Curfew in Aberdeen?

I received an email today regarding an issue previously covered by the Gaudie that may interest some of our readers.

It is the prospect of a "curfew" on pubs and clubs in Aberdeen. It would entail a mandatory 12:30 a.m. cut-off for entry into any drinking establishment.

Personally I don't see what the fuss is about, having to be in a club by half twelve is hardly that much of a burden. Where I live in the North East of England a lot of pubs are shut by 11 pm, and usually at the latest 1 am; so if you wanted to go to a night club you'd probably be in one by that time anyway.

But there are those who disagree and think that it will discourage young people from coming to Aberdeen, and staying in the city.

Don't let Aberdeen City Council Licensing Board hit the final nail in Aberdeen's coffin by creating a 12.30am curfew!

This will not only affect businesses like mine, but the city and general public as a whole. A thriving late night economy creates a healthy daytime economy. It's true, young people like to shop...and go out.

If we don't try and prevent this 12.30am curfew from going ahead, in September this year, we WILL be told what time we can and cannot go out. This also means, if you finish work late then you won't be allowed to meet friends in a bar or club. So all you restaurant staff and bar staff - it'll be home to bed at the back of midnight as the queues to get in anywhere will be massive by the time you get out of work.

Not exactly an attractive prospect for anyone under the age of 30. Students (we love to hate em, but with 35,000 of them, they do make up a huge % of our economy) will choose other more exciting cities to study, where they are able to go out to meet friends after their bar shift.

So, far less young people moving to the city, more young people leaving the city = less young people contributing to the economy. Which in a nutshell means the more interesting shops closing, independent bars and music venues closing, which in turn results in a downward spiral of gloominess.

Aberdeen is already a vunerable city, with little appeal for younger people. We need to be moving forward, not backwards!

There are other ways to tackle late night crime and drunkenness (read more on the facebook page)...in the meantime, unless we all want to like in a city that's populated by only narrow minded people who're happy with a just after midnight curfew, less choice in the type of shops or restaurants we like and only a small selection of multi national pub and club chains, and zero chance of the café culture the council so loves to hark on about, then sign the online petition here!

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-1230am-curfew-in-aberdeen.html


Thanks folks!

Amanda

Thoughts?

200 year old scientist turns down Rectorship

As you may or may not know this year is the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. The University of Aberdeen is holding a series of events to celebrate the work of Charles Darwin and science in general.

[You can see a flyer for the events here.]

Related to this is a story I found on the BBC's website. Apparently Charles Darwin was offered the position of rector at the University:

Scientist Charles Darwin could have been a rector at the University of Aberdeen, it has been revealed.

Darwin, who introduced the theory of natural selection to explain evolution, was offered the position in 1872.

However he declined the post in a letter, citing the "status of my health" as the reason.

Scientist and philosopher Thomas Huxley, who was a friend of Darwin and a strong supporter of his theory of evolution, accepted the position.

Darwin circumnavigated the globe in the 1830s.

His book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life was published in 1859.

The Aberdeen connection has been revealed as the university launches a series of events to commemorate Darwin's life and work, beginning with celebrations to mark what would have been his 200th birthday on Thursday.

Dr Stuart Piertney, senior lecturer in evolutionary biology at the University of Aberdeen, said: "Darwin was invited to take on the post of rector by John Smith Craig, an undergraduate student studying medicine in 1872 - the same year the sixth edition of his most significant work The Origin of Species was published."

"Darwin replied by letter to say that whilst he was very honoured to be asked, his ill health would make it impossible for him to accept.

I think it's a shame that we missed out on having such a prestigious scientist as rector.

It's important that occasions such as this anniversary are used to celebrate and highlight the work done by scientists around the world to progress human understanding and to improve the human condition. Especially in the face of religious ideologues who wish to disrupt and overturn science because it clashes with what they want to be true.

Gaza Conference

Aberdeen University's Muslim Society is holding an event tomorrow in the Arts Lecture Theatre with speakers discussing the current situation in Gaza. Here's the schedule:

Event: Series of talks entitled "United for Gaza"
Date: Saturday 24th January

Venue: Arts Lecture Theatre, Old Aberdeen Campus
Time: 2pm - 5:30pm

Details of speakers:
• Yussuf Abu Shaaban: "Eye witness account – Gaza"
• Imam Ibrahim Alwawi: "Aberdeen Mosque"
• Dr. Sarah Glynn: "Scottish Jews for a just peace in Palestine, Dundee"
• Rev. Easter Smart: "Aberdeen University Chaplain"
• Dr. Azhar Khan: "Aberdeen Palestine Solidarity Campaign"
• Habib Malik: "Islamic Relief"

The Program:
2:00pm - 2:30pm Arrival
2:30pm - 4:00pm Talks
4:00pm - 4:40pm Question and Answer Session
4:40pm - 5:30pm Middle-Eastern Refreshments

Aberdeen Research Lauded

How about a bit of good news for a change [Source:BBC]. Research is of course one of the most important roles of universities and as Prof Anton Muscatelli of Universities Scotland says that research covers a wide area:

"The results aren't just about the economy. The work these findings measure will result in major breakthroughs in health, energy, culture, information management, environmental technology and many other fields which will change people's lives for the better."

That's the very reason I love science and technology so much; they do so much to enrich the lives of human beings everywhere and constantly push back the boundary of knowledge.

The quality of research produced by Scottish universities has reached new heights, according to a study.

An independent review said the country's share of UK research rated as internationally excellent or better had gone up from 11.6% to 12.3% since 2001.

The results were revealed as part of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

The RAE, carried out by peer review panels, is used to assess the standard of research for all subjects and allocate £1.5bn of university funding.

The study showed that every university in Scotland produced at least some research which was judged to be "world-leading".

The data grades university research using a star system, where four stars denotes research that is of world-leading quality.

A three-star grading denotes research that is internationally excellent, while two stars means the research is recognised internationally and one star denotes research that is nationally recognised.

The University of Edinburgh came top in Scotland with 63% of research activity given four or three stars.

It was rated best in the UK for medicine, veterinary sciences, IT and linguistics.
St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, University of Aberdeen and the University of Dundee completed the top five in Scotland.

In total, 1,000 Scottish researchers and their supporting teams were considered to be leading the world.

Edinburgh University principal, Prof Sir Timothy O'Shea, said: "Research at the University of Edinburgh is constantly expanding the depth of human knowledge and making an impact on the wider world, improving the quality of life for people in Scotland and further afield."

Read the rest here.

Scottish Independence

The following article was in last week's Gaudie. It was written by Amy Robertson, a member of the Labour Club. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I did.


Financial crisis? I’m more worried about the SNP…

So, the FTSE is down, a huge number of our banks have been nationalised and the countries savings are in jeopardy. Yawn.com. Unless it affects my interest free overdraft I'm not really interested. I think there is something much more frightening and relevant to us, as students, on the political horizon - something that will take more than a 700 billion dollar bail out to cure. Last week Alex Salmond caused what can only be called a cringe worthy scene when he attempted to talk economics. Not only did he embarrass himself with his fumbling incoherent number chat, but he also embarrassed this country.

Many people I'm sure must be drawn to the SNP and the notion of independence, however I have a feeling that SNP for many Scottish citizens is a mere euphemism for the ‘We hate England’ party. Has anyone put down their Saltire for more than a second and stopped to think of the repercussions of Independence? Well for one, if we were once again faced with the onslaught of recession we would not be able to run to our big brothers in Westminster for help.

How many of us grew up with Blue Peter, or Neighbours? (Before the cruel people at the BBC moved it to Five)- or even the Six o clock news? Well hate to break it to you but as menial as it seems these programs are controlled by the British Broadcasting Corporation - not the Scottish Broadcasting Corporation. Could we really face an abundance of home-grown channels such as STV and copious amounts of shows such as Postcode Challenge with the MostAnnoyingWomanInTheWorld Carol Smilie? Nah, I didn’t think so.

For students how will the Loans and Tuition fees system change? Furthermore it would be more complicated for students to study in places such as Aberdeen from England and the rest of the UK. The pound would no doubt be abolished, to be replaced with a completely new currency, or indeed the Euro. How complicated would that be? A trip to the Carling weekend in Leeds would be up there in terms of logistics with going to America! Furthermore changing currency tends to trigger inflation meaning that things such as magazines are much more expensive. You might not notice the difference between two fat balding MP’s in Parliament but you would notice the price of your weekly NME or Heat rising. Plus erm, Scotland would have to have its own Olympic team... with the highest obesity rate in Europe we’ve not got the best prospects.

We as students are the members of the population who would be most affected by possible independence - as the future working population. For us it would mean a much more fragile infrastructure to live in, could Scotland really cope without England? I'm not so sure, plus would the Queen still be our Queen!?! So as the race commences for the title of Leader of The World - aka the American Presidential Election stop for a moment and imagine Alex Salmond (supposedly our First Minister..) making small talk with Barack Obama or John McCain. One can't help but think he’d look hugely insignificant.

Next Meeting

Hi all

Just a post to say that the next meeting of the Labour Club will be on Friday at 12.30 in the societies centre, first floor in the hub.

We have a lot to discuss including:-

Scottish Labour Students Conference

Plans for the next month

and of course anything else that takes our fancy.

So if you are a club member or want to become one then come along on Friday.