WesternEye Nov 2011

WesternEye Eye w w w. we s t e r n ey e . n e t

UWE’S STUDENT VOICE - Issue No. 2 - November 2011

ENTERTAINMENT: WesternEye speaks to INCUBUS >>Pg 14

Featuring

Exploring Arts, Culture, Music & Film within Bristol.

AGM 2011

Central pull out suppliment

Inside this WesternEye

Toby Cryne

>BEAUTY AND THE PAGEANT BEAST Aminah Jagne searches for answers surrounding this year’s ‘Miss UWE’ Beauty pageant COMMENT >>pg 7

newsandpolitics@westerneye.net The UWE Annual General Meeting took place on Thursday 24 November following a controversial week for UWESU. To start the proceedings a chair had to be voted in by the attendees due to previously elected chair, Matt Hollinshead, having been suspended due to an alleged incident that took place at St Matthias campus.

The incident and subsequent suspension of Hollinshead had been subject to much debate in the days prior to the AGM with calls for him to be reinstated as chair.

Due to the aforementioned, a new chair had to be elected.

William Harris, a third year Law student and President of UWE Snow Sports became chair of proceedings after a vote to which he was not opposed.

Harris stated that he wished for a “good, swift, efficient AGM” and after a vote, the motions

themselves were moved forward, taking the place of other items on the agenda such as the previous minutes until all motions had been discussed, thus making the AGM more likely to retain quorum throughout the event.

Harris told WesternEye: “The only thing that disappointed me – and it disappointed me quite greatly – was that everyone stayed to have their motions put through” alluding to the fact that many participants left the proceedings before the conclusion.

In reference to attendees leaving before items such as the report on previous motions, Harris noted “the purpose is to report on the motions that have gone through the year before and how these decisions have actually affected the union.” >>Continues pg5

>DON’T PANIC, SAVE CASH Kate Samson discusses how to make the most of those last fe w pennies LIFE >> pg 18

AN UNFAIR DISMISSAL? >AGM calls for new Chair of Meetings after UWESU member is suspended regarding recent allegations

Rebecca Day newsandpolitics@westerneye.net

WIN AN IPAD 2

>>Pg 2

Recent allegations have resulted in the suspension of UWESU’s Chair of Meetings. Students’ Union member, Matt Hollinshead, had been suspended to stand as chair at the UWESU Annual General Meeting, after he had already been democratically elected by the student body.

The AGM is one of the Union’s most prominent events, standing as a focal point for students to voice their opinions and views on the current workings of the Students’ Union and the University itself.

An announcement on the suspension was made on the UWESU website on Wednesday 23 November – a day before the AGM. It stated: ‘UWESU’s Chair of Meetings is currently being investigated following an alleged incident at St Matt’s bar, which we consider to be of a serious nature and as such he has been suspended as

a member and as chair of meetings. Therefore a chair will be elected at the start of the AGM.’ Sources have suggested that the removal of Hollinshead was premeditated due to his political views about the current functioning of the Students’ Union system. Allegations have emerged that the Union was training potential AGM chairs prior to the incident taking place.

In response to this accusation, SU President, Colin Offler, stated: “Over [the] summer, all presidents go through chair training. In regards to bringing in people prior to the incident – it didn’t happen. That’s why we promoted on the website for anyone who has had chair training to come forward for the AGM.” >>Contines pg5

>INTERVIEW: NAKED & FAMOUS WesternEye chats with David Beadle about all things music ENTERTAINMENT>> pg14

>HUMAN... WHAT? A little food for thought

by Ashley-Daisy Collins on Human Rights FEATURES >> pg11

>AMERICAN FOOTBALL: BULLETS SURVIVE THE BLITZ SPORT>> pg23

2 News & Politics

KEY News & Politics pg >>1-6

SU & Life pg >>18 - 21

Debate

pg >>7-10

Features

pg >>11 - 13

Entertainment pg >>14 - 17

Sport

pg >>23 - 28

For advertising info please contact :

BAM on 0845 1300 667 or hello@ bamuk.com

WesternEye Nov 2011

£8M TO BE SPENT Editors’ Column ON NEW SU BUILD >Annual General Meeting announces future plans of new Students’ Union Building

Toby Cryne newsandpolitics@westerneye.net The all new Frenchay ‘super campus’ is to house a brand new £8.8 million UWESU building according to an announcement made at the UWE AGM on Thursday 24 November.

UWESU President, Colin Offler, told the congregation that the plans will be in line with the new developments, functioning as the “heart of the campus” within the newly acquired Hewlett Packard land, eventually housing all current SU buildings from the various campuses at UWE. Deputy Vice-Chancellor, John Rushforth, told the WesternEye: “There’s an agreement from the governors to commit £8.8 million at least to develop this building.” With the money coming from the University’s General Capital Programme, it will enable the University to “spend about £150 million on the campus over ten years.”

Though these developments are beyond student control in some respects and are “part of the University’s master plan for the campus,” Mr Rushforth told WesternEye that the SU president Colin Offler, alongside the SU manager, have both been deeply involved with the plans, though the general student populous has been oblivious to the actions taken.

“We [the project board] are very clear that the principle client for this building is the student body,” Mr Rushforth stated. “The principle of building design is that you involve your client right at the get go.”

However, such developments may cause alarm bells to ring for those not in favour of the all new multimillion pound expansion, due to current issues regarding spending cuts across other UWE campuses.

The proposed building which will cover three thousand square metres of the newly acquired land is expected to be opened around the beginning of the new 2013 academic year.

Mr Rushforth told WesternEye, “Where we’re trying to get to is [a] hand over to [the] client which would be Students’ Union [in the] middle of July 2013.

“The whole thing [will be] fitted out in August and then [a] grand opening sometime in September 13.”

Regardless of student opinion with regards to the financial ratification of such a disclosed plan, this development is going ahead with Mr Rushforth stating: “The governors have said that as far as the master plan goes the first thing we must do is invest in the students and the Students’ Union.”

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor told that the money secured from the £150 million pound pot is part of the University’s General Capital Programme. This figure is the quantity of money that has been deliberately set aside in order to gain capital assets, differing from Revenue Expenditure which the HM Revenue and Customs website defines as ‘the day-to-day running costs of a business’, including staff wages, purchasing of trading stock, rent of business premises, and so forth.

Mr Rushforth commented: “The long term capital expenditure is usually financed out of reserves that you have accumulated in the past, investments that external people may choose to put in, in return for a payment or from borrowing, typically from banks.

“We’ve accumulated some cash reserve, we’ve got borrowing capacity available to us and using a mix of those we will generate the funds to deliver this.”

Although Mr Rushforth made it clear that this money was not gained from Revenue Expenditure, it could still raise issues with those affected by the current financial crisis – especially as the university will inevitably be gaining some funds from banks.

Mr Rushforth stated: “While St

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

Life Editor Charlotte Barnes 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 comment@westerneye.net Features Editor Laura Dale features@westerneye.net

Sports Editor Jamie Anderson sport@westerneye.net WestWorld Editor Jenny Pearce westworld@westerneye.net Sub Editor Edward Sharp

Creative Directors Holly Catford www.catford.com Jack Franklin www.iamjackfranklin.co.uk Proof Readers Louis Macload Rose Berry Maryam Bham Catherine Karalis Edgar Phillips Linda Evans Amy Haines Kate Cassidy Sarah McLaughlin

Dear WesternEye readers, Another month, another issue of the WesternEye, and if we don’t say so ourselves, it has absolutely flown by.

Again, the team have been working extremely hard to uncover news stories and articles that remain in your interest as students.

We’d like to firstly thank everyone for their support of our first issue of the paper - the positives most certainly seemed to outweigh the negatives.

However, we’d like to take a moment to recognise an error that was made and publicise our apologies.

We would like to draw your attention to the article ‘Money makes the world go round’ in the Comment and Debate section of the October issue.

Matts, Bower [Ashton] and Glenside are open we will provide the SU with facilities.” He also assured that the SU offices would not move to the new building until necessary.

“There’s absolutely no intention to shut the facilities down at St Matts until we take the students out.”

When quizzed regarding the costs, Mr Rushforth stated: “I have an absolute top limit of £9.3 [million] but our target is £8.8 [million].

“As I sit here today, I may regret this but, I can see no reason at all for this not to proceed because we have done the difficult bit.”

It was also clear that though student participation up until now has been reserved only for the elected officials, students will soon be able to take part in the developing project.

“I will look to involve our architect students; I will [also] look to involve our people doing sustainability,” stated the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

“We’ve done it in the past; I see no reason why we shouldn’t do it in the future.”

Although such plans may sound nothing but fruitful to the masses, upon Colin Offler’s announcement at the AGM, questions as to why such a large amount of money being invested in a new SU building, remained minimal.

However, as far as the former statement goes, it seems that the University is going ahead with these plans. If the University as a business wants to spend £8.8 million on such a building, then there will be nothing stopping them.

The piece was mistakenly inserted under the incorrect name of Paddy Besiris. We would like to establish that this had in fact been written by Daniel Kiddle.

However unfortunate this error has been, the paper can only look to the future and learn from its mistakes.

We have addressed any issues and can use them in our favour to make the paper a more satisfactory publication for all.

Thank you once again for everyone’s hard work this month, and long may the success continue.

Rebecca Day and Sam Hudson The Editors

NEWS ROUND UP UK: Both celebrity victims including Hugh Grant and Steve Coogan join parents of Milly Dowler and Madeleine McCann in giving evidence in the Leveson Enquiry into phone hacking.

RUSSIA:Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warns that missiles could be deployed on EU borders if US fails to halt missile defence plans.

ITALY:Shamed former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi calls on celebrity friends such as George Clooney as witnesses in the formers ongoing sex trial.

COLOMBIA:President Juan Manuel Santos calls on the rest of the world to help the country rid itself from the shackles of the drug trade USA:Seven men arrested for beard and hair cutting of Amish people in the state of Ohio. Religious differences between the victims and break away Amish are being blamed for the recent attacks.

iPad 2 giveaway The i Newspaper has teamed up with WesternEye for a student at UWE to win an iPad 2.

All you have to do is purchase the i, for just 20 pence, six times from the UWESU shop between now and the Friday 16 December, where you will get your loyalty card stamped each time you buy the paper. Once you have accumulated six

stamps, leave your completed card in the entry box in store and a winner will be selected at random.

Since launching in October 2010, there has been a real appetite for i. The paper combines intelligence with convenience, depth with brevity, and fun with rigour to provide you with a concise and intelligent read that is excellent value for money.

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.

News & Politics 3

WesternEye Nov 2011

Marketgate

>Infestation of vermin and maggots are only a few of the issues which have been reported at UWE’s city centre student accommodation.

Lisa Fice newsandpolitics@westerneye.net Marketgate, which is owned by Unite, is located behind Cabot Circus in a refurbished BT office block, and has become synonymous with the Bristol student party scene.

Unite accommodation is well known among prospective students, operating in several locations throughout Bristol, as well as the rest of the UK. Marketgate has 490 flats, with Unite offering accommodation for a massive 2800 students in Bristol alone.

The prospect of university life and all it has to offer brings forth both feelings of excitement and uncertainty for many students. They are faced with their first foray into adulthood, where one of the most difficult decisions students inevitability have to make involves accommodation options and living arrangements.

Many students arrive at Marketgate year upon year with high expectations of the time ahead. The location could not be more convenient, the furnishings are fairly modern and there is a basement, which provides additional facilities such as a pool table.

However, students have found in recent times that expectations are not necessarily met and experiences can be quite different indeed.

Upon arrival at Marketgate, students hope to receive a warm welcome from staff, and a good standard of cleanliness within their bedrooms and communal areas.

For one resident in particular, Vicky Wallace, this was not the case.

Entering her kitchen, Vicky told WesternEye of how she was greeted by a nasty smell in her freezer. With closer inspection, she found meat that had been residing in a small compartment throughout the summer, manifesting into a nest of maggots.

Regional Manager, Alan Blackmore, told WesternEye, “We use contracted cleaners to carry out the intensive cleaning throughout the summer, and unfortunately this isolated incident was a human error.

“All the main electrical units are switched off during the summer months for energy saving, therefore escalating this problem”.

Needless to say this was reported and acted on within the hour, resulting in a new freezer being placed and the old one disposed of.

It has also been reported that Marketgate currently has a housing issue with mice, which have been sighted on various floors throughout the complex. Facilities company, Mitie, are said to be dealing with the situation.

Miss Wallace spoke of how she had been standing in her kitchen one day when across the floor ran a mouse, scuttling into a nearby hole underneath the cupboards.

Since WesternEye’s meeting with Miss Wallace, the pest controllers have been to the flat to investigate the problem alongside manager, Steve Glew, who laid more traps throughout the night.

Mr Blackmore further went on to explain how “we are dealing with the problem and taking this matter seriously”.

Miss Wallace also told of how upon the residents arrival at the flat, a number of superficial issues within the communal kitchen area had to be dealt with, such as a missing cupboard door, a part of the work surface torn off and burn marks on the work tops.

When questioned regarding said issues, Mr Blackmore stated: “The stockists are awaiting delivery of cupboard doors, and it is taking a while.”

Once more, since WesternEye’s visit, the whole worktop area had been replaced, and contact had been made with stockists to chase up on the delivery.

However, matters do not end there as one morning, residents were woken by the sounding of the fire alarms, a familiar story within student halls.

On said morning, Miss Wallace and her flatmates told of how they used the emergency exit within the flat, a magnetised door that is released upon the sounding of the alarm, which opens up to a stairwell leading out of the main fire exit and eventually, to the evacuation point outside the building.

As Miss Wallace and her housemates reached the door they were shocked to find that it had been padlocked, leaving them trapped inside the building.

During the commotion it had not been realised that the padlock, which remains there for safety reasons, stopping members of the public from gaining access to the building, can be opened by using the ‘break glass’ tube that holds the bolt in its place.

By using the small metal hammer beside this bolt, residents are able to break this glass tube and ultimately get out of the building.

Unite stated how they have recently started making signs with clear instructions of how to break this glass tube in the event of a fire so as to not cause distress to residents in future.

They also stated how emails would

be sent across residents’ inboxes, explaining the procedure.

Miss Wallace also experienced an incident within the flat, whereby the repair of a broken shower by an onsite maintenance man, consequently resulted in a burst pipe the following morning. It had drained water from the above flats, causing a leak through the corridors and into her bedroom.

Mr Blackmore, who joined as the Regional Manager eleven months

ago, has overseen the installation of two brand new lifts costing £700,000, alongside refurbishments such as the re-painting and carpeting of half the building, with brand new furniture also replacing the tired furnishings in many of the flats.

He stated: “The refurbishment has taken place due to its general life cycle and to upgrade the standards, there will be further refurbishment plans for this coming summer.”

Mr Blackmore also hopes to initiate monthly kitchen inspections and to introduce the student halls reps programme, and is said to be working closely with the Students’ Union on the matter.

UWE Accommodation Services also added that “UWE were closely involved with the pre-inspections this year and were able to see the refurbishment that has taken place, we have had positive feedback from students at all Unite sites that UWE is involved with.”

Accommodation is a big expense and Unite cannot afford to take their position for granted as students may start to look further afield if the trust between tenant and the landlord is tarnished.

Miss Wallace added “It seems ridiculous we are paying £121 per week for the privilege of living somewhere that clearly has such little regard for health and Safety standards.”

Although Marketgate has received negative feedback over the years, this could well be the push needed in order to improve facilities and customer service roles. Although one may assume that actions may have been pressed forward due to WesternEye’s involvement, it must be said that, from being escorted around the building by Mr Blackmore, the aesthetics of the building did seem in good order throughout and although Marketgate is a work in progress it perhaps still has a little way still to go yet.

All work and all play >Charity program offers students the opportunity to help build a better life for children in Uganda

Aminah Jagne newsandpolitics@westerneye.net Centred in East Africa (primarily Uganda), East African Playgrounds (EAP) is a charity that promotes learning through play.

The charity operates differently from other children’s charities and is based on the notion that children are maybe products of their environments, and therefore aims to enhance learning environments through a number of different means, one of which is play.

Since its inception in 2009 by two Leeds University students, the charity has built ten playgrounds and assisted in the construction of several others, providing over 5000 children with entertaining and safe play spaces to enjoy.

Various charities within East Africa focus on providing basic needs to children, but EAP’s focus on the use of play is what makes them different from the rest.

“We recognise that there are many excellent charities and organisations in Africa that assist with people’s basic needs,” states Carla Powell, one of the founders of EAP. “There are, however, [few] resources dedicated to providing space for children as part of their right to childhood. A playground creates a space for children to call their own; a place to be safe and to explore; to make friends and discover [their] strengths.”

EAP shapes itself after article 31

of the United Nations’ ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’, which states that children have the right “to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child.”

“Building playgrounds will not change the world, but it will complement the work of existing charities and give children something that many others take for granted. And we think that’s very important,” Ms Powell also stated.

The charity focuses on three key areas: constructing playgrounds, initiating sports, arts and reading clubs, and carrying out renovation work on schools.

The EAP sports training programmes also provide schools with qualified Ugandan coaches for a month.

Alongside coaching children, they instruct both parents and teachers on coaching practices to apply after they have gone.

EAP also provides the schools with complete sets of kit and equipment,

allowing children to flourish within sport.

Furthermore, EAP initiates art programmes that use both local and imported products, collaborating with non-governmental organisations to provide books and a reading program within every school with which they work.

In addition to providing schemes that enhance the learning environment, EAP also works on the improvement of school buildings and facilities through building renovation and the provision of learning equipment as well as other resources that individual schools identify.

The charity also works with the local community to determine how they can raise the funds and labour to carry out such works in the future.

Finally, EAP aims to create jobs in local areas, training locals who can then continue to train new apprentices in the long term.

Through building playgrounds, EAP has managed to create a two-year welding apprenticeship course in which trainees have the opportunity to gain experience in the charity’s welding yard.

The sports training programme has also provided qualified coaches with full-time, paid, training work.

The projects that EAP undertake require hard work and dedication, and would not be possible without the help of volunteers.

As such, the charity has teamed up with UWESU to offer students the opportunity to volunteer on one-

month projects in Uganda.

Volunteering is beneficial and is an excellent way for students (whether novices or seasoned travellers) to see Africa whilst being assisted by an experienced charity.

During the month spent in Uganda, volunteers help in the construction of a playground, assisting from its foundations to completion, and teach in the sports, arts and reading programmes.

Furthermore, students have the opportunity to spend weekends travelling around Uganda and engaging in a number of activities, such as abseiling, relaxing on the beach, canoeing, white-water rafting and going on safari.

Students wishing to get involved should contact Helen Seacombe at the Unions Volunteering Office or email EAP at info@eastafricanplaygrounds.org for an application form.

Further information about the charity can be found at http://www.eastafricanplaygrounds.org.

4 News & Politics

WesternEye Nov 2011

Security on campus

>Campuses at UWE have undergone recent criminal activity, resulting in WesternEye questioning the extent of their security

Toby Cryne & Rebecca Day newsandpolitics@westerneye.net

Offler, commented: “A lot of money had been spent on providing students with a new seating area. It’s [their] money at the end of the day; it’s a shame they have destroyed something which they’ve invested in.”

One may first assume that such destruction could have been caused by drunken ‘freshers’, however despite F Block and the main entrance being locked after 8pm, access to the patio area is still available to anyone throughout the night via the ‘undercroft’ and back entrances.

Without hard evidence it is impossible to assume that a student is responsible for the damage caused and without CCTV presence in the area in question, no member of the student body, elected or otherwise will ever be able to verify such an assumption.

“We have received no feedback from anyone who was present in the bar that night, so I’d like to appeal for any witnesses who were present at the time,” Offler further commented to WesternEye. It has been reported that in September 2011 alone, 223 incidents of violent crime have been reported in Bristol (including common assault, grievous bodily harm, and sexual offences) and with such a figure in mind, students should be entitled to feel safe at least when on campus.

It goes without saying that outside of the university’s jurisdiction; students – like the rest of the population – must fend for themselves and exercise caution when walking around the city, particularly at night.

But when on campus students must have the right to feel safe. One could dispute that the reduction of security staff, as is suspected on St Matthias, the openness of the campuses and the uninspiring CCTV situation is causing the opposite effect?

>Trouble makers setting off fireworks and attacking police vans may have jeopardised Bristol Zombie Walk’s future, causing the event to potentially die its last death.

Laura Dale newsandpolitics@westerneye.net The walk, which took place on Saturday 29 October, has so far remained peaceful since its inception in 2006.

The event which began in Stokes Croft before continuing on through to the City centre attracts Zombies from far and wide annually and it noted for its family atmosphere.

This year’s event however took a turn for the worst when fireworks were launched into the crowd near the ‘Bear Pit’ area of Stokes Croft.

Eye witness and victim, Iza Dzisiewska told WesternEye that, “out of the blue I felt something hot on my calf and then noticed a commotion. I looked down to see thick smoke and flames.” Iza recalls how her family, which includes two young children and her elderly mother, were sent into a fit of panic before fleeing the scene. “We all jumped up onto the wall and I noticed it was a rocket spinning”, she stated. “My tights were melted and I had two small burns. My children’s jeans were singed and my sister’s trousers had burns at the bottom. My nephew was in hysterics for 25 minutes.”

Rhiannon Roberts, one of the founders of the Bristol Zombie Walk, denied direct comment but wrote on the Bristol Zombie Walk Facebook page: “We wanted fun, only fun. It was only ever about fun”.

Messages of protest at Rhiannon’s message now cover the groups’ Facebook page with offers of support and suggestions for the revival of the event. It was suggested by some that the organisers should work with the police to ensure heightened security and safety in future walks.

However, co-organiser Justin ‘Typowriter’ responded; “I’m not keen

on getting police involved in any way at all”. “If – and it’s a big if – there was to be a walk next year it would need to be completely self policing”, he continued.

Police have suggested the disruptions were caused by individuals who wished to use the Zombie Walk as an excuse to carry out dangerous acts for their own amusement.

This once peaceful, fun, family

Photo: Getty Images

UWE has been taking a beating recently with regards to criminal activity on and around the campuses.

Around the area of St Matthias, a number of criminal activities have taken place in recent times including instances of muggings around the surrounding areas, a car break-in on the campus and an alleged attack on a student within the outlying Fishponds area of Bristol.

Various unconfirmed problems have also been noted by societies that utilise St Matthias with messages predictably making the rounds on Facebook within various group pages.

In a warning that appeared on the UWE Kickboxing and Muay Thai club’s Facebook page, amongst others, a message has been posted alerting its followers: ‘It has been brought to our attention by the Campus Security Officers that there was a mugging recently on College Road, a campus based student had been walking back to halls when he was attacked by a gang with baseball bats’.

The aforementioned incident has been confirmed to have taken place on Straits Parade by CSO’s and the Police also.

PC Craig Bennett of Fishponds Police Station told WesternEye that “Between 1 October 2011 [and the] present, there have been four robberies in [the] surrounding area.”

“It does not appear to be the same offenders for each offence. [However] I can confirm [that] for one of the robberies, two suspects have been arrested, charged and are currently remanded in custody.”

Matt Holloway, the duty PC at Frenchay campus stated: “St Matts, Glenside and Bower Ashton combined only make up for around ten percent of the total crimes at UWE.” PC Holloway did however inform WesternEye that the incident in question took place at around 8.30pm on Thursday 3 November this year – a fact that has also been established

by PC Bennett of Fishponds Station.

PC Bennett stated: “I can confirm that a robbery was reported on Thursday 3 November as taking place on Oldbury Court Road, just behind the university.”

The incident reported as Oldbury Court by PC Bennet has however been confirmed by PC Holloway and CSOs as taking place on Straits Parade and involving a baseball bat robbery.

The victim, a UWE student who

cannot be named at this point due to ongoing enquiries has confirmed with CSOs that the incident took place on Straits Parade on Thursday 3 November 2011.

With the aforementioned in mind, many students and staff have been voicing concerns over the safety of campuses, including St Matthias.

Kate Brooks, Associate Head of Department & Student Experience Coordinator stated: “It does concern me that in the winter months, the campus is not particularly well lit or busy. More lighting and more obvious security measures would be helpful.”

It has also been reported to WesternEye, albeit anonymously, that the number of CSOs on duty at any time on the campus has recently been reduced from two to one, a fact that has been hard to ratify with both the University and members of the student populous on the campus claiming differing viewpoints.

Claims from sources have also raised questions regarding the CCTV situation on the campus which some have described as ‘less than satisfactory’.

This point, alongside the issue that Frenchay is the only campus with a duty PC is leaving students feeling vulnerable and unsafe in an area that is easily accessible to all, even at night.

The issue has flagged up enquiries as to whether this suspected reduction in CSO activity, and the allegedly outdated CCTV on St Matthias, has any direct correlation with the impending movement of the campus to Frenchay in the coming years.

In response to the aforementioned belief regarding CCTV, Adam Jones, the Head of Security at UWE, stated: “As part of a £2 million refit, the locations, number and effectiveness of cameras are currently being reviewed across all Campuses.”

Alongside these recent events on St Matthias, the university’s flagship campus, Frenchay, has also been the subject of criminal activity of late, with instances of vandalism to the furniture recently installed in the outside areas alongside the yearlong battle against bicycle theft.

On Thursday 10 November, a day after fitting, it was discovered that the new outdoor seating area had been subject to harm.

The investment, which is situated outside Frenchay’s Escape Bar and cost the university just short of £10,000, experienced the damage in the early hours with damage caused to the bases of the tables, whilst the seats appeared to have been deracinated.

Students’ Union President, Colin

D-Day for the Dead?

event now runs the risk of being shut down, with organiser Rhiannon Roberts stating on the aforementioned Facebook page; “Because of you, that’s it. It is over. We will not be able to do this next year”.

“It shook us all up and was really upsetting”, said Iza. “I know for certain that my sister and her son will never attend another event like this in Bristol.”

Although the Zombie Walks’ future is looking uncertain, the uproar at the possibility of closing down the event could be its only saving grace.

Women unite against government cuts >Female activist group compiles report that shows women’s cuts are double the cost of men’s

Rebecca Day newsandpolitics@westerneye.net On Thursday 3 November, protesters gathered to demonstrate against the government cuts that have affected Bristol’s women.

The demonstration, which took place on College Green, was organised by Bristol Fawcett to present the findings of their compiled report to Bristol City Council.

The report illustrates the implications for equality and human rights, and the impact the cuts will have on women’s lives in the city.

The local gender equality activist group found that the coalition spending cuts are costing the city’s women almost £45 million – double what they are costing men.

“Although the cuts are badly affecting everyone, they are far worse for women,” states Jan Martin, an artist from Montpelier. “The majority of women are often the ones who are

left to take care of children and the elderly, and it’s these services which are being cut the most.”

Dr Pamela Trevitichk, a professor in Social Work at Buckinghamshire University, stated: “Women’s jobs are in jeopardy, as the unemployment figures of women in the South West are higher than that of men.

“Women do essential jobs in this country and it’s these jobs that are being cut. We already have low-paid women, and now we have cuts in employment.”

Due to the impact of the spending cuts on public sector and part-time jobs, women’s unemployment figures have risen to 71,000 and according to the report, these cuts will have a disproportionate impact on women, as they are more likely to claim benefits than men.

Cuts to housing benefits are subsequently causing a loss of up to £15 a week in income.

Judith Brown, the Chair of Bristol’s

Older People Forum, stated that it is the older women who are largely affected by the cuts, due to divisive changes to the state pension age.

Anna Mapson, who was in charge of compiling the report, stated: “We are just hoping to get our voices heard with the local decision-makers; we want them to take into consideration our findings, and understand the existing problems of how vulnerable the women of Bristol are.”

In response, Barbara Janke, the leader of Bristol City Council, said: “We are consciously thinking about the aims of the Equality Duty as part of the process of our own decisionmaking on our Medium Term Financial Plan.

“The Equality Duty will be one of a number of factors that we need to consider. We will therefore be looking closely at this report, which will assist us in making our recommendations.”

News & Politics 5

WesternEye Nov 2011

Chair of Meetings gets suspended from AGM

>Questions are raised after UWESU member is suspended from taking part in SU activities

Rebecca Day newsandpolitics@westerneye.net ...continued from front page The incident occurred in St Matthias’ bar on Friday 11 November, following a Reel World screening at the Campus. The charge brought before Hollinshead was made by fellow Students’ Union member, who remains anonymous, after overhearing a discussion in which the accused was a part of.

Sources have disclosed that the discussion entailed a comment that Hollinshead made about the Conservative Party, and not towards the complainant himself.

A complaint of verbal abuse was made against Hollinshead, whereby the complainant claims he was subject to verbal chants regarding his political stance.

This would then raise the question as to whether students should be penalised for showing criticism towards the current political affiliation.

Despite St Matthias’ Campus Officer, Daniel Hinchey, not being present at the time of the alleged incident, he commented: “Whilst I have at times heard the accused person express assertive opinions, I have never heard him being disrespectful or abusive of other people’s rights of expression. He believes firmly in people’s right to free speech.”

Sources have also revealed that on the night in question, Hollinshead and the complainant were previously in conversation regarding the Conservative Futures’ supposed ‘witch

hunt’ to remove Hollinshead as Chair of Meetings, because of his activist views.

“At some point in the night I talked to [the complainant] about the […] issue of me chairing the meeting and we spoke amicably and came to the conclusion that it was in no-one’s interests to take anything any further and that we could and should simply get along,” confirmed Hollinshead.

The ‘witch hunt’ is thought to be the Students’ Union’s presidential ploy to seek out members of the Students’ Union who oppose the executive’s inaction in the face of fees and cuts.

Students’ Union President, Colin Offler comments: “When a complaint is put forward, it needs to be taken serious and the complaints procedure needs to be followed.”

There are three courses of action, which can be taken once a complaint has been filed. In this case, the complaint had taken the route of being passed onto the Disciplinary Committee. It states in the document under Bye Law 9.3 that: ‘During the period of investigation the respondent may be suspended from Students’ Union activities and the premises.’ However, the reason behind Hollinshead not being brought to disciplinary by the Students Union is because the incident is under current investigation by the University itself.

“The fact that the University is investigating the case as well shows the serious nature of the alleged inci-

dent. If the University weren’t investigating the case, then we would be able to undertake disciplinary action in time for the problem to have been resolved for the AGM, whereby [he] could have [potentially] remained as Chair of Meetings,” commented the SU President.

Mr Offler then went on to explain that: “The University has added an extra layer of complexity to the matter,” and confirms that he has had no involvement in the investigation.

In regards to the University’s involvement in the alleged incident, a UWESU member stated: “The fact that the University has also launched an investigation to him is also considered to be very dubious. With him missing the AGM, it is generally considered that this whole matter is all too coincidental.”

Due to the incident being under investigation with the University, the aforementioned complainant declines to share comment.

The immediate action that this incident has incurred, has raised questions throughout universities nationally.

Royal Holloway’s SU President has echoed concerns commenting: “It looks to me like [Colin] Offler is bringing the union into disrepute nationally.”

In response to this, a source on behalf of the SU commented: “We just didn’t want someone chairing the meeting who had had such serious allegations made against them.”

Social media has proved a vital hub for conveying concerning issues regarding the alleged incident and its outcome.

The Facebook group, ‘Reinstate Matt as AGM Chair and let him back into the SU’, had been created to encourage support for Hollinshead.

Hollinshead commented on the page: “Thank you all so much for your support, but I feel that the best way to deal with this is to show how deeply political it is, and that we will not play their game – we can do democracy right – also this is not instead of the AGM but rather, it’s to make it better.”

The page also promoted the event arranged by UWE Activist Network.

‘Defend Student Democracy: General Assembly’ to demonstrate against the dismissal of Hollinshead from being Chair at the AGM. The group called for ‘everyone in the UWE community to build a resistance to the attacks on the students not just by the government, but the organised apathy of the Students’ Union that we are members of’.

Hollinshead stated: “I think, we should make something positive out if this whole mess up: try some real democracy like at Occupy Wall St – a general assembly is a non-hierarchical meeting where any [one] can speak and everyone has to listen – if the powers are playing silly buggers with the AGM then why don’t we give them a taste of what real democracy looks like.”

With the position open to apply for Chair of Meetings, aforementioned Facebook groups promoted to gather supporters of Matt Hollinshead to apply in unison for the position.

However, the beginning of the AGM saw third year Law student, William Harris, being announced as Chair of Meetings. The supporting attendees of Matt Hollinshead showed respect to the newly appointed chair, commenting: “I think he did a great job.”

The outcome of the University’s decision and further views on the complaint will be available in next month’s issue of the WesternEye.

HavE yoU got a Story yoU WoUld likE to SHarE? tHEN WEStErNEyE WaNtS to HEar aboUt it!

AGM proves ‘swift and efficient’ Toby Cryne newsandpolitics@westerneye.net ...Continued from front page Before any motion was brought forward it was reminded to all in attendance that the UWESU core values should be maintained at all times the tag line of ‘Respect: Respecting all people and ideas, listening and putting people at the centre.’

Motions one and two regarding ‘Student Support Services on MyUWE’ and ‘Accessibility to Information’ with particular emphasis on students with disabilities went through unopposed in a swift, orderly manner.

The third motion regarded the ‘Safe Space Policy’ relating to the Facebook pages of the SU. This went opposed by Paddy Besiris who claimed that the motion was void due to the fact that the ‘safe space policy’ in question is outdated and no longer exists. A ‘vote to vote’ was called with the motion thrown out by attendees; an action opposed by SU President Colin Offler and SU delegate Alfie Hillson.

Motion four named ‘Commitment to Sustainable Palm Oil’ was brought forward by Christopher Allen of Hartpury College and was eventually passed with an amendment to the resolve argued, and won by the SU President. Offler amended that UWE should ‘look into the feasibility of using palm oil free products’

in SU shops and catering outlets, an amendment that some of the delegation felt ‘watered the motion down’ due to the high risk of opting out of brands such as Warburtons, amongst others.

The fifth motion in reference to WesternEye was named ‘Maintain the integrity of Student Media’. The motion, proposed by Sam Barnard, enables WesternEye to be independent from the SU, whereby the Union’s executives cannot censor or influence the editorial direction of Student Media. This motion went through unchallenged by the masses and also the SU itself.

Motion six involved the use of the company Balfour Beatty. Thomas Bolton told the congregation that the company had been ‘repeatedly found guilty of breaking health and safety legislation causing deaths for both workers and members of the public’.

Again this motion was passed and on questioning following the AGM, Deputy Vice Chancellor John Rushforth told WesternEye: “If somebody wants to give us evidence that says this is an unsafe firm of course we would look at it and we’d take it into account”.

The seventh motion dealt with the ‘Implementation of Mental Health Awareness Training for UWE staff’ which was once more conceded with flying colours.

Item number eight titled ‘Umbrella Campus Integration’ was once again

brought forward by Mr Allen of Hartpury College. Allen once again faced the SU President regarding the rewording of the resolve to include ‘the feasibility’ in terms of moving the AGM around campuses. Allen fought to pass the motion which was seconded by Rachel Kent, also of Hartpury College, finally being passed through the vote.

Motion nine concerned the use of Glenside Student Centre and the bar that it contains. This hotly debated motion was argued by Chris Palmer of Glenside campus and opposed by the SU President who argued that keeping the bar open was costing the SU too much money, stating that the average headcount in the bar between 15:00 and 19:00 is around ten – a figure that Offler regarded as too little. After much debate the masses voted in favour of keeping the SU bar open at Glenside with the congregation regarding ten people at the bar as important as the hundreds that pass through the bars on Frenchay.

Pete Daw next took the focal point on the floor arguing a motion that would improve the experience of Research Students. The motion involved the request for UWESU to lobby the Vice Chancellor for a better experience and was passed without any interjection.

Motion eleven dealt with another hotly contested issue regarding funding for PGCE trainees. The motion held that although bursaries were

available up until last year, they were currently not in effect and the lack of such funds was causing financial problems for teacher trainees. The motion was passed albeit with some opposition from Alfie Hillson regarding the fact that the government is set to change the scheme. Though the government is set to alter the scheme it will be based on degree classification, which many deemed an unnecessary marker to the level of teaching. The resolve was amended to read ‘This union resolves to pressure the university to lobby government to reintroduce bursaries to their former state’.

The twelfth motion concerned Hartpury College, which Christopher Allen argued was left often with little help from the SU. Allen lobbied the SU to reopen the SU bar five days a week and was once more successful.

The penultimate motion – possibly the most widely debated of the evening – was brought forward by Steve Presence of UCU who requested the congregation to ‘Support Staff and Student in Industrial Disputes’. The argument was contested by the SU president who stated that the motion meant that students were bound to support the teaching staff no matter what. Regardless of Offler’s interjections, the Union voted to support the UCU with the inclusion of some amendments, though the head count was exceptionally slim in favour of voting whether to support the UCU

or not.

The final motion of the evening was once more with regards to trade Union disputes. In an upcoming strike on November 30 this year 24 unions with over 3 million members will walk out. Discussion on the final motion with regards to the UCU scheduling strikes on SU event dates culminated with the inclusion of a new point to the resolve which read; ‘UWESU to not hold events on strike action days encouraging students to cross picket lines’. The proposal was brought forward by Thomas Bolton who stated “you are all going to be working one day” to the masses. The motion was once more met with resistance from the SU who argued that staff could choose to hold back marks and dissertations if they so choose under the new motion, an issue that various members of the gathering regarded as highly unlikely with one student noting that “to not support them is ridiculous”.

The UWE AGM was a night full of heated debate and discussion crossing various paths and opinions. Towards the end of the proceedings the various matters that had previously been moved to the end of the night were dealt with but many of the attendees had in fact left.

Harris stated: “We were nowhere near quorum by the time all the motions were finished” and as such many of the attendees did in fact miss vital aspects of the proceedings.

6 News & Politics

WesternEye nov 2011

UWE student raises awareness of lymphatic cancer through viral video >UWE Bristol alumna, Kathryn Fish, who studied Media and Cultural studies, has taken part in a video to raise awareness of lymphoma, the most common cancer in the under 30s.

newsdesk

out, to raise awareness of lymphoma.

The film is narrated by Kathryn who discovered a lump the size of a golf ball on her neck, whilst putting on fake tan before a night out.

At first, she thought it was some sort of a cyst, but a month after having it investigated by her GP, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Kathryn underwent six months of chemotherapy at the Teenage Cancer Trust SkyPad unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, before going into remission in February 2011.

Incredibly, Kathryn has been able to continue with her studies whilst receiving the treatment and graduated in July 2011.

newsandpolitics@westerneye.net UWE alumna, Kathryn Fish, who studied Media and Cultural Studies, has taken part in a video to raise awareness of lymphoma, the most common cancer in under-30s.

Kathryn, who was in her final year at UWE when she was treated for the disease, is retelling her story through a viral video that has been released on YouTube.

It encourages a wider recognition and understanding among young people of the symptoms of the disease.

The Lymphoma Association, a national cancer charity, released the video, a stop-motion animation of a Barbie doll getting ready for a night

Kathryn stated: “What if I hadn’t decided to put on fake tan that night? I might not have found the lump. How often, really, do you feel your neck? I’m scared other people out there will have the same thing I had and will not know.

“It’s been a crazy year, a real whirlwind from when it all started but thankfully I am now 100% better,” she added.

The Lymphoma Association’s PITS campaign, backed by the Department of Health, aims to raise awareness of lymphoma amongst university students.

The symptoms of lymphoma are persistent lumps, itching, tiredness and sweating (hence the acronym PITS) and are often easy to mistake for the consequences of a busy stu-

dent lifestyle with socialising and studying leaving many feeling exhausted and run down.

During September and October, the Lymphoma Association visited 13 university freshers’ fairs telling students of the symptoms of lymphoma. During Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week (12 to 18 September) the campaign was also featured on ITV Central Evening News.

The Lymphoma Association’s PITS campaign coordinator, Dave Owen, told WesternEye: “People should regularly check their neck, armpits and groin for any lumps and be empowered to visit their GP if they are concerned about anything.”

The full two-minute film can be viewed at www.youtube.com/ takeaPITStop.

Technical glitch for online journals >Access to online journals prevents students acquiring vital sources for coursework

Claire Swaffield newsandpolitics@westerneye.net UWE boasts many things and possessing the largest academic library in the South West is one of them.

However, WesternEye has noted an increasingly frequent issue, whereby many students are being faced with problems accessing electronic journal articles, to which the university is supposedly able to provide instant access.

As a result, some students avoid using journals all together as it can seem a waste of time, which merely ‘stresses them out’.

There appears to be two main issues with which students are faced with regarding access to journals.

One is that when searching for articles, the library lists them before describing them as ‘unavailable’ when students attempt to access them.

The second issue is the accessibility of Athens outside of the university’s computer network – a problem which UWE should be addressing, making access as easy as possible in

order to encourage the use of a vital study resource.

The university’s FAQ about journal articles states: “[The] Library catalogue lists all journals that are available in both print and electronic format.”

However, one might ask: Just how many students have used the library catalogue to search for a journal article, read the description, clicked the article only to be greeted with a frustrating, ‘no text available’ webpage?

Anna Lazicka tried researching for a piece of coursework – the title of which had been given to her.

She told of how she had found some “potentially useful articles” about the topic of her given coursework, but when she clicked ‘find it’, there was no full text available – a trend that is all too apparent. She also told that the first ten results of her search all gave the same message.

Ms Lazicka stated to WesternEye, “I don’t know if I’m doing something

wrong or they are actually unavailable.”

When asked about the issues in question, Amanda Conway of Library services noted: “We have been aware of these issues due to a recent survey amongst students, and we are beginning to address them.”

Ms Conway, alongside Jason Briddon, also of Library services told WesternEye: “A new library search system is coming in the spring which will be a huge improvement on the current elibrary.”

Mr Briddon told Western Eye that the new system will “be on the library home page as a single search box that people can use to very quickly identify the content [that they require].”

The two members of the Library team noted that the problems often lie in the outsourcing of materials from other data bases stating that “these databases can tell when you’re using a UWE PC or not.”

Following one of Ms Lazicka’s unavailable articles, it was discovered that UWE is subscribed to the journal in question, electronically for issue from 1990 onwards.

Information provided about the journal in print seems very vague: ‘Frenchay Holdings: Held for 30 years’, and ‘Last 10 years on shelves, earlier years in store’, states the website.

The article in question was in fact from 1970 and after confirmation from a librarian, it appears that UWE only holds journals from the last thirty years in storage.

Why then is it that the article still comes up in the e-library search?

Mr Briddon told WesternEye: “Where our linking systems are telling them that we have the full text, then that should work.

“We do have glitches with it, things don’t work from time to time.”

A solution to this problem is that it could be provided by inter-library loan use, a facility whereby each student receives ten requests per year to access materials outside of UWE’s libraries.

Many students highly recommend this service and it is does seem more efficient.

However, Sophie Whittaker, a third year Law student, spoke of how the said service was only mentioned through her PAL sessions last year, halfway through her degree.

Ms Whittaker also told of how she had been struggling with the unavailability of journals since her first year.

The other issue with journals, as previously noted, is the issue with accessibility.

Reports suggest that one of the biggest journal sites, SAGE Journals, does not work outside of the University – apparently a common problem for a number of students.

When asked whether the fault is in the system or whether the journals in question are not actually there to access, Mr Briddon stated: “It’s probably a combination because it might be that the different students experience different things, it could be that they are searching in a particular resource a lot of the resources we have don’t necessarily have full text anyway”.

Another possible solution to the problem was mentioned by the Librarians who told WesternEye that the 24/7 help chat is a very useful tool to students. Ms Conway told of how students can speak to a person either from the Library or an outsourced company overnight to gain answers to questions about the library and items available, a service that students have apparently warmed to.

The website includes many journals

available in the catalogue at UWE, including journals on health sciences, life and biomedical sciences, materials science and engineering, alongside social sciences and humanities, which covers Law, Education and many other subjects.

Antonia Kelly, a second year student, stated to WesternEye: “SAGE publishing does not let me access journal articles unless I log in on campus. Even though it gives you the option to log in over Athens, it just doesn’t work.”

Students have apparently also been having problems accessing Wiley Journals and Oxford Journals outside of the university network throughout this year.

Out of all the sites which host the journals, JSTOR is reported as being the most consistently reliable.

Accessibility of journals from home is a very important issue, as there are many students who commute from Bristol’s surrounding area and don not always have the time or resources to get to campus to use the library outside of class.

Mr Briddon and Ms Conway told WesternEye: “Students need to report them [problems] because we have staff in the library that can troubleshoot.”

WAnt to WritE For thE WEstErnEyE? EMAil Us At: AdMin@WEstErnEyE. nEt

Debate 7

WesternEye Nov 2011

Comment &

Debate

Beauty and the Pageant Beast >Aminah Jagne searches for answers surrounding this year’s ‘Miss UWE’ Beauty Pageant Aminah Jagne comment@westerneye.net

O

n Tuesday 11 October, 2011 UWESU posted a link to its Facebook page that sparked an immediate outcry; a beauty pageant entitled ‘Miss UWE 2011’ was to be held at the university in an effort to raise money for Children in Need. The promotional details for the event bore the suggestion that pageant-winning beauty would enable students to “be among the stars and make a name for [themselves], for [their] talents and fashion sense” causing a number of concerns to be raised.

So why did UWE agree to host such a controversial event in the first place?

“The intentions of the students who organized the event were to raise money in a light-hearted way,” states Colin Offler, UWE’s Students’ Union President. “We offer assistance to students who carry out such events where the aim is to raise money for charity. In this particular case Children in Need were consulted at the outset and they raised no concerns about the event.”

Evidently there are benefits to be gained from such an event in that all proceeds will go to charity, but does that justify the potentially discriminatory message?

Advocators of beauty pageants often highlight that they seek to commend the diversity of looks rather than stress a particular benchmark for beauty and in doing so, encourage women to embrace their own unique looks.

Furthermore, it is believed that the talent focus of pageants acknowledges the achievements of young entrants and allows them to represent causes that are important to

them and in turn boost their confidence.

Could it then be said that feminism, pushing women to reject gender ideals, places a restriction on their personal choice and this is just as harmful as sexism?

Before moving onto the criticisms against beauty pageants I would like to make an observation, in a bid to dispel the thoughts of any readers that are already dismissing the concerns raised in this article as ‘overzealous feminist babble’. The words ‘feminist’, ‘feminism’ etc. have been distorted and misrepresented by the media. Now, fused to these terms are several negative connotations that aim to portray any feminist disputes as excessive, incongruous or just downright nonsense. Whilst it is understandable that individuals would want to avoid being labelled, these suggestions have resulted in people of all sexes seeking to desperately avoid the terms so as not be attached to all the fancies that come with it.

Feminism [noun]. The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.

There it is; nothing extreme, nothing hysterical, just a particular ideal that deserves to be taken as seriously as any other.

It is purely within anyone’s rights to decide whether or not to participate in a beauty pageant, but the issues that contests like this raise are not merely about free will. Marking beauty pageants acceptable and conventional also acknowledges the idea of judging women based on their physical appearance as ‘normal’ and ‘common’.

“A beauty pageant where a woman is judged is a horrific thought” ex-

claims Dalia, a third year UWE student, “It helps force a culture that seeks to dehumanise women by treating them as nothing more than sex objects.”

Then, as objects it becomes more acceptable to mistreat womankind, regarding them as the ‘lower sex’ and therefore, not taking them seriously.

True, beauty pageants could be considered as celebrating beauty, but when the idea of beauty is based on corporate images and messages of what we are supposed to look like – images that are in effect designed to please men – the ‘celebration of beauty’ is quickly turned into a celebration and manifestation of sexism.

In an academic environment where the focus should primarily be on education and learning, surely emphasis should be placed on the hard work and knowledge gained by students through their studies, rather than undermining that by promoting the precarious message that it is okay to value women based on the confined conception of their looks.

“Miss Universes, Worlds, Cities, Universities etc all do their bit to reduce a woman’s worth of her ability to fit into a narrow and male-defined ideal of ‘beauty’,” continues Dalia. “I wholeheartedly believe sexual objectification of women, especially like this, has no place in a modern and equal society, and it goes against my beliefs of UWE being a forward thinking institute for learning.”

The NUS women’s campaign stresses the fact that “Equality for women is still a major issue and one that should cause concern for universities that are attempting to widen participation, a UK-wide agenda today.”

“There is a problem when women’s successes are not recognised, be-

cause they do not meet the beauty standard,” reads the media position paper for the Bristol Feminist Network. “Women in the public eye are all too often expected to conform to an unattainable and often narrowly sexualised version of femininity, to look a certain way whilst their own professional achievements, be it winning an Oscar for her acting, an Olympic gold medal or a seat in the cabinet are seen as subordinate to the ultimate achievement of looking ‘hot’.”

We believe that there is something very wrong with this narrowing of women’s potential and women’s ambitions. If we are all just objects to be looked at, or invisible, then how can we hope to compete in the creative, sporting, political and powerful worlds, on our own terms, as women, to achieve equality?”

Following complaints about the ‘Miss UWE 2011 Beauty Pageant’, Colin Offler released a statement containing the following: “Our Volunteer Support Officer has been offering support to the students who are organising this event and she met with them yesterday to discuss the concerns expressed.

“The organisers are upset about how the nature of the event is being perceived as their intention of a fashion/talent showcase is not being reflected by the current perception.

“So to correct this they are proposing to change the name of the event to ‘Talent and Fashion Show’ and to make it clear in the publicity materials and on Facebook that the intention is to celebrate, in terms of talents and fashion awareness, the students who take part in this event, as well as to raise money for charity.”

Although it took some time, these changes were implemented and the event was allowed to go ahead.

However, rather than comment on the event, I was led to believe that the ‘show’s cancelled’ by the organisers, when it did in fact take place on Wednesday 16 November, 2011.

I can only recognise this as a cynical bid to prevent this article from being written (despite stressing that I wished to explore it fairly from both sides and that a comment from them would help it to be fairly represented).

These actions do make me wonder just how seriously they take students’ concerns after all.

Coming to a Google Maps near you… >With the pilot of Google’s evolved Street View mapping system now able to enter stores, has online technology gone a step too

Louis Macleod

far?

comment@westerneye.net

T

oo often do we pass by shops and businesses that do not catch our attention with a lack of visual appeal. A great business will always stand by the saying “never judge a book by its cover”. Yes, a shop may have the best lit and colorful logo and the funniest adverts on TV, but this is not what makes a great business. The purpose of a professional and high quality shop or restaurant

is to perfect the workings of the company. Not to attract the mass public and provide fast service with low quality. It is to welcome customers with appropriate moral values who will take their time, enjoy themselves and pay the price stated without a fuss.

Google is giving the public the opportunity to peer into the potential that has not been witnessed before.

This will not bring the businesses to lower their inner qualities. It will open their doors to a variety of people who want a new experience and

who are willing to pay more money for the experience. The security of the operation has been questioned but does it even need an answer?

Google has officially stated that it will blur public faces, not photograph inside residential homes, ask for permission before a photographer is sent and will not advertise security weaknesses. Moreover it is up to the business directors who will have the opportunity to allow this to happen. It is for the purpose of their businesses and the overall attraction to the public. It is not put-

ting the public’s privacy at any risk.

The public will even be informed of the photo shoot before it happens.

Overall the complaints made would not be strong enough to deter a mighty enterprise such as Google.

The technology itself will make life easier just because it is an official Google project. What I mean is that hours and hours can be spent searching review websites of hotels for example. Only to find that when you arrive the pictures of the ‘grand entrance and red carpet’ including the ‘gold plated walls’ are actually

fake and your room has one plastic bed with holes in every wall. This is of course because an official second party such as Google has had no control over the reliability of the photographs. So when this project is introduced you will be able to simply log onto your computer, a few clicks and one phone call to book a reservation and shortly you will be eating in a restaurant that suits your every need.

8

Debate

WesternEye Nov 2011

Greece Anatomy: The real reasons

By Golli!

behind a devastating crisis

>The hushed subject of political correctness is thrown into the light as Rikki Du Heaume discusses one politician’s involvement with the debate

>Greece has been in the media for months brainwashing its readers to agree with anything they say, Kostas Dimitrio takes a look behind the cameras Kostas Dimitriou comment@westerneye.net

G

reece has been under the spotlight of major news media in the last weeks, focusing on its possible default that means leaving the eurozone and the euro currency. Many might wonder why this is of any significance for Britain and the rest of the world. The truth is that it could have multiple effects on the globalized highly interconnected western world that we live in. Plus, if the whole world is to hate Greece, let’s know at least why.

Looking at the reasons behind this deep crisis, I could say that it is a mix of unorthodox politics and corrupted lifestyle. Thus, the blame goes to the Greek politicians of the past 40 years, as well as the Greek people that adjusted to a certain spoiled and eccentric way of living.

The economic crash was a result of a crisis of consciousness. Greece is the 32nd largest economy in the world and has been a significant member of the EU and the eurozone.

The problem is not the debt. All globalized countries are facing debt as it is part of our capitalist economy. The problem is that Greece’s debt got out of control during the last decades because of unorthodox spending in the public sector and political corruption.

Greece holds a high rank in the world corruption list being 78th among 178 countries, between Colombia

comment@westerneye.net and Cuba, being the lowest in Europe. Tax evasion has been the main damaging economic factor, with an incredible €15bn (£13.2bn) slipping through the tax collection net each year.

Obviously, the self-motivated politicians of the two major parties (socialist PASOK and conservative New Democracy) have severely damaged the national economy and the society in terms of justice, community level and active citizenship. The blame is then transferred from the politicians undertaking these catastrophic actions to the people.

The people that could see the detrimental effects of these policies to their country, but weren’t actually reacting to the system as long as they celebrated certain advantages that this could offer them (tax evasion, benefits and huge public sector recruitments).

The result was a ponderous debt that would force Greece falling into bankruptcy and leaving the EU. However, that’s when the eurozone countries along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed on a €110 billion loan conditional on the implementation of high austerity measures.

This deal, almost two years after its agreement, has harmed even more Greek economy and especially the balance of Greek society. The Greek people, although responsible for electing incapable politicians and si-

lently colluding against the national economy, now face unjust and completely irrational austerity measures to keep Greece in the eurozone and the euro currency.

Many of you might think, “fair enough, they had it coming”. However, the people that are really suffering from this are students, pensioners and low-income people. With repeated taxation from June 2011 until November many people had to sacrifice up to 50 percent of their income to save Greece. In the meantime, the rich and powerful are still finding ways to avoid taxation and not compile to the austerity measures. Consequently this is encouraging social unrest and general disappointment against the politicians, the eurozone, the IMF and the capitalistic economic system in general.

So yes, Greek people are not innocent and the politicians were the main reason why this country failed.

The crisis started years ago and is on-going. Now the pay back is going to be harsh and the Greeks will suffer mightily in the next few years, perhaps for decades. But should the rest of the world feel hatred or maybe pettiness at the face of Greece, or should they think of how their societies work and whether they are headed on the same direction? Maybe the actual crisis is not just a Greek drama after all.

‘No Women No Peace’ protest fights for the voiceless >The Bristol Feminist Network continues to fight for women across the world; most recently the focus has been Afghanistan, where women have been subject to inequality for decades.

Zoe Hatziantoniou comment@westerneye.net

O

n Monday 31 October protesters demonstrated how women and men across the UK will be standing strong for the acknowledgement of women’s voices in peace negotiations at Perry’s Bridge, Bristol.

This gathering proved that women will not compromise their rights and will stand as strong individuals whose voices will be heard. Sian Norris, one of the event coordinators, mentioned that the gathering was part of the national movement known as ‘No Women No Peace’ and had at the heart of its aims to raise awareness of the women of Afghanistan being denied a voice in peace negotiations. It was a well organised event that gathered around 60 people, all wearing green scarves – the colour of feminist activism in the country, in support of this issue. Aiming to highlight that women’s rights are constantly being compromised and their demands are being ignored, the event also hoped to send William Hague, the represen-

Rikki Du Heaume

tative of the UK, the message of how important it is for women to have a voice.

Ten years ago, the UK and USA invaded Afghanistan with the objective of liberating the women that were living there. Among other restraints the women face, they cannot leave their house without a male present by their side; have to cover themselves at all times; cannot attend school and are denied medical care. These invasions were triggered by the fact that the Taliban had been forcing these conditions for women to live under. Although the invasion was unsuccessful, it highlighted the pressing situation.

Afghanistan is known as one of the worst places to grow up as a woman. This can be seen from the various statistics given in Sian Morris’ speech: “Between one in eight, to one in eleven women [are] dying during childbirth”. Further effects of war on the women of Afghanistan include: “abduction of their children, rape and sexual violence, widowhood, increased maternal mortality, starvation and an increased risk of the spread of HIV/Aids”. As mentioned by

Norris, since women are not allowed to leave their homes without a male figure, if their husbands die in the war, they will be incapable of leaving their homes. Norris mentioned that although some areas in Afghanistan have recuperated, the overall picture is still widely negative and leaves much space for improvement.

There has now been some progress as 27 percent of MPs are now women (more than in the UK). A major accomplishment is the increase in education for girls. However 1.2 million are still not in school.

The protest did not aim to gather people who wanted to speak for women, rather, it aimed to highlight the fact that women of Afghanistan need to continue to try and claim their rights by achieving and retaining a voice. It aimed to bring forward how women’s lives are highly affected by this and being a part of the peace negotiations will decide the future of their country and the way that informed decisions are carried out.

The gathering at Perry’s Bridge held a torch for events to follow and hopes to motivate more people to get involved.

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olitical Correctness is a term which many use to generally stop someone saying or doing something they don’t like.

These days it encompasses a broad range of areas from the way we describe ourselves to the changed lyrics of ‘Ba Ba Fluffy Sheep’. In the early 90s the BBC could fill Saturday evening slots with the totally un-PC ‘Love Thy Neighbour’. For those of you unfamiliar with it, type Alf Garnet into ‘Youtube’ and you will soon know what I’m saying.

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Etheridge believes that a whole generation is missing out on the things which we, as children and young adults have taken for granted.

However, in some eyes political correctness is nonsense and individuals have become known within political circles and even the broadsheets for standing up against it. One such man is Bill Etheridge.

Mr Etheridge is a member of UK Independence Party (UKIP) as well as being active within the group Campaign Against Political Correctness.

He was once however, a Conservative, but after he and his wife bought a Golliwog doll from a charity stall at Ludlow market and posed with it on Facebook, asking whether it is a racist symbol or simply a child’s toy, he found himself leaving the party after a series of what many will surely consider disgraceful events.

Firstly Etheridge was asked by the chair of the local branch to remove the pictures, which he did only to find it wouldn’t stop at a local level.

Etheridge was informed by the head of the local council, under instruction from Millbank Street, that the pictures could be misconstrued and was told “Everything you say is in line with Conservative principles, but Conservative principles and Conservative policy are different things”. At this point Etheridge agreed to cease activities within the CAPC. This unfortunately was not the end of the matter. On 18 March 2011, Etheridge and his wife, Star, received an email from the Conservative party suspending them from the party for 30 days, while he was running for council. They both immediately resigned from the party stating; “I thought I had joined the party of Thatcher and Tebitt, just to find it’s New Labour lite, I no longer want

a part of it”. To date they have not received a reply from the Conservatives.

Etheridge hasn’t given up on his passionate campaign against political correctness and has recently had his book, ‘Britain – A Political Correctness Society’, published. The book looks at the Golliwog incident as well as other examples of PC, excesses of health and safety, and the Battle of Stony Stratford where a local councillor tried to ban smoking everywhere.

But what does PC mean for the next generation? Etheridge believes that a whole generation is missing out on the things which we, as children and young adults have taken for granted. The ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ nonsense, with the removal of references to Christmas in seasonal tales, is just one example of how PC is restricting the world we live in. As he says “They are missing out on the more obvious things, they’re missing out on free speech, on debate which is crucial to democratic societies, people are being stopped from speaking their minds”.

So aside from fighting, what I would consider a worthwhile fight with PC is what does the future hold for Bill Etheridge? He is working on a second book which tells an insiders version of the Conservative race in the 2010 election as well as some anecdotes about his encounters with Lady Thatcher and Lord Tebitt. On top of this he hopes to stand for UKIP in

either Westminster or Brussels, stating “I feel I could make more of an impact in Westminster.”

Whether you agree or disagree with Mr Etheridge’s campaign we must face up to the fact that Political Correctness is strangling society and removing choice. The only way we, as educated young(ish) individuals, will improve this is by getting involved in politics. And as Etheridge’s parting words on the subject suggest “Most political parties are full of elder people, at 41 I’m one of the younger ones. We need young passionate people to get out there otherwise it will die a death”.

Debate 9

WesternEye Nov 2011

Copyright or wrong? >Ever heard a song that rings a bell? Sarah Adams can put your mind at rest whilst questioning the legality of incorporating these ‘golden oldies’ into modern day hits Sarah Adams comment@westerneye.net

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own, just from hearing them and connecting a few dots. Little did I know about the dirty tricks of the trade the likes of Google and YouTube would show me. A lot of the accusations floating around are highly unbelievable and nearly non-existent, but some are shocking.

This controversy has been going on for decades; amazingly Vanilla Ice never had the permission to use Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’ in his track ‘Ice Ice Baby’. It is rumoured that Bri-

Photo: Sam Teigen

’m one of those annoying people who remember random celebrity’s names, film quotes and many other pointless pieces of information that I will constantly bring up in conversation whenever possible. I’ve recently realised this also applies to music where I’ll hear a track and have to tell you as many nuggets of pointless knowledge I’ve been able to stow away over the years. Would I prefer to be able to relay the entirety of pi to you? Yes, but I’ll work with what I’m given. I’ve always thought that I could hear great similarities between songs and suspected that the important people at the record labels, the ones wearing suits and walking up and down long shiny corridors, wouldn’t be too happy about it. Turns out that behind closed doors huge star spangled debates go on about who wrote what.

Personally, if I was the genius behind ‘Summer Nights’ from ‘Grease’ I would be pretty annoyed at One Directions ‘hit track’ ‘What Makes You Beautiful’. For those of you unlucky enough to have heard it, you probably will have also heard how undeniably alike the guitar backing is to the musical. Another example of this

tune trading is in Robbie and Gary’s (again) ‘hit track’ ‘Shame’. As a bit of a Beatles freak I can’t believe the similarities to ‘Blackbird’. The opening guitar chords are strikingly similar to that of the 1968 McCartney classic. Surely Macca has enough money to vent his anger, the Take That boys wouldn’t have a leg to stand on (if you’re thinking of a certain divorcee, you are a bad person).

Now, the two previous examples were both innocent discoveries of my

“

This controversy has been going on for decades; amazingly Vanilla Ice never had permission to use Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’ in his track ‘Ice Ice Baby’

an May first heard the song in a club in Germany. Upon asking the DJ what the song was, he was told it was currently in the US chart.

Coldplay are apparently huge players in this game, being linked to copying Cat Stevens, Rage Against the Machine and many other artists.

Joe Satriani was one of the few who actually did act upon the accusations. The rock guitarist filed a lawsuit against Coldplay claiming that ‘Viva La Vida’ had used his song ‘If I Could Fly’, released four years earlier. The lawsuit was swiftly dismissed in 2009 and they were basically told to sort it out between them.

Rock legend Mick Jagger can even be dragged into this, but managed to avoid the mess. The Rolling Stones noticed that their track ‘Bridges to Babylon’ sounded alike to K.D. Lang’s ‘Constant Craving’. In order to avoid a reputation threatening lawsuit, the band added Lang and her co-writer Ben Mink as composers of the song in the small print, ensuring they both to receive royalties.

But, let’s be fair with this and take a look at the flip side of this argument. This causes for some technical music lingo. There are twelve notes in what is called the chromatic scale, that isn’t a lot for composers to work with. Opposing the accusations of copying between artists is that the similarities are inevitable and melodies sounding alike are expected every now and then. If you can’t think of any examples, search ‘4 Chord Song’

by Axis of Awesome, on YouTube.

Personally, I think that this depends on each case. Some tracks seem to have blatantly stolen an entire melody while others have stumbled across similar progressions or notes.

Wessex Bus blues >Will the new bus service do at standing the test of time?

Ryan McCullough

comment@westerneye.net

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e have now started a new university year bringing a fresh start for everyone, including the bus service. Boasting of a name change, from Ulink to Wessex Red; a shiny new fleet of buses and added routes, reaching the likes of Cribbs Causeway, it is promising stuff from a bus service that was in dire need of reform. There are many changes at the stops themselves too, a new information centre has been built and the bus timetable boards have been changed, providing great information and proving to be extremely helpful.

However, it doesn’t appear to have improved the quality of service for all.

The U1 and U2 bus routes from the centre of Bristol to Frenchay, through Gloucester Road and Filton Avenue, are hit and miss at peak times (from 8am to 9am and from 4pm to 6pm).

The buses are usually on time, to their credit, but whether or not they stop is another matter, as very often they are too full and unable to stop.

This is causing problems for students living on these routes, as they are struggling to make lectures on time, especially if they have onward travel.

Gemma Riley, a second year student living on the route explained, “Buses often pass completely full and

do not stop for me, and when one finally comes along, it is crammed full of people squashed together uncomfortably, making for an unbearable journey”. On one occasion this led her to missing her U3 bus to St Matthias. Having left her house at 8:15am, she arrived at her 10am lecture over half an hour late, a journey that should take no longer than one hour.

This isn’t just an isolated case.

For several weeks, after finishing my lectures on a Thursday at 5pm, I have to stand at a packed bus stop and watch as three U4 buses (two double-decked) leave, only one being remotely full, followed by two U5 buses when one is needed. All the while, I’m standing listening to the gripes of students waiting for a U1 or U2. When one finally comes along it is a single decked bus that becomes packed to the rafters, unable to take on further passengers along the way. Understandably the bus company have said that there is pressure on specifically the U4 route at peak times, however surely swapping one of the empty double decked U4 buses with the single decked one planned for the U1 or U2 would make more sense? After contacting the Wessex Red representative, Steve Ward, he gave the following statement: “The University Transport Depart-

ment is obviously very concerned if people regularly are unable to catch services due to them being full. If we receive reports to this effect presuming we are given details of the time, place and service - we will gather as much information as possible and then take action as soon as possible to introduce extra services at those times. However, it is important to recognise that we rely on customer feedback and are concerned that passengers assume that “someone else is dealing with it” - if noone has reported the problem then it won’t get fixed. This is why we introduced the text service, and of course customers can always contact the Transport Department directly - travel.plan@uwe.ac.uk. So please feedback issues to do with passenger demand directly to us - again with as much detail as possible.

Currently, we are running many buses in pairs and so if the first service is full we would expect customers to be able to catch one running a couple of minutes behind or in front of it.

UWE sets the frequency of services and the fares (including smartcards), and has influence over the timetable itself and can order extra buses from Wessex to meet demand. All student fares on Wessex Red are subsidised by the University. Drivers and vehicles are however managed directly

by Wessex.

We have already increased the frequency of the U1 from 30 minutes to 20 minutes this year. We are also looking at increasing weekend services on these routes in January in response to higher demand this year.

He finishes by saying; Finally, we have approached Bristol City Council to request a night bus service to UWE throughout Friday and Saturday nights. If this request is successful, this will also start in the New Year.”

So whilst the new bus service, in my opinion at least, has made posi-

tive changes since the takeover from Wessex, there is still a long way to go for those living on the U1 or U2 routes. All that I ask is for a little common sense to make my £99 per term bus card worthwhile. Perhaps then students will stop saying, “The one thing I hate about uni is the bus service”, as I have heard from UWE undergraduate Peter Down when talking about his pet hates of university life. I encourage students, especially on the U1 or U2 routes, to get involved and complain if they find the service to be poor. Maybe we can get this sorted.

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WesternEye Nov 2011

Khethiwe must stay >UWE students make a stand against deportation to Zimbabwe Danielle Baker comment@westerneye.net

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WE students have been amongst people taking a stand against the deportation of a local Bristol woman to Zimbabwe, participating in a series of demonstrations and writing to MPs. Khethiwe Mashavave, a Bristol resident since 2002, claimed asy-

lum due to the dangers she faced resulting from her political activity in Zimbabwe. As a strong supporter of democracy in Zimbabwe, Khethiwe has remained active since making Bristol her home, volunteering for Bristol Refugee Rights, participating in a local group calling for democ-

racy in Zimbabwe, and helping out in her local church. Khethiwe was a prominent figure during Bristol’s City of Sanctuary campaign last year, speaking for asylum seekers and refugees during the launch at the Council House.

After a series of issues caused by

poor legal representation, Khethiwe was detained without notice at Trinity Road Police Station on Wednesday 21 September, transferred to Yarl’s Wood detention centre and was due to be deported on Thursday 6 October from Heathrow airport. However, due to a combination of hard work from her current solicitors, who are being funded by donations from friends and organisations, media attention, petitions and public demonstrations, her deportation was delayed, allowing the solicitors to mount a legal case for her to stay.

There were a number of UWE students amongst the protesters, many of whom also volunteer for various organisations supporting the rights of Migrants and Refugees in Bristol. Dr Christien Van Den Anker, Director of the UWE Human Rights unit and the Migrant Rights Centre Bristol said, “I participated because I believe the threat of deportation is ruining people’s lives and I agree with Father Richard McKay [of St Nicholas of Tolentino church, a speaker during the protest] who called it a form of terrorism as it creates ongoing terror in the lives of asylum seekers and their families. I strongly believe deporting people to Zimbabwe is putting people’s lives at risk as human rights violations are well documented there at the moment.”

It is only in the last year that the Home Office has begun deporting

asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe believing conditions to have improved since the sharing of power between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. However, a report in 2010 by the Bar Council suggests that rather than improving, the conditions in Zimbabwe may be getting worse.

Additionally, access to services in Bristol allowing Asylum Seekers to contend deportation has been drastically reduced due to funding cuts for legal aid. In July this year, the Immigration Advisory Service, one of the largest providers of legal aid for immigration issues in Bristol went into administration.

Whilst successful in delaying Khethiwe’s deportation, the struggle to keep Khethiwe in Bristol carries on, and more protests have been scheduled to take place on College Green.

For more information on how to help, to sign the petition or to donate towards legal costs, please visit the ‘Khethiwe must Stay’ blog at www. khethiwemuststay.posterous.com/.

For WesternEye’s interview with UWE’s student volunteers at the Migrants Rights Centre, Bristol, please visit www.westerneye.net.

The nightmare before Christmas >After recovering from Halloween, the UWE Grinch Liam Corcoran explains why he won’t be splashing out this year on elf ears or a Santa hat.

Liam Corcoran comment@westerneye.net

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very Halloween and Christmas, people feel the need to dress up to get into the spirit of it all. Obviously it’s engrained more in Halloween, but Christmas does have its moments.

But what is the point of dressing up and is it actually worth it? Dressing up does have its place, don’t get me wrong.

Take Halloween, it’s the perfect time for kids to dress up and go out in search of sweets. But even that has been taken out of context.

Halloween was originally celebrated in Mexico and was called ‘Dia do los Muertos’ (The Day of the Dead). It brought families together to remember and pray for the people they had lost. But then the western world and consumerists got hold of it, just like they did with Christmas, and things went wrong. They started with the children, brainwashing them into thinking how good it felt to dress up and highlighting the rewards that came with it. Then, when they hit the latter of their teenage years they still wanted to dress up. But just get different kinds of rewards.

Enter the money making. A night out in Bristol isn’t the cheapest of nights out as it is, so when you throw in Halloween or any other national holiday, your bank balance will take a hit. That’s before you’ve even left the house. Dressing up for a night out takes a lot more preparation than normal events.

First, there’s the theme. Do you go with superhero, cops and robbers, films, or something completely random? Either way, it’s been done before. People do not need to see you half naked, passing it off as okay because you’re painted blue like a Smurf. This can be a problem alone because you have to choose a theme that you think fits with everyone who is going. However, not everyone is going to like a certain theme, leading to some people not enjoying the night as much.

Then there is the actual outfit. Do you buy all of the different elements yourself or do you rent an entire outfit? Well, renting is not a good option because on a drunken night out you can’t guarantee you won’t rip the outfit and you certainly won’t come home with that toy sword you took. This just leads to extra costs at the end.

That leaves buying the few different accessories separately yourself, but fancy dress is never just a few items.

You always need just that one extra addition to make it ‘brilliant’, which quite frankly, it probably isn’t because you aren’t a costume designer. It isn’t very likely you will wear the outfit ever again, meaning you just spent loads of money on something that will sit in the back of your wardrobe. Then you get to the actual night. “Halloween party here, come and have a spooky time!” Sounds enticing, doesn’t it? Well, maybe, until you get to the door and realise the place you normally go to, which is normally free, is actually charging £5 for entry. On a student budget, this just really doesn’t help your bank balance. Then inside, the drinks might be that little more expensive, leading to you maybe not buying as many, or on the other hand, just spending a load more money.

When it comes down to it, what you really ended up with was an expensive night out, where everyone stared at and judged you, because you were dressed as a superhero with your underwear on top of your brightly coloured tights.

What an anti-climax indeed. Students should really think carefully before they spend so much money on one night out, there are better ways of having fun.

So next time you’re thinking of dressing up, just have a quick think of how much it is actually going to cost you.

Features 11

Zombie Nation: walk this way >Laura Dale speaks of how dressing up for Bristol's Zombie Walk is something not to be missed Laura Dale features@westerneye.net

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ou know when you're really little and you can get away with wearing whatever the hell you want? For example, you wake up one morning and think, 'I want to be Pocahontas. I'm going to dress up as an American Indian and pretend to be Pocahontas all day' – just because you can. Well I miss that!

On the Saturday 29 October of this year, I spent my day parading around the centre of Bristol as a Zombified Where's Wally. And I looked flippin' brilliant! I've always been one for going all out when it comes to dressing up, you either ‘go big or go home’ – and so I did. I went big!

I'd gathered copious amounts of fake blood, liquid latex for dead and peeling skin, tissue paper for nasty, sorelooking burns, and face paints to make my look really come alive (or as alive as it can be, when you're trying to look dead!).

There are quite a few opinions as to why the Zombie Walk takes place. Some say it is a peaceful event at which you can make a political stand. If any of you have done second year media, you'll have been told that it is a protest against consumerism, for example. If this is the case, it was quite ironic that I saw quite a few zombies popping into McDonalds and Starbucks for a sugar fix before the walk. I came to the conclusion that they were obviously not the anti-capitalist kind. Others say that it is a social event, used to bring people together and enjoy something as a community.

Photo: Laura Dale

While there may be a few of you who are brave enough to do that now that you've over the age of six, how often do the rest of us really get to dress up and prance around in public for a whole day? For me, being able to do that for hours on end is one of the things that I love most about the Bristol Zombie Walk.

In 2006, the walk started when 50 or so people took to the streets dressed as the walking dead. Since that year, the event has escalated with this year’s body count accumulating to around 3000 participants, from Michael Jacksons, to construction workers, to Little Red Riding Hood herself.

Whatever your reasons, it is a day that is not to be missed by any Bristolian, honorary or otherwise – you just HAVE to do it. I, for one, see the Zombie Walk as an opportunity to have some harmless fun with your friends and to really enjoy the ability to have a full-on grown up fancy dress party. And if you want to make some sort of political statement, then get your placards and paints and damn well do it – just remember, zombies want brains, not brutality.

Human... what?

>A little food for thought on Human Rights by Ashley-Daisy Collins Ashley-Daisy Collins features@westerneye.net

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hen some begin thinking about Human Rights they imagine a sea of marching bodies armoured with courage, fighting for freedom. Others tend to think more literally and acknowledge that Human Rights are an intangible concept that they are naturally made to respect and ask no further questions. Many, do not think about it at all. So why is this controversial subject at the heart of every social debate? And do we as a nation really think twice about such rights?

I approached a number of students with the simple question 'What are Human Rights?' to take a further look as to whether we, as a society, should be made more aware of this concept. There was a seemingly clear divide in my results, those who gave very detailed answers, and others who stared freely into the distance with glazed eyes. Don't get me wrong, I understand that Human Rights are not everyone's topic of choice over a few beers down the pub, but it became clear to me how even I can take for granted what it means to have rights. Therefore I began to take this article down a different route one in fact, I never intended.

I began to consider whether we, as a nation, should be made more aware of our own basic Human Rights

and whether we should think more highly of them than we actually do. This does not mean we should create a song and dance to thank the world for giving us such autonomy but instead, to allow us the realisation of how this concept has formed the society that we now live in today. There is a general consensus in society that we are aware of the existence of Human Rights, but we do not make a habit to offer any thought to the matter of what this means for the individual. We must also consider how the concept creates a fluent structure in relation to how we go about our day to day lives.

Human Rights protect the most basic concepts, for example, our right to a private life or our right to freedom of expression. We forget that this entitles us to many privileges and reassurances, mainly being free from fear of our basic humanity being taken from us by a superior body of law or by another individual.

Now there are also measures in place that provide remedies for those who have suffered a breach in their Human Rights.

Without these fundamental provisions, our democratically diverse society would be virtually non existent. I believe that we should indulge ourselves in preserving these rights further by taking this into consideration once in a while in believing that we as a society and especially within this country, are very lucky to have our natural Human Rights acknowledged and

implemented within law, so we no longer must fight for freedoms. We are automatically given them at birth, regardless of who we are we are given the chance to a life of harmonising freedoms that we tend to forget we have.

So, with the joyous lead up to Christmas, alongside the stresses of degree life, maybe spare a thought to our predecessors. They have paved the way for us to be given the opportunity to a lead of life that is filled with laws and authorities to ensure our basic human nature is preserved in the hope of achieving happiness and a successful life for all.

United Nations: Human Rights Council by Jean-Marc Ferre

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WesternEye WesternEye Nov Nov 2011 2011

Dale Farm evictions >A battle for freedom and justice, or tax dodging citizens refusing to abide by planning laws?

Niki Mullin features@westerneye.net

Photo: Getty Images

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ver the last few months, we have witnessed the horrors of the Dale Farm evictions unfold before our eyes.

For years this travelling community have battled against High Court rulings and Basildon Council.

However, on the 19 October 2011, the bailiffs and riot police moved in and the £18 million planned eviction of the Dale Farm site finally got underway. So, how did this all come about? Was the travelling community fairly represented in the media? With over 80 families losing their homes in this eviction, we have to ask whether

“

"When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free." these actions can be justified.

The six-acre Dale Farm settlement is near green belt land near Basildon, Essex. In the 1970s, Basildon Council gave permission for 40 English Romany families to live beside a scrap yard, and in 1996, scrap yard owner Ray Bocking sold his land to an Irish travelling family for £122,000 to make a home.

The trouble really began in 2001 when several other families moved in and various planning breaches were reported. However, at this point no action was taken by Basildon Council. It was not until May 2005, when a planning inspector declared the settlement illegal and ordered the families to leave, yet the site was only cleared this year.

Basildon Council have been highly criticised for letting the travellers make a home, bring up their families and live as part of a community for over ten years before even taking any action.

Lives have been wrecked, families torn apart and misplaced people have ended up in hospital, arguably because the council couldn’t afford to move them in the first place? Have they not created this horrific situation themselves at huge costs to the tax payer and the council? And what you have to wonder is, at what expense education, roads and health care budgets are all being cut to fund the council’s planning mistakes.

Section 61 of the Criminal Justice Act (1994), a piece of legislation which has proved to be the death knell of the old travelling life, was used against the fleeing travellers the night they were evicted from their homes. Several travellers tried to find respite on a car-wash forecourt.

Under the Act, police have the power to direct travellers to leave land (excluding highway land) without making welfare enquiries. What about the elderly, the vulnerable and the children – are these people not worthy of their human rights?

There are now threats from the travellers that they will return to the site. However, on 4 November, conservative Basildon Council was granted a high court injunction preventing the reoccupation of Dale Farm.

Back in 2010, Bristol City Council revealed plans for four new plots of land to become potential traveller’s sites. Cabinet Councillor Anthony Negus said, "We have to provide facilities where a need has been identified. It is therefore not an option for us to do nothing.” Our local council seems to be in support of helping the travelling community, but they are faced by fierce opposition from

the rest of the community. It seems to me that it is more of a case of the mentality, opinions, and stereotypes that needs to change.

Since the arrival on our screens of the Channel 4 series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and The 52-year old Irish Traveller Paddy Doherty winning this year’s celebrity Big Brother, gypsies and travellers were viewed as a popular entertainment topic.

However, the show has been criticised for misrepresenting the travelling community in the UK. The programme, which was watched by over eight million viewers, left many Travellers and Gypsies 'extremely disappointed and angry’ according to a spokesman for the Irish Travellers Movement in Britain, who went on to comment, “We are hearing every day distressing accounts from parents whose children are being bullied and called names”. In

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Reality shows have been critised for misrepresenting the travelling community. turn, a spokesperson for the English Romany Gypsy Society told Institute of Race Relations (IRR) news that a Gypsy girl had been grabbed by a boy at her school who told her 'this is what you like', following an edition of the programme which showed the alleged act of ‘grabbing’.

For centuries Gypsies and Travellers have been on the edge of our society and I believe it is the media who is responsible, due to their constant, unfair representation of the travelling communities and the influence this has over society.

I believe with a change in our perceptions of the Gypsy community, the future can only be positive for this closeknit community group. Back in 2009 the government announced a decree to local councils, including Bristol City Council, to provide more pitches for travellers. This

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Can we blame this community for taking advantage of a failed system that stinks of corruption anyway? should decrease the number of Gypsies occupying land illegally, and prevent anything like Dale Farm happening again. But time and time again when local councils announce plans to accommodate the travelling community into the area, it is the local resident’s oppositions causing a hindrance to these developments. These peo-

ple have the right to live together as a community and bring up their families without constant prejudice and discrimination.

Can we blame this community for taking advantage of a failed system that stinks of corruption anyway? Freedom of expression is recognized under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This cannot continue. “When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.” (Charles Evans Hughes – American Statesman).

Got something you want to write about?

Get in touch: admin@westerneye.net

Family fun day marks anniversary of Migrants Rights Centre Rachel Avery features@westerneye.net

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aston Community Centre hosts a fun-for-all event on Saturday 10 December to celebrate the year anniversary of the Bristol based Migrant Rights Centre. There will be a range of things to see and do, the fun includes: dance workshops, a bouncy castle, face painting and lots of music – all for free! The event will run from 11am until 4pm including refreshments throughout. There will also be volunteers on hand if anyone wants to talk about any issues and receive advice.

The Migrant Rights Centre was set up by volunteers to promote human rights for migrants from all over Bristol.

Christien van den Anker, director of the Migrant Rights Centre Bristol, said: “We’ve had an amazing year of drop-ins, campaigns, research and training.” She added “We’ve learned a lot and referred many people to services and assistance they needed.” The group is there to help a wide range of people such as: documented migrants, undocumented migrants, smuggled migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.

The Centre’s drop-in sessions run every Friday 10am to 12pm for any vulnerable migrant who wants advice on issues such as health, money or housing.

The anniversary is extra special as it also marks global Human Rights day. Global Human Rights day reflects the day that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted back in 1948 and therefore it is a huge event all over the world celebrating the existence of human rights.

For any further information about the Migrant Rights Centre phone 07827979641 or email: info@migrantrightscentre.org.uk

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WesternEye Nov Nov 2011 2011 WesternEye

Death of Gaddafi >Safia Yallaoui discusses the issues surrounding Colonel Gaddafi's death and the impact it has had on Libya Safia Yallaoui features@westerneye.net

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ome would describe him as evil, merciless and sickening. The attitude he possessed for so many years, paired with his immense power, saw him kill thousands of innocent people. No one ever thought he would be destroyed. On the 20th of October 2011, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi took his last breath.

The front page spreads of a dying, and in some cases, a deceased Gaddafi were almost unrecognisable. How can someone who was the self proclaimed “King of Kings of Africa”, and was so organised and ruthless in the killing of his own people, die in such a way?

So now that the almighty dictator is dead, I have wondered, why did he not just let go of his country rather than risking death? I have realised that the answer is in the question; because it was his country. He had built up Libya for 42 years and felt that he had made it into a great kingdom. There is no way someone with so much power and control would easily let go. In his case, only death could release his grip.

As hard as it may be for us to understand why anyone would support Gaddafi, there were many Gaddafi loyalists out there. The Guardian reported that Gaddafi was the ‘longest-serving non-royal ruler in the world’ and those who admire Gaddafi would probably argue that it was he who put Libya on the map as an economically successful country. In part, this is true. Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa, something Gaddafi has been credited for.

Although it is clear that Gaddafi has caused death, injury and dangerous conflict within the Libyan population, it has to be mentioned that Gaddafi started his reign with good intentions. When he first came to power in Libya in 1969, Gaddafi aspired to steer his country away from the dictatorial state it was in and bring in a system called ‘people’s power’. Whether he ever stuck to this promise of a democracy or whether he just lost sight of the good things he could have done with his power, would be a one-sided argument in the view of many. His loyalists would argue that everything he has done, including the killing of ‘stray dogs’ (a name for anti-Gaddafi civilians) has been done to improve Libya rather than to diminish it. However, this may be hard for us to understand because we will never truly know how it felt to be living under the rule of such a dictator.

It is far too easy to assume that he was evil – plain and

Photo: Getty Images

simple. That is the easiest answer to all Gaddafi-related questions.

We all know to some extent of the evils Gaddafi committed in his time. It is astounding then, that his last words on this earth were, “What did I do to you?” and “Do you know right from wrong?” To say these words, after his captors had beaten him in his hometown of Sirte, makes him sound almost human-like – possessing feelings and emotions. After all, I am sure that after being humiliated and bloodied by his own people, the feeling of vulnerability was alien to him and a rarity that he may never have felt during his reign. Therefore, the words he muttered before his last breath were probably something he never thought he would say. That is because for the first and last time, Gaddafi was able to feel for however brief a moment, what it was like for the people he tortured and killed and what it was like to live in fear.

Some wish that Gaddafi should have been captured, kept alive and made to stand in court to face up to all these inhumane actions. But it is to some consolation to those who have family that Gaddafi killed or tortured that Gaddafi was made to suffer in his last minutes on camera for the world to see. Now and forever, people can watch the face of the murderer as his own people torment him. Though some may find this a little too melancholic for their liking, the world now has solid proof that he really is dead.

The fact that Colonel Gaddafi’s body was on show to the public for four days, created a vast solemn response amongst the people who had respect for their leader.

This raised questions in some minds as to whether this was an ethical thing to do. However, on Aljazeera TV news reports, Libyan people were seen forming an orderly queue, cameras at the ready, smiles on their faces and being taken to see the man who had made their lives a living hell. Led on the floor covered in blood, with nothing to cover him, the dictator’s body was not a pretty sight; but of course this only made those gawking at him smile even more. Although these images – which are available uncensored – are shocking, it is first hand proof to the Libyan people in the queue, and second hand proof to everyone else around the world that the “King of Kings” has been knocked off the throne once and for all. There were concerns that Gaddafi’s followers would create a shrine around his grave and worship him there but to eliminate the worries of this happening, very few people know where his body is buried; all we know is that he is buried in a desert.

One of Gaddafi’s sons, Mutassim Gaddafi, was also killed after he was captured in Sirte. Though understandably not as publicised as the killing of their father, three of Gaddafi’s sons have reportedly been killed so far this year. This is also an important aspect of the freedom of Libya, but the killings of Mutassim Gaddafi, 34, Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, 29, and believed killing of Khamis Gaddafi, 28, are a different discussion in terms of the state of Libya. In the eyes of most, the fact is simply that the name “Gaddafi” is severely tainted. Gaddafi has, apart from the three sons mentioned above, four other sons, two daughters, an adopted son (who is actually his nephew) and has been married twice.

Despite Libya finally being declared free on the 23rd October 2011, it is still going to be a strenuous effort for Libya’s people to rebuild their country. Although Gaddafi’s death may be seen by some as a step in the right direction, it is going to take a lot more than that to shine the light back onto a country that has been in the shadows for 42 miserable years.

Could 'wee-power' be the future?

S

cientists at UWE Bristol have published the world's first research paper on work that tested the viability of urine as a potential fuel for Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) in order to directly produce electricity.

Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos, Professor John Greenman and Professor Chris Melhuish have published 'Urine utilisation by microbial fuel cells; energy fuel for the future' in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. The scientific paper outlines research carried out to look at whether urine could be used as a fuel by the MFCs and how much power could be generated by MFCs using urine in this way.

MFCs consist of two half-cells – an anode and a cathode – that are separated by an ion selective membrane. Commonly, bacteria are in the anode side, and chemicals or oxygen are in the cathode side, which complete the reactions to generate power.

So far, the use of urine as a biomass that can be converted to power via MFCs has been neglected by scientists, despite the fact that urine is an abundant waste product. Each human produces approximately 2.5 litres of urine a day, amounting to around 6.4 trillion litres globally each year!

Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos explains, “Urine is chemically rich in substances favourable to the MFCs. Our research found that the output of electricity was consistent and measurable depending on the volume of urine and the timing of the doses.

“At the moment, the output from one MFC is small,” continues Dr Ieropoulos. “Through this study and the related work carried out by our group over the years, we were able to show that by miniaturisation and multiplication of the number of MFCs into a stack and regulating the flow of urine, it may be possible to look at scales of use that have the potential to produce useful levels of power, for example in a domestic or small village setting.

“A stack consists of a number of MFCs, each just a few millilitres of volume, connected together so that the stream of urine runs through the MFCs and produces power as the microbes inside the MFCs get to work on this abundant fuel, which is rich in carbohydrates, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous and other organic compounds that collectively make it very good for the microbial fuel cells.”

As well as urine production from humans, farm animals worldwide produce around two to three times as much urine as humans, adding up to approximately 38 billion litres a day. The scientists suggest that by scaling up MFCs into stacks, further research might bring the levels of electricity production closer to those currently produced by bio-fuels. Urine produced by farm animals can have a significant knock on effect on the environment. The advantage of an MFC system that uses urine – whether human or animal – is that the process within the MFCs effectively 'cleans' the urine so that it could safely be discharged into the environment, removing the need for conventional treatment by wastewater companies.

Dr Ieropoulos says, “Whilst we recognise the need for a great deal more research in this area, we are very excited by the potential of this work. This is the first paper to outline not just the use of urine as a potential fuel for MFCs, but also the fact that urine could be an abundant source for electricity generation. The impact of this could be huge, since it enables us to think of 'waste' in a new way, and offers great potential for the future and we are grateful to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Centre for funding this work.”

Entertainment Music Film and Television

Incubus interview >WesternEye speaks to Mike Einziger from Incubus about their recent album, tour and charity work...

Sam Hudson entertainment@westerneye.net So it’s been quite a while since you guys have been on the road, does it feel any different this time around?

It does feel very different, mainly I think because the older we get the more we realise that what we do is such a rare opportunity, being able to make music for my career, my appreciation for it just grows and the more I realise that it’s incredible that we get to do this.

Do you think this has been influenced by the fact that you went back to university and managed to view life from a different perspective?

Yeah absolutely, getting out of this bubble of being on the road and making albums and then sitting in a classroom and studying, it definitely put me more in touch with how cool it is that we get to do this.

How did you spend your time during the hiatus?

I studied a few different things, mainly musical history and a little bit of composition. I’m very fond of the sciences such as history and philosophy of science which is kind of a large umbrella, under which a lot of what I was studying was cosmology.

Did this influence your writing style for the latest album?

Well, having that experience of going

To watch the full video footage of this interview check out the website! back to university, it actually had a much different affect on me than I thought it would. I didn’t realise it was going to spin me out so much, but it did, and actually it’s sort of funny, the newest music that we’ve made feels like it’s the beginning a different era of making music. It feels like this is just the beginning and that we haven’t actually arrived at whatever that is yet, I guess that’s a good thing, because it feels like there’s a lot more to uncover.

Are we going to have to wait another five years before the next record?

No it definitely won’t be another five years, you know, even though we took a long time in between records to release the latest album, we still made that album fairly

quickly. It took about four or five months to make that album, maybe two months recording and mixing at the very most. We could definitely spend more time making a record.

That’s our next step I think. We’ve never spent more than eight weeks at the most in the studio and I think the deeper we get into our career the deeper we have to dig to find some new way of making it exciting and new.

What is the makeyourself foundation and how did this begin?

Well about six or seven years ago we just found ourselves in this position where we started making money as a band and it became very obvious to us that we should give back to the world that’s been

kind to us. Especially after travelling around the world for the first time and seeing that life is very difficult for many people – for the majority of the world actually – and not to sound preachy or anything, but we just figured that we could do something to help other people, that’s all, very simple. So yeah, we started the Make Yourself Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization, we use the status of our band to raise money and just donate it to different groups that are in need. We tend to focus mainly on humanitarian and some environmental causes, also some cancer research and some science based initiatives, just a bunch of different things.

How can people become involved and donate to the charity?

The website is makeyourselffoundation.org and there are a million different ways people can get involved, they should go on the website, check it out and read all about it.

We do these ticket packages where people can bid on tickets. The winners get to come to one of our shows and get to sit in a VIP area.

We sign some things and take some pictures, which is a small gesture that doesn’t require much effort on our part but we have been able to raise a significant amount of money that way.

Gig review: Annie Mac Presents In:Motion Rosa Sherwood entertainment@westerneye.net On Friday 4 November, Bristol brought us Annie Mac, as part of her Annie Mac Presents tour and legendary club Motion couldn’t have been a better location for such an event. An intimate venue with a killer sound system is the best place to witness artists where you can truly appreciate the music.

DJ’s that warmed up the crowd before her arrival included up and com-

ing act, The 2 Bears (who feature on her new album) being a big hype; electrifying the audience by playing their hit track “Bear Hug”.

Annie arrived onto the stage with her hair tied in a bun; rocking some big hoops. Her casual but cool style fitted in nicely with Motion goers, who dance the night away in t-shirts and trainers. The Radio One DJ owned the skate park for a set of

just over an hour and a half, making the most of every minute. Although she doesn’t engage with the crowd much through conversation, it is clear to see she connects in a different way. She gets up there, does her thing and is in her element, loving every second – as were the crowd.

The song that seemed to receive the biggest reaction was Jamie XX’s version of “Rolling In The Deep”.

A personal favourite of the night however was “Tear It Out” by Youngman. For only £16 a ticket, this ven-

ture was money well spent, and was yet another great night hosted by the In:Motion series.

Entertainment 15

WesternEye Nov 2011

Interview: David Beadle from Naked and Famous

Fools Gold?

>WesternEye had a chat with David Beadle, Bassist from The Naked and Famous about all things music..

>With many bands reforming after hiatus Sam Brayshaw asks, is it for the money or the music?

Emma Wood

Sam Brayshaw

entertainment@westerneye.net

entertainment@westerneye.net

The sound of the NAF is quite hard to pigeon hole, how would you describe yourself?

Alternative, Pop/Alternative Rock.

We are essentially a rock band, guitars, drums and bass so I guess we’d consider ourselves as that.

So you’ve been touring all over the place recently, what was your favourite place to visit?

Collectively so far as a band we’ve all really enjoyed the time we spent in Japan at Fuji Rocks Festival. Culturally it was very different from the other places that we’ve been to.

To play at Glastonbury was actually a fairly unique experience, so just to be able to be a part of the festival and perform there was… very exciting.

What kind of bands did you listen to when you were growing up?

We grew up listening to a lot of heavy metal, and on top of that just a lot of 90s alternative rock. We’re all big fans of Placebo, Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack – a lot of that kind of stuff.

What inspires you guys musically?

A bit of everything. We’re all quite introverted people so we spend a lot of time reading and watching

movies, so our inspiration can come from those places, but also just experiences and life in general. I know when we were writing and recording ‘Young Blood’ it was during the NZ summer and we were all sort of hanging out and having a lot of good experiences and good times together.

Were songs like ‘Girls Like You’ written with anyone particular in mind or just a general feeling?

General feeling – a lot of the lyrics are sort of more ideas based rather than being specifically about one thing, they can translate to a lot of

other things. I know with ‘Spank’ while the music is very exciting and jumpy, it’s all about having sex!

Who are you listening to at the moment?

We’re all huge fans of Frightened Rabbit, we got to spend a little bit of time with them which was great and they’re an incredible band to have come to the show and just to talk.

Alissa and I are great fans of The Kills, and we’ve been listening to that record a lot. I know she’s been listening to the new Feist record as well.

“What is so exciting is how natural this all feels,” exclaimed Ian Brown a few weeks ago in the NME, after The Stone Roses became the latest in an ever expanding group of bands to reform for the festival season.

In recent years a host of ‘seminal’ acts have reunited such as The Specials, The Libertines, and Blur. Even long forgotten pop acts like Steps are now in on the act. Seemingly all have kissed and made up to the delight of hardcore fans, press and festival promoters. But is reformation for us, for the bands or for the money?

When The Libertines briefly reformed last year they were completely unabashed about how attractive the money had been. This undoubtedly looms a large question in these circumstances, is it just for the money? If music is a rebellion against the system, then desire for huge amounts of money seems to lessen any bands appeal.

Not only that, but ticket prices for the Roses’ Heaton park gigs are around £85 and above, gaining all sorts of complaints that they have sold out and lost their famous ‘working class image’.

From the pop corner, reformations of Take That and Steps stood out in the charts, making huge waves

in the industry. Gaining massive sales from their recent albums and reaching number 1, they’ve proved that there’s still demand for these groups.

21-year-old philosophy student Americ Ginever is of the belief that “Overall I don’t think I want my favourite bands to reform for money, only if they feel they have left something unsaid”. This seems to be the thread of many students’ thoughts on the reformations.

However others like 20-year-old English student Sarah Adams have a less romantic view, “I’d happily pay to see Blur, they deserve the money and I’ll have a great night out!”

Blur famously said that their reunion finally gave them the opportunity to “give the songs full attention”. Their live gigs in 2009 were a resounding success, with the band sounding as good as they ever had.

If The Stone Roses can emulate their predecessors and please the crowds this summer, then the hardcore fans will be able to sleep easy.

The danger that all these bands take is ruining their image and damaging their own integrity. John Squire famously said “Rock music is a young person’s game”, let’s hope he can prove himself wrong.

another highlight, with a slower dance-inducing rhythm and frenzied drop. As expected, ‘On a Mission’ was received with mass hysteria and served as a solid justification for her chart presence. The set list

may have failed to provide the opportunity for real brilliance – but you can’t criticise Katy B on the basis of her talent.

Gig review: Katy B, Bristol o2 academy Emma Wood entertainment@westerneye.net Katy B is an artist who has firmly established herself in the charts, most recently with debut album ‘On a Mission’. Often such artists fail to back up their hype with talent – being more models-with-microphones than musicians. This isn’t the case with Katy. Skipping onstage with a five piece backing band, her flawless vocals soared throughout the O2 Academy. Wearing jeans, jumper and very little make up; it’s clear that this is an artist who trades on talent rather than sex appeal (cough, Rihanna).

Her obvious gift was accompanied by a coquettish, energetic demeanour that made the crowd eat out of the palm of her hand. She quickly established rapport, shouting “We don’t want this to be your average concert… we want this to be a party!” Her uninhibited raving certainly helped foster this vibe – even the wallflowers at the back were coaxed into movement.

It was a bit of a shame, however, that the set list didn’t quite match up to her talent. Some of the album tracks she aired were simply not

strong enough to maintain a crowd’s interest. It was also risky to place high-paced dubstep influenced tracks before slower, more soulful ones. This did not pay off, as the excitement of the dance tracks all but wilted during the songs that followed.

Bizarrely, this mid set lull was recovered by covers of massive nineties songs such as ‘Good Life’ and ‘Show Me Love’. The crowd all but erupted, grateful for the opportunity to screech along and dance like it was 1999. ‘Easy Please Me’ was

16 Entertainment

WesternEye Nov 2011

Comedy: Jimmy Carr @ Colston Hall

Mini reviews

Rachel Avery

Emma Wood

entertainment@westerneye.net

entertainment@westerneye.net

Don’t you just hate it when you come out of a comedy show and can’t remember a single joke? Well, it may be a good job when going to see Jimmy Carr as his jokes probably won’t be very well received over Sunday lunch!

Jimmy is well known for his close to the mark comedy and his popular Laughter Therapy tour is no exception. Tackling taboo subjects such as sex, rape, paedophilia and disability, Jimmy is not afraid to test the moral compass of the audience.

In fact his show would not succeed without it; he seems to enjoy testing the water and making us laugh at things we know we probably shouldn’t.

The show started strangely with no warm-up act, just a projection screen for the audience to read from to get us in the mood. After a few light-hearted jokes the star is introduced to the stage and gets straight into it with some fast paced one lin-

ers. Part of his act involved using cartoons on screen to illustrate his jokes. As you can imagine some of the saucy pictures got laughs of their own and didn’t even need a punch line. You could say this is lazy comedy but the audience seemed to enjoy it just the same.

Having some audience participation brought a bit of diversity to the show

and broke up the constant flow of gags. He even asked the audience to heckle him so that he could put them down with his quick wit. This was probably the highlight of the show, seeing Jimmy in his element using his famous super quick comebacks to get a laugh.

Super-fans of Jimmy’s who trace his every appearance may notice that some of his jokes are recycled from shows such as 8 out of 10 cats.

However, there is no denying that they are just as funny a second time round.

His daring comedy certainly deserves the over 16 rating given, but

Every should For home the review on own Stephen Merchant’s latest appearance at Colston Hall, check out WesternEye’s website: www.westerneye.net

Music Hot new release

Tin Tin

If Florence and the Machine’s debut ‘Lungs’ was the teenage girl then follow up album ‘Ceremonials’ is definitely the emergent woman. Neatly avoiding difficult-second-album syndrome, Florence Welch delivers a triumphant return. Intricate, euphoric and shimmering - she’s guaranteed to loiter in the charts with this one for months. Well worth appreciating before it becomes inevitably overplayed.

Adapting a classic such as Tin Tin is always going to be a massive risk.

But approaching it with a stellar cast and the same technology that brought us Avatar is a pretty good way of going about it. Definitely catch it in the cinema for the 3D experience while you still can.

Everyone should hear Faithless – Reverence There’s so much more to Faithless than club anthem ‘Insomnia’. Released in 1996, most of us had only just stopped toddling when this was in the charts. The album unusually blends a hedonistic dance mentality with penetrative, insightful lyrics.

This is cerebral dance music at its best.

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Every home should own The Shining Ever wondered where the ‘redrum’ or ‘Heeeere’s Johnny!’ references come from? With Halloween a recent memory, now is the perfect opportunity to find out. This psychological horror comes complete with an unbearable tension, gradually building to a chilling climax. This film is guaranteed to freak you out, approach with caution!

Off the Beaten Track Garden State

Top Track: Salva Mea

Emerging talent

down to the waterfront, for Bristol’s finest fixed-price

It’s perfect for everyone who loves the buzz of a night market, has the spirit of adventure and an appetite for fun!

Hot this Month

Florence and the Machine Ceremonials

Top Track: Shake It Out

ROLL UP, ROLL UP...

Film

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below

Harbourside, Canons road, bristol bs1 5uH

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

Imagine a hippy, American version of Mumford and Sons. Now sub a banjo for an accordion. What do you have in mind? Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, of course. Anyone who has heard this album constantly asks, “Why are these guys not famous?!”. Irrepressibly joyful and eccentric, ‘Up from Below’ is a great antidote to the British winter.

Top Track: Home

Not only does this film have the best soundtrack of recent memory, it also contains Natalie Portman in her most ridiculously lovable role yet. If that’s not enough, Zach Braff shows there is a lot more to him than ‘JD’ by writing, directing and starring in it. Authentic and endearing, this is a refreshingly quirky love story.

Entertainment 17

WesternEye Nov 2011

Film review: In Time

Film review: Paranormal Activity 3

Larrissa Huggard

Rachel Avery

entertainment@westerneye.net

entertainment@westerneye.net

New sci-fi thriller In Time is directed

by Andrew Niccol, the same mind behind The Truman Show. The story opens with a classic line, “it is what it is” giving the film no background whatsoever, throwing us straight into the story. We’re introduced to Justin Timberlake’s character, Will Salas, an ‘average Joe’ type, working all hours to keep himself and his mother Olivia Wilde alive day to day.

He then runs into some difficulties with a suicidal member of the upper classes, and the gangster type ‘minute men’ he provokes into trying to steal the 100 years he possesses (and has hardly been discreet about). Timberlake eventually and quite literally runs into Amanda Seyfried who plays a sexy aristocrat with daddy issues. Unfortunately being sexy is all she seems to be good for, although she can run really far in high heels which commands respect.

There is little chemistry between all the characters, especially Timberlake and Seyfried who, for a futuristic Bonnie and Clyde, don’t seem all that bothered really. Timberlake gives the leading a role a good go but some serious editing must have been required, especially with an epic crying scene involving some

necessary panning away from the screen.

Putting all the obvious time puns to one side, it’s hard to feel sorry for these individuals when they all have so much sex appeal. But there are sad moments well executed by extras, as they literally watch their

time run out, putting your own existence into perspective. This film is an interesting concept but unfortunately, it’s just not gritty enough for it to be a real critique on society.

However, it is easy watching if you’re trying to just kill some time.

When a film is a box-office hit there is always a temptation to repeat the recipe and make a follow up. The second film is rarely ever as good as the first and the third is almost destined to be a flop. However, give Paranormal Activity 3 a chance as it may just buck the trend.

I would actually say this one was the scariest yet, with even longer dramatic pauses to build up that unbearable tension. When the frights eventually came they did not fail to disappoint, although they were fairly predictable they still managed to make the entire cinema jump.

The film follows the format of the other two with a camera obsessed character determined to capture the ghostly goings-on. And once again it seems implausible that someone would carry on filming whilst being terrorised by some unknown spirit, but still....

Steering clear of Hollywood CGI the producers keep it simple and use realistic stunts (lots of door slamming and chandelier swinging) in keeping with the previous films. However, the tempo is definitely taken up a gear in this one, with the cameras being situated a lot closer to the action (eek!). Only go and watch if you are prepared for a fright.

Anyone that enjoyed Paranormal Activity or Paranormal Activity 2 will certainly enjoy this one too. Even if you will need to take a pillow to hide behind or a partner hold on to, it is definitely still worth the experience. The plot is well thought out and leaves you wanting more (as all good films should).

Being a prequel to a prequel, is it supposed to explain all those unanswered questions. However the directors have cunningly left room for another frightening instalment so the story is yet to be completed.

For the review on The Ides of March check out WesternEye’s website: www.westerneye.net

TV review: Misfits Sam Hudson entertainment@westerneye.net Many of the great British comedy dramas in history have been renowned for their short life span -keeping it ‘short and sweet’ if you will. Much in comparison to our US neighbours whose approach to broadcasting seems to be to keep producing episodes as long as ratings are high, evidenced by numerous dramas such as Lost, Prison Break and 24 climbing way beyond their sequel season and decaying inevitably into what seems to be a rather artless conclusion.

In line with this British cult genre, the first two seasons of Misfits brought to our screens a science-fiction comedy drama which was ironically refreshing in its gritty nature.

Its success could be owed to its

satirical advance on previous hero based programs such as the popular US alternative, Heroes.

Season two concluded with an open ending yet could have quite comfortably called it a day and gone down with some of the greats, however on 30 October this year, all but one of the young misfits returned to wreak havoc once again.

When actor Robert Sheehan, who played the defiant and foul mouthed character of Nathan, was announced to leave the cast there was a gaping hole in the show that needed to be filled. The creator’s response to this was in the form of an online farewell short for Nathan and new cast member named Rudy, played by This is England star Joseph Gilgun .

Episode one of season three immediately introduces Rudy along with his power in the opening scene and it seems as though the writers have taken this ‘new Nathan’ presumption quite literally. Rudy appears to be fitting Nathan’s shoes comfortably, and it seems the gang has been reunited with their long lost crudenatured acquaintance.

As for the gang’s new set of powers, (which was one of the major cliffhangers of last season) they aren’t exactly the most desirable.

But of course they aren’t, this is why Misfits works. It isn’t a show of beautiful adolescents with powerful and sexy supernatural powers. It’s a show that cleverly connects the realism of suburban London with

an extraordinary twist, and by doing this manages to fall into a niche of its very own genre.

In a nutshell, season three of Misfits seems to have stuck to its original course in providing audiences with a humorous yet dark and compelling

drama. The question remains as to how long the writers intend for this narrative to endure before it passes its peak and suffers a weathered dismissal.

UWE SU &

Life

Don’t panic, save cash >With the end of term looming, Kate Sansom discusses how to make the most of those last few pennies Kate Sansom life@westerneye.net Freshers’ week is over and although there are still many nights out to be enjoyed, your bank account is probably looking a bit pathetic already.

But do not worry! You can always survive until Christmas and the next set of loan payments… and here is how!

There are always ways to save money and once you get used to Bristol, you will be able to find a lot of cheap places to go.

It is best to avoid nights out in town over the weekend (unless you want to spend a small fortune!). Instead of town, why not head to the SU? It is only £2 a pint on Saturdays and Sundays. Save the city for the student nights – there are always good deals on during the week. Most places will offer free entry before a certain time, so it is worth checking details

before you head out.

If you’re ever in need of a fancy dress

costume, the best places to get your outfits are from charity shops. There

is no point spending a fortune on a costume that you will only wear once, and that will probably be drenched in alcohol by the time you get home.

Charity shops have great bargains and always have what you want hidden amongst the rails. Gloucester Road is teaming with them, so why not take a stroll down there before your next fancy dress night?

If you want to go high-street shopping, make sure you don’t forget your trusty NUS card – it can get you loads of discounts. Also, make sure you look out for ‘Student Takeover’ events that take place in Cabot Circus, where you can get up to 50 percent discount in both retail shops AND restaurants, so treating yourself to a bite to eat after a hard nights shopping can’t go amiss.

Although it is tempting to live off

takeaways, try to avoid them. You may have discount vouchers and believe that you are getting a good deal, but in reality, the local supermarket will sell pizzas for a fraction of the price. Before going to the supermarket, it might be a good idea to plan what meals you are going to have that week, so you’re not tempted into spending any extra money on things you don’t need.

Everyone likes to think their debit card essentially gives them free money; however this is not the case.

By giving yourself a weekly expenditure (and be realistic about it), taking out an ample amount of cash and leaving your debit card at home on nights out, you too can avoid temptation. Follow these simple tips and hopefully you will save yourself more than pennies!

Social media provides a portal to boosting professional image >Collette Mason gives expert advice on how to find work through social media Collette Mason

life@westerneye.net For once, there is a bit of good news for students looking for jobs.

According to jobsite.co.uk in their 2011 study, only 37 per cent of jobseekers are using social media to secure opportunities. With some savvy self-promotion, why not get yourself into the limelight and sidestep 63 per cent who aren’t?

Now, if you were thinking this was going to be another one of those patronizing, yawn-a-thon articles saying “Make sure any compromising photos of you at your last house party are only available to who should see them” prepare yourself for something different.

Here’s my take on the social media jamboree.

It’s never too early to start building your credibility online. So whether you’ve got a way to go, or you’re heading out into the big wide world of work at the end of this academic year –it’s time to start boosting your

professional image now.

Let’s get this in perspective, you’ve spent several years educating yourself to prove you’ve mastered something – let people know you’re ready and eager to get started! Make now your time to shine.

Opinions from other people add more weight to positive information that’s said about you. It’s more credible than you “bigging yourself up” on your CV – even if you really are an awesome genius that walks amongst the mortals.

Remember, although it is often difficult to add glowing references about you to a CV when you’re tight on space, on your Linked profile you can have as many as you can muster. The more you have, the more trustworthy you become.

Colette Mason runs an international online consultancy which shows businesses and entrepreneurs how to use the internet and social media

to boost their business online. With an IT background, which started in support and development and moving on to usability and online marketing techniques, she has worked on some of the biggest projects in Europe.

Colette is also author of latest social media guide ‘Social Media Success in 7 Days’ available from Amazon.

For more information please visit: www.colettemason.com

Here are four ways to showcase why you’re the obvious choice: www.behance.net The online portfolio site. If you’re a creative type, you can create a profile on www. behance.net (which you can also embed within LinkedIn) where you can upload your 2D digital design work and videos.

www.youtube.com Show them with a video. If you’re a journalist and/or do video and audio work, why not add your show reels to www.youtube.com? You can upload upto 15 minutes. Remember to add a link to your website or linkedin profile (with the http:// bit)

www.slideshare.net Say it with presentation slides.

Slideshare is great for communicating with PowerPoint. If you’ve come up with a solution to a business problem, or have done some cutting edge research, create some slides about it and upload them for free to Slideshare. Add a voiceover to explain the bullets. You can embed this in your LinkedIn profile too.

www.linkedin.com Pimp your profile. You already know you can use your LinkedIn as an online CV, but are you making the most of your recommendations? One of the best ways to show you’re worth hiring is to get as many genuine recommendations as possible added to your LinkedIn profile.

News & Politics 19

WesternEye Nov 2011

Realise your potential through a placement

A job’s a job!

>Safia Yallaoui sheds some light on how there is a job out there for everyone

Michael Taylor

Safia Yallaoui

life@westerneye.net

life@westerneye.net

Like a typical student, I was late for my first lecture. Due to a lack of sleep from Freshers’ Week, I slept through my alarm. I opened the lecture hall doors and hundreds of students looked back at me. University was bigger than I anticipated and I knew I would need to do something in my career to stand out from the crowd. I needed to secure a placement.

I started sending applications at the beginning of October. After attending numerous interviews, I finally secured a placement at jobsmobile one week before the final deadline. www.jobsmobile.com is a brand new job board, launching in time for New Year 2012. jobsmobile realises that a career can take time to build. With this in mind, they have created an online presence and developed a unique application bringing both the recruiter and candidate together.

The application is free to download and works on iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry & Windows 7. So whatever platform you’re using, you can be sure of keeping in touch with your job search wherever you are.

If you are currently looking for a Post-Graduate job, upload your CV to jobsmobile’s database. Their extraordinary software extracts information from your CV automatically, helping to send candidates relevant job vacancies.

Matthew Goulette, Director of Jobsmobile recognises a ‘distinct advantage in a candidate who has had relevant experience in the industry.

Accompanied by good grades, these candidates stand a better chance in securing a job upon graduation’.

The experience gained during your placement enables you to make important decisions about your career

path. You develop stronger interpersonal skills and create contacts with professionals that will prove extremely useful in the future.

I wouldn’t have learnt the skills necessary to achieve a successful career in the future without jobsmobile.

For more information: Michael Taylor Marketing, PR & Social Media Coordinator P: 0845 605 7065 E: michael.taylor@jobsmobile.com Or visit www.jobsmobile.com Follow us on www.facebook.com/jobsmobile www.twitter.com/jobsmobilecom

Young Social Entrepreneurs offer Internship opportunities in Laos Helen Seacombe life@westerneye.net Jesper Lejfjord and David Jonsson are the business students from Stockholm University who founded World Volunteer. The organisation is now offering summer internship opportunities in Laos for students at UWE. The organisation has assisted schools, NGOs and social programs with volunteers for three years. The organisation is expanding, and they are currently building a school in Laos’ northern and most inaccessible parts, in an attempt to help minority populations as one part of their new programs.

World Volunteer’s latest programs are summer internships for students at UWE who wish to travel to Laos and join one of their partner NGOs, sustainability departments or social entrepreneurs established in Laos. The programs are run by their UK volunteer coordinator Malin Törnvall, who graduated from UWE in July this year.

At the moment there are six different internship programs available for 2012, and the intention is to expand the number of opportunities in the near future.

The programs include various types of work within corporate sustainable responsibility, education and development programs, and marketing and PR. The programs will help students enhance their employability and develop their personal skills, whilst enjoying Laos and its rich culture.

“All of our internships are very exciting, the participating organisations and companies have designed great programs for our interns. Students have the opportunity not only to develop new useful skills, but also to contribute to lasting social change through their time in Laos,” says Jesper Lejfjord.

For more information please contact Malin Törnvall: malin@world-vo

It‘s that time of year where a large chunk of us are thinking exactly the same thing: “I desperately need a job.” Sooner or later your money is going to run out as you have bills to pay, direct debits to handle and maybe even debts to juggle too! So why is it, that no matter how many application forms you fill out or how much of your spare time, which is not much at the moment, you use to ask around, a job never lands in your lap?

There are, believe it or not, a huge variety of jobs just waiting to be snapped up by you guys. The trick is to make yourself stand out from the crowd, which is easier said than done. However, whether it is your GCSE or A Level grades, a unique interest or personality trait, emphasise it! You can attract further attention by giving your CV good structure, but be wary of using templates from the internet: they may not always benefit you. For extra advice with your CV, go to the UWE Careers website - they have a lot of tips and touch-up techniques available to guide you.

You are now ready for another helpful UWE service that will get you on the job market: UWE Job Shop!

Found on the UWESU website, the UWE Job Shop offers a service in which they provide you with up to date advertisements from employers that might suit you via email updates.

Gwen Hughes, 18, who studies Film at St Matthias explains: “I know a lot of people trying to find a job but none of them have one.” On the other hand Zoe Waller, 18, also studying Film, says: “I have student grants so I don’t need the money.” If you’re lucky like Zoe, then you may want to just look for a weekend job to keep your hands busy! If that‘s all you‘re looking for then fear not: UWE Job Shop can also provide you with list of employers that are looking for people specifically to fill weekend positions.

Whatever your circumstances there is a job out there for you. Even though it can be hard work finding it!

Although searching and applying is a boring task, keep persevering and eventually all your efforts will pay off. I followed my own advice and after weeks of filling out applications I finally got offered a convenient job and of course I accepted… anything to pay the bills!

Hangover Yoga Toby Cryne life@westerneye.net As a lifetime sports enthusiast I have always been keen to try new challenges.

From my days as a Triathlete, to my latest fixation with Muay Thai, the benefits of Yoga have long been drilled in to my head but have sadly gone ignored. This has probably been due do to my constant projection of machismo, blinding me from something that would in fact, be very beneficial.

Recently however, with the realisation of what a life-time as a runner has done to my flexibility, and my need to now be ‘like water’, I have taken the lunge.

Yoga is an ancient spiritual, yet highly physical activity originating in India that everyone from Manny Pacqiou to Sting, have been known to practice.

Now, with the recent addition of Glenside Campus’ early morning ‘Hangover Yoga’ session every Thursday, you too can brush away the cobwebs from the night before, and start afresh!

The class, which is one hour long and costs just £3 for any student or member of staff, starts at 8am at Glenside Students’ Union centre.

Beginners are more than welcome as the instructor talks through the moves and breathing techniques within the session.

Anyone wishing to take part should contact mandy.powell@uwe.ac.uk to book a place and be sure to wear some loose fitting clothing.

20 SU & Life

WesternEye Nov 2011

Societies special

>It feels like this year has just begun, yet already Societies have dived in head first, getting involved in some amazing activities

Love Music, Hate Racism

Safiyyah Henderson

Louise Goux-Wirth

life@westerneye.net

life@westerneye.net

It only feels like this year has just begun, yet already, Societies have dived in head first getting involved in some amazing activities.

Recently I have spent some time during the weeks venturing out to see what societies have been up to and I was amazed with what everyone has accomplished in such a short space of time. As my first tenure as Societies and Communications Vice President, I was not fully aware of just how demanding, yet rewarding this role could be.

I was sucked into a different world watching Drama with their amnesty auditions. I tested my physical strength with Pole Fitness – the girls were phenomenally nice and will bend over backwards to help you (literally!). I felt a part of a strong community down at St Matthias watching the members of live music sing and play. I had an intense game of Poker and received the fright of my life for Psi-Phi’s Halloween Bristol Ghost Walk Tour before being transported to outer space for their movie night.

There are also many good events others have done from LABSoc’s celebrity guest speakers and Foren-

sic Science’s crime scene investigations, to the Hub Radio Guinness World Record attempt.

Also, next year will be seeing the upcoming Frolics Festival. Frolics Festival will be one of the biggest events of the year. Set outdoors in a large field with live music, inflatable games, Shisha pipes, cocktails and much more, this will be an experience to be shared by the entire student body – so don’t miss out!

Raise and Give is most certainly one to watch. There’s the opportunity to have fun, get involved in a great social scene and raise buckets of money for good causes. RAG is nationwide, running at a multiple of universities across the UK. RAG has held, and will be holding many events throughout the year. We have a trip to Amsterdam open to not just societies, but everyone, all in aid of charity. The trip will be from the 23rd -26th February 2012. For more details contact myself or join UWESU RAG on Facebook as you won’t want to miss this.

More recently we transformed Red Bar into The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where RAG, Cheerleading and Bar School teamed together

alongside Cadburys to make and sell a mass of deliciously tantalising treats to raise money for good causes. Any society can do this with the aid of Tesco’s community champion, Cathy Larry, who provided 15 big bars of fair trade Cadburys chocolate and shiny gold card for our golden tickets – all for free!

We also have seven new societies up and running for your leisure, these include Chess, Geography, Socialist Worker, Conservative, Trading and Investment, Unicef and SIFE. This is going to be a great year, societies are growing and so is the diversity of activities on offer for students. It is never too late to join and take part in any of the activities I have listed above. We will be having a RE-Freshers’ Fair in Red Bar On Tuesday 31 January so make sure you’re there from 11am to 4pm to see what’s in store for you.

On Tuesday 25 October, UWE and University of Bristol Students’ Unions proudly joined together for a ‘Love Music Hate Racism’ gig, in celebration of Black History Month.

The annual event is held every October and seeks to promote knowledge of Black History and experience, sharing information across communities on positive Black contributions to British society, and to heighten the awareness of Black people in their cultural heritage. The gig formed part of UWE’s celebrations for the occasion.

Students, staff and the local community were invited to a fun-packed night of live music with performances from local artists including Zion Flex, JLG, Bento, Javier and C-Froo, whilst raising awareness of ‘Love Music Hate Racism’, a national movement against racism and fascism through music.

Professor Steve West, UWE’s Vice Chancellor, attended the event to support the work that the UWE Students’ Union had put into the event.

“I am delighted that the two universities in Bristol are united in their approach to increasing understanding, tolerance and respect

World AIDS Day

UWE goes green

Nicol Caplin

Kate Sansom life@westerneye.net

life@westerneye.net 30,000 people die each week due to AIDS, an amount equivalent to the entire student population at UWE. Imagine being wiped out every dreaded Monday morning for the entire calendar year? While we are fortunate this is not the case, this figure certainly puts the AIDS crisis into an extremely stark perspective.

On a grander scale, 1.8 million people worldwide die from AIDS annually. According to the Joint United Nations program on AIDS (UNAIDS), in 2004 the number of AIDS related deaths tipped at 2.1 million. However a significant decrease in fatalities caused by the disease was recorded in 2009 despite global population growth.

Why the decline? An increased awareness, particularly amongst youth in the most severely affected countries, has led to a reduction of HIV infections by 20 per cent in the last decade. As the global attitude towards AIDS shifts, the practice of safe sex and education are largely to thank for the decrease. However,

for all members of our community,” commented Professor Steve West.

“The passion and enthusiasm of the Students’ Unions to lead on this agenda is fantastic and demonstrates the commitment of both universities’ students to make a positive difference to the societies they live in.”

“I hope that this event will be the first of many organised jointly across the universities. UWE’s strap line of ‘Better Together’ is certainly central to this agenda.”

The atmosphere throughout the evening was buzzing, with people enjoying the music, but most importantly understanding the cause and the reason behind it. I believe that Students’ Unions are in a unique position to truly be leaders in terms of equality and diversity, and community engagement. I am proud that UWE Students’ Union is at the forefront in leading on this agenda.

there are ten million people still in desperate need of treatment and they do not yet have access to vital medication and antiretroviral therapy.

So, what can we do about it? On the Thursday 1 December 2011, World AIDS Day is held across the globe.

The message it wishes to communicate is that “HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done”. The mission is to increase awareness, raise funds and improve education whilst fighting prejudice. The Red Ribbon has been used for international AIDS awareness. You can use the weeks leading up to WAD to buy a ribbon, making a donation to a worthwhile cause. In Bristol there will be an opportunity to attend a candlelit vigil at Broadmead Baptist Church 6pm to 9pm with guest speakers and live music for all.

World AIDS Day Bristol event, Thursday 1 December, 1 Whippington Court BS1 3HY (Above the shops.)

Each year UWE staff and students spend a week alerting others about the importance of sustainability, from switching off lights to recycling our waste – something we can all take part in.

On Monday 17 October, UWE began their week long campaign to encourage people to be more ‘green’. Vicki Harris, a member of UWE’s Sustainability team said, “The challenge is getting people to realise what they do, does make a difference, and making things like recycling and switching off lights and computers second nature, a habit. Climate change is a problem we each need to solve as well as our government.”

Last year, UWE sent over 870 Tonnes of waste to landfill. To try and reduce this amount they have invested in recycling bins that will be placed around the campuses. UWE has to spend £10 per cubic metre to landfill their rubbish, whereas to recycle the same amount it only costs £3.50. If more students and staff recycled they would be saving UWE a lot of money, which could

then be ploughed into other resources. On St Matthias’ campus, to raise awareness about recycling, all the bins were emptied onto the sunken lawn to see how much of what we throw away could be recycled (messy but serious business!).

One of the most successful events of the week was when the Natural Theatre Company visited Frenchay dressed as 1950s housewives to promote recycling. Along with UWE Vice-Chancellor, Steve West and UWESU President, Colin Offler, they sorted through the University’s rubbish and showed students what could be recycled, whilst bringing a fun element to a very important message. Emma Murphy, a UWE student, said, “It was a little bit strange seeing people dressed up as 50s housewives, but as I knew it was sustainability week, I understood the message they were trying to get across.”

Another great event that took place was four members of staff racing each other to work using different types of transport, including cycling,

taking the bus, driving a car and running. Each member had to travel 3.5 miles to the Frenchay campus.

It took only 17 minutes to cycle, 28 minutes to run and 39 minutes on the bus. The car was the last to arrive, taking 53 minutes, proving that riding a bike to UWE is not only healthier and better for the environment, but also a lot quicker! 35 percent of UWE’s carbon footprint comes from travelling. To help reduce this, students should look for alternative ways of getting to campus, like walking, cycling, catching the bus or car sharing. UWE student, Scott Wykeham-Martin, said, “The amount of time it was taking and the money it was costing to get to UWE made me decide to cycle.”

UWE is making a big effort to help reduce their carbon footprint. In 2010, UWE won the Green Gown Award for continually trying to improve their sustainability. There is always room for improvement and it is important for students to be involved and be aware of these changes.

SU & Life 21

WesternEye Nov 2011

Swap until you drop

Body beautiful?

Rebecca Day

Charlotte Barnes

life@westerneye.net

life@westerneye.net

Clothes shopping can prove extremely detrimental to the bank account – I experienced this first-hand during my first year at university! It’s always too easy to take your debit card for a trip into town and spend money like there’s no tomorrow. But what about when those clothes go ‘out of fashion’ and start gathering dust at the back of your wardrobe?

You are then riddled with guilt at the ridiculous amount of money you spent on just that one outfit, which you no doubt have only worn once.

However, there is a now solution that will be sure to rid yourself of the guilt (and your unwanted items of clothing). All hail the relatively new concept that is ‘swishing’. Before you start thinking that this is some new-alternative dance move that banishes remorse, let me enlighten you!

‘Swishing’ is an exchanging of clothes where women unite to trade in their unloved items of clothing, for other’s hidden gems found lurking in their wardrobes. Not only is this a fun and exciting event, but it is also free. That’s right – FREE! And also extremely ethical. Two million tonnes of clothing are bought in the UK every year and a staggering quarter of them end up in landfill sites! Taking part in ‘swishing’ will not only make a dent in this extraordinary figure, but it will also have your purse feeling slightly heavier too. ‘Swishing’ couldn’t prove more convenient and beneficial for students during the current economic

Since the dawn of time (near enough), women have been concerned about how they look and whether their appearance is considered attractive by men. It is a worldwide issue that very few women have the confidence to escape from!

Someone who does seem to have broken from these shackles is exglamour model Jodie Marsh. The 32-year-old has traded in the topless camera shots for push-ups and flexes in her latest career move from modelling to body-building. The once ‘sex symbol’ amongst men is now flexing her pecks at every camera and, according to Marsh, the men are lapping it up! Marsh has revealed to tabloids that she’s never felt sexier and it would seem that the men in her life agree due to this career U-turn.

To try and get more of an insight into how attractive Marsh’s buff body really is, I went out and asked some of our very own male UWE students what they think of her new look.

There was one comment that really stood out from the crowd made by first-year UWE student, Dan Green, who explained to me that “no one wants a girlfriend who can bench press your weight!” So it seems that no matter how much of a hit Jodie’s new body is with the men in her life, it doesn’t seem to have done much for UWE’s male species. Equally, the UWE ladies don’t think much of it either with one student, Kathryn Rowles, stating, “I just don’t know why you’d want to do that to yourself!”

In the interest of shedding some light on how important the physique really is to people, I asked the question everyone is always scared to hear the answer to: “How important is body image?”

>Get ‘swishing’ and enjoy the pleasures of stocking up your wardrobe, without splashing the cash

down-turn.

Through the official ‘swishing’ website (www.swishing.com), you will be able to find local parties to attend, where you can swap and swish until your heart’s content. However, rules apply! Everyone MUST bring along at least one item of clothing to swap; you are permitted half an hour to ‘browse’ before the ‘swish’ opens, and as soon as the whistle blows, you are entitled to grab what you wish.

On Sunday 11 December, Hamilton House in Stokes Croft will be hosting a ‘Pop Up Swap Shop’ in aid of the British Red Cross. Admission is free, and customers can bring as many quality second-hand items as they like. Items will be on sale from 50p to £5, helping raise vitally needed funds for the Red Cross. There will also be a vintage hairstylist on hand and photographic studio, AND a knicker-making workshop, where

you can make yourself your own unique pair of frilly pants for the winter. www.redcross.org.uk/Get-involved/ Events/Challenge-and-socialevents/Social-events/Pop-Up-SwapShop for more details on the British Red Cross’ Pop Up Swap Shop event, or find them on Facebook at The Pop-Up Swap Shop.

Living in such a consumerist society, it is often difficult to break the reigns that draw us into the high street’s marketing ploys. People wince at the thought of having to wear second-hand clothes, but are more than happy to spend a small fortune on conforming to the high street’s ‘look’. With ‘swishing’, you can enjoy the pleasures of stocking up your wardrobe, without the constant niggle of guilt. Did I mention you’ll be helping save the environment too?

UWE triumphs over Bristol University in student style-off Rebecca Figgures life@westerneye.net UWE has beaten Bristol University in Freshers’ Week style off organised by local fashion website MyStreetChic.com.

MyStreetChic. com ambassador, Hannah Wood, had been scouring the campuses looking for some seriously stylish students and inevitably, UWE has come out on top.

The winner of the competition was UWE student Charlotte James, a third year fashion student at the University. Charlotte won the competition with 86 votes overall, while runner up Natalie Macpherson (also at UWE) gained 82 votes. In total, UWE scored 215 votes against Bris-

tol University’s 72.

Charlotte said, “I’m so excited to have won! It just goes to show that you don’t have to spend a fortune to look good – most of my clothes come from my mother’s wardrobe which she kept from when she was younger. I love vintage fashion and take my style inspiration from 90s looks, my friends and my travels.”

Charlotte’s prize for winning the competition was £50 to spend at Merc Clothing and a MyStreetChic. com beauty goodie bag.

>Charlotte Barnes explores the importance of ‘body image’

The answers were more than a little reassuring with one male UWE student, Nick Canessa, informing me that he has “always based it on 40% looks and 60% personality”.

When I pitched a similar question to my house-mate, I phrased it a little differently, asking how he’d feel if his girlfriend suddenly gained five stone. After digesting the shallow basis of the question, he guaranteed me that it would change nothing because he loves her, and apparently her appearance could never change that (insert “awwww” here).

So, at the risk of breaking many myths, it seems that how girls look isn’t the only thing that blokes are interested in - who would have thought it? There is no clear-cut answer as to the perfect body type from a man’s perspective - if this article has proven anything, it’s exactly that. The only conclusion we can safely draw on is that not everything is about your looks – they seem to be just a small portion of it.

Oh, and if you want to bag yourself a lovely UWE lad, looking like Jodie Marsh isn’t the best tactic in the book!

Got something you want to say?

WesternEye is your voice.

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admin@westerneye.net

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WesternEye Nov 2011

Sport 23

WesternEye Nov 2011

Sport Fixtures Upcoming sports fixtures for Nov - Jan 2012 Date/time

Match type

League

Sport

Home Team

Away Team

Location

30/11/2011 16:30

KnockoutRound

Western Conference Cup

Basketball

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Bristol Mens 1st

Filton College WISE

30/11/2011 TBC

KnockoutRound

Trophy

Fencing

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

TBC

TBC

30/11/2011 TBC

KnockoutRound

Western Conference Cup

Football

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

TBC

TBC

30/11/2011 15:30

KnockoutRound

Western Conference Cup

Hockey

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 4th

University of Southampton Mens 3rd

Centre for Sport

30/11/2011 14:00

KnockoutRound

Western Conference Cup

Hockey

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 3rd

University of Plymouth Mens 2nd

Centre for Sport

30/11/2011 TBC

League

West

Rugby League

Oxford University Mens 2nd

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

TBC Away

30/11/2011 TBC

KnockoutRound

Western Conference Cup

Rugby Union

Royal Agricultural College Mens 2nd

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 2nd

TBC Away

30/11/2011 TBC

League

Western 1A

Rugby Union

University of Bristol Womens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

TBC Away

30/11/2011 TBC

League

Western 1A

Squash

Swansea University Womens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

TBC Away

30/11/2011 TBC

League

Western 1A

Squash

University of Southampton Mens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

TBC Away

30/11/2011 TBC

KnockoutRound

Trophy

Tennis

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

TBC

TBC

30/11/2011 TBC

League

Men's 2D

Water Polo

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Bath Mens 1st

TBC

07/12/2011 TBC

League

West

Rugby League

University of Bristol Mens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

TBC Away

07/12/2011 14:30

League

Western 2A

Rugby Union

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 2nd

Bournemouth University Mens 1st

Clifton RFC

07/12/2011 14:00

League

Western 1A

Rugby Union

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

University of Glamorgan Womens 1st

Bristol Saracens RFC

07/12/2011 14:00

League

Premier South B

Rugby Union

Reading University Mens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

Reading University Sports Park Away

07/12/2011 15:30

League

Western 1A

Squash

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) Mens 2nd

Centre for Sport

07/12/2012 12:00

League

Western 1A

Tennis

University of Bristol Mens 2nd

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

Coombe Dingle Away

07/12/2011 13:00

League

Western 2A

Tennis

University of Exeter Womens 3rd

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

TBC Away

14/12/2011 14:00

League

West

Rugby League

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Gloucestershire Mens 3rd

Filton College WISE

18/01/2012 TBC

League

Western 1A

Netball

University of Bristol Womens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

TBC Away

18/01/2012 14:30

League

Premier South B

Rugby Union

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

Imperial College London Medics Mens 1st

Clifton RFC

18/01/2012 14:00

League

Western 1A

Rugby Union

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

University College Plymouth St Mark Bristol Saracens RFC & St John Womens 1st

18/01/2012 14:30

League

Western 2A

Rugby Union

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 2nd

University of Exeter Mens 3rd

Clifton RFC

25/01/2012 14:30

League

Western 1A

Badminton

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Plymouth Mens 1st

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 16:30

League

Western 2B

Badminton

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 2nd

University of Gloucestershire Mens 1st

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 13:00

League

Western 2A

Badminton

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

Bath Spa University Womens 1st

Centre for Sport

Continues to next page>>

24 Sport Date/time

Match type

WesternEye Nov 2011 League

Sport

Home Team

Away Team

Location

25/01/2012 TBC

League

Western 2A

Basketball

University of Winchester Womens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

Human Movement Centre Away

25/01/2012 16:00

League

Western 2A

Basketball

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

Southampton Solent University Mens 2nd

Filton College WISE

25/01/2012 13:00

League

Western 1A

Fencing

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

Swansea University Womens 1st

St Matthias Campus

25/01/2012 13:00

League

Western 1A

Fencing

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

Swansea University Mens 1st

St Matthias Campus

25/01/2012 TBC

League

Western 6A

Football

University of Plymouth Mens 3rd

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 4th

TBC Away

25/01/2012 TBC

League

Western 4A

Football

University College Plymouth St Mark & St John Mens 2nd

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 3rd

TBC Away

25/01/2012 14:00

League

Western 3B

Football

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 2nd

Cardiff University Mens 2nd

Clifton College Sports Ground

25/01/2012 TBC

League

Western 1A

Football

University College Plymouth St Mark & St John Mens 1st

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

TBC Away

25/01/2012 14:00

League

Western 2A

Football

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

Southampton Solent University Womens 1st

Filton College WISE

25/01/2012 17:00

League

Western 4A

Hockey

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 3rd

University of Bath Womens 4th

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 TBC

League

Western 4A

Hockey

University of Bath Womens 5th

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 2nd

TBC Away

25/01/2012 12:30

League

Western 3B

Hockey

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 2nd

Cardiff University Mens 4th

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 14:00

League

Western 1A

Hockey

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

University of Plymouth Womens 1st

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 15:30

League

Western 1A

Hockey

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Exeter Mens 3rd

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 14:00

League

Western 2A

Lacrosse

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Southampton Mens 1st

St Matthias Campus

25/01/2012 17:30

League

Western 1A

Netballw

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

University of Bath Womens 2nd

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 15:30

League

Western 1A

Hockey

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Exeter Mens 3rd

Centre for Sport

25/01/2012 14:00

League

Western 2A

Lacrosse

University of the West of England (UWE) Mens 1st

University of Southampton Mens 1st

St Matthias Campus

25/01/2012 17:30

League

Western 1A

Netballw

University of the West of England (UWE) Womens 1st

University of Bath Womens 2nd

Centre for Sport

Rugby: UWE try to run before they can walk Georgie Everett sport@westerneye.net The UWE Rugby Men’s 1st Team have had a turbulent start to the season to say the least. Last year’s relegation has seen the side suffer from a severe lack of confidence.

The team, composed mainly of both fresher’s and 2nd years have found it frustrating to find a consistent style of play, a factor that has seen the side frustratingly dabble in and out of victory.

With last week’s loss at the hands of Glamorgan still fresh in their minds, UWE were determined to bounce back and take victory against UWIC’s 2nd team. However victory against a UWIC (University of Wales Institute Cardiff) team, who reside in 7th place, would be anything but straight forward. Other

than a dedicated mum filming in the dreary weather, support and encouragement was in short supply.

UWE start quickly and controlled the ball in the early stages, without ever really penetrating the UWIC defence. The home side’s continual lack of understanding allowed UWIC to dominate, eventually breaching UWE’s defence and converting with ease. UWE suddenly woke up and with an up-hill task in front of them UWE set to work. Some strong tackling and impressive rucking, UWE soon gained possession and had UWIC on the back foot, UWE were gaining momentum. The pressure eventually told and on the stroke of half time, UWE fullback’s sudden burst of speed and beautiful weav-

ing through the Welsh sides defence, saw UWE draw level 7-7.

The UWE coach’s animated and vigorous actions seemed to fall on deaf ears as just after the break, as frequent fumbling and needless penalties gave UWIC the opportunity to move three points ahead of the home side. The frustration of a series of penalties either way was evident and boiled over to leave UWE shirts covered not only in mud, but blood. Boys being boys was the general consensus!

UWE were able to capitalise on their rush of blood and eventually crashed through the bruised UWIC defensive line leaving the score 1712 to UWE. UWIC were unable to break through in the final stages as

the reinvigorated UWE defence nullified breaks, won rucks and slowed the game down, successfully giving them a scrappy victory.

Both teams showed an abundance of spirit in a game that showed more heart than quality.

Through the rare spark of fluency

seen in their play, it is evident that UWE have great potential and ability and really should have won this game more comfortably.

The next game is against: UWE’s Hartpury 2nd team on the 23rd November, 2.30pm at Hartpury College.

BUCS Rugby Union 2011-2012 - Premier South B P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1

Oxford Brookes 1st

4

4

0

0

76

12

2

Glamorgan 1st

4

4

0

0

42

12

3

UWE 1st

4

2

0

2

49

6

4

UWE (Hartpury) 2nd

4

2

0

2

30

6

5

Reading 1st

4

2

0

2

22

6

6

Cardiff Medics 1st

4

1

0

3

-48

3

7

UWIC 2nd

3

0

0

3

-48

0

8

Imperial Medics 1st

3

0

0

3

-124

0

WesternEye Nov 2011

Future cricket tainted by recent scandal

Sport 25 McInnes chosen to set Robbins free New manager faces difficult task in resurrecting faltering City

Abu Al-Tayawe

Jamie Anderson

sport@westerneye.net

sport@westerneye.net

The recent issues involving match fixing has rocked the world of cricket. Pakistani cricketers, Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer, and Mohammed Asif have all been found guilty of underperforming deliberately within the fourth test match in August 2010 and now face seven year bans from the sport, alongside prison sentences ranging from six to thirty-two months.

Reporters from The News of The World, led by Mazher Mahmood, secretly videotaped Majeed, a sport agent suspected of match fixing, finding them guilty of accepting a £150,000 cash bribe as part of an arrangement to rig games.

Majeed is reported to have promised the reporter that Asif, 28, and fellow fast bowler, Aamer, 19, would deliver three no-balls at specific points during the fourth Test match at Lords between Pakistan and England from August 26 to 29 last year.

The no-balls were bowled exactly as promised, and were deemed by

commentators to be “enormous noball, good half over the line.”

The probability of someone predicting this by chance was estimated by a cricket statistician as 1.5 million to one.

As a result of the report, Scotland Yard announced the arrest of Majeed the following day under suspicions of defrauding bookmakers before being ultimately sentenced to 20 months in jail on the 3rd November 2011.

The convictions have been broadly accepted and welcomed within the world of cricket with former Pakistani cricketer calling it as a “shameful day”, adding “this is what happens when you don’t react quickly enough to fight corruption.”

The match fixing scandal within the series at Lords soon led to suspicions of other matches being fixed across the sport with investigations currently underway led by the ICC into matches against Pakistan, post 1985, when the alleged match fixing

began.

Scandals such as this do not just hold their fort in the realm of Cricket.

However, as HM Revenues and Customs found during investigation that Croydon Athletics F.C, purchased by Majeed in 2008, was acquired for money laundering purposes.

Such allegations prompted the manager and his assistants to leave the club in 2010 and less than a month later, the club’s chairman, David Le Cluse, was found dead in his garage with a bullet through his head, thus prompting a police investigation into the football club.

It is clear from such actions that match fixing in sport is a big issue that cannot be taken lightly. One only has to look as far as the world of Italian football, which has bewildered the sporting world several times in relation to match fixing and Mafia ties.

UWE gets first taste of Olympics

Bristol City has appointed former St. Johnstone manager Derek McInnes to take charge in a desperate attempt to stop the club’s dismal run.

Following a string of dreadful results, topped off with a humiliating 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Blackpool, fans called for Keith Millen’s dismissal. Leading to the ‘unanimous decision of the board’ to sack Millen and appoint former Scottish international Derek McInnes, 40.

McInnes, chosen ahead of established managers including Dave Jones and George Burley, now faces an uphill struggle to repair the Robins shattered confidence. They lie 22nd in the championship after winning just three of their opening sixteen matches and conceding a staggering 27 goals, far from this season’s now comical ambitions of promotion.

The new appointment will no doubt be the subject of fierce scrutiny from loyal City fans, some questioning the 40 year-olds experience, particularly as it is his first taste of

management south of the boarder.

Compensation of over £100,000 paid to McInnes’ former club St Johnstone signals the faith club Chairman Colin Sexstone has in his new man, stating “He’s a manager on the up with a real understanding of the game.” Sexton continued “His drive and energy proved to us he was the right man to take the club forward.”

McInnes will have plenty of time to justify his price tag after signing a contract until the summer of 2014.

His ambitions include waking the ‘sleeping giant’ that is Bristol City and somewhat optimistically suggesting that promotion is not beyond the realms of possibility after “seeing clubs of a similar size get into the Premier League.”

McInnes’ December schedule will see his side face the best the Championship has to offer with two tricky trips to promotion hopefuls Southampton, Millwall and fellow strugglers Coventry.

Countdown begins as Olympic Bus arrives at UWE

A few words from your Sports President

Conor Shilling

Ariana Alexander-Sefre

sport@westerneye.net

vpsports@uwe.ac.uk

UWE students recently got the opportunity to get their hands on the much coveted Olympic Torch as the ‘Coca-Cola London 2012 Torch Tour’ rolled into town.

The bus was parked adjacent to Cotswold Court on Frenchay Campus, where the Kebab Van saves half the student village from their 2am chip fetishes.

Sports enthusiasts were given the opportunity to have their picture taken with the Olympic Torch, a privilege that will be enjoyed by Sebastian Coe amongst many others on the journey to the Olympic Games.

The day included a host of freebies,

special cocktails and a selection of cakes all to the background of upbeat music in the last of the autumnal sun.

The lively afternoon was organised by Vice-President for Sport Ariana Alexander-Sefre, who was very impressed by the reaction to the bus, she said: ‘The weather could not have been better, it’s a beautiful day. Everyone is getting involved and the bus is getting lots of attention’.

The Torch will travel eight-thousand miles around Great Britain, being held by very few along the way. The aura of the Olympic Torch attracted a lot of interest and the chance of holding the torch was described as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ by UWE Cricket Club President, Shaun Lewis.

The torch which weighs 800 grams and stands 800mm high and has three sides to it that represent the three past London Olympic games of 1908, 1948 and 2012.

Engraved with the Olympic motto –

“higher, faster, stronger” the torch had to be supervised and handled with protective white gloves to prevent any damage. Participants got the opportunity to collect their photos online 48 hours after the event.

UWE students can count themselves lucky to have taken part in this experience. Ariana went on to say: ‘I saw a great opportunity which was being offered by NUS and Coca Cola and we were one of only 20 universities selected from 70, we went all out on the application and it seems to have paid off.’

As well as the photo opportunity, attendees were also invited to nominate torch bearers to carry the Olympic Flame as part of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. People were asked to nominate an inspirational figure to be one of 8000 torchbearers to take part in the relay which starts on the 18th May 2012. For more information visit: www.cokezone.co.uk/olympics

The last few weeks we have seen our teams predominantly do very well, we’ve had great wins, big improvements and a lot of banter (mostly in the form of crazy initiations and whirlwind trips). As the approach to Christmas begins, adrenaline is pumping and our sports players carry on with great efforts whilst faced with the looming pressure of upcoming deadlines.

Planning is underway with our 2012 Varsity series. It’s looking better than ever with the launch of our very first Fight Night in February, our usual host of amazing teams including some brand new/re-launched varsities including Polo, Climbing, Surf and a few others!

A great recent achievement has been our winning of a ‘Be a Champion’ Bronze Award, which recognises our work on events, opportunities and campaigns that demonstrate the Olympic and Paralympics values.

Keep checking my blog for all the up to date info! http://www.uwesu.org/blogs/vpsports/ Have a great month!

26 Sport

WesternEye Nov 2011

Lack of killer instinct gives UWE a slow start UWE Football Matt Barrett sport@westerneye.net The target for the University of the West of England’s 1st team was to build on last season’s success and gain promotion from the BUCS (British University College’s Sport) Western 1A division. Last year’s historic penalty shootout victory against noisy neighbours the University of Bristol was undoubtedly the highlight of a fantastic season. However the hero of that game, Ken Oni has now graduated, along with many others of that successful side. So it will be down to a new and inexperienced side under the tutelage of Mel Davies, their very experienced Head Coach.

The first game of the season kicked off with a tough opener against UCP Marjons. Having dominated much of the early exchanges at UWE’s home ground ‘The Field’, UWE were unfortunate to find themselves behind in the early stages with a well worked first half goal from Marjons centre forward. The second half saw UWE step up a gear, with their slick pass

Photography by Ian Chittick and move football proving too much for their opponents to handle, quickly turning the game on its head. First Ross Wigley blazed down the left wing, skilfully beating the right back and pulling the ball back for Travis Wheatle to open his account for the season with a cool finish from the edge of the six yard box. Josh Thomson doubled UWE’s lead after latching onto a through ball to smoothly round the opposition goalkeeper.

However a late sucker punch saw Marjons somehow return to Devon with a share of the spoils.

A second home game saw UWE

welcome rivals Cardiff, who despite 90 minutes of defending would return across the Severn with an undeserved 1-0 win. UWE had enough chances to win this game four times over. Captain Sean Downing, arguably a candidate for man of the match, had the home side’s best opportunity after winger Stefan Chubb pressured the Cardiff defender to head the ball against his own post, resulting in Sean Downing blasting over from all of five yards. UWE’s style of football was a joy to behold, but again lacked the killer instinct and failed to score in a game they really should have won.

UWE made their away visit of the campaign with a short trip to face UWE Hartpury. Djukic returned to bolster the midfield and really controlled proceedings with his clever passing and skilful touches. UWE found themselves in an all too familiar position, behind in a game that they really should have won. A telling moment in the game was when 1-0 behind, Jake Nicholls hit the bar with a stunning strike, a sign that luck was not on UWE’s side. Nicholls grabbed a late consolation but by this time Hartpury had already added their second and resigned UWE to another defeat, giving the, just one

point from the opening three games.

Marjons returned to ‘The Field’ next for a BUCS Mars Trophy game. Goals from Downing and Nicholls ended the game with the same scoreline as the opening league fixture 2-2, forcing a dreaded penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Rob Procter was the hero saving well before Nicholls scored the decisive spot kick to put UWE into the next round, giving them their first victory of the season.

BUCS MARS Football 2011-2012 - Western 1A 1

UCP Marjons 1st

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

3

2

1

0

7

7

2

UWE (Hartpury) 2nd

3

2

1

0

2

7

3

Swansea 1st

2

2

0

0

3

6

4

Cardiff 1st

4

1

0

3

1

3

5

UWE 1st

3

1

1

2

-7

1

6

Exeter 1st

3

0

1

2

-20

1

WesternEye tries: UWE Fencing Sam Hudson

Christmas Cracker

sport@westerneye.net This month WesternEye decided to give UWE Fencing a visit and participate in one of the club’s weekend training sessions.

Fencing is so much more than two opponents brawling with bladed weapons; it is a sport which requires a combination of strength, agility and sophistication. With warm ups similar to many routines initiated by other high intensity sports, fencing requires the individual to be on top form for their training session ahead of them.

UWE fencing allows you to train with any of the three standard weapons, foil, sabre and epee. All geared together with the full combat outfit and electronic scoring equipment to monitor your progress and provide accurate results.

Upon my first session I was able to dive straight into a non-competitive battle and bypass any tedious drawn out pre-training which can be the case for many sport clubs around Bristol.

Fighting with the foil weapon is an empowering experience that kick

starts the adrenaline, provoking an innate survival instinct that is then tamed by the sport’s requirement for discipline and honour.

A truly challenging sport not intended for the faint-hearted but a great way to keep fit, learn new skills and achieve an ultimate glory through the club’s many competitive opportunities.

The club has succeeded in many competitions within the BUCS league for both male and female competitors. “Only recently has the club entered a girl’s team in the BUCS championship, and their first victory was against Exeter” commented fencing coach Shaun Garley. He continued “For anyone interested in fencing for UWE we have training sessions on Wednesdays and Saturdays and a lot of our fencers also attend local clubs for extra training sessions” There is no deadlier close-combat sport than fencing and UWE seems to have provided students with a real chance to become one of the pros in this field.

Tuesday 6th December 10pm – late Syndicate Tickets - £6 -

Featuring: James ‘Arg’ Argent (towie) Buy Tickets from: UWE Students’ Union www.uwesu.org/cracker Event Reps

Sport 27

WesternEye Nov 2011

UWE Hockey defies expectations

News in Brief

UWE push Exeter all the way in thrilling cup clash

To read the full versions of these articles please visit our website: www.westerneye.net

Kickboxing Photography by Ian Chittick

Photography by Ian Chittick

Nick Harland sport@westerneye.net A loss on penalties to Exeter in a National Cup competition failed to dishearten the UWE Hockey team, nor did it detract from the excellent work behind the scenes that continues to underpin UWE Hockey.

The sport was forced to almost triple its membership fees prior to the forthcoming season, as a result of the budget cuts and paired with the unfortunate loss of valuable income from shirt sponsorship, optimism was in short supply.

Yet last season saw considerable success with the Men’s 1st team

reaching the quarter finals of the nationwide trophy, ironically losing out to Exeter. This achievement is made all the more impressive when you consider that UWE Sport is relatively small in comparison to much bigger establishments across the country.

UWE Hockey President Caitlin Edwards explained during the clash with Exeter, that UWE Hockey is one of the largest sport clubs and now one of the most expensive. Despite the increased membership fees up to £100 from last seasons £35, over 120 members have signed up, with only a marginal decrease of 30 members. Included in the membership fee is the use of UWE’s excellent facili-

BUCS PwC Hockey 2011-2012 - Western 1A – Women’s Hockey 1st Team

ties, match day kit, travel and coaching, considerably more benefits than most UWE sport clubs offer.

The match itself started poorly.

Exeter went into the lead within ten minutes and UWE were struggling to form a cohesive attack. A succession of penalty corners passed without too much incident, with the game looking like Exeter would go into the break one up. However just on the stroke of half time UWE grabbed an equaliser and immediately carried their momentum on in the second period, where they began to dominate but were hit with a sucker punch from Exeter, who went 2-1 up midway through the half. After a barrage of penalty

corners and shots UWE clawed back another equaliser with a well worked goal to make it 2-2.

They continued to have the better of the game in extra time but could not force the decisive goal, with the game going to penalties. Unfortunately UWE missed the decisive penalty at 4-4, with Exeter scoring their final shot to take it 5-4 on penalties.

Overall it was a great advert for UWE Hockey, but the men’s 1st team must now focus their attentions on league duty, where they are well placed in 2nd position. The future certainly looks bright for all the UWE Hockey teams.

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

UWIC 1st

4

3

0

1

14

9

1

Exeter 2nd

4

3

0

1

14

9

2

Cardiff 1st

3

3

0

0

12

9

2

UWE 1st

3

3

0

0

12

9

3

Cardiff 2nd

3

2

0

1

0

6

3

Exeter 3rd

3

2

0

1

0

6

4

Exeter 2nd

3

1

0

2

1

3

4

Southampton 1st

3

1

0

2

1

3

5

Plymouth 1st

3

1

0

2

-7

3

5

Bath 2nd

3

1

0

2

-7

3

6

UWE 1st

4

0

0

4

-20

0

6

Gloucestershire 1st

4

0

0

4

-20

0

American Football: Bullets survive the blitz

UWE Gliding had their first taste of national competition this month, competing in the categories of Progression, Soaring and CrossCountry. UWE’s best result came in the progression category finishing a comfortable second place. http://www.uwegliding.co.uk/

Squash An impressive start for UWE squash - Both the men’s 1st and 2nd teams remain unbeaten, whilst other members impressively represented UWE in a Rotterdam earlier this month.

With UWE’s Mohamed pushing the world number one Nick Matthews all the way in a five game thriller.

Dayne Robinson sport@westerneye.net with support from family, friends and of course the ever present UWE Comets cheerleading squad.

The girls were loud and proud all throughout the game and really helped to create a great sideline atmosphere.

The game itself was very messy – as most opening day games are in the BUAFL (British Universities American Football league). The Bullets were forced to dig deep in a match that went right to the wire, twice coming from behind in a match that ended 21-16 to defeat the valiant Blitz. Captain Dayne Robinson commented, “Plymouth has historically been a tough opening game for us and today was no different”.

www.uwekickboxing.co.uk

Gliding

BUCS PwC Hockey 2011-2012 - Western 1A – Men’s Hockey 1st Team

1

After a record number of Freshers’ fair sign-ups, the three-time reigning conference champions, the UWE Bullets, were optimistic about the season ahead. The opening game of the season saw the Bullets face the travelling Plymouth Blitz in a much anticipated affair. Although, during the game the Bullets were forced to contend with a last minute pitch change and a double booking which meant they had to play on a grass pitch and not their much beloved 3G surface. As if the pressure wasn’t bad enough, the game was attended by conference teams all watching closely and scouting with a keen eye on the Bullets.

The attendance was impressive

UWE Kickboxing and Muay Thai took a small squad up to Redditch for the Thaitans Interclub on Sunday 6th November. For three of the squad it was their first fight and for others it was their first Muay Thai bout since the club began. With just two months training every member of the team gave 110 percent with four and a half clear winners emerging from the UWE squad.

http://www.uwe-squash.co.uk/

Mountain Hike Idrissa Fornah picked up the Overall MVP for the game after leading the team with eight tackles and two sacks along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Offensive Linemen, Rob Chase, was the Offensive MVP while Cam Parker earned Defensive MVP honours. Veteran utility player, Mark Hibberd, showed why his is regarded as one of the best punters in the country and picked

up the Special Teams MVP award.

Head Coach, Mat Dyke, commented, “A win is a win, and it is said that good teams find a way to win ugly. I was very impressed with the character of the team, and at this point we are where we need to be - 1 and 0.”

The UWE Bullets are hoping that this was just the beginning and look forward to next week’s tough away trip to Aberystwyth

UWE Mountain Hiking in Snowdonia - A daring group of UWE students begin their first adventure of the year, travelling to the frozen wastes of Llanberis, North Wales. The students battled strong winds and adverse conditions, valiantly making their way across the heights of Foel Goch, Cwn Cesig and Moel Eilio. http://www.uwehiking.com/

Sport

Bristol & UWE

UWE Snowsports: Surviving All Seasons James Hopwood sport@westerneye.net To describe the recent schedule of UWE Snowsports as jam packed would be nothing short of an understatement. You may be asking yourself how does a club that fundamentally runs a ski holiday, have anything to do when there is no snow?

Due to the incredible advancements of indoor slopes and dryslopes, there is always an opportunity to grab your skies or snowboards and hit the slopes!

Judging the prospects of a new season is always difficult, especially when the addition of new members can have such an explosive impact on all areas of the team, especially in competitions. The first race of the season was a team dual slalom at Pembury ski slope against a host of Western university teams including Swansea, Bristol University, Bath and Cardiff amongst others. After a successful top four finish for our snowboard team and top six finish for the ski team, UWE Snowsports

are well on their way to the London 2012 Finals.

The busy team have only just returned from the British University Dryslope Championships in which some 1400 students headed for Europe’s largest dryslope competition. The club obtained some awesome results with Amelia Higson leading charge in the Slalom ranking at 53rd. All the new skiers enjoyed their first taste of real racing and the dual slalom ski team, made

up of Chris Benson, Adam Laver, Rosi Anne Large and Sam Philip, unfortunately drew against a strong Newcastle 1st. Despite putting up a valiant fight, they couldn’t hold the pace.

Onto the Snowboarders, Ella Players placed an epic 10th in the Giant Slalom, and after a nail biting run in the Snowboarder X got knocked out early on. Tom Moriarty ranked 7th in the GS, and after some thrills and spills, just missed out on a podium,

UWE Skier deifies the laws of gravity : Photos courtesy of Jonny Simpson, Snow Sports Social Secretary and came in 4th in the Boarder X. Overall a fantastic weekend and a real introduction to Snowsports for the freshers.

It’s not all about racing however!

The club actively participates in fundraising activities such as ski2help and has an active social scene, where members can meet like minded people and get involved in some après ski every other Thursday.

Next up UWE Snowsports are taking 180 students to the world famous French resort of Val D’Isere on the 9th December.

For more information on anything to do with UWE Snowsports, visit the website www.uwesnowsports.com, or find them on Facebook or perhaps info@uwesnowsports.com

UWE Windsurf at Aussie Kiss 10 Jodie Rimmington sport@westerneye.net October marked the beginning of ‘Aussie Kiss 10 X-rated’, celebrating ten years of the first Windsurfing event of the student calendar; and what a celebration it was!

Aussie Kiss is the first student windsurfing event of the academic year and is created, run and managed by the Student Windsurfing Association (SWA). After a long summer break it was time to reunite and party hard once again at every student windsurfer’s favourite event of the year. In order to do this, the SWA call upon 700 students from across the country to pile into Bude Caravan Park, North Cornwall for an epic weekend of partying and fierce competition out on the water.

The SWA decided that this tenth anniversary event should take on more of a ‘festival feeling’ than previous years; and true to their word Saturday kicked off in style with a host of music and drink. Artists Chris Millington and Sam Green

played live along with groups Woodford Green and Will and the People playing acoustic sets really bringing the festival to life.

The beginners bay was bustling with windsurf rookies being shown the ropes by student instructors from universities across the country. Dividing the beginners up into small groups and ensuring they all got out on the water was an easy way to guarantee a positive atmosphere both on and off the water.

The intermediates and advanced windsurfers were supplied with an ample array of brand new demo kit for all disciplines of the sport. Windsurfing clinics from professional windsurfers Simon Bornhoff, Max Rowe, Adam Sims and Chris ‘Muzza’ Murray were available throughout the day to get everyone involved and out on the water pushing themselves to “go big or go home!”

On Saturday night, windsurfers from up and down the country

Sun shines over UWE windsurfers donned their universities choice of fancy dress and headed out to the X-rated fancy dress party; which was held under the watchful eye of the SWA Pimps! The Pimps ensured everyone was suitably ‘watered’ for a night full of dance offs and amazing live music from Co Supreme, making way for DJs to keep the beats going into the early hours.

Sunday’s conditions were perfect

for holding advanced racing, team racing and freestyle competitions, and also an opportunity for the pros to get out on the water to show off their incredible talent. The standard of windsurfing this year has gone up sufficiently from BUCS Nationals in April ’11 with many new talented sailors keeping the racing increasingly close between positions. UWE entered the advanced team racing

and stormed across the finish line in third place, a great success for the first event of the year, putting us in great stead for competing for the overall team racing prize of a brand new board at the end of the year.

Last year was a phenomenal year for UWE Windsurf and we look forward to the same good news throughout the 2011/12 season.