Volume 20, Issue 6 (Oct '18)

Dame Breakwell Painting Unveilled, p. 39 Interview with Comedian John-Luke Roberts, p. 16 Japan: Working to Celibacy , p. 24

WELL-MANAGED? l at e s t c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o j e c t o n c a m p u s

@thesubath thesubath.com

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Illustration by Elena Oliinyk, @lenlenstrations

In our penultimate issue, we shine the spotlight on the S chool of Management and their latest constr uction project.

Investigating this project led us along a path not too dissimilar to those taken for previous constr uctions at the University, with the underlying reasons being driven by the marketisation of higher education, and the project to be completed with a poor standard of student engagement. That said, this new constr uction does have some saving graces, I hope you enjoy reading more in the full stor y.

Dear readers, As deadlines approach and exams loom, the temporar y nature of our time at university is profoundly clear. As anxiety builds because we’re moving in to the real world of work, embarking on a placement, or f inishing f irst year, we fight a constant battle: knuckling down and succeeding in the cr ucial stages of the semester versus lapping up the sun with a Pimms by the lake. I hope, for the success of the University, that you have more willpower than I do.

Our f inal issue will be released after the E aster break. We don’t plan on leaving quietly, instead Bath Time will be f inishing with a bang - keep an eye out.

Enjoy the sun!

Glen McAlpine Editor-in-Chief

CONTENTS

6

COVER STORY

April 2019 LIFESTYLE

12 14 16

BATHTIME

Book Club

by Rob Brett

Little Theatre Review

by Elie Breton De Loys An Interview with John-Luke Roberts

by Ed Knaggs

Well-Managed?

Latest Construction Project on Campus

FEATURES

NEWS & COMMENT

22

33

24

30

Modern Slavery in the UK

by Adonay Berhe Japan: Working to Celibacy

by Lewis Boulton Patriotism vs Nationalism

by Ananya Saha

Note: Photography in this issue has been sourced from unsplash.com, Wikimedia and other sources which do not require crediting unless otherwise noted.

36 42

Local Elections: Will Students be Heard?

by Henry Somper Gender Pay Gap

by Elie Carsley Should we Still be Listening to Michael Jackson?

by Emily Godon April 2019 3

MEET THE COMMITTEE

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PHOTOGRAPHY

We asked our committed readers and contributors to send in their favourite photos and this is the masterpiece we chose:

Love in the Time of Bad Weather, captured by Tokoni Olobio Sometime between 2015 and 2018, when I lived in Lagos, Nigeria, I began taking pictures of everyday life in the city.

I did this, at the time, not because I was particularly fond of the city, but because I like taking pictures and had a camera lying around.

These days when I spend hours lying around, or beneath sheets, seeking respite from (my first) Winter, I often think about how much I miss Lagos, it’s heat (even when it rains!) and it’s subtle beauty...

And I wonder if I’ll fall in love with Bath over this Winter’s bad weather...albeit it appears snowfall is far less romantic than the rain.

Passionate about photography? If you, too, would like to submit your favourite photo, send it to su-bathtime-features@bath.ac.uk along with the story behind it.

April 2019 5

COVER STORY - COMMENT

WELL-MANAGED? L at e s t c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o j e c t o n c a m p u s

By Jack McKevitt, Darcey Stickley & Glen McAlpine

T

here have been two holes left in the heart of campus this semester. The first formed in Glynis’ closing days of employment, and the second left in preparation for campus’ next £70 million spend: the new School of Management building. Since the start of this academic year, students may have noticed the ever-deepening hole next to the bus stop. Bath Time has investigated what it’s all about.

Bath’s School of Management currently encompasses roughly 3,000 students, running a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses which consistently rank among the world’s best institutions.

However, management students and faculty are spread across 8W, The Edge, Wessex House, and East Building, and £70m of investment into a new School of Management building opposite the STV aims to change that. Plans for this building include the construction of: •

•

• • • •

Eight lecture theatres and a 250-seat auditorium, for context, Chancellor’s Building lecture theatres hold 350; An ‘Employment Hub’ seeking to attract employers and conduct ‘consultancy-style assessments’ for Masters students; An ‘Enterprise Zone’; A closed office space for faculty staff and some professional services staff; Other features including an MBA Suite, an Innovation Lab and a Behavioural Research Lab; A café on the ground floor, in order to foster student and academic interaction;

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The University have been open in their aims for this building to ‘cement’ their place as a top 50 global business school, with an aim of creating over 100 jobs and bringing in ‘£450 million over 25 years’.

This also comes at a time when developing good relationships with employers to facilitate placements is becoming ever more vital, especially to Bath, and investment in infrastructure may be a way to their hearts. Intrigued by the prospect of this grand new build, we explored floor plans and spoke to Professor Hope-Hailey, Dean of the School of Management, to find out more.

Employment hub The crown jewel of undergraduate management degree programmes, alongside others at the University, is the placement scheme. Students, particularly in the School of Management, are offered one-to-one support to aid the placement search process, with the team responsible working to maintain relationships with employers that offer these opportunities. Professor Hope-Hailey states that “the employment hope is consolidating the current undergraduate activity … it is also expanding the postgraduate employment activity”. Building on this, it is explained that year-long postgraduate programmes do not offer the scope for as much industry exposure as undergraduate programmes.

Professor HopeHailey hopes this space will

COMMENT - COVER STORY

enable the expansion of the programme that enables masters students to solve a practical consultancy problem instead of producing a dissertation.

“If you are dealing with high level employers, they will expect a certain amount of infrastructure” While much of the discussion was again centered around the benefit this space has to postgraduates, there may also be an improvement in employer relations which are widely depended on by many undergraduates.

Enterprise Zone One of the more unexpected aspects of the building is the “Enterprise Zone”. To find out more we caught up with Professor Dimov, one of the School’s faculty assigned to the development of the space, to find out more. He stated that the goal is to “provide an incubation space for teams who are ready to take their ideas forward”. This 200m² space will foster the early-stage entrepreneurial ideas of student entrepreneurs over a six month period, in a hope to support budding business people succeed and move to other innovation facilities. It appears the initial idea for this was not one that resulted from meaningful student engagement. Additionally, despite taking up a sizeable portion of the first floor, plans have not progressed past the early stages of conceptualisation. Consultation in these plans has only just begun. In this case, the University reached out to Bath Entrepreneurs, an SU group. Kristina, the chair of the group, views the space as an “incredible opportunity” to further the opportunities available to entrepreneurial students through facilitating

incubation. When asked about her involvement with the group working on this space, Kristina stated that it was ‘polite to be invited’ and that she was grateful she that her opinions were considered, although she later added that the level of engagement “isn’t amazing”, and highlighting her view that it is “fair that students don’t decide”.

Facilities for Postgraduates One theme remained clear in our conversation with Professor Hope-Hailey: this building was created with postgraduate students in mind. This could not be more clear than when looking at the floor plans.

7 rooms are reserved exclusively for postgraduate study or teaching, a Masters student lounge featuring breakout rooms and a kitchenette, and a behavioural research lab. This is inadvertently justified by the Professor’s claims that current students are not financing the loan being used for this construction, and, in fact, “when the building is finished … we will be using postgraduate fees not undergraduate fees to fund that”, this undoubtedly being made possible by postgraduate fees significantly exceeding those paid by undergraduates. We later discovered the facts are slightly more complicated, the hope is that the repayments on the loan for the building will be enabled by fees from increased postgraduate activity. However, this building does claim a portion of the Universities remaining land that is suitable for development, posing the question, where will future undergraduate infrastructure be placed?

Offices Examining the floor plan, it is clear a substantial amount of total floorspace space (12%) has been April 2019 7

COVER STORY - COMMENT

dedicated to closed offices, a shift back from the open plan offices many faculty and other staff are now situated in across East Building. Professor HopeHailey justified the space allotted to offices through the convenience of having the entire school in one place, as opposed to the current spread across four different campus buildings. Closed office space was explained through the necessity to provide quality spaces for academics to work and research, otherwise Professor Hope-Hailey fears that our world class faculty would be lost. Further, she explained that due to the nature of the school’s subject area, there wouldn’t be lab space or other types of study space, so by offering the academic staff space in which to work and manage their affairs, they can enhance their interaction with students.

Currently, Management faculty are spread across 8W, the Edge, Wessex House and East building. When asked about what will happen to these spaces when they are vacated, Professor Hope-Hailey confessed that, upon the arrival of the new building, she doesn’t “know what these buildings we’re vacating will be repurposed to..truly [doesn’t] know what is going to happen” stating that these decisions will be left to the new Vice Chancellor.

It’s worth noting that for many postgraduates, this building will be a welcome addition to provision on campus, especially given the additional doctoral working space which is an issue that features in the SU’s Top Ten this year.

Café Much like the Polden Cafe, the cafe in the new management building will serve as a social space for students and staff alike. When speaking to Professor Hope-Hailey, she highlighted how important a relaxed area is for the networking of staff and students.

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Yet again, the rationale for a large portion of space taken up by the cafe and it’s seating area does not appear to have been informed by meaningful student engagement. The student demand for a yet another cafe in which they can meet and discuss their studies with lecturers must be questioned. It’s unclear why planners thought this couldn’t already be done in existing spaces such as 4West cafe, Limetree, the SU, Pitstop, and the recently constructed Polden cafe, many of which remain empty outside of peak lunch hours.

Alongside this, there is an assumption that undergraduates’ requirements for space will be fulfilled by one private study room, a balcony area, and café seating. While some can and do work in spaces like Limetree and 4West cafe, the reason the library is so often crowded is due to students’ need for a formal study space. Will a cafe in an otherwise postgraduate-dominated building meet this demand?

As undergraduates are by far the bigger part of the student demographic, it seems misguided to reserve study space in the sizeable new building to a far smaller group. Although there is a real and substantial need for postgraduate space, from speaking to students involved in consultation, we can identify that these glaring issues are consequent of a tokenistic student engagement process that began too late in design processes and fail to substantially gauge student needs. It would appear that the justifications for features like this were not rationales that informed the initial design process but were concocted after the designs were final.

When will it be ready?

The construction project was initially scheduled for completion prior to the start of the academic year 2020/2021. This has now been delayed to 2021. For those who follow campus construction projects, this is unsurprising. Just this academic year, both the gym extension and new Polden accommodation

COMMENT - COVER STORY constructions experienced significant delays. In the case of Polden, this left students, who were paying £210 per week, moving into buildings where active construction was still occurring, a similar case occurred with the opening of Quads. Whilst Professor Hope-Hailey does explain 3 months of lost time is accounted for by planning approval delays, the remainder is left unexplained by those at the Department of Estates who are managing the construction of the project. Given Estates’ recent track record, further delays could be possible.

tokenistic”.

How were students engaged with the process?

In the process of our investigation, Bath Time acquired a list of student engagement activities that took place throughout the course of this project. The first of these occurred in November of 2017 with Jack Kitchen. Upon speaking to Jack, it became clear that this was in fact a routine personal tutor meeting with Professor Brian Square. Jack was not elected to his role as Education Officer at this point. He was the Academic Representative of his BBA cohort but did not attend the meeting in that capacity.

The list also outlines an ‘Enterprise Committee’, that formed this year and includes Kristina Railaite, chair of Bath Entrepreneurs (an SU group). In our discussion with Kristina, she stated that she felt it was “polite” of the committee to invite her as a student representative, and she welcomed their consideration of her views. However, Kristina stated the level of engagement, and degree to which she is listened to “isn’t amazing”, but she understands that it is “fair that students don’t decide” when it comes to issues surrounding the building.

Even after a further meeting in April of 2018, that included a range of student representatives, the quality of student engagement left a lot to be desired.

Jack Kitchen, in his capacity as Academic Rep, complained to the School of Management after the meeting, outlining that he believed students had “a lot to offer discussions” surrounding study space, but 15 minutes for groups of up to 17 students to voice their concerns was “somewhat of a push, and there [was] a risk of losing a potentially meaningful, valuable engagement for something

Our verdict In many respects, the School of Management building is an ambitious and optimistic project with some features that may excite some students and provides an opportunity to facilitate employer relations that should benefit us all. However.

From speaking to those involved with the student engagement processes, it would seem that justifications for the more innovative features were not borne out of meaningful student engagement and consultation. Rather, the rationales for this investment are littered with buzzwords, management speak and flashy accessories that will look good on a prospectus, will appeal to prospective postgraduates, and therefore maximise the School’s potential to become one of the top 50 business schools. Whilst it doesn’t take much to see through the thin veil, it perhaps comes as no surprise that this project is doing everything it can to pander to the market forces of a marketised higher education system where it quite literally is ‘business’ as usual.

In response to Jack’s email, he received reassurance that this would be “the first meeting and not the final one”. However there was only one further meeting. In May 2018, a handful of students were invited to hear feedback from the architects of the building. In this meeting, one of the students requested study space to be open to all students - not just postgraduates - and for the chairs chosen to have backs to them. They agreed to the latter.

April 2019 9

LIFESTYLE

T I VO L I :

the perfect place for a date?

REVIEW By Dafne Swiers

I

n December 2018, a new upmarket cinema opened in the centre of Bath, near Bath Spa station. Tivoli describes their service as “a truly unmatched cinematic experience” and, as well as the screens, the venue also offers a cafe and bar - the ideal setting for a date. As a lover of film and Instagram-worthy locations, I felt obliged to test out what the Tivoli was all about.

One Sunday evening in March, my sister came to visit and it felt like the perfect occasion to try out Tivoli.

On our evening out, we planned on catching the 8pm screening, but arrived earlier to make sure we could enjoy the full variety of goodies on offer. Tickets are £12.50 for students (£15 for non-students), which is a little more than at the Odeon, but the experience makes up for it. Walking into the venue, the beautiful interior reminded me of a mix between the Electric Cinema in London and The Hoxton hotels; it felt very high-end and stylish. After buying tickets from the friendly guy behind the bar, we took a seat in the cafe area and ordered some drinks and snacks.

Tivoli offers film-inspired cocktails amongst a variety of other drinks, though my ‘Popcorn Espresso Martini’ did taste a lot like a regular Espresso Martini…

Foodwise, Tivoli offers everything from small plates and sides to burgers, stone-baked pizza and hot dogs.

Since I wasn’t very hungry I went for the side of garlic bread, but was pleasantly surprised when the waiter showed up with, not your standard three baguette slices, but a tremendous flatbread (maybe not the best idea when you’re on an actual date though).

My cocktail and garlic bread were only half finished when the film was about to start, but luckily you’re allowed to take them inside with you. All seats are equipped with little side tables and tiny, dim lights that stay on, ensuring I didn’t knock my cocktail over mid-film. At Tivoli, you aren’t seated in traditional cinema seats, but in comfy, velvet sofas, which are ideal for moving a bit closer to your date throughout the film.

My whole experience at Tivoli was extremely pleasant and when walking out of the venue and back onto the streets of Bath, I felt like I had spent an evening in a fancy, alternate universe (probably also partly caused by the film I watched). Tivoli isn’t like any other place in Bath and is, in my opinion, the perfect place to take a date who you want to impress... who would say no to all this? I know that I, for one, can’t wait for another evening out at Tivoli!

April 2019 11

LIFESTYLE

BATHTIME

Book Club THE STRANGER/ L’ÉTRANGER (1942), Albert Camus REVIEW By ROB BRETT

A

lbert Camus is handsdown one of my favourite writers. He tells stories that subvert your expectations as you’re reading them and, even approx. eighty years since its publication, The Stranger still feels fresh and surprising.

The book tells the story of the coolly detached Meursault, who acts as the voice of Camus’ key philosophy – absurdism. Though often called an existentialist by others, Camus never described himself as such.

Absurdism’s central axis is that existence is weird and that there’s nothing essentially rational or meaningful about the things we do. The absurdist view is that any attempt to find meaning in our lives is ultimately futile and we’d be better off just embracing the world for what it is. It’s a view that resonated with me when I was younger and I still have a lot of time for it.

In The Stranger we see the consequences of an absurdist character living in a society that seeks to rationalise each and every action of Meursault, most of which (as we see from the character’s internal musings) are completely off the mark; Meursault just does what he does, with no particular rhyme or reason.

The book is famous for its opening two lines – “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.” From the outset, we find ourselves in the head of an emotionally distant character who isn’t moved by his mother’s passing, and one thing to watch out for when reading the book is just how this attitude affects people’s opinions of Meursault, especially as the plot progresses in unexpected and exciting directions.

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I imagine a certain number of people reading this will feel like these ideas are familiar for one reason in particular – Bojack Horseman. The (incredible) Netflix cartoon draws much of its philosophical slant from Camus’ Absurdism – all of the characters are attempting to fill the gap left in a world without meaning in some way or another. Sarah-Lynn and Bojack abuse just about anything they can get their hands on, and this quote from Mr Peanut Butter perfectly surmises the absurdist perspective: “The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t a search for meaning. It’s to keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually you’ll be dead.”

Whether or not you’re a Bojack fan, or a budding philosopher, there’s something for everyone in this classic tale. If you’ve never read philosophical literature, it’s not as dull as it sounds, especially in the case of this book. The language is as unpretentious as the man who wrote it and it’s around a hundred pages.

It’s a book that’s still rarely surpassed in both originality and execution.

LIFESTYLE

By Chloe Granger

A

lot of the time, when people announce they’re going gluten-free, many will just assume they’ve gone all ‘millennial’, without realising that having a gluten intolerance or the much more serious Coeliac disease is, indeed, much more common than previously thought to be.

Luckily, for those among us who avoid gluten, there are many places to eat in Bath that cater to our needs!

It seems that slowly, little by little, UK cities are starting to prick up their ears and recognise the demand for gluten-free alternatives, and Bath is no exception.

Here is a list of the best places to go for different occasions:

Brunch? Beyond the Kale.

An entirely vegan menu, many of the dishes are also available gluten-free and every option is fabulously healthy and full of organic, nutritious ingredients. I would recommend either the pancakes or the falafel wrap, as these two dishes completely bamboozled me with their incredible flavour, creativity and the fact they had absolutely zero gluten in them! Heaven!

Fancy dinner? The Circus.

Located just a stone’s throw away from the Royal Crescent, The Circus restaurant sits proudly with modern yet classic interiors and outdoor seating when the weather permits. The restaurant’s menu is what makes this institution gloriously stand out, as every dish is catered towards a specific dietary need;

colour coded for ease of use! When I went with a group, between us, we couldn’t eat dairy, gluten, yeast or eggs, yet somehow, there was something on the menu to accommodate every single need. The quality of the food is delectable and makes a very impressive and delicious dinner.

Cute café? Sweet Little Things.

If your Instagram feed is in dire need of a shot of aesthetic glory, head to Sweet Little Things, an adorable café adorned with flowery walls, neon signs and the plushest velvet seating you’ve ever seen. Oh yes, and there’s even a flower swing to have a little go on.

Although the interiors are certainly appealing, the best part is that EVERYTHING on the menu can be made either gluten free or vegan, which is birdsong to our ears, as there are absolutely no restrictions on selection. Choose from a classic brunch, a glorious afternoon tea or maybe some pretty perfect pancakes to fill the gap; all completely without gluten!

Quick treat? Cascara.

To satisfy any sweet-toothed cravings that may hit, Cascara is unquestionably the place to head to. With a sumptuous selection of delectable treats on display, there’s be a little slice of heaven for everyone. What’s more, they’re all made without gluten, substituting wheat flour with some of the most interesting and unique ingredients, such as avocado-based cakes and spirulina flour. Before you roll your eyes at the mere thought, give their cakes a go and you’re sure to be delightfully surprised with how delicious (and healthy) they are!

April 2019 13

LIFESTYLE

Interview: ELIE AT THE LITTLE THEATRE

T

ucked in a cosy corner of St Michael’s Place, the Little Theatre may be the lesser known movie house amongst students of Bath. It was founded by a family in the 1930s and has retained its quaint charm and air of quality, but, with only three screens, faces stiff competition from the more mainstream Odeon and luxurious Tivoli. We sent resident cinema-goer, Elie Breton De Loys, to learn more about what it has to offer and why it should not be overlooked.

Elie: First of all, could you tell me a bit about the history of The Little Theatre?

Mason: It was opened in 1936 as a theatre by Peter King and his wife and they then decided to turn it into a cinema, and it became a newsreel cinema.

Then in 1939, that’s when it became a standard cinema and we opened with Oh Mr. Porter. And since then it’s gone from strength to strength, it was just the downstairs screen then in the 80’s they upgraded upstairs (which used to be the changing area for the theatre) that became Screen 2. We’ve still kept our charm for 80 years.

E: Could you perhaps assess the importance of a small community cinema like this in an area like Bath?

M: So, if you have a look at where Picturehouse cinemas are based outside of London, you have them in high end cities, so you don’t find it up North. It’s in Bath, Oxford, Henley, Southampton etc.

What we offer, the community really loves it. How we do our marketing, we do it all in the house whereas you’ll find other big chains it will come from head office. You’ll see the likes and the shares on our Facebook pages, and it’s all done by us in house. A lot of our marketing is also getting out and about and doing press releases of anything that’s

coming up where you wouldn’t get that elsewhere.

E: I assume you have loads of locals that have subscriptions here that come very often to this cinema? Maybe the elderly?

M: We’ve got our membership schemes which we don’t make any money off, they get free tickets and it keeps them coming back as they get discounts every time, so they really do benefit from it. Also, this place has been here for over 80 years now - we have just celebrated our 80th birthday last month - so people have grown up with The Little Theatre and that’s why they keep coming back. They know what we do, and they love what we do. Their children keep coming back too.

E: Bath relies a lot on its two universities. Are you satisfied with the number of students who come, or do you think there is still a lack of student participation when it comes to indie cinemas/films?

M: I think students will tend to go to the Odeon and Tivoli because they offer the type of films they want to see.

LIFESTYLE

However, we do have a great connection with the Film Society at Bath Uni and also at Bath Spa. We do offer Slackers Club screening which are free screenings of films as previews, usually a week before they’ve come out, sometimes up to a month before they’ve come out.

E: I suppose Netflix is another possible competitor for you. It’s recently tried to do high quality cinema with pictures like Okja or Roma that went on to win three Oscars. How do you defend a cinema against the offer of Netflix at home?

E: Odeon is obviously your biggest competition in town. How do you think you can compete with the range of movies they show and what do you think makes you different from a franchise like them?

M: Films should be watched at a cinema. And that’s it, really. Simple as that. You’re sort of dimming down the film if you’re releasing it on those platforms as you can only watch content on a television, which feels like the same as watching BBC One on a Tuesday Night. There is nothing special or epic about that.

M: You know that we are not independent. So, we’re owned by Picturehouse and their ethos is we’re a community-based cinema and we offer something different. So, we will not show the latest blockbusters like Star Wars, we will not show your typical romcoms and student-type films. We go for high-end quality movies, obviously it depends on what’s out that week. You might not get a great film out, so you’ll have to settle for something else. We show a lot of foreign language films and we do a lot of different community films such as our dementia-friendly, autism-friendly, big screen (which is parent and babies only) on a Wednesday morning, Tuesday and Thursday is Silver Screen. We also have Toddler Time and Kids’ Club as well, which you don’t get at your generic Odeon cinema.

E: What about the Tivoli? Have you seen any changes since the opening of that cinema in Bath? It’s quite a niche market, I believe.

M: It’s high end, luxury. What they’ve done is amazing and it’s very similar to what Everyman do: luxury sofas and you get your food served to your seat.

Quite expensive as well for the tickets. They obviously opened up with Mary Poppins Returns in December and they tried a little bit of everything to see what their market is. They’re still working out what is their niche, but they have been doing pretty well in competition with the Odeon and we have sort of been left on our own because we’re not going to compete with those two and getting the blockbusters in - it would split the viewers three ways. They leave us to do what we do, and we leave them to do what they do best: the blockbusters don’t work for us.

E: Younger generations especially have lost the feeling of cinema and how important the atmosphere can be.

M: Absolutely. And it’s interesting because last year was one of the strongest years in a while for British cinemas (in terms of audience figures). I know there is a lot of commotion around Netflix and Amazon Prime and what they’re doing, but fear not, because the cinema industry will defend themselves and prevail.

E: To finish, what would you say to students that aren’t particularly motivated to come to town or watch indie movies? What would you say to them?

M: Come get a student membership at The Little Theatre, they are £25/year: you get two free tickets and 25% off your food and drink. If you don’t want to do that, come along to our free Slackers Club screening because it’s free to sign up, they’re every month and it’s a free film! Students love free things.

E: Of course we do!

Thank you!

April 2019 15

LIFESTYLE

AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN-LUKE

By Ed Knaggs

J

ohn-Luke Roberts, a self-described blue-moustached idiot and critically acclaimed comedian, is bringing his sell out Edinburgh Fringe show ‘All I want to do is [FX: GUNSHOTS] With a [FX: GUN RELOADING] and a [FX: CASH REGISTER] and Perform Some Comedy!’ to the Rondo Theatre in Bath on the 12th of April. Bath Time caught up with him to ask some questions.

EK: Hi John-Luke. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Could you introduce yourself for the readers?

JLR: Yeah… How would I do that? I’m John-Luke Roberts. I’m and absurdist comedian and comedy writer. That’s a reasonable place to start I guess.

EK: How did you first get into comedy and has it always been absurd for you?

JLR: I’ve always been a big fan of comedy. I remember becoming obsessed with Monty Python and Eddy Izzard in my early teens, and then, looking back, I see the other things that were always around which we’d watch as a family. These were as disparate as Victoria Wood and ‘Allo ‘Allo. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that ‘Allo ‘Allo wasn’t very good. It’s very hard to tell. In fact, I think I found out recently why ‘Allo ‘Allo isn’t very good. It’s because they tried to break the American market by writing one series of 26 episodes without hiring any more writers, so two writers did the whole thing. I think that’s true, but it’s one of those things I don’t want to check because I prefer the story to the potential actuality.

At university I started doing bits and pieces of sketch and other things. Then, I entered the BBC new comedy awards which I was too young for, got into the final, panicked and ended up with a sketch show on what was BBC 7 but is now BBC 4 Extra. That was a baptism of fire at the beginning of my career, but it also lulled me into a false sense of security that everything would just go my way. It turns out you actually have to work quite hard.

EK: You’ve gone on to work on lots of different shows.

Some absurd but also more topical radio shows. Do you enjoy writing topical comedy?

JLR: At the moment I’m not really writing on any of those shows. It’s just so much better for my mental

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ROBERTS

health not to have to read the news every day. I still end up doing it though, I don’t know why. All those sort of gag writing jobs, I think of them like playing scales on the piano. They are good for keeping your hand in, good for the muscle memory of how jokes work.

Actually working on topical shows nowadays is more of a challenge than it used to be; now, within 5 or 10 minutes of any story breaking, Twitter is full of hundreds of versions of the first two or three jokes that you will think of on that story. So the challenge is now for people to find the jokes that haven’t already gone all over the internet.

EK: You have also done lots of stand up and shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Are there any moments that have stood out for you?

JLR: I’ve done it a lot and so now every August bleeds into the next. Going back up to the fringe feels like a continuation of the last one. I’ve done more than a year’s worth of Edinburghs in terms of months.

The most memorable experience was before I was performing, I saw Simon Munnery doing ‘The League Against Tedium’. He entered the tent on the back of a white van with a ship on top of it, wearing a huge top hat and a glove made of dildos and saying, ‘Come on I’ll take you all on’ while the phrase ‘Attention scum!’ blared through the speakers. I’m not sure that will be topped.

EK: Have you taken that challenge on, to bring an entrance like that to your own shows?

JLR: Yes, or at least I think it is important to make a show as memorable as you can. To make something which is exciting in the moment, and then to give enough weird images on stage so that they stick with people after. The job of a comedian, and certainly an

LIFESTYLE absurdist comedian, is to take an audience somewhere they wouldn’t be able to go otherwise.

EK: You also have amazing show titles. How do you come up with them?

JLR: I have come up with a failsafe. If I think of a title and I go ‘oh I can’t do that’, then it is generally a good idea for a title. If my first impulse is ‘no that won’t work’, then it turns out that that is the one I should use.

That’s as detailed as I can be on that.

EK: Your latest title is particularly challenging. How do you actually say it?

JLR: Ah yes, ‘All I want to do is [FX: GUNSHOTS] With a [FX: GUN RELOADING] and a [FX: CASH REGISTER] and Perform Some Comedy!’ [or AIWDI....💥💥💥💥WA.🔫AA.💸APSC! for short]. I would generally say it but it is also completely legitimate to do the sound effects instead.

EK: Your show has jokes about the Spice Girls and their forgotten members. This seems very topical as the Spice Girls are about to go on tour without Posh. If they asked, would you replace her and which character would you use?

JLR: Yes, I would. I would probably replace her with either Facts About the Romans Spice, who just does facts about the romans, or probably Crone Spice who is an old patriarchal archetype of a witch. She always goes down very well with an audience and will just go through cursing people who aren’t entering into the spirit of things. I think Crone Spice would probably be the right one to do. Yeah, she could even throw a few hexes in. You couldn’t say you hadn’t had a memorable time at a Spice Girls concert where that started happening.

EK: You are a co-founder of the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society. Are there any exciting acts or moments that you’ve seen as a part of that?

JLR: We only book acts we find exciting. And there have been some things happen that I’m not sure have ever happened again. One of the best moments was a few years ago now. There’s an Edinburgh show called ‘A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for 56 Minutes and Then Leaves’ and that’s what

the show is, and nobody knows who the Gorilla is. At ACMS we did, I think it was, ‘A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for 7 Minutes and Then Leaves While a Viking does a Sudoku’. But the best thing about it is that it was podcast. Somebody recorded that and there is a 7-minute audio only version of that happening.

That is probably the most quintessentially ACMS thing that has ever happened.

EK: You’re currently touring ‘AIWDI............WA...🔫AA..💸APSC!’. Do you have a favourite place to go on tour?

JLR: There are certain places which are always fun.

Manchester is one of them, Bristol is another, Bath actually is another, Glasgow, Liverpool. The audiences are always really good there.

EK: After the tour will you be going to the Edinburgh Fringe later this year, what is the title of the show you’ll be doing?

JLR: I am. You might want to check the website for the exact wording but it’s ‘After Me Comes the Flood (But in French) drip splosh splash drip BLUBBP BLUBBP BLUBBPBLUBBPBLUBBP!!’ [we checked, it’s correct down to the last blubbp] EK: And finally, do you have any advice, general or comedy related, for students?

JLR: For life advice I’d say my degree [English Literature] has never been of any use to me, so you don’t need to worry too much. The education was fantastic but, in terms of career, I have never had to show my class to anyone. So I’m very glad of the education, but the amount of work I put in was a complete waste of time. In terms of comedy; learn how to stick to your guns and know that what you’re are looking for is the cross section of what you find funny and what an audience finds funny. You don’t want to go too far to them [the audience] because you’ll end up hating your act, and you can’t stay just in the stuff that you like because it might be that nobody else likes it.

You want to be in that sweet spot where you are doing things you love, but there are still enough other people who like it to fill a room.

To see John-Luke in Bath, get to the Rondo theatre on the 12th of April.

April 2019 17

LIFESTYLE

Agony Aunt I think I got ghosted by a girl I really liked. I get attached really quickly and find it hard when I’m ignored. My friends think my reaction to a lack of attention makes my relationships worse. Any advice?

Being dumped is always difficult to deal with. Being ghosted, however, is hard in a different way as it leaves you in limbo. You are pretty much stranded, trapped in the constant uncertainty of whether the person is still interested or not. If they like you for the right reasons, then I’m sure they slide right back into your DMs. But I think your problem might go beyond the ghosting. After all, if you nag someone long and hard enough, it may get them looking in your direction but that isn’t what a relationship should entail. We all like attention, but you shouldn’t go searching for it. My advice is to step back from dating and work out why you are so dedicated to the pursuit of validation. When you learn to love yourself more, you’ll find people who don’t need to be pushed into liking you back or giving you the attention you so desperately crave.

I’m really struggling with my mental health. I find myself sitting in lectures that I can barely focus on. I want to do well but I’m finding it pretty difficult to find the motivation.

It’s really saddening to hear that you feel this way but there are a few things that the Uni offer which may be worth considering. Firstly, take little steps every day. There’s no point attempting to function at the pace of a full sprint if you don’t feel up to it.

It’s important to reach out to others and seek help when you need to. Your family and friends are good If you have any questions for Beatrice, please send an email to su-bathtime-lifestyle@bath.ac.uk

18 BATHTIME

points of call if you need to share how you’re feeling.

4West also offers great support to students and are trained to help with mental health and finding motivation. However, don’t lose sight of what you are achieving - you’ve made it to your lectures and your attendance is something to be proud of. Although it may be difficult, make time for yourself and do the things you enjoy. It might involve putting time aside to go for a stroll around the lake or meeting friends for a coffee. If you can, talk to your lecturers and personal tutor to let them know how you’re feeling.

They’ll be able to offer you any required support and offer tips on ways to tackle the lack of motivation you are feeling.

I have a brunch addiction. The smoothies, avocado and poached eggs… I love it all! The problem lies in that this is all I seem to eat and I’m not quite sure my student budget quite covers my addiction.

Please help.

A fellow avocado addict – something I really can relate to. Bath is the perfect place for those who love brunch. From Darcy’s to Boston Tea Party, there is no shortage of options for the best brunch. Loving brunch really isn’t something to be ashamed of.

Alas, I do understand that opting for brunch every weekend, whilst not burning any calories, does burn through student budgets. But this doesn’t mean that your brunch addiction is a bad thing; perhaps it’s the way you brunch that has to change. With your vast brunching experience, it shouldn’t be too tricky to rustle up your own poached eggs and avo.

Grab your brunch favourites from the market, save yourself some money. Why not get your housemates involved too and spread your brunch addiction?

With love,

LIFESTYLE

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

By ELOISE SACARES

I

t’s easy to feel like you’re not living up to university life. Whether that’s because you didn’t join as many societies as you wanted to, your friends aren’t into going out as much as you are, or the workload means that you’re too busy and tired to do much else – it can be tough. Personally, I’ve been feeling like this recently because my mental and physical health issues have made it really hard to do even everyday things, let alone the extra demands of a busy university life.

However, it’s worth remembering that you can only do so much and, in difficult times, it’s better to just do a few things well... and it’s probably a good idea to make your degree one of them, though I can’t say I’ve taken that advice myself.

These past couple of months, I’ve lost count of the number of plans I’ve had to cancel because I haven’t felt up to it. I’ve arranged two big nights out with all my friends (a social sec in the making or perhaps just a high-strung Virgo), only to end up not being able to go myself. This was heartbreaking at the time, but, in these situations, you have to realise it’s really not the end of the world as there are always so many other opportunities, especially at university. Most importantly, the people that are worth having in your life are the ones that make it clear that, while they miss your presence, they completely understand and hope you’re okay – and that’s a way to tell that your friends are possibly the best people ever.

So, when the going gets tough, here are my tips to stay level-headed and remember that things will get better.

1. SEEK HELP. Being ‘a mess’ can only be funny and quirky for so long until you start to realise this isn’t normal and you need help. Taking prescribed medication or seeking therapy for mental health does not make you a failure in any circumstance, especially when, in my case, you’ve had a diagnosed condition since you were barely a teenager and a history of mental illness in your family. Although this can be difficult to believe in a world that tells you ‘everyone gets a little anxious / down sometimes’, I think you know in your gut when something’s normal and

when it’s a real problem. As it turns out, being on meds hasn’t really worked out for me, but I’m still glad I tried it, and I’m going to continue trying different options to get better.

2. GET OUTSIDE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Going on walks or study dates with friends have been an absolute lifesaver this term; I’ve spent the days I have been able to get out and work either in 4W café (for the frothiest cappuccinos), or in the SU (great for bumping into people and talking about anything to procrastinate). And, when you’re not up to going out, arranging a movie or takeaway night is still a great way to be social. While clubbing is great, I’d have to argue that sometimes watching the Notebook and eating Jelly Babies is better.

3. TAKE AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES AS YOU CAN. If someone has a spare gig ticket, take it. If someone asks if you go to a certain society, go. I know it’s hard, and sometimes you may not be in the right place to enjoy it, but chances are that it might end up being the highlight of your week and give you the motivation you need to carry on with the mundane stuff. It might even just give you a really cool opportunity for the future.

4. TELL YOUR FRIENDS WHAT’S GOING ON. If they’re good friends, it’s likely they will just be relieved that there’s a reason why you never come out anymore instead of thinking you’ve just abandoned the group. People might understandably not always know how to react, but the majority will probably send messages of encouragement and support that can really cheer you up on a bad day.

If you or a friend need advice or support, Student Services are reachable on 01225383838, in 4 West or via email on studentservices@bath.ac.uk You can also visit the Advice and Support centre on the ground floor of the SU. They are also reachable on 01225386906 or suadvice@bath.ac.uk Nightline can be reached on 01225383030 every night of term and Student Minds run regular sessions that are advertised on their Facebook page.

April 2019 19

LIFESTYLE

FLAPJACK

AT TA C K

!

By Mohammad Lone & Tavey Jerrard

F

rom a mention in Shakespeare’s finest works, to being royally messed up by James Acaster in BakeOff, the humble flapjack has a rich heritage envied by the likes of Belvita Soft Bakes and the Cadbury’s Brunch Bar. Though defined as “a sweet, tray-baked oat bar”, the flapjack is more than this: it’s a classic, one from the food tech kitchens of schools to the sweet snack stocks of British citizens.

In Fresh Express, you’ll find 44 varieties of flavoured, locally produced flapjacks. But which should you invest your 89p in? Welcome to your quick guide to the latest flapjacks available at Fresh.

ORIGINAL - ‘Postman Jack’ 6/10

No unnecessarily exotic flavours, no infusions, no fancy features.

If you like flapjacks, you’ll like this, because it will always deliver.

The right level of sweetness and good quality oats make the Original a solid foundation.

RASPBERRY GIANT ‘The Fruity Jack’ 7.5/10

Off the bat, upon opening the Raspberry Giant, you are struck with an unmistakably fruity, jammy scent. This flapjack may be a bit of a hit or miss - its fruity flavour is strong and sharp, almost to the point of acidity. But for raspberry fans (and flapjack thrill-seekers) this might well be the best option.

CHERRY & COCONUT ‘The Jack Sheep of the Family’ 5/10

A more exotic flavour combination, cherry and coconut promises a new level of flapjack. And it would deliver… if it were only executed better.

The cherries are poorly distributed, and

20 BATHTIME

A GUIDE TO THE ‘JACK ON WHICH YOU SHOULD SNACK AND WILL KEEP YOU COMING BACK’ the coconut lends a grittiness to the oaty texture.

However, when you do strike a cherry, it packs a powerful punch of juicy flavour.

CHOC CHIP - ‘Chip off the ol’ Jack’ 8/10

This one promises more than just chocolate chips; with each bite, you are indulged with a chocolate flavour whose creaminess prevents it from becoming too sweet. The chips, which are delightful little parcels, are well distributed, and there are notes of chocolate in the oats, too.

WHITE CHOCOLATE ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Flapjack’ 8.5/10

On appearances, the layer of solid white chocolate resting on the flapjack may seem like overkill and potentially too sweet. But fortunately, like a thin milky bar, this layer added some delight to the regular flapjack. The most dessert-like of the flapjacks, this may be the most calorific, but it’s arguably the tastiest.

BAKEWELL - ‘Jack the Lad’ 1/10

The Bakewell white topping rippled with chocolate makes this the best looking flapjack. But immediately, the sickly sweet scent foreshadows the regrettable journey on which your tastebuds are about to embark. The fudge topping, layered on top of strawberry jam, makes for an experience so sweet that it alone could raise Tate Sugar’s share price. With the almond flavour on top of this, the Bakewell tries to do too much - yet doesn’t do much.

FEATURES

By Adonay Berhe

T

he history of slavery in the UK is relatively undiscussed. Perhaps, it’s the societal amnesia of colonialism, or it feels in keeping with romanticising a ‘glorious past’ of Empire. Yet colonial-era slavery has a legacy not so distant from our lives in Bath: anyone who has been to Bristol’s Harbourside, perhaps on their way to Pryzm or SWX, may have passed Pero’s bridge. It serves as a tribute to an eponymous Caribbean slave who lived in the area during the 18th century; learning about Pero’s story, it is not difficult to reimagine Harbourside instead as a thriving port in the transatlantic slave trade.

Surely our society is far too compassionate to tolerate slavery in our midst?

Unfortunately, slavery has survived but in a drastically different form. The ever-growing demand for cheap, unskilled labour is exploited by criminals.

In search of a better life than their volatile homelands can provide, young men, women and children are victimised. They’re forced into unpaid work, may be sexually exploited or trapped by debt bondage.

Research indicates there are 21 million victims of forced labour, and over 5 thousand victims identified in the UK last year.

Indeed, in January 2018, Avon and Somerset Police prosecuted the owner of a Bath Nail Salon under the Modern Slavery Act. Two young female victims, aged 17 and 18, were found working inside. According to the Bath Chronicle, they were “taken into protective custody… but went missing shortly after… victims are conditioned to feel reliant on those controlling them”.

22 BATHTIME

Unseen UK has been the forefront of the issue of Modern Slavery, a small charity based in the South-West. On 13th March hosted by ACS, a representative visited to spread awareness of the issue and present the charity’s inspiring work. They have been a noticeable presence on campus and socialmedia, with fundraising via bake sales and the recent Bath Half Marathon.

The charity trains professionals and potential employers who may be in contact with potential victims to learn to spot the signs of abuse or potential trafficking. Once victims are identified, they may be provided with refuge in safe houses. With sensitivity and specialist care, counselling and support are available to provide protection from criminals.

Crucially with their “micro and macro” approach, Unseen works with governments and international organisations to create changes on the national level: they were selected to operate the Modern Slavery Helpline, launched in collaboration with the government, in October 2016.

It’s crucial that we become more discerning about companies and vulnerable people in our community: Unseen promotes awareness and encourages us all to learn the signs of what may be suspected cases of trafficking or slavery. In the words of Avon and Somerset Chief Inspector Mark Edington, responsible for monitoring the issue of Modern Slavery “... we need the community to end modern slavery once and for all. Look out for people who are often withdrawn, showing signs of mistreatment… if something doesn’t look or feel right, it probably isn’t.”

MODERN SLAVERY HELPLINE: 08000 121 700

FEATURES

Mental Health First Aid training is a game-changing solution

By Raghav Aerasala

W

ith the rampant presence of mental health issues amongst the student community and recent conversations that have brought them to the limelight, it is more important than ever to make mental health a priority and take concrete steps in addressing the issue. Raghav Aesarala, chair of the Bath University First Aid society, recently attended a Mental Health First Aid course, and speaks about why he thinks it was important to him.

Across the UK, 78% of students reported experiencing mental health issues in a given year – but less than half had sought support. The University employs roughly 3000 people, and provides a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course but it’s unclear who those first aiders are. As such, my purpose for attending the MHFA course was to gain the skills to be able to help others at university who need and want that support. The aim of the course was to help people recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health conditions and equip them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to act as the first point of contact for someone who needs assistance.

Over the two days, we learned about the MHFA acronym ALGEE and how to use it as a way of supporting people who may need support with looking after their mental health. This method allows MHFAs to approach, assess and assist with any crisis that arises from a mental health illness, as well provide support and information, whether that be professional help or other forms of support.

We spent a lot of time discussing stigma and

discrimination and the negative impact that these can have on someone accessing support rather than withdrawing and/or refusing support.

The key revelation on the course for me was learning how to listen non-judgementally. This skill is very different from having a regular conversation with someone as you really need to keep your judgements and your opinions to yourself and make sure that the conversation focuses on the person you are listening to. When helping someone in distress, I, like many others would want to jump in to the conversation and offer solutions. I learnt that this is not the way to support someone as it could stop someone from talking further or sharing their feelings in the future.

I now understand that summarising what I’ve heard or simply reflecting to the person what I’ve heard is a good way of demonstrating non-judgemental listening.

The Mental Health First Aid course was an eyeopener and taught us how to listen, recognise signs of mental health, and how to approach someone to ask if they are having suicidal thoughts. I believe all University Departments and the Student’s Union should heavily invest in the recruitment and retention of more MHFAs. All Line Managers, Personal Tutors and Welfare and Inclusivity Officers should be encouraged to go onto these MHFA courses, allowing them to help students and staff at the university be able to get the support that they need, as well as reduce the stigma and discrimination against those suffering from mental health disabilities.

If you know someone who is showing signs of not being themselves, now is a good time to ask them how they are feeling. Listen objectively to their response and offer help and support.

To find out more about these courses, visit www.sja.org. uk/sja/training-courses/mental-health-first-aid.aspx

April 2019 23

FEATURES

working to celibacy

the complex story behind Japan’s demographic time bomb

By Lewis Boulton

I

f there were ever a more tempting political can to kick down the road for another ten years, it must surely be the ageing population. With younger people less likely to vote, it does not make much political sense to tilt an economy away from the people who vote for you. Japan, however, might be kicking that can off the cliff edge. In 2016, the population shrunk by 300,000; on that logic, Japan will be down 42 million by 2100, with a UN study predicting the country’s population dwindling to 2 million by 2800. Alarmists even wonder whether Japanese people might eventually go extinct.

A complex web of social, economic, and cultural factors has created a perfect demographic storm. An article in The Atlantic focuses on an economy too reliant on an unstable work culture, where temporary or contract work has become normalised, with many suffering from ‘karoshi’ (death by overworking).

Deep cultural ties to male breadwinners and childrearing wives mean many feel like failures in a job market that barely allows them time to sleep or eat, let alone to date and socialise. The Japan Times blames a mix of public complacency and the ‘myopic nature’ of national politics, as well as a huge public debt stalling any attempts for government spending on more affordable daycare services.

When The Guardian asked young Japanese people why they weren’t having sex or romantic relationships, they often heard “mendokusai”: “I can’t be bothered”. They would rather be focussing on their career, platonic pastimes away from hectic work schedules, or technology than be tied down by heavy cultural expectations. Japan’s Institute of Population and Social Security reported 90% of

24 BATHTIME

young women stating that singledom was “preferable to what they imagine marriage to be like”. Another study showed young women in 2013 having a 25% chance of never marrying. With no religious body morally encouraging more marriage and cities ‘full of conveniences made for one’, independence has become the path of least resistance.

This still does nothing to calm fears of rapidly declining tax receipts to support an increasingly aged society. Japan has long been reluctant to encourage large-scale immigration to make up the deficit, but with longer work permits being offered to migrant workers with language classes attached, this might begin to change: this will depend on whether restrictions on families joining workers are lifted. Meanwhile, matchmaking services and even local governments are playing Cupid amongst young urbanites. Local authorities have been known to organise speed dating nights with volunteers on hand to smooth out any awkwardness; Zwei, a dating agency, takes young women out of the cities to meet rural dwellers who, with secure jobs and more money, may be more culturally acceptable.

It is not certain whether there is the will either to accept more foreign migration or confront cultural and economic pressures.

What is certain is that prevailing traditions, economic exploitation, and newfound spoils of independence have conspired to make a demographic time bomb. Only time will tell whether the government, companies, or the people can disarm before to explodes.

FEATURES

Anonymit y

as a Punishment New Zealand declines terrorist notoriety following the Christchurch attacks

By Ben Turner

‘S

peak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them. He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless’.

These were the words of New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, following the Christchurch terror attack. By refusing to grant the shooter so much as a name, Ardern is breaking the dominant perpetrator-focused hype that typically follows terror attacks and mass shootings.

On the 15th March, fifty people were killed by a lone gunman while they prayed in two local Mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The victims were exclusively Muslim in what has emerged to be an attack partly motivated by extreme right-wing ideology.

In the aftermath, most attention has been diverted away from the attacker. In a photo of him entering court, the New Zealand authorities opted to hide the man’s face and his name has also since been omitted by a legal order. The focus has instead been on victims of the attack and several stories of heroism.

This approach marks a significant departure from the conventional perpetrator-focused response to incidents of mass violence, which typically aims to gather as much information as possible about the perpetrator, their family, internet history and more.

Despite this, a large portion of the media continue to pursue this route. Almost all of the UK’s outlets have run news articles exclusively dedicated to the shooter, while the The Daily Mail went further and

published a segment of the shooting video filmed by the attacker, as well as his ‘manifesto’, which was made available for download.

While mainstream media has since retracted this material, social media has proven more difficult to contain.

The attack itself was live-streamed on the shooter’s Facebook profile, and, despite only being viewed by around 4,000 people during and after the broadcast, 1.5 million copies were uploaded in the 24 hours following the attack.

Other social media sites including YouTube and Instagram also hosted the video and copies are still reported to exist. While they have tried to remove the content, the incident has illustrated their lack of control over what is posted online and their role in offering a platform and audience for violent content.

However, the media can also play a positive role and some coverage in New Zealand has focused on reforming the country’s gun laws. What is important is that the attacks are covered in a cautious manner that does not glorify the violence, create scapegoats, and more dangerously, encourage copycat behaviour.

In trying to understand why people commit these crimes, we may also be indirectly feeding their key motivations - attention and notoriety.

Following the shooting, New Zealand has appeared a compassionate and united society, despite the attacks in Christchurch aiming to undermine this solidarity.

The focus on victims and reconciliation rather than perpetrator and blame could offer a new approach to future incidents while denying the possibility of fame and notoriety to those with similar intentions.

April 2019 25

FEATURES

Selling Citizenship is a Big And Controversial Busine$$

By Mayank Jagnany

I

n the post-Globalization era, where each country wants to grow at a fast pace, it is important that they seek investments to fund developmental activities, without falling into a debt-trap and becoming dependent on subsequent IMF requests for bailout packages.

Luckily, many countries have found a way to avoid the embarrassment of requesting loans from international organisations. They have developed a nice business model that helps them generate their own money and investments with any obligation to pay back.

This business is known as a Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP) or, more simply, ‘the business of selling citizenship’.

It may seem like a new concept, but it was first launched and practiced in 1984 by St. Kitts and Nevis (a newly independent country). The scheme itself, however, took off in 2009 (co-incidentally after the financial crisis), after people started obtaining visafree travel to places like the favored Schengen Area.

Such schemes can be a boon for poor countries that are struggling to make ends meet - they help in lifting them out of debt, generating investment and are, at times, a major contributor to the country’s GDP and exports. Moreover, all this comes at almost no significant cost to the country.

As of today, such schemes are available in more than 20 countries, including USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and others in the EU. The programs

26 BATHTIME

range from direct citizenship and passport, to Golden Visa Schemes, which grant a citizenship after 5 years. Investments can be made in property, businesses, government bonds or securities, and, in some desperate cases, countries may even accept cash donations to various government funds like The Hurricane Relief Fund, to be eligible for CIP. One of the most popular destinations is the Caribbean, with the cheapest schemes and the most lenient residency obligations wherein a passport can be obtained by donating $100,000 to $150,000 to any of their disaster relief funds. Closer to here, there’s the EU passport, which is a prized possession for many, and can be obtained by investing in countries like Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Latvia, Greece, Spain and the UK. Thailand also offers ‘Elite residency’ programs with a 20-year validity, for about $3000$4000 per year, with a host of other benefits, while the American equivalent called the EB-5, which requires an investment of about $1 million and entitles the investor to a Green card.

Although such schemes do benefit countries, they are not free from international criticism and can often generate controversy. The biggest problem with such schemes is the fact that fugitive and economic offenders may use this as a tool to dodge sanctions from their home country and take luxury exiles in countries where they are safe from agencies who are on a lookout for them. Another reason for criticism is that such schemes may undermine the concept of citizenship in places like EU, which might be unfair for original citizens and also threaten security for the country and its people.

FEATURES

By Eloise Sacares

I

n the European Union 69% working women are in female-dominated occupations, which is defined by over 60% of workers in that occupation being female. An even more dramatic statistic is that half of America’s workforce would need to switch professions to bring the labour market into perfect balance between the sexes.

Occupational segregation has a negative impact on the earning potential of women. An International Labour Organisation (ILO) study found that, in general, occupations that are more female-dominated tend to be paid less. Therefore, it is often said that the gender pay gap is a result of career choices that men and women make. However, I believe we have to question whether these choices are truly free in a world where young girls are given cooking sets and dolls to play with, while young boys are given LEGO sets. This arguably translates through to female confidence, with evidence repeatedly showing that women typically view themselves as less qualified for certain jobs, particularly those in male-dominated fields like STEM careers, and jobs in finance and politics. Time and time again, men will put themselves forward for a job even if they only have 60% of the required qualifications, while women tend to only put themselves forward if they can check off every item on the list: this sums up how prevalent implicit societal norms are in leading to economic gender inequality.

The pay difference between male and female dominated occupations also has impacts on other areas of equality. If women with male partners

receive significantly less income than them, they are more likely to be financially dependent on their partners. We see the negative impacts of this echoed in stories of women who felt unable to leave abusive relationships even in instances of domestic violence due to the financial dependence of them and their family on the income of the male partner. But this isn’t just a problem for equality, which we try and fix for moral or altruistic reasons: it’s a huge problem for the world economy too. The World Economic Forum found that if women were to achieve economic equality with men, it would contribute $28 trillion to the global economy, which is around the same size as the combined economies of the USA and China.

However, it’s not just about getting women into these professions, it’s also about ensuring that they have the opportunities and a co-operative environment for career advancement. Having women not just in male dominated occupations such as big business, but also in leadership positions in these areas is hugely beneficial for the economy. This is proven by the fact that Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on their boards significantly outperform their contemporaries who lack the same.

Diversity of skills in management positions is an asset to any company, and whether men and women have different skills because of inherent biological differences or societal conditioning is up for debate, but what has been shown time and time again is that bringing people with different life experiences into an occupation is good for business outcomes.

So, striving for greater occupational gender equality makes not just moral, but also economic sense.

April 2019 27

FEATURES

CHANCE ADAPTATIONS The fascinating outcomes of natural selection

By Rob Brett

I

was reading a book about sleep last week and I learnt something about birds: they can sleep with half of their brains. That’s already pretty weird, but what’s even stranger is a certain behaviour groups of birds perching on the same branch exhibit. If, say, there are ten birds lined up on the same branch resting, the central eight will fall asleep fully. The ones on the outside will fall asleep with half of their brains, keeping their “outer” ears and eyes fully awake to keep watch for danger. It’s as if they’ve been given the role of night watchmen, but of course, this isn’t a coordinated effort. As much as birds are demonstrably intelligent in certain ways, they haven’t quite evolved to the point of delegating tasks to each other. In a way I think that makes it all the more impressive – this behaviour is something that natural selection has produced entirely by chance in its neverending system of proliferating genes that help organisms survive.

In the same vein, I decided to track down a couple of other examples of natural selections most aweinspiring creations, and this is what I found: The African Pyxie Frog This is the second largest frog in the world and lives in regions of Africa where a long dry season defines most of the year. Amphibians aren’t generally known for their love of dry habitats and this guy has a ridiculous way of dealing with arid conditions.

Every year, when the rains stop, the frog builds a mucus-based sac around its body and buries itself a metre or so below ground. And there it waits. The sac hardens to form a cocoon, and it hibernates. Typically rain returns around ten months later and

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reacts with the shell, dissolving it, at which point the frog returns to the surface to breed. But if the rain doesn’t come, the frog remains sheltered in its time capsule for up to seven years!

The Vampire Finch This is one of Darwin’s famed Galapagos finches, through which he framed much of his work on evolution by noticing the drastic differences in their beaks. The difference is typically related to the foods which they consume, and that’s also true of the vampire finch: they drink the blood of other birds with a razor-sharp beak. Terrifying. And the birds from which they drink don’t seem to mind; the common rationale is that the finch used to prune them for parasites in some kind of mutually beneficial exchange, or symbiosis. The finches would benefit (from eating the parasitic bugs) and the bigger birds would be free from infection. I think that’s the saddest part – how much the victims trust them.

And just because we have cities and biologists doesn’t mean we’re free from nature’s grasp. The crushing guilt associated with being caught doing something you shouldn’t was originally churned out by natural selection to tie groups of humans together – nothing is worse (from a survival perspective) than a human being exiled from their community. And before you start to feel proud of this apparent altruism, notice that the guilt comes with getting caught. If your housemate doesn’t catch you taking their milk, natural selection does a remarkable job of encouraging you to take a little more the next day. It’s only when someone calls you out that you really start to feel concern.

FEATURES

Climate change and its impact on birds

By Becky Illsley 2018 was the fourth-warmest year on record. Since 1900, the global average sea level has risen by around 8 inches. In the last 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by 95%.

Statistics such as these should surely be enough for us to realise the true implications of climate change.

The UN has stated that we have only 12 years to reverse the effects of global warming. Increased temperatures and unpredictable weather, including more frequent and intense storms, heat waves and flooding, are detrimental to entire ecosystems.

Furthermore, scientific organisations such as the National Academy of Science have identified climate change as an urgent threat caused by humans. Yet many people view climate change as trivial, refusing to accept responsibility for their actions. We are not the only species that inhabit this Earth.

European birds are crucially affected by climate change. Warmer summers, like 2018’s, have had adverse effects on behavioural strategies in birds. For example, an inability to adapt to increasing climates has been shown to result in reduced care of offspring in some species. A recent study on Eurasian Blue tits from Lund University has shown that overheated birds produce smaller offsprings with lower survival rates. This could gradually lead to the extinction of species critical for flourishing ecosystems.

Similarly, many birds have been observed travelling northwards or to higher altitudes

to keep cool in the warmer months. As a result, they may be forced into habituating smaller territories and urban areas, lacking suitable food and shelter.

Birds living in the most northern habitats of Great Britain, such as the Scottish crossbill, the UK’s only endemic species of bird, are consequently at risk of extinction.

Established migratory patterns of birds are affected as well. A study conducted at the University of Edinburgh found that birds including the swallow and pied flycatcher are reaching their summer breeding grounds about one day earlier per degree of increasing global temperature. This is important because by reaching the breeding ground at the wrong time, they risk missing out on crucial resources such as food and nesting places, impacting offspring hatching and subsequent survival.

Understanding these new behavioural strategies is incredibly useful as it allows us to identify ways to help threatened species. With so many members of the animal kingdom at risk, an immediate team effort across the country is required. There are plenty of ways in which we can help. For example, we can lower our carbon emission by reducing the amount of meat and sugar we consume (the recently released planetary health diet has some useful tips regarding this), making the most of leftovers to reduce food waste and utilising public transport as much as possible. Together, we can work towards a more positive future for our Earth.

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FEATURES

PATRIOTISM VS NATIONALISM

By Ananya Saha

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n the wake of the vicious mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand, American President Donald Trump was asked if white nationalism had become a global rising threat. While his response was “no”, facts show otherwise. Reports from civil liberties groups and American justice officials’ data show that domestic terrorism, specifically white supremacy, is on the rise in the United States.

Elsewhere in the world, the ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan has led both parties to often celebrate attacks against each other, in the name of patriotism. But are patriotism and nationalism the same thing, and can they be used interchangeably?

Though both terms are often understood as being synonymous, there exist a few fundamental differences between the two terms. In his essay “Notes on Nationalism”, George Orwell explains this contrast by defining the two terms. While nationalism is “placing the country beyond laws of good and bad”, patriotism is “devotion to a particular country or region which one believes to be the best but does not wish to force on other people”.

Almost 70 years after that essay was published, the distinction still holds true. Indeed, patriotism can be seen as the pride in one’s state and the willingness to defend it, if necessary. This forms the basis of national independence. Nationalism, on the other hand, often has stronger connotations. It can be defined as an extreme form of patriotism, where one’s state is seen as superior to others. The importance

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of nationalism, however, cannot be discredited as it has been instrumental in uniting people, such as the nationalist movements against colonialism in Asia and Africa. Nevertheless, it must be noted that while nationalism can unite people, it unites people against other people. It was nationalism which drove Hilter’s idea of a pure Aryan state, and it was nationalism which led to a poisonous hatred between countries during the two world wars.

The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent, leading to a need for a global identity in addition to a national one. Despite this, many people often harbour feelings of extreme nationalism, which drive them to commit heinous crimes, with the Christchurch shooting being the most recent example. At university, one often comes across a diverse body of students, and it is often interesting and fun to be exposed to various cultures and rituals. In the face of such cultural, religious and national variety, it is important to understand that love for one’s own country and respect for other countries are not mutually exclusive beliefs, and these two forces can often exist in harmony. While nationalism has often helped in uniting people against and hostile force, it has acquired an extreme nature in recent times, which has led to incidents of terrorism and bloodshed. Patriotic love for one's country is imperative and necessary, but if this love becomes more important than humanitarian ideals, it is misplaced and leads to extreme nationalistic beliefs.

FEATURES

Politics? I prefer more interesting topics.

By Madeleine Page

I tweeted more about the Kardashian-ThompsonWoods cheating scandal than I did about climate change, Brexit or Tinder this month. And (arguably) these topics are all far more important than anything the Kardashian-Jenners say or do given that they will literally change the course of my life more than the world’s most famous family ever will (bold assumption to make about Tinder but go with me here).

This month, thousands of school children walked out of lessons to protest against our government’s lack of acknowledgment of climate change issues, and hurrah for democracy, the government planned a debate. However, only ten MPs actually showed up to this debate. Ten. To put that into perspective, all eleven members of The Independent Group went for a Nando’s at the same time. There were actually more MPs enjoying Peri Peri wonderfulness than debating climate change. And we wonder why nothing ever changes.

In Brexit world, Chris Grayling massively cocked up by giving a ferry shipping contract to a company with no experience that had no ferries, and still managed to hold onto his job. Quite frankly, he is bringing shame on the country of ‘Boaty McBoatface’. Based on previous form I think the contract should be handed out to the British people, who are bloody fantastic at organizing things that are completely ignored by the government (see: People’s Vote March, aforementioned climate change protests). We sort the

ferries, they go for a Nando’s. Simples, to paraphrase May. And the last of my issues, Tinder. It’s all quiet on the Western front, mainly because after what Tristan Thompson and Jordyn Woods did to Khloe Kardashian, I don’t think I can ever love again. (For those out the loop, Kardashian’s on-off boyfriend and father of her child Thompson cheated on her with her friend, model Woods). When I found out the news, I didn’t log off twitter for hours. When Kourtney posted a picture of her wearing a snake necklace I was so shook. I lay by the lake for hours in the warm weather listening to podcasts about the scandal. I was absolutely and utterly hooked.

There came a point where I wondered why I was listening to utter trash and engrossing myself in someone else’s drama and considering asking for an extension on my dissertation because of this harrowing news. I mean, I’m a student at Bath, shouldn’t I have more important things to care about?

Well, actually, no. This scandal might be the stuff of trashy magazine cover dreams, but it’s taking me away from my own stresses and allowing me a moments distraction from the impending doom of deadlines and exams and graduation and adulting!

So, I’m going to continue indulging in Kardashian drama as a form of reprieve from the shambles that is British politics (and, indeed, my love life). In the meantime, google ‘Kardashian Jenner Thompson Woods’. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

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FEATURES

BLESS YOU! By tom reynoldson

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o on without me, I can’t do it. Is it still light out? I can’t tell any more. Someone tell my head to stop aching. I’d God damn tell it myself, it’s just that my throat is apparently ‘reviewing some of its policies’. My doctor says I’ll be better tomorrow. Well that shows how much she knows, I don’t have until tomorrow… I’m down to my last cough sweet. Mind you, she did say some pretty interesting stuff about evolutionary medicine.

After we got through all that, I explained how the stresses of study made me ill, but before I could finish, Doc went completely off on one! Hell, I thought she was sick, merrily explaining an idea in biology called the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ instead of focussing on finding her prescription pad. Would you believe that lack of early childhood exposure to various microbiology increases a person’s susceptibility to allergic and autoimmune diseases?

Wait stop, I see now. I would’ve got it earlier if I hadn’t had to crawl home sneezing on all the Consider this: why are we vulnerable to illness even people in my path. Her point was that exposure after billions of years of evolution?

Well, there are numerous reasons, for instance simply to varieties, such as the difficulties of study, make because the influenza virus can evolve faster than us, us stronger in the future. Clever Doc. I’ll add this, too: tip the balance too far and exposure becomes thanks to its staggering replication rate and genetic cause of death; to prevent this tipping of course we sharing and clumsiness. Likewise and importantly, use interventions. But here is a slippery slope, these natural selection favours reproductive success, even interventions prevent your exposure and thus your at the expense of vulnerability to disease. future strength.

All this is very good I told Doc, but why does my body make me feel as comfortable as a giraffe would feel carrying a guillotine? My heart doesn’t complain about its constant pumping, so why does my nose have so much to say when a few microbes fancy a holiday? By some astounding coincidence, there was just the paper to answer that question sat right on Doc’s desk. It seems that presence of a fever is correlated with better disease outcomes, perhaps as a temperature may harm virus more than host and/or upregulate immune defence.

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…make of that what you will, I’m off to abuse the thermostat.

Inspired by Bergstrom & Gugatkin and Zimmer & Emlen evolution textbooks.

NEWS & COMMENT

COMMENT

Local elections: will students be heard?

BY Henry Somper

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ith local elections just around the corner, incumbent local councillors, as well as those throwing their hat in the ring for the first time, will be bidding to win one of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s 65 seats. Historically, the local council has been shared between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, the latter faring better in recent years.

called for the university to use student tuition fees to pay for council tax lost due to student exemption, a figure which equates to roughly £3 million. A better solution to the problem, as last year’s SU President Ben Davies argued, would be for Hobhouse to lobby the government to reimburse local authorities for the cuts they have received since the financial crisis.

What good would a “learning tax” do, as prescribed

by Hobhouse, in making students feel part of a truly homogenous community?

In my mind, the solution to getting the student voice out there is encouraging students to vote. Owing to commonly low levels of student turnout in local elections, Bath councillors are not reliant on the student ballots and thus, have the leeway to choose not to facilitate student concerns in their policies.

To try and shake up the mix a little, a number of Bath University Students are hoping to run as Independents against Lib Dem, Tory and Labour candidates, most of whom have already served as councillors.

Nothing speaks more highly of this than the current party literature. Since campaigning started, not once have I seen a shiny yellow, blue or red leaflet explaining how students will benefit from voting for a particular councillor hopeful.

First, and arguably the most featured local story regarding Bath students, is the issue of housing.

Students make up nearly a third of Bath’s population, which has inevitably led to a number of problems concerning housing. The way housing policy has been crafted in Bath has traditionally meant HMO’s – houses of multiple occupancy, commonly occupied by students and young professionals – have been disproportionately developed in only a handful of areas around Bath such as Lower Oldfield Park, West Moorland, and areas of Widcombe and Bathwick.

With this said, Bath local councillors, from all sides of the political spectrum, as well as our own MP, have regularly supported and commended the work and local contribution of students. At the same time, the issues raised above still need to be addressed.

As a result, local residents have felt frustrated by their communities turning into ghost towns over the summer when we all pack up and leave for placements or that long awaited Maga trip with the lads.

Anti-student rhetoric moreover, and policies which have often left students feeling powerless, are a cause for concern. Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has recently

REGISTER BY 12th APRIL VOTE ON 2nd MAY! April 2019 33

NEWS & COMMENT

UNIVERSITY FILM ON SIERRA LEONE DIAMONDS NOMINATED

By Jack McKevitt

A

short documentary co-produced by a reader at the University of Bath has been nominated for Best Educational Film at the 2019 Learning on Screen Awards.

‘Voices from the Mine’, a collaboration between Dr Roy Maconachie and film production technician Simon Wharf, exposes the work conditions of hundreds of thousands of workers in the diamond mining sector of Sierra Leone. Roy also won an award in 2017 for a documentary on the experiences of women cocoa farmers, and this continued recognition places Bath at the forefront of international development studies.

In an interview with Bath Time, Roy stated that “Voices from the Mine” is in part a reflection of over 15 years’ work in Sierra Leone. Since the 1991-2002 civil war, partially funded by ‘blood diamonds’, Dr Maconachie has tried to affect change in the way

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diamonds are produced and sold, and in particular transported across fragile borders.

What is striking about the film is that his voice is seldom heard - instead, almost the whole piece is dedicated to field interviews with those across ‘the chain of production’. This begins with the miners themselves, who retain relatively little job security, facing conditions similar to a ‘contemporary form of slavery’ driving them in ‘debt bondage’.

Communities are also highlighted, with the promised cut from diamond taxes failing to materialise, perpetuating these inequalities over time as these areas continue to be deprived of basic rights such as healthcare, education and even water.

It is certainly surprising in the film to find significant attention given to supporters - the people who finance, supply, and pay the miners - and brokers, who sell these diamonds on. This uncommon attention to people who have previously been

NEWS & COMMENT described in the film as ‘aggressive’, with ‘no humanitarian feelings’ nevertheless shines a light on the difficulties they face, such as the bureaucratic nature of obtaining a mining licence, which forces supporters to head to the black market, and prohibitive fees which force mining to become illicit.

The brokers, meanwhile, claim that they in turn receive smaller profits than they deserve, and that they should have the right to the diamonds as it is their land.

Finally, the film turns to diamond companies at the top of the chain in Antwerp who, surprised at the level of exploitation taking place, appear to have a desire to make a change towards a more ethical model. When quizzed on whether the diamond buying companies could really be relied on to make this level of change, Dr Maconachie confirmed that two of the companies portrayed in the film were, in fact, promoting their own ethical model of trading, and thriving in this era of Fairtrade.

However, he stressed that the agent which needs to play a bigger role in effecting change in the region is the government, and his work in Sierra Leone has involved close engagement with the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources, particularly in the development of new policies in the artisanal mining sector.

Getting the policies right and building stronger institutions are part of the solution, it is argued both to prevent the outbreak of further conflict, and to formalise the sector in order to put an end to the exploitation of the artisanal miners.

Perhaps it is this willingness to hand over the whole film to the voices of the subjects, including those who could be seen as perpetuating the exploitation, which has contributed to such acclaim. Indeed, in recent years, we have seen documentaries such as The Act of Killing lauded for doing exactly this - focusing on the perpetrators of crimes to gain an unexpected perspective. A vital contribution of this film, however, is not just awards acclaim, but also raising awareness of this exploitation, and Dr Maconachie is hopeful for the work to break out of academic circles to influence policymakers, with translations and screenings in collaboration with humanitarian organisations arranged.

In the current climate, with short documentaries such as The White Helmets playing an increasing role in raising awareness of important work, and documentaries becoming increasingly marketable, Dr Maconachie may well be proved right.

Watch the documentary on bath.ac.uk/ announcements/university-film-nominated-fornational-film-award/

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NEWS & COMMENT

Bath lecturer urges for broadening gender pay gap reporting Illustration by Andrew Lyons

By Elie Carsley

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ssociate Professor at Bath Dr Susan Milner has urged for gender pay gap reporting to be broadened and deepened. Despite the mandatory pay gap regulations introduced by the government in 2016, which requires companies to publish their data on pay inequalities, reporting on gender pay gaps in the British workforce remains limited.

Mandatory pay gap reporting was enacted in 2016.

It requires organisations with at least 250 employees to publish their mean and median gender pay gaps, gender gaps in bonuses and proportions of men and women employees by quartile. The reports are also expected to have an accompanying narrative explaining any instances of pay gaps, and how the company plans on tackling it.

All reports are made public, and have subsequently led to some shocking revelations, including BBC China editor Carrie Gracie’s resignation after her salary was revealed to be significantly less than her male counterparts.

Unfortunately, recent adherence and drive to increasing transparency on gender pay gaps has stalled. The next round of reports, due in April, are expected to carry little weight because of the superficial state of reporting. For example, despite apparent compliance, many organisations have been filing inaccurate reports by omitting or submitting erroneous data. Moreover, only half of companies

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in 2018 also published the accompanying narratives expected to explain the gaps, and only 20% included proposed actions to address them.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commissions’ (EHRC) has the power to fine companies that have issued incorrect or incomplete reports, yet no charges have been brought in. Resultantly, the EHRC has been labelled ‘toothless’ by Maria Miller MP, arguably an appropriate label encompassing the state of gender pay gap reporting.

Sadly the government has virtually ceased to advance the cause of better pay gap reporting. It rejected the addition of further stipulations - such as more detailed ethnicity pay gap breakdowns – to the regulations, leaving gender pay gap reporting somewhat stranded by the roadside. Therefore, although the introduction of statutory regulations on gender pay gap reporting symbolised a step in the right direction in addressing the pay inequalities prevalent in the UK, the issue has not received the continued attention it deserves. So much so, that it’s widely recognised, that without sustained pressure, the incentives for companies to comply to regulations will backslide altogether.

Finally, Dr Milner stresses that given labour market changes, more and more women are trapped in low-paid, low-hours employment, providing a newfound impetus for expanding reporting on pay inequalities. Further pressure appears vital to keep pay inequalities in the public spotlight.

NEWS & COMMENT

LOCAL NEWS

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1. LIVE AUTOPSY TO BE CARRIED OUT IN BATH

Bath Spa University will host an event to discover more about human anatomy. A semi-synthetic corpse will be on display, filled with pig organs, similar to human ones. Renowned anatomist Samuel Peri will lead the dissection and teach those attending basic medical skills, like reading an X-ray.

The event will take place on May 11th.

2. QUEEN VISITS SOMERSET On Thursday March 28th the Queen arrived in Castle Cary by royal train, her first visit to Somerset since 2012. The Queen wore a lime green ensemble and stopped at a farm, as well as a local school where she opened a music centre.

3. BBC DRAMA FILMED IN BATH’S GUILDHALL BBC One Drama The Trial of Christine Keeler, about the Profumo Scandal, has been filmed in the Guildhall building. The scandal involved the thenSecretary of State for War, who had an affair with 19 year old model Keeler in 1961. Vast lighting equipment was installed in the courtyard of the building and extras in period-dress were seen in and around. The show is expected to air in November.

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4. NEW RIVERSIDE BUSINESS CENTRE TO BOOST BATH’S ATTRACTIVENESS Plans have been approved to redevelop the riverside area of central Bath. This is part of the council’s economic strategy to offer Bath companies accommodation to expand, rather than leave to other business centres like London or Bristol. The Bath Quays North project aims to build seven buildings along Corn Street, creating a more traditional commercial style area. It will develop it for 1,900 jobs and a minimum of 70 new homes. Bath Quay South, on the other side of the river, will be connected with a new pedestrian bridge and will feature an office building as well as a total refurbishment of Newark Works, the disaffected ex-industrial area.

5.EX-VC GLYNIS BREAKWELL’S £3M HOME FOR SALE The University has put the house ex-VC Glynis Breakwell lived in up for sale. The house, which is located at 16 Lansdown Crescent, is on the market for £2.95 million and has five bedrooms, four reception rooms, five bathrooms and a roof terrace.

The University said the sale was recommended by the finance committee. The Rightmove posting for the house describes it as “one of only seven complete houses, No. 16 has elegant proportions, gracious reception rooms, a large garden and ample private parking”.

April 2019 37

NEWS & COMMENT

SCIENCE NEWS

By TOM LANGER “DRAGON CAPSULE” FIRST STEP TO COMMERCIAL SPACE TRAVEL

SpaceX’s latest vehicle for extra-terrestrial travel, the dragon crew capsule, has just completed its first successful test flight. It launched on the second of March and docked with the international space station, where it stayed for 6 days, before detaching and returning to Earth. There were some concerns about the vehicle’s ability to survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere but its heat shields and parachute system proved effective, and it splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean.

For this mission, it didn’t carry actual people but instead, a dummy astronaut named Ripley. Ripley was covered in sensors recording vital data about his experience of the voyage that will be used in tweaking the design to make the journey more comfortable for human passengers. And it is in that capacity that the true significance of this capsule is found.

For the past 8 years (since the end of the shuttle programme) NASA has had no way to convey its astronauts to the ISS without buying space on the Russian built Soyuz rocket, costing around 70 million dollars per seat. With a crewed test of the dragon capsule scheduled to take place this summer, NASA hopes to end this dependence and once again launch astronauts from US soil.

Furthermore, this is a huge step forward

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towards the possibility of commercial space travel.

While NASA helped fund the development of the dragon capsule, and are likely to be the largest customer, SpaceX will be free to sell seats in their capsules to anyone. For the most part, this is likely to be other national space agencies, but as the technology is tested and developed further, it is likely that private space companies and even individuals could take advantage too. Whoever ends up using this vehicle, it is an exciting development for anyone interested in exploring the final frontier.

WILD CELEBRATIONS OF PI DAY ACROSS GLOBE It cannot possibly have escaped your attention that in March we enjoyed one of the most culturally significant days in the calendar – pi day. This year a Google employee calculated it to 31 trillion digits after 3.14. Wild.

Founded by the physicist, Larry Shaw in 1988, pi day is a chance for mathematically-minded people everywhere to celebrate the utility of everyone’s favourite mathematical constant. Pi day (as if you didn’t already know) falls on the 14th of March as in the US this is 3.14, the first 3 digits of pi (fun, right?). If you insist on a purely British calendar representation, you still have all the excitement ahead of you as you can instead celebrate pi approximation day on the 22nd of July as 22/7 is a fractional approximation of pi (incidentally, a better

NEWS & COMMENT

representation than 3.14 so why is ours called the approximation?)

Anyway, petty national divisions to one side, this pi day was marked by an exceptional development- a new world record in the number of decimal places pi has been calculated to. Emma Haruka Iwao, a Google employee, announced that she had successfully calculated pi to 31 trillion digits, easily beating the previous record of 22 trillion. This calculation took 25 virtual machines 121 days to complete, and required 170 terabytes of data (for context, that is roughly equivalent to the data required to watch 70 straight days of TV programmes).

designing the parachutes used in the landing of Mars rovers. One final, incredible property of pi is that with only 40 decimal places, you can compute the circumference of the visible universe correct to the nearest atom.

Naturally, this does raise the question of why we therefore continue to seek more precise representations of pi when it serves no obvious practical purpose. But the answer is equally natural – our innate human curiosity and desire to push the limits of our knowledge and capabilities.

Pi is defined to be the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter and is extremely important in science, mathematics and engineering. It is used in calculations for geometrical properties, the relative strengths of materials and the age of the universe to name just a few. NASA also published a list of the tasks they carry out involving the use of pi, including

UNIVERSITY COMMISSIONS THEN HIDES £16,000 GLYNIS PAINTING

By Glen McAlpine

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ast month, Bath Time discovered a veiled painting alongside previous vice-chancellors’ portraits in 4W. A plaque was later found stating this was a portrait of Glynis Breakwell, the University’s last VC. A Freedom of Information Act requested by Bath Time revealed that the full cost of this painting and its framing comes to £16,398.46. Additionally, the plaque which labels these paintings (now removed) cost the University £462, while the unveiling event cost £750.

The painting was hung in 4W, only to be swiftly removed after Bath Time announced its presence online. The artist, Josh Waterhouse, also appears to have removed images of the painting and the unveiling event from his Facebook account.

At the time of writing, the artwork remains hidden and its current location remains a secret. In response to questions surrounding this, a spokesperson for the University stated: “The painting is awaiting installation, over the next few months, alongside portraits of our other former Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors.”

The University response revealed that the process for procuring the artwork was conducted only by the University Secretary and the previous Chair of Council, Thomas Sheppard, who also moved on from his role amid the recent governance scandal faced by the University.

This story has now gained national traction, with coverage from The Times, The Daily Mail, and the Tab emerging.

April 2019 39

NEWS & COMMENT

COMMENT

STUDENT HALLS AT BATH: DIVIDED WE STAND

By Emily Godon

C

hances are that when you were a Fresher yourself you were exposed to the accommodation hierarchy that plagues the Upper East Side (of campus)… and for those of you who lived in the city, well no one thought gave you much thought (like how were you meant to get back home after Fresher’s nights?).

If the hall coloured t-shirts didn’t label you enough, chances are that your friendship group would emerge from the corridor you were randomly allocated.

Having to declare that you live in Quads doesn’t quite get a warm reception (except from former Quaddians), whereas former Eastwood dwellers usually celebrate their successors’ accommodation declarations. This is the prime example of privilege: mocking how Freshers in Norwood and Westwood live in “prison cells” mainly comes from those in the Quads… probably bitter about the chant “F*** The Quads” echoing in the ‘Arena’.

While this is usually perceived as a joke, it’s not all harmless. Social groupings can be influenced by the wealth of our parents, but this is seemingly inevitable with the current set-up of the accommodation system. There is actually a deeper divide here - if paying £9,250 per annum for home undergraduate tuition fees wasn’t enough, the price of Bath campus accommodation lacks affordability too (especially in comparison to universities “up North”). It’s a shame that money still plays a role in determining social groupings across campus.

Until a group meeting or sports social warrants the use of your social space, you don’t receive much

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enthusiasm about being in the Quads… maybe they are just jealous (say the students in the smallest rooms of all…).

NEW POLDEN: marketed towards internationals The newest addition to campus accommodation is Polden, which features high quality rooms for 293 postgraduates. The building is part of the University’s plan to expand its post-grad attractiveness. The price stands higher than the rest of en-suite postgraduate accommodation, reaching £10,770 annually.

This was likely done with the knowledge that the international student market is willing to pay for more expensive rooms, as reflected in the marketing of the residence. A video featuring international student Mick received criticism for being too oriented towards this market, and while the block cost £34.5 million to build, it is the menu of the Polden Café which caught the eye of students on campus. The menu offers bao buns, gyoza and a wide range of teas, leaving little to the imagination as to who the target audience is.

Designed to help the university achieve its vision “to be recognised as an international centre of research and teaching excellence”, Professor Veronica Hailey, VP of Corporate Engagement, spoke at the opening ceremony, saying: “our postgraduates come from all over the world and they feel very loyal to Bath.”

While the Polden building emerges as a beaming manifestation of the corporate nature of universities, it can be asked whether average British postgraduates are still being appealed to.

NEWS & COMMENT

how geneediting could tear society apart

By Sam Pakenham-Walsh

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RISPR. If you haven’t heard of it yet, it’s about time you did. This gene-editing technique has the ability to change the makeup of our DNA. Although it is far from perfected, scientists predict that the approach will be able to significantly improve disease treatments and fix genetic disorders in the near future. Aside from this, CRISPR applications may extend to resolving humanitarian issues, such as increasing the nutritional value of food in famine-rife communities.

Across the globe, researchers, including some at Bath, are exploring ways to make these potential CRISPR applications a reality. There is no doubt the technology is revolutionary in science. But it could also eventually lead to unprecedented divisions in society. Here’s how.

Human physical features are determined by the genes passed down from our parents. These form our individual identity. It is by no means inconceivable to think that, one day, inquisitive scientists will be tempted to introduce the physical traits they consider desirable into babies, using the CRISPR platform. Such traits may include increased muscle mass, improved cognition or enhanced metabolism.

Contemporary society deems this practice as highly unethical, but ethical norms are dependent on public opinion. Humans are naturally self-indulgent. We are all obsessive over the way we look and how society interprets our demeanours, and increasingly so in the age of social media. If a procedure such as this were to

exist, it is likely to receive support and provide an obvious opportunity for commercial profit.

Over time, if a population of ‘designer humans’ starts to emerge in civilisation, it is plausible to think that a social hierarchy will develop, especially as the CRISPR technology is likely to be expensive, thus only confined to, at least initially, the global elite. Humans who are CRISPR-edited may identify as superior beings, or more desirable members of society, compared to those who are not CRISPRedited. A new age of class discrimination.

Even more worrying would be if the proponents of these discriminatory attitudes access positions of power. We all know what can happen when oppressive policies are directed at specific sections of society.

Is the development of CRISPR technology for humanitarian benefit the slippery slope to a more segregated and prejudiced civilisation? This is an important question to contemplate. It is also imperative that the public is fully informed on the subject, not just from the standpoint of CRISPR proponents.

CRISPR has huge potential to benefit the world.

But the risks of gene-editing being misused and put into ill-intentioned hands are real. I worry that CRISPR’s very existence has already opened a Pandora’s Box.

April 2019 41

NEWS & COMMENT

COMMENT

SHOULD WE STILL BE

LISTENING TO MICHAEL JACKSON?

By Scott Campbell

W

asn’t Larry Nesser a brilliant doctor? Maybe, perhaps he was, he must have been. But he was, without reservation, a wicked and rancid man, less human than a Ralph Steadman illustration who ruined people’s lives in a way which many won’t understand – and you should feel well fated to be ignorant to this.

Dear reader, you should feel blessed for not knowing how it feels to be sexually assaulted. I have witnessed that tragedy and witnessed attempts at suicide. I have watched lives so rudely plunging into dystopian catastrophes never again to fully emerge due to the actions of these … things, which lack any form of humanity. Larry Nesser, Roman Polanski, Jimmy Saville, or, for this piece; Michael Jackson.

This perspective is largely personal. I know a lot of people who, in their random privilege, jazz through life; kudos to them – I nevertheless am glad I am not them. Let me build this up from the ground – the victims. I stand by those who have been abused. I believe them, I feel and understand their pain. I hate their abusers, as close as is possible to hate them as much as their victims hate them. I despise their work, their everyday lives; their existence. I fantasise their fitting conclusion

42 BATHTIME

through a horrifically prolonged episode with pain, deliberately not a quick thing to shortly kick the bucket, escaping their justified and brutal torture.

It is a loathsome feeling to have such disdain for another human being, but then again, I can live with it.

I have listened to Off the Wall or Thriller, who hasn’t? Despite Quincy Jones being a fantastic producer, I cannot listen anymore – his notes have decomposed. Michael Jackson’s Machiavellian paedophile account doesn’t necessarily ruin the music. The extent to which you can still listen to Jackson is fully up to you, there is no right answer to whether you continue to listen or not – it’s down to morals.

Artist doesn’t necessarily imply art, yet art does necessarily imply artist – there will always be an intrinsic link between the two, only ignorance can separate them. I cannot, knowing what I know, listen to his music in the same way ever again. This is easy for me - it is not a decision, it is his deeprooted and indescribable abhorrence which ruins his work for me. Dare I tell you how to think, I would say watch the documentary, process your feelings, then play Pretty Young Thing.

I would hope you feel different then.

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LIFESTYLE

This month is best for cultivating relationships, Aries, both romantic and amicable. Focus on who is most important to you in life and investing your time in the people that really matter. Stop trying to fit in with people who aren’t like you and embrace all of your quirks and wonderful aspects build friendships with people who lift you up, not drag you down. Let off some steam with a fun night at Fame or Cheesy Moles and you’ll feel much better!

Remain humble this month, Taurus, and good things will come to you. Really knuckle down on those deadlines and the beginnings of revision and you’ll see your hard work pay off. If you’re undertaking coursework in a group, try and put in your best work, whilst remaining understanding and accepting of other people’s efforts. However, don’t burn yourself out, because you must keep some strength for the upcoming revision period!

Gemini, it’s high time you took a break from your screen and unplugged for a while.

Wasting too much time on your phone can really lead to a lag in productivity, efficiency and your overall well-being, so focus on the things really happening around you.

Arrange a dinner or drinks with your very best friends and relish in being there with them, instead of uploading stories and pictures every second. You’ll really begin to notice how much healthier this is for you.

Your social life is buzzing this month, Cancer. Whether you meet new people or have many events to go to with your existing friends, enjoy spending your time being the social butterfly you are. However, when revision starts, and the exam period begins to encroach on your free time, shift your focus on your studies, as you don’t want to lose out from too many distractions. Go back home to revise and try to eliminate as many distractions as possible – aim for that first!

If you haven’t set your sights on ambitious goals, Leo, this month is the month to do so! You’ll get a surge of motivation that will encourage you to achieve what you set out to do and allow you to feel so proud of yourself.

If you’re looking for a placement, internship or job for the summer, apply for as many as you can and don’t be afraid to apply for very competitive ones; have a little faith and you’ll be surprised to see how far you go!

Have you had a tiff recently with one of your course or house mates? If so, this is the time to focus on reconciliation and putting your differences aside in order to allow your friendship to continue. Although you may be very different people, you can appreciate each other for the various things you bring to the friendship, and you’ll feel a lot better once you’ve let go of this grudge! Arrange to meet for a coffee in Limetree and talk it out; it will feel like a big weight off your shoulders!

Trying to be healthier, Libra? This is the month to really get yourself in gear regarding your diet and looking after your body. Get yourself in the habit of meal prep, ensuring you use good quality, fresh ingredients; nourish that body of yours! If you’re strapped for cash, look online or on Pinterest for some ideas on how to make nutritious

Karma is coming back around, so this month you should focus on doing good for others, Scorpio. If someone’s struggling on campus or one of your friends is overly stressed about coursework, offer a helping hand or a listening ear to those in need, and goodness will happen to you too. Radiate positivity this month and you’ll be sure to notice a difference in your everyday happiness, also.

Self-care is your buzzword of the month, Sagittarius. Pick up a weekly yoga class, take interesting books out of the library to read for pleasure - looking after your best interests is what will keep you going. Take care of yourself as exam season is looming and you must do everything you can to avoid becoming overly stressed at this time. Hang out with your friends, arrange a movie night and just enjoy being in their company; it’s good for the soul!

Try not to make any brash decisions this month, Capricorn. Take the time to mull over your options and to carefully, strategically think about any decisions you have to make, so as not to go down the wrong route. In terms of revision season approaching, get organised sooner rather than later and craft a revision timetable and stick to it over the Easter holidays. You’ll feel a lot more at ease when you have an organised, structured plan of what you’ll be working on and when.

The urge to travel hits you hard this month, Aquarius, as you yearn for adventure away from uni. To quell this, book a trip for the summer holidays with your family or friends, so you have something exciting to look forward to once exams are over. But for now, maybe take a few day trips around Bristol or Wells to get a change of scenery and to fulfill the travel bug you have inside of you!

Your love life might fire up again this month, with a new romantic interest sweeping you off your feet! However, proceed with caution and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into to prevent yourself from getting hurt. If you can feel yourself falling for someone who you know isn’t good news, detach yourself completely from the situation and shift your energy to something you know is much more worthwhile; your studies, your friends and your family relationships.

44 BATHTIME

LIFESTYLE

EROTICA: By the L ake

By Peanyle Disfon-Ksion Chastity, a young, ambitious yet innocent young woman explores the intimate pleasures of being a University of Bath student.

C

hastity had spent a long hard morning at the library, typing away at her maths essay. She was sitting on level 4 of the library and the sun was beaming through the glass onto her naked shoulders. Chastity looked at the lake, and at the people sitting around it; she felt an urge to join them, closed her MacBook and paced down the stairs onto Parade. As she lay down onto the warm, slightly muddy grass, she closed her eyes and let the heat sink into her.

Suddenly she felt something nipping at her hair; she giggled, and whispered, “that’s no way to approach a girl”. But the nipping became insistent, and she quickly realised she was surrounded by angry ducks. Chastity gasped as one of them dug into her Gymshark leggings and tore the fabric off, leaving her thigh exposed. Another started attacking her shirt, and she screamed as they furiously tried to turn her clothes to shreds. Students looked at her powerlessly. All of a sudden, a strong leg gave a powerful kick and the animals scrambled off in fright. Chastity looked up at her saviour and

gasped. She had rarely seen such apparition in the student body.

“You can’t be taking off your clothes to sunbathe” he said, the hills of Somerset flowing from his words. He gave her his hand and lifted her up.

She laughed. “What must people think of me?” she asked him. “My clothes…”

Chastity was very close to him now. “There’s a room” the man said, “where they keep the lost items. I’m sure we can find you something.”

She followed him through a passage under Parade; he was well built, and she wondered what he studied. They were soon in a large neon-lit room. She saw many lost items which had yet to be claimed, but chucked next to Glynis’ career was a plastic box labelled “women’s clothes”.

He told her to open it. She lifted the lid and looked inside.

“I don’t understand” Chastity said. But she couldn’t conceal her telling smile, for in the box was a single blue and gold thong.

April 2019 45

LIFESTYLE

EASY-TO-MAKE RECIPES

By Zuza Markovska

Very quick to make, with ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now!

Ingredients: 1 1 serving (cup) 1-2 tablespoon(s) [A healthy amount]

Egg Any type of pasta Unsalted butter Garlic/garlic granules

Directions: Cook the pasta as instructed on the packet.

When fully cooked, drain the water from the pot and put it back on the heat. Immediately put the chunks of butter in the pan so it can start melting through the pasta. Quickly after, crack the egg directly onto the pasta. Start stirring the entire mixture with a spatula thoroughly until the egg is cooked. Right before taking off the heat, add the garlic and any other seasoning you fancy. I recommend salt and dill.

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