BoltonIssue: 17 FREE

Page 34

Calibaninterview

Page 4 Page 3

Aaron Porter: “Proud ofwhat we’ve done – but it’s

time for a fresh start”GOAT

Life

Student DirectMonday 7th March 2011

www.ubsu.org.uk

ArcelorMittal Orbit, set to beBritain’s largest piece ofpublic art standing at a giant115 metres (377ft) high, isbeing made r ight here inBolton.

The £19.1mil l ion steelsculpture, intended to be apermanent, lasting legacy ofLondon’s hosting of the 2012Summer Olympics, is beingput together byLostockbased Watsons Steeland when completed will be22 metres tal ler than theStatue of Liberty in NewYork.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit wasdesigned by Anish Kapoor in

a competition held in 2009and has been developed incollaboration with one of theworld’s leading structuraldesigners, Cecil Balmond ofArup.

The structure will be sitedbetween the OlympicStadium and the AquaticsCentre and will allow visitorsto view the whole OlympicPark form its twoobservation platforms.

Watsons has beenproducing precision craftedsteel parts s ince late lastyear and work started inJanuary at the London site.The 15 ,000 tonnes ofsteelwork will be assembledin segments on site at theOlympic site supervised byengineers from Watsons.Completion of the project is

expected by late summer.Watsons Steel has an

impressive track record. TheUniversity of Nott ingham’s‘Aspire ’ structure wasfabricated by Watson’s and iscurrently the largest freestanding public work of artin Britain and standingstaller than the Angel of theNorth. The company are alsonoted for their engineeringwork on the roof of the O2arena.

ArcelorMittal , the off icialname of the sculpture,combines the names of theArcelorMittal steel companywho are the chief sponsorcontributing £16mil l ion tothe project, with Orbit, theoriginal working t i t le ofKapoor and Balmond’sdesign.

Bolton firm rises to Olympic challenge

ArcelorMittal OrbitLeonaMelling

07.03.3.11News in Brief

Page 03

Calibaninterview

Page 04

Reviews

Page 33

Opinion

Page 34 & 35

News

Reviews & film

Opinion

Sport & fitness

Page 36

Sport

www.ubsu.org.ukMarch 7th 2011 / Student Direct Bolton02: News

The end of February was far too cold andwet and I hate the beginning of March. I amstill not used to this northern weather –maybe those stereotypes about southernersbeing soft are true?

A bit of a personal note from me: this issueI would like to dedicate to Phil Edwards. Aman who believed the published word wasthe best word.

So, on with the usual and calling all finalyear students – remember to complete thenational student survey! Details are below.We really count on your views and ithonestly will make a gigantic difference forfuture students. Students that have comebefore you have made improvementswhich you have benefitted from!

Remember, nominations for electionsclose on the 14th March. Standing forelections, win or lose, is a life changingexperience. Stand up and make adifference. If you’re unsure or have anyquestions pop into the union offices –someone will always be around for you tospeak to. And thank you to everyone whocame to the AGM!

Also if you’re feeling the cold, rememberthe Loft bar’s selection of winter warmerdrinks. My favourites have to be the over thetop hot chocolate and the ginger bread latte!

Want to be involved with the newspaper?Email me at suvp@bolton.ac.uk

LeonaMelling

Happybeginning ofMarcheveryone!

Developments in the Middle Easthave drawn the attention of theworld, the unforeseeable changesoccurring currently in Egypt, Libya,Bahrain, Iran and other countriesare continuing to develop in waysthe media and governments areobserving closely.

Violence during transitions hasbeen headline news, unconfirmedsources speculate that somethousand people have been killed inLibya, with the military, foreignmercenaries and aircraft firing onprotestors. In a statement the UnitedNations said; “The members of theSecurity Council expressed graveconcern at the situation in Libya.They condemned the violence anduse of force against civilians,deplored the repression againstpeaceful demonstrators, andexpressed deep regret at the deathsof hundreds of civilians. They calledfor an immediate end to the violenceand for steps to address thelegitimate demands of thepopulation, including throughnational dialogue.”

Debates have emerged as to whatkind of governance the west wouldlike to see in these countries. DavidCameron when asked mentionedclichéd phrases like ‘power for thepeople’ and ‘fair government’. Thewest is seen to walk a fine linebetween recommending anddictating the structure newinstitutions will take. It can be arguedthat despite the US and other nationswish for Middle Eastern countries tostructure themselves according totheir citizens wishes, these same

countries may not want the wrongtypes of power to be instituted.

On the recent BBC Question Timeprogramme Melanie Phillips of theDaily Mail said regarding Egypt, “Idon’t think anyone can fail to beinspired, which is; the great yearningfor freedom among the Egyptianpeople and indeed more broadly inthe Arab world. But I myself ampetrified, we’ve seen this before; theIranian revolution in 1979, when theShah of Iran was toppled andarguably replaced with adictatorship which is worse so manydecades on. If the MuslimBrotherhood comes to power [InEgypt], freedom for the Egyptianpeople would go backwards notforwards.”

The Violence in Libya promptedthe UK to remove UK, US, Europeanand other nationalities with the helpof the RAF and Royal Navy. HMSCumberland has made two journeysbetween Malta and Benghazi whileRAF Hercules cargo planes havemade numerous trips transportingstranded ex-pats at risk from lootersand mobs. According to BBC Newsspecial forces escorted the Herculescargo planes due to the dangerfaced, and justifiably as one Hercules

cargo plane was fired upon whileattempting takeoff.

World leaders have been statingunambiguously in recent days thatColonel Gadaffi’s dictatorship mustend. David Cameron wheninterviewed by the BBC said “We areputting serious pressure on thisregime; We have introduced a travelban, an asset freeze, an export banand all of this send a very clearmessage, it is time for ColonelGadaffi to go….there is no future forLibya which includes him.”

President Obama in a recentspeech conveyed the message toLibya that no more atrocities shouldbe committed, and in what could beseen as a veiled military threat said“I’ve asked my administration toprepare the full range of options thatwe have to respond to this crisis. Thisincludes those actions we may takeand those we will co-ordinate withour allies and partners, or those thatwe will carry out through multi-lateral institutions.”

Student Direct will stay up to datewith current affairs and continuereporting on the Middle Eastsituation. Due to the daily changingnature of the situation, informationpresented may be backdated.

DanielCrozier

Developments inthe Middle East

Your letters toThe Mancunion

Page 06

Letters & Editorial

UnionAre you receiving the feedback

from the Universityyou deserve?

Page 31

War Crimes and the Hague War tribunal

Page 10

News Feature

News:03

After “considerable soulsearching”, Mr Porter has decidedagainst the idea of re-running andbelieves that NUS needs a newPresident “to lead the studentmovement” into the next phaseof the campaign against theGovernment’s plans for HigherEducation.

The announcement came aftera national movement ofopposition to Mr Porter’spresidency.

In an email to the unionmembers Mr Porter said:

“The challenge for a newNational President will be great.They’ll need to support students’unions and student officers to getthe best deal for students, whilstrunning a major nationalcampaign to defeat damagingmarketization in education.They’ll need to build activism andradicalism on the ground whilstdefending legitimate, democraticstudents’ unions from attack fromour enemies. Above all, they’llneed a fresh outlook- because ifwe are to reach out, and engagewith, the full diversity of ourmembership, we need to move

beyond the tired rhetoric andredundant tactics of somefactional groups.

I want to say thank you to thehundreds of students and studentofficers who have been sosupportive this year, and indeedfor the nominations for a secondterm which I had already beensent. It goes without saying thatwith a white paper on its way, thenext four months remain a hugeopportunity for the organisation,and I will be relentless in ensuringI do the very best I can in the role.

We should continue to beproud of what we have achieved,and it has been an honour to bePresident at this time. If I haveone criticism of this year, it wouldbe that we have not been quickenough to talk about ourachievements - and I hope we canpause for a moment to remedythis.

Let's push on to make sure wecredit ourselves for what we haveachieved, and ensure we worktogether to push NUS and thestudent movement to the nextlevel.”

Support for Mr Porterdwindled since the marchagainst the rise in tuition fees andeducation cuts on 10 November.His frequent noncommittalstatements and actions angered

students. More recently he wasforced to leave an anti-cuts rallyin Manchester which he wasscheduled to speak at. VicePresident of Further Education,Shane Chowen, had to finish hisspeech after he was drownedout with negative chants fromthe crowds and pelted with eggs.

Ashley Howell, President ofUniversity of Bolton Students’Union on hearing the news said:

“When Aaron Porter waselected in the last NUS election, Ihad high hopes for the studentmovement and couldn’t wait tosee how he would lead thestudents.”

“Looking at what Aaron hasexperienced, I think it is nosurprise that he is steppingdown as NUS President.Although he has said he thinksthat NUS needs a new leader thatwill steer them in a differentdirection, I honestly think thatthe antics of the minority of“militant” students have taken itstoll and forced him to make avery tough decision. I personallythink that this is real a shame. Insome respects I agree with someof the things students have saidin regards to us failing to stopthe tuition fees from raising,however I do not think that themilitant action would havechanged the decision. I thinkthat this would have only madeit easier for the Government tomake the decision they did. Itherefore think that Aaron wasright in condemning violentaction.”

“Overall I am quite sad to seeAaron leave but this might bethe time where those who haveranted and raved about a needfor activism to get their chanceto push that agenda and seewhether or not it will truly makechanges rather than be withinthe debate.”

Aaron Porter was elected asPresident with a 65% majorityand took office in June 2010having previously served as VicePresident (Higher Education)for two terms. Prior to this hegraduated from University ofLeicester in 2006 with a BA inEnglish and whilst a studentspent his time as editor of ‘TheRipple’, the student newspaperfor the University of Leicester.He then spent two years as asabbatical officer and trustee ofUniversity of Leicester Students’Union.

Porter backed graduate tax asan alternative method offinancing higher education. Inresponse to the review ofHigher Education Funding andStudent Finance chaired byLord Browne, the NUSorganized a nationaldemonstration in Londonjointly with the University andCollege Union (UCU). 50,000protesters took part in theprotest which Porter spoke at.He later condemned theoccupation of the ConservativeParty’s headquarters.

LeonaMelling

News in Brief

Student Direct Bolton / March 7th 2011www.ubsu.org.uk

Exams should be reformed and go from penand paper to computerised exams to suit ageneration more used to digital learning,Ofqual have said.

Ofqual chief executive Isabel Nisbet said thecurrent reliance on handwritten papers“cannot go on. Our school exams are runningthe risk of becoming invalid, as their mediumof pen and ink increasingly differs from theway in which youngsters learn.”

Currently, the three exam boards offeringexams in England – Edexcel, AQA and OCR –offer only a small numbers of papers that canbe done online. Edexcel managing director

Ziggy Liaquat said “Technology has thepotential to transform education by making itsdelivery more personalised, efficient andeffective and more transparent and secure.”

AQA chief executive Andrew Hall said that isit really important that students be "assessedin the same way that they learn and using thetechnologies that are commonplace in theworld outside the classroom".

However a spokesman for OCR said thattheir focus "was not to make existing paper-and-pen tests electronic but to explore waysthat computers can add real value toassessment".

Aaron Porter: “Proud ofwhat we’ve done – butit’s time for a fresh start” Exams may change for the digital

generation

Students at the London School of Ecomonicsstaged a protest against the univeristy’sassociation with the regime in Libya.

It was reported that about 12 students stormedthe offices of LSE director, Sir Howard Davies,and an estimated 150 students held a rallyoutside.

The LSE have said it is reconsidering links withLibya as “as a matter of urgency”. However thestudents are demanding the university pay backthe £300,000 it had accepted of the £1.5m grantfrom a charity wing of the regime.

The grant was pledged in 2009 by the GaddafiInternational Charity and DevelopmentFoundation. The funds have so far been used todevelop a research programme on North Africa,focused on politics, economy and society.

The protesting students also urged theuniversity to revoke the LSE alumni status ofLibyan leader Col Gaddafi’s second son Saif al-Islam, who studied at the university gaining botha Master of Science degree and a doctorate.

LSE Students’ Union Education offer said "Ithink it's reprehensible that the universitycontinues to benefit from money that was stolenfrom the Libyan people and it's only right toreturn it to the people who are now beingmurdered in the streets fighting for theirfreedom. The money should be returned eitheras scholarships to underprivileged students, orto the families of those who have been murderedand who continue to be murdered."

In a statement the university said the LSEdirector shares the students' revulsion at therecent violence and gross violations of humanrights in Libya, and much regrets the associationof the School's name with Saif Gaddafi and theactions of the Libyan regime. The School'sstatement of 21 February made clear that Schoolengagement with the present Libyan authorities,covering a number of programmes, has alreadyfinished or has been stopped following theevents of the weekend of 19-20 February."

LSE studentsprotest overGaddafi funds

University of Bolton student, Sharlene Moffat,has been awarded a prestigious engineeringscholarship from the Institute of CivilEnginners (ICE).

The Queen’s Jubilee Training Scholarship wasawarded to the first year HNC Civil Engineeringstudent by the North West division of the ICE.

Sharlene moved from her hometown ofDundee for employment about a year ago. Shefits her academic work around her job as aPavement Engineer for Colas UK. She said 'I'mdelighted to be receiving the scholarship; it hasgiven me a huge confidence boost. When Iapplied for it I wasn't sure at first, I neverexpected to even get an interview as I'd heardthat the competition for the scholarships ispretty fierce, so to say I'm happy with theoutcome is an understatement.'

Bolton studentawarded prestigiousscholarship

Under plans recommended by an influentialgroup of councillors, drinking alcohol could bebanned in every street in Bolton.

Under the new plan anyone drinking inpublic would have their alcohol seized bypolice. Those who refuse this could be given aninstant £50 fine or be arrested and fined up to£500 through the courts.

This new plan is hoped to reduce drunkenanti-social behaviour. Council bosses andpolice believe there is a real problem caused byyouths hanging around with adults who drinkin public.

Drinking in public is already banned in eightareas of Bolton. The Haulgh, Horwich andBlackrod, Little Lever, Westhoughton, Boltontown centre, Halliwell, Union Road in TongeMoor and Green Lane in Great Lever.

Bolton street booze ban

NUS President, Aaron Porter, has announced hewill not be seeking re-election next month.

This is your last tour beforeyou go away to start your nextalbum. What made you wantto do this as you only touredlast year?Marc: “What made us do thistour? Erm, otherwise we wouldbe at home, being bored. Welike playing shows, I mean wedidn’t tour much on this album,we did tour right after it cameout and a couple of shows inBerlin and that’s it because onetour fell apart because of thevolcano so this tour is makingup for it.”

You are headlining in Europeexcept for the UK. Why do youthink this is?Marc: “Why? Because I think AllThat Remains are bigger, itseems to happen a lot -”Andreas: “Yeah, they are justbigger than we are, we arebigger in Germany.”Marc: “It seems that Germanbands have it more hard here,maybe it is because of the WorldWar? I have no idea because itwas generations ago. I mean wetry to do our best, we put onshows as good as possible andthe kids seem to like it. Maybenext year it will be our turn.”

Your last album “Say Hello ToTragedy” was inspired bysome real events such as the‘Fritzl case’ (2008) with thesong “24 Years”. Why was thisimportant to write about?Andreas: “It was importantbecause it was a big case, thiscase was very horrible and I hadto write about it.”Marc: “People just turned away,looked away, nobody cared.Nobody saw that, for example, itwas going on for twenty-fouryears. That is what the titlemeans; you can’t turn away, youhave to open your eyes.”

What would you say to peoplewho have never heard of yourmusic?Marc: “I think one of the greatmarks is that we put many stylesof music into our music becauseit is at the same time heavy,breakdown, melodic, heavyscreams and heavy-melodicvocals. It is hard to tell what isactually good because we don’twant to come across asarrogant. I think what we do, wedo really well. I mean technical-wise it is all thought through,the song-writing is good, therecording and we take a lot oftime to actually produce. Whatmatters are the fans, they pay tosee us, give us their money andthey should get a great showwhich they deserve. We don’twant to play shitty.

Do you currently have anyideas for your next album?Andreas: “We are in the middleof our album record and a coverrecord with, I don’t know, aboutsix to ten cover tracks so it willbe out before summer. We havejust finished collecting songsand playing them, we willrecord them in February.”

Marc: “The cover is really goingto be limited edition stuff, so notmany copies will be done,maybe some downloads. Ourown record couldn’t have beenfinished for summer and wewant to release something thatwe can play at festivals. Wealways like to cover songs andturn them into Caliban songs.There will be a mixture of metalsongs, rock and pop-rock stuff,like for example tonight we aregoing to play Rammstein andthen at another gig Anthrax, U2and Pink Floyd. There is highvariation.”

Tell us a fact about yourselfMarc: “I play online shootinggames on Playstation3”Andreas: “I like to watchGilmore Girls haha”

If you were not in Caliban,what would you be doing?Marc: “Probably a vegetarianrestaurant. I really enjoycooking Thai food, Asian foodand stuff. I have a friend who is achef and have actually thoughtabout joining him.”

Why did you call yourselves‘Caliban’?

Marc: “It’s a character from InThe Tempest of the Storm. Wethought the character fitted inwith the music. The demonicand dark elements mixed withthe moods changing drastically;like slow/fast andmelodic/heavy.” Andreas: “I have never read it,but our guitar player wasreading it at the time.”

Who has been your favouriteband to tour with?Andreas: “For me, In Flames.”Marc: “Suffocate, Scars ofTomorrow, In Flames were alsonice guys. Machine Head werealso pretty nice, the bands thathave come for this tour. Wehave played with many people,many great bands and yousometimes forget. It is hard tosay, it is always different.”

If you could play a concertanywhere, where would youchoose?Marc: [instantly] “Hawaii. Thenjust stay there for a month.”Andreas: “The moon... orIceland. I just want to go there, Ihave never been but I’ve seenpictures.”Marc: “If anybody reads this,

book us to Hawaii.”

Are there any treats in storefor this tour? Marc: “We are going to playsome songs that we have neverplayed before like, “All That IGave”, “Walk Like The Dead”and our cover song. Today isactually the very first time wewill play Rammstein live.”Andreas: “A world premiere”

[all laugh]

Caliban played asimultaneously eerie androaring half an hour set. Theyopened with the intro “HerDarkest Dream”, followed by:“Love Song”, “My Time HasCome”, “It’s Our Burden ToBleed”, “No-One Is Safe”, “I WillNever Let You Down”, “WalkLike The Dead” andRammstein’s “Sonne”. Howeverowing to some technicaldifficulties the set wasunfortunately cut short by onesong. With this in mind let ushope that Marc’s words becomea reality: “we may try to maybecome back for just a UK tour,like just for ten days all the UK.”If they do, would you be willingto welcome the beast?

www.ubsu.org.ukMarch 7th 2011 / Student Direct Bolton04: News

What madeus do thistour? Erm,otherwise wewould be athome, beingbored.

“

Say Hello ToTragedy...Having international status, a following of thousandsand possessing a name which reflects their intensesound; German metallers Caliban hit the UK lastyear. With special thanks to Patrick Grün (drums),Andreas Dörner (vocals) and Marc Görtz (guitar) Iwas able to have a chat with them before the show.

FrancescaVisavadia

I’m not old enough to rememberthe likes of Pixies, SmashingPumpkins or Sonic Youth but Isure am a fan of the late ‘80s, early‘90s grunge music which standsfirmly as an important part ofmusic history, a fact which hasbeen enforced recently by fresh,new band with a haunting ‘90sgrunge revival sound.

The band, astonishingly, arefrom London and go by the nameof Yuck. Born out of Daniel

Blumberg and Max Bloom’scollective musical talent whichwas first showcased to the worldin the band, Cajun Dance Party in2008 (a band which sadly fizzledout after a lonely album, leaving

behind heartbroken fans anddisappointed critics alike) Yuckhave brought the lo-fi, grungysound that every teenage Nirvanafan born too late (like me) has hadlacking from their life.

Their sound is something ofpower and drive with strongrhythmic basslines, something anyDinosaur Jr fan would recognise,glimmering guitars, reminiscent ofSmashing Pumpkins’ 1979 orTonight, Tonight. The vocals, onthe heavier songs, sounddistorted, as if recorded on avintage microphone and areedged right down into theinstruments at some points gettinglost in the music, think GougeAway or Wave of Mutilation byPixies. The quieter, gentler,lullaby-ish tracks evocative of thedistant, haunting vocals andmelodies of Elliot Smith or thegentler Radiohead tracks.

It is, of course, unfair to compareYuck to such notable bands butobserving these likenesses is aninevitable part of experiencingtheir music as they take us back to

a rosy-romantic time of angst,melancholy and straightforward,durable, hardwearing music(much like the clothes).

Yuck’s self-titled debut albumopens with the powerful and

beautiful Get Away; thuddingdrums are the driving force of thetrack with a resonant guitar riffand those vintage, brokenmicrophone sounding vocals thatsooth the overdriven bass line. It

has a fun, driving around insummer with the windows downand the music up loud type feelthat evokes the nostalgicsensibility encouraged by thenext 13 tracks. The Wall is it’sfollow up, keeping with thehurtling feel of the first track andthat warm, wistful sound drawnfrom their late-‘80s and ‘90sinfluences. These two tracks startthe album with such energy andsimplicity that take us, withouthesitation, into the rest of record(if you weren’t alreadyconvinced).

The sound that Yuck haveadopted is clearly not an attempton new, innovative orrevolutionary but what they dodemonstrate is strongsongwriting and variety; Georgiahas that distinct grungy Seattlenoise but it has a freshness thatgives it such strength as a solidtrack for release.

Other notable tracks are Suck, amelodic guitar piece withbeautiful vocal hooks, Stutter andRose Gives A Lilly, all strippedback, restful tracks that draw onthe delicacy and emotion that canbe evoked from craftedsongwriting.

Yuck are a great band whoshow that you don’t have to bedifferent to make a difference, Ijust hope they can keep the raw,awry affection and driving spiritneeded for 20 more years ofteenage angst.

The Cornerhouse (Oxford Road,Manchester) is a great place forInternational Cinema and, if like meyou have friends whose firstlanguage isn’t English; watchingfilms in their native language withEnglish subtitles often proves to bea great way to spend time together.So, as my friend and I had arrangedto meet one Sunday afternoon, Iquickly did some research (by thepowers of the internet) anddiscovered the Cornerhouse wasshowing a film in Spanish withEnglish subtitles – brilliant!

I had no idea if what we wereabout to watch would be worthwatching, or if my friend wouldever come to the Cinema (El Cine)with me again. However, on arrivalI discovered that Javier Bardem(Before Night Falls (2000), OscarWinner for the role of AntonChigurh in No Country for Old Men(2007)) was the starring Actor; andthis made me feel slightly moreconfident about my film choice aswe settled into our seats.

I found everything about this filmstunning in the strangest possibleway and, at some points, I quiteliterally gasped in equal measure ofshock and horror at the story of

Uxbal (Bardem), a man clearly inturmoil with every aspect of his life.Essentially, Biutiful is a love storybetween a father and his childrenand through this further exploreshis relationship with spirituality, hisbrother, ex-lover, and his criminalbusiness arrangements withunderpaid migrant workers. Thefilm is intense and multifaceted.Every detail, direction, angle andpiece of music flows seamlessly asthe story twists and turns throughthe dangerous criminalunderworld of modern dayBarcelona.

The one thing that struck meabout this film was its use ofimagery and the way it effortlesslycaptured the essence of Uxbal’s dayto day encounters from the grimyapartment in which he and hischildren live to the appalling livingquarters of the immigrant workerswhich, contrasted beautifullyagainst the stunning backdrop ofBarcelona and its many famouslandmarks. Visually it was strikingyet simple in its direction. Bardemis a seriously talented and engagingactor and gives a truly astoundingperformance; he gives himself overcompletely to the portrayal ofUxbal, and subsequently movedme to tears at several points duringthe course of the film. Uxbal isportrayed as a shifty man flawed inevery way but someone with whomI couldn’t help myself empathisingwith as I watched him struggle withhis guilt and attempting to ‘put hishouse in order’ both physically andspiritually for the sake of hisChildren. I found myselfcompletely engrossed in thisgripping and heartbreaking story,and at some points I wanted toshout out with frustration(thankfully, that didn’t happen).This, I feel, is completely down to

Bardem’s performance, and it is nota wonder that he picked up a BestActor award in Cannes.

Biutiful is an extremelyfascinating and intricate film thatquite literally blew me away. Fromthe minute the film started anduntil the credits rolled I wasliterally stunned into silence and,after a very long pause, I managedto utter the word “wow”. Even aswe walked the length of OxfordRoad we were still discussing andpicking apart all the intricacies ofthe film and deciding on ourindividual interpretation of whathad happened. I desperately wantto see it again because I feel that Iwatched the film so intently that Iprobably missed some of what wasgoing on in the detail. However, itis no longer showing at the cinemaso I will have to wait; in themeantime, I have managed to addit to my DVD rental list even thoughit is not released until 16th May2011.

It’s hard not to use the wordbeautiful to describe this film, butquite simply it really is. The film isin a class of its own and I wouldstrongly recommend it to anyonewho likes a film that makes youthink and provokes discussion.

Since my encounter of Biutiful, Ihave also watched hisperformance in Vicky ChristinaBarcelona (written and Directed byWoody Allen), and I intend to workmy way through Bardem’s back-catalogue.

Biutiful has been nominated for 2Academy Awards, a BAFTA, aGolden Globe among countlessother film awards. Biutiful was theWinner of the Dallas-Fort WorthFilm Critics Association Awards forBest Foreign Film (2010), Winner ofPhoenix Film Critics SocietyAwards for Best Foreign LanguageFilm (2010), and Winner of theWashington DC Area Film CriticsAssociation Awards (2010) for BestLanguage Film.

Student Direct Bolton / March 7th 2011www.ubsu.org.uk

33

Reviews& Film

Biutiful

You don’thave to bedifferent tomake adifference

“JamieColes

Yuk YukRelease date: 21 February2011

WHAT’S ON?:BoltonOctagon TheatreRomeo and Juliet until 5th March 2011

In the attic of a soon to be demolished house in 1968 New York,two brothers meet for the first time in sixteen years to sell off thepossessions left by their deceased father. Victor had wanted to bea scientist, but settled for life as a cop on the New York streets,while Walter left home to become an eminent surgeon. Reunited,they set about dealing with the pain and misunderstanding thatlies at the heart of their relationship, and the sacrifices they haveboth made.As they confront their history, eighty-nine year old furnituredealer, Soloman (one of Miller's great comic creations), hagglesover the remnants of their lives, ready to offer a fair deal. After all,everything has a price.http://www.octagonbolton.co.uk/page/143/Whats+On

The Price by Arthur Miller 10th March – 2nd April 2011

Tickets: £5 (£4 concessions)/£20 (£16 concessions) to attend all 5screenings Tickets can only be booked through the OctagonTicket Office on 01204 520661.Performance time: 7.30pm at the Bolton Central Library LectureTheatreFilmmaker Nick Wilding takes you on a never before seenjourney into the life of Fred Dibnah with ten new World Premieredocumentary films. Screened over five nights in Bolton Library'snewly refurbished Lecture Theatre, this is an unprecedentedopportunity to see Fred as he's never been seen before!http://www.octagonbolton.co.uk/page/143/Whats+On

Fred Dibnah Unseen! World Film Premieres 3,10,17,24,31st March 2011

Manchester

Throughout March we’ll be celebrating all things Spanish andLatin American as ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Film Festivalreturns for its 17th year. This year’s exciting programme of eventsand screenings, includes Mexican epic Daniel Sánchez Arévalo’slatest featureArrancame la Vida, smart satire Gordos, andsurrealist film noir La Pantera Negra.

http://www.cornerhouse.org/film/season.aspx?ID=272&page=0

¡VIVA! 17TH Spanish & Latin American Film FestivalFrom Sat 5 to Sun 27 March

HelenDunderdale

Film

Directed: AlejandroGonzález IñárrituStarring: Javier BardemMaricel Álvarez

Biutiful

Yuk

www.ubsu.org.ukFebruary 7th 2010 / Student Direct Bolton34: Opinion

Anyone reading this article isobviously alive. However, there’smore to life than simply being alive.Starting with life changingexperiences and ending withindividual philosophies, we join thelives of the University of Boltonstudents.

After twenty-two years of work, adivorce and losing over eight stone inweight, one student went to ouruniversity to pursue her passion forart. According to her, it was the bestthing she has ever done, “I am now alife model. I just see my body as avessel and am not worried about howI look.”

Connor was eager to share the storyof the worst week of his life. “It allstarted after a wonderful night out fora friend’s birthday. On the way homeI attempted a cool and in fashionheel click, which ended horrificallywith me on the floor and my ankleligaments torn. The morning after, Iawoke unable to walk and with amessage from my motherinforming me my dog of elevenyears had died earlier that day.Later in the week, I was travelingdown to Manchester and wasinvolved in a life threatening crashwhere I picked up injuries. I had nocar, no dog and one useful leg, but Iwas still smiling!”

“I came to university and met my

girlfriend. These last ten months Ihave changed rapidly and my lifehas changed drastically.” (Anon)

Lee’s life changed when hereceived the highest mark for filmstudies ever recorded in LoretoCollege. “This changed my life as itmade me work so much harder andshowed what can be done if I canput all my effort behind it. It mademe the person I am at universitytoday.”

“In 1999, aged seven, I wasdiagnosed with a cancerous braintumour which damaged a lot ofnerves in the brain. I have verylimited vision and am classed asblind. This has meant lots ofhospital appointments. I’ve recently

been diagnosed with anothertumour, this time non-cancerous. Iam an artist and people are amazedat what I can see. My abilities havebecome far more fine-tuned and arthas become an inspiration for me.Coming to university had enabledme to live away from home for thefirst time and I’m enjoying mynewfound independence.”

“After working for thirty-fouryears, progressing to learning anddevelopment manager for a largefood manufacturing organisation, Iwas increasingly dissatisfied at howI was spending my time. After arestructure of the HR department, Itook redundancy and applied for anart course. This brought me toBolton University as a maturestudent. I gave up a good salary,package (including a car) and statusfor what is an improved quality oflife.”

“I left college in 2003. For the pastseven years I worked. Then Idecided to continue my education. Ifind it a bit difficult to cope withmarriage and higher education.Anyway, life is what you make it.Currently, I am studying a BA inaccountancy at Bolton University.My life has changed so much! I needto manage my time appropriatelyand concentrate on my studies.”

“My life changed on the day Iaccepted Jesus Christ in my life.”(Amy)

Prepare yourself, here’s a list oflife philosophies from the studentsof the University of Bolton:

“One life to live. Live it to thefullest.” (Funmilayo)

“You live this life, primarily foryour afterlife.” (Fiaz)

“The harder you work the betteryou will be.” (Lee)

“Do good stuff and good stuff willhappen to you.” (Shandice)

“Don’t live for today, it’s half overwith. Live for tomorrow.” (Amy)

“Take it easy.” (Charles)“Enjoy whatever is and don’t be

too concerned about the past andthe future.” (Patrick)

“Treat others as you would like tobe treated yourself. There is alwayssomeone worse off than you. Life istoo short to take too seriously.”(Gareth)

“What’s done is done, don’t dwellon it, life is for living – make the mostof it.” (Andrea)

“Live, love and laugh.” “Live a good life and treat others

as you wish to be treated.” (Phil)“Pay it forward – you may not be

able to pay back or return thefavours people do for you, but youcan pass on good deeds and helpothers in return.” (Becky)

“I believe we shouldn’t thinkabout tomorrow until we havefinished today. Otherwise we getahead of ourselves.” (Antonia)

“All possibilities are possible, hopefor the best.” (Joe)

“If you’re truly happy, little elsematters.” (Steve)

“Treat others as you want to betreated. Don’t judge others. Youdon’t know what goes on in

people’s hearts.” (Celia)“Work hard, achieve your

goals in life.” (Alicia)It is my view that

life is richer whenfilled with sharedexperiences. Withthis in mind, why notjoin one of the manyclubs or societies atthe University ofBolton? Pop into yourStudents’ Union office(Chancellors Mall) formore information.

Don’t live fortoday, it’shalf overwith. Live fortomorrow

“Go Out And Talk: Life

After the apparent popularity ofmy Valentines story in the lastissue I thought I might shareanother of my love life foul-ups.This one is a little different fromthe last though because ithappened in one of the oh-sofleeting moments of my lifewhen I had a girlfriend. We onlysaw each other once a weekbecause she lived a fair distancefrom me so I didn't get too manychances to cock the whole thingup (no pun intended). Come tothink of it that was my longestrelationship ever so maybedistance does make the heartgrow fonder, or doesn't let mesay as many stupid things atleast.

Anyway back to the story, wewere at a friend’s birthdaycelebration, the ale was flowingand people were having a goodtime. My girlfriend even sat onmy knee for a moment so it allseemed to be going very wellindeed. Then came the wordsthat all men fear “shall we go fora dance?” I say all men fear thesewords but it mostly applies tosober men and of course allwhite men. Not intoxicated whitemen though. Those guys knowthey can't dance but have drunkenough to make themselvesthink they have the smooth

moves as if a they were a young,and most importantly, blackMichael Jackson.

Despite my better judgement Iwas dragged onto the dance floorby my lady friend and beganbending my knees and throwingmy arms in whichever directionhad the least people for me toaim at. For a time it was good anda smile found its way on to myface. The smile got even biggerwhen a pair of lady arms arrivedaround my waist and started tomove my hips to the rhythm ofthe song. However, it went awaywhen I looked up and saw mygirlfriend was on the other sideof the dance floor staring whatcan only be described as pureevil at me. In my panic I becameconfused and instead of simplyturning round and explaining tothe lady attached to my armsthat I was flattered but taken Iinstead began to walk. Walk with

the lady still hanging on to me.Yes I was now dragging a totalstranger across a dance floor andhad no intention of stopping orturning round. When I reached anearby chum I asked who wasbehind me. He managed to stoplaughing and tell me he didn'tknow her but she looked veryangry. Still without turninground I said “Could you let go ofme now please?” in a very feeblevoice. The arms released and ranaway. I asked a few more peoplewho it was and was informedthat the lady in question was afriend of a friend and had leftpretty quickly after the incident.My girlfriend and I followed suitsoon after and when I suggestedthat perhaps the girl had justbeen trying to start a perfectlyinnocent conga line it onlyseemed to make things worse.

Women are strange like that.

Adam Martin

Conga Confusion

DavidEntwistle

When I was in the final year of mydegree, I saw how some of myfriends had been involved in theUnion and how they had madepositive changes for the benefit ofstudents. It was then that I realised Iwanted to get involved. In this casethe motto ‘better late than never’ isdefinitely accurate. I made thedecision to run in the elections, andsubsequently won and securedmyself the position of VicePresident. The next thing I knew Iwas working 5 days-a-week as thevoice for all students at theUniversity, influencing decisionmakers and networking within anational organisation.

I wanted to graduate from mybusiness degree and work for amulti-national blue chiporganisation. However, in takingwhat could be seen as a placementyear working in the

Students’ Union, I havesuccessfully developed an array ofskills and gained valuable

experience for example; · Creating innovative ways ofengaging students with UBSU, andcontribute as a benefit to the localcommunity, i.e. Jailbreak (£1,000addition to RAG), Freshers’ Helpersand an Alton Towers Trip.· Spending time in Ras Al Khaimah,UAE campus attending firstgraduation and running a studentrepresentative workshop for theirstudent council.· Managing operation of our servicesto the same sufficient standard(some areas better) whilst operatingon a 17.7% block grant budgetreduction over the past 3 years.· Negotiating between UBSU andUniversity Executives in order towithstand any additional cuts,writing a Value for Money report toenhance this.What do you do in a typical UBSUday?

One of the most exciting thingsabout my job is the diversity of day-to-day challenges. I am in constantcontact with a range of problemsand issues. Much of my work isundertaken on a 1-to-1 basis tosupport students through theirpersonal academic issues andmishaps, and subsequently, raising

any issues further with keyUniversity staff. I am alsoaccountable for the financial futureand stability of the Students’ Unionas a whole, and the direction inwhich it steers its services. I am notgoing to lie; there is quite a lot of ‘redtape’ to jump through working inpartnership with the university, butonce something is achieved - it givesme such a great feeling

Any advice to give?Quite often you will find yourself

quite literally ‘out there’, out of yourcomfort zone, stressed-out, possiblyeven scared at times but, in the backof your mind you have the constantreminder that your actions aremaking a positive change for thebenefit of students. To help youalong the way, the Students’ Unionhas a team of full time staff who have

a wealth of experience in theirrespective fields who are alwaysprepared to help, support and guideyou with anything you need.

As much as it is important to havefun as a sabbatical officer, at thesame time it is important toremember that the job is also veryimportant. The support you give tostudents can have a lasting impact.The amount of time and moneyinvested into Higher Education byany individual student makes itoverly important that theirexperience is the best it can be.

Having good time managementand prioritising skills are essential.Assistance from the full time staffteam can only go so far. You areresponsible for the driving force ofthe Students’ Union as a whole, andthe direction of others. If there is a

time when you feel like you havenothing to do, you are obviously notdoing your job! The work doesn’talways find you, and most of thetime you need to be self-motivatedand free thinking to be able toanalyse some of the issues that arepresented in order to positivelystrengthen the student experience.

As you are also ‘the face’ of theStudents’ Union it is also importantto be professional at all times, theimpressions you make doesn’t onlyreflect yourself but on the Students’Union also.

Final Thoughts?Becoming a Sabbatical Officer in theStudents’ Union in many ways, is afast track to developing the freethinking management andleadership skills and experience that

would normally take years toachieve, The Students’ Union is aunique organisation where you startat the top of the ladder, rather thanconventionally at the bottom. Aftermy two Sabbatical years, I believethe experience I have gained fromworking at the Students’ Union hasdefinitely helped my futureemployability, and opened my eyesto a sector that I would never havepreviously thought about workingin. I don’t think I will ever forget theexperience.

www.ubsu.org.ukStudent Direct Bolton / March 7th 2011 Feature: 35

Hold on tight people because I'mabout to blow your minds. I canremember a time when there wasno internet. That's right I haveknowledge of that by goneprehistoric time when pandassneezing and cats playing the pianowere reserved for only the mostbizarre of cheese-just-before-beddreams.

Another thing I remember iswhen there were only four channelsand the television and phones cameattached to walls and had you had toshare it with everyone who lived inyour house! Seems strange doesn'tit? I mean how did we ever get alongwithout the internet and all thehappiness it brings?

Well I'll tell you, we had to look upfacts in books, watch TV showswhen the telly companies said wecould and most terrifying of all wehad to buy our pornography fromcorner shops and dodgy markets.That's how real men used to buythere porn. The day you affectedyour deep manly voice, put on that t-shirt that made you look at leastfifteen and reached up to the topshelf of the newsagents then youknew you were a man. Or that theshop keeper didn't care. But now the

internet has denied a generation ofyouths this rite of passage. Thanks tothe information super highway ifyou typed “cheese” into googleyou'd probably get a result wheresomeone is having way too muchfun with a hunk of Edam.

Also whenever the internet isshown in movies it works perfectly.Someone needs to find how to makehis home into a fortress to defendagainst a gang of terrorists and all hehas to do is type those words in anda million results will pop up showingexactly what he needs with clearand precise instructions on how itshould be done. In reality if yousearched for “house to fortress”you'd be bombarded with images ifDoctor House M.D and some fiftyyear old American's jazz fusion bandcalled “house fortress explosion”.

Test used to be reserved for booksand newspapers and having a chat

with someone often meant that theyhad to be in the same room as you!How primitive it all seems now ofcourse. There is no denying that theinternet has changed the world andthe way we live but occasionally I dofind myself thinking about the dayswhen everyone would talk aboutthe same thing that was on TV thenight before. It didn't even to matterwhat channel you had even beenwatching as you had a one in fourchance of being right anyway. Ahsimpler times...

AdamMartin J

The internethas changedthe world“Internet...bit

rubbish isn't it?

Why run for aposition in theUniversity of BoltonStudent’s Union(UBSU) elections?

RobChurch

For more informationplease contact:Telephone: (01204) 900 850 Website: www.ubsu.org.ukFB: facebook.com/UBSUnion

I have cause to question mygaming manliness this week.I've been playing Dead Space 2and it has made me jump morethan it should have. At onepoint I threw my joypad intothe wall because a beasty, Ithought was dead, jumped upand tried to eat my face. I alsoshrieked like a little girl butI'm okay with that as I do allthe time - the most commoncause being when I realise I'veeaten all my minstrels.

The main reason Dead Spacehas caused me to hang myhead in shame though is theamount of times I've saved mygame. Every time a savestation has presented itself I'vepounced on it like it is a liferaft on the Titanic. Not onlythat but if I'd just finished off aparticularly tricky enemy orpuzzle I'd high tail it back tothe last save spot I'd seen, evenif it meant a long trip in thewrong direction. This is wimpyeven for me.

So when did I become thisman? When did I lose mygaming bottle? Perhaps it's justan issue of laziness. The idea ofhaving to go over a section I'vealready played just leaves me

cold. But why should thathappen all of a sudden? WhenI was jumping goombas andcollecting coins in the 8-bitMario world if I died it meantthe end of the level and maybeeven the whole game wouldhave to be started again but Ialways kept plugging away.Nowadays I get angry if my lastcheckpoint is more than tenvirtual meters away fromwhere I died! And dying isn'teven a big deal any more. If myhead gets removed or I falldown the edge of a cliff I knowthat I'll be back up and kickingwithin a few seconds. Iremember the first game thatlet me save at any point and

frankly I went a bit mad withit. By the end I think I'd rackedup over a hundred saves andwas clicking pause and savejust because I didn't feel likerepeating a two yard jump.

I think that current gameshave made me this way. Now,with the many checkpointsand the disappearance of the“game over” screen almostentirely, I've become a flabbyfeeble minded gamer. It's timeto queue up the rocky thememusic, break out the MegaDrive with Streets of Rage andget back into some old schoolgame training. It's time to getmy ten year old thumbs back!

AdamMartin

SPOG- Save baby

Contact the editors at: suvp@bolton.ac.uk

March 7th 2011 / Student Direct Bolton36: Bolton Sportwww.ubsu.org.uk

Our Monday weigh-in is alwaysfilled with dread, and as we walkover to the gym we contemplatewhat we’ve done over the weekand whether we think we’ve lost orgained weight. As it turns out, thisweek I was the biggest looser witha whopping -1lb off my previousweight of 9 stone 8lb, even thoughI had over indulged on alcoholover the weekend. Leona on theother hand had visited a spa; andall the pampering and 3 coursemeals had resulted in adisappointing +4lb weight gain.

Monday 21st February 2011.I’ve got to say, I didn’t feel muchlike running anywhere when Ilooked outside this morning at thegrey drizzly town that is Bolton,particularly not at 6am in themorning anyway. So, I took mygym wear to work hoping that Iwould find some motivation frommy ‘team mate’. Needless to say,that didn’t happen and I cancategorically say that neither of usare looking forward to this self

imposed challenge. So, after work we dragged

ourselves through the drizzle toLeona’s house and got changed.On my way downstairs, Idiscovered she was smoking acigarette in the doorway and atthis point, I wasn’t holding outmuch hope of doing any ‘actual’running.

Armed with only a bottle ofwater (and no-where to put thechange) we strode briskly towardsQueens Park and were faced witha steep incline. “Which way arewe going?” enquired Leona. “Upthere (obviously)!” I retorted in asarcastic tone as Leona’s facecrumpled in disgust. Once we’dgenerated enough motivation, we‘ran’ to the top and all I could hearbehind me was Leona panting“That was more knackering than45 minutes of Zumba!” Oncemore, I hung my head in dismay asI tried to encourage her to carryon ’walking’ along a stretch of flatterrene. A couple of minutes laterwe’d gone from walking to jogging

and back to walking, again on theincline I was at the top whilstLeona trailed behind somewhereat the bottom. Leona sat on abench whilst I ran up and downsome stairs and again, she waitedwhilst I sprinted a circuit of theflower beds. Running (although itwas largely Leona’s idea), was notgetting off to a great start and Icontemplated finding a newpartner for day two.

Tuesday 22nd February 2011.Leona arrived at the office with ahangover and declared herself‘out of the race’. So, up in the Loftbar at lunchtime (whilst indulgingin a luxury hot chocolate), Isnagged myself a new runningpartner.

I can’t say that my secondattempt at running went that well.Firstly, I had problems getting mybreathing regulated - I put thatdown to the fact that I waschewing gum and secondly, partof the way around I developed astitch. Today’s session was a mix

of running, jogging, walking (sorryDan) and a bit of sprinting throughQueens Park and OverdaleCemetery. On the whole I enjoyedthe experience, the evening skywas pretty as day turned intonight via a spectrum of violetskies; the air was cold and thecompany pleasant.

If I looked objectively atyesterdays foray into running as a‘false start’, I am pleased withtoday’s progress. Next time, I willfind something to strap down mymp3 player instead of trying tokeep it in place tuckedsomewhere in my sports bra and, I

may take a jumper that is lessbulky (that I don’t feel the need toremove, tie around my waist andthen put back on again) and I alsoneed to figure out where to putmy keys. Having mapped ourjourney this morning, it turns outwe’d covered almost 2 miles, soI’m pretty pleased and I aim tocontinue with running, butprobably not if it’s pouring downwith rain. I might even betempted to try the 5km atManchester Platt Fields Park onSaturday, but I’m not overlyenthused by the 9am start.

I think my personal preference

is leaning towards more ‘social’forms of exercise activities such asSalsa dancing and the Zumbaclasses however, maybe once I’vegot a bit better at running I will beable to socially interact with myrunning partner rather than justpant.

Getting fit… withoutgoing to the gym!Keep on running….. Running Rating:

Leona: 2/10Helen: 7/10

Quote:“Who invented running?” - Leona