student impact volume 9 issue 01

impactMonday 24th September 2007Volume 9 Issue 1www.bathimpact.com

In impact this week...

student

Photo Editor David Kennaway captured beautiful Bath in all its glory here... but did our city’s architectural creativity end with the Georgian era in 1830? Find out on page 3.

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More Arrests on the Way as Police Identify Main Mass Brawl PerpetratorsJack [email protected]

BATH POLICE are preparing further arrests after identifying the key offenders in a mass brawl that erupted in the city centre recently, when around 30 thugs scrapped fiercely in Kingsmead Square.

Frightened onlookers watched as, at around 9pm on Saturday the 8th of September, the mainly teenage yobs exploded into violence, aggressively throwing punches, aiming kicks and launching chairs and bicycles at each other.

Nobody was seriously injured but one person was treated for facial injuries and two boys, aged sixteen and seventeen, were arrested and bailed pending inquiries.

CCTV footage was released by local police in an attempt to trace specifically five of the fighters, and the move appears now to have yielded positive results.

Detective Constable Andy Bessell explained: “A number of people have

come forward with names for those seen fighting in the footage and we are now acting on that information.

“I am satisfied that, thanks to the public’s response, we have now identified all of the main offenders.”

A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset Council added: “CCTV is a useful way of helping the police and the council to keep streets safe.

“When the council receives requests from the police for footage, officers are able to assist and this can lead to offenders being brought to justice.”

In a separate incident, a 39-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of a man in Bath last Tuesday.

Police found the man, in his mid-40s, on the pavement in Julian Road with wounds to his chest.

He was rushed to hospital, but his condition is not considered life-threatening.

Students are urged to call Crimestoppers free on 0800 555111 if they have any information concerning crime in Bath.

Scant’s Regard on baggage restrictions

Page 5

Would you recognise this man?

Page 8

Why would anyone want to look like this?

8

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News2 IMPACT MONDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2007

Editor Jack MitchellDeputy Editor Adam LuqmaniNews Editor Josh CheesmanDeputy News Editor Position VacantComment Editor Charlotte KingDeputy Comment Editor Position VacantFeatures Editor Josie CoxDeputy Features Editor Position VacantScience Editor Matt AshDeputy Science Editor Position VacantEnts Editors Phil Bloomfield & Sean LightbownDeputy Ents Editor Position VacantSport Editor Adrian DalmedoDeputy Sport Editor Position VacantOnline Editor Kieron MacknightDeputy Online Editor Position VacantPhoto Editor David Kennaway Deputy Photo Editor Position VacantTreasurer Laurence CableChief Sub-Editor Amira Fathalla

Contact DetailsPhone - 01225 38 6151Fax - 01225 44 4061Email - [email protected]

Web - www.bathimpact.com

Address - Impact Students’ Union University of Bath Bath BA2 7AY

If you want to write, design, take photos or otherwise contribute to impact, come along to a Contributors meeting, held every Monday in Elements at 6.30pm, get in touch with the Editor, pop into the office in Norwood House level 4 or log onto our website (www.bathimpact.com)

Students’ UnionSU VP Activities and DevelopmentHayden [email protected] 383667

Societies Administrator Andree [email protected] 38505

AdvertisingEnquires Helen [email protected] 386806

InformationThe opinions expressed in impact are not necessarily those of the impact editors nor of the University of Bath Students’ Union. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is correct and accurate at the time of going to print, the publisher cannot accept any liability for information which is later altered or incorrect. impact as a publication adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Conduct. Please contact them for any information

student impactEditorial Team

Printed by www.quotemeprint.com 0845 1300 667

is brought to you by...EditorialBus Prices to

Rise Yet Again

Amira FathallaChief Sub-Editor

H I G H E R P R I C E S h a v e b e e n

announced for tickets and passes on

the First Bright Orange bus service

with the start of the new academic

year.

The price of single and return tickets

has gone up by 10p in comparison with

last year – to £1 and £1.60 respectively

– while bus passes have seen a rise of

several pounds, with the 8-Week pass

increasing from £61 to £66 and the 13-

Week pass from £77 to £82.

The buses, which run between the

University of Bath’s Claverton Down

campus and Bath Spa University,

provide an essential link for students

between campus and the centre of

town, as well as to Oldfield Park.

Commenting on the new prices,

Students’ Union President David

Austin explained that they have

undergone a smaller increase than

in previous years, representing a

positive result of several negotiations

between the SU and First Buses.

“What is clear from the table is

that the largest price increases have

been imposed on the more irregular

journey tickets and therefore the

passes represent better value for

money because of this.”

What’s changed?

Ticket Old Price New PriceDay ticket £2.60 £3.0010 Journey £7.00 £8.00Week pass £9.60 £10.505-Week pass £45.00 £48.008-Week pass £61.50 £66.0013-Week pass £77.00 £82.0036-Week pass £220.00 £231.0052-Week pass £285.00 £299.00 Single journey £0.90 £1.00Return journey £1.50 £1.60

BRIGHT ORANGE BUS: not in black & white, it isn’t

Student Zapped for Kerry QuestionAdam LuqmaniDeputy [email protected]

A UNIVERSITY student in Florida

has been stunned with a taser gun

while trying to ask a question during a

forum with US senator John Kerry.

Andrew Mayer, 21, was held to

the floor and, as he cried out, was

electrocuted with the police weapon

in front of the forum audience.

He was trying to question Senator

Kerry’s decision not to contest the 2004

presidential election results.

In those elections, as in the 2000

elections, there was controversy

over irregularities in the voting, with

questions raised as to whether George

W. Bush had won voting in the state

of Ohio.

Mr Mayer was instructed to stop

speaking, but refused to step down

despite having his microphone turned

off.

He was arrested and charged with

resisting arrest and disturbing the

peace.

An investigation will be conducted

by campus police into whether the use

of the weapon was appropriate.

O p i n i o n w a s d i v i d e d a m o n g

members of the forum.

One witness commented:

“I didn’t see a student resisting

arrest. I saw a student asking why he

was being dragged off the auditorium

like that”.

HELLO YOU.

Welcome to student impact

2007-2008! My name’s Jack and I’m

your Editor for this year.

I’m delighted to say that we’ve

got a cracking editorial team in place

this year, a fine blend of youth and

experience and of various writing

styles that should combine to make

the newspaper a big success.

The team is never comple te ,

however, and that’s where you come

in. impact is a real university

newspaper, written by students for

students, and we will never turn away

anyone who wants to help in any

capacity – be it writing, taking photos,

proof-reading, online or anything

else. We’re still looking for Deputy

Editors and regular contributors

for each section of the paper, but

there is no maximum or minimum

contribution you can make, so even

if you just want to write one article

on a subject that’s close to your heart,

please do so!

To meet the team and find out more

about how you can get involved, come

along to our first meeting, to be held

in Elements at 7pm on Monday the

1st of October.

In the meantime, keep an eye

out dur ing Freshers’ Week for

mintyFresh , impact’s daily

newsletter which will be packed with

the previous night’s stories, photos,

gossip and randomness.

Talking of Freshers’ Week, let’s

have a closer look at this first issue.

On the centre pages you’ll find all

the main events in what promises to

be one of the best times of your lives.

Freshers’ Week really is the ideal

chance to meet people, make friends

and take part in a whole range of new

and exciting activities – so get out

there and do it!

Elsewhere in the paper, look out

for some top-notch pieces from our

regular columnists Adam Luqmani,

Laura Scantlebury, Rosanna Pajak,

Amira Fathalla and the mysterious

Madame Soufflé.

Sports Editor Adrian Dalmedo and

our Ents man Phil Bloomfield have

also contributed colourful sections

to this week’s issue, both well worth

checking out – as is Features Editor

Josie Cox’s take on cultural Bath.

See you around.

People of Bath are “Nimbys”HEAVY CRITICISM has been levelled

at the ‘not in my backyard’ attitude

from the people of Bath in a bitter

article in the Sunday Observer.

Journalist Stephen Bayley laid into

the City’s supposed “virulent hatred of

all things modern”.

Mr Bayley’s own website proclaims

him to be “the second most intelligent

man in Britain”.

He is well known for his ‘black and

white’ approach to his commentary on

modern culture.

He pointed to a recent news item as

support for his argument:

Sir James Dyson, inventor of the

dual cyclone vacuum cleaner, has lost

the South Quay site of his planned

engineering college in Bath.

Bath and North East Somerset

Council (B&NES) sold the site to Bath

Spa University instead.

The South Quay site in Bath had

been earmarked for development

by B&NES for several years. Bath

Spa University and the James Dyson

Foundation were forerunners among

several organisations invited to bring

forward an exciting project to provide

training and education facilities, which

would contribute to B&NES’s ‘Vision

for Bath’.

Bayley claimed “Unfortunately, he

[Dyson] chose Bath, the World Heritage

site suffocating in its own wintry self-

regard.”

Originally intended to be opened in

September 2009, the Dyson School of

Design Innovation would “give young

people the skills they need to become

the UK’s future innovators.”

“...it is quite dull, but it is old. And that is what matters in Bath”

The college, which is still planned

to go ahead – provided an alternative

location is determined – would have

been a state school for 2500 pupils

aged 14-18.

It would have been the first school of

its kind in the UK.

A spokesperson for the Foundation

stated, “We’re currently investigating

other sites…in the South West.”

On the Stothert & Pitt cranemaker’s

works, an abandoned facade on the

South Quays site in Bath which would

have been affected by the proposed

developments, Bayley jeers:

“Save Britain’s Heritage said the

Victorian facade was ‘threatened’ by

Dyson’s proposal,” which he goes on

Adam LuqmaniDeputy [email protected] Children Stress Levels

Linked to Health

R E C E N T R E S E A R C H a t t h e

University Of Bath suggests that

children with high stress levels from

starting school are less likely to become

ill with a cold.

The research, led by Dr Julie

Turner-Cobb, a senior lecturer in the

Department of Psychology, looked at

levels of the stress hormone cortisol in

children starting school.

The team wanted to look at children’s

experiences of starting school and

examine how the stress of starting

school affects children’s behaviour,

learning and health.

Levels of cortisol were measured

at various points throughout the day

by collecting saliva samples in the

morning and evening at specific time

points.

The team found that levels of cortisol

rose at the start of term as expected, but

also discovered that the samples taken

several months before the children

started school were already high. These

levels then fell significantly when

measured six months later.

Children whose stress levels stayed

high throughout the day were more

likely to become ill during the school

holiday than during term.

This study provides the first scientific

evidence of the idea that people refer to

as ‘getting ill after the stress is over’.

Oxbridge Graduates Lack Job Preparation

A LEADING recruitment advisor

to multinational companies believes

students who attend universities other

than Oxford or Cambridge are better

prepared for interviews than their

‘Oxbridge’ counterparts.

Andy Gibb, previously head of

recruitment for the Royal Dutch Shell

group and director of International

Resourcing for Ernst and Young, attributes

this to the content of their degrees.

“Students from non-Oxbridge

universities are often better prepared and

do better at interview for their first job. In

part this is due to better preparation – their

courses often include business-style

presentations and case studies”.

He also puts their better performance

down to their focus on what organisations

are seeking, and criticises the Oxbridge

attitude: “At Oxbridge, the academic

regime often leads students to take an

academic approach to issues, endlessly

examining – but never deciding on a

course of action.”

to say “is quite dull, but it is old. And

that is what matters in Bath.”

“...a brainless, airless, lifeless pastiche of bogus classicism”

B a y l e y a l s o p o i n t e d t o t h e

demonstrations held by locals to save

Churchill House, and to planning

inspector Stephen Marks’ campaign

which successfully repelled a proposed

extension to the Holburne Museum.

He denounced the campaigners

as “nimbys, led by a superannuated

planner, demonstrating an obduracy

that reflected the ignorance of pigs”.

“...Bath, the World H e r i t a g e s i t e suffocating in its own wintry self-regard”

In his article, he suggested that the

City of Bath was “a brainless, airless,

lifeless pastiche of bogus classicism”.

Bath MP Don Foster said that there

was at least some merit in what Bayley

was saying; and agreed that the way

the Holburne had been treated deserved

criticism.

However, he commented that the

writer had failed to acknowledge the

city’s strong arts, culture and tourism

industries, or new development projects

like the Western Riverside.

News in Brief

BEIGE BATH: How much does the Georgian Heritage of Bath mean to you?

MONDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2007 IMPACT 3

News

1 in 5 England Students Expected to Drop OutDavid KennawayPhoto [email protected]

A RECENT report by the National Audit

Office (NAO) shows a fifth of students in

England will not complete their course.

The report shows that 28,000 students

who started courses in 2004-05 did not go

on to do a second year.

Drop-out reasons are usually a mix of

institution, course related and financial,

though the most common are personal

reasons.

The report states, “Homesickness is

thought to be a common cause of very

early withdrawal, especially among

young women and students from rural

areas”.

Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO,

commented “Compared to most other

countries, a high proportion of students

in higher education are successfully

completing their courses. This is a good

achievement at a time when higher

education is being opened up to more

students. But variations in retention rates

between higher education institutions

indicate that retention could be increased

further, bringing major benefits to the

extra students who would complete their

studies, and more value to the taxpayer

and the economy from the public funds

expended on higher education.”

In addition, certain students are more

likely to continue their course than

others; a full-time student with three

A levels at grade A is more likely to

continue than a similar student with two

A levels at grade D.

A full-time, first-degree student is

more likely to continue their studies into

a second year than a similar part-time

student.

The report also shows a drop in

applications to universities in 2006, when

the new fees where introduced, though

they recovered for 2007 applications.

Overall applications continue to rise:

United Kingdom students entering via

UCAS increased from 332,000 in 2002-03

to 346,000 in 2006-07.

In the same period there have been

small changes in the subjects studied.

Subjects such as medicine and the

creative arts have seen an increase

in accepted applications, while there

has been reductions in Mathematics,

Computer Science and engineering.

holders both directly and via the

National Union of Students (NUS),

we have taken the decision to freeze

interest charging on 2007 graduates’

overdrafts up to £1500, and refund any

interest charged in August. We are

also pleased that we will be working

with the NUS to enhance our new

account offer so that it fully reflects

the needs of recent graduates”.

The National Union of Students said

a campaign organised on Facebook, to

which thousands of students signed

up, made all the difference to the

protest.

Plans are still going ahead to charge

interest on the overdrafts of students

graduating this year.

However there is the option of

avoiding interest on their overdrafts

by opening a Premium account at a

fee of nearly £120 per year.

HSBC HAS reversed plans to scrap

interest-free overdraft for students

who graduated last year.

T h e m u l t i n a t i o n a l b a n k h a d

previously planned to become the first

high street bank to scrap interest-free

overdrafts for university leavers by

charging new graduates 9.9% APR.

For those students using their full

overdraft of £1500, this would cost

over £140 a year or around £12 per

month in interest.

“ . . . a c a m p a i g n o r g a n i s e d o n Facebook, to which thousands of students signed up, made all the difference...”

Other high street banks traditionally

allow new graduates a three-year

interest-free period on their student

overdrafts, to give them time to clear

the balance.

Andy Ripley, HSBC’s head of

product development, stated “Like

any service-orientated business, we

are not too big to listen to the needs

of our customers. Following the

feedback from our graduate account

David KennawayPhoto [email protected]

HSBC has 2007 Graduates’ Best Interests at Heart

“Compared to most other countries, a high proportion of students in higher education are successfully completing their courses.”

4 IMPACT MONDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2007

Scant’s Regard: Baggage AllowanceEvery issue Laura Scantlebury reports on the perils of spending a year abroad in France. That’s if they’ll let her enter the country in the fi rst place...

IT IS Bristol airport, just before

midday. A stressed, wild-haired 21

year-old arrives at the check-in desk,

fumbling with a folder bursting with

paper as she attempts to extract her

passport and tickets without emptying

the entire contents onto the tiled floor.

For once, she succeeds. She hands the

documents over, before turning her

attention to two large suitcases, which

she heaves onto the conveyor belt next

to the desk. A screen with red digits on

flickers to life, and the passenger eyes

it nervously: first 11, then 12, 13, 14kg

flashes up. She waits with bated breath

as the figure creeps higher, and it is a

moment of jubilation when the number

finally rests on 20kg exactly. That is

20.00kg. No more, no less.

Well, it went something like that

anyway. When faced with the prospect

of packing for my year abroad I hardly

jumped for joy, especially when to

my dismay I discovered that I would

have to limit my possessions to only

20kg. Would it be possible, or would

I end up bankrupted by excess baggage

charges? Even if it meant removing

items from my suitcases at the check-in

desk, it was imperative that I avoided

the latter.

My list of items to take to France

dwindled – did I really need a vast

and exciting range of hair products?

(Answer: heart - yes; head - definitely

not.) As for shoes, boots were of course

out of the question, but trainers… well,

it’s not as though I ever do any sport.

Once my things had been whittled

down to the barest minimum, it was

still doubtful that I would be within

the 20kg baggage allowance. Cue

the entrance of the kitchen scales,

as in desperation my mother and I

resorted to weighing everything from

pillowcases to handbags and travel

mirrors, rejecting a towel of 700g in

favour of another that weighed 699g.

After all, every gram counts.

There were two main consequences

of this stringent selection process.

Firstly, I ended up with a collection of

the most worn-out, raggedy linen in

Provence, because a threadbare sheet

naturally weighs less than a new one.

More significantly, after spending the

first couple of days scrounging shower

gel from my flatmate, I realised could

no longer put off a visit to the wondrous

French hypermarche and purchase the

goods I was lacking. The hypermarche,

or centre commercial, is the offspring

produced when a supermarket is

crossed with a shopping mall. It sells

absolutely everything, but you have

to be willing to dedicate an afternoon

to trailing from one side of the shop to

the other in order to locate the specific

objects you desire.

With steely determination I did just

that, so thanks to the French centre

commercial I am now fully kitted out

– in spite of the baggage allowance

– and I feel ready to embark on my year

abroad, ready to launch myself into

French life with confidence.

Besides, if I can manage to reduce

my necessary belongings to 20kg

– exactly 20kg – I can do anything.

EACH WEEK I’ll be providing a little

light-hearted insight into a small corner

of the internet. It could be claimed that

filling a university paper with internet

crap is a cop-out… and that any educated

monkey can copy/paste from a Googled-

up joke website.

Have faith. I want to make it my

goal to aim for the creme de la creme

of the funny, useful, informative, well-

designed and inventive pages that lurk

out there, and that are relevant to us, the

students of the University of Bath.

We begin this week with a double-bill

of absolute staples for a 2007 student.

www.wikipedia.org

Firstly, I look at one the real

established favourites among students

in recent years, Wikipedia. In essence,

the site is simple. It is an online

collaborative encyclopaedia which

can be accessed by everyone with an

internet connection, and edited by

anyone with a (free) account. Users

can log on and create an article on

any subject, imparting all of their own

worldly knowledge out of the goodness

of their hearts.

Founded in January 2001 by Jimmy

Wales and Larry Sanger, the scale

of Wikipedia is monumental. As of

September 2007, Wikipedia has 8.2

million articles in 253 languages. It is

roughly fifteen times larger than the

longest printed edition of Encyclopaedia

Britannica.

The real strength of Wikipedia

is its sheer vastness. It is a popular

source of information for academic

study, for most subjects useful for

school homework way up to university

dissertations and research.

There are two large points of concern

with the website. Firstly, there is the

problem of accuracy – how do you

know that information you are reading

up on Celestial Mechanics is correct,

when you don’t know who added it? It

could have been written by a wizened

professor of astrology, or a 13-year

old girl from Berwick-Upon-Tweed

– but when you don’t know anything

about the subject; how are you to tell

them apart?

Secondly, and similarly, critics of

Wikipedia are quick to point out that

the ‘open nature’ of the website lends

itself easily to so-called vandalism;

where ill-meaning individuals spend a

couple of minutes deliberately inputting

inaccurate information. While almost

all such entries are corrected almost

immediately, some are not. One such

case being the Seigenthaler controversy,

where false information was added to

a biography which falsely implicated

journalist and writer John Seigenthaler

in the assassination of former American

President John F Kennedy. This stayed

as a ‘fact’ for over four months until it

was discovered and corrected.

As Wikipedia has grown, so has the

appeal of vandalism. It has become

almost an institution among some users

to add “plausible misinformation” to

pages, for humorous intent. Ironically,

the articles on Wikipedia about

vandalism are among the most heavily

targeted articles.

www.uncyclopedia.org

This brings us nicely to the second

featured site for this week. Since

January 2005, there has been a

‘twisted sister’ of Wikipedia called

Uncyclopedia. This site is a haven

where remarkably intelligent and

dedicated individuals waste their

time completely by writing made-up

entries and news stories purely for

the amusement of themselves and

other like-minded people – and very

funny it is too. Ranging from satirical

parodies and spoof headlines (“O.J.

Simpson to replace Alberto Gonzales

as U.S. attorney general”) to the

downright dark (“HowTo: Hotwire a

Uterus”), I really rate Uncyclopedia

for a guaranteed laugh and great

conversation starter.

Internet IntermissionDeputy Editor Adam Luqmani’s regular look at the weird and the wonderful on the World Wide Web. This week: a student favourite and a timewaster’s dream.


Regulars

ARRR WARS: An offering of irreverent wisdom from Uncyclopedia, currently celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day.

WE HAVE LIFT OFF: hope those bags aren’t too heavy

Studious Pigs Wallowing in Cultural City of BathFeatures Editor Josie Cox takes a light-hearted look at the cultural heritage of your new home city. ALTHOUGH MANY of you shed

a customary tear when your parents

wearily left the campus after hauling

your stuff into what now counts as

your home, you know that the prospect

of the first week of uni was enough to

cut the umbilical cord weeks ago.

Admit i t: when you received

your letter of acceptance from the

Unquestionable Cold-blooded All-

knowing Superpower (UCAS), you

already began to fantasise about the

liberty of being in control of your own

lives; answerable to no one, aside from

your alcohol tolerance and your bank

account (granted, the law probably

deserves a mention too). You probably

already began to envision the pub

crawls and socials that would pepper

your new life as that wild untamed

species commonly referred to as a

Fresher.

It is almost an understatement

to say that Freshers’ Week offers a

plethora of events. I cannot deny the

vivid memories of watching hundreds

of people gravitating towards the

Sport Hall wearing makeshift beach

outfits, togas and ball-gowns. I

contend that this year, what is titled

The Silent Disco, will probably prove

to be somewhat of an extravagant

experiment. Whether voluntary or

not, Bierkeller will indubitably expose

hidden characteristic traits in one

or two of you, and memories of the

momentous Freshers’ Week closing

party will hopefully last longer than

the dull ache that may inconspicuously

nestle itself between your eyes, come

the next morning.

But, no matter how fervently

you have striven to comply with

the archetypical image of a perfect

grandchild in the past, there is no

way you can tell granny that the thing

you appreciate most about Bath is the

assortment of alcoholic beverages

available in the pubs. (OK, you may

be able to, but not without risking

her disowning you or suffering a

premature coronary arrest). And as we

all know, granny indeed always knows

best: there is more to Bath than booze,

babes and drunkenly being carted

back to campus on the Big Orange

Bus at 3am.

I’m afraid I can’t claim to be an

exception when I say that most people

don’t prioritise the cultural sites

of Bath on their list of things to do

during Freshers’ Week. In my defence

however, before leaving for summer,

I had managed to allocate time in

my oh-so-busy schedule to visit the

Roman Baths and Pump Room, Bath

Abbey and the Holburne Museum of

Art. Additionally, I endured the brief

but arduous (and slightly unplanned)

climb up to the Royal Crescent and

The Circus. Of course it was purely

coincidental that I decided to venture

to the Royal Crescent after being told

that Johnny Depp owns house number

7 up there. Pure chance. No sarcasm

intended.

So are the cultural sites of Bath

really worthy of your coveted Freshers’

Week time? Obviously, with regard to

the fact that it was awarded the status

of UNESCO World Heritage Site,

somebody thinks they are. Let’s start

with the Roman Baths. The Baths were

built in the middle of the 1st Century

AD, shortly after the Roman conquest,

and soon became one of the major

therapeutic centres of the West. To

explore their origins we must go back

a few more centuries, allowing us to

come across the charming eldest son of

the legendary King Lud. He went by

the sonorous name of Bladud.

Allegedly poor old Bladud was

unfortunate enough to contract

leprosy and (as the NHS wasn’t

quite as principled back then) he was

subsequently banished to Swainswick

to become a pig farmer. The pigs

being his only companions, it isn’t

really surprising that Bladud soon

noticed that they had a bizarre habit

of rolling around in the thick mud

of the marsh, fed by a bountiful

hot spring. Upon closer inspection

he noticed that the mud seemed to

have cleared up the pig’s scurvy.

Convinced that it therefore must have

extraordinary healing properties, he

promptly immersed himself in it. His

leprosy soon disappeared, providing a

confirmation of his hypothesis. This

ingenious discovery was enough to

grant Bladud the status of King. As a

sign of celebration, he built a temple

by the hot spring. The city of Bath

was born.

So what have we learned? History

may actually repeat itself. Bath used

to offer a place for pigs to wallow in

the muck. It now provides a place for

students to… study… hard.

On a different note, I managed to

squeeze in a visit to the Roman Baths

on my last day before going home

for summer. As a loather of large

crowds, I naively assumed that a

Tuesday afternoon would be a rather

tourist-free time. I was quickly proven

wrong by the hoards of earsplitting

French school kids who seemed to

have taken over the whole complex,

the gift shop included. I spent a liberal

five seconds considering taking an

audio guide before deciding against

it. Retrospectively I am glad that I did.

I think that the whines and screeches

resonating from the mouths of the

hundreds of youngsters would not have

been an advantageous accompaniment

to the rambling information about

Aquae Sulis and the like.

In conclus ion , the Baths are

definitely worth a visit, even if it’s

just to max out your privileges of

being a student: students have free

entry. If you tend to have a bit of a

fetish for ruins and Roman antiques,

you may find that this is just your

element. From the point of view of

a person who tends to get bored by

ruins rather quickly, though, I would

recommend that you shouldn’t plan

to spend more than an hour and a half

to explore the site. There is a lot to

see, but in my opinion there is only so

much information about Roman ruins

that you can absorb. Go on a rainy

afternoon while trying to alleviate a

hangover, enjoy a coffee in the square

afterwards, check out the rather art-

nouveau bathroom facilities; but

if you try to dodge the tourists, be

aware that your chances of success are

virtually nil.

Aside from the Roman Baths, the

Abbey is the other structure which

not even the most culturally oblivious

student can overlook. The Abbey AQUAE SULIS: why the long face? Photo: David Kennaway

THE BATHS: I prefer showers, myself Photo: David Kennaway

“ T h e B a t h s a r e definitely worth a visit, even if it’s just to max out your privileges of being a student.”

has towered over Bath since 1499,

contemporarily being one of the last

great medieval churches of England.

The imposing front wall dramatically

depicts the dream of the Abbey’s

founder, Bishop Oliver King, to

demolish the ruined Norman cathedral

and erect the present building on its

foundations. Although it took me up

until Christmas to find time to peek

inside, it was positively worth it. If

you are only planning a single visit

to the colossal church, my advice is

to attend the annual candle-lit carol

service which takes place around the

first week of advent. I’m sure it could

have rather stirring effects, even on the

atheists amongst us.

Hopefully offering you a little

taste of what can be explored in the

City of Bath, I will now leave you

to immerse yourself in the lunacy of

Freshers’ Week. Enjoy your freedom,

respect your limits and don’t worry

if the cultural sites are not your

main concern during your first week.

Bearing in mind that most of them have

been around for a couple of hundred

years, something tells me that they

probably won’t spontaneously vanish

anytime soon.


Features

CAPRICORN (DEC 22 - JAN 20)

You are goat-like. You’re an amazing

mountaineer and you eat anything.

AQUARIUS (JAN 21 - FEB 19)

Aquarians can breathe underwater.

PISCES (FEB 20 - MAR 20)

Pisceans, despite being fish, cannot

breathe underwater. You have a bad

memory and make a dull pet.

ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 20)

Your animal is the ram. You head butt

people and knock down locked doors.

TAURUS (APR 21 - MAY 21)

You are the bull, angered by the

colour red and killed by Spaniards

everywhere.

GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUN 22)

You have an identical twin. One of

you is evil and will attempt to destroy

the world.

CANCER (JUN 23 - JUL 23)

You are like a crab in that you walk

sideways all the time, even when it is

inappropriate.

LEO (JUL 24 - AUG 23)

The Lion is your animal. Your uncle will

kill your father to gain his thrown.

VIRGO (AUG 24 - SEP 23)

You’re a woman and a virgin. You need

to get laid.

LIBRA (SEP 24 - OCT 23)

Your sign is a set of scales. That kind of

sucks really. If all the signs had a fight yours

won’t win but it may tip the balance.

SCORPIO (OCT 24 - NOV 22)

Like a scorpion. Duh. You are poisonous

and others think that you’re prone to

suicide.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23 - DEC 21)

Sagittarians don’t exist.

GREETINGS FROM the heavens, my star children. I am Madame Soufflé and

I will traverse the astral planes and helicopters in order to guide you through the

year. There are only twelve kinds of person in the universe; to begin the year I have

compiled a brief summary of what it means to belong to each sign.

HOROSCOPE

Madame Soufflé


Features

IN THIS first term of a new year at

Uni, many of us will be bumping into

old friends in the Parade, recognising

a flatmate’s ex in the library, or

noticing that someone we just met

in our halls is struggling through the

same lecture.

It’s an essential skill that we take for

granted as we do it almost constantly,

but our brain is continuously working

to recognise faces.

Research has shown that humans

can remember up to 10,000 faces.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the more

attractive the face, the easier it is to

recognise. Wouldn’t you find it easier

to recognise that hot guy from your

course than the other ninety-nine?

Thirty-five years after leaving school,

people have proved able to identify

90% of their classmates, and we are

often able to recognise someone even

if we haven’t bumped into them for

ten years or more.

Yet would you recognise your best

mate’s arm? Your girlfriend’s hand?

What is it about faces that allow us to

recognise them instantly, even those

of people we barely know?

Facial recognition is one of the

most difficult visual tasks humans

perform, a truly amazing skill because

human faces are essentially so similar.

The vast majority of people we meet

have eyes, a nose, a mouth, a chin,

cheeks… the differences from person

to person are really very subtle. Yet we

somehow manage to tell people apart,

even if they are of similar colouring,

siblings with similar features, or even

twins, within a matter of seconds.

Experts have known for some time

that there is something special about

faces that draws us to look at them,

and this may be the key to our special

recognition ability. An old 1960s

classic of a psychology experiment,

by Robert Fantz, found that a two-

month-old baby looked twice as much

at a picture of a face than it looked at

a bullseye image, and a psychologist

called Hunt found that by three months

old, babies can tell the difference

between members of their family.

Research has shown that it is the

hair, face outline, eyes and mouth that

are most important for our recognition

of a face – bizarrely, the nose is almost

always ignored. But how exactly do

we do it? A team at the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology has focused

on a brain region called the fusiform

face area (FFA). They discovered

that the FFA was not activated when

the volunteers looked at pictures of

houses, suggesting that it is indeed

specific for faces. They also worked

out that it was the face as a whole

that was recognised, rather than the

individual features or the relative

spacing of these features.

H o w e v e r , o t h e r s a r g u e t h a t

facial recognition is more complex.

One in teres t ing exper iment by

psychologists at The Institute of

Neurology at University College

London used sophisticated scanning

equipment to monitor the brains of

volunteers while they watched Marilyn

Monroe morph into Margaret Thatcher

and then Pierce Brosnan turn into the

Prime Minister (the random things us

students will do for money!).

They pinpointed the three parts of

the brain that are activated during

facial recognition. One area studies

the physical aspects, one identifies

the face as known or unknown, and

the third retrieves the name or other

facts linked to that face. The right

fusiform gyrus, located just behind the

ears, lit up when volunteers looked at a

somewhat changed face and compared

what they saw to stored memories.

The inferior occipital gyri, located at

the back of the brain, were sensitive

to slight physical changes in the

morphed faces. The anterior temporal

cortex became more active when the

volunteers knew their celebrity well,

but remained inactive if they failed to

recognise them at all.

That s tudy helps explain that

familiar nagging feeling of being able

to recognise a face, even if you cannot

place them – recognising an actor in

a film but not knowing where from,

seeing somebody in a club but finding

it impossible to remember exactly how

you know them. One part of our brain

immediately tells us we have seen

that configuration of facial features

somewhere before, but another part

struggles to retrieve more information,

especially if the sweet innocent boy

you went to primary school with is

now dancing not-so-innocently with

your best friend…

Another difficulty our brains come

up against is known as the cross-race

recognition deficit – the problems

people of one racial group have

recognising faces from another racial

group. A new research finding by

Kent State University suggests that

the information we see when looking

at the face of a person of another

race is information that allows us

to classify that person as White or

Black, not information which allows

us to individualise that person, such

as the colour of their eyes or shape of

their nose.

It seems that in completing such a

complex task so many hundreds of

times a day, our brains do sometimes

let us down. Copious amounts of

a lcohol dur ing Freshers’ Week

probably doesn’t help it either… so

when you experience that feeling of

horror, seeing someone you swear

you’ve never laid eyes on before

running over to greet you in the Plug,

forgive your poor tired brain – 10,000

is a lot of faces.

Recognition Beyond Face ValueIn her first article, Psychology student Rosanna Pajak examines an overlooked skill.

1 clove garlic, crushed or finely

chopped

4 mushrooms, sliced

Olive oil and butter for cooking

For the sauce:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

½ stock cube

½ cup cream and/or milk (use more

flour if using milk)

Finely chopped parsley (optional)

1. Boil pasta in boiling salted water

according to packet instructions. (You

could add a few small broccoli florets

three minutes before the pasta is done).

While pasta is cooking, heat up a tbsp

of olive oil and a tbsp of butter in a non-

SO YOU’VE just moved in and your

bank account is struggling with tuition

fees, rent and the prospect of several

consecutive nights out. Well, don’t

starve yourself, we’ll provide you with

an array of delightful meals to keep

your taste buds happy without hurting

your wallet. The ingredients will cost

just £2 total per one-person portion,

and no complicated haute cuisine-style

techniques will be needed.

This week, try this easy chicken and

mushroom pasta in a creamy sauce.

Serves 1

100g pasta of your choice, preferably

fusilli or penne

1 chicken breast, diced, seasoned with

salt and pepper

Tea for Two Quidstick frying pan, turn up the heat and

add the seasoned chicken pieces. Tip:

as long as the chicken’s not sticking to

the pan, stir it as little as possible to let

it brown.

2. Once the chicken pieces are

almost done through, add the garlic and

mushrooms. Sieve the pasta and keep in

the colander, then (in the same saucepan

if it’s non-stick – less washing-up!)

gently heat the butter. Add the half

stock cube and mash it up a bit, then

slowly sprinkle in some flour. Pour in

cream and/or milk and stir on low heat.

When the sauce has thickened, stir in the

pasta, chicken, mushrooms and garlic.

3. Sprinkle on some finely chopped

parsley and grated cheese if you want.

Enjoy!

Amira Fathalla’s regular food column.

DO YOU RECOGNISE THIS MAN: Use your fusiform gyrus

impactstudent


be part of

open meeting,monday 1st october,

7pm, elements


Freshers’ Week 2007Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Freshers’ Week 2007. The traditional curtain-raiser to your university life is an ideal opportunity to kick off your student days in style, and this year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever. There are a shedload of activities timetabled for every day of the week, the best of which we have compiled into this handy pull-out guide. To liven up proceedings, we’ve allocated Freshers’ Week points to each event, so put a tick beside each activity you attended and, at the end of the week, tot up your points to see how you fared using our guide below. And don’t forget to look out for mintyFresh every day, where we will feature all the stories, photos, quotes, gossip and randomness from the previous day’s revelry. Good luck, and happy Freshers’ Week!

Friday 28th September

10am-4pm Commercial Fair, Founders Sports Hall – 2 points10am-5pm Poster sale, Main Parade – 1 point11am-3:30pm Dog walking, Bath Cats & Dogs Home – 2 points5:30pm-8pm Elements of Laughter Comedy Night, Elements – 5 points8pm Film Night – Ocean’s 13, Arts Lecture Theatre – 3 points9pm Rugby World Cup: England v Tonga, Elements and Plug Bar – 2 points9pm-2am The Oscars Ball, Founders Sports Hall – 10 points

Saturday 29th September

11am-1pm Dog walking, Bath Cats & Dogs Home – 2 points11:15am-5:15pm City Sightseeing Bus tours, main campus bus stop – 2 points12pm onwards Arts Day, campuswide – 2 points12:45 and 5:15pm Live Premiership Football, Plug Bar and Elements – 1 point each12:30pm-3:30pm Backstage technical services workshop, Founders Sports Hall – 2 points1pm onwards Sports Day, campuswide – 3 points2:30pm Historic walk of Bath, outside Chez Gerard – 2 points7pm-9pm Karaoke, Elements – 5 points if participating, otherwise 1 point8pm Film Night – Hot Fuzz, Arts Lecture Theatre – 3 points9pm Rugby World Cup: Scotland v Italy, Elements and Plug Bar – 1 point9pm-2am Freshers’ Week Closing Party – Smurf World Record Attempt, Founders Sports Hall

– 10 points (plus 5-point bonus for dressing as a smurf)

Sunday 30th September

8:30am Paintballing, Delta Force Bristol – 4 points11am Ikea trip, Bristol – 2 points11am-1pm Dog walking, Bath Cats & Dogs Home – 2 points11:15am-5:15pm City Sightseeing Bus tours, main campus bus stop – 2 points2pm-7pm Console gaming event, 3E 2.1 – 2 points3pm, 5pm and 8pm Rugby World Cup: France v Georgia, Ireland v Argentina, South Africa v USA,

Plug Bar and Elements – 1 point each6pm International students Welcome Evening, Chaplaincy – 2 points8pm-10pm Pool Competition, Plug Bar – 4 points8pm-1am Salsa Night, Claverton Rooms – 4 points8:30pm Latin and ballroom taster, Level One Café – 3 points8pm-10pm Pub Quiz, Elements and Plug Bar – 6 points

Tuesday 25th September

10am-6pm Wristband issuing, Elements – 1 point10am-6pm Kitchen group tours, campuswide – 1 point10am-5pm Poster sale, Main Parade – 1 point10:30am-12pm Vice Chancellor speech & Unismart presentation, Founders Sports Hall – 2 points11am-3:30pm Dog walking, Bath Cats & Dogs Home – 2 points1pm-5pm Tours of town, main campus bus stop – 2 points2pm-3:30pm Vice Chancellor speech & Unismart presentation, Founders Sports Hall – 2 points5pm-8pm Coffee Shop, Plug Bar – 1 point8pm Rugby World Cup: Romania v Portugal, Plug Bar and Elements – 1 point8pm Film night – Babel, Arts Lecture Theatre – 3 points8pm-12am Bar Footsie, Elements and Plug Bar – 4 points9pm-2am Launch Night, Founders Sports Hall – 10 points

Wednesday 26th September

8:30am-10:30am Free big breakfast, Chaplaincy – 2 points10am-5pm Wristband issuing, Plug Bar – 1 point11am-3:30pm Dog walking, Bath Cats & Dogs Home – 2 points1pm-5pm Tours of town, main campus bus stop – 2 points5pm-8pm Coffee Shop, Plug Bar – 1 point6pm & 8pm Rugby World Cup: Georgia v Namibia and Samoa v USA, Plug Bar – 1 point each6pm-10pm Global Group Welcome Party, Elements – 3 points8pm Film Night – 300, Arts Lecture Theatre – 3 points10pm-2am 411 Freshers’ Week Special – African Caribbean Society, Elements – 6 points9pm-2am Toga Party, Founders Sports Hall – 10 points

Thursday 27th September

10am-5pm Poster sale, Main Parade – 1 point11am-5pm Inflatables, Archery Field – 4 points11am-3:30pm Dog walking, Bath Cats & Dogs Home – 1 point2pm-6pm Snowboard simulation & BBQ, Amphitheatre – 3 points5pm-7pm Music and performances, Main Parade – 3 points5pm-8pm Coffee Shop, Plug Bar – 1 point7pm, 8pm and 9pm Bierkeller, Elements – 6 points8pm Film Night – Smokin’ Aces, Arts Lecture Theatre – 3 points10pm-2am Silent Disco, Elements – 8 points9pm-2am Beach Party, Founders Sports Hall – 10 points

How did you do?0-25 points – Come on, you can do better than that! University is a great opportunity to get out there, meet new people and try new things; it’s not all work, work, work!26-50 points – A worthy effort, but a little diversification of your interests is still recommended. Go on, walk a dog or sing some karaoke; you know you want to.51-75 points – Well done for being an active, lively fresher. You have sampled a good taste of university life and are hopefully hungry for more.76-100 points – A fine effort. You are a well-rounded fresher with a great ability to pick and choose the events that interest you. See you around.101-125 points – Triple figures! Good job… but can you keep up this frenetic partying pace for the whole year?126-150 points – An excellent score; give yourself a huge pat on the back, then go and have a well-deserved rest.151-175 points – The term ‘party animal’ was invented for you. You are extremely versatile, ready to try your hand at almost anything. Just don’t forget to turn up to

your lectures once in a while.176-200 points – You possess the superhuman ability to be in more than one place at the same time, so you are probably some kind of time-travelling super-robot sent

to kill us all. You also like doing the same thing over and over again.

Don’t forget to visit the Societies Fair at some point be-tween 4pm and 7pm on Monday the 1st, as well as the Sports Clubs Fair the next day from 4pm until 8pm. Both events take place in the Founders Sports Hall.


Arts

A WARM welcome to those who have

just arrived at the University, and

indeed to those who are returning.

My name is Tom Newman and I am

the Student Union’s Arts Officer

for 2007/08. As Arts Officer, I act

as a representative of all of the arts

societies within the SU, and alongside

the Arts Executive I work closely

with both the SU and ICIA to ensure

the best possible arts provision is

available here at Bath.

We have a thriving arts scene

here, and things are only going to

get better; in particular, construction

will begin this academic year on a

brand-new, multi-million pound arts

complex, and student participation in

the arts has been rapidly on the rise in

recent years.

I’ l l be featuring on this page

r e g u l a r l y , o f f e r i n g a p e r s o n a l

perspective of the arts on campus

in Bath. You can also check out the

Arts Union page on BathStudent for

further details on what’s happening as

part of the arts scene here at Bath.

This Saturday’s Arts Afternoon

promises an opportunity to see what

the SU arts societies here have to offer

(plus a BBQ!). I’ll be there, along

with the other arts reps to answer any

questions you may have.

I look forward to seeing you

there!

New Arts ManIN JULY 2007 Bath University Student

Theatre (BUST) embarked upon a

unique journey, taking a production

of Kafka’s The Trial to two fringe

festivals.

Our experience in Buxton was

interesting; our accommodation

consisted of an old farmhouse located

in the heart of the Peak District,

surrounded by rolling hills, green

fields and plenty of sheep. The ten

of us shared this quaint abode for

just under a fortnight. Our venue in

Buxton itself was an infants’ school;

perhaps not the obvious location for

a production as dark as The Trial,

but it was wonderful little space. We

performed for four nights in Buxton,

after which we were nominated for the

award of ‘best drama production’ by

the fringe committee.

We then exchanged peaks for punts

as we travelled to Cambridge. The

beautiful architecture, accompanied

by some unusually nice weather,

made our three days in this city

very enjoyable. We delivered three

performances in a more traditional

theatre space, and though audience

numbers were small (and indeed there

was no evidence that a fringe festival

was even taking place), we had a great

time nonetheless.

Many of those involved in this tour

have now left us, having graduated.

I hope that it was a final university

experience that they will treasure. I

would like to thank dearly the BUST

committees of the past two years

who helped to make this activity a

reality, and also the ICIA and the

Alumni Fund, each of whom provided

invaluable assistance.

BUST BoomingTom NewmanArts Officer

First Rehearsals, Workshops and Auditions:Orchestra – 1 Oct, 7pm, Studio 1, ICIA

Arts Complex

Orchestra Wood Wind Auditions – 5 Oct,

2.15pm, Studio 1, ICIA Arts Complex

GASP – 2 Oct, 1.15pm, Wessex House

Lecture Theatre 1

Lifted Auditions – 3 Oct, 1.15pm, Studio

1, ICIA Arts Complex

Wind Band – 2 Oct, 5.30pm, Studio 1, ICIA

Arts Complex

Chamber Choir Auditions – 2 Oct,


Samba Drumming and Dance – 2 Oct,

7.45pm, Chaplaincy Centre

Choral Society – 3 Oct, 7.30pm, 5 West

2.3

The Alley Barbers – 4 Oct, 1.15pm, Hall

Music Room

Student Musicals Society – 4 Oct, 7.30pm,

Studio 1, ICIA Arts Complex

Salsa – 7 Oct, 12pm, Level 1 Cafe

Student Dance Society – 7 Oct, 1pm, ICIA

Arts Theatre

DJ Skills – 9 Oct, 6.30pm, 1 West 2.7

BUBBA Big Band – 10 Oct, 7.30pm, Studio

1, ICIA Arts Complex

Rhythm Section Auditions – 3 Oct,


Student Theatre Society – 10 Oct, 7.30pm,

ICIA Arts Theatre

Ruthless BUSMS On Show in BathEIGHT YEAR old Tina is a parent’s

worst nightmare! She knows she was

born to play Pippi Longstocking in

her school show and is prepared to do

anything to win the part…

A musical farce, Ruthless is fast and

furious, combining The Bad Seed, All

About Eve, Gypsy and nearly every

other classic story of stage mothers and

precocious daughters. This hilarious spoof

of a musical is full of wacky characters and

riotous numbers, and is a telling tale of the

dangers of wild ambition.

A must-see musical and a fantastic way

to see the type of thing you can get involved

in throughout your time at the University

of Bath.

Get involved… the musical theatre

society (BUSMS) meets every Thursday,

7.30pm-9.30pm, Studio 1, ICIA Arts

Complex.

Bath University Student Musicals Society presents RuthlessFri 5 – Sat 6 Oct, 7.30pmICIA Arts TheatreTickets: £5 BUSU, available from the ICIA Box Office (1 East 2.1)

Tom

Live Preview: Foals @Bristol Thekla 8/10/07THE AGIT pop oddballs bring their brand of superbly wonky disco meets the Discord back catalogue to Bristol’s rockingest boat. Fresh from an appearance on Skins, they return to the Uk to promote their as yet untitled Dave Sitek-produced album. Expect health threatening levels of body popping and indie boy dancing. And watch out for the Impact Editors drunkenly getting down at the front. Miss at your peril.Live Preview: Frank Turner & Jonah Matranga @ The Croft, Bristol 26/9/07THE FORMER Million Dead man and the former Far man tour the UK. Venue-sized singalongs and honest heartfelt lyricism from the former: just don’t expect him to play any Million Dead songs for you. Just hope that Jonah plays his Deftones approved cover of Be Quiet And Drive. But don’t mess with him, he delights in taking down hecklers. For £8, this is a bargain.NOW BOOKING: Queens Of The Stone Age, Bristol Academy 1/12/07OH MY. This editor’s favourite band hit the UK for a full tour in support of recent album Era Vulgaris. Expect a greatest hits set of epic proportions, remplete with monolithic improvisation sessions by one of the most technically able and brilliant bands to ever have the ‘rock’ tag stuck on them. Well worth the £20 ticket.Film Preview: SuperbadDirector: Greg MottolaNow ShowingFRESH FROM the set of Knocked Up, Seth Rogen writes and cameos in what on paper sounds like a mediocre American teen comedy. But this is Rogen after all, and the magic of Superbad is not in the originality of its plot, but rather in its brilliant execution and snappy dialogue. Starring onetime Arrested Development star Michael Cera as a high school loser intent on making it with the ladies, Superbad will provide crass jokes and embarrassingly funny sex scenes with a deliciously warmhearted edge. Highly recommended, and not just for bringing the word ‘macking’ back into slang vocabulary.

Philip BloomfieldEntertainments Co-Editor

A WARM welcome from impact to a new year of sounds, sights and more pre-deadline stress for us co-editors. Yes, within five minutes of arriving back in the office, all the fun and joy of summer nearly evaporated when we saw how long we had to write and edit an ENTIRE NEWSPAPER SECTION! But never fear, we have a great year ahead of us, and a great summer behind us. Over the next few issues regular readers will be seeing some changes: Firstly we’ve added a brand spanking new preview section to let you keep your ears to the ground and your eyes on the ball about what’s happening and when in Bath and Bristol. ‘Cause we care that much. We’ll be adding more things over the next few issues, and we’d love any feedback or comments you have, send them to [email protected].

Back to the real business. These next few issues will be partially devoted to washing our hands of the booze-sodden memories of summer festivals. This week we bring you mammoth metalhead fest and spiritual home of rock; Download, along with the annual trance and rave junkie’s mecca: Global Gathering. All kinds of awesome, basically. Filmwise, we take a sneaky peak at the new Simon Pegg and Dylan Moran vehicle Run, Fat

Tired and Very Tested

Boy, Run. It’s directed by Ross from Friends, y’know. And of course, there’s a smattering of new singles including a scorching candidate for Single of the Year from LCD Soundsystem. We get nasty and say some bad things about certain bands. Naughty. We also look at two summer albums: veteran welsh what-the-hell-were-they-on-when-they-made-this-record popsters Super Furry Animals, and the ‘difficult’ second album from mouthy Tamil M.I.A. I had more fun than should reaosnably be had in an office finding racy pictures of her to place

Album:KalaM.I.AOut NowXL SRI LANKAN/LONDONER Maya Arulpragasam, had a big task on her hands in making the follow up to her 2005, mercury nominated, banger of a debut ‘Arular’. With a new fluoro-glam look, complete with the sort of flashing animations on her myspace page that would appeal to even the least open minded of ‘nu ravers’, slicker production, and big name friends, including serial collaborator Timbaland, Kala seems to be aimed at widening her fan-base out of the realms of those ‘in the know’.

M.I.A takes the listener on a sampletastic journey from India, with Bollywood inspired beats (see ‘Jimmy’), to Australia with didgeridoo laced rhymes (‘Mango Pickle Down River’), still making time to incorporate her signature politically-fuelled lyrics and sounds , best shown in the poignant melange of gunshots, children’s laughter and ch-chings of cash registers heard on the inspired ‘Paper Planes’. Now that’s multitasking. At times, you have to wonder where she is taking you, particularly with the brilliantly filthy beats of XR2, a stand-out track, not just

for its spiky electro urgency, but sadly for how completely random it sounds on this globetrotting album. Her strength is in a punchy delivery, NA-NA-NA NAA NA-NAA NA-NAA, order like skits that leave you no option but to jump up and grab the nearest thing resembling a tambourine and shake, cue my house keys in the case of the infectious ‘Boyz’. But whilst her discordant tones on some songs lead you to clap clap along and celebrate her roots, on others such as the opener ‘Bamboo Banga’, the dissonance leaves you screaming at your stereo in pain, as she drawls on every word ending in –er, a problem I didn’t encounter with Arular.

Kala left me wondering if the lady can stretch her ideas to a third, without losing yet more quality. Nonetheless, what can I get for 10 dollars? A good record containing some vibrant little gems.

HHHPP

Lorna Greenwood

in the article. Phwoar. Oh and do remember- if you disagree or agree with our reviews, let us know! If the responses are good enough, we might even print them!

Enough of my senseless whining, get on and read to your heart’s content. Seriously. I spent time doing this. Time when I could have been in the pub, you selfish ingrates.

Respectfully kickin’ out the jams,

Philip Bloomfield- Entertainments Co-EditorSPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Ents

co-editor Philip Bloomfiield and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy.

WANT FREE CDS AND PRESS PASSES TO GIGS/PRESS CONFERENCES AND FILM PREVIEWS? WANT TO INTERVIEW YOUR ICONS? WANT TO GET MOUTHY ON THESE HERE PAGES ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AND DON’T LIKE?

Of course you do. Email us at [email protected] with your name and a quick, one-sentence reason why you want to write for us. Or just pop along to our meeting at 7PM on Monday 1st October in Elements and introduce yourself. We don’t bite, honest. Well, Sean might.


Entertainment

Single:Someone Great- LCD Soundsystem22nd OctoberDFA

You know that feeling, right? James Murphy does. If only every time you had post relationship blues, you could do something like this. From ebbing synth washes Murphy slowly builds a veritable Jackson Pollock of a song, all splattered and overlapping beats, blips and pulses. Sure, it’s hardly an original subject matter, but from a man best known for yelping about Daft Punk, it’s revelatory. “The worst is all the lovely weather….I’m stunned… it’s not raining” is delivered with the weary air of someone who really has seen too many parties. Single of the year material, without a shadow of a doubt. Buy it, Get it to number one. It’s the least James deserves for all his troubles of the heart.

HHHHH

Philip Bloomfield Entertainments Co-Editor

Album:Hey Venus!Super Furry AnimalsOut NowRough Trade Records

GRUFF RHYS certainly possesses a keen sense of irony. When he opens his new album with a forty-three second burst of sonic nonsense which sounds perilously close to Status Quo, you can’t help but admire his balls. Gateway Song is less of the ‘gateway’ to the album its name suggests, and more of a red herring to throw you off the album’s true odour. Because, in true Super Furries tradition, this is an album which blends the catchy with the downright bizarre.

A perfect example of this is lead single Run Away. Quite how a song can blend Beach Boy’s Harmonies with a Dexy’s Midnight Runners style powerchord rhythm and still come out sounding credible and focused is beyond me. The album is conceptually based on the story of a teenage runaway which Rhys gruffly (sorry, I had to) describes as “a true story, which will be found to be autobiographical”.

Yet this isn’t the kind of concept album which makes Mars Volta fans paint the insides of their trousers a new shade of white. The concept is underlying in the truest sense of the word, providing a gentle progression of sounds and tones throughout the album. This means the stomping Santana meets baile funk vibes

of Into The Night are sandwiched between the football shout along of Neo Consumer and the pysch-funk oddities of Baby Ate My Eightball. providing an epic showcase of the Super Furry’s main songwriting ingredients. The fantastic production means that every song is perfectly layered and textured - it’s the kind of album you can listen to over and over and keep uncovering more melodies and harmonies. Electronics twitter and blip in the background, which is a breath of fresh air in a time when brash sampling and blunt synths are de rigueur for bands.

But there is a sense of a band which isn’t really trying to go any further than where they have already been. Anyone familiar with SFA’s back catalogue will see breathy melodious qualities recently utilised by Rhys and co mixed with the more early techno fuelled pysch pop style which the band first became renowned for. Yet this is no cause for consternation, and as the album slowly grinds to a halt with the euphoric Battersea Odyssey and a countrified Let The Wolves Howl At The Moon, the lasting impression is a highly impressive band at the peak of their career. Bring on album number 9, please.

HHHHP

Philip BloomfieldEntertainments Co-Editor


Impact Festival Fever

SUMMER ISN’T the same without the numerous festivals, and you can’t get much bigger than Download at Donnington Park. Surprisingly good weather made for a weekend of sunburn rather than the usual floods that are often associated with festivals.

This year Download was bigger than ever, with more than 80 artists performing on the three stages over the weekend.

The lineup was more diverse than ever: from the controversial Friday headliner My Chemical Romance to the comical set of Bowling for Soup to the stunning bluesy riffs of The Answer.

Though for most people, the weekend belonged to Iron Maiden making their fourth headline appearance at Donnington Park.

It wasn’t all about Maiden though- Friday night saw Korn return with front man Jonathan Davis to play a crowd-pleasing greatest hits set to a completely packed out tent.

It seemed everyone but a few bottle throwers had deserted the main stage leaving MCR to play to an empty field, cutting their set short by 20 minutes to avoid the crowds returning from Korn.

Why MCR were ever allowed to appear at Download we will never know.

Sadly, Satrurday was a mostly mediocre day. However, the exception to the up-and-coming

band classic rock revivalists The Answer. Reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, they made themselves at home on the third stage with their second Download appearance to date. Pulling out yet another stunning set, showing their raw talent they won over those in the audience who were simply there to get a good spot for the next band, or wisely trying to hide from the scorching sun. Some clever marketing saw the tent being filled with ‘Rise’ branded beach balls to publicize the reissue of their debut album.

By the last day most couldn’t wait for Iron Maiden to hit the main stage and turned up early to find a spot, camping out the day mainly enjoying the end of the sunshine while the last of the main stage bands had the tough job of filling the spots in the lead up to Maiden’s.

Those who wandered over to the second stage were rewarded with a first class performance from Bostonian progressive metal outfit, Dream Theater - one of the few they played during the summer in the UK. But Download this year was clearly all about Maiden.

The highlights were most definitely high, but overall it was an average weekend, which was made worse by idiotic security and the overpriced refreshments. Sadly, this writer missed all the fun of the riots, instead catching up

on his beauty sleep. Yet with next year’s rumoured line-up of Muse, Foo Fighters and AC/DC, maybe it is still worth considering a return to Donington Park….

Photos and words by David Kennaway

Photography Editor

Riots at Download? We have The Answer.

WITH ANOTHER massive line-up this year’s Global Gathering (Global to those in the know- well ok, maybe just me!) with the likes of Basement Jaxx and Faithless headlining (the former being awesome and the latter being a slight disappointment) there was pretty much nothing that could have tainted this ever growing festival; and at the end of the day, nothing did. Even the miles of muddy fields, overpriced bacon and huge queues for everything had no effect on the electric atmosphere of the place.

With over 10 stages and arenas on each night, 30 hours of action and DJs and acts from across the world and dance/electronica genre, there was something for everyone. The range of people there was almost equal to the music. It is surely one of the friendliest environments I

have ever been in, with a spread of punters like nowhere else. From oldschool ravers daygloed of clothing and fluffy of boots, to rude boys ‘track’suited and ‘trainer’booted and even the so called ‘A-Gay’s’- who spent most of the weekend half naked. Of course the festival royalty - those still wearing past years’ wristbands, commanded the highest respect. But in the end everyone came together to just enjoy the music, the sun, the rides, the red arrows, the light shows and the copious number of bars.

To sum up the Global Experience in one sentence is hard. I could probably write my dissertation on it (if only there was a way to blag it as a Politics essay). It’s far beyond ‘near impossible’. All I will say is that, if you like dance music or any of its sub-genres, this is the festival for you. The music, the atmosphere, the people and, as said earlier, the copious number of bars will make you want more and more and more and more and more….

Words and photos by Tom Trevelyan

Globally Great

Single: Rhinemaidens - The Envy Corps8th OctoberVertigo RecordsSO I’M back from the summer, having listened to hundreds of high quality tracks from gifted artists like Jimi Hendrix, Thom Yorke and Amy Winehouse… and then I get handed this. Call me elitist. Call me old fashioned. I like my music with some bite, some quality, some intelligence. This song is lacking in those three ‘key’ areas. Where do we start? The tune kicks off with an optimistic little drum roll into a jingle-jangle, elbow-twitching tune, with ‘nice’ vocals forming ‘nice’ harmonies with each other. The lyrics are boring and unoriginal “laugh because you know you’re free”. Yay. This tuneless drawl has no particular start or end. If you had it playing on loop in your car, you wouldn’t be able to detect it alongside the drone of the engine. The melody is immediately forgettable. Sure, it’s easy to listen to, but that’s because it doesn’t do anything. It’s like saying that a goldfish is a good pet because it’s easy to look after. It doesn’t affect your life. It doesn’t make you look forward to walking home and shuffling on to it with your mp3 player. It is, despite what the band and promoters tell you, not music.

HPPPP

Adam LuqmaniDeputy Editor

Run, Fat Boy, RunDirector- David SchwimmerStarring: Simon Pegg, Thandie Newtion, Dylan Moran, Hank Azaria, India De Beaufort, Harish PatelCerificate:12ARelease Date: 7th September

BRITISH COMEDY has taken a fall of late. With Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow heralding a new era in American comedy that’s actually witty and engaging, the genre once universally admired has stumbled slightly. And Run, Fatboy, Run does nothing to change this.

Simon Pegg and Dylan Moran are too good for this. Honestly. The stars of Spaced and Black Books have been catapulted into fame following the success of the brilliantly ironic and subtle Shaun of the Dead, and suddenly have become ‘the’ comedy actors to be seen working with. But an actor is only as good as the lines he is given. And I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with the likes of Moran and Pegg, elegantly schooled in comic subtlety and understatement, starring in an Americanised ‘Romantic Comedy’.

The film constantly teeters on the very edge of mediocre, which really is a crying shame. The premise is fairly bog standard romantic comedy:

ordinary bloke loses girlfriend to flashy ‘perfect’ dreamboat, is inspired to compete against him to impress her by running in a marathon. The only drawbacks: he’s lazy, unmotivated and so unfit that he gets outrun by a crossdressing male stealing a bra from the ladies clothing shop where he works. The film hums along, without a genuine sense of guidance or motivation, a bit like Pegg’s character. There are funny moments, in particular the frankly ridiculous and hilarious scene where Pegg is rubbing himself against a mannequin to alleviate chafe marks from training, and Dylan Moran has a few choice lines, which he delivers with relish. But overall the film relies too much on easy laughs- the Indian man who leases a flat to Pegg is supposed to be funny because he has an Indian accent. And though the ending is entertaining in its inventive nature and there is a genuinely heartwarming set piece, the film is too poorly written to be anything more than ‘fun’. It’s a waste of Simon Pegg, a criminal waste of Dylan Moran and David ‘Ross from Friends’ Schwimmer could have picked a better script to direct. To be avoided.

HHPPP

Philip Bloomfield

Single: Be Good Or Be Gone- Fionn ReganOut NowBella Union

GENERALLY A soothing track with easy-to-memorise lyrics, Regan’s self-penned single is simple yet pleasant. The acoustic aspect is classically comforting, practically incompatible with the almost-threat of the title. The song remains pretty calming throughout, although the singing does sound quietly haunting at some point. It is a very matter-of-fact, nicely chilled out tune which unfolds gently to the end.

It does, however, get quite repetitive eventually, and wouldn’t be considered a breakthrough of any sort. In fact, the more you listen to this track, the more you realise that after a rather promising intro, the rest of the song may be a little bit of a let-down. All in all it’s a fairly neutral song, and that may well have been Regan’s intention.

HHPPP

Amira FathallaChief Sub Editor

Doom and Gloom at an International Level

NATIONAL SPORT: can you really

get too much of a good thing? My own

intensive and far-reaching research

dictates that this should be broken into

two questions. Firstly, how much is too

much? Is the Rugby World Cup, Twenty20

Cricket World Cup, Football Euro 2008

Qualifiers, plus the Women’s World

Cup all being seen together, too much

of a good thing? Simply, no. It’s brilliant

and everybody wants to see high class

international competitions in whichever of

our national sports they follow. Secondly,

and this is the question which gives us the

more telling answer, are you English?

Now, as we’ve mentioned high class

international competitions I feel that

we must remove the Women’s Football

World Cup from the list, because for

this article, to be classed a high level

football competition, Goalkeepers have

to be allowed to participate. This, by

watching any game, and in particular the

11-0 drubbing handed to South American

champions Argentina by Germany, is quite

clearly not the case.

Anyway, the argument comes down to

nationality because we’ll start analysing

it at the bottom and work our way up.

Where’s the bottom? “Nil Point”? England

Rugby? The main thing to realise here is

that in a game of Rugby, for you non-

Rugby fans, you cannot score less than

zero. It’s an easy concept really, to win

you need to score points, and England

on Friday night, whilst losing 36-0, could

have stayed playing in Paris for a further

four days without looking any more likely

to get anything on the scoreboard. Old

man Jason Robinson was the only player

asking questions on the pitch against the

Springboks, but there were many more

questions flying around in the stadium.

How could something like this happen to

the World Champions? Who is to blame?

Why have we got this ridiculous looking

sash-thing on our kits? Why is Andy Farrell

even here? Can Mike Catt at least try to

hide his South African accent? On the other

hand for English rugby, who can argue

that this World Cup’s most intelligent play

came from English Captain Phil Vickery

when he got suspended for a deliberate trip

in the first game and therefore missed the

South Africa ‘game’? Genius?

Unfortunately, English captains

involved in misdemeanours are not

uncommon. If we switch focus to our other

national sport, Cricket, we immediately

stumble upon the Twenty20 World Cup.

As we stumble we read that the England

Captain, Paul Collingwood, was found

drinking at the nearest strip joint on the

eve of a crunch game with (coincidentally)

South Africa. Don’t worry fans, he

responded to the allegations vehemently,

claiming that he realised he shouldn’t have

been (found) there and “wasn’t drinking

seriously”. Mind you, I guess he’s simply

indulging in the sort of behaviour that is de

rigueur in the modern game. It’s not very

long since Freddie Flintoff set sail on his

misguided maiden pedalo voyage.

His misdemeanour is compounded

when you understand that Twenty20

cricket is an English invention, an English

format and with the only noticeable

addition from the rest of the world being

to erect a stand for scantily clad dancing

girls (and men) to greet boundaries and

wickets alike. Is anybody else getting

mixed messages? Did I mention the

England Team are all but out, helped by

Collingwood’s duck in the South Africa

game. However, both the RFU and ECB

can find solace in the fact that they did in

fact qualify (if not simply on rankings)

for their respective competitions, which

Steve McClaren and the football elite

have yet to do, and may not do. Where do

we start here? Emile Heskey? Diamond

formations or an analysis of McClaren’s

Hair? Obviously, with all these football

problems it would be easy to find opinions

on the matter and construct well thought-

out arguments about the usual selection

issues, grass roots funding, simulation,

foreigners and goal line technology.

Thankfully, within the confines of this

column we haven’t got time or space to

dissect and analyse all the issues. Or even

some of them. Or even any of them. We

simply join in the national fixation on

highlighting and then moaning about the

problems which face our national sports.

We moan about why England have to

stretch as far as playing the Villa captain

in a game against Israel. We moan about

whether we choose Robinson, James, or

Carson or, heaven forbid, having to pick

any other English premiership ‘keeper

when we know full well it won’t make

a difference if we have Wes Brown in

front of them. But maybe this is the single

biggest issue facing English Sport. The

media, fed by the public and the ever-

increasing level of expectation, put more

and more extra pressure on the players to

perform. Maybe. And then we look over

the borders, where lowly Scotland beat the

mighty French in football without moaning

about anything apart from how much the

pies cost, and were able to have a good

knees up after the game without having to

spend the night in the local gendarmerie’s

cells. We look at Wales who won 5-2

without moaning about the fact that they

need to call up league 1 players, relying

on those playing at Gillingham come

next weekend, or that their centre forward

doesn’t even own a house.

You may say that this column

accentuates the problem as it highlights

mistakes and by doing so entwines itself

as part of this national problem. But

you would be wrong, because this is not

moaning about England’s current dip in

the national sports. It is celebrating it. It

is written from across the Severn Bridge

and therefore it joins all the non-English

students at Bath in smiling about England’s

current form. Smiling and laughing.

Please note that all views and opinions expressed within this article, and indeed all of impact, are those of the author and not necessarily of impact as an organisation.

SPORTING COMMENT

Chris Gammond has been keeping an extremely close tab on the few highs and many lows of our English rugby players, cricketers and footballers over the last couple of weeks.

ANDY FARRELL: Clueless?


Rag & SportJoin a Rag Raising Raid TodayRAG IS one of the largest student-led

organisations across Universities in the

UK, raising literally millions of pounds for

local, national and international charities

– and Bath Rag is one of the best, raising

up to £100 000 a year.

If you’re looking for a great time in a

new city, doing something a bit out of the

ordinary and meeting some like-minded

people, then Bath Rag is the thing for you.

Many a weekend is spent in a different

city on street-corner ‘raids, collecting

much-needed funds for different charities

with your best costume, smile and a bucket.

It sounds weird but is thoroughly rewarding

and really makes a difference to the charities

that rely on our collections. Plus you get

to travel and experience Dublin, Cardiff,

Edinburgh, London and occasionally

further, while meeting other University

Rags; not to mention the social events

afterwards…

Organising events is another big part

of the Rag experience. A huge fireworks

night, hitch-hike to the Eiffel Tower, our

very own pantomime, a duck race down

the River Avon and Bath Rag Week; a jam

packed week of Rag events, craziness and

fundraising! You can be a part of it all and

help out or even organise a whole event with

our dedicated and experienced committee

with you every step of the way. Convincing

200 people to sleep rough to raise funds and

Chiok-Sing LiRag Publicity Officer

awareness for homelessness looks amazing

on the CV.

If all this sounds like something you

would like to be a part of then we’ve

got a number of events lined up for you.

Saturday 29th September sees University

of Bath students attempt to break a world

record by having the largest number of

people dressed as Smurfs in one place!

You will have an opportunity to pick up a

“Smurf Pack” throughout Freshers’ Week,

containing a t-shirt and hat while volunteers

will paint you blue to finish you off. If all

is successful, then each participant will

UDDERLY BARKING: Rag raisers

receive a certificate and become a bona fide

record holder. Visit www.BathFreshers.

com for more information.

Before you head into town for the first

time, don’t forget to pick up “The Great

Rag Guide to Bath”, a guide put together

to help you navigate your way around

this beautiful city, with some super-useful

vouchers inside to save some money. All

this help in a pocket-sized guide can be

yours for only £3, with all proceeds going

to charity. If you can’t pick one up during

Freshers’ Week, come see us in the Rag

office in 1 East Level 3 (to the right of the

Library) or buy one online through www.

BathRag.com.

Also coming up is the Bath Rag “Lost”

competition, taking place on the weekend of

the 27th-28th October, which will involves

teams of students taken to an undisclosed

location somewhere in the UK with the

aim of returning to Bath in the fastest time

possible – with one catch. All travelling

must be done by walking or hitch-hiking,

so travel money is not allowed. Prizes will

be awarded to the fastest teams and also

the team that raises the most sponsorship

money (it is a charity event after all).

We also have a sponsored Bungee

Jump coming up, so you can jump up and

down, then up again for local and national

charities. All events will be conducted

under professional supervision but it won’t

take away that exhilarating rush of free-

falling, or perhaps the warm fuzzy feeling

of helping a good cause.

You may come to University for your

degree, but Bath Rag could give you

so much more, offering experience and

opportunities second to none to make your

time at University all the more worthwhile.

The NewScientist.com website even rates

Rag as number 9 of 50 things to do before

leaving University!

For more information about any of our

events, or if you would like to join Rag, then

visit our website at www.BathRag.com.

We will have a stand at the Students’ Union

Societies Fair on Monday 1st October,

where you can meet some of our lovely

volunteers and make yourself known in

exchange for some goodies.

Alternatively you can pop by to one of

our weekly meetings, held on Tuesday

at 6:30pm in 1 East 3.6, where we give

a rundown of upcoming collections and

events and how you can be involved.

Failing that, swing by our office across

the hallway in 1 East 3.5 and sit down for a

chat over a hot drink to find out what Rag

can do for you.

Don’t forget to pick up a “Smurf Pack”

and a “Rag Guide to Bath” to really get

into the student lifestyle here in Bath. Most

importantly, come see us; we might just

have the thing for you…


Sport

TeamBath Power on in the F.A. Cup TEAMBATH FC face a t r ip to

Portsmouth to take on Moneyfields in

the second qualifying round of the FA

Cup, sponsored by E.ON.

The University of Bath side booked

a place in the second qualifying round

with a 2-0 over Bodmin Town at Twerton

Park on Saturday September 15th.

The second qual i fying round

tie, scheduled to take place at the

Moneyf ie lds Spor ts Ground in

Portsmouth on Friday 28th September,

will be the first meeting between the

two sides.

Ged Roddy, TeamBath FC manager,

said: “We don’t know a lot about them,

but we won’t be taking anything for

granted. Everyone loves the FA Cup and

we’re certainly hoping to put together

another decent run in the Cup again

this year.”

The team will be hoping to emulate

the magnificent run to the 1st round

proper where the team lost to current

league two side Mansfield Town 4-2

in front of Sky Sports cameras live

on campus, the first time in 122 years

that a university side made it to the

1st round.

Coach Andy Ti l lson remains

philosophical about the side’s chances of

emulating the former accomplishment.

Tillson said he wants his players to

focus on this season’s campaign rather

than reflecting on past glories.

“We can’t live on memories of

the past,” said Tillson, who joined

TeamBath just after that FA Cup run.

“We need to have a good FA Cup run

this season, starting on Saturday.”

TeamBath currently lie in 5th position

in the British Gas-sponsored Southern

Premier League, with 12 points from

their opening 7 matches. Their next

home fixture is on Tuesday October

2nd at 7.45 pm, with a local derby

against Bath City in the Somerset

Premier Cup.

TEAMBATH: in past BUSA action at Loftus Road

FOOTBALL

COMMENT: FOOTBALL

A Scottish ‘keeper for £9 million?IT WOULD be fair to say that it has been a

summer of carefree spending in the Premier

League. It seems that a combination of

Sky’s generous new TV deal and an influx

of wealthy foreign owners have resulted

in many clubs having millions of pounds

burning a hole in their pockets. Manchester

United shelling out £51 million will hardly

have raised many people’s eyebrows, but

the sight of smaller fish such as Sunderland

spending over £30 million on new additions

is rather more surprising.

The deluge of funds into the Premier

League from Sky is seemingly bringing

about an invigorated confidence amongst

members of the top division. With each club

now receiving a guaranteed £30 million it’s

hardly surprising that many are using that

revenue on strengthening their playing

squad. There are more examples beyond

Sunderland however. The total spending

of Premiership clubs this summer topped

£500 million, smashing the previous record

of £300 million from 2006. A more startling

figure is that twelve clubs spent in excess

of £20 million, compared to just three last

year.

Additionally, some fees paid for

individuals have been greatly inflated.

Craig Gordon’s £9 million move to

Sunderland from Scottish side Hearts

certainly sparked debate. Although an

established international, he certainly

has a lot to do to justify such a hefty price

tag, compared to the £7 million Chelsea

paid for Petr Cech, arguably the world’s

best keeper, in 2004. Diomansy Kamara’s

£6 million switch to Fulham is another

that catches the eye. Kamara is a player

who struggled to make a telling impact

with both Portsmouth and West Brom.

Compare this to the fee six times smaller

paid for David Healy, a proven goalscorer

at international level with a recent hat-trick

against Spain to his name, and you begin

to wonder how there is any parity in the

fees paid for players.

This summer has seen an influx of

foreign investors. The American takeover

of Liverpool has produced an immediate

effect on their summer spending total

of £50 million. With numerous similar

takeovers, the clubs of the Premier League

are the champion spenders of world

football. Should a club’s sugar daddy

decide to walk away, however, clubs have

an oversized wage bill to finance through

club revenue alone. Take West Ham,

although a well-supported club, the wages

of £70,000 that they are paying players such

as Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker will be

totally unsustainable should their Icelandic

backers be taken out of the equation.

There is much scepticism among

supporters regarding the motives of

many of these new investors. Thaksin

Shinawatra’s takeover of Manchester

City raises questions over his suitability

for owning a high profile football club.

During his tenure as Prime Minister of

Thailand criticisms regarding human

rights were rife and a number of arrest

warrants have recently been issued in

his homeland relating to irregularities in

the sale of his company and corruption

involving land sale.

Whilst the current state of the transfer

market provokes plenty of interest and

discussion for supporters and pundits,

the effect of this inflated spending does

raise questions over clubs long-term

stability. Leeds are a prime example of

overspending when feeling flush only

to find that the players aren’t very easy

to sell on when they have been playing

badly and commanding astronomical

wages. The long-term motives of the new

foreign investors is also an area of concern.

Fans of clubs like Portsmouth and West

Ham may be enjoying their clubs’ high

spending right now, but what happens

should their backer get bored of his new

toy and walk away?

Marcus Haydon on the spiralling transfer fees in the Premier League

SVEN: Sitting pretty for now

NEWS IN BRIEF

ALREADY WELL-KNOWN for its

excellent sporting facilities, work has

been going on during the summer break

to maintain the high standards on offer

to students. The squash courts in the

Founders Complex have all been repainted

and serviced, and work has been carried out

to remedy the state of several walls, which

had literally been crumbling away.

The condition of the playing surface

on Astroturf Pitch 1 could have been

described as dubious at best last year, with

its undulating contours. The pitch has been

entirely re-laid over the summer, with the

hockey club in prime position to benefit

from the improvements.

The ongoing saga of the cricket nets

has finally been solved, as a jointly

funded project between the SA and Sports

Department has resulted in the necessary

extension to the roofing of the nets being

installed, protecting the sports hall from

those textbook straight slogs.

Funding has also been secured to

expand the number of teams representing

the University in BUSA competitions this

year. Men’s table tennis will be fielding a

2nd team, a new Men’s 2nd team is also

starting for volleyball, and both male and

female hockey will operate a 5th team for

the first time. Finally, the netball club has

increased to five full teams.

T E A M B A T H ’ S G E O R G I N A

S i n g l e t o n j u s t m i s s e d o u t o n

guaranteeing a GB berth in her

weight division at the Beijing 2008

Olympics when she finished seventh

at the World Championships in Rio

on Sunday September 16th. The 29-

year-old judo player secured vital

qualification points in her attempt

to compete at her second successive

Olympics.

The top six finishers in each weight

division secured a place for their

nation in Beijing next year. Singleton

– who returned to the sport for one

last crack at Olympic glory after

retiring from judo a couple of years

ago – just missed out on a place

in the semi-finals in the women’s

under-52kg division in Rio. Singleton

finished fifth at the 2003 World

Championships in Osaka to claim a

place at the Athens 2004 Olympics,

where she came seventh.

University of Bath students Andy

Burns, Brett Caswell and Tom Reed

have been named in Great Britain’s

team to compete at the Fighting

Films GB Judo World Cup for Men

next month. They feature in a 23-

strong team for the World Cup at

Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena,

which is a qualification event for the

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Caswell, a Sports Performance

student at the University of Bath,

contes ts the under-60kg c lass ,

Business Administration student

Reed goes in the under-81kg class,

while Sports Performance student

Andy Burns contests the under-100kg

division.

HOCKEY: Can’t blame the pitch any more!

JUDO

Facilties Getting a Needed Facelift

SPORT IN BRIEFTEAMBATH’S HARRY Wright won the

men’s singles title at the opening competition

of the new badminton season.

Wright, who recently returned from

representing Great Britain at the World

University Games in Thailand, beat former

TeamBath player and top seed Neil White in

the final of the Hertfordshire Open. Wright,

a University of Bath Sports Performance

student, ran out 21-9 winner in the deciding

third end of the final.

TeamBath player Helen Ward knocked

out top seed Jo Dix in three games in the

ladies’ singles semi-final, but then went

down 21-17 in the decider to Panuga Riou

in the final. Fellow TeamBath player Hana

Littlecott reached the quarter-finals.

TEAMBATH HAVE pulled off a coup

with the announcement today that talented

England teenage shooter Jo Harten will

play for the side that bids to win a historic

third successive national elite Superleague

title this season.

The squad will feature six of the 12-

strong England squad for this year’s

World Championships – including four

of England’s five shooters.

TeamBath have announced a 19-strong

squad for the 2007/8 season starting in

October. Ten members of the 19-strong

squad are still in their teens. Head coach

Jan Crabtree said: “It’s going to be a

very exciting season. Our senior England

players will miss the first half of the

season, so the younger players have really

got to step up and make their mark.

Adrian DalmedoSports [email protected]

sportimpact

Covering the issues that matter to students

Football - 19Judo - 19Comment - 18

UNIVERSITY OF Bath s tudent

Mhairi Spence finished sixth in the

Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final

in Beijing.

Spence, a 22-year-old Coach

Education and Sports Development

student, wasn’t out of the top five all day

until after the fifth and final discipline,

the 3k run. Despite dipping inside 11

minutes for the first time in her career

for 3k, she dropped from second to sixth

after the run.

With the fourth best performances

in the shooting and fencing under

her belt, she ended the day with 5472

points at the event, which was the

Olympic test event.

Fellow Brits Katy Livingston and

Georgina Harland, who both train at

the Great Britain modern pentathlon

high performance centre a t the

University of Bath, finished 12th and

13th respectively, with 5400 and 5388

points. Livingston produced the best

fencing performance of her career

during the competition, finishing

second overall with 24 victories and

11 defeats.

World Cup Review

MHAIRI SPENCE: On target

Refurbishment news on page 19

All Change for Sports Association

MANY PEOPLE remember lifesaving as

towing a bricks across a swimming pool

while dressed in pyjamas. But what is

lifesaving? And how is it a sport?

Lifesaving is difficult to define, but can

include learning, practising and using any

of the skills needed to save a life, either on

land or in the water. A lifesaver is a trained

bystander who helps out when needed,

whereas a lifeguard is a professional, with

a responsibility to the people that they are

supervising.

Anyone can be a lifesaver. Land-based

techniques such as first aid, CPR and the use

of Automatic defibrillators can be learned

by anyone. Water-based techniques require

some level of confidence in the water, but

they become much easier with practice.

Lifesaving can be pool- or beach-based

and there are a wide range of internationally

recognised events. These can be split

into two types: Simulated Emergency

Response Competitions (SERCs) are

incident-based, where judges will mark

how well competitors react to a set situation.

Other events are timed, and can involve

swims and tows, rope throws, fins, torpedo

buoys, obstacles, skis and boards.

Many competitions are biased towards

SERC type events, so you don’t need

to be a great swimmer to get involved.

However there are also separate ‘speed’

competitions.

The club trains every week and works

on both the ‘skills’ and sports aspects of

lifesaving. The sessions are fairly structured,

and we try to let club members know what

each session is in advance, so that they can

attend sessions that interest them. We run

water and land based qualifications, attend

beach lifesaving events, and host and take

part in competitions across the country.

We’re a very friendly club, with lots of

different socials, often combined with other

University Lifesaving clubs at events at

TRAFFIC LIGHT PARTY? The SABBs model the new house t-shirts

THE SPORTS Association (SA) has

re-structured the way club memberships

will operate for the new academic year.

After proposals brought to the SA Annual

General Meeting in May 2007, last year’s

sports club committee members voted with

a significant majority to introduce a ‘Sports

Association Membership’, which will be

mandatory before students can become

members of the individual sports clubs.

In addition to this change, membership

can only be carried out online from this

year via the SA section of the BathStudent

website. Accordingly, returning students

can join their sports clubs as soon as you

sign up on BathStudent and not have to fight

their way through the fresher’s fair with a

pocketful of bank notes.

SA membership will cost £10 and as well

as allowing members access to a number

of centrally run SA programmes, students

will receive a handbook, membership card

and T-shirt in your ‘House’ colour, which is

determined by your course of study.

SA members are offered free membership

of the Recreational Club, which is an

equipment loaning service, which cost

£10 on its own to join last year. If you and

your friends want to play tennis, squash

or football, the Recreational Club will be

able to loan you, without charge, items like

rackets and balls.

New for this year is a Wellness and

Fitness Programme, which is being

run as a collaboration with the Sports

Department. Students will be offered a

variety of sports classes and workshops

from circuit training to nutritional and

dietary advice.

The SA is also organising a wide range

of Intramural competitions during the year

in several sports, both in league format and

tournament play.

Finally, SA members have access to

the Coachbase scheme of coach education

and officiating courses, where the SA can

potentially subsidise any course costs.

Club Memberships will cost either £10

or £15 each. Individual clubs will continue

to offer coaching and training sessions,

trips and training courses, equipment

and kit of the highest standard, and the

opportunity to represent the University at

BUSA competition.

The initial extra cost involved with

joining a sports club may upset a number

of students, particularly those who only

want to join one club, and this year have

to pay the extra £10 SA membership. VP

Sport, Rich Howell, was quick to address

any concerns about the new scheme,

highlighting how it is an exciting and

progressive step for the SA.

“It has allowed us to make some

huge improvements to the Intramural

programme and other central services,

which all members will now be able to

access, and I’m really excited about the

new wellness-fitness programme we’re

piloting this year.”

Doubters of the new SA membership

may question why they should join the

SA if they have no interest in Intramurals

or Coachbase, and only want to play their

favourite sport. Rich was also keen to

point out that the SA is prudently investing

significant amounts of money this year,

specifically on coaching and equipment.

“The Students’ Union allocates

considerable resources to enable the

Sports Association to operate such a

comprehensive sports program, but as

costs inevitably rise we must find ways

to continue to increase income - we are

always looking for new sponsors and

fund-raising opportunities. In order to

ensure clubs continue to have good quality

equipment and coaching availability it

was decided that we would introduce the

SA Membership. I would stress that we

are still incredibly low-priced compared

to most institutions who routinely charge

well over £25 for every individual club.

Really, every member is accessing sport at

an incredibly subsidised rate, even if they

only take part in one specific club.”

Lifesaving: Swimming in Pyjamas? various universities.

Everybody is welcome, and we will

be running a basic lifesaving course and

attending ‘freshers’’ competitions, as well

as completing some more challenging

events for those who have done lifesaving

before. Come and see us at the Sports Fair

or drop in at any of our training sessions at

the 25m swimming pool.

The Lifesaving Club is thriving and its

members recently enjoyed success at the

regional round of the National Lifesaving

Championships. Three competitors from

Bath took part in water-based and First

Aid initiative tests, a ‘swim and tow’, and

a rope throw rescue. Rachel Armstrong

came first in the Ladies’ competition and

retained the winner’s trophy for a second

year. Chris McCorquodale and Richard

Rowe competed in the Men’s category and

were placed second and fourth.

Adrian DalmedoSports [email protected]

Chris McCorquodaleBath University Lifesaving Club

student impact volume 9 issue 01

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