WesternEye 002

Western Eye 10.13 — Issue 02

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Uwe’s student voice

WesternEye

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www.westerneye.net

Inside Issue 02 WesternEye UWE’s Student Voice

Science & Tech

Feature article

Entertainment & Life

Bristol’s Backbone

Zombies Theoretical pathogenesis

Israel & Palestine Thoughts on the conflict

All things Halloween Fright season

Local stories The unsung heroes

Continues on page 10

Continues on pages 12 & 13

Continues on pages 16 – 21

Continues on page 24

Post-recession crisis. one third of british children living in poverty.

Breadline Britain

‘Economically developed’ Britain is struggling under a constantly expanding class divide george gill

news@westerneye.net

in the post-recession era, with only limited signs of growth and recovery, poverty remains an ever-challenging plight for millions of people living in Britain.

David Cameron’s venerable claim that “we’re all in this together,” seems depressingly poignant when a Barnardo’s children’s charity report has been published which shows that a third of all children in the uk, 3.6 million, are living in poverty.

The report commissioned by Barnardo’s highlights the failings of the chancellor’s economic policies and further highlights the need for an economic ‘plan b’. The families who live below the poverty line, have just £12 per person per day to provide everything, and many in winter months, have to chose between eating and heating.

The impact of this poverty is vast. Children from lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to suffer from chronic illness, mental health illness, malnutrition, poorer education and a lack of employment opportunities.

government policy is failing terribly. Of course, it will continue to get worse, as the government is enacting the hardest and fastest public sector and welfare cuts ever seen.

Whilst Britain is described as an ‘economically developed country’, its high levels of inequality mean that the poorest people in society will be unlikely to see any benefit from the weak recovery for years. Government policy, in a nutshell, has neglected the difficulties of millions and focused, instead, on retaining the privileges held by big businesses which still turn a healthy profit.

One large food retailer, for example, is still achieving profits in excess of £1 billion. In this time, local greengrocers and independent cooperatives all over the country are closing down and being replaced by smaller, staff-less versions of our supermarkets. Failing that, they are being replaced by betting shops, charity shops and ‘cash for gold’ pawnbrokers. Much of this change is being made possible by a huge reduction in interest rates, providing only large companies with cheap capital investment

85% of survey respondents felt that the chancellor, George Osborne, does not account for the financial worries of ordinary people The Child Poverty Act 2010 aimed to end child poverty in Britain by 2020, bringing 100,000 children out of poverty every year. Current predictions reveal that, in fact, a further 1 million children will be impoverished over the decade and so it’s clear

whilst small-scale retailers and the self-employed are still being laughed out of the bank.

Simultaneously, those who are on lower and middle incomes — for example many students, public sector workers, construction workers, small business

starfish thrower the poorest in british society are unlikely to see any benefit from the weak recovery for years

proprietors and so forth — have been hit by unprecedented cost of living increases, drastic cuts to social security benefits and higher taxes. Millions of other people remain unemployed altogether, they are switching between low-paid, insecure jobs or they are being forced to take up unpaid and sometimes costly internships.

Cost of living increases continue to mean people face soaring bills for basic life essentials. According to the Office of National Statistics [ons], household bills have been rising four times faster than average earnings since 2008. Rising costs of basic life essentials, such as energy, disproportionately affects the poorest people the most. Price comparison website uSwitch.com carried out a survey in which 85% of respondents felt the chancellor, George Osborne, does not understand the fears of ordinary people.

Despite the government being a coalition between liberals and

conservatives, it seems Nick Clegg has failed to achieve any substantial concessions from his Tory counterparts. Particularly with regard to sustaining the social security entitlements afforded to the poorest people in our society. Housing benefit, child benefit, child tax credit, employment support allowance and disability living allowance are all being reduced or reassessed by the extensive austerity reforms. Such measures have left us with a range of scandals that see, for example, people with severe learning difficulties being summoned to ‘work capability assessments’. Welfare services are acting in a way which demeans and distresses the most vulnerable people in Britain.

Under the Lib-Con coalition, income tax for the highest bracket has been reduced whilst vat, which again affects the poorest in society disproportionately, has been increased. Ons statistics on income inequality show that the

richest fifth of households earn 14 times more than the poorest fifth of households, who have an average income of just £5,400.

Similarly, recent research at the University of Birmingham reveals that inequality in the distribution of wealth is even greater than that of income. Amongst the wealthiest age group in society (55-65), 10% of those people own less than £28,000 compared with the richest 10% who own more than £1.3 million in assets.

Even though poverty in Britain is less common than in some of the poorest regions of the world, it is clear there are still a huge injustices present, even amongst the richest countries in the world.

Poverty is having devastating effects on people in every corner of the globe during the current economic situation.

So far, attempts at changing this have been ineffective and inadequate.

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Western Eye 10.13 – Issue 02

NEWS

News — uwe faculty and global developments a message from your su president. charlie roper.

Work for UWE improvement charlie roper

supresident@uwe.ac.uk

since being in office, I’ve been working on a range of projects.

Block Grant Increase

The first key success was receiving an increase in our Block Grant which is the money uwe funds us with. We were faced with a 5% cut, but through negotiation and a paper which we took to the Board of Governors which I presented early Summer, we have managed to get over 1% increase (so over 6% if counting no cut).

UWE Student Charter

I’ve been working on a new uwe Student Charter, which is the agreement between uwe, The Students’ Union and you as a student – it is going to be considerably shorter and more relevant to you during your study here.

UWESU Settle-In Team

The biggest project I have delivered is the uwesu Settle-In Team which this year has expanded with secured funding from Unite.

Through this, a team and I have been able to knock on nearly every new student’s door in the first week of term and also carry out follow up visits in early October to see how things were and are, and to signpost students to the correct places if necessary.

Presentation to Technical Staff in the South West

I gave a presentation at a workshop, on how Technical Staff impact on the student experience. uwe are now looking at how they allow technical staff access to the curriculum to make it more relevant for you. This is because feedback I have received shows that you are learning a lot more from technicians.

Student Governor Forum

The first Student Governor Forum has been very successful, with excellent feedback from Governors and senior university staff alike. The forum is unique to uwesu/uwe, where I set the agenda, chair the meetings and have control. I will be developing this more this year to remain best practice uk wide.

Vice Chancellor/President Campus

is currently running. I am calling uwe to commit to full transparency of additional course costs prior to application on all courses, and to absorb essential costs within the tuition fee. I have been visiting campuses to get as much feedback as possible and shall be submitting a paper to the next Vice Chancellor’s Executive to move things forward. as always you can contact me at supresident@uwe.ac.uk or tweet @thesupresident

Looking for a part-time job?

Walk Arounds

I pitched an idea to Steve West, Vice Chancellor, to do campus walk-arounds to engage with students who many not normally engage with me or the vc. We did our first one in October and spoke to many students who were enabled to give feedback directly to the top.

Hidden Course Costs

Some of you may have seen my Hidden Costs Campaign which

Jobshop is the answer Register online at www.uwesu.org/jobshop

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Western Eye 10.13 — Issue 02

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NEWS

month for the history of an entire race is fair or not, and concerns about black history being delegated to a single month, especially given the heroism of some of the historical figures often recognised.

Victoria disagrees, she states:

ollie hicks

news@westerneye.net

first celebrated in the uk in 1987, October marks the celebration of Black History Month [bhm]; but how has it come about, what does it mean to people, is it necessary and how can students get involved to celebrate what October had to offer.

Bhm is held every October in Britain and February in usa and Canada and aims to promote knowledge of black history, culture and heritage, disseminate information on positive black contributions to British society and heighten the confidence and awareness of black people to their own heritage.

The predecessor of Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week”, chosen because that marked the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas.

In the week’s initial years of being created, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of American blacks in the national public schools.

The first week was met with a far from universal acceptance, only gaining cooperation from the department of education in three states, however it was regarded as a huge success by Woodson, and plans for a repeat of the event on an annual basis continue to this day. Negro History Week was met with an enthusiastic response and prompted the creation of Black History clubs, an increase in interest among teachers, and interest from progressive whites.

Negro History Week grew in popularity throughout the following decades with Majors across the United States endorsing it as a holiday.

The expansion of Black History week to Black History Month was first proposed by the leaders of the Black United Students of Kent State University in February 1969, where the first celebration of Black History Month took place in Kent State one year later in 1970.

In 1979 as a part of the United States Bicentennial, the informal expansion of Negro History Week to Black History Month was officially recognised by the United States Government.

President Gerald Ford spoke in regards to this urging Americans to “seize the opportunity to honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout history”.

Black History Month in the uk, however, kick started much later in 1987 more generally attributed the work of Ghanaian analyst Akyuaba Adda-sebo, as well as the Greater London Council, working alongside former London Major Ken Livingstone who stated that:

It doesn’t matter if it is black history month or white history month it is what we can do as a university to make the student experience better… it’s not just about black students it’s about everyone else because the more you divide people into ethnic groups you will start to repeat the potential problems of the past.

Kevin Wilson, a 2nd year Education, Learning and Development student, follows a similar view:

martin luther king jr an activist, humanitarian and leader in the african-american civil rights movement

Black History Month I like the fact that there is something to say who we are as black people and where we’ve come from. Given our history, it is beyond saying we are black and we have rights now.

It is about what we do and how we can move forward in the future Victoria Owolana Vice President Nigerian Network In order to enrich the cultural diversity of the Greater London area, it is imperative that Londoners know more about African influences on medieval and renaissance European music so that accepted ideas about European music is changed.

Despite the significant role that Africans and diaspora have played in the world civilisations since the beginning of time, Africa’s contribution has been omitted or ignored in modern history books.

But what does Black History Month mean to Students?

October started off with the celebration of the 53rd year anniversary of Nigerian Independence, the Vice-President of the uwe

Nigerian Network Owolana believes it:

Victoria

Celebrates much more than just independence from colonial rule, it is more about finding ourselves as Nigerians and taking responsibility for who we are and developing our nation … every year we tend to look at where we are as a nation and look at ways to move forward.

The day saw a seminar about international students and they can use what they have learned at UWE for national development when they finish.

The network had two speakers, Professor Paul Olomolaiye, the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Faculty of Environment and

Technology who spoke to international students about learning from past mistakes in the history of Nigeria, followed by a talk from Fola Kudehinbu the Executive Chairman of the African and Caribbean Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, who conducted a question and answer session with students regarding their role after they finish their course at uwe.

Additionally focussing on how they can transfer the skills they have learned here to life back in a Nigerian environment, especially the ability to diversify and become more employable from participation in extracurricular activities and schemes.

This said, Black History Month sparks an annual debate about whether the designation of one

It is a good thing to promote the fact that there are differences in society and people are harmonious together … We’ve got a month - I find it excludes everybody else, but it highlights a section of the community that has been negatively prejudice in the past and to try and readjust that is a good thing … if you don’t look at the past, then you don’t know where to go, so you have to reflect on what has happened in the past and then try to readjust in the present.

Tom Renhard, uwesu VicePresident Community and Welfare is a keen supporter of the month’s events stating that: In terms of the eyes of this institution, as long as there are students who want us to run Black History Month, which they do, we will continue to do so …

From a history student’s point of view I think it’s important to remind ourselves of what has happened in the past, to see what has changed, how can we look to the future, and ask have things changed? Are things better than they were forty years ago? I still think more can be done to integrate different communities and I think everyone has a role to play regardless of race or gender.

Tom Renhard will be organising ‘Love Music, Hate Racism’ the free live music event this year taking place on Saturday 26th October in RED Bar, Frenchay Campus, starting at 8:00pm.

for further information visit www.uwesu.org/ents/

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Western Eye 10.13 – Issue 02

Comment

Comment — opinion and topical debate a principle of liberty. questioning free society.

Why is Britain so against the burqa?

The hypocrisies of Boris Johnson’s argument; that the Niqab (aka the ‘face veil’) goes against British principles of ‘liberty’, suggest the need for another look at why Britain wants to ‘Ban the Burqa’ lauren moore

comment@westerneye.net

boris johnson has recently spoken out against a school uniform which includes a Niqab, “It is against my principles and it’s against the principles of liberty that London should stand for”.

I personally find it hard to believe this is a remark on the strictness or sexism of the school’s uniform policy, as he claims.

This is because the blazer, compulsory skirt (yes, compulsory skirt) and, as my mother used to call them, the ‘nightmare to iron’ shirts are still part and parcel of my Catholic secondary school’s incredibly strict and sexist uniform policy. And David Cameron’s recent claim that he is backing the rights of institutions, such as schools and courts, to enforce dress codes which exclude the Niqab (supposedly he didn’t mean the rights of Muslim schools to enforce their dress codes) does not reflect these institutions’ inability to incorporate the Niqab as reasonable adjustments can be made.

society telling Muslim women what to wear. The ultimate example of this is France’s complete ban on wearing the Niqab in public in April 2011, which has resulted in harassment and fines for Muslim women who do not conform.

If we hear the words ‘a nationwide ban on something a woman can wear’, do we instantly think of a secular, free and democratic society such as France or Britain?

Probably not.

Unfortunately Western society is in fact obsessed with what women do and don’t wear, and the recent Burqa and Niqab debates are testament to this.

Women’s fashion is often the most easily recognisable sign of the times. Show me a picture of a woman in a tight woolen jumper and a poodle skirt, I’ll say 1950s!

Show me a picture of a woman in an oversized shoulder-padded suit with short, boyish hair and one earring, I’ll say 1980s! Show me a man in a suit and a tie and I’ll say “Sometime in the last century?”. Great Euro-American eras are encapsulated in women’s fashion, and with one glance at a

Western society is obsessed with what women do and don’t wear, and the recent Burqa and Niqab debates are testament to this These hypocrisies and flaws in the Niqab debate, for me, reflect the desperation of certain corners of society to find fault with the Niqab. A need which is caused by a dominant ideology of how women should dress in Britain.

The irony is screamingly evident; if the Niqab is against British ‘principles of liberty’ then how does banning what a person can wear reinforce those ‘principles of liberty’? It doesn’t!

Either we are a free society or we aren’t. If we ban the Niqab, then we automatically lose one of our liberties; liberties that, according to Johnson, are what Britain stands for.

If you step back, these calls from the Prime Minister and The Mayor of London are just Western

woman in a mini-skirt an entire decade’s worth of imagery and historical knowledge flood in: the Civil Rights Movement, Kennedy, The Beatles, the Vietnam War, the ‘peace’ symbol, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Woodstock, etc, etc.

I would go so far as to say that the way women dress is one of the bed-rocks of defining a society, culture or era. And this is, at least in part, the reason that the Burqa and Niqab have received so much attention. If the Burqa and Niqab in Britain define these multicultural times, it is no wonder that it is these particular symbols that come under most heat from the anti-immigration Right.

‘We want our women in Jeans and a T-shirt!’, they may as well shout. ‘We want these women to

reflect our society, our culture, our religion or lack thereof!’.

One poignant example of the British backlash to how Muslim women dress was rather horrifyingly illustrated in a scene from Channel4’s ‘Make Bradford British’. Sabbiyah, a Muslim woman, was the target of a tirade of abuse from a pub dweller and told in no uncertain terms that she must don a “mini-skirt” and a “low-cut top” to fit into British Society, before he proceeded to sexually harass her. The onslaught left her in tears. Western Society, it seems, will find any way to get Muslim women out of ‘those silly face covering things’ if they fundamentally don’t reflect the dominant culture. Law, policy, harassment and fines are all symptoms of some women not reflecting the Western cultural norms that women usually do.

The anti-immigration Right, and even the Western feminists who call for ‘liberation from the Burqa’ are missing the point entirely. Telling a woman what not to wear is just as oppressive, patriarchal and an infringement daderot Exhibit in Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum of a woman’s rights as telling Unfortunately, however, this Our focus should be on incorher she absolutely has to wear a Niqab. A woman’s right to wear porating the rights of Muslim will not be achievable while a Burqa and Niqab should be the women into our institutions, not people believe that Muslim bedrock of this glorious, free, 21st trying to mould them into an women’s bodies can be used as an advert for ideals of British society. ‘ideal’ of Western culture.

Century, democratic society.

The end of Britain?

The Money Week video — The End of Britain, makes for shocking viewing. Although it seems extreme, and the figures used may be subjective, could the message be relevant? ginny faulkner

headofonline@westerneye.net

by accepting a welfare state and coming to expect the Government provide us with a financial safety net, we have handed them more power than should have ever been allowed.

We have literally put our purses in their pockets.

Allowing the increase in University fees but still funding the majority of students to study means that spending functions on a premise of hope that will not encourage wealth, as debts can rarely be paid back (85% of students will never pay back their loan!). Not only this, but if we continue to buy cars, computers

or TV’s on finance, and continue to gamble on the markets with wealth that does not yet exist we are balancing our economy on a promise rather than hard cash.

This creates a void of money.

Through spending, this black hole is being increasingly widened and our economy relies on the total unpredictability of stock market undulation. Now we all know this, so why are we still not thinking about it in sustainable terms?

We have fallen in to a financial trap. Any government which applies actual cuts will be voted out of power but as the electorate, we are not thinking about the long term costs. We cannot continue this pattern of spending money which we do not have.

Selling off Royal Mail was the first step. What will be next?

Pensions? The NHS? Student Finance? We need to choose what we value most. Government borrowing interest rates currently stand at 2%. Rates cannot physically get much lower.

We cannot all get something more from our government then we put in; its simple maths. Make the banks pay? They can’t afford to, we have to do this ourselves. We have elected Governments on the flimsy promises of a better life for all. The banks, although not innocent, are being used as a scapegoat for our own greed. read the rest of this article at westerneye.net

Western Eye 10.13 — Issue 02

i need to cling to something. battling compulsion.

Could electronic cigarettes make this Stoptober a success?

lauren moore

when asked why I still smoke I often quote The Smiths’ lyric “I need to cling to something”.

Well, don’t we all? For me, smoking is as much a habitual compulsion as it is a chemical addiction. It’s something for my hands to do; something for my mouth to do.

If I’m not physically clinging to a cigarette the Devil will find work for my idle hands and it will usually involve some sort of relentless tapping, or I will accidentally find myself clutching a cake. Many people have this sort of compulsion: biting nails, sucking thumbs, overeating and even mindlessly scrolling through Twitter are all symptoms of idle hands and habitual compulsions.

This is where nicotine patches tend to fall down, there’s nothing for the hands to do.

Many ex-smokers claim they put on weight after giving up smoking. This is because we maintain the hand-to-mouth compulsion but replace the cigarette with a nice cake or three.

Nicotine inhalers, those small

Does slob-hunting deserve such a bad name?

Discussing the pressing matter angering both ethical hunters and animal lovers alike hannah owen

comment@westerneye.net

contradicts the historical exercise of traditional hunting, and could be considered as ‘playing tennis with the net down’.

A blog by Matt Skogland, a us conservationist and hunter, explains how there are two sides to hunting: ‘slob hunting’ and traditional hunting. For example The Northern Rockies are home to 350,000 elk and Skogland explains how once he climbed to, tracked and killed a bull elk.

That meat provided his family with healthy, wild, local, organic, non-factory farmed meat through the winter. It was used for a purpose and not just mercilessly killed. Conversely in Montana, hunters that reside there will blast a herd of elk on the run with 30 bullets, leaving them wounded to slowly die. Yet there are complaints that there are less and less elk available to hunt … is that really surprising?

Skogland continues to say “I’m a hunter, and slob-hunting wastefully kills animals and ruins the name of hunting for everyone”. He argues that without a shutdown on slob hunting the ecological benefits of ethical hunting when managed sustainably will be lost to ego-gratification and entertainment.

the oxford English Dictionary defines hunting as the ‘pursuit and kill of a wild animal for sport or food’. The phrase has always been riddled with controversy, as opposing sides of the practice hold views steeped in both allegiance and passion. But is this definition still relevant? Does it refer simply to an age-old practice embedded throughout human history? And where does it sit in modern society?

In one corner of the sporting world there is a favourable game of ‘Hunting Parties’. Wild animals including the zebra, baboon, giraffe and the precious rhino are fenced in on reserves, and for a price they are hunted by party members hoping to secure a beautiful trophy as memorabilia for their dream hunting holiday.

In his documentary ‘African Hunting Parties’, journalist Louis Theroux asked a paying ‘huntsman’ from Ohio “If money was no option what would you be gunning for?” To which he answered “A rhino, they just look fierce”. As a result of over hunting by these paolo neo cigarette smoking — habitual compulsion or chemical addiction? ‘huntsmen’ the black rhino popuplastic tampon-shaped things, have actually discovered some of lation has decreased by 97.6% have attempted to replace both the same cancer-causing toxins since the 1960s. The same can be the cigarette and the cake while contained in electronic cigarettes said for the white rhino which is maintaining the all important that exist in normal cigarettes, also critically endangered. If you If money was no hand to mouth compulsion. albeit in far less quantities. did fancy hunting a rhino or an option what would Nevertheless, the Medicines elephant for pleasure it will cost However, for me, too much is Healthcare Products you around $50 – 100,000. lacking. There’s no drag, no smoke, and you be gunning for? no ‘hit at the back of the throat’ Regulatory Agency [mhra] are To hunt a lion will cost around to speak of. Essentially the ‘I like currently testing electronic ciga- $10,000, but these lions are not smoking’ part of my brain feels rettes so that they can soon be wild and armed with experience; The famous Lascaux caves in cheated, even though I’m getting prescribed by uk doctors as nico- they are deprived of a natural life, Southern France are a sanctutine replacements. the same amount of nicotine. ary of paintings expressing early and bred purely for sport.

However, the lasting effects Recently I tried an electronic The hunting experience at one man’s reverence and gratitude cigarette. Now there’s a nicotine of using electronic cigarettes will of these reserves is focused on for the animals that sustained replacement I could get on board not be truly known until we’ve equipping the customer to ensure their lives. Ethical hunting reigwith. It maintains the hand-to- been puffing away at them for a a trophy is ‘won’. A team of track- nites this approach by abiding to mouth compulsion without the decade or two. ers will assist them by finding the ethical standards, an approach of Hindsight is a wonderful thing; desired animal while a vehicle ‘necessity over delicacy’. Modern calories of cake. It also mimics the drag of nicotine-laden smoke after all, tobacco had been popu- will drive the huntsmen to the hunting however, does not give through the use of vapour, so I get lar for around 150 years before location, close enough to aim and the animals the fair chance that that hit at the back of my throat, evidence began to even suggest shoot. They are aided in aiming they would have had long ago. and the feeling of inhaling and that it was harmful.

For some individuals who by a tracker, but the huntsman Without rigorous medical is given the honour of actually are restrained by the confines exhaling a substance rather than just nicotine flavoured air. If it evidence electronic cigarette shooting the animal themselves. of poverty, the need to procure wasn’t for the unrealistic weight smokers are essentially guinea Then a tracker will remove the a valuable asset through huntof the electronic cigarette, I pigs for the possible harmful carcass, although not until they ing overpowers any need for wonder if the ‘I like smoking’ part effects. The general consensus are offered a chance to have a moral justification. Others hunt of my brain would even notice amongst medical professionals at photo taken with their ‘prize’. to superficially satisfy primal the moment is that they are the that I’m not actually smoking!

Vital skills acquired for hunt- urges to kill, and create a set-up Unfortunately for me however, lesser of two evils. However, it’s ing are lost within this practice; purposefully for them to fulfil electronic cigarettes have not currently up to the individual to the achievement of outwitting this impulse. Both ethical and been through the same rigor- decide whether or not to believe the animal is questionable and ‘slob-hunting’ exist in the world, ous testing as their patch and the hype. alludes to it being a some- but the ability to justify them is inhaler counterparts. Tests so far what artificial experience. This matter of animal welfare.

While sales of electronic cigarettes rocket, current debate questions whether the like-forlike product is worth the potential risks

comment@westerneye.net

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COmment

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Western Eye 10.13 – Issue 02

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Western Eye 10.13 – Issue 02

B r i s t o l’ s b a c k b o n e

Bristol’s backbone — an insight into local culture introduction. anna-may richards.

Stories from the unsung heroes We all enjoy Bristol for many different reasons. For some it’s the market stalls in town, the local pub, or a favourite place to dance. There are people behind these places with more to share than you may initially consider. Is it the artists, musicians and performers who make Bristol what it is or could it be the nature of the people behind the scenes?

There is a huge section of society who remain unheard. We want to tell the fascinating stories of these unsung heroes. Those who have so much to say, but do not usually have the platform to do so. It’s time to hear from the voices which keep this city ticking over. It’s time to hear from Bristol’s Backbone. anna-may richards

Anna-may richards

assistanteditor@westerneye.net

assistanteditor@westerneye.net

tomorrow, Davy Reed is headed up to Manchester to hand deliver 12,000 copies of Crack magazine.

A true team effort- everyone chips in to make sure underground music fans across England can have their dose of Crack’s culture.

As junior editor, he faces responsibility for checking the content of all the fields Crack moves in, but his writing focuses on the us hip-hop scene. Here, we talk Bagel Boy, Simple Things Festival, and gender in the underground music scene.

Crack found itself on the ladder of respectability by issue five through their interview with James Murphy of lcd Soundsystem. The publication has since branched out into programmes including The Warehouse Project, and Outlook, as well as being part of the team behind influential music events.

Founders Jake and Tom are childhood friends who grew the cultural compendium that is Crack, from a blog after being reunited in Bristol, their home town. As a free publication, Crack makes its money from advertisement revenue. An obligation to quality, and specific criteria, the adverts are always appropriate to the articles that fit the brand’s mantra. No evil corporations advertise here.

Davy moved from Newcastle down to Bristol in 2008, the WesternEye gave him a platform to kick-start the writing career that Stool Pigeon and old copies of Mojo had ignited in him.

Despite having little idea of what Bristol was all about before the move, it only took a walk around Stokes Croft on a sunny day to be convinced that this was the city for him.

renowned for its creative and rebellious attitude, Bristol is constantly pushing the boundaries in the artistic, political, and domestic worlds. Award winning St Nicolas’ Market embodies a huge part of what Bristol is about. Home to an eclectic mix of eateries and shops including Pieminister, haberdasheries, record shops, alternative fashions, and even Doctor Burnorium’s Hot Sauce Emporium.

Though some of the stalls don’t stick to the more conventional bargain prices of market stalls, the quality is high and you can still enjoy a delicious mountain of Moroccan food at Al Bab Mansour for only a fiver.

The first real night I went to was at the old fire station, an Invisible

thebeardyweirdy stokes croft — bristol’s creative hub

Circus night. That was absolutely mad, that was the first night I realised there was loads of mad s**t going on here.

While still at uni, Davy sent the Crack team some of his writing but nothing came of it. So he set off to Crack’s headquarters and asked to write for them.

“For about a year I was bugging them with anything I could, and asking for feedback. Eventually they started trusting me with working on interviews”.

What started off as a 25 hour a week unpaid internship, has evolved into a career with a fulltime wage.

Chuck D [of Public Enemy] was the first [interview] that really felt real. Ghostfaced killer was pretty surreal. [I] went and interviewed him and he was lying in his bed, eating a big bag of pretzels, it was like I was reading him a bed time story or something. Little Dragon was one of the early ones I did [May 2012] and I was a bit too nervous to enjoy that. It’s funny to overcome that initial anxiety, and learn how to plan your questions and how to frame things, especially when you can meet some unpredictable, undisciplined characters.

But it wasn’t plain sailing from degree to Crack. After graduating, Davy went from being on the dole, to working in asda, to being on the dole again, to getting sacked from a frozen yogurt company on his first day, “I was gutted about it, I even got the hat with the little angel wings on it”. To add to the job hunt stress, the papers were full of news about the Coalition’s latest scheme to lower unemployment rates; workfare.

He has concerns about the impact of schemes like workfare on smaller or alternative publications. It seemed the only outcome of compulsory work experience was free labour for companies and less time for individuals to gain valuable experience.

This was especially awkward as the foot-in-the-door for most careers requires at least a small amount of unpaid work.

It’s not black-and-white, because most small companies, like art companies, media companies and publications - no-one’s getting rich off this, no one’s making a lot of money, it wouldn’t exist without that. Personally if I wasn’t able to claim some sort of benefit and get some sort of support after university, I wouldn’t of been able to do what I do now.

bris.ac.uk st nicholas market

On Sunday’s, Wednesday’s and Saturday’s the market spills out onto Corn Street, at the top of which is Bristol’s registrar office where wedding’s often take place, contributing to the cheery atmosphere. Aside from a few endearing grumps, the traders are happy to chat with you about what-ever you fancy and are keen to tell you about their produce.

Whilst browsing the bags, dream catchers, and hot sauce, you may notice the guys in green vests. These are the people who make sure things run smoothly,

who set up and take down the market, who keep the place clean, and the traders happy. They are an integral part of the market.

I speak to one of these people; twenty-nine year old Medo, a tall, Egyptian-Johnny Bravo, who shows me around the market and shares with me some of his views on Bristol, the world, and life.

Medo grew up in Cairo, and comes from a respectable family of doctors and soldiers.

He trained in the Egyptian capital as a physiotherapist, but his qualifications are not applicable in the uk so he spent the last eight years working for security and in other service areas.

In Cairo, Medo studied physiotherapy and practiced as a qualified masseur. He talks about the importance placed on getting an education, and the disapproval placed on people who do not achieve. His work ethic is strong and so he remains level headed about being unable to use his qualifications.

I cannot afford to get a degree here; I would be saving for years to go. But if I saved then I would deserve it. You shouldn’t have what you don’t deserve. I want to enjoy the luxuries of life, which means I need money, so I work. Everybody expects a lot from everyone; especially with the traders.

To Medo, people on benefits have the minimum. They are unable to spend money on more luxurious past times and items.

He believes that it’s more difficult for them to enjoy their lives in a fulfilling manner. He thinks Bristol is a beautiful city, and compares it to the faster pace of London, which he prefers to visit.

I love to visit London but to live with the hassle and the traffic and the busy and the noisy s**t it’s too fast. It’s enough for me to be a guest there. But every time I go there I’m excited like a child.

Our greeting and casual formalities are interrupted by a slightly distressed woman’s voice coming out of Medo’s walkie-talkie. The power supply isn’t working on Corn Street for some stalls, Medo’s colleagues can’t find the keys for the electric box and one of the wires needs to be changed. Medo maintains his cool demeanour, clearly “the Egyptian sense of humour is not to take anything too seriously”. read the rest of these articles at westerneye.net/bristolsbackbone