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Hello and welcome to our spring edition of the Radar Magazine, the mag that is written and designed by students. In this issue you can expect to see some big stories, including the student achievement awards ball and RGUs recent boat race win. As always we have reviews, recipes, interviews, fashion and much more – so before you go off for the summer, have a read and enjoy! If you wish to comment on this edition or get involved with Radar, please e-mail us at Radar@rguunion.co.uk. Paul Greene
General Election season is upon us. Having just concluded an epic RGU election, we have to put up with that small matter of the UK parliamentary election. I hope you’ve enjoyed the TV debates, the election broadcasts and various political parties desperately trying to differentiate themselves from each other. We see a lot of new rhetoric, promises and policies coming from some of the main Westminster parties. But where are the student policies? There isn’t any manifesto on offer that reflects the kind of policies students want to see on offer in
my opinion, and they certainly don’t reflect anything like the policies that the National Union of Students’ (NUS) campaigns for, like free UK-wide education. Why are students not on the agenda you ask? Mostly, it’s because we have a history of not voting. Why direct policies towards people who don’t vote anyway? Better for the political forces to talk about pensions, bus passes and immigration, apparently. It’s not all doom and gloom, I think there is a genuine interest in politics from students right now, especially in Scotland in wake of the independence referendum. We have awakened a new generation of political activists and voters. We saw a supposedly a-political youth out campaigning, we saw young and old alike talking about the issues in pubs and at the shops, and we had an incredible turn out across the board as well as by the new 16 and 17 year-old voters. I never did buy in to the idea that students and young people had no interest in politics anyway; just that we found it uninspiring.
However, I think the referendum and wider political climate has changed that. The students’ movement has pioneered political and social change around the world, and we should be taken seriously. The NUS alone represents over 7 million students in the UK. We are a force to be reckoned with, and with enough political organising, we can be the ones setting the agenda. There are a number of reasons for political apathy, and in my opinion we have a long way to go if we want to achieve a truly representative democracy. A voting system that wasn’t suited to a two-party race, where we could actually feel confident to vote on principle and conscience, instead of daft tactical voting, would be a good start. But that’s an argument for another day. It’s not simply the fact that we have history of not voting that goes against us. In future elections, the students’ movement needs to be more organised, and we need to be clear on what we’re asking for from politicians. Right
now we need to use the energy that was shown in the referendum and go out and vote. I’m not telling you who to vote for, but as long as more students hit the polling station on Thursday 7th May 2015, we will be taken more seriously. Hopefully in future student issues will be right at the top of the agenda. Paul Greene President (Communications & Democracy) ext.green2@rgu.ac.uk
Edward Pollock
Steve Mills
PRESIDENT (Comunication & Democracy)
PRESIDENT (Education & Welfare)
Age- 20 Course- Event Management Year of Study- 3rd Year Originally from- Aberdeen Why did you run for this position? I’ve been involved in RGU:Union for the past three years now, and am passionate about creating the best student experience possible. In becoming a student president, I’d be able to work full time on the behalf of students, and work on the projects I’m passionate. I’ve been heavily involved in media and the union, so I think this position will give me the opportunity make a difference for RGU students.
Age- 26 Course- Law & Management Year of Study- 4th Year Originally from- Arbroath Why did you run for this position? I am so passionate about RGU and the Student Association. I have held this position before and I achieved a lot! I set up a Nightline service, Introduced Student Equality Champions, reinforced the Student Representation structure and won the NUS Officer Team of the Year. Having had a year of experience already, I can now just hit the ground running and create and develop new projects!
Tell us something that many people don’t know about you? I have founded and run my own charity called ‘The Aqua Initiative’, which works to eradicate global water poverty, and provide access to clean water and sanitation to people all over the world.
Tell us something that many people don’t know about you? I am a qualified PADI Scuba Diver!
What your favourite joke? Teacher: “Whoever answers my next question, can go home.” One boy throws his bag out the window. Teacher: “Who just threw that?!” Boy: “Me! I’m going home now.”
If you were granted one wish what would it be? Hmm its between Jensen Ackles being my husband or World Peace... I go for Jensen Ackles. Or a Student Union Bar! What your favourite joke? Why did the mushroom go to the disco? Cause he was a FUNghi! PAH!
GianPiero Franchi
David Munro
PRESIDENT (Sport & Physical Activity)
VICE PRESIDENT (Societies)
Age- 22 Course- Contemporary Art Practice (Sculpture) Originally from- Edinburgh/ Tuscany
Age- 25 Course- Law & Management Year of Study- 2nd year Originally from- Inverness
Tell us about one thing in your manifesto – It is not in my manifesto but we have developed a new idea called “Purple Wednesdays” which is basically a results service to name and praise participants/ teams who are doing well and those who aren’t! Tell us something that many people don’t know about you? I am the first elected president from Gray’s school of art. What your favourite joke? It’s a bit cheesy but ‘ which cheese do you use to get a bear out of a tree? … ca mon bear.
Why did you run for this position? To help other students to have the best possible time at RGU, and enhance their experience for the better. Tell us something that many people don’t know about you? Back home, I am a martial arts instructor, and have been training for 15 years. This huge part of my life has helped engrain the desire to help others, and show people exactly what they can do to help themselves gain more from their experiences in life. If you were granted one wish what would it be? Wish I could fly to avoid the annoying rush hour traffic in Aberdeen.
Frederick Ferife
John Doran
VICE PRESIDENT (International)
VICE PRESIDENT (Student Affairs)
Age- 20 Course-Pharmacy Year of Study- 1st Year Originally from- Nigeria
Age- 21 Course- Biomedical Science Year of Study- 3 Year Originally from- Glasgow
Why did you run for this position? I ran for the position because I want to make a difference in the experience of international students. As an international student myself I am aware of the issues we students face and I am looking forward to tackling some of these problems to the best of my ability. Tell us something that many people don’t know about you? I sing. I am part of the African choir at St. Mary’s cathedral. What your favourite joke? Hmmm this is a tough one but I would rather put in my favourite quote - “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barack Obama. If you were granted on wish what would it be? I would wish the world to become a better place.
Tell us about one thing in your manifesto – I had said that I intend to push for higher levels of student representation on University committees - these are where the important decisions are made! I think it’s really important to get students on to these but also for those students to feel confident in raising their thoughts and concerns. I’m not kidding myself that I or this Exec can revolutionise RGU in the time we have, instead I want to help create a culture where students feel confident advocating on their own behalf. Hopefully this will lead to more nominations and more voters next year... Then those guys can do some revolutionising! What is your favourite joke? How many professors does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Just one - they hold the bulb up to the socket and wait for the world to revolve around them. If you were granted one wish what would it be? A Union bar... That or an Aston Martin. A black one.
Martin McGouran
Martin Thomson
RAG Chair
VICE PRESIDENT (Wellbeing & Equal Opps)
Age- 29 Course- Nursing (Children & Young People) Year of Study- 1st Year Originally from- Belfast
Age- 19 Course- International Tourism Management Year of Study- 1st year Originally from- Aberdeen
Tell us about one thing in your manifesto – If anything, one thing I would like people to take from my manifesto would be consistency and communication. Tell us something that many people don’t know about you? I want to immigrate to Australia. I have previously lived there for two years and I loved every minute of it. A major motivation for me being at RGU today! What your favourite joke? Old people at weddings always poke me and say “You’re next.”... So I’ve started doing the same to them at funerals. If you were granted on wish what would it be? Students Union Bar...and Jennifer Anniston.
Tell us about one thing in your manifesto – I want all students at RGU to feel included, supported and enabled! There is something for everyone to get involved with whether they want to help others, try something new or get passionate about something they love. What your favourite joke? Two TV aerials decided to get married. The wedding was terrible but the reception was brilliant! If you were granted on wish what would it be? *Cheese alert* My one wish would be true happiness. Not to be able to buy my way there but to meet the right people and have the right experiences to make sure that me and those closest to me are heading towards true happiness.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, eu agam rebum elitr mea, elit meliore at est, at mea movet patrioque. Dico diam nemore ut sed, eos petentium intellegam at. Eos ea sonet appetere assueverit. Minimum sapientem suavitate sea in, quando volutpat per no. In eos nisl vidisse, at quo democritum quaerendum. Liber saepe iisque ex sit. Cum partem possim oportere ne, id has sale erroribus dissentiet. Ullum prodesset eos ei. Eu sea numquam maluisset assentior. Luptatum iracundia dignissim ex duo, odio aperiri assueverit eos ut. Quo no scaevola elaboraret interpretaris. An nam unum deserunt, primis noster scripta ea nec. Vis in aliquam admodum. Odio postea eam at, accusamus quaerendum eos ei, at magna adhuc maiestatis eum. Ne vix lobortis imperdiet, has tollit dicunt at. Appetere menandri inciderint per in. Nonumes probatus mandamus pri in. Dolorem constituto definitiones vim ne, eu qui duis dolore dolores, salutandi dissentiet in pro. Et cibo debet ridens sea. Ex imperdiet conceptam vim, ex quo ignota philosophia. Vim autem aeterno minimum eu. Mel id assum fuisset. Deleniti copiosae tincidunt ne mei, et est reprimique scriptorem mediocritatem. Et suas partiendo salutatus has, his electram pertinacia ex. Adipisci partiendo sed in. Ea his dicat fuisset liberavisse, in est nominavi copiosae mnesarchum. In omnis regione sapientem nec, ad iisque persius probatus mea. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, eu agam rebum elitr mea, elit meliore at est, at mea movet patrioque. Dico diam nemore ut sed, eos petentium intellegam at. Eos ea sonet appetere assueverit. Minimum sapientem
suavitate sea in, quando volutpat per no. In eos nisl vidisse, at quo democritum quaerendum. Liber saepe iisque ex sit. Cum partem possim oportere ne, id has sale erroribus dissentiet. Ullum prodesset eos ei. Eu sea numquam maluisset assentior. Luptatum iracundia dignissim ex duo, odio aperiri assueverit eos ut. Quo no scaevola elaboraret interpretaris. An nam unum deserunt, primis noster scripta ea nec. Vis in aliquam admodum. Odio postea eam at, accusamus quaerendum eos ei, at magna adhuc maiestatis eum. Ne vix lobortis imperdiet, has tollit dicunt at. Appetere menandri inciderint per in. Nonumes probatus mandamus pri in. Dolorem constituto definitiones vim ne, eu qui duis dolore dolores, salutandi dissentiet in pro. Et cibo debet ridens sea. Ex imperdiet conceptam vim, ex quo ignota philosophia. Vim autem aeterno minimum eu. Mel id assum fuisset. Deleniti copiosae tincidunt ne mei, et est reprimique scriptorem mediocritatem. Et suas partiendo salutatus has, his electram pertinacia ex. Adipisci partiendo sed in. Ea his dicat fuisset liberavisse, in est nominavi copiosae mnesarchum. In omnis regione sapientem nec, ad iisque persius probatus mea. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, eu agam rebum elitr mea, elit meliore at est, at mea movet patrioque. Dico diam nemore ut sed, eos petentium intellegam at. Eos ea sonet appetere assueverit. Minimum sapientem suavitate sea in, quando volutpat per no. In eos nisl vidisse, at quo democritum quaerendum. Liber saepe iisque ex sit. Cum partem possim oportere ne, id has sale erroribus dissentiet.
Ullum prodesset eos ei. Eu sea numquam maluisset assentior. Luptatum iracundia dignissim ex duo, odio aperiri assueverit eos ut. Quo no scaevola elaboraret interpretaris. An nam unum deserunt, primis noster scripta ea nec. Vis in aliquam admodum. Odio postea eam at, accusamus quaerendum eos ei, at magna adhuc maiestatis eum. Ne vix lobortis imperdiet, has tollit dicunt at. Appetere menandri inciderint per in. Nonumes probatus mandamus pri in. Dolorem constituto definitiones vim ne, eu qui duis dolore dolores, salutandi dissentiet in pro. Et cibo debet ridens sea. Ex imperdiet conceptam vim, ex quo ignota philosophia. Vim autem aeterno minimum eu. Mel id assum fuisset. Deleniti copiosae tincidunt ne mei, et est reprimique scriptorem mediocritatem. Et suas partiendo salutatus has, his electram pertinacia ex. Adipisci partiendo sed in. Ea his dicat fuisset liberavisse, in est nominavi copiosae mnesarchum. In omnis regione sapientem nec, ad iisque persius probatus mea. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, eu agam rebum elitr mea, elit meliore at est, at mea movet patrioque. Dico diam nemore ut sed, eos petentium intellegam at. Eos ea sonet appetere assueverit. Minimum sapientem suavitate sea in, quando volutpat per no. In eos nisl vidisse, at quo democritum quaerendum. Liber saepe iisque ex sit. Cum partem possim oportere ne, id has sale erroribus dissentiet. Ullum prodesset eos ei. Eu sea numquam maluisset assentior. Luptatum iracundia dignissim ex duo, odio aperiri assueverit eos ut. Quo no scaevola elaboraret
interpretaris. An nam unum deserunt, primis noster scripta ea nec. Vis in aliquam admodum. Odio postea eam at, accusamus quaerendum eos ei, at magna adhuc maiestatis eum. Ne vix lobortis imperdiet, has tollit dicunt at. Appetere menandri inciderint per in. Nonumes probatus mandamus pri in. Dolorem constituto definitiones vim ne, eu qui duis dolore dolores, salutandi dissentiet in pro. Et cibo debet ridens sea. Ex imperdiet conceptam vim, ex quo ignota philosophia. Vim autem aeterno minimum eu. Mel id assum fuisset. Deleniti copiosae tincidunt ne mei, et est reprimique scriptorem mediocritatem. Et suas partiendo salutatus has, his electram pertinacia ex. Adipisci partiendo sed in. Ea his dicat fuisset liberavisse, in est nominavi copiosae mnesarchum. In omnis
Arham Aziz arham.a@rguunion.co.uk
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Friday 27th March hosted RGU:Union’s annual student achievement awards ball once again, this time at Aberdeen’s Hilton Treetops Hotel. As always, the students scrubbed up well for what was to be a night full of awards, prestige, and appreciation of the hard work that RGU societies, arms of the union and individual students delivered over the past year. There were some new editions to the individual and group categories including the new ‘Go Green’ category, recognising those who have engaged with RGU:Union’s environmental arm. The event celebrated collective volunteering hours amounting to more than a whopping 7,500 hours of volunteering. The event also included prestigious individual and group awards, handing out one full scarlet this year to Ashley Thompson as well as the ‘Society Person of the Year’ award. The ‘Award for Continuous Excellence and Achievement’ was handed to incoming President (Education & Welfare), Steve Mills, while ‘Volunteer of the Year’ went to Lewis Eden. Group awards had some big winners, including the new ‘Community Engagement award’, which was won for the first time by the RGU Gaming Society. RGU:Nightline also saw their first big award, winning the ‘Student Engagement Award’ and ‘Society of the Year’ was deservedly handed to RGU:ESN. Now that the heads have settled, and the hangovers cured, head over and have a look at photos of the event which can be seen on the RGU:Union Facebook page. Congratulations to all the winners!
Paul Greene President (Communications & Democracy) ext.green2@rgu.ac.uk
RGU’s Erasmus Student Network’s talks to Radar about Europe, opportunities, successes and aspirations.
student of Events Management at RGU, she feels that Aberdeen reminds her of “the city she came from, which is also not too big and located in the north.” She reckons, that “so far, her experience has only been very positive.”
She is also a founding member of the Nassau Business Just a handful of weeks ago, RGU opened its arms to Society; aimed at all business students, Scottish, welcome new students – and the old ones back. At Erasmus, or otherwise international; it turned out to be various event throughout Freshers Week, RGU:Union a success in its own right. She happened worked to showcase various societies to meet the President of the Erasmus at RGU. This year, however, a new name appeared, and stole the show. “We can say we are the Society at the Student Achievement – both their societies’ had garnered biggest non-academic Ball awards. Dare I say, like most successful Welcome to the RGUs Erasmus Student together, serendipitously, Network (ESN RGU). I’m sure you’ve society at RGU and just got ventures, seen the acronym but perhaps you didn’t awarded ‘Society of the they came up with the idea to set up an RGU chapter of the ESN. After being know what it meant? Now you know. Year 2015” officially voted in at the ESN National Platform at Southampton, and other As part of Radar’s on-campus society formalities, ESN RGU was on the road to realisation. profiles, we sat down with the ESN RGU President, Shadya El Shafiy, to understand what her society ESN is big in 38 European nations, and has 16 large does, how it came about, and where it hopes to go. sections in cities across Britain; “Aberdeen could not be left behind,” thought Shadya. ESN is “the biggest Shadya is from the land of tulips and Amsterdam: yes, she student association in Europe, and designed to support is from the Netherlands. As a second year undergraduate
Erasmus exchange students during their stay in a foreign country.” However, this is not their complete brief: “we do so much more,” she adds emphatically. They organise a variety of social events, to give the guest and host students a taste of internationalisation. ESN RGU is geared towards supporting exchange students, and helping international students in general get the most out of their time in the UK. Their broader aim also includes increasing student mobility across Europe. Apart from social events, they organise programmes like ‘SocialErasmus’, which allows international students to engage with the local community through voluntary activities, and so on. Their members also get to have an ‘ESNcard’, which entitles them to great discounts at venues and retailers/ organisations across Aberdeen, as well as in Europe. “We can say we are the biggest non-academic society at RGU and just got awarded ‘Society of the Year 2015’” she tells me with a touch of pride in her tone. ESN recently organised a trip to the beautiful Scottish capital city, Edinburgh, and to the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, where a whopping 900 students came along for a fun-filled weekend. But don’t feel sad if you feel like you have lost out. They are taking students down to the big cities next year as well. “It is great to see so many students of different nationalities meeting each other, local or international”, says Shadya, and needless to say, a lot of fun too. “Every student of RGU is welcome to join our society and to attend these international trips,” she adds.
ESN MEMBERS CELEBRATING AT THE STUDENT ACHEIEVMENT AWARDS BALL
Moving on, they intend to work on with integrating with Aberdeen University and the College in Aberdeen, to present a single ESN Aberdeen. Not to mention, they seek to organise better, bigger, and more frequent events for their members and the wider RGU/Aberdeen student community. Already feeling excited, and want to join ESN RGU? They will be organising an AGM in May 2015, which will be a nice time to get involved at an organisational level - additionally, you can become a member anytime by filling a form. So, keep an eye on ESN’s Facebook page! As the interview draws to a close, Shadya signs-off with this: “if you are Erasmus, international or local, we are a society for everyone and would love to let everyone experience this Erasmus feeling of ESN!” If you fancy more information or would like to be part of the next local board of ESN (RGU), hit the links below:
• • • • •
www.facebook.com/esnaberdeen www.facebook.com/groups/esnrgu www.esnuk-rgu.org www.twitter.com/esnrgu info@esnuk-rgu.org Arham Aziz arham.a@rguunion.co.uk
They say the greatest dreams have the smallest of beginnings. It’s no different for rap duo SHY and DRS. With determination and a hard work ethic, these Scottish lads have primed themselves for a very exciting career. From controversial videos to Valentine’s Day love raps and celebrity fans, these boys are on fire. Now if you’re like me and your hip-hop knowledge goes as far as “My Name Is” by Eminem, then you need to look these guys up. They’ve made a fan outta me, and if I’m being totally honest, I’m the gal who belts out power ballads, and the greats like “Hit Me Baby One More Time”. If they can make a fan of me, they can make a fan of anybody. I spoke to the duo about their beginnings, touring plans and their career so far. So, tell our readers how your rapping career began. SHY: We remember it like it was yesterday. It was Christmas Day, 1999. We always listened and had an interest in rap growing up, listening to old-school Busta Rhymes and 2Pac. That Christmas, our parents bought us a music production programme and from there we started producing beats and writing our own lyrics. It began as a hobby, but then we began taking it more seriously when we got our first record deal, in 2006. Who are your influences/icons? DRS: Our main influence goes without saying really.. It has to be.. SHY: Eminem would be the person who most inspired me to become an artist. But my lyrics are inspired by a bunch of different genres. DRS: It has to be Eminem.. Also Lil Wayne. They’re both geniuses.
Were your family and friends supportive of a career in hip-hop? SHY: Our family have been nothing but supportive of us. They’ve helped us out and encouraged us more than anyone over the years. We knew we were gonna get [criticism] from our mates when we told them, but all in all, they are a supportive bunch too. Is the rap scene big in Aberdeen? DRS: Not at all. There does seem to be a few newcomers to the scene but it still seems like there’s nothing happening. We kind of do our own thing and branch out of Aberdeen, so it’s not really detrimental to us. Nowadays the internet is almost like any band’s ‘scene’ so we’re not really bounded to where we’re from anymore. On a scale on 1-10, how nervous do you get before you go on stage? DRS: Haha, we are both totally buzzing the whole day before going on stage.. Then the last few minutes before we go up - that’s when the butterflies set in. But when we’re up on stage they seem to go away pretty quickly, it’s just the last few minutes in the build-up thar we seem to get nerves. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you on stage? SHY: Believe it or not, we’ve had a few absolute nightmares on stage - we played Rockness in 2010 and got wireless mics for the occasion - only for one of the mics not to work during the performance. So we just improvised and swapped round the one mic we had between us to finish off the set. Think the crowd were sympathetic though, because they all still seemed to be loving it.
How does it feel to have celebrities like Seth Green and Ryan Seacrest as fans? DRS: It’s amazing! The response we’ve had from all of our singles and our debut album and how many celebrities have supported us and worked with us over the years. When Ryan Seacrest played our single with Keenan Cahill on his radio show we couldn’t believe it. He posted it up on his site and blogged about it too, which was unbelievable. We’ll be tweeting him our next single so hopefully he can give it a spin on his show too [laughs]. We recently got a Instagram comment from Boy George. We had the same manager as him a year or so ago, so he followed us a while back - he said he loved the Born Again video. Mental. I want to address the video for your song Born Again. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know whether to laugh or be disturbed. To say the video is a wee bit controversial would be an understatement. How did that video come about? Whose idea was it? SHY: Haha, we like how you put your question.. “address it”… But yeah this was a weird one and just a mental idea DRS had for the video one day that he went a bit too far. That’s what we wanted to do though, make it controversial to help get the video out there and get people talking and make it into a scary kinda movie-type video. It worked though because the single went to #26 in the Official Charts that week. The whole song symbolised us moving on from our ex-label and that’s why we had the pregnant actor die in the end of the video. The Evening Express reported that you’re booked to tour with D12 next year. That’s amazing. How did that feel when you found out? DRS: It’s mental and still hasn’t sunk in. In fact, that we’ve recorded with them still hasn’t sunk in. We were originally told in 2013 that it would be that year, but it’s been put off, because it’s all depending on when D12 get their new album with Eminem together. We’ve heard they’ve got 3 or 4 tracks done already so we just need to wait for the call. We can’t wait. During my research I also discovered you auditioned for The X Factor. What was that like? DRS: Auditioning was nervewracking, much more than just performing live. We actually totally messed up our first audition, we have no idea how we got through to the fourth round.
What kind of advice would you give to rappers who aren’t sure or confident enough to give the music business a go? SHY: Our advice would be to be yourself. Especially if your aim is to be a hip-hop artist – hip-hop is all about being yourself, and at the end of the day, if you’re not being yourself and acting it, that’ll become apparent in the music. Also, develop a thick skin. We’ve been making music for fifteen years and had a fair amount of knock-backs, but if we didn’t have that thick skin and that tenacity we’d not have carried on, and wouldn’t have achieved half of what we’ve managed to do in the last few years. Don’t start if you’re not willing to push it all the way and sacrifice to get there. As well as the D12 tour coming up next year, what else can your fans expect from you this year? SHY: We’ve got loads coming up this year: we’re putting together our singles for 2015 at the moment. We can’t say much right now, but it looks like our next single will feature an Irish singer who you might know [laughs]. It’s different for us, but don’t worry, we won’t be naked in the video this time! There might also be a couple of things with D12, so keep your eyes peeled
Joy Kearney j.c.kearney@rgu.ac.uk
BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham visited Aberdeen last month to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Aberdeen District RSPB (Royal Society of Protected Birds) Local Group. The talk, entitled ‘Tadpoles not included’, combined his encounters with the UK’s largest predators, views on the reintroduction of wolves, lynx and beavers into Scotland, his interest in birds of prey, and detailed analysis of his own photography. The evening was illustrated with photographs and short clips of wolves, foxes, the big cats of Namibia, raptors and insects. During the evening, Chris gave tips and tricks about photography. He explained: “it’s all about taking control of every aspect”, after giving a detailed description of how he took photographs of a cheetah in motion. He also took the opportunity to talk about his work with the Africat Foundation in Namibia. The audience was in awe of the clips he shared of a pangolin - an ant eating, scaled mammal which curls up into an impenetrable ball when disturbed. An animal that he had been waiting 25 years to catch a glimpse of, and saw two in the space of three days. When discussing his use of slow shutter speed and
low exposure photographs of ‘pond skaters’, Chris pointed out, “there’s no point trying to copy another photographer. Find your own approach.” The naturalist also visited Abbotswell Primary school to give pupils a practical talk about the eating habits of owls. You can check out Chris’ work here: www.chrispackhamphotos.com and catch him on BBC’s seasonal wildlife watch.
Calhounnah Bain c.h.bain@rgu.ac.uk
Name: Kellsey Morris Course: Communication Design Year: 2nd Year Name: Emma Murray Course: Communication Design Year: 2nd Year
Can you tell me what you’re wearing today? Black H&M boots, Cheap Monday jeans, an H&M jumper, American Apparel jacket and a patterned Topshop bag.
What’s your everyday style like? I wear a lot of black and neutral coloured clothing. I love Can you tell me what you’re wearing today? I’m wearing Zara tailored trousers, a plain black top, grey anything with a paisley pattern on it. I wear a lot of heeled shoes and boots, oversized scarves and jumpers. I prefer jumper and one of my favourite ASOS trench coats. oversized clothes to anything tailored. What’s your everyday style like? Do you have any fashion icons or brands, which influence your I have quite a casual style, I like staple pieces which I can build my outfits around such as trousers and coats. I style? I love Black Milk clothing, they make high quality digitally prefer tailored items to anything oversized. printed items like leggings and dresses. I take a lot of style Do you have any fashion icons or brands, which influence influence from blogs, instagram, and I create my own your style? boards on Pinterest filled with outfits and garments that The British model Jourdan Dunn has a timeless, inspire me. contemporary style I can relate to. Topshop and Urban If money was no object, which luxury item would you splash Outfitters stock a lot of the high quality staple items I out on? build my wardrobe around. Something by Alexander McQueen or Gareth Pugh. I think If money was no object, which luxury item would you splash McQueen is an iconic designer and I love that Gareth out on? Pugh’s collections are mainly black but are so unique and Definitely a Burberry trench coat! interesting.
Name: Will Wilkie Course: Events Management Year: 4th Year Can you tell me what you’re wearing today? Name: Cormac Banks I am wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt, black skinny jeans with Course: Fashion Management homemade rips and my T.U.K creepers. It’s simple but I like Year: 3rd Year to keep it as simple as I can during the day. Can you tell me what you’re wearing today? What’s your everyday style like? A blue American Apparel top, my dad’s vintage jacket, My usual style consists completely of black. I love the way it Cheap Monday jeans and a printed Lazy Oaf tote bag. can create such strong looks. I try to add colour to different looks but I always come back to monochrome. I draw a lot What’s your everyday style like? of inspiration for my style from old movies, black and white I like a lot of simple, plain things. I’d wear a patterned worked so well then and it’s still as chic and classic today. Do you have any fashion icons or brands, which influence I’m trying to look timeless in a more contemporary way. your style? Do you have any fashion icons or brands, which influence your My favourite brands are American Apparel and Lazy Oaf. I’m drawn to brands by their styling and style? advertising of their clothing. American Apparel in As with all younger guys with an interest in old movies particular have a very simple, brand defining way of and fashion I do love James Dean. His simple style was so showing their clothes and I find that interesting. t-shirt perfect and translates so well today: jeans, shirts, black, but not anything else. I have an overall casual style. you can’t go wrong. My other more modern fashion icon is Johannes Huebl, he’s a German model, and I take a lot If money was no object, which luxury item would you of inspiration from he pieces and finishes off his looks in a splash out on? modern elegant way. I’d probably buy a really high quality tailored suit. Maybe I’d get one of the fashion students to make me If money was no object, which luxury item would you splash one! out on? Definitely a Versace suit, black, with all the trimmings, April Hay including Versace underwear. Donatella’s tailoring is a.j.hay1@rgu.ac.uk amazing for a women’s focused brand.
Ingredients500g Beef Mince 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes 400g Tin Kidney Beans 1tbsp Tomato Puree 1tbsp Hot Chilli Powder 1 onion finely chopped 1 clove garlic crushed 2 Peppers chopped Method: -Heat oil in a large pan and fry onion until softened. Add the mince and cook until brown. -Stir through garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree and kidney beans. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Ingredients370 g nutella 2 Large Eggs 64g all purpose flour Method:
-Add the peppers and chilli powder, Simmer for a further 5-10 minutes.
-Preheat oven to 180 °. Lightly grease a 8x8inch baking dish with butter.
-Serve with rice and soured cream.
-In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and smooth with a spatula. -Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake otherwise your brownies will dry out. Let cool before cutting.
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