Seren - 212 - 2010/11 - May Issue by Seren

Bangor Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

ISSN 1755-7585

Issue No. 212

End of Year Issue 2010

THE PARLIAMENT THAT HUNG BRITAIN?

INSIDE:

WIN Summer Ball tickets!

Yeasayer drop by for a chat

What do the election results mean for us students? Jez Harvey

fter the votes of 30 million people were counted, and five days of political wrangling, Britain got its new Prime Minister. It took a lot longer than we are used to and it is a Government that few of us will truly recognise. Britain has not had a coalition Government since the second World War, and the fact that it is an agreement between two parties that are not conventional partners will perhaps make it a less than stable relationship, but it does mean that Britain has what should be a stable Government. Since it became clear early on the Friday morning that Britain would be facing a hung parliament, negotiations had been going on between the Liberal Democrats and both other parties to determine who they would join or work with in a new government. Because of the Tories lead in number of seats (but not majority, they didn’t have more MPs than all other parties) they were the obvious choice in terms of producing a stable government. However, a coalition of almost every other party in the UK with Labour and the Liberal Democrats at the heart was also a possibility, with this being a more

obvious choice in many ways in terms of agreement over policies. In the end, the Liberal Democrats decided that the only viable Government that could be formed would be with David Cameron’s Conservative Party. And so, at 7:45PM on Tuesday 11 May, David Cameron was asked by the Queen to form a new government as Prime Minister. He heads a government with Liberal Democrats in it, and Nick Clegg their leader, as his

As well as this, the Minister for Universities and Science is Conservative David Willetts. It’ll be surprising to hear, but having this Conservative is fantastic news for students. He has been the loudest voice against fees and does not believe Universities have the right to charge anymore than they already do. He also will be responsible for assigning research grants to Universities, so can turn the tide on Universities being forced to explain the ‘economic’ benefits of

Deputy Prime Minister. Most of the seats in Cabinet went to Conservatives, but at least 4 of them went to Liberal Democrats, as well as Nick Clegg’s seat as Deputy Prime Minister. One of those seats has gone to Vince Cable, named as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whose Department will include Universities. This should be encouraging to students, as Cable has a background of lecturing in Universities, and has strongly spoken against the introduction or rise of top-up fees.

their proposals before getting money. Whilst many will be surprised at the Liberal Democrats’ seeming ‘betrayal’ of progressive politics it should be remembered that in some areas at least, the two parties are closer than the Lib Dems and Labour were. Education for instance was a strong link between the two. However, many people argue that the strongest link between the two parties was the desire to see Gordon Brown out of Number 10. Brown has long been seen by the Lib Dems as an enemy of theirs, and the

Most experts agree that this coalition will not last much longer than a year

one who prevented them joining a Labour coalition in 1997. To Brown’s credit, he recognised this and the day before the Liberal Democrat/Tory deal was announced, declared his intention to step down before the Labour Party conference in September. Many believed that this would open the door to a Lib-Lab coalition or pact similar to that in 1977 that lasted for a year before falling apart, but this was not to be. Time will tell how successful this coalition will be, and how much influence the Lib Dems actually have within the Cabinet. Most experts agree that this coalition will not last much longer than a year, and if the electoral reform that has been central to the Lib Dems election pledges and post-election demands is passed, we could see another very different looking Parliament within 18 months. For now, the first Conservative led Government in 13 years is taking its first steps. What it will mean for students and society at large is yet to be seen. Needless to say, this is a massive change for the country, we hope for the good.

Willow Does Wonderllandudno!

European festivals to check out Summer

End of Year Issue 2010

EDITORIAL

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

End of Year Issue 2010 Contributors:

Jez Harvey Cynthia Flapp Jennifer Krase Claudia Jean Willow Manuel Emma Dixon Luke Dobson Nelia Minnows Sophie Mills Matthew Cox Laura Smith Tabz McGuinnes Laura Stephenson Danny Brown Lisa Nowak Alex Dunk Richard Anthony Morris DeAnn Bell Victoria Halliday Danny Southward Greg Flynn Zoe Perrenoud Alex Foulkes Callum Rymer Karl Hanks Vicky Osten Ben Jones Jack Stanbridge Peter Topham Katie Dyer Jack Stanbridge Ben Neale

Photography:

Hannah Shuker Jo Caulﬁeld

Special thanks to: Willow Does Luke Dobson Emily Collins

Proof reading:

Luke Dobson Jennifer Krase The Sabbs

Hello again readers!

So this is my final editorial. For a while it was just going to say, “OH MY GOD IT’S OVER!!” which I felt adequately described the sadness, disbelief but also mild relief that I feel writing this. Instead I’m going to write a slightly obnoxious Oscar acceptance spee ch style short essay for your perusal. You might have noticed that I am not alon e in my picture. That is Jo Caulfield, Presiden t Elect of the Students’ Union, last year’s editor, the person responsi ble for getting me involved in Seren and my best friend. Thank you for making me your run-around whilst you were editor, it’s been a pretty good 2 year s of late nights in the union, making tea and screaming at InDesig n. The highlights of my year have been plug ging Peggy Sue at every available juncture , taking on major corporations (and subsequently making Spencer George a nervous proof reader), the ama zing 90s night and watching the Seren team make impressive progress .You should all be extremely proud of your selves, I’m proud of you (in a non-patronising but slightly motherl y way). Thank you to everyone who contributed in the shape of articles, pictures, ideas and feedback;, you are essential to the existence of Seren and the value of your input does not go unnoticed. I’d also like to apologise to Gareth whose office is next to Seren’s and who is constan tly harassed by the music we blast out to keep ourselves going. This issue I have had The Specials extended vers ion of Ghost Town on repeat. All that remains is for me to leave you with an obscure song lyric and say goodbye. Thanks, it’s been a blast.

Still I am but what they made, Georgia Xx

THE SEREN TEAM

Editor News Features Music Creative Corner Film Travel Sport Design Team

Georgia Mannion Liz Stevens Stacey Gannon Aaron Wiles Gemma Ellis Louise Cotteril Rachel Stretton Martyn Singleton Dan Turner Jo Caulﬁeld

RECYCLE

Hello hello hello! We’ve been asking for a year now, I really hope you’ve got the message with this recycling business. When you’ve read the paper cover to cover, ripped something out and stuck it to the fridge, spilled tea and all sorts on it, can you stick it in the blue recycling box? Thanks very much!

NEWS

he atmosphere in Bangor has been one of overall excitement ever since the Big Weekend was announced, but the Summer Ball, which is coordinated between the Events Manager and members of the Events Committee, is our traditional home-grown final farewell to the busy and often stressful academic year. This year Ball organisers have made a strong effort to bring successful mainstream music acts to our humble northern Welsh city, and they have surpassed themselves. Students at Bangor hopefully already know they will be treated to headliners Mr. Hudson and Tinie Tempah, in addition to the quirky, hip and essentially British sounds of Natty, Maybe Gaga, and DJ Nico Lupo. The Bangor University Jazz Orchestra will demonstrate their impressive portfolio whilst Carnival Sound Clash, featuring Banda Bacana, Racubah, Drymbago, and Byd Mawr, will invade our ears in Powis Hall. Bangor’s very own Lost Property team will also be heading up an eponymous indie tent with guests Jaguar Jones and Wilder. Seren have scooped an exclusive breaking addition to the lineup, which should satisfy the deepest wishes of all the folk fans in our student body. Sam Airey, an Anglesey native with a penchant for storytelling in song, will now be playing our Summer Ball. His multiinstrument one man act is sure to be a hit with everyone who likes a little diversity in their evening, evoking a male Laura Marling (and maybe a little Tennessee moonshine if we are lucky). The Ball organisers were over the moon to add him to a lineup that reflects a remarkable diversity of selection despite a tiny operating budget and a less than ideal location for attracting mainstream popular acts. In addition to this exciting news, it has also been revealed that drinks prices will leave students with enough weight in their pockets to keep them on the ground when the room starts swimming around them. Beer and alcopops will run a reasonable £2.50 with spirits starting from £1.50. For the wise or non-drinkers a selection of nonalcoholic beverages will also be served. The 3rd May announcement of the set and further details sparked enthusiasm amongst students who have been looking forward to this celebration of the end of the academic year. Many of us, particularly third years and even postgrads who want to bid our adopted town a fond farewell, make our springtime going out plans around our Summer Ball budgets. A dress or a suit or whatever black tie gear strikes our fancy, tickets, and of course drinks for the evening will set us back an incredibly tame £45 for a memorable musical feast. Thanks to the Facebook page students have been able to share their excitement and contribute their thoughts; there have been a few squeaky wheels, which were small in number and compared to previous years amount to bugs on the windshield. The committee of dedicated volunteers has been open in answering questions and in fact took suggestions for smaller last-minute act additions from students who contributed ideas. Mostly, however, the page has been awash in a sea of compliments and anticipatory remarks for Bangor’s social event of the year. Tickets are selling fast, and can be bought from the SU shop for £45. Great memories, photos, and outfits (as well as great makeup courtesy of the Benefit counter makeover and sample giveaway, just flash your NUS card) start at £0.

Sam Airey

Jaguar Jones

Breakdown of where your ticket money goes Production

36% £16.20

Acts

36% £16.20

Staff

11% £4.95

Venue Costs

7% £3.15

Equipment

7% £3.15

Marketing

3% £1.35

Ffridd hates fags

Impractical smoking policy causes residents problems

he issue of smoking shelters on the Bangor University campus is complex. The university has a blanket anti-smoking policy that includes disallowing smoking within five metres of buildings. The policy applies to halls sites, and is intended to prevent passive smoking. However, the usefulness and practicality of this policy are questionable at best. The university has cited no research supporting its stance that providing smoking shelters would encourage students to smoke. On the ground, the attitude amongst students is mixed. Most people appreciate the indoor smoking ban and understand the intent of the five-metre rule, but many also find it regrettable that we lack the added incentive of smoking shelters to encourage people to behave. In practical terms the five metre rule is unenforceable; by failing to provide an alternative that matches the crazy weather we sometimes get in Bangor,

smokers are discouraged from stepping outside to smoke, instead huddling under door awnings and in courtyards where they have a chance of remaining dry, if not warm. On the Ffriddoedd site the problem has grown acute. Despite our recent balmy weather, residents still complain on a regular basis about smoke

The usefulness and practicality of this policy are questionable at best intake through doors and windows as a result of the five-metre rule not being enforced. For wardens, security, and site staff- many of whom are smokers themselves- the rule can create unnecessary tension and frustration. Times may be changing, however. After a 14 May meeting between SU and Estates representatives described

as positive by several people in attendance, students could see a revaluation of the policy against smoking shelters. In addition to providing strong arguments in support of the shelters, the SU representatives were able to detail several instances in which they have spoken to both students and staff confirming frustration with current policy. Constructive suggestions, including a trial run of shelters on Ffridd, paid for by smoking-related fines, were proposed by our Union’s representatives. Hopefully this meeting signals a renewed collegial spirit that will enable smokers and nonsmokers to live together better, in addition to demonstrating the university’s support and respect for us and our union. Thanks to our Union’s efforts we can hopefully look forward to seeing a positive change to practical policy on the university’s part.

Claudia Jean

BANGOR IN BRIEF BANGOR IN BRIEF

l l a B r e m m u S Exclusive:

BANGOR IN BRIEF BANGOR IN BRIEF BANGOR IN BRIEF BANGOR IN BRIEF

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

A Fire, Again?! Students in Bangor are again being reminded to observe fire safety precautions after a Ffriddoedd resident had a lucky escape at the end of April. The student had left a smoking cigarette butt in a waste bin which subsequently caught fire; the student had also covered their smoke alarm. This caused a serious fire but injury was avoided, with the Halls Office reminding students such actions are disciplinary offences.

Guilty Greek Yet another Bangor establishment has undergone a police license review after being found to be serving alcohol to underage children. The Greek Taverna, in Upper Bangor, was found on three separate occasions to be serving an underage girl as part of test purchase operations. In a separate incident, a man was left with a broken jaw following an assault by another customer. This led police to review the establishment’s license, resulting in the installation of security personnel on the premises between 8pm and 12am on a Friday and Saturday, in addition to CCTV.

One Big Student Weekend? Following the allocation of tickets to a lucky minority last week, locals are up in arms about the supposed lack of local priority and bias toward students in receipt of tickets to Radio 1 One Big Weekend. Groups ranging from the funny to the downright rude have sprung up on Facebook, and although some are expressing disappointment, others are pointing the finger of blame directly at the student population for ‘stealing’ tickets. Students have quickly leapt to their own defence, pointing out that they too are paying members of the community, with most of the locality happily backing them up on this fact.

Pontio site goes live, or does it? The website showcasing the Pontio project in all its glory was finally launched during the second week of May to an altogether split reaction. Some hailed its design and functionality, whilst others were not a fan of the layout or graphics. Some students were also critical of its focus on simply the nightlife aspect of the Students’ Union page, calling for a more rounded approach to our needs. Whatever the feedback it was premature; for reasons unknown at the time of writing the website had been taken down and the ‘coming soon’ banner replaced.

NEWS

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Harking Back to the 19th Century Hundreds, including students, left unable to vote after election night shambles

Ta-ra Now... S

erendipity 2007. I had the choice of a sport of some form or something a little less taxing. Being cheap and generally rubbish at anything that involves co-ordination I chose the latter, namely, Seren. 3 years later and I’ll be sad to say goodbye to InDesign (not really). But thanks in large part to ‘the bloody paper’ and the wonderful team behind it I’ve gone from shy little fresher to a News Editor with a severe caffeine addiction. I have had a great three years and I know this paper will only go from strength to strength. It’s amazing to see it have come so far and whoever takes the reins next year is inheriting something very dear to my heart. I want to say a massive thank you to all of the team, in particular Dan Turner, because Seren wouldn’t be here without him, Jez Harvey and Cynthia Flapps, without whom my pages would probably be empty, and Jo Caulfield simply for putting up with me. My most special thanks however, are reserved for Ellen and Portia, namely Georgia Mannion and Aaron Wiles. You two have made many an all nighter that much more interesting, and are just truly wonderful.

Diolch yn fawr

Key Spree Popular student insurer offers new incentive to protect keys

opular student insurance provider Endsleigh are offering students an interesting and useful new incentive for the forthcoming academic year – free insurance cover for lost keys. It is estimated that 5.5 million people lose their keys every year, and with landlords usually not required to replace keys as part of rental arrangements, the costs of locksmiths and replacement keys can soon mount up. Endsleigh are offering free key insurance for students moving into private rented accommodation or for accommodation not covered by an Endsleigh block possessions scheme. Students who register for the scheme will receive free cover should their keys become lost or stolen, up to the value of £500. Other benefits are attached to the scheme, and the company will assist students in finding a locksmith in an emergency should the need arise. Students have until the 31st of May to register for the scheme, the full terms

and conditions of which can be found at www.endsleigh.co.uk/key. Registration is simple, and can be done online or by texting ‘key’ and your e-mail address to 60070. Endsleigh spokesperson Rhiannon Harris said of the new scheme: ‘We know how easy it is to lose your house

he 2010 General Election has seen this political generation wade into uncharted waters, not only with the result, but with the conduct of the election. Voters, in particular students, have been left infuriated and disappointed by poor organisation in polling stations, leaving many unable to exercise their basic democratic rights. Despite the fact the election has blatantly captured the interests of the nations, it seems stations across the UK were unable to cope after being overcome by a swathe of late voters, ultimately denied their say. The Electoral Commission

have blamed the ‘Victorian’ voting system with head Jenny Watson enthusing that such a scenario is unacceptable and will never occur again. Many however believe the country should have pre-empted such an outcome. The excuses provided, such as the incompetent approach in Sheffield – ‘we were caught out by our highest turnout in 30 years’ – are simply unacceptable. The public, in particular students, are disillusioned with politics enough as it stands; events like this are only likely to worsen the crisis. The incidents were not confined to single area, either. The doors were closed on 300 potential voters in Hackney, 200 in Manchester, and long queues were reported in Sutton Coldfield, Weybridge, and at a number of locations in Newcastle. Crucially, a number of these locations are home to a large student demographic,

public attempted to do. One 19-year-old Sheffield student very politely summed up his disappointment, ‘It was a fiasco. This was my first chance to vote in a General Election and I was disappointed’. The response of Presiding Officers has been unacceptable. Sheffield Hallam deputy Returning Officer Lee Adams claimed, ‘Unfortunately, the combination of the numbers turning up and the fact that many were students and didn’t have their polling cards just meant it took longer to process’. Her derogatory comments were echoed by Presiding Officer Nick Baldev ‘Some people went to the wrong polling station. [There is] absolute laziness from the elector by not joining queues when they arrive, returning at a later time only to find a longer line and re-returning at 10pm, which, as it clearly states, is closing time.’ It was not made clear to citizens prior to the election that

ing’s message was also clear: ‘Students’ Unions have worked tirelessly to reverse the trend of low voter turnout amongst students and other young people. What message does this send to first time voters whose votes will not be counted?’ Anyone affected by the shambles is entitled to launch a legal challenge with the Election Petitions Office costing £5000, which if successful will be returned. Not exactly pocket change for most students. The entire situation was best summed up by BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson: ‘What a tragedy that, after a campaign which engaged and energised many who were previously cynical about politics, tonight’s story may be being overshadowed by the extraordinary revelation that Britain cannot competently run the most basic part of the democratic process’.

Nelia Minnows

Homo No-Go NUS LGBT Conference delegates experience disgraceful homophobic abuse at national Conference

Liz Stevens

exercising a democratic right could only be done if it satisfied staff. It must also be pointed out that it states on a polling card that the card is not essential, only desirable, and many do not contain clear directions or even a postcode of the location, which, if being held in a small community hall, may not be familiar to all voters. Laying the finger of blame squarely at the feet of the electorate will do nothing to quell the disdain. Nick Clegg echoed the ‘bitter dismay’ of his constituency, stating ‘That should never, ever happen again in our democracy’. Outgoing NUS President Wes Street-

Voters have been left infuriated and disappointed; unable to exercise their democratic rights

US LGBT Conference delegates have been left shaken and embarrassed after the disgraceful homophobic actions of fellow hotel guests. The aftermath of the 8th of May has seen delegates threaten a boycott of the hotel chain which played host to what transpired, which ultimately resorted in police intervention. Seren was unfortunately unable to contact the hotel for a statement re-

or flat keys and we also know how that it is these sorts of unexpected expenses that make financial planning difficult for students. Endsleigh’s free key cover aims to stop a small mistake becoming expensive and inconvenient for students’.

and many have walked away from this election robbed of their voice. The National Union of Students reported complaints that in Nick Clegg’s constituency, Sheffield Hallam, student voters were segregated into a different queue to the ‘ordinary’ electorate and the latter fast-tracked through the system. Many were left unable to vote as a result. Outrage has been expressed at this degrading treatment of equal citizens, who, despite attempts at vilification along the original lines of ‘they probably weren’t awake until 10pm’, are entitled to vote when and where they see fit, as many ordinary members of the

to eject the individuals responsible for the threats of violence, which alongside the hateful comments, continued for the duration of the evening. The delegate spoken to confirmed that many individuals feared for their safety in an environment assumed safe. His account has been corroborated by the approximately 450-memberstrong following on a Facebook group established immediately preceding the

Delegates are reporting that they are in the process of making statements to the police, and claim that officials are in the process of acquiring hotel CCTV. The hotel has apparently released a statement, claiming that their policy will be reviewed to ensure more security staff is present regardless of time of day, and that they will be more aware of LGBT issues. Yet this is simply not enough for some. There are a number of delegates stating

A Bangor delegate witnessed ﬁrst-hand the homophobic, transphobic and bi-phobic incidents that occured garding the events. We have spoken to a Bangor delegate who witnessed the homophobic, transphobic and bi-phobic incidents that occurred throughout the evening first-hand. Delegates were joined in the hotel by a wedding party, who upon leaving the venue began to make derogatory comments and remarks towards delegates, and threatening violence towards some. It has been alleged that hotel staff refused

events, members calling for a boycott of the hotel chain in question. Alongside the problems already reported, his fellow delegates are reporting general hospitality deficiencies within the hotel, and an unhelpful and unprofessional response from hotel staff. Delegates were left so shaken by the events that an emergency motion was passed to a unanimous vote, outlining exactly what had occurred. It received a standing ovation.

they will be bringing official legal action against the hotel for breach of disability discrimination regulations and for negligence of customers. Those affected are also hoping to take the story to the national press to ensure events like this are not repeated in future. Go to homophobiaday.org for more information.

Liz Stevens

NEWS

Double double oil and trouble

Are BP backing away from their responsibilities in the Gulf?

he explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig on 20th April which killed 11 people continues to cause more disruption. BP’s senior vice-president in exploration and production business, Kent Wells, said: “There is no way to measure it [the flow]” but there are estimates that 1.5km beneath the waves up to 210,000 gallons of crude oil have been flooding into the Gulf of Mexico every day. News is now showing the oil, instead of rising to the surface to be siphoned away, is coagulating due to dispersants BP had been using to disband the it. This comes after other attempts to capture and drain the oil failed after ice-like crystals formed, blocking the procedure. The cost to BP so far is around £240bn but the cost paid by the Gulf Coast, which houses 25% of US wetlands, could be immeasurably greater. As the human population around the coast of Louisiana is especially sparse, the wildlife in that area thrives. There are fears for the 400 native species of seabirds, turtles and whales and for the migratory birds which use the Gulf wetlands as a stopover. In turn, there is a knock on effect to the human population. The multi-billion-dollar fishing industry which relies on fish, shrimp, crabs and oysters is at serious risk and subsequently, thousands of Americans are facing the prospect of unemployment. Other areas

such as tourism in the region are already feeling a decline in business. Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia said “It could take years, possibly decades, for the system to recover from an infusion of this quantity of oil and gas. We’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s impossible to fathom the impact”

The spill is frequently being compared to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in Alaska. The Deepwater Horizon has emptied less oil into the ocean; however it looks to eclipse Exxon Valdez in terms

of environmental impact and compensatory payouts. Nearly 100 law suits appear to have been filed already in the four US states affected by the slick: Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi where BP have distributed $100m in grants.

with”. As the three companies debate over blame, the argument for clean, sustainable energy to become more widespread not only in America, but across the world is strengthened. Perhaps the most liberal president the US has seen in years will

Barack Obama: “BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill.” Some of the families of those killed and injured are also suing for wrongful death. Barack Obama said in Louisiana “BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill.” Although BP dispute responsibility for the slick (Transocean and Halliburton are also being examined over the fault which caused the explosion) their shares have plummeted, losing them $30bn from their market value. The Oil Pollution Act passed in 1990 states “The maximum amount which may be paid from the Fund is $1,000,000,000 for a single incident”. Although this forces BP to pay for some of the damage the oil slick has caused, President Obama’s efforts to raise the cap to $1.5bn have so far been to no avail. Catastrophes of this intensity may only occur every 2 or so decades, but the effects reach much further into the years than the time they take to be officially “dealt

take this message from an event which has been dubbed “Obama’s Katrina”. The Guardian are offering their support by opening a suggestion submission on their website where anyone can offer a solution. They say “In particular, we’re looking for views from experts with knowledge of the oil industry. Whether you’re an engineer in the field, an academic or a retired oil expert, we’d like to hear from you.” The most useful suggestions will be published and sent to BP. Visit www.guardian.co.uk/ for more information.

Historic court ruling prohibits woman from exercising her civil liberties

nection with this fraud, which involves more than 20 offshore companies and spans the globe. The crime is on-going and on April the 1st AMF, the regulatory and oversight body for Québec's financial sector warned investors not to invest in HBF (one of the suspect companies). Derby Police, who claimed jurisdiction because one of the fraud victims lives in

Have the Millenium Development Goals Scored? Five years on from setting targets to eradicate Third World suffering their success is reviewed

en years into an ambitious UNled project to combat poverty, a television series is assessing the progress in the world’s poorest countries. The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were launched in 2000 and aim to address the most crucial issues in developing countries, from combating AIDS, to reducing child mortality and ensuring environmental sustainability. Alistair Lawson visited a safety pin factory in the Bangladeshi capital of Dharka, which employs around ten children under the age of 14. Ten-year-old Asma works twelve hours per day using a machine so powerful that one mistake could cost her fingers. The foreman claims the electricity is so unpredictable that he is forced to switch it on using a broomstick. Like 1.3 million other children in the country, Asma works fulltime to help feed her family. Her father’s job as a rickshaw driver does not generate enough money to feed her mother and five siblings. According to the UN, the cost of edu-

Georgia Mannion

Guantanamo Bay? No, Derby... ormer arms investigator Andrea Davison has been made penniless by the misuse of the Proceeds of Crime Act. Lauded to the public as a means to deprive drug barons of their ill gotten gains, it has recently been extended to include fair dodgers, pension fiddlers, and Andrea. Andrea, who lives quietly in a flat in Y Felinheli, has been accused of an international multi-million pound fraud by Derby Police. On January 13th male police officers raided her flat, seizing almost every item of value and document she possessed. Among the documents taken was evidence concerning the location of Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction following the first Gulf War; matters currently being investigated by the Chillcott Inquiry. The Search and Seizure Warrant issued by Judge John Burgess of Derby Crown Court gave the police authority to take not only almost all of Andrea’s possessions but also to seize from all flats within the building. Derby police did remove the contents of another flat, but were forced to return these to the owner in April. This situation arose because Andrea provided a former client with mailing services in the UK and although not arrested or charged, this client has been accused of being involved in the fraud. No-one, in fact, has been charged in con-

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

jailed. Further injustice surround the specifics of the Order, which make it expressly illegal for Andrea to Former Arms Investigator Andrea pay for legal help or advice to chalAndrea has lost almost everything movelenge the Order. Liberty, an indeable she owns; the restraint order dubs pendent human rights organisation which her home a ‘realisable asset’ and clearly works to defend and extend rights and threatens to leave her homeless, the threat freedoms in England and Wales said that of arrest looming if she so much as pura loaf of bread or food for her cat. Unsatisﬁed with a lack of evidence to charge chases It beggars belief as to what else may conAndrea, Derby police obtained an order freez- travene a breach of Article 3 of the Human Rights Act - no one shall be subjected to ing her bank accounts and assets torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. As a result, some are Derby, were unable to find the evidence to it was "wrong to give the state a power to questioning whether we are in fact living charge Andrea. Unsatisfied, in April they opt for extensive confiscation of defendin a totalitarian state, where individuals obtained a Restraining Order from Judge ants' assets in circumstances where it does have lost the right to presumption of inJohn Burgess to freeze her bank accounts not have sufficient evidence to prosecute nocence, the right to a fair trial, and where and assets. The order has made it illegal them in the criminal courts". the State can barge into our home upon for her to use any of her own money exAndrea is the former Intelligence Advicept for state benefits. Contrary however, sor to the Trade and Industry Select Com- mere suspicion, stealing our belongings and freezing our assets whilst preventing to the sworn statement used to obtain the mittee on Arms to Iraq, and following the us from doing anything about it. Restraining Order, made by DC Win- raid on her home in January she contacted For further details you can view Andnard, an accredited financial investigator, Lord Douglas Hoyle, a member of that rea’s website www.afbio.co.uk. Andrea is not in receipt of any state benCommittee. In a bizarre twist she arefits. A simple phone call to the Departranged with Lord Hoyle to deliver a letter ment of Work and Pensions would have personally to Gordon Brown telling him established that fact. Reminiscent of the about the loss of the Arms to Iraq docudraconian 18th century laws, where men ments. Lord Hoyle confirmed the letter Sophie Mills and women were deported to Australia was delivered but it seemed from then on for stealing a loaf of bread, if Andrea dares the situation has only worsened. do such a thing she could be arrested and Without charge and on mere suspicion

Ten-year-old Asma, a full time factory employee cation is the primary reason for children not to be enrolled in school. Children’s contribution to their household economy comes a close second. Unicef figures state that primary school enrolment is 90 per cent but child employment remains a difficult issue to combat. It is directly targeted by MDGs 1 (to end poverty and hunger), 2 (universal education), and 4 (child health). The MDGs cannot be regarded as individual aims; each issue affects others. Maternal healthcare for instance, is another area which is particularly problematic in Bangladesh. Despite the efforts of MDG 5, designed to tackle the healthcare deficit, the estimated ratio of maternal deaths per 10,000 live births remains as high as 570 (2005 figures). For every maternal death many more women experience lifelong disabilities as a result of pregnancy, meaning children are less likely to attend school and more likely to experience poverty. There are just five years left to achieve the MDGs. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called upon world leaders to attend a conference in New York in September to optimise progress towards the goals. In a report, Mr Ban said, “Our world possesses the knowledge and resources to achieve the MDGs. We must not fail the billions who look to the international community to fulfill the promise of the Millennium Declaration for a better world.” At the time of writing, David Cameron had just entered 10 Downing Street. His responsibility to renew Britain’s commitment to the MDGs is just one of many issues he must now face.

Rachel Stretton

COMMENT

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

New Unity Chair Luke Dobson reﬂects on the last year of our LGBT society

ell, it’s the end of a year of constant change for Unity. The committee that formed last summer took the society in a new and greater direction; changing the name, logo and presence of our LGBT society. This was all done because, frankly, its previous incarnation was behind the times with its militant Pride outlook and introvert nature. I am proof that this change worked and drew in new people with fresh ideas. Last year I vowed that I would never get involved in our LGBT society for exactly the reasons stated above. Yet when this year came around I saw the new society at Serendipity and thought I’d go along to one of the meetings. After a couple of weeks of plucking up the courage I went and sat through a lively, interesting meeting. Fast forward to the here and now and the people I met there are now good friends, I’ve been writing this column for the past three issues and I am Chair of Unity (something I thought I would never say).

So what has Unity done this year? Apart from the massive rebrand it has run six Fruit Salads including a very fun and successful Pic N Mix, with the end of year one coming up soon (more information later), created awareness campaigns through posters which were spread around Bangor and has sent delegates to many NUS Wales LGBT conferences through which we have formed links with LGBT groups from other universities across the country. One of the main reasons that we exist is to provide support for LGBT students coming to Bangor. During Welcome Week this year Unity had Queer Guides on hand to offer help, advice or just someone to talk to face to face about your sexuality. Coming to university is terrifying enough without having to worry about coming out to your new friends, after all. Throughout the year the committee have comforted and befriended LGBT students, made them feel welcome and has let them know that they have people to fall back on if everything else in their world

goes to pot. We have not organised huge gatherings of LGBT people or put on a campaign to rival Stonewall this year but we had no need to. Unity has run without many hiccups and has proved itself to be one of the best LGBT groups in Wales. OK, I’m biased, but I truly believe that what has been achieved this year is the reformation of a solid society which can, and will, be built upon. Though, this year isn’t completely over yet. Either pop along to our last few meetings in Bar Uno at 6pm every Monday or just come to our grand finale Fruit Salad in Time on Tuesday 25th May. Trust me; it’ll be wonderful in the literal sense of the word. For those of you who will be here next year, keep an eye out for us. You may not have wanted to come along to our meetings this year yet if you decide to start afresh during Fresher’s Week come and have a chat, throw your ideas for a campaign or a theme for a Fruit Salad on the table or just sit and relax.

What's a little racism between friends?

The Body Police

eth Ditto. Fashion icon, musical genius, fat celebrity, queer activist, feminist, inspirational to many of our generation. Whenever the subject of the Ditto comes up I seem to encounter the twinned issues of fat and gender. She’s notorious for wearing crazy stuff, and she has also bared it ALL in print. People seem to think it’s appropriate and acceptable to comment on her body and I’m not sure why. Is it because she is a celebrity, and her body resides partially in the public domain? Is it because she is a woman, and her body is perceived to be public property? Is it because she is fat, and her body is perceived to be both public property and the public face of shame? I never know which it is. I always have to compare her to myself and my friends, other women who wear a range of sizes and occupy numerous professions; in trying to suss out what exactly it is that makes people feel a sense of ownership over Beth Ditto’s appearance. The feminist in me always wants to come back to the gender issue, because it’s so relevant and so obvious. Objectification, sexism, the body, and fashion are all closely entangled. There is a kind of policing that goes onand many women will know what I mean by this- whereby the already subjective ‘rules’ of fashion are made more arbitrary by the body inhabiting them. Short skirts, low cut tops, leggings as pants, horizontal stripes, the colour black… depending on the wearer these things acquire significance. Beth Ditto shows

up in a gold lame bodysuit and no shoes and dances and sings and everybody gasps in horror once the pap shots come out the next day; Madonna does it and we get to watch the video on Viva for the next six months. What about the bodies of everyday women? Every day we navigate the continuums of confidence and expectation, throwing in a dash of social dictums about what is flattering and what is “appropriate”. What is most fashion advice but poorly disguised body shaming? Regardless of work attire (and most of us do not work where the Ditto or Madonna work) and conventions on appropriateness, every woman lives under a social dress code that communicates everything from messages about her body and how it needs to be disguised, transmogrified, and perfected to those little ‘instinctual’ ideas about fear and how we should control ourselves lest those around us lose control. Dressing a certain way is every inch a political act, as much as it is a personal choice. Beth Ditto’s gold lame and bare feet are an act of rebellion against the social control exerted over fat/queer/ women by everyone, including from within. The debate among feminists over using the master’s tools rages constantly. Sometimes we just want to get dressed in the morning without worrying about masters, tools, or imaginary dress codes. Don’t be the body police. Spend a day not giving out helpful ‘fashion advice’. Not all of us have the fearlessness of Beth Ditto to protect us.

Jennifer Krase

mmigration policy was one of the higher demand for services and goods as most-debated issues in the UK elecwell as encouraging the growth of the job tion just past. The three main national market. Ironically it seems to be non-capiparties have relatively comprehensive talists who acknowledge this more readily policy on migration, with major differthan others; Labour and the Liberal Demences on the treatment of asylum seekers, ocrats seem to be much more keenly aware of the positive effect of immigration than student visa holders, and immigration the Conservatives, realising that rather reform and caps. As a politically active than a cap (despite Nick Clegg’s current American hoping to settle in the UK permanently, immigration is a topic at which failure to stick to Lib Dem policy) what is I perk up my ears. The gulf between the needed is a tailored immigration system that separates voluntary immigrants from public debate on immigration in the UK versus the US struck asylum seekers in Middle Eastern its criteria for who me as significant, given all the talk dur- communities in the UK stays and who goes. Seeing as a majority ing the televised leaders’ debates about the are frequently scape- of voters selected ‘special relationship’. goated and targeted by one of these two progressive parties Currently differences the most open and in the May elecin domestic policy do not drive US-UK retions, it raises invirulent racists lations, but domestic teresting questions policy issues should arguably factor into about how Britain should react to the latest the amount of distance between our two immigration news out of America. countries. Arizona, a southwestern state borderConsider the fact that economic sanc- ing Mexico, has recently passed legislation tions on developing post colonial coun- that evokes the worst kind of Apartheidtries are a go-to ‘solution’ for the US and era police state; starting in July 2010 police the UK to domestic practices with which may demand papers off anyone stopped both countries disagree. The immigration for a primary offence (e.g. traffic stops) discussion in Britain and the US quickly whom they reasonably suspect to be an goes on a xenophobic bent particularly illegal alien. The law has civil liberties activists, government officials at all levwhen communities of people of colour are profiled or highlighted in the press. Asian els and across the political aisle, and the and Middle Eastern communities in the state and national media in an uproar. The Governor of Arizona, a Republican, has UK have frequently been scapegoated and are targeted by the most open and virulent defended the legislation and on Fox News named illegal immigration as a terrorist racists; in the US, attacks on Latinos in parts of the country most affected by im- threat being perpetrated against her state. migration from Latin America have made The obvious racial profiling intent inherent in the legislation has been defended life less safe for both settled and migrant communities. Despite their heterogenous by the tri-cornered hat brigade as well as right and centre-right politicians. The UK natures these groups bear the brunt of negative reception to immigration largely mustn’t complacently shrug off the situation in Arizona; early polls have shown the due to an undercurrent of aversive (but sometimes overt) racism in both coun- new law to be popular across a wide crosssection of Americans. The UK has its own tries. It is easy for political parties on both progressivism battles to fight but in the sides of the pond to shellac a veneer of meantime American domestic discrimiwhite liberal rhetoric over what amount nation must not go unexamined by one of its closest allies. The UK has an obligation to racist would-be immigration policies. to set an example to Americans and to the The economy, culture, and community are all arguments frequently invoked against world that racist discrimination will not be immigration and in favour of protection- tolerated amongst friends. ism and closed borders. All the while, new Jennifer Krase immigrants swell the economy by creating

COMMENT

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Have a break, not a KitKat

Screw you guys, I'm going home

Premeditated murder and it is abhorrent that a mere corporation is still getting away with it

estlé has never had a good reputation yet until recently I had no real idea why. I remember learning about the Baby Milk horrors in the 1970’s from my liberal year six teacher but had considered it a part of the past. Unfortunately for the world it is far from being a piece of history. If you were to draw up a list of the top ten contentious and boycotted corporations, Nestlé would be up there with arms manufacturers and insurance companies, but why? It supplies chocolate to millions of people and what can be greater than chocolate? Fair trading and the promotion of human life maybe? In the 1970’s Nestlé began selling powdered milk, or baby formula, to the third world. The astounding problem with this was the way in which they went about getting the local population to buy their product. Giving out free samples to mothers, the babies would become used to the formula and would not revert to the far healthier and free breast milk. In a destitute environment wherein the parents could not afford to buy this product that their children were now dependent upon, the babies died. Even if the parents could gather together enough money to continue buying the formula, without proper nutrients found in breast milk, the babies became malnourished. This eventually came to the attention of the international community which, obviously, declared that it could not continue so laws preventing this method of sale came into effect. As well as this, many activists created a public boycott of Nestlé products in the developed world. However this was forgotten when the news cycle changed and the world moved onto another issue. In Ghana, today, Nestlé give doctors prescription pads with adverts for the formula on them. People see this as a medical endorsement that this is a good product to buy for your children and do so. How can anyone see this as ethical? Nestlé apparently can. I could write an entire article on this one crime but I would like to talk about another which has brought Nestlé back into the limelight of controversy.

Nestlé uses palm oil in the production of innumerable products, including the Kit-Kat. Palm oil is one of the greatest threats to the environment as countries have destroyed huge swathes of rainforest in order to plant thousands of crops. Madagascar, a country once dense in rainforest, is almost completely bare because its government found that palm oil was vastly more profitable. The ecological ramifications of deforestation on this scale are catastrophic. Animals such as the Orang-utan are losing their homes. This endangered species is being wiped out because of money. Babies have died because of money. Some of the more cynical people in this world could say that babies die of starvation in African countries every day. Whole campaigns have been run to save them so why should we give a damn about a few children dying from baby formula? 1.5 million children a year die from the malnourishment that the lack of the expensive and addictive Nestle products brings. 1.5 million people. This is premeditated murder and it is vile and abhorrent that a mere corporation is still getting away with it. Nestlé is a corporation which is actually clueless about ethics and the common good. There is a reason that people boycott its products and that Greenpeace saw fit to create a rather disgusting but informative video on the death of orang-utans making your chocolate. If you forget about the environmental and ecological abuses there is still the human rights abuse. People trusted Nestlé but lost it when they revealed their dark side. People trust their doctors but their doctors give them adverts and free samples of products which are detrimental to children’s lives. Nestlé have no trust in people and seemingly do not care about their human rights violations and support of environmental destruction. People need to boycott a company which deserves neither their trust, allegiance nor money. Nestlé, your cover is blown. Visit www.greenpeace.org/kitkat for more information.

1.5 million children a year die from the malnourishment that the lack of the expensive and addictive Nestlé products brings. 1.5 million people

Luke Dobson

Matthew Cox and Jennifer Krase examine 2 sides of Episode 200

ast month, South Park celebrated their 200th episode with a twoparter referencing some of the funniest events in the show’s history. The episode also served as a commentary by Matt Stone and Trey Parker on the view shared by some Muslims that the depiction of the prophet Muhammad is prohibited. In “200”, when Stan's dad Randy showed a stick ﬁgure depicting what Muhammad might look like, the room collectively gasped. At one point a character says, "Jesus doesn't matter when Muhammad is involved!" Muhammad spends the entire episode in a "CENSORED" block or disguised as a bear in case extremists bomb the town. To further highlight how ludicrous the writers ﬁnd the situation, Buddha is seen snorting coke and Jesus watches porn on the Internet. Their point: the "Muhammad Standard" is excessive, considering Muhammad was originally portrayed in the 2001 episode "Super Best

he controversy over South Park’s 200th episode needs context. The show is American satirical humour and often employs ‘ironic’ jokes to underline contemporaneous issues. Its creators are two white, straight American men who have arguably liberal political views that unfortunately do not inoculate them against deploying racist and ethnic stereotypes. “200” and “201”, the heavily censored episodes now pulled from the show’s network and website, depicted the Prophet Muhammad in violation of the religious beliefs of many Muslims worldwide.

Friends" without issue. What happened after “200” was further proof that this standard is unfair and discriminatory. Extremist website Revolution Muslim threatened violence against Parker and Stone if they aired pictures of Muhammad and that they would probably "end up like Theo Van Gogh", (a Dutch

Why should Muhammad be elevated beyond insult? film-maker shot after he made a film criticising the treatment of women in Islam). Comedy Central, the show's broadcaster, panicked, and heavily edited the copy of "201" that was sent to them by Matt and Trey. Even the word "Muhammad" was censored out, as well as a final speech about "intimidation and fear". At first I was willing to accept this as a ploy by the creators, but the South Park Studios website, The show’s primary intended audience has embarrassingly found this unproblematic. A fringe website posted threats against Matt Stone and

The notion that the ‘terrorists have won’ belies our cultural arrogance Trey Parker, prompting the network’s decision as well as discussion amongst fans and pundits. The notion that the ‘terrorists have won’ or that the ‘Muhammad Standard’

which streams episodes, featured a message detailing why the episode could not be shown, as well as Matt and Trey denying the censorship as a "meta-joke" on their part. The episodes "200" and "Super Best Friends" were also pulled from that site. Furthermore, "201" was not repeated on any network, and was pulled from TV screens in the UK, Sweden and Holland. The question is: why should Muhammad be elevated beyond insult? What does he have that Jesus and Buddha don't? South Park suggests that Mohammad has a kind of "goo" which gives him the "power to not get ripped on". Or it could be that Islamic extremists have been dining out on 9/11 for nearly a decade, and that by using the biggest terrorist atrocity of our time to invoke fear, they can cause people to buckle to their demands. Comedy Central, by censoring the episode and pulling it from foreign screens, let the terrorists win. is unreasonable belies our cultural arrogance and sense of entitlement. There are no religious prohibitions against depicting Jesus or Buddha. Islamophobia is on the rise and there is a dearth of respectful, realistic, and relevant depictions of Muslims in international media. To mock Islam and its believers as though in a sociopolitical vacuum takes the mick out of the ideas of tolerance and respectful humorous dialogue, instead feeding racist and ethnocentric ideas about people who share the burdens of our time.

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FEATURES

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Lord of The Onion Rings

Tash Larking

Tabz McGuinness ﬁnds what makes the perfect ring of the onion variety.

n the beginning, man (or woman, for that matter), worked the land to provide themselves with the food they needed to survive. In this pursuit, they discovered the versatile, eye-watering bulb known as Allium Cepa. Or, to you and me, the oh-so-versatile and talented onion. Let’s face it, this crafty little vegetable creeps into most of the nation’s favourite dishes – from Spag Bol to Curries – so I guess it isn’t a surprise that it’s such a ﬁrm favourite. However, I recently discovered that this tasty little ingredient sneaks into pretty much every restaurant and take away menu. Almost indiscernible in the mêlée of hamburgers, fry ups and other more ﬁlling dishes hides the humble onion ring, usually nestled in the corner with the side salads and cheesy garlic bread. Noticing it there made me wonder why it’s so often ignored. On any menu there can be a number of different types of chips, just as there are hundreds of potato options in the freezer aisle in the supermarket. But the onion ring stands alone, perceived as dull and, therefore, ignored. I decided a revival was necessary and set out to try as many different onion rings as humanly possible. Given the fact I was in Bangor, the choice was endless, so I decided to share my top eight. Before I began sampling the great onion rings of Bangor, I hadn’t really thought that there were many differences between them. I mean, how many ways can somebody get a piece of onion, batter it and deep fry it? But, in my travels, I noticed a huge difference in quality, taste and (most importantly) quantity

flaccid and lifeless in their sad, foil-coated bag. Whilst they may be delicious if you get them over the counter, I wouldn’t recommend a home delivery. For a drier and crisper battered onion ring, I’m afraid you’ll have to travel a little further afield. If your desire is strong enough, then the crunchiest of the battered variety (that I could find), dwells in the Antelope, by Menai Bridge. Whilst I should warn you, its crunchy outer shell doesn’t pack the flavoursome punch you might expect, it provides you with a generally pleasant experience. To me, the king of the battered bunch is also pretty good value – served in a big quantity. The Varsity beer-battered onion rings have flavour and bite, and you can tell that they may have once been an onion. If you’re into your onion rings, they’re definitely worth a look. Despite Bangor’s seeming preference to battered onion rings, a couple of places do offer the lesser-eaten breaded variety. Whilst they don’t have the popularity and grease factor of their battered counterparts, they certainly pack a good crunch and give them a run for their money. If you’re in upper Bangor, then you can stop off in University Plaice to grab some hot out of the fryer. They’re not bad, but they put A LOT of salt on them, so I’d recommend keeping a watchful eye on their preparation if you want them salt-free. Down the hill, Yellow pub (or Yr Hen Glan), serves a cheeky little dish of them, priced at a mere £1.25, very hot and full of bite. They’re oniony and plentiful – certainly worth a munch if you have a little spare change. Similarly, just around the corner, Fat Cat Café Bar. To me, these onion

Excess oil made them a little limp – and we all know how that can affect an otherwise great experience and cost. So this isn’t like a chart, it’s about picking what qualities you revere in your onion ring. For example, if price is your key concern, then I’d recommend Wetherspoon’s (The Black Bull Inn). The onion rings come in a little side dish (as is standard), and are hot, battered and gooey. Bar Uno seems to echo pretty much the same kind of onion ring, though in a lesser quantity (and, when I visited, they were distinctly chilled). If you’re the fry up – loving kind of person, these places are for you. They are the onion ring you expect when you get them fresh out of the deep fat fryer. However, for me, they were a little oily. In my experience, ﬁve paper napkins per meal is a little much, as well as a stretch on the environment. The other downside to this was that the excess oil made them a little limp – and we all know how that can affect an otherwise great experience. This was particularly obvious in the onion rings I ordered from Bella. Whilst hot, they arrived

rings are in a league of their own. Not only are they crisp, hot and in good quantity, but they are actual rings of onion. They haven’t been fried to mush, battered into an oil slick or left limp and lifeless. The actual onion has bite, and the individual rings varying sizes denotes a definite home-made quality to them, that I just couldn’t find anywhere else. If you’re an onion ring connoisseur, you have to try it. I defy you not to try and find a legal loophole that allows you to marry it afterwards. That’s about my lot, I’m afraid. I hope this has enticed you to go forth and once again take up the modest onion ring into your hearts and bellies. You can justify it as healthier than chips (it’s a proper vegetable after all), embrace its A and E vitamins, and have a softmint to push away the dodgy after effects (because no one likes onion breath). Or, if you’re really enthusiastic (and skint), try making your own. Happy eating!

Ben Smit h perform Bangor’s ing in Got Tale nt with The Rusty Cadillacs

d a Piano 3 Gir ls an

Bangor’s Got Talent !!

B.E.D.S - Insider

EDS has come a long way this year, delivering fantastic performances again and again and the Murder Mystery did not fail to exceed the expectations of another great performance. Written and directed by member of BEDS, the Murder Mystery was a different approach to improvising and performance interactions. The aim of the evening was for the audience to interact with characters, asking questions, watching improvised scenes and trying to discover who murdered the lead actor of the theatre company. Part of the task set to the actors was to confuse, accuse and deny the fact that they murdered the lead actor. The evening introduced ‘The Travelling Players’, a drama group, which on the opening night of ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ had their lead actor (Dave Higginson) murdered onstage, sending the cast into turmoil. During the ﬁrst half of the show many of the theatre’s dark secrets are revealed and many suspects were established. In Act 2 the lead’s wife (Kathryn Cook) was murdered, which led to the discovery that both of the murders were due to poisoning.

After more accusations and secrets, exposing a web of stolen money, drug dealings and sex changes, the murderer’s identity was ﬁnally revealed as the Stage Manager (Seth Allan), who then killed himself at the end of the performance. Great characterisation work and excellent performances from all of the actors made for a successful interactive event, where each actor was able to make quick excuses and produce alibis, which created believable characters and scenarios and enabled the audience to buy into the turmoil and confusion faced by ‘The Travelling Players’. Being a part of the Murder Mystery was a great experience in Improvisation, audience interaction and allowed BEDS to raise money for local charities. Thanks to Fiona Maslin and Lisa Yarwood for organising and enforcing the play and to Kees De Vries for direction and advice on character traits. All in all the performance was a successful and entertaining night for all involved.’

Laura Smith

he final of Bangor’s Got Talent took place on Wednesday 21st April 2010 and from what I hear was a fantastic evening of entertainment. With all 10 finalists ready to fight their way to the top to win the £100 cash prize it was a competition and the winner was decided by the audience. With all the acts being such high quality it’s not a surprise to see the result were so close. Dave Hannaway showed us the drummer is always under rated with his spectacular drumming. I have been told that his set was well prepared and “awesome” (quoted from Tom Hecht himself). Coming

up in third place was 3 Girls and a Piano. This band went through from the second heat and I was glad to see they kept their high standards all the way to the end. The Rusty Cadillacs were yet again piped to the post for number one spot this year which is disappointing to see because their unusual musical talents are great to hear and watch. It was no surprise to see them back again at this year’s heats and it really was a close decision. Maybe third time lucky? Tom Cole a sole artist gave an outstanding performance during the ﬁrst heat with his rendition of Black and Gold by

Sam Sparrow which personally I thought was fantastic. It seems he didn’t let his standard slip at all and gave it his best managing to squeeze past the rusty Cadillac’s for the number one spot and the cash prize. I would like to congratulate everyone that took part this year you all did very well and were all very brave. I hope to see you take part next year and I can’t wait to see next years talent

Stacey Gannon

Fashion

FEATURES

Enf of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

with Stacey Marie

As the Summer Ball graces us with its presences it high time guys and dolls dressed up, look pretty, listen to good music and drink responsibly (ish) but mostly have fun whilst looking great. This year the university have teamed up with Debenhams. Find out here how to bag yourself a brilliant deal...

Hi guys It’s the end of an era for features this year. It’s been great fun being a part of Seren, even with InDesign being a douche (French for “shower”). I’d like to thank all the societies that put on great shows for us to review, they were all fantastic. Congratulations to Tommy Cole for winning BGT and DJ Soc for winning society of the year. The fashion pages were a great creation for one year and I had fun making them. Thank you to all the models who took the time to help and a special thanks to Jo and Dan for making it look awesome. Thank you Georgia for all your help this year and Aaron for bringing Cheryl Cole into my life. Have a great summer and see you next year!

Stacey

Gals

£55

have Debenhams the ith w up teamed u yo g in br to y Universit al rm fo st te the grea rrent styles of this cu ction le se e Th season. for u yo to t is brough d Re rs ne desig the le ab ai av d an Herring e. in store and onlin

Please do not be offeneded by the Guys and Gals tags of course men can wear dresses and women can wear suits (I’ve seen quite a few men in dresses that look a lot better than most women and women in suits that look better than men)

Guys

Debenhams are also offering suit hire to students. Student Black Tie hire starts at £25 with £6 accid ental damage waiver (NUS card required). Outﬁt includes: - 2 piece dinner suit, dress shirt and black bow tie

Other suits (including Highland outﬁts) are available. For a ﬁtting or consultation, contact Men’s Suits Depar tment (01248 3667 51).

ll a B e h t r o f s Benefit your make r Ball make up lessons to make me Sum ring offe are tics me enefit Cos up on the day, be available to do your make also will y The t. fec per ure up pict ber of available n and there are a limited num atio sult con a d nee you ry but hur 01248366743. going into the store or calling slots. These can be booked by love that word) are also giving away FREE (I y the ts den stu for r offe ve n (NUS card is As an exclusi made following a consultatio se cha pur ry eve h wit s ple That Gal sam Love Your Look lipgloss giving away a FREE full size required). Benefit are also ). If you have a beauty nt at Benefit (while stocks last (worth £14) with every £35 spe en purchasing beauty wh the chance to win rewards club card every customer has products.

UNION

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Society Awards 2010 Society International ar of the ye

INDIAN SOCIETY

Event of the year

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culmination the riday April 30th saw of another year of hard work from our 56 strong band of dedicated societies. In stark contrast to the black tie formality of the AU awards dinner held a week before, almost 100 people settled down in front of a roaring ﬁre in Hendre’s great hall, with members from 23 different societies coming together to celebrate each other’s successes, and enjoy an evening of hearty grub and home-grown music. And what a year of successes it has been. This year 16 individuals received Silver Awards, and 11 received Gold, their efforts demonstrating an outstanding contribution to their respective societies and a dedication in their roles. The eagerly anticipated group awards shone a light on some of the smaller societies and saw some much deserved awards being presented. The Indian Society won International Society of the Year and an individual Gold award for their efforts in raising the proﬁle of the Indian community here in Bangor as well as introducing the delights of Indian cuisine and sport at a level accessible to all. BEDS performance of Much Ado About Nothing was well deserving of the Performance of the Year and a Silver

award, and those of us that saw it will surely agree it was an exceptional piece of theatre. Herpetology fought off stiff competition and took Academic Society of the Year, and the Brass Band collected Best New Society, with its leader, Meurig Jenkins also collecting a Gold award for his outstanding contributions and amazing dedication. The fantastic efforts of BUGS in organising a national ball for over 150 people won them the Event of the Year, 2 Gold awards and a Silver. Nightline’s tireless efforts earned them Achievement of the Year, a Gold, 2 Silver awards and the well deserved respect of their peers. The introduction of a ‘Wildcard’ award saw both Snooker & Pool picking up an award for their achievements and incredible performance at the BUCS-UPC 8-ball Championships and the Law Society for their recent amazing Mooting Event. The personalised gift bags set out on the tables for each society provided hours of entertainment for one group of mischievous ‘Imps’, and nobody was particularly surprised when ImpSoc (Improvisation Society) were presented with an On The Night Award for being the spirit of the party. Incidentally they were sat on the same

Society of th

DJ SOCIEeTyYear

Wildcard LAW SOCAward IETY Achie of thevement NIGH year TLIN E Best N

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table as the Brass Band who were given small (but noisy) musical instruments. Those lucky enough to be seated on the gallery were subsequently serenaded throughout dinner….. The awards ended with Societies & Events Ofﬁcer, Tom Hecht, presenting the much coveted Society of the Year award to the DJ Society for their efforts in increasing membership, branding their society and launching a mentoring scheme amongst their aspiring DJs, before rounding the night off with some live music from Tom Durkin and the Rusty Cadillacs, and a DJ set from the winners themselves. And so another year draws to a close. New societies have emerged, old societies have increased their efforts and many societies have worked together to realize great achievements. It was a very enjoyable night and a great way for everyone to get together and pat each other on the back. ‘I am both happy and proud that this has become more of an established event in the last few years’ commented Tom. I’m sure his predecessor would have been happy about the

the of success event, as she herself had commented only 2 years before that the Society Awards had the potential to become a real highlight of the social calendar. So for those of you that missed it – you missed out! With many farewells to be had this year we must sadly bid farewell to our Mr Hecht after 2 years of service to the SU. For many he has been the beacon of knowledge in all things ‘society’, and has played an active role in many of the big events here in Bangor during his term. At the helm of the societies he has joined in, sorted out problems, assisted committees, welcomed us into his ofﬁce and fed us copious amounts of tea. I’m sure you will all join me in saying a big good luck to Tom in his future endeavours. For the 2010/11 academic year we warmly welcome Rich Gorman into the fold as he takes up the newly formed role of Vice President Societies & Sustainability. Any words of advice Tom? “Yeah, Good Luck!”

UNION

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye... ical team. at ’s ptsaSharbb ...to this year(exce yn because she’s back next year).

he man. The legend. Mr John Jackson has lead our Students ’ Union through the toughest of tough times. At the end of his two year marathon he’s gained the respect of many, a few grey hairs and a couple of pounds, but he’s also managed to keep our Union going in the face of adversity. Thanks to his efforts, we not only have a decent location for the next two years - with an exciting new nightclub to look forward to - but we’ve also got a much better deal in the new Pontio project than we were originally offered. Those who’ve worked with John over the past couple of years understa nd just how much dedication and tireless effort he’s put into the job and how crazy it is to sum up everything he’s worked so hard on in two sentences. Our Union and student body owe John a huge amount and we won’t be forgetting it in a hurry.

John Jackson - President S

ince taking office two years ago, Spencer’s cheeky hamster face has been a fixture for many of us in the Union. With one of the most diverse briefs of any Sabb he has had to make sure that not only Seren keeps in line (tough enough job at the best of times) but make sure Storm and Y Llef also keep in line, as well as making sure all us students are well looked after. What he’s lost in dignity (soaka-Sabb), he’s made up for in Sabb-flab. Jokes aside, Spence will leave a big hole in the Union to be filled. Well, maybe one more joke…

Spencer George - Deputy President T

om Hecht. The Dug of the Union. Always helpful, always friendly, always about. Tom has run the Union’s events (Summer Balls, Serendipities, Give It A Go’s) with more skill than we deserve, and we doubt very much that there’s a society that he hasn’t saved from dire collapse left in the Union. Despite having one of the worst senses of fashion that the Union has seen in living memory, Tom is a true hero to many of us, as it should be. He will be missed.

Tom Hecht - Societies & Events W

hat can we say about Andy? His booming ‘Da Iwans’ and ‘Na Fos’ down the corridor meant that we could always tell when Andy was about making trouble. In just a year he did great things for the Atheltic Union and for the other Sabb’s sanity. Whilst we mean no disrespect to Danielle Giles, Andy will be missed more than we think he knows, and not just by the AU. At least some of the Seren writers will miss his tight t-shirts as well as his personality and commitment.

Andy John - Athletic Union President

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk My time in Seren is unfortunately (for you lot) coming to an end. As of September I will sadly no longer be a studen t. I tried to prolong departing from studentdom by doing a master s, but even that has to end in September and I will be release d into the big bad world. One of the best things that I did in uni was to join Seren and it has opened so many doors. Last year I got to try out a number of different societies that the uni has to offer and did things that I would never have dreamed of doing (medieval enactm ent and paranormal investigating to name but a few). This year I have taken the time to visit the places and sites that North Wales has to offer and it has really made me apprec iate being fortunate enough to live in such a beautiful place. Through joining Seren I have also made some great friends that I never would have met had it not been for Seren and am very grateful to them for allowing me to have page 12 of Seren to myself. But sadly there will no longer be a Willow Does... which I guess leaves space for a bright young columnist to take my place. So all I can say is if you haven’t joined already, join Seren next year. Willow Does... a very teary goodbye.

to write guess it will be difﬁcult t some bias as hou wit no dud about Llan uinely do think gen I but , wn it is my hometo ns in North tow st nice that it’s one of the to see and gs thin of Wales. There are plenty ed if you come for a bor ’t won you and do day out. half an hour away Llandudno is about on how fast you g din pen (de from Bangor take you about will it bus drive). On the 5X the train to but e her ﬁfty minutes to get to be desired; you will lot a ves lea no dud Llan in Llandudno Junction have to make a change often ill thought out. are s tion nec and the con

a up, ride a train up or Orme, take a retro bus le car. At the top there cab the t ges sug I cable car. views stunning panoramic is a cafe, a shop and and you can n tow no dud Llan of Snowdonia and out have spelt their names also see where people e of bas the at , ugh eno n’t of stones. If that was go slope where you can the Orme is a dry ski n it on a rubber dow go , ing ard wbo skiing, sno or just aning, play mini-golf doughnut, go tobogg sit in the cafe. has about the fact that it Llandudno is not shy l Alice rea the as d, rlan nde links with Alice in Wo no. to holiday in Llandud and her family used is whether Alice and Lew n see be to s ain It rem however he did no; dud Llan in t Caroll me t of the apparently write par

and asure of the tourists town, much to the ple ay of everybody dism the to en children (oft d is a fun for all weeken else). The extravaganza a sense of gs brin it and do with lots to see and carnival to the town. ugh nza was fortunate eno This year’s extravaga on Friday evening the and r the wea ny sun e to hav games way for rides, stalls, town closes to make ough the high thr e driv can c ﬁ traf and more. No in. ut forty minutes to get street and it takes abo Monday and day Sun ay, urd At midday on the Sat town marches through the the Victorian parade s, car ns, trai am ste torian and an array of Vic Victorian clothing in ple peo and ons buses, wag king te enough to be wor join in. I was fortuna therefore and on e wer s ade par when this year’s and both days. The smell got paid to watch it on

links s a h it t a h t t ut the fac o b a y h s t o n is W illow r e h it e Llandudno is n , d n onder la with Alice in W

ory (Zzzz). Modern Now for some hist e from the ancient nam its Llandudno takes early modern times In parish of Saint Tudno. in d there worked either most people who live fishermen. During the as or es, min per the cop to Mostyn perused plans Victorian times Lord resort, and it rist tou a into n tow develop the the k. Today Llandudno is has never looked bac les. Wa th Nor in ort res most popular seaside Llandudno? Well what What can you do in boasts two shores, the no dud Llan do? you can’t e West shore is suitabl . res sho th Nor West and king, cycling wal ng, urfi d-s win ng, for kite-surfi and a pond with swans in and jogging. It has holiday a has d har Ric f Clif rumour has it that re is of the Great Orme, the home there. Talking the up k wal can plenty to do there. You

k!). s Hotel (where I wor book in the St George at West re lptu scu d rlan nde There is an Alice in Wo Alice ley gardens have an shore and Happy Val to ce pla at gre a are and in Wonderland theme r. me Sum the in sunbathe ude the pier which Other attractions incl There is also the lls. sta and s has many ride sit and have ﬁsh to or ng alo promenade to walk (beware of the sea the g and chips while watchin in Llandudno ted loca ru is seagulls). Venue Cym sicals, music gigs and mu s, ime tom pan ts and hos so on. nza Victorian Extravaga r holiday of each yea On the May bank torian Vic a into lf itse Llandudno transforms

ing ins can be overwhelm noise of the steam stra Some of the cars also g. kin cho of nt poi to the the n halfway through pretend to break dow anxious at whether s get ody ryb eve parade and sly then they miraculou it will start again. But (this is just on ry car can ade recover and the par sense does however give a for effect). It really times an tori Vic in live to of what it would be like is g by the parade) and gin jud sy, noi and (smoky together. get to n tow the for a nice way gems (of The rides include dod el, mandatory course), a carous with tower stripy

slide and much a more. There was also lls climbing wall and sta to win prizes, sadly no coconut stall though (probably health and was There safety). hotdogs candyﬂoss, to and donuts a-plenty al complete the carniv atmosphere. a being Despite the grumbling local I think Victorian Extravaganza to is a great thing happen in Llandudno. the It gives a sense of s town’s history and get It everyone together. rists also brings many tou for to the town and is fun everyone. stop I am going to have to t covered en’ hav l stil I like l now and I fee In dudno has to offer. everything that Llan to go ng goi I’m k thin I fact, with the sun out r writing this article and into town myself afte . k that you should too thin I n; tow the enjoy

Silver Pinbadge Winne

tudent Volunteering Bangor recently held their end of year Annual Review and Awards night which celebrated the achievements of the department over the last 12 months and highlighted the contributions of over 200 students this year. It’s been an very positive year for SVB which has held many achievements for the organisation as a whole. In February, we achieved the Investor sin Volunteers Awards which was the culmination of over 2 years of work and now places us as one of the best volunteering organisations in the UK. Add to that the creation of several new projects and securing additional funding from both the Millennium Volunteers fund and Keep Wales Tidy, it certainly has been another positive year.

This June we reluctantly say goodbye to a number of volunteers, all of whom have made a huge contribution to SVB throughout their time at university and we would like to each and every one. Many volunteers were also presented with our Award for Outstanding Achievement and we presented these volunteers with the ﬁrst silver SVB pinbadges in recognition of their commitment to SVB. Finally, we’d like to end this year by saying a huge thank you to all our volunteers, new and old, for their tireless commitment to their projects and for being part of SVB. We’d also like to say a massive thankyou to Seren for letting us tell you all about our endeavours in our magniﬁcent student newpaper. Thanks for reading about us!

Hannah Meachin Carly Porter Hannah Perryman Claire Dutton Beckie Kealy Vicky Kassell Lesley-Anne Bendik Emma Groves Lucy Bryning Sam Taylor Jenna Rush

Ali Lalloo Rebecca Davidson Claire Miller Sophie Wickham Will Bulteel Robyn Noden Sophie Griffiths Matt Richins Danielle Giles Abi Methley Sarah Cooper

Caroline from Normal Site loves Seren!

LD I W E IN TH

We are biased, but we love Lost Property!

Chilling in Llandudno. See Willow Does for more info!

WIN a pair of Summer Ball tickets!

It may have ball happen escaped your notice ing in Bang that there’s o r a o Main Arts w n 29th May! ill not only be playing host also a bunch to Mr of lo

Hudson, Tinie cal acts like Ja there are the Tempah, Nat guar Jones, Sa Carnival Soun ty and Maybe m Airey and DJ Mouse. If dclash, Racub Gaga, but University Ja live bands ar ah and Lost zz Orchestra en’t your thin Pr . Plus you get op what you’re er ty ro g oms, carnival to do all this into). rides and Ban in a cocktail dr You can WIN go es r s or dickie bow (o a pair of ticke r both if that ts by answer anything): ’s ing this pretty easy questio n (don’t say we never gave you

What was t was just Mr he name of Mr Hudso n’s band be Hudson? fore he a) Mr Huds b) Mr Huds on & The Kitchen c) Mr Huds on & The Conservato ry on & The L ibrary

Send your an swer to edit or@seren.b close on the angor.ac.uk 27th May. If yo and cross yo u don’t win tic Good luck! ur ﬁngers. En kets are availa tries ble at the SU shop.

Buy a 6” sub & 21oz drink get a 6” sub FREE with this coupon! Regular subs only, Love Bangor card holders get any sub! Coupon only valid at Subway Bangor. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer.

Remember every Sunday 2pm-6pm is BOGOF!

BOOKS & BOX

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

7 years, 31 series and 11 Doctors later, and The Doctor is an Icon. A National Treasure. An Idol worshipped by many. Strong words I know, especially when the man in question is ﬁctional, but honours I feel entirely comfortable with bestowing on this ever-changing man’s head. Since it’s regeneration in 2005 by the very talented Russell T Davies, who also wrote the late nineties series Queer as Folk which chronicled the lives of three gay men living in Manchester’s gay village in 1999, each new series of Doctor Who has sent the popularity of this now iconic piece of British television soaring. As with each new incarnation of the Doctor himself, more and more people are falling in love with this impossible man. The news on Who fans lips at the moment is obviously that of one Matt Smith and his newest role as the long awaited Eleventh regeneration

are they coping with the immense pressure they are under to deliver? Steven Moffat has written episodes for Doctor Who right from the beginning of its rejuvenation in 2005 and throughout the four series has been responsible for not only some of the most memorable episodes, but some of my own personal favourites. His previous episodes showed great versatility with some episodes being truly “hiding behind the cushion” terrifying, a quality always accredited to Doctor Who, even back when the monsters where made out of cardboard and green felt in the sixties and seventies, but also some of the cleverest and most intriguing episodes. He also seems to have a skill for writing incredibly impressive two parts, with cliff hangers that are almost too dramatic to cope with, for example The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances from the ﬁrst series with Eccleston and Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Damned from the David

Doctor. Matt Smith, I take it all back. I doubted you and your ability, I wrote you off as a bad job before you even began, and I was very wrong. He blew me away. In the opening episode of this new and exciting series, aptly introducing the Eleventh Doctor in the Easter weekend episode entitled The Eleventh Hour; Matt Smith blew us all away. He plays his own personal Doctor as something completely different to Tennant, although the Tenth Doctor is still very much present within him. The opening episode was scary, sad, funny and full of twists and turns with the Doctor delivering a powerful monologue at the end to a hoard of scary optical aliens informing them that Earth is well and truly protected, left me with goose bumps and left a lot of Who fans in absolute awe of this plucky young man who, had he not pulled it off so spectacularly, might have looked like a teenager trying on his daddy Tennants clothes. He

The opening episode was scary, sad, funny and full of twists and turns with the Doctor delivering a powerful monologue at the end. of the Doctor, taking the mantle from the charming, talented and amazingly passionate Tenth Doctor, David Tennant...the man, the legend! After the brilliant ﬁrst series in 2005 starring the brave Christopher Eccleston in his modern take on a very old and well known character, David Tennant appeared on our screens for no less than three series, with as many companions, and 5 specials paced throughout 2009 to keep us addicts with a fresh supply of Who drama while a new series was absent from our screens. What to say about Tennant, the enigmatic Tenth Doctor? He brought a fresh new audience to the shows already massive fan base and many would say, made this monumental show just that. His performance was often witty, charming and bitingly funny and always wise and clever but he also portrayed the utter heart ache and depression The Doctor often feels with such beauty and sadness it could make even the manliest fan go a little glassy eyed. Tennant himself has become a national institution for his role as The Doctor, his believability and vulnerability endeared him to many and he is sadly missed. But what of Matt Smith? And new head writer Steven Moffat? How

Tennant and Catherine Tate era. His most memorable episode though has to be the award winning Blink, with Tennant and Freema Aygeman playing his assistant, the plucky, no nonsense assistant Martha Jones, this episode scared fans witless up and down the country. So there has always been a lot to live up to for Steven Moffat, not only to ﬁll Davis’s boots as head writer but also not letting his previous achievements in writing brilliant and revered episodes overshadow his new episodes now the series is his. Onto Smith now, a brave and controversial choice. The youngest Doctor yet by far and also a relatively unknown actor before landing this life afﬁrming role, the pressure really was on to impress. Many had written him off before the series had even started assuming that in his youthfulness he would not be able to play the lonely old Time lord, wise beyond any amount of human years and an incredibly tortured soul at times; and with the success of Tennant to follow and the love the Tenth Doctor had from all Who fans to measure up to, I do not envy him! As much as I hate to admit this, as someone who loved David Tennant and his Doctor more than I believe is healthy, I rather love the Eleventh

od of War is famed for combining a somewhat loose understanding of Greek mythology with a level of violence best described as gut-wrenchingly insane. However the third instalment manages to up the ante in this field, and right off the bat you are thrown into a fierce battle with Poseidon, ruler of the seas. Throughout the adventure you encounter various mythological creatures and eviscerate them in a violent explosion of blood and severed limbs. Storywise, God of War 3 picks up right where the previous title left off, with Kratos ascending Mount Olympus on the back of a Titan; a suitably epic beginning sequence, fitting of the final title in the trilogy. For those of you who are new to the God of War series, it follows the tale of Kratos, a Spartan warrior with a chip on his shoulder, in his quest for redemption and vengeance against the Gods who betrayed him. This quest is made less admirable by the fact that Kratos is even more morally ambiguous this time around, as he shows few qualms about murdering just about everything that he encounters, including the

father of a girl he intends to rescue. What with the story starting out at such a climactic point, the rest of it is forced to meander around for most of the game. It seems a bit like the plot devices are repeating themselves, with Kratos regularly visiting Hades to have his

ﬁnishing moves, some of which would make a hardened serial killer wince with disgust. The combat takes an “if it ain’t broke, don’t ﬁx it” approach, with the core elements staying much the same, though a couple of new moves have been added. The choice

pair of amusingly oversized gauntlets which can be used to destroy your enemies as a wrecking ball would a paper-mache house. Indeed, few things are more satisfying than turning Hercules’s smug face into notso-smug pâté. Overall, the combat in God of War 3 is exciting, fast-paced

deﬁnitely held his own. Although the beautiful and mysterious Amelia Pond played by Karen Gillian very nearly stole the show. As well as being the sexiest assistant yet, she was sensational in the role of the Doctors new companion and I believe she will get more and more interesting as the series progresses, she’s a complex new companion for the Doctor to get to grips with (maybe literally, who knows!) and their relationship has not yet been investigated at length and therefore their fate is undecided which leaves lots of exciting possibilities! Maybe another Time Lord-HumanMetacrysis in the form of a DoctorAmelia baby, who knows! (One for the people as geeky as me out there!) All I know is that this new series, with a new Doctor, new assistant, new TARDIS, a new head writer at the reins AND a new Sonic Screwdriver, seems to be going from strength to strength! Matt is really proving his mettle and I think he will continue to do just that, impressing us all with insightful representation of the Doctor. Oh, and I rather like his outﬁt. It seems entirely right for the Doctor to wear braces and a bow tie. Geography teacher chic really works for him.

Laura Stephenson boss battles, and God of War 3 certainly delivers in this respect. It may seem a little strange that the ultimate goal of the first God of War game was killing one god, whereas in God of War 3 Kratos barely breaks a sweat as he confidently brutalises a string of deities. Of course, this does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the game and once your disbelief is well and truly suspended the boss battles are hugely enjoyable. Most notably is the fight against the mind-bendingly enormous titan Cronos, upon whose back the entirety of the first game was set. With a different creative director for each instalment of the 3 major God of War titles, you would not expect such a cohesive vision. However, despite some variation early on, every God of War game eventually goes through the same motions. Unless you’re keen to follow the storyline, you only really need one God of War game, and this one is as close to perfection as the genre is likely to get.

Kratos is even more morally ambiguous this time around, as he shows few qualms about murdering just about everything that he encounters hard-earned powers stripped, and his enemies being somehow surprised to see him casually sauntering out yet again. The gameplay is much the same as it has always been in this series; the satisfying hack ‘n’ slash combat is punctuated by quick-time events which create delightfully brutal

of weapons, sadly, leaves a lot to be desired. Three of four are blades mounted on chains and play in much the same way, so you’ll probably ﬁnd yourself sticking to the ﬁrst set you’re given – the Blades of Exile (not hugely different to the Blades of Athena from the previous game...in fact not different at all). The only real innovation is in the Nemean Cestus: a

and most important of all, fun. The graphics really push the PS3 to the limits; all the settings are beautifully detailed, varied and intricate. The enemies are similarly well rendered, although many have simply been lifted from previous God of War titles. However the forte of the series has always been its spectacular

By Danny Brown and Lisa Nowak

17 17

BOOKS & BOX

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

“You will feel engrossed by the tale it spins, the characters are well thought out, with each personality complimenting the story entirely.”

s we would expect from the latest game in the world's most popular RPG's series the visuals in Final Fantasy XIII are stunning, so much so that when you ﬁrst encounter them, you may walk up to the screen and kiss it. Don't be alarmed, it's natural for you to want to get close to something so beautiful. Unfortunately the dazzling beauty is a façade, as underneath its aesthetic strength, beats the heart of a...mouse. The largest problem is the relentless linearity of the game, as up until the 25 hour mark, the player has two requirements, ﬁght and watch a cutscene (albeit lavish). There is a distinct lack of content besides the main story. While it is true that RPG's, and in a wider sense all games, must follow a linear pattern for there to be a beginning and an end, the majority of games allow the illusion of choice, perhaps adding mini-games in order to break up the story. Final Fantasy XIII has no such tactic. This problem with linearity is exacerbated by the lack of settlements for the player to rest in. While the action does take you to some settlements, the pace of the story never wanes enough for your character's to take a break. In previous Final Fantasies, these breaks helped not only to break up the action, but also allowed you to absorb some of the culture of that world. This immersion is one of the main characteristic's of enjoyment in RPG's, you play the game in the hope that you will feel part of it.

You are always very aware you are playing a game. There’s a single exception. At about the 25-hour mark, you finally descend into the world of Pulse. Gran Pulse is a large open hub that breaks off into other possibilities, little winding capillaries that spider out from the heart. But the appeal of this area is less about the geography and more about what it represents — here you can take a break from the story and undertake missions, which all involve killing some creature or another. These let you build up your stats, encounter side stories and generally avoid having to push forward. And you won't want to push forward, because when you do, you will know that you will be stuck again in the seemingly endless story. But despite the problems with the story, you will feel engrossed by the tale it spins; the characters are well thought out, with each personality complimenting the story entirely. The exception to this rule, comes in the form of an irritating little stray called Vanille, who despite bearing a name remarkably similar to my favourite kind of ice cream, proves to be one of the most pathetic of all Final Fantasy characters. Yes she is even more annoying than the characters from X-2... The difficulty lies in her voice, with her upbeat Australian accent, that upon hearing, causes the most tolerant person significant auditory pain. This instalment does however feature the best battle system of the series so far, the Paradigm Shift.

Essentially the Paradigm Shift allows the characters to simultaneously function as a Healer, a Support Class and as a Warrior. Each character is given a Crystarium that allows them to access these roles, and it is up to you to decide where you spend your hard-earned CP (Crystarium points). This prevents your character's from becoming pigeon-holed and also adds another element of strategy to the game, with the character's able to change tactic mid-battle at the press of a button. Now if a battle isn't going well for you, there is no need to die and start again - you can now just click that fabled button and change to another strategy and carry on. The only way the system could be improved is if they were to implement an updated version of the Gambit system, the likes of which we saw in Final Fantasy XII. This would allow more control over your supporting character's, as without this control, the AI will most likely be a hindrance rather than a help. Final Fantasy will ultimately continue to create new games and gimmicks, but should it? Personally I think yes. While this game has it's fair share of ﬂaws, it has also made signiﬁcant strides in this genre. And to lose such a wonderful franchise would be a crime.

Alex Dunk

Edward has been training at Spelthorne gym since he was 5 years old impression here at Seren with his extraordinary strength and balance, not only on screen on Britain’s Got Talent, but also on his website and online portfolio. Edward has been training at Spelthorne gym since he was 5 years old and with any luck his Britains Got Talent success should mean we see a lot more of him in the future. So good luck Edward and good luck Spelbound!

ith the auditions for Britain’s Got Talent 2010 ﬁrmly underway there is almost too much choice when picking our favourites to win this year! Just when you are sure the British public could not do anything more ludicrous in the name of entertainment, Sinead Carroll comes along playing the guitar on a pogo stick and Liz Dore brings a pig on stage to remind you of just how mental our country really is. And while the audition stages of this brilliant show often prompt me to think that really it should be called ‘Britain actually has NO Talent’ I remain ever faithful and rightly so, because this year Britain has found talent in the form of the young gymnastic act Spelbound.

Amanda Holden called them ‘faultless’ The acrobatic gymnasts provided something new and original for the BGT viewer, displaying a series of

unusual moves which dazzled the live audience and three judges. Simon Cowell even commented ‘I thought that once again we were going to get some really boring gymnastics display but that was very clever, really, really smart.’ Furthermore Amanda Holden called them ‘faultless’. With so much positive feedback the group will surely do well in the competition and here at Bangor we should deﬁnitely show our support, not only because the talented group, whose youngest members are just 12 years old, but also because one of the gymnasts Edward Upcott is the younger brother of Bangor university undergrad Ben Upcott. Seventeen year old Edward made quite an impression on Judge Amanda Holden in the live auditions and has made a lasting

Gemma Ellis

Just where is The Apprentice? A

t this time during the year we should be happily in the middle of another thrilling series of BBC1’s The Apprentice. The reality TV series which promises to raise the expectations of fourteen eager men and women by offering them their dream job, just to shatter their illusions by ﬁring them one by one on national television. By now the candidates would be all too familiar with Lord Alan (previously Sir Alan) Sugar’s no nonsense attitude in the board room and the incompetent halfwits of the competition would have been reduced to tears in what would surely be hilarious television gold! However this year the government and the BBC have decided to pain the British public by postponing the next instalment of our beloved show in order to be impartial to the poliyical

parties, devastating! It seems that as Lord Alan advises Gordon Brown and is a Labour peer the BBC are worried that his popularity may sway the voting of some viewers and have therefore postponed the new series of The Apprentice until after the General Election. While this is disappointing lets just be glad they didn’t ﬁre Lord Alan altogether! So it may be some time before we see the next bunch of enthusiastic, over conﬁdent business reps leave their jobs for the chance to work with Lord Alan, but like most things of quality, I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

Gemma Ellis

MUSIC

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Music Editor, Aaron Wiles, brings you what’s hot and what’s not in music this month.

Katy Perry - California Gurls

JLS - The Club Is Alive

The ﬁrst single from her new album features Snoop Dogg. it’s summery and I love it.

Kelly Rowland Commander

David Guetta works his nagic again, this is already the song of my summer, on repeat, cannot get enough.

Robyn - Dancing On My Own

The new single is properly good, it’s like the follow on from ‘Be Mine’ only you can properly dance to it. Check the album review on page 19.

Lady Gaga - Alejandro

The next single to be taken from The Fame Monster, especially loving the weird accent she has going on. There’s some cool remixes of it out too, check out Electrolightz.

Stealing lines from ‘The Sound of Music’, doing it badly, plenty of autotune for a band who featured on a singing contest.

Alexanrda Burke - All Night Long feat. Pitbull Not so much failing Alexanrda, just Pitbull for ruining the best song on her album, gutted.

Keane - Stop For A Minute Keane are back, is anyone bothered/listening to Keane anymore?

Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight

We are very happy to be here. We might just sit and look at you if that’s ok? You mean sit here looking at each other for 15 minutes in silence? Yeah. Alright, cool. Maybe not, so moving on...

Do you have any particular songs which you like to play live? Ummmm. I don’t know. I kind of like the new ones. They are more challenging and make me a bit nervous. The old ones are easier and we can do it without even thinking but with the new ones sometimes I forget the lyrics!

We love the new album. In what ways is Odd Blood different to All Hour Cymbals? Ummmmmm

Do you get nervous when you play new songs for the ﬁrst time? Oh yeah but excited too. Do you have a memorable place you have played? Don’t feel pressured because you are in England! Yeah I think New Zealand was memorable. We played in Auckland and Wellington. Its crazy down there! I don’t think a lot of bands make it to New Zealand even if they tour in Australia.

Is it more poppy?! Yeah yeah, you could say that. It’s more poppy. It has a lot more low-end & bass and dancey rhythms. We tried to create a sound that was very unique and make every sound quite alien with an electronic texture. My friend who knew we were coming asked what type of music Yeasayer is. I said I didn’t really know! Yeah that’s good, I think that’s a compliment! We don’t want to be just one thing. You don’t sound like anyone else I know of. I think that’s important. We kind of think of it as an art project and we are just growing and expanding you know.

Doesn’t want to be compared to Lady Gaga, but then copies her in this new video that is pure ﬁlfth! Song is not good either, sounds just like she did in 2007 for something that’s supposed to be ‘futuristic’.

Rated & Reviewed

YOUR

This Month: WilesA

Track

Times

Beyoncé

1,923

Rihanna

1,790

Lady Gaga

1,367

Leona Lewis

1,108

Black Eyed Peas

897

Kanye West

854

Frankmusik

792

La Roux

690

Girls Aloud

650

Lily Allen

577

Georgia’s comments:

This month, Seren are back in Manchester with the quirky and weird Yeasayer. Anna and Sarah ﬁnd out how the new album is different to the last, where they like to play best and what festivals you can see them at this summer.

WELL it’s high time Mr Judger was himself judged on his music taste. It turns out though, it isn’t bad. He’s a bit of a pop tart, but that’s why we love him.

Music Taste Rating: 9/10

Yeah we lived in Australia and travelled in New Zealand and noticed not a lot of bands toured in New Zealand. We do have a really great memory of an Aussi we made friends with in America, in San Francisco, she had her headphones on listening to Wait for the Summer & she was dancing down the street and everybody was looking at her but she didn’t care! And yeah that’s what it’s about! I love San Francisco, I love playing there and the people are so crazy. Every time we go there weird things happen, we end up in weird places. It’s cool. What was it like working with Simian Mobile Disco? Yeah I recorded that over a year ago. I didn’t actually meet them. I had met them once or twice before but they asked me to do that by email. They just sent me the instrumental track. I recorded it at home and sent it back to them. They liked it and said it was cool so I recorded it in New York.

By Anna Donigan & Sarah Johnson

Cool. Are you doing any festivals this summer? Ummm. Yeah. We’re deﬁnitely doing the one in Barcelona. Probably some Scandinavian ones, some UK ones, we’re doing Glastonbury for sure. You should deﬁnitely check out Pukkelpop in Belgium. And Hove festival in Norway; it’s crazy and its in the woods.

MUSIC

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Goodbye my friend, it's not the end* *yes these are Spice Girls lyrics, do not judge me.

o kids, welcome to the final music pages of the Seren year! It’s been good hasn’t it? May as well get the cheese out of the way first. It has been a pleasure providing you with what I hope was a very diverse selection of different music stuff, although in the end, pop always shone through didn’t it? It’s been a good year music wise, especially for Seren. Our celebrity phonebook now includes the wonderful Mystery Jets, OK GO, the adorable Peggy Sue, Frank Turner and as you will have seen in this issue, the weird yet very cool Yeasayer. Seren has also welcomed many new and exciting albums to its collection, we (well mainly I!) very much enjoyed Beyonce’s - I Am Sasha Fierce Platinum Edition, Lady Gaga’s - The Fame Monster, Alicia Keys’ – The Element of Freedom and Rihanna’s - Rated R, got to love a Diva! Just me then? Well alright, other more respectable albums that have graced Seren’s cd player this year have been Vampire Weekend’s lovely new album, Gossip’s brilliant Music For Men, Black Eyed Peas (potentially still just me?), the return of both Lily Allen and Kate Nash has been greatly appreciated and we’ve also enjoyed the debuts from Marina and the Diamonds, Florence and the Machine and Ellie Goulding, (the editor has a thing for the way she says ‘touching’ if you didn’t know). It seems Urban is where it’s at now. Dizzee Rascal was everywhere wasn’t he? In suit followed Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk, the return of Roll Deep and not forgetting the “I have so many clothes I keep some in my Aunt’s house” Tinie Tempah who have all hit number 1 spots this year. Unfortunately N DUBZ N NUBZ! were still big this year, shame on you people! There is also lots more shame on you if you ever listened to/enjoyed/bought music by the following artists: Jedward, Robbie Williams, Peter Andre, Westlife, Jason Derulo, Scouting for Girls, Iyaz, JLS, Justin Bieber and Flo Rida. I hope you’re onestly, when I first pleased with yourselves. heard this album I What can we look forward to next year? Well quite a lot actually, hated it. I thought it David Guetta may not be a cool guy but he certainly knows how to was dreary and bland, another make very good dance music and he has been working his magic disappointing second album, on both Kelis’ and Kelly Rowlands’ new albums. I for one am very yet another shit offering from excited. Florence is already working on her second album, Nelly 2010’s music makers. Then I Furtado has finished the recording for her new venture and you can saw them live and the whole also expect new releases from The Chemical Brothers, Sia, Avril world changed. The Kazimier Lavigne, We Are Scientists and Kylie! in Liverpool is an incredible So this is where I am signing off, thank you for all of your venue. It is like a miniature input this year. From your music reviews to taking the trouble of twisted circus: a monochromatic interviewing your favourite bands and reviewing your favourite carnival offering the intimacy and gigs, it’s a hard life isn’t it? I hope you’ve enjoyed it, thanks to atmosphere that has been drained all of those who also took part in the light hearted fun that was from the O2 Academies et al. So the Last.fm piece, I really enjoyed that. Although my personal with a bit of Kazimier magic ‘Total highlight of the pages this year has to be the Hail and Fail, gets Life Forever’ was transformed from me every time! Much love and peace out! a mediocre album into an amazing one. But this is in the past now. Foals will probably never play Kazimier again due to its size (and due

Foals Total Life Forever H

obyn released her self-titled album in the UK way back in 2007. By then it was already two years old in her own country so this new material has been a long time coming! And worth the wait it was, Body Talk Pt 1 is set to be released early June with Pt 2 and Pt 3 all coming this year, yes you read it right, Robyn is giving us three albums in the same year. Exciting stuff! So, how does Pt 1 fair? Very well actually. The eight track album kicks off with ‘Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do’ in which she sings about literally everything that is killing her, this ranges from her drinking, to her diet, ego, email, mother and your nagging just to name a few. The track already shows the new electropop direction she has taken, the bass quietly kicks in from the beginning and then slowly but surely builds up. What is disappointing though is that it never

Seren ds Recommen Junior Röyksopp hy Róisín Murpred e w o Overp

properly kicks in and is just missing that final piece. ‘Fembot’ is next and shows Robyn “playing around with the concept of being a woman” and cleverly interpreting robot phrases as a metaphor for being a woman and aging, for example: “my system’s in mint condition, the power’s up on my transistors, working fine, no glitches, plug me in and flip some switches”. It’s a lot more poppy than the opening track but keeps the idea of her new direction with the line “once you gone tech you ain’t never goin back”. This then brings us on to the first single from the album, ‘Dancing On My Own’, if ‘Be Mine’ and ‘With Every Heartbeat’ were to ever join forces, this would be it. It’s a very sad song lyrically, “I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her, I’m right over here, why can’t you see me, I’m giving it my all, but I’m not the girl you’re taking

home, I keep dancing on my own”, emotional stuff! But yet it still has that dance feel. You could very easily ﬁnd yourself crying on the dance ﬂoor (slight exaggeration but you see what I was going for). Half way through is where the

to the fact that Yannis was almost crushed) so I suppose it’s up to me to convince you that it’s a good album. ‘Total Life Forever’ is Foals’ step into maturity. As opposed to ‘Antidotes’ which was more a collection of singles; it is an album proper. A full concept as the band stays faithful to its train of thought from the beginning to the end. It’s the perfect album to fall in love to, and the perfect album to break up to, with themes of betrayal (‘Miami’), loss (‘Spanish Sahara’) and pure, beautiful, capitalist, Westernised love (‘This Orient’). But most importantly, it’s the perfect album to drive along the A55 to. Listen to ‘Total Life Forever’ with care. Pay it the attention it deserves and you will be rewarded, but beware as it will invade your life. You’ll soon discover yourself pausing

not an awful song but it doesn’t quite ﬁt in with the rest of the album. Then we hit the Röyksopp produced ‘None Of Dem’. Robyn and Royksopp have history with ‘The Girl And The Robot’, very successful it was too. However, ‘None Of Dem’ takes more of a dark

“you could very easily ﬁnd yourself crying on the dance ﬂoor” album hits it peak, ‘Cry When You Get Older’ is easily my favourite track, it’s about her growing up but still making mistakes in love, but as she gets older it’s easier to recognise these mistakes. It’s catchy, again very well written and just pop at its best. Unfortunately things start to trail off with the Diplo produced ‘Dancehall Queen’, the electropop theme that was going on suddenly turns a bit Reggae and it’s quite confusing, it’s

turn in comparison, the slower bass is quite nice but as with the opening track, it’s missing that something needed to turn it into something epic. Then all dancing stops, ‘Hang With Me’, an acoustic track which is totally different from how Pt 1 originally started out, is a very nice track to just sit and listen to, and as before it’s like being transported to her previous album, think ‘Eclipse’. And

with reverence at ‘Spanish Sahara’, and unable to do the washing up without humming the Talking Headsesque ‘Total Life Forever’ (which is frustratingly too deep for any female voice to master). I love this album. With Western feeling.

Emma Dixon

Seren ds Recommen

inema Two Door C istory H t s ri Club - Tou colyte Delphic - A

then we ﬁnish with Robyn’s cover of a traditional Swedish song ‘Jag Vet En Dejig Rosa’. There’s hardly any music accompanying her as she sings, it’s very brave of her to put this on the end of a dance album and it’s a very sweet track, it just causes more confusion. Overall Body Talk Pt 1 is a very accomplished if a somewhat mismatched album, it just lacks the consistency in showing Robyn’s transition to electropop. It just needs that ﬁnal thing to make it truly something special, maybe we’ll get it in Pt 2. I for one can’t wait.

Aaron Wiles

CREATIVE CORNER

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

There Was A Dance... There was a dance they named it Brummie; where a young girl took a shot to her tummy and fourteen blocks, further on, an old man took a bullet from a gun. A few steps, to the right, a fat man groped with all his might and side-stepping down, a dark dark alley, the gay-guy wished heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d listened to his nanny as he took one or two fists to the brain, another to the groin and a few gasps of pain. Somewhere nearby scream after scream called out, a cars tyre screeched and a faded out shout. And somewhere far far in the distance? whilst someone begged for some kind of assistance; sirens echoed, far and near, rushing and chasing, skipping over the City dear and leaving a trail of chalk lacing.

Richard Anthony Morris

Victoria Halliday

The Day The Mayflies Burned The day the mayflies burned I stood there with my match and looked on unconcerned. Past Nettles sting and Roses scratch, as I approached that fated place, I stood there with my match, then saw the madness in their pace at the sight of their destruction as I approached that fated place and put fire to their production. Then, watching, did nothing, but smile at the sight of their destruction, and stood amidst the heat awhile, I watched the flames dance through the air, then, watching, did nothing, but smile. Yes I can say that I was there the day the mayflies burned, I watched the flames dance through the air and looked on unconcerned.

Danny Southward

Coffee

In semi darkness, I reach for you, My eyes half closed in dreams. My ritual begins with water Followed by the acidic smell of fire. I wait in silent Lauds For your vessel to speak to me. t. The message comes to me first by scen pure e mor and er Bett Then any wafted by censer. I select my ceramic chalice t of you. And place it, with reverence, in fron y. Finally, with steamy breath, you are read ice. chal my into I pour your darkness I do not sweeten it, Nor do I dilute it But bring it carefully to my lips, . Letting loving tendrils caress my face g me joy. brin gth stren your and Your pureness . alive e com and me, tell you k, Drin

by DeAnn Bell

Listen well, Will yo u? Even the sentenious steward, in his passivity, feels the extent of our words, his eyes, when pres sured brimmed to excret ion as Socrates spoke. Through depressio n's voice, his brain lacking a heart, Wept, Can you see? You cannot, for fear consumes, takes hold and Cackles, Clawing. Left is a barren, th e likes, I dare not look, suffice that death ne ver looked so, Clean.

Alex Dunk

CREATIVE CREATIVE CORNER

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

This Modern Love Like the brick wall I run against in dreams, I feel emotion beyond repair. What once to me was innocent, Is now tainted by false despaire. Though men run to you with primal gaze, Embers of the night entwine, And poor minds become enslaved, As perpetual warnings fade to dust. Flares of pink and green, Shrewd eyes careful of consequence, Conviluted by complex dreams, None of which achieved. When I gaze upon the unknowing, Sly meanings do I fulfill, Left alone in this existance, To mourn courage and broken will. Half formed thoughts come to pass, As though life was not enough, And in the shadow of the mundane, Modern meaning departed us. If one day I were to whither, from your words and empty pains, I'd feel my heart was broken, And cling to life in vein. J.R

: Exer t from

The Expected Value of Time

lex looked both ways and crossed. He reached the next traffic lights. A man stood on the other side of a rail from him and Alex pushed the signal. He felt like he was the blind leading the blind. The man

Fracture

Caught caught dusting ﬂowers on the shelf of a cliff top

I was the one who always remained, constant and unchanging Always willing, Always breaking, Always alone Never more than a shoulder too you, never a kiss or embrace I would have stood by your side for ever and a day

kneel today with arms spread out embrace the heat of this meteorite seen wearing: pearls of fright sewn on skin-thin dress chest open to an end

I was the one who gave myself to you, entirely and forever. Never ashamed, Never repentant, Never embarrassed. Always craving you, your smile, your smell, the way you said my name. I couldn’t have given you any more

invisible bend falling today and gone tomorrow never played on ﬁner planes

I was the one who got hurt, unrequited love is something different. Like a crack in a mirror, ever growing, reaching out. Fracturing the heart that beats until it hardly knows it’s a heart anymore. And still, you don’t see what it means to me.

caught also dusting stars one night unable to weep all mediocre rites

Zoe Perrenoud

And you won’t.

So long for summer!

has finally arrived he last issue of the year r selves with arand you have out done you many submissions for tistic genius! We had so to save some for next this issue we will have eative Corner will be year, but never fear the Cr forum for all of your back in September as the uld like to contribute creative talent. If you wo en as always you can to the Fresher’s issue of Ser story exerts, artwork email your poetry, short and photography to:

.uk creative@seren.bangor.ac new students, can see And you, and plenty of nt! your creative work in pri

smiled as if they were friends. They walked over the striped road together. The man turned left so Alex turned right. The blind man is going somewhere, he thought. Alex stopped outside a Cathedral. His phone vibrated next to his leg and he almost dropped it into a puddle. His face lit up above the glowing screen. One New Message: Mum. He deleted it and wrote a text to Rachel.

Will you give me a call? I dont know anybody here. Just walking around the city. I still want to see you x

The message sent and he wiped his nose on the back of his hand. He tightened his belt and looked up. The train station was over a wide road. He decided to check what time he could get home.

Richard Anthony Morris

The inside was like Grand Central Station. Conversations of hundreds of people echoed off the high ceiling and stone walls. The hall felt spacious even though it looked crowded. He planned out a route to Nottingham and left. The train to Crewe wasn’t for another hour. It was five o’clock. He tried calling Rachel but she didn’t answer. It had stopped snowing and the streetlights were on. Where it wasn’t mush the ground looked

like it was covered in diamonds. Alex walked past the Cathedral with his eyes to the floor. He found a pub around the corner and went inside. The barman looked up from his book.

“Hello. Could I get a filter coffee please?” Alex said.

Greg Flynn

FILM

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Hi there! I hope you have all enjoyed my film pages over this past year of Seren. I really have had a lot of fun doing them and have watched the widest range of films imaginable; the Film Fatale reviews have been my particular favourites! I’d like to say a big shout out to Callum Rymer who has wrote nearly every issue for the film pages: great reviews and a great help, cheers buddy! I hope you all have a fun and stress free summer. Here are my picks of what I think will be the films to go and see this summer! Bye for now Bangorites!

Louise x

Picks for Summer! The Twilight saga: Eclipse

The Losers

ue out on the 28th of May, The Losers (based on a comic series of the same name) is the type of film that is pure popcorn fodder. Specialised CIA military agents find themselves at the centre of a failed assassination/betrayal plot that forces them into hiding. If this already sounds like it’s going to be another generic guns and explosions film, then you’re mostly right. Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar are the agents; each one has their own specialised area of expertise and skills ranging from heavy weaponry to communication and technology, handy for anything the plot throws at them. The film has a wide and varied cast including the witty and charm ridden Chris Evans and the tough but somewhat smooth Jeffrey Dean Morgan as leader Clay. Avatar’s

blue leading lady, Zoe Saldana brings the right amount of danger and class to the role of Aisha, her acting ability better displayed

The thrills and spills that the team encounter are undeniably fun here as she is not camouﬂaged behind the computerised world of Avatar. Her sudden arrival spurs the team onto a trail of revenge and ‘payback’, their target, the highly guarded and elusive evil ‘Max’. When I say evil I mean evil genius evil, Max is a parody of every villain that has ever gone before him; although that doesn’t necessarily mean that he isn’t any fun to watch on screen. It’s this sense of fun and a quirky

humour that makes The Losers watchable; Chris Evans’ quips as the blabbermouth Jensen are particularly enjoyable. The thrills and spills that the team encounter along the way are undeniably fun but there isn’t much depth or substance to them, we’ve seen them all before. For fans of the comic book series, as to be expected, the film isn’t an entirely faithful adaption but its faithful enough to gain a smile from dedicated fans. The Losers is only director Sylvain White’s fifth film and while it shows he has promise and a clear eye for good cinematography, it’s also clear that he has a long way to go before he creates a masterpiece that will please everyone.

Louise Cotterill

While not my own personal choice, the third instalment of the Twilight series is one not to be missed for fans of Bella, Edward and of course, Jacob. (Out 9th July)

The Karate Kid

A remake of the classic 1984 ﬁlm of the same name, it’s the involvement of Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan that make this an exciting prospect. (Out 16th July)

Predators

A sequel following in the footsteps of the all mighty Predator franchise. This one’s guaranteed to be ﬁlled with action, scares and suspense. Promising for the Predator franchise. (Out 22nd July)

Toy Story 3

Buzz, Woody and gang ﬁnd themselves the new play things of a day care centre when Andy heads to college. Michael Keaton as the Ken doll? This one’s going to be amazing. (Out 23rd July)

The A Team

Yes another remake to add to this list. The A Team is a modern update of the classic 80s TV show. Be prepared to hear ‘I pity the fool’ everywhere you go….(Out 30th July)

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

The ﬁlm follows 23 year old Scott Pilgrim as he tries to defeat his girlfriends ‘seven evil exes’. Directed by Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz genius Edgar Wright, this ﬁlm looks set to be fantastic. Go look up the trailer! (Out 6th August)

The Expendables

The possible action ﬁlm to wipe out all others. Sylvester Stallone has written and directed this all star cast of action heroes. Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger…yep all these actors, in one ﬁlm. What more do you need to know?! (Out 20th August)

Repo! The Genetic Opera

he year is 2056. The future is not bright. The future is dark, derelict and dying. A major epidemic of organ failures has wiped out half of the world’s population, leaving the majority of others in need of organ transplantation. To solve this problem, business tycoon Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino, Goodfellas) comes up with an ingenious method of manufacturing synthetic body parts in exchange for a scheduled payment plan. If one cannot meet these payments however, Largo send out the Repo men to recollect those parts in any way possible. This is a world that is addicted to surgery and pain relief, where histories are hidden, and murder is the norm. Thus is the basis of Repo! The Genetic Opera, the dystopian cyber-punk opera, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw IV). The ﬁlm follows the story of Shilo, played somewhat awkwardly by Alexa Vega (previously of Spy Kids fame) a young girl with a mysterious blood disease who is kept

in isolation by her father Nathan, played by Anthony Stewart Head (most well known for his role as Giles in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer). As Nathan tries to deal with Shilo’s illness, his own demons come back to haunt him and his double life begins to merge into one. The cast is well rounded with names from rock music and horror film, for example Nivek Ogre of the post-industrial band Skinny Puppy, and Bill Moseley, an actor commonly found in the films of Rob Zombie. The most interesting casting in this film is the role of Amber Sweet, the surgery addicted punk daughter of Largo, played surprisingly well by It Girl Paris Hilton. Hilton slinks around the screen in leather corsets and fishnets whilst singing about her addictions and how much she loves to sing, a role she suits perfectly. Any Hilton haters will be pleased however at the end of the film, when *Spoiler Alert* her face falls off. The narrative is pushed along by numerous songs, written and often performed by

screenwriter/producer/actor/illustrator and composer of Repo!, Terry Zdunich, with titles such as ‘Night Surgeon’ and ‘Infected’. There is not a main character is this film that escapes without singing, so if you want a polished musical with trained singers, you will be disappointed but the rawness of this singing reflects the roughness of this world. This film has the potential to be more sadistic and brutal, as its producers and directors are responsible for the Saw franchise; instead it is more like a comicbook, as some scenes are presented in typical comic panel form. If you like films that are simple, easy to understand and straightforward, then this film is not really for you. If like me however, you enjoy more carnivalesque, cult and really obscure films about dystopian worlds and its effect on its inhabitants, then I suggest you go out and rent or buy a copy, even just for the experience.

Alex Foulkes

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Taking Woodstock

hen discussing the films of Oscar award winning director Ang Lee, we immediately think of his controversial drama Brokeback Mountain, or martial arts flick Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but one of his newest films, the rather touching tale of a young man discovering his own destiny in Taking Woodstock, is something altogether different. It is the summer of 1969 and for failing interior designer Elliot Tiechberg, life is just a series of disappointments. That is until the opportunity arises for his tiny hometown of Catskill, New York to hold the infamous Woodstock Festival. Leading this cast is little known actor Demetri

FILM

IRON MAN 2

I recommend it if you are looking for something soft and fun, and can appreciate the hippy culture of 1960s America Martin, who plays the character of closeted gay man Elliot with a geeky awkwardness, who when combined with the talents of Jonathon Groff who’s charming smile and portrayal of festival promoter and main mind behind Woodstock, Michael Lang create a very believable chemistry, amongst some of the other characters that are there purely for laughs. Other notable cast members include Imelda Staunton as Sonia; Elliot’s very Jewish and very Russian mother, and Eugene Levy as Max, the owner of the field where the festival is held. For myself however, the stand-out performances come from Emile Hirsch as Billy, Elliot’s Vietnam veteran best friend, struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Liev Schreiber as Vilma, the Festival’s transvestite security guard and confidante to both Elliot and his father. The soundtrack is decent, but as it almost only features music of quintessential 60s bands such as The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin, it may really only appeal to fans of the 1960’s hippie culture. Factual accuracy however, as many other ‘based-on actual events’ films, leaves a lot to be desired. Strictly as a comedy this falls a little short. There are some very funny scenes, often including a naked theatre troupe, but there is not enough humour in the rest of the film. Personally, I found this film to be somewhat light and superficial, but it is pleasing and heart warming enough to enjoy and I think that you’ve wasted money. It is definitely not Ang Lee’s finest or most memorable cinematic achievement, but it is a pleasant change from his more serious earlier films. I would recommend it, but only if you are looking for something soft and fun, and can appreciate the hippie culture of 1960s America.

Alex Foulkes

aving spent his Christmas jaunting around Victorian London as Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Junior returns to his battle suit in superhero sequel Iron Man 2. The original Iron Man was an impressive movie - it didn't take itself too seriously, the special effects were great and Downey was great as the cocky playboy, Tony Stark. The sequel had a problem or two in production. Terrence Howard, who played Colonel Rhodes in the first film, had to be replaced by Don Cheadle (Ocean's 11) due to a contract wrangle. Fortunately, the film doesn't suffer from this at all; Cheadle is an excellent actor, so the transition feels smooth and natural. The movie has a great cast in general, actually. While the loss of Howard and recent Oscar winner Jeff Bridges is a shame, the sequel gains a couple of great additions: Sam Rockwell (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) as Justin Hammer, Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) as the main villain, Ivan Vanko, and Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), who is shamelessly sexy as the Black Widow. Gwyneth Paltrow also returns

as Stark's assistant Pepper Potts, and Samuel L Jackson is in it (of course). Downey's impressive performance in Iron Man is one of the reasons it was arguably the best superhero film, and he's just as good here. Tony Stark is essentially an arrogant rock star, and RDJ has it pitch-perfect. He's even more arrogant and carefree in the sequel, partly because the chest plate that keeps him alive is also slowly poisoning him. If a complaint about the movie, and indeed the original, is that you don't actually see Iron Man that much, the silver lining is the amount of Tony Stark time both movies have. Not only that, but the addition of the new "War Machine" suit, worn by Colonel Rhodes, means that you get double the robot fighting action, which offsets the complaints a little. Whereas Iron Man was a good movie that lacked a defining antagonist, like, say, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, here that isn't a problem. Mickey Rourke is a standout performer; his Russian accent is pretty good, and he's got the character's little eccentricities spot-on. Though you can make

“The rules of the slasher ﬁlm are now so ingrained that it’s lacerating the ﬂagging horror genre”

enowned music video director Samuel Bayer (heavily involved with Green Day's American Idiot work) tackles his first feature length film with this, the supposed re-ignition to arguably one of the most acclaimed and popular horror franchises of all time (Nightmares sequels made more money than anything Jason Voorhee's or Michael Myers could muster), ‘Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare’ was released in 1991 and was supposedly the final instalment of the franchise until the Hollywood money raking machine came knocking. The original Nightmare on Elm Street was released in 1984 and introduced us to the undead child murderer Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) as he killed off the teenage population of Springwood Ohio through their dreams. Kruger was the invention of writer/ director Wes Craven who based the original plot on a series of articles he read in his local newspaper about a group of Cambodian children who died in their sleep. Before passing on these children claimed that they were being attacked by something in their dreams. It was this concept that inspired Craven to create one of cinema’s most memorable movie monsters. While cinema continues to churn out these unnecessary and mostly pointless additions to dead franchises, the most recent being the tedious and completely dire Friday the 13th remake, it’s apparent that in Krueger's corner it remains a style over substance affair. These films survived for so long because of their fan base, and with each yearly sequel mostly attempted to alter the formula of slasher films, even if said difference was only slight. The Nightmare

the same complaint with Vanko that you can with Stark, that you don't see him in action enough. You can make the same excuse Rourke is good enough for it not to matter much. Ivan Vanko allies himself with Justin Hammer, a business rival of Stark, and this unlikely villainous duo have great on-screen synergy. The movie feels a little rushed at times, though. Usually when a movie is building to a climax, you realise it, but that didn't quite happen with Iron Man 2. It's a fairly serious problem. Since the movie builds itself on characters rather than relentless action, it feels an unfortunate waste for the movie to rush through things like it does. Ultimately, though, Iron Man 2 is an excellent sequel that, if not quite as good as the original, comes pretty close. It's not groundbreaking, and it's not going to change people's minds about superhero movies, but not much will match it this year in terms of fun.

Matthew Cox

remake makes no attempt to spin something new on the Freddy Krueger satire, with this latest instalment entering darker waters (the dwelling on the paedophile aspects of Freddie, those that were merely hinted at in the original are made gratuitously explicit here) with less witty humour or tongue-incheek banter which made Craven's original so interesting (a slash in the face to Nightmare fans). What we are left with is the usual sexobsessed male adolescents, troubled final girls and their vain hacked-up friends: all at least 20 years too old for the part they are playing. The rules of the slasher film are now so ingrained that it’s lacerating the flagging horror genre and bares a constant reminder of the lack of ingenuity that enters into the horror fray nowadays. Bayer seems to know style, but has trouble handling simple plot devices and a narrative that lacks tact or interesting twists. That said, A Nightmare On Elm Street contains enough buckets of blood compared to the mostly gore-free original for fans of shall we say of 'colourful violent expression' to get back on board with the franchise. For most however Nightmare remains another tedious example of the Hollywood assembly line, using a brand to put bums on seats whilst not delivering the desired goods. The state of modern horror today is summed up in this hollow wreckage of what was once, in the late 1970's and early 1980's, actually quite good.

Callum Rymer and Karl Hanks

TRAVEL

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Euro Sound

festivals A whistle stop tour of Europe’s unmissable

e’ve all heard of Leeds, Reading, Glasto and Download, and even festivals which are commonly thought of as being smaller or more low-key, such as Womad, End of the Road, and Summer Sundae, are growing in both size and popularity year on year. You can’t really argue against it; the UK deﬁnitely hosts some great weekends of music and madness, but what about countries further aﬁeld? Sit back and relax as we take you on a whistle stop tour of the best, most fabulous, and absolutely unmissable festivals that are happening across Europe. All you need to get involved are some friends, cider, a tent and a sense of adventure!

Pukkelpop

The festival grounds are situated very close to the city of Hasselt in Belgium and the festival itself has been going strong since 1985. It is very popular, attracting around 180,000 visitors every year and consequently holds status as the second largest music festival in the country. The fun lasts for three days from 19-21 August with the acts running from Thursday through to Saturday, although the camp site opens on the Wednesday to allow for a day of pre-festival parties, fun and frolics. Every year around 200 diverse and alternative performers take to the eight open air stages, with this year’s festival being graced by Placebo, Pendulum, Mumford and Sons, and Goldfrapp to name but a few of the artists attending. If you can get to Belgium, train services to the festival are free if you show your ticket. Alight at Hasselt station to take a free bus shuttle service or Kiewit, which is within walking distance of the grounds. Alternatively, go green and cycle to the event, taking advantage of the signs guiding you to a guarded parking space for bikes. A weekend ticket costs around £140 in sterling which includes camping and access to all arenas, with the enviably warm air of Europe almost guaranteed.

Think Leeds, but with wafﬂes and crepes. Deﬁnitely not one to miss!

Benicassim

Situated in a small town of the same name which lies between Valencia and Barcelona, the Benicassim festival is held from 15th-18th July and offers four full days of some of the best indie, pop and electronica out there. This year’s acts include The Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal, and Lily Allen to name-drop just a few of the many that will be there. It is a little different to a typical British festival as the performances typically start at around 6pm, with the headliners only hitting the stages at around 1am. Following this are DJ sets from world renowned artists, which means it really is an all night affair and thus perfect for any night owl. You really couldn’t ask for more from the location too, being both picturesque and also easily accessible if you are travelling from the UK or any other part of Europe as it is well linked to the airports of Valencia and Barcelona. Just hop on a train to Benicassim station. A four day ticket costs around £160 which isn’t bad considering how much some tour operators charge for a stay in Spain. And with sun, sea and awesome sounds guaranteed you’d be silly to miss out. Don’t forget your sun cream!

Long’I’Rock

Taking place in Longirod, a traditional village of only 400 residents in the Swiss Alps, there couldn’t be a much more stunning setting for a weekend of open stage, top-class heavy rock and punk music. The weekend will accommodate for 50,000 festival goers, with the promise of every circle pit and black eye any of them could dream of. Around forty acts are set to take to three main stages over the weekend, but if that’s not enough for you there’s an array of stalls on offer from merchandise to crafts, hats and chats, giving no reason to ever ﬁnd yourself with nothing to do! The

idea behind Long’I’Rock’s creation is a simple one; to be the most memorable, joyous, unique event anyone could ever hope to be a part of. That’s why it’s a one-time event! So, whoever or whatever you call yourself, get yourself a ticket! There are no stereotypes here, despite the initial ‘heavy’ exterior. Whether you be guy or gal, rich or poor, straightedge or boozer, everyone’s here for the same reason: to have a good time. Main acts include Gallows, Gogol Bordello, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Nada Surf and Scorpions, just to name a few. There’s still time to get your tickets before the festival begins on the 13 May so if you’re free and have quite a few pennies to spare (around £120 for a weekend ticket) an incredible time is ready and willing to be taken by the scruff of the neck. Take the train from Lausanne to Gland, where free shuttle buses will be carting festival-goers to the grounds.

Oxegen

Since its debut in 2004 Oxegen has been hailed as one of the best rock’n’roll weekends out there. The most ‘local’ to the UK, it is now Ireland’s biggest annual music festival and has attracted artists from many different genres to join the four day party. It takes place in Punchestown, County Kildare which is towards the south-east of Ireland and attracts around 80,000 weekend campers each year. Buses run from Dublin and the grounds are accessible by train from Sallins and Naas. Ticket costs range from 99.50€ for a day to 244.50€ for a four day camping ticket. Muse, Kasabian, Arcade Fire, Faithless and Jay-Z will be just some of the diverse acts pleasing the crowd from 9-11 July, with Laura Marling, Newton Faulkner and La Roux also being recently conﬁrmed. Think fresh air, greenery and great friends and great tunes.

Rock am Ring

Germany’s most famous festival returns to celebrate a quarter of a century of unadulterated rock. From the 4-6 June, artists including Rammstein, Kiss, Muse, Kasabian, Them Crooked Vultures, and Kate Nash will be stirring the crowd into a frenzy at the Nürburgring race track. The event has an unbelievable rock pedigree with past headliners including Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, Radiohead, Metallica, The Prodigy and many, many more. Like Leeds and Reading, Rock am Ring is one of two events with nearidentical line-ups; the sister festival is called Rock im Park and is held in Nuremburg. Combined, they are Germany’s biggest festival, with an attendance of about 150,000 people. Ticket prices range from 75€ for a day to 170€ for the whole weekend. Don’t get Nürburg and Nuremburg mixed up (rather confusingly, the German for the latter is Nürnburg). The closest airports to the Rock am Ring festival are Düsseldorf and Cologne-Bonn. Travel from these airports and the festival grounds will take between three to four hours via bus and train. If the Germans don’t wear you out with all the moshing, hang around after the festival to soak up a bit of culture in Koblenz and Mayen or head north to the industrial region with literally dozens of cities worth having a peek around.

Vicky Osten and Ben Jones

A Word from our Music Editor, Aaron Wiles...

ay! t at Oxegen anyw sunshine...well no We can’t guarantee

Pukklepop Well that’s a pretty good line-up if I’ve ever seen one! Everyone is catered for aren’t they, I personally wouldn’t say no to the Bloody Beetroots DJ set, Kelis, Fake Blood, Soulwax and I’d even go for a bit of White Lies. But whatever you’re into, this festival has got it! Benicassim Ooh Ellie Goulding, very nice. Gorillaz too, cool! The indie kids will love this line-up, Vampire Weekend and Two Door Cinema Club I can see going down very well. Electro is also sorted via Yuksek and Boys Noize. Impressive line-up. Long’I’Rock I’m not gonna lie, rock isn’t really my thing, Seren did receive a positive review of Eluveitie (see last issue) though and I did quite enjoy that Gallows track that

featured Lethal Bizzle. Oxegen I have already gotten myself excited for this line-up, very impressed with the artists signed up to this. Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas and Eminem are some pretty big names regardless of what you think of them. I would also happily go and see La Roux, Goldfrapp, Alex Metric and of course the wonderful Florence. Rock am Ring For what is a rock festival there are quite a few artists on the line-up that don’t really ﬁt the bill, see Dizzee Rascal and Ellie Goulding. However rock is still catered for via Them Crooked Vultures and Wolfmother. Still not sure it should be marketed as a rock festival though with some of the acts.

TRAVEL

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

er time of year, but aft you’re all skint at this n a little. The good eah, yeah, we know dow r hai ir the let erves to we’ve exams, everyone des e at Seren Travel impossible. So her an memories ope Eur news is that it’s not hed enc -dr ision to wallow in sun l summer been putting off rev your own continenta and inspiration for as ide you g brin to adventure. Enjoy!

Flying

I learnt several valuable things whilst flying around Europe. Firstly: partying with Venezuelans until dawn when you have an 8.30am flight the next day is a bad idea. Secondly: if you arrive at the airport when checkin is closed, but beg loudly and for long enough, you will be allowed on the flight (Disclaimer: Seren does not guarantee this). Flying, admittedly, was the most stressful way I have ever travelled around the continent. There were far too many near misses, since cheap flights have an annoying habit of often departing early in the morning. It’s also necessary to forward plan, and do online research, destroying that dream of floating around Europe with no fixed destination in mind

Trains

Driving

Nine months ago, fresh from Interrailing around Italy, I probably would have advised you against doing it yourself. I was convinced it was a bit of a rip-off really, and straight after spending over 700€ on a two week trip, I was a bit dismayed at my lack of money. Perhaps I was just naïve or perhaps I’m now looking back with rose-tinted spectacles but now I’d say: go for it. Just be prepared that people will lie to you. It’s probably just in Italy that train station officials will tell you that there is no local train service from Rome to Florence, and the only way to travel is by Eurostar, which means a compulsory seat reservation cost of 10€. Needless to say, when we arrived at our platform and discovered a local train to Florence right next to us, we were a little annoyed. Our train journey thereafter mainly consisted of saying “Italians” over and over again preceded by various imaginative swear words. But if you are aware of this tendency in advance, and don’t mind making a fool of yourself when you decide wearing a floaty summer dress whilst hauling a rucksack around would be the perfect way to keep cool in the heat, you can have the time of your life. Eurostars notwithstanding, Interrail allows you to go to the station and hop on the first train to wherever takes your fancy. It’s an easy way to meet locals and fellow travellers and get into the local psyche: on a straightforward journey from Bologna to Rome our train stopped for four hours for no discernible reason, but luckily we were ‘adopted’ by an elderly Italian woman who spoke no English but insisted on feeding us. On a train you get to see the best of the countryside without having to worry about map-reading or getting stranded somewhere without petrol. Interrail tickets vary according to the length of time and chosen country: 8 days travel over a month in Italy costs 149€, but there are plenty of other options if you’re travelling in countries with big states. Germany offers Länder Tickets for 29€, which entitle up to five people unlimited travel within one state for 24 hours. Further information is available on www.bahn.com and www.interrail.net

In the space of a single month a friend and I drove 2000 miles around northern Europe. We covered 16 countries, saw the Red Light district in Amsterdam, ate in Paris’ oldest restaurant, went climbing in the alps, tasted wines in the French countryside (where the train doesn’t stop), saw Prague’s Dali exhibition, learnt how Lindt is made and saw the world’s largest crystal. Driving allows you to see the more rural areas and get off the beaten track a little, which invariably leads to an interesting experience. There are a few exceptions of course. We brieﬂy stopped in the German town of Kitzingen before a six hour mission across the Czech Republic to Prague and it may well have been the most boring place I’ve ever visited. Even the tour guide of their ‘esteemed’ clock tower was apparently too apathetic

Buses

experience is so much more intense. It was rather odd immediately after experiencing the insane hustle and bustle of Paris to find Barcelona an eerily deserted city during the midafternoon. Don’t forget to check out budget airlines from your country of destination, such as Germanwings and Air Berlin. Be flexible with your airport of departure; some airlines offer cheaper flights from different airports around the UK, and finally, remember that two singles can sometimes be cheaper than a return!

Rachel Stretton

to turn up. Though, incidentally, if you’re into clocks, Prague is a mustvisit. Some days were mostly spent in the car, and you really get to know a place that way, observing as everything changes: the landscape, language, architecture and food. I soon learnt to tell what country I was in by the lagers being advertised. The price of petrol ﬂuctuates between each city and country but in total we spent about £300 between us. Had my navigation been up to par we would have done 500 miles less and saved ourselves a bit of money. We got lost on the way to every campsite, except in the city we had been told would the hardest to drive: Paris. It was seamless. Road trips are a great way to explore countries, especially if you take a few back roads. It’s a comfortable, liberated and ﬂexible way to travel allowing you to do what you like, where you like, when you like. www.drive-alive.co.uk/driving_ tips.html has advice on speed limits, distance charts and fuel prices for each country.

With the pick of local services, there-and-back again lines such as National Express, Megabus and Eurolines, and hop-on-hopoff circular routes like Busabout, voyagers who opt for the bus are certainly spoilt for choice. Whether travelling at home or abroad, the bus is usually the best way to get around without breaking the bank. Admittedly, the bus will never be the coolest way to travel, nor the most comfortable night’s sleep you’ve ever had, but who could refuse the excitement of locating the single bus shelter in a city which

Rachel Stretton

Hitch Hiking

While planes and cars may feel like travelling in style, there is a lot to be said for the humble hitch hiker. Although they seem to get a bad rap, and will almost certainly set your mum’s teeth on edge, once you ﬁnd yourself immersed in the world of hitching, you may never look back (and nor will your wallet!) It is not only the cheapest way to get around but also the most fascinating. Many of my favourite memories hitching round France, as well as some of the most memorable characters I’ve met during my voyages have been the ones that happened between places. From the friendly off-duty policeman regaling stories of his father’s home made chess sets to the seemingly frantic mother bundling her children into the corner to make room for the hitchers, there was never a dull moment. Hitch hiking really proves that travel is as much about the journey as the destination.

and ending up somewhere fantastic purely by random. However, geeky as it may sound, planning can be an exciting part of the trip itself. Set yourself a travel budget and book any flight which falls within it, especially if it’s somewhere you’ve never heard of. If you don’t have a specific city in mind you can find essentially free flights and pay only the taxes, roughly £30 per flight within Europe, depending on the destination. It’s also brilliant if you have a time limit for a trip. In a week we visited three major cities in three different countries and had plenty of time to do the tourist thing around each one. Yes, you may come across as a ‘typical tourist’ and will spend much of the time not knowing what country you’re in, but the cultural

It is recommended to travel in mixed-sex groups, for security reasons, although it’s important for guys too, as getting a lift without a girl at your side can take some time. It is deﬁnitely something to try, if not for the efﬁciency of transport, then for the experience gained along the way. Google ‘Hitchhiking Europe’ for loads of tips and stories.

Jack Standbridge

Peter Topham

will lead a weary traveller home? Then, there is increased baggage allowance with National Express, though it is always advisable to check policies with partner ﬁrms before travelling, as German bus drivers at least will always pick you up on that small print in the terms and conditions you couldn’t be bothered to read. Oh, and one last thing: the environment. Nothing can be done nowadays without thinking about your carbon footprint, so go green! Take the bus!

Katie Dyer

SPORT

End of Year Issue 2010 www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

m o r f e y b d o o G Andy John

Bangor y t i s r e v i n U F.C.

It’s been a fantastic year for the AU, and in Seren’s last issue of the year I wanted to try and sum-up the success that we have had, I could of course ﬁll an entire paper with our success this year so I will pick out just a few points...

We have launched our ‘AU kit’ with our ofﬁcial clothing partner Kukri, and have launched our online Kit shop www. bangorstudents.kukrisports.com. This will give us the identity and professional look which we rightly deserve. Many of our clubs have already adopted the kit and look absolutely awesome! We are currently ranked 65th on BUCS points out of 145 institutions in Britain, an excellent achievement and a 9 place improvement on last year! We have had BUCS league wins for men’s Tennis, men’s Rugby Union 2nds, Badminton men’s 1st and 2nds and women’s 1st. We have sent 4 individuals to represent Wales in the British University Games. And we have this year sent more of our athletes than ever to represent Bangor at regional, national and international level. Just to highlight a few clubs who have also done extremely well in terms of performance this year, canoe and canoe polo have combined their efforts and proved that joining forces can get results with their excellent performance at WildWater Racing. Women’s fencing won the BUCS Trophy this year and men’s and women’s rugby union have performed particularly well in their leagues. We also hosted and won the Varsity against Aberystwyth (12-9), it was a fantastic day of sport and the passion we saw for ‘Team Bangor’ was incredible! Our success has not just been in competitive sport however, many of our clubs have increased their membership numbers and have developed their club activities. The key to a successful club is its committee working well together, and all club committee members deserve thanks for their efforts this year! We’ve seen the ﬁrst year of the 5-a-side football league which was an enormous success with around 200 students taking part. My thanks to Andy Pimlott for coordinating the league and making it such a success. We have built on the success of last year’s intramural events like Superteams and the Xmas football tournament, and have introduced another: Superstars. AU nights have moved to every Wednesday and we’ve held Bangor’s second healthy living week. I could go on... but I wont. What sums up the AU for me is the ethos which surrounds sport in general, we strive to better ourselves and reach our potential in our chosen discipline and I believe this is true of the AU also. We have such enormous potential as a Union, and we must strive to reach it, every year we get better and I would like to wish Danielle Giles the best of luck in helping the AU reach its potential next year. On a personal level I have had a brilliant year as president of the AU, and it has been an experience I will always value.

Yours in sport, Andy John, AU President 2009-2010

Chess

Scheming with the Scandinavian

I like playing the Scandinavian. Its simple to learn, not bogged down with theory, and, if played carefully, can equalise comfortably for Black. 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6... Although questions are raised over its strength and popularity, I have tended to ﬁnd the opening enjoyable to play. Ideal for beginners, it is not unseen at Grand Master level, Larsen famously using it to defeat World Champion Karpov in 1979. As a personal preference, I tend not to play 3. Nc3 Qa5, preferring to keep my Queen in the centre; playing either d6 or e6+ on my third move. Here are a couple of games I played recently with the Scandinavian.

White-0 Black-1

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Be2 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qd7 6. O-O e6 7. Bb5 a6 8. Bxc6 Qxc6 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Qxf3 11. gxf3 Nf6 12. Ne4 Be7 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. c3 O-O-O 15. d4 h6 16. Bf4 Rd5 17. Rfe1 Rf5 18. Re4 g5 19. Bg3 Rxf3 20. Rd1 Rd8 21. a4 b6 22. Kg2 Rf5 23. Ra1 c5 24. dxc5 Rxc5 25. Rb4 Rc6 26. Re1 Be7 27. Rbe4 Rd2 28. Rc1 f5 29. Rb1 fxe4 30. Be5 Bc5]]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. h3 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Bc4 h6 7. O-O e6 8. d3 Be7 9. Re1 O-O 10. Ne5 Re8 11. Ng4 Nbd7 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Nxh6+ gxh6 14. Qg4+ Ng5 15. Bxg5 hxg5 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Rxe6 Nf8 18. Rxd6 Bxg4 19. Rd4 Bf5 20. g4 Bg6 21. Kg2 Ne6]]

Position after move 15. d4 h6 My opponent resigned on move 30. Although I felt he had a chance to equalise material, or force me into making a mistake. I had never seen 3. Nf3 played within this context and thus targeting the Knight became my aim, exchange material and disrupt the Pawn structure. This came about at move 11, and I set about exchanging down and Pawning up. The second game I think followed a more main line pattern. At a quick glance Castling on move 9 could have been a big mistake, maybe being more patient and waiting for a Queen-side Castle would be more effective, as it was in the ﬁrst example. I haven’t analysed them properly yet so any comment or contribution would be welcomed.

Martyn Singleton

Ch/P

E/W

Cyf/ D

Co/L

Gwalchmai

Bodedern

TERFYNOL / FINAL

Holyhead Hotspur Caergybi

Biwmares / Beaumaris

Caernarf on Wanderers

Bethel

Gaerwen

Porthmadog

9 10

Llanf airf echan Prif ysgol Bangor University

22 22

4 3

14 16

31 31

57 57

16 12

Llanystumdwy

Bontnewydd

he first team finished the season in 10th place in the Gwynedd league and have avoided relegation. A draw and two wins in the last three games helped them overtake Bontnewydd and Llanystumdwy, who they beat 2-1 and 6-0 respectively in the last weeks of the season. They also reached the Eryri Shield final at Farrar Road where they lost 3-1, but the night will be remembered for the terrific atmosphere created by the Green Army who dressed up in retro football kit. The Reserves finished in 4th place in the Caernarfon and District division 2, just goal difference separating them from a 3rd place finish. It’s been a commendable first season back in Saturday football after several years’ absence. Our teams were less successful in BUCS. The 1sts finished 5th in their league and the 2nd team, which was mostly made up of the College Two players (3rds) who were pulled out of the Sunday league in November, finished 6th, but there were several classic away trips to remember!

Ben Neale

Man Versus Horse Marathon

n the 12th of June 1010, the annual Man versus Horse Marathon will take place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys; at 11am. Athleticism and mental strength has always been the point of completion between men, but to compare such abilities against some of natures more robust mammals sounds like pure pub talk. And that’s where it all started. Landlord Gordon Greene of the Neuadd Arms set up the now annual event in 1980; inspired by a conversation in his pub. Overhearing claims by one of his patrons that over a long, cross country distance, man was the equal

of any horse; Greene decided that it was for the public to judge such claims, and so the marathon was born. The race has been held annually since, continually attaining new levels of entry and challenges. Yet only once in its now thirty year history, has man proved victorious. In 2004 Huw Lobb won the 22 mile race in two hours and ﬁve minutes, ﬁnishing two minutes before the fastest horse. Attracting numbers of up to 500 entrants, the race is run over 22 miles of mixed and very hill terrain, including farm tracks, bridle paths, forestry roads and open moorland.

Athletic Union Awards 2010!

Half Colours American Football Athletics

opinion the Awards Committee if in its ull Colours shall be awarded by in al ability and sportsmanship ption exce n show has inee the nom cation to the club both in dedi al ption exce or and/ eld ﬁ their chosen ing of its members. its management and in the train if in its by the Awards Committee Half Colours shall be awarded meriting club the to ion ribut cont hy e a wort opinion the nominee has mad nt than Full Colours award. recognition but to a lesser exte excelled ary member deemed to have ordin AU any to rded or Blues are awa playing at county, national ple exam for eld, ﬁ ting in their chosen spor international level.

Badminton

Basketball (Men’s) Canoe Polo Dance

Fencing

Gaelic Football (W)

Full Colours Athletics Badminton Basketball (W) Canoe Canoe Polo Cheerleading Dance Fencing Football (M) Hockey (M) Hockey (Women’s) Lacrosse Rowing Rugby League Rugby Union (M) Rugby Union (W) Volleyball Wakeboarding

Hockey (M) Suzy Blandford Christina Shiels Lowri Francis Joanne Hacking Chris Albourough John Ker Catrin Plumpton Nicola Green Hannah Bayley Sarah-Jane Maunder David Todd Sean Baxter Lizzie Hill Amy Hulson-Jones Ben Neale James Larmett Simon Major James Oakes Sarah Berwick Fran Currie Sarah Latham Jack Sewell Helen Aldred Dan Harris Nick Brown Richard Leonard Nicky Carey Kathryn Pacey Charlotte Taylor Dilek Batmaz Laura Pedersen

Hockey (W) Lacrosse Mountain Walking Mountaineering

Blues

Athletics Badminton Canoe Polo Hockey (W) Rugby League

Netball Jennifer Brierley Rich Morrissey Fiach O’Rourke Joe Leach Alice Barham Sarah De Longa Max Bracken

Orienteering Rowing Rugby League Rugby Union (M) Rugby Union (W)

Fresher of the Year Sportswoman of the Year Sportsman of the Year Club of the Year Team of the Year Spirit of the AU Varsity Team of the Year AU Award

SPORT

Maxemus Bartholomew Sarah-Jane Maunder Joe Leach Badminton Canoe Polo Teams Rowing Men’s Rugby Union Dan Harris Steve Barnard

Sub-aqua Table Tennis Tennis Trampolining Ultimate Frisbee

Volleyball Waterpolo

Peter Williams Mark Hughes Heather Roberts Gareth Dixon Charlotte Durrington Hannah Stephenson Ben Travers Seth Casidsid Sam Murphy Elizabeth Andrew Anita Chauha Jennifer Hurst Hannah Scott Sophie Wickham Andrew Atkins Karen Langly James McDonagh Ian Scott Sinead Greene Lorraine Hayes Paul Hughes Tom Parfett Ned Squire Ellen Grifﬁths Flora Rigby Sarah Berwick Marc Brouard Fred Maier Owain Rice Ben Alsford Rachel Stroud Melanie Booth Rebecca Brooks Rachael Green Tom Hecht Abigail Finch Sarah-Jane Maunder Richard Lloyd Thomas Haycock Ali Lalloo Zach Poole Dilek Btamaz Sian Lofthouse Hannah Lowther Steve Barnard Ed Jenkins Adam Parmenter Daniel Pickup Katy Sharman Louise Hanly Vicki Harman Graham Jenkins Thomas Lees Patrick Ward Kate Taylor Sally Rangecroft

e r a s n e z i t i C s e o r e h k c i r hatt

Bangor City 3-2 Victors in Welsh Cup Final!!!

ave Morley was the hero for Bangor City, as they beat Port Talbot 3-2 at Parc-YScarlets, to win the Welsh Cup three times in a row. Bangor started the game lively and were duly rewarded after 6 minutes, when Lee Hunt scored the opener after an error by Talbot keeper, Lee Kendall. The former Cardiff stopper was caught out by a long ball over the top, misjudging the bounce, perhaps owing to the Parc Y Scarlets comparatively impeccable pitch; he became caught in two minds, attempting to head the ball away when he should have punched clear or caught the ball. An unusual error by the experienced player, gifting Bangor the lead. Only 9 minutes later, Bangor’s top goalscorer Jaime Reed doubled the lead, flicking in a superb back header from a Peter Hoy cross. Reed’s 30th goal of the season seemed to place Bangor into comfortable position, and although the Talbot players compossed themselves and began to play the ball with more confidence, it nevertheless seemed as if the hat-trick of Welsh Cup’s was all but confirmed. Despite starting the second half as they closed the second, Talbot rarely looked a threat, while Bangor continued to press and should have had a clear penalty when Jamie Reed ran into the box. However the referee adjudged he dived and promptly gave the free kick to Talbot. On the 57th minute, Port Talbot boss Mark Jones was set to make a triple substitution, Drew

Fahiya being one of the players to be subbed. But he soon changed his mind when Drew smashed home from a Martin Rose assist. Mark Jones changed his mind about that particular change. This spurred on the Steelmen, and they suddenly looked the team that would go on and score. This they did ﬁve minutes from time, Liam McCreesh ﬁring home the equaliser; stunning the Bangor City support. But the drama was far from over. With the game into injury time, Sion Edwards delivered a free-kick from the right of the box, and it was Dave Morley who rose highest to head down the winner; keeping the Welsh Cup in its north Wales home. Bangor completed a famous hat-trick, becoming just the 6th team to do so in the 133year history of the competition. The Citizens will now play in the Europa League next season City fans will have the chance to congratulate their three-times Welsh Cup winners on 12 June. The trophy-winning heores will be taking part in Bangor Carnival on that day, and showing off the Cup in an open-top bus procession.

Martyn Singleton

Third Time Unlucky

hile Bangor fans celebrate a hat-trick of trophy wins, spare a thought for Jamie Devitt. Teenager Devitt has achieved the unique position of being relegated for three times in one season. Contracted for Hull F.C. who dropped out of the Premier League, he has played on loan to Darlington who were relegated from League 2; and whilst on loan at Grimsby, he has now also suffered relegation to the Blue Square Premier League. Losing 3-0 to Burton Albion, Grimsby join, coincidently Devitt’s other club Darlington, in playing non-league football next season. ‘I have had a bit of stick off a few of the lads back home,’ jokes the young Irishman, who is sure to be the answer to many a pub quiz question in the future.

Remembering the Bradford Fire

sea of claret and amber scarves filled Bradford’s Centenary Square, as nearly 2,000 people stood in silence, marking the 25th anniversary of the Bradford fire. 56 people lost their lives at the Valley Parade stadium on the May 11th disaster. The crowd sang You’ll Never Walk Alone which was followed by a minutes silence. The fire is believed to have been a terrible accident, caused by rubbish being set alight by no-more than a cigarette butt. Despite the unforgettable suffering, some good has come out of it. The University of Bradford set up its Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit, as a direct result of the tragedy. The University has just announced its launching of the UK’s largest academic research centre in skin sciences, combining expertise in fields such as pharmacology, biology, physics and medicine.

Advance Australia Fair

N Port Talbot manager, Mark Jones: “I couldn’t ask any more from my boys, I’m not going to make any excuses, just congratulate the three-times champions.” Bangor manager, Neville Powell: “It looked like Port Talbot were going to come back and win it but one thing these players have got is guts and work. This means so much to so many people and these lads have been fantastic all season and got what they deserved. We’re back in Europe where we should be and it rounds of a great season for us.”

eil Robertson became the first Australian and the first overseas player since Canadian Cliff Thornburn in 1980; to win the World Snooker Championship. Beating Graeme Dott 18-13, in a gruelling and error strewn final. The pressure was clearly getting the better of the players at times, as they failed to reproduced their brilliant form of the previous fortnight. However the resulting unpredictability and tension more than made up for the lack of substantial breaks, Robertson himself only managed 90 points in one visit. Many frames were in the balance, but it was Robertson, who kept his nerve the best, Long pots and delicate safety’s edging Graeme Dott, just. A famous victory no doubt, and much needed positive publicity for the sport, that has been marred by allegations of bribery. Allegations even more damaging, as they involve someone who was sure to be remembered as one of the games greats, John Higgins.

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