Photography showcase page 28-29 Immigrants fail to materialise page 8
Britain’s drinking culture page 14 Issue 270 Monday 27th January 2014 www.epigram.org.uk University of Bristol Independent Student Newspaper
12 week terms: are we feeling the benefit?
b.vimeocdn.com
INTERVIEW: Sean Bobbitt 12 Years a Slave cinematographer page 44
Stephanie Rihon Online News Editor Students have been questioning the benefit of the new term structure. The decision to change the structure of Bristol’s teaching year was taken in 2011 but only came into effect in the current academic year. Although it was aimed to improve student’s teaching satisfaction, Bristol’s student population has certainly felt the burden of the twelve-week term. So is an idea that seems perfectly sustainable in theory actually beneficial to undergraduates? Before the new structure, there was no clear divide between the teaching and assessment periods which undoubtedly caused confusion, especially for first years, as students were expected to revise for exams whilst also juggling new course material. Indeed, ProVice Chancellor for Education, Nick Lieven argued that the new term structures would ‘improve the educational experience for students’. However, courses such as Medicine and Dentistry were excluded from this change but every effort was made to make their timetables as closely matched as possible. Some feel there are certainly some clear advantages to this new system. The longer terms gives students a greater amount of time to settle in to Bristol – an invaluable pro for the incoming Freshers – and somehow makes the course seem more spaced out. In the summer term, there will be three dedicated exam weeks with one week before being solely for revision purposes: perhaps a greater incentive to revise one’s hardest when not pressured to learn new material.
Flickr: Stephan Geyer
Winter storms: the impact on Bristol’s homeless page 7
Fenella Maxwell News Reporter
flickr: Goddard
Continued on page 3
Churchill’s legacy threatened
NASA lands at UoB Laura Jacklin News Editor The current Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), General Charles Bolden is to visit the university to be awarded an honorary degree and to speak to staff and students. On the 29th January, the former astronaut will be awarded the honorary degree, and will speak about America’s history of space exploration and his experiences through his involvement with NASA at a free talk. His time as an astronaut saw General Bolden fly
on four space shuttle missions, including the flight that deployed the Hubble Space telescope, which involved training at British Aerospace in Bristol during the 1990s. General Bolden was appointed the position as the 12th United States Administrator of NASA by President Obama in 2009, with a mission to focus on research and development in space exploration. In 2012, General Bolden became the first human being to have their voice broadcast on the surface of Mars, via the Curiosity rover. The event will be held in the Great Hall of the Wills Memorial Building. Tickets sold out in 24 hours, one of the fastest selling events the university has held.
Churchill Hall residents have commenced a campaign to stop the development of a Botanical Gardens coffee shop within The Holmes, due to concerns about disturbance and losing historical legacy. The Holmes is a popular residency within Churchill Hall in Stoke Bishop, located within the Botanical Gardens. This building is also the site of which Americans planned the D-Day invasion. For nearly ten months during the Second World War, The Holmes was the home to some of the most powerful US military men in Britain, including iconic figures such as President Eisenhower and General Bradley. It is understood that the invasion was constructed within the exact room that is to be turned into a coffee shop. Continued on page 3
Arts Introducing: page 39
Epigram
27.01.14
News Editorial
Editor: Josephine Franks
Deputy Editor: Alex Bradbrook
Editorial Assistant: Anna Fleck
editor@epigram.org.uk
deputy@epigram.org.uk
anna.fleck@epigram.org.uk
A note from the editor
Inside Epigram Features
Flickr: IAmMing
Flickr: European Parliament
Oliver Carter-Esdale assesses reactions to new immigration laws.
Comment 13 Should films censor immoral behaviour? The new release of The Wolf of Wall Street ignites debate over the relationship between immorality and art.
Travel 25 Crime and corruption in Venezuela Travel uncovers the country’s recent troubles.
Style 31 The Power of Makeup Lauren Landon on our cultural perspective of makeup.
Sport 56 Bristol student to row the Pacific
Elsa Hammond is set to compete in the first ever rowing race in the Pacific Ocean.
Writers’ meetings
flickr: cool photo tutorials
8 Immigrants fail to materialise
A recent BBC News article dubbed Bristol ‘the city that never builds anything’. Students who have been disrupted by construction work on campus may beg to differ, but it is undeniable that where big projects are concerned, Bristol lags behind its contemporaries. This is set to change by 2017, however, with plans for a £91m arena recently approved by Bristol City Council. The venue is set to stand next to Temple Meads and should level the playing field between Bristol and its Welsh cousin Cardiff, whose Millennium Arena has long attracted the kind of big names who wouldn’t deign to dignify Colston Hall or the O2 with their presence. The prospect of having music and comedy big dogs perform on our doorstep is no doubt exciting to many, and the economic benefits of the project are likewise undeniable. A certain reluctance to fully embrace the project remains, however, and this is largely rooted in a concern to preserve the city’s unique culture. Anyone who has been out in Bristol more than a few times will have realised that about 80% of its venues used to be something else – nothing quite says Bristol hipster chic like a party in a disused warehouse/ boat/courtroom/fire station [delete as applicable]. While this propensity can seem like pandering to the hipsters who have jumped on the vintage bandwagon like it was going out of fashion in the 80s (oh, wait…), I’d like to think the city isn’t that cynical yet. Bristol has the uncanny ability to reinvent the derelict and disused – while it may not build anything new, it builds on what already exists, its architecture forming a tapestry of the city’s history and culture. Bristol is a city made beautiful by the unrelenting imagination of its residents; where many would see a concrete wall, Bristolians see a canvas, the opportunity for art, satire, or a call to arms. This is not to detract from the positive aspects of the proposed arena; the project will boost the local economy, bring jobs to the area and allow Bristol to compete in attracting world-famous artists to the city. What we must rememberhoweverithat while any city can build an arena, what Bristol has and what
makes it special cannot be constructed out of a multi-million pound budget and a 3-year plan. Its culture of ingenuity and optimism is part of the city’s charm and it will take a lot more than a new arena to quash this. Josephine Franks
Women in leadership ‘It shouldn’t be okay that we have one model of leadership. Because I’m a young, nervous woman president, but I’m still a leader.’ These words are taken from a recent blog by NUS President Toni Pearce. Being only the eighth woman elected into this position, Toni is well aware of the problems facing those who do not feel they fulfil the expectations of the tradition ‘leader’. This year UBU are running a project called ‘Diversifying the Movement’, which aims to encourage more women and BME students, who are typically underrepresented in full-time officer roles, to run for election. You can read Toni’s full blog at www.epigram.org.uk and find out more about UBU’s initiative at www.ubu.org.uk/elections/ diversifying-the-movement
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News
Epigram
27.01.2014
3
@epigramnews Editor: Laura Jacklin news@epigram.org.uk
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Online Editor: Stephanie Rihon newsonline@epigram.org.uk
Churchill to lose historic D-Day legacy? Fenella Maxwell News Reporter Continued from page 1 The University have claimed that the café will be beneficial for the University, students, Botanical Gardens and visitors and that building work shall commence in 2014. The business case for the coffee shop was released in September 2013. It stated that ‘an initial five year agreement to allow the Botanical Gardens to operate from the Devers Room commencing in 2014 is sought.’ The document also mentions ‘student interests’, suggesting that there is a student and visitor demand for a café within Stoke Bishop, and have announced the Botanical Gardens as a solution. Churchill residents and the JCR committee
Sarah Newey
Flickr: cliff1066
President Eisenhower
have expressed concerns about noise and disturbance to the students as the coffee shop would be located directly below student rooms as well as losing the historical importance of the room of which the coffee shop will occupy. The campaign aims to stop the development. One student, a resident of the Holmes, stated that had a café been on site, he would have probably not chosen to live within the Holmes. The Churchill Hall JCR also raised the question of a need for another café, having seen the 2013 University opening of the Source Café in Hiatt Baker, within the Stoke Bishop complex. The JCR continued, ‘do the students actually demand another café or is this statement to simply justify the benefits of the business plan?’ Users of the room currently include the University, Churchill’s Warden, Hall advisory Committee and the Churchill JCR. The wooden historical facades of the ‘Devers Room’ within The Holmes would be altered, coupled with the potential removal of furniture such as the original board oak table, as the plans propose installing the utilities of a coffee shop. The JCR committee agreed that ‘losing such a greatly used room would be a great blow to the hall.’ The JCR proposed ‘since the botanical gardens use a large car park in an enclosed walled area next door, would this not be a better location for any coffee shop in a wooden building during the season?’ The JCR committee also expressed surprise that there appeared to be little consultation with them, or the residents about the plans, an issue echoed by the Hall Advisory Committee. This year sees the 70th anniversary the D-Day landings and next year, 50th anniversary of the passing of the University’s former Chancellor and Second World War leader, Sir Winston Churchill.
The Holmes: a student residence within Churchill Hall, where residents and the JCR have launched a campaign against the development of a tearoom that they believe will threaten its historic legacy
Interview nerves trip up 75% of young people Kim Slim News Reporter
Flickr: NinJA999
Some students feel overworked with the lengthening of the university terms
Pros and cons of the new term structure Stephanie Rihon Online News Editor Continued from page 1 Nevertheless, students seemed to notice the disadvantages to this new system too, which has several worried, with the longer terms primarily causing greater levels of exhaustion both academically and mentally, as well as having to make student loan instalments go further. Some students felt particularly over-worked; an example
of which being second year Music student Emma Smith, who claimed that by the time she went home for Christmas, she was ‘so exhausted by the two extra weeks of ‘studying’ that [she] immediately became ill with tonsilitis’ causing a dampener on the festivities. International students bear the greatest brunt, especially as the Christmas vacation officially starts on the 23rd December: travel prices had almost tripled by that time and will most certainly do so in the Easter break.
In a survey of young adults from across the country, almost three quarters of 18-24 year olds have admitted to crumbling under the pressure of job interviews. The findings come as companies eagerly sought out by students start offering interviews and assessments for internships, vacation schemes and jobs. Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, the Head of GoThinkBig, a site set up to help get more young people into the work place noted, “…sadly interviews can be a major stumbling block for those who lack confidence or experience.” In addition to mental and emotional stresses such as nervousness and fear, the survey also found that 58% of young adults have “severe physical reactions” during their interviews. These include trembling hands, quivering voice, fainting and even vomiting - some of which are hardly alien to any student who has had the pleasure of a job interview. Government figures released last month show that the youth unemployment rate sits at 20.5% of the economically active unemployed population, which begs the question, is there an (indirect) correlation? Bill Eyres, the Head of Sustainability at mobile communications giant Telefonica O2 UK says, “it is normal for anyone to feel nervous ahead of an important interview, but younger candidates with less work experience often suffer most.” It makes sense then, that a lack of experience contributes to nerves at interview, which in turn is more likely to lead to a rejection. But what about all those unpaid internships and work experience placements which have
an interview? Unfortunately, getting more experience doesn’t really help if you’re trying for your first vacation scheme or internship. So what do people do to prepare themselves for interviews? The survey even tapped into young adults’ methods of preparation for interviews, with 57% admitting to preparing answers to questions they think they may be asked. 1 in 5 young people said they always rehearsed with a friend ahead of a big interview, while 13% give themselves a pep talk in the mirror before they go. But 18-24 year olds apparently don’t stop at practical preparations; the research identified a superstitious streak in young job seekers, with 21% admitting they wear a special or lucky piece of clothing or jewellery to their interview. So why are young interviewees so afraid? The survey revealed that potential employers are asking questions designed to throw people off guard, such as , “can you rap a line from Eminem and analyse it?”, “if you were a jacket potato filling what would you be?” and “how would you estimate the number of trees in the UK?” - it’s no wonder we tremble, faint and vomit in interviews! The University of Bristol’s Careers Service regularly offer interview skills workshops and practice interview sessions with trained advisers, so if you want to improve your technique and learn how to do better at interviews, have a look at their website.
For more stories visit www.epigram. org.uk/news
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27.01.2014
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Bristol student conquers Kilimanjaro
Kate Mainprice
Kate climbs Kilimanjaro
A Bristol student spent her New Year climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for charity, and spoke to Epigram about the experience. This New Year’s Eve was like none other I have or ever will experience again. It was spent halfway up Mount Kilimanjaro. It had only been booked since September so manic planning and training had taken place. As I was lucky enough to be offered this opportunity I decided I would love the make the trip even more worthwhile by climbing for charity. As a Biology student I am very aware of the issues facing different ecosystems around our planet and I therefore decided to raise funds for the World Land Trust, which is an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats. The day before the start I had met a range of people who had not reached the summit which increased my apprehensions significantly. Luckily, I didn’t suffer any severe symptoms of altitude sickness and on the 3rd of January 2014 at 6.25am I reached the freezing cold summit. Despite hiking for up to
Kate Mainprice News Reporter
8hrs a day at high altitudes the overall experience was amazing. The Machame Route we took has gorgeous views that keep you constantly motivated. The guides and fellow climbers are all unbelievably friendly and selfless. The hardest day was without doubt the summit night. After hiking 7 hours to a base camp you quickly have dinner, 2 hours sleep, which is a rarity because it’s so cold, and a breakfast of a few custard creams then hike off at 00.00 to heights of 5895m above sea level. My advice to anyone wanting to climb Kilimanjaro is: drink lots, bring toilet paper and don’t underestimate how much of a mental challenge it is. A South African told me it is only 20% physical endurance but 80% mental strength. This is totally true. When it is pitch black, freezing and you have another 5hr trek in front of you, being positive is essential. I personally reflected on my first term at Bristol and spent most of my time smiling up to the summit. Finally I want to say a huge thank you to my fabulous fellow jogger Megan, friends and family who encouraged me and everyone who has supported the charity.
Bristol committed to paid internships Spencer Turner Deputy News Editor
world of work, the chance to strengthen your C.V and perhaps most importantly, to be paid for the work that you undertake. The ongoing commitment of the University in giving its students the opportunity to undertake these paid internships ought to be praised. Ames goes on to say that ‘opportunities are advertised throughout the year and students are also invited to submit applications for funding for opportunities they have sourced themselves’. If you are interested in finding out more about internships, please visit the University’s Career Service on Tyndall Avenue or search for vacancies on the University’s Careers Service website. Full details on how to find out if you are legally defined as an intern, and therefore receive a wage, can be found on the www.direct. gov.uk website.
Bristol Careers Service offer internships around the country
Vivian Lee
Since reporting that the NUS have attempted to tackle to problem of unpaid internships, the University of Bristol have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that students’ hard work and time spent on internships does not go unpaid. In 2012, the University’s Career Service launched the UoB Internship Scheme, which has encouraged large numbers of students to take up internships through the University with small and medium enterprises. These internships have ranged from publishing to performance arts and have taken place in various countries around the world. Mark Ames, who is the Director of Student Services and Employability at the University said that ‘The Careers Service
recognises the importance of work experience and the impact it can have on students’ career paths. It is committed to advertising paid internships as well as offering guidance and information through its events programme and advisory provision’. The commitment of the University in ensuring that students get paid for their internships is an important step forward in the conflict between students, universities and companies over the issue of unpaid internships. As awareness of the issue of unpaid internships are increasing, students are becoming more careful in checking whether or not they should be paid for the work that they are doing. The University’s internship scheme provides students with the opportunity to gain invaluable experience in the
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27.01.2014
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Debates continue over budget cuts in Bristol
Bristol researcher’s charity expedition Margot Tudor News Reporter
Alexandra Heal News Reporter
Mayor George Ferguson has recognised a potential for reduction of planned budget cuts and changes to his current approach. The question of how to make savings continues to hang over Bristol’s city council. Ferguson announced budget cuts of £90m before Christmas, but has now conceded that perhaps this figure could be reduced. Then, he recently announced positive changes to many of the initial suggestions. The large-scale cuts originally announced in November targeted public services, in line with the central government’s resolve to avoid disturbing education, healthcare and defence budgets. Included were a £1.5m slash to the finance of children’s centres, the closure of
22 of the city’s 23 public toilets, and a large reduction in funding for elderly services. Bus and leisure services and museums were also to be found on the lengthy hit-list. Further, Ferguson included the possibility of council staff redundancies, with up to 1000 people potentially losing their positions. The cuts are a further response to the coalition’s promise of austerity measures to actively improve the UK’s economic situation. The government has reduced its Rate Support Ground for local councils, leaving them with little option but to reduce services that they are not legally obliged to provide. Yet, following a public consultation, Ferguson announced that the cuts may not need to be so drastic. A rise in tax and the change in central
Flickr: MadMatt
Bristol City Council has planned £90million of cuts
government funding could allow a reduction to £83m. He has since further revised the proposals, with a view to making changes to or removing up to 20 of the initial proposals. One option to be scrapped is the slashing of public toilets. ‘We can’t yet say exactly what will happen and how the savings will be made – it’s important to understand these are only draft proposals,’ said a council representative. ‘The debate will be at Full Council on 18 February at which time the decisions are made.’ 4000 members of the public responded to the initial consultation, with 69% consenting to a rise in council tax of 2% or more, if this were to prevent such large-scale cuts. The outcome of the deliberation remains to be seen, with a council vote planned for mid-February.
University of Bristol researcher, Dr Elena Couce, is planning on taking extraordinary steps to raise awareness of climate change and marine conservation by cycling around the Coral Triangle for the next fourteen months. Swapping her books and computer for a bicycle, snorkelling and scuba equipment her mission will begin on 15th January. She plans to cycle through the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands which boast the greatest levels of marine biodiversity on the planet and is commonly known as the ‘Amazon of Oceans’. Raising money for WWF’s Coral Triangle Program, she hopes that her expedition will publicise the danger that much of the area suffers due to human pressures and raise funds to expand her trip and to investigate the area further. Elena said: ‘This area is the richest part of the oceans and a place of outstanding beauty. I want people to get to know the area and see what is happening there, so they can be inspired to help protect it.’ Elena’s research has led her to understanding more about the impact of climate change on coral reef ecosystems and
inspired her to undertake this expedition. She said: ‘Until now my days have been spent in an office, sitting in front of a computer and I just felt that that was no longer enough. I want to go out there, see in person what is happening, and try to help out in any way I can.’ She will be travelling alone but will be supported by a creative team of volunteers back in the UK who will be following her progress and promote her travels. This expedition is also an opportunity for Elena to educate children about the wonder of the oceans by visiting local people and raise awareness of the impact of climate change through connecting to UK schools and blogging via her website, Facebook and Twitter. Throughout her journey she will meet local people, visit research centres and explore marine reserves to learn about their work. She told Epigram that there are dangerous elements of the trip, ‘the last part around Papua is going to be very challenging, with hardly any roads and very unsafe boat connections,’ but that she’s determined that everything will go to plan and it’ll be an ‘amazing adventure!’ Visit http://www.indiegogo. com/projects/cycling-the-coraltriangle to donate to the cause and to find out more.
Polling stations in universities to encourage voting Freya Spriggs News Reporter
of polling stations in universities and sixth-form colleges may raise awareness amongst the young of the significance of voting. He remarked: ‘There is a danger that, if younger people disengage from the political system, they will lose their voice in the decisions that affect their lives’. With the 2015 election approaching many young voters greatly affected by education cuts are now of voting age. Blomfield commented that if more young voters had been engaged in previous elections, they might not have faced the ‘worst of this Government’s policies’. Perhaps if this proposal does come in to place before the election in 2015 the consequences might differ.
Flickr: Kagey_b
In a possible resolution for the poor turnout of young voters in elections, Labour MP Paul Blomfield has proposed placing polling stations in universities and sixth-form colleges across the country. The idea was proposed as a way to actively ‘encourage’ young people to vote and address the under-representation of this age group in voting statistics. He commented that such a move towards engaging young people in elections was ‘in all our interests’ and that they would be more likely to vote again once getting ‘the habit of voting’. The proposition was received during
a Q&A session with Cabinet Office Minister Greg Clark who responded by saying he would raise the proposal ‘with the relevant authorities’. After the scrapping of the EMA and steep hike in tuition fees, the move seems to suggest a need to engage with an age group seemingly disenchanted with politics. Traditionally the 18-24 age groups have the poorest turnout for elections. In the general election of 2010 it is estimated that only 44% of this age group voted, compared to the 69% turnout of the 45-54 category. Blomfield appears to be concerned by this inequality and wants to make moves towards resolving the issue. The presence
We may see polling stations at the University for the 2015 General Election
Annual Members Meeting 2014 Thursday 6 February 5:15pm - 9pm Anson Rooms Richmond Building The AMM is the largest democratic event held by the Students’ Union. Any student can submit an item or issue for discussion and all students are able to vote. More information about the AMM is available online at www.ubu.org.uk/democracy
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Homeless hit by storms Bristol Issy May Bull News Reporter In the last few weeks some of the worst weather seen in years has caused devastation all over the country, including in Bristol. In early January, Bristol City Council put in place its flood barrier kit for the first time ever. Tragically, many people’s homes are reported to have flooded due to these storms. However, there is one group of people who have been particularly affected: the homeless. It is hard to find an exact figure for the homeless population of Bristol. Nevertheless, Emmaus Bristol estimates that currently there are up to 700 people who are classified as being homeless, with a substantial proportion of them sleeping rough every night. The most prominent homeless shelter
in Bristol is The Julian Trust, also known as the Bristol Night Shelter, which according to its website welcomes between 80 and 100 people in need on any given night. Many unfortunately are still subjected to sleeping on the streets most nights. One primary factor being that this wonderful shelter is only open 5 nights a week. Each night The Julian Trust Night Shelter supplies a free hot meal to any person in need of one. However, according to one volunteer, adverse weather conditions, such as the heavy rain we have seen recently, can actually reduce demand for these meals. ‘When the weather is especially bad many prioritise finding a dry place to set up for the night over coming to the shelter for a hot meal. They don’t want to risk losing their spot’, he relayed. Rainfall levels in Bristol have been worryingly high this January. So far there
has been 102.8mm of rainfall this year. To put this in perspective, last year the total rainfall for the whole of January was 94.4mm. This has made it even more difficult for the homeless to find a safe, warm, and most importantly, dry place to sleep at night. Sleeping rough is difficult at the best of times, but being wet to the bone due to constant rain, and having to reside on flooded streets makes for a particularly dreadful experience. It is easy, when viewing a storm from the warmth of inside, to forget that some people do not get any relief from the bad weather at all. The Julian Trust is organising a sponsored sleep out on February the 28th later this year to raise awareness and some desperately needed funds. Visit the website at www.juliantrust.org.uk to find out more and get involved.
Markéta Brabcová
Stormy weather has caused extreme flooding in Bristol and around the country
Bristol professor funded research into first deaf church Alex Green News Reporter Dr William John Lyons, senior lecturer of Bristol’s department of Religion and Theology, has been awarded a substantial grant of £244,911 in order to develop research into the first church established specifically for the deaf community. Saint Saviours, which was situated on Oxford Street in London for nearly 50 years, played a pivotal role in establishing the deaf communities’ inclusion in British society. As England’s first deaf church, St. Saviours’ importance is not easy to overlook. Built in 1870 after a petition to the Church of England by seven deaf men and one of London’s largest Deaf welfare organisations of the period, it was recognized by the royal estate and placed on land provided by the wealthy Grosvenor family. The church became a symbol of the recognition of the importance of deaf people’s language, traditions and knowledge. Dr Lyons project ‘Scripture, Dissent and Dead Space: St Saviour’s, Oxford Street’ looks to the importance of ‘an ever evolving space where inherited scriptural understandings of deafness and disability, mediated through teaching, tradition, practices and
informal encounters were played out’. Dr Lyons calls it a ‘great symbol for deaf people’. In retrospect, he aims to explore deaf people’s place within the church and critique the traditional definitions of both deafness and the church’s relationship with disabled members of English society. The importance of this research is clear as Lyons states that ‘the right to worship effectively stood for other rights – to education, to work, to citizenship and to membership of society’. The grant itself was provided by the Leverhelme Trust; established in 1925 and founded by William Hesketh Lever, an initiator of the profitable manufacturing company Lever Brothers. The Leverhelme Trust provides over £60m a year funding all manner of subject projects. James Gosling, spokesperson for national deafblind charity Sense said: ‘This sounds a fascinating project into the history of England’s first deaf church’. He concluded that ‘the work should provide a valuable insight into St Saviour’s and we look forward to seeing the results’. The grant provided to Dr Lyons has been secured for a period of 3 years and will allow other members of the academic community to partake in the research. Dr Mike Gulliver, a historian specialising in the deaf community, will provide specific expertise in the area and a PhD student will also act as an aid.
detected in Sherlock Camilla Gash News Reporter Many Bristol students will have watched the new Sherlock episodes over Christmas with particular interest. It was, after all, our very own Goldney Hall that was featured in the much-anticipated wedding episode, the second of the three part series. It was almost impossible to have missed the hype just before exams last year, during the two week shoot which saw star Benedict Cumberbatch photographed almost daily, clambering in and out of his tinted-windowed car on Constitution Hill. A Goldney resident at the time reflects on those two weeks: ‘with exams coming up, it was only natural that, in a spirit of procrastination, we took to making daisy chains in front of the set, admiring Benedict Cumberbatch as he learned his lines between scenes.’ Another student and keen cinema-goer took the opportunity to quiz the location manager and set assistants: ‘it was great to have a bit of insight into the filming process, particularly on such a well-known BBC series.’ Other filming –including the bonfire scene of episode one – was carried out in Portland Square and Queen’s Square, two more beautiful Bristol locations. The Victoria Rooms could also be seen in the second episode, doubling up as court rooms in the opening scene. Despite the media frenzy, the BBC was very careful in the several months’ lead-up to the third series premiere not to disclose too much. The show’s creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss announced at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, in August, that ‘rat, wedding, bow’ might be key words for the third series, sending the blogosphere into months of speculation. All was finally revealed on New Year’s Day. The first episode drew in an audience of nearly ten million, prompting mixed reactions generally positive. With the third series barely over, the creators have already confirmed that a fourth will follow, and a fifth is planned: ‘Mark and I, for no particular reason, just started plotting out what we could do in the future’, Moffat told the audience at a Bafta screening of the Goldney episode. ‘[We asked ourselves] “what exciting twists and turns can we add to this?” And I think we’ve got some crackers!’ Excellent news for Sherlock fans. Until then, Steven Moffat’s other hugely successful show, Doctor Who, will be returning for a full series in the autumn, with Peter Capaldi at the helm.
A Christmas Miracle Stephanie Rihon Online News Editor The blustering storms over December caused mass devastation for people all around the UK. Travel plans were disrupted for days, with hundreds stranded in Gatwick and Heathrow, and flooded houses ruining the Christmas lunch for many. Approximately 300,000 were also said to have lost electricity over the Christmas period, meaning adios fresh Turkey! However, a family in Kent whose festivities were hit especially badly were forced to evacuate their flooded house, with several fatalities in the South East. The children were forced to leave behind their pet rabbits causing much upset in the days leading up to Christmas. Their father decided to go in on Christmas Day and save the hoppers and present them to the children. This certainly put a smile on one family’s faces during a time of destruction for the majority of England: a modern day Christmas miracle! In Martin Luther King Jr’s words, ‘we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope’. A quote that is perhaps slightly dramatic for the ‘bunny’ family but certainly not for the rest of England affected by the storms who are still suffering with insurance claims, flooded houses and the memories of a less than perfect Christmas.
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Features
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Bordering on absurd: reaction to new immigration laws Oliver Carter-Esdale assesses whether the political right misled the public as alleged hordes of new immigrants fail to materialise
of ‘benefits tourism’ simply isn’t true. In fact, the input given by these migrant workers is fathomably larger than what they take. A report by the Centre for Business and Economic Research shows that non-UK born EU citizens in this country are less likely to claim benefits and more likely to be in work than their UK-born counterparts. They are also more likely to be economically active and contributing to the economy than their fellow British residents as well. In addition, the number of economically inactive EU migrants who suffer from long-term illnesses or disability is also lower than those of British-citizens. So much for the millions who rushed for the white cliffs of Dover dreaming of £7.85 prescriptions and a two hour long wait in A&E on a Friday night.
Debunking Myths 63.3% of non UK EU immigrants in work vs. 56.2% UK-born citizens 69.8 % of non-UK EU immigrants are economically active vs. 63% UK-born citizens 7.2% of economically inactive non-UK EU immigrants suffering from long-term illness or disability vs. 11% of economically inactive UK citizens
What’s more is although UKIP and their fellow euro-sceptics rant and rail about the damage done to the economy by these workers, they actually do more good than bad in terms of growth. A lot more. In fact, the EU14 nations (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden) contributed £21 billion in 2012. These are the EU citizens with whom UKIP have no problem. Coming up just behind them however, were the new A8 nations, (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary) who contributed a similar figure of £18 billion. These are both sizeable contributions to the economy, injecting much needed funds into a post-recession Britain. Moreover, the CEBR report concluded that migration from EU member states and other nations to the UK is vastly beneficial to the economy. Without them we would face a higher deficit per capita, as a result of a definite and noticeable slowing in our economy; in the year 2050-51, we would have lost £60 billion in real terms. Surely then UKIP policy seems nonsensical? We are, I am sure, all aware of their desire to impose a total and unforgiving ban on immigration, prohibiting the freedom of movement guaranteed by our membership of the
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As far as British public political concerns go, immigration is certainly the hottest topic of the 21st century. Certainly - if the BBC’s Question Time is anything to go by as an indicator of these concerns - it is high up on everyone’s agenda. The UK has seen an influx of immigrants from EU member states that was, admittedly, unforeseen in terms of numbers. With this wave of migration, we have seen a huge attitudinal shift toward the right. There are questions surrounding the issue which need to be answered. Similarly however, and of equal importance, are the myths that need debunking. Both the far and centre-right of British politics have vocalised their desire to curb and indeed, in some cases, halt immigration altogether. The UK Independence Party and their Toad of Toad Hall-like eloquent spokesperson and leader, Nigel Farage, have called for a total ban for five years. This they claim needs to be done in order that British infrastructure be allowed to deal with the overwhelming number of immigrants who have supposedly flooded our shores, causing public institutions to descend into apparent disarray. ‘Britain is full’, or so they say.So what are the accusations levelled by the right against these immigrants? UKIP, the Conservatives and thinktanks such as Migration Watch declare that Britain is overflowing as a result of uncontrolled immigration. This, they claim was all caused and presided over by the previous Labour government, who allowed huge numbers of EU-member state’s residents to come pouring over our borders. They apparently come because Britain offers them a better life and, more importantly a better system of welfare. It is this, our welfare state, that UKIP, back and some front bench Tories and their supporters have outlined as the main reason for this immigration. Supposed ‘benefits tourism’, which sees vast swathes of Eastern European migrants stealing hospital beds, council houses and from the taxpayer’s pocket. All from right underneath our very noses, apparently. However, when examined the notion
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Oliver Carter-Esdale Features Writer
EU. In fact, the only way to do this would be to forego EU membership, something UKIP are only too aware of and actively call for. This is an apparent attempt at protecting British infrastructure and jobs. The Conservatives for the most part have previously recognised and labelled such a total ban as both infeasible and risible. Unfortunately, however, they too have jumped on the bandwagon of immigrant-bashing as a means to attract swing and old voters, who they feel they have lost to the likes of UKIP. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman has said: ‘Immigration in the decade up to 2010 was allowed to be out of control. The Prime Minister has been very clear about that. It was too high.’ The desire to curb immigration is palpable in its clarity and nature. Yet, when the facts are examined, this wave of anti-immigrant xenophobia is in fact rooted in little more than what the 2006 Gilpin report referred to as ‘anecdotal evidence’ with ‘no discernable statistics’ in support of such views. So where does this populist anti-immigration narrative come from? We have seen antiimmigrant, scare mongering headlines from the nation’s Red tops and likes of the Mail for years. But why? In the face of such empirical evidence you wouldn’t expect UKIP to often come above the Liberal Democrats, the lesser half of our current coalition government in the polls, yet they consistently do. Why has Britain seen this sudden surge to the right, to support the people that David Cameron and Ken Clarke once dubbed as fruitcakes, loons and clowns? The answer lies in the words of the Romanian ambassador who called out this desire for debate on immigration as ‘typical right-wing, nationalist escapism’. When times are tough, it’s easier to point the finger than to acknowledge the deep and systemic faults the country faces, regardless of immigration. Typically, the anecdotes published in the usual suspects, the Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express et al., all focus on the problems immigration are seen to exacerbate. Housing, unemployment, poverty, the NHS - all of these are staple parts of Britain’s political narrative, and immigrants are an easy target for palming off their problems. The reality is, that, since the current government came into power, the average household is £1600 worse off in real terms. Britain currently faces a housing crisis. In times of austerity, every cut is felt more so than the last. Instead of accepting that they are the ones who hold the knife, right-wing thinkers and politicians tend to lump the blame onto people who are actively seeking a better life and making significant contributions to the economy. It is easier to divert discussion away from a lack of clear policy on the problems the nation faces as a whole, by inventing and hyperbolising another. As Arthur Miller poignantly pointed out in his play, Incident at Vichy, the Nazis were doing nothing new in blaming the Jews: ‘Each man has his Jew; it is the other. And the Jews have their Jews.’ Let me be clear: I am not making a direct comparison between UKIP and the Nazi party policies, however it is important to understand and recognise that in times of economic hardship, we are all
prone to planting guilt at somebody else’s doorstep. All told, in light of the statistics it seems foolish to blame immigration for the socioeconomic inequalities and problems this country faces. Rather than turning away immigrants, we should be welcoming them. We should not be so quick to tarnish the Romanians and Bulgarians with the extremist brush that depicts the apparent hundreds of Roma thugs running amok. Yes, such people do exist, but certainly not in the numbers suggested by Farage and his ilk. There have been hundreds of thousands, just over a million and a half people in fact, who have come to this country. Far from ruining Britain, they have integrated with and enriched our society.
“ When times are
tough it’s easier to
point the finger than acknowledge our faults
For all his scare mongering, Nigel Farage’s Balkan hordes have so far failed to materialise. At the time of writing, just 21 Romanians and 15 Bulgarians have been registered as new arrivals in the UK since the 1st of January. Maybe the thought of Keith Vaz in a hi-vis vest at Luton airport scared them off. Who knows? Perhaps, after 3.1 million of them migrated to other EU member states who did not impose restrictions on their movements, the rest are quite happy to stay put. So what of this rush to the right? If Britain truly is full, perhaps the listing aboard the HMS Britannia will cause a few of the irrational sceptics to fall overboard, restoring some much needed balance, and with it some sanity.
UKIP: ‘more than just the BNP in a tie?’ Far from the bitter and potentially racist pill to swallow they were once thought to be, UKIP are presenting themselves as far more than just the BNP in a tie. Or are they? Godfrey Bloom, who until recently was a prominent figure showed himself to be the very type of fool of which his party was accused of being comprised. Not content with calling women ‘sluts’, Bloom attacked Britain’s foreign aid policy, complaining of money being sent to ‘bongo bongo land’. Geographers and cartographers have since disputed the existence of such a place, noting in particular the lack of Mr. Bloom’s explorer credentials, although he remains adamantly convinced. Sexism and racism go hand in hand in the Bloom’s idealistic neolithic world it would seem. Following in Bloom’s footsteps is fellow UKIP MEP, who at the last council elections let his tenacious desire for power be known, declaring that UKIP have been knocking on the door of Westminster for the past two years. I predict very soon that we will kick that door in’. If cavemen could cast a ballot, at least we know who they would have voted for.
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Alfie Smith Features Writer From November to December 2004 Coalition forces fought the bloodiest battle of the Iraq war - the Second Battle of Fallujah. Nearly ten years, a surge and a withdrawal later, and Fallujah is back in the hands of Al-Qaeda affiliated militias. Iraq seems poised to descend once again into civil war. Without foreign military support and struggling to hold on to its fragile internal power the al-Maliki administration finds itself in a precarious position. The current situation is far cry from the Iraq sold to us during the withdrawal process, a place Gordon Brown termed described as ‘a success story’. It is important to see recognise that the recent sectarian uprisings as are continuations of conflicts originating even before the fall of Saddam. Although nominally secular, Saddam had a rather bipolar relationship with the religious groups in Iraq. The politically active sections of the Shia majority and the Kurds received the brunt of his attacks. However, no group but the party held authority. The US-led invasion created a power vacuum, one that was quickly filled by numerous
regional militias. Coalition forces worked their way out from the Baghdad, dealing with the Saddam loyalists then the Shia and Sunni militias in kind. Anbar, containing Fallujah and a Sunni majority, was the most difficult to re-assert control over. The US remained in the region until their last withdrawal. AlMaliki’s government was initially successful in maintaining order. However, accusations of widespread corruption, attempts to return regional authority from the provinces to Baghdad and the Dawa party’s sectarian rhetoric have all contributed to the alienation of large sections of the population. Protests against the regime soon escalated after the arrest of prominent Sunni MP Ahmed al-Alwani, killing his brother and several other members of his family in the process. Al-Alwani is the most recent high-profile Sunni official arrested under new and secretive counterterrorism laws. Many in and outside Iraq have seen this ‘response to threats’ as a thinly concealed purge of Sunnis from politics. Protests quickly turn into uprisings in post-civil war states like Iraq because of the volume of weapons and readily armed fighters in the population. Last week saw al-Maliki deploy
further troops into the region to regain control. The response of many tribal leaders was to send out a call to arms. Enter ISIS (Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant), the other major player in Anbar. An affiliate of Al-Qaeda, ISIS is one of the main players in the Syrian civilwar. Formed April 2013 from devolved sections of Al-Qaeda, it has since grown into a regional threat. ISIS captured Fallujah and the regional capital Ramadi in cooperation with anti-Maliki Sunni militias. Militias that once fought on the side of the Coalition forces now find themselves as enemies of the state they helped form. Maliki can still count on the support of some of these groups, without which his position in the region would be even weaker, using them to bolster his forces. The origins of ISIS’s strength cannot be seen in Iraq alone. Over the past three years, ISIS has acquired a massive increase in manpower, equipment and experience from the Syrian civilwar. Weapons from Saudi Arabia travel through ISIS-controlled Syria, across the desert, into Anbar. Without ISIS’s new found strength, even the embattled Maliki could resolve the crisis by employing one armed Sunni tribe off against another, as the US did during the occupation.
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Al-Qaeda affiliates re-ignite Iraq conflict
However, with ISIS providing both technical and ground support, the government is finding itself overrun from the city and having to maintain defensive positions outside its limits. The problem has been recognised in the Western media, with the US government pledging an escalation in nonmilitary support. The House Foreign Committee has dropped its hold on a recent arms deal with Iraq, which includes several Apache helicopters. Chairman of the committee, Bob Menendez (D), is currently refusing to let the sale go up for congressional approval due to concerns that the Maliki regime will use them to suppress the
Sunnis after regaining control of Anbar. These sentiments are shared by many. Even those leading the charge to arm the response, such as Senator John McCain (R), have urged Obama to rein Maliki in. Anti-government militias, 43 miles from Baghdad, are not the only threat to Iraq’s new democracy. With the political opposition frequently abandoning the process all together and while other regional centres call for devolution, Maliki finds himself having to turn to the armed forces for support. If Maliki returns peace to the country, he will have done so through force. With the army becoming restorer of peace, rather than
compromises made in Baghdad, it is more than possible that a figure from within will become a new power player. Or that Maliki’s dependence on the army, bolstered by US equipment, will see it deployed on more and more occasions until his party governs with military rather than political support. We must not look at Iraq as tipping into Islamist anarchy but rather perilously balanced between instability and authoritarianism. Failure to support our young ally will cause the former. Rushing in with predator missiles will almost certainly see their misuse and the rise of a new regime, and probably another war.
Gang rape problems persist in India Sahar Shah Features Writer
collective psyches of societies across the world, when they go through these gender-rights paradigm shifts. Essentially, are these men so confused and baffled by the sudden change in the female role, that the response has been this upsurge in abusive behaviour? In a society where female empowerment has been historically a non-issue, perhaps the sudden liberalisation of
females is a cause for a sudden feeling of emasculation among men. And what is rape, except a desperate and pathetic attempt to regain (or gain) power? What is rape, if not a means of putting someone in their place and re-establishing your sense of dominance? And what is gang rape if not a violent and extreme manifestation of the two? Rape is hugely psychological—it
has devastating psychological ramifications and its perpetrators clearly have serious psychological issues. A sudden loss of a sense of dominance could explain this aptly. This, combined with a historic notoriety for crimes in general going unpunished for various reasons in India, paints a far more logical picture explaining the sudden increase in sex-
based crime. Either way, the crimes are unjustifiable. But, instead of attributing it to innocent, sheltered men not being able to keep it in their pants at the first sight of a woman showing some skin—maybe it would be more productive to take a critical look at the deeply embedded societal roots that allow the growth of these attitudes and actions.
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Another brutal gang rape has taken place recently in India, this time of a Danish tourist in the Paharganj area. The 51 year old woman was attacked, robbed and then raped at knife-point by a group of men on Tuesday evening. Since the 2012 fatal gang rape of a student on a Delhi bus in 2012, there has been a sharp upsurge in the prevalence of sexual violence occurring in India (or at least, an increase in the number of reported and publicised cases). These include a photojournalist raped in broad daylight in central Mumbai, a 21 year old woman raped by two apparently unrelated groups of men on Christmas Eve in Pondicherry and a 16 year old girl who died after being gangraped twice and then set on fire in the eastern city of Calcutta. This has been causing a lot of red flags to go up, as people question: A) Why now? And B) Why there? There’s been an interesting, albeit controversial, theory set out recently by a Canadian journalist that resonated a bit with me. I’d been hearing a lot of hypotheses about the root cause being the increasing Westernisation and liberalisation of the media in
India. Now, scantily clad women are being wired into homes everywhere, sung about in pop songs and posing on billboards. Pop culture is delivering the powerful message that women are sexual objects above all else, and in a lot of cases, are quite happy about it. Men can do what they want with girls sexually, and the associated issues with it shouldn’t play heavily on anyone’s mind, because as Robin Thicke can affirm, they ‘want it’. (In fairness, Western media probably does deliver that message. But then again, artistic representation of female-oppressive mechanisms occurs in a lot of cultures, in vastly different ways.) And as a result, the theory goes that men in India had some kind of hitherto undiscovered sexual fire unleashed within them, and thus the ludicrous increase in rapes in the past two years. I treat this theory with some degree of scepticism for one primary reason: I don’t believe rape is about sex. I think rape is, first and foremost, about power and control. Maybe this is about the media portraying women wearing nothing, but maybe it’s more about empowerment. Maybe on some level, it is an issue that played out across the West in very early years of the feminist movement and is probably playing out across the
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Japan: declining second-best When the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami devastated the country, a natural disaster cascaded into a man-made one. Three of the six reactors at the Fukushima Nuclear power plant suffered melt-down resulting in 340,000 ‘nuclear refugees.’ Despite journalists and independent film-makers being prevented from documenting the ensuing tragedy environmental concerns became deeply important to the population. Thousands have demonstrated across the country against moves by the government to restart Japan’s nuclear facilities in the past week and policies regarding nuclear power are shaping the debates preceding the upcoming election. Kerr’s prediction could not have been more wrong. Japan’s youth are responding to the economic malaise of their country in contrasting ways. Farright groups with links to the Yakuza are steadily growing and disseminating their nationalist propaganda with increasing volume. These developments are eclipsed however by a revival in the entrepreneurial spirit that rocketed Japan to its technological heights several decades before. The ‘Samurai Start Up Island’
on Tokyo Bay is just one of many responses to America’s Silicon Valley. Tokyo University claims to be incubating 25 exciting companies and the prestigious Waseda University has introduced a program supporting start ups which has already produced five new business. The companies range from social media to biotechnology with the Euglena Corporation, an example of the latter, recently being valued at $1billion. Although their future will largely depend on the decisions made by their Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his attempts to reform the corporate culture and headless bureaucracy that many blame for Japan’s flailing economy, it will inevitably depend on the nation’s young people too. Japan’s youth, though vastly outnumbered by their preceding generations, will need to shape their own future if the disillusionment that litters every page of Murakami’s novels is to receive an antidote. Despite increases in both fervent nationalism and complete political disengagement there is ample evidence that large sections of Japan’s youth are rallying for a peaceful and prosperous future.
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which propelled companies like Sony and Toyota to the forefront of the technological world. The TPP has received substantial criticism, however. This has been directed not only at the economic plans themselves, which Nobel-Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has claimed present ‘grave risks,’ but also at the manner in which negotiations have been carried out. Much of the proposed content of the agreement is shrouded in secrecy and leaked documents published by Wikileaks reveal that public opinion is having little to no impact on the negotiation process. Further leaks indicate that environmental constraints included in original drafts of the proposed alliance are rapidly being circumvented and in some cases removed. Environmental debates abound not just with regards to foreign policy and trade but also about activities within Japan’s borders. Alex Kerr, in his bestseller Angels and Demons: The Fall of Modern Japan wrote that ‘people feel that beauty in their surroundings is doomed and that they are powerless to stop it’ and that ‘it is unlikely that environmental destruction will become a mainstream political issue.’
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Japan is surely in one of the most dynamic phases of its history. When Ryu Murakami, one of the nation’s most celebrated novelists, was asked what the future held in store for Japan’s youth he replied quite simply: ‘it’s dark.’ Japan is the fastest growing negative population in the world with more people over 65 and the smallest number of people under the age of 15 in the world. Bleak facts such as these are tempered by optimism from both natives and foreign analysts; Rodger Baker, Statfor’s Director of Analysis for East and South Asia claims that ‘Japan is certainly on the rise, and perhaps in a much stronger way than China.’ With symptoms of both revival and decline, Japan’s future is indeed ‘dark’ but perhaps unpredictable rather than bleak. One of the most significant developments in recent months, negotiations over the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), has been surrounded by darkness. This strategic economic alliance of various Asia-Pacific countries seeks to stimulate innovation, economic growth and create jobs. Japan’s government is hoping the alliance could revitalize Japan’s once outstanding industrial sector
Michael Coombs Features Online Editor
Feminism: too often a no man’s land
The Feminist Society’s Events Secretary, Corey Sutch, shares his thoughts on what it’s like to be a male feminist
It is interesting to confess to being a male feminist. I should note, I use the word ‘confess’ not due to my own feeling, but rather, what various scenarios have led me to believe. It is fair to say that aspects of society view male feminists as a curious oddity, and within feminism, there can be a degree of unease as well. I don’t for a second think that any ridicule I get when I announce to being a feminist is worse than harassment and discrimination women face, but it does strike me as strange and unnecessary to have such noncontentious views questioned, or to be taunted as a member of the ‘Feminine Society’, playfully intended though that may be. I can count quite a few times when I have participated in interviews for jobs or societies, which shall remain nameless here, and the listing of my position as ‘Feminist Society Events Secretary’ is met with questioning that would suggest I placed a deliberate joke in the middle of my CV. I personally have no problem supporting a cause I believe in, but I can only think of others who may be more on-thefence about joining. It’s not difficult to see what is putting
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Corey Sutch Features Writer
them off. Laddish circles may dismiss feminists as a pack of bitter old women, but from my experience, this quite simply isn’t true. Furthermore, to try and ignore a group based on negative stereotypical views reeks of an innate knowledge of the inequality which exists within our society and a firm resistance to do anything about it. Feminists are people who want to make the world a better and fairer place, and not to sound too much like the moral to a kids’ Saturday morning
cartoon, but the man who stands by what he believes in is the bigger man in the end. It is fair to say that most male opinions tend to be of the liberal variety, and typically this is where I personally would reside. One aspect of this segment is a wariness of censorship and being overtly controlling, yet this is currently where feminism finds itself. As a male with liberal views, it can be difficult to disagree, since some already would prefer not to have a male presence anyway, and to
speak out could be criticised by some as not even being feminist to begin with. Recently, the song ‘Blurred Lines’ was banned in Student Union buildings, and this was one aspect of the movement I simply could not agree with. Whilst I understood the rationale, it did seem a short-sighted victory which did not seek to address underlying problems which lead to people thinking a song with lyrics like ‘I know you want it’ is acceptable. Education of the public, whilst more tiresome sounding,
is more beneficial, though views such as these, from a man, are not also particularly welcome. I have heard of numerous cases where men have been dismissed when they spoke at feminist events, as well as university societies which ban men from taking committee positions and attending weekly meetings. Some even amusingly call themselves ‘Equality Society’ which only serves to devalue the term and turn people away from something that otherwise they would strongly believe in.
Of course, feminism shouldn’t pander to the views of men, but to see men as an enemy and that it should be a gender-exclusive movement defeats the purpose and will serve to achieve less. I am pleased that our society is open and fair, and that being a Bristol male feminist is not quite so difficult as elsewhere. Being a male feminist is interesting; given the potentially negative experience you can encounter from both inside and outside of feminist groups. As the recent ‘That’s What She Said’ FemSoc magazine shows, a popular debate at present is the position of men and where they should sit within the debate. To help grow the number of male feminists, and to subsequently create larger and more diverse groups, some very crucial changes could be made. We are still however faced with the problem that men will still be campaigning alongside those who would rather they weren’t there in the first place. Perhaps what we need is a call for a more accepting form of feminism, which would enable men to embrace the movement, and most probably achieve more than its exclusive counterpart. Mass male subscription to feminism is so near in some respects, and yet unfortunately so far in others.
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Police cannon from one controversy to the next With the dust still settling over the controversial Mark Duggan inquest and the recent revelation of a bill to introduce water cannons in the UK, Max Miller assesses whether police relations with the public have reached a new low point Max Miller Features Writer So far, 2014 has proved a tough year for the police. They have found themselves on the end of some serious and perhaps well earned anger. Following the results of the Mark Duggan inquest, the attempted introduction of a bill to make ‘nuisances’ illegal, and the on-going moves to make water cannons available for use in the summer, a situation where anti-police protests are a regular occurrence does not seem far off. So are these recent developments the latest in a slide towards a police state, or are they being blown out of proportion? Have police relations with the general public reached a new low point? The majority of recent public anger comes in the wake of an inquest into the shooting of Mark Duggan - which famously sparked the London 2011 riots. Even though evidence has emerged that indicates Duggan was not carrying a gun at the time of the shooting, the inquest nonetheless found that it was a lawful killing. The decision has left many people confused, angry and demanding an explanation. Further uproar was created by the implication that the police lied to the media afterwards in attempt to cover up the killing. There
have since been moves by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to interview ‘key witnesses’ who had before refused to speak, and they have also apologised for releasing false information to the media about the killing originally. Why these ‘key witnesses’ are willing to speak now, but were not during the inquest, remains unknown.
“ The decision has left many people confused, angry and demanding an explanation
The IPCC has also apologised for ‘mistakes made in the early stages (of the investigation) both in relation to inaccurate information we provided to the media, and the initial management of the incident.’ In other words, they admit they bent the truth and that the investigation into whether police powers were abused was not conducted appropriately. This apology will be small consolation to the Duggan family, who continue in their pursuit of justice. Regardless of whether you think the police
were to blame in this incident, more must be done to stop this kind of thing happening again. There is talk that cameras might be used to film all armed police operations which would certainly bring an end to situations such as this one, where decisions are being made based on police eye witness reports. Furthermore, the IPCC is still the only body which regulates against police abuse of power, and it is only now, after two and a half years of revelations such as this one, that David Cameron has said he is ‘prepared to look at reforms.’ In the weeks following the inquest verdict, there have been several anti-police vigils. On 11th January, the BBC reported that over 500 people attended a vigil for Duggan in Tottenham, for which apparently 1300 police were on standby according to the assistant commissioner for the Metropolitan police. They were ready in case of action from extreme left-wing groups or ‘local criminal youths’ explained the assistant commissioner to MPs. Fortunately, the protest was completely peaceful. However it is these sorts of heavy handed displays of force that people are getting so angry about, and will surely only heighten tensions between communities and authorities. It doesn’t look like the police are likely to let up any time soon either as attempts to introduce
water cannons to the streets of London gain momentum every week. Another of Boris Johnson’s bright new ideas for London, the move has caused uproar in certain quarters. He has cited the 2011 riots as justification for the introduction of water cannons; riots which themselves were caused by what was, at the very least, excessively forceful police tactics in the Mark Duggan case. The Metropolitan Commissioner, Sir Bernhard Hogan-Howe, has also called for the introduction of the water cannon, saying it would be ‘rarely used and rarely seen.’ In saying so, he seems to be bizarrely confirming that the cannon would not be useful after all. So far, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has resisted attempts to finance the water cannon proposal, but this might not last much longer. With Johnson and the Met Commissioner both calling for its introduction, pressure is mounting on the Home Secretary to cede their demands. A new public consultation is starting on the subject in the next few weeks, and a final decision on whether to allow the use of the restraining tool could be made by the end of February, in time for it to be available by the summer. Critics of the cannon, point to the damage it can cause to eyes and internal organs, as well as it
clearly making the police more militarised than they should be. The London Assembly member Lady Jenny Jones (Green) has said that the introduction would be ‘ a step in the wrong direction towards arming our police like a military force, and it goes against our great tradition of an unarmed police service.’
” Boris Johnson has cited the 2011 riots as justification for the introduction of water cannons
The water cannon, if bought, would be for use by the Met police - and the Mark Duggan case has highlighted deficiencies within the force. However, what’s next will affect us at a national level if it goes through. The government is currently trying to pass the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill that will allow the usage of Injunctions to Prevent Nuisance and Annoyance (IPNAs). Essentially an ASBO that can be used more broadly, and crucially, with only a probability of guilt needed to enforce it. In its first attempt to go through the House of Lords.
it has been defeated by a large margin - but the chamber can only delay it for up to a year before the House of Commons has the ability to bypass them. IPNAs would make it possible for the police to charge anyone over the age of 10 for being a nuisance or annoying. It could effectively ‘punish children over the age of 10 for simply being children’ according to the Children’s Commissioner for England, as well as giving police a much larger say over what is okay, and what is not. IPNAs could also potentially be used against‘politicaldemonstrations, street performers and corner preachers’ according to the former Director of Public Prosecutions Lord Macdonald. Luckily, the bill seems to have achieved the impossible and united both the Right and Left wing media against it, with the Guardian and Independent publishing damning pieces, as well as The Telegraph and Conservativehome also doing so. Speaking to students around Bristol the general feeling seems to be that of apathy towards this increasingly alarming situation. But surely now is the time that people need to take notice; water cannons and laws against being annoying? Alarm bells should be ringing. Quick go out and cause a nuisance because you might not be able to for much longer.
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Epigram
27.01.2014
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Should films censor immoral behaviour? With much debate raised over the Wolf of Wall Street’s illicit content, Margot and Ben give their take on the relationship between immorality and art
Margot Tudor The criticism of The Wolf Of Wall Street boils down to a couple of succinct points: it glamorises drug taking and paints the women as caricatures. The question is whether Scorsese has stepped over a line and roamed into a romanticised portrayal of violence, drug use and sexual objectification. Some criticise the fact women seem to be placed in the film simply to highlight the immorality of Jordan (our sleazy protagonist) and his braying pack of stock brokers. Others focus more on the profanity and constant drug use. However, we still have another ninety minutes that were specifically constructed so we could learn from the consequences of Jordan’s destructive attitude, rather than a desire to emulate it. It seems some critics didn’t watch past the opening sequence.
“ Restricting the visibility of violence and drug taking and all the other oft-quoted activities will do the same as teaching celibacy in schools
With corruption in the police, people in their masses being slaughtered by dictatorial regimes and people in the public eye exploiting the vulnerable, the world today seems to be brimming with immorality. What value is there, therefore, for art of any form to show, perhaps even seemingly encourage, these types of immoral behaviour? For me, the answer is simple: By placing a so-called social responsibility upon what art can contain is not only damaging to art, but also dangerous to us as humans. In the words of Oscar Wilde: ‘Vice and virtue are to the artist materials for an art.’ Art is an expression of human nature, be it beautiful or ugly. By removing the ugly, we would be censoring ourselves from some of the most emotionally powerful works of art ever created. Whether it is Hitchcock’s harrowing documentary on the concentration camps of 1945, or McEwan’s disturbing depiction of the psyche of the incestuous, good art does not shy away from the immoral. This does not mean that every single piece of art requires an element of evil. There is certainly a place for the feel-good film or the light hearted novel. However, the value of art seems to be that it can show absolutely any aspect of human behaviour as freely as it chooses.
“ Art is an expression of human nature, be it beautiful or ugly
Flickr: Pink Cow Photography Flickr/Ma_Co2013
I’m not going to brook any argument that it does show immoral behaviour; it does – for a portion of the film – glamorise drug use and the women in this film are often relegated to the background while the highly inebriated men do their sloppy business. But this is all the point of encapsulating the true horror of Jordan’s life. We are seeing the world through his eyes, and Jordan’s characterisation is one of extremes with an excessive reliance on his assets. The problem is, in a world of material obsession and wealth, everything can be taken away. Does irony in film and literature truly need to be explicit enough to avoid all confusion? To slap us in the face? Doesn’t a more subtle approach, much like Scorsese’s, deliver a more gut-wrenching, throat-clogging sucker punch at the end credits by your own realisation of the consequences of this lifestyle? Pure inception. This is the genius of Wolf’s storytelling. It would be so easy, too easy, to treat the viewer to a bacchanal of gold teeth, Grey Goose, and tripping into the
bathroom, followed by a close up shot of a sepia portrait of the hardworking poor people Jordan and his ilk swindled and sweet-talked. We know that Jordan feels no remorse whatsoever for violating the poor; he describes his exploitation as charity, proudly babbles about how he used his ill-gotten gains to fund one employee’s teenager’s college tuition and mother’s life-saving surgery. He tells this story to grasp on to that one shred of morality he has left. And once Scorsese has reduced this $2,000 suit-wearing, coke-snorting, misogynist to a drooling, slobbering fool we finally see the result of his wasteful lifestyle and the result of such a strict reliance on it. Because the viewer is standing in for Jordan, watching the story unfold through his eyes, the film is only going to succeed in hitting Jordan where it really hurts: his power, his possessions, his wealth. Scorsese doesn’t want to grant us a sobering, sombre peek at the exploited subaltern class; he wants us to watch the upper class cannibalise itself. Restricting the visibility of violence and drug-taking and all the other oft-quoted immoral activities will do the same as teaching celibacy in schools. The only way to take down such abhorrent behaviour as seen in The Wolf of Wall Street is to show that only the weak and foolish act that way. To turn the mirror on ourselves and to make us pause – while guffawing at the outlandish scenes – and question whether we could ever conceivably act as Jordan does. Whether we ever have. Essentially, Wolf succeeds as an indictment of immorality precisely because it pushes its audience to the edge. ‘This is the mind of the prototypical wealthy white man,’ the film says. ‘Isn’t it a scary place to be? Do you really want to aspire to this?’ The film isn’t glamourising this lifestyle, it’s damning it. We need more films like this one; films that paint hallowed bastions of masculinity as pathetic and miserable; films that are unflinching in their critical examination of how men exact violence; films that depict drug abuse in a way that can be understood by the middle classes. It’s ‘Ironically cinematic’ as Margot Robbie described. Censoring immoral behaviour in film and literature won’t make it seem any less ‘cool’, it will make the idea of it solely desirable. After all, we all want what we can’t have.
Ben Parr
Perhaps one of the strongest arguments for why we should not place a social responsibility upon art, film and literature is rooted in the question of who decides what is moral enough to be shown? Every person considering supporting any kind of censorship should ask themselves one question: Is there anybody in the world whom they trust enough to dictate to them exactly what is good and what is evil? To put this into a more realistic context, would they trust politicians, television producers or even the general public? One could even go as far as to say that this person, someone who is regulating films depicting atrocities, or reading novels describing inhumanities, or even admiring art works of
evil is probably the least capable person to decide what is moral enough to be shown to others. Allowing this kind of regulation can be incredibly dangerous for moral progress. In 2011, there was an uproar after allegations arose that David Cameron supported a ban on homosexual kissing being shown on television before watershed. However, whilst this idea may seem ludicrous and bigoted now, it is important to remember how, only a few decades previous to this, homosexuality was considered so immoral it was a crime. By allowing censorship of artistic depictions of immorality, one is simply surrendering themselves to allow others to decide what is moral or not for them.
” Is there anybody in the world whom they trust enough to dictate to them exactly what is good and what is evil?
One need not look far to see this kind of thing today. In Russia after a ban was placed on so called ‘gay propaganda’, news flooded in of homosexuals being chased down the street and violently beaten. Perhaps if those taking part in the violence were able to see in film and television homosexuals being depicted as moral normal people, then they would find themselves understanding them better, rather than seeing them as some kind of sinful subhuman species. Granted it is naïve to think that art showing all kinds of morality would completely solve problems like this. However, the point to be made is that morality is a progressive attribute in humans, not a stagnant one. One of the greatest reasons we cannot shy away from the immoral in art, therefore, is it allows us to view other moral stand points in a more objective manner, and in doing so encourages us to question and re-evaluate ourselves. For these reasons, I believe if artists do have any social obligation, it is to make sure that they show all aspects of morality, especially immorality.
27.01.2014
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Epigram
Is Britain’s drinking culture drunk in love or lovin’ drunk?
Holly Jones Since being on exchange in Hong Kong, a grand total of six days at the time of writing, it has become apparent that we Brits have something of a reputation for our alcohol consumption. And it is not one you’d be willing to shout about anywhere else in the world. Does this drinking culture begin at university for us? It would be a tad elitist to assume so, considering much of the non-student population display a similar fondness for liquor. Saying that, Freshers’ culture in the UK has a lot to answer for: it can be a case of 0-60mph in the space of seven days for people who
The drinking culture in Hong Kong is perhaps a little more sensible, some might say prudish
It does, however, set the tone for what is the Done Thing, and creates a kind of pressure which can be alienating for those who don’t drink to excess, if at all. Nightlife for people who aren’t drinking can be a trippy nightmare of vomiting barely-adults and broken
heels, especially on the treacherous Park Street pavements, so I have nothing but the utmost admiration for anyone who ventures out to the Triangle sober even if it’s an unwritten obligation that you will maintain some level of responsibility for your Jäger-addled comrades. For those who don’t endeavour to try the clubbing or bar scenes at all, it can seem bewildering that the social orientation tends towards ‘fun’ being drinking as much as you possibly can without someone having their stomach pumped. Have we lost our ability to get along with people without the conversation being punctuated by ‘I am sooooo drunk!’ or being followed up by ‘oooh my god, I’m sorry I said/did that, I was drunk!’? Did we ever have it in the first place? It is true enough that a few drinks can relax people and numb them a little from the constraints of social decorum, including making it easier to feign interest when they’re telling you about their many dogs back home, but does this mean it is a mandatory ingredient in the mixing bowl of Fun?
I don’t buy that. Booze is used as an excuse to break social norms and live a little, and I find it sad that this is something we seemingly can’t do sober. The attitude towards alcohol here in Hong Kong is perhaps a little more sensible, some, myself not being one of them, may say prudish, than those of the average British undergraduate.
For those that don’t endeavour to try the clubbing scenes at all, it can seem bewildering that the social orientation tends towards ‘fun’ being drinking as much as you possibly can
Several times we have been told, often with some emphasis and hardened stares, that is absolutely aokay with the university if we consume alcohol, but under no circumstances must we drink to excess, or, heaven forbid, get drunk. It speaks volumes that a few exchange students thought the speaker in question was joking: while there is a certain degree of shame levelled at public drunkenness in the UK, it has nothing on here. Moving here has made me reconsider my drinking habits, not ‘habit’, you understand, I’m not that far gone yet, but we’ll re-evaluate after graduation, and to what extent I am influenced by others to drink and find it preferable, if not necessary, to drink in certain social situations. For many others, the ‘Dry January’ phenomenon, in which participants abstain from alcohol for a month,haspromptedsimilarepiphanies: fun, it turns out, can be had sans booze. Try telling that to the expat Westerners who keep the party area of Lan Kwai Fong afloat.
Flickr: staxnext
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haven’t really hit the clubs before, but it’s unfair to say that this initial hectic week fortnight / month / year - depending on your university or personal inclinations - typifies the student experience.
Pope Francis, Edward Snowden and the meaning of virtue
Alec Short It seems as though nothing can stop the runaway train of Pope Francis’ skyrocketing popularity these days. He was, just this December, named person of the year by Time magazine and his antics have gone viral as the public and press alike laud the ‘People’s Pope’. I am sure you’ve all seen the sort of vapid praise I’m talking about, ‘he’s a humble man’ they say, ‘a breath of fresh air’ they say! To which I think, yes, he really should be. Humble and pleasant is the least I’d expect from God’s living representative on earth. Do we really have such low standards? Bashar al-Assad was a runner up, he must be kicking himself, and he really tried this year. It is worth noting for Francis that looking good is a job made easy when succeeding the venomous Joseph Ratzinger, a man who personally
involved himself in the cover-up of institutionalised rape and abuse of children; masquerading as ‘pastoral care’. Suffice to say that neither justice nor apology has ever been adequately served for these transgressions. Clearly Francis is a serious upgrade on such a villain and he is on record doing some decidedly kind deeds, but ask yourselves what kind of person, let alone Pope, he would be if he didn’t do these things? When a curious young child joined him on stage, Francis welcomed him, it went viral and that was all well and good. Conversely, I doubt very much that any of us would have grabbed the little tear-away by the collar and slung him into the aisles. It is the same kind of misplaced adulation that surfaces when one of our beloved Royals graces us with a cursory shimmer of personality, money well spent. They are human after all! Francis is also making a habit of saying and doing things you really wish he wouldn’t. Well-intentioned I’m sure, but flirting with the offensive. He tells us that ‘even atheists’ can be redeemed and I hope I’m not alone in finding his support for the gay community
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a little hollow given his previous and oft-affirmed denigrations of them as ‘intrinsically immoral’. He did, credit where due, address child abuse by making it a crime in Vatican - but shifting the papacy from an outrageous to a less repellant hypocrisy is no great feat to me.
Humble and pleasant is the least i’d expect from God’s living representative on earth
What follows is the distinct impression that we are expecting far too little. It is depressing that the most influential person of this past year is characterised primarily by not being a wicked human being. Now, of course a Time magazine poll is a fairly insipid affair but it serves as a pretty accurate reflection of public sway.
It is telling that while Papa Francesco tops the chart, Edward Snowden is a runner-up with Signor Assad. We can draw a stark contrast here with a man who has made the ultimate sacrifice for our civil liberties and our privacy; he has given up his life to unveil an Orwellian rot that’s spread wider and faster than ever imagined. It’s an act that will surely define the future shape of our digital age in one of two ways, will it be driven by the outrage of the governed or will it creep nauseatingly into a repulsive parody of itself? Snowden has himself reiterated that the backlash from the leaks is about re-evaluating the relationship between the governed and governing. Targeted intelligence is not the same as ‘dragnet mass surveillance’, allow this and all sorts of infringements on our rights will follow. It won’t be long before privacy is a distant memory, like strong trade unions, or Jamie Theakston. The scandal perfectly embodies the anxieties of a post 9/11, increasingly mechanised world. At least we didn’t already have Google Glass, every cloud I suppose. Snowden has performed real miracles in raising global awareness of the knife-
edge upon which our civil society balances. Forget the papacy for now and let’s stop confusing their aesthetics and fanfare with real virtue, the NSA scandal can be the sort of paradigmshift that we must capitalize on.
Snowden has performed real miracles in raising global awareness of the knife edge upon which our civil society balances
These snooping governments are our subjects, not the other way around. True courage is by nature shocking but picking up the challenge left by Edward Snowden can put us on the right side of history. Get angry about it.
Epigram
27.01.14
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Stop blaming the working class Warriors of the Wasteland
“ The controversy created by Benefit Street demonstrates how vital it is that the true stories of the working class in modern Britian be told
The Daily Mail being one name that comes to mind - of the working classes as criminal, drunk, drugged, and cheating the benefits system. One great
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The controversy created by the Channel 4 documentary series Benefit Street demonstrates how vital it is that the true stories of the working class in modern Britain be told. The series follows the lives of the residents of James Turner Street in Birmingham. It is clear the show wishes to emphasise the general welfare dependency of the streets residents, and focuses primarily on the financial situation these people find themselves in. It is vital that this type of social analysis is aired in the political climate we live in. The government, whether rightly or wrongly, has been making huge cuts to this country’s welfare system, upon which many people rely. These cuts are greatly and hotly debated across all forms of media, and I believe attempting to understand the real life implications of these cuts upon the people they
sadness of the show was the innocent outlook of many of the residents regarding the way they thought they were being portrayed. The editing team juxtaposed sincere and heartfelt thoughts on the community spirit within the street, with shots of drunken teenagers verbally abusing pedestrians. The vulnerability of the residents due to their position was clear and at times the presentation of the show felt exploitative. The result of this exploitation was shocking. The Twitter reactions to the show were abhorrent. The disgust felt towards the residents of Benefit Street demonstrated the sharp and piercing divide within our society. The elaborate and sophisticated methods of execution and torture suggested on Twitter were positively medieval. A plea for the residents to be eaten alive like pigs was one of the more imaginative suggestions. How such hatred and vitriol towards those members of our society living in poverty can be sparked so easily highlights the intense sensitivity in this country concerning public spending on the welfare system. However is the show entirely responsible for the controversy it has reaped? In the modern political climate,
the politicians’ mantras, and the general media message, is constantly looking for someone to blame. Society is demanding a scapegoat for our problems. The working classes have not been the only target.
In the modern political climate, the general media message is constantly looking for someone to blame. The working classes have not been the only target
The tale of bankers and their massive bonuses has been told time and time again. Celebrities, like Jimmy Carr, have had their noses burnt in attempts to get around paying tax through loopholes. Is it only fair that the unemployed and benefit claiming portion of our society - the other end of
Flickr: eTombotron
Abby Jones
impact most is hugely important. Despite this, the show has been accused of demonising the working class as a whole because it fails to put the featured stories into context. The way the working classes are presented, edited and narrated suggests that the people featured represent a real cross section of benefit claimants, rather than only one side of the story. The show perpetuated stereotypes that already run riot in our main stream media -
the spectrum - take some of the brunt? The problem is that despite the media furore, bankers still got their bonuses. Jimmy Carr still has a job. These people can and did protect themselves from the media storm that has inevitable weathered. But targeting the residents of James Turner Street, and the wider working class population they are supposed to represent, was kicking the most vulnerable members of our society when they were down and defenseless. These people don’t have the educational skills to be prudent in their interviews or to understand the manipulative way that they are being portrayed when they agree to appear on the show. Was the aim of the show to demonise the working class? Each of us must form our own opinion. However the show did make attempts to present the community spirit and friendship in the face of adversity that resides on the street, showing these people as kind. However with such delicate topics to discuss, the presentation of the show was irresponsible and dangerous. The subject of benefits, their abuse and necessity and the giving of a voice to the working class I feel is vital, however it is important that it is done with more sensitivity and diplomacy.
Epigram
27.01.2014
Letters
@EpigramLetters Editor: Emma Leedham letters@epigram.org.uk
Bristol lacks 2 0 1 4 ! literary arts platform Epigram is an excellent source of many journalistic and thought provoking endeavours by fellow students, and possesses the considerable benefit of being supported by the University. It has given rise to twenty-five years of talent-producing articles, and is a place for budding journalists to hone their writing skills before replicating them in professional positions. The various alumni of Epigram include – amongst esteemed others – its founder, the now prominent BBC journalist, James Landale. The success of Epigram in carrying student opinion raises the question as to why no other outlets for students to flourish creatively have opened in a similar fashion, or indeed as part of Epigram itself. The lack of an independent journal dedicated to the publication of
encouraging students to take up their pens for their literary journal The Letters Page, launched in October last year. These examples demonstrate that Bristol is missing out on fostering its own literary talent at home, through its own platform, and is instead leaving it up to other Universities to produce the future writers of contemporary literature. The lack of such a platform in Bristol is even more baffling when you consider the amount of creative talents the University has produced throughout its history. Former students who turned their hand to literary pursuits include David Nicholls, Angela Carter, Dick King-Smith and the Nobel Laureate J. M. G. Le Clézio. Of course, it cannot be said to what extent these writers would have benefited from an organised literary platform
Flickr: Gene Wilburn
during their University days. However, by viewing examples from other Universities, such as the aforementioned Zadie Smith, it is clear to see how the time our own esteemed literary icons spent at Bristol could have occupied more than a mere footnote in their biographies. Indeed, former Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Lembit Öpik was the President of the University of Bristol’s Student Union during his time here, before graduating and gaining his position on the Lib Dem front bench team. In the same way, it is possible that the founding of a student literary journal could push Bristol to the forefront of the literary scene, showcasing a new generation of writers and poets, just as Epigram has done for aspiring journalists. Elliott Kime Classics and Ancient History
time and money. No one really appreciates the music (usually because it is from the bottom draw of Britain’s musical back catalogue), and every few years a few fireworks fail to go off on time and makes a mock of the entire spectacle. If the music were simply removed there would be no major difference except for the saving of a few pounds to Boris Johnson and some sponsors, and the whole event might be more of an aural pleasure. Moreover, no other country in the world is judging our New Year’s celebrations on our ability to coordinate fireworks and music. ‘Oh the Brits really know how to do New Year’s - they put their fireworks to music!’ And then there’s the night itself. A friend recently described it to me as ‘amateur night’. From her perspective, ‘people that never go out, go out, and they suck at going out’. From a variety of viewpoints this perfectly encapsulates the New Year’s dilemma. On the one hand there are people who wish to spend the evening partying until the break of dawn and beyond. Prior to this they will debate the finer points of what will make for a high quality New Year’s Eve (‘we’ll meet at someone’s house, go to this bar and then this club, oh and we can’t go with him because he’ll sulk all night’). For those less keen on drinking a year’s worth of booze in an evening there are a range of
small and large-scale gatherings – from house parties to telling Susanna Reid you eat too much chocolate. What links all of them is the desire to convince everyone you know, and the wider world, that your New Year’s was the best of anyone, anywhere, ever. People spend so much time worrying about enjoying themselves that they forget to actually just have a pleasant night out. Although our chocoholic from Stoke-on-Trent may have basked in telling the world that he is on the path to type two diabetes, we all know the real story of his evening. He waited for several hours in the pouring rain and freezing cold to be patronised by a minor celebrity and see a fireworks display that probably had no need for music. You may think that I’m just old before my time, and I must confess that writing this article has presented a bit of an existential crisis. But from the people I speak to, most accept that New Year’s Eve is over-hyped. So how about this – perhaps next year we can all keep quiet about having the best night ever and just enjoy it for what it really is – some happy thoughts in the run-up to midnight, hugs and kisses all round as Big Ben chimes, and a throbbing hangover the following morning. Alex Longley Flickr: Scismgenie
creative writing pieces produced by the student body is a huge deficiency for the University; Bristol is missing a valuable opportunity to be part of the UK’s thriving literary scene. For example, Oxford and Cambridge’s joint Mays Literary Anthology, which was founded in 1992, is considered to be the broadest literary outlet for these Universities. The success of Mays can be measured by the achievements of those who were first published in its pages. For instance, the acclaimed ‘Orange Prize for Fiction’ winner Zadie Smith attracted the attention of literary agencies and publishers with a short story she had published in Mays in 1997. Several Universities have since followed in the footsteps of Oxbridge, for example the University of Brighton has launched its brightONLiNE student literary journal, and the University of Nottingham are
With the rain hammering down onto the sodden crowds lining the banks of the Thames, Bristol alumna Susanna Reid made smug small talk (it’s in vogue to call her smug these days apparently) with revellers about their hopes and dreams for 2014. Although my last thoughts of 2013 were the usual slightly tipsy sentiments of good things that I’d done over the past 12 months – a brief escape from the doubts and self-loathing of internal dialogue – Susanna had done her utmost to try and prevent this. You see, her small talk was bizarrely broadcast to 13.7 million people on BBC 1 that night. This means that around one in five people in this country saw a man from Stoke-on-Trent declare that he was going to give up chocolate because he eats ‘way too much of it’. Ground-breaking stuff. It means that, on average, more people saw a Dutch couple say that they were looking forward to ‘lots of love and happiness’ in 2014 than saw Andy Murray become the first man to win Wimbledon in 77 years. Following a minute of the world’s most tepid/meaningless television we then got to see the fireworks. They seem to have become a staple of the New Year’s diet post the millennium, something that I rather enjoy. However every year there is an attempt to place them to a random assortment of music. To me this seems like a waste of
Do you want to have your say? Email letters@epigram.org.uk
Epigram
27.01.2014
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epAnagram Can you unscramble the names of these European countries?
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Last issue’s answers: Tinsel, Bauble, Yule Log, Misteltoe, Present, Turkey, Stocking, Santa
RF
Fortnightly news quiz
Puzzles
@EpigramLetters Editor: Emma Leedham
letters@epigram.org.uk
1) Which sports star is currently in an induced coma following a serious skiing accident? 2) What is the estimated cost to repair the damage to England and Wales caused by the recent storms and flooding? 3) British actor Roger Lloyd Pack sadly passed away aged 69. What character did he play in the classic British comedy Only Fools and Horses? 4) What popular BBC television series returned to our screens on New Years’ Day to be watched by an average of 9.2 million viewers? 5) Which member of the Royal Family gave birth to a baby girl? 6) It was announced that Despicable Me 3 will hit the big screen in what year? 7) Which football player won the Ballon d’Or award for player of the year? 8) Which two major supermarkets saw their sales slump over the festive period? 9) Google is testing a ‘smart contact lens’ technology that could help to measure what substance in tears? 10) Who obtained the coveted 2013 Christmas No.1 with their single Skyscraper? Last issue’s Christmassy quiz answers Q1-5:
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Four, Open All Hours, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Jacob Marley. peacock or boar
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News and opinion from the University of Bristol Students' Union www.ubu.org.uk
UBU SHOWCASE 2014
ELECTIONS
WHAT'S ON
Our Biggest Showcase Ever
Diversifying the Movement
UBU events this fortnight
TAKE PART: FEBRUARY ACTIVITIES FESTIVAL
Jan 2014
Use your time at University to get more than just a qualitfication
by Imogen Palmer Vice President Activities
In the (probably inappropriate but contextually
Officer) are collaborating with the Commonwealth
relevant) words of Michael Jackson’s posthumous
Society to host ‘Explore ‘14’ - the first week-long
tour documentary: this is it!
multi-cultural festival to celebrate and showcase the different cultures at the University of Bristol. More
UBU Showcase is a month of taster sessions and
details at www.ubu.org.uk/Explore14.
showcase events, led by students, for students. It’s a
W
hen I campaigned for my role, I
chance to try something you’ve always wanted to,
Both RAG Week and Student Volunteering Week
meet people and tell us what we should be standing
will be demonstrating the work students do in
for by attending the Annual Members' Meeting.
the community and beyond. There will also be opportunities to get involved with UBU Get Green,
promised I would organise a second There will be loads of activities on offer including
which will be running a series of Upcycling events in
2k14) where students who felt like they couldn’t sign
dodgeball, canoeing, rock gospel, cocktail making,
collaboration with Cordial and Grace Sewing Cafe.
up for anything part way through the year could go
martial arts, poker – and so much more.
term activities festival (aka SocFest
Visit www.ubu.org.uk/showcase to find out how to
to taster sessions and actively find out whether they like it or not.
Priyanka Nagpal (International Students' Officer) and Hafsa Ameen (Black and Minority Ethnic Students'
get involved.
A-Z of UBU There are so many activities, events and campaigns to get involved in at UBU. We have summarised some of them below in a handy A to Z but this is just the tip of the iceberg! For a full break down of the huge wealth of opportunities available at UBU, check out the website www.ubu.org.uk
A=Activities
B =Burst Radio
C= Course Reps
D=Dog Walking
E=Elections
F= Fun
G=Gigs
H=Health
I= Inter:Mission
J=Jailbreak
K=Knitting Society
L=LGBT+
M=Merchandise.
N= NUS Extra
O= Officers
P= Postgraduates
Q= Queens Road
R= Raising and Giving
S=Students
T= Time of your life
U= UBU Active
V= Volunteering Fair.
W= Welfare
X= X Country
Y= You
Z= Zero Tolerance
Events, societies, sports, volunteering, fundraising – there is so much you can take part in at UBU. www.ubu.org.uk/activities
Missing your four-legged friend at home? You can volunteer to walk dogs with us. www.ubu.org.uk/activities
G is for Gigs! Our refurbished venue @AnsonRooms is where we hold gigs and comedy events. www.ansonrooms.co.uk Jan 2014
J is for Jailbreak. UBU RAG gives you 36hrs to get as far from Bristol as possible with no money. The record is Australia!
Our online shop ubushop.co.uk sells the best university branded clothing, accessories and stationery. www.ubushop.co.uk
We’re always looking to improve how we represent postgrads and we are in the process of establishing a Postgrad Network. S is for Students. That’s you guys.You’re the most important part of what we do.
Thursday 27 February.Your opportunity to meet local and national charities and discover how you can make a difference. We want to hear from you. Tell us what you want from our big summer event by filling in this really short questionnaire. www.surveymonkey. com/s/ubusummer
Burst are our student-run radio station broadcast around campus and online. www.ubu.org.uk/activities
We hold officer elections in March. Could you sculpt your time in Bristol and run for Elected Officer? www.ubu.org.uk/representation
H is for Health.Your elected officer, Hannah Pollak ensures staying healthy is inclusive, easy and fun for all students..
We support over 200 societies, including knitting. www.ubu.org.uk/activities
A nusextra discount card gets you discounts in all the national, local and online stores you love - for only £12! https://cards.nusextra.co.uk UBU is based inside the Richmond Building on Queens Road. The building is being refurbished but we’re still open!
Iiiiiii've had the time of my liiiife.You’ll be singing this by the end of your univeristy experience.
Your welfare is important to us. Tell us how you’re doing with our Mental Wellbeing survey at www.ubu.org.uk/ speakyourmind We have a Zero Tolerance policy which means you should be free from sexual harassment at any Union event or in the Union building.
Course Reps are elected by students on every course in week three. www.ubu.org.uk/representation
F is for Fun! At UBU, one of our values is fun – which means we are always looking at ways to make university life better for you www.ubu.org.uk/about/vision
@IMBristol is an online magazine written by students covering music, arts, lifestyle and nightlife in Bristol.
UBU is always promoting, defending and extending the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students at the University of Bristol.
Our 6 full time & 10 part time elected officers represent you in all aspects of University life http://www.ubu.org.uk/ officers Raising & Giving is all about fundraising. Get involved in bar crawls, casino nights & trips abroad- for charity!
UBU ACTIVE lets you try something new, get back into sport and have fun. All activities are free or very cheap!
Cross Country is one of our 53 sport clubs.You can join a sports club or society at any point during the year, not just Freshers’ week.
OFFICER IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
ROB GRIFFITHS
Before Christmas we asked for your thoughts to help
We think the Union will be more representative and
us review the elected officer roles. It's healthy to do
more relevant to students with the following roster
this every few years because this process helps the
of officer roles. If approved at the AMM, they will be
Students’ Union to represent the constantly changing
elected this March:
membership accurately. This means we can effectively
• Academic Experience (Undergraduate)
tackle some of the big issues facing the student body
• Union Affairs and Campaigns
today (more so than we do already!).
• Postgraduate • Equality, Liberation and Access
Your feedback told us that we needed to focus on
• Activities, Sports and Student Development
housing and accommodation, the cost of student living
• Student Living
and employment - both during and after university. We also heard how UBU hasn't been doing enough with
We have also linked up each of these roles with
postgraduates but we have been doing good work
different groups of students. The full proposed roles
around Equality and Diversity.
are available online www.ubu.org.uk/democracy/ rolereview and you can always tweet me questions
In addition to asking you for feedback, we also asked
@robj_griffiths.
staff at UBU and the University to input into the review. Whilst it was a challenging process both to
I will take the new structure to the Annual Members’
expand our portfolios but also retain the good stuff,
Meeting (AMM) on Thursday 6 February to be voted
we’ve now come up with a set of suggested roles we
on. Anyone can attend and vote at AMM, see overleaf
think you'll love.
for more details.
Left to right
DIVERSIFYING THE ELECTIONS
T
his year, UBU is focusing on increasing the number
• In the past five years, very few BME students have
at the moment, and the Students' Union is missing
of women and black and minority ethnic (BME)
stood for election and no BME students have been
perspectives and experiences that are necessary in
candidates in the March 2014 elections as part of the
elected to Full-time Officer positions, despite BME
roles that represent the 20,000+ students at Bristol.”
‘Diversifying the Movement’ project by the National
students making up a fifth of the student body.
Union of Students (NUS).
• In the past five years, only 41% of Full-time Officers
For more information, visit
have been women, despite women making up 54%
www.ubu.org.uk/diversifying-the-movement.
Although the Bristol student body is very diverse, this
of the student body. There hasn't been a woman
has not always been reflected by the elected officer
President since the 1990s.
team. UBU is specifically focusing on women and BME students because:
For more information on the elections in general, please sign up to the elections newsletter at eepurl.
Alessandra Berti,VP Welfare and Equality said:
com/KUMsT
“It's clear that certain students are under-represented
FOUR EASY WAYS TO GET ACTIVE THIS TERM The ball is in your court to make the most of the
2. Free outdoor gym and multi-use pitches
for you. Last term we offered self defense, zumba and
wonderful array of physical activity on offer in 2014.
Take advantage of the free outdoor gym in Stoke
judo – plus all classes are free!
Your Vice-President Sport and Health, Hannah Pollak
Bishop. Complete with cross trainer and equipment
gives her top tips.
targeting all muscle groups. There is also a multi-use
4. Try out UBU Active
pitch suitable for basketball, five-a-side football and
UBU Active provides free (or very cheap) casual sport
1. Two term cheaper sports pass now available
netball. The facility is based between Badock and Wills
sessions.You could take up Touch Rugby, Lacrosse,
Sport, Exercise and Health (SEH) is offering a two
Hall, down Hollybush Lane.
Dodgeball, Badminton,Volleyball and more.
(peak) or £110 (off peak) to access all University sport
3. Sign up for Fit and Fab
To find out more about sport at UBU, visit our website
facilities and some club sessions.
If you are a female student looking for a women-only
www.ubu.org.uk/activities
term sports pass - that means you can pay £170
environment in which to exercise then Fit and Fab is
Jan 2014
WHAT'S ON JANUARY
FEB CONT...
MONDAY 27
FRIDAY 7
Comedy, £10, Anson Rooms WEDNESDAY 29 Elections Information Session, Richmond Building 4th Floor, 6pm-7pm THURSDAY 30 Elections Information Session, Priory Road room 6 B1, 6pm-7pm
FEBRUARY TUESDAY 4 Women in Leadership Panel, Activity Rm 11, Richmond Building 6pm GCHQ and the Future of Surveillance, LT1, Arts Complex, 6:30pm WEDNESDAY 5 Conservation Taster Session, Providence Plantation, 1pm-4:30pm THURSDAY 6
AMM Anson Rooms, 5:15pm The AMM is the largest democratic event held by the Students’ Union. All students are encouraged to attend and vote.You must show your
Critical Thinking Workshop ,Activity Rm 3, Richmond Building, 10am Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Anson Rooms, 7pm SATURDAY 8 Explore 2014 Cultural Bazaar, 12pm-5pm Anson Rooms WEDNESDAY 12 Explore 2014 Cultural Film Marathon, 2pm-11pm, MR1, UBU THURSDAY 13 Reading and Note Taking Study Skills Workshop, UBU, 10am -1am Explore 2014 Performance Night, 7.15pm-11pm, Anson Rooms SATURDAY 15 RAG Procession, 12pm - 2pm UBU Mascot Race, College Green, 3pm - 4pm SUNDAY 16 RAG Casino Night, Anson Rooms, 8pm - 10pm
UBU SHOWCASE For a full list of UBU Showcase events including club and society events please visit www.ubu.org.uk/showcase
University of Bristol student card to attend. The agenda for the AMM will be determined by the Democratic Standards Committee and published on Friday 31 January. Any student can submit an item for the agenda; the deadline to do so is 12pm, Tuesday 28 January. At the AMM, students will be asked to vote on proposals as part of the Elected Officer Role Review. However, before any changes can be made to the Officer roles, the Articles of Association (the legal constitution that governs how UBU operates as a company) needs to be amended. A General Meeting is therefore being held at the start of the AMM. Details can be found at www.ubu.org.uk/democracy/general-meeting.
Contact UBU University of Bristol Students’ Union Richmond Building 105 Queens Road Bristol BS8 1LN www.ubu.org.uk/
If you are unable to attend, you can nominate someone else to vote in your place (a proxy) by downloading the form and emailing it to ubudemocracy@bristol.ac.uk. More information is available at www.ubu.org.uk/amm.
/BristolSU @UBUBristol
CULTURE
Photography by Samantha Steele. See p.39 for full fea-
Epigram
27.01.2014
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
The Artistic Faces of 2014 Literature: Jessie Burton
This young actress-turned-author has been clogging up the newswaves after the manic bidding war by publishers for her debut novel, The Miniaturist. Inspired by the extravagance of 17th century Amsterdam, the novel tells the tale of Nella – a young, wealthy and recently married Dutch girl whose disinterested husband gives her a replica of their home. The actual version, pictured right, is housed in the Rijksmuseum, and was what led Burton to investigate deeper into the absurd affluence of a by-gone era. Heralded as ‘feminist gold-age fiction’,
the book has sold rights to 30 countries. Meanwhile, Burton continues to act onstage (including Bristol Old Vic), although her future surely lies in literature. Sex, race, class and gender – all the ingredients for a successful modern novel. Yet Burton’s voice is fresh; not weighed down by years of desk work but nourished by a fruitful acting career. It was Picador who won the fierce 6-figure publishing race, and they who will release The Miniaturist on July 3rd (Picador). www.jessieburton.co.uk
Film: Ninian Doff Following his DepicT! win at Bristol’s Encounter’s short film festival last year, we interviewed Doff about his experience in film making having studied at Bristol. Doff’s off-the-wall short films and music videos are something to marvel at; featuring unicorns, bikes, and CGI’d double-faced rappers amongst. Doff told Epigram that it is the creative freedom involved in making music videos that really excites him. Because the turnaround time is so quick, with possibly only a few weeks between commissioning and completing the production of a video, there’s
no time to get bored with the project or for ideas to become dry and samey. Doff stands by a strict rule of tight editing to ensure that each second of film in a finished short makes an impact. Otherwise, however, he advises other film-makers to disregard the typical rules of film if they don’t feel right and instead do whatever fits with their work. He is the creator of all his ideas, writing from scratch and encourages experimentation with strange and provocative themes to form something that’s fresh and different. Left: Cool Unicorn Bruv. www.niniandoff.com
Visual Arts: Melvin Galapon Hailing from a small North-Western town in England, Galapon manipulates pixels to create unfathomably well-formed pictures. A mere 32 years of age, Galapon has worked his graphic wizardry for the likes of Nike, Nokia, Wallpaper* and Wired magazine. His work has exhibited in New York and Tokyo, but right now he’s based in London. Galapon’s most recent project, Slash Portraits, explores the ‘composition and deconstruction of tonal linear portraits’. Galapon’s style ranges from graphic design to installations, and illustrations to video. He’s represented by MP Arts; the ultimate management for any successul graphic
designer. Apparently at the moment he’s obsessed with neon signs, an appropriate fascination for this futuristic designer. However this graphic design genius is expressing himself, he seems to be doing it well. Pictured Left: Slash Portraits #4 Right: Shapes into the Abyss #2 - collaboration with illustrator, James Dawe. Inspired by blackholes, created using brushed steel. www.mynameismelvin.co.uk
Photography: Alecsandra Drogoi An up-and-coming international photographer with an interest in people, their thoughts and their daily lives. With help from a friendly mentor she learnt to observe things people normally miss in order to capture intriguing images of life. On her way to great success, in 2013 alone she was the Youth Award winner in the Sony World Photography Awards and won first prize in The Big Picture competition run by The Telegraph. The young Romanian is studying photography at The University of Portsmouth because she wants to follow her
WHO Tracey Emin British Artist (1963-present) The chaotic artist whose name often crops up in conversations referring to Damien Hirst. Emin is a Royal Academician, but is probably
not quite who the fo u n d e r s had in m i n d back when it started in 1768. Although revered for her controversial art, Emin initially gained fame for a drunken appearance on Channel 4.
heart and pursue a career in what she really loves. Drogoi identifies herself with a street photography style, capturing moments on city streets and on public transport. Some of her work is culturally based and capturers the revellers of traditional national events adorned in elaborate costume. After exhibiting in Romania, in the last couple of years her work has started to be exhibited in the US and the UK. www.alecsandraralucadragoi.com
WHAT Emin’s most famous work is perhaps a tent embroidered with the names of everyone she had ever slept with, sexual and non-sexual relations alike. Famous for her threedimensional work, she has also exhibited paintings and intimate photographic selfportraits.
All pictures: Flickr: a>
Epigram
27.01.2014
39
Arts Introducing: Samantha Steele
Photographer 3rd year History student Right: Stone Town, Zanzibar (B&W film) Above left: The sunset at Base Camp, Mt. Kilimanjaro Above right: Maasai Tribe in Amboseli, Kenya
Tackling a nation’s pride and prejudices Jude A’Bear asks why men don’t read Austen Sitting down at the event, The Glory of Pride it is the narrator or character thinking as is the fact that the protagonist is female. and Prejudice: An evening to celebrate Jane the writing is so close to the individual’s A cynical person would imagine that men Austen, at the Bristol Women’s Literature thoughts and feelings, but also retains a immediately judge that they cannot relate Festival I looked around – and counted about satiric distance. to Elizabeth Bennet or the conflicts she four men amongst the fifty women. While it So if it is ‘fundamentally focused on the faces in the drawing room (rather than the is inspiring to have an entire festival purely subject of human minds’ and is so ‘subtly battlefield). to celebrate women’s Yet Jane Austen found in the feisty achievements in second Bennet sister her supreme literature, the comic heroine. And it is easy to I counted about four men amongst the fifty women... realisation that there forget just how important this and the realisation that there is still so far to go for women is still so far to go for her writing achievements were women to gain the for all authors male and female to gain the same acclaim as men was apparent same acclaim as men – the unmarried authoress wrote was apparent. with such an inimitable youthful The interview style zest that was unseen before in of the evening began literature. Women of her day were with the question: ‘What attracts so much and skilfully written’ as the professor argues, condemned to ‘patience, propriety, and adoration?’. It is true that 200 years later why is it predominantly read by women? An petticoats’ as Marian in The Woman Pride and Prejudice continues to fascinate interruption from the audience voiced the in White declares, and so the fact and seduce readers. The almost cult-following concern of the lack of appeal for men, but that Darcy takes the role that was is apparent with the various films, series while the panel agreed that the other gender usually consigned to women and spin-offs (the most worrying that were should enjoy it they struggled to suggest - the focus of desire - was mentioned included Mrs Bennet’s Menopause ideas of how to make men read the novel in unprecedented. Throughout the and Fifty Shades of Mr Darcy). Professor Jane the first place. evening, opinion was divided on Spenser explained that part of the allure was Part of the problem is realising why such whether he is good enough for that a modern novel was created in Pride and texts are shunned by male readers. The our leading lady. But because the Prejudice, and writers today can still learn possibility of stigma for female writers is a reader implicitly trusts Austen something from the work of fiction. Austen relevant issue; JK Rowling chose not to use it does not matter whether he allowed the readers into the workings of the her first name to avoid influencing the type is a ‘stuffed old short’, as one human mind with a very flexible third person of reader for her novel, and this was less than of the panellists proclaimed. narrative technique; it is unsure whether 20 years ago. Another possible deterrence The reader places their
“ ”
WHEN A member of the rebellious YBA clan, Emin was in her artistic prime in the 1990s and 2000s. Gaining her painting MA in 1989, her first solo exhibition wasn’t until a decade later. In 2004, a neon work she had made for supermodel friend Kate Moss was found in a dumpster - thrown out because Moss hadn’t collected it.
WHERE Although she has exhibited the world round, Emin’s romping ground is most prominantly East London. The Shop, her joint venture with fellow artist Sarah Lucas, turned Bethnal Green Road into a Mecca of the art world for six months in 1993, and contributed to the revival of then-boarded-up Shoreditch.
admiration and faith at Elizabeth Bennet’s feet, giving a woman the power to choose as she sees fit. The question of how to encourage more men to read Austen’s work, as well as that of other female writers, is yet to be answered. There is no clear solution, but awareness can help. From the new banknote featuring the authoress’s portrait to the plaguing of the Austen theme by television companies (this Christmas was a prime example); each of these entices people to stop and wonder what the fuss is about. For men can definitely learn something from Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy: that their pride and their prejudices, whether it is the shame of being seen reading what is considered a ‘woman’s novel’ or the presumption that a female writer and protagonist cannot appeal to the male p s y c h e , can be overcome.
Flickr: Everett Collection
WHY When looking at My Bed (yes, Emin’s unmade, stained bed), most people probably remember a time similar to those depressed days she spent in it, mourning a relationship. The more traditional art fans, alongside the Daily Mail, may
need convincing, but Emin’s willingness to strip down (sometimes literally) to her raw emotions gives her work an unrelenting personality. Alexandra Heal
Epigram | 27.01.2014
40
Claudia Knowles
The Show five, equally elaborately dressed, performers who have appeared behind him. Unlike some circus shows where the audience is bombarded with a firework display of underage acrobats, depressing slapstick and steroidfuelled gym monkeys, each performer’s talent is slowly and intricately introduced within each sinister fable. Despite the child-like awe of the audience, the tales are dark – if not harrowing. One performer is left to clamber hopelessly out of the thickly knotted ropes that smother him. The first time we meet another, she is enveloped in bandages that stretch her arms across her chest like a Victorian straight jacket – each end tied to a side of the stage. The unravelling of their entrapments mimics the development of their skills. By the denouement of the evening he has used his ropes to tumble from the sky in a magnificent Corde Lisse act, whilst the girl is single handedly suspended at the top of a Chinese pole. All throughout the night the band sets the scene of each performer’s tale, drawing pity with sorrowful string movements then spitting into tin cans to almost mock the difficulty of a trapeze artist’s landing. The alluring extravagance of the costumes, the wise hoarseness of the narration, the bewitching facial expressions of the performers – from cheeky to mournful. Each detail is so refined and structured towards creating an entire experience, rather than a mere showcase of (unbelievable) talent. Under the Dark Moon… sends the audience reeling back to an era of true mysticism, where a cool breath of air on the back of the neck sends shivers down the spine and adrenaline through the blood.
A thick mist hovers between the heads of the audience the heights of the Big Top. Other than the odd slurp from a paper cup or soft shuffling of a late-comer, a tingling silence bursting with anticipation and child-like impatience floods the tent. All eyes meet at a single, dusty spot-lit circle, all bottoms quiver tentatively at the edge of five hundred plastic seats. The show is about to begin. Suddenly with a gut-wrenching hurl and a low, ogrely grunt the band whips up the silence and begins smashing it recklessly across all corners of the room. Six ghoul-faced, waist-coated musicians in true Spaghetti-Western style begin to spin a frenzy of double bass, broken piano genius. Invisible Circus does not believe in halves, and that includes their entry. A tall, Fagin-like character enters the spotlight; shoulders cloaked in raven feathers and face painted with the same menacing white as the band. Despite the programme citing German Expressionism as a key influence, the Dickensian gloom is unavoidable. Brass topped cane in hand, he begins to recount the twisted tales of the
The Creator Esther O’Callaghan (OBE) Chair of Creative Common -At the end of Under the Dark Moon..., Doug Francis (narrator) commented that without the audience there would be an empty tent, and without the performers there would be an empty car park. Other than a big-top, what has Creative Common brought to the Temple Quay area since its conception last year? E. Creative Common has played a key role in demonstrating the value a creative, temporary use project can offer in transforming a former derelict piece of development land. What we have been able to do is change the area into a thriving public space that is open and accessible for everyone. Yurt Lush, run by Eat Drink Events offers a selection of locally sourced, ethical, organic food and drink alongside The Goods Yard, a reclaimed shipping container bar/art/event space. -Circus has played a fundamental role in Creative Common’s programme. Do you have a particular link to or fondness for the circus?
E. It is Bristol’s ambition to become the home of UK circus - with more artists and performers training, living and working in the city than anywhere else in Europe. It made sense to programme a season that showcased work built in Bristol as well as the UK and international works. The two key partners of the project were Invisible Circus and Circomedia. Alongside the Bristol Circus Festival, we have also hosted independent cinema nights, community events, public art exhibitions, music and a national art competition in partnership with Don’t Panic to name a few. We were also very proud to be part of the GROMIT Unleashed fundraising campaign for the Bristol Children’s Hospital. -What is it about the mystery of the circus that seems to draw in all ages? E. Circus draws in a wide variety of disciplines – theatre, dance, music, cabaret, comedy… I think because of that - along with the technical skills and abilities of the artists, performers, technicians, riggers and crew - it achieves a much wider appeal to a broader audience. -You’ve previously worked on the Manchester International Festival, also artist-
Flickr: sofiabianca
In the Big Top at Creative Common, nestled just behind Temple Meads, Invisible Circus created an entirely hypnotising experience of an evening with Under the Dark Moon…, bringing the name of Bristol circus to new heights. Invisible Circus is one of its partners, and a long running Bristol-grown pool of circus talent, who are usually found swinging from the rafters of disused industrial buildings. I first encountered their mystical ways on Halloween last October…
led. Why do you think it’s important that the performers have artistic control? E. I believe that if you allow creative people the space and time to develop their work, you will get the best work. I think it is however, essential to provide as much support as possible to enable their creative process and for creativity to thrive. -You’ve had support from Bristol City Council and Arts Council England. Due to cuts in public arts funding, a focus is being drawn on London’s art scene whilst other cities are being abandoned in this respect. Bristol however seems to be developing more art and culture by the day, what is it about the city that sets it apart?
E. My experience of Bristol so far is that it has an independent, DIY culture that keeps it strong. Core regional cities like Bristol and Manchester are creative hubs that people gravitate to - both audience and artists. Bristol takes risks and has a healthy attitude toward supporting creativity. The Arts Trails, St Paul’s Carnival and Picton Street Fayre are examples of how culture and creativity is woven into the fabric of the city at a local level. With two strong Universities, there are a lot of young people flocking into the city and choosing to stay beyond their graduation, which I think also helps to keeping a city vibrant and thriving. Illustration by Rory Walker www.roryroryrory.com www.invisiblecircus.co.uk www.circomedia.com
NEW STUDENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY Your chance to tell us what you thought of Introductory Week 2013 Go to www.ubu.org.uk/newstudents Fill out the simple survery Be in with a chance to win: ÂŁ10 print credits each, for the first 20 participants; Free NUS Extra card for the next 30 participants; 10 Merchandise goody bags; Prize draw for a Kindle Fire HD Like the UBU Facebook page for the latest news, activities and events
FEBRUARY 2014 SOCIETIES VOLUNTEERING REPRESENTATION & DEMOCRACY SPORTS CLUBS RAISING & GIVING FREE TASTER SESSIONS AND EVENTS. DISCOVER NEW INTERESTS, MEET NEW PEOPLE, LEARN NEW SKILLS AND FIND YOUR DEMOCRATIC VOICE. CELEBRATE THE WEALTH OF STUDENT ACTIVITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL STUDENTS’ UNION FOR A FULL LIST OF EVENTS VISIT WWW.UBU.ORG.UK/SHOWCASE
www.ubu.org.uk
/BristolSU
@UBUBristol
Epigram
27.1.2014
Film & TV
@epigramfilm Editor: Gareth Downs
Deputy Editor: Matthew Field
Online Editor: Alejandro Palekar
filmandtv@epigram.org.uk
deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk
filmandtvonline@epigram.org.uk
Six of the best: the editors review 2013 Gareth Downs, Matthew Field, and Alejandro Palekar Fernández present their picks of the year Matthew Field Deputy Film and TV Editor
Gravity Gravity is Alfonso Cuarón’s mesmerising story of survival against impossible odds and one of the big winners of 2013. Gravity brings together brilliant use of 3D and special effects, a fantastic musical score by Stephen Price and a first class performance by Sandra Bullock as Dr Ryan Stone to create a stand out science fiction survival thriller. Gravity also shows the other Hollywood SciFi blockbusters how to create a science fiction film with style and substance that doesn’t run over the three hour mark. At a slim 90 minutes Gravity keeps you on the edge of your seat, either spinning through space with vast slow panning shots or in the claustrophobic confines of a space suit, the only sound Bullock’s terrified breathing in the silence of space. Gravity begins with the disclaimer ‘Life in space is impossible’ and if you can pull yourself away from the visuals and the performances it is a film layered with subtext and cross cultural spiritual symbolism. It takes the tropes of nautical survival stories and combines them with both spiritual and Darwinian ideas of life. In the face of the most impossible odds Ryan’s fight for survival becomes a metaphor for the seeming improbability of human life itself. Gravity recently won the award for Best Director at the Golden Globes and is also nominated for eleven BAFTAs. It has also been nominated top film of 2013 by Empire, Time and Total Film. For me, Gravity is the one to watch for the Oscars, with ten nominations, and Bullock may well prove a dark horse for Best Actress.
nominations and three Golden Globe wins in Best Film - Musical or Comedy, Best Actress (Amy Adams) and Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence). The problem with American Hustle is that it is all style over substance. The plot is, at the end of the day, not all that enthralling – pretty much your typical con-man/woman caper film. What carries the movie is the fantastic casting and the almost flawless performances, particularly from Adams and Lawrence. All the characters are so wonderfully absurd and self-obsessed that the ensemble, of Adams, Lawrence, Bale alongside Jeremy Renner and Bradly Cooper, has received many plaudits. American Hustle is also set to make quite an impact at the Oscars with a total of ten
nominations, including nominations in all four acting categories. However I would be surprised if ‘J-Law’ isn’t many critics favourite to take best supporting actress. Her characterisation of the mad and unpredictable young Rosalyn is a piece of comic genius.
American Hustle I liked American Hustle but I wouldn’t go much further than that. It didn’t blow me away. It didn’t thrill me with plot twist or any original narrative nuances. It honestly felt as over-large and bloated as Christian Bales’ overweight lead character, Irving Rosenfeld. American Hustle, directed by David O. Russell who directed Jennifer Lawrence and Bradly Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook, has been a favourite at the awards so far, with ten BAFTA
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Gareth Downs Film and TV Editor
Captain Phillips
Tom Hanks is at his absolute best in Paul Greengrass’ cinematic thrill-ride. It is he, and debutant Barkhad Abdi, who steal the show; their to-and-fro performance is remarkable. Tom Hanks has narrowly missed out on an Oscar nomination, leaving many critics baffled, but Abdi’s inclusion is wonderful for cinema. The film itself has been nominated and does not look out of place. Greengrass’ finest film, this is definitely one to watch, but mental preparation is a necessity.
The Way Way Back No doubt a surprising choice to many, what with the vast number of exceptional films this year, The Way Way Back firmly deserves its place alongside the other films mentioned on the page. A charming comedy from the pens of Oscar-winning screenwriters, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (The Descendents), this film tells the heartwarming story of 14-year-old Duncan discovering self-belief, thanks to the hilariously beautiful guidance of Sam Rockwell’s Owen. The film itself has a lovely feel thanks to the wonderful direction and helped no end by the glorious soundtrack. It is, however, the acting that sets this film up to me one of my picks of the year. Sam Rockwell is at his comic best, absolutely spot on as the conflicted clown, with deep self-dissapointment. Steve Carrell’s performance as the ‘arsehole boyfriend’ is not one we would have thought in his repertoire, so it is refreshing to see him change roles to sleazy, contemptious ‘villain’. This film won’t win any awards but it should be right at the top of your ‘to-see’ list.
Alejandro Palekar Fernández Online Film and TV Editor
Blue is the Warmest Colour Abdellatife Kachiche’s film is a masterpiece featuring tour-de-force performances. His Palme d’Or winner focuses on Adele, a 15-year old student who is swept away by her first love, Emma: a blue-haired older woman. It lasts 3 hours, but is so engaging it could go on far longer. Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Séydoux give breathtakingly r a w performances as the two women, emphasising not only the passion, but also the volatility in their relationship. This is a coming of age story – and was aptly titled La Vie d’Adele in French; so personal is its focus on Adele. You don’t just empathise with her, you live the story through her. Blue is the Warmest Colour is an astonishingly intimate film, with subtle, albeit stunning cinematography which captures the characters’ e m o t i o n s beautifully. Robbed of Academy Award nominations for both of its actresses Blue is the Warmest Colour is an incredibly intense and beautiful film; an ode to love and heartbreak.
Rush Charting the rivalry between Formula 1 champions James Hunt and Nikki Lauda, Rush is a tense, slick and, ultimately, moving watch; one of the best films of Ron Howard’s entire career. Brilliantly played by Chris Hemsworth, James Hunt is a wealthy playboy who enjoys taking risks, much contrasting his rival, Nikki Lauda. Lauda is a meticulous thinker and a methodical driver; shy, but confident in his ability, played incredibly by Daniel Brühl, who steals the show. The race scenes are impeccable, and incredibly tense, capturing not only the adrenaline of Formula 1, but also its danger. Rush has been snubbed at the Oscars but has picked up four BAFTA nominations. Rush, along with Senna, cements Formula 1 as one of the few sports which can successfully be carried on to the silver screen, and remain exciting.
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Sean Bobbitt: genius behind the camera
Gareth Downs interviews the BAFTA-nominated cinematographer behind 12 Years A Slave narrative.’ Bobbitt has forged an exceptional working relationship with McQueen over the last thirteen years based on a sharing of the same vision and belief about the importance of cinematography to effective storytelling. The basis of their relationship, in Bobbitt’s own words, is evolving a story naturally on camera; ‘The strength of the narrative behind 12 Years A Slave was paramount to the success of the film so we didn’t need to do an awful lot to tell it well. Through discussion, we decided that simplicity was the key.’ Inspiration was drawn from Down By Law, a film shot by Robby Müller, where the effectiveness of the storytelling came entirely from the simplicity of the camerawork. This struck a chord, according to Bobbitt, resulting in the minimalistic beauty of 12 Years A Slave. Aesthetically, 12 Years A Slave is remarkable, owed largely to Louisiana’s stunning scenery. Denying the reality of this stunning state was something Bobbitt definitely did not want to do. He was eager to use this gorgeous natural scenery as a counterpoint to the inhumanity. ‘Through beauty, we were able to give the audience periodic relief,’ Bobbitt explained, ‘It allowed us to keep the audience with the film so that they’re not being constantly pounded by heavy images contained within the human element of the story.’ When asked if any particular shot from the film stuck in the memory, Bobbitt showed no hesitation in his choice. ‘There’s a shot of Chiwetel [Ejiofor], with the trees behind him. You can see in his eyes the pain of the story; you can feel it and sense his humanity. When he turns and glances down the lens, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.’ Shooting a film of such magnitude
foregoing his outward intelligibility for the sake of his continued survival. Adopting his new illiterate persona, ‘Platt’ becomes the property of a plantation owner, Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), who cannot protect ‘Platt’ from his farmhand, the malicious sadist Tibeats (Paul Dano). This is where ‘Platt’ is sold to Epps (Michael Fassbender), whose mental instability is spurred on by his lust for his slave Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o), leading to a level of brutality that is both immense and unpredictable. Fassbender’s performance should not be understated, for it is chillingly ferocious. McQueen has worked hard here to create a powerful film with a message that, whilst uncomfortable, is told perfectly. The innate
violence flowing through the film is not for the sake of ‘torture porn’ as has been reported, it is vitally important to the reality and truth of the situation. The sequence of shots, in which Northup is strung from a tree, clinging to his life as the rest of the plantation workers feign ignorance for their own protection, is spectacularly surreal. It takes the painful veracity of life for a slave, and forces it upon the audience; the camera doesn’t break eye contact with Ejiofor for the entirety of the time he is choking on the rope, making the audience feel his suffering. A note must be made, while discussing Ejiofor, on how masterful his performance is. He tells the story as much with his narrative as he does with his physical
will inevitably encounter some difficulties, and 12 Years A Slave certainly wasn’t a stress-free experience. ‘We shot the film on location in New Orleans at height of summer so it was brutally hot. The sweat on the actors definitely wasn’t sprayed on. ‘The heat was biblical,’ joked Bobbitt. ‘We were working in tough conditions, more so for actors, but the quality of light was very harsh so it became a matter of trying to figure out how to soften the light without getting in the way of actors.’ Preferably, they wanted to specifically restrict the harsh lighting to the mercilessly inhumane occurrences on screen. Evidently, they overcame these issues and the subsequent product is nothing short of a masterpiece. Bobbitt remains mute on his chances at the BAFTAs, however, saying he wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to be confident of taking home the award. ‘It’s a subjective thing, appreciation of cinematography,’ he explained, ‘People think nominations must be upon merit, and they are supposed to be but who actually determine the criteria? What one person likes, another might dislike immensely.’ His refreshing humility even stems to the film itself, believing that it is the audience that has turned 12 Years A Slave into what it is now – ‘We set out to make the best film we could, and I’m incredibly proud of what it’s doing but whether or not it is a masterpiece is for others to say.’ Having been on the road for the best of three and a half years, Bobbitt is embracing a merited break from work. He’s still chatting to McQueen, to whom he was on the phone prior to our interview, but he’s enjoying some respite, before his next big project.
12 Years A Slave is a masterpiece
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Cinematography, on a wide scale, is an under appreciated art form. However, the impact that a great cinematographer can have on the viewing experience is immeasurable. Consequentially, Sean Bobbitt is one of the most important men you won’t have heard of. He has created for himself an immensely successful career, owed in part to his incredible professionalism. He approaches each project by looking at what a film needs rather than
imposing a particular style. ‘Growing up as cinematographer, you want to develop your own style but you realise style is death,’ he explained, ‘I don’t try to do anything specific on each film, I just try to remain true to the script itself.’ Landing himself a partnership with a director who has a masterful understanding of storytelling has catapulted his work into the mainstream. Steve McQueen and Bobbitt have now worked together on all three of McQueen’s critically acclaimed feature films, and the story of how their friendship came btlnews.com to be is an interesting one. McQueen and his wife had taken a trip to see Wonderland (1999) and it was McQueen’s wife who expressed her admiration of Bobbitt’s work, persuading her husband to track him down. Upon connecting with Bobbitt, they completed several minor projects together in the years preceding Hunger. ‘He’s been a huge influence on me as a cinematographer,’ said Bobbitt, ‘It’s remarkable how far he took me out of my comfort zone; he works with emotions rather than the
Steve McQueen has become accustomed to delivering masterpieces, and 12 Years A Slave can go down as his best yet. It’s so much more than a film; it is an important history lesson, told beautifully by McQueen and his cast of exquisite performers. He has used his artiste status to inform audiences of the horrors of humanity at this time, offering them no rest bite from the visceral reality of the situation, and it’s mind blowing. The film is an adaptation of Solomon Northup’s memoir of the same name, following his heartbreaking story as, in 1841, he was kidnapped from his life as an educated, talented, free man and sold into slavery in the south. He was forced to abandon his identity in New York,
expression. The camera lingering on his face, as he stares out across the plantations, reveals torment and anguish in his eyes. Lupita Nyong’o also delivers an immensely passionate debut performance, which will live long in the memory of audiences. 12 Years A Slave deserves an enormity of praise for the job it has done in revolutionising modern cinema’s approach to a subject that has remained rather taboo, even after the exploitation showcased in Django Unchained. This is a film that will remain a classic in many years to come and is fully deserving of its, hopefully, vast success in the forthcoming awards season.
Gareth Downs
Epigram 27.01.2014
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Matthew Floyd
Image: flickr/Goksan Osman
The Wolf of Wall Street sees the spectacular return of not one but two bona-fide Hollywood stars in legendary director Martin Scorsese and his reliably-excellent lead actor Leornado DiCaprio. Whilst we last saw Leo strutting about earlier in 2013 as Jay Gatsby, Scorsese has been relatively absent recently; his last directing gig being 2011’s crowd-pleasing family adventure Hugo, which was inspired by the birth of cinema. Two and a bit years later, the formidable duo are here continue to prove beyond doubt that
they are committed to producing cinema par excellence. Another awards-season movie surely up for Best Adapted Screenplay gong (alongside 12 Years a Slave, Philomena, Captain Phillips et al), Wolf is based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same title. Both detail his escapades in debauchery and stockbroking as he racks up the millions, alongside an outrageous lifestyle featuring a couple of marriages and an FBI investigation as collateral damage. If, God knows why, you may have doubted the Scorsese/Dicaprio super-duo’s ability to produce big-screen gold, we can all rest assured that this movie is fantastic. Racking up a monster
180 minutes, arguably the film’s greatest achievement is never being boring. Though the first half is undoubtedly more fun as you get caught up in Belfort’s motley crew of enthusiastic fleecers, hookers, drug-dealers (there are so, SO many drugs) and fair-weather friends, The Wolf of Wall Street is magnificent entertainment. Funnier than hell and bizarrely motivational, by the end credits you feel like you’ve been on a Quaaludes bender (Jordan’s drug of choice – besides money, of course), particularly after seeing his empire unravel in the second half. The direction is impeccable, the editing zippy, soundtrack pumping and acting first-class, featuring a smorgasbord of talent including Jonah Hill killing it in his second serious role following his Moneyball success. The famous faces which crop up are endless; from Matthew McConaughey as Belfort’s mentor when he was a fledgling trader right through to British treasure and friend-to-all-Ghurkas Joanna Lumley. Though you’ll never quite like anyone you see on-screen, you can’t help but get caught up in this cinematic treat that explores the deepest depravities of the American dream. Though maybe too risqué for the Academy in full, if the 71 year-old Martin Scorsese is still capable of this manic delight, it is our duty as students to watch and love this film.
The Wolf of Wall Street is in cinemas now Dir. Martin Scorsese, 180 mins. hollywoodreporter.com
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DiCaprio and Scorsese are at it again in brilliant The Wolf of Wall Street
Her is Jonze’s most touching work yet Fans of Spike Jonze’s previous films might be expecting something a little more ‘out there’ with his newest work, Her – the director’s oeuvre up until now has seen him work with Charlie Kaufman in the bizarre but much-beloved Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, and adapting a children’s book in suitably original style with Where The Wild Things Are. Her, then, comes as quite a shock within the context of Jonze’s filmography; it’s a tender, grounded love story which doesn’t seek to do anything clever or postmodern with its status as a film, and the result is the director’s most direct, touching work yet. Her also dersves to be considered as one of 2013’s best films.
“ Her also deserves to be considered as one of 2013’s best films
Her tells the story of Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore Twombley, a lonely writer at ‘Beautifulhandwrittenletters.com,’ a website where people pay Twombley to write letters to their loved ones for them. The future presented
in Her is neither utopic nor dystopic, nor is it that far-fetched a projection of our current world. As if to demonstrate the plausibility of everything he presents in this film, Jonze’s key love interest in the film is Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Yes, voiced, not played. Her’s ‘gimmick,’ although there ends up being nothing gimmicky about it, is that it is a love story between a man and his operating system. Samantha is the newest OS on the block, essentially a ramped-up and hyperrealistic version of Apple’s ‘Siri.’ As soon as we hear Johansson’s husky tones respond after her installation, and we see Phoenix’s increasing incredulity at just how human she seems, the film is endlessly captivating with the turns it takes with this premise. It would have been easy for Jonze to portray Phoenix’s character as a loser in this new society, so unable to have meaningful relationships with real women that he resorts to a computer, but what we get instead is a deeply human,
empathetic portrayal of the lonely writer, as his fellow characters seem to accept this new technological innovation without reservation. Indeed, human-computer friendships are shown to be the new norm in Her, and the quietly excellent performance Amy Adams delivers as Phoenix’s co-worker and friend helps to support this acceptance society has for relationships such as Twombley’s in the film, as she doesn’t think twice before being happy for her friend’s new ‘girlfriend,’ human or otherwise. Adams’ performance isn’t the only understatedly brilliant one here; Rooney Mara shines as Phoenix’s ex-wife in a series of tragically evocative flashbacks, Olivia Wilde is erotically-charged and commanding in her role as a blind date, and even Brian Cox has an inventive and appealing cameo. Of course, though, this is the kind of film that lives and dies by the quality of its central performances, and in that respect Her is impeccable, with Phoenix’s and Johansson’s chemistry tangible even without the latter’s physical presence on-screen. Image: flickr/aphrodite_in_nyc
Matthew Floyd
The most quietly brilliant romantic comedy in years and also one of the most unexpectedly emotional examples the genre has ever seen Overall, then, Her is an unexpectedly simple, poignant gem from a director not necessarily known for those two qualities in his previous work, and it’s also admirable for playing through its plot straight up, as opposed to mocking Phoenix’s character in any way. Funny, charming and, above all, affecting, Her is the most quietly brilliant romantic comedy in years and also one of the most unexpectedly emotional examples the genre has ever seen.
Her is schedualed for release Spring 2014 Dir. Spike Jonze, 125 mins.
Epigram
27.01.2014
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Jaw-on-the-Floor: We’re not sure if it was the alcohol, need for sleep or danced-out afterglow, but everything was only beginning to make sense again as Epigram made ourselves comfortable in Factory Floor’s tour bus. The band had just played to a small crowd in Rise Records on the Clifton riangle and it was taking us a little longer than usual to piece it all together. It was a bizarre experience all round really - 2013’s breakout band of the UK underground had set themselves up in the middle of the cleared out coffee shop, content to let a crowd having the time of their life rub shoulders with them as they huddled over banks of analogue machinery. Local legend Big Jeff was loving it - see fuzzy blur pictured to the left of singer Nik Void’s head above, - and even the audience lurking at the back were having a very hard time standing still. Something about the hard, repetitive dance rhythm was completely hypnotic and if we’re honest it came very close to derailing our interview. It’s difficult to ask questions when you have no idea what’s going on. What surprised us was that Factory Floor don’t really know how to explain it either. “We weren’t expecting everyone to be crowding around like that. It must get pretty boring, you know, just watching us play.” It wasn’t a one-off circumstance. The band had reached Bristol on the back
end of a brief UK tour and long stint in Europe, and through the course of our conversation it became very clear that Bristol might have been one of the more subdued concerts. One of the highlights was Brussels: “The crowd’s really good for us there. They go mad - they get it. Most of Europe you find are really up for it.” Not to be so passive at the prospect of being outdone by Belgians, we asked if the UK was a bit of a disappointment. “Oh no, it’s been great. From Manchester to Glasgow to here it’s been amazing. Glasgow was really good actually, probably one of the best of the year. The place really suited our sound as well; we had a clarity in all the sounds we were making which gets lost in a bigger space. It’s good – we were trying to work out where we like to play so when we go on tour again I don’t think we’ll perform in any big places.” But what is it which makes Factory Floor’s gigs so successful? If one of the best gigs I attended in 2013 was run of the mill for them, the highlights must have been something else entirely. I’d try and explain the kind of sounds they make but as music journalists all over the world found out, it’s notoriously difficult to do. Extraordinary attempts from other papers include ‘metronomic synth-noir’, ‘unsettling disco’ and ‘postapocalypse.’ I’m not as creative, so we
Factory Floor blew us away at Rise Records last month not only with their thundering set, but also by stopping to talk afterwards. By Jonny Hunter
got the band to do it for us “I quite liked industrial goth – that was funny. Primitive was a good word though. It’s primitive dance really - no trickery and just presenting it in a different form. Feeding the interaction of the audience through you and into your machinery: you’re a vessel for the whole experience.”
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The band may as well have been some new age fire, surrounded by cavemen unable to contain their excitement for something they don’t quite understand. Primitive dance, then, is the answer to this most pressing question of 2013. It’s a label perfectly suited to their sound - summing up all the strengths and weaknesses at once. By setting themselves up in the centre the band may as well be some new age fire surrounded by cavemen who can’t
contain their excitement for something they don’t understand. In the same way, it’s a sound much better suited to being played live than anything else dancing round a candle back in your cave isn’t quite the same. This is something Factory Floor are very aware of. If our interview was anything to go by, the band live for playing to crowds - the records are kind of an afterthought. Playing live for them is as much about interaction and experimentation as going through their catalogue - “We just throw things in the centre of the space and see how things take shape: whether it needs building or moulding or whatever and Nik pushes her guitar through all kinds of effects. It’s all very organic. We’re really into playing around with feedback because you can’t directly control it - it could go great or might fall flat on its face.” “It definitely keeps you on edge. There are points where I’m thinking ‘fuck I don’t know if that worked.’ I pulled a knob off half way through the set and spent 5 minutes trying to get it back on.” Responding to the question of whether it ever goes completely off the rails, it seems the band are always able to make things work. “There’s always a point where it might go wrong. It’s why a crowd’s important – they hold it there and make it flow. They make you
play harder or just fuck up even more. You see people dancing and just want to make them dance more. It’s the idea of chucking everything up in the air and learning from it as well.” They link back to a previous comment on the on-stage interaction between band members and sheepishly conclude - “the audience are our friends.” It makes for a good tour advert: come see Factory Floor and make some friends. You get good music too, which is a bonus, and it’s clear how much playing live means to the group. The fact it’s taken the band so long to release an album because they were too busy playing live says a lot in that respect. There are other reasons -“it’s haaard” being one of them, but the band never sat down and planned an album from day one: “We kind of just lived it – we never organised to meet up and write songs, we just played every day. We had no idea what we were doing and ended up learning on stage more than anything.” From the sounds of it, it appears the band intend to keep going as they have - huddled over banks of analogue synths and getting really excited about their music - “We’re all really hands on, we just like to mess around and make things with our hands.” “...What are you talking about?” I wouldn’t have them any other way.
Epigram
27.01.2014
47 What can we say about the next 365 days of music? Well thanks to the internet, we know there’s going to be loads of it, some of it will be really great, some of it probably not so great The best thing is to go and see it all for yourselves, but Epigram music writers have highlighted a few that they’re definitely going to be keeping an eye on...
While it would be tempting to flex whatever constitutes as a music knowledge muscle and pull out the crystal ball of “next big things,” predicting SOHN will be one to watch in 2014 is like concluding the day of a tsunami isn’t the best moment for a beach trip. The Vienna-based English producer only has an EP and a couple of singles to his name, yet has somehow managed to get himself 800,000 soundcloud followers. Eight, hundred, thousand. For comparison, James Blake has 23,000. It’s just silly. I mention James Blake for a reason, since SOHN is another electronic producer to shirk guest vocalists and give it a go himself. Initial attempts were predominantly RnB based, with dark, brooding tracks pairing surprisingly well with his falsetto voice. It’s tempting to describe him as a less sex-obsessed The Weeknd with better production and not as much shock value, but SOHN has shown himself to be a little too creative to be so easily pigeon-holed. Recent single “Lessons” shows why - seeing the producer play around in James Blake’s neck of the woods with vocal effects and large, dramatic bursts of bass. Somehow it sounds even cooler when he does it. For an artist who’s just experienced such a huge explosion of popularity, information on him is surprisingly rare. It’s unclear whether he intends to put out a full album this year or continue producing for other artists - previous collaborators include Lana Del Ray and BANKS, but a recent lull in releases suggests something big.
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SOHN by Jonny Hunter
Epigram’s ones to watch in 2014
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Harts by Alex Whitehead
Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories brought groovy riffs and syncopated basslines roaring back into the mainstream last year, proving that disco will be staying alive for the foreseeable future. Fortuitous timing then for Harts, the young Australian whose blend of DIY indie and funky electro-pop will surely soon be winning hearts and minds across the globe. Harts, whose real name is Darren Hart, is a multiinstrumentalist with more talent than anyone his age has any right to possess. Harts writes, plays and records everything himself from his Melbourne bedroom-turned studio. Don’t be perturbed by the lo-fi aesthetics however, the musical skill and accomplished production on display here is absolutely outstanding. Rhythmic synths, killer Mars Volta-esque guitar solos and some sublime bass hooks are all tied together by Harts’ fantastic vocals. The result is a refreshing blast of disco goodness and vibrant psychedelia – Get Lucky blended with Jimi Hendrix at his electrifying best. You can check out Offtime, his first EP, on Spotify and if you’re a fan of Prince, Chromeo or dancing until the early hours, you owe it to yourself to give Harts your attention in 2014.
FKA Twigs by Barney Horner
Source - Twitter
There is a parallel strand to the sudden glut of house/ techno based electronic music surging across club soundsystems from Detroit to Digbeth. It has taken shape in a much vaguer aesthetic, that squares its focus more on soundscaping and ambience than any physical rhythm. Taking obvious cues from Brian Eno and vintage Warp records material, North American producers such as Oneohtrix Point Never and Tim Hecker have popularised an icy, abstract and normally beatless approach to digital music that sets out to artfully alienate the listener. But in its current fetish for slick four-to-the-flour ‘deepness’, British music has given us woefully few artists with any ear for atmosphere. Total Strife Forever, the debut album by Londoner William Doyle, stands wonderfully opposed to this stagnating vogue, accentuating texture and pressure in a rush of gorgeous compositions. This is not music that will ever enjoy much crossover appeal; its forms, even at their most accessible and vocal oriented, are all too scattered and un-edged to ever survive much listening outside of the bedroom. However, gushing critical attention from the more esoteric wings of the hype machine could mean that 2014 could be the year in which Doyle finds himself ranked among the stateside auteurs. Far more than just a name to idly watch for the next few months and then discard when the next chump with a sampler comes along, Doyle may well turn out that rare phenomenon in British electronic music; an artist who can groove his own lasting furrow into its landscape and maybe, with time, change the game. Here’s hoping.
If the recording name Formerly Known As Twigs is a little too meta for you, that’s ok because singer Tahliah Barnett abbreviated it to the more manageable FKA Twigs. They follow in the footsteps of the traditional male-music-producer/female-singer artist combination – Yazoo, Elli et Jacno, Tricky - for Maxinquaye at least, Portishead, AlunaGeorge, Lorde. Barnett whispers seductively, lyricises provocatively and dances hypnotically over minimalist R’n’B beats composed by Brooklyn producer extraordinaire Arca who is also credited as having worked on several tracks from Kanye’s Yeezus. At least, that was the lineup for last year’s four song EP2 on Young Turks, which cut through the typically dense music blogosphere with its razor sharp staccato shards and compellingly curious lyrics, taking its cues from trip-hop and Sade. Twigs somehow contrives to construct worlds of intimacy and vulnerability, hinting at a core robustness that doesn’t look to empower women by rejecting self-objectification, but lay bare the hypocrisies of pop culture feminism. Her avant-garde music videos repeat artistic leitmotifs that riff on the female form and, like ‘How’s That’, invert vulnerabilities – on ‘Water Me’ Twigs adopts the role of a lonely fairy with bulbous, mournful eyes and magic tears who naively assumes that the selling of sexual satisfaction equates to real love. While it’s folly to predict the musical trends of a year, interest surrounding Twigs has matured to such a degree that she seems sure to blossom in 2014.
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27.01.2014
Reviews Rave Tapes Mogwai
is a significant record because it honestly reflects both what they are about as a band and the considerable creative powers they possess. Matty Edwards
Warpaint
Bruce Springsteen
Guardian Alien
Rough Trade
Columbia
Thrill Jockey
Warpaint
January 17th
Warpaint’s long-awaited second album comes more than three years after their acclaimed debut The Fool, and the four-piece from LA do not disappoint. Immediately it becomes clear that the record is evolutionary and not revolutionary. Warpaint’s defining features are still present, from their hypnotic grooves and rumbling bass to the snaking guitars and mesmeric vocals. However this time round there seems to be a freer feel to the songs, achieved by the more spacious arrangements that allow each instrument to breathe. The band also appear less determined to cram disparate sections into one song, illustrating a band more at ease with themselves. The driving force behind much of the record is the chemistry between Jenny Lee-Lindberg’s psychedelic bass tones, and Stella Mozgawa’s imaginative, choppy drum patterns, which together create a sexy swagger best seen in ‘Intro’ and ‘Disco/Very’. The record is at its most psychedelic towards the end, with unusual synths and haunting vocals. What Warpaint have done is kept the best features of their sound, trimmed the fat, and through greater experimentation created something even more hypnotic, trippy, and unusual. An eclectic second record from a truly daring group. Matty Edwards flickr:redfishingboat(micko)
you, but each one nonetheless possesses something individual and noteworthy. Perhaps the most interesting track is ‘Repelish’, which combines an uncharacteristically catchy guitar riff with an odd spoken-word vocal accusing Led Zeppelin of worshiping Satan and including subliminal Satanist messages in their songs. Not quite as engaging are the dejected drones and overuse of distortion on the tracks like ‘Master Card’ and ‘Deesh’, which end up being simply fuzzy and monotonous. Rather than coming to a close with a bang, Rave Tapes fizzles out somewhat disappointingly, as the final two tracks are dreary at best. Mogwai are a group with bags of experience, whose main talent lies in how they are capable of striking the balance between the cerebral and emotive in their music; there is a lack of immediacy coupled with emotive undercurrents that at times can make their songs epic and moving. While unlikely to hook those unfamiliar with Mogwai, Rave Tapes
High Hopes January 14th
Spiritual Emergency January 27th
Hot off the back of the huge critical and commercial success that was 2012’s Wrecking Ball, Springsteen’s latest return to the studio is a very safe effort, an album which ticks all of the standard boxes which ‘the boss’ fans have come to expect from him. The catch, however, is that all of these songs have either previously been released in some form, or are covers. This leads to some imaginative new versions of old staples, with the title track and the blockbuster version of live favourite ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’ injecting new life into the muted, acoustic versions of these tracks we’d heard before. Nonetheless, High Hopes feels more than a little anticlimactic after the quality and wealth of new material to be found on Wrecking Ball. Short of some standout reworkings such as ‘Harry’s Place’ and the ebullient, Scottish-flavoured ‘This Is Your Sword,’ the album feels, if not quite like a step backwards, very much like a step sideways for the Boss as he steps back from new material for a moment to consider his options. A pleasant enough collection of tracks which fans are sure to love, then, but certainly not essential listening for anyone who has not already pledged their allegiance to the Boss. Tom Gellatly
Guardian Alien will make you want to smash open the gates of Satori astride Falkor from The NeverEnding Story. They will encourage you to ride a Viking longboat into a supernova of DMT. Their 2012 debut See The World Given To A One Love Entity was a one-track odyssey, however the disparity with their follow-up in title and format is a good indication of Guardian Alien’s less certain and more fragmented new approach. The opener ‘Tranquilizer’ seems deliberately off-putting and comes off like a spasmodic take on Indian classical music, with digitally mutated vocals and fake-raga bass noodling; drummer Greg Fox even commits the sacrilege of playing tabla with sticks. However it’s worth waiting for the closing title track when Fox finally lets loose on the kit in a maelstrom of prog rock/black metal/free jazz histrionics. The sticksman marshals the freakout, improvising deftly around a textural backdrop of deep-space bleeps and shahi baaja shredding. There are moments of reverential calm, but at any point it feels like it could explode like an Ayahuasca enema. They may look like hipsters but Guardian Alien are sincerely committed to the cause of mind expansion, and this album presents a more nuanced rendition of that vision. Danny Riley
flickr:ross.grady
After almost twenty years making progressive and interesting records, Glasgow post-rock veterans Mogwai return with their latest studio album, entitled Rave Tapes. Over a career of seven previous records, and among other things, soundtracks for the incredibly arty film Zidane: A 21s Century Portrait and more recently the hitFrench TV drama Les Revenants, it would seem the Scottish band have done it all. This fact can be clearly heard throughout their eighth effort Rave Tapes which although does not blow the listener away by any means, is a work full of maturity. Based on the album’s title you would think that
the band had embarked on some sort of progression away from their trademark guitar driven sound and long slow-burners to a more electronic affair. Synths are certainly present on the record, but still at the heart of its makeup are the traditionally long, progressively m e l l o w compositions full of peaks and troughs and centred around the use of arpeggiated guitars. Without being ground-breaking the subtle complexities of Rave Tapes make it both brooding and intense, both haunting and intriguing. In what is a consistent collection of atmospheric songs, the band manage to paint a picture with their soundscapes, a skill that is clear to see in their contributions to film and TV. From the creepy pitched percussion and elegant, gliding guitar of opening track ‘Heard About You Last Night’, to the peculiar yet driving synths of ‘Remurder’, not every second of every track grabs
flickr:carlocravero
Rock Action 20th January
Epigram 27.01.2014
25 49
What’s on: January/February
Of Montreal @ The Fleece - 17th February These genre hopping, mind bending, Deep South vaudevillians’ live reputation precedes them. I don’t know what to expect, but I’ve heard there are “dancing owls”. It’s gonna be a hoot - I’m so sorry.
Flickr - JMSmytaste
J Dilla Changed My Life @ The Exchange - 1st February A night dedicated to the memory of hip hop innovator and beat virtuoso James ‘J Dilla’ Yancey. With a lineup featuring the great man’s mum as well as his brother, all proceeds from the night will go to the charities of Lupus UK and the J Dilla Foundation.
East India Youth @ The Louisiana - 4th February See Alex Schulte’s piece - pg. 47, on why this is not one to miss. A glittering, Krautrock-indebted antidote to the anonymous 4/4 thump dominating producers’ laptops up and down the country, William Doyle’s music is accompanied by a performance style that seeks to “address the facelessness of electronic music”. Presumably that is to say, he wears flowery shirts and jumps around a bit.
Flickr - Kmeron
Opal Tapes Showcase @ Arnolfini - 31st January Dance music bacchanal collides with crusty punk ferocity. In an art gallery. Punters will be advised to perfect a blend of pensive chin-stroking and bugeyed dance moves ahead of the night’s proceedings. Warning: Caucasian dreadlocks may be sported by some of the performers.
That’s St. Dilla to you - J Rocc praises his most illustrious labelmate
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Epigram
27.1.2014
Science & Tech
Editor: Molly Hawes scienceandtech@epigram.org.uk
@EpigramSciTech Deputy Editor: Sol Milne deputyscienceandtech@epigram.org.uk
Online Editor: Stephanie Harris
The fungus that mistook humans for dirt
Liz Kelly Science Writer In the grand scheme of human infection by microorganisms, fungal infections can be somewhat overshadowed by those of a viral or bacterial nature. The condition cryptococcosis, although rare, is a life-threatening fungal condition, present primarily in those suffering from AIDS. Given that 35 million people worldwide now live with this
disease, this could be a pressing issue for future generations. The nature of this infection is an interesting one, stemming from what can almost be thought of as an ‘accident’ in our own evolution. Cryptococcus is a fungus that normally lives in soil amid decaying matter. Its enemy is the amoeba – a single-celled organism that patrols the soil, mopping up and destroying this fungus. To avoid destruction, cryptococcus is able to hide within the amoeba itself, and
it’s this ability that enables it to infect humans. Humans, and indeed other vertebrates, possess immune system cells called macrophages that clear up rubbish and debris from around the body, performing essentially the same role as amoebae. Macrophages mop up foreign material entering the body, for example via the lungs, and destroy it to prevent illness. This similarity between macrophages and amoebae is harnessed by the fungus, which,
if inhaled, can resist detection by hiding inside the body’s macrophages, just as it does with amoebae. A ‘transferrable skill’, a Careers Advisor might call it. The fungus also possesses an outer coat of melanin, which is common in our body and thus acts as a disguise for the fungus. Additionally, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) further helps cryptococcus avoid detection by hindering the immune system’s ability to spot the infection. For the immune system to
be able to clear an infection, a macrophage has to be able to ‘see’ its target and recognise it as foreign. It then acts as a flashing beacon, alerting the rest of the immune system to the infection. Hence, when cryptococcus hides inside a macrophage, the whole immune system fails to realise that it’s there. This technique is also employed by tuberculosis bacteria, which enables a TB infection to lie dormant for years. So, what initially might
seem like a mistake has actually favoured this fungus’ survival. In the case of cryptococcus, the evolution of our immune cells has ended up backfiring, conveying additional susceptibility rather than protection. This makes an infection difficult to treat without harming our own cells, necessitating an array of treatments to chip away at it slowly. So if you ever see one of these crawling towards you, warn your macrophages, and hold your breath.
Earth’s toxic atmosphere throughout history Adam Klinger Science Writer ‘Any animal needs a significant amount of oxygen in order to survive. Without the great oxidation event we would not be here. No dinosaurs. No fish. No snakes. Just microorganisms.’ -Dick Holland (Harvard University) Around 2.5 Billion years ago a monumental change occurred in our planets history. The atmosphere changed from being anoxic to oxic leading to the emergence of complex multi-cellular life and diversification of the entire biota. How this change occurred is of scientific doubt and different theories have been put forward, though some hold stronger than others. The fundamental
initiators of this change were cyanobacteria, a single celled hyperthermophile (high temperature tolerating) that is ancestral to the chloroplast. Cyanobacteria were the first bacteria to produce free oxygen through photosynthesis. However, evidence suggests that these or similar such bacteria existed before the dramatic ‘Great Oxidation Event’ that occurred 2.5 Billion years ago. Sulfur isotope data actually suggests that free Oxygen first rose to appreciable levels close to 2.4 billion years ago, conflicting with said statement of cyanobacteria’s prior existence. A few theories harbour explanations. One suggests reduced iron acted as a massive sink for oxygen. Once oxygen production began all this abundance of iron would first have needed to have been
oxidised. However, this theory is probably incorrect because the process would have only need take a few thousand years, a seconds worth on geological time scales. The answer probably lies in the fact that oxygen is poisonous to their nitrogeniseenzymes used to fix nitrogen. These are essential to survival, therefore requiring time to mechanise an evolutionary means of mitigating this effect and develop the heterocyst, a cell devoted to fixing nitrogen. Most bacteria were not as adept as the cyanobacteria, leading to what could quite possibly be the largest extinction event in earth’s history. Cyanobacteria are arguably the most successful species ever. Stromatolites are considered one of the most informative types of sediment structures, accreting the oldest types
of organism: cyanobacteria. Oxygen producing cyanobacteria form precipitates of calcium carbonate initiated by photosynthesis. The bacteria formed colonies, trapping sediment and reacting with the calcium carbonate to produce limestone. The layers eventually built up through time and at around 5cm every year. These cyanobacteria have been dated to as early as 3.5 billion years ago, agreeing with this idea of prior existence to the ‘great oxidation event’. From these cyanobacteria came the oxic environment which destroyed vast amounts of methane leading to the Huronian glaciation, one of 6 ‘snowball earths’. The earth would eventually recover from these glaciations through chemical feedbacks and volcanic emissions of carbon dioxide.
We seem to have copious amounts of evidence suggesting a great oxidation event did occur around 2.5 billion years ago. However, the intricate nature of cross referencing exact dates through radiometric means and resultant discordance in some data prompts controversy and different schools of thought, such as the prior existence of the bacteria to the ‘great
Flickr: doublebug
oxidation event’. However, the fact remains that this event did indeed happen at around the times mentioned, paving the way for today’s scientists to further improve this into a more robust theory.
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27.1.2014
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Conservation efforts reach new heights Sol Milne Science Writer
This technology is becoming a tool for for the benefit of people and nature
monitoring crowds in lieu of their ever-obvious predecessor, the blimp. The stealth of these aircraft has now been put to an inspiring and helpful purpose. By circling high enough altitudes the sound of the motor is too soft to be heard, allowing the monitoring of wild animals in their natural state without being disturbed. This has enabled the estimation of Orangutan numbers in Borneo where the destructive encroachment of palm-oil cultivation threatens not only the habitat of these animals, but the full extent of biodiversity harboured by the forest of this region. Dr. Lian Pin Koh recently utilized these ‘Conservation Drones’ for monitoring species distribution
Flickr: cfaobam
What may be a surprising aspect of conservation is that often not much is known about the habitats being protected. One thing about walking in a jungle, which anyone who has done so will know, is that you get lost very quickly. Trees are so densely packed that once you’ve walked about 200m it is very hard to see where you came from- only with a map, GPS and compass can you navigate your way through the scrub, and even then it will take you all day to travel a short distance. New technology has transformed the way surveying in this kind of terrain can be done. This includes deployment of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). A word fettered by the connotations of war, strife and accountability; these remotely operated unmanned aircraft are undoubtedly useful. For surveillance and combat, drones in one form or another have been utilised by the military since WWI, yet not until recently has the extent of these machines’ usefulness been realized. The military application of this technology is only one small fact of its full potential. As you may have already seen, cameras can be mounted to the vehicles as they fly, and they have been used in
and land use in projects in Sumatra, Madagascar, Congo and Gabon. This was a great improvement on the expensive, difficult and infrequent nature of previous surveys conducted on foot. Very easy to customize and with open-source code for navigation, drones are becoming an important part of conservation. While the idea of flying a remote controlled vehicle above a forest to monitor activity happening below may not sound very revolutionary, the technology behind these vehicles and the code necessary to map their flight path has only recently become available and opensource. Almost every part of the machine can be made using a 3D printer which means that conservation initiatives, traditionally under-funded, can get their hands of equipment necessary to monitor huge tracts of land for less than $4000 US. By attaching thermal cameras at night, illegal hunters can be found by their fires and authorities may be alerted. Drones are also being used to monitor the illegal mining trade that is devastating huge areas of rainforest. Illegal fishing is an activity extremely difficult to monitor due to the small size of the boats and the massive distance between them. However in Belize drones are being used to
crack down on this destructive activity by taking high altitude flights and sending GPS coordinates of ships to the coast guard. The online retailer Amazon has recently unveiled its plans to use drones to make deliveries of packages up to 2.3kg within 30 minutes of placing the order. In a novel turn of ingenuity, Geiger Counters have been attached to drones that are to be deployed over the Fukushima
power plant following the meltdown in order to assess the extent of the damage done and how radioactive the site is. This is vitally important because humans cannot safely enter the site in order to assess this. The applications for this technology seem to be limitless. Different models are being designed all the time for different purposes, carrying heavier payloads, going longer distances. The beauty
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of open source technology is that it is free for everyone to develop and share; concepts are continually being tossed back and forth and improved. In the field of conservation, where surveys are often done in remote locations with little funding, this cost-effective and developing technology is becoming not solely a tool for military destruction but one for the benefit of people and nature.
Zebras earn their stripes in new study
Flickr: vgm8383
Alana Weir Science Writer Zebra stripes have confused evolutionary biologists as far back as Darwin and Wallace. Though many theories exist surrounding the possible function of their stripey exterior, no theory has ever been widely accepted nor conclusively proven. Previously thought to be either a camouflage mechanism, a method of social interaction, or a deterrent from blood sucking insects, amongst many others - zebra stripes are now thought to generate optical illusions in order to ‘mask their movement’ when faced with predation. Dr How and his colleague Professor Johannes Zanker from Royal Holloway, University of London, have recently analysed photographs and video footage of zebras, and after verification from using a computer model that tracked the appearance and evolution of patterns in moving objects, they have publish their findings in the latest edition of
Zebra stripes generate optical illusions in order to ‘mask their movement’ when faced with predation
the biological journal ‘Zoology’ to great success. Humans, as well as a wide range of other species, have long possessed what scientists refer to as “Motion Detection Mechanisms”, whereby we track the trajectory and apparent direction of an object based on how its contours change, and zebra stripes are able to override this mechanism to deceive pursuers.
The purpose of the illusion concealed in zebra stripes is alot similar to what us referred to as the barber-pole effect, whereby the spiral stripes on a vertical pole appear to move upwards when turning, or is also compatible to the wagon wheel effect, where the clockwise turning spokes of a wheel appear to be turning anticlockwise when the optimum speed is reached. The general principal is, when the zebra lunges in one direction, it appears to be travelling in the other. This miscommunication in travel direction would cause pests to abort landing manoeuvres and predators to mistime attacks, a phenomenon which is more effective in herds rather than for individuals. The results of the study have implications for other species, particularly those with the same characteristic black and white banded pattern, such as the humbug damselfish. Outside of the natural world, this recent discovery could also aid in the understanding of man made camouflage patterns, such as those used on large scale battleships.
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Epigram
Sport
27.1.2014
53
Should Sochi stay?
Global Sports Forum
Adam Becket Sports Writer Ahead of the Winter Olympic Games starting next month in Sochi, Russia, one must ponder whether the IOC should have awarded the games to such a controversial country. This extends to FIFA awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia, and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar on top of that. Should sports governing bodies be responsible when judging bids, and think about the wider
impact of their respective sporting events, or merely judge the bid on its merits? Should the Winter Olympics be held in the best possible venue for them, regardless of that country’s human rights record or views on homosexuality. The Sochi games are the most expensive games in Olympic history, with $51bn being spent on infrastructure (and snow!), and have also proved to be one of the most controversial, before they have even begun.
Some of the opposition in Russia allege that $30bn of the budget has gone missing in “embezzlement and kickbacks” within the corrupt Russian construction sector, supported by Putin. An 18 mile stretch of road between Sochi and the mountain where a lot of the action will take place has cost a reported $8.6bn; that’s a lot of money on tarmac. There have also been controversies over how the workers are treated, similar to the concerns in Qatar.
At a Winter Olympics, one would expect there would be no shortage of snow, and yet with temperatures possibly at a balmy 10°C, snow cannons are being drafted in to make sure the slopes are good enough for skiing. On top of all of this, Russia passed their infamous law banning ‘homosexual propaganda’, which many believe to be a thinly veiled attack on homosexuality, and a clampdown on civil liberties. Stephen Fry, called for a
season that Henderson has really come to the fore. I was astounded when Henderson, who was fast becoming a forgotten man at the top level, began the season in fine form, making lung-busting runs, incisive passes and securing his status as an ever-present in a comparatively strong Liverpool squad of recent years. At one time in his Liverpool career, the injury suffered in early December by captain fantastic Steven Gerrard would have terrified Henderson and the pressure of responsibility would have, almost undoubtedly, been detrimental to his game. Now, with belief from the manager and himself, he is fast becoming a leader on the pitch, with Rodgers selecting him for involvement in every Premier League minute of the season so far. Combined with this new found responsibility is an innate willingness to toil away
for the team in both a defensive and attacking capacity. His flair and ability are essentially combined with a fantastic attitude and it therefore seems fitting that he should receive my imaginary and ultimately meaningless award for the ‘Best Set of Lungs’ in 2013. Although with only one goal to his name so far this season, which could and undoubtedly should be improved, he has also notched five assists which will be encouraging to current England boss Roy Hodgson. In a nation supposedly devoid of young creative talent, the likes of Henderson and Ross Barkley in particular this season, have displayed that they are willing to stand up and be counted. These promising, and in terms of the European scene, largely unknown midfielders will surely be a more effective opponent to the likes of Pirlo and Marchisio than the much
maligned ‘Golden Era’ who are often accompanied by a care worker and Zimmer frame onto the field, as opposed to the more conventional child mascot. Being deployed in a wider role, Henderson has flourished, displaying his pace, composure and adaptability often interacting with the likes of Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho and genuinely adding to his side’s Bob Marleyesque potency. His dynamism and maturity has been a key factor in Liverpool’s success so far this season with Henderson being an integral member of the imperious Luis Suarez’s supporting cast. Hopefully the influence of South American stars such as Suarez and Coutinho will be beneficial to Henderson in Brazil as England look to progress from a group looking about as promising as a treason charge in North Korea.
boycott of the games due to this. The IOC, however, has been slightly withdrawn from the matter; accepting reassurances from Russia that the law will not affect competitors or fans. The question still remains: is this the responsibility of sport’s governing bodies, or a matter with which sport shouldn’t concern itself with at all? The 2008 Olympics were held in Beijing, another hotbed for human rights abuse, and yet it was hailed as
one of the best Olympics ever. There were Olympic Games held in Communist Russia and even Nazi Germany! Why should sport suddenly become politically charged? The issue is that Sochi probably isn’t the best place to hold a Winter Olympics, in the same way Qatar seems a ludicrous choice to host a football World Cup. Thus we wait, with baited breath, to see what Sochi has to tell; after all, one cannot judge an Olympics by its cover.
Henderson’s hopes for 2014 Greig Robertson Sports Writer
zummer.blogspot
It was not long ago that Jordan Henderson was the embodiment of ‘everything wrong with young English footballers’. Lambasted by the British media and Liverpool fans alike after a string of indifferent performances in the 2011/12 season, Henderson’s confidence was disintegrated, not being helped by the huge £20million price tag looming ominously over his rather dopey looking head. Under Kenny Dalglish, the Sunderland-born midfielder was lacking in every aspect of his game with his mentality and performances were jaded. Although last season saw a slight improvement in Henderson’s game as he slowly began to show glimpses of flair he displayed at the Stadium of Light, it has been the 2013/14
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27.1.2014
54
E d i t o r ’s Column
Online Editor George Moxey discusses your skiing options in the run up to Sochi
Picasa: Gerwig Loffelholz
If like me you spent the Christmas holiday flicking as aimlessly through lectures and grad scheme applications as you did your friends’ skiing photos then it was probably a pretty boring few weeks post the festive fixture list. With no January exams for the first time since I can remember I could watch Game of Thrones without a guilt-edged sword dangling near my hopeful 2.1. As for the football, Bony’s injury-time header to dump Moyes and his cronies out of the Cup was as good a way to start the year as any. It’s just annoying that half of my 600-something Facebook friends – more like 10 – went skiing and I didn’t. With the Sochi Olympics on the horizon and some genuine GB medal hopes too – Bristolian Jenny Jones is favourite for the Slopestyle gold – snow sport mania will soon engulf the nation. The BBC have promised 600 hours of footage. If you’ve never been, you really should. The uni trip is a good place to start though you need to be on the ball when it comes to getting a place. There are some good deals if you dig around. For instance, a few last minute bargains in Bulgaria were going for under £200 per person for a week; not exactly skiing paradise but OK for beginners if you book out of school half-term time. A couple of days in the Scottish Cairngorms is an option, ski hire and lift pass total about £45 a day and flights to near-by Inverness are cheap. Another option is flying to Edinburgh; the 3 hour something train north to the Aviemore resort is a bargain £7 with a railcard. High winds are common, however, and can often render the lifts closed. Although you can still ski cross country as an alternative, it hardly compares to bombing down the slopes. With Scotland unreliable, the Alps train left me deflated, finding it was run by those crooks at Euro$tar. In reality, the situation wasn’t as bad as I first feared, the cheapest return from St Pancras – about £180 – isn’t too overpriced when you factor in transfers and luggage. Though this travels overnight and opens up the possibility of missing some time that morning but at least you’d be saving on accommodation. A further browse generally confirms any previously cheap, hidden gems were uncovered long ago by the Columbus of civilisations: the famed British public. There is another option. As the juggling of various stages of applications takes a stranglehold for many, doing a ski season after university is a convenient way of delaying working whilst giving you a glance at the goings on outside of the student bubble. Though it depends on what job you find, it can be a simple way of learning a language and picking up some CV-handy life experience. Roles can vary but popular routes include bar work and chalet hosting. It seems a chalet hosting course could all but guarantee a job for the season. With most in excess of £500 they’re not cheap, but if it prepares you and makes near enough certain of six months of work experience in a ski resort it seems the soundest investment since Bitcoin. The role shouldn’t be taken lightly, with most operators detailing a six-day week and busy schedules in the morning and late afternoon into evening. But still, it will beat Game of Thrones, Boxing Day football, and will certainly beat the first Monday back at work after Christmas. Enjoy Sochi.
A cross roads for British Alpine Skiing? Jacob Webster Sports Editor Over the last 5 months, Chemmy Alcott has been a Norwegian. This is a change from the last 3 years, when she has been a member of the Canadian alpine skiing training squad. It is a remarkable situation for Alcott, a girl from southwest London and Great Britain’s most talented downhill skier, to find herself in, and one that, quite frankly, is a grave insult to her.
Due to the vagaries of the UK Sport funding system, alpine skiers find themselves receiving absolutely no help from the UK governing body of sport. As a result, potential medallists such as Alcott are forced to scour the globe for any possible opportunities to aid improvements in their performance. That is the reason she finds herself based in Oslo as a fully-fledged member of the Norwegian World Cup team, preparing to embark on the final run-in towards Sochi in February with no backbone from her own country’s sporting governing body. How can individual athletes be expected
to perform to the level expected by their country when they are left to venture out alone into an increasingly buffeting storm? How can the next generation ‘be inspired’ if their chosen sport is deemed to be insufficient to be afforded lottery funding, and is therefore left to rot? Not only does the decision to shut off the supposedly leaking tap put an almighty spanner in the works, as in the case of Alcott for her dream of improving on the 11th place finishes she has accrued in both Vancouver and Turin, but it also effectively closes off the avenue of opportunity for the next generation of potential downhill skiers who want to wear the GB suit. As it is, we can pity Alcott all we like with regards to her forced globetrotting in the quest for training, but at least she has the opportunity to further her dream of success on the Olympic stage. So many young skiers now find themselves with very little hope of progressing to anywhere near the level they aspire to as they simply do not have the support prepared to back them. Alcott’s plight simply highlights the fact that professional skiing in Britain for the upcoming generation will be based solely on the privileged few who can afford it off their own backs. In a country where vast numbers head to the slopes of the French, Italian and Austrian Alps every year, it is a crying shame that the thirst for recreational skiing is not reflected in a desire for professional success. Any hope of a programme designed to sustain a concerted charge for medals in a winter sport which is by far the most popular was removed in 2010 when the UK Sport announcement was made, and Alcott’s Norwegian decision creates freshly bleeding cuts on top of the visible scars already present from the initial decision. The comical notion of an athlete training and competing as first a Canadian, and then a Norwegian, in the lead-up to the pinnacle of the sport, before then competing in that pinnacle in the colours of Great Britain, reflects the disorganised state of Winter Sports in our country. The situation as it stands is no less than a running joke, and something has to be done before the presence of Great Britain on the winter sporting stage is entirely lost.
The good, the bad and the ugly
Good... ...bad... ...ugly
The greatest competition in the sporting calendar is back! At Epigram Sport, we love nothing more than the passion, skill and sheer brilliance of the 6 Nations, and this year the European rugby tournament looks closer than ever. Wales are determined to defend their title and become the first side to win 3 in a row, but they will have stern competition from the unpredictable France, resurgent Ireland and powerful England. We have a good feeling about this one – this could be England’s year. Come on boys!
As much as we should all celebrate the bravery of Thomas Hitzlsberger in coming out as the most high-profile gay footballer, a note of caution should be advised. Why is there such a need to celebrate? It will be a better day when such announcements are not met with such celebration, but instead, mere acceptance of a simple fact of life. It is an illustration of how far behind football remains (and, in fact, sport in general), with homosexuality in general.
We cannot go through the first Epigram issue of the New Year without mentioning the complete and utter shambles of the Ashes. How quickly the mighty fall – Graeme Swann jumped ship halfway through the test series, Matt Prior was unceremoniously dropped, and players like Alistair Cook and James Anderson looked mere shadows of their former selves. England needs to totally revamp its team and processes if it is to remain competitive on the international stage 5 and 10 years down the line. English cricket has reached a crossroads, and continuing straight across the T-junction would be a grave mistake.
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27.1.2014
55
The unofficial football calendar of 2014 Whatis(probably)notgoingtohappen... January After a slow start, the January transfer window roars into life. Tony Pulis announces the double signing of New Zealand flanker Richie McCaw and Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams. “Call me old fashioned,” says the Palace gaffer, “but I’m a real believer in the value of a big target man.” David Moyes maintains that he is perfectly happy with his squad and doesn’t need any reinforcements. However, in a Deadline Day panic he raids old club Everton for midfield maestro Leon Osman after agreeing a club record £40 million fee with Everton chairman, Bill Kenwright, who had only just stopped laughing from the last time.
May David Moyes silences his doubters by leading Manchester United to victory the Champions league against Barcelona in a commanding 3-0 performance, orchestrated by the mercurial Tom Cleverley. “Cleverley shows that if you want to be a top, top central midfielder you don’t have to score a lot of goals. Or pass the ball well. Or have a good first touch. Or tackle. Truly I have been taught a lesson,” said a humble Andrés Iniesta, adding, “if that lad doesn’t win the Ballon D’Or next year I’m going to spark Pedro in the face.”
February After a man of the match display, Craig Dawson sheepishly admits in a postmatch interview the reason he had been so slow is because all these years he though Sprint was R1 and not R2. Luis Suarez is back in the headlines again after being accused of racism after refusing to bite John Obi Mikel. He is banned for ten games, but somehow manages to still score five goals during his suspension. Norwich quash rumours that Chris Hughton is about to be fired by tying him to new 6 year deal.
June The World Cup kicks off in Brazil. Nobody is sure if it is marred by protests or celebrated with wild street parties because in Brazil it’s quite hard to tell which is which. France once again go out in the group stages after a huge team rift caused by manager Didier Deschamps serving a light sauvignon blanc with a boeuf bourguignon.“What does he think we are, savages?” protested Hugo Lloris. England scrape through their group, but there are ugly scenes as a group of England fans accidentally walked into one of Rio’s most impoverished, dangerous favelas. “It was a nightmare. They have no regard for sanitation or common decency. I felt intimidated and I consider myself lucky to be alive.” Said a favela resident.
October
September Arsenal lose 1-0 away to Sunderland, prompting many fans to call for Arsene Wenger to be sacked. “We have always loyally stood by our manager, but we feel that now is the right time for Wenger to leave,” said a spokesman for Arsenal’s official supporters trust. They go on to win their next game 1-0 at home against Hull, prompting a flurry of bets in North London bookmakers on Arsenal to win the treble. “Arsene Wenger is a saint. A saint!” said the supporters trust in a press statement.
The Premier League decide to spice the league up by introducing a new team- Garth Crooks’s Team of the Week. Whoever is named in the pundit’s team of the week will gave to compete in this team the week after. Problems start to arise when he continues to name the same players week on week.
Miles Coleman
March Chris Hughton is sacked. He is replaced by Norwich fans’ favourite Delia Smith as player manager, who revolutionises their style of play by setting up a Bielsa-style 35-2, playing herself as a flying right wingback. It has an immediate impact and the Canaries win 4 on the trot, prompting several other clubs to do the same and sack seemingly successful managers. “It’s the Pochettino effect,” sighed a glum Mauricio Pochettino after he was dismissed at St. Mary’s and replaced by Anthony Worrall-Thompson.
April After poking in a rebound to grab a late winner at Hull, Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner announces he is retiring at the height of his footballing prowess à la Eric Cantona. Arsenal fans don’t seem to worry, but his departure sparks a remarkable downfall as Arsenal go on to lose all but one of their remaining games. “We just never realised how good he was,” laments a forlorn M i k e l Arteta.
July England are knocked out in the round of 16 by Colombia, who play with a suspicious amount of speed, energy and confidence. The surprise package of the tournament proves to be The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon who finish third after naming an actual Indomitable Lion in their starting lineup. The lion goes on to pick up the Golden Boot award. In the final Germany overcome Argentina after Marco Reus wins a penalty when he is tripped up by Ángel Di Maria’s incredibly pointy ears. Four days of mass celebrations are called
August José Mourinho hears that Spurs have bid £20 million for Cruzeiro winger Everton Ribeiro and immediately bids £30 million for him. Ribeiro goes on to make 7 appearances in 4 years at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile Cardiff owner Vincent Tan promises the Bluebirds faithful a whopping £50 million transfer kitty, on the condition that they move the whole club to Kuala Lumpur and change the name to AFC Happy Good Luck Sports Goal Club. As is traditional, Spurs announce the signing of 9 quitegood-but-not-that-good midfielders.
November Luis Suarez is banned for 6 games after biting himself on the wrist while doing his trademark goal celebration. Meanwhile Sergio Aguero accidentally lets slip that he isn’t entirely sure what team he plays for. “Er, well, it’s in the North and we play in blue…. Everton?”
December Fernando Torres scores a goal for Chelsea.
Epigram
27.1.2014
Sport
Editor: Hetty Knox
Editor: Jacob Webster
sport@epigram.org.uk
jacob.webster@epigram.org.uk sportonline@epigram.org.uk
Online Editor: George Moxey
@epigramsport
Oarsome student to row Pacific
Elsa Hammond
Hetty Knox Sports Editor On 7 June 2014, Elsa Hammond will depart from Monterey Bay, California to row 2,400 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. The University of Bristol student, studying for a PhD in English, is competing in the Great Pacific Race 2014, the first ever rowing race in the Pacific Ocean. Rowing solo and
unsupported, Hammond will be alone at sea for up to three months and will have to battle the elements - facing winds in excess of 30 knots and waves higher than 30 feet. This is the first ocean rowing race to attempt the largest ocean in the world, and the odds are high that the current world record for this course will be broken. Of the ten women who have ever rowed an ocean alone, only two have rowed the Pacific. Unlike the Atlantic,
these waters have not been tried and tested by many races. There are no engines or sails – instead, Hammond will rely on her own muscle to propel her 22ft long, 6ft wide rowing boat the 2400 miles to Hawaii. Born with a club foot, Hammond has not allowed this to be an obstacle to sporting success. The Pacific row will be another sporting accolade to add to a list that already includes rowing for her college at Oxford University, pole
vaulting at a national university level, sailing in the South Pacific and unicycling across England. Hammond is currently in training six days a week, and is focussing on strength training and increasing her muscle mass. Once her boat (which is being built is Devon) is ready next month, she will begin more intensive training on the water, putting into practice the skills she has learned in sailing and in theory-based navigation and meteorology courses.
The university has been supportive in her bid to tackle this challenge, from the top down to students at Clifton Hill House (where she is a senior resident) who have been really proactive with fundraising. Hammond has also been allowed to study part-time this year for her PhD allowing her to give a realistic allocation of time to her studies and to training. Hammond told Epigram, “It is sometimes overwhelming trying to fit everything it – training, fundraising, logistics, work and PhD – but the support I’m receiving is amazing. There is still a long way to go to get to the start line (and even further to the finish line!) but I’m confident that we will make it.” The race will be a gruelling challenge, particularly as Hammond will be rowing alone – the only solo woman from the UK in this race. She will have to deal with continued isolation and so will need to possess enormous self-motivation and perseverance during her months at sea. As well as this mental strength she will need to be completely self-sufficient taking her own food, supplies and water purifier. It is vital that she keeps her food and energy intake high as during a predicted 16 hour a day row, she will burn up to 8, 000 calories. The race will skirt just south of the ‘great Pacific garbage patch’, the most notorious example of concentrated plastic pollution in the world. This is not, as is often thought, a floating island of large pieces of plastic, but can instead be described as a plastic
‘soup’ made up of billions of plastic particles. These particles attract toxins, and are ingested by birds, fish and other marine life – over 250 species are known to have ingested or become entangled with plastic. Hammond is supporting the Plastic Oceans Foundation, a charity that works to raise awareness of plastic pollution in our oceans, and to combat the issue through a range of targeted solutions and projects. Plastic pollution is a problem on many levels, detrimental to the environment, world economy, and human health, and Hammond is keen to raise awareness of this issue through her blog and updates during the row, as well as in schools on her return. It is estimated that she will need to raise £100,000 in total through sponsorship and fundraising endeavours for the row to go ahead. Already using a range of social media to promote her campaign, she will be tweeting, posting and audio-blogging throughout the challenge (using Satellite connection when out on the Pacific). Her progress will be tracked by a satellite beacon which will upload her position to her website every two hours. Hammond intends to become the 11th woman in history to row an ocean alone, and in the process she hopes to beat the current world record of 99 days for this course. To find out more about this colossal challenge or to aid with fundraising visit www.elsahammond.com.