. It is this distinctive quality that means Ezra’s voice is not only unique, but also beautifully haunting; his voice stays with you even after the song has finished. I can say that this is especially
true of his live performances, having seen him play at The Gallimaufry on Gloucester Road on 25th September. Ezra was an extremely comfortable performer, but this could perhaps be put down to surroundings because (as if we don’t already have reason enough to love him) he’s Bristolian through and through. So take advantage of him while you have the chance! Having just been picked as a BBC Introducing Tip for 2013 this home-grown folk singer is set to be a huge name in the year ahead. Rowena Henley
Epigram
14.10.2013
44 Next issue: Dan Faber reviews Simple Things festival, Juliette Motamed talks to Chvrches, Joe Brandon writes a love letter to Justin Timberlake, and much much more. Stay tuned, eh!
Reviews
Drone Logic, Daniel Avery’s first full length release, is that rarest of records; a blur of rhythm and noise that successfully straddles a number of different styles, whilst simultaneously avoiding being tied down to the conventions of one genre. From the opening bars, the use of ethereal vocal samples overlaid with seductively simple drum loops recalls the vibrancy of Chicago acid house, whilst elements of shoegaze also find their way into the record through amorphous distortion and droning melodies. Despite this blend of genres, Avery still has his feet firmly planted in the UK’s electronic scene and album highlights ‘Naive Response’ and the titular ‘Drone Logic’ evokes some of the best moments of many of Avery’s London-based contemporaries, most noticeably the haunting rhythms of Four Tet and Joy Orbison. Far removed from the manufactured and artificial sounds that characterise much modern dance music, Avery’s reliance on hardware and live recording creates an authentic and energetic sound even in the record’s more downbeat moments. Whilst Drone Logic eschews the instant accessibility that made Disclosure the current giants of the UK electronic scene, its slower pace makes for music that is both atmospheric and rhythmic, equally enjoyable on or off the dance floor. A truly exciting debut. Alex Whitehead
Yuck Glow & Behold Fat Possum / Pharmacy 30th September 2013
‘SMS’ and ‘4x4’ both feature Cyrus attempting to rap and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s not quite Ghostface Killah. ‘SMS’, in particular is unashamedly classless. ‘My Darlin’’ doesn’t fare much better; shaky vocals are engulfed by the impenetrable fortress of auto tune until it starts to sound like a reworking of ‘Stand By Me’ sung by a drowning robot. Big Sean admirably withstands Miley’s shrieks on Love Money Party, emerging with his dignity largely intact. By far the two least awful tracks on Bangerz are ‘Wrecking Ball’ and the Pharrell Williams produced ‘#GETITRIGHT’. Without the questionable construction methods of its video, ‘Wrecking Ball’ reveals itself to be a perfectly acceptable pop song. Williams’ obvious presence on ‘#GETITRIGHT’ is a particularly surreal moment, a little bit like discovering a chapter of ‘Twilight Ghost’
written by Oscar Wilde. After the utter pointlessness of ‘Drive’ and the moderately fun ‘FU’, the final third of the album takes a dramatic turn for the worst. The obligatory electro breakdown on ‘Do My Thang’ is surely the result of fast approaching deadlines and a lack of listenable material. By the end of the album the listener will feel as if they have survived a Herculean ordeal. Ultimately, Bangerz is a confusing, schizophrenic journey between partying and heartbreak- and neither of these aspects ever really win through. Cyrus just can’t get the best of both worlds. Richard Reback
Omar Souleyman Wenu Wenu Ribbon Music 21st October 2013
The London born Indie rock/lo-fi four-piece Yuck released their self-titled debut album in 2011, with sounds being likened to those of Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. Following the departure of front man Daniel Blumberg earlier this year, Yuck produced their second album Glow and Behold with guitarist Max Bloom taking over on vocals. ‘Glow and Behold’ has a dreamy, melodic sound as a whole, featuring two instrumental tracks and clean, precise guitar. Tracks flow smoothly from one into the next, yet in a way in which none are particularly memorable. Certain songs, such as ‘Memorial Fields’ have a slightly psychedelic feel, with only a few more upbeat, heavier songs ‘Middle Sea’ and ‘Rebirth’. The eighth track ‘Nothing New’ perhaps sums up the album itself in that although the album has a more mature sound than Yuck, the raw, edgy sound that emerged on the debut album and made it so brilliant, is no longer present. The album lacks any standout tracks to equate to the previous album’s ‘Get Away’ or ‘The Wall’. Glow and Behold is, however, perfectly good for easy listening and the dreamy, flowing sound is ideal if you’re looking for something to send you off to sleep.
Omar Souleyman represents an anomaly in western music: he has traversed the bridge from Middle Eastern stardom to a western record label. With the 21st October release of Wenu Wenu he crosses the anthropological line between the ‘east’ and the ‘west’, undermining those outmoded socio-political constructs with his own unique brand of music. Wenu Wenu is a potent mixture of traditional ouds, reeds and baglama saz’ but contorted and bent out of shape by western high-tempo BPM’s and distorted synthesiser; Souleyman intones delicate Arabic lyrics over the top of those frenetic rhythms in Syrian folk style. With that unique multi-cultural blend Souleyman has earned himself unprecedented levels of English-language media exposure: he’s had interviews with respected cultural outlets like The Quietus and Fader, and late-night sets at major European festivals (Primavera in May and the Pitchfork Festival in Paris this November). And of course he’s been working with some pretty hip westerners like New York cover artist Spencer Sweeney and British post-rock extraordinaire Kieran Hebden (who produces here), aka electronic beat junkie Four Tet. A spike in attention might, in part, be due to his Syrian nationality and the carnage going on there but this ought not to swamp his music.
Rebecca Watson
Barney Horner Flickr: dustyknapp
Daniel Avery Drone Logic Phantasy 7th October 2013
Bangerz, the new album from former Disney star and future Miley Cyrus finds the pint sized controversy machine twerking her way through a series of ‘songs’ which range from bland to excruciatingly painful. In the albums only truly shocking moment, opener ‘Adore You’ is not the drug laden tribute to a space orgy that may have been expected. Based around a never changing drum beat and immeasurable waves of auto tune this introduction is surprisingly low key. Not so surprisingly, it is also crap. The seemingly ubiquitous ‘We Can’t Stop’ is next in this chamber of horrors. Very little about this number 1 single is particularly memorable except its annoyingly jumpy refrain of ‘it’s our party we can do what we want,’ and, no, wait, that’s it. Two songs in and whilst Miley is adamant that ‘she won’t stop,’ it’s becoming worrying clear that she really should.
flickr: sarahluv
flickr:PNG
Miley Cyrus Bangerz RCA 4th October 2013
Epigram
14.10.2013
25 45
65 Minutes of Static - 65dos live at Thekla Festival, 65daysofstatic are by no means new kids on the block. Next year will mark a decade since their cult debut album The Fall of Math and they’ve come a long way since then. Although their brand of glitch-y, fuzzy post-rock hasn’t altered too much stylistically in the past ten years, with each album they’ve become a more experienced and refined group. This has culminated in this year’s album Wild Light, perhaps their best work yet from which the majority of the set tonight is drawn from. Despite not being a vocalist one could easily describe Joe Shrewsbury as the band’s front man. His amusing offkey remarks provide comic relief to the intricately crafted soundscapes on display. Happily there is nothing off-key about the band’s sound. The musical talent here is evident as members of the band switch instruments effortlessly. At one point Shrewsbury’s instrument of choice appears to consist solely of a mounted effects pedal board. Towards the end of the set the crowd are treated to old favourites ‘Radio Protector’ and ‘Retreat! Retreat!’ which, when contrasted with the more recent closer ‘Safe Passage’, highlights the quality of 65dos’s back catalogue and the progress they’ve made.
flickr: Fabio Venni
There’s not a single lyric between the three bands playing tonight, but evidently from the sold out crowd rammed in to Thekla for 65daysofstatic’s headline show, this music speaks to people on a number of levels. First on are ‘Math-Proggers’ The Physics House Band who, as ever, are on lightening form. Their modern math rock take on groundwork laid down by the likes of King Crimson and The Mars Volta brings something new to the table. Complex time signatures snake their way around grooves ensuring accessibility to musicians and laymen alike. Despite having a ridiculously early time slot the impressive crowd they draw is testament to their originality and renowned live reputation. Main support comes from Aussie post-rock outfit sleepmakeswaves, a bit of an unknown entity amongst the Bristol crowd. The band describes their sound as “love songs about delay pedals” which sounds about right. Gradually building to an intense crescendo in a way that doesn’t feel contrived is something that eludes most post-rock bands but sleepmakeswaves manage it. An originally ambivalent crowd is entirely won over by the end of the set and sleepmakeswaves receive the ovation they deserve. Fresh from headlining Bristol’s own Arctangent
Joshua Clark
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UBU NEWS
News and opinion from the University of Bristol Students' Union www.ubu.org.uk
UBU LETTINGS
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
WHAT'S ON
Union Run University Housing
Iconic Figures of History
UBU events this fortnight
VOTING OPEN FOR COURSE REPS ELECTIONS
Sept 2013
Make a change to your education
O
ver 400 of you nominated yourselves to
University. Course Reps have a chance to directly
The 2013 election positions
fulfil one of the 296 Course Rep posts
improve the quality of teaching and student
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Course
available and be the voice of students on
experience for everyone at the University of
Reps.
Bristol.
Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research
your course. Thank you for taking the time to put yourself forward.
Senate Reps Postgraduate representation
Postgraduate Part-Time Officer
Now it’s time to vote for who you want to
As well as Postgraduate Taught Course Reps, there
represent you to the University. At www.ubu.
are also elections for a Postgraduate Part Time
The dates
org.uk/elections you will find details of all the
Officer and Senate Reps. This is your chance to
Polls close at 4pm on Friday 18 October
candidates and their manifestos.
ensure that postgraduates are represented across the university and improve the postgraduate
Make sure you read through and choose your
student experience.
representative carefully as they will be representing your interests and opinions for a whole year.
Why vote? To ensure the best possible candidate represents
They will be your first point of contact to voice opinions and raise concerns or questions to the
you and your interests.
Black History Month
UBU is celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events
Get involved by visiting the informative ACE stall in the University
coordinated by your Black and Minority Ethnic Students' Officer, Hafsa
precinct, enjoying cultural food served in the Refectory, university
Ameen in collaboration with the African Caribbean Experience (ACE)
cafes and university halls and listening to cultural music throughout
Society and Brisoc, the University of Bristol Islamic Society.
the month on BURST student radio.
ROSA PARKS 1913-2005 ACTIVIST
See the What’s On list overleaf for details of all Black History Month events or visit:
Parks's refusal to give up her seat on an Alabama
www.ubu.org.uk/blackhistorymonth
bus in 1955 became a symbolic moment in the American civil rights movement. The fallout launched Martin Luther King Jr to fame. The incident sparked a mass boycott of the transport system by the black community.
Sept 2013
JESSE OWENS 1913-1980 ATHLETE
NINA SIMONE 1933-2003 SINGER & ACTIVIST
At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Owens defied Nazi propaganda
Nina
and won four gold medals on the track. When he died, the
american singer, pianist,
US President Jimmy Carter said: "Perhaps no athlete better
song-writer and civil rights
symbolised the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and
actvist. She recorded over
racial bigotry."
40 albums many of which
Simone
was
an
addressed racial inequality in the United States.
ICONS OF BLACK HISTORY
STEVE BIKO 1946-1977 ACTIVIST A leading campaigner against apartheid in South Africa and co-founder of the Black People's Convention
UBU LETTINGS
STUDY SKILLS Our skills workshops are an interactive way to help you develop your skills and abilities in a range of study and key skills areas. They will run during November. For further details on these courses or to enquire about booking visit ubu.org.uk/justask/workshops or email graham.petch@bristol.ac.uk.
The University of Bristol Students’ Union (UBU) is
for booking their accommodation through UBU
Critical thinking
delighted to announce the imminent launch of brand
Lettings. We strongly advise students to come to us
This is the foundation of successful academic study.You
new lettings service – UBU Lettings.
before visiting any high street agency, so that we can
will learn how to ask the right questions, and develop
make sure you get the best possible deal.
confidence in your ability to construct arguments and
The service will be headed up by Victoria Thomas,
interpret your reading.
a Lettings Manager with 10 years experience in the
Key standands of the service are, the
industry. Her first goal is to set up a student focused
provision of:
Reading and note taking
lettings service, with the aim of providing good quality
• Accredited and vetted landlords
Spending lots of time reading and taking notes, but still
and well maintained accommodation. UBU Lettings is
• Clear and transparent processes
feel like you’re not getting anywhere? Learn how to
being set up in response to the stories of nightmare
• A convenient and friendly service, which protects
apply critical thinking skills to your reading, reduce the
student agencies and sub-standard accommodation.
students’ rights
time you spend on it and get more from your research.
As Victoria stated; “We are responding to the student
UBU Lettings will be based at the former UBU Info
Academic writing
voice and putting in place a clear smart service to
Point on Tyndall Avenue (next door to the Careers
Learn how to produce a well-crafted and clearly-
help you find your student place. We understand that
Centre).
written essay, applying your critical thinking skills to
securing accommodation can be daunting and hectic,
Full launch details and date will be available soon in
the art of academic writing.
and we are here to help with all elements of your
time for the accommodation rush.
move from the really small stuff to the really big stuff!”
Avoiding plagiarism If you have any enquiries in the meantime please feel
Knowing when to reference or cite your sources can
A major benefit of the service is that University
free to contact Victoria by email on
be a challenge for many students. This session will help
of Bristol students will not be charged any fees
victoria.thomas@bristol.ac.uk
you to make those decisions and avoid plagiarism.
H
i, I'm Alessandra and I'm your full time
beyond the support services which we can use to
elected officer for welfare and equality.
improve students' mental wellbeing.
As welfare and equality officer I have
two roles: to ensure that students are informed
2) UBU is part of a national pilot project which seeks
about and have access to welfare support, as
to diversify the candidates that we have standing in
well as ensuring that all students have equality of
elections for representative positions this year. At
opportunity. This doesn't mean let's treat everyone
Bristol we are trying to encourage more black and
the same, but recognising the different needs
minority ethnic students to stand for positions, as
different students have. With a body of 20,000
traditionally the officer team has been quite white.
students our student body is hyper diverse!
We also want to tackle the perceptions of roles, as president and welfare tend to be gendered - we
OFFICER IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
ALESSANDRA BERTI
Alongside sitting on university committees such
haven't had a female president in 10 years!
as student experience and undergraduate studies committee I am working on these projects this term:
You can email ubu-welfare@bristol.ac.uk or tweet me @UBU_welfare to get in touch.
1) In collaboration with the university, I am working on carrying out a big piece of research on Bristol students' experience of mental health. This research will help us shape the services that we provide as well as identifying what areas of untapped support exists
Sept 2013
WHAT'S ON OCTOBER
2013
Mon 14th
2013
OCTOBER CONT... Tues 22nd
Johnny Flynn, Anson Rooms, 7pm
Like Your Bike: Rave Spin Class, SEH, 8pm Black History Month:
Black History Month Film Night, Students’ Union, 8pm
Black History Month: Great Debate, WMB, 6:30pm
Tues 15th
Wed 23rd
Chvrches, Anson Rooms, 7pm
Bike Maintenance Class (Women only), Bristol Bike Project, 6pm Thu 24th
Thurs 17th Black History Month: Talk, MShed, 6:30pm
Postgraduate Research Drinks, Hawthorns, 6pm Like Your Bike: Talk and Pedal Powered Cinema, Roll for the Soul, 6pm
Sat 19th UBU Active Dodgeball, Kingsdown Sports Centre, 1pm
Sat 26th
UBU Active Touch Rugby, The Downs, 1pm
UBU Active Dodgeball, Kingsdown Sports Centre, 1pm
UBU Active Volleyball, Indoor Sports Centre, 5pm
UBU Active Touch Rugby, The Downs, 1pm
Suspension Club Night, Anson Rooms, 9pm
Like Your Bike: Fancy Dress Cycle Ride, The Downs, 3pm UBU Active Volleyball, Indoor Sports Centre, 5pm
Sun 20th
Suspension Club Night, Anson Rooms, 9pm Make Sunday Special, Harbourside, 10am Sun 27th
London Grammar, Anson Rooms, 7pm
Like Your Bike: UoB Club Ride, Suspension Bridge, 10am
Mon 21st Like Your Bike: Bike Maintenance Class, Hawthorns, 12pm
Mon 28th
UBU Active Badminton, Indoor Sports Centre, 12:30pm
UBU Active Badminton, Indoor Sports Centre, 12:30pm
Comedy Night, Anson Rooms, 7pm
UBU Volunteering presents Speed Dating, Anson Rooms, 7:30pm
BIKE WEEK
The campaign will coincide with the last Make Sunday
I want students to feel safe cycling and demonstrate
From 20 -27 October we will be showing our love
Special of 2013 and has received backing from the
that it's affordable. Most importantly I want to make
for cycling with Like Your Bike Week. Organised by
Bristol Mayor. The week is also in collaboration
it fun so I’ve organised loads of events from spin
your Elected Officer for Community, Ellie Williams;
with Bristol Bike Project and Roll for the Soul. Ellie
classes to a pedal powered cinema! (See What’s On
the week will be a celebration of cycling as a fun,
Williams said "I was really keen to organise a cycling
listing below for details of all events). Sustainability
flexible, sustainable and economical mode of travel
campaign in partnership with the university and local
is a core value of our union so I'm really keen to
for students and the wider Bristol community.
community groups to get more people into cycling.
promote it to students."
Tel: 0117 331 8600
www.ubu.org.uk
Contact UBU
.com/BristolSU
@UBUBristol
Epigram
14.10.2013
Science & Tech
Editor: Molly Hawes scienceandtech@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Editor: Sol Milne deputyscienceandtech@epigram.org.uk
Online Editor: Stephanie Harris
Theories of shark evolution: a bit fishy? Alana Weir Science Writer Recent new discoveries in Bristol’s own Earth Science department have made palaeontologists question the evolutionary history of some of the earliest vertebrates. A new fossil, recently unearthed in a quarry near Qujing, in the Yunnan province of China, poses the question, ‘Did we evolve face-first?’. It is the earliest known fish to display skeletal features commonly seen in more evolved fish, mammal and reptile species, whilst also having the body of a more primitive ancestor. The 419 million year old, 20
centimetre long fossil seems to display the archetypal features of a primitive body, in conjunction with the highly evolved bone structure of a more modern head. Named ‘Entelognathus’, or ‘complete jaw’, the fossil find is highly important as it dates back to a time when modern fish first began appearing in our early oceans. Exceptionally preserved in three dimensions, Entelognathus has led scientists to question our understanding of evolution, and in particular, did we, and hence, other species, evolve head first? Fish today fall into two distinct groups, osteichthys
and chondrichthys. The overriding difference between the two being that osteichthyes (or bony fish) have a bony skeleton, and chondrichthys (e.g. sharks) have a skeleton made of cartilage. Both of these groups are thought to have evolved from the primitive and extinct fish group known as the placoderms, whose body was protected by a series of bony plates, acting as body armour. Excluding the head, Entelognathus, according to specialists, is quite obviously a placoderm, however its skull is composed of a pattern of bones unseen in any specimen other than modern fish. As the placoderm’s body
“
The work resulting from
this discovery will undoubtedly lead to a revision of the deepest branches of the tree of life
”
armour structure bears little resemblance to any species alive today, it was previously thought by Palaeontologists that placoderms, as a product of evolution, lost their bones entirely. However, this new discovery could suggest that elements of the placoderm’s formidable armour remain today in the jaws of modern fish, and thus in the mouths of reptiles, mammals, and by extension, humans. This would mean that placoderms did not, in fact, lose their armour, but instead it evolved into the modern day skeleton, and that these subtle modifications began in the jaw. As well as challenging our
previous knowledge of skeletal evolution, this new find also disproves the common notion that sharks are relatively primitive due to a lack of a bony skeleton. By losing their skeletons, sharks have evolved even further than we assumed further even than modern day bony fish. The work resulting from this discovery will undoubtedly lead to a revision of the deepest branches of the tree of life, questioning whether our own ancestors emerged ‘face-first’ into the world, and I for one am highly interested in the outcome.
The arts/science divide and its place in history Mahi Hardalupas Science Writer
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The sciences: where you will grapple with
incomprehensible equations at the ungodly hour of 9am while wishing you were still asleep
”
thereby isolating themselves from equally important questions about the individual, society, morality and how they can interact. This was Snow’s diagnosis of academia in 1959 but does this division still thrive today? You would be forgiven for thinking that the divide between arts and science has existed as long as Time itself but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The sharp distinction between arts and science only emerged in the 19th century - indeed the word ‘scientist’ originated in 1834. Before then, the term “science” would be applied to any wellestablished knowledge. So, if historically there was no divide, what happened? As science began to distance itself more from religion and the quantity of knowledge increased, specialization became necessary and the polymath died out. With ‘interdisciplinary’ masquerading as the new buzzword in research
journals, it seems that our once isolated spheres of knowledge have collided and recognised the fruitfulness of collaboration. Unfortunately, this interdisciplinary exchange tends to be one-cultured rather than bridging the two. Nowadays, it is common to
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The Arts: waxing
lyrical on the finer points of ancient literature as you try and fill your 6-hour week
”
find combinations of different branches of science or different branches of humanities; no one would bat an eyelid at biochemistry or political
Flickr: See-ming Lee
philosophy, for example. However, there is something decidedly more queer about bicultural combinations such as philosophy of biology or history of mathematics. Overwhelmingly, there is still hostility from scientists who view this as a one-sided exchange such as biologist Lewis Wolpert, who argued that ‘nonscientists can thrill to scientific ideas but to make meaningful comments about them… one actually has to have detailed knowledge.’ Wolpert assumes that only scientists can have detailed knowledge about their discipline but the hallmark of bicultural research is an effort to educate oneself about the other discipline in order to be able to make meaningful comments about it. Analytic philosophy cultivates a precision in how language and concepts are used and defined, which prevents muddled thinking and can be invaluable when dealing with significant but difficult ideas such as relativity in physics or evolution in biology. In addition, research identifying the possibility of the Hawthorne effect, whereby subjects change their behavior when being studied in experiments, shows that bias could even permeate into our experimental methodology – a problem pertinent in the relatively new science of psychology. This is why we must endeavour to question our data and procedures, especially if our results are capable of being manipulated to prove different theories. Apart from clarifying the foundations of science, philosophy and history can also serve to provide an understanding of the background in which science
Flickr: Thomas Hawk
It’s the start of the academic year and inevitably someone will ask you the standard question: “What do you study?” Though it seems like an innocuous enquiry, your answer will place you on one side of what C.P. Snow would call the “Two Cultures”: the Arts, which will consist of waxing lyrical on the finer points of ancient literature as you try and fill your 6-hour week, or the Sciences, where you will grapple with incomprehensible equations at the ungodly hour of 9am while wishing you were still asleep. As a student, the ArtsSciences divide may act as more of a kind of petty rivalry, however when Snow wrote of the Two Cultures, he wanted to highlight what he saw as a “gulf of incomprehension” arising between the two disciplines. Both sides appeared to be
uninterested in what the other was pursuing- The scientists dismissed the literary intellectuals as concerned with irrelevant and ambiguous questions, while they worked on experiments that were concretely useful in our world. On the other hand, the literary intellectuals considered the scientists far too optimistic in trying to analyse everything from a scientific viewpoint and
took place. Increasingly, people are realising that science does not develop in a vacuum, even if you are studying astrophysics. Central to this is the idea that the narrative of a discipline shapes how it progresses. Our scientific discoveries take place in the context of a historical and political background, which can determine what kind of science gets done when. This leads to the debate about whether arts or sciences should be considered isolated ‘cultures’ at all. If both can be influenced by the history and politics of the discipline, neither is more objective than the other and what we are really saying is that they both are affected and contribute to the culture prevalent in society at the time. So in the spirit of diversity, it is worth embracing the bicultural approach, you may find that it is not such an unholy marriage.
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French dinosaur forensics Ben Clarke Science Writer The study of trace fossils, such as footprints and burrows left by prehistoric creatures, is known as paleoichnology. Very often these hints of life are the only clues that scientists have with which to recreate the animals that made them. However, as we shall see, a wealth of information can be extracted from even the most beautifully simple remains. High in the dusty, sunbaked hills of southern France some one hundred and twenty kilometres from Montpellier, is the small village of SaintLaurent-de-Trèves. Here can be found some of the world’s only surviving footprints of the carnivorous dinosaur Grallator minusculus (‘small stilt walker’). Numbering at least twenty, they show a captivating three-toed pattern, although it is thought that two outer digits were present but did not touch the ground.
A legitimate question to consider is this: how have these footprints survived when their owner has not? In order to answer this question, we must travel back in time to the very early Jurassic, some 200 million years ago. The world’s continents were not arranged as they are today, being grouped into a landmass known as Pangaea. At this time southern France was near the Equator, and the climate was hot and humid. Lagoons and warm shallow seas defined the
“
A wealth of
information can be extracted from even the most beautifully simple remains
”
area, and it was in a muddy carbonate sediment that the dinosaurs left their footprints. The Bristol palaeontology website explains the process by which footprints are preserved very well; were Grallator to travel in search of food between lagoons or along muddy beaches with shifting tides, the heat of the sun could bake the substrate, leaving impressions resistant to erosion. Burial and subsequent uplift by geological forces resulted in the footprints I found myself admiring when I visited the site several years ago. As for the original owner whose bones have yet to be discovered, we can only speculate that scavengers and microbial action left few remains that were carried away in the tides. So what do we know about such a mysterious dinosaur? Through simple measurements and comparisons with other footprints to which skeletons have been matched, we can infer Grallator’s appearance. The size of the foot is estimated
Jimmy Scott- Baumann Science Writer There are more species of fish in the Amazon River than there are in the entire Atlantic Ocean! This in part due to the incredible richness and diversity of ecosystems that the Amazon provides, across all of its deltas and tributaries. Is it also a reflection of just how little we know about what actually lives in our oceans? Undoubtedly. It’s said that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean floor, with only 5-7% of the Ocean floor having been explored. Professor Sylvia Earle, one of the original ocean explorers, is amazed that no country has a massive, state funded organisation equivalent
to NASA that could carry out scientific research into our seas, as there is for our skies. Discoveries that are being made are not just for the sake of scientific interest either; the discovery of a fluorescent green protein, isolated from jelly fish, has been equated to the invention of the microscope in terms its benefits to cell biology and genetic engineering! Organisations like Seasearch are carrying out simple observational research just a few miles off our coast; dropping set-squares and identifying and quantifying organisms, the likes of which on land had all been done in England by the Victorian era. And yet basic underwater studies like this are still so informative: it just goes to show how little we know! You can volunteer for Seasearch by logging onto seasearch.org.uk.
Flickr: Id_Germain
Photograph showing dinosaur tracks from the early jurrassic, courtesy of Ben Clarke
at 50 centimetres, and the total length between 7 and 8 metres; the three toes leave the distinct impression of a fast-moving, two-legged hunter. Grallator belongs to the theropods, the group of dinosaurs which includes the famous Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus, and from which birds eventually evolved. There is at least one continuous set of prints from an individual, and from such trackways we can work out speed and weight. One by one the mysteries begin to unravel, as we start to think about social behaviour and whether individuals were solitary or travelled together. The lack of drag lines indicate the tail was held off the ground, giving us an idea of posture. In this way, we can begin to understand the very nature of such ancient life, and recreate it more faithfully. Sometime in the thirteenth century, the site was declared ideal for a castle, although only the foundations remain today. Upon my visit in 2009 it was clear that few steps had been taken to protect the footprints, and so they are left bare to the erosive action of wind and rain; a rather sobering thought considering their age and scientific value. Here in Bristol however, on-going research into dinosaur locomotion continues; Dr Emily Rayfield’s lab specialises in the biomechanics of prehistoric creatures and amazing simulations have been produced by other Bristol based researchers. Such studies have in turn contributed to programmes such as the well-received BBC ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’. Thus, the significance of ancient footprints cannot be overstated enough. Without the combination of factors that ensured their preservation, the only evidence of Grallator would have been lost altogether.
Squishy secrets
Longevity: finding the wrinkly, naked truth Thomas Sharrock Science Writer After the discovery of its longevity and high resistance to cancer, scientists became very interested in these wrinkly, bald, relatively grotesque rodents. Living underground, in the eastern reaches of Africa, the naked mole rat to some may seem like an insignificant being. A husband and wife team from the University of Rochester may have just revealed the reason for the remarkable success of this nude creature. Published in an American journal, the couple discovered the mole rats’ secret to extraordinary health is down to unique fragmentation of its ribosomal RNA. After
conducting an experiment involving dyeing and analysing the ribosome under ultra-violet light, the image produced showed that there was a split in the 28s Ribosome, where two smaller unequal fragments had been created. This was most unexpected and is only present in one other mammal, t h e
Tuco-Tuco, residing in southern America. This is also a subterranean rodent, however it has no links to long life span. Further research on the mole rats ribosome showed that the rate of protein formation was no different to that of any other
rat. Even though the speeds were the same, the striking difference found in this species ribosome was its incredible accuracy. Some of the proteins produced could have a quarter less errors present, compared to the same
“
The mole rats’ secret to extraordinary health is down to unique fragmentation of its ribosomal RNA
Flickr: Smithsonian
”
protein found in mice. When younger, the body can deal with these errors by recycling, with age this becomes harder and can lead to a build-up of ‘junk’ protein, which is linked to another of age related diseases. The research team now plan to investigate ribosomes further, possibly by introducing ribosomal splits into similar rodents. However due to the vast number of ribosomes found in an animal, this is currently impossible with today’s technology. Nevertheless this is a hugely important discovery which will hopefully aid drug production based upon protein synthesis, which may pave the way for life-extending medicines.
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14.10.2013
Sport FIFA feeling the heat
53
over Qatar 2022 World Cup
George Starkey-Midha examines the circumstances which are asking every question under the desert sun of the World Cup organising comittee media appear to have few allies sharing in their outrage. That said, much of the anger directed towards FIFA runs deeper than complaints over scheduling. Sepp Blatter has raised eyebrows with his admission that there were ‘direct political influences’ on the votes made by FIFA’s European ExCo members, who provided eight of the 14 votes cast in
again for a revote, the decision will hold no integrity. And that is before you even consider the findings of a recent investigation into the appalling treatment of Nepalese workers in Qatar. The Guardian’s allegations, including claims that at least 44 workers died between June 4th and August 8th because of heart-related issues or workplace accidents as well as evidence of forced labour and a complete disregard for workers’ rights, raise further questions about the country’s ability to host the tournament. FIFA seem focussed on discussing the difficulties of footballers playing in 50 degreees Celsius temperatures during the summer months, but what of the labourers forced to work for 12 hours a day without food or access to free drinking water on site? Blatter has expressed ‘sympathy and regret’ at the treatment of these migrant workers on Qatari construction sites but what they need and what they deserve is decisive action from the federation of which he sits top. A spokesman for Qatar’s World Cup organisers said they were ‘appalled’ by the findings but without any genuine fear that they will be stripped of the right to host the tournament, what will motivate them to make the changes necessary to ensure the protection of its workforce? Media vilification? That didn’t stop China hosting the 2008 Olympics and it certainly won’t stop Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup. After a two-day meeting in Zurich, Blatter was defiant, insisting, ‘The Fifa World Cup 2022 will be played in Qatar. There you have it.’ He has confirmed that a taskforce has been set up to look into alternative dates for the tournament. One would hope that if Qatar fails to address the horrific treatment of the workers building their World Cup, the taskforce will be looking for alternative venues. peleheadtogether.tumblr
It has been almost three years since Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup after a vote by FIFA’s 22 ExCo members. The decision certainly turned a few heads at the time, with many questioning why a country, with no footballing hertiage, had been entrusted with the responsibility of hosting football’s premier international competition despite obvious fears about the 50C temperatures and other issues such as the illegality of homophobia. Since then, concerns about the Qatar World Cup have only been exacerbated by claims of political influence and corruption in the vote that awarded the competition to the Arabic state. Equally, controversy over the increasingly likelihood of a move to winter and the recent shocking reports surrounding the abuse and exploitation of migrant labourers working on the country’s World Cup infrastructure project have created further headaches for FIFA’s PR team. Predictably, the English media have launched swathes of stinging criticism at FIFA over its decision to consider moving the tournament to the winter. Despite Premier League chief Richard Scudamore’s claims that a winter World Cup would be too disruptive to domestic leagues, a degree of perspective is required here. FIFA’s chief medical officer, Michel D’Hooghe, has made it clear that it is a medical impossibility for matches to go ahead in the 50C heat. Yes, FIFA have once again demonstrated their incompetence by failing to establish in the first place that a summer World Cup in Qatar was impossible, but can Scudamore really justify denying equatorial countries the right to ever host the World Cup, just because it gives him a scheduling headache? UEFA’s 54 member associations backed the move in a meeting last month and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the chairman of the European Club Association which represents the top teams, confirmed that the Europe’s major clubs were open to the possibility of a winter World Cup. Scudamore and the English
Qatar’s favour. European leaders, mostly notably Nicolas Sarkozy who has been accused of direct involvement with Qatari leaders in securing UEFA President Michel Platini’s support, clearly recognised the potential economic benefits of supporting the Qatar’s World Cup bid. The Frenchman’s recent corroboration of Blatter’s remarks would suggest that even if Qatar’s bid had in fact included a proposal to switch the World Cup to the winter, financial interests may have trumped any concern about the tournament dates. Indeed more sinister allegations submitted to a British parliamentary inquiry by The Sunday Times in 2011, claiming that 6 executive committee members had received or demanded bribes, hinted at a voting process that lacked any sort of credibility. FIFA’s own ethics committee’s admission that three senior ExCo members - Ricardo Teixeira, Nicolás Leoz and Issa Hayatou – were all paid bribes merely confirms that suspicion. Blatter must take some credit for seeking to reform his organisation since 2010 but ultimately, Qatar won the right to host the World Cup at a time when FIFA was riddled with corruption and therefore, unless it is opened up
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Will a UK university ever Big issues in produce a tennis star? sport today
Lara Pearson
Sam Jackson Sports Reporter
US college success John Isner in action
professional. Of course, a lot will not make it into toptier tennis, meaning they will struggle financially to carry on playing. In the UK, the LTA does partly fund university tennis, but this is not a given, and grants usually have to be applied for. For example, Bristol can only
Flickr: Esther Lim
When you hear about rising stars in tennis, very rarely are they over the age of 21. Andy Murray burst onto the scene as a precocious 18year-old, while Laura Robson captured the nation’s heart at the tender age of 14. Both are undoubtedly intelligent people, but neither of them went to a university. This is often the case in professional tennis. One notable exception is John Isner, who turned professional after dominating collegiate tennis at the University of Georgia for three years. However, Isner was above and beyond the level of most collegiate players – the vast majority will not make it onto tour. Quite simply, the future stars of tennis will have to make a choice some time in their teenage years. Do they want to take the gamble
of trying to make it as a professional, or go with the safe option of a good education, but throw away their chance of tennis stardom? Countless young players make the decision to go to tennis academies, sometimes thousands of miles away, to acquire the skills to dominate as a
afford to have two teams for men and women due to a lack of courts for them to train on. The university doesn’t even own its courts directly, instead having to purchase time privately from Coombe Dingle Sports Centre, which doesn’t come cheap. The LTA may be resigned to the fact that high-level university tennis, especially in the UK, does not produce top-100 players. Not only that, but if a talented British player does want an education, the prestigious American colleges will usually snap them up on a scholarship. British doubles specialist Dominic Inglot is a recent example, having played for the University of Virginia. The LTA ought to consider putting more money into university tennis, simply to encourage more players to get a high level of education without having to compromise on a future in tennis. While it is rare for the American collegiate system to produce truly great players, it does happen, and the USTA (the American equivalent of the LTA) knows it. With more funding, British universities could provide better facilities, afford better coaches, and increase participation. The average age in the top-100 on both tours is increasing, so it is no longer a priority to turn professional as a teenager. Without better funding from the LTA, our best players are forced to make very difficult decisions at a young age about their futures. There shouldn’t have to be a compromise between a future in tennis and a high level of education.
Ninth place at World Games for Fletcher Spencer Turner Sports Reporter Not all Bristol students spend their summers abroad or at home, as Megan Fletcher’s achievements this summer prove. In June, Megan was selected to represent Great Britain in the World University Games. From the 6th-17th July this summer, the 2013 World University Games (Universiade) took place in Kazan, Russia. The event is the second largest sporting vent after the Olympic
games, drawing 12,000 competitors from over 150 different countries. This year the Great Britain team consisted of 175 different competitors, who managed to win six medals between them. One competitor was Bristol’s very own Megan Fletcher who represented Team GBR in Judo and attained a ninth place finish. Megan was not the only University of Bristol participant, as Charlie McCall was employed as the Deputy Head Physiotherapist for the Great Britain team. In the u70KG category
Megan defeated her first round opponent Margarita Gurtsieva of Russia with a strong performance. Following a defeat to Onix Cortes Aldama of Cuba in the second round, Megan was then put into the repechage, where she was beaten by two wazaris by Japan’s Karen Nun-Ira. Megan’s ninth place finish reaffirms her as one of Britain’s top university judokas. Megan has previously come first in eight international tournaments, and her performance at the World University Games is another achievement to
add to her fantastic list of accomplishments so far. Alongside her Judo Megan studies Geography (PGCE) and her attendance at the World University Games was her second appearance in the competition, after first appearing at Shenzhen two years ago. Elsewhere in the tournament, there was a gold medal for the Team GBR women’s football team, a silver medal for the men’s football team and four bronze medals for team GBR.
Co-Sports Editor Jacob Webster, tackles the big issues in the world of sport What is the sporting world coming to? Recently I have discovered that it is now considered acceptable to boo great successes, to sully the achievements of those at the very top of their game. When stepping onto the winner’s podium after his breathtakingly effortless destruction of the rest of the field at the Singapore Grand Prix, Red Bull driver, and champion elect, Sebastian Vettel, was met by a chorus of boos and jeers. What do these people think they are achieving? Does sporting domination now equal a reason to disrespect displays of mastery and brilliance? Of course it does not, and any of the supposed fans who felt it necessary to show their total lack of appreciation of a marvellous display are neither knowledgeable nor true fans. Lewis Hamilton summed it up best when he said, having witnessed the unsavoury scenes, ‘No-one should be booed for their success, no matter how easy or hard it has been for them to get there. Booing is so negative, especially when someone works so hard to be a success.’ “Does sporting domination now equal a reason to disrespect displays of mastery and brilliance?” The unequivocal fact is that Vettel, no matter what people may say about the quality of the car he drives, is a class above everyone else. Formula 1, as a sport, is not merely about the quality of the driver; it is about the quality of the team – the combination of driver, machine, tactician and support staff. Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull are a class above the rest of the Formula 1 teams, and, rather than openly deriding the magnificentlyoiled machine, we should embrace the success, applaud the majesty of their work, and revel in the fact that we are able to witness the best of the best rising to their rightful place at the top of
their sport. The managerial merry-goround has begun already, and what a start to the funfair we have had. No sooner had Paolo Di Canio bought his entry ticket to the fun-packed world of the Premier League manager when he was promptly kicked straight back out again. His ride was short, sweet and extraordinarily entertaining, but it really was only a matter of time before one of the 20 intrepid bosses lost their pass.
“What we’ve seen so far is not good enough, we’re getting rid of you”
Whilst Sunderland’s disappointing league performances so far do leave a great deal to be desired, it is still somewhat surprising to see Di Canio as the first to go, considering the backing that he was given by chairman Ellis Short this summer, with 14 players arriving at the club with a combined spend of £19 million. Does it really make sense to reinvent a team in the shape of one man, and then promptly sack that fulcrum so soon? Football pundit Alan Shearer spoke of hs surprise at the logistics of the decision: ‘For them to give him £19m to spend in the summer and the power to let players like Stephane Sessegnon leave and then five games into the season say ‘I’m sorry but what we’ve seen so far is not good enough, we’re getting rid of you, we’re sacking you’ - I’m absolutely staggered.’ As surprising as it may have been to some, the Barclays Premier League manager funfair has reopened for business, and it is now only a matter of time before we see another casualty. Who will it be? Will it be David Moyes, struggling to fill the biggest boots ever created in football at Manchester United? Or Martin Jol or Ian Holloway, both managaing teams struggling at the bottom of the table? Whose elaborately created plan is set to collapse? Only time will tell, but one fact is definitely certain. As the merry-goround keeps turning, they will keep falling.
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BUCS always one step behind American sibling year, or Dominic Sibley, who was allowed 4 days off school to play first class cricket for Surrey. in doing so becoming the youngest double centurion in County Championship history. It is not uncommon for elite athletes to move from around the World to the US for their higher education, in order to receive a scholarship and play sport. Sport in Western Europe, and especially the UK, is contrasted to the US. The BUCS is still in its infancy, and perhaps over time its influence will grow even bigger, but ultimately it will never be the catalyst
“What scope is there for university students in the UK to use the university system?” Spencer Turner Sports Reporter
“So why exactly are the inter collegiate competitions so notable and so lucrative?” Perhaps our best university sporting talent is displayed at the British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS). The BUCS, since 2008, has acted as the governing
Olympian & Bristol Uni graduate Georgie Twigg Twigg
body for sport in the United Kingdom, and organises 50 inter university sports across over 160 different universities. It’s estimated that the BUCS coordinates, the sporting activities of around 2.3 million students and is the biggest domestic sporting programme in all of the UK. Notwithstanding the huge reach of the BUCS, why does sport in the UK not have the same appeal, or house the same talent as the US system does? The answer here is all about money. In the UK we are privileged enough to be funded by the state to attend university, almost all of us will have a student loan and only the tiny minority will have some kind of scholarship to study at university, this means that sporting stars will not be attracted to attending university and will often go straight into sport when they leave school. Prime examples include Tom Daley, the Olympic diver who only finished his A-Levels last
Flickr: Adrian Maidment
The comparison between American and English sport is stark, particularly when it comes to universities. ‘Across the pond’ so much time, money and effort are spent on university sports. Scholarships to prestigious university are awarded to the best athletes; university matches are housed in massive stadiums and are televised and the top professional teams often hand pick students from university teams. This article explores the differences between the US and the UK University sports systems and attempts to find out why the BUCS system here in the UK has never been such a springboard for UK students. University or College, sport in America really began in 1843 when Yale created their own boat club, followed a year later by Harvard and the first intercollegiate competition took place on Lake Winnipesaukee in 1852, effectively kick-starting the intercollegiate competition that America is so famous for today. So why exactly are the intercollegiate competitions so notable and so lucrative? The answers can be largely in economic and cultural factors. In the US man universities operate privately, and as a result use sport as a method of extracting donations from alumni and increasing the reputation of the university
to entice potential students. The potential economic windfall that comes with selling merchandise and air time on television is so lucrative, that the culture of producing high achieving sporting teams and attracting the best sporting talent is an accepted part of American university life. So with the route to sporting prowess so clearly defined from intercollegiate sport to professional level, what scope is there for university students in the UK to use the university system as a springboard to a higher level of sport?
to produce consistent elite athletes. The system of public funding for university students ensures that this will remain the case in the UK, and those who have the potential to become elite sportsmen will be spotted in their youth and their sporting education will be developed aside from their academic one. For Americans, the scenario is different; attending college always has been, and always will be, the only route into professionalism. With this slickness, it would appear that we will be America’s slightly weedy and somewhat underdeveloped sibling for the foreseeable future.
Bristol Academy outclassed as Liverpool Ladies clinch first title Guy Barlow Sports Reporter Liverpool Ladies have secured their first ever Women’s Super League title with a 2-0 victory over Bristol Academy, completing a dream turnaround in fortunes having come bottom during the last two seasons. In doing so, they have also ended Arsenal’s nine-year dominance of the women’s game. One goal in each half was enough to ensure victory over a Bristol side who could not repeat their remarkable comeback of two weeks ago, when they came from 3-0 down at half time to beat Doncaster Ladies 4-3 thanks to a hat-trick from Spanish striker Natalia. This was one of the most dramatic title races in years, with Bristol knowing, as they travelled to the Halton Stadium, that a victory by any scoreline would be enough to secure their first ever title. The situation was not dissimilar to the culmination of the 1989 title race, when George Graham’s Arsenal team embarked on a trip to Liverpool knowing a 2-0 victory would be enough to win the First Division title. Michael Thomas duly obliged with a dramatic last minute goal, immortalised in footballing fame by the famous words, “It’s up for grabs now!” However history would not repeat itself in the case of Bristol as they toiled from the start, with Liverpool’s German striker Nicole Rosler
first looping a chance over and then forcing Bristol keeper Siobhan Chamberlain into a wonderful save. It was not long, however, before Rosler was involved again, winning a penalty after she was fouled in the area. Swedish star Louise Fors stepped up to convert past Chamberlain. Bristol’s best chance came soon after when Laura del Rio lobbed Liverpool keeper Rachel Laws, before seeing it roll agonisingly wide. This was a rare glimpse of hope for Bristol, as Liverpool continued to exert their control over the game with both Amanda da Costa and Natasha Dowie missing easy headers. Despite those missed opportunities, Katrin Omarsdottir sealed the victory for the Reds with a strong strike from 15 yards in the 80th minute. The victory for Liverpool was a reward for the clubs’s American owners, who put huge investment into the club and changed the whole team at the beginning of the season. Liverpool are also the only team that trains 5 times a week. Bristol manager Mark Sampson was still positive despite the loss, saying he was ‘proud of the incredible effort’ put in by his players over the the course of the season. He also ‘believes they have a young team with a lot to look forward to’- including the exciting prospect of Champions League football at the Cossham Street Stadium next season.
Upcoming BUCS home fixtures: October 16th SPORT TEAM
BASKETBALL (MENS 1ST)
OPPOSITION
VENUE
PLYMOUTH 1ST
START TIME
SEH
1PM
BADMINTON (WOMENS 1ST) SOUTHAMPTON 1ST
3PM
NETBALL (WOMENS 2ND)
GLOUCESTERSHIRE 1ST
5PM
HOCKEY (WOMENS 1ST
CAMBRIDGE 1ST
LACROSSE (MENS 2ND)
EXETER 2ND
1.30PM
LACROSSE (WOMENS 1ST)
BATH 1ST
1PM
FOOTBALL (MENS 2ND)
SOUTHAMPTON 3RD
RUGBY UNION (MENS 1ST)
SWANSEA 1ST
2.15PM
TENNIS (MENS 2ND)
BRISTOL 1ST
1PM
SQUASH (MENS 3RD)
SWANSEA 1ST
Coombe Dingle
1.15PM
2PM
Bristol LT &SC
2PM
Epigram
14.10.2013
Sport
Editor: Hetty Knox
Editor: Jacob Webster
Online Editor: George Moxey
sport@epigram.org.uk
jacob.webster@epigram.org.uk
sportonline@epigram.org.uk
@epigramsport
Rugby League World Cup rolls into Bristol Inside Sport RLWC set for scrum-down at the Memorial Stadium Previewing...
The Cook Islands
“the rare possibility of a genuine chance for the English rugby league team to triumph” However, England have been left reeling recently with announcement by Gareth Ellis of his retirement with immediate effect. He said, “It’s a tough call to
“best players in the world playing up and down the country” Ellis was seen as an integral cog in the England team as a result of his playing experience in the NRL, the principal world club competition in Australasia, so he will be greatly missed as a powerful ball-carrier in the England forward pack. The local spotlight is not focused purely on England, with Scotland, Ireland and Wales having set individual targets of reaching the knockout stages, buoyed by home support in Wrexham, Neath and Cardiff for Wales, and Limerick for Ireland, seen as potentially advantageous. The setup of the competition is such that the top 8 teams have been split
into Groups A and B, with the top 3 in each progressing to the quarter-finals. The final two quarters places will be filled by the respective winners of Groups C and D, seen as the ‘secondary’ zone made up of the ‘up and coming’ countries, including Wales, Scotland, USA and the Cook Islands. The semi finals take place in a double header at London’s Wembley Stadium, before the final on 30th October at Old Trafford.
As it stands, Australia are 4/11 favourites to take the title, with England 9/1 to break their recent World Cup hoodoo.
Featuring...
Nickname: The Cooks Key Man: Keith Lulia Tournament Best: Group Stages, 2000
USA
For such a large country, USA are relative novices on the World Cup stage, with this campaign their first. They have started playing regular international rugby since 2000, although their preparation has been disrupted somewhat by the fact that Brian Smith, their coach, is unable to travel with the team, with his place being taken by Terry Matterson, who will rely on experienced players such as Ryan McGoldrick and James Paulo. Nickname: The Tomahawks Key Man: Ryan McGoldrick Tournament Best: 1st appearance
Can the British university tennis programmes ever succeed? page 54
Flickr: Chalie Cowins
Although England may have lost the opportunity to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup recently, the upcoming Rugby League World Cup provides the opportunity to see the best players in the world playing up and down the country for the greatest honour in their sport. More pertinently, the competition arrives at the Memorial Stadium in Bristol on the 30th, with a potentially vital clash between two countries, in the Cook Islands and USA, looking to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity to create a solid footing on the world stage. With tickets as cheap as a tenner, the match looks like the perfect opportunity to enjoy topquality sport on a global scale at a remarkably cheap price. Starting on the 26th October, the competition as a whole provides the rare
make. It allows me time to rest and recover before a full pre-season, something I haven’t done since 2002, and hit the ground running in 2014.”
How does University sport compare between America and the UK? We compare the respective university sports systems here and in the USA. page 55
Flickr: Rafael Amado Deras
Wikipedia: paddynapper
Jacob Webster Sports Editor
possibility of a genuine chance for the English rugby league team to triumph, led by coach Steve McNamara and containing truly worldclass players in the shape of Sam Tomkins, Rangi Chase and James Roby. Already ranked as the 3rd best international team by the Rugby League International Federation, behind the Antipodean powerhouses of Australia and New Zealand, it is perceived that the ‘14th man’ in the shape of the bumper crowds expected to come out to support The Lions will potentially push the team on to bigger and greater things than they have previously achieved.
A collection of 15 small islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands qualified for RLWC13 by virtue of coming second in the 2009 Pacific Cup, defeating the established nations of Samoa and Fiji before losing to Papua New Guinea in the final. Coached by former Australia international David Fairleigh, their squad boasts Super League quality in Keith Lulia, Zeb Taia and Anthony Gelling.
‘Word from the Editor,’ looking at the hot topics in sport at the moment. page 54
And... Mark Olver
Tom Craine 21 October 8.00pm • AR2, Anson Rooms, The Richmond Building
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