WesternEye monthly newspaper
I was first introduced to the Western Eye newspaper during the first couple of weeks into the third year course. This was a great oppurtunity for me to develop more skills in layout, & to be more proficient in Adobe Indesign. From my previous course there was a project based on a magazine layout and being quite honest. I was not happy with it. I feel like to prove myself if I started again. I started on the 2nd issue
This experience was a paid job in order to get these pages done. In order to get paid we had to file out a invoice form that was already made up.
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My first set of pages , was sent straight through via email. I really wanted to improve by each newspaper. We already had a layout in place.
content Halloween recipes (Stew and Cocktails) UWE SU ADVERT Cultural Origins of Halloween Bristol’s Most Haunted Mental Health Halloween Article A/W Trends Taylor Wessing photography prize
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Western Eye 10.13 – Issue 02
LIFESTYLE
Halloween: cocktails & stews Pre-drinks are a great way to save cash – make sure your drinks are full of Halloween spirits (in more ways than one)! KAYTIE MCFADDEN
assistanteditor@westerneye.net
Whether you want to splash out or save the pennies, there are many different Halloween related cocktails to try out. The ‘Zombie’ is probably the ultimate Halloween treat. My personal favourite (throughout the year, not just during October), it uses a few different spirits (three different types of Rum) so can be costly, but there are alternatives, which I’ll tell you about as we go along! The recipe as follows:
© Half fill your glass with ice (totally optional, it tastes good cold, but keeping the ingredients in the fridge means that it its refreshingly cold without watering down your drink! © Add one shot of white, one shot of dark, and one shot of spiced rum. (This is all good and well in a bar, but it’s totally pointless buying three different bottles of rum. So unless you’re classy and non-student-y enough to have a liquor cabinet then just stick with spiced rum, as it tastes the best.) © Fill almost to the top of the glass with fruit juice. I tend to use a combination of pineapple and orange juice for this, but a splash of cranberry never hurt anyone. I recommend using all three and counting it towards
your five-a-day. Then you’re not even lying when you tell your parents “yes, of course I’m eating lots of fruit and veg. Supernoodles? I don’t even know what they are!” © Adding a little grenadine and blue Curaçao right at the end is why it’s called a zombie. The red-coloured Grenadine sits on the top and the Curaçao sinks to the bottom, giving an ominous layering of blue, green, orange and red. Just try to resist the urge to stir it, it goes a horrible
combination is a luminous green coloured drink, hence ‘The Hulk’. It will even turn your tongue green, which is just adding to the zombie costume you’ve been slashing up clothes and spraying fake blood about to create. It’s the details that count!
SYNNE VANGEN
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brown colour. © 2/5 WKD Blue (obviously, WKD can be easily substituted for whichever blue-coloured alco-pop happens to be on sale at the time. For example, ASDA have a home-brand blue alco-pop which costs £1.70 for 70cl). © 2/5 Red Bull (or once again, whatever cheawper alternative you can find!) © 1/5 Vodka. The result of this winning
For a cheaper, but equally tasty Halloween cocktail try ‘The Hulk’:
“I’m Not A Witch, But I Cook Like One”
COCKTAILS RANDY CONNOLLY
This final recipe is particularly student-friendly, as it involves using the cut-away flesh of your beautifully carved pumpkins! Pumpkin Vodka!: © Cut the skinless pumpkin into 1inch cubes and bake in an oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. © Then add the pumpkin to your bottle of vodka. © Raid your flat’s rarely used spice collection to see if you have any cinnamon sticks or ginger, and add them if they’re available! © Put the lid back on and leave for a week at room temperature, shaking once a day. After that, strain out the solids. Serve with lots of ice!
I have a friend who is scared of Halloween. She is scared of the ghouls that parade drunkenly on Park Street, the small children that come to her doorstep asking her for sweets and the ghosts, ghouls and horror stories that are thrust into everyday life at this time. For me Halloween marks the start of Winter. I feel the need to have gloves and an umbrella in my bag just in case, and crave comfort food rather than just simple food. Around this time is when I start to feature broths and soups in my diet. A crock pot, electrical or the good old fashioned hob ones can last you a lifetime and are a worthy investment to your kitchen equipment for about £15. The recipe I’ll be making on Halloween to comfort my poor friend is an old school and chunky stew. My granny would be proud – and cheap considering how many portions (up to ten portions depending how greedy you and your friends are) you’ll be able to make for about £10. Also, plonking all the ingredients together over the stove makes it feel like you’re making a witches broth, or maybe that’s just me?
© Get around £5 worth of beef stew meat cut into 1 inch cubes and place on a layer of olive oil at the bottom of the crock pot whilst warming on the second lowest heat. © Get a pack of mushrooms and cut them in half and place on top of the meat. Trim a pack of baby carrots, whilst adding two large parsnips peeled and sliced lengthwise with two large onions roughly chopped. © Meanwhile, melt any three stock cubes of your choice in a bowl and a half cup of water. Add three tablespoons of tomato puree, two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, three smashed garlic cloves and the most generous addition of pepper you’ll ever sprinkle in your life. © Lastly three smashed cloves with around five small potatoes and a handful of frozen peas and sprinkle a tablespoon of cayenne pepper and ground allspice for luck. © Leave to gently bubble on the lowest heat for three and a half hours, stirring every twenty to thirty minutes.
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Western Eye 10.13 — Issue 02
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LIFESTYLE
Cultural Origins : Of Halloween
DAY OF THE DEAD SAM ANTONIO
MADALINA CIOBANU
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October is upon us, which not only marks the beginning of a new academic year and the settling in of the autumn season. It’s the month which includes one of the most popular holidays - Halloween. We all enjoy Halloween, with its frightening costumes, themed candy and spooky garlands, but how much do we know about this holiday’s origins? A contraction of ‘All Hallows’
By the beginning of the 20th century it became a widespread celebration, adopted by people of all social, religious and racial backgrounds Evening’ or ‘All Hallows’ Eve’, the 16th century Scottish-derived name ‘Halloween’ is celebrated on the 31st of October. In the liturgical year, this time marks the reminiscence of the dead, including saints and martyrs. There is an ongoing debate, sparked by some scholars’ belief that this holiday is a Christianized feast originating in the Western European harvest festivals and others’ who attest to its pagan roots. Believed to have strong Celtic influences, this celebration is closest linked to ‘Samhain’, a Celtic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, which marks the end of the harvest season and the
beginning of winter. It was seen as a homecoming feast of departed souls and spirits. However, harmful spirits were also believed to attend, which is why people took cautionary measures such as lighting bonfires in order to protect and cleanse themselves. In terms of Christian influences, Halloween falls on the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows’ Day, also known as All Saints’ (November 1st) and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd), thus becoming All Hallows ‘Eve. These three days are referred to as ‘Hallowmas’ and honor saints, proving as an opportunity of prayer for the recently departed souls that have yet to reach Heaven. All Saints’ was first celebrated in 609, usually on May 13th, but Pope Gregory IV suggested switching its celebration date to November 1st in 835. They became holy days of obligation across Europe by the end of the 12th century, involving customs such as church bell-ringing and ‘souling’, which involved the baking and sharing of soul cakes for all christened souls. This is believed to be the origin of trick-or-treating. The tradition of dressing up in costumes originated from the fact that All Hallows’ Eve provided a last opportunity for souls looking to gain vengeance on their enemies. In order to protect themselves, people would wear masks and costumes to conceal their identities. There have been suggestions that the popular jack-o’-lantern symbol originally represented the souls of the dead. In Britain, Halloween’s popularity diminished considerably with the appearance in 1605 of Guy Fawkes Night (November 5th), with only Scotland and Ireland keeping the celebration, as it had roots as
Harmful spirits were also believed to attend, which is why people took cautionary measures such as lighting bonfires in order to protect and cleanse themselves deep as the Middle Ages. We often hear the origins of Halloween attributed to the American culture, yet early 18th and 19th century North American documents give no mention of the celebration. It was actually the mass Irish and Scottish immigration of the 19th century that brought Halloween to North America, as the Puritans of New England maintained a strong opposition to it. Although strictly confined to immigrant communities at first, by the beginning of the 20th century it became a widespread celebration, adopted by people of all social, religious and racial backgrounds. The most well-known symbol of Halloween is the jack-o’lantern, which is traditionally carried while trick-or-treating in order to keep evil spirits away. In Ireland and Scotland the turnip used to precede the pumpkin, but North Americans use the pumpkin due to its size and softness, which makes it easier to carve. The year 1837 marks the tradition of pumpkin-carving associated with the harvest season and it only became associated with Halloween in the mid-to-late 19th century. Other elements are also viewed as symbols, such as corn husks and scarecrows - usually anything that depicts themes of death, evil and myth. In terms of color, this holiday is predominantly associated with orange and black. Halloween costumes are traditionally inspired from frightening characters or entities, such as ghosts, monsters, skeletons, witches etc. Dressing up in costumes and going ‘guising’ was a custom in 19th century Ireland and Scotland and didn’t reach the United States until early in the 20th century. Along with this started the commercialization of other types of costumes, those inspired from celebrities, princesses and popular movie/cartoon characters. ‘Guising’ or ‘trick-ortreating’ is customarily a children celebration on Halloween, when children go in costume from door to door, asking for treats such as candy, with the question of ‘Trick or treat?’ The ‘trick’ part is seen as a ‘threat’- if no treats shall be given, the homeowners face the possibility of mischief on their property. In terms of food, as Halloween is associated with the harvesting of apples, candy, caramel or
Western Eye 10.13 – Issue 02 taffy apples are famous treats. ‘Pangangaluluwa’, a local version In modern Ireland, the custom of ‘souling’, in which groups of baking a ‘barmbrack’ still of people perform a song in persists. This consists of baking exchange for money or food. In a fruitcake, into which a charm Singapore, the ‘Hungry Ghosts is placed. The lucky finder of the Festival’, a Chinese variation of charm is believed to find true Halloween is celebrated during love during the course of the lunar seventh month, when year. Other popular foods include supposedly hell opens its gates caramel corn, candy pumpkins, for spirits to re-visit their families. candy shaped like skulls, bats etc., Romania’s Halloween celebrations are centered on the myth pumpkin pie and soul cakes. Although these are the main of ‘Dracula’ and are held in the features, symbols and custom Sighisoara citadel, Dracula’s place celebrations of Halloween, as of birth, and these are just a few. Halloween’s origins have deep the holiday has spread around the globe, it has been personal- roots in today’s culture and sociized by different countries and ety, and you’ll be able to enjoy it civilizations. The Philippines on the 31st of October regardless still celebrates something called of whether you prefer traditional or modern festivities.
Bristol’s Most Haunted.. Places that you might want go (or avoid) on this years’ Halloween... OLIVIA GARNER
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Bristol is a historic city with roots that can be traced back to 60,000 years to the Palaeolithic era. It is now a modern flourishing city however many believe that this rich history may be the cause of some creepy occurrences in many sites around Bristol. Ghosts hunters, paranormal experts and even Yvette Fielding from the popular TV show ‘Most Haunted’ seem to think there may be some truth in the claims. Whether or not you believe in such things these historical buildings may be interesting to visit, read about or make a good scary story this Halloween. The Christmas Steps Bristol BS1 5BS The Christmas steps were built in 1669 funded by Jonathan Blackwell. It has had many names over the centuries including Lonsford’s stairs (after an officer died there during the English Civil War), Queen street and also Knyfesmyth street. As it was near to the harbour it is generally known that the Christmas steps was an area filled with bar’s and brothels but this is not the only interesting aspect to its legacy. There are also legends of ghosts that haunt the walk way including that of a Victorian female. Some have reportedly heard a person walking up the stairs behind them only to turn and see nobody there. Is it the old fashioned Victorian street lighting causing tricks or is this a true ghostly ‘hot spot’? The Hatchet Inn 27-29 Frogmore Street, Bristol, BS1 5NA The Hatchet Inn is a 400 year old pub dating back to 1606 situated in Bristol’s city centre. It is now a Grade II listed building and a hub of alternative nightlife
which in a sense it has always welcomed. It is supposed to have been a regularly visited place by pirates and later housed a cock fighting pit and bare knuckle boxing. Its claim to being one of Bristol’s most haunted places revolves around its rather creepy front door. Legend has it that underneath the black tar that coats it the door is covered with layer upon layer of human skin. It is also supposed to have a haunted basement – one can’t help but think that the basement and front door might be linked to the same unfortunate ghost? The Dower House Stoke Park Estate, Bristol, BS16 1AU The Dower House is a familiar sight for many getting the bus to Frenchay campus but many are unaware of its history or ghostly legend. It is now a Hotel and a Grade II listed building. The Dower House dates back to 1553 and was built by Sir Richard Berkeley. After 1760 it became the Dower House of the Dukes of Beaufort and their families. It is rumoured to be haunted by Elizabeth Somerset who was the 17 year old daughter of the fourth Duke of Beaufort. She went out riding, her horse was scared by a fox and she fell and broke her neck. Ever since there have been reports of people hearing horses hooves around the Stoke Park Estate when no horses have been in the park for many, many years. Also a ghostly figure of a woman in 18th century dress has been spotted who many believe to be Elizabeth. It was used as Stoke Park Mental Hospital from 1909 until 1988 and many report supernatural happenings within the main building itself which could, to believers, be attributed to deceased inmates of the old hospital.
Western Eye 10.13 — Issue 02
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LIFESTYLE
Mentally disadvantaged MENTAL HEALTH LUKE CARTER
representatives of the superstore or the inpatient?
SHONAGH POYNTER
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Picking a Halloween costume for some is the spectacle of the year. Why not out humour your friends by going as a used sanitary towel, because nobody has done that before? Maybe go as the zombie bride and blend in with all the other sad, lonely corpses jilted at the altar. How about that ‘mental patient’ costume in Asda and Tesco? Why didn’t I think of this before? Well, for very good reason presumably (hopefully! Recently, both leading brands Asda and Tesco released ‘psycho ward’ Halloween costumes. For around twenty pounds it included ragged clothing, a fake meat cleaver, pseudo blood and a jaw restraint amongst other charming features. It truly compromises the true horror! Not because the mental patient is universally feared nowadays alongside that girl with cystic acne who keeps giving you the wink in class and popping up out of hedges on your travels, but because whoever sat in a boardroom meeting discussing this proposal genuinely thought that this was a tremendous notion. Terrifying!
“Everyone will be running away from you in fear in this mental patient fancy dress!” Asda claimed. To say that this is an outdated perception of mental health is quite the understatement. If we’re travelling back to the 18th century and highlighting the entirely petrifying
(i.e. smashing those prehistoric stereotypes), then I shall skip the buzz of the mental health patient and eagerly wait for the homosexual costume to arrive in store. Failing that, I can only hope that they release ‘the black man’ or god forbid ‘the career – minded, independent woman’; because nothing is scarier than the female who opts for professional success over all the wonders that only a hubby and child - bearing entitles
to many. Significantly, depression affects 1 in 5 older people. And, of course, whilst albeit mental health is much more difficult to decipher compared to physical health in which can be observed and monitored more clearly, globally it is still a wholly relative concept; it is dependent upon time and culture what we view to be an a mental condition. For instance, up until shockingly recently, homosexuality was still
Tesco and Asda are suggesting that 25% of the country voluntarily drag an axe around to slaughter civilians with you to; why, they must have been deemed to be a mental illness and summoned by Satan himself. For was only decriminalised in 1967. The way in which it has been just £15.99, they’ll chuck in a free public stoning and witchcraft depicted suggests that each of these unique individuals, subject trial, too! So what really encapsulates to the wrath of any form of the present mental patient? mental disorder, are all categoriNothing. At least nothing relating cally axe – wielding, serial killers. to physical appearance anyway. Slight generalisation, I think so? As the term would suggest, it is Further statistics according to the inner workings of an indi- the mental health foundation, on vidual’s mentality that in fact the facts and figures surroundrender a person to be mentally ing mental health are alarming in ill and occasionally consequently how common it is to encounter. 1 sectioned. Even then, conditions in 4 people in the UK will experiare so diverse and numerous that ence some kind of mental health to encapsulate all of them into a problem in the course of the year. single body of costume is simply Subsequently, Tesco and Asda are impossible. Let alone taking into suggesting that 25% of the counconsideration the vast spectrum try voluntarily drag an axe around at hand; some conditions being to slaughter civilians with! What these supposed family far more severe than others. Vast magnitudes of people suffer from – orientated companies failed to mental impairments in which recognise is exactly just how many still allow them to carry out people they would be offending. their lives and perform phenom- That is not just to mention those enal things. Exhibit A: Stephen who themselves directly have to Fry, who openly talks about the endure a condition but all others depths of his bi – polar disorder. indirectly affected, of which have Exhibit B: Ruby Wax, whose inner worked so hard to challenge battles with depression is known the stigma surrounding mental
health only for these chumps to metaphorically dump all over their triumphs. What is this teaching children roaming around these supermarkets? Schools work incredibly hard to derive children of intolerant discrimination based on false stereotypes, whilst they’re then simultaneously being presented with this paradoxical image during shopping outings. Mental health is not entirely taboo in modern society, and certainly it is not as taboo as it once was, but that is not to say that it still doesn’t carry certain presumptions and negative attitudes in response to it. Merton coined the self fulfilling prophecy, in which highlights the dangers of labelling people; when a person is labelled as something, they begin to act up to the way in which they are perceived. Mental health patients thus may be quick to think that there is no point in them trying to get better on our accord, and that is utterly heartbreaking. Many have stated that this is a mass undoing of all of this hard work, while some have argued this to be a blessing in disguise. Issues of stigma are being publicly scrutinised and perhaps opening old wounds is a way of reminding people that it is still very much a problem we must face; rarely does an organic opportunity for fighting stigma arise. I can see both sides to this. However, the remarks I encountered made by everyday people on social networking reassured me that the majority similarly found it to be utterly repugnant. One of my absolute favourite replies on Twitter was a former inpatient who sent in a photo of her on her wedding day, glowing and happy. Similarly, other sufferers rivalled the cause by posting
pictures of them wearing t-shirts and jeans, just going about their daily business. Sure, both stores issued generic and ‘meaningful’ apologies along with a large charity donation. But realistically, the damage has already been caused. In some ways, we are so advanced as a culture. But sometimes it takes controversies like such to remind us that, despite the modern technological and scientific advancements (cue the flying cars!); we still have a long way to go in overcoming prejudices and social attitudes from the Dark Ages. If we’re going to make crashing generalisations, then I can only hope that mental health sufferers do not retaliate by dubbing all those who are supposedly sound of mind under the umbrella of the morons who delivered this product idea. The irony of the situation is that really the only ones who seem cognitively disadvantaged to me are the product designers at Tesco and Asda, whom are so evidently ignorant and insensitive towards the feelings of at least a quarter of the nation in which they are trying to sell products to. Market research? No? Maybe next time!
We still have a long way to go in overcoming prejudices and social attitudes from the Dark Ages
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Western Eye 10.13 – Issue 02
A R T S & FA S H I O N
A/W fashion trends
With the colder months closing in on us, it’s time to start thinking about your winter wardrobes. Fortunately, Bristol Fashion Week returned to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway once again to guide us on all of the hottest styles and trends for Autumn/Winter 2013. Held between the 25 – 29th JILL ALGER
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Bristol Fashion Week is the perfect opportunity to wise up on how to keep on-trend in the upcoming seasons. September and featuring 18 catwalk shows and a wide scope of brands. We were lucky enough to get press passes to the event, and having been wowed by the A/W collections of many high street brands, we have come to the conclusion that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to look amazing — great news for us students! There were several standout trends displayed in the show ready for the approaching months, so we thought we’d give you a heads up so you know what to look out for on your next shopping spree. There’s no escaping the cold weather, so we might as well embrace it and look good in the process.
White Winter
Animal prints
Winter Florals
There’s no denying that Autumn/Winter are the partying months, and there’s nothing quite as good as enjoying the festivities dressed from head-to-toe in as many sequins and glitter as one dress can hold. It’s the one time of year us girls can feel red carpet-worthy — so why waste the opportunity?!
IMAGE THE MALL CRIBBS CAUSEWAY
Another trend that is getting us jumping around with excitement for the festive season (despite it only being October) is the Winter Whites which are currently coating the stores like snow. White never fails to look elegant and stylish and let’s face it — who doesn’t want a white Christmas?!
Embellishment Tartan IMAGE BOB SINGLETON
One of the main trends that stood out on the catwalk was tartan. Whether that’s tartan trousers, blazers, or even kilts! This Autumn/Winter is all about channelling our inner Scottishness.
Red
If you’re a lover of all things floral then don’t panic — even though summer is becoming a distant memory, the catwalk has confirmed that we can continue to cloth ourselves in our feminine favourites. Just set aside the pastel colours and make sure they are darker and warmer in tone and you’ll be good to go.
IMAGE MISS SELFRIDGE
All Miss Selfridge, £TBC
IMAGE BOB SINGLETON
There’s no denying that Autumn/Winter are the partying months, and there’s nothing quite as good as enjoying the festivities dressed from head-to-toe in as many sequins and glitter as one dress can hold. It’s the one time of year us girls can feel red carpet-worthy — so why waste the opportunity?!
IMAGE JILL ALGER
There’s no denying that Autumn/Winter are the partying months, and there’s nothing quite as good as enjoying the festivities dressed from headto-toe in as many sequins and glitter as one dress can hold. It’s the one time of year us girls can feel red carpet-worthy — so why waste the opportunity?!
IMAGEWALLIS
Coat – Wallis, £99
IMAGEDOROTHY
Coat – Dorothy Perkins, £59
Western Eye 10.13 — Issue 02
23
A R T S & FA S H I O N
Huge look into the eyes of the prize winners The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize wows Bristol audiences
JILL ALGER
comment@westerneye.net
Following the success of the highly acclaimed Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 at the National Portrait Gallery, London, the exhibition is now showing its face in Bristol. Featuring 60 outstanding portraits of the works of some of the most talented emerging young photographers, established professionals, photography students and gifted amateurs, this exhibition is one not to be missed. Last year 5,340 submissions were entered by 2,352 photographers, all hoping for one of 60 places, and having run their course at the National Portrait Gallery, the chosen ones are now being displayed at Bristol’s M Shed. the world,” says Julie Finch, head of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives. “This will be the first time the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize has been seen in Bristol and I’m delighted M Shed is hosting this prestigious exhibition. Councillor Simon Cook, assistant mayor with responsibility for culture, added:
This is a rare opportunity to see the very best in contemporary portrait photography from around the world
Earlier in the year, five UWE Bristol photography students joined a group of 13 Young Curators aged between 18 and 25 from Knowle West Media Centre and Young Arnolfini, and helped to develop and market the exhibition for the Bristol Museum. The Young Curators informed the hang of the portrait prize and examined the effects of hanging photographs in different ways in terms of how they would be received by the spectator. This is a rare opportunity to see the very best in contemporary portrait photography from around the world,” says Julie Finch, head of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives. “This will be the first time the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize has been seen in Bristol and I’m delighted M Shed is hosting this prestigious exhibition. Councillor Simon Cook, assistant mayor with responsibility for culture, added: This exhibition captures famous faces as well as intimate moments and many of the portraits will leave the viewer wanting to find out more. Our thanks must go to the National Portrait Gallery and Taylor Wessing, sponsors of the competition. Our partnership with the National Portrait Gallery goes from strength to strength and having this exhibition – exclusive to Bristol - demonstrates the many benefits effective partnership working brings. Earlier in the year, five UWE Bristol photography students joined a group of 13 Young Curators aged between 18
and 25 from Knowle West Media Centre and Young Arnolfini, and helped to develop and market the exhibition for the Bristol Museum. The Young Curators informed the hang of the portrait prize and examined the effects of hanging photographs in different ways in terms of how they would be received by the spectator. The group also helped the Bristol Museum’s marketing services in order to help attract other young people to the exhibition. Art can often be brushed off as being ‘boring’ to the younger generation, but this is an event that has something for people of all ages and is truly eye-opening, regardless of your background or interests. Some of the members of the group also made audio recordings about the photographs that they felt had a meaning to them, which highlights the subjectivity of the pieces. Visitors will be able to listen to these audios via QR codes in the gallery using their smart phones. (M Shed). The Taylor Wessing
This is a rare opportunity to see the very best in contemporary portrait photography from around the world
Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 has been at M Shed since Saturday 20 July, and will run until Sunday 3 November, so make sure you check it out while you can. Visitors have a choice to pay what they think the exhibition is worth to them, payment is discretionary.
issue 2 summary
This was a really great experience, to work from the carefully planned out structure of the paper. I managed to work as hard as possible through using the pull quotes . There was quite a lot of mistakes that I made such as page 1. I should have made the arrangement better by setting the artiles on top of each other to give it more balance. The last page was a big mostake by accidently adding in the same quote line twice.
issue 3 November
My second paper. This issue I wanted to do the pages as fast as possible with accuracy and better judgement of layout. The last paper took far to long to produce and there are specifically set deadlines to when it must be done.
content Centrepage spread:World Cup Brazil Centrepage spread:World Cup Brazil Lifestyle: Christmas Advent Bolognaise Lifestyle: Lifestyle: Article SU Advert (½ Page) Tom Renhard Page
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Western Eye 11.13 – Issue 03
WORLD CUP BRAZIL
The Good, The Bad and quite possibly, The Ugly With the World Cup on the horizon, a debate has taken the football world by the scruff of its neck. The three articles on this spread will display the arguments for and against the event in order to help you answer the question – will it all be worth it?
Why the World Cup in Brazil will be a GOOD thing The World Cup is coming to Brazil. This will not only be a spectacle for football fans across the globe, but Brazil will see some great benefits from hosting the world’s biggest sporting event. WHERE THE WORLD CUP FINAL WILL BE HELD ESTADIO DO MARACANA
GEORGE GILL
sectioncoordinator@westerneye.net
Brazil, the most successful nation in the history of the game, are the f irst South American to host the world cup since Argentina in 1978, and it will be the f irst time they have ever hosted the tournament, remarkable given their World Cup pedigree. After achieving what was to be a winning bid for the World Cup in 2007, and then securing the Olympics in 2016, Brazil has been busy in creating the necessary infrastructure to host an eff icient and atmospheric tournament. Investment in infrastructure, which primarily means transport, will see roads, trains and other forms of public transport improve signif icantly and will see citizens of Brazil benef it in the long-term. Many jobs will be created for the World Cup and the Olympics, with current estimates at 3.6 million new employment opportunities. Businesses will also benef it. A recent report by Bloomberg pointed out that foreign investors are prof iting from publicly-traded companies connected to some infrastructure projects for the World Cup, particularly the building of stadiums. One particular construction company, which supplies concrete and scaffolding, has seen its stock price triple since 2010. Foreign Direct Investment will bring much growth to Brazil from
abroad. Brazil, one of the world’s leading emerging economies, will cement its place on the global stage if it successfully hosts the global tournaments. The tourism industry will increase dramatically as Brazil will be the focus of the world until the Olympics conclude in the summer of 2016. Brazilian culture will be projected the world over, as the Samba and carnival atmosphere will be infectious to all who watch. Recognised and important leaders in the sporting world agree that the tournament will bring a strong degree of prosperity and happiness to Brazil for both the World Cup and the Olympics. Jack Rogge, the current President of the International Olympic Committee gives reasons for why the tournament will be a success: “Public investments are for the long term,” Rogge said on a teleconference. “Public investments are not for the short term. It’s not for the two weeks of the Olympic Games or the month of the FIFA World Cup. “The investments are for generations to come — be it the metro, be it the bus line, be it improvements of the airport, be it improvement of the harbour. This will serve (the) community for a very long time.” Sepp Blatter, the Head of FIFA, agrees with Rogge’s views that the World Cup will bring prosperity to the people of Brazil: “In football,
the whole country gets the legacy,” he told the O Globo newspaper. “Football involves the whole country. The country improves airports, hotels, highways, telecommunications, and sustainability programs.” Blatter continued:
I can understand that people are unhappy. But football is here to unite people. Football is here to build bridges, to generate excitement, to bring hope. Brazil asked to host the World Cup. We didn’t force it on them. It’s obvious that stadiums need to be built but that isn’t the only thing in a World Cup: there are highways, hotels, airports and a lot of other items that remain as a legacy
An argument could be made that it will be cost too much money and the benef its will not outweigh the money spent to stage both the World Cup and the Olympics. Lessons
can be learned however from previous tournaments that were heavily invested in. The over-budgeted and complicated f inancing of the London Olympics in 2012 was for the most part completely justif ied, given the overwhelming success of the event. Not too many people are regretting hosting the Olympics, whereas many were sceptical of hosting it before the great event began.
A further argument that is often cited is that the event may only be benef icial for Brazilian national morale if they have a successful tournament. Of course, the pressure will be on, but they are the bookies favourite so they should certainly reach the semi-f inals and have a strong chance of winning the whole thing altogether. READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AT WESTERNEYE.NET
Facts and Details about the World Cup
Current Favourites (SkyBet) Estádio do Maracanã: 12th June – 13th July BELGIUM 14/1
ARGENTINA 11/2
ENGLAND 22/1
BRAZIL 100/30
SPAIN 11/2
GERMANY 5/1
Western Eye 11.13 — Issue 03
17
WORLD CUP BRAZIL
Why the Brazil World Cup will almost certainly be BAD for Brazil The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is set to be overshadowed by crippling debts, government overspend and huge economic disparity. in football’s prosperity. In Fortaleza, a £150 million stadium has been constructed whilst 130,000 of its citizens live in extreme poverty. With the expenditure
Over 1.25 million Rio de Janeiro citizens live in the slums on the hillsides of the city, overlooking the recently redeveloped Maracana stadium, built to the tune of £320 million. BRAZIL WORLD CUP PROTEST OF SUMMER 2014 ESTADIO DO MARACANA
Over 1 million Brazilians took to the streets during the Confederations cup GEORGE GILL
sectioncoordinator@westerneye.net
When the World Cup was awarded to Brazil in 2007, there was unbridled joy across a nation steeped in a rich football history. For FIFA, it is a PR opportunity like no other - taking football to where many believe its heart lies. For the worldwide football community, it is a chance to play on the biggest stage in a country that has the sport at the very core of its foundations. For spectators, the atmosphere will be a special one with global TV audiences around the world set to bask in the sun-soaked samba party of 2014. Since the awarding of the tournament in 2008, the costs of building stadiums, infrastructure and security have spiralled out of control, with the costs of building stadiums alone tripling in this time. Over £600 million has been put aside for security with £9 billion being spent on improving the infrastructure such as airports, roads and hotels. One of the many government commissioned studies into the economic impact of the World Cup showed that the Brazilian economy would be boosted to tune of between
£50 billion and £85 billion over a ten year period starting in 2010. There have been many critics of these studies however, criticising them for being politically motivated and questioning the validity of the claims that the World Cup could have such an impact on tourism. Jumping forward to South Africa in 2010, the organisers did not disclose the corresponding f igures in the aftermath of the tournament, despite previously stating that they expect to make £4 billion from tourism. With the Brazil tournament only a matter of months away, it is no surprise that many citizens are apprehensive when seeing these astronomical expenditure f igures. It is even more striking when the billion dollar f igures being discussed are set in stark contrast with the crippling poverty of Brazil’s infamous favelas. Whilst the organising committee will try to conceal the favelas by shining the spotlight on the multi-million dollar stadiums, only those blinded by the shimmer of FIFA’s golden showpiece could fail to sit up and question how the poorest Brazilians can suffer whilst the rich few revel
f igures being widely discussed in the media, it is unsurprising that there was such resentment towards the government in a country where over 20% of its citizens live below the poverty line. In the aftermath of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, there was much discussion about the amount of money spent by the organising committee on stadiums which went unused once the FIFA circus had moved out of town. The cost of the Brazil stadia is nearly three times that of South Africa and there are major concerns at the prospect
of several ‘white elephants’ being left across Brazil. In the sparsely-populated cities of Manaus and Cuiaba, there are no f irst division teams and therefore no club who could viably take over the stadium at the conclusion of the tournament. Despite this, the Brazilian government have committed over £150 million in each city to build brand new stadiums. It seems that the government have decided that the potential losses they may make on the spiralling costs of stadium construction and organising costs will be offset by the increase in tourism over a ten year period as well as the prestige that being the World Cup hosts brings with it. The answer is no. It is
But will the organising commitee turn a profit when the accounts are filed after the final ball has kicked? hugely unlikely that Brazil will feel any long-lasting benef it to hosting the biggest football tournament in the world. The real winners will be
FIFA who are likely to pocket over £2 billion by selling television rights, and £1 billion from advertising and marketing revenue. Whilst the common perception would be that all the money will be helping to line the pockets of Sepp Blatter and his team of fat-cats, in fact there will be many good causes who will feel the benef it of the swelling of the FIFA kitty. Whilst £1 billion of the revenue will be put towards the costs of hosting the tournament, another 70% of FIFA’s income will go towards community projects, particularly in Africa where football initiatives for low-income children are in place. It is a bitter pill for many Brazilians to swallow that so much is being spent on the tournament, and very little long term benef it is going to be felt especially with charitable funds not going back into their system. It will be the citizens who will be left to foot the bill. Whilst the eyes of the world will be f ixed upon Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium at the climax of the World Cup, it would be worth averting your gaze towards the Rio hillside where in the shadow of Rio’s famous ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue will be one million Brazilians too poor to afford food and water.
ONE OF THE MANY FAVELA’S IN BRAZIL JUSTIN KNABB
Shanty towns will be hidden away during the World Cup
READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE WESTERNEYE.NET
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Western Eye 11.13 – Issue 03
LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE — WESTERN EYE’S ADVENT CALENDAR
25 days of fun before Christmas! If you’re a Scrooge then do not read on. I do warn you though, Christmas is the best thing ever and you are uncool.
PHOTOGRAPH BY IDLEFORMAT
ERICA TOMS
lifestyle@westerneye.net
If you’re a Scrooge then do not read on. I do warn you though, Christmas is the best thing ever and you are uncool. Most of these activities are on every day (or some every weekend) in December, so make the most of Bristol this Christmas, before you head home. It’s probably a good idea to re-arrange this calendar. Sunday 1st: Start your Christmas shopping early. Being a student is not a valid excuse. There are many stores that offer generous student discount in Cabot Circus, such as Topshop/ Topman and House of Fraser! Also, Bristol is home to the UK’s longest
street of independent shops: Gloucester Road. Park Street also houses many boutiques, and the Victorian Clifton Arcade in Clifton Village has some of the city’s most unique shops. Monday 2nd: Knackered from yesterday’s shopping? Have a well-deserved break or if you’re truly dedicated, go Carol singing at your own risk… Tuesday 3rd: Starbucks “12 days of Christmas” promotion reaches its 3rd day: a FREE mince-pie when you buy any festive drink. Check out the offers of the other 12 days; including 50% of Christmas tumblers- perfect for uni or as gifts. I suggest you visit on these 12 days, not that I’m biased or anything…
s t a r b u c k s . c o . u k / promo/12-days-of-christmas Wednesday 4th: Decorate! I know we’re broke students, but you can f ind cheap decorations in supermarkets and cheap high-street stores, or even make some yourself... Thursday 5th: If you’re artsy and want to get involved for a good cause, make some Christmas cards! info.uwe.ac.uk/events/ event.aspx?id=15172 Friday 6th: It’s the last ever Christmas Last Orders at St. Matts before the July 2014 closure! Not one to miss. The bar crawl continues to Glenside until 11, then on to Frenchay. p i n v e n t s . c o m / event/179622372241576/ t h e - l a s t - e v e r- c h r i s t m a s - l a s t orders-at-st-matts Saturday 7th: For three days only (today, the 14th and the 21st) City Sightseeing Bristol are hosting the “Twilight and Illuminations Tour”; which is the open top bus tour, but at night! For those that love Christmas lights, hop on and take this evening tour. They even give you blankets and hot drinks which may be warmer than student housing. citysightseeingbristol. co.uk/public-trips/tickets.php Sunday 8th: Go Panto this Christmas! Cinderella is on at the Bristol Hippodrome, with cast members such as Louis
Spence and Suzanne Shaw. With matinee and evening performances most days, there will be time for everyone. Brilliant excuse to avoid any end of term coursework deadlines… atgtickets.com/shows/ cinderella/ bristol-hippodrome Monday 9th: Have a Christmas dinner. Organise it with your flat-mates and either head to a pub or nominate the best cook. Don’t forget the crackers and music. studentbeans.com/ s t u d e n t - m o n e y / a / how-to-cook-the-perfectchristmas-dinner2098.html Tuesday 10th: You might want to start planning your New Year’s Eve around now. Check out club websites and this link if you’re in Bristol. headfirstbristol.co.uk/ whats-on/new-years-eve Wednesday 11th: The f inal 2013 UWE’ Off icial Sports Night at Mbargos (Revolution continues until next week): u w e s u . o r g / e n t s / event/2405/ Thursday 12th: You can have today off Christmas celebrations (last night was a big one). Watch some of the best Christmas f ilms (see link) and chill out on the 12th day of Christmas. t o t a l f i l m . c o m / fe a t u re s / 5 0 best-christmas-movies If you’re a Scrooge then do not read on. I do warn you
though, Christmas is the best thing ever and you are uncool. Most of these activities are on every day (or some every weekend) in December, so make the most of Bristol this Christmas, before you head home. It’s probably a good idea to re-arrange this calendar. Sunday 1st: Start your Christmas shopping early. Being a student is not a valid excuse. There are many stores that offer generous student discount in Cabot Circus, such as Topshop/ Topman and House of Fraser! Also, Bristol is home to the UK’s longest street of independent shops: Gloucester Road. Park Street also houses many boutiques, and the Victorian Clifton Arcade in Clifton Village has some of the city’s most unique shops. Monday 2nd: Knackered from yesterday’s shopping? Have a well-deserved break or if you’re truly dedicated, go Carol singing at your own risk… Tuesday 3rd: Starbucks “12 days of Christmas” promotion reaches its 3rd day: a FREE mince-pie when you buy any festive drink. Check out the offers of the other 12 days; including 50% of Christmas tumblers- perfect for uni or as gifts. I suggest you visit on these 12 days, not that I’m biased or anything… READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE WESTERNEYE.NET
How to make a freeze-able and microwaveable Spaghetti Bolognese As students we receive an abundance of “Top 10 Helpful Hints” lists that are aimed at helping us make the most of our time SYNNE VANGEN
lifestyle@westerneye.net
PHOTOGRAPH BY SYNNE VANGEN
Often the best tips are gained just by asking around how people do things, I’m sure people f ind it odd when I ask what their normal Tuesday dinner is and how they make it, a prerogative of being keen on food and hopelessly nosy, but what I f ind is that people mainly keep it simple, very, very simple. Most students don’t dedicate a lot of time to cooking but not because they don’t want to. Mainly because they
don’t necessarily know where to start, having come from home cooked dinners without guidance on how they were made or simply just microwave meals. Whilst I ask around, what most people have for dinner is Spaghetti Bolognese. But not the good stuff, I’m talking half price Dolomio out of a jar with browned mince. Nothing wrong with that on a lazy Tuesday, but by investing in an ice cube tray and an evening of cooking a big batch of sauce – you’ll have sauce ready at the click of a microwave button. Here’s my proposition.
Bolognese sauces have become drenched in tomatoes, where in my opinion they should be creamy sauces that wrap into the mince – not overpower it by tasting like acidtripped tomato stew. READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE WESTERNEYE.NET
Western Eye 11.13 — Issue 03
19
LIFESTYLE
All about ‘The Ring of Fire’
‘King’s cup’, ‘Circle of Death’ and most commonly known as ‘Ring of Fire’, is (from experience) one of the most popular drinking games amongst students and other party-goers alike.
RING OF FIRE PHOTO BY WEIGLEN
ERICA TOMS
lifestyle@westerneye.net
Since pubs and clubs in reaction to the recession have increased drinks prices, the importance of hosting ‘pres’ or pre-drinking sessions has become the done thing. In fact, organising whose place to pre-drink at goes without saying when planning a night out. It allows us to buy cheap spirits, wine and beer in order to avoid high prices in pubs , clubs and bars and save our precious funds. Student loans
these days are also wasted on expensive taxis and the allimportant chips and kebab on the way home. Drinking games tend to originate from card games, which have been developed over the years and have been passed down from student to student and one of the best games ‘Ring of Fire’ itself causes some controversy with its rules. The majority of the student experience entails three years of being skint; so relying on (in the most unfortunate situations) Tesco’s value vodka and 18p lemonade is a life
saver when on a night out with housemates or attending a society social. This means that students spend longer predrinking so that they go out later and make it to the early hours of the morning, without spending too much money. Though the f inancial situation may have been the initial cause of this trend there are other perks. Having a large group of friends or people you don’t know well participating in such drinking games provides a real laugh and an opportunity to make new friends. Listening to loud music that people help themselves to on the chosen laptop, chatting and getting ready is sometimes the best part of the night. People from different parts of the country and different university’s all have their own versions. The game itself can be confusing when trying to play it when everyone thinks each card means something different. So here they are, from the off icial www.ringoff irerules. com website, are what seem to be the off icial rules on how to play. Get your deck of cards (without the jokers) spread them out face down in a ring around the King glass (a pint glass), go round in a circle of
at least 3 people and take it in turn to pick a card and watch the game unfold. It may also add some extra laughs to invest in comedic packs of cards. © Ace - Waterfall: Start with the card chooser, all must start drinking at the same time and mustn’t finish till the person next to them has. Somewhat like a Mexican wave of drinking.. © 2- ‘You’ The person picking up the card can choose someone else to drink. © 3- ‘Me’ The person picking up the card must drink. © 4- ‘Whores’ All girls must drink. © 5- ‘Thumb Master’: When the person selecting the card puts their thumb on top of the table everyone must follow and the last person to do so must drink. © 6- ‘Dicks’ All guys must drink. © 7- ‘Heaven’ Every time the person who chose the card points up into the air everyone must follow, last person to do so must drink. © 8- ‘Mate’ The person who selected the card must pick a ‘mate’. The chosen mate must drink every time this person drinks throughout the rest of the game. © 9- ‘Rhyme’ Do this
mini-game round in the circle. The person who picked the card says a word and then go round and each take it in turns to say a rhyming word. Get it wrong, repeat a word or get stuck for 5 seconds and you must be the one to drink. © 10- ‘Categories/ word association’ Same as with the ‘rhyme’ game but the person with the card must select a category eg- cars, bands ect.. each word MUST relate to the category. This is left to the discretion of the rest of the group, but if someone gets it wrong or hesitates too long, drink. © Jack- ‘Make up a rule’ Break it, or anyone else breaks it, drink. (Personal favourites include: no pointing and the ban of using each other’s names.) © Queen- ‘Question Master’ If the card chooser asks a question to anyone in the group and someone answers them they have to drink. © King- ‘Pour!’ the variety of drinks make for the better torture for the person who gets the last king who must then drink the mixed cup of drinks in the middle of the ring.
Moustaches throughout history and ‘Movember’ Movember is well and truly upon us. NATASHA MCGREGOR lifestyle@westerneye.net
For those of you who are still not completely certain what Movember is all about but are wondering about the swift increase in male facial hair; it’s a chance for men to raise money for testicular cancer by growing humorous beards and moustaches. And trust me, it can get absolutely absurd in some cases - the f irst time I met my boyfriend’s brother he was sporting a Hulk Hoganesque horseshoe monstrosity. Unfortunately I couldn’t comment on it because I was trying to make a good f irst impression. Thankfully I now know him well enough now to mock him for it, and we’re all very grateful it was only around for a month.
‘imperial’ style moustaches, not too large but requiring a decent amount of styling and grooming to achieve the look. They had special ‘moustache soup spoons’ manufactured to save embarrassing dinner time blunders.
Whilst facial hair is on our list of hot topics, I thought I would take this chance to chart the rise and fall of the ‘tache in our history. It hasn’t always been about jokes and raising cash for charity. The moustache has a variety of meanings and connotations too.
The politicial moustache
A symbol of class During the Victorian and Edwardian eras the style and standard of your facial hair was a symbol of your status. The working class had their big bushy beards (easy to maintain and convenient for keeping your face warm warmer in the winter). The more upper class you got, the more elaborate and time consuming your facial stylings became. For example, military off icers sported their ‘handlebars’ and
PHOTOGRAPH BY DRAKE GOODMAN
Sadly in the f irst half of the twentieth century the moustache was adopted by the power hungry, an association that has stuck around somewhat until now. Dictators such as Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini are now as easily recognised by their moustaches as by their faces, such is the power of the well-groomed ‘tache. These styles still to this day cannot be worn without judgement, and much care must be taken when shaving to avoid accidentally sporting a ‘Hitler’.
The 80’s - need I say more The ‘80s introduced the masses to Magnum PI, Lionel Ritchie, Freddie Mercury and many more who sported their own unique facial stylings. Some would describe them as an acquired and dated taste. I know that looking back they look like bad Halloween costumes (and who hasn’t worn at least one of these styles on a night out) but back then they were worn by the coolest guys around. My own father had his own version of the Magnum PI, which thankfully is no longer around. It was a good time for the moustache, where it enjoyed good press and good publicity on both the small and the silver screen.
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LIFESTYLE
Western Eye 11.13 – Issue 03
Cabot Circus Cardiac Arrest 2013 #goodbyestudentloan!!
The Cabot Circus Student Lock In proved to be a complete sell-out on Monday 14th October
PHOTOGRAPH BY FANPOP
vintage or of the indie crowd, I think it is fair to say none of lifestyle@westerneye.net us were disappointed by the night’s events. The student Happy hour (or perhaps I sell out flavors trended largely should say crazy hour) ran from on multiple pairs of Converse, 6-9pm and what seem like the Vans and Uggs as well as entirety of Bristol’s student Superdry prep-wear, shiny population flocked into Cabot leggings and skater skirts. Circus for the UK’s biggest It was easily done wasting shopping night of the year for 45 minutes queuing outside a ‘relaxing’ and student loan- the doors to beloved brands, depleting evening of retail however freebies and goodie bags def initely eased the pain therapy. While 6pm seems only too and impatience to break into early for a ‘lock-in’, students my student loan. The most popularly traded their SU and favorite Monday night antics in for the swamped stores appeared to Cabot Circus shopping centre, be those of Shuh, Topshop with Dubstep blaring from and American Apparel, of Vodka Revs who were camped whom offered not only great out in Urban Outf itters, discounts but goody bags and rounds of free vodka shots, and freebies that accompanied increased security as students this shopper’s paradise. To packed out the shop floor name but a few Cabot craving treats this included, glasses instead of the dance floor. The urgency not to miss out of champagne for the f irst 50 on the generously extended customers in Swarovski; 50% student discounts promised Off the total bill in Zizi’s with students one night only of up a special student menu for to as much as 50% off in some the night; free joining and big high street names such as starting training packs at The Urban Outf itters, Topshop, Gym; free screening of The H&M and even the unlikely Haunting in Connecticut 2 at up market kudos of Harvey the Showcase Cinema; 20% Nichols attracted snake lines double discounts in the fashof skint students. I don’t think ion capitals of New Look and I just speak for myself when I Republic and free vodka shots, reiterate how worth the queu- smoothies and DJs battles. It almost seems that the ing on a cold and wet Monday night was for the Brizzle swag timing of the Student Lock In was not accidental at the our NUS cards bought us. There was something for beginning of the new term. everyone in the young wave Whether you are fresher or of consumerism, whether your a senior you are drawn back style was more preppy, glam, into the city you have probably GEMMA DAVIS
been missing over the summer at home. Therefore, the saviour and liberator of either Student Finance or the bank of mum and dad, only serve to fuel our appetites to spoil ourselves in retail therapy. Especially because for most of us 20%, when we are used to the standard 10% discount, seems like a very good deal not to be missed especially when we are looking for money saving offers. However, whether we can really afford this big self indulgent retail spree seems beside the point; the fact that there are so many ‘discounts’ makes you dangerously tempted to spend more! So perhaps just one small word of advice for future reference, as tempting as it might be, try not to break the bank! If you were unlucky and missed this year’s Student Lock In, it will without a doubt return back next year around the same time and you can keep up to date on Twitter by using #studentlockin #bristol or Facebook. Be sure to save the date, and make sure you don’t miss out on what has been called ‘the biggest student event of the year!’ Let’s just hope we have all got enough dosh left to treat ourselves amidst looming deadlines to a bratwurst and baileys hot chocolate at the Bristol and Bath Christmas Markets this month… not to mention the horizon inescapable Christmas shopping!
Western Eye 11.13 — Issue 03
21
COMMUNITY & WELFARE REPORT
TOM RENHARD — VICE PRESIDENT A DETAILED UPDATE ON THE WORK SO FAR
Vice-President Community and Welfare Report
A detailed update on the work of Tom Renhard, your VP Community and Welfare over the year so far. TOM RENHARD
vpcommwelfare@uwe.ac.uk
It has been a busy period on the Welfare front over the summer and a very exciting time to be a Network! We have eleven new Networks setup that are in varying stages of development which is more than double the number of Networks setup last year. So far the most successful of the new Networks has been the Postgraduate Network with 42 members with more work being done to encourage student engagement in others. I am very excited to have been able to announce over the summer that Networks are now free to join which has seen membership in nearly every network rapidly increase. As way of compensating for lost income of members joining a pot of money for £3,000 has been secured that will be allocated on or around November 1st 2013 based on number of members in your Network. An additional increase in the main funding pot of £2,000 has also been secured to support greater Network activity throughout the year. Other things I have been involved in since being off ice:
the Networks stalls at the Freshers’ Fair as they were the best yet! All of you I managed to get around to speak to seemed to be enjoying yourselves and talking to lots of students, which is what the day is all about. I have been working closely with Campaigns and Communities Co-ordinator over the summer to ensure it was as good as it could be for all of you and look forward to gathering more feedback at the meeting.
Network Development
Over the last few weeks I have attended a number of Welcome Events for different Networks which have been extremely enjoyable and I want to congratulate each and every Network that has held one, whether I was able to attend or not as feedback has been extremely positive! Please send in your photos and some info about the events that were ran so we can upload them to the website and really shout about what the Networks are up to this year!
This year I am really keen to increase the prof ile of the Networks on campus and support the fantastic work you all do. As part of trying to better support Networks and based on feedback we have removed the training day that has existed for the previous two years and have instead been doing development meetings which has given us the chance to see how we can support your Network throughout the year! We have received largely positive feedback and would welcome any further thoughts you have on it. Let us know if you would like more of these to
I was very impressed with
Mental Health Campaigning
Over the summer I took part in a Time To Change (TTC) Village Event at the Harbour Festival to challenge Mental Health stigma and discrimination that is still very prevalent in today’s Society. I ensured the Union and the University became fully involved, with the Volunteering opportunity going out to over 17,000 people on Jobshop as well Accommodation as the staff of UWE. It was Looking towards the end hugely successful with over of this term I will be turning 1,300 ‘conversations’ taking my attention on the issue of place over the course of the accommodation which affects weekend. We also ran a Mental a huge range of students across the university and I am really Health Awareness week which keen to push for some changes has engaged with hundreds which include better provi- of students so far through sion and holding landlords to conversations, making inforaccount more fully. Over the mation available, selling cakes, summer we released a short giving out apples and inviting brief ing on what Landlords students to get involved in our must do with your deposit “What makes you happy” activ(http://www.uwesu.org/news/ ities (leaf on a tree/ boards/ a r t i c l e / u w e s u / Yo u r-Te n a n c y - interviews) to promote posiDeposit-Protection/). Please tive Mental Health and the let me know your feedback on importance of good wellbeing. other issues you would like me If your Network would like to at this year alongside a Rate support with campaigning on Your Landlord Campaign that any issue then please let me know so I can get fully behind is planned for next term. it and help to make it happen.
Welcome Events
Freshers’
help ensure that your Network achieves its full potential.
Community
As part of the work I am doing this year I am looking to strengthen the community side of my remit and as part of that increase and better support Networks being able to get involved in the local communities in and around our campuses. Please get in touch for support with community based projects this year! Keep up all the good work and get in touch with me for anything you need support with throughout the year and to let me know of all the fantastic things you are doing!
PHOTOGRAPH BY UWE STUDENT UNION
@VPCOMMWELFARE VPCOMMWELFARE@UWE.AC.UK FACEBOOK.COM/VPCOMMUNITYANDWELFARE
issue 3 summary
This issue was the fact that the content was so much to fit into the grid. I had to find different soloutions in order to get it just right. I was pleased with the time it took me to do these pages, everything else was fine. Apart from the images I might have had to scource myself as the dpi was very low. The double page was interesting to deal with . I managed to create that little chart on that right hand page. I thought it was a clear part of breaking up the text.
issue 4 Febuary
16
Western Eye 02.14 – Issue 04
G U A N TÁ N A M O B AY
COMMENT — OPINIONS & DEBATES
Guantánamo Bay 12 Years On KAYTIE MCFADDEN
Editor@westerneye.net
January 11th marked the 12th anniversary of the detention centre based within the US Naval base on the island of Cuba, but unlike most anniversaries it was certainly not a time for joyous frivolities and celebration. Guantánamo Bay ‘detainment and interrogation facility’ represents what many would agree to be the worst violations of human rights by a democratic state in recent history. The United States of America, the great democracy, who fought against British colonial rule in order to gain their freedom and created a democracy, a free state, where citizens have the vote and human rights and civil liberties. The very same United States which stands for FREEDOM for the majority of its citizens, committing such awful atrocities on their own doorstep. The fact that this facility is still open 5 years after the inauguration of President Obama, who promised to close the Guantánamo bay facility as one of his manifesto pledges, is a travesty in itself. In order to understand the complications which have been preventing the efforts to close Gitmo, one must understand the circumstances of its origins. George W. Bush started using the naval base to house suspected members of Al-Qaeda shortly after declaring his ‘War on Terror’. Before sending people there, he f irst ensured (through consultations with his legal advisors) that it was outside the legal jurisdiction of the US, and declared that inmates would not be covered by the Geneva Convention. The Geneva Convention states the treaties and protocols for both international law and the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war. Did George W. Bush believed that suspected terrorists do not deserve human rights? Upon arrival at Guantánamo Bay, detainees has been reportedly told by US military
intelligence off icers: There have been many reports of inmates detained within the facility being abused in many ways
You are in a place where there is no law – we are the law During November 2002, an FBI agent reported that a detainee had been in solitary conf inement for three months, with his cell perpetually flooded with light. By the end of November, the detainee was hearing voices, speaking to invisible people and spending hours crouched in the corner of his cell underneath a sheet. Although three months sounds like a ridiculously long period of time, in fact there have been Guantánamo prisoners who have been held in solitary conf inement for over a year, and one inmate, Othman Abdulraheem Mohammad, lived under florescent lights 24 hours a day for three years. This is pure psychological torture, and according to the CIA’s KUBARK manual:
Such techniques are able to induce regression, psychic disintegration, and feelings of helplessness that lower prisoners’ defences, goals which are consistent with the manipulation of the torture victim Essentially, the CIA encourage psychological torture as a method of lowering a suspect’s defences with the aim of extracting information. On one occasion, Donald Rumsfeld, who was the Secretary of Defence at the time, gave his approval to keep a detainee sleep deprived for 50 days, during which time the prisoner was allowed to
sleep for no more than four hours per day, between 7am and 11am. There have also been reports of flashing strobe lights on for hours at a time, extremely loud music or white noise being played through six speakers arranged close to the detainee’s head for approximately 12 hours, whilst being shackled to the floor by his hands and feet. Sami Al-Laithi was an Arabic and English teacher at Kabul University. The following is an account of his physical torture in Guantánamo Bay as published by the Centre for Constitutional Rights in their 2006 report on the treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay: ‘Mr Al-Laithi is not, and never has been, an Islamic extremist... He opposed the Taliban, because he believes in democracy, freedom, and open elections... Though a healthy man when taken into U.S. Custody, Mr Al-Laithi is now conf ined to a wheelchair with two broken vertebrae. He attributed his current inf irmity to severe beatings that he received soon after arriving at GTMO. “Once they stomped my back,” Al-Laithi wrote [in an aff idavit f iled recently with the district court], “an MP [military police] threw me on the floor, and they lifted me up and slammed me back down. A doctor said I have two broken vertebrae and I risk being paralyzed if the spinal cord is injured more.’ So,
psychological
torture
ART MAKES ME SMILE GUANTANAMO PROTESTER
and physical torture so far. There are also widely documented reports of waterboarding, rape and sexual abuse including smearing men with fake menstrual blood, religious humiliation and interference with religious practices, the withholding of medical care and the giving of unnecessary medical care such as the amputation of limbs. Being detained within Guantánamo Bay and being subjected to this sort of treatment, it is no wonder that in the f irst year and a half of its opening, eighteen individuals attempted suicide a total of 28 times. In 2003, there were 350 ‘acts of self-harm’ including 120 attempted suicides by hanging. In August 2003, 23 prisoners attempted a mass suicide. Since the mass suicide, attempted suicide
attempts have become even
more frequent. The behaviour of the guards at Guantánamo Bay is obviously out of control – but seen as acceptable to them, so approved by someone higher up than them surely?! This is illustrated below: ‘The force used by the IRF [the specially trained ‘Immediate Reaction Force’mainly in charge of the torture] is illustrated by an injury sustained by an American soldier who was ordered to act as a prisoner in a “training” exercise. Because the guards believed they were restraining an actual prisoner, not a U.S. soldier, they used the force regularly used against prisoners, slamming the soldier’s head into the
Guantánamo: The facts 23 detainees participated in an attempt at mass-suicide in August 2003
An estimated 17 to 22 minors were detained
The yearly cost for one Guantanamo prisoner is about $800,000.
AKA: Gitmo or GTMO
Since January 2002, 779 men have been brought to Guantanamo Bay’s detention camps
Opened : 11th January 2002
Campaign : closeguantanamo.org/
Western Eye 02.14 — Issue 04
floor and grinding his temple into the steel. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and now has epilepsy, with up to 12 seizures a day. The U.S. military reports that the video of this episode is “missing”.’ So what must one do to be taken to Guantánamo Bay? Well, you must be classed as an ‘enemy combatant’. Named after Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defence between 2001-5, the Wolfowitz def inition of an enemy combatant is very vague:
Bay since its opening in 2002, only two have faced trial so far. There are currently 171 prisoners remaining, a large proportion of whom have been cleared for release, but are being prevented due to bureaucratic procedures. Shaker Aamer is one such detainee. He is a British man who has never been charged with a crime, and yet has been conf ined in Guantánamo Bay since 2002. He was declared as innocent and cleared for release in 2007, and again by Obama’s administration
an individual who was part of or supporting Taliban or al Qaeda forces, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the U.S. or its -coalition partners. This includes any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported hostilities in aid of enemy armed forces Under this def inition, it is surprisingly easy to be categorised as an enemy combatant, in fact, Before a federal judge, the U.S. government conceded that, under the Wolfowitz def inition, a “little old lady in Switzerland” could be held as an enemy combatant if she – unknowingly – donated funds to a charity that funnelled the money to Al Qaeda. Of course, it is not so easy to get out as it is to get in, regardless of innocence or guilt. Although 750-800 men have been detained in Guantánamo
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G U A N TÁ N A M O B AY
in 2009 but due to political squabbling in the US, he is still being held there, whilst accepted as innocent, in that hell-hole. Many believe that Shaker is being held in an attempt to keep control over what he says about the treatment of prisoners there. He has fought hard throughout his detainment for fairer treatment of inmates and has witnessed many atrocities whilst in GTMO. According to a former Guantanámo detainee “He was always forward, he would
translate for people, he’d f ight for them, and if he had any problems in the block he’d shout at the guards... until he would get you your rights. And that’s why he’s still in prison... because he’s very outspoken, a very intelligent person, somebody who would f ight for somebody else’s rights.” He is outwardly critical of the acts of the U.S government – in an article published by the Guardian which Shaker dictated to his lawyer, he said of the Americans: “when they kill a small child with a drone missile in Pakistan, or when they lock people up without trial in Guantánamo Bay. These actions are very unwise, too. They anger people who might before have been reasonable, so that more of them turn to extremism. They feed terrorism, just as once the denial of legal rights to those suspected of being Irish terrorists drew disaffected people to the IRA banner.” His lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith said that as Shaker is so eloquent and outspoken about the atrocities committed within Guantánamo bay he is viewed as a threat by the US, as he is an individual who can very eloquently criticise the nightmares which happened there. Obama declared that he would close the prison within one year of reaching off ice. As he was inaugurated into the off ice of the President in January 2009, Guantánamo
Of the 550 [detainees] that we have, I would say most of them, the majority of them, will either be released or transferred to their own countries . . . Most of these guys weren’t fighting. They were running.” – Brigadier General Martin Lucenti
Bay should have been closed down two years ago. His plan was initially that it would close on 22nd January 2010, and ordered that the prisoner’s f iles should be examined in order to decide whether they should go on trial or not. However, there were no comprehensive f iles, and so compiling the evidence would be time consuming. Work then started on accumulating the evidence necessary to trial detainees. The Final Report released internally on January 22nd, 2010 by the Guantánamo Review Task Force (but only publically released May 28th 10) recommended the release of 126 detainees to their home state, 36 to be prosecuted in court, either federal or military, and 48 to be held indef initely under the laws of war, although bear in mind that they weren’t originally detained in accordance with the laws of war or treated in accordance with them. However, on Jan 7th 2011 Obama signed a bill (the Defence Authorisation Bill) which prevents the transfer of Guantánamo detainees, and therefore prevents the closure of the prison. Obama’s further move of adding his signature and approval to the ‘National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2012’ on December 31st 2011 extends and prolongs the ban on the transfer of prisoners, it also makes it practically impossible to transfer the 88 men who have been cleared for release to their home countries. Wikileaks released documentation from Guantánamo Bay dating between 2002 and 08. Here are two case studies of imprisoned men being tortured so severely that they
gave unreliable information: Abd al-Hakim Bukhari (ISN [Internment Serial Number] 493), a Saudi imprisoned by al-Qaeda as a spy, who was liberated by US forces from a Taliban jail before being sent, inexplicably, to Guantánamo (along with four other men liberated from the jail) is regarded in the f iles as a member of al-Qaeda, and a trustworthy witness. Abd al-Rahim Janko (ISN 489), a Syrian Kurd, tortured by al-Qaeda as a spy and then imprisoned by the Taliban along with Abd al-Hakim Bukhari, above, is also used as a witness, even though he was mentally unstable. As his assessment in June 2008 stated, “Detainee is on a list of high-risk detainees from a health perspective … He has several chronic medical problems. He has a psychiatric history of substance abuse, depression, borderline personality disorder, and prior suicide attempt for which he is followed by behavioural health for treatment.” Guantánamo Bay is an abomination of a place – the total disregard and abuse of basic human rights is a disgrace. A disgrace to Bush for initiating it, Obama for failing to shut it down, the individual guards for taking part in such cruel and degrading treatment of prisoners; and also a disgrace to us. For us allowing this facility to exist, for not using our voices to shout about how wrong this is, for forgetting about the 158 poor individuals who are still living in such awful conditions.
Guantánamo: The facts In 2013, 103 detainees went on a hunger strike as protest. Fortyone were force-fed through tubes running into their noses down to their stomachs.
British citizen Shaker Aamer is still being held seven years after being declared innocent
In June 2007, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised, “We’re going to close Guantanamo.”
In 2003, there were 350 reported incidents of ‘self-harm’ by prisoners. 120 of these were attempts by prisoners to hang themselves.
9 men have died in the prison camp and the Department of Defense declaires six were suicides
Pentagon files released by Wikileaks state that at least 150 prisoners were completely innocent Afghanis and Pakistanis.
Released detainees claimed that waterboarding, sexual humiliation, and forced drugging were used on prisoners
As of January 14 2013, Guantanamo Bay’s detention camp remains open with 158 detainees.
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Western Eye 02.14 – Issue 04
MU S I C A N D E N T E R TA I N M E N T
The top 5 albums of 2013
Phil Mansell looks back on 2013, and gives the Western Eye his top picks
KENNY SUN THE ARTIC MONKEYS
808s and Heartbreaks sounding ‘Guilt Trip’. The album is really def ined by two songs – ‘New Slaves’ and the ‘Blood on the Leaves’. On the former, 1/ Arctic Monkeys – ‘AM’ West is at his controversial, visceral best, taking aim at corporations and the prisonAM is an obvious choice industrial complex of modern for album of the year. It is a America. It also features one record made by a band at the of the best verses of recent height of their powers, show- years. ‘Blood on the Leaves’, casing the full spectrum of a six minute epic, juxtaposes their musical repertoire. A the dense beats of TNGHT perfect blend of all of their with Nina Simone’s rendition previous records, AM journeys of ‘Strange Fruit’. Love him between Sabbath-esque riffs or hate him, in Yeezus Kanye on ‘Arabella’, heartfelt croon- West has created the f inest ing on ‘I Wanna Be Yours’, and hip-hop record of 2013. hip-hop beats in ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’. Album opener ‘Do 3/ Arcade Fire – Reflektor I Wanna Know?’ is possibly the single of the year, and stands at the pinnacle of a truly outstanding collection ‘Reflektor’ is another fantasof songs. AM is also a natu- tic album from a truly fantastic ral progression from 2011’s band. The album is a slight Suck it and See, showing an departure from their previincreasing level of maturity ous releases, with a distinct without ever losing the sense dance feel. However, it is still of fun that pervaded their a quintessentially Arcade Fire early records. Case in point album. It is also the sound is the glam-stomp of ‘Snap of a band at the peak of their Out of It’ which, if done badly powers, entirely unconcerned could have been disastrous. It with how they are def ined or wasn’t. Arctic Monkeys were viewed. It shows a band that the def ining band of the 2000s. whilst lyrically still asking They could be the def ining weighty questions, have develband of this decade, too. oped to a stage where they can seemingly expand their musical repertoire at will, whilst 2/ Kanye West – Yeezus remaining true to their own original style. It’s also an album which could drive the band on to headline Glastonbury 2014, In 2013, the most divisive and to win another Grammy. and enigmatic character in If either of these predictions music today returned with come true, then remember his sixth record, Yeezus. It where you read it f irst. is an album which once again solidif ies Kanye West as the undoubted king of hip-hop (or 4/ M.I.A. – Matangi as he’d prefer to be called, ‘a God’). Due to its wide array of production talents, the album has an eclectic range; from Whilst the more overtly the Daft Punk produced spiky political songs on this album electro of ‘On Sight’ to the are not entirely successful PHIL MANSELL
(‘aTENTtion’, apparently ‘Y.A.L.A’ and ‘Bring the Noize’ influenced by Wikileaks’ are sonically light-years ahead Julian Assange) the passion of the competition. Whilst which M.I.A imparts on this praise must be given to those work ensures that it stands in charge of production of the alone in both its message and album (such as Switch and the its sound. The lyrics are witty Partysquad), it is upon their and sarcastic as ever, referenc- beats that M.I.A leaves her ing Drake and the SuperBowl indelible mark. incident and ‘Come Walk With Me’ is as close to a love song as M.I.A has yet come. The 5/ Drenge – Drenge album truly comes into its own when M.I.A sidelines the politics of the album in favour of beats. Parts of ‘Warriors’ The self-titled album from sounds like the song Rihanna grunge two-piece Drenge is has been trying to make for one of the most exciting debut the past 2 or 3 years, whilst albums in recent memory. It is
music@westerneye.net
by no means a perfect album but revels in its imperfections, a carefree attitude which is largely absent in modern music. ‘Bloodsports’ is one of the best songs of the year, its 2 and a half minute length representative of the album as a whole; short, sweet and heavy. The f irst half of the album is absolutely relentless, with no respite from huge, crunching riffs. Hopefully this album is a sign of things to come. Drenge, along with other new bands such as Savages (whose debut ‘Silence Yourself ’ follows a similar vein to Drenge), could be the future for British rock music.
“It was very superficial, my dear Watson, I assure you” Two years after THAT fake death, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman returned to delight us once more with the return of the BBC’s Sherlock. But how has it become so popular? BY CHAY1288 SHERLOCK HOLMES
SOPHIE SEDDON
assistantmusic@westerneye.net
When I visited a close friend in Devon for a week in my f irst year at UWE, I took Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles as my reading material. I absolutely loved the book, and it certainly kept you on your toes. However, I didn’t pick it up to read because I’m half an English Lit student, but rather because I’d fallen in love with Benedict Cumberbatch’s enigmatic and strangely likeable oddball of a Sherlock, tamed by the ever-reliable and kind Martin Freeman’s John Watson. Not even Robert Downey Jr. could defeat the tall, dark and handsome Englishman who was previously known for his role as the rapist in Atonement… maybe a sociopath was the next logical step? BUT: What has made this version of Conan Doyle’s intensely bizarre anti-hero so popular in its third series? Maybe it’s because Cumberbatch is serious man candy. Those laser blue eyes, smoldering stare, the luscious, thick, crazy black locks, or THAT Belstaff coat. Or maybe it is Martin Freeman’s Dr. John Watson, and his amazing ability to f ind poetry in the average man. Freeman’s ability
to play the average Joe in all of his starring roles makes us love him that little bit more. MAYBE it’s the array of stunning co-stars? Their odd traits and loveable characteristics make the characters seem like people we would know. Louise Brealey and Amanda Abbington are the most outstanding support cast. Abbington, playing Mary Morstan, Watson’s future wife and Freeman’s real life wife, is fabulous. She’s chatty, charismatic, witty, a heroine with bite who’s incredibly likeable from the word go. All the female characters are strong, powerful women who are ambitious, loyal and feisty. They have capabilities. Ok, maybe not Irene Adler’s near beheading, but mostly. But is it the clever writing style, sharp and clever, which attracts us most? The pace of the series has to be quick, with only three episodes to harbour a lead story arc. This allows for tension, plenty of plot twisters, plenty of action for us to follow, and a host of interesting characters to entertain our interests further. The episode ‘The Sign of Three’ proved this. Though Sherlock demonstrates a lack of humanity and understanding towards love or marriage, his best man’s speech was tearjerking. An unconventional
and moving tribute to his friend, which suggested that even Sherlock can pack an emotional punch when required. Of course there was a murder case to be solved (wouldn’t be much of a detective story if not). The New Year’s Day opener ‘The Empty Hearse’ intrigued fans with THREE potential possibilities of how Sherlock faked his ‘demise’. The near kiss between Holmes and the monstrously bizarre Moriarty was a clear nod to those who’ve followed the tale from series one, with fan f iction rife on the internet. It was also fabulous to see John Watson losing his rag at Sherlock and punch him, rather than faint. The sliding motions of the scenes as Watson went in for physical assault time after time was funny, and taken well by his counterpart. A true delight was an intoxicated Holmes staggering around a flat for a client and vomiting on the carpet, getting arrested for it, and having to be bailed out of jail by Lestrade. Seeing Sherlock off his high horse is something this series has thrived on, proving that when the time calls, Sherlock Holmes is just human after all.
Western Eye 02.14 — Issue 04
MU S I C A N D E N T E R TA I N M E N T
14 Films to watch in 2014
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BY WARNER BROS THE HOBBIT DESOLATION OF SMAUG
Orange Wednesday, 02 two for Tuesday or film Friday! JAYDE SMYTH
music@westerneye.net
When your loan’s run out, and you can’t afford a night at Thekla, the cinema seems like the best option when you’re sitting in feeling sorry for yourself. So here’s the top 14 f ilms to spend your spare change on this year. 14 – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The f ilm autobiography of the late Nelson Mandela released earlier this month and directed by Justin Chadwick. It’s received pretty good reviews from both critics and audiences alike. A touching tribute to a truly inspirational man. 13 – Robocop. Starring Gary Oldman and Joel Kinnaman, this action thriller sees Alex Murphy undergo a transformation to part-man part-robot in the year 2028 after being critically injured in the line of duty. If guns and robots are your thing, this f ilm will be perfect. 12 – 12 Years a Slave. This
Music and entertainment editor Jayde Smyth predicts this year’s biggest blockbusters f ilm is a must see if you believe the reviews from critics across the country. Steve McQueen directs this heartbreaking f ilm which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup who is captured and enslaved in 1800s. Def initely worth breaking the bank to go see this one after it’s early January release.
09 – The Book Thief. Book lovers rejoice! Sophie Nelisse and Geoffrey Rush star in the adaptation of an international best- selling novel of the same name. Released on 31 January, the novel follows the life of spirited Liesel who becomes obsessed with reading whilst living with her foster family during WWII.
11 – The InBetweeners Movie 2. Our favourite awkward foursome comes back for their second lads holiday where they embark on an adventure down under this time around (pun intended?). Not much information has been released yet, but it’s guaranteed to have the cinema in stitches.
08 – Malef icent. Angelina Jolie stars as Disney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ antagonist Malef icent. It’s understandable that most people are weary about the quality of this f ilm as the adaptations of some of Disney’s best loved f ilms haven’t been massively successful. However, I am excited to see Jolie step into these dark shoes this summer
10 – Noah. A Biblical adaptation of Noah’s journey, Russell Crows stars in this apocalyptic American epic. This f ilm also sees the return of on-screen partnership of Emma Watson and Logan Lerman after The Perks of Being a Wallflower. A great alternative to typical blockbusters.
07 – The Fault in Our Stars. Another best-selling book takes to the screen this year with the adaptation of John Green’s young adult novel. The story follows two young lovers with terminal illnesses. Honestly, get your tissues at the ready, you will need them.
06 – X-Men – Days of Future Past. Marvel are going a bit nuts this year, as they are releasing f ilm after f ilm. However, the X-Men franchise is getting better with each f ilm. Starring Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, James McVoy, Ian McKellan and of course Hugh Jackman, comic book fans will be lining up at the end of May. 05 – Godzilla. It seems to be a trend this year to remake old classics, however the trailer for this f ilm looks intense. I’m sure modern CGI will make this dinosaur f ilm more terrifying that cheesy. Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars this May. 04 – The Wolf of Wall Street. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this critically acclaimed adaptation on the life of Jordan Belfort. It’s received fantastic reviews in the states, perhaps this is Leo’s chance at an Oscar at last? 03 – The Amazing Spiderman 2. The trailer for this Marvel sequel is truly amazing. Best loved superhero Peter Parker/Spiderman
returns to face his f iercest foes yet. Set to be action packed, real life fan boy Andrew Garf ield looks to be having a ball in this tight red and blue spandex suit. 02 – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. The f irst part of the last book in the sensational trilogy and Jennifer Lawrence has already captured the hearts of every viewer as the rebel leader Katniss Everdeen. The war has begun after the explosive ending of Catching Fire and the f ilms just keep improving. It’s a long way off the release date, but it’s certainly going to be worth the wait. 01 – The Hobbit: There and Back Again. If you’ve seen the Desolation of Smaug, does it really come as surprise that the f inal instalment of the trilogy is this student newspapers must see f ilm of the year? Martin Freeman stars for the last time as lovable Bilbo Baggins on his adventure away from the Shire. December is too far away for this fantastic concluding f ilm.
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MU S I C A N D E N T E R TA I N M E N T
Western Eye 02.14 – Issue 04
McBusted
What do you get when you combine Busted and McFly? Cheese-pop heaven!
OFFICAL LOGO MCBUSTED
PHOEBE FROST
music@westerneye.net
Earlier this month, teenage girls’ screams could be heard all over the UK when two of our favourite boybands announced that they were coming one for one giant unforgettable tour. Busted and McFly are forming; McBusted. As I’m sure all 18+ girls will agree, Busted bring back memories of walls covered in posters, f irst concerts, crushes and cheesy pop albums. From 2002 – 2005, Busted dominated the music charts, scoring 8 top-ten singles and 4 number ones. Although their f irst selftitled album barely scraped the
top 30, their second album ‘A Present for Everyone’ reached number 1 in 2003, selling over 1 million copies. When the band split in January 2005, it broke the hearts of young girls all over the UK. Charlie Simpson and James Bourne went on the form ‘Fightstar’ and ‘Son of Dork’ separately and Matt Willis enjoyed a brief solo career, but apart from that, we haven’t heard much of our favourite skater lads. When Busted split, McFly were there to pick us up and are still making catching, cheesy but amazing pop to this day: celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Forming back in 2003, the band have enjoyed similar success to Busted,
their f irst album ‘Room on the Third floor’ debuted at number 1 back in 2004, being certif ied as double platinum. The band has also won countless awards, including a BRIT in 2005 for Best Pop Act. So why is the new tour such a big deal? Is it really the bringing back of all of our childhood memories or just PR done well? The tickets for the McBusted tour sold out in minutes of being released on 18th November, starting at a small price of £35. Fans now face paying triple or even more than that for secondary tickets, some being priced at a jawdropping £250. This is mad when you think that, beloved or not, we haven’t actually heard anything from Busted in 10 years, and the music scene has moved on a lot since then.
They recently announced they would be headlining Hyde Park next year supported by ultimate 90s boy band ‘Backstreet Boys.’ Some could ask, is there really a place for them? With boy bands such as Lawson and Union J dominating the charts and One Direction basically dominating the world, the McBusted tour could be seen as a bit old fashioned; even if McFly are still releasing singles now. You’ve got to remember, even if boy bands such as Take That have been fortunate enough to have an amazing comeback, the McBusted boys are now in their late-20’s; making them a lot older then bands such as One Direction. Will they really target the notoriously faithful teenage girl bracket whose loyalties lie
with today’s bands? But maybe that’s not what they want. I would have loved to have got a ticket for the McBusted tour but, as an unorganised student, I don’t have the funds or the ability to realise they were even on sale. Part of me was a little devastated when my flatmate told me he had secured his ticket for next year. I think this is who the bands are targeting their reunion at: older teenagers and people in their early twenties who remember going mad for them all those years ago and danced and screamed to their songs at their primary school disco. I’m not ashamed to admit that I, still to this day, know all of Busted’s songs off by heart and I can’t wait to watch videos of their tour next year.
Mallory Knox the Power Out
@ The Fleece 22-11-13 MATT BRYAN
music@westerneye.net
This sell out night must be one of the most anticipated Bristol gigs of the year, with people beginning to queue hours before the venue even opened. Snaking down both sides of the building the tension outside was already beginning to build an hour before the doors were to open. As people began to slowly dribble in the f irst band, Crooks, kicked off the night with an eruption of sound. A very atmospheric and passionate band, which certainly welcomed everyone to the venue. Next up, Blitz Kids steered the music back into a more pop/rock direction. With very catchy riffs and an uplifting feel good vibe they began to slowly warm up the quite cold and rigid crowd. Probably still defrosting from queuing outside for so long. Playing songs from their
new album due to be released with the crowd with a free in January, their smartly writ- flow of energy between them. SAM COCKMAN MALLORY KNOX THE POWER OUT Going on a rollercoaster of ten and beguiling lyrics seemed stronger than ever. to unfortunately wash over pace with the next three songs Oceans, the crowd was at an was the crowd, which was clearly Mallory superbly went through all time high. But, just as they Winning the sympathy of the conserving their energy for the heavy and popular track of got to the pinnacle point at the crowd, their second attempt the much anticipated Mallory beggars into the relaxed song start of the song, the power at the song Oceans was even 1949. A move that worked cut out leaving the crowd in more effective. Knox. Flying into the next song, The time had come. Mallory wonders with the crowd, with dismay as people began rushsuitably named, Resuscitate, Knox f inally made it onto people reaching out to touch ing about to f ix the issue. Dave on drums quickly everything started coming stage. There was a cascade of the band members Mallory took to action entertaining back to life, full sound and noise from the crowd, which continued to play superbly. The third song of the roll- the crowd with a drum only light systems back online. was soon met by their f irst track, Hello. With a beauti- ercoaster was the heavier track version of We Will Rock You by They really had resuscitated ful snare roll this aptly named Wolves. Which is a catchy and Queen. It seemed he inspired to a new level. If anything, track worked perfectly as their brilliantly developed song. I the crowd, who took lead to the power cut had done them introduction. Already people couldn’t believe how close it sing their own rendition of favours with the audience. were singing along, this was a was to the recorded version, if Lion King’s Hakuna Matata. Attendees of this sell out With the crowd screaming anything it was better! In the great start. By the second song, Wake smooth breakdown the crowd’s at every new development, gig were extremely privileged. Up, the atmosphere was becom- enjoyment cracked a gleaming things slowly started to begin Mikey had asked them “Do ing more and more electric. smile from lead singer Mikey. working again. Eventually the you want to hear a brand new People were really starting to At the end of the track he band had enough power to song?” The reply was obvious. wake up, jumping up and down told the crowd how important start the song again, without a Yet to be named this big strong, and screaming along with the Bristol was for him, and how it PA system but with a dedica- anthemic and new song was greatly received by the crowd. tion from Mikey. chorus. Mallory’s great start “feels good to be back.” It will surely do well when it was only building. Kicking back in the band releases. Flowing into the next song, Playing a track from their recently released deluxe edition of their Signals album, Maps, you could really see the This song goes out to the guy who f*cked up the electric. Who ever you are, I will find passion and synergy of the you and write you a strongly worded letter! band. They were so in tune
Western Eye 02.14 — Issue 04 Paul Walker has tragically died at the age of 40, along with his friend Roger Rodas, 38, ironically in the passenger seat of Rodas’ Porsche when attending a charity fundraiser in Los Angeles, at approximately 3:30pm. The car is said to have hit a lamppost, and then a tree, while being engulfed in flames. The charity, Reach Out Worldwide, was his own organisation, and the event (a car show of all things) was due to be in aid for the recent Philippines disaster, in which thousands have lost their lives and even more have been left homeless and with no food or clean water to live. This is one of the many charitable causes that Paul Walker contributed to over his shortlived life. Within hours, his friends, family, co-stars, colleagues and fans had flocked to social networking sites to proclaim their devastation at Walker’s sudden death, including fellow Fast and the Furious stars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster and rapper Ludacris. Friend Antonio Holmes told The Guardian of the attempts to save the pair, with many people surrounding the crash trying to extinguish the f ire. But despite these attempts, the two casualties were proclaimed dead when medical assistance arrived at the scene. Walker’s acting career began at the age of two, with his mother Cheryl, a fashion model, taking him to advertisement auditions. His career didn’t really see success until 1996, when his career sparked in TV with roles in shows such as ‘The Young and the Restless’, and in ‘Touched by an Angel’. It was in the 1998 f ilm ‘Meet the Deedles’ that his transition into f ilm began. He played other supporting roles in f ilms such as ‘She’s All That’ and ‘Varsity Blues’. But, it was his turn in the thriller ‘The Skulls’ (2000) that changed his career. It was this performance that brought him to the attention of the producers of Universal’s biggest series of f ilms to date. It is for the last 12 years that Walker has been best known to the public as a member of the criminal gang of speed junkies, who illegally street race and go on heists for cash, that has been put into six adrenalin-fuelled f ilms- The Fast and the Furious. Playing Brian O’Conner, he was the good cop gone bad with some serious attitude problems: going undercover to catch criminals while indulging in his love for fast cars. Walker’s boyish charm no doubt swayed female interest into the saga. But is the fast-paced nature of the f ilms, the stunts and the badass characters that instantly make you see how Walker went
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MU S I C A N D E N T E R TA I N M E N T
In Remembrance of Paul Walker Paul Walker, known for his roles in the film franchise The Fast and the Furious, has died. Sophie Seddon looks back on his life through his work on screen, charitable activities and personal relations. SOPHIE SEDDON music@westerneye.net
help others, and give something back to the people. To actually develop an organisation and see these situations in the flesh are something that made Walker stand out from his peers: he was, literally, a man of action. He didn’t just dream of doing these things, he went out and did them for himself. From the stunts in ‘The Fast and the Furious’, to tagging Great Whites, and helping people dying of starvation, Paul Walker was not one to stand on the sidelines. He was a father, who developed a charity to give something back to the world, to raise awareness, and work with conservation charities to increase this. Peter Bradshaw for the Guardian put it simply: the Fast and the Furious ‘…def iantly celebrated the ethos of live fast, die young... Walker’s awful fate shows that in the real world, accidents can happen.’ Paul Walker’s death will hopefully show the world that no matter how cool the races in the f ilms look, how fast they’re going or how many girls the guys get- life is precious, and can be so easily taken away. I hope we take lessons from this, and see some sort of value in life. Walker gave a lot to others, and it is a great waste of man to be lost in such a horrif ic way. He is survived by his 15-year-old daughter, Meadow. Also in remembrance of his friend Roger Rodas, who was his f inancial assistant since 2007, and helped him build Reach Out Worldwide. He must not be forgotten.
BY HUFFPOST.COM PAUL WALKER
from small-time actor to cult status in virtually no time. There’s something empowering about the six movies: you feel like punching air whenever he drives over someone, in mid-air, over a bridge. The f ilms have only grown in popularity, and for an audience who have grown up with him, Walker’s presence will be a great loss to the franchise.
out on top. Without him, there are many concerns now for the seventh installment of the Fast and Furious f ilms. Outside of the franchise, his last f ilms are due to be Hours, a drama about Hurricane Katrina, and Brick Mansions, where he again plays an undercover cop. But it was his activities outside of acting that truly def ine who Paul Walker really
exceptional contributions to charity. Walker had his own humanitarian aid organisation, Reach Out Worldwide, which he formed after going out in January 2010 to assist relief operations in Haiti. Since then, the organisation, all non-prof it, has responded and assisted in helping those affected in eight different natural disasters, such as the
Paul Walker: September 12th 1973November 30th 2013 After all, he was the soul of these f ilms. He has featured in all but one of them, Tokyo Drift, which didn’t have any of the original characters in it (minus a brief cameo by Vin Diesel near the end). Walker was an appealing lead, almost always punching above his weight, and yet always coming
was. Passionate about marine biology, he participated in a documentary for National Geographic, Expedition Great White, where he assisted in tagging seven Great White Sharks so that their habits, such as birthing and mating could be monitored. But he was also known for his
Chilean Earthquake and the Indonesian tsunami, both in 2010, and of course, the recent disaster in the Philippines. It is a cultural norm for celebrities to donate money while still remaining comfortably back at home. It is quite another thing for one of them to go over as part of a team to
Top films: The Fast and the Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious
Fast & Furious
Fast Five
Fast & Furious 6
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Western Eye 02.14 – Issue 04
SPORT
Homosexuality in sport: how much of a problem is it? On December 2nd 2013 British Olympic Diving Bronze medallist Tom Daley released a video on his YouTube page stating that he was “in a relationship with a man” and thus social media went crazy with people voicing their opinions on Daley’s video. For the most part (on my twitter feed at least) people seemed to be happy for Daley and there were many messaged support. But in amongst these messages there were many posts saying “Why should it matter? Let him get on with his life.” This got me thinking, why does it matter to people? And more importantly why is it such a big deal when a sports person comes out as gay?
JIM THURSTON TOM DALEY
TOM WILLIAMS
Sports@westerneye.net
Homophobia in sport is nothing new. In all sports many players will endure homophobic chants whilst playing and having to deal with abuse off the f ield. English footballer John Fashanu committed suicide eight years after becoming the f irst openly gay footballer in England, after he was accused of sexually assaulting a seventeen- yearold male and was involved in many cases of homophobia. Thankfully, in this far more open and free speaking world we live in, name any sport and chances are there will be at least one openly LGBT person competing at the highest level they can do, with more and more sportspeople coming out. In fact a few days after I wrote my initial version of this article, former Aston Villa player and German international Thomas Hitzlsperger revealed that he is gay. One of the f irst and most high prof ile LGBT sportswomen to ever come out is former tennis player Billie Jean King, but in King’s it was not voluntary. In an interview with The Huff ington Post Live she talked about how hard it can be to still be playing a sport and have to deal with coming out. After the diff iculties of coming out to your family, Billie Jean King said you want acceptance from teammates and opposing players, this is perhaps why it is so diff icult for LGBT players in any sport, team or individual to publicly come out. She talked about NBA player Jason Collins coming out as the f irst openly gay man to play professionally in any sport in America, with many players waiting until retirement to come out. Collins was able to come out completely of his own accord after having
already played professionally for twelve years. Upon coming out in April of last year this achieved the same effect those who chose to wait until retirement, as he was an established name who had played for multiple teams and was well known, so most people would not bat an eye lid at this. The same can be said about Thomas Hitzlsperger, who upon coming out has become the most high-prof ile footballer to come out, stating his reasons for doing so were because he wanted to
move the discussion about homosexuality among professional sportspeople forwards He did say that the issue of homosexuality in sport is still very much taboo and was sometimes not easy to live with. Hitzlsperger makes an incredibly valid point that there is still a long way to go, especially when one considers the number of top prof ile sports leagues that do not have an openly gay professional. One major sporting organisation that does not have any openly gay athletes is the National Football League (NFL) in the USA, but they have had more than their fair share of issues surrounding homosexuality within the sport. Most notably an unnamed player was on the verge of coming out and being the f irst openly gay player to play for an NFL team. The player, who upon coming out was an unsigned player, came out to a mixture of friends who were former and current players as well as people who had links to various NFL teams. They then contacted a few teams to see if
they would be interested and comfortable having an openly gay player on their team. Most teams said they were not interested as they had no need for him as they had plenty of players in his position. Whilst his may be true, one can’t help but think that part of the reason he was not signed was due to not want to have to deal with the fall out of having an openly gay NFL player. However, one team said yes and that they had no problems with having an open gay man playing on their team. The player signed in late March to early April and the team planned on making an off icial announcement in June. There were rumours on the internet that a player was on the verge of coming out and just as people were ready for this announcement to happen, it didn’t. Why? Well there are a few theories ranging from the team and/or player changing their minds to some league off icials believing the NFL isn’t ready for an openly gay player.
NICK J WEBB TOM DALEY
As bad as it sounds, maybe many sporting leagues around the world aren’t ready for an openly gay player and an overall attitude change needs to happen f irst in order for players to feel comfortable coming out. Again, going back to the NFL there have been players
who have been affected in some ways purely from stating their opinions on gay sports people or even gay rights more generally. Baltimore Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo has openly talked about how he feels that should one player come out, many more would follow suit. Ayanbadejo’s actions led to Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns writing to the owner of the team requesting that his players shouldn’t be expressing these opinions so publicly. This then led to former Minnesota Vikings punter, an open advocate of gay rights to write an open letter to Burns in which he openly voices his disgust at Burns’ (as Kluwe calls it)
vitriolic hatred and bigotry Kluwe was let go by the Vikings at the end of the 2012-13 season, and on 2nd of January he posted an article on deadspin.com explaining how he feels his actions as an activist for marriage equality and his letter played a large part in him being let go by the team. Kluwe accused his former coach Mike Priefer of purposely using homophobic slurs around Kluwe upon hearing of his support of gay marriage in Minnesota and essentially assuring he was let go from the team, despite Kluwe serving his role of the team incredibly well posting some excellent statistics in line with his career averages. He also calls his former head coach Leslie Frazier and General Manager Rick Speilman “cowards” for allowing Preifer to have Kluwe f ired from the team for his actions. If someone who is not gay has lost their job because of their open advocacy of gay rights, then how would a gay player
be treated? There needs to be an attitude shift not just in the NFL but across much of the sporting world. Nowhere is does this shift need to occur more quickly than in the Sochi Winter Olympic games in Russia this year. Russia has several antigay laws in place and whilst President Vladimir Putin has said that gay athletes will be welcome to attend the games, there have been no guarantees made by anyone that they will be safe whilst there. This has led to the likes of Stephen Fry and Pussy Riot calling for all athletes regardless of their sexual orientation to boycott the games in protest for Russia’s attitude towards homosexuals. Many, such as openly gay retired rugby player Gareth Thomas, feel that this isn’t the right course of action to boycott the games, saying on youtube channel “Sportlobster TV” that there should not be a boycott as the sportsmen and women will have trained so hard to have the opportunity to go to games and having this taken away from them will only let those who are opposed to LGBT competitors participating get their way. Thankfully homophobia in sport is becoming a thing of the past, but obviously there are still many issues yet to be overcome. I used the NFL as my prime example, mostly because of the fact I’m a fan of the sport and found examples much easier, but there will be many examples, whether they have been aired publicly or privately in all sports. There are still some issues to overcome but thankfully in most sports someone’s sexual orientation is no longer an issue, but only their ability as a sportsman or woman will be what people will judge them by.
Western Eye 02.14 — Issue 04
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Is it time for the January transfer window to shut for good?
KONG NIFFE ANDY CAROL
As football opens its doors for the January sales, is it time for a transfer system rethink or is it simply too important to ditch? ALEX STOREY
Sports@westerneye.net
As the clock ticks down to Midnight on the 31st December, the majority of people across the country are getting ready to celebrate the new year. However, the majority of football managers are wishing the clocks would simply stop. Calls from agents, pressure from owners and a neverending slew of questions from the rumour-fuelled media - it is perhaps the most stressful time of the season and for some managers it can be the most important too. Teams pushing for the title have to strengthen to avoid falling behind their competitors, whilst those struggling at the bottom are forced to use scatter-gun tactics in a desperate attempt to halt a slide into the abyss.
It is almost universally acknowledged that buying players in January is a bad idea, yet managers are left with little choice - they simply cannot afford to be left behind, despite the countless number of overpriced flops that litter the record books of Premier League clubs. We don’t have to look too far to see examples of January madness. On the f inal day of the 2011 winter window, Fernando Torres switched the red of Liverpool for the blue of Chelsea for a staggering £50 million. In a knee-jerk response, Liverpool hit the panic button and splashed £35 million on 22 year-old Andy Carroll. Three years later and Torres remains a much maligned f igure at Stamford Bridge, with many Blues fans left hugely disappointed at the impact the
Spaniard has made in his f irst three years. That is nothing compared to the dramatic and very public fall from grace that Carroll has suffered. A disastrous 18 months following his headspinning move to Merseyside and he was farmed out to West Ham on loan, followed by an undignif ied £15 million exit to the Hammers in June 2013. Although these are the two most high prof ile examples of January gambles gone wrong, they are not isolated. Listen to any manager’s news conference during the window and they will all say the same thing - you cannot f ind value in January. If that’s the case, why was £120 million spent last winter and why on that incredible deadline day in 2011 was £110 million spent in a barmy 24 hour period taking the total for
January 2011 to £225 million? There’s a growing school of thought, propagated mainly by Premier League managers, that the January window should be scrapped with all transfers having to be completed before the season. However, the chances of that happening any time soon seem remote at best. The intrigue and excitement surrounding the month leading up to deadline day is simply too lucrative to the media and consequently the clubs involved for it to be changed. January 31st has become one of the most eagerly anticipated days in football fans’ calendars and coverage of deadline day is increasing at an unbelievable rate. Where football fans previously made one of their twice-annually pilgrimage to Sky Sports News on deadline day, supporters can now use
news providers ranging from the BBC to TalkSPORT to get their f ix. A visit to social media on the f inal day of the window and you’ll f ind it is awash with breaking news, rumour and counter rumour as well as supporters from all clubs expressing their delight, anguish and uncontrollable excitement at the day’s developments. In a world where football is becoming more and more detached from the supporters, it is the excitement of deadline day which must be preserved, for the sake of the supporters. As managers will protest, the day and the month leading up to it are madness, but it’s our madness and we love it.
READ THE REST OF THESE ARTICLES AT WESTERNEYE.NET
UWE Riding Society A run-down of UWE’s Equestrian team and how to get involved UWE THE RIDING COMMITTEE
GEORGE BEARD
to offer everyone:
Sports@westerneye.net
Despite possessing many stars such as Olympians Charlotte Dujardin and William Fox-Pitt, riding is a sport that is often overlooked for those wishing to take up something new. Given the success that Team GB had in the Olympic Games, winning 3 gold medals, riding is becoming a popular sport within UWE with a current membership of 58. Participation Off icer for UWE riding, Becky Read, feel that equestrian has something
“Riding is a unique sport with disciplines requiring different skills. From Eventing, which is a bit like motorcross or rallying, to Dressage, which requires the most detailed partnership between horse and rider, to Show Jumping, where attention to detail is shown at its ultimate.” Unlike other sports, riders compete individually within a team. Like other university sports however, there is a BUCS League as well as a Friendly League, both of
which compete against other universities. Both competition leagues are made up by a combination of dressage and showjumping, with scores given for both disciplines. UWE is fortunate to have a high standard of facilities. Members of UWE Riding are able to have access to training at the Summerhouse Equestrian Centre in Gloucester along with the Hartpury College Campus, with a variety of horses that tailor to any ability. When asked which 3 words can best describe equestrian,
Becky replied:
Fun Fulfilling and Challenging Riding certainly seems to be a sport which does not necessarily have the recognition it deserves, with a rich history and tradition throughout the British Isles. However, whether you compete at an advanced level or you just want to go along for fun, the socials are
not something to be missed. From fancy dress, to meals out, socials can be a blast. Indeed, the society have organised UWE Riding’s f irst ever Race Day, having a trip to Cheltenham Racecourse to attend the Festival Trials. More trips have also been planned, including the Badminton Horse Trials and the Hartpury Dressage Festival. So, if you’re looking to take up something new in 2014, why not try UWE Riding, fun and exercise guaranteed. facebook and Twitter : UWE Riding
issue 4 summary
Every month definitely I feel like I have improved just that part more. I was really pleased with this outcome. The one thing I must take under consideration is the content that is shown on each page. How will the reader get around the page? How easy is it to read through? These questions need to be answered through out the whole process. The job is to design the pages out.
WestWorld
WestWorld is the same part of the paper, however the layout rules are entirely your own. This paper gave me the power to creat my own layout with the content in place. I found that this gave the creativity in the last year project that didnt go so well. This time I believe it shows that I can use all the elements that I was taught, and reflect it as my own.
+layout +creativity +design
M Ci F Ex Fa Sh Ca IN ar an EA hi sh or m CL jN O TU bi io t S pu U t n io ew ba RE & tor s St D n nh -S D Re Fe y yle IN am mi m A G v th iew in RT i sm IS TS
WESTWORLD 003 / MARCH 14 Exploring Arts / Design / Fashion within Bristol FREE
WESTWORLD
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Editor’s letter
Editorial - Short Story
by Dulcie Horn
Hello! We’re excited to tell you that we’ve got a super jam-packed issue this month. We’ve featured art from students Cian Oba-Smith, Marjorie Newnham, Ellice Weaver and Hattie Buckwell as well as creative writing from our assistant editor Chaneen Salako. We’ve also got an exhibition review and fashion related comment pieces in the lead up to International Women’s Day... If that’s not enough you can also look online to get involved with our monthly photography feature, read the thoughts of our new fashion columnist or enter our competition to win tickets to Bristol Fashion Week! Email: westworld@westerneye. net Tweet: @WestWorld_UWE or Facebook:‘WestWorld Contributors’
Fo B r nt H an s C a V D do Ex llu Fo n T l j b n a nt ex s t r is
E D d i to u w lc r s e s ie tw H or or ld n @ w es
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rn ey Co e. ne D nt u t Ch l c r i b i u El an e H t C lic e e o o r B e ian e W n S rn s H th O ea al N att Ra ba- ver ako A at a i e n d S m E m r i a n s h B u c a l l it h m e S a M kw a h c el Fa ep G l rr ha re rd gor
A Mother’s Trousers
To to a p W w di pl es re y W ou tw c t as l e p a d or al th lin hot re you ld l f e n gu o g lo o lik @ ee e w db x t i st r a p k i e es a W s , h n g to te c k e d e e r fo co rn a stW s i g s , c r a nt ey n d o Cr n e r it r t i r i b e . co r l G ea ne m d r s i c s s t s u te f Ja rap tive t e an , e , w t m a e n tu d di ri o W b e m e hic D g e to te e ts re ja ha s B De ire d n e r s , r s , st m @ e n c a r si c ti ar W r a fa g e on ti s j2 sb .n re or n l c sh 3r ar e t t er & t ld s u i t d re / on ? l / G t ur is tt j23 ue 19 r t e s s d t vu , 90 ltu @ re ho s tm ai l .c o. uk
A long queue by Ellice Weaver
Our mother only ever wore Chanel. reapply the red, immediately.” If it wasn’t Chanel then it was Céline, but that was so rare we dare not W e w o u l d g o f o r w a l k s o f t e n , elaborate. She took great pains to wouldn’t we, in our matching be prim and proper. She’d always dresses, bare legs and pumps. Hair tell us that “a woman has no place pressed with a ribbon tied into a in the world if she doesn’t dress bow, and an umbrella. A parasol. well” and she would say; “it’s your Mother would tell us over and over dress that determines your destiny.” “stop slouching, you’re a girl, child”.
“Although she never did a dress, did she?”
Flash fiction by w e a r Chaneen Salako
“No she never did, she was a trousers lady. Hmmm. How ironic!” It was a radical, unladylike thing to wear trousers in her day, but she did it and she did it well. We couldn’t tell you of anyone who met her and did not think her the most feminine woman they had ever met. “She always wore red lips too. They were so perfect.” “I remember she would give us little kisses all over our faces and we’d look so ill.” “Yes, but then she would always
And when you stopped slouching, she’d always have something she wanted me to stop doing. She was a very bold woman. It wasn’t only us she’d tell what to do. She became renowned for her “Stop staring! Yes, they’re trousers. Yes, I am a woman. But, do remember dear, it is the 20th century.” Mother wasn’t the only woman to wear trousers. But she was always the woman who would be frowned upon by men and other women who were utterlyunsupportive.Sally’shusband forbade his wife from seeing our mother. It was so sad, they were the best of friends. But she shrugged it off, said, “as much as I do not like to be disagreeable, I will not be agreeable in something that does not suit me.”
Our father loved her, and he never once tried to stop her trouserwearing like all the other husbands did. Actually it was he who went to collect her purchases once the tailor had finished. When we had finished schoolourmotherbroughtusourfirst pair of trousers. They were Céline, we were very grateful. But our father did not like us to wear trousers which was strange because he lusted after our motherinapairoftrousers.Although, by that time almost everyone was wearing them. His excuse went “you cannot compare yourselves to your mother, she has already been found by her husband. What hope do the two of you have if you go galavanting around looking like a pair of men?” This always led to a dispute between mother and father, and we would sneak away to go and change back into our dresses. When we came back mother was suddenly disappointed in our volition to fall subject to the dominant view and father was over joyed w it h t he v iews w it h which he was able to indoctrinate ou r v ulnerable little minds. westworldassistant@westerneye.net
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Featured Artists
W hen a nd why d id you s t a r t b ei n g c re at ive? My parents got me into playing musical instruments when I was about 10 which sparked my creative interest. It wasn’t until my A-levels when my tutor introduced me tostreetphotographythatIdevelopedapassionfortaking pictures, this started to take over and eventually became my main creative outlet. Over time I’ve moved from street photography towards documentary portraiture, although I still enjoy street photography on a personal level, the majority of my project work is based around taking pictures of people and communicating a story. W h y d i d yo u c h o o s e t o c o m e t o U W E ? I wanted to get out of London for my degree so I could live independently and experience life in a city other than London. My first interview was at UWE and when I arrived in Bristol it felt right. The course has really good facilities and teaching so as soon as I got my place I accepted.
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OBA-SMITH www.cianobasmith.co.uk cianphoto.tumblr.com
W h a t a r e yo u c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g o n ? I just got back from shooting a project on Islam in Iceland which was really interesting so my main focus is on that at the moment. Currently I’m engaging with other students on collaborations and I’m working on the beginnings of a few projects. I’ve got a feature coming out at some point with Vice, I’m also a part of a disposable camera project run by Trip Mag which is edited by fashion alumni Dean Stephen Davies.
Cian Oba-Smith is a level 3 photography student hailing from London
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W here do yo u f ind inspiration? A lot of my project work is very personal to me, so a lot of my inspiration comes from personal experience and is informed by my relationships with the people who a re close to me. In ter m s of who in spires me within the world of photography I would say contemporary photographers such as Matt Stuart, Bryan Schutmaat, Pieter Hugo, Alex Webb, Trent Parke, Rinko Kawauchi, Spencer Murphy, Ben Huff. and masters such as Malick Sidibe, Henri Cartier Bresson, William Eggleston, Saul Leiter, Weegee, Don McCullin, William Klein, August Sander, Joel Meyerowitz and Seydou Keita to name but a few.
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W h e n & w h y d i d yo u s t a r t b e i n g c r e a t i ve ? I think it’s natural to draw and be creative from a young age, but I only knew I was interested in art when I was taking myGCSE’s.Ihadagreatartteacheratsecondaryschooland she definitely inspired me to want to pursue career in art. W h a t i s yo u r f a vo u r i t e m e d i u m t o w o r k i n ? Currently I’ve been using lots of sculpting clay. I’m really interested in model making and 3D illustration at the moment. There’s something really satisfying about a physical/tactile outcome.
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NEWNHAM cargocollective.com/ marjorienewnham facebook.com/ marjnewnhamillustration
Marjorie Newnham, marjnewnham.tumblr.com the illustrator of our very apt front cover illustration ‘The Flood’, is a level two illustration student originally from Yatton, a small village in North Somerset
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W h y d i d yo u c h o o s e t o c o m e t o U W E ? I chose U WE because I was rea lly impressed by the facilities and course content. Also, I already lived very close to Bristol and knew how great the city was, I thought it’d be silly to leave it behind! W ho and what inspire yo u ? Chr is Sickels, t he ma n behind Red Nose St ud ios i s one of my f avou r ite contemp or a r y a r t ist s. His lively 3D i l lust rat ions a re a combination of a ll the things I’m interested in. I like to keep a sketchbook with me to write notes and draw sketches of observations that could later on inspire or inform my work. I also think Pinterest is a great tool to collate and organise inspiring work found online. I f you a re a n a r t i s t , work i ng i n a ny med iu m a nd wou ld like to be featured plea se em a il us at west world@wester neye.net
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Lauren wears Topshop jeans and shoes but everything else is from charity shops including her coat, scarf, shirt and jumper!
We ditched Bower Ashton this month and headed over to Frenchay Campus on an unusually bright Febr uar y af ternoon to see what Frenchay students were wearing as we start to make our way into Spring this year.
Liberty is wearing a Fila sweatshirt over a Topshop blouse and jeans. She’s paired this with a Tiffany necklace and neon Nikes.
Molly got her cheery coat from Lou Lou’s vintage fair. Her jumper is from a market in Berlin and she got her shoes from Office.
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Apart from his shoes, Andy’s clothes are all from ASOS marketplace where you can buy vintage and handmade clothing from all over the world.
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Emily’s multicoloured woven coat and leather skirt are from Urban Outfitters while her shirt is American Apparel and her shoes are from Swedish shoe company Vagabond.
Aisling found her blue coat on ebay and bought her skirt from ASOS marketplace and her shoes from Etsy. She found her hat!
04 Fashion - Campus Style WESTWORLD 003 / MARCH 14
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Feminism vs Femininity in Fashion
Fashion - Femininity in Fashion
Comment piece by Natasha McGregor westworld@westerneye.net We all know a feminist when we see them. Short hair, jeans, Doctor Martin boots and an angry frown. Surely this isn’t the norm though. Surely someone, somewhere out there is wearing a floral print dress and trying on pink lipstick? What actually makes a feminist these days? There was a time when it was boiler suits, shoulder pads and no bras. Now it’s sexy skirts, push-up bras and knee-high boots. With women constantly revolting against stereotypes imposed on them the image of the feminist is changing all the time. But where does femininity ome into it? Can feminists dress in a feminine way? What even makes a feminine outfit? Some might say it’s pride in your body, showing off your curves and the parts of you that make you ‘woman’. Others will disagree - it’s the modesty and the power to say no, I am a woman without displaying those parts that define me. Feminism is such a powerful and in many ways misunderstood word. I consider myself a feminist, though I may not appear to be one on the outside. I believe in equality for women, as I believe in equality for everyone. I take my boyfriend out for dinner. I embrace being the only woman in jobs and scenarios usually reserved for men. I am one of the best, if not the only, theatre technicians on my drama course at university. This is a very male-dominated area of the theatre. You have to move props and scenery, climb ladders and adjust lights, and tell the actors to shut up and get out of your way. Not a role for the faint hearted. On these days I dress as many would consider many feminists to dress. I have on my heavy boots, my grubbiest jeans and my hair tied up out of the way. My tools are in my back pocket and my nails are broken and dirty. But this is only one aspect of me, as my feminist views are. See me at the after show party and I’m in my best frock, face made up and high heels on. Does this make my views any less valid? Does it make me less of a feminist?
I admire the women that have the guts (and the figure) to go out in their tiny tops and short skirts and say ‘I will dress the way I want to dress’. They won’t be pigeon-holed by what society says is proper, what is the ‘proper’ way for ladies to dress. I wish I could join them in solidarity and show off my womanliness without fear, but alas, I am too womanly for this. I have hips, I have breasts and, god forbid, I have a stomach. I am not a size 8. But does this self-imposed image help feminism? Yes, it gives women the power to take back their bodies, to show they are women and to stop shying away from that. It also means we are defined by the clothes we wear, the way we paint our faces and choose to present our bodies to the world. Some of the most intelligent and empowering women have dressed a lot less than ‘femininely’ but that hasn’t made them any less empowering. Conversely, some of the most stereotypically fashionable women in history have also been some of the most intelligent and empowering. Ultimately, we live in a culture that judges women in terms of their appearance, whatever their views. Though we may wish to dress how we want and say ‘up yours’ to the world, we cannot escape the importance put on our outfits by society. So I say, dress how you like. Feminism as a belief should transcend appearance. Keep believing, and be the kind of feminist you want to be.
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Dunn No Clothing Reject Unachievable Body Image Standards
Fashion-Dunn no Clothing
Interview by Arianne Shepard
We spoke to Maizee Dunn, founder of Dunn No Clothing, a Bristol based women’s street-wear label that stands for individuality, creativity and expression. As a fashion-wise feminist who promotes the beauty of the female form, we were keen to hear her views on the relationship of fashion and feminism. Maizee said:“I always said to myself that I was going to design clothes for ‘real’ women or curvy women because I love that look, I love the hourglass silhouette. When I actually learnt to design clothes, and being a size 14 myself never thought I’d say this, I realised thin women are like a clothes hanger. On the catwalk it’s all about the clothes it’s not really about the model, they just have a universal body shape that will make clothes look good. In a lot of the photo shoots I’ve done, I’ve used thinner girls, like a size 8, because in a photo context it shows off the clothes more. On curvy women, some clothes won’t look so good and others will look amazing.Often people look at thin models and think ‘wow, that’s the ideal woman’ and as those ideas get filtered down into the media women begin to feel that there’s pressure on them to look that way.” In our society the fashion industry is glamourised and idolised. It’s easy to see why the general public view the model physique as the ideal body image, rather than the various natural body structures on which couture fashion is rarely presented on. How does this ideology affect designers at ground level? Maizee said:“The general public go to the high street to get all the trends that they see on the catwalk and see as current. I want to make money and people like current trends so I use thinner models for photo shoots, but at the same time I aware that I need to cater to curvier women as well, so I take both into consideration.
When I design my clothes I think of what I would like to wear. I’m a size 14 and quite curvy and I know that at the moment curves are really popular in the media. High fashion isn’t the only influence on body image nowadays, music videos and popular culture have influenced a new trend for curves and that’s the kind of stuff that will sell; clothes that will accentuate or create curves. I am really aware of the pressures put on women through the media, especially when it comes to fashion, but at the same time I want to sell my clothes so I’ve got to find a balance.” It’s not only clothes that go in and out of fashion. Body type is a trend that a lot of women feel pressured to keep up with. The term ‘real woman’ is thrown around a lot in the media as an anti-oppressive concept for this issue. Maizee had a lot to say about how these ideals affect women: “In the 80s and 90s they had models like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss and the media turned them in to icons, so you can see why people started idolising the thin figure. Things have completely changed now so it’s not about being thin, thin is high fashion. What’s really current and on trend at the moment is being ridiculously curvy. Having totally over the top exaggerated hips and bum, tiny little waist and massive boobs. That’s what we see in the magazines now and that’s what’s fashionable at the moment. Sometimes when people use the term curvy they mean slightly bigger, but the kind of curves that are popular still include a flat stomach. Current trends give the message that it’s okay to be curvy if it’s sexy but it’s still not okay to be big and have a stomach.”“I can’t stand the un-achievability of what’s being portrayed in the media. Size 8-10 women like NickiMinaj and Kim Kardashian are being branded as ‘real women’ and it’s just as damaging because a lot of the curves you see aren’t achievable, they’re not real, they’ve been enhanced. Now thin girls are feeling like they can’t achieve this ideal look and real curvy women don’t feel happy because they’ve got a little bit of extra fat, so nobody’s really feeling good. I want to show a sexy side to my brand but I don’t want to advertise an unachievable look.“When doing a photo shoot for a ‘curvy girl’ collection, I’ve got a choice between girls that are slim but still have big boobs and a big bum or girls like me that have got a little bit of extra weight. I think it’s all about showing people that these girls can look attractive. We are almost at the stage where we can put ‘real’ women on billboards and in magazines and have people accepting them as being attractive, which they really are.” The concept of women’s fashion could be labelled as anti-feminist as the focus is on what a woman is wearing, above all else. I asked Maizee what feminism means to her and the part it plays within feminism. She said: “I think feminism is a taboo word. When you’re young you hear the word feminism and you think of something that’s not cool, something that is going to make you seem unattractive to men or different to everybody else. For me, feminism means being aware of that fact I’m a woman and the struggles that I might encounter and the different ways I can be treated as a woman. I also like to make sure that I’m aware of the power that I have in society and just be vigilant and know that things aren’t equal but at the same time, celebrate that because it highlights how strong women are. I think all feminists are aware of what they wear, especially active feminists. Weather it means expressing yourself as a woman or making a statement and saying ‘I’m not what you tell me I’m meant to be’, whether that’s by being really sexy or the complete opposite. If I create things that women will love to wear and feel like they’re expressing themselves in and they feel attractive or individual then that is empowering for women, most definitely.I use International Women’s Day to remember how great it is to be a woman and I like to spread the word because a lot of women don’t really know that much about it. I think International Women’s Day is really important.” Dunn No Clothing is inspired by inner city Bristol, street fashion, music and art. One-off pieces are made to order. To find out more visit: facebook.com/DunnNoClothing
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WESTWORLD 003 / MARCH 14
UWE Fashion Student Shows at London Fashion Week
Fashion - UWE Fashion Week
by Dulcie Horn westworld@westerneye.net
3rd year student Hattie Buckwell was selected as a finalist in the prestigious Fashion Awareness Direct undergraduate competition On the 18th February Hattie Buckwell, a 3rd year fashion student at UWE, was given the opportunity to showcase her work at London Fashion Week as part of the Fashion Scout catwalk. Hattie was one of 16 finalists from 10 different universities across the UK who all took part in a competition run by fashion charity Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD). FAD is a charity that supports young people to br idge t he gap bet ween education and the fashion industry. T heir underg radu ate compet it ion prov ides a unique a nd coveted pl at for m for you ng desig ners a nd Hat t ie wa s t h r i l led to h ave h ad t he oppor t u n it y: “It’s a n a m a zi ng
achievement, I’m really proud to have my work shown on such a great platform, alongside other talented designers.”
a ‘multi-sensory design’. Hattie chose to focus on the sense of touch by using sustainable and tactile textiles. In her mini-collection of two outfits, latex is ju xt aposed w it h orga nic cotton, whilst suede and leather are brought toget her w it h met a l. Geomet r ic patterns run throughout her work and she employs a variety of traditional a nd l a b ou r-i nt e n s i ve t e c h n iq ue s such as embroidery to achieve these:
Previous FAD finalists have gone on to work with a whole range of top designers and companies and the competition is a rea l spr i ngboa rd for st udent s. UWE’s finalist added “some prestigious judges and contacts through FAD will lead to oppor t un ities for show ing my work to a wider audience, as well as internships and collaborations.” “One of t he most t i me- con su m i ng elements of my desig n wa s the FA D say t hat t he streng t h of t heir suede i ndu st r i a l patchwork d ress, competition lies with its ‘intelligent it s mo du l a r de s ig n w a s a c h ie ve d and challenging briefs’. This year they w it h over 3 ,000 ju mp r i ngs. Each challenged students to come up with piece is cut, hole-punched a nd
assembled completely by hand. Every material is sustainably sourced and a ll of the black suede is industr ia l production offcuts from Mulberry.” Aside from traditional craftsmanship techniques we also asked her which desig ners had inf luenced her t a ke on the brief: “I really admire Lu Flux for her playful take on sustainable design, with handmade textiles and material play at the heart of her work. Also Leutton Postle, with their tactile knitwear, and Christopher Raeburn for his clean aesthetic and his interesting u s e of i ndu s t r y w a s t e m a t er i a l s .” I n t he f ut u re H a t t ie ho p e s t o b e
working amongst other fashion and textile designers, possibly going on to form a cross-disciplinary collective. She is pushing forward innovation and sustainability within textiles. Yo u c a n l e a r n m o r e a b o u t H a t t i e ’s p r o c e s s o n h e r p r o j e c t blog hattiebuckwellsensorytextiles. wordpress.com or see more of her other work on her website: hattiebuckwell. co.uk
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WESTWORLD 003 / MARCH 14
Oneself As Another
Exhibition Review - Emma Farr
By Emma Farr westworld@westerneye.net
Oneself As Another is a refreshing and unadulterated look at identity and beauty in portraiture all in a range of painting, sculpture and photography. Celebrated artists a nd ex plorers of t he ps yche, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud are displayed alongside 12 other a r t i st s a l l of fer i ng a person a l insight through unconventional por t ra it u re. T he ex h ibit ion is split over 2 spaces: t he back room ded icated to t he cent ra l in spirat ion for t he ex h ibit ion, Sa nct ae; whi le t he m a in room contains a wealth of sculptures, pa intings a nd photog raphs t h at ch a l lenge t he idea ls we associate with physical perfection. C a t hy L e w i s’s j e s m o n it e a n d reconst it uted m a rble ca st s a re int r in sica l ly et h n ic, t hese eerily lifelike, life-size f ig ures of children are decorated w ith ornate patterns and unexpected garments. Other pieces include
Oneself as Another is an exhibition at the Royal West of England Academy running until the 26th March a bandaged y-front wearing girl named ‘Orlando’, and upon the first floor balcony we see ‘Narcissus’ staring into his own reflection in the window and towards the viewer. Emil Alzamora’s ‘Ancestors’ was a particularly poignant piece, which comes in the form of several small human sculpted figures hung on the wall like artifacts. Emil’s usual, unsettling style is subdued and we are treated to a more reflective piece dealing with ethnic origins. T hese f ra g mented , seem i ng ly ancient iron pieces explore the n at u re of d isg u ising cera m ics as metal with iron pigment, and a re perhaps a comment on t he toug h ex ter ior p eople put on . T he second ro om , S a nc t ae by Ione Rucquoi, is an installation supported by Arts Council England, comprising a series of photographic images of naked female subjects of all shapes and sizes, the piece
uses its truthfulness intertwined with obvious and subtle symbolism and forces us to think about the transformation of a woman’s body through childbirth. Portrayed as secular saints, there is a strong r e l i g io u s e le me nt w it h h a lo s adorning the women and the space having been architecturally devised to feel sacred – inspired by Norway’s wooden Stave churches, all to great effect making you feel as though these are the modern day saints gazing down upon you. Offering sanctuar y, to the photograph ’s subjects and to those viewing them. Other artists’ works in the show include a v ideo insta llation by brook and black commentating on twentieth-century self-portraiture, Tom Butler’s Cabinet of Curiosities a Series of antique photographs altered with gouache combined with contemporary illustration, and a hand printed silver gelatin, toned w ith gold & bleach f rom
photographer Bob Carlos Clarke. BP Portrait Prize-winner Johan Andersson’s large photo-realistic oil paintings depict subjects who are physically and socially vulnerable the silicone caricature of actor John Malkovich by Stuart Wiggins was a entertaining piece and as close as most of us will get to meeting him; and of course there was the cliché of a plain mirror by Gavin Turk, which in a way is ref lecting the whole agenda of the exhibition. This is an exhibition which feels like an outcast but refuses to be labelled as one; each piece knowing t he u nor t ho dox n a t u re of it s subject but displaying it proudly and without hesitation. This is a rare example of media daring to highlight the differences between us, celebrating the imperfections and the individual. This is a powerful tool that allows us to look inside our self and use the same skills we use to critique the art internally.
T hese concepts high lighted in the exhibition become even more pr om i ne nt w he n yo u le a r n it was curated in partnership with L ondon-ba sed bo.lee projec t s, who suppor t the Cha ng ing Fa c e s c h a r i t y t h a t r a i s e s awareness and help people with disfigurements of the face or body. Oneself As Another forms part of a suite of exhibitions exploring t he concept of identit y a nd p o r t r a it u r e b e i n g h o s t e d b y t h e R o y a l We s t o f E n g l a n d . Entr y is f ree to students.
WestWorld summary
I was really happy from this task. The chance of providing my own layout system into this paper was very pleasing. I picked up the copy from Uni and I was really appriciative to how it was a nice simple layout. This was a great boost for my confidence into working for a paper of some kind and to add more towards newspaper layout. It interests me that I just have to put the fundamentals into play. The questions really help and it helps me quickly critic my own work. I was extremely proud of myself on this piece and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
issue 6 May
Western Eye 05.14 — Issue 06
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UWE’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE
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INSIDE ISSUE 06 WESTERNEYE UWE’s INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE
SPORTS
MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
COMMENT
Financial Fair Play Alex Storey discusses the
Game of Thrones & Divergent The start of the fourth season
James Riley Article Politics and Science
Yashika & Global Inequality The IMF’s spring meetings
Continues on page (14–15)
Continues on page (8–9)
Continues on pages (12–13)
Continues on page (4)
‘UWE’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy Change Raises Mental Health Concerns’ ‘Students with problems that could cause them to fail assessments are being urged by a campaign group to voice their concerns following a proposed change to assessment policy’ RAJITHA RATNAM
Editor@westerneye.net
Will Anderson and Siân Hampson from UWE Mental Health Campaign, wrote a letter to the university that said:“If a student with a mental health issue is unaware of this policy and sits the exam when unwell they will not be able to have extenuating circumstances and we fail to see how this is fair.” The University of the West of England published a draft document on 14 March detailing the proposed changes, which mean if a student submits an assignment or attends an exam, they are “declaring themselves fit to do so”. If they fall ill during the exam, they can submit an extenuating circumstances application to retake the assessment or have it marked again, but this would not cover students with ongoing mental health issues. The Mental Health Campaign is urging students to share their thoughts with student representatives to combat the alleged lack of consultation with
‘We do everything we can to avoid disadvantaging any student and want to make sure we get this right’ students. Rachel Cowie, Director of Academic Services at UWE, responded to these claims stating: “we are still in the process of working through the implementation with the students’ union and other student representatives. Rachel Cowie, Director of Academic Services “Following discussion at the recent academic board we have invited the current VP welfare (and hopefully the chair of the mental health group) to meet with us to work through some case studies so we can see what implications it might have on students with mental health difficulties. We do everything we can to avoid disadvantaging any student and want to make sure
Vice-President for Community we get this right.” Ms Cowie also clarified that and Welfare, Tom Renhard noted: students had been consulted at “The proposals are of huge concern a council meeting in November to the Students’ Union as well as 2012, where no issues were raised. to the Mental Health Campaign WesternEye notes that while and other students who have changes to extenuating circum- provided feedback so far given stances were mentioned, no the potential negative impact the specific references to ‘fit to sit’ introduction of ‘fit to sit’ could have on students. These are being were made. At the moment, students can considered as part of a package of submit an extenuating circum- proposals of changes to academic stances form which could let regulations and would call on the them retake an assessment with university to not to continue to the potential for the mark to pursue trying to introduce ‘fit to be uncapped where this would sit’ as part of this package. The current proposals do not normally be allowed. Some of the reasons that extenuating not provide for students still circumstances may apply include being able to file extenuating “unexpected deterioration in an circumstances should they sit an ongoing illness or medical condi- assessment (exam/submission of tion” or a “major household coursework/etc.). There appears to have been some changes in this problem” like a fire. Under the “Fit to Sit” extenu- stance although this is still not ating circumstances proposal, if clear from the most up-to-date a student had trouble complet- paperwork that was requested ing work due to either of these to be circulated to student reps. reasons, or various others covered Concerns were raised at the under the current policy, they initial Academic Board meeting it would not be able to apply for passed at about who would even extenuating circumstances if they be in a position to assess whether decided to submit an assignment a person was ‘fit’ to make the decision to sit the exam and allow anyway.
for an extenuating circumstances application to progress. Some students when going through difficult periods will attempt to ‘soldier on’ and sit the assessment, believing it shows dedication to their degree, why would we then try and stop this student from submitting extenuating circumstances postassessment should there be a realisation that perhaps that student was not in the best place to submit the assessment in the first place? As a Students’ Union we do not believe ‘fit to sit’ should be implemented and instead thrown out. The majority of student feedback gathered so far on the proposed fit to sit regulation shows that the view of the Students’ Union is reflective of its membership.” Similar proposals for changes to extenuating circumstances and the introduction of ‘fit to sit’ wererejected by the Students’ Union at Keele University in November 2012. Comment below with your thoughts as all feedback will bring attention about the issue to the university.
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Western Eye 05.14 – Issue 06
W E S T E R N E Y E T E A M PA G E
WesternEye team page GEORGE GILL
SOPHIE SEDDON
ANTONY POVEDA
DAN KITCHIN
DULCIE HORN
GEORGE BEARD
GINNY FAULKNER
CHANEEN SALAKO
JANEETH DEVGUN
JAYDE SMYTH
OLLIE HICKS
TOM WILLIAMS
JAMES RILEY
Western Eye 05.14 — Issue 06
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NEWS
NEWS — BANKSY & SAINT MATTHIAS & UWE STADUIM
Banksy’s ‘Mobile Lovers’ ADAM WICKENS comment@westerneye.net
New artwork has been discovered in Bristol by the famous street artist Banksy. The piece shows a couple embracing whilst holding mobile phones and appeared on Banksy’s website on Monday 15th April. Shortly after the discovery, members of the nearby Broad Plain & Riverside Youth Project removed the artwork replacing it with a note saying “to prevent
vandalism or damage being done.” Shortly after the removal of the piece, Gordon Powell, a youth worker at the club, said “we are open all the time, day and night, so people can come to see it for a small donation.” The financially struggling youth club believes Banksy placed the artwork to help them raise money to be able to keep their club open. The club, which is based in Clements Street, St. Judes, has been running for well
over a hundred years and have stated they need over £100,000 to be able to stay open. A spokesperson for Bristol City Council has indicated initial responsibility for the piece to the club, stating “the council cannot condone graffiti which is put on to people’s property without their permission. However, we recognise that the public do see work by Banksy as significant pieces of public art and it is clear that this piece has been getting a
huge amount of favourable attention. It would be a shame if it was removed or damaged. “As the artwork is on private property, it is the for the property owner to decide whether they would want it to be kept - they would need to consider the impact this may have on the residents of the property and the wider community. “Although we still do not know if it is original work by Banksy, given the public interest, we
would be happy to help the owner find a solution which would protect it from tagging or other graffiti.” The artwork follows suit in a string of new murals by Banksy critiquing societies use of modern technology. Another piece of artwork was recently found three miles from GCHQ, Cheltenham depicting three men wearing sunglasses using listening devices to spy on a public telephone box.
Saint Matthias Campus Closure
With St Matt’s closing this summer, Beth Middleton takes us on a walk through history, giving us an insight into the past and a brief look into what the future holds. BETH MIDDLETON comment@westerneye.net
Saint Matthias campus, a site of learning for the past 160 years, is to be closed as a UWE campus this summer. The University of the West of England has revealed plans to sell the site for conversion into a combination of new housing and a new Steiner school, which is a branch of independent schools. It is with a heavy heart that we say farewell to our beloved ‘mini Hogwarts’. The original site with its-neo gothic architecture is set to be converted. Being grade II, listed this at least must be preserved. The same cannot be said of the student accommodation on the site and both blocks of flats, the foundation stone of which were laid by the Archbishop of Canterbury, are set to be demolished. These two buildings, known as Bishop Monk and Elsa Nunn, stand as tributes to two of the most prevalent individuals in
stood on it. Well, I suppose if the all current students and alumni behind on whatever item was St Matthias’ bustling history. James Henry Monk (1784-1856) lawn did cave in at least it would will be able to say goodbye. called out. There is a tale of a car being was born in Nottinghamshire. be company for the dead in that Talents old and new will be enterA graduate of Cambridge catacombs that lie beneath, the taining the revellers late into the carried into the student union University he quickly made a current most popular not-quite- night. A campus with this much in the 1970s. There is debate name for himself as an influen- truth. Rumours can run amok history deserves to go out with a (somewhat heated) over whether tial academic, publishing several on a small campus like this! The bang. The Farewell Weekend is this was a Fiat 500 or a mini but pamphlets and books. Monk was beauty of the campus is a source free to attend, but tickets must be sources concur that the car was significantly easier to get in than ordained as a priest in 1810. He of pride to its students and has ‘purchased’ from the SU website. Some fun stories from St it was to get out. The car sat in its was made Bishop of Gloucester been described as “a rambling unlikely garage until the double agglomeration, quite Matt’s past: and Bristol. He worked tirelessly Tudor In 1988, a popular game doors were taken off temporarily to gather support and funds for haphazard in external appearance the creation of a training insti- and looking like several large amongst a select group (namely to allow for its removal. St Matts has always been well the rowdy rugby lads) was that of tution for schoolmistress and by vicarages stuck together”. The site remained a teacher “Bare arse on the….” The rules are known for it’s community spirit the 10th of September 1853 the College of St Matthias was open training college for the next somewhat complicated, so bear and everyone tends to join in at century or so, and in 1974 the with me (and excuse the pun). social events. This is particularly for the first time. Resembling a church in many site was sold to what is now the At any social occasion a blood true of certain dances. For this ways with it’s high ceiling and University of the West of England curdling cry of “Bare arse on the…” generation it has been the ‘time arched doorways and windows and has been the home of English, would go up without warning. warp’ and the ‘YMCA’. In the 70s it the sight is something to behold. History, Drama, Journalism and a All involved would wait, tension was ‘Glad all over’. At the chorus of The space in front of the original few other courses ever since. The growing until the sentence was ‘Baby I’m *stomp stomp* glad all buildings has a knotted garden great iron gates at the entrance finished “…student union bar!” over’ the entire student union bar and winding pathways, as well were donated by students on June At that every participant would would stamp their feet. Glasses as the sunken lawn- the sunken 4th 1954 to mark the College’s race to said bar, stumbling and would stumble and furniture tripping over each other as they would quiver to the point where lawn that only a few years ago centenary. Final farewells are planned for try and loosen their trousers the record was banned before any was rumoured to be at risk of collapsing if too many people a weekend in the summer where until one victor places their bare serious damage was done.
Sainsbury’s & UWE Stadium Go Ahead As Planned UWE’s 21,700 Seater Stadium Given The Green Light After High Court Legal Challenge By Campaigning Local Residents & Glouscester Road Businesses.
UWE STADIUM COPYRIGHT
GEORGE GILL
comment@westerneye.net
Bristol Rovers FC have been allowed to build a large capacity stadium next to Frenchay Campus. Local campaign group TRASH (Traders & Residents Against Sainsbury’s Horfield), led an unsuccessful challenge in the High Courts against the proposal.
The stadium, which will be the largest in Bristol, will also be the future venue for UWE-UOB varsity games. It will also provide job opportunities for students and graduates, but some students doubt the benefits for the wider UWE community. Previous UWE business venture, the Exhibition and Conference Centre, remains
routinely empty. An anonymous academic staff member told the Western Eye: “the ECC is vicechancellor’s white elephant.” The campaigners oppose what they call a “goliath” supermarket which will be redeveloped at Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Stadium. Sainsbury’s plan includes concessionary measures to Horfield residents such a “homezone” buffer area designed to reduce disturbance. Local communities remain divided over the development with many UWE students and Bristol Rovers Fans happier than Bishopston’s left-voting constituents. They have not sought an appeal but remain “profoundly disappointed,” reports their
website. A counter campaign group was headed by Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie in favour of the proposed developments. It triumphed the TRASH campaign group both in the High Court and in amounting over 13,000 signatories, twice its competitor. TRASH criticise the petition arguing its support was not from local residents like theirs. Bristol’s Gloucester Road has the highest number of independent traders than in road in the UK and is treasured by its local community. A vast number of students live near Gloucester Road and enjoy the choice of its many butchers, greengrocers, pubs and coffee shops, among
other small businesses. Gloucester Road-based UWE student, Chris said: “I think some students will be tempted by a big supermarket but many will continue to shop with local traders. You can buy the exact quantity and the quality you want, at a surprisingly good price.”
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Western Eye 05.14 – Issue 06
COMMENT
COMMENT — YASHIKA & GLOBAL INEQUALITY
The #FightForYashika Campaign
The case of Yashika Bageerathi created a social media outcry; but why did no one listen?
STANDARD.CO.UK FIGHTFORYASHIKA
PHILIP MANSELL comment@westerneye.net
On 02 April 2014, A-level student Yashika Bageerathi was deported from Britain to Mauritius. Despite a petition garnering 178,000 signatures, an apparent refusal from British Airways to deport Yashika, and a slight delay by the airline eventually complicit in the deportation - Air Mauritius - the #FightForYashika campaign was eventually defeated. But why was the Government so determined to ignore these potent outcries of protest? It appears that central to the
Government’s decision was the avoidance of a lapse in law as a result of public pressure. There are very few asylum seekers who gain this level of public support when they are to be deported, and arguably this decision was made purely on law, and not emotion. Whilst the place of emotion in political decisionmaking can be debated, it appears the law is totally inflexible and therefore problematic. Yashika was in the process of completing her A-Levels and was attracting attention from Russell Group universities. As she had reached the age of 19, an adult, her case was detached from that of her family and she had no legal right to remain in Britain. Not even to finish her education. Surely there is a case for changing the law so that asylum seekers, regardless of the status or nature of their application, should be allowed to complete their education? We are so often told that the key to a good chance in life is education, but yet Yashika has not been allowed to finish her
A-Levels. This contradiction is perverse, and should be amended. Many have questioned why Yashika was granted asylum in the first place. She moved to Britain in 2012 with her mother and two siblings, in order to escape domestic abuse. The state of Mauritius is multi-ethnic and democratic; therefore unusual to be seeking asylum from (a UNHCR report states that at the end of 2012 there were only 118 pending asylum cases from the country). Regardless of the merits of the Bageerathi family’s initial asylum application, it was granted. The family had begun to start a life in this country, and now for Yashika, that has been cruelly snatched away. Air Mauritius have attempted to shirk blame of the deportation, claiming in a statement that ‘the company had no other choice than to abide by the directive’ from the Home Office. No repercussions seem to have come to BA, who appeared to refuse to deport Yashika just days earlier. Another contentious point
is UK Immigration’s decision to deport her alone. As her case had been separated from that of her family, Yashika was deported back to Mauritius alone despite previously stating that there is nothing left for her there. There have been reports that Yashika was accompanied by two security guards for the flight, and that eight rows of seats were reserved so that she was entirely isolated. Whatever the validity of Yashika’s asylum, she was a student, not a dangerous criminal. Her treatment replicates a growing trend of anti-immigration feeling that emanates not only from the Government, but also Westminster more widely. It is this attitude which allows the controversial Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire to remain active, despite questions repeatedly raised about the conditions of those detained there. In fact, on the same day Yashika was deported after being detained at Yarl’s Wood for eleven days, another detainee, Christine Case, died at the Centre. Centre
Managers SERCO claim the woman was given a full medical assessment when she entered the Centre ten days previously and that a nurse was on hand three minutes after being alerted to Ms Case’s illness. However many previous detainees have spoken of the lack of medical care they were provided with there, and Immigration Minister James Brokenshire has said that this case will be investigated. Whilst #FightForYashika was defeated, many of its prominent campaigners aim to take the positives from it. Petition organisers wrote shortly after Yashika had been deported that the campaign had helped organise a family in Mauritius to take her in whilst her future plans were made. It is also hoped that this public movement and the support garnered for it will reflect on future unjust deportations. It is a sad fact that this support will be needed sooner rather than later, as the next immigration injustice lies only around the corner.
“We Need To Think Global When We Think About Inequality” The IMF’s spring meetings signalled a desire for tackling inequality but US elites still prolong reform. GEORGE GILL comment@westerneye.net
At the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) spring meetings, a selection of policy-makers, academics and civil society actors came to the agreement that rising inequality is a major concern. To many normal people this will sound strikingly obvious. For the IMF, this is a powerful statement which they need to uphold. The international organisation provides crisis loans to its member’s central banks. Such loans, however, come with increasingly strict conditions that heavily impact countries’ domestic policies and are sometimes cited as the reason for the increasing use of austerity measures. Oxfam reports the 85 richest people in the world have more wealth than the poorest 3.5billion people. In addition, 7 out of 10 people in the world live in a country with increasing inequality.
Britain is one of those countries. In 2012 the United States top 1% of income earners achieved 95% of the country’s income gains. Likewise, on a global scale, workers have not been the main beneficiaries of recent increases in global productivity; these instead have come about as a result of technological advances, globalisation and neoclassical economics. A recent phenomena has occurred. Countries with higher rates of economic growth can reduce absolute poverty while simultaneously experience increasing inequality. Here, China is a perfect example. In the IMF, the recognition of inequality as a problem was unanimous; the approach to dealing with it was not. While some advocate poverty alleviation measures, others call for stronger redistribution methods. This would need controversial powers to be entrusted to the IMF in order to have greater influence over domestic policies such as taxation.
Recent tax dodging corporations highlight the necessity for this. Google, Amazon, Starbucks and Vodafone are all participants in the substantial network of corporate tax dodgers. International corporations are legally abusing the international system by basing their accounts in countries with lower taxes. A Guardian-BBC investigation last year revealed that two dozen British nationals control thousands of companies based at remote addresses in the British Virgin Islands. The islands are an overseas territory of the UK and the British government needs to act to close the loopholes. There is increasing economic consensus that redistribution does not necessarily inhibit growth. No longer are people fooled by ‘trickle-down’ arguments. We need to tackle the problem of negative externalities and the management of public goods on a global scale if we are ever going to address inequality effectively. Oxfam participated at the
centre of the session discussing macroeconomic policy and economic growth. They commissioned the research which revealed the inequality levels that the panelists were concerned by. They also highlighted that a majority of people believe that laws protect the rich. In 2010, the IMF promised reform that gives greater powers to the emerging economies of the world, including BRIC*. Without their inclusion there is a risk of poor coordination between various national economic policies. Many people will retort at reform given the history of accusations that the IMF represents the rich. The United States retain the highest voting weight in the IMF with 17% and are effectively able to overrule all of the BRIC states combined. There was agreement at the IMF for reform of the voting weights in 2010, to reflect the modern global economy, but Republican US lawmakers are stalling the reform. Politics in the United States seems to increasingly reflect the
rich. Election campaign spending has spiralled out of control. The Republican party have become an almost one-issue party with lowering tax as their main policy. But paying less tax doesn’t necessarily mean the majority of people are better off if they suffer from poorer welfare services as a result. It is relieving to see an institution as important as the IMF begin to address inequality. But it’s a shame that this story hasn’t got huge coverage in the mainstream press. We need to have an open and frank discussion about the future of economic policy becoming entrenched in international law rather than at the hands of domestic policy makers. The Arab Spring, the Spanish Indignados, the Occupy movement, the Brazilian Spring and the British August Riots are among so many other examples of recent civil unrest.
Western Eye 05.14 — Issue 06
05
COMMENT
Who Needs Scotland Anyway? More like, why does Scotland need us? They would keep their oil, finances, and own policies, not to mention Murray and the Olympic winning curling team.
SCOTREFERDUM COPYRIGHT - ‘BARRY OB ’L
JANEETH DEVGUN comment@westerneye.net
In September, Scotland will be given the chance to vote on their independence, with the result legally binding. Many Scots see this as a chance to release themselves from English rule, with Westminster historically the central power for the domination of political proceedings throughout the UK. Last month, former Secretary General of NATO, Lord Robertson – warned that Scottish
independence would be ‘cataclysmic’ and could even threaten global stability. Some might argue that this is slightly extreme, but for the rest of the United Kingdom, if this referendum passes with a yes, there will be huge consequences for both sides of the border. The Scottish National Party (SNP), led by Alex Salmond, has pushed for a referendum on the issue for many years and has finally reached their goal of securing it; as a consequence of their majority in the Scottish Parliament. However, both sides of the campaign are amidst rallying supporters for their cause. If the Scots vote yes, the relationship between Scotland and the UK will become undeniably complex, and there is almost no doubt the Labour Party will never be able to secure an overall majority in the British government again. However, if a majority vote no, it is impractical to believe that everything will once again go quiet and that the independence campaigners will retreat back into the shadows. The campaign in itself has highlighted the differences between
London and Edinburgh, and an undeniable discontent with the treatment of the Scottish people by Westminster. The increasing dissatisfaction with Westminster is that many laws which are enforced in Scotland are decided and passed in England, without much consideration for the Scottish people. A clear example of this would be the winter allowance for the pensioners in Scotland, which is the same as it is in England, despite the more severe and colder weather in the north. The Scottish National Party has encouraged their supporters to vote yes to independence in the referendum, so that Scottish policies can be created with the Scottish citizens directly in mind. Alongside this, there are many economic benefits to Scotland’s independence. Oil has been reported to lie within the North Sea, which stretches over what would be Scottish (rather than British) waters. Also, Scotland might consider joining the EU and the monetary union, although Brussels may oppose this as a result of the state’s
unstable economic climate. It remains to be seen whether they would be able to hold their own, without the financial proceeds from London. It could be seen as an extremely risky economic gamble. Unionists argue that the Scottish state will be severely damaged, if not fail entirely, if Scottish independence is passed. In its unity with the UK, Scotland is part of a powerful and influential state. Becoming independent would arguably significantly decrease Scotland’s global presence and influence. In addition, Scotland’s membership in the European Union is not clear. Experts and politicians have disagreed on whether or not Scotland’s status as an EU member state could be established if Scotland becomes an independent state. Without membership of the EU, Scottish trade would suffer. Scotland’s lucrative whisky industry has already flagged its concerns over Scottish independence, stating that the global network through the relationship with the UK has been key to both promotion and
sales. One issue of which readers may not be aware of is the West Lothian question. This is where, because of Scotland’s current devolved powers, they can vote on issues in Westminster. British (and English) issues are debated here, with the Scots being able to vote on government policy that affects England. However, in the Scottish Parliament only the Scottish officials vote. Scotland is therefore represented in two parliaments, whereas the English only figure in one. Nevertheless, one question that perhaps needs to be raised is should the English get the vote? Do the English want Scotland? Indeed, do the Welsh want Scotland? And Northern Ireland? Surely, all nationalities belonging to Britain should get a say in the matter as to what the make-up of Britain should look like? The Scottish decision will affect us all in some manner. Me? I’m just really concerned about not being able to cheer on Andy Murray in Wimbledon anymore.
‘The Little Card in Your Wallet That Could Save A Life’ DAVID PYE ORGAN DONOR
‘Why You Should Get Involved In Organ Donation’
SOPHIE EVANS comment@westerneye.net
National Organ Donation Awareness Week took place between the 20th and 27th of April this year. A multitude of fundraising and awareness raising events were organised for a single cause: to increase the number of organ donors in order to both save and improve lives across the world. The first successful organ transplants occurred at the beginning of the 20th century and ever developing technology has resulted in these operations playing a vital role in hundreds of thousands of life-changing surgeries each year.
In this case, why are there still considerable numbers of people waiting desperately over long periods of time for these treatments? Bone marrow, skin, kidneys, and lobes of the liver can be transplanted between a living donor and recipient, while heart, lung, corneal, and pancreatic tissue can only be transplanted between a brain-dead donor and a living recipient. As a result, the most common transplantation treatments, other than blood donation, are kidney and liver transplantation surgeries. The ageing population has resulted in increasing numbers of individuals
requiring new organs, either as a result of lifestyle choices, injuries, cancers or advances in modern medicine enabling survival for those with autoimmune conditions. Nevertheless, generally people are surviving longer and this means that a smaller proportion of the population dies and there is a direct loss of available organs for donation. Increasing the number of organ donors across the world will help to counteract this disparity and to improve the quality of life for millions of people. Although the prevalence of transplantation surgeries has increased markedly over the last
decade, they are still extremely complicated treatments which prevent accessibility for all. Science frequently tells you that you are unique, as a result of your DNA makeup. This results in differing major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs), proteins that are present on every cell in the human body. When an organ is transplanted from a donor to a recipient, the recipient’s immune cells detect the MHCs and therefore the foreign nature of the organ. An immune response is then launched to destroy the tissue and remove it from the body, as it does with bacterial infections and other
foreign invaders. Oppositely, immune cells in the transplanted organ may present your own cells as foreign to your immune system, resulting in a devastating autoimmune response. For this reason, it is critical to ‘tissue type’ individuals before performing transplantation surgery as the more closely related the two MHCs are, the less potent the rejection of the transplanted organ is. Thus, the more people that exist in the organ donation database, the better matched transplants will be, and rejections will be less likely to occur.
06
Western Eye 05.14 – Issue 06
LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE — ERICA? AND MAYBE RECIPES?
How to: Spring clean your CV A guide to dusting off your CV and improving it for the new season! Education- Begin with your most recent, which I’m guessing is our beautiful university, and continue back to your secondary school. Skills - The self-analysis I mentioned. Use essay feedback, personal statements or any comments made by tutors or employers to help assist you in this. Experience- It is worth dividing this into two sub-sections depending on the role you are applying for; “Relevant Experience” and “Other Experience”. “Other Experience” for part-time jobs/full time jobs to support studying, and “Relevant Experience” for internships or work experience placements. Hobbies/Interests- Optional, but if these relate to the job role, or pass you off as a “well-rounded individual”; then they are worth a note. Referees – put down any employer who likes you, preferably the most recent. If you prefer, simply write “References available upon request”, but prepare for having to fulfill this request (worst case scenario). IMAGELIFE COPYRIGHT - ‘BARRY OB ’L
Spring has finally arrived! No more hibernation in bed or avoiding your workload, party season has (unfortunately) come to an end. Summer is approaching; bringing with it a whole host of opportunities. Now is the time to act, spruce up your CV and get ahead of the game for Summer 2013; when you get that internship, work experience placement or full time job, you will thank yourself for it! In the competitive job-market today, it is crucial to understand the purpose of a CV and how to apply yours to your chosen role or sector. In order to do this, you’ll need to partake in the long, tiresome and frustrating activity called research. Yes, I know. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Well when that person is about to
provide you with the key to your Write a list of your work-related future; be it a reference, place- pro’s and con’s. It’s easy to think ment or a much needed injection of the negatives, but make sure of cash, you probably need to you include what you’re ace at. know what they want. You can Remove your primary school right do it. You’ve spent the majority now. Nobody is impressed that of your degree so far learning you can read and write anymore research skills, so use them! Make (harsh reality). Consider your it your mission to find out every- self-analysis combined with your thing you can about the position research, and organize the inforand company you are applying for mation under these headings: and how you can improve your Education, Skills, Experience, chance of winning it. Hobbies/Interests (optional) and After you have found out Referees (there is a clever way out everything possible, it is time to of this for those of us who are less turn your attention to the hard- impressionable). est part; self-analysis. What are Now for the the artsy bit. your skills (outside of the pub)? “Presentation is key”. I sound like I Do you have any interesting have just begun a very dry lecture qualities? Hopefully. What expe- however in this case, presentation riences are worth mentioning? is essential. I have watched several Definitely think this through. In of my own previous employers all seriousness, evaluate yourself. discard CV’S that are not easy on
the eye, and webcam pictures do not go down well. To begin with, pop your name and contact details at the top (no need for marital status or date of birth).Create a professional layout, and if you are lacking inspiration as I often do, Google search “CV template” and you will be confronted with lots of amazing websites made by people who care about this sort of stuff. Absolutely no word art, pictures or jazzy fonts which prevent actual reading. Think like a middle-aged employer who is bored of looking through CVs, may have eyestrain and wants to go home early. Make it clear, professional and make it your own. You’ve made it to the last part, congratulations. This is the really fun bit: checking. Check
everything for errors. Although tiresome, one tiny error could cost you a massive opportunity. You also don’t want to misrepresent yourself, embarrass yourself or die a bit inside when you realise you spelt a company name wrong. Get somebody else to check your CV, however much nagging that involves. If you have followed this advice, you should now have the perfect CV for you (and I won’t be held responsible if not). There are plenty of websites that you can check for extra information, and to make sure that I haven’t lied to you. Get applying for those internships and jobs, and think big!
Useful links uwe.ac.uk/careers (shows you examples)
myfuture.uwe.ac.uk (this puts the CV together for you)
prospects.ac.uk/cvs.htm (hints and tips from outsiders)
infohub.uwe.ac.uk/Appointments.chpx (the UWE Careers team are available to support you with CV feedback)
issue 6 summary
This month my pages had a lot of content. I had to again work with the continuing idea of keeping in check with my layout. Some people say that a negative cannot elevate to a postive but in this situation it was good to have this type of constraint within this paper. I had a couple of emails that it some pages needed to be changed as the content was wrong on some pages. However that was a error that was not my own. I made these changes This took quite a long time to work on, however I was pleased with the final outcome.
Evaluation
+xp
This paper has done the best into making me aware of layout within another realm of graphic design. The experience and techinques I’ve picked up along the way. Has taught me lots of various problem solving techniques within Indesign; this has definitely improved my confidence into making a page and where to arrange pictures and content visualily. More efficient into working with deadlines and updates on any changes of the pages. There were some ocassions during working that I would have to change a bit of the layout to help the flow of how it was read. I always check emails, as there could be an important message sent at anytime. While working on the paper me and the other 4 designers used a group page we created to communicate. This feature was a great idea as we were all in the same process. Others in the group had advanced skills within Indesign and it was a great way of just asking at times. We also sent through our pages so that we could have a brief look at what would need to be changed. I really liked this idea and from this I have really benifited. This was a orgainised brief chat on there if there was any new information on if the deadline changed. The content when working on the paper was a challenge as its never quite the same each month. This was my problem to solve from the start. I needed to come up with a solution to everyone as it could’ve been either short or long. I had to decide if there was enough spacing to possibly fit a picture in.
I was really greatful for this oppurtunity. I definitely learnt a lot and in this I have become more critical with my own work. Each of these papers is a development of my understanding of editoral layout.
JamesBarrett