Sunday the 20^th October marked UBJC’s annual pilgrimage to Hereford to compete in the British Judo Council National Open. Although discipline is high and the fighters are tough, UBJC have a tendency to add to their trophy cabinet year after year. The club was looking to improve on 2011’s record of 50% players in the medals, so 2 female and 4 male competitors donned their Gi’s (Judo speak for fighting attire) and set out to bring home some silverware.

The Clubs first fighter of the day was 3^rd year Biology student Rosie Heller; a previous BUCS medallist and sub-48kg fighter with speed and resilience in her arsenal. Rarely does she get the chance to compete against women of her stature, often stepping up into higher weight categories in order to fuel her need to contest. This competition was no exception and Rosie put in a top performance, using all her feel for her opponent in a final nail biting fight; pinning her for the required 25 seconds which earned her the bronze in her category.

Brown belt, William Jarvis who tips the scales at a mere 60kg was next to take to the mat against opposition of matching stature. Despite his previous success and years of experience, it just didn’t come together on the day. William fought well and took small scores in his fights but in the end succumbed to worthy opponents.

The rules and regulations to a non-judoka (or non-judo player) can seem a bit confusing and it was these competition rules that had the Bristol boys in the under 73 kg category stretched to capacity.  4^th year Simon Bates and 3^rd year Elliot Mocharrafie were to fight each other 4 times before the day was out. This was due to a three way tie with another fighter from Warwick University for the silver medal. This repeated itself three times over on rematches. Such a battle brought the competition to standstill and sadly the eventual victor; the Warwick student. The Bristol boys went on to share bronzes for their marathon efforts.

Ilya Gladenko, UBJC’s captain and Siberian lady magnet was another player to put in a goliath effort on the day. After a series of stylish wins by Ippon, Ilya was only defeated in his last bouts by his nemesis (an opponent who last year had strangled him unconscious) and one other which lead him to the Bronze medal in his Dan grade under 90kg category.

Rebecca Telfer, 2^nd year medic and UBJC women’s team captain was the last to fight that day and provided a treat for all who had filled the stands in the open weight Dan grade group.

At this level, bouts are 5 minutes and decided by either full score of “Ippon” or a combination of smaller scores. Wins are achieved by pins, chokes, arm locks or the most impressive, throwing the player from a standing position, controlling them onto their back.

Rebecca (who has achievements such as a silver medal in the youth Olympics under her belt) took to the warm up area with a look (and vocal) that gave away high levels of nerves. This was after all, her first competition back after a long recovery from injury; she had a lot to prove.

The Bristol fans needn’t have worried as what followed was a display of serious power and precision. The sum total of all her 4 fights barely broke one minute in total, a time extended only by the fact that the third fight required Rebecca to pin the player for 25 seconds. Fights 1, 2 and 4 were crowd favourites with clinical hip throws terminating the bouts with full Ippon and plenty of time to spare. It was commented by onlookers that opponents appeared to be to be “actually running away” from Rebecca during these bouts!

Needless to say, these performances lead to Rebecca being awarded the gold and title of BJC National Champion (plus a rather large trophy for her troubles).

The UK Judo scene can expect big things from Rebecca this year and with many top players in reserve and yet to fight, this should also be a big year for UBJC; watch this space!

Filed under: Sport by Tom Mordey
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Next summer the city of Bristol is to host a world-class festival of sustainability.The event will provide opportunities for students to show that they are not ‘just a nuisance’.

Bristol’s Big Green Week will bring together leading global experts and thinkers to share ideas and inspiration on developing a green future.

Bristol is one of the UK’s leading cities for sustainable development and the festival, from 9th – 17th of June, will tap into the city’s rich resource of green expertise and practical experience.

There will also be a careers fair for environmental and sustainable jobs.

Students are encouraged to take part as the Union will be working with the co-ordinator on the Students’ Union Ethical Careers fair in February 2012.

The festival will also include a strong cultural element with music, theatre and comedy performances, a film festival, and new art, all reflecting an environmental theme.

Bristol’s Big Green Week is also creating a buzz amongst students, who are keen to demonstrate how students can work with the community to promote environmental issues. Lauren Hoskin-Parr, President of BUST (The Bristol University Sustainability Team) is keen for a student presence to be felt at the event.

‘Although BUST has no direct involvement in the festival, it is a huge opportunity for students to get inspired by the amazing speaker line-up, engage with local people and check out the careers fair for green environmental and sustainability jobs.’

The University of Bristol will be officially involved as a key contributor to the Festival of Nature, Europe’s largest free natural history festival. The University will host two exhibition tents called ‘Biodiversity is Life’ and ‘ Technologies for the Future’. Each activity will be manned by University researchers and students, keen to discuss their work and hear the public’s thoughts on the research they do.

Head of Sustainable Bristol City-Region Project, Paul Rainger, told Epigram that he is hopeful that students will have time to come along to the event or to be part of the volunteer stewarding team.

The Students’ Union Environmental Officer, Georgina Bavetta, commented ‘Integrating student-led campaigns into the community is so important. The little bubble we live in as students often makes us forget that we are part of the city of Bristol. Sometimes it is necessary to remind residents and politicians we are an asset to Bristol, not a nuisance’

Filed under: News by Amina Makele
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A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has been discovered at the Park Street branch of Oxfam Books. The manager of the store, Michael O’Grady, was searching through boxes of donated books when he came across the edition, which was valued at £750.

The book was almost sold twice, but the buyers backed out last minute, deciding the price was too high to justify, until, on Friday the 18^th the store received a call from an interested party, who then came to collect and pay for the book on Saturday morning. It is thought the now owner is a collector.

The book was found in an excellent condition, and Michael O’Grady stated that it is standard practise to check hardback Harry Potter books to see if they are first editions, as their worth is so great. He also said ‘The price was assessed by our rare book pricer. We didn’t just pluck a price out of the air – we look at auction sites to get a price’.

He added that a dealer might aim to sell the book for as much as twice the £750 it went for; however a dealer would be willing to wait for much many months to sell a book, and that the lower end of the price scale was more appropriate for Oxfam.

It is not known who brought the book in to the shop, as a mystery donor brought two boxes full of other children’s books. Michael O’Grady described the copy of the second book in the series as ‘A gem amongst them all’ and says the store is very grateful to the donor.

The world of Harry Potter first edition collection is a complicated and lucrative one, with whole websites dedicated to the identification of the books, and complicated specifications defining their value. A book claiming to be of the first edition, the first printing, and in excellent condition, is available online for £17,500.

Filed under: News by Alice Young
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An estimated 20,000 public sector workers went on strike and took to the streets of Bristol on 30 November to protest against government reforms to public sector pensions.

A significant number of Bristol University students showed up on picket lines alongside lecturers and university staff before joining the general public by College Green and marching around the city.

After walking through the centre, past Broadmead and Cabot Circus, the demonstration ended in Castle Park, where several representatives of the main public service unions addressed the crowds.

A committed few joined the picket lines at 7.30am, with others arriving later on at more student-friendly times. Over 100 students and lecturers were outside Senate House by 10.30am to hear speeches from two trade union representatives.

The number of lecturers on strike varied significantly by department, with Social Sciences – particularly Sociology and Politics – leading the way. School and university staff are angered at government plans to raise the state pension age to 67 while making public sector workers pay more into their pensions, which unions feel will leave them working longer for less.

While there was a police presence, officers were left with little to do as the protest was peaceful.

Politics lecturer Ryerson Christie told Epigram he felt it was ‘incredibly important that students saw the connection between quality of life and education.

‘[Today] is about us trying to protect public education in the face of privatisation. We see you as colleagues; we don’t see you as customers. David Willets (Government Minister for Universities) does.

Politics Lecturer Adrian Flint added that ‘The idea that the private sector could provide public goods is untrue’

Sympathy and support – even from drivers whose roads were disrupted – seemed to reflect the public mood on the issue with an opinion poll for the BBC finding 61% of people in favour of the strike action.

Over two million public sector workers across the country, including teachers, doctors, nurses, care workers and airport security staff, went on strike in protest against pensions and job cuts.

However the strike has met a more hostile reception with some students and public figures. James McAllen, a taught post-graduate student, said ‘These strikes have been incredibly disruptive to the university. Public sector workers need to accept that the country is in a tough financial situation and nobody’s going to have it easy.’

The row escalated when Jeremy Clarkson, BBC TV presenter, argued that he would like to see all the strikers ‘shot’, saying ‘I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families.’

Protestors have condemned the comments, with the unions reportedly seeking advice on legal action.

While David Cameron called the strike ‘something of a damp squib’, Education Secretary Michael Gove admitted it had a ‘significant impact’ on schools. All of Bristol’s secondary schools and eighty of its primary schools were partially or entirely closed, with thousands of teachers marching and many workers bringing their children with them.

1500 of 1776 schools in Wales were closed, while only 33 of 2700 state schools in Scotland remained open.

It was the first time in their history that several unions, including the National Association of Head Teachers, had been on strike.

Filed under: News by Amina Makele
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Jailbreak, one of the plethora of RAG (Raising and Giving) events that occur throughout the year, took place over the 19^th and 20^th of November. Students have 36 hours, no money, and one goal: to get as far away from Bristol as possible.  The challenge managed to raise over £5000 for Practical Action, an international aid charity working to use technology to fuel development.

Participants are not allowed to spend any money on travel within the 36 hour period, hitchhiking and using their powers of persuasion to gain free flights, trains and ferries. Almost 60 students took part in the bi-annual challenge, with the winners making it over 1800 kilometres away to Florence, Italy. The team, “An Englishman, A Scotsman and a …” consisted of Scott Caddick and Paul Rogers who travelled with Royal Scots on their way to a ski trip in Austria, refusing the offer of a bed and potential ski up the glacier in favour of catching trains to Verona, Bologna, Prato and finally Florence!

Additionally, Laura Cavacuiti and Saoirse Linder managed to make it to Bagong Silland in the Phillipines to work on a volunteering project with the Air France KLM-Gawad Kalinga Partnership. They were not eligible to win the competition however, as set off earlier than the official start time for the competition.

“Everything about the Jailbreak experience was absolutely incredible. Every moment was so new and exciting, and everything we saw was so culturally rich and different to what we’ve ever seen before. It was an experience of a lifetime, that we will remember forever” they said.

Planning for the challenge began in early October, with advertising of the event, raising of the minimal £50 per team in sponsorship, and ensuring all participants were fully aware of the requirements. Teams are monitored throughout the event via SMS messaging and an online tracking system, organised by the company ‘Choose a Challenge.’

Ben Collins, who is in charge of the co-ordination of all RAG Challenges and Sponsored Events, spoke to Epigram following the challenge. “I’m pleased to see so many people going out and having a great time whilst raising as much as possible for charity.

Jailbreak truly is a unique experience that allows this to happen.”

Filed under: Uncategorized by Alice Young
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Police have arrested a man in Bristol whose car was found to contain 50 kilos of mephedrone.

The 41 year-old was stopped near Cribbs Causeway on the evening of the 24^th November while driving a silver BMW. Avon and Somerset Police say the man is currently in custody, and is said to be helping with their enquiries.

The drugs were arranged into 50 packages weighing 1kg each. The approximate street value of this amount could have been as much as £1.25 million.

Acting Detective Inspector Tina Harland said: ‘This operation reinforces our commitment to taking illegal drugs and those who supply them off our streets. It also shows the importance of the community working with us to beat this type of crime. Every piece of intelligence received is taken seriously and acted upon.’

Mephedrone is a Class B substance whose effects are similar to those of MDMA (‘ecstasy’). Known commonly as ‘Drone’ or ‘M-Cat’, it was prohibited last year under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its possession, importation and distribution are all now illegal.

The drug achieved relative popularity in the UK after being sold legally in shops and online as ‘plant food’. Estimates classed it as the fourth most popular illegal drug in Britain, behind cocaine, marijuana and MDMA. This popularity was attributed to its price: at one stage it could be bought for as little as £10 a gram.

Avon and Somerset Police called for the drug to be banned in 2010, following its widespread use in Bristol. In the same year it was linked to a death in the city. At the time the Bristol Drugs Project warned against the health risks of the drug, particularly when mixed with alcohol or other substances.

Paul Bunt, Avon and Somerset’s drug strategy manager, said that the seizure proved there was ‘still demand’ for the drug. He also warned against the dangers of similar substances: ‘There are also a range of very similar products being sold under the guise of legal highs. These are not legal and can cause hallucinations, blood circulation problems, rashes, anxiety and paranoia.

‘But one of the most dangerous things with mephedrone is that we don’t know many of the long-term effects.’

Filed under: News by Alice Young
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The number of UK university applicants for 2012 has now decreased by 15% compared to last year, according to the latest statistics. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) have released new figures for November, which show even more shocking data than the October figures predicted.

The statistics, released on Monday 21^st November show that the total number of applicants has dropped from 181,814 to 158,387 (-12.9%) within the space of a year, and the number of UK applicants total 133,357, down from 157,116 in 2010.

As the October figures showed, mature students are still put off by the tuition fee rise: there is a decrease of 25.2% of applicants aged 40 or over in comparison with this time last year. Worryingly, there has also been a 20.1% fall in 20-year-old applicants. Josh Alford, the Union President for Education, said, ‘The Government’s policies are acting as a deterrent to those that we really want to engage, especially mature and lower income students.

‘The new fee regime is confusing and off-putting for prospective students with a whole host of differing funding packages, fee waivers versus bursaries and the fact that the benefits of such an expensive university education may have been called into doubt.’

NUS President, Liam Burns, added, ‘Ministers need to take responsibility for their disastrous education reforms and admit that regardless of the final application numbers, the behaviour of prospective students will be affected by the huge rise in fees. The significant reduction in applications from mature students continues to be very concerning and Government needs to respond quickly to ensure older learners are not put off for good.’

Unlike the October figures where female would-be-applicants were more discouraged than their male counterparts, the new statistics show that the percentages are similar for both sexes. The number of male and female applications has fallen by 13.2% and 12.7% respectively. Applicants aged 17 and under have seen the smallest decrease of any age group, dropping by 0.9%.

The North East is now the most affected area of the UK, seeing a 21.4% fall, and Wales is the least affected, yet has still witnessed a 10.3% drop. The number of non-EU applicants is still on the rise, with an 11.8% increase. Students from Honk Kong in particular have been eager to apply, providing the greatest increase in non-EU applicants (31.8%).

As in October, the subject area of Mass Communications and Documentation has suffered the most, with a 30.1% decrease in applicants, whilst Veterinary Sciences was the only subject to see a rise (0.6%). UCAS said that universities and courses with a deadline of the 15^th October (Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and related courses) saw a reduction of 0.8%.

Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said, ‘We still have to hold back before coming to conclusions about these figures. There are still seven weeks left for people to get their applications in before the 15 January UCAS deadline.’

Filed under: Uncategorized by Alice Young
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