WesternEye March 2012

WesternEye UWE’S STUDENT VOICE - Issue No. 4 - March 2012 Including

WESTWORLD

VARSIT Y

Exploring Arts, Culture, Music & Film within Bristol

UoB bites the bullet

See page 28

SU & Life

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Matt Dinnery Getty Images

Ian Chittick

International Women's Day

WesternEye speaks to…

NUS CALLS FOR STRIKE ACTION

See page 14

admin@westerneye.net The National Union of Students has recently called for a student walkout, which is to take place on Wednesday 14 March.

The walkout is a part of the NUS’ ‘Come Clean on Hidden

Costs’ campaign, which aims to get universities and colleges to commit to ‘full transparency prior to application on all course costs.’

The ‘week of action’, which will be taking place from the 12 - 16 March, is also being supported by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts.

Comment

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A generation drowning in debt Dan Kiddle reflects on the current state of the economy and how righting off some debt might just be the only way out of this crisis...

Features

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What the Dickens?

Niki Mullin celebrates Charles Dickens' 200th Anniversary and how his sense of social justice and curiosity makes his work so relevant in society today...

See page 2 Rebecca Day

With International Women's Day around the corner, Charlotte Barnes highlights the importance of celebrating the inspirational women in our lives...

WESTWORLD

It's a Secret... but I trust you

High Contrast

Tell your juiciest secret and you could be in with a chance of winning tickets to It's a Secret...

Festival.

ELECTIONS SPECIAL

PG15: MEET ALL THE CANDIDATES, READ THEIR MANIFESTOS AND MAKE YOUR DECISIONS ABOUT WHO YOU WANT REPRESENTING YOU NEXT YEAR FOR UWE STUDENTS’ UNION

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WesternEye March 2012

"Education is a right, not a privilege" >NUS calls for a National student walkout Rebecca Day admin@westerneye.net Continued from cover According to the NUS: ‘Research on the hidden costs of studying shows almost a third of Students’ Unions reported their universities as covering no additional costs of printing, studio fees, field trips, travel to work placements and course books.’

NUS President, Liam Burns, states: “Whether lab coats, field trips, printing or materials, students across the country are facing significant hidden costs attached to studying. It cannot be fair that academic success is dictated by how much disposable cash you have.”

He further comments: “We’re calling on universities and colleges to urgently commit to absorb essential costs, offer means tested support for non-essentials, and provide complete transparency on all costs pre-application.”

Students are finding that they are simply being landed with unexpected additional sums of money. It is thought that the effects of mounting hidden costs can put students under severe financial pressure, consequently hindering their education. The strike action will be calling on Vice Chancellors and university management to advertise all course costs at the point of application.

UWE’s Vice Chancellor, Steve West, comments: “I have been very keen that the University does this and over the years we have been working with the Students’ Union to

ensure that we provide appropriate and more transparent information to students on the cost of study. The fee loan covers the main fee of delivery of the core programme. It does not support optional activities such as field trips. Neither does it cover the purchase of text books or printing.

“We support the aim of NUS to encourage transparency around full costs of courses, along with other transparency around employability, satisfaction and other information pertinent to their choice of course and university. The University has always been proactive in providing information and advice around course costs and budgeting as can be found upfront in our prospectuses – we would be happy to supply more.”

Despite UWE not covering any additional costs such as printing and course books, Steve West states: “Printing costs we keep as low as we can and the University tries to support core book titles and alternatives through the library and encourages second hand buy back schemes.”

The strike also provides an opportunity for students to take a stand against the Government’s controversial attempts to privatise Higher Education. The Higher Education Bill, which was proposed

by Universities Minister, David Willetts, is thought will ‘radically reform the UK’s education system’.

According to The Telegraph, ‘The bill has been designed to make it easier for private providers to enter the [educational] sector in order to boost competition between institutions and raise standards.’ However, the plan for the privatisation of universities has now been indefinitely delayed,

causing speculation among many.

Questions have been raised as to whether the government’s plans to sell off the education sector will now be done behind closed doors.

The NUS President exclaims: “The government is clearly not up for another public battle on its plans to sell off our education and will look to do it in private and under the radar instead.”

The University and College Union have, however, welcomed the fact that the Government’s White Paper has been indefinitely ‘shelved’ until at least 2015, but will be opposing ‘any efforts to introduce privatisation’ if they crop up in the meantime.

The reason behind the delay is that whilst some of the reforms have been introduced, some still require further legislation.

It is thought that if the Higher Education Bill was to reappear off of the shelf, for-profit organisations will be able to gain access to UK higher education and tax payers’ money. External privatisation will provoke a change in universities’ legal system, consequently allowing private equity firms and US education giants to buyout existing universities and access publicly-subsidised student loans. The emulation of an American-style Higher Education system will no doubt have students and taxpayers ultimately suffering the consequences. According to the US Education Trust: “Only 20 percent of students at for-profit colleges [in America] complete a four-year course and the same proportion of those who do finish default on their loans within three years.”

Steve West comments on the threat of the privatisation to Higher

Life Editor Charlotte Barnes Sub Editor David Beatson lifeandsu@westerneye.net

News and Politics Editor Toby Cryne Sub Editor Aminah Jagne newsandpolitics@westerneye.net

Entertainment Editor Emma Wood entertainment@westerneye.net

Comment and Debate Editor Sarah Adams Sub Editor Caroline Lucas comment@westerneye.net

Sports Editor Jamie Anderson sport@westerneye.net

Features Editor Laura Dale Sub Editor Niki Mullin features@westerneye.net

Despite the Vice Chancellor views on the student walkout, he did state raising tuition fees was not the best way to finance higher education. He states: “The fairest, most efficient and effective means is through general taxation. However, Parliament has debated and it has determined that the fees regime is what we will have. Our task now is to make sure that students get the best value from their investment and that we continue to ensure that they are properly supported throughout their studies and we invest in their experience and success.”

On Wednesday 28 March, another proposed round of strike action is to be held whereby lecturers continue to front the Government’s pension cuts. Mr West confirms: “The University will intend to operate as normal to offer the students access to classes and facilities in support of their education.”

Whilst the Government’s decision to withdraw its Higher Education White Paper has prompted a mixed reaction amongst many, the need for full transparency on hidden university costs also appears to be high on the agenda for the NUS. UWE’s Activist Network are therefore calling for students to take a stance against the Government’s proposed programme of privatisation and their implementation of cuts, and to join them on Wednesday 14 March at Frenchay Campus on the picket-line. A meeting will be held later on in the day at 6.30pm in room 1L1 to discuss future movements against the Government’s fees and cuts.

Student support service goes live

WesternEye Editor Rebecca Day Assistant Editor Sam Hudson admin@westerneye.net

Education: “I am concerned that as the Government continues to progress its reforms that any move towards not for profit independent providers, they are subject to exactly the same quality assurance, governance and transparency requirements that all current universities are subject to.

It is essential that we have a level playing field and the quality and reputation of UK Higher Education is not compromised.”

Throughout NUS’ 90 year history, this is the first time the union has called for a student walkout. The WesternEye questioned the Vice Chancellor whether this is a cause for concern about the future of Higher Education. He states: “I am concerned that students are feeling that the changes that are being introduced are unfair. The changes are shifting the emphasis to the students and are placing them, quite rightly, at the heart of the system. I believe some of what is proposed is designed to improve the student experience. It is a great shame that this could not have been supported through the continuation of predominantly state funding rather than through the fee loan route.”

Steve West confirms that he will not be supporting the ‘walkout’, as he believes that ‘strike action’ will have no impact on the Government’s current thinking. He states: “The ‘walk-out’ will only disadvantage the student body and the individuals that take part. The University will not be re-scheduling any sessions on the day as we will be running the University as normal allowing those who wish to engage to engage. We do however support students’ right to peaceful and responsible protest.”

WestWorld Editor Jenny Pearce westworld@westerneye.net Sub Editor Edward Sharp James Moorton Creative Directors Holly Catford www.catford.com Jack Franklin www.iamjackfranklin.co.uk

After a motion was passed at November’s AGM, the Students’ Union have lobbied UWE to provide a list of key contact information on support services. Education Vice President, Olly Reid, has pushed for an online ‘student support’ link, which has now officially gone live on the MyUWE site.

The direct ink will provide students with quick and easy access to student support that will enable them to find

the correct service at the click of a button. The motion which was put forward requested for a centralised location to provide easy access to relevant support information.

Implementing a more accessible support service will increase students’ use of the vital services on offer at UWE, and will provide a reassuring effect on students by them knowing that these services are easily accessible.

WesternEye is published by University of the West of England Students’ Union, 5th Floor F Block, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol. BS16 1QY. Some elements of this newspaper are distributed under a Creative Commons License; please get in contact for more details. WesternEye is printed by Mortons Ltd, Lincolnshire. We believe in making WesternEye as accessible as possible. You can access this publication in PDF format at www.westerneye.net. If you require a different format please get in touch with the Editor (below).

The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent that of UWESU. We are all human, and sometimes we make mistakes; any problems please contact the Editor at editor@westerneye.net.

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WesternEye March 2012

Green to be clean for Easter >College Green is to be reopened next month to the public for when temperatures start to rise in Bristol Paul Campbell newsandpolitics@westerneye.net From 15 October 2011 until late January 2012 College Green was home to a camp of protestors, who were a part of the world-wide Occupy Movement.

A Bristol county court ruling on 13 January 2012 ordered the eviction of all protestors from the landmark site. The legal action was taken by Bristol City Council and the Dean of the Cathedral, Reverend David Hoyle, who owns the green.

The camp was cleared peacefully on 31 January without any opposition from Occupy protestors, who accepted the eviction and most of whom had already vacated the public open space several days before.

Bailiffs went to the site to remove any remaining protestors; finding only one homeless gentleman living in one of

the shacks. This marked the start of the clean-up and restoration project.

Bristol City Council, who are responsible for the maintenance of the green, along with May Gurney, a company that specialises in maintenance services were responsible for the clean-up operation. Occupy Bristol said they wanted to do the clean-up themselves using the “several hundred pounds” they raised during their protest. They claimed that if Bristol City Council were to do the job it would cost the taxpayer.

The cost of the clean-up and restoration however was initially estimated by Bristol City Council at £13,500, an amount which Occupy Bristol protestor and spokesperson, Tony Cripps described as “ridiculous.”

These disputes over cost were finally resolved on St Valentine’s Day, through a loving gesture by two local contracting companies, who are

charging £4000 for the task.

Tony Cripps insisted that Occupy Bristol is not dead but is merely resting and rethinking its strategies.

Occupy protestors around the world are presently confronting the current political systems, opposing economic injustice and are calling for a fairer society and a new way of thinking.

Protest camps – similar to that on College Green – exist throughout the world, in 82 different countries.

Bristol’s was the biggest in the UK outside of London.

Occupy Bristol are planning another similar protest in May later this year in a different city centre location. Mr Cripps also insisted that the needles found during the clean-up were used by a protestor with diabetes to treat his condition, rather than for drugs, as was implied in the media and by Bristol City Council.

It has recently been revealed that nine of the fourteen squatters, who

were a part of the Bristol Occupy movement, are currently residing in a Clifton Mansion worth approximately £3 million.

The leader of Bristol’s City Council Barbara Janke expects that College Green, which is currently fenced off

and inaccessible to the public, will be reopened for when the good weather is expected to return in early April for the Easter season. Before then, the soil will be de-contaminated, the ground re-turfed and the grass re-grown.

between apprehensive students and the University.

Olly Reid revealed: “Within ten minutes of setting up the Facebook page [UWESU Quest to Save Campus Bank], I was contacted by disabled students who thought the move would cause problems for them.”

He continued: “I think it will have a massive effect on both staff and students. If they were shutting a branch within a community of 3000 people, there would be a massive uproar. With staff and students who live both on and off campus, we are also a community.

“I think international and disabled students will be affected most.”

The Vice President’s points appear to be on par with students’ views as Katie Wedd, an undergraduate studying Psychology said: “The bank is extremely important to students on campus as most of the campus facilities such as Onezone do not accept card payment. It is unusual for students to carry much money around with them. Therefore I have made use of the bank several times this year.”

Charlie Roper, an undergraduate studying politics, stated: “We all know that students face financial struggles on a daily basis. NatWest’s withdrawal from UWE [will] not only make life harder, but it raises concerns for disabled students and for international

students who use the bank to transfer their money to live. It’s going to be tough without a bank.”

Based on responses to the aforementioned Facebook page, Olly Reid highlighted: “A lot of students feel cheated because they were not told at the start of the academic year.

It’s an unfair approach to business.

A lot of them will have chosen to go with NatWest for convenience.

Students that live on campus start in September, see that there is a branch and therefore choose NatWest.”

So what options are available to students and what will be provided in its place?

As part of the campaign, Reid has been communicating with NatWest.

“They’re pulling out before the end of term, around Student Loan time, we asked them to stay until the end of the year and they basically said no.”

The campaign has been moderately successful thus far, as Reid disclosed: “We are looking for the provision of another bank on campus. NatWest confirmed that they will keep the cash points. Eventually we will lobby to get another bank but that’s difficult to

negotiate whilst NatWest are still in place”.

The University are also endeavouring to do their part to ensure that students are not deprived of alternatives.

Steve West has confirmed: “We are working with the bank to identify how best to provide services on campus.

This includes cash machines and other services. Other banks may be interested if NatWest decides to close this branch and we will be following up discussions should the need arise”.

Mr West continued to state: “We recognise the importance to our staff and students of these facilities and we are doing everything we can to explore a range of options to secure a level of service that is commercially viable for the banks.”

A major disadvantage to some and perhaps just a nuisance to others, the closure of the branch will be felt by many, and if indeed UWE and UWESU are successful in finding a replacement service, it may well be up to students to ensure that it is utilised in order to avoid a similarly unsettling state of affairs in future.

NatWest to stay open?

Don't bank on it…

Aminah Jagne newsandpolitics@westerneye.net

>UWE’s NatWest Bank to shut its doors on students The Royal Bank of Scotland has recently announced that they will be closing UWE’s NatWest bank in late April.

On 6 February, a notice was displayed on the branch’s window stating: “We will be leaving The University of the West of England permanently from 4.30pm on Monday 30 April 2012”.

Having resided on the campus for over 30 years, NatWest’s comparatively short withdrawal notice of two months has raised questions and concerns, primarily; why is the bank closing now, how will students be affected and will an on-campus branch service be provided in future?

Without any prior notice of the closure from UWE, the first port of call for answers was Vice Chancellor, Professor Steve West, who revealed that the decision to leave Frenchay Campus was in fact made by NatWest rather than the university itself. He advised: “We must recognise that there are commercial considerations for the bank, which are outside our

direct control although we are doing our best to influence these issues.”

In response, a NatWest spokesperson has stated: “Closing a branch is not a decision that we take lightly. Having reviewed the service at our UWE branch we have taken the difficult decision to close on 30 April as the demand is no longer sufficient to justify the service.”

WesternEye’s source went on to proclaim: “Our customers will continue to receive a full banking service at our nearby branches where the staff from UWE branch will be re-deployed. This includes Filton branch, which is just over a mile and a half away, and three other branches situated within a three mile radius. Customers also have 24hour access to our telephone, online and mobile app banking facilities.”

However, one aspect that concerns many students is the loss of the cash services on campus. NatWest’s spokesperson responded: “We are working with the university to try and ensure that we can retain a cash machine on campus.”

Will external services be sufficient for everyone though? And what are students’ views on the matter?

UWESU’s President, Colin Offler and Education Vice President, Olly Reid were first in line to tackle these questions, immediately spearheading a campaign to maintain the branch’s presence on campus and negotiating

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WesternEye March 2012

Decline in UWE applications Recent figures have revealed that the number of prospective students applying to start at UWE in September 2012 has dropped by almost 14%, against a national figure of around -7%.

Since the formidable rise in fees was announced in November 2010, UWE have increased their annual tuition fee amount from £3290 to £9000. Students studying Foundation Degrees at UWE’s Federation Colleges will be paying £7500 a year.

In 2011 UWE received just over 31,000 applications, whereas statistics obtained from 2012 show a fewer amount of applications of 26,757.

One of the main issues, which arose from the implementation of higher fees, was whether students from less affluent backgrounds would be able to afford to attend university.

However, UWE have stated that they will make an annual commitment

of £10.5 million to reach out to the students who are missing out on higher education because of their economic background.

For UWE to appeal to those from lower-income households, the university has introduced a new scheme, which is focused on those from disadvantaged backgrounds who need financial help the most.

As part of the new student finance system, UWE is planning to award over 1000 bursaries to new undergraduates in 2012.

UCAS have however stated that: “Our analysis shows that decreases in demand are slightly larger in more advantaged groups than in the disadvantaged groups.”

It appears that students from middle-class families are being ‘hit the hardest’, according to recent statistics provided by UCAS’ POLAR2 methodology. Although substantial bursaries will be, and have already been provided to those from poorer

Rebecca Day admin@westerneye.net

>Is the rise in tuition fees a cause for UWE’s decline in applications? backgrounds, it is those students whose families are earning just over the threshold that are most expected to feel the ‘squeeze’. It can also be argued that fewer students are now unable to pay their fees upfront, therefore highlighting the decrease in demand of students from more advantaged backgrounds. However, it appears that it has not been taken into consideration from UCAS that far fewer students from a less affluent background applied to university even before the rise in tuition fees.

An article in the Guardian states that ‘those in families in the middle of the income curve are around 75% more likely to apply than those at the bottom’, hence the reason that media focus has been solely on the decline in applications from the more affluent student.

Despite there being no significant increase in applications for 2011/2012 to determine an influx of students trying to beat the rise in

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fees, it is proposed by UWE that the decrease this year was mainly due to fewer courses being on offer to prospective students. The removal of these courses has resulted in around 3500 less applications.

UWE Communications Director, Keith Hicks, states: “For UWE this year the drop in applications was because applications were up significantly in previous years by as much as 27%. Applications are also down due to the impact of offering fewer courses and the drop in mature students applying to university.”

According to UCAS: “The applications from mature groups are set against a backdrop of increasingly higher HE participation rates at their school leaving age.”

Due to the government’s cuts on university places, which was predicted

by Labour leader, Ed Miliband, at the beginning of last year, UWE are now only able to offer 4600 places a year, instead of the usual 5800. The Coalition has recently announced that fewer places will be available at universities nationally to coincide with the introduction of higher tuition fees. Recent figures have revealed that nationally, the number of fulltime undergraduate courses on offer at universities has fallen by more than a quarter since 2006.

It appears that more students are now looking to take different channels to build a future career.

Recent statistics have revealed that the number of students taking on apprenticeships have increased by over two-thirds within the last year.

Figures have shown that almost half a million apprenticeships were started in 2010/2011, which was a 63% increase on the previous year.

With £6 million being injected into the Higher Apprenticeship Fund by the government, it could seem reasonable to question where the Government’s priorities lie with

creating a stable future for the education system. It appears that David Cameron’s sole focus has been to encourage young people to ‘learn a proper trade where we’re not just borrowing and spending huge amounts but really earning our way’, instead of addressing issues with the state of the current education system.

There is also recent threat of whether the rise in tuition fees, coupled with the welfare reform will be shutting the doors on many young disabled people accessing university. The current welfare benefits in place allow those studying in full-time education to receive disability allowances, however, the reform bill aims to cut the costs of those benefits, by reducing the number of people they are available to. According to an article in the Guardian, many campaigners say that the government’s proposals to reduce the cost of Disability Allowance by 20% ‘will leave some disabled students with less money for transport and personal care.’

A meeting is planned to be held at UWE on Wednesday 21 March, which will debate the effects the Education White Paper will have on disabled students and put forward ideas about how UWESU can defend current and prospective disabled students at UWE. Although the rise in tuition fees seem to have played a factor in UWE’s decline in applications this year, it is clear to see that other cuts and reforms implemented by the government have also contributed to the decrease in number of students applying to universities. However, it is still early days and only time will tell as to whether the increase in tuition fees will really have a detrimental effect on the future of students looking to attend higher education.

UWE’s smoke-free clinic Harbourside, Canons road, bristol bs1 5uH

booKinG line 0117 9220330 Facebook.com/zazabazaar twitter.com/zazabazaar www.zazabazaar.com 15/11/2011 12:28

A smoke-free clinic is due to be launched on Monday 12 March. During the opening week, until Friday 16 March, there will be a drop-in session held everyday at 1D11 on Frenchay Campus.

The clinic will give students and staff the opportunity to access support and advice about quitting smoking and will be given vouchers, which can be exchanged for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) at most Bristol or South Gloucester pharmacies.

The service will also be providing students and staff with volunteering opportunities to become ‘smoking advisors’ Volunteers will be able to give out prescriptions

for NRT and conduct counselling sessions for those who are looking to quit or gain more information about quitting.

UWE have already implemented new smoking bins and smoke-free zones around the university, which include areas surrounding the library, the Living Centre and Glendinning Lecture Theatre. The smokefree campaign has been introduced due to the growing number of complaints regarding passive smoking when entering and leaving the buildings.

For more information email kim3.allen@uwe.ac.uk.

5

WesternEye March 2012

UWE PERFORM...

Julia Phillips The Centre for Performing Arts is hosting an extravaganza of musical events at the Colston Hall on 24 March 2012. The CPA will be drawing together the talents of the Performing Arts combined groups and activities and also those of local schools. It will begin at midday when the Colston Hall foyer will echo with the sounds of the Saxophone Group, Gospel Choir (1st runners up in the University Gospel Choir of the Year Competition 2011), Sound of Soul, African Drumming and much more. There will be a free workshop open to all at 5.30pm led by the world renowned BackBeat Percussion in the main hall, whilst the UWE Big Band will raising the roof with some all-time favourites. The cast from Titanic will also be performing excerpts from the musical in Colston Hall 2.

The day will culminate in a concert performance at 7pm of Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’ and David Fanshawe’s ‘African Sanctus’ in which the UWE Singers and Orchestra, African drummers and talented CPA guitarists will be joined by BackBeat Percussion, the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and soprano soloist Belinda Evans.

This is an opportunity to enjoy two epic works from the choral and orchestral repertoire. Holst’s ‘The

Becki Lavender

admin@westerneye.net

Planets’ takes the listener on a seven movement astrological journey and has become a popular favourite of audiences far and wide. This is a chance to hear the UWE Orchestra – of some seventy players – in ‘full flight’, involving a myriad of different instruments.

The late David Fanshawe’s landmark work ‘African Sanctus’ has received international acclaim, reflecting his pioneering interest in ethnic music. His ambition to record native folk music began in the Middle East in 1966 and continued on further journeys through North and East Africa. In November 2009, David Fanshawe was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from UWE and on Saturday 31 March 2012, twenty UWE singers will join a massed choir of eminent vocalists from throughout the UK to commemorate Fanshawe and perform ‘African Sanctus’ at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. In addition UWE’s jazz group, Essenjay, will perform in the foyer on the same day.

Tickets for the Colston Hall concert are available through the UWE Online Store or from the Colston Hall box office.

Free student tickets are limited and are available to collect from the CPA office at the top of Car Park 1.

Visit www.uwe.ac.uk/cpa for more information.

LABS qualify to rescue beached animals Christopher Allen admin@westerneye.net On Saturday 4 February, 40 members of the UWE Students’ Union Land Animal and Biology Society (LABS) gained their British Divers Marine Life Rescue Marine Mammal Medic qualification.

The Hartpury College Society is run by President Chris Allen, who is currently in his third and final year at UWE. The qualification permits students to help animals who have become stranded on beaches.

Qualifiers are then able to assess, handle and care for them correctly, with the aim to save as many of these animals’ lives as possible.

Stephen Marsh, Operations Manager of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, led the course with the assistance of other experienced BDMLR medics and coordinators who volunteered their time. The course was held at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester.

Mr Marsh said: “BDMLR runs courses around the UK and as a charity, relies on volunteers giving up their time and energy to respond to around 400 rescues a year. What’s great about coming to a university with a society like LABS is that we know that everyone on the course

is already really dedicated to wildlife and conservation, so we’ll have some good supporters here. Running a course in the warm on the coldest weekend of the year was an absolute bonus.”

The students were taught about identification of cetaceans mammals best adapted to aquatic life - within the UK. Theories were taught on common problems as to why the animals may need rescuing, and to how to rescue them if they become ‘beached’.

After learning the theory of these rescues, the students were then able to practice the techniques of a rescue attempt. Life-size realistic models of the mammals were used in a pool that had movable flooring, providing the effect of a sloping beach.

The LABS students learned how to

‘jump’ a 16kg seal pup and practised the technique of capturing the ‘mammal’ without causing stress. A practice health assessment was then carried out and students learnt how to lift and transport the model safely.

Other ‘mammals’ included a 125kg Dolphin and a two tonne Pilot Whale that required at least ten students to rescue it.

LABS President, Chris Allen, said: “I am grateful to Stephen from BDMLR, Aspire Sports and Cultural Trust, and the Medics that gave their time to make this course so successful. I hope that this is the start of new relationships for LABS, and the foundations for the society in future years.”

More information about BDMLR can be found at www.bdmlr.org.uk

Should prostitution be legalised? >Join the Women’s Law Students Forum to debate on the controversial topic of prostitution On Monday 2 April, the Women Law Students Forum will be holding a debate on the legalisation of prostitution. Julie Bindel and Jean Johnson will be attending the event to give their opposing opinions on the topic.

Julie Bindel, who is staunchly against the legalisation and decriminalisation of prostitution, works as a freelance journalist for

such publications as the Guardian and the Financial Times magazine.

Campaigner, Jean Johnson, is a Women’s Institute representative for the legalisation of brothels within the UK and has featured in a Channel 4 documentary A WI Lady’s Guide to Brothels.

The WLSF aims to promote the development of a vibrant student body and works to alert students on

issues associated to equality and diversity. The WLSF is affiliated to the Family, Gender and Equality Research Unit at Bristol Law School, UWE. The debate will be held at Frenchay Campus in room 3C01 at 4.30pm, followed by a drinks reception at 6pm. To submit an advance question, email sophieengel@live.com.

Library search system tester session UWE Library will be holding an overview and test session on the new library search system.

After much concern was raised by students over the difficulties accessing books and journal articles, a new library search system will enable students to access content much quicker and easier. The session is to enable students to go along

and test out the new system for themselves, and to provide feedback where necessary. Library services claim that the new search is: “Googlelike, intuitive and easy to use.” The new library search system claims to instantly search for everything on the library shelves and the majority of e-journals and e-books the library subscribe to, and it can also search

beyond the library’s collection to find more than 600,000 citations.

The tester session will be held from 12pm – 1.30pm on Monday 5 March, at Frenchay Campus in room 4D24. Students must register to attend and lunch will be provided.

For more information visit: http:// www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/information/ librarysearch.aspx

Life

UWE SU & Beat the winter debt blues >As the winter months draw to a close and our student loans begin to dwindle, Sarah Adams offers some helpful advice on how to better your bank balance

Sarah Adams lifeandsu@westerneye.net It’s no accident that during the first months of the year many of us will choose to detox in one form or another. December is a month of excess and can take its toll physically, mentally and often financially too. Chances are that you returned home for the holiday period, stashed your books away and indulged in a round of food, drink and social events that have left their mark on your wallet as well as your body.

Liver aside, repairing the damage to your funds can be tricky. Even once the first loan installment of the year arrives in late January, you may find yourself struggling to juggle a huge overdraft with essential commitments such as getting your rent in on time or paying for the weekly shop.

For many university students, especially undergraduates, the new found independence of living away from home often comes with a steep financial learning curve, and getting into debt is far easier than getting out of it. So how can you avoid getting into unmanageable debt this year? Or, if you’re already in unmanageable debt,how do you get out?

Staying out of debt: First and foremost, make it your March resolution to budget.

Although it seems a while away, once that next loan installment comes in, work out what you have and how long it has to last for.

Make a list of all incomings and outgoings; if your outgoings outstrip your income, you’ll need to make a change. Prioritise according to importance with housing, fuel, food and books at the top, then figure out what you have left for the rest.

Once you know you have enough to pay for the essentials you’ll enjoy the luxuries such as socialising and clothes shopping far more knowing that you can really afford them, without suffering a financial hangover the morning after.

Keep your budget easily within reach and organise it on monthly or weekly basis, and remember to make allowances for one off costs such as car insurance or your phone bill.

A budget can also help you recognise when you’ve overspent and it can offer you the opportunity

to set it right before things get out of control. If you do find yourself short, or you fancy that extra weekend on the tiles, don’t be tempted by unsecured credit such as credit cards, overdrafts or “payday loans” that are sometimes available to students. Such borrowing often comes with extortionate interest rates which can quickly escalate in to dangerous levels of debt, especially when you don’t have a regular income to fall back on.

Managing the debt you’re in: The majority of higher education students will be in some form of debt by the time they finish university. Most of this debt will come in the form of student loans which enjoy very low interest rates, and you don’t normally have to start paying them off until you reach a certain income threshold. However, few of us feel like we’re rolling in money, and keeping up with all of our commitments can be hard.

Paying off overdrafts, being able to meet your day-to-day essential needs, and other types of debt can feature large on a student’s list of worries. If you do feel like your

thinkpanama:Flickr finances are out of hand, or if you’re struggling to make ends meet until your next loan payment, there is help available. Your UWE Students’ Union Advice Centre can offer you support and information about emergency assistance that you could apply for if the going really gets tough.

Additionally, there are other sources of help available too, including a free service offered by the website www.independentfinancialadvisor. co.uk who recently launched a not-for-profit student debt help programme, alongside information portals with links to many different debt charities.

Toby Hughes, managing director of www.independentfinancialadvisor. co.uk, states: “Debt is a huge problem for many in today’s society, including students. Awareness on managing or avoiding unnecessary debt is extremely important, especially for students who may find themselves unable to cope with the

financial pressures of university life.

“We’re keen to help those who are less well off so we're offering a free information service as well as links to debt advice charities that can help students who find themselves in financial difficulty. Any revenue generated through referrals will go straight back to the charities themselves. “[T]he sooner people act to clear their debts the better off they will be in the long term. Our aim is to provide trustworthy information and resources to make that possible.”

The start of a new year can be like hitting the refresh button, and while we all make unrealistic resolutions we can’t keep, a bit of housekeeping and budgeting could help you stay in control of your finances for the rest of 2012. However, if you do find it tough keeping up with money commitments or you find yourself in unmanageable debt, don’t despair, help is always at hand!

Project (National Citizen Service) is their second venture, which is a Government led initiative to engage school children in developing their personal skills through workshops and summer residential camps.

SIFE UWE’s Business Consultancy Project began in January this year, with a local supplier of sustainable energy solutions. They will be offering strategy, marketing and finance support, giving the team real-life business-to-business experience.

The fourth project the organisation will be taking to competition is the Empower Kenya Project. The project’s ultimate aim and ambition is to provide a biodigester to a fuel-

deprived Kenyan village to help solve energy problems and improve their quality of life.

SIFE UWE is now recruiting committee member positions for the next academic year, so this is your chance to get developing your own innovative projects with the support and advice of the organisation itself.

It will not only enable you to develop many skills that will help you succeed in the future, but will make your CV look great to potential employers.

Join SIFE through Facebook (www. facebook.com/sifeuwe) or follow them on Twitter (www.twitter.com/SIFEUWE).

Students in Free Enterprise at UWE >Niki Mullin discusses the benefits of not only what SIFE can do for the community, but what it can do for your own future as well...

Niki Mullin lifeamdsu@westerneye.net Students in Free Enterprise (www. sifeuwe.co.uk) is one of the largest student led organisations active in over 1500 universities and in more than 45 countries. There are around 50 SIFE teams here in the UK and for the first time this year, the UWE Students’ Union’s SIFE team is onboard.

SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities, while developing their skills to become

socially responsible business leaders.

Participating students form teams on their university campuses and apply business concepts to develop outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need.

An annual series of regional and national competitions provides a forum for teams to present the results of their projects, and to be evaluated by business leaders serving as judges.

National champion teams advance to the prestigious SIFE World Cup. In addition to the community aspect of the program, SIFE’s leadership and career initiatives create meaningful opportunities for learning and

exchange among the participants, as well as the placement of students and alumni with companies in search of emerging talent. SIFE is highly recognised among many large companies - KPMG, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Centrica to name a few.

SIFE are currently developing four core projects at UWE. All projects need to meet the SIFE UK requirements of the triple bottom line: Social, environmental and financial sustainability.

Project Charity Shop, is aiming to revitalise a local Bristol charity shop through offering expert advice and fundraising methods. NCS

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Managing your Money Roadshow As part of National Student Money week (March 12 – 16), Student Services and Students’ Union are visiting UWE campuses to provide invaluable information and advice about money management whether you are in your first year or about to graduate. We will be visiting the following locations between 11am and 3pm: Glenside Student Centre, 12/03/12.

Bower Ashton’s FoCA Bar, 13/03/12.

St Matthias’ Traders Cafe Bar, 15/03/12.

Frenchay’s Employability and Enterprise Zone, 16/03/12.

Come along to get invaluable information and advice about money management such as credit rating, claiming tax back, dealing with debt, collection of student loans, applying for funds at UWE, and creating a working budget.

You will also get the chance to have a financial health check to make sure you are receiving all the money you are entitled to, to take part in our taste test (Branded Vs Economy) and to have a go at the shopping basket competition.

If you are graduating this year there will be information on claiming means-tested benefits, student overdrafts versus graduate loans, council tax liability and postgraduate funding.

We also have a list of handy money saving tips for students which can be found through our fees and funding pages (www.uwe.ac.uk/students/ feesandfunding) under ‘Managing your Money.’

Further information can be found by visiting www.uwe.ac.uk/students/ feesandfunding or calling the Information Point on 0117 32 85678.

Trend Alert: Granny Chic! >Rebecca Figgures reveals that going grey and getting old before your time isn’t so bad after all…

Rebecca Figgures lifeandsu@westerneye.net You wouldn’t expect the type of clothes associated with your 70-yearold grandma to ever be considered as stylish, but ladies and gents, get your knitting needles at the ready, because this season is all about Granny Chic.

Heavy knitted cardigans, patterned jumpers, knee length skirts and high necks are all over the catwalks this season as well as being championed by celebrities including Alexa Chung, the Geldof sisters and Agyness Deyn.

Vintage clothing has grown in popularity over the past few years and now, not only is it ‘cool’ to

buy old clothes, but it’s also ‘all the rage’ to look old. High street retailers have been experiencing huge demand for ‘nans-wear’, with demand for granny-style brogues up 35%, other low-heeled footwear up 62%, round-neck blouse demand up 34% and mid-length skirts up by an impressive 96%.

Not only that, but an array of celebrities who are far from coming to the age of natural grey hair have even started dying their barnet for that ‘silver fox’ look. British fashion darlings, such as Kelly Osbourne and Ellie Goulding, have both been spotted sporting silvery locks as of late.

If you’re not so keen on going grey before your time then do not fret, getting this look is easy to accomplish without reaching for the bottle. Bristol boasts of an array of so many wondrous vintage shops, from Motel on Park Street, which has a great selection of vintage knits and accessories, to Resycho on Gloucester Road that caters for the granny chic needs of both men and women. Charity shops are also the ideal hang-outs to pick up fabulous old-biddy-chic items - not only are they fantastically cheap but the money you spend will be going to exceptional causes.

The Hidden Boutiques of Bristol

Tiffany Francis lifeandsu@westerneye.net

Bristol has never been one for blending in with the crowd of over-priced and indistinctive fashion brands. Buried around the city are various vintage gems, hidden away from the bright lights of labels and advertising, and waiting to pump the vogue of yesteryear backinto society.

RePsycho, Gloucester Road You might be deemed rather dull if the glittering windows of this retro treasure chest did not draw you inside. Aside from the vast collection of Del-Boy-esque shearling jackets, and the glorious, rainbow-coloured mountains of knitted jumpers, the interesting array of startlingly vintage chic is both bizarre and

beautiful. One of the highlights during my visit was a leotard made entirely of gold sequins: practicality made me return it to the shelf, but common sense required me to purchase a jumper with a polar bear on it. God knows what I’ve ever done without it!

Cox & Baloney, Cheltenham Road This magical place is a sparkling cocktail of tea-room dining, vintage clothing, recycled furniture, secondhand books and even a dressmaker’s studio downstairs. I would actually live there if I could! If you wanted something unique and original, this lovely shop will always provide, and they also showcase

local designers that you simply cannot find in the mainstream high street. They have a particular interest in recycling and eco-design with their clothing: Olivia Lacey, the in-house dressmaker, will quite literally take items of clothing apart and recreate them downstairs, which you can watch at any time. In addition, you can have cake in the tea-room. What’s not to love?

JmGpHoToS Flickr

St Nicholas Market, Corn Street St Nick’s Market is one of the best places to find sumptuous food and retro fashion. If you can manage to depart from the wondrous scents of Pieminister in the arcade, just outside in Corn Street, there is a market stall selling reclaimed and

revamped vintage gold. Last year, I bought a glorious camel faux-fur coat for £25, and it has kept me warm on many a cold night (it also helped when I fell asleep outside Oceana in my classier, first-year days). They also stock a wide variety of scarves and shawls, 80s-style sweatshirts and thousands of brogues.

Shop Dutty, Montpelier This shop seems to radiate that 1980s adoration of bright, bold and beautiful: from vibrant, varsity-style hockey jackets and padded-shoulder blouses, to cropped lace shirts and Aztec-print cardigans, this boutique is definitely not shy! There’s even a cheeky denim jacket or two for

the boys. Dutty also likes to think local, using and supporting the work of designers, graffiti artists and illustrators around Bristol. I managed to pick up a simple, mustard-yellow cropped top, but having seen the other stock, if you’re a fan of tribalpatterned pencil-skirts, I highly suggest you pay this place a visit!

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International Women’s Day >With International Women’s Day around the corner, Charlotte Barnes highlights the importance of celebrating the inspirational women in our lives and the major influences they’ve had, not just in society, but on us as individuals...

Charlotte Barnes lifeandsu@westerneye.net Over the years it hasn’t always been easy for women to stand up and be heard about the things we believe in. That’s why celebrating how far we’ve come as a gender, along with the inspirational women that have helped get us here, is such an important cause.

Thursday 8 March 2012 is International Women’s Day, and I for one think this is a day definitely worth celebrating. This particular day of celebration has been running since the early 1900s and is devoted to following the influence of women in an ever-changing and sometimes radical society. IWD, over the years, has gained such a status that in countries such as Cambodia, China (only for women), Georgia, Russia and many more, it is now considered to be an official holiday. For many people the day has gained a similar status to that of Mother’s Day, with many people taking IWD as an opportunity to spend time with, and even

buy presents for, the inspirational women in their lives.

There are now thousands of events held all around the globe in honour of this day and the women that have inspired it. These events work to create a network of inspiring women ranging from business-minds and political figures, all the way through to more local ladies. All of whom deserve the same commendation for the roles they play not strictly on a global scale, but also in terms of the individuals they affect and inspire.

It seems impossible to choose just one woman to celebrate on this day when there are so many in the world that deserve recognition. The United Kingdom can lay a claim on many inspirational women, one of which is the former model Katie Piper. In 2008, Katie was the victim of a vicious acid attack that was arranged by her ex-boyfriend and executed by an associate of his. Since the attack, which left Piper blind in one eye and

severely scarred, she has undergone an array of operations in an attempt to repair the damage caused by this vicious attack. To begin with, Katie preferred to remain anonymous but has slowly edged her way into the media spotlight in a brave attempt to help other people in her situation.

Not only has Katie confronted her injuries, but has also helped other people contend with their own problems through her TV special, Katie: My Beautiful Face, aired in 2009.

After such a horrific experience, Katie has managed to not only contend with the aftermath of the attack, but also turn her life into something extremely positive and influential to others which, I think, makes her a true inspiration.

This day is for the likes of Eve Ensler, award-winning author; Tanni Grey-Thompson, who singlehandedly changed the worldwide perception of Paralympic sport; Michelle Bachelet who, after being

Sam Friedrich Flickr president of Chile, is now head of UN Women and Brenda Hale, the first, and only, female justice of the UK Supreme Court.

However, IWD isn’t just for the politicians and scientists of the world, but also for women closer to our hearts and homes that deserve to know what an influence and inspira-

tion they’ve been to us at some point in our lives.

While it isn’t always possible to reach out to our idols, for at least one day a year we can take the time to show them just how much they have guided us, while showing off some good, old-fashioned girl power at the same time!

A summer in Sri Lanka...

>Khiam Barry shares his experience of volunteering abroad and the benefits which reap from immersing yourself into a completely different culture and community...

Khiam Barry lifeandsu@westerneye.net During the summer of last year I broke away from the annual tradition of going on a ‘lad’s holiday’ and opted instead for volunteering abroad: Sri Lanka was the destination. The opportunity came about through seeing an advert in the UWE Job Shop email; the advert was for an organisation called SL Volunteers, an organisation that helps the lives of disadvantaged people in Sri Lanka.

The placement was for five weeks and consisted of three projects in total. The first project involved working in a special needs centre, the second, at an orphanage and finally, teaching English at the National Youth Centre to children who ranged between the ages of 13 to 18.

All I knew of Sri Lanka was the tsunami of 2004, its tragic past of decades of Civil War... and their cricket team, so embarking on a trip to such an unknown country was a completely new experience for me.

Booking flights, and sorting out my visa and insurance was a huge step-

ping stone and something that I had never done before.

Going to a less affluent or ‘poorer’ country was a humbling experience.

Hearing stories of armed conflict and lives lost during the tsunami put life into perspective and made me reflect on how fortunate we are in the UK to have the opportunity to attend university and have an education, which some take for granted.

Working, studying or volunteering abroad for a period of time offers someone the opportunity to develop as a person. Adapting to new or foreign environments can sometimes be a challenge (we all know this from coming to university), but those that return home after a period of time abroad usually do so with a new perspective on life - it’s not only a journey of self-discovery but you discover a culture that is completely different to the one we all know and often take for granted.

Volunteering most certainly provided me with an immense feeling of satisfaction, as well as equipping

me with improved communication skills. Due to the slight language barrier (I don’t think the Sinhalese students had ever heard such a strong west country accent before) speaking slowly and clearly was required, two things that have proved beneficial at university when making presentations in seminars or answering questions.

During my time at the orphanage, it was important to understand the children I worked with, and I found myself having to empathise with the way the young boys acted - one moment they’d be quite excitable but other times they’d act somewhat aggressive and boisterous.

As part of a group of twenty volunteers, split into three different home-stays, I lived with five other people who I had never met before, having to adapt and adhere to each other’s habits and ways of living - for some this could be a seen as a test of patience!

We were also required to create lesson plans for our English

Khiam Barry classes, so structure and precise planning were essential to ensure that everything was ready for the following week or next day - another benefit, which I’ve found that has enhanced my organisational skills at university.

Would I recommend spending your summer (or placement year) abroad working, studying or volunteering?

Yes I would. Whether it be working at a summer camp in the USA, volunteering at a wildlife conservation in Africa, or teaching English in Sri Lanka, a new and worthwhile experience can do a student - and their CV - a whole world of good! So step

out of your comfort zone, and reap the rewards of making a truly positive change in the world. Not only do you gain an appreciation of different cultures and people’s way of living, but you can walk away with the satisfaction of knowing you’ve made a difference!

For more information on working/volunteering abroad visit www. uwesu.org/support/jobshop.

BUNAC (www.bunac.org.uk) also offer some fantastic opportunities worldwide, as well as helping with visa applications and finding you work in your chosen country.

Comment &

Debate

Generations drowning in debt >The broken glass in Greece falls on frozen streets these days as Mediterranean states experience unprecedentedly low temperatures.

Dan Kiddle It is testament to the sad desperation of the Greek people that there are often protests and riots in freezing conditions. Ten years of austerity or Greece leaves the Euro zone – problem solved.

It’s like saying the rest of Europe will be warm if Greece leaves Europe, utter erroneous nonsense perpetrated by neoclassical economists whose faith in the system as it stands is not only flawed but it is downright damaging. Statistics abound the news reports about Greece’s debt to gross domestic product, their government recently borrowed a further 130 billion Euros to stave off a default. The figures are staggering but does austerity work? Has it ever worked? To the people of any country austerity means unravelling what we have bought with the collective purse. This represents rewinding the achievements of a democracy, democracy conceived by Greeks in Greece.

But we needn’t talk about that country because the entanglement is not confined to just that crisis. It is a crisis of thought and the inability for politicians and economists to even mention some of the fundamental causes of it - problems that are just too inconvenient to recognise, partly because they defy common sense. This then brings me on to fiat currency - money which is declared by the government to be a legal tender. One problem is the so-called ‘money multiplier’ effect. It is a process by which a bank takes money received from the government and creates money to lend out. From one hundred pounds, a ten percent fraction is taken, giving another bank ninety pounds. That bank then keeps nine pounds and lends out eighty one pounds - all money created simply out of thin air. The process repeats itself until there have been a number of reserve deposits made and around one thousand pounds of credit has been created, the theory is that this is credit available for people and companies to borrow. It is perhaps one of the key reasons why we have such vast economic turmoil, and it is not even mentioned in the news.

“

"Primary economists and politicians don't like to talk about how the UK's debt has exceed one trillion pounds."

Another thing that the primary economists and politicians don’t like to talk about is our country’s personal debt - debt that has exceeded one trillion pounds in the United Kingdom.

The government then asks the banks to ‘get lending again’. Historically, in pre-capitalist societies, there were sorts of debt jubilees. Debts had to be written off to keep the system from imploding. What happened in society was that the banks, using conventional economic wisdom as a smokescreen, persuaded people to take out loans that they may not have wanted if they had realised the long term instability of the system.

They persuaded us that we might make a gain based on market

Julien Lagarde Getty Images

comment@westerneye.net

leverage speculation. What most of the people failed to see was the epic instability of the system. Now the government are trying to repair the damages by penalising the people.

The IMF (International Monetary Fund) strategy to deal with countries with a high government debt is to advise that they inflict higher taxes, keep interest rates down, make cuts and privatise things. This is to try to balance the books but it only takes money away from people; it requires that you need more austerity to deal with the impact of the previous austerity. You want to keep people spending but you have to try to prove to the IMF you are a country that can borrow money and pay it back. This is what has happened in Greece. If your country begins to have a toxic debt - it seems like it is not capable of paying back the money it already owes - then countries and banks are not confident in lending them the money they need to keep their country’s apparatus going. What happens if, like Greece or Italy, your sums don’t add up? You have to pay larger sums of interest on the money you borrow, leading to even less money to spend on paying teachers or doctors, maintaining your infrastructure or compensating those who don’t have opportunities with some benefits. This is why the UK government is desperate to keep its AAA credit rating; to keep its money cheap. But to do this it has to enact austerity measures to compensate for the impact of austerity measures, just to keep the system going.

A problem Greece faces that we are desperate to avoid here is that its rich people are taking their investments elsewhere because it is so volatile and expensive to operate.

This adds to the problems of the country as high unemployment leads to less tax revenue; less tax revenue leads to a greater risk of default and a higher risk of default leads to a loss of sovereignty as lender nations and the IMF take control of your economy and therefore your democracy. It leads to knock-on effects as extreme reactions take place. Disorder becomes the norm and society becomes precariously close to an all-out uprising. Over here the government was desperate

to point to a sick criminal underclass that created the riots last year – it is interesting to think that you would need 4250 riots to take place to equal the cost of bailing out the banks.

Whilst the voice of reason could easily be read as the harbinger of doom, there is now an opportunity to solve these issues - all it takes is a logical approach to economic policies. It is beyond this writer to prescribe the intricacies of economic programmes that can solve our economic crisis, but there are economists that know how to deal with this. The problem is that there is so much at stake for the people who are interested in keeping the system the way it is, they stand to have their luxurious lifestyles unravelled and reorganised along more stable lines. Instead of Occupy

movements occupying the town centres, they should maybe occupy the economics departments of our universities and point out some of the things I have merely touched upon here. The erroneous faith in austerity and neoclassical economics can be dealt with without, as the Greek youth are doing, smashing the windows that symbolically point to the problem. Economic analysis points towards a Greek default and historical comparison points towards revolution. If the crisis continues then it must surely spread to other nations with many countries, including our own, being massively exposed to contagion. At the very least, if we continue in this manner we can expect to see this crisis continuing without a properly just economic model. Writing off some debt might just be the only way out of this crisis.

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WikiLeaks, Facebook and the illusion of privacy James Byrne comment@westerneye.net

>James Byrne analyses a poignant comment on modern culture created from one meme in particular.

‘Time Magazine’ confirmed its status as a dinosaur of old media by naming Mark Zuckerberg ahead of Julian Assange as its ‘Man of The Year’ for 2010 - despite Assange’s major achievements with the site being between 2007 and 2009. Recently, an internet meme comparing the actions of the two men has been doing the rounds. The meme is based on a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit in which comedian Bill Hader dressed as Assange says: “I give you private information on corporations for free and I’m a villain. Mark Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he’s ‘Man of the Year’.” The comment was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, but as it has managed to capture the imagination of so many since, how far can we take this comparison? Well, it seems on the face of it, not very.

There really isn’t that much similarity between the head of a company that

farms legally obtained information off to companies for advertising and a man responsible for leaking confidential documents. One is good business, the other an act of... either freedom fighting or cybercrime, depending on whose dogma suits you. Comparisons between Assange and Zuckerberg are flawed in the sense that they only look at half the story, like how the information was obtained, or in the case of Julian Assange and ‘WikiLeaks’, stolen. We share our own information online and in doing so relinquish control over whose hands it ends up in.

Yet surely Mark Zuckerberg and Julian Assange are just two sides of the same coin? Both march confidently from different directions towards a world where: “Everyone belongs to everyone else”. ‘Time Magazine’ explains the fundamental difference between the two men: “While Assange attacks big institutions and governments through involuntary transparency with the goal of disempowering them, Zuckerberg enables individuals to voluntarily share information with the idea of empowering them.

Assange sees the world as filled with real and imagined enemies; Zuckerberg sees the world as filled with potential friends.”Strangely, it is Zuckerberg’s world vision that is closer to reality. Much of what has been posted by ‘WikiLeaks’ to date has been less than earth-

shattering and it doesn’t seem to have affected the way governments handle confidential cables. Nor has this information theft shaken the confidence of ‘Facebook’ users to post more and more information to the social network. Thankfully the media has long since abandoned the debate over whether ‘WikiLeaks’ is good or bad, though it shouldn’t be forgotten completely. Revelations by ‘WikiLeaks’ are warning shots about the value of privacy in every corner of the digital world and the debate about the privacy of governments is linked to a more profound one on an individual level. Many people still harbour the illusion of privacy online, but ‘WikiLeaks’ has since shattered this veneer. Every service ‘Facebook’ offers - from photo sharing and music streaming to ‘Farmville’ are designed to gather information about users in the hope that online advertisers will pay a premium for specific targeting. A huge database of information on its 800 million users is the main reason why the company is now valued at around $100 billion.

Whether you agree with what either Assange or Zuckerberg are doing, it doesn’t matter. Today almost everyone has an online profile, with personal information just sitting there to be harvested by advertisers. This alone doesn’t sound too frightening - companies can target you as accurately as they like but they can

never force you to buy their products.

Yet the fact that there are people out there willing to leak details of private conversations to organisations, like ‘WikiLeaks’, has serious implications for privacy. This involves both state and individual levels throughout the rest of the web – including social networks. It took one soldier with the rank of private first class to feed information to ‘WikiLeaks’. One day there might be a rogue employee at ‘Google’ or ‘Facebook’, or the just company where you work, who could make something public that you wish they hadn’t.

Ultimately, all of these systems come down to trust in other people, corporations, and governments. We are willing to suspend our privacy online because we trust those we are giving the information to. Invasions of

Today's Film Industry >Is there a lack of originality coming out of modern Hollywood?

In Britain, the cinema is seen as one of the main outlets, which enables us to forget the day-to-day trials and tribulations of our lives and relax in the company of friends with a large Tango and super-size toffee popcorn. It offers a sense of escapism, allowing us to enter a world where anything and everything is possible. But recently, the originality emanating from Hollywood has begun to decrease.

On an increasing regular basis the cinema listings that we are

confronted with are made up of sequels and prequels, re-makes and book adaptations. Just taking a glance at the current UK box office, four out of the top ten films are either re-makes or derivative spinoffs. Take the film currently in third position, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, for instance. This was a film which was first released in 1999 to mainly negative reviews by the critics, yet it has been re-released in 2012 as a box office smash merely on the pretence that it is now in 3D. Also, the film in second place is The Muppets - again an example of the film industry re-treading old ground.

But are cinema goers beginning to wise up to this fact? A recent study

state privacy by ‘WikiLeaks’ gained support from those who (rightly) don’t trust governments. These people have the power to account for taps into the original fantasy of the internet as a democratising force. But beware; if we are to support Assange’s mission to make governments and corporations more open against their will, then we had better hope he doesn’t find a whistleblower in ‘Facebook’ HQ. Assange once called ‘Facebook’ “the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented” and those of us who don’t often consider the consequences of what we post on social networks would be wise to take notice of the man.

Benjamin Salt comment@westerneye.net by the Film Distributors Association (FDA) has stated that although average film attendances were up in 2011 after a two year decline, 2012 may prove more challenging.

This is partly due to competition from sporting events such as the Euro 2012 championships in Poland and the Ukraine, the London Olympics and Wimbledon, but also other events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The organisation’s chief executive Mark Batey has stated that ‘it’s going to be a tricky period’ for the industry, but maybe it is not just this year’s sporting summer that is giving film bosses a cause for concern.

One has to ask whether simply going to the flicks is as big a draw as it

used to be in the yesteryear. With more and more people purchasing HD televisions and Blu-ray players, coupled with the expensive price of cinema tickets, it is no surprise that many are instead waiting for the films to be released on DVD so they can be watched in the comfort of their own homes.

So what then for the future of cinema? All the big new releases are again re-make and sequel heavy.

For example, Transformers 4 - or Trans4mers as it has already been dubbed on Twitter - is currently in production, and the big blockbuster of the summer is a re-boot of the ubiquitous Spiderman franchise.

However, the most criminal re-make

of all came in the announcement that American Psycho was going to get a new makeover. If you consider this was already an adaptation of a novel, the sound of the Hollywood barrel being scraped becomes deafening.

Personally, I believe the future of the cinema is looking rather bleak, especially for those of you who seek originality in the films you watch. It appears, for the time being anyway, that the mainstream film industry is taking quite a nose dive and seems somewhat content with simply regurgitating the same tried and tested formulas, making any keen cinema goer feel slightly nostalgic to say the least.

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The fight for gay marriage rights intensifies Rikki Du Heaume comment@westerneye.net

> Rikki du Heaume updates us with the latest progress in the US surrounding same sex marriage

a theoretical scenario, it is fast becoming a reality and as stated before, the passing of ‘Proposition 8’ has forced the issue out to the public eye. Currently the proposition has been deemed unconstitutional by the Federal court of appeal. However, do not be so naïve to believe that this will stop it gaining any sort of momentum. The next trick, in both the US and Western anti-gay rights bag, is the church. With a rise in numbers, in the already oppressive Roman Catholic Church in the US, I doubt it will be long until the Vatican joins in. Here in Britain we may not have a strong anti-gay rights movement, but we do have the most powerful reformed churches to stop homosexuals ever having a legal and recognised marriage.

Whilst it has been established that through the rise in Santorum’s popularity and increasing pressure from the churches, the USA could see an anti-gay rights platform rolled across the nation. This could probably act as a foundation for a global position being similar, due to USA’s standing. It is here in Britain where this debate is really finding grounds.

The 2012 General Synod, which is the Church of England’s Parliament, met this February in London to

ProComKelly Flickr

In my first article for the WesternEye I urged readers to pay attention to what was happening across the pond in the Republican primaries; perhaps the longest drawn out political process in the world.

A contest in which friend became foe and a candidate’s true colours mattered. Back in October, Texan Governor Rick Perry and Minnesotan Congress woman Michele Bachmann were the bookies favourites. But now after a series of ‘faux pas’ moments during televised debates, we have a new front runner. A true Conservative and a former lawyer from Virginia, he has won two caucuses (meetings of supporters and members of the party) and a primary election.

Currently, the favourite above Mitt Romney is Rick Santorum, a man who has achieved this position while not giving any leeway on his anti-gay rights platform. Before I continue it must be pointed out that promoting

anti-gay beliefs doesn’t make someone homophobic, as popular belief may lead people to believe. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the opposer has a fear of homosexuals, seen in the case of Rick Santorum, who states he has gay friends. His opposition is rooted in what he believes is a preservation of social, moral and religious foundations. No doubt you’re asking yourself what this has to do with me living in the UK? I’ll be honest, probably not a lot.

However this does mean a great deal for gay rights globally.

Firstly, the state of California has just passed ‘Proposition 8’ - a law which eliminates the right of same sex couples to marry. This holds a great deal of significance to the Santorum campaign, primarily because California is a state which he can now win. If Santorum wins the primaries, and eventually becomes president, his platform and legislation similar to ‘Proposition 8’ could be made national law. Although this is a matter for Congress to decide on, we must remember that the House chamber is currently held by a very Conservative Republican majority. This could lead to America’s gay community looking for a nation wide leader, similar to that of the late Harvey Milk.

Although this at present is only

discuss women becoming Bishops and homosexuals being able to marry into the Anglican faith. The Synod has always upheld the position, that whilst the Anglican Church does not oppose civil partnership and homosexual relations it can not marry such persons because the KJV Bible clearly states that marriage is between one man and one woman.

This point I feel is a valid one because the bible is at the centre of what the church’s foundations are built on and they are only upholding their belief. However, it is not all Anglican priests who feel like this, and 100 have handed a signed petition to the Synod demanding the right to marry

same sex couples in their parishes.

Although at present civil partnerships are recognised by law as a union between two people, they are not marriages, and the outcome of the Synod will either help or hinder this.

So whilst many will ignore my urges again to keep an eye on such things.

I do strongly urge the homosexual community to pay very close attention because what happens across the Atlantic will have an affect on you.

And we must remember Harvey Milks death was felt across the water and no doubt a Santorum win and legislation similar to ‘Proposition 8’ will too.

Cyber Stalking Employers

Charlotte Barnes comment@westerneye.net The use of social networking sites has sky-rocketed in recent years, to such an extent that for many people it has become the preferred method of communication. We absentmindedly update our statuses and throw pictures online of our wild nights out, with very little thought as to who sees them. Now our Facebook wall is not just open for scrutiny from our nearest and dearest, but also from people such as teachers and even potential employers.

Therefore, this raises the question, should employers be able to check applicant’s Facebook pages? In the interest of maintaining personal privacy, the immediate answer to

this question should perhaps be no.

Upon reflection, it makes sense that an employer wants to gain a deeper insight into the life of someone they are potentially going to hire. There is only so much information that can be gained about a person from an interview and their CV; sometimes it requires going above and beyond the obvious methods to get what employers need to know. How you appear in an interview is not necessarily the ‘real you’; you’ll sit up a little straighter, talk a little nicer and (hopefully) won’t use the same language you would during a night at the pub with friends. From the perspective of an employer, the only way you can really develop a sense of someone outside the interview room is by looking at how they behave in reality - Facebook hands them this opportunity!

However there is an obvious rebuttal to this: Are our Facebook pages representative of what we are like as employees? Facebook is a social networking site; it’s not there for niceties. It’s there for communication, funny status

updates and pictures we all hoped people would never see. While an employer checking your Facebook might seem to them like a reasonable way to obtain information, it seems a little far-fetched to presume that our behaviour on a social networking site is indicative of our behaviour inside a working environment. Our Facebook profiles are meant to be for the viewing purposes of friends, who know our personality, our sense of humour, and also know when something is meant as a back-handed comment, rather than something that may be taken seriously by someone who doesn’t know you.

With the looming threat of being checked up on by employers, it raises a new collection of issues questioning whether we should be using these sites at all. If Facebook is becoming a way of monitoring people, should we now ourselves be monitoring what we put on our profiles? The idea of a Facebook profile is that you can upload what you want, when you want. If we have to start censoring information for fear of who might see it, surely we are negating the point of the website?

Unfortunately, there is no way to stop a potential employer from searching for you on Facebook.

However, you can stop a potential employer from seeing things that may not be intended for their eyes.

Facebook has an array of privacy settings which makes it extremely easy for you to dodge the threat of people finding things you don’t want them to see; a threat which is much more realistic given the new addition of the Facebook Timeline.

Recent articles have revealed that not only will this new addition to Facebook soon become mandatory for all users, but the standard setting of the Timeline means that your once-secure profile will become completely open for anyone to see.

There is a limited number of days in which you can review and edit the presentation of your profile, and, given that Timeline allows people to track your activity since the opening of your account, it might be a smart move to alter your security settings as soon as possible, before someone sees something that you don‘t even remember uploading!

Rudy Jahchan Flickr

>Charlotte Barnes looks into how and why our relationship with Facebook may become complicated in the future

A friend request from the boss is easily accepted when you know which buttons to press to censor your wall.

If you don’t want to completely shut your Facebook off from the rest of the world, there is always the option of personalising certain things whilst leaving other information available for people to view. It might seem like a lot of effort to modify your profile for someone else; but when it’s the difference between getting a job and getting rejected, it seems like no effort at all.

Features

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" Niki Mullin features@westerneye.net On February 7 2012 we celebrated 200 years of Charles Dickens, the bicentenary of his birth. Dickens is one of the greatest quintessential Victorian English novelists of his time and still influential today in the world of film and TV. Every one of his fifteen novels have been filmed at least twice, Oliver Twist has quite rightfully earned an Oscar and Bleak House has become a BBC hit series.

Throughout the year his work is being celebrated across the globe as part of the Dickens 2012 exhibition; a celebration of the life and work of Charles Dickens includes an endless programme of events and activities showcasing his work across the world. The museum of London is hosting the Dickens and London exhibition until 10 June 2012, recreating the atmosphere and lifestyle of Victorian England through paintings, photographs, costumes and objects.

But where did it all begin…?

Dickens was born in Portsmouth

in 1812, and lived a troubled and hard childhood in London. At the tender age of twelve he was separated from his family and sent to work in a Blacking factory.

This became a time in his life which he later drew inspiration from for The Old Curiosity Shop and Oliver Twist. Righteous anger stemming from his own situation and the conditions under which working-class people lived became major themes of his works and it was this unhappy period in his youth to which he alluded in his favourite, and most autobiographical novel, David Copperfield.

Dickens’ work has been praised for its realism, comedy and mastery of prose, unique personalities and concern for social reform.

Dickens is famous for his unforgettable characters - the impish street urchins, villainous pickpockets and haunted misers who leap from the pages of his novels. But it’s his sense of social justice and curiosity about hidden parts of society that make his work so relevant today.

Dickens’ novels were, among other things, works of social commentary. He was a fierce

What the Dickens?

1. Charles Dickens is thought

to have had obsessive compulsive disorder.

Apparently he looked in the mirror and combed his hair around a hundred times a day. He also had to touch things three times for luck and if his furniture was in the incorrect position, he couldn’t concentrate.

2. He had ten children, who

he each gave nicknames to, and was married to Catherine Hogarth - the daughter of the Editor of the Evening Chronicle.

3. Dickens suffered from

epilepsy - like several of his characters. The medical accuracy of his descriptions of epilepsy has amazed medics ‘til this very day.

4. The name ‘Dickens’ is also thought to be a swear word - “What the Dickens?” The Oxford English Dictionary claims that the first usage of the word was in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor.

critic of the poverty and social stratification of Victorian society.

Dickens’ second novel, Oliver Twist, shocked readers with its images of poverty and crime and was responsible for the clearing of the actual London slum, Jacob’s Island, which was the basis of the story. In addition, with the character of the tragic prostitute, Nancy, Dickens humanised such women for the reading public; women who were, inherently immoral casualties of the Victorian class and economic system.

His novels and letters give us such a panoramic view of 19th Century England; so now allow me to tell you, Mr Dickens, how your stories and tales compare to life in 21st Century England.

Well firstly we would hope you would be pleased with your continued success, and snigger in the fact that on your Birthday this year, David Cameron, the current Prime Minister, was given a copy of Hard Times to read.

Truly fitting I must add in our current economic climate.

Your obsessive interest in the conditions of prisons in the 19th Century would hopefully mean

that one would be content in the fact that today prisons are nowhere near as bad as you have seen them, however overcrowded they may now be.

Thick fog and filthy slums are no longer images attached to the city of London, in fact London is looking quite tip top as it is set to host the 2012 Olympic Games this summer. There are no more workhouses left and our social services system takes care of vulnerable young children, which means they do not have to be on the streets. And possibly the most shocking development to you, Mr Dickens, would be that Britain is now a multilingual and multicultural society due to globalization and technological changes.

If you were alive today, I’m sure you would be downloading the Dickens iPad App and reading the newly launched Dickens newspaper online. Your fascination with the city you lived in and the people who lived around you continues to this day, I believe you can study a degree in it - Sociology if I am not corrected? And without a doubt you would be on the radio and TV

8 interesting facts on the man himself...

5. Dickens was apparently involved in a railway incident. His carriage derailed and Dickens heroically found a key to free his friends and gave water and brandy to those who needed it! Why have we never been made aware of this heroic tale sooner? Because apparently his travelling companion was his mistress. Naughty Dickens!

6. His death in 1870 left his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, ironically

unfinished, leaving us all to question “Who killed his protagonist?”

7. He had a secret door that was disguised as a book case, which had fake books such as Noah’s Arkitecture and nine volumes of Cat’s Lives.

8. When the ship pulled up to the docks in New York, carrying the last instalment of The Old Curiosity Shop, 6000 fans waited anxiously to get their hands on the book.

>Niki Mullin celebrates Charles Dickens' 200th Anniversary and how his sense of social justice and curiosity makes his work so relevant today...

conducting interviews and chat shows about your latest novel.

Oh, and did I mention you have your own museum in London, which is set to get a £3.2 million revamp this April just in time for a Dickensian Christmas?

So really, Charles, a lot has changed since the times you once sat at your desk in 48 Doughty Street. But, without a doubt your words are still the same and are still being enjoyed from all four corners of the world.

So if you are going to read anything this year, make it a Dickens classic!

Charles Dickens’ Top Ten: A Tale of Two Cities Great Expectations Oliver Twist Bleak House David Copperfield A Christmas Carol The Old Curiosity Shop Hard Times: For These Times The Mystery of Edwin Drood The Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Beg to differ?

Then let us know at www.westerneye.net!

13

WesternEye March 2012

Worst date scenarios >When you thought the outcomes of ‘Take Me Out’ couldn’t get any worse, Sarah Rowland reveals those disastrous dates that are ones you’d rather forget...

St Valentine - Sinner or Saint?

Laura Dale & Sarah Rowland features@westerneye.net

S

o, February has been and gone and all that appears to be left behind are dying rose petals, and reduced love-heart shaped chocolates occupying the shelves of our local supermarket Jemima, 21 - for singleton’s these remnants This year on Valentine’s day the symbolise the most dreaded day guy I’m seeing decided to send an of the year, whereas happy couembarrassingly large bunch of roses ples are already counting down to my work, however I also work with the days until the next occasion his sister and I hadn’t got around when they can openly express to telling her about our relationship their undying love for one another. yet... Awkward!

The idea of Valentine’s Day is a highly debated one; what is it that Lorna, 21 makes us fear being single and Waiting at the cinema for my alone on this day? Is it the build late Valentine’s date to arrive I’m up and hype channelled from our beginning to give up hope when ever-excitable neighbours across he finally arrives - wet, muddy and the pond? Does the idea of a stinking. I find out he fell in the field special day set aside dedicated to on his walk over, and even worse his the ones we love just highlight the money was apparently too wet to fact that we’re… (dun, dun, dun) pay for our movie. He still went in for alone? What really makes this parthe kiss. Gross. ticular day so different from every other mundane day of the week?

Gemma, 22 This is your typical blind date scenario. I went to the station to meet him only to find out he was completely different to his online persona, not the muscly rugby guy that I was expecting but a pretentious self-obsessed toff set on talking about himself all evening.

Snore.

Holly, 25 Met a guy one day while he was working in my local, we arranged to meet up when he finished later that night. Everything was going great until his friends showed up to ‘big’ him up and secure him a bed for the night. Turns out he had nowhere to stay after being kicked out of his flat that week.

Dann, 25 After arranging a date with a guy on a gay dating site we decided to go out for a drink, driving to the pub we decided to pull over to roll a cigarette for the drive. After dropping the filters we bend down to gather them up only to realise we are in a notorious dogging spot in Bath, surrounded by old men, steaming up the windows with their breath!

Ben, 20 So I managed to secure a date with this girl that has proved hard to pin down, disappointing that she ran out on the date after 25 mins after one of those ‘faked’ phone calls. I would of fallen for it if she hadn’t confused herself with her own elaborate story, changing her cat to a dog. Ah well, she obviously isn’t worth it!

It is thought that 14 February was the date that Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr, originally feasted on - his link to any romantic gestures however is little known! It wasn’t until the ‘high middle ages’ that the day first became associated to ‘romance’ and from then on the tradition of ‘courtly love’ has simply flourished. It has evolved into an occasion where greetings cards, chocolates and flowers (and maybe even a ring) are passed between loved ones to show just how much they care... aww!

Every year we are now bombarded with brainwashing adverts and bribes telling us how to perfect the ultimate Valentine’s Day. The singles among us cringe at the constant reminder that we’re not coupled-up, and either mope about drinking copious amounts of wine, complaining of the fact that we don’t have a date, or we block the terrifying ordeal out by building up a hard-core, Valentine’s Day hating resistance, scoffing at

the idea of PDAs (public display of affections) and heart-shaped chocolates. And as for those sodding M&S adverts... pass me the bucket please!

In this months issue we’ve had a little peek into the options that befall the lonesome. We’ve even had a laugh at a few of you. So, read on to find out a singleton’s experience of this year’s Valentine’s Day and even have a smug little chuckle at how HORRIBLY wrong some dates can go…

features@westerneye.net “Dating is different in London.

Everything is so fast paced; people work their bollocks off.

They have jobs, they work late and once you’ve met everyone in the office, there’s no one left. The only way to meet a guy is by going out, but I just don’t have the time. Online dating and speed dating are all that is left.”

These are the words of Tiffany Wraight, a 25 year old recruitment officer living in the capital. An intelligent, confident, beautiful woman, she has never had a problem getting a man. In fact she’s often had to beat them away with a bat. So what pushed her to the desperate act of speed dating?

Secret signals at the ready (one tap on the nose - he’s a freak, playing with hair - he’ a hottie), Tiffany went and met a group of girlfriends in Clapham, South West London, to attend a speed dating event.

“We arrived fashionably late, got a few drinks and settled in.

I was absolutely gob-smacked, it was really full,” she tells me. “Thankfully, there were no lecherous, snivelling men desperate for some action anywhere in sight.”

She says: “Everyone seemed really nice. There were of course one or two dodgy looking ones, but most seemed to share a mutual understanding of why we were all there - to meet people that we have something in common with.” To have men come up to her from across a room and introduce themselves for genuine reasons, she describes as “refreshing” and “impressive”.

The evening was regimented by three minute dates. The men moved from table to table at the sound of a whistle, whilst the women sat and waited. “They were really forward and polite,” she recalls. “Although, there was this one guy - instead of sitting opposite me like everyone else, he sat down next to me and put his arm around my chair, sidling up to me, completely invading my space.”

She giggles and continues: “When I asked him what he did for a living, he got up and starting grinding his crotch in my face, and then challenged me to, ‘have a guess’. When I was clearly unimpressed he called me a prude! I heard that he went on to do it to the other girls and when he asked someone else to guess what his job, she said “Er, a rapist?”” In spite of this one

>Laura Dale gives her account on how spending Valentine’s Day as a singleton wasn’t so bad after all...

Before Bridget Jones, the idea of Valentine’s Day was a gushy, romantic day, full of roses, chocolates, teddy bears and canoodling. These days, however, so much as mention of 14 February to a ‘singleton’ and she just about punches you with her non-ring wearing fist. It’s almost blasphemous.

Speed Dating: Desperate or Determind?

Laura Dale

The single scenario

worrying “oddball”, and one other questionable character, Tiffany and her friends were surprisingly impressed with the turnout.

She says: “I really enjoyed it.

I’ve had ten or so responses so far.” When asked whether she would venture into the world of speeding dating once more she nodded: “Yes. Although I think I might go for something more vetted next time. That way the pool wouldn’t be so varied and I’d know what I was getting. You just have to find what’s right for you.”

Since coming away from the event, Tiffany has arranged a meeting with one lucky lad an entrepreneur with his own business. She explains: “Whether you like them or not, it’s still nice to get positive feedback and responses. If anything, it’s a confidence boost.”

Romance in the 21st Century is in definite short supply. The idea of speed dating and online dating sites is often a taboo subject and is surrounded by embarrassment and desperation. In response to this Tiffany states: “I’m not desperate, I’m determined. If you want to pull, it’s easy enough to go on a night out and pull. You have to ask yourself why you’re there - you’re there for a reason.”

If you’re a single girl, there isn’t much choice when it comes to Valentines Day. While your coupled up friends (or as Bridget called them, ‘smug-marrieds’) are whisked off to restaurants and wooed with roses, what are you left with? A cheesy night out on the tiles to drown your sorrows or a movie marathon with mates. This year, I chose the latter.

Instead of an awkward blind date with a man, I had an awkward blind date with a bunch of seven single girls. I happened to be in London on the big day and my host whisked me off to her friend’s house for a night of ‘girly fun’. I had envisaged dressing gowns, chocolates, wine and tears, damning the male race to an eternity of pain and suffering.

Instead, I was wined and dined by a group of funny, witty ladies, whilst completely forgetting what day it was. Not because we wanted to, but just because we had better things to talk about.

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, in fact.

The evening revealed that, contrary to media belief, not every single girl is a snivelling mess and crying in a corner come V-Day. In fact, it might well have been any other day of the year - we really didn’t care.

Entertainment

Music Film and Television

WesternEye Speaks to High Contrast Sam Hudson & Larissa Huggard admin@westerneye.net In 2011 Bristol was accommodated with a multitude of electrifying acts, presenting themselves on a bi-weekly rota during the notorious string of events titled In:Motion. This year Motion has shown no signs of shying away from this trend as big name acts such as Andy C, Rusko and Endymion gather at this coliseum of chaos to entertain the masses of the underground once again. “It’s provided the perfect platform to allow pretty much everyone of the world’s top DJs to come and perform in Bristol. Not only that, it’s somewhere they seem to love and rave about to their friends back home, I think it’s an essential part of the scene here.” Tom Rio, Founder, Resident DJ, Promoter at Just Jack. 2012 has also shown motion go through a few changes including the virtual facelift of its official online domain and the transformation of the venue into a host of live music events, conventions, seminars as well as their legendary warehouse raves. One particular eagerly anticipated event on the horizon is this year’s Hospitality and WesternEye was fortunate enough to have a chat with headliner, Lincoln Barrett aka High Contrast.

Who influenced your music and why?

I kind of pick and choose from various artists, but the most obvious would be Goldie and his Timeless album. Wu-tang and the Beatles.

You’ve performed at Motion before, would you say it’s a good crowd and atmosphere?

Yeah, Bristol has always been a strong city for music, big youth culture in general. When I was in my late teens, because I was in Cardiff I would travel over to Bristol and go to drum and bass nights in places like Thekla. When I started DJ’ing they would always have a ‘night’ going there. They would be popular, good crowd.

What is your best gig to date, and why?

I don’t know really, I like all kinds of gigs. I like playing festivals obviously if it’s somewhere reasonably sunny and playing in the open air especially if the sun is setting or the sun is coming up, Exit festival in Serbia.

So your new Album is out on the 27th of February, what would you say influenced this one as the title

seems quite personal? (The Agony and the Ecstasy) I’m not sure you can say exactly where creative things come from. It took a few years to make it. I wanted a break and wanted to wait until there was a real booming desire from me to put something out there and the music just kind of emerged from within that.

Do you prefer writing your own stuff compared to remixes then? Because obviously your Adele and Utah Saints remixes were big!

Yeah, remixes are like a fun thing because they’ve given you the parts and you just get to play around with them, the hard part is the dub because the track already has its main hook.

But you know, it’s obviously never going to be as personal as writing a track from scratch.

So you’ve played with London Elektricity before and then you’re playing with them again at Hospitality, are you guys friends?

Yeah, London Elektricity runs hospital records and they signed me 11 years ago, we’ve known each other and worked together for many years.

So is there loads of banter?

Well yes, I mean we converse in a mature manner, but just like Lads I suppose. Generally no pranks we don’t prank each other, we do daft things in our own way without pranking each other.

What’s the vibe like backstage then, are you all really chilled out or are you getting wasted?

I’m completely T total, yeah I’m no fun at all. I’m generally a calm and relaxed person. I don’t really get nervous, just doing my thing.

That’s cool, so you’ve worked with heavyweights Tiesto and underworld on your new album, who would you love to work with next?

Erm, I don’t mind really, the collaborations come about in a very natural way, I don’t really go out and pursue people. It’s all in a very zen like way, what the universe wants to happen, whatever comes my way I get to choose whether to pursue it or not. But I’m happy making tunes on my own.

So who do you consider up and coming then?

Well the latest signing for Hospital

records are Fred V + Grafix two really young guys, like 21, and they’ve got some good material. There’s a new guy from Brighton called Metrik who’s got some good stuff as well.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

I don’t think I use music that way that most people do. I don’t listen to it, like having it on in the background or something. I’m kind of quite vampiristic with music, I m looking for stuff that can inspire me and that I can take ideas from, in the same way that people would get pleasure from it . The stuff that I would listen to for pleasure, would generally be what people call classical music.

Film Review: Young Adult Jack Cullis entertainment@westerneye.net Charlize Theron’s ‘Mavis Gary’ makes no apologies, like the film Young Adult itself. It engages through the delicious ruthlessness of Theron’s young-adult fiction author and the saddening moments of pity.

A deeply-troubled thirty-something living in past high-school glory, she is delectably droll and outrageously bold. This is as we like it, however she’s on a collision-course with unhappiness.

Big-city Mavis, struggling to finish the last in a series of unpopular novels and making it to her bed sober

each night, is entirely unfulfilled. She decides to return to her small-time hometown on news of her high-school sweetheart. With the motivation of finally doing something, Mavis must rescue him from the shackles of domesticity with an escape route to the life they should have shared.

Crazy, and the perfect ending for her teenage epic, made possible with sufficient cleavage.

Deep melancholy and refusal to be honest with herself is underplayed perfectly with every emotionless glare and venomous quip the unbridled

Theron gives. Her delusions are too many and too foolish to understand, yet we are along for the ride - a darklycomic confrontation with the reality of forgotten classmates, neglected, unaware parents, and also Matt, brilliantly played by Patton Oswalt, her invisible locker-neighbour and now not so afraid to meet her eye.

The scuffle between our affection and pleasure in her fall creates a refreshingly flawed protagonist.

Mavis is real; you too would be castaside, and this honesty grounds the film, which is with you in looking down

on these lives and yet spurring them on. No target for your sympathy, is she ultimately a train-wreck, or does the train charge on, unchanged? Is this the opportunity to be her finest moment, or simply a means to finish

the long-overdue book? An incidental trip home. She is 16 again, and will always be. We experience all of this and then continue our own journeys.

The train can never go home again.

WesternEye March 2012

Gig: Mastodon @ O2 Academy

Interview: Rainy Boy Sleep Elle Williams

entertainment@westerneye.net >Elle Williams speaks to emerging talent Rainy Boy Sleep about music, touring and embarrassing moments.

How did you get into music?

I started singing in the shower. My mates from school and I were walking through town one afternoon, devising plans to get a band together. I gave the singing part of it a bash. I think I must have been ok at.

Who were your three favorite artists growing up?

I was obsessed with Foo Fighters’ “Colour And The Shape” album.

Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins were another couple of favourites.

The latter two are incredible storytellers, so that has definitely had an impact on my lyrically-heavy style.

There’s some angst seeping through too, I think.

Who’s your favorite new artist?

Katherine Phillipa is an incredible artist. I downloaded her EP two weeks ago and haven’t stopped listening to it since.

Who’s music do you think should really just go in the bin and never be heard again?

This is a going back a few years, but I bought a CD once, by a band called The Delays. They were bad. Maybe it’s just an issue of musical taste, but the phrase “more substance in a vacuum” springs to mind.

If someone hasn’t heard your music how would you describe it to make them go have a listen?

There’s some really beautiful imagery in the song “Your Face”. I use really eerie, moody soundscapes to flavour my music. A couple of tracks on the EP are love/heartbreak songs, but the lyrics possess quite a cynical bite. Sit down, have a listen, and see what you think.

Do you have any funny stories from tour?

Yeah, I was playing a little toilet gig back home once, and this slightly intoxicated punter and his dog made their way onto the premises. The man was swinging a bottle of Buckfast around and generally roaring like a bull in a field. His dog was a bit peeved at the man’s behaviour so it went for a dander. This great, big cross between an Irish Wolfhound and some form of Labrador decided the most relaxing part of the establishment was right on top of my pedal-board. The poor animal lay himself down and went to sleep. Of course, the owner continued raising hell with the staff and inevitable pandemonium ensued.

What would be your ideal gig?

I saw highlights of a festival in Japan

on television once. It was set way out in the woods with this enormous mountain overlooking everything.

Spinto Band and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were there. That looked mighty impressive.

What band would you love to support on tour?

I’d love to support Frightened Rabbit. They’d be a scream!

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

Being starstruck in front of Cyndi Lauper. She asked me if I would like to do a duet of “Time After Time” and if I knew all the words. Of course I knew the words but I couldn’t speak coherently. I think I just smiled stupidly and did this weird, giddy laugh.

Gig: The Black Keys @ Alexandra Palace

Four cavemen from Atlanta known as Mastodon have continued to astound from record to record, with their most recent ‘The Hunter” bringing them to the O2 in Bristol.

The Academy was rammed to the rafters – with not only your standard long hair and Testament T-shirt mob but also a dozen or so 10 year old kids and several O.A.Ps – proving that The ‘Don’s particular style of sludge has long since left the swamp. Indeed, with a recent performance on Jools Holland, their position as cream of the crop is continually evidenced through both their mainstream recognition and their cult-like following.

Opening with new single Dry Bone Valley, the four don’t waste time between songs. The set spanned their entire career – brutalities from their early releases ‘Lifesblood’ and ‘Remission’ sit alongside epics from their Moby Dick-inspired hit ‘Leviathan’, with their more recent releases ‘Blood Mountain’, ‘Crack the Skye’ and ‘The Hunter’ all receiving a

fair share as well.

Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds (guitars) largely concentrate on hitting each note perfectly, occasionally grunting into a microphone, whilst Brann Dailor (drums) hits the skins on his Randy Rhodes tribute kit like a freak on speed. But it is Troy Sanders, providing bass lines centre stage, who stands out – long ago described as Captain Ahab, he now looks like the white whale has regurgitated him.

It is the old favourites which resonate with the pit – second to last track Blood and Thunder pushing the sweaty throng back before they plough once again into each other. It is for this reason that the masses turn up to see four hairy, inked dudes fiddle with guitars – Mastodon’s music transports you out of your element. They’re on to something special and a select few were allowed a taste for an hour and a half.

Gig: Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds entertainment@westerneye.net

entertainment@westerneye.net the capability to really set the crowd alight. Their new album ‘El Camino’ has been just as well received, with songs that show the Black Keys have opted to take things more upbeat, such as ‘Lonely Boy’.

Their sound is rugged and ascetic, combining the blues and rock, and every so often the taste of pop, creating songs which make you want to move, sing and sway. Their diverse sound is clearly demonstrated by looking around at the dissimilar crowd that had come to watch them.

There were families with small children, couples - even huge groups of ‘laddish’ men.

This band are so admirable because of the way they are able to combine the very strong vocals of guitarist Dan Auerbach, together with the exceptionally talented drummer Patrick Carney. It is an exciting experience to watch actual musicians up on stage, playing their

entertainment@westerneye.net “Forget it man and get with the countdown. Shake this square world and blast off for kicksville!”

Sam Brown

Katy Huke The Black Keys made an electrifying entrance at Alexandra Palace, with their opening song ‘Howling for you’, this was then followed by an hour and a half set which remained loyal to its impressive opening. This was their last gig of their successful European tour.

The band has shown just how incredibly loyal their fans have been in the past few years, for instance they had three sell-out dates at this enormous venue, and they managed to sell out New York Madison Square Gardens in just fifteen minutes. This is also a band whose success has meant that in the past they have been nominated for six Grammys, of which they won three. It was their 2010 album ‘Brothers’ which was what allowed the Black Keys to really get their foot in the door of commercial success. With songs such as, ‘Tighten up’ and ‘Ten cent pistol’, you can see why it was this album that had

Kieran Baker

instruments, with a passion and eagerness to impress their crowd, and then to maintain this enthusiasm throughout the show. This set up of the band, originally from Ohio, has meant that they have had constant comparisons to the White Stripes, but the Black Keys seem to be constantly topping the triumph of Jack White and Meg White, and should therefore be appreciated in their own right, instead of as a comparable.

The Black Keys may have taken ten years to really break through the gates of recognition, and now they have, this duo have a promising future ahead of them, and if they keep achieving sets like this one the support should widen even further.

The Black Keys certainly left a crowd of very satisfied faces to walk back to their homes in the freezing cold British snow.

On the opening-night of his second UK tour since leaving Oasis, Noel Gallagher seems comfortable as the frontman of a band for the first time.

With Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds - his first solo project - Gallagher has enjoyed immediate success, sellout shows and a Number 1 album.

In Noel’s own words ‘I wrote every song in Oasis that mattered’ – and half tonight’s set is dedicated to those very songs. Gallagher kicks things off - possibly making a point - with ‘It’s Good To Be Free’, one of three songs showcased off their 1998 B-Sides album ‘The Masterplan’ - thought of by many as one of their greatest works.

The songs from Noel’s new album really stand out on their own, supported superbly by a choir and brass section along with Ex-Zutons Bassist Russell Pritchard’s spot-on harmonies. ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ particularly complimented by the haunting vocals of the choir and upcoming single ‘Dream On’ has the young crowd (unfortunately a few of the moronic minority seem to have survived from the Oasis days) in raptures. ‘If I Had A Gun’ – The new

album’s stand-out track, has the crowd going mad for it as if it has been a Gallagher classic for years.

The highlight though is a reworking of Oasis’s debut single ‘Supersonic’ - Gone is the pounding drums - instead the band leave the stage - leaving Gallagher alone with his acoustic guitar and pianist Mike Rowe. Noel strums quietly whilst almost whispering the lyrics, before Rowe comes in playing the electricguitar solo on piano. This wonderful version somehow manages to make it sound even grander, prompting the enthusiastic crowd to partake in on of the biggest singalongs of the evening. Slightly spooky new song ‘Freaky Teeth’ is certainly received well, whilst recent B-Side ‘The Good Rebel’ makes the listener wonder why it wasn’t included on the studio album.

Crowd-pleasers ‘Little By Little’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ are reserved for the encore. When the last chord of the latter fades away, the band depart the stage and the crowd disperse - certainly feeling Supersonic.

Bristol & UWE

Sport

UWE Bullets Blow Competition Away In Varsity Opener!

>The UWE Bullets faced their cross-town rivals Bristol University on Sunday, 12th February in the opening match of the highly anticipated ‘Varsity Series’.

Dayne Robinson sport@westerneye.net The 3pm kick off was held at Clifton College, Beggars Bush Astroturf as a Bristol University home fixture. The game was organised well. The pitch was marked perfectly. There was a play-by-play commentary and halftime cheerleader shows from the UWE Comets and the Bristol Jets.

Hot food and drinks were available through the game while the two University squads were battling for the Steve Jones Varsity Trophy.

The UWE Bullets had never lost to their cross-town rivals and with their unbeaten season on the line they had no intention on this time being the first. The Bristol Barracuda won the toss and took the ball only to meet the brick wall that is the run defence for the Bullets. They could only gain 4 yards and had to punt the ball. The Bullets offense came out firing. They drove the whole length of the field on 10 plays with runs from 5 different backs as well as a long completion from rookie QB JJ Davies to team captain and President Dayne Robinson. The drive ended with an aggressive power run from 5 yards out from Sam Atakorah for the opening score. The extra point was scored by Robinson and the UWE Bullets led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The UWE Bullets offense went to work again with a second 10 play drive. However, this drive fell short when the ‘Cuda’s’ defence stepped up and the Bullets tried their second Photo: Ian Chittick

long field goal attempt of the game.

Robinson smashed through the posts from the 38 yard line to make the score 10-0. The following drive was a nightmare for the Cuda’s offense with the Bullets defence really brining the pressure. The drive ended with them facing a 4th and 37 from their own 2 yard line. A short punt led to great field position for the Bullets Offense to really turn the screw. The drive lasted only one play with a great individual pick from the Cuda’s defence in the endzone to give their offense the ball on the 20 yard line.

Inspired by the turn-over the Cuda’s offense finally got moving. They drove the ball on a 7 play drive all the way into the Bullets red-zone. However, the ‘bend don’t break’ Bullets defence held strong. Even after the Cuda’s offense decided to go for it on 4th down and 8, only to have the pass batted down by LB James Oddy.

On the very next drive the rookie QB JJ took no time to drive the field on two passing plays that went 63 yards for the score. The first was a long completion to Dayne Robinson for 51 yards, and then the very next play hit rookie Ryan Morton in the back of the endzone for a 12 yard touchdown.

The extra point was good, this time by Tom Miles. The score line was 17-0 with not a lot of time left in the half, but long enough for the Cuda to break the 17 quarter shut out from the UWE Bullets defence. With just one play they went 54 yards by Michael McDowell for a touchdown to end the half at 17-6.

Photo: Ian Chittick The third quarter was all defence with neither team really gaining many yards. The Bullets offense got a few first downs, but also fumbled the ball a few times, whereas the Cuda offense struggled to get any first downs. The quarter flew past and ended with no points scored.

The fourth quarter brought a little more excitement for the 500 pairs of eyes watching the local rivalry. The UWE Bullets very first 4th quarter drive started at their own 25 yard line. They drove all the way into the endzone on 8 plays all on the ground with rookie running back Jamiel Tinto driving the ball the length of the field and finishing it off with a great inside

powerful run from 11 yards out. The extra point was missed and the score line was 23-6. The defence added 2 more points with a safety from veteran Mark Sanchez to make the score 25-6.

With not much time left on the clock, the UWE Bullets brought on their back-up players. The Cuda took the advantage of this with a great 10 play drive that started on their 6 yard line to score an 8 yard touchdown pass to the back corner of the endzone by Michael McDowell.

The game ended with the UWE Bullets lineman carry which this year was won by Robert Chase and went for 2 yards. The final whistle

blew and the final 2012 Steve Jones Varsity score was UWE 25 - Bristol Barracuda 12. The SAJ Varsity Trophy was awarded to the UWE Bullets president Dayne Robinson, and the game day MVP was awarded to UWE Bullets rookie running back Jamiel Tinto for his 14 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown.

The UWE Bullets would like to thank the Bristol Barracuda for the great event and for a good game.

They would also like to thank the UWE Comets for their continued support, and photographers Jeff Stanford, and the Western Eye.

Sport 29

WesternEye March 2012

Football:

UWE Varsity Preparations Gather Momentum

UWE to host National Trampoline Finals

Matt Barrett

Nicola Rowland

sport@westerneye.net

sport@westerneye.net

After an initial slow start to their Western Division 1A campaign, UWE Football’s first team were looking for a real upturn in results as they focus their attention on the much anticipated Varsity series against Bristol University. The team only managed to collect a solitary point from their opening four games, but a victory in the first round of the Cup, albeit on penalties, gave the side renewed optimism ahead of the Christmas break.

UWE faced a tough trip to Devon, to take on the University of Exeter at the Topsham Sports Ground. Josh Thomson opened the scoring by turning in a cross from close range.

Then a moment of madness from the Exeter defence, resulted in a wayward clearance landing at the feet of Vlad Djukic whose intricate pass allowed Thomson to smash the ball into the roof of the net making it 2-0 UWE. Thomson then ensured he took home the match ball with a fine display of goal scoring ability, this time dispatching a penalty – sending the home keeper the wrong way. There was still another goal in UWE yet, as a long ball down field was collected

by Captain Sean Downing, who in turn crossed the ball for Jake Nicholls whose sharp finish rounded off a superb afternoon for the UWE side in a game that ended 4-0 to the visitors.

The joy of victory was short lived

UWE Trampoline Club is due to host the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) National finals 2012; where finalists from three regional qualifying rounds across the UK, will compete at UWE’s Centre for Sport on 24th March 2012.

UWE Trampoline Club were invited to take part in the Southern Regional Qualifying Round, held at Southampton University on Sunday 12th February 2012.

The competition was divided into five categories, ranging from Novice (BUCS 5) to Elite (BUCS 1) with members of UWE Trampoline Club competing in categories BUCS 4 and BUCS 3.

Ten UWE trampolinists were entered in to the Regional Qualifying Round. Two of whom, Nick Davies and Adam Miller, automatically qualified for the National Finals by competing in the elite categories BUCS 1 and BUCS 2.

Robert Hanley achieved 10th place, competing in the Men’s BUCS 4 level.

Five of UWE’s competitors were entered into Ladies BUCS 4. With Victoria Harley in 48th place, Hilary Ruffell in 41st, Tara Kaliszewski 25th, Lydia Nicolas 21st and Amy Hodges winning 1st place.

Bert Chapman and Samantha Bowman both competed in the Advanced BUCS 3 category. Bert achieving 2nd place in the mens’

as UWE succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Swansea University.

Ross Wigley provided the only spark of the game with a smart finish, but was not enough and saw UWE fail to win at home yet again. However Revenge was in the air, Swansea were again the visitors to UWE’s home ground ‘The Field’, this time it was for a second round of the BUCS Mars Trophy game. It was a tight affair, just as the previous game, but it was decided by a moment of brilliance from the UWE captain Downing, who skilfully turned two defenders inside out before slotting the goal past the Swansea keeper, and UWE marched on.

Another trip to Devon followed as UWE were made to work hard for a point against Marjons. Goals from Thomson, Djukic and Stefan Chubb gave UWE a share of the spoils in an eventful 3-3 draw. UWE then crashed out of the cup with a 3-2 defeat to Exeter. Another chance for revenge came as UWE hosted local rivals UWE Hartbury hoping to avenge a defeat suffered earlier in the campaign.

Both teams served up a classic and goals from Nicholls (2), Downing,

Jonjo Fellows and Chubb gave UWE a 5-3 win and a victory that really bodes well for the upcoming Varsity series.

UWE will be the favourites to repeat their successes of 12 months ago against the University of Bristol.

Their first team play in the Western Division 2B and have had a mediocre campaign to date, only picking up two wins and suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of UWIC (8-0) and UWE Hartbury 3rds (5-0). Of course the form book goes out the window when Varsity comes around but the smart man will put his money on a UWE victory. UWE have also greatly being helped by a very generous donation of £500 from the Co-Operative which will enable the team to go on a Varsity training camp, in the hope that this will help keep morale and standards high before the tough competition that the Varsity series supplies.

The Varsity match will take place on the 12th March at Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Ground. Kick off is at 6pm and tickets can be bought on the door for £5.

UWE Hockey: Men’s 3rd Team battle heroically until the end with rivals Exeter

category and Samantha 22nd place in the ladies’.

Amy Hodges (1st place) and Bert Chapman (2nd place) were both successful in qualifying in their respective categories, and will be joining Adam Miller and Nick Davies to compete in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Finals at UWE in March.

Basketball Supports Disability Awareness Week

Jake Rowe sport@westerneye.net Earlier this month UWE Hockey Men’s 3rd team provided spectators with a thrilling quarter final match at home against Exeter 4th team in the National Cup. Having comprehensively beaten Plymouth in the previous round 4-0 at home, the 3rd team was the only remaining UWE side left in the cup campaign as the 1st and 2nd teams both lost in the first round against strong opposition. The match began well with the opening twenty minutes full of chances for both sides; however Exeter led 2-0 at halftime thanks to consistent pressure in and around UWE’s goal area. The game was far from over at the interval but a goal

shortly after for Exeter made it an even harder task for UWE to comeback from. Midway through the second half with possession still relatively equal between the sides, UWE’s newly promoted player Rick Burr (From 4th team), made a valiant run in from the left flank and scored a fantastic goal which sparked huge celebrations across the pitch. Unfortunately, celebrations were muted five minutes later when Exeter quickly replied with a fourth goal to put the score line at 4-1 and the game out of reach for UWE. Although the end result was in favour of Exeter, the belief and fight that UWE showed was incredible as

Exeter 4th team are currently top of the league, two leagues above UWE 3rd’s, and one league above UWE’s 2nd team. This, being the 3rd teams best cup run ever, has capped off an extremely successful season as the team currently sits in 3rd place in the league with one game left in the season.

Ariana Sefre vpsports@uwe.ac.uk On Monday 13th Feb UWESU Sports organised a wheelchair basketball session to give a taste of Paralympics sports during Disability Awareness week. The session was coached by one of the Bristol Scorpion’s coaches, and attended by a good number or students during

the three hour session. Everyone took some time to get used to the wheelchair, but found it ‘surprisingly easy to manoeuvre’. Wheelchair basketball is one of the most popular Paralympics sports, and hopefully there will be another session soon for students to enjoy.

30 Sport

WesternEye March 2012

Rovers delve into deeper debt

Rovers Appoint McGhee as Buckle, Buckles Under the Pressure.

Sam Brayshaw

Jamie Anderson

sport@westerneye.net

sport@westerneye.net

>Bristol Rovers have parted company with their manager Paul Buckle after a series of disappointing results that saw the Pirates pick up just five of a possible thirty points.

The decision was made following a shameful 5-2 hammering to fellow strugglers Crewe Alexandra. The defeat led to a chorus of boo’s from all corners of their Memorial Ground, calling for Buckle’s dismissal. The home defeat was all too familiar for Rovers fans, who haven’t seen their side register a home victory since the 29th October 2011.

Buckle’s step up to League Two may have been more than he could handle after a dismal run of results left his side languishing in the table and winning a paltry 8 out of 29 games. Chairman Higgs believed the side’s situation was so serious that keeping Buckle would leave Rovers “fighting a relegation battle.”

The Rovers board had great expectations for their young manager Buckle 41, who had an impressive start to his managerial career. After guiding Torquay back to the Football League in 2007, he narrowly lost the league two play-off final to Stevenage, in what turned out to be his last game in charge before joining Bristol Rovers in May 2011.

A frantic summer of revolving doors saw Buckle signal his intentions by releasing 19 players in a complete overhaul of the Rovers squad. He then made 21 additions including

both Scott Bevan and Chris Zebroski, giving the squad a fresher and younger appearance but lacking in valuable experience, leaving his new look side failing to live up to expectations.

Rovers Chairman Nick Higgs stated that “At the beginning of the season everyone thought we had made a good appointment in Paul Buckle.

He was a promising, up-and-coming manager but after the initial start to the season it deteriorated rapidly.”

Aside from his derisory run of results, Buckle’s frosty relationship with fans favourite Stuart Campbell may have been the catalyst for this unfortunate deterioration. Campbell, the clubs longest serving player made 341 appearances since joining the club in 2004. After an initial tenuous relationship, both parties declared that their issues had been resolved; however Campbell was released from his contract just a few months later, causing uproar from the majority of loyal Pirates fans.

Chairman Nick Higgs laments Rovers perilous situation and states that he is “disappointed that this appointment has not worked out.”

However, hope is on the horizon for the deflated Pirates with a quick replacement taking the form of former

In this year’s annual financial report Bristol Rovers have revealed that their overall losses have now rocketed to £3.4 million.

Much of this loss has been incurred due to the failed proposed redevelopment of the memorial stadium. Rovers Chairman Nick Higgs blames the annual loss of £2 million not only on this redevelopment but on last season’s “great disappointment on the pitch.” He continued to say “we suffered our second relegation to League Two under difficult circumstances”.

The redevelopment proposal at the Memorial stadium has since been replaced by plans to build a brand new complex next to Frenchay Campus with a 21,700 capacity.

Rovers officials believe the proposed UWE stadium should be ready for use by 2014, and is expected to cost around $40 million, but is a vital addition for the clubs future.

When questioned over the club’s recent instability, Higgs defended himself and the board saying “we reacted by changing the management team three times and, despite the valiant attempts of Stuart Campbell, we were unsuccessful in halting the slump.”

The club have recently appointed former Brighton manager Mark

McGhee, making it a turnaround of four managers in 13 months.

Higgs cited this as a “long-term appointment” and believes that combining a new manager “allied with a new stadium, show where the board want to take this club”.

Higgs also took the opportunity to voice his disappointment over some player performances saying “ we invested heavily in terms of wage costs in the players and were badly let down by their lack of fight and resolve in many cases. “ Higgs makes no secret of the fact that the board will continue to finance the security of the club by taking out loans to cover its losses until the stadium is ready. The annual report shows that compared to £1.94 million in 2010 the Rovers directors had to take out loans totalling £3.2 million.

With Bristol Rovers financial future in the balance, Mark McGhee faces an uphill struggle to take his squad out of the lower half of the table with just under half the season left.

Millwall, Brighton and Aberdeen man Mark McGee. The 54 year-old former Celtic striker, has been appointed permanent manager on a 2 and a half year contract.

The news has been received with mixed emotions by Rovers fans, some worried about McGhee’s lacklustre time at former club Aberdeen. He lasted just 18 months, winning only 17 of his 62 games in charge. With 6 managers having occupied the Rovers hot-seat since 2005, fans can hardly be blamed for their tentative reaction to the appointment.

However, Chairman Nick Higgs believes the right man has been hired for the job. “Mark sold himself very well. He’s not coming here for a stepping stone to get back into his career, he wants to come here and rebuild the club. We’ve reached a low ebb and we need to move forward.”

McGhee was characteristically cautious in his thoughts about the club “I know there’s work to be done and I’m looking forward to it.”

He continued to say “I’m quite nervous but I hope the nerves show that I’m not complacent and thinking that it’s going to be easy.”

Sports Comments Corner – Glasgow Rangers Rikki Du Heaume

>We don’t do walking away 14 February 2012, is a date that will stay with me forever. I, like millions of people from all over the world tuned into the devastating news that my club, Glasgow Rangers had gone into administration. The fear consumed me and the horrific images of closed gates and empty stands started to appear in my mind.

Obviously these were worse case scenarios, but any self respecting fan (even a Celtic supporter) would have them in this situation. But Rangers aren’t just your run of the mill football club and Rangers fans aren’t run of the mill either. Rangers are the most successful club in domestic British Football; we’ve won 54 league titles, 33 Scottish cups and 27 Scottish league cups. We have seen tragic disasters and suffered heavy defeats and all the while have rallied round our cluband kept chanting “Follow

Follow”.

As one part of the fiercest rivalry in the sport, Rangers survival is as important to us blue noses as it is to the game in Scotland. Only a few hours after it had been announced, other SPL clubs were voicing their concerns.

Dunfermline Athletic released a statement on Wednesday stating that after our win over them at East End Park, we owed them £80,000 in gate stubs. And that the money was needed as they themselves owed HMRC £40,000.

At present Dundee United are refusing to allow Rangers fans to attend the game at Tannadice Park as they know we are currently not in a position to honour the gate receipts.

If other teams follow Dundee United’ lead, then Rangers fans will miss out on seeing their club, and other SPL clubs could potentially lose up

to £400,000 in away gate receipts per season. Now whilst compared to Premier League clubs this is an amount which could easily be written off. To clubs like Dunfermline and Inverness it could affect them so much, that they too could find themselves in serious trouble.

Now how could I as a blue nose not mention that other lot from across the city, Celtic. Alex Salmond and others such as Tam Cowan, have pointed out that as part of the old firm rivalry, Celtic’s future depends on the survival of Rangers. The amount of money generated in television rights and gate receipts alone provide such a large proportion of Celtic’s revenue, that after a period of time they simply couldn’t survive without it.

On Wednesday 15th February, Ally McCoist sent out a call. He asked us fans to get behind our beloved

Rangers and pull together because in his own words “Its my club, its your club, its our club and we don’t do walking away.” This call was heard all over the globe, and within hours Ibrox had sold out for the game against Kilmarnock. People who had season tickets that couldn’t attend had released their seats for the game so others could attend.

People in Canada and New Zealand were buying tickets for relative’s who couldn’t afford them. Fans were arriving at the ground hours before to show support for the boys in blue. And some 30,000 fans marched to the ground, singing our songs and waving our colours. It’s even united David Cameron and Alex Salmond in calling for the survival of the club as Rangers is good for Scotland and the UK. For me and everyone else who supports this great club, it is and will

always be more than just a club. My dad is a Rangers fan, I am a Rangers fan and only the other month my son had his first Rangers kit purchased for him, so in my family as with others it will be passed on through the generations. It’s the dream of 4, the memory of 66, the spirit of 72, winning the 54. We don’t do walking away. Rangers is an institution, a cause, a people. We are more than a club. Blue noses aren’t manufactured like Celtic, Liverpool and Man City fans, we are born. And although it may be sometime before we can contend again, through thick and thin we will follow on.

Sport 31

WesternEye March 2012

Bristol City’s Stadium Controversy Continues Jamie Anderson sport@westerneye.net >Bristol City Council has ruled in favour of protesters by granting them permission to proceed with a full judicial review hearing.

This will allow protestors who have already registered the 42-acre Ashton Vale site as a ‘town green,’ another opportunity to reject the proposed stadium.

Opposition to the construction of the stadium has come under fire in recent weeks, after the revelation that the town green’s Freedom of Information figures from local councils has exceeded £500,000 all of which is to be paid by the tax payer. Bristol council dealt with 12 applications, costing over £300,000, while South Gloucestershire Council spent more

than £150,000 on four applications.

Bath and North East Somerset spent £65,000 eight cases, and North Somerset Council spent £12,000 on a single application.

The opposition and obstruction to City’s ‘Aston Vale’ development is nothing new to both the Bristol City board and their petition of 24,000 Signatures, received in support of the stadium. The controversial debate has rumbled on since plans were revealed by the club in December 2008, however this recent set back for supporters of the development

is likely to be the greatest test of City’s resolve. Financially the club are weaker than when plans were first published, having recorded a record loss of £11.8 million in the last financial year.

Financial strain paired with a severe decline of their average attendance to just 14,000, partly due to their lowly position, poor recent form and the dismissal of former boss Keith Millen, are the basis of Councillor Charles Cave’s argument that “the clubs application must fail.”

However, club Chief Executive Colin

T H E L ’ D U B C H A R I T Y U W E v s . B R I S T O L

VARSITY S E R I E S

2 0 1 2

AMERICAN FOOTBALL Sun 12th February, UWE wins 25 -12

FIGHT NIGHT

Fri 9th March, 6pm, Anson Rooms, UBU, Clifton, £5 adv

FOOTBALL

Mon 12th March, 6pm, Memorial Stadium, £5 adv.

VARSITY DAY

Weds 21st March, 1pm, Over 80 Teams in 20 Sports, Free

ICE HOCKEY

Weds 28th March, 10:45pm, Bristol Ice Rink, £5 adv.

BOAT RACE

Sat 12th May, 11:30am-4pm, Docks, Free

RUGBY

30th April, 6pm, Memorial Stadium, £5 adv.

POLO

Sexstone remains insistent that “the decision in no way alters our plans to make sure this city gets the worldclass stadium it so rightly deserves.”

The club has long campaigned of the economic success the stadium will bring to Bristol and the surrounding areas.

Guy Price, club spokesman has repeatedly described the vast employment the stadium would generate. He states that the construction and use of the stadium would create over 6,000 jobs and bring £150million to the area, adding

“if the stadium was built it would be fantastic for the whole of the south west.”

Club Chairman Colin Sexton has reiterated how the club have looked “exhaustively” for other sites, with Ashton Vale being the only suitable option. The combination of a lack of options for Bristol City, the area’s town green status and the councils wavering position, has left the battle for ‘Ashton Vale’ looking set to continue for the considerable future.

Ariana’s column Ariana Sefre vpsports@uwe.ac.uk

With Varsity kicking off with a fantastic win on 13 Feb, we are set for a roaring 2012 series. UWE’s American Football team beat Bristol 25-12, in what Bristol described our style as devilish and strategic.

Unfortunately, some opposition just cannot handle a bit of intimidation!

Please see uwesu.org/varsity for all varsity dates. Friday 9 March is our very first Fight Night. Don’t miss out on the Boxing Varsity everyone’s talking about.

The Body Beautiful Campaign is nearing its end; February has seen a real success of free fitness classes, and many women have taken the chance to get fit and feel great. Good work girls!

I’m very proud to say that the fabulous Après Sport night at Po Na Na every Wednesday has made sports teams over £4000 this term alone. Ensure you don’t miss out on

the most notorious Wednesday night in Bristol. Send in any gueslists to vpsports@uwe.ac.uk - groups of over 20 get VIP table and free drink.

Hope you all enjoy the amazing 2012 Varsity series, and keep updated for all the fantastic events and projects running throughout the next couple months.

Ariana.

Sun 13th May, 12pm-4pm, The Downs, Free

CRICKET

May, Venue TBC

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW from Sports & Activities & Sports Club Members

who said it’s the taking part that counts,

embrace the rivalry

Run a Society or Club?

Want more members?

We can help. sport@westerneye.net

32

WesternEye March 2012

Non-final Year Undergraduate & Taught Postgraduate Students

over

0 0 0 1 £ of Amazon vouchers to be won!

Complete the Student Experience Survey online before April 30th at:

www.uwe.ac.uk/studentexperience and you could win one of 15 prizes worth between £50 & £250

Student Showcase

Naomi is a third year illustration student from Clevedon, a small town in North Somerset. “ I think growing up in a sleepy seaside town full of elderly people left me with lots of time to nurture my imagination and look at how seemingly dull places can be full of fascinating characters. Whether they are grotesque or hilarious, characters and communities on the fringes of society are often very inspiring for me.

Archie is currently in his third year studying illustration. He told Westworld “I take most of my inspiration for my work from the negative things in life; hate, suffering and death. I also take a lot of inspiration from surreal and horror films, the dark arts, murderers, weirdoes and our bullshit, mind numbing authoritarian consumer society.

Hate and frustration fuels most of my work and this all comes from the world around me; the dead eyed humans that fill our streets and the advertising and media that confuses and controls most of our population. I spend most of my time either drawing, partying, reading or listening to hardcore and noise.”.

NAOMI WILKINSON

ARCHIE FITZGERALD Archie’s work is online at kidtildeath.blogspot.com

At the moment, I’m creating work inspired by ‘’Nights at the circus’’ by Angela Carter, a story about a cockney trapeze artist who happens to be half swan. Other things that influence my work are colourful eastern European graphics, vintage children’s books and the lyrics of artists such as Jake Thackray and Serge Gainsbourg; whose music often tells stories that can be both silly and heartbreaking - I think that’s the kind of work I aspire to.” she says.

You can have a look at more of Naomi’s work at naomiwilkinson.tumblr.com