Vibe Magazine Issue 03

VIBE

ISSUE 3

April 2012

REGULARSS

Music 10

This month Daniel Murphy talks about festivals and his top 5 for this Summer while James Cain reviews albums by Treats and Toddla-t

Film 14

Mollie Taylor has a rant about shoddy remakes and unneccesary sequels, while Alex Chandler debates if the Twilight saga is a chickflick or a proper werewolf vampire film

Day in the life 16

Claire Unwin continues her day in the life of a PR student and talks about the progress of her work with Kind

Need to know: Smoking 17

Following Need to know sections on drugs and alcohol, Alexander Brooke now discusses the dangers of smoking

Gaming 20

FEATURESS Kony 6

Natalie Tomlinson discuss the rights and wrong of the current Kony campaign

Old Meme New Theme 8

Seen the recent Meme fad on Facebook? Nicola Vinyard talks to the founder of the Edge Hill Meme page

Election Results 9

Record turnout and 4 new sabbaticals elected, Gareth Dowling talks us through the results

Are we past the PC? 12

Luke Shoesmith talks about the changes in technology and the move away from desktop PC’s

Student Media 18

Student Media at Edge Hill has grown massively in the last 12 months, find out about a couple of the projects

Is cloud gaming the future of console gaming? Peter Hughes debates where cloud gaming is taking gaming

Fashion 23

Grace McEwen talks about the pressures on Kate’s fashion since her wedding to Will

Theatre 24

Beth Stacey gives an update on whats happening in local theatres, while Sian Holmes talks about the recent production of ‘The Games’ at the Rose Theatre, and Billy Jonestalks about the build up to the up and coming Alice in Wonderland production

Sport 28

Micheal Stewart talks about sport at Edge Hill University and what the future of it is, while Peter Hughes argues if Lionel Messi is the greatest ever 3

WELCOME Welcome to the third and penultimate issue of Vibe for 2011/12 academic year. This issue is another stage in the development of the magazine, we hope you think it is improving as much as we do.

This issue again has a wide range of stuff from the debate around the Kony campaign to case studies about different student media projects.

Thanks to everyone for their engagement in the Students’ Union recently, whether that be voting in the elections, writing / reading the magazine, filling out surveys, giving us ideas or simply listening to the radio station.

As ever the SU and Vibe are open to suggestions, so feel free to email me at supresident@edgehill.ac.uk Until next time, Colin

Editor:

Colin Gibson

Lead Designer:

Dan C Lindsay

Contributers: Natalie Tomlinson, Nicola Vinyard, Gareth Dowling, Daniel Murphy, James Cain, Luke Shoesmith, Mollie Taylor, Alex Chandler, Claire Unwin, Alexander Brooke, Alexandra Freeman, Chris Pearson, Peter Hughes, Grace McEwen, Beth Stacey, Sian Holmes, Billy Jones, Micheal Stewart

VIBE

Contact: Edge Hill Students’ Union St Helens Road Ormskirk L394QP www.edgehillsu.org.uk 01695657301

(c) Edge Hill Students’ Union.

The views expressed by contributers and correspondants are their own and responsibility for the contents rests soley with themselves.

KONY

‘No-one would deny that stopping the most infamous Ugandan warlord in recent history is a cause worth everyone’s time’

KONY

INVISIBLE CHILDREN; INVISIBLE MORALS? Written By Natalie Tomlinson

I

t seems in the last month students have found a unanimous ‘good cause’ in Kony 2012, and with the vast media coverage, and through the unstoppable force of Facebook Twitter, it’s no wonder why the ‘Stop Kony campaign’ has taken off so quickly and so forcefully. However, in the days and weeks since Invisible Children’s heart-wrenching video first hit the internet, controversy has been rife regarding the legitimacy, tactics and claims made by the increasingly powerful group.

No-one would deny that stopping the most infamous Ugandan warlord in recent history is a cause worth everyone’s time. As Head of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), Joseph Kony has spent the past twenty-six years kidnapping children to train as part of his brutal army, in his attempt to overthrow the Ugandan government. During these years of futile attempts, the vicious leader is estimated to have abducted over 20,000 children from their homes, and is believed to have chosen as many as sixty young girls from his troops for his own wives, as well as the numerous others passed on to his commanders. From these statistics, it is easy to see why following Kony 2012 in the fight to end the regime seems appealing.

After all, this is a military group notorious for forcing children to shoot their own parents as initiation, for cutting off the lips and ears of troublesome child soldiers, and for using many young female members as sex slaves. All in all, a pretty gruesome administration.

With this in mind and at the forefront of its video aimed at mustering support, Invisible Children propose military action in order to assassinate Kony and his subordinates. Despite this being the favoured plan of the US government (where Invisible Children are based) for some time now, the pressure group argue that the world needs to show their support for the cause and the ‘legitimate’ Ugandan army, to force the government into further action to help the vulnerable victims of the warlord’s regime.

However, when you look just below the surface of this seemingly faultless campaign, there’s just one glaringly obvious flaw... how do we ‘save’ victims armed with guns and hell-bent by fear on protecting their cause, whether they are children or not? The blunt truth of this argument is that sending in armed military forces will surely result in the bloodshed of the children that Invisible Children are aiming so desperately to save. Although Invisible Children argue that they have no intention of fighting the LRA and solely want to apprehend its leader, it would be nigh on impossible for this to be achieved without the sacrifice of at least some children, as Kony is known to have a congregation of personal child bodyguards around him at all times. Getting past these children, armed with guns, machetes and knives among other weapons, without any human sacrifice is a goal that is arguably unrealistic, despite anyone’s best intentions.

Another point that Kony 2012’s organisers seem to be blissfully unaware of is the sheer notoriety and ruthlessness of the Ugandan government’s army they so sincerely urge us to follow.

The Ugandan military is dishonourable in all intents; it is well known for numerous instances of rape and looting itself, thus making its tactics and the fate of the child soldiers under its proposed charge, not so dissimilar to that that they are suffering at the hands of now. The money that Invisible Children do indeed spend on direct intervention (this amounting to a mere 32% of overall funding, with the remaining 68% funding videos, merchandise and other attention-gaining causes) goes straight to the government and their army, showing their support for the Ugandan regime. Indeed the founders of Invisible Children can even be seen pictured with the army, clearly holding the weapons that as a ‘peace-motivated’ group, it would be reasonable to assume they are against. Here we can see the contradictions of the charity against itself, where it visualises an end to this harrowing suffering without any blood being spilt, carried out by a regime itself that is infamous for rapes, murders and other unimaginable atrocities.

Basically, the most important thing to remember, before any of us cast an opinion, is that Kony 2012 is not the only way. Indeed there are many Ugandan academics and organisations that argue that Invisible Children’s proposed plan of action is the wrong way to go. One such individual who agrees with this viewpoint is Anywar Ricky Richard, himself a former child soldier under Kony’s LRA. Richard believes that the end of Kony’s reign should be brought about peacefully and that Invisible Children are almost in too deep with a subject they can hardly understand, let alone appreciate all the way from the safety of the USA.

Again, it must be reiterated that stopping Kony and freeing the child soldiers he rules back to normal lives is a subject dear to many of our hearts, and indeed this is a great step. Yet if we are to jump on the proverbial bandwagon and join in the fight to stop this child abuse, surely we should not forget that Kony is not the only dictator to employ this tactic. It is estimated that around 21 countries in the world are using child soldiers to fight with their cause in present day, including recently convicted Lubanga in the Congo, and that these regimes are in operation in almost every region of the world, not just underdeveloped countries like Uganda. Many charities are fighting for the same aims as Invisible Children, such as War Child and Child Soldier, and these causes are equally as important as Kony 2012, if not as well publicised.

Many want to stop Kony, and others like him, just as we stopped Lubanga. The key to power is knowledge, and it cannot be disputed that the best way to fight against Kony is through having the knowledge and the facts to make your own opinion on how we can save these powerless children. Whether you’re with Invisible Children or keen to find another way, we are all fighting for the same goal. We just need to be sure we’re fighting the best, safest fight we can, for the children all over the world that have already suffered too much. VIBE

MEMES

Old MEME, New Theme M

Written By Nicola Vinyard

eme pages seem to be the latest trend and with many causing recent offence what more could Edge Hill possibly want? The Facebook page created by a first year Edge Hill student became popular in an instant and provided us with an outlet to display our many rants and raves. As we all know Facebook is a form of social media that keeps us in contact with the latest gossip, emotional state and even what we’re having for tea so what better way to give us a little fun too. If you haven’t visited or ‘liked’ the page I suggest you do it now before reading on. http://www.facebook.com/EdgeHillUniMemes Whilst the 19 year old decided to remain anonymous (and who can blame him after the UCLan meme pages removal), let’s just refer to the source as a man named Robert*. I asked him a few questions about why he started such a popular yet seemingly ridiculed branch of internet culture.

So what is a meme?

A meme is ‘pictures with captions on and all images have a certain theme’. Robert* went on to tell me these themes included ‘awkward penguin’, ‘good guy Greg’ which are the pictures found behind the caption. The caption is something to do with Edge Hill and all tend to be humorous.

The page was started on February 6th of this year and with all the laughs provided it certainly seems these memes have been around much longer. Within its first month it had a huge response and to date it has just under 1400 likes. With the vital statistics below it is clear to see what a barrel of laughs it causes amongst students.

• People have viewed the pages news feed 76692 times.

•Totalling the amount of comments and likes equals 10935.

•There are 6819 monthly active users.

Female users = 54% Male Users= 46% So do women have more of a sense of humour?

Although most users are from the United Kingdom (Ormskirk, Liverpool and Southport being the top three) there are a few fans from Thailand, Germany and Spain.

Robert* even told me how potential students for the University found the page and although memes have been heavily criticised, they found us to be a bunch of good humoured people they would only be too

happy to join. With lines such as ‘one does not simply log on to Edge Net’ and ‘placement why you no simple’ perhaps the lack of internet and placements isn’t too disheartening after all.

So why did you make the page?

Many other universities have created meme pages but it was Edinburgh University that gave him the inspiration to go ahead and do it. ‘I started seeing other universities pick up on it and decided well, I might as well make one for Edge Hill’.

Robert* said that this page is able to give students ‘an outlet to express themselves in a more humorous way because I’ve seen some points being raised (on the Facebook page) that haven’t been raised in other ways such as to the SU’. He said they tend to be more minor points.

Is the page a good way for social interaction between students?

‘Yes…the response has been amazing… the amount of student content that has been put on the page has been phenomenal’.

What do you think your tutors would say?

‘I think it depends on the tutor, other university pages tend to be a lot more aggressive…like mocking other universities but I think here at Edge Hill we tend to be poking fun at ourselves which is a lot better’.

In light of Uclan having taken their page down, would you take an offensive meme down if one happened to appear?

‘Certainly take it down’. Robert went on to say that although some may take offence to jokes about courses or otherwise, it is not meant intentionally or to make fun of a single individual.

After creating the page and seeing the mixed reviews and the enormity of student generated content, Robert* still believes our meme page is a great way for some light-hearted fun. I think it’s fair to say everyone has had a lot of good and bad experiences along the way at Edge Hill so join up, make some memes and keep it good humoured! VIBE Robert* (pseudonym used to remain anonymous)

ELECTIONS

Elections 2012 Results M

Written By Gareth Dowling

ore than 50 people turned out to see current Vice- President for Education Elliott Hodgeon overcome strong competition from Drama student Philip McGuinness at the event in the Hub.

The elections were for next year’s Students’ Union team, who will work full-time at the Students’ Union representing students and campaigning for better standards and facilities across the campus and beyond.

As candidates nervously waited for the results, Dave Massam, assistant returning officer of EHSU, revealed Hodgeon had triumphed with 853 of the 1,243 votes cast, with McGuinness taking 467 votes.

Following his success, a delighted Elliott paid tribute to the students who elected him and his campaign team for their hard work.

He said: “I’m ecstatic at being able to have another year and am so grateful to everyone who voted, and particularly my campaign team.”

“I look forward to continuing to move EHSU forward with what is sure to be another active and committed Executive.”

Three vice president positions were up for grabs on the day – for the Faculties of Education, Health & Social Care and Arts and Sciences – with a total of seven candidates in the running.

In Arts and Sciences, journalism student Gareth Dowling won out despite a dedicated campaign from Lauren Davey, who impressed with her ideas and innovation – including hosting a lunchtime music concert in the hub.

Dowling amassed 525 first preference votes in round one, with Davey on 367, and after distributing Jose Mendoza’s transfers, the third-year journalism student was duly elected.

Education saw a straight shoot-out between Alex Illingworth and Daniel Thompson who were both on final year teaching placements for the duration of their campaigns.

Illingworth, whose manifesto concentrated on creating community links and partnerships, won out with 637 votes to Thompson’s 361.

Meanwhile Health was won uncontested by Sian Rees VIBE

MUSIC

Festivals

Written By Daniel Murphy

W

ith Summer almost upon us (finally!), it’s that time again where the festival line-ups are finally revealed and you try frantically to get everyone you know to buy a ticket. If you still don’t know where you fancy, this countdown of five major UK festivals gives you the low-down on who’s going, when it’s happening, how much it will cost, and what makes it worth going!

5.) Isle of Wight Festival 2012 Line-up highlights - Elbow, Example, Jessie J, Noel Gallagher, Pearl Jam Weekend Camping Price - £190 (Adult)

The eleventh Isle of Wight festival will take place this year on the weekend of 22nd-24th June. This festival is more likely to appeal to indie or rock fans with a line-up consisting of headliners Elbow, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam. There are a few mainstream acts playing this year such as Jessie J, Loick Essien and Wretch 32 so there will be no problem when it comes to variety. Other attractions at the festival have yet to be announced so it’s anyone’s guess as to what can be expected.

4.) T in the Park 2012 Line-up highlights - Snow Patrol, Kasabian, Swedish House Mafia, Chase & Status, David Guetta.

Weekend Camping Price - £189

The Scottish festival ‘T in the Park’ returns this year for its nineteenth festival in Balado, falling on the 6th-8th July weekend. Having previously included headliners by huge artists such as The Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Lady Gaga, this year’s line up looks set to please. Headlining the festival in 2012 will be Snow Patrol, Kasabian and The Stone Roses, but with seven different main stages, there is bound to be something

for everyone. Music-wise, there’s everything from Skrillex to Nicki Minaj to Enter Shikari, so whatever your musical taste, you’re bound to find at least someone you want to see. In terms of other things to see and do, there’s also a circus tent, a funfair and a cinema, so there’s always something to entertain you!

3.) V Festival 2012 Line-up highlights - The Stone Roses, The Killers, Nicki Minaj, Tinie Tempah, Rizzle Kicks.

Weekend Camping Price - £175

A festival that has a more mainstream, radio-friendly line-up, the ‘V Festival’ returns to Chelmsford and Staffordshire on the weekend of the 18th-19th August. Headline slots this year see the return of The Killers and The Stone Roses, as well as a host of current mainstream artists to keep you going all weekend. V also offers many other things on the side, such as smaller music tents and a good range of alcohol tents, so this festival will be one to remember. The price for a weekend camping ticket is also a reasonable and being in the height of summer, there’s always that hope that the weather will be at its best (although that’s highly unlikely of course!).

2.) Creamfields Festival 2012 Line-up highlights - Tiesto, Avicii, deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Afrojack.

Weekend Camping Price - £135 (for three days)

The legendary dance festival is back this year for the nineteenth time in Cheshire from the 24th to the 26th of August. Performers include dance heavyweights Tiesto and David Guetta, as well as newer acts including Skrillex and Knife Party which are sure to please any hardcore dance fan. For the tent-shy among you, there’s also the choice of luxury camping to avoid the typical British weather flooding your tent when you least expect (although it is a bit pricey). With the best weekend camping price and a line-up to impress, ‘Creamfields’ is a must for any dance fan this summer.

‘line-up consisting of headliners Elbow, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam’

1.) Wireless Festival 2012 Line-up highlights - Drake, Rihanna, Labrinth, Nero, Weekend Camping Price - £97 (non-camping)

The event in the capital this July (6th-8th) looks set to be THE festival of the summer. With huge headline names in the form of US artists Drake and Rihanna (her only show of the year!), the supporting line-up continues to be just as big as the headline acts with names such as Example, Professor Green, Pitbull and Wiz Khalifa all making appearances. There is also plenty more ‘Wireless’ has to offer including a fairground, artist signings and music workshops, so there will always be something going on. The only problem some people might have is that the festival doesn’t offer an option to camp, but as it is in London, you can be sure you won’t be short of places to stay VIBE

MUSIC

Music Reviews Written By James Cain

O

n their debut album, Treats, genre-defying noiseniks Sleigh Bells lovingly crafted an unholy, Spectoresque cacophony of distorted guitar riffs, pounding drum machine rhythms and girl group vocals. The album garnered acclaim and delight from Beyoncé and Pitchfork alike and, in 2012, Sleigh Bells have responded with the aptly named Reign of Terror.

With an opening track that sounds like it’s been lifted straight from Judas Priest’s Unleashed In The East (‘True Shred Guitar’), the US duo begin their sophomore album with a barrage of speed metal riffs, squalling feedback and the roar of a gigantic stadium crowd. Like Justice’s pomp-rock/electro effort last year, this is a sincere, albeit tongue -firmly-in-cheek homage, as opposed to Lady Gaga’s cringeworthy posturing on Born This Way. The record continues to bear this metallic influence, with Derek Miller’s overdriven guitar featuring more prominently in the wall of sound than its predecessor, which was dominated by heavy, syncopated beats. ‘Born to Lose’ and ‘Demons’ surpass even the most visceral moments of before, without losing the infectiousness of Alexis Krauss’ cheerleading vocals. Equally, the album shows a more intricate approach to song structuring, as the standout track and single from the album ‘Comeback Kid’ shows Krauss’ layered R&B vocals counterpointing an immense keyboard driven melody. The equally catchy ‘Crush’ marks the return of rhythmic handclaps, while ‘You Lost Me’ almost resembles a power ballad, with breathy, echoed vocals and Floyd Rose squeals throughout.

Reign of Terror is a darker, more experimental album, exploring even more musical territory than before. Behind the bubblegum melodies hide lyrics about failure, heartbreak and teen suicides (‘You Lost Me’ evokes the 1985 suicide pact of two Nevada teens that landed rock music in hot water, ‘End of the Line’ concludes with the word ‘goodbye’ and a gunshot sound) as well as numbskull references to The Goonies (’Never Say Die‘). This is not the same record as Treats, eschewing its simplistic head rush in favour of a more expansive vision. Instead of going one louder, Sleigh Bells have gone one further VIBE

A

fter making waves with the somnambulist skank of his 2009 debut album, Steel City’s most illustrious young DJ, Tom ‘Toddla T’ Bell has taken another large step towards widespread recognition with Watch Me Dance. Although ‘Cruise Control’ and ‘Badman Flu’ feature the trademark Sheffield “bleeps and riddims”, this album is less rooted in the digital dancehall infused grime that shaped his previous manic effort. Watch Me Dance is instead an excellent showcase for the self-proclaimed Boom DJ’s production talents.

‘taken another large step towards widespread recognition with Watch Me Dance’

The eponymous first single from the album is a glorious return to the lush 80s electrofunk sound of Zapp and Timex Social Club, drenched in vocoders (not Auto Tune, kids), synths and pulsating slap bass, as well as featuring a great cameo from Stockwell’s finest MC, Roots Manuva. This is followed by the should-be-massive lead single ‘Take It Back’, another knowingly retro track which sounds convincingly like an old school garage White label from the late 1990s (‘I wanna take you back in time’ croons Shola Ama). The sound continues to evolve on cuts such as ‘Cherry Picking’ (which is reminiscent of the Eurythmics), the socially conscious reggae of ‘Streets So Warm’ (which features Dubstep doyen Skream) and the vinyl-warm vibrations of album closer ‘Fly’, which feature the vocal contributions of one Ms. Dynamite.

Far more developed in terms of song writing and production techniques, this album shows one of Britain’s most gifted young DJs edging ever closer to his full potential. ‘Can we take it back/to how it used to be’? Almost? VIBE

PC

Are We Past The

To start with I would like to welcome you all to the year of the ‘tablet’. Long gone are the days of the humble desktop computer providing your only portal to the vast expanse that is the internet. Even the days of the ‘smartphone’ are numbered with the release of the Titan II from HTC and Microsoft, dubbed a ‘superphone.’ (Call me when it has a cape or a mask.)

The question is, are we ready for these new devices?

For a number of years now I have had a trusty powerhouse of a computer occupying the space under my desk and it has always proved itself ideal for the kind of demanding creative work I need it for but I accept not everyone needs a cutting edge Goliath taking up what little space they have in there ‘student room’, and would much rather have a laptop that they can take with them wherever they go.

This is where tablet computers are starting to forge a market – portability.

With the advent of the i-Pad in 2009 and its successor not two years later, Apple has claimed an early victory in the tablet race as it had two products to market before most of the big hardware companies could get one.

Products such as the i-Pad/2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab provide users access to a wide range of content across many mediums whether that be personal files such as video, music or photos; online content such as social networking and video on demand; and services such as Spotify or the provision of some kind of ‘App store’ where you can probably find an app for anything.

However, these devices do have their drawbacks as they tend to be significantly down on power and file storage even compared to some eight-year-old computers. As well as this they can be notoriously difficult to back-up or recover files from; I mean have you ever tried to get your music back from your i-pod?

At the moment desktop PCs and laptops are able to perform tasks that tablet PCs just can’t quite master. Word processing is a key area that they are lacking any firepower - I personally couldn’t imagine writing a 1500 word assignment on an i-pad - even with the keyboard peripheral.

So what is another option for someone who wants the portability and battery life of a tablet PC but also wants the processing power and wide range of software (such as Word and Photoshop) available on traditional desktops and laptops? Well this is where Intel has the answer.

Earlier this year at the Customer Electronics Show (CES), Intel revealed its take on the next generation of portable computing, in the form of the rather superlatively named ‘Ultrabook.’

Ultrabooks are basically super thin laptops that boast the same (or greater) battery life as most tablet computers. At the moment there are few Ultrabooks on the market none of which sport a built in touchscreen therefore remaining relatively rooted to the traditional computer.

However, I believe that these early Ultrabooks are just a taste of what is to come thanks to the radical changes made to the next generation operating system from Microsoft – Windows 8.

‘However, I believe that these early Ultrabooks are just a taste of what is to come thanks to the radical changes made to the next generation operating system from Microsoft – Windows 8’

Windows 8 sees the biggest redesign in nearly two decades (the days of Windows 95) and is aimed at making the PC much more touch friendly. This is something that is evident as soon as you use the (prebeta) product as it does away with the iconic start menu (first seen in Windows 95) to make way for a tile based start screen – similar to that of OSx 10.7 Lion’s Launchpad.

This isn’t just a direct copy of OSx however, as this pulls elements from Microsoft’s mobile platform into the user experience with the ‘Metro’ UI (User interface) and the return of ‘live tiles’ that actively update the information they display – from emails to the weather. This makes the start screen a much richer experience than anything seen before and helps to focus the platform around the start screen rather than it being used as a navigational tool like Launchpad.

Of course this isn’t to say that Microsoft has just thrown away everything that was great about Windows (and especially Windows 7) to make way for a touch screen only operating system, quite the opposite in fact. The desktop that you

e PC?

Written By Luke Shoesmith

have now still exists and is meant for use with traditional computer applications such as Word. So basically whatever you can do now on your Windows 7 PC you will be able to do in Windows 8*.

As well as the traditional applications, Windows 8 will incorporate an app store named Microsoft Store, which will sell traditional PC applications alongside mobile style apps. These mobile apps will make use of the immersive user interface provided by Metro meaning that they will make full use of the computer screen to display information without being able to see the start bar or anything other than the app itself.

This is this is the biggest move toward the tablet as the more apps you have the richer the experience.

Finally another notable feature is the fact that if you have two (or more) Windows 8 devices and a Windows Live/Hotmail account then you will be able to sync your user settings and apps to each one. So if you have a picture of your dog as your lock screen on one device and sync it, then you will have it on your other device/s without having to copy and paste files around. By the same token, if you download or delete an app on one device it will do the same on the other/s. With this monumental change of direction from Microsoft I wouldn’t be surprised to see a change in the way Apple design its own software.

OSx Lion’s release late last year gave light to a strategy to combine elements from its popular iOS with its less popular OSx – this was evident from the new Launchpad that operates in a similar way to the i-pod/pad’s central navigation system – but with this greater push from Microsoft will Apple follow suit?

‘With this monumental change of direction from Microsoft I wouldn’t be surprised to see a change in the way Apple design its own software’

As I said earlier, Apple already has two tablet products to market, a figure that could soon stand at three if online sources are to be believed.

So it seems that there is no crying need for them to combine their platforms especially when Lion has received some criticism from die-hard OSx users who claim it is a dumbing down of a creative tool. This is something both companies need to avoid while maintaining their march into the future of tech.

So taking you back to my first question, are we past the PC? No I don’t think we are. I think we are ready for a better fusion between the traditional PC and the ever increasing popularity of tablet computers. This will help to satisfy both ends of the computer market and will create a better overall synergy between devices.

This should be a good move for the computer market as it will broaden the market and make portable and powerful computing truly possible. However, the area of the technology world that looks to suffer most from this market shift is that which the ‘enthusiasts’ owe there computing lives to – the customisation industry.

At the moment it is possible to upgrade virtually any part of your desktop, and sometimes even laptop, computer or even build one from scratch. This is where the progression into the tablet/computer hybrid will fail; well, would you be able to build an i-pad?

It is this area of the computer industry that will have to get its head down and start coming up with new and revolutionary ideas to keep themselves in the game. And it’s not only the big names like Nvidia or Sapphire that stand to lose out, it’s your local computer repair man; what will he have to fix when all the devices are covered by ‘faceless corporation’ care?

Think about it, could you live without your laptop? Would you be able to function to the best of your ability on the current generation tablet PCs or do you need that extra power and level of productivity that can only be satisfied by a desktop or laptop computer?

I can’t wait to see what the future of portable computing brings. I just hope whatever it is doesn’t mean we lose what I love about it now. VIBE I’d love to hear your views on this so why not get in touch with me at: Lukeshoe1993@hotmail.com

PC

FILM

Oh Please, Not Another One?

Written By Mollie Taylor

What really grinds my gears• • •

People who wear heels to gigs Peter Andre Bad film sequels and/or remakes

There is no place in this world for shoddy remakes of classic horror films such as Amityville Horror, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. It’s hard enough to take modern horror films seriously as it is, but when they think it’s okay to take a 70’s classic and completely ruin it, that is where they cross the line my friend.

What happened to, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’? Same goes for unnecessary sequels. Nobody needed to see Grease 2. Unnecessary sequels are probably the main offender, and should be stamped out like the plague. How many more Ice Age sequels will we have to endure before somebody puts a stop to it?

It’s not enough to have a nice little film, no sir, even when all the loose ends are tied up by the end. Will somebody please think of the children! Sequels are all well and good if they have an honest purpose. Back to the Future wouldn’t be the same without the whole trilogy. Harry Potter sequels dragged out for a whole generation, but they were all necessary!

If you’re still reading at this point I assume you’re either trying to look busy to avoid talking to someone you don’t want to talk to, or maybe you can see my valid point amongst this rant. If the latter is true, I’ll quit while I’m ahead. (All I’m saying is the world could have lived without Titanic 2). VIBE

FILM

Twihards, Trying To Hard?

Written By Alex Chandler

N

ow before I begin and to avoid any angry letters from any ‘Twihards’ and teenage future wives of Robert Pattinson, I will begin by saying I have not read all the books completely (I just couldn’t bring myself to it). Any defamation in this article relates mainly to the films of the ‘Twilight Saga’.

Is it surprising that as a 28yo male I don’t like the Twilight films? Well, no. The films are clearly targeted towards teenage girls or middle aged women with the emotional mentality of a teenage girl. It’s very easy to find guys that don’t like the Twilight Saga and not surprisingly their arguments are often similar ‘’wtf I just spent two hours waiting for a fight and nothing happened’’, ‘’I wanna see some epic vampire vs. werewolf fight, when all I get is some chick teasing two guys’’.

Whilst the generic arguments we hear from guys seem reasonable, disappointed after the films are advertised as vampire stories when there is actually no need for any of the characters to be either vampires or werewolves, the arguments hold no water against the most obvious retaliation.

These films are made for teenage girls, they are not bust em ups, they are love stories, a rough guide to inform young girls how to cope if ever trapped in a vampire/werewolf/human love triangle. Joking aside I do see how the films appeal to a certain audience, especially to anybody who has read the books and likes to see the representation of their internal world up on the big screen.

The reason for my skepticism isn’t even the ‘’there’s not enough fighting/ bloodshed’’. It’s that, forgive me, but I just don’t see the romance; Edward is supposed to be in love with Bella when in fact he turns out to be a controlling, manipulative, over protective stalker. He uses sexual coercion as well as mind games to control Bella, going as far as removing the engine from her car to stop her leaving the house, but it’s all ok because he’s doing it because he loves her.

Anybody in real life expressing Edwards’s creepy fascination would not be seen as a potential love interest, but a potential interest to the local law enforcement.

The relationship between Bella and Edward is dangerously unhealthy, his forceful obsession is often romanticized even excused. As well as this passive acceptance of the abuse, Bella is often found shamelessly trying to corrupt the unbelievably rose-tinted and old fashioned values of Edward in a sexual temptress role Eve would be proud of.

Bella struggles even to make a decision, leave the house, go to school, tie her laces or breathe without the physical and emotional help of a man. It is this sexist portrayal of the heroine that should really gain more attention from its female audience.

To excuse what can only be described as mental and physical manipulation/abuse as an acceptable love story is just dangerous.

Especially as the target audience is a tragically impressionable age group. Some people may question why a 28yo male has spent so much time on a feminist critique of a film aimed at teenage girls. Well it is quite simple the Twilight Saga is massive, it reaches millions of people either through books, films, fan chat rooms or general media hype. Anything with such a huge cultural audience should be open to scrutiny and criticism. I don’t like the films and I don’t like the books, it’s an opinion which thankfully I am allowed to have. Just as acceptable as somebody that enjoys the saga.

My real problem stems from the fact that in the 21st century, a time when women all over the world are still struggling for political, cultural and social equality, a phenomenon can exist that portrays a heroine that should absolutely have no ideals, hobbies, friends, family or ambition. Or if she did should give them all up for the complete and utter devotion of her entire life to a hero who is jealous, controlling, manipulative and mentally abusive not to mention old enough to be her granddad.

The fact that millions of young girls (and older ones that should know better) are being fed this antiquated sexist version of love is plain wrong and unhelpful.

That they should break down and fall into some kind of self-imposed state of depression if the man in their life leaves them. That they should give up any goals, aspirations or any form of normal life and succumb to their love interest completely and that they should jump off a cliff just to regain his attention is a disgrace to how far we have supposedly come in the struggle for equal rights.

Maybe I’ve missed something and maybe I’m just being too critical or reading into the whole thing a little too much but as I sit flicking through a copy of Mary Wollstonecraft’s 18th century A Vindication of the Rights of Woman I can’t help wondering how far have we actually come in the last two hundred years?

VIBE

Disagree with this article? Want your say? Get in touch- supresident@ edgehill.ac.uk

PR

A Day in The Life: PR STUDENT Written By Claire Unwin

Above: Blacklow Brow students with Stephen Yip, the founder of the Kind charity

In my previous 2 articles I have spoken about the progress the PR students have made in their ‘Book for a Brick’ campaign. There has been a lot of hard work and organising going on and the team’s efforts have been amazing.

Those of you who were in the Hub on February 28th would’ve seen Desperate Scousewives’ Danny Latimer helping us sell birthday books on our stall. Danny was very charming and did a fabulous job of helping us promote the charity, by the end of the day we managed to raise £211 for Kind!

Whilst most of the team worked hard pushing students to participate in the raffle and buy books, myself and Jess Cooper nipped upstairs to say hello to the guys at L:39 radio, the SU’s very own radio station. The station had very kindly agreed to feature the charity in their show, and help promote the book stall downstairs. The show was quirky and fun, the boys even managed to get me and Jess involved in a game of ‘Countdown’ and ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’! Any publicity is valuable for the charity, so to be mentioned for over 4 hours on the radio was really good for us. Thank you L:39!

After the success of the book stall, the Kind PR team continued to spread awareness of the campaign by making a visit to BBC Radio Merseyside. The students arranged for the charity’s founder, Stephen Yip, to talk live on the air in the morning and push sales of the book. Not only did he get to talk to Radio Merseyside’s Sean Styles, but he had pupils from Blacklow Brow School alongside him. The children have been doing their own fundraising for

Above: 3rd year PR students displaying the birthday books in the Hub. From left: Emma Allison, Alicia Beesley, Claire Unwin, Holly Windsor, Jess Cooper. the charity and so far managed to raise £700 for Kind; that sets the standard high for us PR students! The kids were really great on the air and spoke very highly of Kind. After being on the radio the children were also more than happy to pose for publicity photos, which the Kind PR team would use for any press releases or coverage.

The Kind PR team are also working on a promotional video project. The filming for this took place in February at the centre on Back Canning Street. Despite initial weather warnings, we managed to get some fantastic footage, and the children were very enthusiastic to be involved. One child even asked “Am I going to be famous?” Bless! Once the finished product is made it will be posted on all of the Kind websites, such as their twitter feed ‘@kindliverpool’ and facebook ‘kindliverpool’. The footage captured so far has been very good, so we’re all looking forward to seeing a light-hearted yet effective charity video. Keep your eyes peeled for it!

‘Those of you who were in the Hub on February 28th would’ve seen Desperate Scousewives’ Danny Latimer helping us sell birthday books on our stall’

If you want to get your hands on one of the birthday books, they are really simple to order.

You can either go to the kind.org.uk website and order one for only £2 (including delivery) or get in touch on the facebook site and organise for a member of the PR team to get one to you .The charity is always looking for donations as well, so if you have a quid or two to spare, get involved! VIBE

SMOKING

Need to know: Smoking

Last month, March 14th was yet another important day for an annual health awareness issue. No, sorry to disappoint, this did not involve anything to do with a certain “steak (and other activities) day” of any kind; I am indeed talking about No Smoking Day.

Wriiten By Alexander Brooke

As all of you are probably aware, there are many smokers around campus ranging from students, lecturers and other staff members. As an “attempting ex-smoker” myself, I am aware that most smokers ignore the warnings presented on the back of cigarette packets every day. Therefore, I have researched a variation of facts and myths interesting for smokers and nonsmokers alike, which may or may not help you or someone you know find the path to quitting smoking.

No Smoking Day The first No Smoking Day was originally held on Ash Wednesday in 1984 and is now held on the second Wednesday in March.

The President of No Smoking Day is actually the well-known Scottish entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne (Dragons Den). Despite the fact that he was previously a smoker himself, Bannatyne has confirmed his passionate drive to supporting the stop smoking campaign by allegedly threatening to suspend his children’s trust funds if he finds them smoking.

What’s in a cigarette then?

Many people are aware of the basic ingredients within a cigarette such as tar and nicotine. However, did you know that when lit, cigarette paper and tobacco discharge more than 2000 chemicals that are absorbed by your body?

1) Acetone: An active ingredient in nail polish remover and a by-product released from burning tobacco.

2) Ammonium: Found in floor and toilet cleaner and believed to increase the absorption rate of nicotine.

3) Arsenic: An ingredient found in rat poison.

4) Cadmium: A toxic metal used to make rechargeable batteries and known to cause liver, kidney, and brain disease.

5) Formaldehyde: Also known as “Embalming Fluid” and used to preserve dead bodies, this cancer causing chemical is used in cigarettes to preserve tobacco.

6) Hydrogen Cyanide: A Gas Chamber Poison used during World War 2.

7) Methanol: Found in antifreeze, rocket fuel, and general solvents this chemical is used to hide the irritation caused by cigarette smoke to the throat.

8) Naphthalene: A toxic carcinogenic hydrocarbon derived from coal tar or petroleum and an ingredient in mothballs.

9) Stearic Acid: A wax like fatty acid found in animal and vegetable fats and used to make soaps, candles and plastics.

10) Turpentine: A toxic oil commonly used to thin paint and strip varnish from wood is used to flavour menthol cigarettes.

Facts the scientist’s claim Some facts which may or may not help you quit?

1) A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day will on average lose two teeth every ten years.

2) Cigarette smoking causes infertility in women if taken more than half pack a day.

3) Smoking will not help reduce your body weight. In fact it can actually cause cellulite.

4) Smokers who quit before age 35 prevent 90% of the risk of health problems from smoking. A smoker who quits before age 50 halves his/her risk of dying within the next 15 years compared to someone who continues to smoke.

And Finally…

If this article has helped you stop smoking - brilliant! If it hasn’t never mind. However, without any attempt to preach, it is worth remembering that it’s not just yourself you’re harming when smoking, it’s those who you hold most precious to you who are suffering as a consequence.

1) According to scientists, people who smoke are said to lose about 14 years of their life. Although this does not mean that a smoker will die young.

2) Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds of being inhaled.

3) Unbeknown to diabetics, sugar is approximately representative of 20% of a cigarette.

Did you know? (source of who says these?)

1) 22% of adults, or about 10 million people in the UK, are smokers.

2) The immune systems of many smokers have to work harder than those of non-smokers and also contain less antioxidants. However due to a smokers active nature, the immune system may be more responsive to virus attacks.

3) Smoking was invented almost 2000 years ago by Brazilian people who rolled tobacco leaves in paper.

4) Cigarettes don’t help you to unwind. This is because nicotine is a stimulant therefore the speed of bodily functions actually increase which includes your heart rate.

5) As china has the biggest world population, they subsequently have the greatest amount of smokers in one geographical location.

Chinese smokers light up about 3 million cigarettes per minute.

6) The current Guinness Book of Records holder and world’s oldest woman, Jeanne Louise Calment, quit smoking only at the age of 119. She was too blind at the time to light it for herself, therefore she had to get someone else to do it for her and she claimed this was something she hated. VIBE

MEDIA

Give It A Little ‘ Do you have a passion for the media? Want to know how to work your

way around a television studio, or even create your own show? Well now you can!

Edge Hill student Jordan Link, who has worked on a number of music videos, came to the university and recognised the lack of film and television showcases around, so decided to bring about the brand new society “EdgeTV” in which any student can join and work as a team to create their very own television show that will be shown all around campus, and even on the Edge Hill website.

When Jordan first came to the university, he noticed there were a number of societies for various hobbies and talents, such as L:39 radio, however, there was nothing to give publicity to the work of the film and media students. With a love of presentations, he travelled down to London and set up meetings with a number of television studios, including DMA media and the BBC who agreed to both back and endorse this amazing society. The BBC will therefore occasionally be on hand to all members give support and show presentations to the society as well as providing an excellent chance to meet various potential future employees for those of you with a hope of a career in the media industry.

Jordan has been around the university talking to as many people as he can, including our own university head and other various staff, getting their opinions and approvals and it has been agreed that the shows created by the members will be shown on the big screens all-round the campus and also on BBC iplayer on the Edge Hill website, giving a chance to make a small portfolio of your creations.

As the society is brand new to Edge Hill University, ideas are welcome from all students – no idea is too ridiculous (with exception to a few!). The first group meeting took place on Wednesday 8th February in which ideas

were thrown around the tabl a number of groups each wit fill each month so you have n open to all students, regardle study geography, media or la brand new and exciting and y

If you are interested in getting to either EdgeTVJordan@gma

Who’s involved?

The Creative Development Te Jordan Link – Executive Produ Alex Macklin – Recruitment M Sarah Petty – Creative Develo

The Production Team

Matt Owen – Executive Comm Steph Linney – Post Productio Joe Sharpe – Post Production Jamie Leigh Smith – Post Prod Simon Robertson – Post Prod

WAIT! It’s not all about televis chance to? Simply send in an Owen (EdgeTVMatt@gmail.co have it aired to the entire cam

MEDIA

‘Edge’ Written By Alexandra Freeman

le and potential positions were filled. There will be th different shows and a maximum of one hour to not missed your chance to join yet! The society is ess of the course you are studying so whether you aw, all you need is the passion to create something you could even make some great new friends.

g involved simply email your name and a few ideas ail.com or EdgeTVAlex@gmail.com

eam ucer Manager opment Officer

missioner on n duction duction

sion! Already made a short film, or do you want the ny work you have created or ideas you have to Matt om) who will review your work and you could then mpus! (Good Luck!) VIBE

Lancashire Fresh Events Written By Chris Pearson Lancashire Fresh Events (LFE) is a programme broadcast

by the production company Television Light Entertainment (TLE). LFE covers a wide range of events from around the Lancashire and Merseyside area. So far they have covered events such as the Woodlands Animal Sanctuary Appeal, the famous ghost walks of Blackpool, David Dickinson’s Real Deal, Edge Hill’s very own comedy show and much, much more!

As the show is created not only for the surrounding area of Lancashire but also for the students of Edge Hill, we will follow two students on their travels to the Disney International Programme in Orlando Florida to give students a real insight into the whole experience and show you how fantastic an opportunity the America programmes really are! Also TLE’s own American student Jon Moore who studied at Edge Hill for a semester will be presenting his own part of the show reflecting on his life back in Indianna.

Heading back to this side of the pond and this summer in Lancashire, LFE will be at the biggest events including the Bickerstock festival and Southport Rocks!

So tune into LFE either on Bay TV at www.baytvliverpool. com, look us up on YouTube or catch us on the big screen in the hub very soon! VIBE

GAMES

‘Cloud Gaming’ - a dece Written By Peter Hughes

Nowadays, more and more people seem

to be playing their games online, either by using gaming services such as PlayStation Network, Xbox Live or Steam. These services are available on the corresponding hardware.

PlayStation 3 and/or PlayStation Vita use the PlayStation Network, while Steam is used on the PC. The concept of playing games online is brilliant. Being able to play with or against millions of people around the world is challenging, yet entertaining.

All of these online gaming services, however, require top-spec hardware to be able to function properly. The PlayStation 3 already has the hardware to give the user a great gaming experience, but is expensive to buy (although the price has decreased quite a bit, so is reasonably affordable). Meanwhile, playing games using Steam would require a decent enough computer with a good processer and/or a powerful graphics card.

That can set you back quite a lot financially.

Some of the most popular games on the current market, Skyrim, Mass Effect or Call of Duty require powerful machines to be able to play properly.

But what if there was an alternative way to play some of the other well-known games on the market, without the need for a powerful machine? Well, you’re in luck, there is. It’s called ‘Cloud Gaming’.

Cloud gaming is a unique type of video gaming that allows on-demand online streaming of popular video games, without the use of video game consoles and controllers. The concept of Cloud Gaming was introduced in 2000, but has only recently been fully introduced to the community.

In some ways, it is similar to the network functionality of services such as PlayStation Network or Xbox Live. Unlike these consoles and modern video games played on PC’s however, the performance of games played on Cloud Gaming servers is not actually measured by the graphical or processor power of your machine, but is measured instead by the strength of your internet

connection. Cloud Gaming uses your broadband connection to connect to the server of an on-demand online gaming service (such as OnLive), and then sends the user the video game information via that server to allow games to be played.

It really is rather wonderful when you think about it. With Cloud Gaming services such as OnLive, you can play some of the best games currently on the market for a very reasonable one-time price, and all you need to play them is a mouse, keyboard and a good internet connection. Why bother spending hundreds of pounds on a brand new computer, or attempting to destroy your current machine by upgrading its components, when you can simply log onto a Cloud Gaming servWice (OnLive) via a downloaded application for your desktop and play top games over the internet?

The obvious benefit of such a concept is the fact that you are able to play these popular games, without the need for a ridiculously powerful computer. Some people would go as far as simply buying a brand new computer or laptop, just for the sake of playing their favourite game. I would say to those people, don’t needlessly waste your money on getting gleaming new hardware. Join a Cloud Gaming service, download a simple application, and then start playing over the internet.

Speaking of Cloud Gaming services, the most popular one that is available to customers is OnLive. Currently, it is only available to people in the US or the UK, but the company has plans to release the service internationally. I myself use OnLive, as I have a decent internet connection to be able to play the games that they currently offer. All I had to do to get started was create an account on the website, download the desktop application, connect to the service and start playing games. You don’t even need to download any of the games available,

because the games information is already stored onto OnLive’s servers, based all around the country.

If you compare this kind of service to other online gaming services currently available, such as PlayStation Network or Xbox Live, where you have to download each game from the online stores before starting to play them, then Cloud Gaming does sWeem a better alternative for gamers to experience. In addition, the games currently available via OnLive are slightly cheaper than on PSN or Xbox Live.

You can even get a subscription to something called ‘PlaWyPack’ that OnLive offer, in which you pay a monthly subscription fee to play the 150+ games available as much as you like, without paying for each one separately. And any game that is not included in this bundle can be bought with a 30% discount! Bargain!

Considering the fact that this optional subscription costs £7 to join, and each of these games costs between £10 and £20, you can probably see why this service is becoming so popular. I don’t actually have a subscription to OnLive’s ‘PlayPack’ myself, as I don’t use the service as often as I should. And I have only ever purchased one game from the service, and simply got a trial of any others. But if I had the time, I would subscribe to it in a heartbeat.

If you are contemplating starting to use a Cloud Gaming service, then you really ought to know that it will not work properly if you do not have an internet connection of at least 5Mbs. And that is the biggest, and probably the most obvious drawback of Cloud Gaming. If you don’t have a really fast internet connection, you will have a lot of trouble playing the games on offer, and you may not even be able to log onto the service properly, as your connection would be deemed too slow.

It doesn’t matter how powerful your computer is, it all depends on your connection whether your experience of Cloud Gaming is positive or not. And a good connection is the pinnacle of a smooth and pleasant online gaming experience. PSN or Xbox Live have slightly more lenient requirements to online gaming connections. Around 1 or 2Mbs is normally required to connect to these services, but it is recommended to be higher to successfully download games from their corresponding stores. Even then, you are waiting a few hours to download and install these games before you actually start playing, which is the complete opposite of what happens with OnLive.

It is hard not to recommend Cloud Gaming if you have a sufficient internet connection, because it is simply ingenious. The ability to play great games over the internet, without the need to splash out on expensive hardware is too good an opportunity to miss. Then again, people are so used to using the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live that they don’t care too much about Cloud Gaming, and may simply not take any notice of it. But it really isn’t something to be ignored. Rather, it is something to be experienced if you hold any interest in online gaming. And who knows, you may end up enjoying more than you expected. VIBE

ent alternative?

GAMES

FASHION

A Dazzling Duchess Written By Grace McEwen

When Catherine Middleton married Prince William on April 29th last year and became The

Duchess of Cambridge, the world was in awe. Here was a commoner becoming a member of the British Royal family. It was like the ‘happy ever after’ fairy-tale come true. Ever since that moment, her outfit choices have been the topic of conversation, and have been under the scrutiny of every fashion magazine in print. It is quite an achievement then, that a year on, we are still applauding her and gasping in delight at the tasteful, stylish and Duchess-worthy outfits she appears in on every public occasion.

It was when her engagement to Prince William, second in line to the throne, was announced that her popularity soared. The blue Issa dress that she wore to face the media became one of the first in a long line to sell out, followed by the cream Reiss dress she wore in her official engagement portraits, shot by Mario Testino. This year, Reiss announced a huge rise in profits, and it’s no surprise really – the ‘Kate effect’ is well under way. It is very rare that fashion, particularly the high street, sees such dedication to one role model. When Catherine wears something, the women of Britain buy it.

The real question though, is what makes her so special? Is it the fact that never before has a ‘celebrity’ been put under so much pressure to look immaculate every waking moment? Is it the fact that she has, single handedly, added glamour and youth to the Royal family? Or has she just simply captured the nation’s hearts in the way Princess Diana did before her? The truth is all of the above; people relate to her because she started out like everybody else, a mere mortal. Catherine’s story of being whisked off her feet by a handsome Prince is a dream come true in every young girl’s eyes. However, many have been surprised by how much she has retained her modesty and humbleness.

The Duchess of Cambridge is an icon – people love her, are obsessed by her, want to dress, act and look the way she does. What’s so wonderful about this is that (as far as dressing like her goes) they can. Catherine has every designer and stylist at her beck and call; if she wanted to, she could wear Chanel every day. Instead, Her Royal Highness has been photographed regularly in Reiss, Topshop and LK Bennett – all part of Britain’s great high street, famous as we are for it. The fact that a middle class housewife, say, can be a part of what is one of this country’s greatest legacies just by being able to buy a particular dress or pair of shoes is incredibly empowering. Never before has a woman’s outfit choices played such an important part in this country’s ever-growing history.

After Catherine and Prince William were married, their first duty as a Royal couple was overseas, in Canada. As noted by the people she met, she was an utter delight; the same goes for her wardrobe choices over the course of the visit. A stylist did not accompany her, which bodes even better for the Duchess, as many of her outfits were designed by Canadian designers, such as Erdem. What is becoming clear is Catherine’s fondness of quietly nudging affection towards her, wearing British designers and British high street first and foremost when she’s at home.

Even now, as she accompanies The Queen on her Diamond Jubilee Tour of the country, The Duchess of Cambridge is still managing to keep us hooked. Wherever she’s going and whatever she’s wearing remains headlined in our country’s newspapers, magazines and on our televisions. Catherine has been a welcome breath of fresh air to our Royal family, making half of one of Britain’s most popular couples. While the comparisons to Princess Diana have been reduced to a simmer, there will always be similarities; genuine compassion, kindness and beauty. It’s no wonder really that, a year on, Great Britain is still falling in love with the nation’s new sweetheart. VIBE

THEATRE

Theatre News Written By Beth Stacey Bodyguard Musical

After the tragic death of Whitney Houston in February, the Bodyguard Musical has been pushed forward a few months and is anticipated to open at the Adelphi Theatre in November. Featuring many of Houston’s greatest hits including ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘I Have Nothing’ and ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’, Tony and Grammy awardwinner Heather Headley will play the role of pop star Rachel Marron, played

by Whitney in the Bodyguard film. The plot centres on the relationship between Marron and her bodyguard, played by Kevin Costner in the film.

Tina Turner Musical Soul Sister is a new musical directed by Bob Eaton. Inspired by the lives of Ike and Tina Turner, it will illustrate the ups and downs, passions and heartbreak of their love as their careers thrived and their marriage

What’s On

crumbled. It will include classic numbers such as ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, ‘Private Dancer’ and ‘River Deep Mountain High’. Soul Sister will star Emi Wokoma whose musical theatre credits include Hairspray at the Shaftesbury, Dancing In The Streets and Porgy and Bess (Trevor Nunn). The show will run at the Hackney Empire from 14th April to the 15th May. WhatsOnStage.com Awards 2012 This year’s WhatsOnStage.com Awards were presented at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Winners included James Corden (Best Actor in a Play) for One Man, Two Guvnors, Vanessa Redgrave (Best Actress in a Play) for Driving Miss Daisy, Amanda Holden (Best Actress in a Musical) for Shrek the Musical, Richard Fleeshman (Best Actor in a Musical) for Ghost the Musical, Matilda the Musical (Best New Musical) and War Horse (Best West End Show). Since the awards the RSC have decided to take Matilda the Musical to New York early next year. The show won four awards including London Newcomer of the Year for Tim Minchin and Best New Musical.

Minchin is already planning his next musical project with an original story against the advice of Lord Lloyd Webber and Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

Jason Manford to star in Sondheim classic Sweeney Todd, which opened on March 20th in London’s Adelphi Theatre, will

The Rose

Liverpool Empire

Everyman and Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool

Maddy Prior in Concert Friends of Folk present Maddy Prior in concert starring Hannah James and Giles Lewis.

Tuesday, 3rd April 2012, 8.00pm In the Dust A well worth seeing group - 2faced Danced Company present their contemporary explosive dance piece In the Dust. Not to be missed!

Wednesday, 18th April 2012, 7.30pm Our Lady of Goldfinches The group Small Mercies present Jane McNulty’s story of Jean McConvilles’s murder by the IRA and her daughters attempt to make sense of the death.

Monday, 30th April 2012, 7.30pm

There’s a lot of good stuff on at the Empire this month starting off with The King and I starring Ramon Tikaram (Qadim Shah from EastEnders).

Presented by the Curve Theatre Leicester between the 3rd and 7th of April, it promises to be a hit, known as one of the greatest musicals of all time.

In collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe, Everyman and Playhouse Theatre present Henry V prior to its run at the Globe Theatre in June.

The play will be visiting the Playhouse Theatre between 12th to 28th April and prices vary between £10 and £21.

After this, the thrilling rock musical Hair will be here for 4 days only between 10th and 14th. With songs such as Let The Sunshine In, Hair and Aquarius and starring Gareth Gates and Zoe Birkett this hippy musical looks to delight. The real Susan Boyle graces us with her presence in I Dreamed A Dream based on the epic journey of SuBo making her way to stardom with plenty of her biggest hits. Finally, on 27th and 28th starring Live At The Apollo’s Rhod Gilbert, The Man with the Flaming Battenberg Tattoo is at the Empire for two nights promising a laid back night of laughs.

Presented by YEP, Illyria by Bryony Lavery visits the Playhouse Studio between 17th and 21st April at 7.45pm. The play follows a British journalist who finds herself trapped in the middle of violence and darkness in the war torn country of Illyria.

Prices between £4 and £6. VIBE

Prices Prices at The Rose can vary between £4 and £11 and concessionary prices are available to students with valid ID. Alternatively you can buy a season ticket for around £20 which provides you with four tickets usable for most of the shows. Tickets can be booked online, by phone or at the Box Office VIBE

.

Tickets for the Empire Theatre can vary between £10-£50. VIBE

THEATRE star Jason Manford who is set to take over from Robert Burt in the role of Pirelli. The comedian Manford won ITV’s Born to Shine with his rendition of a Verdi aria and has said he always wanted to appear in a musical.

According to his facebook page he will be performing from 2nd – 28th July and 14th, 18th and 24th August. The show stars Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton and has opened to great critical acclaim with a cast recording of the highlights due to be released.

Jodie Prenger to star in Corrie Musical ‘Street of Dreams’ Jodie Prenger shot to fame in 2008 after winning the role of Nancy in Oliver! on Lord Lloyd Webber’s talent show I’d Do Anything. She will be playing Elsie Tanner in the Coronation Street Musical Street of Dreams. After playing Nancy, Lady of the Lake in the tour of Spamalot and currently appearing in One Man, Two Guvnors at the Haymarket, she seems to have the experience to play such a demanding role. Jodie told the Manchester Evening News, “I couldn’t be happier. I’m up to my eyeballs on youtube watching old videos. Elsie Tanner is that cracking, strong northern woman, and there’s loads of strong northern women I’m going to be channelling into this role. She had her ups and downs.

Every man should be scared of her!” The world premiere of the show will be at Manchester Arena on 9th and 10th May and stars Paul O’Grady as host. Many characters will be recreating their iconic roles on the stage and is billed as ‘one episode you simply won’t want to miss…’.

South Pacific Review, 3rd March 2012, 7.30pm You can’t get much more of a classic than Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific and this was proven by the packed Empire theatre. Filled with memorable tunes such as Cockeyed Optimist, Bali Hai and Some Enchanted Evening, the show portrayed romances and the culture clash – Emile has two mixed-race children from an earlier marriage – sensitively and with effectiveness.

The show, is at heart, a love story between Nellie Forbush (Samantha Womack) and Emile de Becque (Matthew Camille) however, this was difficult to tell with little chemistry emanating between the characters.

I did feel that Womack was a little too old for the character of Nellie and whilst she danced and acted well, her voice seemed a little reserved and her portrayal of the colourful character was quite plain. Camille played de Becque effectively with a wonderful baritone voice although his accent, which tended to drift, was at times difficult to understand.

Nonetheless, the cast put on an intriguing show which certainly transported you to an island in wartime with its excellent lighting and simple, but effective, set. Light relief was brought by Alex Ferns as hulking rogue Luther Billis, Daniel Koek in excellent tenor voice as Lt Cable, and Loretta Ables Sayre reprising her Broadway role as the devious Tonkinese tradeswoman Bloody Mary.

With a large cast and 17-piece band, the show was enjoyable but I wouldn’t rush to see it again and at three hours running time you can’t blame me VIBE

Mad Hatters Tea Party The Games THEATRE

Written By Sian Holmes

Written By Billy Jones

I went to see ‘The Games’ at the Rose Theatre. The production, run by Spike Theatre,

was stopping by on a tour around the UK. Consisting of three actors (two male and one female) they interchanged roles and through this created a brilliant narrative and a wonderful way of putting across Greek values.

The play started off with an interactive introduction from Liam, one of the actors, who set the scene, made the audience feel comfortable and introduced the other two actors. It was very comical, with jokes about universities they used to attend, mocking their accents and the way they dressed.

The play is based around Greek Gods Zeus, Herma and Demi-God Hercules betting that they could get their chosen athlete to win the Olympic Games by giving them a special power. The chosen subjects were Darius, Stanzas and Hermaphrodite. Their journey together started when they were all separately on their way to Athens and after bumping into each other worked as a team to get there, achieving a goal of making it to the Olympics and also making new friends.

A big part in the Greek Olympics is that they all played the competitions naked to show masculinity. Indeed promotion for the production stated the show was for 12+ as there was simulated nudity and they weren’t kidding. For most of the show all three of the actors were running around with fake male genitals and added in as a joke we saw Darius’ real genitalia on purpose, which was shocking but funny.

So, you’re wondering why Hermaphrodite was wearing male genitals? She wore it as she had to prove she was male to play so with her powers she also turned into a male, with bandages wrapped around her chest and the excuse of a bruised rib. However part way through the fake genitalia was removed by Demi-God Hercules as a puppet to the theme tune of Mission Impossible. The overall solution was that she couldn’t play being female so she created fake genitalia using a banana and competed, won and then revealed she was female by accident. Which left the resolution that we MALE and FEMALE are all equal and should have equal rights. It ended with a big party and the Gods arguing between themselves.

The play turned into a musical half way through with songs after every event with the biggest being when they arrived at the Gates of Athens. Songs were being used for reference to show pride, happiness and overall emotion (Barbara Streisand changed to Hermaphrodite.)

The most comical part about the show was the set acting like dominoes, falling down and almost landing on the character of Darius. For the rest of the show he made it obvious that he didn’t want to go anywhere near the set, this made the whole act hilarious.

The show ended with a sing along and the actors shaking our hands. We stayed behind for a Q&A session and asked whether the set was supposed to fall down, the answer being no. We also learnt how the play was put together and how the ideas of doing a play about the Greek Olympics came about. They admitted that the play was 3 years old and that it was doing a tour now as it was more popular than in the past but had nothing to do with the 2012 Olympics. Overall, the use of physical theatre, puppetry, song and dance, clowning and overall acting came together to create a very enjoyable night VIBE

On your average day at Edge hill, you’ll find Hale Hall an open social space for

students and staff alike often used to sit and chat, hold informal meetings or just sit to eat lunch. However, if you happened to walk through Hale Hall on Tuesday 13th March, you’d have seen something very different, courtesy of the ‘Edge Theatre’ society.

The Hall was transformed into the creative and colourful world of Alice in Wonderland and the setting of the mad hatter’s tea party, complete with the long table, bunting, giant chess pieces, tea sets and other various props associated with the famous story. Most of the props consist of items members of the society have picked up in various charity shops but some larger items were also kindly offered to the society for the production from the likes of the Tate gallery at the Albert Dock in Liverpool.

Probably the greatest aspect of the event, however, came in the form of the live characters including the likes of the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Door Mouse and the Cheshire Cat, all acted out by current Edge Hill students and were fully interactive with anyone and everyone that walked through. The students were fully immersed into their characters and it provided an exciting and dynamic experience for everyone lucky enough to have witnessed them in action.

The event itself is actually part of something much bigger and forms part of a greater production of Alice in Wonderland being put on by the ‘Edge Theatre’ society. President of the Society Phil McGuiness explained that the event in Hale Hall was to create a sense of a teaser trailer for what was to come from the full production and would give students an idea what the society was working on and what it was about. Equally important is that it gives students involved with the society a real opportunity to showcase their talents to a constant stream of students and staff throughout the day as they pass by.

The society currently has around 23 cast members and 5 production team members who work together to stage productions such as this. Their full reimagined production of Alice in Wonderland will be coming to Edge Hill on the 25-26th May 2012 so look out for it and give the society your full support VIBE

SPORT

Give Sports Clubs The Edge Written By Michael Stewart

I

am fed up of reports and reviews claiming Edge Hill is an ‘exceptional’ institution for sport. The truth is Edge Hill does not provide enough sports clubs or facilities and the Students’ Union are failing to do anything about this.

In the 2011 league table, Edge Hill achieved a 76th ranking across Universities in the UK. However, only scoring an appalling 1 out of 5 for what is spent on sports facilities.

Edge Hill does not focus on providing quality sport as much as it could. The University of Manchester is a rival University in the North West. However a big difference is that it achieved a 4 out of 5 rating for expenditure on sports facilities.

To no surprise then they have 45 sports clubs ranging from Skiing and Snowboarding to Judo and Jui Jitsu, whereas Edge Hill have an inconsiderable 19 Sports clubs.

It is difficult to believe Edge Hill is this far behind with providing sports clubs, considering that student satisfaction for Edge Hill on the league table was higher at 4 out of 5 than the University of Manchester which is 3.8 out of 5.

I think students in Edge Hill are not aware how far behind Edge Hill are with providing finance to this issue. There seems to be a concerning lack of demand to deliver more sports clubs and facilities at the University.

I play Handball at Edge Hill. We are without funding from the University even though we have 38 members. We train 1 hour per week at the old gym, which should be noted is falling apart. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was built 125 years ago when Edge Hill first opened. The balls we use where self-paid for, and our goals are smeared on the wall in red paint like adolescent graffiti.

Despite this, we remain competitive, funding ourselves to participate in the British Handball student open tournament last month, held in the Sugden Sports Centre in Manchester.

Unfortunately, we were beaten in all three of our group games despite a valiant effort from our team. But we represented the University in a competitive tournament without any support, while every other University I came across received some type of funding for their team.

Edge Hill assured me it aims to “Support and invest in the competitive sports teams with the ambition to become a top 50 university in 5 years.”

However this clearly does not involve all competitive sports teams. We are forced to look for other ways outside of the University to participate in frequent training.

Many of us on the Handball team got involved in a local Sportivate project in Skelmersdale that offered training. This was fantastic. We had proper goals, balls, and longer time to train. I was just happy not to be playing in a goal that was not fashioned using red paint on the walls.

However, the project only lasted 6 weeks, and now we are back looking for handball training close by.

This is not right! We have people that really want to train and develop in handball but how can we do this when the University will not provide any sort of support and therefore force us to look for training with essential facilities elsewhere. This is an example of just one sport trying to develop at Edge Hill. This problem, that developing sports teams have a problem developing, is prevalent and measures need to be introduced to assist and prevent this from continuing.

So what is being done?

A New gym was built in 2010 which is located in Sporting Edge, and further plans to expand sport are to follow. It is identified by Edge Hill that “the University will build a £15m sports centre and an array of grass and all-weather sports facilities on the land beyond the University’s leisure centre.”

However, it is imperative that this sports centre provide different sports clubs with the opportunity to use these new facilities, and the University does not remain content to offer these facilities exclusively to dominant sport clubs.

Progress in sport across campus is progressing, but not for all sports, and it is vital not to maintain stuck on the same sports. But rather, allow different sports to have an equal opportunity to develop.

We need additional sports clubs that delivers opportunities for Edge Hill students to play in a variety of sports competitively. This will only be achieved if the University helps new sports teams.

Edge Hill is a diverse University, with students from all over the world. Well, sport is a diverse activity, where different sports are played all over the world. Students will want to be involved in something during their free time; if opportunities are limited then this will only have a negative impact on many students’ experience at Edge Hill VIBE

SPORT

Best In Our Lifetime Written By Peter Hughes

Every few years in the football world, we get

players that are above everyone else. They push the boundaries of what is possible on the pitch, they break records, and they win accolades. They also attract huge wages and stardom. I write this after watching the Uefa Champions League last 16 second leg match between Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen. Messi broke his latest record in this game, that being the first ever player to score five goals in one champions league match.

Many people talk about his amazing skill, but to me his longevity is equally if not more impressive. His breakthrough came in 2006-07, when he scored a hat trick against the champions of that season, Real Madrid. He finished the season with 14 goals in 26 games, at the age of 19. Over the following seasons he successively broke his goal scoring records, bagging 38 in the 2008-09 treble winning season (including the Champions League), followed by 47 goals in all competitions the next season and then last season he managed a passable 53 goals in all competitions. He has no limits, and you wouldn’t bank against him breaking 53 goals this season after his heroics against Leverkusen.

His few critics say that the reason for his brilliance is the support he has. Often being played through on goal by Iniesta, or being given tap ins by Xavi. There may be some truth to this claim as he has struggled to replicate his huge success with Barcelona to his national side Argentina, as his Barca side consist of mainly Spaniards. These are the same critics who suggest Cristiano Ronaldo is as good, if not better. He bagged 53 goals in the 2010-11 season and is currently on 40 for this season, 8 behind Messi.

Which is an incredible amount, and he would surely be the best player on the planet if not for Messi.

For such a young player, it is hard to imagine that we will see a better player in the next four years. He will surely reach 60 goals this season and such a feat in the modern era is spectacular. He will rank up there with Pele, Beckenbauer and Maradona. It is easy to say but surely Messi is at the pinnacle of what a footballer can achieve both on and off the field. He is a

fine example to children watching the game, of how to be a sportsman and also how to play the game. The only achievement missing from Messi’s breath-taking career is the World Cup, but with such talent and with many years ahead of him, you wouldn’t bet that he would secure at least one before retirement.

He has spearheaded Barca’s revival since 2006, and helped establish them as the number one club team in the world. It is easy to forget how many assists the man has to his name over the years too, 24 in 2010-11, and he is already up to 20 for this season with three months left. It’s these types of number that give Messi an air of superiority, when world class defenders back off from making a challenge as he sprints towards goal. He single-handely tore apart the Arsenal defence in their Champions League clash in 2010. Having lost the draw in the home leg, Barca needed a win, and Messi delivered with a four goal demolition job.

It is hard to imagine what Messi can achieve with the remainder of his career, and indeed what he will go on to do in his club career. No team comes close to the level of quality that Barcelona have. Even Chelsea attempting to poach Pep Guardiola will not de-rail the Barca express train that just keeps on winning. As a football fan, I draw similarities with the Real Madrid team of the 50’s, Bayern in the 70’s and Liverpool in the 70’s/80’s. It is hard to see where the next Messi will come from; a forward who possesses all of his attributes and achieves so much is surely once in lifetime stuff.

There were times during the Leverkusen match that it looked like the opposition were in awe of Messi, indeed at the end of the first leg, three Leverkusen players were arguing about who should get Messi’s shirt at the end of the game in front of their own fans in the middle of the pitch.

That is the effect he has. Messi is magic VIBE