0910-02

WessexSceneIssue 2 www.wessexscene.co.uk Thursday 15th October 2009

The EdgeFeatures

Black History MonthAn examination of black history and culture including a story about overlooked important figures in black history and information describing their lives.

0

Politics

Local MP threatens student housingJohn Denham proposes new laws that if passed could force students to disperse throughout the city and not live near each other, or campus.

Page 6

Sport

Iain Percy gives us a piece of his mindDouble gold medal winning Olympian, Iain Percy discusses his training, his plans for the 2012 Olympics and growing up in Southampton.

Back Page

Paying the Cost of Cheap FoodWhat are we really paying for our value groceries?

is alarming and has sparked the debate regarding the real cost of cheap food.

There are several hidden costs of cheap food which companies do not like to write on the price tag. An ethical reason, such as the treatment of livestock is a major concern in this argument. To produce meat and poultry at cheaper prices, more often than not animals are raised in terrible condi-tions; they are confined in pens, force fed drugs to speed their growth and given very little water and food.

In the 1950s it took 84 days for a chicken to grow to their full size, today it only takes 45 days. Source:www.chickenindustry.com

Not only does this show the extent of what hormones can do, but also shows how farming has changed.

To give an environmental reason, the ferti-liser used to grow produce is incredibly bad for farmland and rivers. When it rains, large amounts

of pesticides and other such chemicals run into rivers affecting fish and marine life. Chemicals, which have become routinely integrated in the growth of livestock, are not healthy or safe for the animals, the environment or us. Furthermore, the creation of cheap agriculture is accelerating global warming. The United States of America burns 19% of their fossil fuels through industrial and specialised farming that produces cheap food, which is more than any other sector in the US economy (as stated in Time Magazine – August 31st 2009).

In addition, the health concerns related with this type of farming are abundant. According to the NHS information centre in 2002, the direct cost of treating obesity was estimated at between £45.8 and £49.0 million and between £945 million and £1,075 million for treating the consequences of obesity; It would be incorrect to blame this solely on cheap food, however it is a factor.

Jazmin Sherman

As students it is part of our culture to live on a very tight budget in every area of our daily lives and we do everything in our power to spend as little as possible. We bargain, buy meal deals, reduced food and shop at places that offer us the cheapest prices, but what are we really sacrificing?

Cheap food is bad for the environment, the economy and us. Many continue to write-off this message as some sort of vegetarian, eco-friendly agenda to “save the animals”, however this is not the case. Our generation must address issues regarding sustainable living, and at the top of this list is how we can grow and eat sustainable food.

To understand this argument we must recognise that cheap food has hidden costs. Students are taught at university to be critical and analytical thinkers, so if we applied these skills to our groceries, maybe we would not be having this debate. One may buy a pack of frozen chicken breasts for £1 but what is behind that £1? Why is it that cheap? It is the cost behind the price tag that

Students Threatened With Rising Learning FeeLisa O’Donnell

A business review of university funding argues that students should pay more for university.The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a lobbying organisation for UK business, carried out the review which was the culmination of a years work by their Higher Education Task Force. The report argues for an increase in tuition fees and a reduction of grants and bursaries.

Without the help of student loans, grants and bursaries, studying at university would be unfea-sible for many young people in England. The Confederation of British Industry is calling for a suspension of Labour’s target of 50 per cent of young people attending university, in order to protect the quality of education, and stop ballooning costs to taxpayers.

Richard Lambert, the Director General of CBI, explains that an increase in tuition fees is needed to counteract inevitable cuts to public funding for higher education. He said: ‘New sources have to be found... We say that savings should come from the student support system.’

The expected outcome of the review, which could be implemented as soon as next year, would result in students facing a triple blow of increased loan interest, fewer grants and higher tuition fees.

Currently tuition fees are capped at £3225 a year, but this could rise to £5000 a year.

Alongside this, the CBI wants to restrict maintenance grants by increasing means-testing for support. The report also states that students should pay higher commercial rates of interest on loans.Wes Streeting, President of The National Union of Students, heavily criticised the comments made in the report. He said: ‘I am astonished that the CBI should be make offensive recommendations. When the fat cats at the CBI recommend that we abandon targets for widening participation from poorer students, they are talking about restricting the opportunities of other people’s children rather than their own. This is gross hypocrisy.’

Continued on Page 3 Continued on Page 3

Editorial WessexScene

EditorialTeam

Editor Carla [email protected]

Assistant Editor Lydia TeagueDesign Editor Jacob Deane Photography Editor James Eley

News Dominic [email protected] Jazmin Sherman

Politics Peter [email protected]

Features Gareth Brading [email protected] Wendy Oloya

Travel Polly [email protected]

Lifestyle Sarah [email protected] Jenni Palmer

Fashion Hannah [email protected]

Arts Caroline [email protected]

Science Emma [email protected]

Sport Daniel [email protected] Charlotte Woods

Editor-in-Chief Jamie [email protected]

different people say different things. some find that they fit in from the moment they take the first steps into their new lives. others feel that while they prefer their new life to their old, things just do not seem quite right. it’s not that i am uncomfortable

with the life that i am living, but i just wish

some things stayed the same. ‘i wish those in positions of responsibility lived up to that responsibility like they used to in the past’. why don’t all the pieces of the puzzle fit together anymore? anon.

Editor’s NoteThis issue I am pleased to welcome Vice-Chancellor Professor Donald Nutbeam to the University. It was a pleasure meeting him last week to hear about the importance he places on students at the University. He wants to appear approachable to all of us, and you can read more about his plans on page 5.

While the Wessex Scene does not have a page dedicated to comment and opinion (we encourage you to express your views on our inter-active website instead), this week I have received several emails from people who have turned to the newspaper in order to get their voice heard about incidents at the University.

The puzzle above is an artistic expression of an anonymous student’s struggle with the internal ‘rules’ of university life, while the letter to the right expresses the exclusion that many people feel when faced with the pressure of alcohol. We have received responses from the relevant officers within the union, and as the elected representa-tives for all students at the university, you should feel confident about contacting them with any issues that you may face.

Carla [email protected]

Dear editor,As a new student and Glen Eyre resident I was pleased that the JCR had laid on a variety of events for freshers fortnight, to help people get to know one another and to compliment the Fresher’s week events run by the SU.

One night, having been chatting to a guy at the bar, a fresher rep came over and asked if we would like to join in with a drinking game with some of the other reps and JCR committee. After an initial hesitation, mainly due to the raucousness of the game that was already taking place in the corner of the bar, I decided to join them. Although the game being played was simple enough it was, as often seems to be the case, that the rules of how a person drinks and conducts themselves that were particularly being enforced. This was what began to get to me. These didn’t seem to be friendly games mixed with a bit of conversation or a chance to get to know other people, and the virulence and zeal with which the rules were being imposed was quite disturbing.

For a time I tolerated this, but when distaste for the game turned to resentment I decided that I had better leave. Once home I tried to rationalise the situation. I tried to be objective, in spite of feelings to the contrary, but in the end it just came down to the question: “What the hell were they doing?”

I can’t understand why people, who are after all in positions of responsibility, would think that instigating drinking games was a reasonable thing to do AT ALL, let alone with Fresher’s as a way of trying to get people to know one-another. I have no moral objection to drinking games and have

enjoyed many in the past, and also understand taking part in a game is my choice. However, what I can’t accept is that the game was played in a hostile atmosphere which didn’t promote people getting to know one-another, rather just aimed to get other people drunker faster. Such a game has no place in an official Fresher’s week event was what I found so disturbingly inappropriate about the whole night.

I hope that at least expressing these views might prompt a few people into thinking more carefully about the impression that such games give and how it reflects on the JCR as a whole.

Yours sincerely, Anon.

Glen Eyre JCR PresidentChloe Baldwin

I’m glad to see that the hard work the JCR put in to organise a variety of events for the freshers has been appreciated, and that the freshers do understand that their participation in such drinking games is entirely their own choice.

It is, however unfortunate that any fresher had such a negative experience as it was made clear to the Freshers’ reps that they were there to mediate rather than instigate these games, to ensure minimal intimidation and optimum fun for everyone!

All we can do at this point is apologise to the writer for their experience and hope it has not put them, or anyone else, off attending future events. Any further feedback and comments are always welcome as we are here to represent the freshers and make sure their fresher year runs smoothly.

JCR PresidentMax Hughes-Williams

Southampton students often take drinking games and the rules that go with them for granted. It can be quite easy to forget that people may not be used to drinking let alone playing drinking games when they first arrive at university, and unfortu-nately some students can take it too far and forget that fresher’s week is about having a laugh and being inclusive.

It is impossible to ban drinking games, it has been tried in the past and it has not worked. As such in their training JCR’s were told not to instigate any drinking games, but if they were happening they should get involved to ensure the game does not get out of control and that everyone involved is having fun and not being forced to drink. In past years JCR’s have taken it too far but this year I am very pleased to say it has been a much improved situation with no major incidents.

This is why I am very upset to read this letter and I will be looking into it. Especially considering the fact every JCR and fresher rep signed a code of conduct and should be abiding by the Union’s sensible drinking policy.

If anyone in halls has any similar stories or concerns I urge you to please contact me by emailing: [email protected] and let me know so that I can investigate them.

If you do ever find yourself involved in a drinking game, and you feel intimidated or forced to drink, please either remove yourself from the game or switch to water or soft drinks.

Editorial WessexScene

EditorialTeam

Editor Carla [email protected]

Assistant Editor Lydia TeagueDesign Editor Jacob Deane Photography Editor James Eley

News Dominic [email protected] Jazmin Sherman

Politics Peter [email protected]

Features Gareth Brading [email protected] Wendy Oloya

Travel Polly [email protected]

Lifestyle Sarah [email protected] Jenni Palmer

Fashion Hannah [email protected]

Arts Caroline [email protected]

Science Emma [email protected]

Sport Daniel [email protected] Charlotte Woods

Editor-in-Chief Jamie [email protected]

different people say different things. some find that they fit in from the moment they take the first steps into their new lives. others feel that while they prefer their new life to their old, things just do not seem quite right. it’s not that i am uncomfortable

with the life that i am living, but i just wish

some things stayed the same. ‘i wish those in positions of responsibility lived up to that responsibility like they used to in the past’. why don’t all the pieces of the puzzle fit together anymore? anon.

Editor’s NoteThis issue I am pleased to welcome Vice-Chancellor Professor Donald Nutbeam to the University. It was a pleasure meeting him last week to hear about the importance he places on students at the University. He wants to appear approachable to all of us, and you can read more about his plans on page 5.

While the Wessex Scene does not have a page dedicated to comment and opinion (we encourage you to express your views on our inter-active website instead), this week I have received several emails from people who have turned to the newspaper in order to get their voice heard about incidents at the University.

The puzzle above is an artistic expression of an anonymous student’s struggle with the internal ‘rules’ of university life, while the letter to the right expresses the exclusion that many people feel when faced with the pressure of alcohol. We have received responses from the relevant officers within the union, and as the elected representa-tives for all students at the university, you should feel confident about contacting them with any issues that you may face.

Carla [email protected]

Dear editor,As a new student and Glen Eyre resident I was pleased that the JCR had laid on a variety of events for freshers fortnight, to help people get to know one another and to compliment the Fresher’s week events run by the SU.

One night, having been chatting to a guy at the bar, a fresher rep came over and asked if we would like to join in with a drinking game with some of the other reps and JCR committee. After an initial hesitation, mainly due to the raucousness of the game that was already taking place in the corner of the bar, I decided to join them. Although the game being played was simple enough it was, as often seems to be the case, that the rules of how a person drinks and conducts themselves that were particularly being enforced. This was what began to get to me. These didn’t seem to be friendly games mixed with a bit of conversation or a chance to get to know other people, and the virulence and zeal with which the rules were being imposed was quite disturbing.

For a time I tolerated this, but when distaste for the game turned to resentment I decided that I had better leave. Once home I tried to rationalise the situation. I tried to be objective, in spite of feelings to the contrary, but in the end it just came down to the question: “What the hell were they doing?”

I can’t understand why people, who are after all in positions of responsibility, would think that instigating drinking games was a reasonable thing to do AT ALL, let alone with Fresher’s as a way of trying to get people to know one-another. I have no moral objection to drinking games and have

enjoyed many in the past, and also understand taking part in a game is my choice. However, what I can’t accept is that the game was played in a hostile atmosphere which didn’t promote people getting to know one-another, rather just aimed to get other people drunker faster. Such a game has no place in an official Fresher’s week event was what I found so disturbingly inappropriate about the whole night.

I hope that at least expressing these views might prompt a few people into thinking more carefully about the impression that such games give and how it reflects on the JCR as a whole.

Yours sincerely, Anon.

Glen Eyre JCR PresidentChloe Baldwin

I’m glad to see that the hard work the JCR put in to organise a variety of events for the freshers has been appreciated, and that the freshers do understand that their participation in such drinking games is entirely their own choice.

It is, however unfortunate that any fresher had such a negative experience as it was made clear to the Freshers’ reps that they were there to mediate rather than instigate these games, to ensure minimal intimidation and optimum fun for everyone!

All we can do at this point is apologise to the writer for their experience and hope it has not put them, or anyone else, off attending future events. Any further feedback and comments are always welcome as we are here to represent the freshers and make sure their fresher year runs smoothly.

JCR PresidentMax Hughes-Williams

Southampton students often take drinking games and the rules that go with them for granted. It can be quite easy to forget that people may not be used to drinking let alone playing drinking games when they first arrive at university, and unfortu-nately some students can take it too far and forget that fresher’s week is about having a laugh and being inclusive.

It is impossible to ban drinking games, it has been tried in the past and it has not worked. As such in their training JCR’s were told not to instigate any drinking games, but if they were happening they should get involved to ensure the game does not get out of control and that everyone involved is having fun and not being forced to drink. In past years JCR’s have taken it too far but this year I am very pleased to say it has been a much improved situation with no major incidents.

This is why I am very upset to read this letter and I will be looking into it. Especially considering the fact every JCR and fresher rep signed a code of conduct and should be abiding by the Union’s sensible drinking policy.

If anyone in halls has any similar stories or concerns I urge you to please contact me by emailing: [email protected] and let me know so that I can investigate them.

If you do ever find yourself involved in a drinking game, and you feel intimidated or forced to drink, please either remove yourself from the game or switch to water or soft drinks.

Page 2 NewsWessexScene

The BadAt least ten people have been killed and dozens injured as a passenger train heading for Bangkok derailed in Thailand’s Hua Hin coastal resort district. The train, which crashed around 9.50pm, had six of its 16 carriages run off the train tracks as it made its way to the capital of the country. Police Lt Col Udom Chainoom reported that the scene of the incident was so bad that it was near impossible to remove some bodies from the wreckage. He also commented that policemen and soldiers have been sent to the scene. The head of Thailand’s state railways said it may take more than a day to remove all wreckage and to reopen the main rail link between the capital and southern Thailand.

The UglyGmail has been targeted by a series of phishing attacks. The web based email service was targeted as part of a scheme which also hit other email providers, ranging from Yahoo,

AOL and Microsoft Hotmail. Phishing, a technique which

encourages the user to enter their details onto a fake website, has been used to gain access to emails containing sensitive details such as bank

details. A spokesperson for Microsoft described phishing as an ‘industry-wide problem’ and advised

users to ensure their anti-virus protection was up to date.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Student fees increase

Despite the CBI maintaining otherwise, many think that an increase in tuition fees and a reduction of grants and bursaries will put off young people applying to university.

Financial issues are already a major concern for students.

A survey conducted by YouGov showed that 69% of 18-24 year olds opposed any increase in tuition fees.

Concerns are that the plans will lead to a university system lenient towards the fi nancial elite, and producing a generation of graduates based on fi nancial stability, rather than academic talent.

The government has already asked univer-sities in England to make savings of £180 million between 2009 and 2011. So far, neither Labour nor the Conservatives have fi nalised their policy concerning university funding. No doubt both parties are acutely aware of appealing to young voters. With students most likely to be affected by higher education funding plans reaching 18 and due to vote for the fi rst time, both parties are reluctant to reveal their plans.

Liberal Democrats have stated that they will drop their opposition to the increase in tuition fees, as they feel it would be impossible to fund univer-sities without some form of student contribution.

With a general election looming, all parties seem to be very aware that policies concerning student higher education fees could be crucial to their success.

SUSU President Steve O’Reilly said, ‘SUSU is opposed to any raise of the cap on top up fees’.

Jazmin Sherman

Half way around the world there are thousands missing, hundreds dead, and far too many people left homeless. This has become the reality after a series of six natural disasters have hit the Western Pacifi c and Southern Asia.

Over the past week there have been a total of four tropical cyclones and two major earthquakes (both accompanied by tsunamis) all of which have caused incredible amounts of damage. The fi rst earthquake occurred Tuesday 29th September at 17:48:10 UTC in the Samoa islands region. At least 170 people were killed in Samoa, 22 people in American Samoa and 7 people in Niuatoputapu, Tonga.

This earthquake has caused widespread damage in the Samoa Islands region, and the UN has stated that they expect the death toll will continue to rise, as many people may still be trapped. In addition to the earthquake, the Samoan Islands were hit by the worst tsunami to strike the region in 150 years.

Waves of 25ft plummeted onto the shore wiping out homes, businesses and resorts in its path. Relief teams have begun a hunt for survivors, searching the coastal areas that have been devastated.

The second earthquake struck Southern Sumatra, Indonesia at 10:16:09 UTC on Wednesday 30th September.

A total of 1,000 people have died and an estimated 3,000 people are missing and feared dead.

The scene is grim as rescue workers search through layers of dust and rubble hoping to fi nd survivors. The worst hit city, Padang, has been completely destroyed by landslides, which has caused roads to become torn apart preventing medical teams to reach the injured.

This amount of activity is not unheard of, in fact, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller has stated, ‘September represents the peak of tropical activity around the world, and the Western Pacifi c sees more tropical cyclones each year than anywhere on the globe, so even having four systems at the same time is not incredibly unusual’.

Natural Disasters Devastate Paci�ic Islands and South Asia

Ethical food worth the price

In defense of ‘the poor student’, it is unfair that you get more for your pound eating bad food than good food, however sacrifi ces can be made – even small ones.

Easy solutions are products such as free-range eggs, halal chicken, and organic food. Another solution would be to buy locally. Instead of going to a large commercial supermarket, buy your fruit and vegetables from a local grocers and your meat from a butchers. Remember the debate is not over vegetarianism versus eating meat, it is about being concious of what we are eating and how it has been produced.

How we are currently eating is not sustainable. In recent studies it is shown that the demand for meat and poultry worldwide is set to rise by 25% by 2015, and this is not manageable and may become far too diffi cult for the earth to adhere to. The problem is sitting at our doorstep and needs to be cleaned up. It is crucial that we alter the way we grow and consume food as the results are devastating. This is a crisis that we cannot tiptoe around any more.

University stance

Nick Beall, Southampton University’s Ethical Co-Ordinator weighs in on the issues.

‘The Union and the University are both supporters of Fairtrade, through running Fairtrade fortnight, individual events and selling Fairtrade products in the shop. As a result of this the University of Southampton is a Fairtrade university. I support local food as much as possible because it tends to be seasonal, and has a far smaller carbon footprint than imported food, but we live in a society where, due to the power of supermarkets we expect to be able to have strawberries all year round regardless of when they are actually in season. As a union we are trying to enlarge the farmers market which comes to campus every three weeks and I would personally like this to become an avenue through which students can purchase local food. The Union only buys fairtrade eggs and gets its meat from a local butchers called Hunts’.

The UglyGmail has been targeted by a series

The GoodSeven year old Lucas Murray has been taught to “see” using echolocation. The boy from Poole, Dorset, uses echos to work out the distance, shape density and position of objects, by clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. The technique, similar to the

one used by bats and dolphins, was developed by Daniel Kish, 43, who founded the World Access

for the Blind charity. Mr Kish said “He does play basketball, he is able to make it

in to the hoop by clicking, he is pretty good”.

Lucas is one of the fi rst in the UK to use the technique.

Continued from Front Page

Continued from Front Page

Image - Sky News

News WessexScene

Southampton University Archaeologists Uncover Ancient AmphitheatreJamie Steel

Following two years of excavation a team, lead by Professor Simon Keay of the University of Southampton, has uncovered the remains of an amphitheatre at Portus, the ancient port of Rome. Archaeologists at the site teamed up with Southampton University electronics and computer scientists to develop imaging software for mapping the hexagonal shaped, man-made lake which formed the 2nd Century harbour and utilized data collected by Southampton University geophysicists since 1998 covering 180 hectares of the area.

Claudius I began construction of Portus, on the right bank of the river Tiber, during the 1st Century. Many subsequent additions were made to the site throughout its history and it remained Rome’s central hub for trade with Northern Africa and the Mediterranean right through to the Byzantine period and beyond. Relics from the site indicate the massive range of imports, from marble and ceramics to food and wild animals that passed through Portus.

The centrepiece of the latest excavation, however, was found just off the banks of the harbour. Along with the British School at Rome and several other collaborators the Southampton

University team set-out to retrace an ancient Roman theatre documented by Rodolfo Lancianci in the 1860s. It was discovered that Lancianci’s fi ndings were only half correct and the relic was in fact identifi ed to be a much larger amphitheatre, similar in ground size to the Pantheon in Rome.

Although unsure, it is thought that the amphi-theatre may have been used for gladiatorial combat, wild-beast taming and even mock sea battles. However due to its close proximity to the port it may, rather disappointingly, have been merely a decorative garden.

Regardless of its original purpose the signifi -cance of the excavation cannot be overlooked and Professor Keay has indicated that, despite lacking a green roof, it may be comparable in importance to Stonehenge and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Hopefully with further funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council work may continue on this project providing a greater understanding to Southampton Universities’ archaeologists and the general public.

The full story may be heard in Professor Keay’s lecture ‘The Re-Discovery of the Imperial Palace at Portus, the port of Ancient Rome’ at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, Highfi eld Campus, University of Southampton at 6pm, 21 October 2009.

‘The bulldozer was clearing topsoil and I saw to my horror a human face looking at me. It is one of the most spectacular �inds to date’Professor Keay

This exquisite sculpture, found on the expedition, is thought to depict Ulysses. Image by The University of Southampton

Student PerspectiveSecond year Archaeology student at Southampton University, Sarah Deacon tells her story from her experience on the site

University awarded £2.5 million Cancer Research grant for drug discoveryNatasha Downes

Following the recent discovery that new antibody treatments can make cancer cells kill themselves, researchers at the University of Southampton have been awarded up to 2.5 million over a fi ve year period to develop vaccines against cancer.

Cancer Research UK awarded the University of Southampton and the University of Oxford grants of up to £2.5 million to kick start new therapeutic antibody work. The grant provides the University with the necessary support to develop new and more effective treatments for cancer patients.

The grant awarded to both Universities were part of Cancer Research UK’s efforts to extend drug discovery. Cancer Research UK has invested £16 million into two new Drug Discovery Programmes at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester and the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow.

The new Drug Discovery Programmes in Manchester and Glasgow have been established to seek out potential drug targets and develop cancer drug treatments of the future. The grants awarded to Southampton and Oxford will be used to create new vaccines that stimulate the body’s immune system to fi ght cancer.

A team led by Professor Martin Glennie and Professor Aymen Al-Shamkhani at the University of Southampton, will develop new vaccines that manipulate the body’s immune system to fi ght cancer cells. The work will be supported by scien-tists at the University of Oxford.

Professor Glennie who began developing monoclonal antibodies to target cancer cells at the University of Southampton in 1982 has been the director of the Cancer Sciences Division at the University’s School of Medicine since 2005.

He said: ‘Looking at how a person’s immune system can be super-charged’ to fi ght cancer is an exciting and growing fi eld of cancer research. We’re delighted to have received this Cancer Research UK grant, which will help us create potentially life-saving cancer vaccines.’

Cancer Research UK has been making concerted efforts over the last few years to accel-erate the fl ow of new oncology compounds into clinical trials. Following a comprehensive review of its drug discovery activities in 2005/06, the charity launched a major strategic initiative to boost the level of cancer research in the UK and improve the integration of drug discovery activities.Dr Peter Sneddon, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of clinical and translational research funding, said: ‘This grant recognises that the University of Southampton has a special area of expertise in immunotherapy.

‘Drug discovery is a top priority for Cancer Research UK and we are in the process of signifi -cantly increasing our programmes in this area. Cancer Research UK recently launched an ambitious fi ve-year plan which will see the charity spend around £300 million a year on core areas of science to reduce cancer deaths. We hope our drug discovery grants will contribute to our vision to beat cancer.’

• There are more than 200 types of cancer, each with different causes, symptoms and treatments.

• There are around 293,600 new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in the UK.

• Breast, lung, bowel and prostate cancers together account for over half of all new cancers each year.

• Cancer can develop at any age, but is most common in older people. Around three-quarters of cases occur in people aged 60 and over.

• Around one per cent of cancers occur in children, teenagers and young adults.

• Cancer causes one in four of all deaths in the UK.

• Around three-quarters of cancer deaths occur in people aged 65 and over.

• Every four minutes another person dies of cancer in the UK.Statistics from Cancer Research UK

Sarah Deacon

Working on the site at Portus this year was an immense privilege. It was amazing working on a site with so much to offer and so many exciting fi nds. There are not many places that can claim to have once been the port of Rome and coupled with the elliptical shaped structure, Portus is unique.

As a student digging on the site, I learnt a lot from the experienced archaeologists I was working with.

I really appreciate the effort the other archaeolo-gists put in to train us. I was also fortunate enough to be working on an area that had features from the original Claudian port all the way through to the Late Antique period as well as part of the ellip-tical shaped structure. This gave a tremendous insight into the working life of the port through all periods.

I specifi cally enjoyed excavating an amphora burial from the Late Antique Period because it showed that it wasn’t the structures or buildings that made Portus, it was the people. It was a place where people lived, worked and died and working at Portus has started to drive that home to me.

This is a graphic reconstruction of what archaeologists think the amphitheatre would have looked like. University of Southampton - ‘Archaeological Computing Research Group’

News WessexScenePage 4

Southampton University Archaeologists Uncover Ancient AmphitheatreJamie Steel

Following two years of excavation a team, lead by Professor Simon Keay of the University of Southampton, has uncovered the remains of an amphitheatre at Portus, the ancient port of Rome. Archaeologists at the site teamed up with Southampton University electronics and computer scientists to develop imaging software for mapping the hexagonal shaped, man-made lake which formed the 2nd Century harbour and utilized data collected by Southampton University geophysicists since 1998 covering 180 hectares of the area.

Claudius I began construction of Portus, on the right bank of the river Tiber, during the 1st Century. Many subsequent additions were made to the site throughout its history and it remained Rome’s central hub for trade with Northern Africa and the Mediterranean right through to the Byzantine period and beyond. Relics from the site indicate the massive range of imports, from marble and ceramics to food and wild animals that passed through Portus.

The centrepiece of the latest excavation, however, was found just off the banks of the harbour. Along with the British School at Rome and several other collaborators the Southampton

University team set-out to retrace an ancient Roman theatre documented by Rodolfo Lancianci in the 1860s. It was discovered that Lancianci’s fi ndings were only half correct and the relic was in fact identifi ed to be a much larger amphitheatre, similar in ground size to the Pantheon in Rome.

Although unsure, it is thought that the amphi-theatre may have been used for gladiatorial combat, wild-beast taming and even mock sea battles. However due to its close proximity to the port it may, rather disappointingly, have been merely a decorative garden.

Regardless of its original purpose the signifi -cance of the excavation cannot be overlooked and Professor Keay has indicated that, despite lacking a green roof, it may be comparable in importance to Stonehenge and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Hopefully with further funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council work may continue on this project providing a greater understanding to Southampton Universities’ archaeologists and the general public.

The full story may be heard in Professor Keay’s lecture ‘The Re-Discovery of the Imperial Palace at Portus, the port of Ancient Rome’ at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, Highfi eld Campus, University of Southampton at 6pm, 21 October 2009.

‘The bulldozer was clearing topsoil and I saw to my horror a human face looking at me. It is one of the most spectacular �inds to date’Professor Keay

This exquisite sculpture, found on the expedition, is thought to depict Ulysses. Image by The University of Southampton

Student PerspectiveSecond year Archaeology student at Southampton University, Sarah Deacon tells her story from her experience on the site

University awarded £2.5 million Cancer Research grant for drug discoveryNatasha Downes

Following the recent discovery that new antibody treatments can make cancer cells kill themselves, researchers at the University of Southampton have been awarded up to 2.5 million over a fi ve year period to develop vaccines against cancer.

Cancer Research UK awarded the University of Southampton and the University of Oxford grants of up to £2.5 million to kick start new therapeutic antibody work. The grant provides the University with the necessary support to develop new and more effective treatments for cancer patients.

The grant awarded to both Universities were part of Cancer Research UK’s efforts to extend drug discovery. Cancer Research UK has invested £16 million into two new Drug Discovery Programmes at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester and the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow.

The new Drug Discovery Programmes in Manchester and Glasgow have been established to seek out potential drug targets and develop cancer drug treatments of the future. The grants awarded to Southampton and Oxford will be used to create new vaccines that stimulate the body’s immune system to fi ght cancer.

A team led by Professor Martin Glennie and Professor Aymen Al-Shamkhani at the University of Southampton, will develop new vaccines that manipulate the body’s immune system to fi ght cancer cells. The work will be supported by scien-tists at the University of Oxford.

Professor Glennie who began developing monoclonal antibodies to target cancer cells at the University of Southampton in 1982 has been the director of the Cancer Sciences Division at the University’s School of Medicine since 2005.

He said: ‘Looking at how a person’s immune system can be super-charged’ to fi ght cancer is an exciting and growing fi eld of cancer research. We’re delighted to have received this Cancer Research UK grant, which will help us create potentially life-saving cancer vaccines.’

Cancer Research UK has been making concerted efforts over the last few years to accel-erate the fl ow of new oncology compounds into clinical trials. Following a comprehensive review of its drug discovery activities in 2005/06, the charity launched a major strategic initiative to boost the level of cancer research in the UK and improve the integration of drug discovery activities.Dr Peter Sneddon, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of clinical and translational research funding, said: ‘This grant recognises that the University of Southampton has a special area of expertise in immunotherapy.

‘Drug discovery is a top priority for Cancer Research UK and we are in the process of signifi -cantly increasing our programmes in this area. Cancer Research UK recently launched an ambitious fi ve-year plan which will see the charity spend around £300 million a year on core areas of science to reduce cancer deaths. We hope our drug discovery grants will contribute to our vision to beat cancer.’

• There are more than 200 types of cancer, each with different causes, symptoms and treatments.

• There are around 293,600 new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in the UK.

• Breast, lung, bowel and prostate cancers together account for over half of all new cancers each year.

• Cancer can develop at any age, but is most common in older people. Around three-quarters of cases occur in people aged 60 and over.

• Around one per cent of cancers occur in children, teenagers and young adults.

• Cancer causes one in four of all deaths in the UK.

• Around three-quarters of cancer deaths occur in people aged 65 and over.

• Every four minutes another person dies of cancer in the UK.Statistics from Cancer Research UK

Sarah Deacon

Working on the site at Portus this year was an immense privilege. It was amazing working on a site with so much to offer and so many exciting fi nds. There are not many places that can claim to have once been the port of Rome and coupled with the elliptical shaped structure, Portus is unique.

As a student digging on the site, I learnt a lot from the experienced archaeologists I was working with.

I really appreciate the effort the other archaeolo-gists put in to train us. I was also fortunate enough to be working on an area that had features from the original Claudian port all the way through to the Late Antique period as well as part of the ellip-tical shaped structure. This gave a tremendous insight into the working life of the port through all periods.

I specifi cally enjoyed excavating an amphora burial from the Late Antique Period because it showed that it wasn’t the structures or buildings that made Portus, it was the people. It was a place where people lived, worked and died and working at Portus has started to drive that home to me.

This is a graphic reconstruction of what archaeologists think the amphitheatre would have looked like. University of Southampton - ‘Archaeological Computing Research Group’

NewsWessexScene

Andrew Hart

On Thursday 1st October the University welcomed a new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Donald Nutbeam. Professor Nutbeam makes his return to Southampton 21 years after completing his postgraduate studies here.

Following those studies, the Southampton Alumnus led a prestigious career, including various senior positions in universities, government, health services and an independent research institute. Professor Nutbeam refers to his time in South-ampton as ‘stimulating’ when refl ecting back on it. Dame Valerie Strachen, Chair of the University Council, commented on his past career, saying his ‘outstanding background’ will help to further enhance the University’s growing reputation as a leading research centre.

Speaking about his recent appointment Donald Nutbeam said, ‘I feel very privileged to be returning as Vice-Chancellor to the University where I completed my postgraduate education. Southampton is a world-class university and I admire and respect the successes that the University has enjoyed under the leadership of Bill Wakeham. Building on this foundation, I look forward to working with the many highly talented staff and students to achieve continued improve-ments in the quality, relevance and impact of our teaching and research.’

Previously the Academic Provost at the University of Sydney, the Vice-Chancellor has dual British and Australian nationality and is married with two children.

The University of Southampton Welcomes Vice-Chancellor Professor Donald Nutbeam

Carla Bradman

It has been over three weeks since Professor Donald Nutbeam succeeded Sir William Arnold Wakeham as Vice-Chancellor of Southampton University.

In between learning the ropes, having dinner at the house of the Vice-Chancellor who was in offi ce while he was a student and getting to know the union sabbatical team, Professor Nutbeam spoke to the Wessex Scene about his plans for the university and its students.

How has your fi rst week been?Busy! There are a lot of world-leading things going on. We don’t seem to talk about these very much! Part of my job is being a salesman for the university, drawing public attention to our successes.

How would you defi ne your role as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton?There are two parts. Firstly, as an inspirer of research, and secondly as the one who makes sure we don’t go broke. The university is a very large business, with over 5000 members of staff. We are also a large contributor to the local economy.

Do you want to make yourself more approachable to students?Yes - I want to know what is going on, The problem with being Vice-Chancellor is that you only hear a fraction of what is going on in the university. I also want to make myself more approachable to staff,

Professor Donald Nutbeam. Photograph: The University of Southampton

as feedback from them is important. I recorded a podcast a few weeks ago, sent an email to all staff on my fi rst day and I will be holding open meetings. And they really will be open to all! I hope to create a wide range of opportunities for feedback.

What do you hope to achieve at the university?World domination! I would like us to be in the top 50 universities in the world.

How do you plan to achieve those goals?I have four main themes. Firstly, to remain a comprehensive university, and to offer students a chance to undertake a broadly based education. Secondly, to remain a world-leading research institution in every part of the university. Thirdly, to ensure that the university is seen externally as an international university. This includes having a place internationally, that we have students from a wide-range of countries and that our domestic students have an international outlook. Finally, that we are an outward-facing university, connected to the local community and to the world of business.

How do you plan to add value to the student experience?One thing I am particularly interested about is allowing students to study across the university. I feel that at the age of sixteen young people are forced to make a narrow decision about what subjects interest them and their future. In Australia, between six and nine subjects are studied at their A-Level equivalent. I would like to give, for instance, engineers the opportunity to study marketing if they want to.

What difference do you think this would make?Employers say, and again I will use engineering as an example, that an engineer is well-trained but not necessarily developed in teamwork, research or project management. It is very important to produce a ‘Global Graduate’.

What are your views on top-up fees?Higher education needs to be decently funded. There are two ways of doing this: all taxpayers contribute to higher education, or taxpayers and those that benefi t contribute.

If fees are increased, university education will slip out of the reach of many able students. How would you ensure people from lower income backgrounds are not disadvantaged?We will work out ways to support the aspirations of young people coming to university. We need to be open-minded and creative. There is no simple answer. We want to attract the best and brighest students, regardless of their background so we will do all we can to help.

Sustainability is the new buzz word. What are your views on creating a sustainable university?We should do all we can in management to not impact the environment, whilst maintaining our position as a world leader in research. This can be particularly challenging with regard to computing. We have recently bought a cutting edge super-computer which requires a lot of energy, but that was needed if we were to maintain our competitive position globally. So it’s about fi nding a balance really and I think we have done that so far.

What about the university’s climate change research?We have great potential to identify the main issues of climate change, and to identify how to solve these issues. We are trapped in a narrow way of researching. Make the most of our resources and get social science talking with physical science so we can build a bigger picture.

Politics WessexScene

Correction

Forthcoming EventsHere are some upcoming political events, both local and national, which students may be interested in taking part in. For more information on any of these events, please send an email to [email protected]

Saturday 17th October- Day For Gaza, South-ampton. Friends Meeting House, Ordnance Road. Featuring fi lms, academic speakers, witnesses to the bombardment in January, MPs and planning for local action. Doors open 12 noon, event fi nishes 7 PM. Admission free, drop in and drop out throughout day.

Saturday 17th-18th October- The Great Climate Swoop, Nottingham. A coal-fi red power station is the focus for this direct environmental action. The aim is for a mass group of activists to swoop on the factory and take it over for 24 hours. Legal observers and medics are also required. If you are interested in getting involved contact [email protected].

Saturday 24th October- Troops Out Now March, London. See article opposite.

Saturday 28th November- Youth Fight For Jobs Demonstration, London. Assemble 12 noon, rallying point TBC. Under the slogan “for real jobs- for free education”, this march is calling on the government to help out young people who are one of the groups worst hit by the recession.

Saturday 5th December- National Climate March, London. Meet 12 noon, Speaker’s Corner, Hyde Park. Expected to be the UK’s biggest ever climate march, this demo coincides with the start of international climate change talks in Copenhagen.

Local MP Plans To Tighten Rules For Student HousingToby Bakare

Southampton Itchen MP, John Denham, has begun lobbying Parliament to gain support for a bill that would give local councils the power to limit the number of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in certain areas. This includes student houses.

The bill, introduced by fellow Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead, would mean students would be forced to fi nd properties in different parts of the city, away from campus and away from each other.

Denham has also mentioned reducing the number of people not from the same family allowed to share a HMO to four. With housing hard enough to fi nd as it is, this cap could exacerbate the problem. It would also affect other groups who use HMOs, such as families with fostered children or migrant workers.

The Conservative Party who came to power in the recent local elections, managing to gain the student vote, also support the bill. They say they want ‘balanced communities,’ rather than some streets having HMO rates of 90%, according to their fi gures.

The bill would mean students would be forced to fi nd proper-ties in different parts of the city, away from campus and away from each other.

Logically you can see where they are coming from. If you include Southampton Solent University there are some 40,000 students in the city, all of whom arrive and disappear for the same months, turning student areas into ghost towns. The reforms are supposed to address the problems student communities cause, which according to John Denham’s website, ‘range from competition for parking spaces to serious anti-social behaviour.’

Seems lovely doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to live in balanced communities? But let me paint you a picture you will be able to relate to. For two

years, you sweated and slaved over A-levels, personal statements and interviews and at every opportunity were reminded of just how important those grades are in getting to university and securing your future through a prized degree.

You, along with thousands, have chosen South-ampton. For the fi rst year you get a place in halls and all is well and good. But come second year, you have to brave the world of private rented accommodation. Rather than being allowed to live on a road with your friends, close to the campus or a student friendly area like Portswood, you are forced to head off into the unknown. And so you begin your second year living in an area that’s unfriendly to students, off the Uni-link bus route and miles from campus.

Students have been given the hard sell on Southampton, and now they are here want to start enjoying it. But if the new laws are passed the university experience won’t be the same.

The government is ever willing to cram us into universty high and deep for larger and larger fees. But now they are deciding to blame students for local community problems. This sounds like going after an easy target. Perhaps John Denham, strug-gling in the polls post expenses scandal, simply wants to regain the support of the local community by ganging up on students. But are we really responsible for so much anti-social behaviour? If so, would splitting us up and dispersing us all over the city really solve the problem?

The National Union of Students along with the Federation for Small Business, concerned about the potential impact on it’s members, opposes the bill. The NUS believes that the new laws would ‘discriminate’ against students. President Wes Streeting called the plans ‘headline grabbing.’

In Westminster there is not a lot of support for the new bill, but stricter housing regulations could still happen on a local level. The hypocrisy of the

government deserves criticism. Encouraging us to come to university and then trying to blame us for the problems it creates is wrong. Denham and Whitehead could feel a backlash as a result of these reforms in the upcoming general election. S

To get involved: Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Peter Apps

The article “University Arms Deal Exposed” published on the front page and in the politics section of last month’s Wessex Scene was incor-rect.

We have now learned, courtesy of a response from the press team, that the University had sold its 9,100 shares in BAE for investment reasons, at the end of August, before the Wessex Scene went to print.

Our facts were based on a telephone interview with Malcolm Ace, Director of Finance, in the sum-mer. At no point in the interview did he indicate that the University were planning to sell the shares.

BAE Investment: Student ResponsesDespite now being sold, the news of our shares with BAE Systems still caused a stir among students. Here are some of the responses the Wessex Scene recieved:

J. Donald, Amnesty International President

The University should open its books,

and show where its money is being spent. Along with investment,

the University focuses on the top 5 most profi table areas of research, one of which is military arms research. Money and resources are being focused on the arms trade, because of profi ts, whilst socially

useful developments, such as green energy, go to one side.

Wessex Scene recieved:





R. Sutton, Socialist Students

J. Rumbol, Aeronautical Engineering Student As a group, amnesty are

particularly concerned with cases where arms are dealt to

dictatorships who use them against innocents, or governments who purchase

arms whilst unable provide for their own people. The Amnesty report from 2006 states that B.A.E. has a worrying habit of “exacerbating already grim human rights

situations”. We would encourage the University not to invest in BAE in

the future.

Until world peace is obtained, weapons

manufacturers are a necessity. By supporting the supplier of our

armed forces, we are helping them to progress technologically. This means fewer

of our servicemen and women are injured or killed. It also means that the weapons systems are better resulting in fewer civilian casualties.

BAE Systems work means that lives that would otherwise be lost, will be

saved. Shunning all defence companies is just naive.

with BAE Systems still caused a stir among students. Here are some of the responses the

J. Rumbol, Aeronautical Engineering Student






saved. Shunning all defence companies is just naive. J. Donald, Amnesty International President

As a group, amnesty are




situations”. We would encourage the situations”. We would encourage the University not to invest in BAE in

the future.


Politics WessexScene

Correction

Forthcoming EventsHere are some upcoming political events, both local and national, which students may be interested in taking part in. For more information on any of these events, please send an email to [email protected]

Saturday 17th October- Day For Gaza, South-ampton. Friends Meeting House, Ordnance Road. Featuring fi lms, academic speakers, witnesses to the bombardment in January, MPs and planning for local action. Doors open 12 noon, event fi nishes 7 PM. Admission free, drop in and drop out throughout day.

Saturday 17th-18th October- The Great Climate Swoop, Nottingham. A coal-fi red power station is the focus for this direct environmental action. The aim is for a mass group of activists to swoop on the factory and take it over for 24 hours. Legal observers and medics are also required. If you are interested in getting involved contact [email protected].

Saturday 24th October- Troops Out Now March, London. See article opposite.

Saturday 28th November- Youth Fight For Jobs Demonstration, London. Assemble 12 noon, rallying point TBC. Under the slogan “for real jobs- for free education”, this march is calling on the government to help out young people who are one of the groups worst hit by the recession.

Saturday 5th December- National Climate March, London. Meet 12 noon, Speaker’s Corner, Hyde Park. Expected to be the UK’s biggest ever climate march, this demo coincides with the start of international climate change talks in Copenhagen.

Local MP Plans To Tighten Rules For Student HousingToby Bakare

Southampton Itchen MP, John Denham, has begun lobbying Parliament to gain support for a bill that would give local councils the power to limit the number of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in certain areas. This includes student houses.

The bill, introduced by fellow Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead, would mean students would be forced to fi nd properties in different parts of the city, away from campus and away from each other.

Denham has also mentioned reducing the number of people not from the same family allowed to share a HMO to four. With housing hard enough to fi nd as it is, this cap could exacerbate the problem. It would also affect other groups who use HMOs, such as families with fostered children or migrant workers.

The Conservative Party who came to power in the recent local elections, managing to gain the student vote, also support the bill. They say they want ‘balanced communities,’ rather than some streets having HMO rates of 90%, according to their fi gures.

The bill would mean students would be forced to fi nd proper-ties in different parts of the city, away from campus and away from each other.

Logically you can see where they are coming from. If you include Southampton Solent University there are some 40,000 students in the city, all of whom arrive and disappear for the same months, turning student areas into ghost towns. The reforms are supposed to address the problems student communities cause, which according to John Denham’s website, ‘range from competition for parking spaces to serious anti-social behaviour.’

Seems lovely doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to live in balanced communities? But let me paint you a picture you will be able to relate to. For two

years, you sweated and slaved over A-levels, personal statements and interviews and at every opportunity were reminded of just how important those grades are in getting to university and securing your future through a prized degree.

You, along with thousands, have chosen South-ampton. For the fi rst year you get a place in halls and all is well and good. But come second year, you have to brave the world of private rented accommodation. Rather than being allowed to live on a road with your friends, close to the campus or a student friendly area like Portswood, you are forced to head off into the unknown. And so you begin your second year living in an area that’s unfriendly to students, off the Uni-link bus route and miles from campus.

Students have been given the hard sell on Southampton, and now they are here want to start enjoying it. But if the new laws are passed the university experience won’t be the same.

The government is ever willing to cram us into universty high and deep for larger and larger fees. But now they are deciding to blame students for local community problems. This sounds like going after an easy target. Perhaps John Denham, strug-gling in the polls post expenses scandal, simply wants to regain the support of the local community by ganging up on students. But are we really responsible for so much anti-social behaviour? If so, would splitting us up and dispersing us all over the city really solve the problem?

The National Union of Students along with the Federation for Small Business, concerned about the potential impact on it’s members, opposes the bill. The NUS believes that the new laws would ‘discriminate’ against students. President Wes Streeting called the plans ‘headline grabbing.’

In Westminster there is not a lot of support for the new bill, but stricter housing regulations could still happen on a local level. The hypocrisy of the

government deserves criticism. Encouraging us to come to university and then trying to blame us for the problems it creates is wrong. Denham and Whitehead could feel a backlash as a result of these reforms in the upcoming general election. S

To get involved: Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Peter Apps

The article “University Arms Deal Exposed” published on the front page and in the politics section of last month’s Wessex Scene was incor-rect.

We have now learned, courtesy of a response from the press team, that the University had sold its 9,100 shares in BAE for investment reasons, at the end of August, before the Wessex Scene went to print.

Our facts were based on a telephone interview with Malcolm Ace, Director of Finance, in the sum-mer. At no point in the interview did he indicate that the University were planning to sell the shares.

BAE Investment: Student ResponsesDespite now being sold, the news of our shares with BAE Systems still caused a stir among students. Here are some of the responses the Wessex Scene recieved:






Wessex Scene recieved:





R. Sutton, Socialist Students

J. Rumbol, Aeronautical Engineering Student As a group, amnesty are




situations”. We would encourage the University not to invest in BAE in

the future.






saved. Shunning all defence companies is just naive.

with BAE Systems still caused a stir among students. Here are some of the responses the

J. Rumbol, Aeronautical Engineering Student






saved. Shunning all defence companies is just naive. J. Donald, Amnesty International President

As a group, amnesty are




situations”. We would encourage the situations”. We would encourage the University not to invest in BAE in

the future.


Page 6 PoliticsWessexScene

Peter Apps

On October 7th, 2001 the invasion of Afghanistan by Western troops began. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the action was widely seen as uncontroversial. But eight years have passed since then and the world has changed. Today the ‘war on terror’ has become a synonym for American imperialism and most of the politicians who began it are no longer in power. Our faith in the ability of the war to achieve its lofty aims has waned, while questions over funding, tactics and how long our troops should remain in the country continue to divide politicians and experts. So should we still be sending our soldiers to kill and die in Afghanistan?

The war began with two stated aims: destroying the terrorist group Al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban government from power. The first aim was the objective of a US led operation and the second a NATO operation approved by the UN. British troops were involved in both. Al QaedaIn terms of destroying Al-Qaeda, the war has failed. Not only is Osama bin Laden still at large and the organisation still in existence, they are apparently no longer even in Afghanistan. It seems they have crossed the border into northern Pakistan - hence the recent US bombing of the region with high civillian casaulties.

Not only is Osama bin Laden still at large and the organisa-tion still in existence, they are apparently no longer even in Afghanistan.

The destruction of Al-Qaeda was planned with the express purpose of stamping out the perceived threat of global Islamic terrorism. However, it has been argued that Al-Qaeda are not the global force they have been branded by the media and government. Rather, they are one of many small fundamentalist cells that operate independently of each other across the world. Terrorism has not been destroyed in Afghanistan. In fact, the actions of Western troops seems to have led to an increase in the credibility of these groups in the

wider Muslim world. The Taliban The second aim was part of a wider plan to bring democracy to a country suffering under Taliban rule. The recent elections in Afghanistan, which many hoped would be a sign of this democracy taking root, ended up being quite the opposite. The turnout was terribly low, in some towns, only one percent. Corruption allegations have led to recounts and results that no one can believe or trust. In the end, what was supposed to be the birth of democracy was a farcical mess.

With large parts of the country effectively outside the government’s control, the aim of giving Afghanistan a new political system is far from

achieved. Perhaps the lesson is that a government installed by a foreign force will never find the co-operation necessary from the native people to survive. Rather than spreading democracy, an invasion is more likely to start a civil war.

PipelineCritics have also pointed to a third, hidden, aim

of the war. Afghanistan borders Turkmenistan, a country with huge, lucrative reserves of natural gas, which can only get to the market through pipelines. The U.S has plans to build one heading south, through Afghanistan. This pipeline would not only be extremely profitable, it would also allow the US to compete with Russia who control the majority of the world’s gas.

Washington has been planning this pipeline since the 1990s, and for it to be possible Afghan-istan needed to be stable and friendly to the US. In 2007 Richard Boucher, the U.S assistant Secretary of State, said, “our aim is to stabilise Afghanistan… so that energy can flow south.” Construction of the pipeline is scheduled to begin in 2010.

“Our aim is to stabi-lise Afghanistan… so that energy can flow south.”

Afghanistan TodayThe picture of Afghanistan today is a sorry one. Women’s rights are still a distant dream, with the American backed government recently passing legislation that virtually legalises rape and abuse in marriage. Stability is also a distant speck on the horizon. According to recent estimates, Taliban forces control around 50% of the country. They, and regional warlords, are battling both the government and the occupying armies for control. Civilian casualties are constantly the cost of these battles, with US air strikes particularly notorious. Obama was forced to apologise in May when 130 civilians died after their village was hit by American planes.

Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world and is highly dependant on the opium trade. In the aftermath of the invasion, levels of poppy production soared in what became an almost lawless society. Currently a counter-narcotics policy, which involves the destruction of poppy fields, is in operation to combat this. Critics of this policy say it is playing a huge role in the increasing support for the Taliban. Destroying a poppy field destroys the income of a community and at the moment there is no alternative for them.

The presence of foreign troops is deeply unpopular in Afghanistan, and here in Britain opinion is turning against the war. The pathway forward is not clear. There are no easy answers, no simple solutions. But while it is a detestable idea to leave the country to its fate after causing so many problems, the time may well have come for us to accept that by staying we are doing no good.

Blood, Poppies and Pipelines: Afghanistan Eight Years On

Southampton Students To Join National DemoWill Boisseau

On Saturday 24th October tens of thousands of people will take to the streets of Central London to demand an immediate withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan. However, despite a recent poll revealing that 59% of Britons believe troops should be withdrawn wthin one year, only a small proportion of these will demonstrate.

Among those who want troops out now, but do not intend to demonstrate, are individuals who attended the million strong marches against the Iraq war in 2003, but who now feel disillusioned about the ability of citizens to alter government policy by legal protest.

However, many more who demonstrated against the Iraq war will believe that their actions did make

a difference. It is possible that an escalation of the ‘War on Terror’ was prevented and at the very least, a positive movement was born. Most who demonstrated in 2003 will recognize the continued importance of protesting against the occupation of Afghanistan. The modern anti-war movement has a large, active body of students, the latest

manifestation of an historic trend which has seen young people at the forefront of opposition to unjust wars. From Vietnam to the occupations last year in support of Gaza, it is clear that young people do have the power to make their voices heard in society.

But to ensure this happens again, it is vital that as many people as possible attend the demon-stration on October 24th. Although not always obvious, it does make a difference. While the Iraq war was not prevented, and though Gordon Brown is unlikely to announce the withdrawal of British troops on October 25th, the anti-war movement has still made an impact on the political landscape. One must ask if UK combat operations in Iraq, predicted to last for decades, would have ended after six years were it not for the overwhelming

level of public opposition. A key aspect in building resistance to the ‘war on terror’ is the development of a mass movement of students and activists that can be mobilised to aid the various struggles facing people across the world as a result of this disastrous foreign policy.

To get involved:Join: The Stop the War Coalition at www.stopwar.org.ukRead: Afghanistan: Why We Should Get Out by C, NinehamAttend: Troops Out Demo, see below.

Debating SocietyWeekly Debates [Nuffield LT C]Every Monday 19:00 - 21:00Standard debate each week, with varying topics from the sublime to the ridiculous and great fun too!

[email protected]

Karate Do ShotokaiTraining [Multi-purpose room]Tuesdays 18:00 - 20:00 Saturdays 10:00 - 20:00Karate Do Shotokai is a great way to keep fit, improve coordination and self confidence. Beginners welcome at any time.

[email protected]

FESMFresher’s Crayola Party [Sobar]19th October 20:00 - 02:00Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, ECS, Chemistry, Geography & Environmental Scienceare holding a joint Fresher’s Social.

[email protected]

History SocietyQuiz Night / Elections [The Bridge]21st October 19:30Beat the Lecturers! Test your intellect and have the chance to win some great prizes.

[email protected]

Caving ClubPub Crawl [Stag’s Head]21st October 20:00Come find out more about the Caving Club, meet existing members and join us on a social.

[email protected]

Jewish SocietyFriday Night Meal [The Chaplaincy]23rd October 19:30Come along for homemade chicken soup (possibly..) and for a cheap 3 course meal and a chance to meet new friends. All welcome.

www.sujs.org.uk

RockSocSubliminal [The Bridge Bar]26th October 20:00RockSoc DJs Spinning the best in Rock, Metal. Punk and Alternative.

[email protected]

Ski and Snowboard ClubSnow Party [Sobar]26th October 20:00First BIG social this year = rave/retro-ski dress, giveaways, drinks deals & chance to win back your XMAS ski trip!

[email protected]

History SocietyGladiator Party [Orange Rooms]28th October 20:00Put on your spandex or toga and get ready for some crazy inter-year games! Tickets on sale soon!

[email protected]

Erasmus SocietyHalloween Quiz [The Bridge Bar]31st October 19:30 - 13:00Halloween Quiz with an awesome Halloween DJ mix kicking off after! Prizes for best fancy dress! All proceeds to Unicef in the name of Give20

[email protected]

Atheist SocietyReason Week [Nuffield LT A / Bar]2nd - 6th November 19:30Comedy on Monday and then talks by David Bothwell, Dr. Phil Uttley and Professor Peter Atkins of Oxford University.

http://atheistsoc.susu.org/

Circus SocietyJuggling Workshop [The Cube]2nd November 20:00 - 22:00Juggling workshops available for beginner and intermediate, £1 to participate, or free if member of Circus Society

[email protected]

STARFilm and Q&A [Union Cinema]4th November 19:00 - 21:00 STAR hosts a screening of “Seoul Train,” a documentary about North Korean refugees. Books, t-shirts and resources on sale after.

[email protected]

Wessex Motor ClubUoS Karting [Sandown Park, Esher]11th November 13:00 - 19:00Kart Racing at Daytona Sandown Park. For Novice and Experienced drivers. Transport/ Equipment/ Insurance all provided. Email for ANY enquiry!

[email protected]

Volleyball ClubBeach Party [Level One Bedford Place]12th November 19:00 - 00:00A beach themed party for the volleyball club as part of our social programme

[email protected]

SocietiesListings

Features WessexScene

Events Still to Come...Trevor Nelson@The Orange Rooms – 15th October: A set from the Radio 1xtra host, who is just back from a summer DJ-ing in Ibiza. £7.50 (£6 student ticket).

Love Soul Choir –18th October: This is a free concert from a choir with over 40 members, well worth a look. 1pm - 1.30pm in West Quay Shopping Centre.

Homage to Roots Reggae – 23rd OctoberThis looks to be an evening of great live Roots, Reggae, Dub, Soul and Funk at Soul Cellar.

The Big Game: Southampton v Milton Keynes Dons – 24th October: Each year a Saints’ football game is played specifically to celebrate the event. This game has special significance as the manager of the MK Dons is Paul Ince, the first black captain of the England Team and the first black manager of a Premiership team.

African Jazz Allstars – 29th October: This critically acclaimed group will be performing a blend of African rhythms and Jazz right on our doorstep in the Turner Sims concert hall. £16 (£8 student ticket).

Black History MonthBlack History Month takes place all over the UK in October. Its main aim is to improve the public’s knowledge of contributions black figures have made to society, and to increase understanding of black history and black culture. This month also acts as an event which brings communities together and promotes art, history and culture as a whole. Black History Month began in the US, starting life in 1926 as Negro History Week. The first event in the UK took place on the 1st October 1987 in London, as an effort to enrich the cultural diversity of the capital.

The celebrations and activities are focused within the month of October for two main reasons. The first is that October is meant to be a time of tolerance and peace in Africa and is the harvest season; a time of festivals and plenty. The second reason is linked with the British school calendar. As the education and involvement of children is a key aspect of Black History Month, it was consid-ered important for it to take place at a time when school pupils are re-energized after the summer break and not yet busy with exams.

More info at http://tr.im/bl4ck or check out the African Carribean Society at http://tr.im/afr0c

Black Gold ExhibitionThe launch of Black History Month 2009 in South-ampton was marked by the opening of the Black Gold exhibition on the 1st October. This exhibition is a perfect example of the way in which Black History Month encourages the community to work together: Southampton City Art Gallery and Southampton City Council’s Stronger Commu-nities & Equalities Team commissioned three photography graduates from Solent University to take the photos for the event.

The Wessex Scene interviewed Alice Workman, Lead Exhibitions Officer for the art gallery to find out what she thought about the Black Gold exhibition and to find out more about this event.

Why did you commission students to produce the works for this exhibition?It is important that the gallery forges partnerships with local organisations - Solent University being one. We went to the photography degree show and selected three students in particular who had focused on portraiture.

What is the main subject of the photos? The photographs show portraits of people from African/Caribbean origin who have a specific connection with the city. These include Pauline Brandt, a journalist, and Bob Purkiss, a race campaigner.

What do you feel the photos are designed to make us think?I think it forces us to think of these individuals in their roles and what they have achieved, and

how that experience may have been different for them. The photographs also make me think of the individuals outside of their professional roles.

The Black Gold exhibition is on show at the same time as the BP Portrait Award, the most esteemed portrait competition in the world. Both exhibitions run until the 22nd November and are well worth a visit. This really is a wonderful oppor-tunity to see some of the newest and most exciting works of contemporary portraiture.

Mary SeacoleAfter being freed from slavery, the Humanitarian made 13 separate missions to free 70 slaves. For this reason she became widely known as

‘Moses’. A dedicated Chris-tian she was known to have regular visions and premo-nitions about God. During the American Civil War, she became a spy and in later life worked closely with Susan B. Anthony for womens suffrage

Harriet TubmanThe manipulation of history dictates that she is overlooked for Florence Nightingale. Although she had impressive references from British military personnel, the recruitment offices in London rejected her appeal four times to support Nightingale in Turkey. After making her own means to travel to Turkey, she treated soldiers in the Crimean War and called them her ‘sons’.

Stephen Bantu BikoThe South African anti-apartheid activist founded the Black Consciousness Movement which attempted to challenge white ideals and values concerning black consciousness. After being arrested under the Terrorism No. 83 Act, Biko was remanded in police custody where he sustained severe head inju-ries and later died.

The Pineapple...In the Caribbean, the pineapple was (and still is) a symbol of hospitality and wealth. It was used not only as a banquet centrepiece but as an artistic motif on gates, doors and even napkins. This exotic fruit is probably not something one would expect to see on the buildings of Southampton.

However, soon after 16th century, plantation owners from Southampton brought slaves and black sailors back with them from Africa and the Caribbean Pineapples soon began appearing on ‘welcome’ plaques on homes and on architecture throughout the city. The fruit can be seen on build-ings in the Newtown area, Hill Lane and Mouse-hole Lane.

There was a large concrete pineapple on All Saints Church in the centre of Southampton, until the building was destroyed in WWII. The pineapple itself survived the bomb blast!

The most obvious pineapple in the city today, though you may have passed it countless times, sits atop the old Royal Pier Building which is now a Thai restaurant!

BlackHistoryMonth

Overlooked Figures: Neglected Important People in Black History.

5 D

ecem

ber

1955

: The

Mon

tgom

ery

Bus

Boy

cott

28 August 1963: Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech

11 February 1990: Nelson M

andela is released

4 November 2008: Barack Obama is President-Elect of the United States

The assorted musicians from the Jazz Orchestra of the African Jazz Allstars


Events Still to Come...Trevor Nelson@The Orange Rooms – 15th October: A set from the Radio 1xtra host, who is just back from a summer DJ-ing in Ibiza. £7.50 (£6 student ticket).

Love Soul Choir –18th October: This is a free concert from a choir with over 40 members, well worth a look. 1pm - 1.30pm in West Quay Shopping Centre.

Homage to Roots Reggae – 23rd OctoberThis looks to be an evening of great live Roots, Reggae, Dub, Soul and Funk at Soul Cellar.

The Big Game: Southampton v Milton Keynes Dons – 24th October: Each year a Saints’ football game is played specifically to celebrate the event. This game has special significance as the manager of the MK Dons is Paul Ince, the first black captain of the England Team and the first black manager of a Premiership team.

African Jazz Allstars – 29th October: This critically acclaimed group will be performing a blend of African rhythms and Jazz right on our doorstep in the Turner Sims concert hall. £16 (£8 student ticket).

Black History MonthBlack History Month takes place all over the UK in October. Its main aim is to improve the public’s knowledge of contributions black figures have made to society, and to increase understanding of black history and black culture. This month also acts as an event which brings communities together and promotes art, history and culture as a whole. Black History Month began in the US, starting life in 1926 as Negro History Week. The first event in the UK took place on the 1st October 1987 in London, as an effort to enrich the cultural diversity of the capital.

The celebrations and activities are focused within the month of October for two main reasons. The first is that October is meant to be a time of tolerance and peace in Africa and is the harvest season; a time of festivals and plenty. The second reason is linked with the British school calendar. As the education and involvement of children is a key aspect of Black History Month, it was consid-ered important for it to take place at a time when school pupils are re-energized after the summer break and not yet busy with exams.

More info at http://tr.im/bl4ck or check out the African Carribean Society at http://tr.im/afr0c

Black Gold ExhibitionThe launch of Black History Month 2009 in South-ampton was marked by the opening of the Black Gold exhibition on the 1st October. This exhibition is a perfect example of the way in which Black History Month encourages the community to work together: Southampton City Art Gallery and Southampton City Council’s Stronger Commu-nities & Equalities Team commissioned three photography graduates from Solent University to take the photos for the event.

The Wessex Scene interviewed Alice Workman, Lead Exhibitions Officer for the art gallery to find out what she thought about the Black Gold exhibition and to find out more about this event.

Why did you commission students to produce the works for this exhibition?It is important that the gallery forges partnerships with local organisations - Solent University being one. We went to the photography degree show and selected three students in particular who had focused on portraiture.

What is the main subject of the photos? The photographs show portraits of people from African/Caribbean origin who have a specific connection with the city. These include Pauline Brandt, a journalist, and Bob Purkiss, a race campaigner.

What do you feel the photos are designed to make us think?I think it forces us to think of these individuals in their roles and what they have achieved, and

how that experience may have been different for them. The photographs also make me think of the individuals outside of their professional roles.

The Black Gold exhibition is on show at the same time as the BP Portrait Award, the most esteemed portrait competition in the world. Both exhibitions run until the 22nd November and are well worth a visit. This really is a wonderful oppor-tunity to see some of the newest and most exciting works of contemporary portraiture.

Mary SeacoleAfter being freed from slavery, the Humanitarian made 13 separate missions to free 70 slaves. For this reason she became widely known as

‘Moses’. A dedicated Chris-tian she was known to have regular visions and premo-nitions about God. During the American Civil War, she became a spy and in later life worked closely with Susan B. Anthony for womens suffrage

Harriet TubmanThe manipulation of history dictates that she is overlooked for Florence Nightingale. Although she had impressive references from British military personnel, the recruitment offices in London rejected her appeal four times to support Nightingale in Turkey. After making her own means to travel to Turkey, she treated soldiers in the Crimean War and called them her ‘sons’.

Stephen Bantu BikoThe South African anti-apartheid activist founded the Black Consciousness Movement which attempted to challenge white ideals and values concerning black consciousness. After being arrested under the Terrorism No. 83 Act, Biko was remanded in police custody where he sustained severe head inju-ries and later died.

The Pineapple...In the Caribbean, the pineapple was (and still is) a symbol of hospitality and wealth. It was used not only as a banquet centrepiece but as an artistic motif on gates, doors and even napkins. This exotic fruit is probably not something one would expect to see on the buildings of Southampton.

However, soon after 16th century, plantation owners from Southampton brought slaves and black sailors back with them from Africa and the Caribbean Pineapples soon began appearing on ‘welcome’ plaques on homes and on architecture throughout the city. The fruit can be seen on build-ings in the Newtown area, Hill Lane and Mouse-hole Lane.

There was a large concrete pineapple on All Saints Church in the centre of Southampton, until the building was destroyed in WWII. The pineapple itself survived the bomb blast!

The most obvious pineapple in the city today, though you may have passed it countless times, sits atop the old Royal Pier Building which is now a Thai restaurant!

BlackHistoryMonth

Overlooked Figures: Neglected Important People in Black History.

5 D

ecem

ber

1955

: The

Mon

tgom

ery

Bus

Boy

cott

28 August 1963: Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech

11 February 1990: Nelson M

andela is released

4 November 2008: Barack Obama is President-Elect of the United States

The assorted musicians from the Jazz Orchestra of the African Jazz Allstars

Page 10 FeaturesWessexScene

Gareth Brading

This year, the World Wide Web is 20 years old. The chair of our very own School of Electronics and Computer Science, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, can be credited for giving birth to the World Wide Web (or the interconnectivity of documents, fi les and HTTP across the Internet) in March 1989. It has ingrained itself almost totally into many aspects of daily life, almost without notice. Not only do we get our news and weather from the BBC website online, but we now research information using digital encyclopaedias, download various TV programmes, and even socialise via networking sites in our spare time. With all of these aspects of our life dependant on the Internet, are we now

relying on it too much?The benefi t of the internet is that it has made

information much more accessible. If you want to know about a fi gure from history such as Sir Er-nest Shackleton, you can just type his name into Google and you will get more information than it is possible to read. Previously, you would have had to either visit a library, or dig out your copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica before turning to the single article on Shackleton. On the Internet, in-formation is instant, copious and more importantly, free. It has also made it infi nitely easier to stay in contact with people. Social networking sites are a useful tool for keeping in contact with people you might otherwise fall out of touch with. Plus, with the expansion of internet forums, people from all walks of life can discuss issues to their hearts

content.All of these positives do have their downsides

however. The media is often talking of what they call the iGeneration; the children who have grown up with the internet since they were born, and have never known a world without it. Perhaps some of our younger students are even on the cusp of this generation. Such natives of the in-ternet are commonly affected by what is known as Online Disinhibition Effect. Everyone has seen it. If you watch any video on YouTube, you are bound to read comment after comment stating in bare-faced callousness in the style of: “This video sux. The creator should jump off a bridge.” Yet in real life, after watching a West End musical you do not get up and announce to the audience that it was dead boring. The key with Disinhibition Ef-

fect is that people mistakenly believe that what is discussed on the Internet is unimportant, and that they can hide behind the anonymity of the digital world, making them at liberty to act in ways which would normally be considered anti-social. This ‘online identity’ sadly has a knock on effect in their real life identity, transferring the same disin-terested, impolite manner they practice whilst on the Web.

Furthermore, although the Internet has had a superb effect in preserving and cataloguing our collected wisdom and knowledge, the verifi ability of our facts may be in jeopardy. On Wikipedia, the ever-growing font of all information it is, Ameri-can comedian Stephen Colbert once stated that the website gave ‘democracy to knowledge.’ The borderline for inclusion of something on Wikipe-dia is if enough people agree on it, not whether or not it is actually true or factual. To demonstrate, Colbert suggested that users edit articles relating to elephants to suggest that the population had recently trebled. Thus administrators at Wikipedia had to deal with thousands of erroneous edits on Wikipedia, claiming everything from the fact that African elephants were three times bigger than Indian elephants, or that the cult following of Ba-bar the Elephant had tripled. Whilst a harmless bit of fun for some, others view the actions with less amusement.

Whilst it is almost beyond doubt the Internet is much more of a blessing than a curse, we still have to work together to overcome the shortcom-ings of this still fast growing resource. Online com-munities require just as much nurture and care as those which exist outside in the physical world.

Sharna-Marie Manners

One reason why Slumdog Millionaire was both a commercial success and critically acclaimed was because it portrayed the real Mumbai, the city where over nine million people live in slums, of which an estimated 300,000 beggar children. The lives of these children were thrust into the spotlight by director Danny Boyle, and the horrifying reality was further enhanced by the decision to cast real children from the slums to star in the fi lm.

The feel-good movie of 2008 encouraged a feeling amongst the public, that some chil-dren’s lives would change from the making of the fi lm.

As well as the child actors that starred, other poverty-stricken youngsters, we would hope, would surely benefi t from the profi ts of around £75million and be able to share the glory of winning eight Academy Awards and four Golden Globes. Life would imitate art, and the young children of the fi lm would become real-life Slumdog millionaires.

Horrifyingly, life has not had as drastic a change

profi ts, designed to help enhance the quality of their lives and move them out of the slums, has yet to materialise. According to the families, Rubina received just £500 of which £50 was spent on a mobile phone that was crushed as her house was demolished. Meanwhile Azharuddin was paid £1,700, most of which paid for his father’s medicines, who died in early September of tuber-culosis.

Boyle and the producers of Slumdog Millionaire deny that the children have been left and forgotten about.

I understand fully how throwing money at a problem will not give way to a resolution, but these children have, quite clearly, been exploited. It makes a sham of the fi lm itself, which has been used to expose the horrifi c truth of the Mumbai ‘slumdog’ children, yet where are the children who starred in the fi lm? Back in the slums. Where are profi ts? In the movie-makers pockets. What has the fi lm taught us? That, as in the movie, as long as you have a mass amount of wealth there is no need to care about the poor, or the exploitation of them.

the producers of Slumdog Millionaire deny that the children have been left and forgotten about. Rubina and Azhar have been found a place in a local, English-speaking, yet overcrowded school and are given £20 a month for books and food. The Jai Ho Trust was founded with the intention to provide both fi nancial and emotional support for the children and their families. The money has been placed into the trust fund for the children which can be accessed when they reach

eighteen, with the condition that they stay in school, although nobody, not

even the families know the exact amount in the

fund. The fi lm’s success

meant that subse-quent trips to the Academy Awards and Disney World must have been exciting and overwhelming for the children, yet these trips are superfi cial. The families’ hopes for their children’s portion of the

as one would expect, for Rubina Ali Qureshi, 9, who played the young Latika, nor Azharuddin Ismail, 11, who was the youngest version of Jamal’s brother Salim. Rubina is still living in Garib Nagar, which is also known as “The City of the Poor” and recently her home was bulldozed by authorities, leaving her and her family homeless. Azharuddin’s hovel was also bulldozed although he and his family have been given a one-bedroom fl at in which he and his mother share the main room, whilst his brother, Irfan, and his wife sleep on a mattress in the kitchen.

Boyle and

World Wide Web Breeds iGeneration

Still a Slumdog, and not a Millionaire?We investigate the unfortunate plight of the child stars of the Oscar’s Best Picture of 2008

Worldwide Internet Density Map - www.chrisharrison.net


Believe It or Not...Our recurring segment, where each issue we will be enlightening you with various random and exciting pieces of information for you to divulge in! More importantly it is your job to decide whether it is true or false...

‘3 year old is the youngest person to have a full set of dentures fitted.’On 25 February 2005, Daniel Sanchez-Ruiz, at the ripe old age of 3 years and 301 days, became the youngest person ever to be given dentures. This was due to a condition called Hypohydrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia. This disorder results in the malformation of teeth, hair and skin.

‘Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind damages their space suit.’Houston, we have a problem. Well actually, Houston has nothing to do with this, but rather beans, of the baked variety do. I am sure this is the first time, (or if not then the second or third) that you have heard this. Apparently the level of gas that is produced by eating beans and then the passing of wind that occurs after such consumption has been deemed dangerous.

The disadvantages of passing wind while wearing a spacesuit arises not only from the obvious horrid smell, but the distraction it could possibly cause to a space mission. Can you imagine Neil Armstrong about to take his first step on the moon and all of a sudden a rip-roaring sound blasts through his space suit and into the stratosphere. Perhaps history

would have taken a different course and maybe now we would be talking about how the first mission to the moon was spoilt by a foul, robust and deafening fart.

‘Bert the Camel becomes the highest ranking law-enforcement camel in the world.’Bert, or the B-Man as he likes to be called, was given the greatest honour and a get-out-the-desert card on 5 April 2003. He was made Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, San Dimas, USA. Although he does patrol the streets of L.A with his handler Nance, he has been known to chill out with his homeboys on the mean streets of Compton when off duty.

‘October is the month for National Window Covering Safety.’

The National Window Covering Safety Council website explains how to keep your children safe from injuries from window blind cords. There is even an instructional video featuring SuperBaby, demonstrating for concerned parents how to keep their loved ones safe.

‘The Longest Carrot in the World!’The longest carrot in the world has been recorded as being 19ft 1.96 inches. Joe Artherton of Nottinghamshire grew his special carrot using a 21 foot long plastic tube. After being declared the longest vegetable of its kind, Joe’s carrot was reported to have been cruising around the local pubs, clubs and vegetable patches in and around Nottinghamshire.

So are you convinced?

Lucy Charlotte Austen

When you spend a lot of time at Avenue Campus, you start to hear things - rumours. Whether it be that Professor A is in love with Dr B or that the newest section of the campus, the James Parkes building, is built on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground. Obviously some rumours are born out of an overactive imagination; does anyone really know someone called Professor A?

Yet one rumour remains a hot topic of conver-sation amongst us Avenue-ites. That of the Avenue ghost. The Avenue ghost is revered and indeed feared by staff and students alike and in true investigative journalistic style, four brave Wessex Scene reporters, with the help of someone who for security reasons can only be referred to as

‘James Bond’, set out to uncover the truth. We began our investigation at the Student

Services Office, bracing for the inevitable sneers when we asked about the Avenue ghost. Yet contrary to our expectations, we encountered staff members only too willing to divulge their experi-ences of the Avenue ghost with us. Jane Brown, a staff worker in the Student Services Office, relayed her tale, ‘It was about 4pm and I was in the ladies toilets on the second floor and when I came out of the cubicle, I saw two hands sticking out of the bottom of another cubicle. There was no shadow or no feet. I ran out, downstairs back to the office and told my colleague who went and had a look.

aid us in our quest for the truth; a cross to ward off evil spirits, a Dictaphone to pick up odd noises and maybe some garlic for good measure. So after swapping spooky stories, the cynic and the believer decided to do some preliminary recon-naissance and explore the famed South Corridor.

Nothing particularly scary happened besides encountering some creaky floorboards and so we took our ghost busting kit (Dictaphone) and placed it in the South Corridor stairwell, the sight of the most reputable ghostly activity, in the hope of picking out some otherworldly sounds. When we played back our two recordings, we found that in the first one there was what sounded like somebody was breathing heavily into the microphone, yet nobody was in the stairwell. In the second recording, we heard the distinct trill of music, yet nobody was playing any music in the whole building. Once we had all agreed that something strange was definitely going on, we decided to bite the bullet and start the séance.

It is thought that spirits often have an aversion to a particular gender, in this case the Avenue ghost apparently does not like men and so it was down to the believer to conduct the séance. With our séance cup firmly in place in the middle of the table, we indicated they should move the cup to the right if they wished to answer in the affirmative and to the left if they wished to answer no. The believer rather sheepishly asked if there were any spirits present who would like to contact us.

Lo and behold she found nothing. I haven’t been back to the toilets since and I never will.

“I saw two hands sticking out of of the bottom of another cubicle.”

However, it is the security guards who are convinced of the ghost’s existence more than anyone. It seems that they all have a story to tell regarding the Avenue ghost with one saying that ‘night shifts are the worst. Around 1am you hear all sorts of sounds. Not just small, insignificant sounds, but footsteps and what sounds like furniture being moved across the floor.’ Some sightings of the ghost made by the security guards tell us that the ghost is a female who is dressed in a long billowing white robe and frequents one particular area of the campus. The South Corridor stairwell is notorious among the staff at Avenue as being noticeably colder than other parts of the building, indicating the presence of a spirit. Our investigation was picking up pace and so we decided that an attempt at interacting with the ghost would be the best way to put staff stories into perspective.

So what happens when you put a believer, a cynic, a Jew, a Catholic and James Bond together? No, not a bad joke - a séance. Setting out on a suitably misty and murky early autumn night, we discussed what tools we may need to

The Fabled Haunting of Avenue CampusYour Ghostbusters hit the trail to find the spirit of a supposed 18th Century servant girl

Nothing happened. With doubt rearing its ugly head, the believer asked again. Movement. We all looked at each other, eyes wide, wondering if maybe the cynic was making it move. It quickly became apparent that whatever was moving the cup, it was not anybody sitting around the table.

‘Are you from the twentieth century?’ No movement.

‘Are you from the nineteenth century?’ No movement.

‘Are you from the eighteenth century?’ Not only did the cup move, but what sounded like rushing water came suddenly from the direction of the men’s toilets, which we knew to be empty. Panic rising, we quickly offered a prayer for the spirit’s soul, as is meant to happen at the end of a séance, at which point the cup began to move swiftly and with earnest towards the edge of the table. The believer then asked if the spirit would like us to leave, which made the cup move even faster, and taking this as our cue to leave, we relinquished the cup of our fingers.

Following subsequent investigation, we have come to the conclusion that the most likely expla-nation, if you believe our story, is that the Avenue ghost was a maidservant at Taunton’s College in the late eighteenth century, the site on which Avenue campus now resides. Whatever the truth, regardless of whether you are a believer or not, it cannot be denied that Avenue Campus is the centre of unexplained activity.

Avenue Campus through the ages, including the Taunton’s College building in 1960.


Believe It or Not...Our recurring segment, where each issue we will be enlightening you with various random and exciting pieces of information for you to divulge in! More importantly it is your job to decide whether it is true or false...

‘3 year old is the youngest person to have a full set of dentures fitted.’On 25 February 2005, Daniel Sanchez-Ruiz, at the ripe old age of 3 years and 301 days, became the youngest person ever to be given dentures. This was due to a condition called Hypohydrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia. This disorder results in the malformation of teeth, hair and skin.

‘Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind damages their space suit.’Houston, we have a problem. Well actually, Houston has nothing to do with this, but rather beans, of the baked variety do. I am sure this is the first time, (or if not then the second or third) that you have heard this. Apparently the level of gas that is produced by eating beans and then the passing of wind that occurs after such consumption has been deemed dangerous.

The disadvantages of passing wind while wearing a spacesuit arises not only from the obvious horrid smell, but the distraction it could possibly cause to a space mission. Can you imagine Neil Armstrong about to take his first step on the moon and all of a sudden a rip-roaring sound blasts through his space suit and into the stratosphere. Perhaps history

would have taken a different course and maybe now we would be talking about how the first mission to the moon was spoilt by a foul, robust and deafening fart.

‘Bert the Camel becomes the highest ranking law-enforcement camel in the world.’Bert, or the B-Man as he likes to be called, was given the greatest honour and a get-out-the-desert card on 5 April 2003. He was made Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, San Dimas, USA. Although he does patrol the streets of L.A with his handler Nance, he has been known to chill out with his homeboys on the mean streets of Compton when off duty.

‘October is the month for National Window Covering Safety.’

The National Window Covering Safety Council website explains how to keep your children safe from injuries from window blind cords. There is even an instructional video featuring SuperBaby, demonstrating for concerned parents how to keep their loved ones safe.

‘The Longest Carrot in the World!’The longest carrot in the world has been recorded as being 19ft 1.96 inches. Joe Artherton of Nottinghamshire grew his special carrot using a 21 foot long plastic tube. After being declared the longest vegetable of its kind, Joe’s carrot was reported to have been cruising around the local pubs, clubs and vegetable patches in and around Nottinghamshire.

So are you convinced?


When you spend a lot of time at Avenue Campus, you start to hear things - rumours. Whether it be that Professor A is in love with Dr B or that the newest section of the campus, the James Parkes building, is built on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground. Obviously some rumours are born out of an overactive imagination; does anyone really know someone called Professor A?

Yet one rumour remains a hot topic of conver-sation amongst us Avenue-ites. That of the Avenue ghost. The Avenue ghost is revered and indeed feared by staff and students alike and in true investigative journalistic style, four brave Wessex Scene reporters, with the help of someone who for security reasons can only be referred to as

‘James Bond’, set out to uncover the truth. We began our investigation at the Student

Services Office, bracing for the inevitable sneers when we asked about the Avenue ghost. Yet contrary to our expectations, we encountered staff members only too willing to divulge their experi-ences of the Avenue ghost with us. Jane Brown, a staff worker in the Student Services Office, relayed her tale, ‘It was about 4pm and I was in the ladies toilets on the second floor and when I came out of the cubicle, I saw two hands sticking out of the bottom of another cubicle. There was no shadow or no feet. I ran out, downstairs back to the office and told my colleague who went and had a look.

aid us in our quest for the truth; a cross to ward off evil spirits, a Dictaphone to pick up odd noises and maybe some garlic for good measure. So after swapping spooky stories, the cynic and the believer decided to do some preliminary recon-naissance and explore the famed South Corridor.

Nothing particularly scary happened besides encountering some creaky floorboards and so we took our ghost busting kit (Dictaphone) and placed it in the South Corridor stairwell, the sight of the most reputable ghostly activity, in the hope of picking out some otherworldly sounds. When we played back our two recordings, we found that in the first one there was what sounded like somebody was breathing heavily into the microphone, yet nobody was in the stairwell. In the second recording, we heard the distinct trill of music, yet nobody was playing any music in the whole building. Once we had all agreed that something strange was definitely going on, we decided to bite the bullet and start the séance.

It is thought that spirits often have an aversion to a particular gender, in this case the Avenue ghost apparently does not like men and so it was down to the believer to conduct the séance. With our séance cup firmly in place in the middle of the table, we indicated they should move the cup to the right if they wished to answer in the affirmative and to the left if they wished to answer no. The believer rather sheepishly asked if there were any spirits present who would like to contact us.

Lo and behold she found nothing. I haven’t been back to the toilets since and I never will.

“I saw two hands sticking out of of the bottom of another cubicle.”

However, it is the security guards who are convinced of the ghost’s existence more than anyone. It seems that they all have a story to tell regarding the Avenue ghost with one saying that ‘night shifts are the worst. Around 1am you hear all sorts of sounds. Not just small, insignificant sounds, but footsteps and what sounds like furniture being moved across the floor.’ Some sightings of the ghost made by the security guards tell us that the ghost is a female who is dressed in a long billowing white robe and frequents one particular area of the campus. The South Corridor stairwell is notorious among the staff at Avenue as being noticeably colder than other parts of the building, indicating the presence of a spirit. Our investigation was picking up pace and so we decided that an attempt at interacting with the ghost would be the best way to put staff stories into perspective.

So what happens when you put a believer, a cynic, a Jew, a Catholic and James Bond together? No, not a bad joke - a séance. Setting out on a suitably misty and murky early autumn night, we discussed what tools we may need to

The Fabled Haunting of Avenue CampusYour Ghostbusters hit the trail to find the spirit of a supposed 18th Century servant girl

Nothing happened. With doubt rearing its ugly head, the believer asked again. Movement. We all looked at each other, eyes wide, wondering if maybe the cynic was making it move. It quickly became apparent that whatever was moving the cup, it was not anybody sitting around the table.

‘Are you from the twentieth century?’ No movement.

‘Are you from the nineteenth century?’ No movement.

‘Are you from the eighteenth century?’ Not only did the cup move, but what sounded like rushing water came suddenly from the direction of the men’s toilets, which we knew to be empty. Panic rising, we quickly offered a prayer for the spirit’s soul, as is meant to happen at the end of a séance, at which point the cup began to move swiftly and with earnest towards the edge of the table. The believer then asked if the spirit would like us to leave, which made the cup move even faster, and taking this as our cue to leave, we relinquished the cup of our fingers.

Following subsequent investigation, we have come to the conclusion that the most likely expla-nation, if you believe our story, is that the Avenue ghost was a maidservant at Taunton’s College in the late eighteenth century, the site on which Avenue campus now resides. Whatever the truth, regardless of whether you are a believer or not, it cannot be denied that Avenue Campus is the centre of unexplained activity.

Avenue Campus through the ages, including the Taunton’s College building in 1960.

Page 12 FeaturesWessexScene

Andrew Osborne

Six students and two academics from the University of Southampton partook in the Interna-tional Birdman competition staged in Worthing.

The event, which first began in 1971, took place on the 22nd and 23rd August 2009. Five’s The Gadget Show presenter, Jason Bradbury, joined the School of Engineering Sciences to design and build the aircraft in only a couple of weeks. Originally named ‘The International Bird-Man rally’, the first rally took place in Selsey, West Sussex, before moving to Bognor Regis in 1978 as the competition grew. As a result of the end of the pier at Bognor being demolished in 2008, the competition was relocated to Worthing which provided less of a safety risk to those involved.

The International Birdman entails humans flying off the end of a pier in an attempt to travel the

furthest distance for prize money. Competitors can enter into one of three classes. Bradburys’ team entered the Leonardo Da Vinci Class, a class for innovative self-built craft. If a distance of over 100 metres is achieved then prize money of up to £30,000 can be won. However for many entrants, the opportunity to raise money for charities is often the main incentive.

With a long pedigree in aeronautics and having built the first ever successful human powered aircraft back in the 1960’s, where better for the Gadget Show’s team to go to than the University of Southampton? Dr Alexander Forrester, a School of Engineering Sciences lecturer led the team to a remarkable third place at 30.07m, with the previous year’s winner, Dr Bill Brooks, retaining first place. If only the wind had not dropped, then perhaps they would have scored an even higher result.

In preparation, the aircraft was tested at the

university’s R.J. Mitchell wind tunnel. Southamp-ton’s wind tunnels have also been used over the past few years by racing teams and those in the marine and aerospace industries for testing and research. With only four and a half metres of ‘runway’ available, a minimalist and lightweight design was favoured. Foam attached to strong, but light carbon tubes would allow the tubes to bend enough to aid the flight without actually snapping! With a huge, but flexible 30-foot wingspan, the final aircraft surpassed all expectations.

Jason Bradbury praised the efforts of the whole team, “It was glorious, and the machine did exactly what it was designed to do. It was seriously wonderful and I’ll never forget it as long as I live.” Such was the success that plans are in place for a group of Southampton Aeronautic undergraduate students to be involved in the 2010 International Birdman.


Serious questions have been raised of the media’s treatment of the transgender community following its coverage of a story that broke last month concerning transgender children. A twelve year old child who was born male started secondary school wishing to be treated as a female. The child’s name was changed by deed poll and she went to school in a dress. However, some pupils recognised the child, leading to cruel taunts and bullying.

Teachers ordered an emergency staff meeting and in a subsequent assembly to the whole school, they told fellow pupils that the child was now to be treated as female. Many parents became angry by this saying that it had left their children ‘tearful and confused.’ They argued that parents should have been informed that the child was beginning school as a different gender so they could prepare their children saying it was akin to ‘throwing a hand grenade and then leaving the inevitable questions about it for their unprepared parents.’

Many parents became angry by this saying it had left their children ‘tearful and confused’.

The next day, another story broke of a nine year old boy returning to school after the summer holidays as a girl. Like the other school, the teachers at this school called a special assembly to explain matters to the rest of the pupils. However in this situation, the school told the pupils that the boy had left the school and a girl would be starting in his place. But similarly to the case above, classmates quickly recognised the child in question with one parent saying that her son came home from school and asked why one of his friends had become a girl.

It is thought that the head teacher personally

masterminded the situation after consulting with five different doctors leading to angry questions about the school’s handling of the situation. Cases such as these are difficult to handle sensitively and unfortunately on both accounts the schools seem to have failed the children in question. Childhood TV star Lauren Harries, born James, has condemned the schools actions stating that they treated the situation like a circus and says it is the children who will now suffer. It has lead to

a massive backlash for the families of the trans-gender children, with the twelve year old child’s family currently under police protection after they received threatening messages.

The media, however, have demonstrated their tactlessness in a spectacular fashion. The children who insist on being treated as female are both repeatedly referred to as ‘the lad’ or ‘the boy’ by the unforgiving daily tabloids and they make

a point of stressing that both of the children’s families are from council estates, as if this settles the matter. Yet this is not the first time the media has failed to act delicately in regards to such matters. During the summer there was furore over the case of South African athlete Caster Semenya. After a series of evident improvements in her performances over a short period of time, questions were raised as to her gender and she was forced to take a series of gender determining

tests to prove that she was female. Such a private affair was made public after the Olympic Commit-tee’s decision to hold a press conference on the matter which the media subsequently jumped on. Although her birth certificate states that Semenya is in fact female, the tests showed that she had unusually high levels of testosterone for a woman leading to the theory that she is either a hermaph-rodite or has a rare medical condition which it is

argued gave her an unfair advantage over her competitors. Outrage has been expressed in her native South Africa with the President of Athletics South Africa arguing that she has been ‘humiliated’ and treated like a ‘leper.’ However, much progress has been made within the transgender community via the medium of film and television. The release of true life story films such as Boys Don’t Cry which depicted the life and death of Nebraskan Brandon Teena and A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story, which portrayed Araujo’s struggle with her identity, helped to raise awareness on an international level of the difficulties faced by the transgender community.

The President of Athletics South Africa arguing that she has been ‘humiliated’ and treated like a ‘leper’.

Last year, the first transgender contestant, Isis King, appeared on US reality show America’s Next Top Model in an attempt to push the bound-aries of conventional beauty. In addition, German pop singer Kim Petras has done a lot to raise the profile of the transgender community as she declared in her blog last year that she had completed gender realignment surgery at the age of sixteen making her the reputed youngest ever person to have reassignment surgery.

Whilst these cases show that attitudes towards to the transgender community are slowly changing for the better, the media continues to treat those who are transgender as though they are objects ready to be exploited for public interest. Society’s fascination with physical appearance continues to manifest itself in a vulgar manner through media outlets and will persist in doing so until the trans-gender community are treated as ordinary people and not objects of public ridicule.

The Media Circus and Gender IdentityOne writer considers why the Press and general public have an aversion to transgender

There’s a High Flying Bird, up in the SkySouthampton’s engineers team up with a Channel 5 presenter and takes to the skies

Lauren Harries today; Caster Semanya and Brandon Teena.Clockwise, L-R; Kim Petras; Gwen Araujo; Isis King; Lauren Harries as a boy;

What do you think about this issue? Give us your opinion on this debate or any other topic covered in Features...

Email [email protected], online at www.wessexscene.co.uk, or follow Wessex Scene on Twitter at twitter.com/WessexScene

Travel WessexScene

DESTINATIONSFICTIONAL WORKSThe power of words has been employed as an emotional stimulus for centuries. From gut-wrenching poetry to the languorous unfolding of a romantic novel, the worlds and landscapes portrayed have inspired the explo-ration of new places by many people. From print to screen the presentation of a country is intensely magnified. A mountain or vista only imagined before is now a comprehensible and accessible destination. This issue we review some of the best fictional works, be they books, poems, or films that depict the landscape or culture of a country in a travel inspiring aspect.

A Room With a View, E.M. Forster

Florence, Italy - Follow in the footsteops of Lucy Honeychurch through the cobbled alleys and streets of this beautiful city, from the River Arno to the stunning Duomo. Florence has some of the most impressive art galleries in Europe, such as the Uffizi, and is home to Michaelangelos ‘David’. The history of the infamous Medici family is also evident in almost every part of the city.

The Loop, Nicholas Evans

Rocky Mountains, Montana - Evans captures the beauty of the mountains in this remote landscape in this tale of a fight for a balance between man and nature.

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

New Zealand - This trilogy of films was shot in almost every landscape the country has to offer. Visit the bleak and never-ending plains of Rohan in the South Island, eerie and ethereal Lothlorien in Glenarchy Forest outide Queenstown, or the cosy fields of The Shire in the North Island. You can even skydive over the mountains visible behind Saruman as he brings the moutain down on Gandalf and the Fellowship.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Ernersto ‘Che’ Guevara

South America - From bustling Buenos Aires to the Atacama Desert and Peruvian heights of the ancient Inca capital Machu Picchu, this film beautifully illustrates how the journey of a young Che Guevara across the South American continent inspired his future as the infamous Cuban revolutionary.

‘To Autumn’ John Keats

England - This famous ode richly expresses the turning of the season from summer to autumn. The ‘gathering swallows’ and ‘thatch-eves’ of the Hampshire countryside inspired Keats to pen this poem on his daily walks along the river Itchen and through Winchester.

A Winter in the Frozen Forest

a stark contrast between the white floor and the deep red of the sequoia trunks.

The main road through the park winds it’s up way up the valley sides to the Tunnel View outcrop. From here the road gives way to the most impressive of all Yosemite views – a smooth but immense granite channel curving into the distance; the lasting passage of an ancient glacier. The forest sweeps dramatically from the sheer face of El Capitan and along the valley floor towards distant peaks, while pale slivers in the valley walls reveal a scatter of waterfalls across the vista.

The most incredible time to visit is in the early morning to watch the sun rise over the rim of the famous Half Dome peak. Morning dew and ice, thickened from a cold night deep in the valley, soak shoes and trousers chilling bodies to the bone. The

Polly Bennett

The atmosphere is fresh and friendly in the cosmopolitan city of San Francisco. After the tiring sprawl of Los Angeles, flying into this new city on a bright and sunny January afternoon is an exciting next step to a trip. Nestled on a peninsula in San Francisco Bay the city is often shrouded in the thick fog rolling in from the Pacific, but even in January the temperature is pleasant.

The attractions of the city are endless; from Alcatraz to the Museum of Modern Art you could spend weeks exploring everything on offer. Attrac-tions aside however, San Francisco is a great jumping off point for many of America’s national parks.

Watch the sun rise over the rim of famous Half Dome peak

Just 3 hours from San Francisco is Yosemite National Park. In January snow still blankets the mountain peaks and valley trails, while the famous Yosemite Falls thunders into a plunge pool frozen at its snowy rim. There is not a single view in the park that will give you a bad photograph. The landscape is literally breathtaking, forcing you to do nothing but stop and devour the scene before you. In this season the park is less packed and a 10-minute walk can find you alone in the forest.

High in the mountain passes the ski season is in full swing, and for $10 a pair of snow shoes makes the walk through deep drifts less of a challenge. Trails crisscross the park from these passes through the forest to the tranquil lakes deep in the valley.

Standing above the valley itself are the ancient groves of giant sequoias. Larger than their coastal Redwood cousins, many of these colossal trees are thousands of years old. The January snow accentuates their enormous presence creating

cold is worth it though, for a different perspective of park life. Birds chatter and mammals rustle in the undergrowth as mist rises from Mirror Lake, hanging in limbo a foot above the still water. The valley walls begin to take on a pink tinge as the sun rises behind the granite mountains, blending into pale umber then amber before the sun rises full above the valley.

Yosemite Falls thunders into a plunge pool frozen at its rim

Three weeks of trekking and trudging through a winter Yosemite shows a different aspect of this popular national park. Fewer people, more wildlife, and more spectacular views makes this a recommended trip for anyone.

Student Charity Kilimanjaro ClimbDaniel Webb

Students at Southampton University are working in conjunction with a group of students from the University of Nottingham who, over the past two years have been setting up various trips across the globe for up to 300 students. The charity that has been formed is taking students on a challenge to climb to the roof of Africa. Kilimanjaro rises

nearly 4 miles vertically from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania. Climbers are pushed to the brink both mentally and physically – battling cold of minus 20 degrees, altitude sickness and exhaustion. Next summer students will be heading to the heart of Africa for the expedition, spending close to a month on the mountain that boasts 20% of Africa’s snow whilst still finding time to explore Masai Mara national parks and the beaches of Zanzibar.

The students have paid for their trip with a further commitment to raising just over £2000 for charity, which is then split between the organisers and a charity close to the individuals. Post climb, the climbers will be given further opportunity to volunteer on other projects in Africa relevant to their studies.

The risks taken by these students are not to be trivialised, 10 climbers die each year.

Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View

The peak of Mount Kilimanjaro - For more info on the trip or to get involved please visit www.bealittledifferent.com

Travel WessexScene

DESTINATIONSFICTIONAL WORKSThe power of words has been employed as an emotional stimulus for centuries. From gut-wrenching poetry to the languorous unfolding of a romantic novel, the worlds and landscapes portrayed have inspired the explo-ration of new places by many people. From print to screen the presentation of a country is intensely magnified. A mountain or vista only imagined before is now a comprehensible and accessible destination. This issue we review some of the best fictional works, be they books, poems, or films that depict the landscape or culture of a country in a travel inspiring aspect.

A Room With a View, E.M. Forster

Florence, Italy - Follow in the footsteops of Lucy Honeychurch through the cobbled alleys and streets of this beautiful city, from the River Arno to the stunning Duomo. Florence has some of the most impressive art galleries in Europe, such as the Uffizi, and is home to Michaelangelos ‘David’. The history of the infamous Medici family is also evident in almost every part of the city.

The Loop, Nicholas Evans

Rocky Mountains, Montana - Evans captures the beauty of the mountains in this remote landscape in this tale of a fight for a balance between man and nature.

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

New Zealand - This trilogy of films was shot in almost every landscape the country has to offer. Visit the bleak and never-ending plains of Rohan in the South Island, eerie and ethereal Lothlorien in Glenarchy Forest outide Queenstown, or the cosy fields of The Shire in the North Island. You can even skydive over the mountains visible behind Saruman as he brings the moutain down on Gandalf and the Fellowship.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Ernersto ‘Che’ Guevara

South America - From bustling Buenos Aires to the Atacama Desert and Peruvian heights of the ancient Inca capital Machu Picchu, this film beautifully illustrates how the journey of a young Che Guevara across the South American continent inspired his future as the infamous Cuban revolutionary.

‘To Autumn’ John Keats

England - This famous ode richly expresses the turning of the season from summer to autumn. The ‘gathering swallows’ and ‘thatch-eves’ of the Hampshire countryside inspired Keats to pen this poem on his daily walks along the river Itchen and through Winchester.

A Winter in the Frozen Forest

a stark contrast between the white floor and the deep red of the sequoia trunks.

The main road through the park winds it’s up way up the valley sides to the Tunnel View outcrop. From here the road gives way to the most impressive of all Yosemite views – a smooth but immense granite channel curving into the distance; the lasting passage of an ancient glacier. The forest sweeps dramatically from the sheer face of El Capitan and along the valley floor towards distant peaks, while pale slivers in the valley walls reveal a scatter of waterfalls across the vista.

The most incredible time to visit is in the early morning to watch the sun rise over the rim of the famous Half Dome peak. Morning dew and ice, thickened from a cold night deep in the valley, soak shoes and trousers chilling bodies to the bone. The

Polly Bennett

The atmosphere is fresh and friendly in the cosmopolitan city of San Francisco. After the tiring sprawl of Los Angeles, flying into this new city on a bright and sunny January afternoon is an exciting next step to a trip. Nestled on a peninsula in San Francisco Bay the city is often shrouded in the thick fog rolling in from the Pacific, but even in January the temperature is pleasant.

The attractions of the city are endless; from Alcatraz to the Museum of Modern Art you could spend weeks exploring everything on offer. Attrac-tions aside however, San Francisco is a great jumping off point for many of America’s national parks.

Watch the sun rise over the rim of famous Half Dome peak

Just 3 hours from San Francisco is Yosemite National Park. In January snow still blankets the mountain peaks and valley trails, while the famous Yosemite Falls thunders into a plunge pool frozen at its snowy rim. There is not a single view in the park that will give you a bad photograph. The landscape is literally breathtaking, forcing you to do nothing but stop and devour the scene before you. In this season the park is less packed and a 10-minute walk can find you alone in the forest.

High in the mountain passes the ski season is in full swing, and for $10 a pair of snow shoes makes the walk through deep drifts less of a challenge. Trails crisscross the park from these passes through the forest to the tranquil lakes deep in the valley.

Standing above the valley itself are the ancient groves of giant sequoias. Larger than their coastal Redwood cousins, many of these colossal trees are thousands of years old. The January snow accentuates their enormous presence creating

cold is worth it though, for a different perspective of park life. Birds chatter and mammals rustle in the undergrowth as mist rises from Mirror Lake, hanging in limbo a foot above the still water. The valley walls begin to take on a pink tinge as the sun rises behind the granite mountains, blending into pale umber then amber before the sun rises full above the valley.

Yosemite Falls thunders into a plunge pool frozen at its rim

Three weeks of trekking and trudging through a winter Yosemite shows a different aspect of this popular national park. Fewer people, more wildlife, and more spectacular views makes this a recommended trip for anyone.

Student Charity Kilimanjaro ClimbDaniel Webb

Students at Southampton University are working in conjunction with a group of students from the University of Nottingham who, over the past two years have been setting up various trips across the globe for up to 300 students. The charity that has been formed is taking students on a challenge to climb to the roof of Africa. Kilimanjaro rises

nearly 4 miles vertically from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania. Climbers are pushed to the brink both mentally and physically – battling cold of minus 20 degrees, altitude sickness and exhaustion. Next summer students will be heading to the heart of Africa for the expedition, spending close to a month on the mountain that boasts 20% of Africa’s snow whilst still finding time to explore Masai Mara national parks and the beaches of Zanzibar.

The students have paid for their trip with a further commitment to raising just over £2000 for charity, which is then split between the organisers and a charity close to the individuals. Post climb, the climbers will be given further opportunity to volunteer on other projects in Africa relevant to their studies.

The risks taken by these students are not to be trivialised, 10 climbers die each year.

Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View

The peak of Mount Kilimanjaro - For more info on the trip or to get involved please visit www.bealittledifferent.com

Page 14 TravelWessexScene

Discover Our Historic HampshirePolly Bennett

Famous for watercress, trout, King Alfred, and having once held the capital of England - Winchester, Hampshire boasts an impressive collection of historic houses, gardens, museums, and outdoor spaces. From lofty cathedrals and old forts to the buzzing city centres and beautiful, poet inpsiring countryside, there should be something to entice you from the lecture theatre. Here is just a selection of what is available.

Visit www3.hants.gov.uk/discover for more information. All entry prices listed are at conces-sionary rates.

Historic Sites and Museums

Lying on the South coast Hampshire was charged with the defence of the country on many occasions throughout history. Still a naval city today, Portsmouth and the surrounding area has many fantastic museums charting our military history from the Tudors to WWII.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard – entry £13.50, price includes entry to all 5 major attractions of the dockyard; www.historicdockyard.co.uk. This excellent and informative museum is home to the world famous ships the Mary Rose, HMS Victory, and HMS Warrior 1860, as well as the Royal Naval Museum, and children’s activity area Action Stations.

Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson – entry FREE; www.armouries.org.uk. Over 70,000 examples of arms, armour and artillery are displayed in the ruins of this old fort that sits atop chalky Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth and the Solent.

The medieval city of Winchester was the capital of England during Saxon times when we were ruled by King Alfred the Great. Although evidence of urban settlements in and around the city date back to 150BC during the Iron Age, most of the city architecture hails from Norman times and the Middle Ages. Famous for the beautiful architecture of many of its buildings, Winchester has been the setting for many films including The Da Vinci Code and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Visit www.visitwinchester.co.uk for more information.

Winchester Cathedral – entry £3.50; www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk. Construction of this monumental cathedral began over 900 years ago during the Norman times. Interesting relics on show inside include the C12th Winchester Bible, Jane Austen’s tomb, and Anthony Gormley’s Sound II statue.

The Great Hall and King Arthur’s Round Table – entry FREE. Housed in the only remaining part of Winchester Castle the symbol of the old Arthurian legend has been here for over 700 years. The Great Hall itself is an impressive space, and was once the centre of the English court.

Wolvesley Castle – entry FREE; www. English-heritage.org.uk. Situated just a few minutes walk from the city High Street this is an extensive medieval building of great importance. It was once the home of the bishops of Winchester, although the last great event held here was in 1554.

Literary ConnectionsJane Austen - Jane Austen’s House Museum – entry £6; www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk. Jane Austen was born in the small village of Steventon, Hampshire in December 1775. After her father’s death she spent a brief time living in Southampton before settling at a house on the Chawton Estate in north Hampshire where this museum resides. She died in 1817 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral.

Gilbert White - Gilbert White’s House & The Oates Museum – entry to house & garden £5.95, garden only £4.95; www.gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk. Set in the beautiful country village of Selbourne this museum highlights the lives of two historic figures - Gilbert White, the famous naturalist, and Captain Lawrence Oates who accompanied Scott to the South Pole in 1911.

Charles Dickens - Charles Dickens’ Birth-place Museum – entry £3; www.charlesdick-ensbirthplace.co.uk. Born in this house in Portsmouth in 1812 Dickens only lived here for 3 years before he moved to London. The museum recreates the Regency style of possessions of Dickens’ family home and gives an impression of what the house would have been like in Naval Portsmouth during the Napoleonic War.

John Keats - this 19th century poet stayed in Winchester in the late summer and early autumn of 1819. His daily walk through Cathedral Close and the water meadows to nearby St. Cross inspired his ode ‘To Autumn.’ It is now possible to walk this 2 mile route out the city and along the leafy banks of the Itchen River. Visit www.visitwinchester.co.uk for more information and a pdf map of the route.

The New Forest

The New Forest is England’s most recently designated National Park. Once an ancient oak forest used as hunting grounds by Henry VIII, the forest is now interspersed with swathes of forestry commission pine. Within the national park also lie the purple-hazed plains of heather moorland, frequented most often by the famous New Forsest wild ponies and, at this time of year, local birdwatchers.

The forest is honeycombed with walks and cycle trails from its northern-most edge down to the coast. Guided walks, bird watching outings, and horse riding are also popular activities available. Only 20 minutes from Southampton by car, or 20-30 minutes by train to Brockenhurst station, this national park is an incredibly beautiful and easy destination for students wanting to get out of the city. All pubs serve delicious local real ale, or visit any one of the country villages for a cream tea. Visit www.thenewforest.co.uk for more information.

Interesting AttractionsThe Ringwood Brewery - www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk. Just £6.50 for a tour of the brewery and beer-making process with a tasting session after.

Buckler’s Hard historic village - entry £5.90; www.bucklershard.co.uk. This tiny village has been preserved in time. Situated on the banks of the Beaulieu River this village was once famous for it’s ship building including Nelson’s favourite HMS Agamemnon.

The Rufus Stone - allegedly the site of King William II’s tragic death. While hunting he was pierced by an arrow that ricicheted off a nearby oak tree. The arrow was loosed by friend Sir Walter Tyrell as he aimed for a stag. The iron-clad stone in the area marks the site of the incident.

Family Fun

Marwell Zoo - entry £12.72 - £16 depending on day and whether you want to make a donation; www.marwell.org.uk. Set in a 140 acre park, Marwell is an excellent zoo home to over 250 species. Some of the best enclosures include those for the giraffes and rhinos, while the Tropical World gives you the opportunity to sample the rain forest.

National Motor Musuem at Beaulieu – entry £16.75; www.beaulieu.co.uk. Set in the heart of the New Forest this museum displays over 250 vehicles from many eras in history, including the ‘James Bond Experience’ exhibition with genuine vehicles from the films, such as the Jaguar XKR Roadster from ‘Die Another Day.’ Beaulieu is also the site of the C13th Beaulieu Abbey and C16th Palace House.

The Mid Hants Railway ‘Watercress Line’ - www.watercressline.co.uk. Old steam locomotives chug along a 10 mile railway through the peaceful, north Hampshire countryside, from Alresford to Alton. Visit the website for information about events on the Dining Trains such as the Halloween 3 course dinner, and the Real Ale Trains with their restored Real Ale Bar carriages.

Paulton’s Park – entry £17-17.50; www.pault-onspark.co.uk. A family oriented theme park in West Hampshire with some good rides even for the grown-ups. Good deals for short breaks can be found on the website. Current offers include family park ticket and 1 night accommodation for £32.25pp.

Beacon Hill – This hill was once the site of a famous Iron Age Hill Fort and defence beacon. Although never fully excavated the Iron Age ruins are an intriguing visit and are also home to the grave of the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon. The chalky grassland of the area is valued as a site of ecological interest for many wild flowers.

King Alfred - Winchester High Street

Wild New Forest Ponies - Photograph: Martin O’Neil / New Forest NPA

Lifestyle WessexScene

For the home: If you have run out of washing up liquid and the plates are piling high, just sprinkle salt into the water and wash as usual. Rinse the dishes well. Note that salt makes your skin quite dry so you may want to wear gloves or use a skin cream after using it.

Removing red wine from your carpet: immedi-ately blot up all moisture from the spill, then sprinkle the area with salt. Let the stain sit for 15 minutes. The salt will absorb any remaining wine in the carpet (turning pink as a result). Then clean the entire area with a mixture of 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup water.

For the body: Table salt is a beauty secret kept quiet by supermodels. To get a Hollywood smile, brush your teeth with a mixture of equal parts baking soda and salt. Salt is also very healing for sore gums, a bite on your cheek or tongue, or toothache.

For an invigorating body scrub add ¼ cup of olive oil to two cups of sea salt and rub onto skin in circular motions to remove dead skin. Application can be a bit messy so make sure you clean up after yourself to avoid annoying your housemates!

Olive oil is rich in healthy, monoun-saturated fats, like oleic acid and polyphenols. This is why it is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is, just freshly pressed from the fruit. It is best known for its role in cooking; however not only is it great for health and beauty but for the home as well. You do not have to use expensive extra virgin for the following tips, as the cheapest brand will do.

For the home: To make the most cost effective and natural furniture polish, get another spray bottle and add 1 cup of olive oil and 1/3 cup lemon juice and shake well. Then use as you would a normal polish. Although you might need to use it quite liberally as it is not as strong and foamy as most furniture polishes.

For the body: Olive oil has been used for centuries as a beauty booster. For super shiny hair apply to clean hair and wrap in a towel. Allow to sit for 20 minutes then rinse well. If you suffer from frizzy hair, olive oil may tame your unruly locks. It can also help with split ends and dandruff so it is definitely worth a try. Olive oil is also great for the skin. Now that the summer has deserted us and the autumn winds are approaching, your skin

and lips can get dry and sore. By rubbing a little oil into your lips or hands you can avoid that nasty chapped feeling.

Vinegar is available in lots of different varieties: malt, cider, apple or wine, to name a few. Lifestyle suggest that you get two types that will cover your beauty and cleaning routine: apple cider and white distilled vinegar.

For the home: White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most bacteria and germs, due to its level of acidity.

You can clean the shelves and walls of your refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar. Another use is to remove coffee stains from mugs by scrubbing them gently with equal parts of salt (or baking soda) and white distilled vinegar and then rinsing well.

For the body: If you are finding it hard to sleep, maybe because a pressing deadline is keeping you awake, then get a mug and add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon honey to warm water. Gulp it down and drift off to sleep.

Vinegar has also been linked to weight loss as research has shown that the nutrients, enzymes, and organic acids in vinegar act as an appetite suppressant by increasing your body’s metabolic rate and reducing water retention. So why not try drinking 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey added to a glass of grapefruit juice before each meal to see if you can shift that Freshers weight!

Bicarbonate of soda, also known as baking soda, has numerous uses for the home and body. The versatile and natural substance is made from sodium carbonate, soda ash, or sodium bicarbonate.

For the home: Bicarbonate of soda is fantastic for cleaning fridges whilst removing any nasty smells. Cleanse plug holes when they get smelly by adding 2 parts bicarb to 1 part vinegar. Chemistry lesson: this fizzes!

It can also be used as a fabric softener: Just add 1 part vinegar to 1 part bicarb and 2 parts water to a bottle and add to laundry.

For the body: To get rid of cold sores, make into a paste and then apply. It can also be used to whiten teeth. Make into a paste, slap it on your tooth brush and brush away. It does tend to give the desired results. Most importantly, baking soda is good for spots. Make a little paste with soda and water and apply to pimples, leave over night and in the morning you will find that the spots have been dried, which speeds the healing process up. Perfect if you have a very important party to attend the next day!

Sarah Colah

Having a sparkling room and looking your best does not have to break the bank. Lifestyle have discovered five basic ingredients that act as both cleaning products and beauty products. So arm yourself with lemons, olive oil, salt, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and read on!

Lemons are cheap to buy, high in vitamin C, anti-bacterial and anti-carcinogenic, and are good for just about everything. Here are some suggestions about how to make the most of those yellow gems:

For the home: Lemon juice is a great all purpose cleaner. To remove lime scale, rub half a lemon on your taps or sink and rinse off. You could also get an empty spray bottle, add an equal amount of lemon juice and water, and create the most effective kitchen and bathroom cleaner you could ever want. It will also last you a long time and not hurt the environment, as opposed to the shop-bought chemical concoctions which claim to ‘fight germs’ and ‘keep your house sparkling clean’.

For the body: If you are stressed and noticing that your hair is falling out, or just not as thick as it usually is, simply mix lemon juice with four table-spoons of coconut milk and apply once a week. Your hair should start to look thicker and more luscious.

Salt is not just a delicious addition to chips, it also has many uses for the home and body. Made up of sodium chloride, the white stuff is antibac-terial and antiseptic.

Go Natural! Discover the Power of Five Versatile Household Ingredients.

Recipe of the Month

Soda Bread

250g plain flour250g wholemeal flour2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda1/2 teaspoon salt25g butter cut into pieces450ml milk, with juice of 1 lemon to make it sour

Preheat oven to 220 C (gas mark 7) and dust baking sheet with flour.Add lemon juice to milk and leave to stand for 15 mins.Sift flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl.Rub in butter. Make a well in centre and pour in milk. Mix together with wooden spoon or fingers.Turn on to floured board and shape it into a flat round loaf.Put loaf on baking sheet and score a cross in the top with a knife. Bake 20 to 25 mins and then reduce heat to 190 C (gas mark 5) and cook for further 25 mins. Best eaten fresh while still warm. Serve with butter and fruity jam or crisp bacon.

Lifestyle WessexScene

For the home: If you have run out of washing up liquid and the plates are piling high, just sprinkle salt into the water and wash as usual. Rinse the dishes well. Note that salt makes your skin quite dry so you may want to wear gloves or use a skin cream after using it.

Removing red wine from your carpet: immedi-ately blot up all moisture from the spill, then sprinkle the area with salt. Let the stain sit for 15 minutes. The salt will absorb any remaining wine in the carpet (turning pink as a result). Then clean the entire area with a mixture of 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup water.

For the body: Table salt is a beauty secret kept quiet by supermodels. To get a Hollywood smile, brush your teeth with a mixture of equal parts baking soda and salt. Salt is also very healing for sore gums, a bite on your cheek or tongue, or toothache.

For an invigorating body scrub add ¼ cup of olive oil to two cups of sea salt and rub onto skin in circular motions to remove dead skin. Application can be a bit messy so make sure you clean up after yourself to avoid annoying your housemates!

Olive oil is rich in healthy, monoun-saturated fats, like oleic acid and polyphenols. This is why it is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is, just freshly pressed from the fruit. It is best known for its role in cooking; however not only is it great for health and beauty but for the home as well. You do not have to use expensive extra virgin for the following tips, as the cheapest brand will do.

For the home: To make the most cost effective and natural furniture polish, get another spray bottle and add 1 cup of olive oil and 1/3 cup lemon juice and shake well. Then use as you would a normal polish. Although you might need to use it quite liberally as it is not as strong and foamy as most furniture polishes.

For the body: Olive oil has been used for centuries as a beauty booster. For super shiny hair apply to clean hair and wrap in a towel. Allow to sit for 20 minutes then rinse well. If you suffer from frizzy hair, olive oil may tame your unruly locks. It can also help with split ends and dandruff so it is definitely worth a try. Olive oil is also great for the skin. Now that the summer has deserted us and the autumn winds are approaching, your skin

and lips can get dry and sore. By rubbing a little oil into your lips or hands you can avoid that nasty chapped feeling.

Vinegar is available in lots of different varieties: malt, cider, apple or wine, to name a few. Lifestyle suggest that you get two types that will cover your beauty and cleaning routine: apple cider and white distilled vinegar.

For the home: White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most bacteria and germs, due to its level of acidity.

You can clean the shelves and walls of your refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar. Another use is to remove coffee stains from mugs by scrubbing them gently with equal parts of salt (or baking soda) and white distilled vinegar and then rinsing well.

For the body: If you are finding it hard to sleep, maybe because a pressing deadline is keeping you awake, then get a mug and add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon honey to warm water. Gulp it down and drift off to sleep.

Vinegar has also been linked to weight loss as research has shown that the nutrients, enzymes, and organic acids in vinegar act as an appetite suppressant by increasing your body’s metabolic rate and reducing water retention. So why not try drinking 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey added to a glass of grapefruit juice before each meal to see if you can shift that Freshers weight!

Bicarbonate of soda, also known as baking soda, has numerous uses for the home and body. The versatile and natural substance is made from sodium carbonate, soda ash, or sodium bicarbonate.

For the home: Bicarbonate of soda is fantastic for cleaning fridges whilst removing any nasty smells. Cleanse plug holes when they get smelly by adding 2 parts bicarb to 1 part vinegar. Chemistry lesson: this fizzes!

It can also be used as a fabric softener: Just add 1 part vinegar to 1 part bicarb and 2 parts water to a bottle and add to laundry.

For the body: To get rid of cold sores, make into a paste and then apply. It can also be used to whiten teeth. Make into a paste, slap it on your tooth brush and brush away. It does tend to give the desired results. Most importantly, baking soda is good for spots. Make a little paste with soda and water and apply to pimples, leave over night and in the morning you will find that the spots have been dried, which speeds the healing process up. Perfect if you have a very important party to attend the next day!

Sarah Colah

Having a sparkling room and looking your best does not have to break the bank. Lifestyle have discovered five basic ingredients that act as both cleaning products and beauty products. So arm yourself with lemons, olive oil, salt, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and read on!

Lemons are cheap to buy, high in vitamin C, anti-bacterial and anti-carcinogenic, and are good for just about everything. Here are some suggestions about how to make the most of those yellow gems:

For the home: Lemon juice is a great all purpose cleaner. To remove lime scale, rub half a lemon on your taps or sink and rinse off. You could also get an empty spray bottle, add an equal amount of lemon juice and water, and create the most effective kitchen and bathroom cleaner you could ever want. It will also last you a long time and not hurt the environment, as opposed to the shop-bought chemical concoctions which claim to ‘fight germs’ and ‘keep your house sparkling clean’.

For the body: If you are stressed and noticing that your hair is falling out, or just not as thick as it usually is, simply mix lemon juice with four table-spoons of coconut milk and apply once a week. Your hair should start to look thicker and more luscious.

Salt is not just a delicious addition to chips, it also has many uses for the home and body. Made up of sodium chloride, the white stuff is antibac-terial and antiseptic.

Go Natural! Discover the Power of Five Versatile Household Ingredients.

Recipe of the Month

Soda Bread

250g plain flour250g wholemeal flour2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda1/2 teaspoon salt25g butter cut into pieces450ml milk, with juice of 1 lemon to make it sour

Preheat oven to 220 C (gas mark 7) and dust baking sheet with flour.Add lemon juice to milk and leave to stand for 15 mins.Sift flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl.Rub in butter. Make a well in centre and pour in milk. Mix together with wooden spoon or fingers.Turn on to floured board and shape it into a flat round loaf.Put loaf on baking sheet and score a cross in the top with a knife. Bake 20 to 25 mins and then reduce heat to 190 C (gas mark 5) and cook for further 25 mins. Best eaten fresh while still warm. Serve with butter and fruity jam or crisp bacon.

Page 16 LifestyleWessexScene

Jenni Palmer

It seems a week doesn’t go by without fresh advice from food watch groups or the government about what we should or should not be eating. An easy way to try and stick to all this advice is to buy products from the ever-expanding range of ‘healthy eating’ products in supermarkets, shops and restaurants with attractive claims such as ‘low fat’, ‘only 100 calories’ and ‘counts towards your 5-a-day’. This is all very convenient but slogans like these that make us fill our shopping baskets often mask nutritional elements that concern those in the know but haven’t had as much impact with shoppers, namely salt and sugar.

It is well known that sugar causes tooth decay and now that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a campaign to advise the public about the risks of too much salt, we also know that salt can cause high blood pressure in the future which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Their advice in both cases is to enjoy in moderation, limiting added sugars and eating no more than 6g of salt per day (a teaspoon). The problem is knowing where to spot these elements in food, since 75% of our Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of salt is already in the food we eat.

Checking the nutritional information for some well-known ‘healthy’ brands showed that while they advertise a low-fat or low-calorie option, large amounts of sugar and salt are used in their products, presumably to improve taste. A Go Ahead Caramel Crunch Bar, which highlights its 106kcal and 3.4g fat, contains 11.3g of sugar which equates to 13% of the RDA for sugar, a considerable amount as the bar only weighs 24g. Surprisingly, despite its claims, this apparent ‘healthy alternative’ contains nearly twice as much sugar than Thorntons Mini Caramel Shortcakes which, despite having 5.6g fat per serving, contain 6.6g sugar per serving and only 86kcal.

High levels of salt meanwhile are found in a wide range of products from sandwiches to ready meals, to cooking sauces and condiments. Healthy options do little to improve salt content and often raise it substantially. For example a Birds Eye Chicken Curry with Rice (400g) contains 465kcal, 11g fat and 0.5g salt. WeightWatchers from Heinz alternative Chicken Curry (320g) has 307kcal, 4.7g fat and 1.9g salt. It doesn’t look a vast difference but when you consider that the Birds Eye curry contains just over the amount of salt in a bag of Walkers Ready Salted Crisps while the WeightWatchers curry contains the equivalent salt to 4.75 bags of crisps or 190g of peanuts, the gap widens.

At the risk of sounding like a public service announcement, Lifestyle encourages you to be aware of those foods that masquerade as healthy and nutritious whilst actually being high in salt and sugar which can be detrimental to the health. If possible it is worth buying reduced sugar or salt products or, even better, cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients. Naturally, we suggest trying our recipes of the month!

Family: to Friend or Not To Friend? Jenni Palmer

A few weeks ago, I had my first truly bizarre Facebook experience:

I logged on and received a friend request from my 102-year-old great-grand-mother Dora.

Oddly enough, this was not completely unexpected as she was the latest in a sudden surge of family members who wanted access to my profile; a chain reaction started by an add from my father.

Friend requests like these are not an uncommon occurrence as parents (and great-grandparents, it seems) begin to catch up with teens, but they can have uncomfortable results. Certain friends of mine have added their parents only to endure the embarrassment of their family correcting their grammar on status updates and leaving horrified comments about their suggestive drunken poses on car bonnets. As a consequence I had been slightly dreading the day that my parents, who are not nearly the first to jump on a technological bandwagon, would discover the social networking phenomenon.

So how do you deal with family on Facebook? There is no etiquette to give advice about how to deal with close relations who you may not want to view those embarrassing photos or worse upload baby snaps for the entire world to see. The decision seems to hinge on the ease of the

relationship between you and the family member in question. For example I had no problems adding my sisters whose profiles would give my parents a heart attack, but my dad is part of the more disapproving generation of my family that I would prefer to keep away from my newsfeed. Yet it is still difficult to say no under these circumstances as you risk offending your nearest and dearest, leaving you with an uncomfortable dilemma which cannot be solved by the click of a mouse.

Not helping my decision, my sister accepted his friend request in spite of her profile. Now it was impossible to pretend that I hadn’t seen the request and considering the collective tagging on our profiles, dad could probably see me at my most drunken anyway. So I gave in, adding him so he could only see my limited profile, restricting his access to about fifty percent of my photo albums, and promising myself that I would not let anything that could be considered sordid appear on my profile. A rule promptly broken only days later by a friend from London who shall remain nameless.

Job done, or so I thought. Censoring my online persona did not stop friend requests by my elderly

grandfather, my uncle in Texas, his ex-wife and daughter and, of course, my great-grandmother who surprises me by even having a computer. Luckily for me, the intricacies of Facebook still escape even the more computer- literate members of my family, so I can get away with showing only a very limited version of my profile.

However I still feel guilty about hiding things from them and wish I had more of a backbone and just told them ‘no’ in the first place. At least over the phone you can pick and choose what you share with family rather than allowing them free access to your personal life. We should all be entitled to some privacy, particularly when we are away at University.

Yet on reflection I have two things to be thankful for: I have not yet succumbed to the Twitter craze, so my family can’t stalk me there and, more importantly, my mother remains completely uninterested in Facebook. Hopefully she will stay indifferent because I am certainly not looking forward to the day when her friend request lands on my homepage.

Fat-free Food Unwrapped!

Salt and Sugar Culprits: Research Shows Some Surprising Results...

Mullerice Apple &Blackberry (200g) Ambrosia Creamed Rice (150g)

Calories (kcal) 220 156

Fat (g) 4.4 3.8

Sugar (g) 27.4 13.5

McDonalds Crispy Chicken and Bacon Salad with Low Fat Ceasar

Salad Dressing (per portion)McDonalds Big Mac (per portion)

Calories (kcal) 380 490

Fat (g) 17 24

Salt (g) 2.6 2.1

Ivy Bean, the oldest woman on Facebook! She is 104 years young.

Tips:1. The limited profile is a beautiful

invention. It takes time to craft but it is a great middle ground to keep the family happy without having to censor what your friends see.

2. Learn to laugh about your family’s Facebook faux pas and if they are really terrible there is a website to publish them and to read other users’ tales of humiliation:

http://myparentsjoinedfacebook.com/ 3. If adding your family would mean that

your life is over, then just say ‘no’, preferably over the phone so that you can come up with an excuse to temper the blow. Or alternatively, block them in advance so they can never find you!

Fashion WessexScene

reformation of the classic trench coat and the downplaying of the check that had become their burden. His uncanny ability to blend elements of the classic and the modern has seen a new gener-ation of admirers yearn for a piece of Burberry’s timelessness. Of designing for Burberry, Bailey says that he is ‘not really a themes person’ and this becomes clear if one looks back through the archives of Burberry shows. Whereas fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen have an obvious theme to all of their collections, ‘organic’ seems to be the word du jour, with Bailey using it to describe everything from Burberry’s new HQ to his collaboration with superstar photographer, Mario Testino.

Everything seems to be sliding seamlessly into place for Burberry. This year has seen fashion’s new darling Emma Watson become the face of the brand and Bailey is adamant that he has ‘complete involvement’ in all of the campaigns. In addition, those at Burberry have moved into a new HQ where Bailey can micromanage the goings-on of the international brand. He says that it unites the company- whereas they used to be in fi ve separate buildings scattered around London, they are now in a new, larger building on the banks of the Thames; designed entirely from scratch by Bailey himself. And of course there is the triumphant return to London Fashion Week. In celebration of the 25th Birthday of London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Council, Burberry returned from showing in Milan to universal critical acclaim with Anna Wintour hailing it as ‘a great thing for London.’

Whereas everybody else was clinging on to dear life trying to ride out the recession, Bailey has taken the wheel and steered Burberry to fashion powerhouse status, seeing Burberry’s revenue rise by 21% in the last fi nancial year reaching £1.2 billion and its inclusion in the FTSE 100- not bad for a Yorkshire boy with no career plan.

Lucy Austen

From the Ultralounge in Selfridges, Lucy Austen reports exclusively for the Wessex Scene on Colin McDowell’s interview with Burberry Creative Director Christopher Bailey, as part of The Sunday Times ‘In Conversation’ series.

Walking eagerly into the Ultralounge in Selfridges, notebook in hand and excitement building, I began to refl ect on the history of British fashion house Burberry. Look back seven years at the brand, and a very grim picture is painted

for you. The ‘Burberry Check’ was a status symbol for the council estate chav, with

that photo of sometime soap star Daniella Westbrook and her daughter epitomising its decay as the face of classic British fashion. Of these times, Bailey jokingly declares that he has ‘never heard of chavs’ but shrugs of the criticism by citing that it was purely a ‘UK-centric

thing’ and did not refl ect Burberry’s perfor-

mance world wide.Bailey seems

an honest and engaging

interviewee, confi dently and frankly discussing everything

from his roots in Yorkshire to his present

life in London via both New York and Milan. Yet before the heady heights of international globe-trotting, Bailey worked at a market selling fruit and vegetables. He says that he ‘never really had a career plan’ and it was by chance that he ended up studying at the University of Westminster which in turn lead to an MA from the Royal College of Art after a teacher encouraged him to send some

of his work to art schools. Whist never underes-timating just how relentlessly Bailey works, he does seem to be one of those few people who has lady luck on their side.

After winning the student of the year award at graduate fashion week, he was approached by Donna Karan and asked in person if he would go to New York to work with her. He became her right hand man for special events which he describes as ‘a huge compliment’ especially considering he was only 24 at the time and these privileges are usually reserved for those who have worked with the brand for years. Of his time in New York, Bailey says that it was ‘magical’ and describes the fashion industry as being ‘very fast and dynamic.’ Yet just two years after he started at Donna Karan, he caught the eye of another fashion heavyweight in the shape of Tom Ford, so in 1996 he made his way to Milan where he became the Senior Designer of Womenswear at Gucci. Whilst he describes Donna Karan as a ‘most passionate, eccentric and inspiring lady,’ he admits that he was seduced by Tom Ford; ‘his vision and dream and the journey he wanted to go on was so exciting I just wanted to hop on board.’

But in 2001, subsequent to being approached by several major fashion houses he says he saw the massive potential Burberry had and so became their creative director. When he joined Bailey described Burberry as being ‘a diamond trodden into the ground, needing to be cleaned’ and it is as a result of this that Burberry is what it is today. Yet after being ‘number two’ for so long, it took time for Bailey to adapt to being number one at Burberry. He insists that he had ‘never craved that’ and one cannot help but believe that it is Bailey who encompasses the reason that it is those who do not covet power that suit it the most.

Since Bailey became Burberry’s creative director in 2001, the brand has seen the

Bailey Brings Burberry BackCreative Director in conversation about his life and climb to fame

High fashion glossies are turning to the highstreet this month. November is Vogue’s highstreet issue and is well worth buying as it’s not often the best stylists in the business pick the most luxurious and edgy buys available to us mere mortals AND style them up all at the same time. Grazia have high-lighted a select 11 pieces and earmarked them with Grazia plastered tags; meaning no-one need miss out on good taste this season.

Briefl y mentioned in the

last issue for its new auction-cum-concept store,

SHOWstudio is an online broad-casting space which brings fashion

to life via fi lm, live performances and interactive projects. SHOWstudio inves-tigates the potential of motion imagery, interactivity and live image-making in order to inject fashion with new ideas. It has worked on over 300 projects in partnership with members of the

industry, from John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen,

Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.

www.showstudio

.com

FASHION MEMO

Want itNeed it NOW!Autumn’s Must Have’s

life in London via both New York and Milan. Yet

partnership with members of the industry, from John Galliano,

and Alexander McQueen, Naomi Campbell and

Kate Moss. showstudio.comChanel Le vernis in Jade has

fi nally hit stores, no doubt delighting everyone who’s been on the waiting list at Selfridges for months now...it’s been a quiet summer for some it seems. If you can’t get your perfectly man i cu red talons on a bottle, fake it with a Barry M Nail Polish in Spring or Minty Green. Even Lagerfeld himself could be fooled.

Purple and green should never be seen?! Not this season. Set off ethereal nail colours with a glam-goth lippie. Having tested most of Superdrug, I can confi rm Va Va Violet by Revlon, an off- black shiny purple; to be the best bet. Make the moset of your money by painting it all over your face this Halloween.

Fashion WessexScenePage 18

reformation of the classic trench coat and the downplaying of the check that had become their burden. His uncanny ability to blend elements of the classic and the modern has seen a new gener-ation of admirers yearn for a piece of Burberry’s timelessness. Of designing for Burberry, Bailey says that he is ‘not really a themes person’ and this becomes clear if one looks back through the archives of Burberry shows. Whereas fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen have an obvious theme to all of their collections, ‘organic’ seems to be the word du jour, with Bailey using it to describe everything from Burberry’s new HQ to his collaboration with superstar photographer, Mario Testino.

Everything seems to be sliding seamlessly into place for Burberry. This year has seen fashion’s new darling Emma Watson become the face of the brand and Bailey is adamant that he has ‘complete involvement’ in all of the campaigns. In addition, those at Burberry have moved into a new HQ where Bailey can micromanage the goings-on of the international brand. He says that it unites the company- whereas they used to be in fi ve separate buildings scattered around London, they are now in a new, larger building on the banks of the Thames; designed entirely from scratch by Bailey himself. And of course there is the triumphant return to London Fashion Week. In celebration of the 25th Birthday of London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Council, Burberry returned from showing in Milan to universal critical acclaim with Anna Wintour hailing it as ‘a great thing for London.’

Whereas everybody else was clinging on to dear life trying to ride out the recession, Bailey has taken the wheel and steered Burberry to fashion powerhouse status, seeing Burberry’s revenue rise by 21% in the last fi nancial year reaching £1.2 billion and its inclusion in the FTSE 100- not bad for a Yorkshire boy with no career plan.

Lucy Austen

From the Ultralounge in Selfridges, Lucy Austen reports exclusively for the Wessex Scene on Colin McDowell’s interview with Burberry Creative Director Christopher Bailey, as part of The Sunday Times ‘In Conversation’ series.

Walking eagerly into the Ultralounge in Selfridges, notebook in hand and excitement building, I began to refl ect on the history of British fashion house Burberry. Look back seven years at the brand, and a very grim picture is painted

for you. The ‘Burberry Check’ was a status symbol for the council estate chav, with

that photo of sometime soap star Daniella Westbrook and her daughter epitomising its decay as the face of classic British fashion. Of these times, Bailey jokingly declares that he has ‘never heard of chavs’ but shrugs of the criticism by citing that it was purely a ‘UK-centric

thing’ and did not refl ect Burberry’s perfor-

mance world wide.Bailey seems

an honest and engaging

interviewee, confi dently and frankly discussing everything

from his roots in Yorkshire to his present

life in London via both New York and Milan. Yet before the heady heights of international globe-trotting, Bailey worked at a market selling fruit and vegetables. He says that he ‘never really had a career plan’ and it was by chance that he ended up studying at the University of Westminster which in turn lead to an MA from the Royal College of Art after a teacher encouraged him to send some

of his work to art schools. Whist never underes-timating just how relentlessly Bailey works, he does seem to be one of those few people who has lady luck on their side.

After winning the student of the year award at graduate fashion week, he was approached by Donna Karan and asked in person if he would go to New York to work with her. He became her right hand man for special events which he describes as ‘a huge compliment’ especially considering he was only 24 at the time and these privileges are usually reserved for those who have worked with the brand for years. Of his time in New York, Bailey says that it was ‘magical’ and describes the fashion industry as being ‘very fast and dynamic.’ Yet just two years after he started at Donna Karan, he caught the eye of another fashion heavyweight in the shape of Tom Ford, so in 1996 he made his way to Milan where he became the Senior Designer of Womenswear at Gucci. Whilst he describes Donna Karan as a ‘most passionate, eccentric and inspiring lady,’ he admits that he was seduced by Tom Ford; ‘his vision and dream and the journey he wanted to go on was so exciting I just wanted to hop on board.’

But in 2001, subsequent to being approached by several major fashion houses he says he saw the massive potential Burberry had and so became their creative director. When he joined Bailey described Burberry as being ‘a diamond trodden into the ground, needing to be cleaned’ and it is as a result of this that Burberry is what it is today. Yet after being ‘number two’ for so long, it took time for Bailey to adapt to being number one at Burberry. He insists that he had ‘never craved that’ and one cannot help but believe that it is Bailey who encompasses the reason that it is those who do not covet power that suit it the most.

Since Bailey became Burberry’s creative director in 2001, the brand has seen the

Bailey Brings Burberry BackCreative Director in conversation about his life and climb to fame

High fashion glossies are turning to the highstreet this month. November is Vogue’s highstreet issue and is well worth buying as it’s not often the best stylists in the business pick the most luxurious and edgy buys available to us mere mortals AND style them up all at the same time. Grazia have high-lighted a select 11 pieces and earmarked them with Grazia plastered tags; meaning no-one need miss out on good taste this season.

Briefl y mentioned in the

last issue for its new auction-cum-concept store,

SHOWstudio is an online broad-casting space which brings fashion

to life via fi lm, live performances and interactive projects. SHOWstudio inves-tigates the potential of motion imagery, interactivity and live image-making in order to inject fashion with new ideas. It has worked on over 300 projects in partnership with members of the

industry, from John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen,

Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.

www.showstudio

.com

FASHION MEMO

Want itNeed it NOW!Autumn’s Must Have’s

life in London via both New York and Milan. Yet

partnership with members of the industry, from John Galliano,

and Alexander McQueen, Naomi Campbell and

Kate Moss. showstudio.comChanel Le vernis in Jade has

fi nally hit stores, no doubt delighting everyone who’s been on the waiting list at Selfridges for months now...it’s been a quiet summer for some it seems. If you can’t get your perfectly man i cu red talons on a bottle, fake it with a Barry M Nail Polish in Spring or Minty Green. Even Lagerfeld himself could be fooled.

Purple and green should never be seen?! Not this season. Set off ethereal nail colours with a glam-goth lippie. Having tested most of Superdrug, I can confi rm Va Va Violet by Revlon, an off- black shiny purple; to be the best bet. Make the moset of your money by painting it all over your face this Halloween.

ArtsWessexScene

The Pitmen Painters

Lee Hall’s reputation precedes him. He has enchanted the nation with his touching tale of Billy Elliot, and it was with high hopes that I sat down to his adaptation of William Feaver’s book Pitmen Painters: Ashington Group 1934-84. Knowing Halls style, I was expecting socio-economic problems tied in with comedy; I was certainly not disappointed. The premise is a simple one, the story of a group of pit mining men from Newcastle in the 1930s, the Ashington group, who formed an Art Appreciation class, and astonished the country, and later the world with their ‘untrained’ art work.

Currently touring around the country, and in London from December 2nd 2009.

These rough, ready miners actually hoped for an economics class. Unable to fi nd a tutor, they invite Robert Lyon (played by Ian Kelly) to give an Art Appreciation class instead. Lyon starts off the class with slides of the classics, Titian, Michelangelo, yet quickly realises this is futile, for the miners have never been inside a gallery. He instead asks them to produce their own art, starting with a linocut. The audience have as low an expectation for the art as the miners themselves, and are thus truly blown away by the quality of it. Their art is raw, untrained and emotional. It portrays the grinding, frightening, physicality of work in the mines, coupled with the

more mundane scenes of their community, and even the frivolity of the dog races. It gives a real, unaffected glimpse of working class Newcastle life in the early 20th century.

It is not only their artistic talent, but their natural intellect that shocks and excites the audience. Their art causes fi erce debates within the group, none of whom are more vocal than an enthu-siastic Marxist played by Michael Hodgson, whose knowledge of his doctrine is both comic and genuinely impressive. Sadly his delivery in booming Geordie tones cannot be said to be equally impressive, rapidly losing its charm and becoming simply jarring. Christopher Connel plays the real talent of the group, Oliver; a quiet, unassuming, self aware man, who would have liked to become a professional painter, who ultimately can’t leave behind his community. Hall poignantly represents the stubborn, sequestered nature of the working class mining community, whose workers only pure outlet was imagination.

Max Robert’s production and prop use is intel-ligent and imaginative, but ultimately takes second place to Halls achievement. The play is touching and deals with art in a refreshingly honest and comic way. Its lack of pretention saves it from being a moralising play, rather it is one that celebrates art for art’s sake, something that is accessible to, and brings together all social classes. One must remember this play spans WWII, where many men, rich, poor, educated or otherwise, died together. This play leaves you feeling upbeat, yet challenged, refreshed and amused.

The Plays the ThingCaroline Evans

Whilst gathering ideas for this issues column I came across an interesting blog on Guardian.co.uk; How do you describe great acting? Andrew Hayden states that “it’s the action not the acting that really gets reviewed.” I immediately wanted to disagree with him; how can a review truly comment on a play without digging its teeth in to the acting itself? After all the acting surely dictates the success of the play.

I was devastated when my favourite theatre critic let me down. I was convinced that Lyn Gardner of the Guardian would prove Hayden wrong. I rarely see a play without checking out her review fi rst. If she says its rubbish it invariably is. And as I went through her past articles available online I saw plot summary after plot summary. There was the occasional comment on the strength of one of the actors, but the main focus of the article was what actually happened during the course of the play.

A lot of theatre reviews of the moment could be written from a read of the script. Obviously the story of a play is crucial to the success of it; if the script is pants even the most brilliant of actors will fail to make it good. But when you’re reviewing

a play it is surely the performance that is being reviewed, which is neither solely the story or the acting but a combination of everything on stage.

But then as a journalist, no matter what your fi eld, your job is to write what you think people would want to read (at this point I should probably press the delete button). So when reading a review of something, what do you want to get out of it? I want to know what the play is about and if it’s any good, so I want a plot summary with stars at the bottom. Assessing the acting is something that we all do, it’s quite fun to do yourself, something to discuss with friends. People form an opinion on what good acting is, they don’t necessarily want to be told that that actor was the best in the show. The whole aim of a review is to give someone an idea of what the play is about. The only way to tell them about the acting without being hugely subjective, is to give them a blow by blow account of what happens on stage which will take so long to read and write that you might as well go see the play and form your own opinion.

So what have I concluded from my little argument with myself? That reviews surpris-ingly don’t comment on the acting but that it isn’t necessary that they do.

James Stenhouse

This Year the BP Portrait Award was won by 44-year-old Surrey artist Peter Monkman. His winning portrait, Changeling 2, is part of a series of portraits of his daughter, Anna, at different stages of her life.

This Painting along with other entries can be seen at the Southampton City Art Gallery at the Civic Centre between now and the 22nd November.

Arts in the City Every Friday and Saturday Night: Comedy & Club night at Jongleurs

13th-17th October: Mixed up North, The Nuffi eld Theatre

20th-22nd October: We Can Be Heroes, The Nuffi eld Theatre

22nd October: The Brodsky Quartet, Turner Sims Concert Hall

26th-28th October: Whitechapel, The Annex by the Nuffi eld (Act 1), The Cube (Act 2)

Put on by the Student Union’s Theatre Group.

27th October: Audition Technique Masterclass with Caroline Sheen, The Mayfl ower Theatre

30th October: Ready for this? Tim Minchin, Southampton Guild Hall

ArtsA Night Less Ordinary was launched in February 2009, the scheme offers thousands of free theatre tickets to anyone Under 26 for all sorts of events; including comedies, tragedies, dnace, mime and many more.

There are more than 200 venues partici-pating throughout England, including our very own on campus theatre, The Nuffi eld. A set number of tickets are provided per run, rather than night. So Get in early for a free night out. www.anightlessordinary.org.uk

Science WessexScene

Polly Bennett

Twelve years ago a British team of engineers successfully set the fi rst Supersonic World Land Speed Record with the jet-powered car Thrust SSC. 200 miles north of Reno, Nevada on a 13 mile stretch of the Black Rock Desert, Richard Noble and team witnessed driver Andy Green blast his way faster than the speed of sound reaching an average speed of 763.035mph, or Mach 1.02. This year sees the return of the team with the BLOODHOUND SSC project, the target of which is to exceed 1000mph in a new design using the power of a turbojet and hybrid rocket.

The $15 million vehicle is being chiefl y designed by the duo Richard Noble and Ron Ayers, the latter of whom was the Chief Aerodynamicist on the project that developed the Bloodhound missile. The BLOODHOUND SSC vehicle is currently 13m long and weighs 7 tonnes. It will carry an EJ-200 jet engine, used in the Eurofi ghter Typhoon, and the Falcon hybrid rocket, which uses both a solid propellant and a liquid oxidant, High Test Peroxide (HTP). The car will also carry an MCT V12 800 bhp race engine, similar to those used in Formula 1 cars, to act as the APU, or auxiliary power unit, powering the hydraulic mechanics of the car such as steering and brakes. It will also be used to start the EJ200 turbojet engine and to pump the rocket fuel HTP to the Falcon.

Past supersonic car design concepts have shown that rockets are too unstable at high speeds to risk their use despite the enormous thrust they would provide. They also require huge amounts of fuel, which adds unwanted weight and space for fuel storage to the design of the car. This was the reasoning for using the Rolls-Royce Spey turbojet engine, commonly used in Phantom jet fi ghters, to power the original Thrust SSC. In BLOODHOUND SSC however, a rocket

is necessary for its absolute raw power. Unlike turbojet engines, which require air to drive their aerodynamic blades, one of the benefi ts of rocket power is that they carry their own fuel supply. This reduces drag considerably, thus improving the effi ciency of the car. The instability of the Falcon rocket will be controlled by throttling the fl ow of HTP, as the solid fuel of the rocket will only burn in the presence of oxidising HTP.

World Land Speed records are set by taking the average speed of two runs in opposite directions. Ayers predicts that in at least one run, BLOOD-HOUND SSC will need to peak at 1050mph in order to ensure reaching the 1000mph desired average. At 15°C the speed of sound, or sonic velocity, is 761.2mph. This changes with temper-ature however, and at 7°C the sonic velocity will be lower. Taking into account the maximum speed of the car, 1050mph, and the sonic velocity at 15°C in the desert, 761.2mph, BLOODHOUND

Emma Stuart

The 19th annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony was held on 1st October. The awards were held by an organization named ‘Improbable Research’. Improbable research pursues scientifi c investi-gation that makes people laugh; then makes them think about the science behind these wacky inven-tions. The company not only collects improbable research but also conducts it, and their aim is to encourage curiosity when it comes to the physical world.

The purpose of the Ig Nobel Prizes is to recognise the more peculiar scientifi c inventions that have been developed throughout the year and to honour the achievements of those in the science industry that have dabbled in a bit of improbable research. There are ten winners each year who attend a ceremony held at Harvard University and are then invited to give a public lecture on their invention at MIT. This year’s Ig Nobel Prize winners heralded from several different continents and were awarded their respective prizes by a group of bemused genuine Nobel Laureates.

The ceremony proved to be just as wacky as the inventions it praised; with a variety of momen-tously inconsequential events being incorporated. Examples of such events include ‘Win a date with a Nobel Laureate’, a talk by the creator of the ‘Studmuffi ns of Science Calendar’ and 24/7

Supersonic Record Attempt

SSC will need to travel at 1.379 times the speed of sound to reach 1000mph.

BLOODHOUND SSC will use the MCT V12 800 engine to power the EJ-200 jet engine fi rst to propel itself from rest to 350mph in 25 seconds. At this point the rocket will be ignited to add thrust and push the car towards its peak speed. The turbojet and rocket will work together to increase accel-eration to over 2g. After reaching the maximum speed of 1050mph the rocket thrust will stop, by cutting the fl ow of HTP. The jet engine will stop and the air brakes, and possibly parachute, will be deployed by the driver. Hydraulic brakes can only aid deceleration below 200mph.

The team hope the project will inspire and encourage students, and as THRUST SSC and BLOODHOUND SSC driver Andy Green says “if we want a low-carbon world we need to grow more engineers.”

Visit www.bloodhoundssc.com for details.

Weird and Wacky Science HonouredLectures: where a number of the world’s top thinkers had to complete a technical description of one of their research topics within a time period of 24 seconds and then summarise their subject in a way that anyone would be able to understand in just seven words.

Previous years’ winning research topics include the effectiveness of Coca-Cola as a spermicide, sword swallowing and its side effects and digital rectal message as a cure for intractable hiccups. These hopefully give you an idea of just how bizarre the research that is recognised by these awards is. The research topics are sorted into ten categories and an Ig Nobel Prize is given to the winner of each category, below are some of the 2009 winners:

PUBLIC HEALTH PRIZE: Elena N. Bodnar, Raphael C. Lee, and Sandra Marijan of Chicago, Illinois, USA, for inventing a brassiere that, in an emergency, can be quickly converted into a pair of protective face masks, one for the brassiere wearer and one to be given to some needy bystander

PHYSICS PRIZE: Harvard University, USA, and University of Texas, USA, for analytically deter-mining why pregnant women don’t tip over.

BIOLOGY PRIZE: Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Sagamihara, Japan, for demonstrating that kitchen refuse can

be reduced more than 90% in mass by using bacteria extracted from the faeces of giant pandas.

VETERINARY MEDICINE PRIZE: Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK, for showing that cows who have names give more milk than cows that are nameless

PEACE PRIZE: University of Bern, Switzerland, for determining — by experiment — whether it is better to be smashed over the head with a full bottle of beer or with an empty bottle

CHEMISTRY PRIZE: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, for creating diamonds from liquid — namely tequila

MEDICINE PRIZE: Donald L. Unger, of Thousand Oaks, California, USA, for investi-gating a possible cause of arthritis of the fi ngers, by diligently cracking the knuckles of his left hand — but never cracking the knuckles of his right hand — every day for over sixty years.

knuckles of his right hand — every day for over sixty years.

Local LecturesThe INTECH Science Centre and Planetarium in Winchester holds lectures and science shows on the fourth Wednesday of every month with tickets at just £5 for students, including free entry to the exhibition.

The next event at INTECH is being held on the 28th October at 6:30pm by Professor Mike Lockwood, who is giving a lecture on Solar Radiation and Climate Change. Professor Lockwood will be discussing just how severe the climate change situation is and how he has determined, through the use of satellite imagery and ice cores, the major changes in our climate over the past 30 years have resulted from human activity.

If you can’t make October’s lecture, Dr Jonathan Hare will be giving an account of some of the interesting work he has had the opportunity to be involved in on the 25th November at 6:30pm. This includes the discovery of C60 Buckmin-sterfullerene, which led to a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and fi lming the Rough Science and Coast TV series.

More details can be found on The INTECH Science Centre’s website (www.intech-uk.com), along with a full listing of the lectures planned for the coming year.

Fact or Fiction?

Each issue, this feature will focus on a contro-versial topic in the world of science. To get the ball rolling, our fi rst topic will be centred on a public health issue that has caused one of the most heated debates in recent years: the MMR vaccine and its link to autism. In certain areas of the UK, up to a staggering 40% of children are going without the vaccine; causing fears of an epidemic outbreak

Scientists initially used epidemiological techniques to determine whether there was, in fact, a correlation between the two, however research studies gave no indication that such a link existed. Despite this, after opponents argued that such studies could not prove if there is an increased risk to young children, scientists have had to approach their research using alternative techniques.

Recent research has looked at the question of whether the measles virus is persisting into the bodies of autistic children. One group of scientists has examined blood samples from a group of 100 autistic children and 200 children without autism. They found that for 99% of the samples there was no trace of the virus, and those that did contain the virus were from the both children with and without autism. Therefore, allowing the group to conclude that in this specifi c experiment there is no scientifi c evidence of any link.

Science WessexScene

Polly Bennett

Twelve years ago a British team of engineers successfully set the fi rst Supersonic World Land Speed Record with the jet-powered car Thrust SSC. 200 miles north of Reno, Nevada on a 13 mile stretch of the Black Rock Desert, Richard Noble and team witnessed driver Andy Green blast his way faster than the speed of sound reaching an average speed of 763.035mph, or Mach 1.02. This year sees the return of the team with the BLOODHOUND SSC project, the target of which is to exceed 1000mph in a new design using the power of a turbojet and hybrid rocket.

The $15 million vehicle is being chiefl y designed by the duo Richard Noble and Ron Ayers, the latter of whom was the Chief Aerodynamicist on the project that developed the Bloodhound missile. The BLOODHOUND SSC vehicle is currently 13m long and weighs 7 tonnes. It will carry an EJ-200 jet engine, used in the Eurofi ghter Typhoon, and the Falcon hybrid rocket, which uses both a solid propellant and a liquid oxidant, High Test Peroxide (HTP). The car will also carry an MCT V12 800 bhp race engine, similar to those used in Formula 1 cars, to act as the APU, or auxiliary power unit, powering the hydraulic mechanics of the car such as steering and brakes. It will also be used to start the EJ200 turbojet engine and to pump the rocket fuel HTP to the Falcon.

Past supersonic car design concepts have shown that rockets are too unstable at high speeds to risk their use despite the enormous thrust they would provide. They also require huge amounts of fuel, which adds unwanted weight and space for fuel storage to the design of the car. This was the reasoning for using the Rolls-Royce Spey turbojet engine, commonly used in Phantom jet fi ghters, to power the original Thrust SSC. In BLOODHOUND SSC however, a rocket

is necessary for its absolute raw power. Unlike turbojet engines, which require air to drive their aerodynamic blades, one of the benefi ts of rocket power is that they carry their own fuel supply. This reduces drag considerably, thus improving the effi ciency of the car. The instability of the Falcon rocket will be controlled by throttling the fl ow of HTP, as the solid fuel of the rocket will only burn in the presence of oxidising HTP.

World Land Speed records are set by taking the average speed of two runs in opposite directions. Ayers predicts that in at least one run, BLOOD-HOUND SSC will need to peak at 1050mph in order to ensure reaching the 1000mph desired average. At 15°C the speed of sound, or sonic velocity, is 761.2mph. This changes with temper-ature however, and at 7°C the sonic velocity will be lower. Taking into account the maximum speed of the car, 1050mph, and the sonic velocity at 15°C in the desert, 761.2mph, BLOODHOUND

Emma Stuart

The 19th annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony was held on 1st October. The awards were held by an organization named ‘Improbable Research’. Improbable research pursues scientifi c investi-gation that makes people laugh; then makes them think about the science behind these wacky inven-tions. The company not only collects improbable research but also conducts it, and their aim is to encourage curiosity when it comes to the physical world.

The purpose of the Ig Nobel Prizes is to recognise the more peculiar scientifi c inventions that have been developed throughout the year and to honour the achievements of those in the science industry that have dabbled in a bit of improbable research. There are ten winners each year who attend a ceremony held at Harvard University and are then invited to give a public lecture on their invention at MIT. This year’s Ig Nobel Prize winners heralded from several different continents and were awarded their respective prizes by a group of bemused genuine Nobel Laureates.

The ceremony proved to be just as wacky as the inventions it praised; with a variety of momen-tously inconsequential events being incorporated. Examples of such events include ‘Win a date with a Nobel Laureate’, a talk by the creator of the ‘Studmuffi ns of Science Calendar’ and 24/7

Supersonic Record Attempt

SSC will need to travel at 1.379 times the speed of sound to reach 1000mph.

BLOODHOUND SSC will use the MCT V12 800 engine to power the EJ-200 jet engine fi rst to propel itself from rest to 350mph in 25 seconds. At this point the rocket will be ignited to add thrust and push the car towards its peak speed. The turbojet and rocket will work together to increase accel-eration to over 2g. After reaching the maximum speed of 1050mph the rocket thrust will stop, by cutting the fl ow of HTP. The jet engine will stop and the air brakes, and possibly parachute, will be deployed by the driver. Hydraulic brakes can only aid deceleration below 200mph.

The team hope the project will inspire and encourage students, and as THRUST SSC and BLOODHOUND SSC driver Andy Green says “if we want a low-carbon world we need to grow more engineers.”

Visit www.bloodhoundssc.com for details.

Weird and Wacky Science HonouredLectures: where a number of the world’s top thinkers had to complete a technical description of one of their research topics within a time period of 24 seconds and then summarise their subject in a way that anyone would be able to understand in just seven words.

Previous years’ winning research topics include the effectiveness of Coca-Cola as a spermicide, sword swallowing and its side effects and digital rectal message as a cure for intractable hiccups. These hopefully give you an idea of just how bizarre the research that is recognised by these awards is. The research topics are sorted into ten categories and an Ig Nobel Prize is given to the winner of each category, below are some of the 2009 winners:

PUBLIC HEALTH PRIZE: Elena N. Bodnar, Raphael C. Lee, and Sandra Marijan of Chicago, Illinois, USA, for inventing a brassiere that, in an emergency, can be quickly converted into a pair of protective face masks, one for the brassiere wearer and one to be given to some needy bystander

PHYSICS PRIZE: Harvard University, USA, and University of Texas, USA, for analytically deter-mining why pregnant women don’t tip over.

BIOLOGY PRIZE: Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Sagamihara, Japan, for demonstrating that kitchen refuse can

be reduced more than 90% in mass by using bacteria extracted from the faeces of giant pandas.

VETERINARY MEDICINE PRIZE: Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK, for showing that cows who have names give more milk than cows that are nameless

PEACE PRIZE: University of Bern, Switzerland, for determining — by experiment — whether it is better to be smashed over the head with a full bottle of beer or with an empty bottle

CHEMISTRY PRIZE: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, for creating diamonds from liquid — namely tequila

MEDICINE PRIZE: Donald L. Unger, of Thousand Oaks, California, USA, for investi-gating a possible cause of arthritis of the fi ngers, by diligently cracking the knuckles of his left hand — but never cracking the knuckles of his right hand — every day for over sixty years.

knuckles of his right hand — every day for over sixty years.

Local LecturesThe INTECH Science Centre and Planetarium in Winchester holds lectures and science shows on the fourth Wednesday of every month with tickets at just £5 for students, including free entry to the exhibition.

The next event at INTECH is being held on the 28th October at 6:30pm by Professor Mike Lockwood, who is giving a lecture on Solar Radiation and Climate Change. Professor Lockwood will be discussing just how severe the climate change situation is and how he has determined, through the use of satellite imagery and ice cores, the major changes in our climate over the past 30 years have resulted from human activity.

If you can’t make October’s lecture, Dr Jonathan Hare will be giving an account of some of the interesting work he has had the opportunity to be involved in on the 25th November at 6:30pm. This includes the discovery of C60 Buckmin-sterfullerene, which led to a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and fi lming the Rough Science and Coast TV series.

More details can be found on The INTECH Science Centre’s website (www.intech-uk.com), along with a full listing of the lectures planned for the coming year.

Fact or Fiction?

Each issue, this feature will focus on a contro-versial topic in the world of science. To get the ball rolling, our fi rst topic will be centred on a public health issue that has caused one of the most heated debates in recent years: the MMR vaccine and its link to autism. In certain areas of the UK, up to a staggering 40% of children are going without the vaccine; causing fears of an epidemic outbreak

Scientists initially used epidemiological techniques to determine whether there was, in fact, a correlation between the two, however research studies gave no indication that such a link existed. Despite this, after opponents argued that such studies could not prove if there is an increased risk to young children, scientists have had to approach their research using alternative techniques.

Recent research has looked at the question of whether the measles virus is persisting into the bodies of autistic children. One group of scientists has examined blood samples from a group of 100 autistic children and 200 children without autism. They found that for 99% of the samples there was no trace of the virus, and those that did contain the virus were from the both children with and without autism. Therefore, allowing the group to conclude that in this specifi c experiment there is no scientifi c evidence of any link.

Page 20 SportWessexScene

Stags Split: Are They Better Off Alone?Following their split from Southampton Solent, Southampton Stags’ Defence Captain speaks to Wessex Sport about the future of the team as they make their debut solo effort

Laura Ginsberg

This season marks the beginning of a new era for the Stags, Southampton’s American Football Team. In recent times the Stags have been viewed as one of the most successful teams in the country but recent development has seen the Stags (who were previously comprised of players from both the University of Southampton and Southampton Solent) divided into separate teams. Wessex Sport caught up with Defence Captain, Ed Wilkes, an inside line backer for the Stags to find out what’s in store for our former Champions.

So what has happened to the club exactly?A team split has occurred between Southampton Solent University and The University of South-ampton. The decision was made because no two institutions can be joined, if they wish to be affiliated with BUCCS University College Sports, which is the most prominent national league. For this reason, many teams have decided to separate.

In the past you were National Champions; will you be able to reach past standards in the future and how will the split affect the team?I think the biggest consequence will be structural change – coaching, players, funding and kit will be split in half. I believe it’s a backwards step for

American Football in the UK, as the split fails to promote the league. The most disappointing thing for me is that we were unofficially ranked 2nd in Britain going into the new season but after this split, Solent are ranked 4th and we are ranked 14th.

Will it be strange to play Solent if they’re in the same league?They are in the same league and we play them in week 3. Yes, it will be strange to play the guys that we know very well – I’m looking forward to it. It will be an interesting game.

When was the decision to split taken?It’s been looming for years but we never thought it would be a reality. There was a period when people were given the opportunity to complain about the situation to the British American Football Association Director but our pleas fell on deaf ears. Even a petition was organised but that didn’t get a response either.

Is there animosity between our new team and the team from Southampton Solent?I think everyone in the Stags wants Solent to do well, even though we are now rivals and we’ve always been a competitive team. At the end of the day, we’re all mates.

Good luck to both teams this season!

Dodgeball League Gathers Pace in SouthamptonLee Tbaily

Before 2004, Dodgeball will (for most) have been little more than legalised bullying in primary school. When ‘Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story’ hit the big screen, the sport was brought into the public eye again, and very shortly after, people all over the UK started to take what they had learned from the silver screen onto the court.

Overseen by the UKDBA (United Kingdom Dodgeball Association), there are currently 128 ranked UK Dodgeball teams, as well as an 11-team women only league. There are also a number of local leagues running, the closest of which being the ‘New City Dodgeball League’ in Milton Keynes. On October 18th, a new league started in the South; The South of England Dodgeball League (SEDL). Recently, Dodgeball has enjoyed an increasing level of popularity in universities across the country, and local universities such as South-ampton, Solent and Winchester are no exception. As the New City Dodgeball League has shown, it’s not just the students that want in. Founded by two members of Southampton University’s Dodgeball club (Nick Alderman and Lee Tbaily), The SEDL is the only independently run Dodgeball league in the South, which is aiming to bring the sport from the university into the local community.

How can I get involved?

While the 8-week Winter ’09 League is already underway, the SEDL plans to continue holding regular leagues throughout the year, as well as one-day tournament style events. Details of these, and how to register will be available on the SEDL website – www.sedl.co.uk, as well as on the SEDL Facebook group.

The SEDL is also interested in corporate sponsorship – if you are interested in sponsoring the SEDL, the organisers can be contacted by email – [email protected].

How to play• Games are played by two teams, each with

six players• There are 3 balls on the court, which start in a

dead zone – stepping over this line means you’re out!

• When the game starts, players have to run against the other team to get a ball from the dead zone – collected balls must go to the back of the court before they are in play

• The aim of the game is to get the other players out – either by hitting them with a ball or by catching a ball they’ve thrown

• Catching a ball brings one of your team-mates back into the game, as well as outing the person who threw it. The winning team is the one with the most players on the court at the end of the 2-minute game. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story - Courtesy Twentieth Century-Fox

Sport WessexScene

An Interview with Iain Percy

Percy’s key advice is to sail in small groups of people of a similar age and to get onto the water on a regular basis. It seems that top of Percy’s tip list for young sailors is learning to sail at speed; “at the end of the day, going fast is what wins the race, so that’s something that needs to be focussed on”. Percy can certainly empathise with the need to learn to work effectively in a team. For the 2008 Olympics, Percy was joined by lifelong friend Andrew Simpson and the duo went on to win the Gold in the Star Class. The comparisons between Percy’s win in 2000 and his second gold medal win in 2008 are obvious, but for him, it was the differences between the two that made 2008 so special; “2008 was much more fun for me. I was sailing with an old friend, whereas I was alone in 2000. At Sydney, everything was new and exciting and it was a much easier class. In 2008 it meant much more to me, we had worked so hard together and the competition was much tougher to beat this time around”.

So what of 2012? One would assume that a little bit of complacency would be allowed from a double gold medallist, but not so of Iain Percy. Even as we speak, Iain is calling us in a break from his racing schedule. But that’s not all. As part of his all important fitness regime, he comments that he needs to head straight off for a 2-hour session on the rowing machine after this interview. Combine this with a gruelling schedule of racing, 8 hours of aerobics per week and numerous weight exercises, it’s clear that Percy is in no danger of slowing down. As he looks ahead to 2012, he acknowledges technical mistakes made in 2008 and although he can’t tell us much, it’s clear that he and Simpson are working hard to correct said mistakes, to make their bid for victory a done deal.

With two gold medals to your name, a fair deal

Daniel Webb

Inspired by our conversation with Iain Percy this week, Wessex Sport looks at sailing opportunities within the University. What we have found is that the University offers not only a cheap and easy way to get into sailing, but also the chance to be part of the best University sailing team in Britain and arguably the whole of Europe.

“Wessex Sailing Club offers a wide variety of opportunity; whether you are a complete novice or have been sailing since you could walk, South-ampton has something for everyone.”

Wessex Sailing Club holds an unparalleled history. The match racing team won gold at this year’s BUSA (British University Sailing Associ-ation), silver in the Team Racing Finals in 2007, a gold and bronze in 2008, followed by silver in 2009. The team is looking to build on their envious record in the RYA National Finals held on the weekend of the 9th, 10th and 11th of October. The

team currently sits in the top 100 in the world and comprises Andy Shaw (helm), Ed Dyer (main), Phil Spicer (trim) and Chris Redburn (bow).

Arguably the best thing about Wessex Sailing Club is that it caters for all abilities, so if you’re not the next Iain Percy you can still get involved with a top class team. The club is broken down into five sections: Beginners Sailing, Casual Sailing, Team Racing, Fleet racing and Yachting. If you’re looking to take the RYA level 1 sailing course (at a heavily discounted price), or simply want to float around Spinnaker Lake on a trapeze boat out on the Solent, then we encourage you to get involved. There is definitely more to Wessex Sailing Club then first meets the eye, their first social of the year (an 8-legged Volvo Portswood Ocean Race held earlier in October) proved a great success and encapsulates the fun loving club that is Wessex Sailing Club. To find out more about Wessex Sailing Club visit their facebook group.

Wessex Sport would like to wish Wessex Sailing Club all the best in the Nationals and we look forward to informing you of their success in the upcoming issue.

of glamour is an inevitable nicety. Percy has managed to fit us into his busy timetable during his stay in Bermuda and speaks to us about sailing in some of the most beautiful waters in the world; “Cape Town is just fantastic, I would recommend it for a holiday, but in terms of sailing, it’s bloody windy and there are huge waves so it’s just brilliant. Sydney harbour is pretty cool, you can’t help but be sailing along and suddenly notice the Sydney Opera House looming over you. But if I had to choose my favourite it would be Cape Town.” Back on more familiar turf, Percy has seen his fair share of the U.K. Growing up and learning to sail in Southampton, he went on to study Economics at Bristol University. It seems that fitting in University and sailing was never really an issue for Percy, which came as a result of the promise he had shown as a youngster. The RYA had started to be interested in Percy as a young member of Weston Sailing Club. By 17, he was practically fully funded, making his passion affordable for his parents. Whilst at Bristol, Percy didn’t sail for the team, choosing rather to train through the summer holidays and on weekends away. Yet more encouragement for the Southampton University team members, hoping to make it big in the sailing world; knowing that a feat as mammoth as Percy’s is achievable without compromising your studies.

The lasting impression we have of Percy, as our interview draws to a close, is that of a man who has an unending passion and dedication for the sport, but also, one of a man who is relaxed and enjoying life to the full. The most interesting thing he comments on is the importance of downtime alongside work. Whilst this is joyous news for us as students, on a serious note, it’s a point that certainly hits home for those entering into the new term with hesitation or anxiety. If any of us seek success in any field, Percy’s mantra is certainly one to emulate. In his case, it has clearly paid off to work hard, play hard and be passionate about what you do. We wish Iain every success in the 2012 Olympics and we will keep you updated on his progress through the year.

Sailing to Success in Southampton...Wessex Sport brings you a sailing special, in honour of Wessex Sailing Club’s Success

John Merricks II -Photo taken by Paul Wyeth

Olympic Star Sailor - Iain Percy

Continued from Back Cover

Sport WessexScene

An Interview with Iain Percy

Percy’s key advice is to sail in small groups of people of a similar age and to get onto the water on a regular basis. It seems that top of Percy’s tip list for young sailors is learning to sail at speed; “at the end of the day, going fast is what wins the race, so that’s something that needs to be focussed on”. Percy can certainly empathise with the need to learn to work effectively in a team. For the 2008 Olympics, Percy was joined by lifelong friend Andrew Simpson and the duo went on to win the Gold in the Star Class. The comparisons between Percy’s win in 2000 and his second gold medal win in 2008 are obvious, but for him, it was the differences between the two that made 2008 so special; “2008 was much more fun for me. I was sailing with an old friend, whereas I was alone in 2000. At Sydney, everything was new and exciting and it was a much easier class. In 2008 it meant much more to me, we had worked so hard together and the competition was much tougher to beat this time around”.

So what of 2012? One would assume that a little bit of complacency would be allowed from a double gold medallist, but not so of Iain Percy. Even as we speak, Iain is calling us in a break from his racing schedule. But that’s not all. As part of his all important fitness regime, he comments that he needs to head straight off for a 2-hour session on the rowing machine after this interview. Combine this with a gruelling schedule of racing, 8 hours of aerobics per week and numerous weight exercises, it’s clear that Percy is in no danger of slowing down. As he looks ahead to 2012, he acknowledges technical mistakes made in 2008 and although he can’t tell us much, it’s clear that he and Simpson are working hard to correct said mistakes, to make their bid for victory a done deal.

With two gold medals to your name, a fair deal

Daniel Webb

Inspired by our conversation with Iain Percy this week, Wessex Sport looks at sailing opportunities within the University. What we have found is that the University offers not only a cheap and easy way to get into sailing, but also the chance to be part of the best University sailing team in Britain and arguably the whole of Europe.

“Wessex Sailing Club offers a wide variety of opportunity; whether you are a complete novice or have been sailing since you could walk, South-ampton has something for everyone.”

Wessex Sailing Club holds an unparalleled history. The match racing team won gold at this year’s BUSA (British University Sailing Associ-ation), silver in the Team Racing Finals in 2007, a gold and bronze in 2008, followed by silver in 2009. The team is looking to build on their envious record in the RYA National Finals held on the weekend of the 9th, 10th and 11th of October. The

team currently sits in the top 100 in the world and comprises Andy Shaw (helm), Ed Dyer (main), Phil Spicer (trim) and Chris Redburn (bow).

Arguably the best thing about Wessex Sailing Club is that it caters for all abilities, so if you’re not the next Iain Percy you can still get involved with a top class team. The club is broken down into five sections: Beginners Sailing, Casual Sailing, Team Racing, Fleet racing and Yachting. If you’re looking to take the RYA level 1 sailing course (at a heavily discounted price), or simply want to float around Spinnaker Lake on a trapeze boat out on the Solent, then we encourage you to get involved. There is definitely more to Wessex Sailing Club then first meets the eye, their first social of the year (an 8-legged Volvo Portswood Ocean Race held earlier in October) proved a great success and encapsulates the fun loving club that is Wessex Sailing Club. To find out more about Wessex Sailing Club visit their facebook group.

Wessex Sport would like to wish Wessex Sailing Club all the best in the Nationals and we look forward to informing you of their success in the upcoming issue.

of glamour is an inevitable nicety. Percy has managed to fit us into his busy timetable during his stay in Bermuda and speaks to us about sailing in some of the most beautiful waters in the world; “Cape Town is just fantastic, I would recommend it for a holiday, but in terms of sailing, it’s bloody windy and there are huge waves so it’s just brilliant. Sydney harbour is pretty cool, you can’t help but be sailing along and suddenly notice the Sydney Opera House looming over you. But if I had to choose my favourite it would be Cape Town.” Back on more familiar turf, Percy has seen his fair share of the U.K. Growing up and learning to sail in Southampton, he went on to study Economics at Bristol University. It seems that fitting in University and sailing was never really an issue for Percy, which came as a result of the promise he had shown as a youngster. The RYA had started to be interested in Percy as a young member of Weston Sailing Club. By 17, he was practically fully funded, making his passion affordable for his parents. Whilst at Bristol, Percy didn’t sail for the team, choosing rather to train through the summer holidays and on weekends away. Yet more encouragement for the Southampton University team members, hoping to make it big in the sailing world; knowing that a feat as mammoth as Percy’s is achievable without compromising your studies.

The lasting impression we have of Percy, as our interview draws to a close, is that of a man who has an unending passion and dedication for the sport, but also, one of a man who is relaxed and enjoying life to the full. The most interesting thing he comments on is the importance of downtime alongside work. Whilst this is joyous news for us as students, on a serious note, it’s a point that certainly hits home for those entering into the new term with hesitation or anxiety. If any of us seek success in any field, Percy’s mantra is certainly one to emulate. In his case, it has clearly paid off to work hard, play hard and be passionate about what you do. We wish Iain every success in the 2012 Olympics and we will keep you updated on his progress through the year.

Sailing to Success in Southampton...Wessex Sport brings you a sailing special, in honour of Wessex Sailing Club’s Success

John Merricks II -Photo taken by Paul Wyeth

Olympic Star Sailor - Iain Percy

Continued from Back Cover

Page 22 SportWessexScene

Ronaldo Cursed by Spanish Magician

Top Ten Moments in British Sporting History

#9 GERMANY 1-5 ENGLANDWhat: World Cup Qualifi er 2002

Where: Olympiastadion, Munich

When: 1 September 2001

The Week’s Sport for ThoughtWhat’s going on in Sport in Southampton and around the world...

Got the Sailing Bug?If you are coming to the end of our sailing special and you are interested in either getting into, or going further in the watersports industry, visit the watersports section of the SportRec website, where you will fi nd listings of the various RYA courses on offer to you. If you choose to complete any of these courses, the cost of your course will be heavily discounted through SportRec. If you are contemplating a career in sailing, but you would rather pursue further training in the holidays rather than in term time, there are various routes that you can take. Rockley Watersports in Poole offer a residential training programme to take you from novice to Instructor in six weeks. Once you have qualifi ed as an instructor, the oppor-tunities for work open to you are vast and varied. With many companies such as Sunsail, Neilson and Rockley using centres at various exotic locations around the world, you could fi nd yourself running sailing courses in the Caribbean after completing just six weeks of training. For more information on the six-week course at Rockley, visit their website; www.rockleywatersports.com.

It was Germany’s biggest loss since 1931, a 5-1 thumping at the hands of England saw Sven Goran Eriksson’s side claim his most memorable victory of his England reign in a match now unforgettable to England fans. As the song goes “Steven Michael Emile and golden balls [were]running rings round you [and] there was nothing you could do”. That was no exaggeration, after an early setback a German goal after 6 minutes by Carsten Jancker, Sven’s England team never looked back.At this point Germany had only ever lost one World Cup qualifi er at home in their painfully illustrious history and England fans looked set for another tough night. Everything took a change for the best after Nick Barmby nodded Gary Neville’s looping header into the path of Michael Owen to slot home his fi rst of the night. England had to wait until deep into stoppage time of the fi rst half to take the lead. Ferdinand headed back from a Beckham cross to the onrushing

Steven Gerrard who chested the ball and drove home a sublime volley into the bottom right of the net from 25 yards. Only 3 minutes into the second half, another Beckham cross was nodded down, this time by Heskey, again to the feet of Owen whose sliced shot found the back of the net following some questionable goalkeeping from Oliver Kahn. McManaman replaced Barmby after 65 minutes, only 60 seconds later England were 4-1 up as Gerrard stole the ball in midfi eld and slotted it through to Michael Owen for his hat-trick. Owen took two touches before fi ring the ball high into the net past the helpless Kahn for what one presumes was his most enjoyable hat-trick. With the crowd roaring England did the unbelievable and made it fi ve through none other than Emile Heskey. Following a neat pass from Paul Scholes, Heskey calmly powered home underneath the goalkeeper to seal an historic victory.

Daniel Webb

Here at Wessex Sport, we’re all about the weird and wacky and this story is no exception. Reports suggest Florentino Perez, Real Madrid’s president, received a strange letter from a wizard who claims to have been contracted to injure Christiano Ronaldo. The part-priest, part-doctor included in his letter, “I’m not anti-Madridista. I have nothing against this great club. I am a professional and someone has paid very well for me to use my powers. I have been hired to make Cristiano Ronaldo suffer a serious injury. I can’t promise that it will be a serious injury but he’ll certainly be out of action.”

The wizard is hardly an unknown entity at Madrid, as it is claimed that the same man was asked to place curses on a variety of other Madrid players including David Beckham, Fabio Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos, Raul and the “old” Ronaldo. The priest claims that his work is already taking effect with Ronaldo suffering an ankle injury causing Madrid to drop their fi rst points in La Liga this season against a scintillating Sevilla side. Madrid lost 2-1 in their fi rst game without Ronaldo which has lead people to question if Madrid can truly battle for the title when Ronaldo is absent. With Barcelona looking exceptional as a team, questions over the money spent this summer at the Bernabeu could be soon to follow.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Michael Owen - World Cup Quali�ier

WessexSportIssue 2 www.wessexscene.co.uk Thursday 15th October 2009

Charlotte Woods

After winning a gold medal single-handed in 2000, Iain Percy OBE teamed up with old friend Andrew Simpson in 2008 to sail to victory for a second time, in a spectacular display at the Beijing Olympics. He talks exclusively to Wessex Sport about his plans and preparation for 2012 and

gives us an insight into the roots of his career, which lay here in Southampton.

So how does a young boy from Southampton grow up to become a double gold medal winning Olympian? Percy muses on this idea when asked if a talent for sailing had run in the family; “My parents didn’t sail before. We went on a family ‘learn to sail’ holiday on the Isle of Wight when I was about six and it all went from there really.”

ApologiesContrary to last issue’s ‘Sport for Thought’, we do indeed know that it is Fernando, not Xabi Alonso who is a driver for Renault. We also know that KPMG is not in fact ‘KMPG” as our headline suggested. Watch this space for more apologies for this issue’s mistakes!!

We are still looking for more sports writers and article submissions from AU societies. Once again, if you would like your team or club to be covered in Wessex Sport please get in touch by emailing [email protected]

Iain Percy Shares his Wisdom with Wessex Sport Editors

Encouragement indeed then, for Southampton’s sailors, to have already made it into arguably the best University sailing team in Europe, surely their futures look sunny? Percy acknowledges South-ampton as the hub of sailing activity in the South, leaving anyone with water-based ambitions with no excuses to get going.

Taking time out from racing in Bermuda, double gold medal winning Olympian Iain Percy talks 2012, growing up in Southampton and gives some top tips for University sailors.

A Word from your AU President

This year sees the fi rst major change in the structure of the AU in recent history. An AU Exec Team has been introduced to try to manage the vast amount of work involved in running the ever growing Athletic Union, as well as introducing new and exciting campaigns to improve the AU as a whole. This change will mostly affect the role of the AU Offi cer, Will Harvey, as it frees him from some of the more admin based responsibilities and allows him to focus on the manifesto points on which he was elected. Hopefully, this will allow Will and I to push the strategic plans that we have for the AU this year and ensure that we can raise its profi le and develop individual clubs.

The new team, which consists of a Club Development Liaison, Olly Pickard, a Media and Promotions Liaison, Penny Moss, and Social and Events Liaison, Scott Brown, will also be used to help with the many events, (such as Varsity and the AU Ball) throughout the year. It is a great opportunity for them as club committee members to get more involved in the AU and help to make the new structure as successful as possible.

As we get ready to begin the new season’s campaign in BUCS, I am starting to get excited about the year ahead and what we can accom-plish. Another hammering to deliver Portsmouth in Varsity? National Championships to be won? The highest BUCS points ever? Let’s see what we can do!

Continued on Page 22

0910-02

Documents

sustainable food

real cost of cheap food

reduced food

hidden costs of cheap

cost of cheap foodwhat

us economy

creation of cheap agriculture

specialised farming