Seren - 219 - 2011/12 - Fresher's Issue by Seren

Bangor Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

ISSN 1755-7585

Issue No. 219

Academi Reborn

Freshers’ Issue 2011

INSIDE:

Interview!

Freeut! o l l u P

Massive Freshers’ Guide!

Visuals from Academi’s interior designers

3d Sketch model • Student Nightclub Finally Open Seren’s very own Fire Safety Guide! • £1.5 Million Investment from University ledom hctekS d3 Luke Dobson

or over a year now the students of Bangor have been without a club that they could truly call their own. A venue made with them in mind - from employing them, to putting on nights for their enjoyment and fundraising for their clubs and causes. In Academi we have this; a club run for the Students’ Union and the student body. That is not to say that local people won’t be able to gain entry; no, the idea behind the club - as it was with the

old venues of Time & Academi (Sr) – is to have a place that students can call their own; something which is needed even more at the moment considering the lack of a purpose built Union. The old Robinson building has been completely revamped in a project which has cost £1.5 million. Quite expensive you may think, yet this includes a brand new interior with a 600 capacity dance floor, a large bar, state of the art sound system, a projection wall for lighting or art and a Union shop. The nightclub will have a zero tolerance policy of discrimination and

sexual harassment, meaning complaints of this nature will be taken very seriously by staff and security, creating a safe environment for everyone. Over the course of an average week the drinks prices will be the lowest in Bangor. This is due to a nationwide agreement between Union bars and drinks providers making student venues more accessible for their patrons. This means that Academi will always be one of, if not the, cheapest clubs in Bangor. Each month will see a wide variety of nights, from Fruit Salad (Unity Bangor’s attitude-free night) to Lost

Property (Bangor’s indie/electro event) and will also see the revival of Mayhem, Bangor’s chief metal night. In fact there will be such a myriad of different styles that you’ll be hard pressed to find a more interesting night out on any given day. With this venue we, as students, are returning to (and improving upon), the oddly wonderful nightlife to which we are accustomed. Whether you are a fresher, a returning student, a postgrad or anyone else, this nightclub is for you.

How to look amazing on a student budget!

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Hello!

Welcome to all you lovely new freshers, returning students, post-grads and anyone else who happens to have the pleasure of reading our publication. I’m Aaron, Seren’s brand new editor for the year and it’s fair to say I’m pretty excited for the coming months ahead! I want you all to get involved, we’re always on the lookout for writers, designers, proof readers and distributors, if you want to get involved in any way you can email me at editor@seren.bangor.ac.uk. This is issue is a massive 32 pages, we like breaking records at Seren and this just happens to be the biggest Freshers’ Issue we have ever printed. Inside we have a 10 page Freshers’ Guide pullout giving you all the lowdown on societies, the Students’ Union, being responsible and a massive map of Bangor so you can work your way around the town. However, my favourite page in this issue has to go to the fire safety page and not just because I got to dress up as a fire fighter! Of course our regular features remain, we have an exciting Noah and the Whale interview, a new design for the Fashion page and all your opinionated comment articles such as the riots article in Features, it’s a very interesting read. I’ll finish first of all with wishing you all the best of luck in the year ahead. Enjoy meeting new people, have a bit of fun but don’t forget to pass your first year. We’ll be at Serendipity on the 21st and 22nd September, come say hi to the team and join us in what promises to be another jam packed year!

Contents

Page 3-5 News Page 6 Politics Page 7 Comment Page 8 Features Page 9 Food & Drink

Page10 Creative Corner Page 11-22 Freshers’ Guide Page 23 Film

Page 27 Health & Beauty Page 28 Games & Gadgets

Page 24-25 Music Page 26 Fashion

Page 30-21 Sport

Page 29 Travel

Editorial Aaron Wiles

The Seren Team Editor: Aaron Wiles Deputy Editor: LJ Taylor News: Steven Freeman Features: Rosie McLeod Creative Corner: Gemma Ellis Music: Joe McNally What’s On?: Amy Westlake Fashion: Kaden Wild Food and Drink: Joe Russell Politics: Anna Hatﬁeld Health & Beauty: Emily Tearle and Sara Royle Sport: Tom Knott Secretary: Luke Dobson Design: Dan Turner

RECYCLE ME! Hello hello! Seren is made from 100% recycled paper so Get in on the action and recycle me when you are done!

This month’s Contributors Nathan Chadwick Laura Stephenson Jez Harvey Nayab Khan Becca Hemmant Daniel McLaughlan Ciara McBride Ashleigh Garnett Adam Farrand Rebecca Johnston Will Osborn Bob Chatterly The Sabbs: Jo Caulﬁeld Danielle Buckley Danielle Giles Rich Gorman

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Students’ Union and University express concern about “Bangor Fresh” event

LJ Taylor

bed or two single beds. Its kind of like what they do in college in the States except the room’s weren’t designed for this and the occupants will be expected to share things like a wardrobe and a desk with the only extra storage space being whatever is under their bed. To compensate for students having to share rooms, Aber University has lowered the prices of the double rooms with a self catered room going from £88.96 to £55 per week and the catered rooms being lowered from £108.58 to £70 per week. Considering that the paying students are getting half of what they were expecting, wouldn’t it have m a d e more sense to halve the price of the rooms? Instead, Aberystwyth are making more money out of students who are getting less. According to the Aber Vice Chancellor “The room set-up ensures first year students who are more often than not leaving home for the first time are able to quickly make friends with other students in a similar situation” but what, you have to ask, happens to those who simply end up stuck in a room with someone with whom they cannot cooperate?

Yet More Controversy Over Student Accommodation on former Jewsons Site Steven Freeman

lanning permission for student accommodation on the old Jewsons site has once again been causing havoc in the city.

New plans have been submitted by developers Hughes Bros Ltd. of Llangefni after a recent fire at the site is thought to have changed the developers existing ideas. Gwynedd Council have confirmed that amended plans have been submitted. However, complications arise as Bangor City Council is reporting that they have not currently received such plans. The developers who own the site,

which is located on Bangor High Street, were originally trying to gain permission for seven new buildings designed to accommodate 162 students. However, councillors and protesters have, throughout the planning process, stressed concerns about parking and access and town clerk Gwyn Hughes has commented that councillors should firmly oppose the amendments. A decision is yet to be made on the amended plans, and it is foreseeable that the process will be a bumpy ride for the developers and the council.

Local News

Not So Fresh?

Aber Freshers Get Cosy

angor University must be used to complaints from residents of halls, with issues as small as not liking flatmates and broken microwaves to much more serious ones like a complete lack of water and heating that Bryn Eithin students suffered through last year. But this year Bangor can safely say they are at least offering more than Aberystwyth. An increase in university applicants over the last couple of years has proved difficult for university’s across the UK as they struggled to find places to house their students. Bangor, which already suffers with student housing issues, has been lucky enough to get by with the ability to reopen old halls such as Garth and Reichel. Whilst reopening the older halls has not being completely ideal, it has worked. The same can’t be said, unfortunately, for Aberystwyth, Bangor’s neighbouring University, who, faced with high student demands, have had to make alternative arrangements in order to be able to fit all the students into the Halls of Residence. A percentage of some of Aber’s single rooms have been converted into double rooms which will either feature a bunk

Luke Dobson

ver since the event was up- the organiser declared that it was “li- customers wearing the t-shirt. They loaded to Facebook almost a bellous” and deleted the comment. It asked to be removed from the list as month ago Bangor Fresh has quickly became apparent that, after- the offers were far from exclusive, been causing controversy left, right wards, he would change the listings of those offers being usual for those pubs and centre. offers or the wording of the informa- and bars. Bangor Fresh, as a group or com- tion in order to prove people wrong in As bars began to disaffiliate the fupany, has only existed for just over a future. rore quietened down and the last few month. Ran by a man who is runThis continued with various in- weeks have passed by without much ning an exact duplicate of the event dividuals for over a week; members word from the organiser. As of today in Aberwysth, the aim of the group is of the Union, ordinary students and though there seems to be new, even to run Fresher’s events. It is, first and alumni alike openly questioned the exclusive offers listed with other bars foremost, a private group that has no validity and purpose of the event only around the city. affiliation with the University nor the to be threatened with legal action for One thing Seren would like to bring Students’ Union. apparently being “libellous”. For some- to people’s attention is the fact that So what is the controversy? When thing to be libellous it must be false; this event brings many concerns with the event it. The Sunfirst went up, day night will The Students’ Union has a number of official events it was entibe many peoorganised for Freshers Week, and we would encourage tled ‘THE ple’s first time OFFICIAL around Banstudents to attend these rather than this event which has no BANGOR gor; for them connection whatsoever with the Students Union or MOVING it is a brand University. We take the welfare of our students very IN PARTY’, new city about which it was seriously, and have a number of concerns about events like this. which they far from bedon’t really - Jo Caulfield, Students’ Union President ing. This, know much. however, was For example, not the main cause for concern as the accusations that people were calm- instead of trained Peer Guides the many existing students saw the actual ly posting were, in fact, truthful as organiser has put together a team of offer as a ‘rip off ’. many of the offers were not exclusive Bangor Fresh Guides who only had To join in on this event you have and never had been. to say they were students before beto buy a t-shirt for £9. A month ago People began taking screenshots of ing given responsibility over drunken the Facebook page listed the offers and the page before it was changed and the freshers. University. deals that this t-shirt apparently got arguments and disagreements escaPlease be aware that the vast mayou in various pubs around Bangor. lated. Within the week, the Students’ jority of drinks offers do not need a When you actually looked and com- Union, the University and the Police t-shirt. The numerous pubs, bars and pared these prices to already existing had got involved. It was their opinion clubs around Bangor want your cusoffers in each pub, it became clear that that the event was similar to the or- tom and will take it whatever the price the only actual exclusive offers were a ganised pub crawl known as Carnage of your clothing. queue jump option at Embassy Night- and thus needed to change. And so it There is so much going on in Welclub and a drinks offer in The Greek did; the wording of the event updated come Week that it can be hard to figTaverna. What you were getting for to say that this was not a pub crawl but ure out what to do so we suggest takyour £9 were offers that were worth £4 a chance for new students to meet peo- ing a look at our Freshers’ Guide in the at the very most. ple whilst enjoying cheap drinks. centre of this paper. People began commenting on the Now that the police had been inAnd please remember that your Facebook event in order to inform the volved the event, it came to the atten- Peer Guides and your Union are here new students of this, yet every time tion of those pubs apparently operat- to help throughout and beyond your anyone said anything against the event ing exclusive offers exclusively for first week here.

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People Of Bangor Shower Too Long

Steven Freeman

o you are not hallucinating, you actually did just read this headline. Apparently people of Bangor take too long to shower according to a new government survey conducted by the Welsh Assembly Government.

As the government impose tremendous budget cuts across the country, it seems that they think it is vitally important to measure people’s water usage and give a detailed report on how people may or may not use so much water whilst showering. The report claims that Bangorians use more water than any other major town or city in Wales and they advise people to spend one less minute in the shower a day to save over 13,000 litres

of water a year. Action to try and protect against climate change is generally accepted as being a good cause and beneficial to our future. However, it seems that this report seems to be too intricate in its approach and methods of trying to combat such high water usage. For a start, how many people time themselves in the shower? Probably not many, and so suggesting that people spend one less minute in the shower seems rather pointless. Another statistic the government revealed was that 38% of excessive water usage was due to people showering to relax, rather than relaxing in

the bath. However it could be suggested that there are numerous reasons for this, one being the fact that nearly a third of Bangor’s population are students and it is common that student accommodation mainly provide showers and no baths. Whatever the case, it seems that such a detailed report which houses such scepticism about peoples showering methods comes at a time when people from all walks of life are being affected by tremendous financial cuts in the public sector and it leaves one to question the government’s priorities.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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UK News

Edited by Steven Freeman

UK Students Receive Raw The Hacking Saga Financial Deal Survey Shows Continues

new report from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development) has shown that UK students fund a bigger contribution to their studies than the government. The report reveals that on average UK students personally fund 65.5% of

their studies, leaving the government to pick up the remaining 34.5%. The report also shows that, in comparison to the world, only students in Japan, Korea and Chile fund more of their studies than their government contributes. The OECD say that they make com-

Four Arrested Over Slavery Charges

our men in Bedfordshire have been arrested on suspicion of imprisoning 24 people as slaves. Police raided the travellers site in the Greenacres area of Leighton Buzzard on Sunday after receiving intelligence that ‘slaves’ were being forced to work long hours and living in squalid conditions. More than 200 officers took part in the raid which found the ‘slaves’, the youngest of which was a 17-year-old British male, with the rest believed to be around 30 – 57 and from either

a British or Eastern European background. Nine of the ‘slaves’ refused to cooperate with police investigations and have discharged themselves from hospital. The other captives have given evidence and are receiving support from the welfare services and charities such as the Red Cross, and are being reintegrated into society. The four men charged with slavery went to court on Tuesday and a verdict is yet to be decided.

parisons between 34 of the most developed nations in the world and between 2000 and 2009 a shocking leap from 32.3% to 65.5% has been witnessed in the UK. If this is not enough cause for concern, the latest report doesn’t include projected figures for when tuition fees are set to rise to next year. There is concern that such a financial situation may ward off students of the future as such a financial hardship may be a crucial factor in making prospective students decide to not to go University. It has already been suggested by the OECD that in Chile the spiralling financial burden is pushing students out of higher education and the question to which this leads is: Is this trend likely to appear in the UK? There are the obvious economical differences of the two countries, but never the less, it provides food for thought of how bleak the future may become for UK students if financial assistance continues to deplete.

It has come at a time when there has been an increase in legal petitions against News International from celebrities such as actor Jude Law, MP Chris Bryant, and footballer Paul Gascoigne. There is also emerging evidence at Scotland Yard as the Met have reported that cases of hacking cases may have happened as far back as 2005 and 2006. It is sure to be long and complex period for News International, the police and the courts as the hacking cases seem never ending.

James Murdoch as he faces more probing questions in parliament following allegations that he has hidden thr truth about phone hacking.

Ofcom Man Jailed After Posting Cracks Down Malicious Messages On Rollover Online Contracts

Victims of slavery being led off to safety by Bedfordshire police.

ames Murdoch has been recalled to give evidence to Parliament over the hacking scandal at News of the World after it has been suggested that he may have known more about the phone hacking than he originally let on to. On a different note, it has been reported that a mother of a 7/7 bombing victim is to take legal proceedings against News International after claiming her phone had been hacked following the terror attack in London.

Natasha Macbryde’s memorial site became a victim of Sean Duffy’s malicious and sick acts.

25 year old man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after writing malicious messages on online memorial sites. The court heard that Sean Duffy had posted malicious and insulting messages on many online memorial sites but the case focussed on that of Natasha Macbryde. The offender is said to have set up sites relating to certain victims which displayed a derogatory and vile nature. In one instance, the court heard that he had set up a site entitled ‘Tasha the Tank Engine’ after the aforementioned

Natasha Macbryde had committed suicide by jumping under a train. Natasha’s family have commented, saying that the nature of the attack made them ‘shocked, outraged and physically sick’. The sentence given to Sean Duffy has shined a light on cyber bullies and shown that people can go to prison for committing offences online. This sentence is bound to offer some comfort to those victims of cyber bullying and hopefully promote those affected by similar cases to report incidents.

fcom has announced that rollover contracts are to be banned by landline and broadband providers as they say providers are limiting healthy competition. Ofcom has said that so called ARCs (automatic rolling contracts) mean that many customers find themselves locked into contracts and thus the completion is limited. Ofcom also commented that so called ARCs mean that providers don’t offer the consumer the best possible deals as the customer is already locked into such companies. BT have replied to this accusation saying that their customers feel that they are receiving good deals with their packages and are happy with the service they currently receive. Still, with this in mind, it is probably more likely that people would get a better deal if they shopped around for their broadband and landline services and thus the ban seems like a good move on behalf of Ofcom. Although the ban does not currently include mobile phone contracts, this move by Ofcom looks promising for the future.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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World News

Pipeline Explosion Kills 9/11: A Day of Remembrance Many in Kenya and High Alert Steven Freeman

Kenyan petrol pipeline exploded on 12th September killing at least 75 and injuring many hundreds Red Cross officials have reported. The explosion which is thought to have been sparked by a cigarette butt being thrown into the pipeline has ricocheted throughout Nairobi’s shanty towns and caused much devastation and has taken many lives. The pipeline which runs through the densely populated Sinai Slum had been leaking and the Kenyan Pipeline Company have released a statement saying that fuel had leaked into storm drains and

Steven Freeman

above ground prompting many residents of the area to rush and collect the leaking fuel. In the frenzy and with such a volatile liquid, once the petrol had ignited it blew apart the pipe and ripped up the ground above the pipeline leaving many wounded with shrapnel and burn wounds. The Kenyatta National Hospital are appealing for blood donors and for people to donate blankets to help deal with the disaster. Kenya has a history of oil disasters where people have been collecting leaking fuel and become caught in an explosion and it is unfortunate that the same disaster has reoccurred. The Kenyan president has expressed his remorse and says that a clearer picture of what has happened and what the consequences of the blast are will become clearer as the clean up commences.

Injured people treated in Kenyatta Hospital following the explosion.

Weird And Wonderful: Ape Goes Cold Turkey

Steven Freeman

hirley the Orangutan who currently is homed at Malacca Zoo Malaysia is going cold turkey after wildlife officials believe her smoking addiction may be leading to a poorer standard of life. The cigarette ban for Shirley comes after a local paper exposed the poor conditions of animals in zoo’s which urged zoo management to think about the habitats and wellbeing of the animals. Shirley has become somewhat of a minor celebrity over the years and her addiction was fed by visitors to the zoo throwing cigarettes into her enclosure.

Zoo Chief Ahmad Azhar Mohammed has reported that Shirley Is showing good health after being subject to her cigarette ban and he says that she is not showing signs of depression or withdrawal. He also commented that smoking is not normal behaviour for orangutan and that they mainly mimic human behaviour. Once Shirley has kicked her habit and has been rehabilitated, she will be going to a wildlife centre in Borneo which is renowned for orangutan wildlife care.

Shirley the Orangutan enjoying her favourite past time.

ith 9/11 still vivid in the world’s memory it seemed that the 10th anniversary of the tragic day was going to have a tremendous effect worldwide. In the US, it was no doubt a day of mourning as one of the greatest super powers of the world stopped to remember its lost in a day that shook not only their nation but the world. On the evening of 9/11, Barack Obama said that Americans should look on in hope but honour those who had died. Such an addressing seemed fitting as the US are always advancing their national security but at the same time moving on with the development and prosperity of their nation. A memorial to 9/11, built on the site of the old world trade centre which opened a day after the national holiday and day of remembrance is sure reminisce that 9/11 will never be forgotten. In true American style the feeling of soldiering on with life is present as the construction of the new world trade centre continues next to the original site, showing that the US will not show cowardess In the face of terror. In other parts of the world, the tragic events were also remem-

comment at the present time. Sweden was the target of a terror attack in December of 2010 when an Iraqi Swede suicide bomber killed himself and wounded others in a crowded shopping centre surrounding the festive period. It was thought that the targeted Stockholm was chosen because it boasts a stable and peaceful society and terror experts believe this may be a reason as to why terror attacks are launched on Sweden in general. Worldwide the day of remembrance plucked at people’s heartstrings and the tragedy of 9/11 and the days that followed have definitely been embossed into history.

George Bush and Michelle and Barack Obama at a remembrance service at ground zero.

The Road to Democracy in Libya

Jez Harvey

bered, but with such significance to the terror attacks being 10 years ago, world security was at its highest. Swedish police are thought to have foiled an impending terror attack and arrested 4 people on suspicion of planning acts of terrorism in the country’s second city Gothenburg. It is reported that an art gallery in the city was evacuated on the night of Saturday 10th as there was fear of a terror attack on the building, but the Swedish police later confirmed that searches found nothing. The investigation as to the arrests is still ongoing, and the Swedish Security Services have refused to

ince the Arab Spring risings that started almost a year ago, the most high profile and widely reported uprising has been in Libya. After 8 months of fighting, the National Transitional Council has been widely accepted as having taken control of the country, ousting former dictator Colonel Gadaffi, who seized power in 1969 aged 27. After the many months of fighting between the rebels and Gadaffi’s forces, the country is beginning to find its feet. Assets worth over £15 billion that had been frozen as part of sanctions against the old regime have been released as part of efforts to improve the conditions. It hasn’t just been the fierce fighting, especially around Tripoli the capital city, that has left the country ravaged; much of the country has suffered under the Gadaffi regime. Much of the east of the country, the centre of the oil-producing area that has kept Gadaffi in luxury and much of the worlds terrorists in weapons, has little infrastructure apart from that connected to the oil industry. Some troops and police officers in the east refused to take part in the attempts to quash the uprisings - locals reported finding bodies in police stations and barracks. As well as the anger at the regime, there was also anger at the migrant and overseas worker brought in to support the infrastructure of the oil industry in the area.

With a third of Libyans jobless, having 1.2 million Egyptians working in the country fed a growing xenophobia that Gadaffi did little to quell. At the time, it worked in his favour. Discussing politics with a foreigner could lead to a three year jail term. Many migrant workers fled across the border to Egypt. Amongst the graffiti that appeared at the time of the start of the uprising in late February there were attacks of foreign workers and Gadaffi was described as a “Jew”. Despite the worrying start, the National Transitional Council has, to its credit, committed to a democratic and open society. Fears that tribalism and factionalism that has caused much of the problems in

other countries that have undergone regime change would lead to little actual change in the nature of Libyan society have been dispelled. The head of the NTC, Mustafa Jalil, has committed to a new constitution and elections within 18 months, as well as “tolerance and forgiveness” and a respect for the rule of law. Whether these positive signs will lead to fruitful results for the people of Libya remains to be seen. The NTC seems to have much popular support behind it for the path they have taken, but in the words of Mr Jalil, “It’s up to you [the Libyan people] to accomplish what we promised: stability, peace and reconciliation”.

Celebrations as the transitional council gradually takes control over Libya.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Politics

Profiles: Universities and Skills Minister Y

ou might have wondered that the European Union has appeared awfully silent over the summer. Asides for the economic breakdown and the constant devaluing and degrading of the Euro currency that is. Politically speaking, the EU has failed to dominate the headlines this summer, what with News International, Gaddafi and Bin Laden’s death taking up most of the news room. Britian has had more than enough to deal with in national political disasters. Yet the current state of the EU is fraught. The sovereign debt crises of too many EU members has caused severe financial difficulties for the EU who, on one hand are desperately trying to keep the likes of Greece, Spain and Italy afloat while also trying to stimulate growth in France and Germany. But the main focus and purpose of the Union is politically minded, and therein lies the problem. They have separate economic and political institutions which have recently been crossing over. Currently the biggest dilemma is Italy. They have a huge amount of money which

Minister of State for Universities and Science needs to be paid back by October, but they don’t have it. The markets have continually gone in a downward spiral all summer and the only way for EU countries to stay aﬂoat is to buy and sell bonds. But with bleak forecasts made about the state of the world economies the only buyer of European bonds is the ECB. But this can’t last forever as their money will soon dry up and there have been huge ramiﬁcations for the ECB interfering. The main obstacle is that Germany have raised the issue that the ECB is not political, but is interfering in political affairs due to buying European members bonds, making it constitutionally illegal. This is not what the EU needs. With constant arguments over its legality and position in national and international politics, the EU has once again come under threat. But the most daunting prospect is if they will survive carrying the weight of the failing economies in the long term. How long can they realistically carry Irish, Greek, Italian and Spanish loads?

Name: David Willetts Age: 55 Personal Life: Married to painter wife Sarah with two children. Education: King Edward’s School, Birmingham, and

Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Political Life: Worked in HM Treasury and the No.10 Policy Unit. Expenses Scandal: Claimed £2193.38 for odd jobs on his home which included hiring workmen to change twenty ﬁve light bulbs and ﬁtting them in with £80 replacements which we paid for.

Shadow Name: Gareth Thomas Age: 44 Personal Life: Unmarried and no children. Education: He gained a BSc in Economics in 1988 from University College of Wales Aberystwyth and later a PGCE from the Thames Polytechnic in 1992. He

Anna Hatfield

gained an MA in Imperial and Commonwealth Studies from King’s College London in 1996 Political Life: Under Secretary for Trade Policy and Consumer Affairs and worked in the International Development Ofﬁce. Expenses Scandal: Claimed £1,000 for an accountancy bill.

September 11th: Laziest MP... in History? Ten years on O A

s part of the anniversary marking ten years since the September 11th attacks Radio 4 carried an interview with the former Prime Minister Tony Blair on the events and cultural shifts at the time. In it, aside from various unsubstantiated claims that he was about to shoot down a plane over London and that he reformed Libyan foreign policy in 2004, the most contentious claim he made was that the Western reaction to September 11 played no part in radicalising Muslims. It is a fairly stunning thing for him to say, especially considering his current role as an Envoy on behalf of the EU, US, UN and Russia to the Israel/ Palestine conflict. The fact that someone holding this position could utter such a ridiculous comment is somewhat concerning. Much of the rest of the interview is littered with comments such as “they believe what they believe in because they believe their religion compels them” and “until we stop accepting that somehow we, by our actions, are provoking these people to be as they are, we will carry on with this problem”. The idea that the deaths of over 160,000 civilians (note, civilians, not combatants, terrorists, guerrilla fighters etc) in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan due to the allied invasion, occupation and bombing of these countries could ever radicalise people is apparently laughable to the former Prime Minister.

Considering that the United States, dragging along 46 other countries (including our own), launched two major wars that have cost the lives of many thousands of civilians and troops in response to the deaths of 3,000, it is strange to think that the same could not happen to those in other countries. Of course, most countries couldn’t launch an all out-attack on most Western countries, nor would most want to, being reliant on trade or aid from the West. If I were a young man, seeing my friends and family killed day by day, with a corrupt Government doing nothing to protect me or my kin, I can imagine myself falling under the spell of radicalism. This is not to say that the actions of terrorists can ever be condoned, accepted, supported, or in any way seen in any light other than the horror that they cause. But to go to the other end of the scale and suggest that the West has nothing to answer for in creating a new generation of radicals is either foolishness or intense blindness to the consequences of actions. With the ten year anniversary of the Afghan War around the corner, we must remember that every action has a consequence. Radicalisation is a problem that we can create far more easily than we can solve.

Jez Harvey

ne issue that has been raised over the summer is the work of our MPs. Most constituents are happy with their elected member of parliament, finding them easy to locate and talk to, to even meet if needed. However, that is not the case in Middleborough. The Teeside Gazette recently broke the story that the Labour MP for Teeside, Sir Stuart Bell was not exactly pulling his weight. As a member of parliament, certain levels of responsibility are expected; such as the need to be available to hear constituent problems. We ll, despite this, Sir Stuart Bell has not openly received constituents in a surgery for over fourteen years. He claims that he was assaulted twice in his surgery, leaving him unable to hold these meet and greets. Yet the

Teeside Gazette, wanting to get hold of him, rang his parliamentary office one hundred times in three months but to no avail. Every single call went to his answer machine. So, super easy to get in touch with then. Needless to say, Ed Miliband has been called in and has given him the necessary telling off after the story went national and gained headlines in all of the major newspapers. Yet Sir Stuart has defended his actions, saying he still meets constituents in their homes instead every Friday. This response was met with one comment summing up them all. “Any chance of the Gazette placing a reporter on each estate one Friday night to see if he is telling the truth? Or better still, send one to Paris, then you’re guaranteed

an interview.” This comment comes off the back of a recent documentary called Tory Boy, which suggested that Sir Bell spent more time in France than in his constituency. Once again this revelation showcases what exactly is wrong with our parliamentary system with MPs managing to go undetected for such a long period of time. Yet the more worrying thing about this case is that despite not holding surgeries for fourteen years and despite being unavailable to talk on the phone, giving no point of contact other than email, Sir Stuart has been an MP for twenty eight years and won seven elections on his performance of an MP. I think that is the most telling sign of the state of politics in Britain today.

to her parents misled hope that Milly was still alive? Can you? As we speak the Dowler’s are still thrashing out a compensation deal which looks set to top £2 million and a large chunk of which will go to charity.

relationships and dealing with politics’ leading men which, although once kept under wraps, have now been brought to light. The Blairs and Murdochs are not just close business acquaintance but personal friends, with Tony Blair even acting as God Parent to one of Murdoch’s youngest. Similarly, David Cameron has been forced to answer questions regarding what is percieved as his toocosy relationship with Murdoch. The Empire, it seems, has little party bias. What the impact of these kinds of relationships could have on UK politics and about which stories could be broken in the press is unthinkable.

Anna Hatfield

There could be more to come

las the Murdoch reign. Is it finally over? Or will all remain the same. Well not quite the same, after all how can they cut out one hundred and sixty eight years of history so easily? Well, quite easily as a matter of fact, as the axe came down on the News of the World overnight. Was it to save Rebecah Brooks’ job which she resigned from a week later anyway? Or was it in a vain hope that closing the News of the World would close all of the scandals too? But the words Brooks made in her statement to those at the NOTW will not be forgotten... that there is a lot more to come out of the woodwork. “Surely not?” were the exclamations. After all how can you top hacking into missing Milly Dowler’s phone, erasing her messages which led

News Corporation has had such an impressive hold over UK politics in the last fifteen years that Murdoch and co. can have a huge impact on who is elected into parliament at each election. But it is not this that is the worrying factor. It is the shady

Anna Hatfield

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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The The Summer I of Scandal

o 3 months of a glorious English summer, I can imagine there was; festivals, holidays, drunken nights followed by many lie ins. Didn’t hear much from the world of news? Well here’s my run down of the breaking moments of the summer of 2011. A huge story of the summer was Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World paper having all of its dirty little secrets exposed. A phone hacking scandal which shook the world of tabloid newspapers and infuriated everyone in the UK and worldwide. One man in particular Jonnie Marbles took the matters into his own hands. During a hearing in which Rupert Murdoch was testifying to a board of British Diplomats, Marbles threw a foam pie in Mr Murdoch’s face in a somewhat moment reminiscent to that of a Children’s TV programme. Murdoch fired back at these accusations stating that his company is so big that he could not be held personally responsible for the scandal. Mr Murdoch has had no retribution as of yet, however his reputation is in tatters. The UK riots during August rocked the entire country, it all started as a reaction to the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by specially trained C019 officers in a Metropolitan Police operation. In a response to this a peaceful march was staged 2 days later, that night the rioting began in the London District with people looting, rioting, and setting light to buildings and cars. In the next few nights that followed the Rioting spread to several other districts of the Capital and to other major cities in the UK including; Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham just to name a few. Luckily Bangor remained unharmed. The Prime Minister David Cameron stated that they were “Sickening Scenes”. After 4 days of rioting, 5 deaths, over 200 injuries, and £200 million pounds worth of damaged caused they stopped allowing a furious but pleased public to begin the clean-up. This summer also marked the tenth anniversary of the atrocious terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 and what a way to mark ten years for the USA than to kill the man that they have been playing cat and mouse with for almost a decade. On the 2nd of May 2011 Osama Bin Laden was confirmed dead by the American Government. Bin Laden was shot dead in a compound in Pakistan by US Navy-SEALS in an operation ordered by Barack Obama, critics and politicians have criticised the Pakistani government for protecting Bin Laden all along. However after all the years evading capture and organising one of the most influential terrorist groups the world has ever seen his reign was brought to an end and for some people, justice was finally after a gruelling wait was served.

Nathan Chadwick

Comment

tips to shared accommodation

t’s that time of year again, hundreds of students up and down the country are moving into halls to start their university life and you dear reader, chose Bangor! Excellent choice! For some of you it will be your first time living away from your families and making the transition can be hard especially as you’re moving in with a group of people you’ve probably never met before! But here are my tips for Halls life based on my own experiences spending my first year in Halls, which was definitely one of the most exciting and at times bizarre years of my life! 1) Be a considerate flatmate! This is pretty much common sense; Tidy up after yourself when using communal areas, don’t let your dirty dishes fester in the sink for days on end, clear out your shelf in the fridge every so often to avoid troubling smells and

always wash your tea towels because, and my housemates from first year will back me up on this, eventually whether they’ve been used to clear it up or not tea towels left unwashed for prolonged periods of time always end up smelling of vomit! 2) No matter how considerate a flatmate you endeavour to be, statistically it’s likely you will live with someone who leaves their crap everywhere, uses your stuff and leaves it coated in grime and leaves chicken in the fridge until it turns green and practically walks itself to the bin! People will almost always steal your milk unless you leave threatening post it notes! 3) Always lock your door when you go out! If you leave your room open, whether you trust your housemates implicitly or not you never know who could be around your flat during the day so be safe! Also your run

the risk of your housemates realising your doors open and booby-trapping/re-arranging/completely emptying your room for a laugh! 4) On those grim days leading up to loans day when you spend your nights confined to your flat because you spent too much money down the SU at the start of term, it is important to know that almost everything in the average student kitchen can become a key component in the invention of highly competitive and utterly ridiculous game. We spent many a night fighting it out for the titles of Colander Lacrosse and Frying-Pan Badminton champ! 5) Most importantly if you live on the ground floor, remember to close the curtains when you plan to get in the shower/ get changed/dance around in your underwear to incredibly cheesy music, you and

the guy in the block opposite might never officially meet, but he may well tell the story of the crazy naked person he lived opposite in Halls for years to come. And just enjoy every minute of it! There’ll be drama, mould growing in the kitchen (no matter how clean you try and keep it!), awkward moments when you can hear your neighbours at it, practical jokes and that milk thief you never quite catch in the act but I guarantee you will have the time of your life! And having watched The Roommate last night, I realised just how lucky I was, for the most part my Halls buddies where amazing and I would move back in to Cefn-Y-Coed K Block in a heartbeat!

Laura Stephenson

“There’ll be drama...and awkward moments...but I guarantee you will have the time of your life.”

Welcome to University. Money Well Spent?

Jez looks into the benefits and drawbacks of University

his being the first edition of the academic year, it is normal to welcome all the new students to Bangor and to welcome back all those who have returned. So, welcome! I hope you enjoy your time here; I’ve now spent four years at Bangor and have had the time of my life. I’ve made friends, got a degree, grown up and woken up with a lurking feeling that I massively embarrassed myself the previous night. I’ve had the full student experience, and I loved it so much I’m back to do a Masters. I hope you have even half as much of a good time as I did. Because it won’t last long I’m afraid. Once it is finished, there’s currently a 28% chance

that you will be unemployed three years after finishing here, a 15% chance that someone with only GCSE’s will be earning more than you and there won’t be any low-interest loans (even massively delayed ones) to help you pay for rent, food or anything else. Like some who have already left (over 11%),

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So, now that I have depressed you utterly, you’re probably wondering if it isn’t too late to get out and try and get the summer job you had back. Well, don’t. Despite the gloom that is currently surrounding higher education and students, you will leave Bangor a better person. Not just better educated in

Your time at University is your first and best chance to take hold of your life and begin to shape it fully.

you’ll leave University wondering what you paid all that money for. But don’t despair! It could be a lot worse. The average debt a student starting in 2011 will have when they are done is £26,000. For those starting next year under the new fee regime (assuming you were born in the Green and Pleasant land across the boarder, and not this even Greener and more Pleasant land here) that figure will be over £50,000 (all figures from a Push student survey).

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whatever area you’re studying, but a funnier person, a better informed person, a more likeable person. In 1963 a Government paper was published that changed the way higher education was organised, giving access to it to whole new generations of people that would never have been able to afford it. Titled the Robbins Report, it stands in stark contrast to the most recent Government paper (the Browne Report) that treats universities as businesses, with students a strange mix of customer and product. At its heart was the idea that time spent at university was for the improvement of the entire person, not a single strand. “Eclecticism in this sphere is not

something to be despised: it is imposed by the circumstances of the case. To do justice to the complexity of things, it is necessary to acknowledge a plurality of aims.” Will you leave University in debt? Almost undoubtedly. Will you leave University a more complete person, richer in less tangible but equally important things? I hope so. Your time at University is your first and best chance to take hold of your life and begin to shape it fully. There is a wealth of opportunities for you to access; through the University, the Students’ Union and the wider area. Grasps these chances with both hands and make full use of them. The first year I spent at University, I failed to do this. I was miserable, lonely and wanted nothing more than to go home. When I returned, I grasped the opportunities with both hands and have never looked back. You’ll have heard or will hear similar things from teachers, lecturers and parents, but I don’t limit this to clubs, societies or volunteering. Whilst I won’t condone excessive drinking, there is something to be said for waking up with a cracking head, blearily remembering what you did in the nightclub the night before (and possibly who you did it to). Making an arse of yourself is just as important as joining in with a beach clean or getting a 2:1. For one, it makes an excellent story in the pub a few weeks later, once the shame (and the rash) has cleared up. In the end, you’ll never have a better chance “to do justice to the complexity of things”. Enjoy your time here.

Jez Harvey

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Features London Riots: Sadly Predictable?

ost of us have an opinion on the riots that have swept England in the past months. Weather we believe they began in reaction to the death of Mark Duggan by police in Tottenham or as acts of moderately organised criminality, we have an opinion. To the angry and anxious Briton sat in front of their TVs this summer, one thing however did not come immediately to mind: why? Since the initial footage there has been a great deal of talk about what happened in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and elsewhere. Some of this talk has attempted to address the reason why so many took to the streets without much second thought for consequences, looting and vandalising businesses. Most of us, from the media down to you, have been very quick to condemn these actions and leave it at that. So while I stand firm with general opinion that these riots ended in disgrace and were very far removed from any strong political message, what quickly comes to mind is one significant and niggling question: how can these people not care? I don’t just mean, how can they not care about their community, but how can they not care about themselves? A person with plenty to lose doesn’t take risks

like that. An aspiring lawyer is unlikely to commit a serious crime, a wannabe journalist doesn’t walk the streets with drugs in his pocket; so why do some people have this devil-may-care attitude and where did it come from? More importantly, how do we change it? Depending on which paper you read you may have seen rioters referred to as ‘underclasses’ a sentiment which by no means goes unnoticed by the underclasses themselves. If I was referred to as ‘under’ anything I have no doubt that my self worth would plummet severely, yet this demeaning social label has already polluted readers with bias and with an image of a violent and uneducated lower class. Papers have blamed poor education, single parenting and dole culture so far, to mention a few, but few are considering their own influence. The kind of influence which, along with government cuts, creates a thriving environment for feelings of social isolation and neglect. Can we expect people who feel uncared for to care for themselves, or for anyone else for that matter? It isn’t just the print media and news channels who have been dumping blame upon the ‘lower classes’. Our own Government has elected to completely ignore the reasons why the riots

ever happened and have gone straight to reaction through prosecution. Much scarier is the notion that the Government now has reason to use more stringent and totalitarian methods of policing demonstrations. Throughout the riots many people used social networking sites to display

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in any one camp here, but what does need real consideration for confidence, social growth and political change is the way in which different groups and classes of people are treated. Is it not exceptionally old fashioned to ‘class’ people anyway? Wouldn’t nurturing the need to achieve be a much less ex-

Our own Government has elected to completely ignore the reasons why the riots ever happened and have gone straight to reaction through prosecution

their view of what was happening. Unfortunately many wanted the army to be deployed or for the police to use much harsher punishments, something which is quite a terrifying step towards a slippery slope of brutality. If we had deployed the army what then? The violence would probably have increased as a reaction to the visible threat the Government had put in these people’s way. These people who are, when all is said and done, just like us. People whom the system has let down and allowed to descend into theft and vio-

lence because they are little more than the ‘lower’ classes. Yet when it comes to sorting out the mistakes of the past the Government and us, the rest of the population, ignore all this and want to throw more violence back at them. Fortunately a good side of humanity was parading the social networks

during those nights and it did its job in neutralising the strong views of those purporting the use of the army. Places like Twitter began discussing the issues on hand almost immediately and, instead of decrying about the ‘thuggish lower classes’, they organised clean ups for the morning after. Here were people who took it upon themselves to help because they knew that, somewhere along the line, they were a part of the system which had helped create the riots. It would be difficult to lay blame

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pensive way of moving forward from the London riots, as opposed to the millions spent in the riot clear up? The riots have come and gone and what remains for us, other than ongoing sentencing and punishment is reflection. It would be good to see a Oxford educated MP mingling with a bit of everyone, that’s all I’m saying.

Gemma Ellis & Luke Dobson

Wilfred Owen: The man behind the poetry

hen autumn arrives, the crunchy red shellshock patient, not only as a soldier but also He returned to England in September leaves underfoot sombrely remind me for his ability as a poet. In this dark setting of the 1915 and shortly afterwards joined up for it will not be long until I have a red psychiatric ward, the two associated; they would the Great War. By June 1916, he was compoppy displayed upon my person. Wilfred Owen sit down together, discussing and comparing their missioned as Second Lieutenant in the Manis a key figure in World War One poetry. He is war poetry. chester Regiment and undertook training in primarily associated with fighting on frontlines In the summer of 1911 (Owen was eighteen), Southport. He served in the 2nd Manchester and writing cerebral poetry inspired thereby. But he took his first teaching position at Shrewsbury Regiment, but also briefly in the 5th Manhe also spent a lot of time in Edinburgh; he was Elementary School. He then worked unpaid as an chesters after his being discharged from treated for shellshock in CraiCraiglockhart War Hospital. It is believed that Owen hero-worshipped Siegfried glockhart psychiatric hospital He was killed in action in the alongside Siegfried Sassoon, early hours of November 4th, Sassoon, his fellow shellshock patient, not only as a who was suffering the same 1918, near Ors. The news of his condition. The novel Regendeath did not reach Shrewssoldier but also for his ability as a poet eration by Pat Barker is based bury until the date of the armiupon this particular chapter in Owen’s life and so assistant to the Vicar of Dunsden, Oxford, where stice, November 11th. too is the poem Mental Cases, written by the man he undertook much parish work and some teachWilfred Owen’s poetry gives us a clear inhimself, describing Craiglockhart patients. Did ing. sight into the horrors of war and shellshock, you know he grew up and spent a lot of time in our In February, 1913, he sat the entrance exam for not least with his poem Anthem for Doomed beloved Northwest corridor of the United King- a scholarship at University College, Reading. This Youth, which was initially to be called Andom as well? Born in Shrewsbury, 1893, his family was on the recommendation of a professor there, them for Dead Youth. His poems remind us moved to Birkenhead when he was four years of who also encouraged him to write more poetry. It of the terror that went through the minds age. He was schooled at Birkenhead Institute and is unthinkable that a man who is now such a can- of those who lived through the First World lived in the area up to the age of thirteen, when the onised war poet and then harboured great writing War, “lest we forget” in our time of peace. It family returned to Owen’s birthplace. Before the strength and ability would ever possibly fail such is certainly important to remember the pooutbreak of war, he pursued a highly varied career an exam, but that is exactly what happened. On et-soldier that Owen became due to the war. as a teacher for which his lifestyle was often an un- failing his exam, he moved to Bordeaux to con- However, we must not forget Owen the self comfortable and modest one. tinue his career in education- teaching languages. and the interesting, varied and difficult life Owen loved the poetry of Romantic poet John His ability with the written word would later be he led before his days enlisted and the deKeats. At the age of eighteen, he began to read the channelled into some of the most famous war termining factors that led him to become a poems of his literary hero and in September of the poems in the English language. Shortly after his poet. Wilfred Owen: There’s so much more same year visited the British Museum in London twenty-first birthday he switched teaching jobs yet to tell and learn. to see Keats’ manuscripts. It is believed that Owen again, tutoring French families, one at a time, who hero-worshipped Siegfried Sassoon, his fellow provided him with accommodation. Rosie MacLeod

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Freshers’ Issue 2011

Food and Drink

Restaurant Review: Mike’s Bites S

ome say that food is the most important part of family life. Leaving home for university can be scary for so many reasons, not least when realisation dawns that you’re going to have to fend for yourself in the kitchen. No longer will you be able to wait for dinner to arrive and disappear without washing up. There may be mornings when you’re feeling a little worse for wear and all you want is for someone to cook you a breakfast. Inevitably, there will be cold evenings when you long for fish and chips or steak and kidney pie and of course, exam induced stressful nights when the thought of doing your own washing up makes you want to run down to the nearest café and pay for comfort food. Well look no further. Mike’s Bites, a small café in Upper Bangor, is an illuminating eatery. Universally admired for its importance in feeding the people of Bangor good food, it is a must for any new student. If you’ve just moved

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into a hall on Ffriddoedd Site, chances are that your walk to lectures will take you past Mike’s Bites. Its bright blue façade leads into a warm and vibrant café – indeed, the front is usually suffocated by the steam coming out of the kitchen. And that steam is the spawn of the real reason you should make Mike’s Bites one of your essential stops in Freshers week. The café serves a wide range of breakfasts at not too inconsiderate prices - £4.55 for a small breakfast, £5.95 for the upgrade. But, as any ardent Mike’s Bites goer will tell you, its unique selling point is the truly mammoth ‘Greedy B*****d’. This obscene plate of food is so large that it requires a turkey platter sized vessel to transport it to the table. In the last academic year (as far as I’m aware) only five people completed it, with over 150 failing. Just short of the ungodly portions served up on the American programme ‘Man vs Food’, £12.95 will get you three rashers of bacon, three sausages, four hash browns, two eggs, scrambled eggs, steak (I’ve seen this replaced for burgers before by the kitchen), fried bread, beans, a forests worth of mushrooms, tomatoes, three slices of black pudding, two slices of toast and to wash it all down – a pint of tea. No substitutions, no toilet breaks and 80 minutes stand between you and immortality. Upon unlikely completion of this infamous breakfast, you’re name

will be forever (well, for the rest of the year at least) be adorned on the wall of the café. Some might say all the pain and heartache of failed attempts gone by should be enough to persuade you not to take on the challenge but who knows, you might be hungover or daft enough to try. If, unlike others, excessive food isn’t your thing, there are a plethora of comparatively child size dishes available to order. Jacket potatoes, salads, sandwiches and baps are of competitive prices – anywhere from £2.75 to £5.00. On occasion, Mike’s has a dalliance with ‘posh’ food such as the smoked salmon and scrambled egg breakfast for the more discerning diner. How you feel about Mike’s Bites will largely depend on what you regard as the most pertinent factor in restaurants’ likeability. As a frugal, belly filling student, you’ll probably revel in the delights of large portions for a relatively small amount. However, if it’s solely quality you’re after, Mike’s Bites may not satisfy your needs. Far from saying that the food is of a low standard, the market of feeding people wholesome food on the cheap is rarely going to result in fantastic quality. But even so, do we care? After all, nobody goes to Mike’s Bites in the hope of eating fine cuisine. We go there to have a good breakfast, baguette or hot dinner. If there is one thing you do this Freshers week, make it a trip to the café that will deliver the hot food you so desperately long for whilst away from home.

Joe Russell

d and Drink and I’m the editor of the Foo Hi, my name’s Joe Russell include recir yea this to d war for k to loo section this year. Things ideas. Enjoy! topical articles and drinks pes, restaurant reviews,

Bangor Take-Away Guide: Bella Bella

f takeaways were people, Bella Bella would be Bangor’s behemoth resident. Essentially it’s just your ordinary takeaway doing nothing revolutionary (they do offer a range of curries) or unique. But still, it appears to have a magnetic pull; seemingly always busier than its competitors, it serves the classic kebabs, burgers et al for reasonable prices. The one annoyance is its (like most of Bangor’s takeaways) persistent use of bought in chips rather than the superior h o m e made ‘chip shop’ chip. Its popularity might have something to do

with its convenient positioning at the top of bitch hill – if you time it right, it might still be open by the time you’ve stumbled up late at night. Bella Bella is a great takeaway – the food is decent, the prices defendable and you can even sit down inside and eat if you don’t want to risk the challenge of walking, talking and eating at the same time.

Joe Russell

Recipe Central

s and loads of great recipe we’ll be giving you r, out yea ing c mi rat a de ve aca s ha Throughout thi ty, every recipe will often tight, their levels of difficul is y ish ne gu mo tin se dis lp cau he Be to st). e easiest, five the harde recipes will be for on of five (one being the cooking for one so all ’re you t tha e um we’re going to ass ltiplied). ise, they can be mu (unless stated otherw

Tomato Sauce

From this simple recipe, e of so many great dishes. ston ner cor . the is ce sau tomato za, pasta bakes and curries spaghetti bolognaise, piz you can make dishes like

Ingredients

atoes. • Two cans of peeled tom a or lic gar of es clov o • Tw ée. good squeeze of garlic pur . • Once diced onion/shallot es leav il bas d ppe cho • Four (any dried herbs are fine) • One sprig of thyme. • Brown sugar.

Method

h and place a large 1) Turn your hob on hig r olive oil before you Add . top saucepan on h a little salt unwit adding the onions. Fry garlic. the add and ent sluc til tran s (if the onions 2) Cook for five minute turn the heat n, bur and h start to catc tomatoes. the in down) before adding five minutes and 3) Bring to the boil for thyme. Leave to and es leav il bas the add s. ute min 40 simmer for

Rise e bisi

isi e bisi is an Italian dish with similar origins to riso tto. It’s basically the lazy big difference is that inst version of the Italian clas ead of arduously stirring sic; the in small quantities of stoc simply add it all in at onc k to risotto rice a little at e, a process that leaves you a time, you with a soupy rice dish pac ked full of flavour.

Ingredients

• 60g risotto rice (jus und er half a cup) NB: If you don’t have risottotrice , you can use anothe r grain instead. • A splash of olive oil. • Half a diced onion or one diced shallot/ • One finely chopped clov e of garlic. • Optional extras - Gra ted Parmesan cheese, dried herbs, peaks and gril led streaky bacon.

Method 1) M Staeth rt byod heating as wide a sau

would be ideal 4) At this point, a blender er but if not, eth tog ture mix to emulsify the t and mash hea the remove the pan from r. Season she ma ato pot a h wit together it tastes If e. tast and with salt and pepper to counteract this. ar sug wn bro add ic, acid

Difficulty:

ce pan as possible on a medium heat (using a 4) Once you’ve reached this wider pan will give the point, the stock should hav liquid reduced to form e more surface area to boi a soupy consistency. Dep l and intensify in flavour) ending on . Add what you have your olive oil along with in kitchen, you can now the chopped onion and become creative. garlic (and dried herbs). Add a small amount of salt to help keep the onions from bur 5) Try add ing pea s and leaving for two min ning and turning bitter. utes to cook through. A handful of grated parmesan cheese added 2) Once the onions have alo ngs ide but ter at the very end gives the rice a turned translucent, add in beautiful your richness and tur rice and stir through the ns what is typically a pea onion mixture. Pour in sants’ dish into all of your stock and stir around something great. for the first minute before bringing to the boil. 6) Remember to season with salt and pepper bef ore 3) At this stage, turn the serving. If you’re having heat down to medium and grilled bacon, either cho sim- through the risi p mer for fifteen minutes. e bisi at the end or serve Check your rice by tasting on top. a little bit. Ideally you want it to be soft with a little bit of Di retention.

fficulty:

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to Bangor and welcome to the me lco Weive Corner! Here at Seren we love all things

Creat creative which includes your photographs, art work, poetry and short story extracts. It’s great to have a forum to publish all your hard work so why not send something along? We would love to print it!

Freshers’ Issue 2011

Indian Landscape

creative@seren.bangor.ac.uk

Featured Photograph by

Michael Buckley

So simple now to think, had we only changed one thing That this reality would be of a different kind. And should this time have changed, tell me what would we have gained?

Thoughts I I I I

dwell in longings of one while another keeps me in ambitions am only an image in the mirror, behind the mirror is someone else am easily attained by one yet am in another’s words of prayer have become the destiny of one while another craves for me Life seems to straddle between a certain belief and disbelief I am intimate with one but another actually understands me I don’t know who my friends are, I am not aware of my foes My tale was something else, now my episode is something else When you meet one do not question, just look attentively One discovered on this journey that this path is something else When my mid-night devotion could not attain the morning When my prayers came to nothing (What does this mean) Except that the overseer is someone else Nayab G D Khan

’ S R E H S E FR

E D I U G

e e r F ut! o l l Pu

2011!

Serendipity & Socities Your Students’ Union Places in Bangor Sex, alcohol & drugs Money Fire Safety

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Societies

y t i p i d n e r Se 11 0 2 r e b m e t p e S � d n 2 2 � y a d s r u h T � & � t 1s 2 � y a d Wednes 11.00am�to�3.00pm

Your�Freshers’�Fair�is�back!�Serendipity�is� Bangor�Student�Union’s�huge�freshers�fair!� It’s�a�chance�to�find�out�about�life�in�Bangor,� the�University�and�generally�anything�you� need,�so�get�yourself�signed�up�to�

loads�of�stuff�to�keep�yourself�busy� for�the�year�ahead!

SVB’s Beach Clean D

u r i n g the past academic year, beaches around Gwynedd and Anglesey were once again kept clean by teams from Student Volunteering Bangor’s (SVB) Beach Clean Project. This enhances the beaches both for human visitors and the wider natural world, as during the past 50 years litter, particularly plastic litter, has been a fast- growing issue facing the marine environment.

Volunteers participating in SVB’s Beach Clean Project have removed a large range of litter over the years, including tin cans, old bikes, traffic cones and vehicle tires, but in North-West Wales the biggest issue we find (in common with general findings by the Marine Conservation Society for this area) is with fishing gear. It ranges from large nets apparently discarded by boats, to fishing line, hooks and lead weights from anglers; of course, nets in the sea continue to have the same effect as when being hauled by a vessel: they catch animals. The animals caught in these can range from small ‘target’ fish, to Marine Mammals (such as seals and dolphins), turtles and sharks, includ-

ing the native 10+ metre-long Basking Shark. Further, the material lost by anglers does not remain in the sea without consequence either; this near-independent seal pup was rescued from a beach near Beaumaris by ‘British Divers Marine Life Rescue’ (BDMLR) medics in summer 2010, with deep wounds around its neck caused by fishing line. Large numbers of sea birds are also injured by line and hooks, our native turtles can starve after ingesting floating plastic bags - having mistaken them for jellyfish - and any plastic material can enter the food chain via consumption by fish. The SVB Beach Clean Project runs regular clean-ups throughout the year, so why not come along to help clean up our local marine environment and enjoy a nice day out on the coast at the same time? Email us at: beachclean@undeb.bangor. ac.uk or find us on Facebook: www.facebook. com/SVBangorBeachClean. For more information on the above please visit: www.bdmlr.org.uk and www.mcsuk.org.

Daniel McLaughlan

Gay Blood Ban

GBTQ (lesbian, gay, transgender and questioning) people in England, Scotland and Wales have won a hard-fought victory; the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood is finally to be lifted. Reading the headlines, I was more excited than I know how to say – Unity has campaigned against the blood ban since before I was a fresher, and the issue is close to many of our hearts. For those not in the know, the ban- inventively titled ‘ the gay blood ban’ by the press- prevents any man who has ever had intercourse with another man from giving blood in their lifetime. But no longer! Medical evidence presented to a panel argued that the ban was not justified by science, and the government have been forced to capitulate. Or have they? It’s not time to celebrate. Equal rights have not arrived. There will be no flow (pardon the pun) of gay and bisexual men to blood drives and donation centres, eager to exercise their right to save lives. There will be no huge rise in donor numbers. The ban is kept alive and well by a clause which states you can only donate if you have not slept with

a man in 12 months. Twelve months of celibacy is still the only way that a gay man will ever be able to perform this service, a service which is incredibly necessary as blood is in short supply. For a large number of gay and bisexual men, absolutely nothing has changed. And this is where you come in. Many of you reading this will be new to University; perhaps you’re not sure whether joining an LGBTQ society is for you or you’re worried that you’ll be asked to discuss your sexuality in detail before you’ll be accepted. But issues like the blood ban are issues which we are all concerned about; whoever you are, whatever your orientation or gender identity, we want you with and behind us while we tackle issues like this one and provide a safe, inclusive (and fun!) space for making friends, working on projects that matter to you and supporting one another. Why not come along to LGBTea, Fruit Salad, or one of our meetings? We’re looking forward to meeting you.

Becca Hemmant

Freshers’ Issue 2011

Postgraduate Students’ Forum T

he Postgraduate Students’ Forum warmly welcomes all students! “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” - Albert Einstein Perfect! Even the great Einstein, cheeky genius of world fame, realised that research is first and foremost about knowing nothing; about answering a question with another question. ‘If HE says so, it MUST be true’, one might conclude, scratching the head and wondering what the heck all this ‘research-fuzz’ is about. Well, dear friends and colleagues, during the upcoming months and perhaps years, all of us will be engaging with such questions, many for the first time, some with experience, and even fewer with ready-prepared answers. Whichever category you may see yourself in, know this: at the Postgraduate Students’ Forum we do not believe in answering questions with other questions. Why? Because it makes research look like a lonely stroll through the desert where a gaunt postgraduate climbs the slope of one dune after the next. Instead, what we believe in is fascination; a fascination revolving around the infinity of knowledge; a fascination that will make research one of the greatest experiences of our lives; a fascination that binds us together as a postgraduate community. Welcome to Bangor! The Postgraduate Students’ Forum (PGSF) is a newly developed branch of Bangor University’s Students’ Union. It was born out of the need to give the postgraduate community a voice

that could be heard in the highest spheres of University administration. Moreover, it is our goal to unite Bangor’s postgraduate students and to act as a catalyst for academic and social engagement - within each department and across the colleges. Let’s face it! Bangor has a small university with an even smaller number of postgraduates scattered all over the campus. By organising a number of academic as well as social events throughout the year, we hope to create an interdisciplinary platform where students are welcome to share and discuss their ideas, interests, and dreams. As a postgraduate student (MA, MPhil, PhD) enrolled in a Bangor University course, you are automatically a member of the PGSF and we do encourage you to take part in our forum. To do so, simply don’t hesitate to drop us a mail or look out for our stand at Serendipity. Also, comes mid-October we will be electing two new committee members: a Taught Postgraduate Secretary as well as a Welsh Community Secretary (preferably bilingual). If one of these positions is of interest and you would like to get involved, let us know. We look forward to hearing from you. You can ﬁnd us on:

Facebook - Postgraduate Students’ Forum (Bangor University) Website – pgsf.bangor.ac.uk E-mail – pgsf@undeb.bangor. ac.uk

World Food Day Raffle!

i Everyone! The Catholic Society is working with CAFOD this year and we are going to be helping them with a raffle with all money being raised and going towards World Food Day. CathSoc is going be selling the tickets in the lead up to and during Fresher’s Week so if you would like to buy a ticket please get in touch. The tickets cost £1 and the 1st place prize is £4000 or a holiday worth £4,250! If you would like to buy one please get in

y getting involved with UNICEF in Wales you will be joining thousands of people across the UK and around the world who are standing up for children's rights, as laid down in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Today millions of children will not be given the opportunity to read or write, hundreds of thousands will die of preventable disease and many more will be abused and have their human rights violated. You can act today and you can make a difference.! Join UNICEF on Campus here at Bangor University and you'll be part of an international network of students

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touch and we will come and deliver them to you, alternatively you can find us at Serendipty. All the money goes towards CAFOD helping to end food hunger which affects around 925 million people across the world. Hope all is going well with your Fresher’s Week preparations! Many Thanks.

Ciara McBride CathSoc President

ﬁghting for children and helping to change lives, as well as meeting incredible people and having a lot of fun along the way! UNICEF on Campus is the perfect opportunity for students to get involved in something that's hugely positive and rewarding. Be part of something great in student life and join us. To get in contact with UNICEF on Campus, you can email the president Bethan Judge at sope06@ bangor.ac.uk, or you can check out their Facebook page: facebook.com/ groups/bangor.unicef and you can also ﬁnd them on Twitter @UnicefBangor. Reg Charity No: 1072612

Want to Join S

eren is the wonderful publication that you’re currently setting your eyes on. We’re a student newspaper written and designed by students, for students. We want you to get involved and there are many ways in which this is possible. Writing an article is obviously one of the main ways to get stuck in, we’ll accept anything from news, to your opinion pieces right down to your music reviews and your travelling experiences. You can send all content to editor@seren.bangor.ac.uk. Seren isn’t just about the articles

Societies

though, here we pride ourselves on having a newspaper that is attractive to look at, so if you think you have an eye for design get in touch and work your magic on our pages! When all content is on the page, it’s vital that we have proof readers to look for spelling and grammar mistakes so if you think you’re qualiﬁed in dictionary come and read our content before anyone else does! The most important thing once Seren has been sent to print is getting it to all of you lovely people. We want to put this paper EVERYWHERE, and

for that we need your distribution help. The weekend we come back from print we all get together and spread, it’s a good way of socialising with the team and brings everyone together. As we said at the beginning, there are many different ways you can get involved, and we would love you to. We’ll be at Serendipity with a massive banner, newspapers and sweets galore, so come by for a chat and to meet the team, because we want to meet you!

Calling all societies! Seren provides you with two pages every issue for you to tell us all what you’ve been up to, so why not use them? You can keep Bangor students up to date by sending articles to: editor@seren.bangor.ac.uk.

Bangor Comedy Society Pull in the Big Names! H

ave you guessed who it is yet? That’s right, this October, Bangor Comedy (best performance society 2010/2011) are doing an improvised comedy show on stage with Phill Jupitus, as part of the Giddy Goat Comedy Festival, which is raising money for St. David’s Hospice in Llandudno. A crack team of improvisers will be performing on stage with Phill and Tara Flynn. Tara Flynn is a professional improviser, who recently been on TV in shows like Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle and The Omid Djalili Show. Phill (just in case you haven’t watched TV in the last 15 years) is a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and regularly appears on QI and Have I Got News For You. He also performs improvised comedy, and has just completed a month’s run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival alongside some of the UK’s best improvisers. Bangor Comedy has done none of these things. The improvised comedy branch, known as ImpSoc, have been packing out venues across Bangor, from cosy pub shows in the Belle Vue to all singing all dancing shows in JP Hall (the closest thing to a theatre in Bangor...) for the last two years. Last year they went on a UK tour, performing to over 250 people on 5 consecutive nights, and were voted “Best Performance” in the societies’ awards. So, interested in coming along? Tickets are available for the bargain price of £10, including transport to and from Venue Cymru. These will be on sale on the Bangor Comedy stand at Serendipity. There are a very limited number available for this special student rate, so make sure you get there early! Also available will be a bumper bargain ticket, which includes entry to the

Bangor Comedy show, and the gala comedy night, hosted by Phill. The tickets for the gala night are normally £35 on their own, but you can get a combined ticket + transport for just £25!!!! As part of the comedy festival, Bangor comedy will be doing a second show on Sunday the 16th of October on the top of Snowdon. Many things have been taken to the top of Snowdon, including a piano, string quartet, a rowing boat and most recently a 4x4... but never a comedy society! This show, dubbed: "The highest comedy show in the world. At the moment. Probably..." is completely free and will be taking place at the summit at about 3pm. If you have never climbed Snowdon, this is a great opportunity to get up there, and take part in something amazing! All of the p er for mers will be walking up and down (no matter what the weather!), carrying ever ything needed to perform

at the top of England and Wales highest mountain... all we ask of you is a small amount of sponsorship, a donation of £2 or £3. Sponsorship forms will be available at most of our shows, and inevitably we will hound you at some point! If you’re interested in getting involved in our society, we run 3 sessions a week. Monday nights we hold an improv jam, open to everyone. Tuesdays we look at sketches and stand-up, and on Thursdays we do some hardcore improv. All of these sessions take place in LR2, Main Arts, at 7pm.

Eisiau Canllaw swyddogol

Cymraeg:

Wythnos y Glas? Union

Eisiau Canllaw wyddogol WythnosWant the official y Glas? Freshers’ Week Guide? 14

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Freshers’ Issue 2011

Downloadit itfrom: from: Download

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or or scan your scanthis thiswith with yoursmart smart phone: phone

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Want the official Freshers’ Week Guide?

Lug a Mug!

he new Lug a Mug helps you save the environment while saving money. According to Tip Top Jobs, the majority of people will drink 4 or more cups of tea or coffee everyday. This means that an individual person could be using up to 100 paper cups every week, most of which don’t get recycled and can cost a small fortune. With the fantastic new Eros coffee machines around campus it’s likely that this number will be even higher here at Bangor, but there is now a way to help save the environment and help save you money too… Introducing the Lug a Mug! These

Eisiau Canllaw sw

handy thermal mugs are available for all caffeine addicts around the university for just £5 AND for your fiver, you don’t just get a mug, you’ll also get a voucher for 5 cups of tea/coffee – a fiver for a mug and five brews? Sounds like a proper bargain! Using the Lug a Mug will also save you a massive 10% on your hot drinks to encourage the environmentally friendly mugs and benefit everyone who uses them.The funky design not only looks great but the thermal insulation means your brew will stay warm without the spills or leaks of paper cups, making it perfect for lectures and around the office.

swyddogol

y Glas?

You can grab yours from Serendipity (the freshers fair in Maes Glas) on the 21st and 22nd September or after that from Bar Uno, Café Teras or the Main Arts Coffee Pod. Rich Gorman, Vice President of the Bangor Student’s Union, is really excited about another brilliant green initiative at Bangor. “The Lugs a Mugs are a fantastic way to cut down on unnecessary waste from those chuck-away paper cups. We can do our bit for the planet, save some money and have a funky way to get your brew to lectures.”

Wythnos y

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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? n io n U ’ s t n e d u t S e h t is What aniThe Students’ Union is YOUR org ts. sation run by students for studen from Being completely independent ion can the University means that the Un behalf. It truly campaign for change on your r underdoesn’t matter if you’re a ﬁrst yea , internagraduate, a ﬁnal year post-graduate re are the tional student or a distance learner, pate and many ways in which you can partici get your voice heard. enThe Union’s also around to keep you massive tertained and active, offering a ies and variety of sports clubs, societ

Union

to get volunteering projects for you r hand at stuck in with! You can also try you nt, or tme new things such as medieval re-enac h some meet new friends on your course wit roughly of the academic societies. There’s ies and around 50 sports clubs, 80 societ to keep 15 volunteering projects. Plenty can ﬁnd you busy during your time here – you yourself out more about all of these and get Fair. involved at Serendipity, the Freshers l near You can ﬁnd the Union, in Bryn Hau o on Victhe Ffriddoedd Site, behind Bar Un toria Drive.

? d e v ie h c A y d a e lr a n io n What has the U

ation for Bryn Eithin . Got £83,000 in compensff poor service Halls residents who su ered e SU budget . Prevented a £75,000 cut to th tal awards . Won 3 national environmen nightclub w ne r ou r fo on w d an ht ug . Fo ost!) every student lm (a r fo f of ns oo rn te af ay sd . Got Wedne Demo in November l na io at N e th to ts en ud st 0 . Took 25 mpaign ca g in st te ia yd m la Ch ee fr al . Started a nation

? n io n U ’ s t n e d u t S e h t s n u Who r tical ofﬁcers), The Union’s run by Sabbs (sabba be your to students who have taken a year out r your elected representatives and look afte by you and Students’ Union. They’re elected you feel are es work for you – so whatever issu to be the important for your student experience best it can be, let them know. nt and part You’ve got Jo Caulﬁeld, SU Preside and works es time DJ, who sorts out all the big issu make sure closely with senior University staff to d. nee they’re delivering what you Education & Danielle Buckley,Vice President, erienced diver, Welfare, as well as being a highly exp course reps she’s in charge of making sure your

is top notch work, your academic time at Bangor and that you stay safe. Sport & Danielle Giles is Vice President, lous sports Healthy Living, she keeps our fabu kebabs, the sure teams going, as well as making gor don’t Ban in burgers and pints during your time take their toll. Societies & Rich Gorman is Vice President, s societies, SU’ Community, he looks after the wielding from drama enthusiasts to chainsaw l as environmental conservationists, as wel ity harmony. mun com encouraging student and local elsh Union) Mair Rowlands is the UMCB (W gs Welsh. President, and an expert on all thin

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ry Bangor UMCB represents the interests of eve is learning lsh, University student who speaks We Welsh language Welsh, or who has an interest in the or culture!

The Course Rep System

demic life as should have as much say in your aca The Students’ Union believes that you an elected rse rep system. Each department has possible. That’s why they created a cou nts, problems dents and staff, feeding back comme stu h bot h wit tes nica mu com o wh rep uld give dogs and the SU.Your department sho & suggestions to the University top in getting week or two, so if you’re interested rst ﬁ the in tion rma info re mo e you som more info: know or email Danielle Buckley for involved then let your department

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y Glas? Wythnos y bangorstudents.com

daneille.buckley@undeb.bangor.ac.u

Craig Mair

Ynys www.seren.bangor.ac.uk Faelog

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Freshers’ Issue 2011

Centerfold Where can you pick up your copy of Seren? A5

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Somewhere would like to see

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12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Y Glyder / Security Lodge Llanddwyn Braint Adda Idwal Gwynant Neuadd Reichel Neuadd Arfon Neuadd Seiriol Bryn Eithin Neuadd Garth

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Yes, we understand your excitement of freedom for perhaps the ﬁrst time in your life and of course we want you to ‘rock out with your socks out’ while you have your new independence. But to keep the Jeremy Kyle style issues at bay, here are a few pointers to make your new experience as enjoyable as possible.

Being Safe With Sex!

So, you’ve arrived in Bangor, you may be already missing your parent’s home cooking, comfort of your own bed and ‘the unlimited bank of Mum and Dad’, but one thing you should not be prepared to miss is SAFE SEX! Yes, some of you will be thinking, oh here they go again with their ‘safe sex talk’, but you’ll all still be surprised to know that the 16-25 year agegroup account for 65% of new Chlamydia cases in the UK, and we have the highest rate of teen

pregnancies in Western Europe. To help decrease these statistics, Unity are currently doing a poster campaign promoting safe sex, which supports the brilliant effort of Danielle Buckley. The VP for Education and Welfare, last year challenged herself to achieve free Chlamydia testing for under 25s in Bangor, but incredibly managed to stretch this service throughout Wales.

Contact

You may not want to discuss your recent sex worries with your brand new ﬂatmates just yet, so here are a few contacts to ease your worries; GUM/STI Clinic located at Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, Bangor – Tues 5-7 and Thurs 10-12 and 5.30-7.30 (clinics by appointment only) 01248 370376 Bodnant Surgery, Menai Avenue, Bangor 01248 364492 You can also contact your local GP for advice.

Did You Know?

Did you know? In a poll of 2000 adults, 92% of people cannot name the 15 types of contraception available to them, how many of these have you heard of? Caps, Combined pill, Condoms (female), Condoms (male), Contraceptive implant, Contraceptive injection, Contraceptive patch, Diaphragms, Intrauterine device (IUD), Intrauterine system (IUS), Natural family planning, Progestogen-only pill, Vaginal ring, Female sterilisation, Male sterilisation, (vasectomy).

Being Safe With Alcohol! Ahh yes, alcohol, many a time our loyal companion, but more than likely your evil BFF. Throughout the years our brand new River Island heels scuffed into disrepair, the concrete taking the skin off our knees and our 18 year old selves dribbling with intoxication. Not a good look and not much of a chance to practice your ‘safe sex’ knowledge with dirty ﬂoor on your face. More than 1 in 25 adults are dependent on alcohol, and shockingly the UK has one of the highest rates of binge drinking in Europe. The recommended guidelines for women which should not be exceeded are 2-3 units daily, and for men 3-4 units daily, even though we sometimes like to believe they mean 2-3 ‘Fishbowls of WooWoo’ instead of units. Many believe alcohol is actually a stimulant that can make you feel more ‘alive’ and ‘more fun’, but it is actually a depressant. Also, binge drinking can affect your mood and

Did You Know? Alcohol is a factor in: One in three (30%) sexual offences One in three (33%) burglaries One in two (50%) street crimes

your memory and in the longer term can lead to serious mental health problems. If your new housemates enjoy having ‘dirty ﬂoor faces’ on a few too many occasions, maybe try and make them aware you are available to chat to if they have any problems that may be causing them to binge drink. And don’t feel pressured into feeling like you won’t ‘ﬁt in’ if you don’t participate in the drinking sessions if you don’t feel like it, after all, one of the many reasons your decided to come to university was to become more independent. Alcohol is 99.9% likely to be involved in your years at university and we wouldn’t like to ramble on and tell you to be dull and unsociable, but remember, alcohol does not have to play a part in every social occasion, and more importantly, try to limit yourself.

Contact

Drinkline is an anonymous and conﬁdential service for advice and help for yourself, family or a friends – 0800 917 8282 You can also contact your local GP for advice..

Being Safe With Drugs!

You may have heard someone tell you ‘go on, just try it’ on numerous occasions, and never acted, but maybe one time, you give in to pressure and took ‘just one’ Ecstasy tablet, or that one ‘line’ of Cocaine. You’re now no longer part of the majority of your peers who do not experiment with illegal drugs. We’re not going to sit here and write about the advantages and disadvantages of illegal drugs, If you do decide to experiment with any illegal

drug, do try and seek help if you suddenly feel unwell or strange, and if possible do make sure you stay with a friend who you trust and one who will make sure you have the safest ‘experience’ possible should anything go wrong. The biggest problem with buying illegal drugs off the streets is that you basically have no idea what the drug you are about to take or sell on contains, and there have been recent ﬁndings of Paracetamol and shockingly even rat poison to be found in some Cocaine.

Contact Did You Know?

VisitTalkToFrank.com or call them on 0800 77 66 00 You can also contact your local GP for advice.

High doses can raise the body’s temperature, causing convulsions, respiratory problems or heart failure. Both Cocaine and Cannabis increase anxiety and paranoia, leading eventually to panic attacks. Cannabis can reduce a man’s sperm count, and for a pregnant woman can cause the baby to be born smaller than expected.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

A Student Guide to Fire Safety

It’s 1pm in the afternoon, Seren’s editor and deputy editor Aaron and LJ are on their way to Bangor Fire Station. As far as we knew we were going to have a little chat about their upcoming campaign; ‘A Student Guide to Fire Safety’. I don’t think we were expecting anything out of the ordinary or particularly exciting, how wrong we were. As we enter the car park we’re greeted by a crew of fire-fighters all waving at us, the first thing they did when we sat down was make us a cup of tea, and for a while we had a nice chat about regular normal things. We then got down to business, finding out the stats, playing with fire engines and dressing up. But most of all, we found out just what Bangor Fire Station do for you!

“One appliance costs £360, £720 for two. Unlike other emergency services, we respond to whatever call we get ﬁrst, we do not prioritise calls.”

What to do if you Wd ha tcto do erifayofiure? ov is dis

ll covertha fi re Call Point, which you’ ss ? la G ak re B e e at ctiv

Activate thby ints on each floor po e Br ekex th ea Glit d as s fin Ca ll Point, which you’ll find by the exit poin ts on each floor room and buildin ur yo of t ou t ge u yo re MakeM suak reeyosu u get out of yo u! The fire doors yo hind be ur s ro or om do e an th d and clo e bu ilde os cl inan se g, d smoke and the doors behind you! fir of ad re Th e sp fir e e there to er th do t or en s ar ev pr e pr tot the spread of fire and e en th ev smoke If you have a disability or ncerns, make sure y co r he ot or y lit bi oth sa di er a co ncerns, make sureatyoth ve haDi registerIfwiyo u e University t thuthe ices rvive sabilth SeUn ityeSe ythe ilit rvi ab ce is D s at ith w discussre er rsi st ty to yogi ur own personal evacua . tio al evacuation plan scuss your own personn plan.

What to do when you ou y n e h w o d to t a h hearW the fire alarm?

“Since starting 5 years ago, Bangor Fire Station would respond to around 350-400 calls a year. Thanks to interacting with students those calls have now gradually been reduced to 130 calls last year.” “Bangor Fire Station is a specialist station, with two pumps and an area ladder platform to reach tower blocks.”

? m r la a e r fi e th r a e g h safely and calmly

Get out of the buildin

Report to the assem ly and calmly blth y po e bu int ild - ing safe of t ou Don’t even Get think abou valuable stuff (they ar t stopping to pick up your e replaceablbl - t) inetno e, y yopo u ar ort to the assem ep R pi op ng to pick up yo If something’s in the wa st t ou ab k in th en y ev of ’t you getting out, try anac en Don exit. If this isn othea pl er ble, you ar re e ’t possibl ar y he e, (t ge f t uf ba ck to your room, shut the le st va door, and ca ll lu outab of the Stay in your room un window for help. tting out, try anot less yo ge u yo u’ of ve ay be w en e to th otherwise Ifbyso ld in ’s thm e et Fihi reng room, shu Crews ssible, get back to your

exit. If this isn’t po window for help. door, and call out of theless you’ve been told Stay in your room un Crews otherwise by the Fire

“People find it difficult to approach because we’re a uniform Free smus oke service, but we’re here to helpala you WANT you to approach us!” rmand s are For those moving into houses, if you’re not sure av ailable by that your new place isn’t fire safe, Bangor Fire cacome lling:Free smoke Station provide a free service where they over to you, and they’ll have a chat with0you 800 over a cup of tea and give you a fire safety check. Not only that, the meeting with you is completely confidential, they’re not trying to get you in trouble, they’re trying to keep you safe! They do however stress that they won’t do any cleaning or cooking! But if you’re house is in need of fire alarms, they’ll fit them free of charge.

1691r2 ala m3s4 are

available by calling:

0800 1691234

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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We’ve all been there, your ﬁrst student loan installment is in your bank account and you suddenly think you’re loaded. But here at Seren we want you to be responsible with your money, times are tough and budgets are tight. We’d hate to see you on the streets by the end of October so we’ve put together a few tips in which you can adjust to student budgeting, and how you can make you money go that little bit further!

! y e n o M s k Tal Food Waste . . .

expensive and Eat less meat. Its shockingly ian dishes each week substituting in a few vegetar balance. will deﬁnitely help your bank about what you can When making a meal think do with the leftovers. t of the plastic If you take food straight ou put it into packaging it comes in and container, it’ll last tupperware, or any sealed much longer. f Use By dates are Contrar y to popular belie and in general most actually more of a guideline 3 days longer. food will be ﬁne for about ed, remember you Try to only buy what you ne re but once you’ve can go back and get mo bought it. bought something you’ve

. .

Grocer y Shopping .

out a bit of the fun Shopping online may take an you can see how of shopping but it does me u put stuff into your much you’re spending as yo it stops end of the aisle ‘basket’, not only that but ur eye. merchandising catching yo you have to do is go Why not try downsizing? All you usually buy and down on brand from what .If you’re shopping see just how much you save r, as much, how far the online then it doesn’t matte d so you can choose supermarket is from you an ermarket.com is a dependent on price. mysup different store’s. good site to compare the

s like the Asda Price Its worth checking out thing that if you can get Guarantee which promises other store for 10% the same shopping from an u the difference in cheaper then they’ll give yo you shop with them. vouchers for the next time

Household Bills . . .

dvd players or games By simply switching your tv, her than leaving them consoles off completely rat up to £130. on standby you could save of tea make sure only When you’re making a cup that you need and to boil the amount of water you could save £50. charger once your By unplugging your phone u could get £5 back phone has fully charged yo in your pocket.

. .

f Use By dates are Contrar y to popular belie and in general most actually more of a guideline 3 days longer. food will be ﬁne for about energy efﬁcient By switching 5 lightbulbs to average £30. lightbulbs you’re saving on

y e h t o d e im t t Wha ? g in c u d e r t r a t s 25% Off

50% Off

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Breaktime

Wordsearch Director, Danny____ (5) Upper Bangor fox (7) Mythological Welsh lizard (6) Over water - not a bridge (4) English pronounce it ‘Head Loo’ (6) New nightclub, old name (7) Welsh Star (5) Bangor in the States (5) Beneath Main Arts library (6) Fezzes are _____ (4) Bruce Wayne’s city (6) Intelligent House from J.K. (9) Snowdonia mountain, T______ (6) Lives under a bridge (5) Foster the _______, band (6) Welsh name for Anglesey (4,3) Prone to lounging, takes little care of appearance (6) Factory of this has 1000 year lease (8) Edinburgh festival and TV show (6)

A W

N O M S

H G

R W L

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1) Boyle 2) Rascals 3) Dragon 4) Pier 5) Heddlu 6) Academi 7) Seren 8) Maine 9) Stacks 10) Cool 11) Gotham 12) Ravenclaw 13) Tryfan 14) Troll 15) People 16) YnysMon 17) Scruff 18) Guinness 19) Fringe

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YOUR STUDENTS’ UNION VENUE

BangorAcademi.com

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Welsh Bar Talk for DUMMIES A few simple phrases to get you going…

Shooting the Breeze

Ordering Booze

Hey, how you doin’? Hei, sut wyt ti?

2 pints of lager and a packet of crisps. Dau beint o lager a phaced o grisps.

(Hey, sit oot tee?)

You look good on the dancefloor! Ti’n dawnsio’n dda! (Teen downshaw’n tha!)

One of those please. Un o’r rheina plîs.

(Een or rhine-nah please.)

Playing Nice Thanks Diolch Good night Nos da No worries Croeso (Croysaw)

YOUR OFFICIAL STUDENT NIGHT CLUB

EVERY MONDAY

EVERY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

2Oth SEPTEMBER 18th OCTOBER 8th NOVEMBER 6th DECEMBER

Doors open 9:00pm

£4 / £3 NUS

Doors open 9:00pm

£4 /£3 with AU card

Doors open 9:00pm

£3

SUPPORTING AND ENTERTAINING BANGOR’S STUDENT POPULATION WITH THE WIDEST VARIETY OF NIGHTS IN THE CITY.

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FRIDAY PROJECT

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THURSDAY

THURSDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 6th OCTOBER 20th OCTOBER 3rd NOVEMBER 17thNOVEMBER 1st DECEMBER 15th DECEMBER

Wednesday night is the biggest night of the week. Anyone who is anyone is there. Come celebrate your success or commiserate your loss with other athletes and students at our AU night. All door takings go directly back into the AU clubs to further improve our sporting achievements.

Fruit Salad is Bangor’s longest running LGBTQ club night. Boasting some of the most eclectic sounds of any night out with a relaxed atmosphere and an attitude-free ethos. unitybangor.co.uk

Fancy a Supa Dupa night out? Supa Dupa brings you the very best of the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s with the best tunes from the times and songs that rocked their era. We’ll be playing the best of the best, nothing more, nothing less.

EVERY

THURSDAY

13th OCTOBER 10th NOVEMBER 8th DECEMBER

29th SEPTEMBER 27th OCTOBER 24th NOVEMBER

Doors open 9:00pm

Doors open 7:00pm

£2

SATURDAY Doors open 9:00pm

£4/ £3 NUS

£4

Doors open 10:00pm

£4 /£3 in fancy dress/ UMCB Card

An evening of Welsh music with a different fancy dress theme to every night! Every other Thursday night during term time. A very busy and lively evening, so come and enjoy an excellent night with a great

THE

mix of music in both Welsh and English – there’s something for everyone’s taste and if you’re not familiar with the Welsh rock scene then this is your chance to have a taste of it.

FRIDAY

PROJECT Unique club nights will be playing a massive selection of music. There will be a mix of alternative tunes to suit all ears so get your dancing shoes on and start the weekend in style.

Doors open 9:00pm £4

The return of Mayhem brings around a new age of metal goodness, no cheese, no chart fluff, just quality metal all night long. Gods of metal be praised.

Bringing you the latest and greatest stand-up comics on the UK pro. circuit with special appearances from Bangor’s own student comics. Prepare yourself for some side splitting sketches with these comedy geniuses.

Play is the pinnacle of weekend club style. Overflowing with the latest dance floor fillers and chart toppers, this is the place to dance the night away in style.

23rd september 14TH oCTOBER 4TH NOVEMBER 25TH NOVEMBER 16TH DECEMBER

7th OCTOBER 28th OCTOBER 18th NOVEMBER 9th DECEMBER There will be a mix of alternative tunes, dubstep, electro and drum’n’bass with a guest appearance from exclusive DJs Andy & George at Loud Candy’s end of term party.

R BE EM BER T O P SE OCT th 30 21st Lost Property is Bangor’s Indie Electro night, playing an eclectic mix of classic alternative anthems and brandnew electronic tunes. We love it, we reckon you will too, so come and join us for a night of musical appreciation!

R BE EM BER V NOECEM th 11 nd D 2 Loved for its festie

vibe and independent music policy Racubah has become a feature at a number of UK music festivals. From Funk, Soul and Latin to ‘Reggae’, ‘Ska’ and ‘Dancehall’, Vintage ‘Jazz’ to ‘Electro Swing’, Bollywood Beats to Balkan Brass, Tropical heat to African ‘bump and hustle’... If it’s hot it’s in the pot! Find us on Facebook to stay in the loop...

Drink Responsibly www.drinkaware.co.uk

Freshers’ Issue 2011

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Upcoming Releases

September

fter the Blockbuster summer we’ve just had with releases such as Captain America, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cinema is starting to calm down but that isn’t to say we’re going to be lacking good movies in coming months. This month promises some pretty interesting pieces with the critically acclaimed remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on its way to the big screen. With an all star cast boasting Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and John Hurt (just to name a few), the movie, set in the 70s, follows an ex MI6 agent who is suddenly recalled after being forced into semi-retirement. The institution is convinced they have a double agent in their midst who has been betraying Britain to the Soviets. And then we see the release of another fighting movie, Warrior, starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two brothers who find themselves in the same Mixed Martial Arts competition. With a cameo from professional wrestler and Olympic gold medal winner Kurt Angle, Warrior promises to be the pumped up fist-fest you’d expect with a bit of family based drama mixed in. The end of the month also sees Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park back on the big screen for two weeks only, a definite one to catch. When a scientist finds a way to recreate dinosaurs from their fossils and form a zoolike attraction all hell breaks loose.

he classic outsider-coming-in story, Haven follows FBI Agent Audrey Parker as she slowly unravels the secrets of a quiet town in Maine. Sent there on a routine job to return an escaped prisoner, Audrey (Emily Rose) soon discovers that there’s much more to this quaint little town than lobsters and locals. Along with local detective Nathan (Lucas Bryant) the hardworking and open minded agent investigates the town’s supernatural goings on, known as ‘the troubles’. Intrigued by the troubles and an old newspaper clipping displaying a woman identical to herself, Parker decides to take some time off from the FBI to stay in Haven. Soon enough she finds herself working for the Haven Police Department (PD) when she discovers that she is mysteriously immune to the troubles. Along with Nathan, local crook Duke (Eric Balfour) and the editors of the Haven Herald, Vince

Ryan Gosling can’t get off our screens with both his movies Drive and Crazy Stupid Love out on the 23rd. The former an action movie in which the rising star plays a stunt driver who doubles as a getaway driver by night. And the comedy, Crazy Stupid Love, also starring Steve Carrell and Emma Stone follows recently divorced Cal (Carrell) who seeks dating advice from Gosling. The Debt stars Helen Mirren as an ex right Night is spy (sound familiar?) who worked for the latest in what the Israeli Government. She’s a national hero but three decades after her most has seen to be a successful mission, which had her surge of 80’s Horror Rehunting down a Nazi, has doubt cast makes. With the already upon it forcing her to revisit painful remade A Nightmare on memories from her past. Elm Street and Friday And then the month ends with The 13th to the soon to Twilight star, and teen hearthrob, be redone Hellraiser and Taylor Lautner getting his chance Pet Cemetary, it seems like to shine in action packed thriller these classic films are conAbduction. The movie sees Lautner ﬂeeing hitmen after discovering stantly being re-created for a he’s not who he thought he was. new generation to enjoy. But Along with Sigourney Weaver he in the midst of a widespread tries to ﬁnd his biological parents souring of these reproduced while trying not to be killed.

and Teague, Audrey struggles to discover more about her past and the truth behind the town’s troubles. Following on from last year’s explosive season one finale Audrey and Nathan are both faced with the fact that she may not actually be who she thinks she is when another FBI Agent turns up in the town claiming to be Audrey Parker in Haven’s second season. Before the duo get the chance to even take the arrival of ‘FrAudrey’ on board, the town is hit by a trouble that reflects the Bible’s ten plagues. With the characters, adored by the show’s large fanbase, and the town itself fully established, season two of Haven gives the writers so much more to play with and the viewers so much more to look forward to. Not only that but the second season of the show, based loosely on Stephen King’s novel The Colorado Kid, introduces us to a few new characters. Jason Priestley joins the cast as grumpy marine biologist Chris Brody who after inheriting his Father’s trouble finds himself growing closer to Audrey while Vinessa Antoine turns up as Evi Ryan; a mysterious woman from Duke’s

films, does Fright Night separate itself from the pack? Actually, it does. Fright Night follows schoolboy Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) as he tries to lead his normal everyday life until Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad’s McLovin’) informs him that their childhood friend Adam (Will Denton) is missing and that Charley’s new neighbour, Ray (Colin Farrell), may be to blame. Ed eventually tells Charley that Ray is in fact a vampire and is behind the town’s recent disappearances. At first Charley is hesitant to believe that his new neighbour is a creature of the night but when Ed disappears, he takes it upon himself to rid the town of its new unwanted inhabitant. At first, Fright Night is a bit of a slow burner. It takes a while for the action to truly t a k e

past. And as if that’s not enough, former WWE superstar Edge plays Dwight, a handyman who helps cover up the aftermath of the troubles. It’s safe to say that Haven this season is going from strength to strength, keeping with the ‘case of the week’ style but without forgetting the important story. Arch episodes to look out for definitely include ‘Audrey Parker’s Day Off ’ (Episode 6) and ‘Lockdown’ (Episode 9). And for those of you on Twitter you should probably check out @DaveHaven, @VinceHaven and @ColdInHaven as the show’s creators are running a storyline on the social networking site parallel with the show’s storyline. While it’s not essential that you see Season One first, I would suggest that if you like the sound of Haven you check it out just to enhance your viewing before Season 2 premieres in the UK sometime this October. Haven star Eric Balfour had this to say to Seren: “Haven is almost as cool as your school!” and on that claim how can you not check it out?

off but when it does, the film doesn’t look back. The script mixes comedy and horror extremely well without letting either genre take the limelight. The cast are generally good; Colin Farrell plays the cocky and confident vampire well while Anton Yelchin shines in his first mainstream lead role. One recurring theme in reviews for Fright Night is the constant comparison with Russell Brand and David Tennant’s character Peter Vincent. The “similarity” that so many cineastes have picked up on is simply a lazy connotation of one the film’s main promotional pictures. Said picture features David Tennant wearing a long, black wig and sporting a black goatee. Yes, he may look like Russell Brand but I find it hard to believe that Tennant based his performance on Brand. In the film, Tennant plays a British illusionist and faux clairvoyant whose stage show (effectively titled “Fright Night”) is featured regularly on the Las Vegas strip. Tennant’s performance gives the film a lot of its comic relief and will also be a refreshing change for Tennant fans.

The film, like most other recent horror flicks, is presented in Digital 3D. While some may be critical of the gimmick, Fright Night uses the extra dimension well and it only adds to the film. Like other recent 3D releases, the added “D” gives the films scenes an extra depth although, in addition to this, it uses 3D in the old school sense. In other words, it throws objects out of the screen and toward the audience. There’s a scene where Colin Farrell throws a bucket through a window, towards the camera and the viewer. Perhaps the best use of 3D in the film is when ash flares up and out of the screen, similar to the firefly sequence in Avatar. Overall, Fright Night is a well acted, well written and well paced remake that gives the audience hope that these soonto-be-reproduced films will follow suit.

Adam Farrand

Music Editor, Joey McNally, brings you what’s hot and what’s not in music this month

Marina and the Diamonds - Radioactive

Massive return from Marina. Once again showing why she’s streets ahead of every other singer/ songwriter out there.

The Horrors - I Can See Through You Only a penguin in an ice cream factory can out-cool The Horrors. Enchanting song.

I can tell you what it didn’t give you: the ability to make good songs. Once again, a drab song from an overrated drab artist.

Kreayshawn - Gucci Gucci

The less I say about this song, the better. Replaces ‘Bass Down Low’ by Dev as the WORST song of all time.

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Otis

Featured Artist: Sons & Daughters ith four albums under their belt, it’d be fair to say that this band have gone by relatively unnoticed in the ten years they’ve existed. However, Sons & Daughters are a real gem for anyone with a passing interest in that great Scottish tradition, the quality indie band. Their best album, 2008’s ‘This Gift’, is a cracking record from start to ﬁnish, so start there, and you’ll be begging for more. Their other releases are more than adequate, but This Gift really is the jumping off point for this criminally underrated band.

For fans of:

Franz Ferdinand Metric

Hard-Fi, Stars of CCTV t’s not often you hear this Staines outﬁt described as ‘classic’, but this album really is an absolute gem. If ‘Living for the Weekend’ doesn’t get you going, it’s probably fair to say you don’t have a soul. It’s not just the singles that make this album good though, the title track is wonderfully delicate and understated, whilst still retaining that gritty urban vibe which makes this album a must-have.

Tied Up Too Tight Hard To Beat Stars of CCTV handed up onstage to us - and people do that - they always mention that album. I keep them, I’ve got a collection of notes to me of what they went through and the album and how it helped them.

How has it compared to the reaction to the last album, ‘The First Days of Spring’? It’s funny, the album that people come up to me and say how much they love is usually The First Days Of Spring and I always think, ‘Who the fuck bought it, then?’ It’s strange. People have a real emotional attachment to it. When notes get

Darling Dance Me In Killer (Seal Cover)

Classic Album: Best tracks:

Have you been amazed by the reaction to your latest album, ‘Last Night on Earth’? Yeah, but it’s been nice. This is the fastest that people have warmed to a new record of ours. When we put the second album out, it took a long while before people connected with it and we were saying the other day that it’s only now that people have outed opinion on it and are telling us that they liked it. When I’m making a record I get tunnel vision about ﬁnishing it and ﬁnishing it to be the best it can be. By the time people judge an album, I’ve made peace with it. I do get quite protective.

Best tracks:

I have to fail this, because I’m worried the combined weight of their egos might overwhelm and destroy us all. The song’s pretty uninspiring too.

You’ve had quite a manic year, haven’t you? Yeah, we were talking about it the other day and we’ve been on tour for the last four months, but we’ve only had three days off, which isn’t many I know. We don’t really take breaks, we just get going because one record goes into the next. With the ﬁrst record, we were touring that while making the second. I don’t really know what it’s like to stop to be honest.

Music

Ed Sheeran - You Need Florence and the Me, I Don’t Need You Machine - What The Water Gave Me After the pedestrian ‘A-Team’, this song is a world away from what I expected. As addictive as breathing, and twice as necessary.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

What’s been the highlight of the year so far? There was one show in Salt Lake City which was absolutely insane because it was such a surprise. It was the ﬁrst time we’d played at Salt Lake City and we’d expected to see 30 people who were only there out of curiosity. But when we got there it was sold out and there were 500 kids going nuts. It was insane It was also one of those stages where the band can’t get off at the end of the show - we had to walk through the crowd - so we had to tell them that we were going to do the encore s t r a i g h t a w a y. Well, we couldn’t exactly walk off and get back on. It was like being in the corner of a room, because the crowd were pinning us back.

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For fans of: The Enemy Kaiser Chiefs Razorlight

I really think we’ve progressed as a band and come out of ourselves as performers. I know having a loving audience makes me feel like I can do a lot more. The festival shows we were doing during the summer were so good They’ve made me think about where I can take the band. ‘First Days of Spring’ and ‘Last Days on Earth’ are very different records. How do you mix up the songs live? There’s some careful set planning going on. We’ve got to the stage now where we’ve been on tour for six months and we’re happy with our set. It’s quite an art trying to setlist those songs, but it’s cool. We’re approaching old songs with a new light. We like to have a section in the set where it comes down (with the songs from First Days Of Spring). It’s the romantic part of the set - I like that. I think it’s important to have dynamics in the set. Personally when I see a band I don’t want an hour and a half of the same thing. I want highs and lows. How does the audience generally react to the mixture? It’s acceptable for people to come and not love everything we’ve ever done. I’m constantly surprised at how well everything does integrate, but at this summer’s festivals we’ve been able to play songs from all over the back catalogue and they work and people go with it. It’s getting easier to integrate everything. We’re lucky because we seem to be a band that gets booked for just about any festival (because of the wide-ranging song). This year we’ve played Green Man and Ibiza Rocks and Edmonton Folk Festival. I don’t think there’s any other band that’s done that. I think that’s great. We have a wide range of festivals to choose from. We probably couldn’t do Download, but let’s see what we do with our next record. You never know.

The momentum on this record is unlike anything we’ve known previously.

What’s it been like playing in America? It feels like it’s really taking off there and because it’s our third record we can really feel the difference. The momentum on this record is unlike anything we’ve known previously. It’s amazing because its hard to get to a third record and for that to be the point where the momentum starts to build. It’s different because we’re being played on the radio and getting asked to be on the TV over there and that has had impact. People are coming to the shows (in bigger numbers). And that’s happened because Last Night On Earth is a more accessible record than the previous ones. It’s the bouncing back album. That’s the thing, it’s a story people want to hear because it’s more positive. Are you looking forward to playing in the UK again? Yeah, I think it’s going to be a really exciting tour. On this tour it’s easily the biggest venues we’ve done around the UK. Over the summer

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What about a new record? I have been writing recently, but I don’t know what’s going to come of it. I had three days between touring

and I started scribbling some stuff, it was nice to do some writing. I think Last Night On Earth was a very America-inﬂuenced record and I’d like this one to be our English record. It’s hard to write about England, but it’s something I’d like to do. PJ Harvey did a great album recently and it was very inspiring watching Pulp because Jarvis Cocker writes about England in a very romantic way. And in a sort of nostalgic way without being mawkish.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

Music

That’s What We Called Music!

t’s twenty years since Nirvana released their second studio album, Nevermind and a nineties revival is said to be imminent. How very fly. We at Seren have a soft spot for this decade and celebrate with our annual nineties night every February. The nineties decade was famous for three pops; sugary musical pop, Push Pops and –my personal favourite by a long shot- Britpop. The nineties saw an unstoppable rise of anthemic guitar bands, particularly emerging from London and Manchester- or as it became known in this musical movement, Madchester. I never understood why London Britpop acts did not adopt the collective pet name Fundon in response to their northern counterparts, it just seems to fit. Seriously, you would have thought a bunch of lyricists would have come up with that one! These atmospheric guitar bands, in which the chapesses invariantly wore their hair poker-straight and wore heavy eyeliner, and the chaps were depicted in the videos eternally relaxed, smoking and playing their guitars barefoot, managed to well and truly break through against the odds. At the time of the Britpop movement, the music market was saturated with sugary pop bands and plastic acts such as Steps, Five and Boyzone (it would be embarrassing to admit knowing the names of any others). Moreover, there were no online or social networking campaigns to get these non-mainstream acts into the top ten. The Britpop sound is addictive; the melodies carry through

n the last decade or so it seems that music festivals have grown in popularity, especially with the younger generations. Families are jumping on board too, replacing the traditional British weekend by the sea, in a B&B, for a weekend knee deep in mud being deafened from every direction. Despite this, though, a festival that often gets overlooked is Sonisphere held annually at Knebworth House. Perhaps it’s because Sonisphere is relatively new on the festival scene, this being only its third year which in comparison to similar festival Download’s eight years (and Monster’s of Rock before, from 1980) is nothing. This year’s Sonisphere boasted the reunion of metal’s ‘Big 4’, which for those of you not in the know comprises of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, who were tearing up the main stage like we were still in the eighties or early nineties. And that

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ud. Lots of it. And rain. Plenty of rain. Despite the weather conspiring to try and wreck our experience, Leeds 2011 was incredible. Wednesday and Thursday were inevitably focused around getting disgustingly drunk, and exploring the site. The weather was good, the company was excellent, and things were going swimmingly. What could go wrong? Friday could. It rained buckets all day, and everyone was soaked by midday. Your foolish music editor even paid over the odds for a plastic poncho, such was the intensity of the downpour. Getting drenched notwithstanding, the music managed to cheer us all up. Frank Turner had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, and somehow managing to make hundreds of people sit down in the quagmire before leaping up for a triumphant ‘Photosynthesis’. The View sent everyone slightly crazy, leaping around

clearly, no matter how many parts are being played simultaneously. It is easy to imagine a concert crowd singing along to these Britpop anthems; they are both bold and atmospheric at the same time. Further, the bands all have something to say; the song themes range from social class, not giving up, embittered positivity, fraternisation, self mockery and even some 90s musical nature poetry. The documentary Live Forever primarily focuses on the Britpop movement, but inevitably expands out into commenting heavily upon the rise of New Labour and political background against which this musical movement was set. Any politician knows that a great way to reach the yoof (sic) is through the youth culture of the day. To this end, Tony Blair made a public friendship with Noel Gallagher when he got the Labour leadership and the singer praised Blair at the 1997 Brit Awards for caring about the youth. Seemingly in return, both Gallagher brothers were invited to Tony Blair’s election victory party, but only Noel accepted. The entire Britpop movement was epitomised by the chart battle between Blur and Oasis in early August 1995. In the days before online and social network campaigns that influence chart results, Blur’s cockney-folk sounding Country House was put out directly against Oasis’ lively anthem Roll With It in a hyped-up and intense race to get to the UK number one spot. The winner was Blur. An embittered Noel

was just the Friday!! Seren were lucky enough to attend the UK’s third Sonisphere in order to get the scoop for you students. Wouldn’t want you spending your hard earned loans on just any old festival, would we? The first thing we noticed upon our arrival, after an arduous five hour journey, was that the distance from the campsites to the festival arena was a great improvement on previous festivals we had attended. Seriously, a half an hour trek in the mud when you’re exhausted from rocking out is really not what you want! Sonisphere’s ten minutes was much more appreciated. Whilst Sonisphere is, technically, a smaller festival than its peers; Download or Leeds/Reading, it’s not really something you would notice, or at least not from the quality and range of bands they had lined up for us. From Sheffield bred, heavy metal, outfit

Gallagher spat “Blur have won the battle but we will win the war!” That which a lot of Britons do not know is that the French and their presse also enjoyed following the Blur/Oasis rivalry à la folie (which vaguely translates as mad for it!). The summer of 1997, the last before the Britpop movement abruptly ended, was praised as being “the second Summer of Love”. The Britpop acts were numerous. One won a chart battle, the other lost it. Some flourished- James, Oasis, Blur, Suede, Pulp and others shivelled on the vine, became unheard of after the Britpop movement dissolved- Dubstar, Cast, Babybird. I’m sure they’ve still made it onto a few 90s kids Ipods, though. Britpop has certainly influenced many bands since its sudden end in 1997; Snow Patrol, Travis and Coldplay. Chris Martin claims Tim Booth, the lead singer of James, is the very reason why he is a singer. There are also Britpop influences to be found in the work of 90s nonBritish acts such as Swedish singer Andreas Johnsson and American band Spin Doctors. There should be a sub-section entitled Honorary Britpop, really. What Britpop did then and is set to do now is prove that the listening public truly identify with an atmospheric guitar anthem far more so than with the superficial, plastic, money-driven pop of the 90s or today’s manufactured acts. Even if one of these preferred acts is Blur.

Rosie MacLeod

While She Sleeps to Scottish Indie rockers Biffy Clyro you can’t say Sonisphere doesn’t cater for a variety of different rock tastes. Of course the best part of the weekend, at least for this Seren reporter, was Metallica. The lack of any material from the St Anger album was a little disappointing but it’s to be expected since it didn’t really receive the fan support that other albums did but still they put on an amazing show. All the classics and fan favourites were included in the set, from Master of Puppets to One the combination of Hetfield’s fierce vocals, adapted instrumentals and pyrotechnics ensured that Metallica were a hard act to follow for the weekend’s other two headliners. The one’s to watch on Sunday were rock band Fozzy, fronted by former wrestler Chris Jericho, who gave an outstanding per-

like lunatics (even if no-one could underheavy wind made the sound drop out interstand a word lead singer Kyle said), and mittently for 30 Seconds to Mars, but the Enter Shikari were spellbinding, making me style and confidence of their performance made up for any shortcomings. It would and my friends say “we’ll stay for one more song”, until the whole set was finished. Howhave been hard to top the incredible headever, the undisputed highlight of the Friday line set by Muse the previous night, but My was Muse, who played their second album Chemical Romance came within inches of pulling it off. Fiery, passionate, and totally ‘Origin of Symmetry’ in full, before returning to do a greatest hits set. Your foolish music editor even paid over From start to finish, Muse were flawless, and rousing the odds for a plastic poncho. versions of ‘Plug in Baby’, on form, they blew the assembled crowd ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ were met with a frenzied reaction. away, with a triumphant ‘I’m Not Okay’ and Saturday saw a slightly subdued mood a heart-wrenching ‘Cancer’ being particular settle over the site (probably because every- highlights. When ‘Welcome to the Black one was damp and hungover), but a packed Parade’ signalled the end of their set, the out NME tent greeted The Naked and Facrowd walked away stunned by a world class mous, who pulled off a triumphant set, band who have swaggered their way into the and gaining themselves a few new fans one big time. If the organisers of Leeds wanted evewould wager. Towards the end of the day, a

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ollowing 2009’s Yeah So, Sheffield folk-rock duo are back with their second studio album; Paradise. And this time they are not alone. Charles and Rebecca, guitars and drums, wowed fans internationally with their worldwide tour last year and since then have been hard at work back in the studio down in London. The album is out now and already has two singles out, the slow and melodic ‘Two Cousins’ and the slightly more upbeat ‘Where I’m Waking’. One of Slow Club’s main aims with this album, on which they have added to their line-up with a bassist and extra drummer (allowing Rebecca to focus on her vocals), was to make songs that people could dance to. I think it’s safe to say that second single ‘Where I’m Waking’ and ‘The Dog’ achieve this. Drummer Rebecca is known for her on stage antics including her tendency to hit pretty much anything in sight with her drumsticks, from chairs to glass bottles, however as the band matures so have her drumming techniques. In fact, with this album, the band have utilised the kit’s cymbals, eventually, after Rebecca previously stating that she never wanted to use cymbals on their tracks. Slow Club keep going from strength to strength, becoming the go to band for festival organisers, and recruiting new fans everywhere they go. With the album just released the band are back on tour and no doubt have even more in store for us in the coming years.

LJ Taylor

formance on the smaller Jagermeister stage proving that they mean business and are not just a side project. All Time Low surprised really getting the crowd involved with what proved to be a pretty impressive set. All in all Sonisphere gave everything you could expect from one of the similar festivals but with simple adjustments like better toilets, closer camping and much more emphasis on the reason we all attended: the music.

LJ Taylor & Rebecca Johnston

ryone to dance like lunatics on the Sunday, they certainly scheduled it well. After a drab Seasick Steve (my friend will kill me for saying that, but he did a mudslide on the Friday so I think I know who’s winning), the ever-improving Two Door Cinema Club pulled off one of the surprise successes of the weekend, adapting to the main stage with ease and style, despite being plagued by the same wind interference that scuppered 30STM’s set the day before. Madness also win over a lot of new teenage fans; an anarchic ‘Baggy Trousers’ almost causing the ground to shake from all the skanking. Jimmy Eat World save their biggest hits until last, but still manage to inspire the sort of devotion you’d see if One Direction started handing out their underwear at shows. When they launch into ‘The Middle’, the scream almost drowns out the guitar riff. Making the brave decision to es-

chew headliners Pulp, we watch The Strokes go through the motions for six songs, the supremely indifferent Julian Casablancas spoiling what could have been one of the best sets of the weekend. We do catch The Bronx almost tearing the Lock-Up stage to the ground though, a chaotic ‘They Will Kill Us All Without Mercy’ ensuring my voice went for about the eighth time of the weekend. The frenzied reaction for them though, is nothing compared to The King Blues, who absolutely slay the Lock-Up tent, and provide a brilliant end to a great weekend. All in all, it’s about having a good time with your mates and enjoying the music. And that’s something no amount of rain could spoil. Altogether now…”ALAN!!!!”

Joey McNally

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Beyoncé HOUSE OF DEREON Beyoncé looks hotter than ever in her new House of Dereon ads, for the AW 2011 collections. In one pic, B sports the House of Dereon line looking ultra glam with a wild mane of curly hair and covers up in a snake print hooded jumper. And in her second ad, The “1+1″ singer wears a skintight, glittery gold

VS English Gent

Femme Fatale

Uncover two sides to your personality this season. Play the sulty sexy female with Femme Fatale or man up to work English Gent with hottest masculine looks!

Fashion’s love affair with all things glam is showing no sings of slowing down. Bold shapes, and flowing dresses continue into the AW season to create the power woman look, this is the Femme Fatale. Pair with killer heals to complete this sexy look.

£40

Masculine tailoring takes centre stage for English Gent where boyfriend style blazers, boxy shirts and ties are a must.We ain’t talking straight forward suits here though. Fem up the manly tailoring by adding skinny denim, bold flashes of colour and flowy shirts with a bow neck tie.

£40

£46

cocktail dress, paired with wild headpiece. With her hand placed right on her belly, the ad seems to address her current pregnancy. Coincidence? Maybe. Beyoncé broke the news that she is pregnant at the 2011 VMAs last month where she showed off her baby bump on the red carpet and during “Love on Top!

£25

£65

Fashion’s NIGHT OUT!

£28 £46

Leave it to this fashionista to show the Fashion’s Night Out crowd how to work a red carpet! Rachel Bilson stepped out at the Sunglass Hut in Los Angeles on Friday in a gorgeous cream-colored maxi skirt that is sure to be the envy of style-savvy girls everywhere!

£68

She paired the skirt with a chic, short blazer and a black blouse. As far as accessories go, the Hart of Dixie star wore a pair of shades and carried a cute green purse.

Rih-Rih FIERCE FOR ARMANI

£80

FYI

RIVER ISLAND - Student Shop-in

20% off for all students! Late night opening. Discount, DJ’s & drinks. Student ID needed

T h e Armani Group has ﬁnally unveiled the ﬁrst picture of their Armani Jeans campaign featuring the brand’s newest global face -superstar Rihanna.

£16

Rihanna shows off a sassy new hairstyle in the highly-anticipated new ad which made its debut on Armani’s Facebook page this week a bleach blonde crop heavy on the bangs. Clad in a pair of skin-tight black jeans and a ruffled cropped sweater showing off her toned stomach, it’s safe to say the Barbados beauty is looking fiercer than ever. According to Armani, the concept of the campaign (which was shot by famed photographer Steven Klein in NYC) was based on classic film noir but with a contemporary twist -- “sexy, yet sophisticated”. The first billboards featuring RiRi are expected to be launched worldwide this month. Rihanna looks fierce here! Plus we had to include her! It’s Fashion page tradition! You can get skin tight leggins like these from Topshop in Bangor for £22.

£60 £40

3/9/11

To get this look in Bangor, head to River Island where you can get a skirt like the one Rachel Bilson is wearing for just £25!

£17

£44.99

£14

£39.99 £14.99 Add an edge to your AW wardrobe with causal pieces and a fuss free palette of black and white pieces with a touch of grunge.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Top Tips to Avoid putting on the‘Freshers’ 15’ Once you start university life, healthy living tends to go out of the window which means that on average students put on 15lbs in their 1st year. Alcohol, late night takeaways, and the lack of desire to cook meals with any kind of sustenance do not make for healthy living. But with just a few simple steps you can easily avoid the dreaded Freshers’ 15.

Cook

I’m not saying you have to forgo the 3am kebab completely, just that it should be interspersed with the odd homemade meal. Healthy cooking can be both cheap and delicious. I know for a fact that you were packed off with a student recipe book so you may as well make use of it!

Moderation

I’m not saying you shouldn’t get trashed in Fresher’s Week, I’m just saying that you should give your body a break every now and then.Alcohol not only has plenty of calories in it, but heavy drinking takes its toll on your body in general. Feeling constantly hungover is nobody’s idea of a good time, so give your liver a few nights off before you hit the pubs again.

Get Outside

We’re some of the luckiest students around. With Snowdonia right on your doorstep, there’s really no excuse to not get yourself outside and explore the scenery that we live amongst.The Mountain Walking Club head up Snowdon during Fresher’s Week so make sure you go and see them at Serendipity for more details.

Sleep

It can be really easy to get yourself into an irregular sleeping pattern, and really difficult to get yourself out of it. Late nights and long lie-ins are all part of student life, but getting a good night’s sleep every now and then is important for keeping yourself looking and feeling fresh. Oh, and just so you know, napping in lectures is apparently frowned upon.

Health & Beauty Beauty Bargains! Bag the essential items to create Autumn/Winter’s hottest looks. It gets even better as nothing costs over a fiver! 1. 2True Eyebrow Pencil No 1 Natural Brown £1.99 Add a touch of pencil to your brows to create a bold, strong look seen across runways this season. 2. Gosh Nail Lacquer in Wild Lilac £5.00 Purple is so hot right now, so try out a bright look with this season’s hottest nail colour! 3. Make Up Academy Professional Extreme Quad Smokin £3.00 The metallic trend is big for this season, use these colours to create a silver shimmer for smouldering eyes seen at Chanel. 4. Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch 2 £4.99 Create a flawless face with this or use as a highlighter for contoured and chiselled cheekbones. So high fashion! 5. Rimmel Extra Super Lash Mascara Black £4.99 Use lashings of this mascara for a full on sexy sixties look, a huge trend this season!

Product of the Month! If you like intelligent skincare at an affordable price, Purity Organic Skincare is a must have brand. Purity is a British Eco-Certified brand, even the packaging is sustainable! The range is great for sensitive skin as its fragrance free and uses organic ingredients.Try Purity Organics Facial Exfoliator 100ml £5.99, to brighten up dull and tired skin, this deep pore cleanser leaves skin feeling cleaner and softer.

Fresher Essentials 20 SEPTEMBER 6PM – 8PM BANGOR

BANGOR

20 SEPTEMBER 6PM – 8PM SElEcTEd BRANdS Live DJ in store refreshments anD music proviDeD by embassy nightcLub up to 20% off seLecteD branDs incLuDing reD herring, oasis anD Warehouse 10% off* seLecteD beauty anD fragrances

When you head off to university for the first time, your mum will have packed you off with all of the bathroom essentials. But what happens when you run out? Don’t forget to keep stocked up with these independent living necessities.

SElEcTEd BRANdS

Save Essentials

1. Boots Essentials value range mouthwash 500ml - £0.81

Live DJ in store

2. Gillette Blue II Plus Slalom 8 Disposable Razors - £3.19

refreshments anD music proviDeD 3. OriginalnightcLub Source Mint and Tea Tree Conditioner - £2.03 by embassy

up to 20% seLecteD branDs 4. Bootsoff Essential Toenail Clipper - £1.75 incLuDing reD herring, oasis anD Warehouse Splurge Essentials

10% off* seLecteD beauty anD fragrances 1. Gilette Fusion Power Razor £11.49

*selected lines only at debenhams bangor. offer available 20 september 2011 only.

2. Tweezerman Nail Clipper Set £12.00 3. Tigi B4M Charge Up Conditioner £5.00

*selected lines only at debenhams bangor. offer available 20 september 2011 only.

£50 for the winner and £25 for the runner-up to be spent in store after the event. Simply fill in your details, cut out this advert and take it with you to the event to be in with a chance of winning!

Free Raffle competition!

Name: ..................................................... Telephone: ..................................................... Email: .....................................................

4. Blanx Natural White Alcohol Free 500ml £5.10

Freshers’ Issue 2011

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Games and Gadgets

Gaming at a Glance

Time for Tablets?

ith this year’s winter releases there’ll be after killing a rogue US Army General. Whilst Call no better time for the weather to keep us of Duty boasts an impressive story a lot of the indoors and hooked to our consoles. Much focus for this franchise lays on the multiplayer anticipated Resistance 3 is already warming which has been promised to have been revamped up our PS3’s in preparation of what we’ve got to and even better! come. It seems that November is going to be a busy, Not only can we look forward to the annual and expensive, month for gamers as the middle console-wide hits such as F1 2011, Fifa 12, PES of the month sees the release of popular roleplay 2012 and, the aptly renamed, WWE 12 hitting game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the sequel the shelves between the end of September and to critically acclaimed Oblivion out on the 11th. November but this year sees the return of some And then the 15th sees the final voyage of our of the gaming heavyweights. Starting in October favourite assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, t was the start with the sequel to 2009’s platinum selling Batman: in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. From the of a new century, 2001, Arkham Asylum our favourite anti-hero is back in beautiful cinematic trailer and the gameplay and Microsoft decided it Batman: Arkham City a game highly anticipated trailer, I feel pretty confident in promising you an was time change the face of mobile by gamers worldwide. Take Arkham’s destiny into amazing game with this one. technology. They developed something your own hands on October 21st. Whatever type of game you’re into its safe to revolutionary, something that had never A week later sees the return of the say this winter there’ll definitely be something to really been tried before. They developed Battlefield franchise in keep you occupied, the question is; which will you the worlds first Tablet. Battlefield 3 (which is actually the 11th of the choose? This was cutting edge technology, franchise), out on October 28th, taking y o u putting a touch screen on a fully fledged straight into the war torn Middle East laptop, letting people interact with their where the US Marine Corps are fighting t h e devices like never before. People’s Liberation and Resistance. The Sadly, these early devices were large game is the direct sequel to Battlefield 2, and heavy devices. You needed a stylus to which was released as long ago as 2005! use them, the software just wasn’t ready November brings out the big guns to be used like this and the price tag that and my personal favourite, the return of came for this gimmick was more than the Uncharted franchise. On November many people were willing to spend. It was 2nd, Nathan Drake will once again an expensive, niche market that largely be ours to control in his next brilliant failed to reach consumers. adventure in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Then, in 2010, came the iPad. This Deception. Following the success of was something different. This featured 2009’s Among Thieves, Drake’s newest software designed for touch, it was light adventure seems him take on the Rub’ weight, easy to hold, decent battery life al Khali desert in search for the fabled and, most importantly, more affordable Iram of the Pillars in what, I reckon, is set than any other tablet device on the to be gaming’s blockbuster hit. market. This was a turning point. As the dust, or sand rather, starts Now, just over a year on, there’s lots of to settle arguably the most popular tablet devices from a slew of companies. gaming franchise returns in Call of Duty: Is it finally the time of the tablet? Modern Warfare 3 on November, 8th. With over 40 Android tablets, a second Directly following on from 2009’s Modern generation of iPads and a new version Warfare 2, MW3 sees the return of popular of windows tablets around the corner, it characters ‘Soap’ McTavish, SAS Captain certainly looks like we’ve struck gold. John Price and Nikolai (a Russian I’ve been using an Android tablet for informant) who are now a few months now, and I can safely say on the run that I would not go back to using a laptop. It’s I can pick it up in the morning, check my not often emails and watch a programme on iPlayer that a game comes out before putting on some music, putting my that is almost universally loved by headphones in and heading off to everyone who plays it. Arkham Asylum was work. I leave the music one of these games and, when it came out in 2009, it playing all entered the list of truly great games. The main premise was that The Joker, having been brought to across the Asylum by Batman, carried out a long-planned takeover a significant of the island prison. You, as Batman, get part of G o t h a m stuck on an island full of criminally insane people City itself. This will enable whom you have put away. What made the game a much larger environment for Batman to was the vast and detailed environs of the island navigate; in fact the player will be able to fly joined with the addictively fun abilities across much of the city in that Batman uses. For instance, pursuit of the game’s myriad hanging upside down from a collection of villains. gargoyle in a gloomy gothic hall Having mined the rogues in order to drop onto an orange gallery for the previous jumpsuited criminal to knock game, the developers have t h e m out has to upped the stakes. Two be one of the Face, Penguin and Mr Freeze are just most satisfying some of the enemies you will have to g a m e p l a y face off against. experiences ever. The Joker will be returning but this will be Mark This is why Arkham City is one of Hamill’s final outing as the brilliant voice actor for the most anticipated games of 2011. the psychotic nemesis. As with all sequels the game An intriguing twist in the game play format this is aiming to be bigger and time round will be the option to play as Catwoman better with the Asylum or Robin, both of whom have been designed to fit into the having been dark world the developers have lovingly recreated extended from the comic, films and TV series. Though I can believe that most people will choose to stick with the Bat as their main avatar; who can give up being able to glide over their opponents before kicking seven kinds of Hell out of them in a visually stunning way? When this is released in October I urge you all, if you’ve played Asylum or not, to go out and buy it. You will not regret it.

LJ Taylor

Luke Dobson

day, even if I’m not using my Tablet. I can type up my notes and excel spreadsheets on it while at work, with my tablet saving them all online, so I can pick it up on any other computer connected to the internet when ever I need to. After a full day at work, I can just throw it in my bag with any paperwork and head home with my music still playing, get home and play games or watch a ﬁlm or two. After a day like that, I can still have about 20-30% battery left. I don’t need to worry about being stuck without charge and not being able to get work done. I admit, I still need my desktop. It gives me that bit more power, and not all my software runs on my tablet, so it’s not perfect, but with more powerful devices around the corner and more apps being added every day, I think it’s safe to say we’ve reached the point where Tablets are ready for us to play with.

Will Osborn

Freshers’ Issue 2011

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Travel Top 5 things to see in Nova Scotia Annapolis Royal Historic Garden

Dart Destination is back and this issue we’re taking you all the way to Canada to see the beautiful scenery that there is on offer in...

Nova Scotia

Voted as the top place to visit by tourists, the Annapolis Garden’s are one of Nova Scotia’s most beautiful stretches of land.

It’s time for this issue’s...

Dart Destination N

ova Scotia, one of the most attractive pieces of land known to man, is easily forgotten. I suppose being located beside such an influential country as the United States means it’s easy for Canada to be forgotten altogether. Then when peoples’ thoughts do stray to Canada the country is often associated with Celine Dion, Mountain Rangers and Moose; hardly every the beautiful, underappreciated province of Nova Scotia. From fresh lobster to the highest waves the maritime province has a lot to offer. There are many reasons that you’d decide to visit Nova Scotia; there’s the excellent art and culture, the hockey, the exquisite lobster and of course the gorgeous scenery and historic sites. The capital city, Halifax, is the place to go if you’re into art of all kinds. The home to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax is bursting with places of interest. And that’s not the only form of art the town is well renowned for. Halifax is home to the Symphony Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada’s only full performing orchestra; definitely worth checking out if you happen to be around at the same time as a show. A lot of the sights in the province may look somewhat familiar for Nova Scotia has quite the considerable film industry with Academy Award winning movies such as James Cam-

eron’s blockbuster Titanic to Michael Moore’s documentary Bowling from Columbine being filmed in the area. The province is also currently home to Syfy’s Haven (reviewed on page 23), doubling as a fishing town in Maine; not so far from Nova Scotia life really. Music lovers will feel right at home in the picturesque surroundings that are home to a number of music festivals. From the Halifax Jazz Festival to the popular Deep Roots Festival and the Celtic Colours Festival; Nova Scotia has something for lovers of all types of music with a breath of fresh air from that of popular culture. Chances are if you’re checking out the province then you’re here for either one of the music festivals, Atlantic Film Festival or Atlantic Fringe Festival, but don’t let that be your only port of call. If you are visiting this part of Canada then it would definitely be worth booking a couple of extra days where you can just relax and take in the breathtaking sights that Nova Scotia has to offer; you won’t be disappointed. The province is well known for its stunning collection of lighthouses, namely Peggy’s Point, which not only provide for a great Kodak moment but give a real sense of just how mythical and wonderful this place is as you look out to the sea from the

top of the cove. Peggy’s Point Lighthouse is still operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The best way to experience the many different Nova Scotian lighthouses is to follow the Lighthouse Route which is a scenic drive along the province totalling 211 miles from Halifax to Yarmouth. Whilst Nova Scotia isn’t your typical holiday destination, even if you do like to go for the sights and tourism, it is definitely a place worth visiting and a place that differs from so many others; a place that you will definitely remember and perhaps even visit again. By no means have we covered everything there is to do in Nova Scotia, check out Seren’s ‘Top 5 Things to See’ for more great suggestions!

Peggy’s Cove Peggy’s Cove (pictured bottom left) is 43 km from capital city, Halifax, and is home to Peggy’s Point Lighthouse which is one of the more photographed and recognisable lighthouses in the world.

Brier Island

Despite often being plagued with fog and with 57 recorded shipwrecks tied to it, Brier Island is one of Nova Scotia’s best spots for Whale Watching.

LJ Taylor

Port Royal The ﬁrst European settlement North of St Augustine, Florida; Porta Royal was founded in 1605. If you have an interest in the American Revolution then this historic place is deﬁnitely one to visit.

Burntcoat Head Located on the Bay of Fundy it is recorded that Burntcoat has the highest tidal waves ever recorded in the world.

Freshers’ Issue 2011

www.seren.bangor.ac.uk

Sport Let The Scrum Commence

Bob Chatterley

The Rugby World Cup has kicked off this year in New Zealand. After a well-rehearsed opening ceremony the hosts picked up an expected win over a rising Tongan side. The format of the RWC (rugby World Cup) sees 20 teams pitted against each other in 4 pools of 5 where 5 expected wins have already taken place most without the expected performances. England gained their first win against a strong but old Argentinian team who held the lead for much of the game until a late try from Youngs sealed the win. Current champions, South Africa, played Wales in a close thriller with just a single point separating the two sides. South Africa currently have an older team than most others and though

expected to go far are only expected to reach the semi-finals, the hosts on the other hand are currently favourites to gain the title, but despite their dominant performances the All Blacks haven’t been champions for 24 years. England are fielding a mixed age team with veterans fielded alongside a healthy number of fresh faces, they are also thought to have a good chance of gaining their third final in a row but many believe the 2015 World Cup to be a more realistic target. As for the

they could, again, reach the quarterfinals and have a chance of playing the current champions, South Africa. All in all this year’s World Cup is set to be an interesting affair with a mixture of fresh competitive teams as well as experienced more knowledgeable teams. The prediction of the hosts making the final should be safe, as long as the fluid passes and hand offs displayed in the first half of their opener can be maintained for longer periods against better and stronger sides like South Africa and England. As for England they need to keep faith in Wilkinson’s kicks, which were far from perfect in their opener and almost caused England to drop an expected win, leaving it up to the fresh Youngs to score a well worked try. Wales on the other hand should look to build on their performance against the champions having almost created a memorable victory in their opener, judging from this display they stand a good chance of qualifying with relative ease from their pool.

“Wales should look to build on their performance having almost created a memorable victory” other home nation sides, Wales are looking more likely to reach the quarter-finals this year, Scotland are looking like a safe bet to reach the quarter-finals at least after a good few performances over the summer; as for Ireland, they are hampered with a number of injuries, a summer of defeats and a tough pool to get out of, if they manage to qualify

Wales were unlucky in defeat against South Africa.

Name, Name, Name A Boat

All Hail the Gaelic Ladies

he ladies Gaelic team is one of the most up-and-coming sports teams in the AU. Having only been recently formed, it has gone from strength to strength, and ended last year on a high with over 30 members and partaking (with some beautiful performances...) in the national championships. In the club currently we have a huge mixture of people – including a large international membership! Gaelic Football itself is similar to Australian Rules Football, and the ball is required to be bounced and kicked with the ultimate aim being to score in or over the crossbar. It is not a contact sport, and aside from being immense amounts of fun, the basics are easy to learn and any new members can expect to be scoring points within a month! Training takes place on the Maes Glas Astroturf

angor University Boat Club has had a turbulent and very difficult year. In September 2009 the Menai Straits, where we have rowed since the clubs inception in 1901, claimed our last remaining boat. Since then, we have not been able to row and have been trying to buy new boats. We have been incredibly lucky to have had a grant from Bangor University for two Wintech’s – top-of-the-range racing boats. We have named one boat, the 8+, after Paul Johnson, Club Captain in 2007/08. In an awful accident on his bike in 2010, Paul very sadly died. This was a massive blow for all the members of our club, even for those who did not know him. Paul’s passing will forever be a void and he really will be missed by all current and future members, particularly as he remained a very active supporter of the club to which he gave so much. Paul was always a huge presence within the club,

Prifysgol Bangor University

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leaving a lasting legacy in his wake and a lot to live up to. He is the person for whom all future Club Captains may work to make BUBC into the fantastic club it could be. When he left, he donated his boat to the club in a gesture of incredible generosity. We hope that our tribute to him will ensure that he will forever remain a part of the club. We would now like to name the second boat, the ‘little sister’ to the 8+ and would like to open this up to the local community. The best names will be put into a draw and we would like to invite the winner to come to our naming ceremony to officially name the boat. This will be held at Llyn Padarn, where we are relocating to over the course of the year, and we are looking forward to having several past members of the club as well as Welsh Rowing in attendance. The winner will also win a luxury hamper full of homemade produce.

To take part in this competition, please send us a cheque for £5, payable to Bangor Student’s Union with ‘Rowing Club’ written on the back and enclose a note with your name, address, contact number and email if you have one and your suggestion for the boat name to: Bangor University Students’ Union Bryn Haul Victoria Drive Bangor Gwynedd LL57 2EN Look out for us around Bangor throughout September where we will have the hamper and most of its contents (some of it is fresh so we won’t have that) and will be selling tickets.

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on Tuesdays (7-8) and Fridays (7-8), and combines a mixture of fitness, team building and fun, in order to improve everyone’s fitness levels and to ensure everyone feels like part of the team! Socials take place on Monday evenings, and are always extremely entertaining, and a chance to really get to know your team mates (without necessarily having to consume alcohol)! There are often fancy dress themes, with St. Patrick’s Day being the highlight of the year. So, to truly experience the magic that is Gaelic Football, come and see us at Serendipity, and come along to the try out sessions on Saturday 24th (11-1) and Sunday 25th (9-11) at the Astroturf. Any enquiries can be sent to our Club Captain...Natasha Manley: 07512373881

sports bottle & locker keyring with your gym induction MA ES 01 GLA 24 8 3 S.CO 82 .UK 57 1

Find us on facebook for even more up-to-date information, just look for Maes Glas

WWW.MAESGLAS.CO.UK SPORTS AND LEISURE

Freshers’ Issue 2011

American Football Archery Badminton Canoe Polo Capoeira Cheerleading Cricket Dance Fencing Gymnastics Handball Jiu-jitsu Ki-Aikido Lacrosse Men’s Basketball Men’s Gaelic Football Men’s Hockey Men’s Football Men’s Rugby Mountain Walking Netball Octopush Riding Club Road Cycling Rounders Rugby League Squash Sub Aqua Surf Swimming Table Tennis Tennis Trampoline Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball Wakeboarding Women’s Football Women’s Basketball Women’s Gaelic Football Women’s Hockey Women’s Rugby Windsurﬁng

Date 22nd, 24th & 25th September 21st, 23rd & 25th September 20th September 23rd September 25th September 24th September 19th September 23rd September 2nd October 27th & 29th September 20th & 21st September 24th September 19th September 22nd September 25th September 20th September 22nd September 25th September 21st September 25th September 21st September 23rd September 25th September 24th September 23rd & 24th September 23rd September 25th September 23rd & 24th September 22nd & 24th September 24th & 25th September 23rd September 25th September 28th September 5th October 25th September 25th September 26th September 23rd & 25th September 19th September 23rd September 25th September 22nd & 29th September 24th & 25th September 25th September 29th September 24th September 25th September 23rd & 25th September 25th September 25th September 25th September 23rd & 24th September 24th September 24th September 24th September 25th September 22nd & 23rd September 25th September 24th & 25th September 24th & 25th September

Time 2.00pm - 4.00pm 8.00pm - 10.00pm 2.00pm - 4.00pm 11.00am - 1.00pm 3.00pm - 5.00pm 3.15pm for 4.00pm - 5.30pm 8.00pm - 10.00pm 1.00pm - 3.00pm 3.00pm - 5.00pm 5.00pm - 9.00pm 8.00pm - 10.00pm 1.00pm - 4.00pm 7.30pm - 9.30pm 7.00pm - 9.00pm 11.40am for 12.00pm - 3.00pm 6.00pm - 7.oopm 6.00pm - 8.00pm 12.00 - 2.00pm 8.00pm - 10.00pm 10.00am - 12.00pm 1.00pm - 3.00pm 4.00pm - 6.00pm 3.00pm - 5.00pm 2.00pm - 4.00pm 12.00pm - 4.00pm 12.00pm - 2.00pm 1.00pm - 3.00pm 12.00pm - 4.00pm 2.00pm - 4.00pm 9.00am 2.00pm - 4.00pm 8.00pm - 9.00pm 1.00pm 1.00pm - Beginners 9.30am 2.00pm - 5.00pm 6.00pm - 7.00pm 2.00pm - 4.00pm 1.45pm - 4.00pm 12.15pm - 3.15pm 1.00pm - 5.00pm 8.00pm - 9.00pm All Day 7.00pm - 8pm 7.00am - 8.00am 4.00pm - 5.00pm 1.00pm - 3.00pm 3.00pm - 5.00pm 3.00pm - 5.00pm 10.00am - 1.00pm 1.00pm - 3.00pm 12.00pm 9.00am - 11.00am 2.00pm - 4.00pm 11.00am - 1.00pm 9.00am - 11.00am 2.00pm - 4.00pm 11.00am - 1.00pm 12.00pm - 2.00pm 11.30am - 6.00pm

Sport Venue Maes Pitch 2 Normal Sp. Hall Main Hall Main Hall Main Hall Fridd for Bangor Pool Normal Gym 2 New Hall Main Hall Rathbone Normal Gym 1 Normal Gym 1 Gymnastics Hall Gymnastics Hall Meet at Fﬁdd for Normal Sp. Hall Normal Gym 2 Normal Gym 2 Normal Gym 2 Normal Gym 2 Normal Gym 2 Synthetic Pitch Synthetic Pitch Synthetic Pitch Main Hall Synthetic Pitch Treborth Treborth Maes Pitch 1 Treborth Students’ Union Main Hall Bangor Pool Meet at SU for Porth-Y-Post Meet at SU for Tal-y-Foel Maes Glas Maes Pitch 2 Normal Sp. Hall Treborth Squash Courts Squash Courts Squash Courts Bangor Pool Students’ Union Bangor Pool Bangor Pool Main Hall New Hall Tennis Courts New Hall New Hall Main Hall Students’ Union Synthetic Pitch Main Hall Synthetic Pitch Synthetic Pitch Synthetic Pitch Synthetic Pitch Treborth Students’ Union

AU Club’s Taster Sessions 19/09/11 - 05/10/11

Club