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30 NOVEMBER 2009 - Issue 184 www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
INSIDE THE LAST ISSUE OF 2009: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH THE FUTUREHEADS, ELLIOT MINOR,
THE AUTOMATIC AND MR HUDSON!!!
STUDENTS HIT
BY £75,000 LIBRARY FINE Kimberley de Selincourt News Reporter
A FREEDOM of information act obtained by the Student’s Union General Secretary Luke James has revealed that late library fines are costing students over £75,000 a year. With 24 hour renewals possible online and by telephone, and self return and issue desks situated in the library, The Waterfront asks how, since 2005 alone, Swansea university students have accumulated £323,925 in library fees - and where is this money being used? A spokesperson for Library and Information Services at the University, Sue Miller told us the money was used “either towards buying extra copies of books when we are very short, or to pay overtime for staff when we have staff sickness” and for “basic running costs.” Money received through fines is added to funds from an allocated budget and grants from other bodies, and this combined sum then finances refurbishment and running costs. Therefore, even an approximate amount spent on books is hard to ascertain. Education Officer Ross Gilman stated: “Though it looks a lot, it’s a small amount in comparison to what they spend on other things. Using money from fines they’ve reduced costs of printing and photocopying over the last couple of years, and are working on getting more reference copies of key texts, as well as more computers.” Another expense is the amount of electricity needed in the library, which is set to increase as the library moves into 24 hour opening for the exam period, especially until the airconditioning is fixed. Automated e-mail reminders are now sent to all students and staff just before an item is due for return, yet Luke James believes, “although the amount of money taken in library late fees has dropped steadily, it is still a huge sum.” While this has helped reduce late fees,
if a book is lost, the student is subject to a standard replacement cost of up to £45. Speaking to Sue Miller of the LIS, the Waterfront was told: “Some people will report a book missing when it gets recalled and then at the end of term when it’s no longer important, they’ll find it again.” One student unlikely to be doing this is Lauren Howells who, after being a victim of burglary, was told she had also incurred the fine, despite providing a police claim number. “I refused to
pay the £45 as I haven’t had my claim back yet and I had the letter from the locksmith showing my home was broken into for proof!” Miller’s response to this situation was that “some people think that once they get a crime report that’s it, end of story – but unfortunately we still have to replace the book, and we have to recoup that cost from the student.” While to some, this may seem unsympathetic, Miller continued to explain: “If a student contacts us right away once the book is lost or stolen, we can check the
suppliers’ website and charge less if the book is less than £45. We can also make a note on their record, so they have several weeks to pay, we make a receipt for the insurance company, and allow time for them to get back to us.” Final year student Phillip Cooper was pleased with the understanding nature of issue desk staff, his excessive £186 fines reduced to £84, to cover just the replacement charge for the two books and waiving the late fees accumulated before Cooper reported the books lost.
However, an issue he did take was against the apparent disorganisation within the system. “I paid the fine and went to take books out and was told that I still had fines and couldn’t use my card – I needed the books for my course and made them phone the finance department who then realised they’d forgotten to take the fine off the system.” Ross Gilman agreed that the library may benefit from more centralisation. Continued page 2
02 NEWS
Editorial
Hey Everyone,
What a term it’s been so far! And it’s not quite over yet, still plenty more stuff to do and parties to attend before Christmas break. This issue is sadly the last edition of 2009, however our team of reporters, writers and reviewers have been plugging away as hard as usual to send us into 2010 in style and what an issue we have in store for you! Four EXCLUSIVE music interviews including Mr Hudson - one of the most legendary I have ever been involved in. Reviews of books, music, theatre and the Winter Wonderland in culture and a new fashion section for people to get their feet into! Our website – waterfrontonline.co.uk is also currently undergoing a major facelift to deliver a fresh and new way of looking at The Waterfront. If you are web capable, have any ideas and would like to get involved with this next term, drop the team an email. This week is also SHAG (Sexual Health, Awareness and Guidance) Week so get out there and quite literally get involved with all the events going on (especially with members of The Waterfront team who deserve a break). I know that our Welfare Officer, Lance Horsey, has been working hard to get this week of events off the ground to turn everyone into a ‘sexpert’ when it comes to STI’s. I can’t (sexually) transmit his message any clearer than for people to go have fun! But play safe! Finally a personal thank you from me to everyone who has contributed to The Waterfront this term, no matter how large or small, your involvement and contribution has been appreciated and valued. For those of you out there who read this edition and have that small thought in the back of your mind, can you do this? The answer is still yes! At any level! All we are looking for is commitment and desire to be part of a team that helps deliver a voice for the students.
Inside this weeks edition
WATERFRONT 184 - 30/11/09 continued from page 1 “At the moment [books being processed] go through four or five different people, and I think an issue is rotation shifts – one person one day dealing with things, and they don’t finish a certain job or someone comes in and doesn’t know what the person has done before.” Student Library Representative, Sam Loveless added: “There is obviously an issue concerning communication amongst library staff that needs to be addressed, and flaws in the system that we shall be bringing to the attention of the library. In the meantime, we urge people to keep all their library receipts and contact me or Ross if you feel you are being unfairly treated regarding any library loans.” The Waterfront understands that plans are underway to set up a library forum, starting after Christmas, which will run
once a term to keep everyone updated with library issues, including the services, layout, and price changes. When challenged about how some students had been treated unfairly and had been victims of library mistakes, Luke James told us: “Whilst both the university and the Students’ Union can be pleased there have been less late fees taken in the past few years, evidently we still have work to do to make sure students avoid an unnecessary expense.” Sue Miller advised students to keep books in their possession until returning them personally to the library, when they should make sure they get a returns receipt and after returning, check the item has been removed from their library account. Books can be renewed online using the Voyager system, or by calling 01792 295178.
Accomodation anxieties? Check out this fortnights feature pages on 10 and 31
This week see’s the start of S.H.A.G (Sexual Health Awareness Guidence) Week. Get involved, keep safe and have fun! the safe way!
Get in touch editor@swansea-union.co.uk
Look out for Grub Club coming to a kitchen near you on the 8th December
See you in 2010 – We’re back on the 25th of January Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and All the best, James EDITOR JAMES SNAITH editor@swansea-union.co.uk
MUSIC EDITOR JAMES TAYLOR waterfront.music@hotmail.co.uk
SUB EDITORS LIZ COOLEY PETE GOLDING
MUSIC WRITERS MIKE MANTIN SOPHIE EVANS BEN PRICE SARRA GRUMMETT SAM LOVELESS DALE WILLIAMS SAM TATTAM RAECHEL MATTEY - Mixtape
NEWS EDITOR ALUN RHYS CHIVERS waterfront.news@hotmail.co.uk DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR COLLETTE BIRD NEWS TEAM KIMBERLEY DE SELINCOURT ANGHARAD JONES BECCI GOULD TOM HAINES MATTHEW EDWARDS ANNI HOWARD SARAH JAMES LAURA ANTRAM LIZ COOLEY DAVID LEWIS LAURA RICHARDS ZAHID RAJA RAECHEL MATTEY - Sabb speaks SPORT EDITORS THORE HAUGSTAD RHYS WILLIAMS waterfront.sport@hotmail.co.uk DEPUTY SPORT EDITOR TIM HARRIS SPORTS TEAM CRAIG LAWTON LUKE JAMES MICHELLE OWEN RACHEL CLAYTON SIWAN LILLICRAP - AU President CULTURE EDITOR TOM ‘TIM’ MAYA culture.waterfront@hotmail.co.uk CULTURE WRITERS SARAH HILL ALICE COPELLO SUZANNE BEYNON REBECCA COOPER NATHAN SHAW ROSALYN THOMAS RHODRI DIAZ CAITLIN GWYNN CHARLOTTE ELLIS SOPHIE BAMBER EMMA MESNEY LUKE SAMUEL-CURTIS
FILM EDITOR VICKY DOHERTY-BONE waterfront.film@hotmail.co.uk FILM REVIEWERS NICK COPSON JENNIFER THOMAS VICTORIA BOLDYCHEVA STEVEN BALDOCK RHYS WILLIAMS ANDY WILLIAMS CHARLES GALLERY BRYONY HICKS ROSIE BRIDGE MATTHEW BAMBBRIDGE GEORGIANA AVRAM
The Automatic, Elliot Minor, Futureheads and MR HUDSON. We interviewed them all in our music section. Pages 16 - 19
TRAVEL EDITOR NIKKI LITTLEHALES FASHION EDITORS AMY SHERIDAN JAYE TURPIN FEATURES LIZ COOLEY KIMBERLEY DE SELINCOURT PETE GOLDING WELSH TEAM JESS MAIN DANIEL HARVEY ALUN RHYS CHIVERS JAMES KERR PHOTOGRAPHY MARC HOLMES LIZ COOLEY JAMES SNAITH ROBERT DAVIES - Oceana ADVICE SAMANTHA LOUISE WILLIAMS CAREERS JAN BINNIE-GORDON CARTOON ARTIST MARTIN MAXWELL
Find out why Xtreme Radio’s Head Engineer got invited for a personal tour around Radio 1 in the Xtreme Splash. Page 30
Winter heatwave in the library: See page 5
www.waterfront.co.uk
Pop Idols threatens to ruin X-Factor night
By Becci Gould News Reporter HUNDREDS of music fans were left disappointed on Wednesday November 11 after a false announcement was made in a bar on Wind Street, claiming that a top act due to perform in rival club Oceana had cancelled. Just 72 hours after Lucie Jones was booted out of X-Factor, she was set to perform her first live gig in Wales at the club on Swansea’s Kingsway. Before the former X-Factor contestant was due to take to the stage, an announcement was made to customers at Idols bar via the DJ booth, saying that Lucie would no longer be performing in Oceana. Hundreds of ticket-holders, including
students from Swansea University, believed the claim made by Idols, and did not show up at the event. Manager of Oceana, Steve Saunders told The Waterfront that Oceana experienced a fall in numbers that night. “When you compare it to Laura White, Diana Vickers and JLS, the three X-Factor acts Oceana had last year, there was a 700 drop in admissions, which pretty much matches the negative feedback we were getting from customers leaving Idols.” Oceana is estimated to have lost out on a figure close to £8,400 from the drop in numbers. Rumours were also circulated that after the Idols DJ announced Lucie was cancelled, clubbers were also told to go to the Play nightclub to ensure more
students attended the weekly AU night. This once again raised questions about AU and SU organised events competing for business. However, Saunders dismissed suggestions that the AU were involved in the stunt. “I don’t believe it was an AU/SU issue, obviously I had concerns at the beginning because Idols is a main feed bar for Play’s AU night. I’ve spoken to Richard Lancaster and I honestly don’t believe he was party to anything.” AU President, Siwan Lillicrap contested claims of an AU attack on such a big SU event. “I can assure you it wasn’t an attack from the AU to sabotage any SU night because we try to look at events to work together.” Since the event took place, Siwan has met with the Sabbatical officers and told us a universal agreement to work together has always been in place and that this will continue for future events. “The positive is that it’s made us want to work together as an AU/SU union to make sure nothing like this happens again”. Since the event took place, management from Idols and Oceana have since met at a pub and club meeting. Subsequently, Idols management believed Oceana to be selling tickets inside the Wind Street bar, and that the announcement was made because of this.
However, this claim is fiercely denied by Steve Saunders, “He’s adamant that he instructed the DJ because he was really annoyed I had tickets sellers there. I don’t know what he saw in Idols, but it definitely wasn’t my staff selling tickets.” When approached by The Waterfront, Idols bar were reluctant to comment, calling the affair “petty” and “stupid”. “It’s something that happened two weeks ago…we don’t want to stoke up fires that have been put to rest.” Nearly all parties involved have been quick to reassure students that such incidents will not happen again. Saunders believes that “it was an isolated incident, most of us in Swansea work together to bring people into the city” He also advised students and club goers to beware of hear-say when involving popular events “unless you hear it from Swansea ENTS or Oceana then it’s not true”. Despite many missing out on the event it did not deter Lucie Jones performance who sang in front of around two thousand club goers that night. If you were affected by this event and missed Lucie Jones in Oceana, The Waterfront would like to hear from you. Contact us at: editor@swansea-union. co.uk
energy-saving light bulbs and possibly turbines, although they concede that the latter is unlikely. Also on the list of priorities are waste disposal and transport, as discussed in the last issue of The Waterfront. Under the presidency of James Houston, the Students’ Union established the Campus Development Working Group as a voice for students in the planning process of the second campus. This group is no longer meeting, but People and Planet have called for its reintroduction. Environment and Ethics Officer, Steve Cushen said, “We are looking for sabbatical support in order to set this group up again.” He added that they would be calling for further training of SU staff and students on environmental issues, as well as looking at ways to raise awareness across campus. Should the society’s recommendations be implemented, it will be looking for recognition at the Sound Impact Awards, designed to reward efforts to be greener. In its second year, the Awards aim to reward efforts to make Students’ Unions more environmentally friendly. It will also be pushing the University to aim high on the BREEAM scale, which grades environmental land which is built upon. It aims to ensure that the environment is incorporated into new structures, encourages innovative solutions which minimise the impact of new buildings on the environment,
and acts as a tool to help reduce running costs and help to improve living and working environments. BREEAM is the assessment method used to measure the environmental sustainability of land which is built upon. Professor Davies said, “The development will be designed to achieve a BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) score of excellence where possible throughout the development. This will result in building costs 10% higher than ‘BREEAM very good’. There are also plans for an energy centre generating 10% of electricity demand sustainably and on site.” People and Planet Society will also be working closely with the Students’ Union to ensure that its new building on the Fabian Way campus is also sustainable. Crymlyn Burrows, the area bordering the location for the Science and Innovation Campus, is a site of Special Scientific Importance, and as such, any planning application must outline any potential threat to the environment. It is expected that the plans will be submitted to the City and County of Swansea for consideration in the coming weeks. Professor Richard B. Davies said that the submitted documents “will show just how seriously green issues have influenced the whole project.” “The planning application will include a detailed Environmental Statement covering the full range of appropriate green issues ranging from
protecting the ecology of the adjacent site of Special Scientific Importance (Crymlyn Burrows) to targets for efficient use of energy, water, waste, and materials.” In order for the site to be a designated site of Special Scientific Importance, it must be an area “unharmed by industrial development in areas nearby”. Any SSSI notification would require a map of the proposed site as well as a detailed analysis of any potentially affected areas of land. The site is also considered a ‘brownfield’, ie “an area of land previously used or built upon, as opposed to greenfield land which has never been built upon”. The site for the new campus used to house the BP works, and as such, qualifies for brownfield status. The University will be working closely on the developments with the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment (PFBE), to ensure that all environmental aspects of the development are carried out carefully and with full regard to all potential risks to the environment. The Prince’s Foundation is a charity which aims to raise awareness of environmental issues surrounding new buildings, and exists to enhance quality of life by “teaching and practising timeless and ecological ways of planning, designing and building”. It will act in a consultancy capacity, providing support for the project. Work on the development is not expected to be complete until 2013.
Enviroment key to second Campus By Alun Rhys Chivers News Editor SWANSEA University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard B. Davies has told the The Waterfront that environmental issues will be a key consideration in the planning and building of the Science and Innovation Campus on Fabian Way. Professor Davies said, “The planning control system requires us to place green issues at the heart of the design and planning of the Science and Innovation Campus.” In the last edition of The Waterfront, it was announced that Rolls Royce are to invest £50 million in the new development, which will be a key engineering research centre in the UK. People and Planet Society, along with the Conservation Society and Amnesty, have since reiterated their concerns, expressed to the University last year, as to whether senior management would give full regard to the environment whilst planning and building the new campus. People and Planet Society had been calling for the Vice-Chancellor to confirm that environmental issues would be given a high priority in the development of the Fabian Way campus, and have put forward their ideas for a sustainable and environmentallyfriendly campus. The society would like to see sustainable energy sources being used on the new site, such as solar panels,
News 03
Vox Pops What’s your opinion?
Should the Ireland v France match be replayed?
Sarah Jayne Bettell-Higgins Welsh - Level 3 “I think there should be a re-match because FIFA are always going on about fairplay and yet they allow something like this!! There’s definitely been an injustice!!”
Andrew Lewis Egyptology - Level 3 “Football lacks the technological coverage and support that other major sports such as Rugby and Cricket have as an advantage, if such a foul had been played in one of these sports, it would have been replayed and analysed and the correct decision would have been made.”
Adam Traylor Business Management - Level 2 “This kind of thing happens all the time in the Premiership and other league games. Just because it was a high profile match, it doesn’t mean they should have any special treatment, and the game definitely shouldn’t be replayed.”
Jamie Payton History & Politics - Level 3 “It is important to consider that if a decision such as replaying the match was made, this would set a precedent for future matches which would be difficult to sustain and would result in the majority of matches fighting to be replayed.”
04 NEWS
BBC dining with
students at Grub Club
Radio 1’s Aled will be joining uni students
By Tom Haines News Reporter
SWANSEA UNIVERSITY will be welcoming Radio 1’s Aled Haydn Jones on Tuesday 8th December for a live ‘cook along’ on campus. The event, a joint venture between the University, Student Union, Campus Catering, Accommodation Services and the BBC, will be used to raise awareness about healthy eating and how the food we eat affects our mental health as part of the BBC’s mental health and wellbeing campaign, Headroom. The cook along will be streamed live on the internet, enabling students to get together in their flats to participate. The Grub Club’s main aim is to promote the positive relationship between a good diet and mental wellbeing to students across the UK. Helping students to understand that the right kind of food can give you the
energy you need and help keep your stress levels down. BBC Headroom Executive Nina Bell explained the thinking behind the Grub Club concept; “The whole idea is driven by Headroom’s partnership with the student unions. There was a big demand from student welfare officers to encourage interest in healthy eating and the relationship between diet and mental wellbeing. It’s also becoming increasingly clear that students are one of the more vulnerable groups in terms of mental health problems. Grub Club allows students to improve their understanding of the relationship between food and mood in an informal and fun way, as well as encouraging the social side – one of the key aspects to maintaining good mental wellbeing.” The event will take place between 4.30pm and 7.30pm on Tuesday 8th December and Radio 1’s Aled Haydn Jones will be popping
along to the participating kitchens to see how everybody is getting on. Once the cook-off has finished, everybody will move onto DIVA’s where Aled will choose the best three kitchens. From these three kitchens, two representatives will participate in a live dessert cookoff with prizes being offered to the best teams. Afterwards there will be a chance for the participants to meet and chat with Aled. Lance Horsey, Student Union Welfare Officer, said “This is a great opportunity for the Student Union and the University to work together. It’s a positive way of tackling mental health issues faced by students and approaching them head on through the medium of cooking as it is a very social activity. If this event is successful then we hope to have similar events happening in the future.” If you want to get involved with grub Club, email Lance Horsey at welfareofficer@swansea-union.co.uk
Parlimentary candidates respond to SU fees plea By Tom Haines News Reporter THE STUDENTS’ Union have received responses to their campaign for the local parliamentary candidates to ‘come clean on fees’ ahead of next year’s general election. This comes in the wake of the review of higher education funding in England and polls which showed only 12% of the general public believe that such a review should even consider raising tuition fees. The campaign called for the parliamentary candidates to sign the NUS pledge to vote against any rises in fees. First to respond was Labour candidate Geraint Davies who stated unequivocally, and in conflict with government policy, “I agree that tuition fees should not be raised”, and went on to say “I don’t accept that there is a coherent economic case for raising fees”, adding that “Further investment in higher education will in time be recovered from graduates generating
higher earnings and therefore paying more tax”. Peter May, the Liberal Democrat candidate, responded to the campaign by saying “I am opposed to any increase in fees” and confirmed that he would be willing to sign the NUS pledge. Plaid Cymru candidate Harri Roberts, himself a former student and Student Union President at Swansea University, was equally supportive of the campaign stating: “I have no hesitation whatsoever in giving my full support to the NUS campaign against higher tuition fees.” adding that his party have consistently opposed top up fees and that he would even campaign to reduce tuition fees. René Kinzett, the Conservative Party candidate, was less clear on his stance, stating that he believes “any increases above inflation in terms of general tuition fees should be ruled out and I would not vote for any scheme that placed this kind of burden on students”. Whilst Kinzett suggested the tuition fee system was in need of an overhaul and a fairer repayment system implemented,
he did not go as far as Davies, May or Roberts in stating he is categorically against raising tuition fees. Student Union President Luke Young has reacted to the responses positively. “I’m very happy that the candidates responded quickly and that the majority have signed up to the SU and NUS pledge. The response of some candidates was purposefully blurred but the SU fully intends to gain a clearer view of the candidates standpoints on this issue ahead of next year’s General Election.” Young also answered those who have claimed he has been too tough or forceful towards the candidates on this issue, “I don’t think students would expect anything less from me on this subject towards the people who potentially could be voting on this issue in parliament. If they feel I’m being too rough... tough!” The full responses from the candidates are available on the SU website (http://www.swansea-union. co.uk/) under the ‘campaigns’ section.
WATERFRONT 184 - 30/11/09
SABB’s SPEAK By Raechel Mattey Societies and Services Officer NEW TITLE, new office, new support and new procedures! As you can see my approach was out with the old and in with the new when taking my post as the first Societies and Services Officer of the Students’ Union. This job has been far more than I ever expected with each day bringing constant new challenges, late nights, early mornings, long university meetings but more importantly the opportunity to represent thousands of students on issues that are really hitting home. Working with the other Sabb’s has been vital to the success of the Union this year and I’m proud to be part of a hard working team. Looking through past Treasurer’s reports (as the job was previously known) societies were just a paragraph of what they had done throughout their term, however this year they are my life quite literally! The focus is on them more than ever and I wouldn’t have it any other way, they are key experience enhancers that provide additional key skill to university life. When taking up my post in July there were many ideas I had for increasing the support societies had from the SU. Being on a society committee myself I was aware of the areas that could be improved and got stuck in straight away with a new training booklet for committees, new society website along with easier procedures for things like events. One of the biggest developments is that there is a new Society assistant in the Ents department, societies now have a dedicated person for all their event and printing needs.
Finances A large part of my job is dealing with finances of Societies and the SU in general. Over the summer large investment was secured into Xtreme radio and many societies have had the chance to go on society conferences all over the country thanks to funding. Gaining a bigger society fund is one of my key objectives so that more societies can benefit as much as possible. New Facilities We are at a very key and exciting moment in time with the University constantly talking of expansion to a second campus, the sabbaticals this year can shape and fight for new facilities you deserve on this campus as well as the new. Societies and students alike are lacking vital facilities which could dramatically improve their University experience. There are a number of things such as non-alcoholic social spaces which is inclusive of all, more facilities, storage and space for societies to utilise and modern, bigger bar and food places. We want your input let us know what you want! Time has gone so quick and there is still a lot that I want to do! I’m still incredibly passionate about students and Societies here at Swansea and look forward to the next few months where I will have the opportunity to run for reelection. Any questions about societies or the union in general please feel free to contact me on societiesandservices@ swansea-union.co.uk
New Student Union:
An Update
By Laura Antram News Reporter
STUDENTS’ UNION President Luke Young promised a new Union in his campaign manifesto. With plans for the second campus progressing, The Waterfront asked the Student Union President about his and the University’s vision for a new building on the existing Singleton Campus, and plans for proposed facilities of the second campus. Speaking about the new Student Union building, promised in his manifesto, Luke commented on “A new building, new facilities for societies and students. Despite the tough economic climate we are still committed to that aim and are incredibly encouraged by the talk that we have had about the University’s estates strategy.” He also expressed a wish that there would be Student Union facilities on the proposed second campus. With regards to Union facilities, Young felt that more storage facilities and a bigger social space either with a bar transforming into a night club at
night or slightly bigger nightclub than the current Divas were needed. There is currently not enough space within the Union to house all the offices needed both by the Students Union and Athletics Union. The SU president also spoke of his hope that both would be a part of the new campus. This was backed by a University press release: “These designs will be developed in 2010 and relevant user groups, including Student Union representatives, will be consulted during the design development process.” The statement continued “Swansea University’s campus expansion forms part of the holistic strategy for the University and plans to upgrade facilities at the existing Singleton Park Campus will continue.” According to an article in last year’s Waterfront, the new Student Union would possibly be built behind the Tailesin Arts Centre. The Waterfront and Students Union would like to hear your opinions and suggestions for what you would like to see from a new Students Union building. Contact: editor@swansea-union.co.uk or president@swansea-union.co.uk
WWW.WATERFRONT.CO.UK
Feeling Hot Hot HOT!
By David Lewis News Reporter ALMOST THREE quarters of the students that use Swansea University’s library believe that the temperature is too hot, that’s according to a poll carried out by The Waterfront last week. The survey showed almost 73% of library users felt
that the building’s main working areas were overheated and uncomfortable to work in, compared to just 4.5% who believed the heating was not a problem at all. Staff at the Costa Coffee stand in one of the main study rooms, who spend numerous hours in the library, said that the building’s temperature was often a problem. One member of the catering
Tommy the Tank wins Beer Race
By Anni Howard and Collette Bird
News Reporter and Deputy News-editor STUDENTS IN fancy dress took to the streets of Swansea for the annual Beer Race bar crawl; all in the name of charity. The event run by RAG, which has been running for over twenty years, took place on the rainy evening of November 16th, where1,300 costumed students raised an estimated £13,200 as they raced down Wind Street, competing to drink half a pint in nine bars in the fastest time. Last years funds of £12,860 were topped and “The Zipfelklatscher “ team also conquered the previous race time of 30 minutes, with an incredible, alcohol-driven, 19 minutes. The night, which still remains free of major incidents or accidents, saw a team of “Thomas the Tank Engine” win the prize of ‘Best fancy dress’, decided by 126 stewards. This group of students, making a line of carriages for two, shuffled their way to Oceana. Controversy over the winners has sparked fury between some previous
race contestants, who believe that the winning idea was not original enough. On a beer race dedicated facebook page, one student comments “I think its unfair that Thomas the Tank engine won compared to the level of costumes from previous years!” Cheryl Jones, Beer Race organiser commented “It’s always really hard to pick the best fancy dress when so many people make such an amazing effort. There are always going to be differing opinions on who should win! At the end of the day we need to remember that it doesn’t really matter because it’s all for charity, the team that won rocked, and the night was a great success. Next year though, we’re going to consider giving out 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes”. As usual St John’s ambulance and police were on site at all times to insure that any problems which might have occured would be dealt with swiftly. Cheryl is now looking forward to the coming RAG events of JAIL BREAK in January, a charity skydive, and of course the annual RAG week, complete with the legendary “Gnoming” in February.
team, who is also a student, remarked: “Sometimes it can be extremely cold, whilst other days, like today, it can be scorching”. He added that the latter was sometimes particularly unpleasant, as it only added to the heat being given off by the coffee machine. It is believed that the problem is caused by the boiler system that serves the library, which is old and unreliable. The Student’s Union and library management were reportedly told last academic year that work would be considered for during the summer vacation. However, plans to move the library to an alternative location have since fallen through as it was considered uneconomically viable to repair the heating systems as the buildings would require a major overhaul. By the time the decision to drop the proposals was taken though, it was deemed that it was too late in the summer to commence with the works, which were expected to take several months, without causing substantial disruption to students and staff. There are fears amongst students though that this will mean that nothing
significant to resolve the issue can be done until next summer. Swansea Students Union library representative, Sam Loveless, said: “Despite numerous attempts, there isn’t a great deal that myself and Ross [Gilman, Education Officer] can do about the heating problem at the current time, despite it being one of the most-raised issues”. However, Sam did indicate that action was being taken with regards to the purchase of portable fans to cool certain areas of the library, as well as to a proposed information pack for library users, which will offer advice on clothing and hydration. Director of Library and Information Services, Chris West, echoed these comments, saying “the heating is something that remains on our agenda as it is an issue we are keen to resolve”. In addition, Mr West confirmed that the university estates department had been made aware of the situation, but he did acknowledge that estates are doing all they can with the resources they have available. He also urged people with complaints or comments about heating in the building to email the library account via library@swan.ac.uk .
By Sarah James News Reporter
is located in the quadrant, whilst Miss Selfridge occupies the previous Mk One unit, next door to BHS. It is hoped that the arrival of such stores will bring more customers into Swansea. ‘I think it will be a great boost to Swansea, particularly as H & M is a destination store, people will come into town specifically for that shop’ says Lisa Wells. History student, David Russell says ‘I think it’s fantastic that H & M will finally arrive in Swansea as it offers more affordable fashion.’ Though some may be concerned about the impact on local or existing businesses, it seems that the greater variety and choice of stores will be a welcome addition to the town. Existing traders have stated that one of the major issues affecting their business is that the shopping offer is not good enough to bring people into the area, as Lisa Wells states ‘the new stores will have a positive effect on existing ones as they can maximise on the extra footfall of people coming into the area.’
Shops Ahoy! SWANSEA town centre will experience a welcome economic boost as it prepares to accommodate several new high street stores, with Miss Selfridge and Schuh recently opened and H & M and Stylex due to open mid January. With the recent arrival of Zara in the Princess Way shopping units and the anticipated opening of H & M, which will occupy the former Gap and TK Maxx units, it looks as though students will have a wider range of high street fashion choices to choose from. City centre manager for Swansea City council, Lisa Wells says ‘I think that the opening of these stores is going to have a hugely positive effect, as they are not shops that are currently represented in and around the area, so will be a great addition to the 260 stores in and around the city.’ High street shoe shop chain Schuh
NEWS 05
UK uni round up
University of Exeter - Exepose Hundreds of students at the University of Exeter have been angered by a misquote during a debate involving Oscarwinning actress Emma Thompson two weeks ago, where it was incorrectly claimed that Thompson effectively labeled the city and its university as racist. Sam Miles, organiser of the ONEWORLD week at the university, confirmed this as a misquote adding that Thompson had actually said the “BNP would love the South-West” due to its “whiteness”. This was in response to a comment from an audience member who highlighted BNP party leader Nick Griffin’s dislike for London due to its multiculturalism. Anger from students became clear after over 800 members joined a group titled “Exeter is not racist” on the social networking site, Facebook. University of York - Nouse A search is underway by North Yorkshire police for the disappearance of a fourthyear undergraduate Chemistry student from the University of York. Pierre Le Moignan has not been seen since 21st November. A search of the River Ouse and the countryside around York has been carried out by the police and other emergency services. Since the disappearance, a number of items of clothing, including a hat, scarf and gloves, were found by the river on Sunday morning (22nd November) by a passer-by, along with a wallet, mobile phone, and a note displaying the date and time. Cambridge University - Varsity Around 30 rowers from King’s College London caused serious disruption to a popular public house along the River Cam on Sunday (22nd) last week, when the team’s fresher’s of both sexes were instructed to strip naked and swim during the early afternoon. Onlookers, including families on punting trips watched as the indecent exposure took place. After the refreshing dip the intoxicated swimmers, some still naked, decamped in the public house, popular with locals, for two hours. According to one member of staff the atmosphere became increasingly “rowdy” before the group of students were invited to leave. University of Bath - Student Impact
Chic new shops for Swansea’s High Street
Photo By Marc Holmes
An investigation is underway after attempts were made by a hacker to get into the University of Bath servers with the aim of gaining access to password details of both staff and students. Over one hundred and fifty students and staff members have had to have their passwords altered in case of compromise. John Howell, the Assistant Director of Management Information Services (MIS) stated that they were confident systems and accounts were now safe, and that efforts were focused on restoring services and identifying the perpetrator.
www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
News 07
Swansea take the stand at Amnesty Student Conference By Zahid Raja News Reporter THIS YEAR Amnesty International held their Annual Student Conference at their Human Rights Centre in London from 13th-15th November. It saw a record breaking number of delegates and institutions in attendance, as well as a prominent panel of speakers in the many workshops and debates that took place over the weekend. Swansea University sent three delegates, one of whom stood for the Amnesty International UK’s Student Exec otherwise known as the Student Action Network (STAN) Committee. Zahid Raja (pictured), who stood on a progressive platform against many other candidates, was successful in his bid and was the only Welsh candidate to be elected onto the committee of five. Our current campaigns: - Burma: The junta control everything you watch, read and hear. Heard of Aung San Suu Kyi? Well there
are over 2,200 other political prisoners in Burma, including the ‘88 Generation Student Group’. Ordinary Burmese people continue to call for democracy – we choose to stand with them. - Violence against women: Can you imagine living in a place where rape was legal? Or what about a place where a rape victim is more likely to be
Fancy a week of S.H.A.G? (ing) By Laura Richards News Reporter SWANSEA UNIVERSITY Students’ Union have organised a week long campaign, starting on 30th November, which aims to turn the students of Swansea into ‘Sexperts’ through a variety of activities. S.H.A.G (Sexual Health, Awareness and Guidance) week includes various events and promotions ranging from the ‘Condom Fairies’ who will be out in force around campus and the village to provide everyone with that little bit of extra protection, to GI Jonny and Jane will be at the Army themed evening at Oceana, with lots of information as numerous give-aways. The SHAG Station will be positioned outside Fulton House to give out vital information and answer
any queries that you may have about sexual health, with Lance Horsey hoping that people won’t be scared to come and ask questions “It’s my hope that S.H.A.G week will educate and achieve higher knowledge of how easy it is to get tested.” Big Dog Westwood will be hitting Oceana on Wednesday with the Durex ‘Strap It Up’ tour, sexual Karaoke in Woody’s is on Thursday and buses have been organised to transport students from the village and campus to the very Sexual Sin Savers where S.H.A.G treats will be available to all. Don’t forget the famous Friday night at Diva’s with a special Tooters and Saturday night X-Factor SemiFinals in Divas where there is free entry before 9.30 and a free bottle of Bubbly for every group of four or more people. DJ Yoda will be rounding off the week Sin City. All tickets are avaiable in advance from Ents Box Office.
Sing your hearts out By Liz Cooley News Reporter THE CU CAROL Concert this year is taking place on the 2nd December at 7.30pm. The annual event, which is held at St. Helen’s Stadium, is a great opportunity for students and locals alike to join in some festive fun. Christmas can be a stressful time of year for many people; travelling, shopping, cooking, putting up with relatives you’re not fond of and the credit crunch this year certainly isn’t making
it any easier. But in a country where the meaning of Christmas has been lost, the CU want to take you back to what it is all about; spending time with each other celebrating the birth of Christ. For those of you who don’t want to spend your last dime on a new dress or don’t have enough to spring for tickets to winter balls, come and join in for singing, a short talk, and free hot chocolate and mince pies! The Carols will be led by Swansea University’s Gospel Choir, who will also be performing during the concert. All are welcome to the event and entry is free so bring your friends and families, but wrap up warm because that winter air will also be joining us and it can get chilly. Gates open at 7pm.
punished than a rapist? This is a reality for millions of women around the world. Amnesty don’t think it’s right, and that’s why it’s one of our main campaigns. - The Death Penalty: Troy Davis, an American citizen, on death row for 20 years for a conviction based upon 7/9 recanted or contradictory testimonies! Thanks to Amnesty the US Government
will allow a hearing and finally give Troy Davis a fair trial. Thanks to all who supported our death penalty cake stall allowing us to raise over £150 and spread awareness of unjust executions. Our Events: Every year Amnesty put on a gig, ‘The Not So Secret Policeman’s Ball’, at Monkey Bar with fantastic bands and the hilarious comedy club; all funds go to Amnesty International. This event is proof that protecting human rights can go hand in hand with an amazing night out. Join us in Fulton House on 4th December to send a Message of Solidarity to the individuals featured in this year’s Greeting Card campaign. A friendly message means the world to those suffering human rights abuses. Next Term - Around the World Party, Sleep Out, SHELL- it’s hell in the Niger Delta. We meet every Monday 7:30pm, Lecture Room 5.
White Ribbon campaign kicks off on campus
Uni gains in Green League By Collette Bird Deputy News Editor SWANSEA UNIVERSITY has been ranked 65th in the Green League, a table which ranks universities on their environmental management and performance. This years rank has topped last years place of 74th, with Nottingham Trent, London School of Economics, and Oxford Brookes University coming top. The university’s People and Planet society have been working harder than ever to ensure that the university’s eco-awareness continues to improve, especially with “Go green Week” taking place over the last week. One of the weeks main events involved a petition to push the councils recycling of plastics, something the university already does, complete with a plastics dump outside the council buildings. The week also aimed to raise awareness about the Copenhagen Climate Change summit, due to take place between 7th-18th December. Jo Garrett, Treasurer of the society told The Waterfront “The week has been really successful. We’ve got tons of names on the petition and we’ve managed to raise awareness on loads of environmental issues through our events like the clothes swap and cake sale. I feel particularly strongly about climate change and the importance of the Copenhagen summit so even if one person is moved to do even a little thing it will help!” The society is looking forward to going to The Wave, the largest demonstration for support on Climate Change and the Sound Impact awards, run by the National Union of Students. If yoy want to get involved with people and planet email swanseapeopleandplanet@ hotmail.co.uk
By Mathhew Edwards News Reporter WHITE RIBBON Campaign Kicks Off from the 23rd of November. The emphasis is on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on the 25th, with various events aimed at highlighting the reality of abuse at home against women. The White Ribbon Campaign has led the way with this in Swansea University with the help of the Students’ Union’s Women’s Officer, Raegan Healy, ephasising the issue through giving students bruises and injuries (with fake wounds and makeup) to display oncampus. “White Ribbon Day is the largest effort in the world of men working to end men’s violence against women. With over 89% of domestic violence cases being men being violent against women, it’s certainly an important issue to cover.” “1 in 4 women suffer some sort of domestic abuse in their lives and it can be from a very young age. I think it’s very important to encourage both men and women to get involved for these reasons and support the WRC.”
In a talk given last Monday on campus by the Executive Director, Chris Green, he explained that to wear a white ribbon is a ‘personal pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women’. The emphasis was towards male opposition, as Chris explained that he believes domestic abuse to women will decrease effectively if it is seen as socially unacceptable – something he thinks males can achieve in any social setting. The WRC has seen success with support from various other Students’ Unions across the UK, the NUS and various MPs and similar support groups. Their ‘Blow The Whistle’ campaign has also won support from various Premiership football teams including Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Fulham, Tottenham, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland and Stoke City. White ribbons are available on campus now in all SU shops and JC’s bar, and for further information contact Raegan Healy at womensofficer@ swansea-union.co.uk.
X-Factor comes to DIVAS By Becci Gould Reporter DIVA’S HELD an ‘X Factor’ night last Saturday to great success. The idea of broadcasting the programme in Diva’s was to offer student’s more things to do before the usual Saturday event ‘Glow’. The event was free, included a free bottle of Cava to every group of four or more and “nibbles” on the tables. Events & Societies Assistant, Kerry Newsome estimated that 35-40 people attended, which was “more than [she] had expected”. One X Factor fan expressed his enthusiasm for the new event, telling us “it would make it more of an occasion instead of watching TV at home”. Due to the interest shown, the event will now be held “every Saturday night up until Christmas.”
08 Welsh/Cymraeg
WATERFRONT 183 - 30/11/09
Waterfront yn Gymraeg ‘Yma O Hyd’
By Daniel Harvey Ydy’r Blaid Lafur wedi marw yn y Gymru fodern?
Ar hyn o bryd, mae’r Blaid Lafur yn ceisio ffeindio arweinydd newydd gan y bydd Rhodri Morgan yn gadael ei swydd fel arweinydd y blaid. Ond a all y blaid ei hachub ei hun yn yr etholiad Cynulliad nesaf? Mae tri Aelod Cynulliad yn ceisio am swydd Rhodri Morgan. Yr ymgeisydd cyntaf yn y frwydr am yr arweinyddiaeth ydy Huw Lewis (Aelod Cynulliad dros Ferthyr Tudful a’r Rhondda). Ychydig iawn o brofiad sydd ganddo fe, ac ychydig iawn o gefnogaeth gan ei gyfoedion. Rydw i’n meddwl ei bod hi’n annhebygol iawn mai fe fydd yr arweinydd nesaf. Yr ail ymgeisydd ydy Edwina Hart (yr Aelod dros Iechyd ac Aelod Cynulliad dros Benrhyn Gŵyr). Hi sydd â’r profiad mwyaf yn y Cynulliad. Mae hi wedi bod yn llwyddiannus iawn ym mhob adran y bu hi’n gweithio iddi. Hi sydd wedi derbyn y gefnogaeth fwyaf gan ei chyfoedion ac mae ganddi’r ddelwedd gyhoeddus sydd ei hangen ar y blaid. Yr ymgeisydd olaf ydy Carwyn Jones (y Cwnsel Cyffredinol ac Aelod dros Beny-bont ar Ogwr). Fe yw’r ceffyl blaen am y swydd gyda’r gefnogaeth fwyaf gan yr Aelodau Cynulliad eraill. Ond does ganddo fe ddim delwedd fawr yn y cyfryngau na gyda’r cyhoedd, sy’n nodwedd hanfodol ar gyfer gwleidyddiaeth. Mae’r tri ymgeisydd yn iawn ond dydyn nhw ddim yn arbennig o gryf. Faswn i ddim yn pleidleisio drostynt. Ond y broblem sydd ganddyn nhw yw’r blaid ei hun. Mae hi’n colli pleidleisiau ym mhobman. Yn y rhan fwyaf o bolau piniwn, mae’r blaid yn colli llawer o bleidleisiau o gwmpas y wlad. Mae llawer o adroddiadau’n awgrymu (fel WalesOnline.co.uk) y bydd Edwina Hart a Carwyn Jones yn colli eu swyddi yng Ngŵyr a Phen-y-bont ar Ogwr (dwy ardal gryf i’r Blaid Lafur) yn yr etholiad nesaf. Y peth gwaethaf amdanynt ydy y gallen nhw golli eu seddau i’r Blaid Geidwadol. Rydw i’n cofio nad oedd y blaid hon yn gallu ennill seddau yn y Cynulliad, y Senedd, y Senedd Ewropead nac yn Nghymru (ag eithrio Sir Fynwy, Preseli a Chlwyd). Ond, nawr daethant i’r brig yn etholiadau’r Senedd Ewropeaidd, enillasant seddau cyngor yn Y Barri ac ym Mynwy, ac mae llawer o bobl yn credu y byddan nhw’n ennill mewn llawer iawn o ardaloedd yn yr etholiad nesaf – gan gynnwys ardaloedd cryf i’r Blaid Lafur. Felly, mae’r Blaid Lafur yn wynebu trafferthion ac rydw i’n meddwl y bydd y buddugwyr yn y frwydr hon hefyd ar eu colled, oherwydd dydw i ddim yn credu bod unrhyw un o’r ymgeiswyr yn ddigon cryf i achub y Blaid Lafur.
By Alun Rhys Chivers
BYD BACH Y BARF
By Jess Main
Nadolig yng Nghymru Mae’n siŵr fod pawb yn gwybod erbyn hyn bod llai na mis cyn y Nadolig! Does dim gobaith gennych chi o osgoi’r hysbysebion, y ciwiau, na’r lori Coca Cola ar y teledu, wrth gwrs. Ond beth am y traddodiadau Nadolig sy’n agosach at adref? Gofynnais i fyfyrwyr eraill i ddweud wrthyf beth sy’n symboleiddio’r Nadolig iddyn nhw, a dyma’u hatebion – bwyd, addurniadau, anrhegion, mwy o fwyd, meddwdod, rhaglenni teledu gwael, ac wrth gwrs, llawer mwy o fwyd! Wedi dweud hynny, doedd y Nadolig ddim fel hyn yn y gorffennol – blynyddoedd yn ôl, roedd pethau’n hollol syml ac mae llawer iawn o ddathliadau sydd wedi cael eu hanghofio. Dylem ni geisio ail-gydio yn rhai o’r traddodiadau Cymreig clasurol. Er enghraifft, beth am ceisio gwneud Taffy? Blynyddoedd yn ôl, Taffy oedd sut mae pobl yng Nghymru yn pasio’r amser hyd at Dydd Nadolig. Ar Noswyl Nadolig, roedd teuluoedd yn berwi taffi (toffee) ar y ffwrn. Diferent ychydig o’r taffi i mewn i ddŵr oer a rhewllyd i wneud llawer o siapiau a meintiau gwahanol, ac roedd pobl yn awgrymu y gallai hyn rhagdybio y byddai cariad yn y teulu yn y dyfodol. Un traddodiad enwog arall yng Nghymru oedd yr Wassail. Fel rydyn ni’n yfed gwin twym a phwnsh y dyddiau hyn – roedd y Nadolig yng Nghymru ganrifoedd yn ôl yn cynnwys pobl yn yfed o bowlen y Wassail. Roedd gan y powlenni lawer o ddolenni, ac fel arfer, roedden nhw’n cael eu llenwi gyda ffrwythau, siwgr, sbeisys a chwrw cynnes. Roedd y Wassail yn cael ei rhannu tra roedd pobl yn gwneud addunedau blwyddyn newydd. Yn ail, os ydych chi eisiau dathlu’r Nadolig gyda blas Cymreig eleni, dylech chi fwynhau gwasanaeth Cymreig o’r enw’r Plygain, sy’n parhau mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru. Yn debyg i’r offeren ganol nos, roedd yn arfer lle’r oedd dynion yn ymgasglu mewn eglwysi gwledig i ganu casgliad o garolau. Fel arfer, roedd y gwasanaethau yn para tua thair awr. Er hynny, os nad yw’r dathliadau Nadolig clasurol at eich dant chi, dylai rhywbeth gwahanol apelio at chi. Mae’r Nadolig eisoes ar ddod, a thros Gymru, mae llawer o syniadau i wneud i chi deimlo’n llawen. Gyda grotos Siôn Corn, ffeiriau a marchnadoedd Nadoligaidd, mae rhywbeth yng Nghymru i bawb a dylech chi fod yn llawn hwyl yr ŵyl cyn bo hir! Yma yn Abertawe ac yng Nghaerdydd mae ffeiriau ‘Winter Wonderland’ (GOL: Waterfront Winterland neu Gŵyl y Gaeaf ar y Glannau i ni!) yn cael eu cynnal. Maen nhw’n cynnig llawer o fwyd llawen ac hyd yn oed maes sglefrio iâ. Wedi dweud hynny, os oes gwell gyda chi gadw’n heini, gallwch chi fynd i Gaerdydd i loncian yn ras Siôn Corn (Santa Jog) sy’n digwydd ar ddydd Sul, y 6ed o Ragfyr. Mae’r digwyddiad hwn yn cynnwys cannoedd o Siôn Corn yn rhedeg i godi arian at elusen Sefydliad y Galon ym Mhrydain (y ‘British Heart Foundation’). Felly, ble bynnag y byddwch chi’n dathlu’r Nadolig eleni, cofiwch am bopeth sy’n digwydd yma yng Nghymru ond, yn bwysicach, gwnewch yn siŵr eich bod chi’n cael llawer o hwyl a sbri!
Pwyllgor Materion Cymraeg Ydych chi’n falch i fod yn Gymraeg? A ydych am gyhoeddi’r gair am y Gymdeithas Gymraeg a’n hiaith? Os ydych, gall y Pwyllgor Materion Cymraeg fod yn ddelfrydol i chi. Mae’r Pwyllgor Materion Cymraeg yn bwyllgor newydd o fewn yr Undeb Myfyrwyr, sy’n anelu at hybu materion a diwylliant Cymraeg o fewn yr Undeb Myfyrwyr a’r Brifysgol. Mae’r Pwyllgor Materion Cymraeg yn anelu at hybu’r Gymdeithas Gymraeg drwy’r boblogaeth Myfyrwyr, ac fydd hefyd yn delio â materion Myfyrwyr Cymraeg. Bydd materion yr iaith Gymraeg hefyd yn cael eu trafod, ond nid yw’r pwyllgor yma yn delio â materion iaith yn unig, ac felly fydd yn agored i siaradwyr di-gymraeg. Un ffocws y pwyllgor fydd i ddatblygu polisi dwyieithog o fewn yr Undeb Myfyrwyr i gynyddu defnydd yr iaith Gymraeg. I gynyddu presenoldeb a chyfranogiad, fydd y Pwyllgor Materion Cymraeg yn gweithio yn y lle gyntaf trwy gyfrwng y Saesneg, ond rwyf yn archwilio’r posibilrwydd o gyfieithiad yn ystod y cyfarfod am y rhai sydd eisiau siarad yn y Gymraeg. Fe fydd munudau o’r cyfarfod ar gael yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg. Oes diddordeb gennych chi? Fe fydd yr ail gyfarfod yn cael ei gynnal ar ddydd Gwener y 4ydd o Ragfyr am 4 y.p. yn Ystafell Swyddogion yr Undeb Myfyrwyr, sydd wedi’i lleoli ar 3ydd llawr Tŷ’r Undeb o fewn y swyddfa Sabothol. Mae’r pwyllgor yn agored i bob myfyriwr, ac fe ddylai pawb teimlo’n rhydd i fynychu’r cyfarfod. Am fwy o wybodaeth, croeso i chi gysylltu â fi ar welshaffairs@hotmail.co.uk neu trwy’r Undeb Myfyrwyr. James Kerr Swyddog Materion Cymraeg, Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Abertawe
Yn dilyn llwyddiant ‘Coch Am Weddill Fy Oes’ ac ‘Un Ffordd Mas’, mae Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf yn ôl gyda’u trydydd albwm, ‘Byd Bach’, a gafodd ei ryddhau ar label Rasal ar Dachwedd 16. Cafodd ei lansio dridiau ynghynt yng Nghlwb Rygbi Cwins Caerfyrddin. Mae Fflur yn wyneb cyfarwydd ledled Cymru fel cantores, bardd ac awdur – a bellach fel prif lenor yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol - ond mae hi hefyd yn gyfarwydd i ni yn Abertawe fel darlithydd ysgrifennu creadigol yn Adran Saesneg y Brifysgol ers rhai blynyddoedd. Mae ei halbwm diweddaraf yn un cysyniadol, sy’n canolbwyntio ar ei theithiau drwy rai o’i hoff leoedd yng Nghymru. Awn ar daith gyda hi ar hyd yr A470, ac i leoedd fel Aberaeron, Penrhiwllan, Porthgain, Ynys Môn a Llandygai, yn ogystal ag i’r brifddinas. Mae’r albwm yn gyfuniad celfydd arall o’r bywiog a’r myfyriol, ac mae’n cynnwys y trac ‘Ymylon’, a gafodd ei ffilmio fel fideo pan oedd Fflur yn Iowa yn yr Unol Daleithiau ar daith lenyddol. Mae nifer o ddylanwadau ar y caneuon sy’n ymddangos ar yr albwm, nid lleiaf testun ei thraethawd ymchwil PhD, sef y llenor R.S. Thomas. Bydd ambell un o’r caneuon yn gyfarwydd i ffans Fflur, sef ‘Caerdydd’ a gafodd ei hysgrifennu ar gyfer ei set ym Maes B yn Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Caerdydd yn 2008, a ‘Porthgain’ sydd eisoes wedi cael ei ryddhau fel sengl ddwbl gyda ‘Caerdydd’. Bydd Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf yn teithio cyn y Nadolig i hyrwyddo’r albwm newydd, ac yn ymddangos yn Nhŷ Tawe ar Ragfyr 18fed gyda Gwibdaith Hen Fran ar gyfer dathliad y Nadolig. Byddwch yno! Os hoffech chi glywed rhai o ganeuon Fflur Dafydd a’r Barf, ewch i’w tudalen myspace – www.myspace.com/fflurdafydd.
Cyfarchion yn Gymraeg / Welsh Greetings Nadolig Llawen = Merry Christmas Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda = Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Gan ddymuno iechyd da ac hapusrwydd i chi yn 2010 = Wishing you health and happiness for 2010 Siôn Corn = Father Christmas / Santa Dymuniadau gorau i chi = Good wishes to you.
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waterfront
Opinion 09
OPINION
Reality TV - The new religion? By Charlie Teasdale
I have had an idea for this new show! It’s just like X-factor but with a different name
By Liz Cooley No matter how much you may dislike Simon Cowell and his particular brand of arrogance, there’s no denying he’s a very clever man. Producing not only X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, but American Pop Idol and his own record label, the man we love to hate knows his business and his market. Commanding over 16 million viewers, X-Factor is now in its 6th series and is showing few signs of slowing in popularity (despite some peoples doubts as to who will bother tuning in now the twins have gone). 16 million is over 25 percent of the population, that’s over 25 percent of the population who are tuning in live every Saturday and Sunday, since the results gained their own show. The Extra Factor, which is on straight after both shows, is another example of the curious consumer culture that is taking over. Following in the steps of Big Brothers Little Brother and Big Brothers Big Mouth, it would seem that with the wealth of talent on display one programme is not enough and more must be made to keep up with the intimate details and inner workings of each contestant. The reality TV show war that has raged between BBC and ITV has been somewhat abated this year by the timings of Strictly Come Dancing and X-Factor being set apart, though with a 15 minute overlap. The recently re-started I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! adds to ITV’s Saturday night line up, and indeed to the reality genre, which even has its own awards ceremony. Not only do people organise their lives around these shows, either staying in or recording the programme every week (because heaven forbid they should miss an episode), these viewers are also voters, some spending asinine amounts of money to support a complete stranger. And it doesn’t stop with terrestrial TV, the likes of MTV and FOX also show competitions, cribs, ‘documentaries’ and lives of various celebrities, which are paraded for everyone to see, and then they wonder why the world won’t leave them alone. With the internet ‘making the unmissable unmissable’, to quote iPlayer, the likes of Youtube and others ensure you never miss a thing, while capturing forever those moments many will have wished never existed. Facebook and Twitter provide forums for the public to comment on such events, and magazines and newspapers have a field day every time someone makes a spectacle of themselves. Housemates have full blown arguments over which contestant is better or deserves to win, and until last week saying you were a Jedward fan could be as dangerous as saying you were a Cardiff fan in a Swansea pub. Having been taken over somewhat by the lives of these people we don’t even know, it could be argued that we have lost our own in the process; to quote Kat Stratford from 10 things I Hate About You, it could be said that the nation is simply “distracting themselves from the pathetic emptiness of their meaningless consumer driven lives.” I wouldn’t go as far as to say that reality TV is the new religion, but that it is an industry which feeds our curiosity and desire to control, our humanistic nature, a ‘religion’ that has been around for centuries. However, despite thoughts that such shows corrupt creativity and culture, the simple truth remains that if they weren’t watched, they wouldn’t be made, and then what would we have left to write about.
A few weeks ago on ITV’s The X Factor, presenter Dermot O’Leary announced “Time for our Parish News” when referring to the latest happenings on the show. This was probably just a flippant remark off the top of his swollen thumb-like head, but it got the rusty and cynical cogs in my head turning. How far could one go to say that Reality Television can be considered as our generation’s religion? If you stop scoffing for two minutes and think of the similarities, it really is quite illuminating. That is to say that we pick the ‘idols’ we put our faith in; we fund this new religion in the form of telephone voting, and every week we witness a ritual sacrifice of the weakest of the herd. Simon Cowell stands smugly on the lectern of bullshit conducting this vile display of call and response and we react like beasts braying over a heretic. Why wouldn’t we want to be part of the new faith of ‘Realitism’? It is (supposedly) a democracy in which the whole congregation have a say in what goes on, and you get a five minute break every 15 minutes during the sermons. Brilliant! Karl Marx famously said “Religion is the opiate of the masses”, and this is more true now than it has ever been. It seems every Saturday night we are presented with a new reality TV show, like the cat repeatedly bringing you the birds its killed as a present. The latest attack on the senses is ITV’s ninth series of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (ten series too many?), which started on Sunday the 15th of November. It faces stiff competition in the ratings from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and of course, Cowell’s Behemoth of a show. So it would seem that it’s not just The X Factor that’s taking over our souls, many more facile and tedious offerings are infesting our minds too. Our Generation is proudly staggering binge-drunk, pregnant and moronic out of the churches, temples and mosques and into Currys to buy a television and a chord-less phone, essential equipment for any Saturday night believer. I say humbly too that this isn’t just my theory; there are official statistics supporting me. In a recent survey conducted by Penguin Books on 1000 13 – 18 year olds, 59% of them thought religion had a negative influence on the world and only 28% said they believed in God. So what I’m getting at is that we’ve been absorbed by the gargantuan beast that is reality television and, whether we realise it or not, through our obsession and support we have made it a theological power! Over the last decade reality TV has evolved into this foul albatross that has consumed all free thought and creative productions, the only real dramatic contenders to shows like The X Factor are the super series’ such as Lost or The Sopranos, and their all shipped over from the U.S. So it would seem Britain’s creative well has dried up. The real culprit for this drought is Big Brother. Some might say the founding father of Reality Television and certainly the catalyst for our current infestation of televisual crap. Over the last ten years the viewing public has gradually lost interest in drama or comedy or anything with characters or narrative and it’s a crying shame. There are still examples of brilliant and original programming to be found, but they have to compete with these hour long brutes and are almost guaranteed to lose. The Thick of It for example, is scheduled at the same time as the magazine show for I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Z list morons discussing the lives of Y list morons are apparently more entertaining than one of the best comedies of the 21st century. But I digress. Is it a bad thing that reality TV can be considered our generation’s religion? In that survey by Penguin Books, although it is clear that children are losing interest in the mainstream religions, 91% of them agreed that people should treat others as they would like to be treated themselves, so maybe the youth of today aren’t all knife-toting, drug-smuggling O.A.P. muggers as the media would have you believe.
Katie Price might have gone but the two biggest tits are still in the jungle
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ACCOMMODATION You’re coming to the end of your first term; you’ve made the jump from sixth form to University, from home to halls and you’re just about getting used to lectures and feeding yourself, when suddenly you’re faced with the prospect of looking for a house for next year. It’s ok if you feel a bit daunted by this, everyone’s in the same position, and there are plenty of people out there to help. Importantly, don’t worry about getting this done straight away. Take the holidays to consider your options; think about who you could stand to live with as well as who your friends are and how many people you want to live with. Decide what’s important to you; money or comfort, location or space and make sure you’re looking for a house with like-minded people. If you want to do some ground work this term, why not attend one of the two house hunting talks taking place in the next couple of weeks – the first is this Wednesday 2nd December at 2pm in the Grove Lecture Theatre and the next on Wednesday 9th December also at 2pm in the Faraday Lecture Theatre.
Letting Agencies Here’s a short list of some of the most commonly used letting agencies in Swansea. Without wanting to sound biased, I’d check out Swansea Accommodation Services first as they’re there to help you rather than just trying to make a quick sale. • Swansea Accommodation Services This newly merged service is a University/Union managed property service, who lease from the landlord and rent to the student, specifically protecting student rights. They have around 100 properties on their books and are happy to help you with any queries you may have. They also offer a number of campus places to those students who may wish to return to halls. Offices on campus, ground floor of Fulton House 01792 602 645 www.swanseastudentpad.co.uk. • Student Digz While Student Digz has over 100 properties on its books, its reputation among the students isn’t high, so be careful if you decide to use them. • 1 Stop Letting Shop Catering for all kinds of renters, not just students, this agency has a wider range of properties available, but perhaps at less attainable prices. • Select Property Management Select is a slightly smaller company, with a smaller number of listings. • Tykoon ltd. Tykoon also have a smaller number of properties available for students; though have a more student focus.
Student Areas in Swansea Private Landlords I wouldn’t recommend signing with an unknown entity. If you know a landlord, or tenants of a private landlord, and are confident in them then it does cut out the middle man, but you could be left in a precarious position without the protection of an agency, so be sure you know what you’re doing. When it comes to actually picking a property, make sure all the people who are planning to live in it have seen it. Check for common problems such as damp and mould and check for other signs of disrepair. Also check for signs of rats, mice, fleas or any other unwanted guests-you do not want to be sharing your house with any non-paying tenants! All properties have to meet certain requirements such as two toilets for over five people and enough kitchen space for you all to cook at the same time (even if there is, I wouldn’t recommend simultaneous cooking, any mistakes over whose pan is whose could lead to some interesting concoctions...) for a full list of these and for other general advice visit Residential Services in Penmaen or www.swanseastudentpad.co.uk. Rent will most likely be between £55 and £75 per week but this depends largely on whether or not bills are included. You may think you’ve bagged a bargain and then discover the rent excludes bills. Most properties don’t include them, some include water and a rare few include gas and electricity.
When considering where to settle in your second year, there is a whole number of options available to you, and it is likely you will come across properties in different areas. Here is a brief guide to what you might have to take into consideration in terms of location.
Brynmill is perhaps the most popular student area, due to its proximity to the university and the beach, easy access to the city centre, and attractive range of facilities. Check out the Bryn-y-mor pub, good for cheap drinks, grub, and big screen TV for sports – a popular haunt of students and locals alike. Just over the road is The Mill, which does excellent food. Also, many properties in the area can be found that have at least one room with a nice sea view, so you might have to fight your housemates for this privilege if it’s a bedroom… However, car owners beware! Parking can be an issue in the small streets of Brynmill. Some houses have driveways; otherwise it’s first come, first served. While this problem isn’t exclusive to Brynmill, it’s probably most noticeable in this area.
Contracts The Uplands, home of the young Swansea born poet Dylan Thomas, is close to Brynmill but further inland. It is an attractive area, sitting below Townhill, with Cwmdonkin park at its centre. Many of the larger properties are here. The area has its own unique institutions, as reflected in the names: The Uplands Tavern (great for live music), and Uplands Diner, home of ‘the beast’ – a truly monstrous breakfast challenge!
‘Before signing’ checklist • Make sure the property is properly accredited • Make sure the property has up-to-date gas & electricity certificates • Check the tenancy • Check the rent costs • Check deposit and summer retainer costs • READ the contract before you sign After signing, make sure you have a copy of the contract and a receipt for all money paid and note down your landlord’s details.
Liz Cooley
Just up the road, the Sketty area is also worth checking out. You may already be familiar with it from your time in halls – it may not be quite as close to the city centre in terms of walking distance as Brynmill or Uplands, but it is on the main bus route and also boasts a good range of facilities, such as The Vivian and The Bush pubs, and many shops. Also, you might get more peace and quiet than in certain areas with students returning from a night out at the Student Union…
FRONT
Packed with music,film, food, Futureheads, Elliot Minor, The Automatic and Mr Hudson It’s your essential culture guide
Exclusive INTERVIEW with Mr Hudson inside this editions music section - Page 17
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Stage: The Waterfront backstage at the Swansea Ballet Russe
So it’s a Wednesday afternoon and we’ve landed a behind the scenes pass to Swansea Ballet Russe’s rehearsals as they prepare for their performance of ‘The Nutcracker’. We made our way through the maze of corridors and annexes in Swansea’s Grand Theatre and eventually came across Rehearsal Studio One. With a knock on the door and a brief interruption of the major dance ensemble of ‘The Waltz of the Snowflakes’ we were part of an exclusive audience getting a sneak peak
of the upcoming performance. Chika Temma makes a point of excusing their informal attire as this was just a rehearsal and the full costumes were yet to come! We watched as the company rehearsed the Waltz of the Flowers completely in time and were amazed by their physical prowess. Chika Temma in particular made dancing and moving in points seem effortless and completely graceful. The male dancers showed incredible strength and power of body when they lifted, spun and carried the female dancers across the studio and let them down again with overwhelming grace and fluidity. Chika’s husband, Uri “is a choreographer and artistic director for this company but he choreographs for other companies as well. We took our dancers to Ireland for a performance of The Nutcracker and they just came back on Sunday - however in the Cork production they had completely different steps.” We were impressed by Uri’s involvement in the rehearsals; he danced with and around the dancers as each scene and each step was perfected. The dancers were clearly very experienced as their ability to pick up the new steps was phenomenal, I know our recent attempt at learning dance moves for
a certain University pantomime was not executed in nearly quite the same refined and polished manner (sorry Becca! We tried!) Chika reiterated that in order to dance at this level you have to be able to pick the steps up quickly and be able to adapt to the different styles that come with different dancers, whether that be in classical or more contemporary ballet. Indeed Chika tells us that as a professional ballet dancer she has worked with some extremely strong and able male dancers who have been able to lift her on the palm of their hand and raise her in the air, which whilst undoubtedly unnerving in any case, is particularly so when working with a dancer who’s not as experienced; “The boys do have training in school but physically, sometimes, they are not very strong, and you can’t do much about it. Everyone is different. There is a basic choreography but according to a dancer’s ability we might have to change it a bit.” Hey, maybe they’ll be able to bring it down to our level! The dancers were clearly very athletic, we could see many a ripped torso, and as much as we tried to spot a ripple or a roll there was not one love handle to be seen, nor were there any muffin tops. We were told that
their dance training and rehearsals were more than enough to keep them on top form, and Chika explained that as “we are always on our legs, rather than just sat in an office, dancing around, it’s very good for your muscles. If a bit exhausting at times!” So with that cue we sucked in our stomachs and watched Swansea Ballet Russe’s adaption of ‘Waltz of the Flower’s – Chika tells us that this is an adaptation of the original choreography [her husband’s] and we ask if this has anything to do with the recent incorporation of modern and classical dance. “I think lots of people think that with dance there’s no limit on what you can do with your body and the costume can be different. It’s endless; many audiences want to see something more modern, as do the arts council. People do enjoy the old fashioned, classical ballet but even Russia nowadays is doing Western stuff and they didn’t do that before. There are a lot of new choreographers and working productions, so everything changes. It’s like the pop and rock music, you still like classical music though, it’s all about balance, you know.” So it can be seen that as the audience adapts to an ever changing, ever modernising society,
ballet has to do the same. Chika is not afraid to admit that recent times have seen a decline in ticket sales and from going from performances ten to eleven months of the year to just one season the industry is obviously facing great change. There is a vast age difference in the dancers we saw in the rehearsals but they all interact with each other with such ease, from children as young as eight years old to the very experienced dancers everyone is adjusting to the integration of modern and contemporary dance and are obviously enjoying the transition. It is clear that a vast amount of commitment and dedication is required to be a professional dancer and to quote a bit of Fort Minor, “skill and concentrated power of will!” We’d like to say a big thank you to Chika and the time she has spent with us over the past two weeks and we would encourage the student body to consider going to see more productions at Swansea Grand Theatre – the Swansea Ballet Russe is more than worth the money and we’ve got our tickets at the ready for Sunday
restaurant is warm and relaxing because of the Spanish music and dim lighting, which adds to that authenticity. A welcoming waitress kindly asked what drinks we wanted and told us to order our food at the front of the restaurant. All of the food is fresh and is displayed behind the counter. This is a major fetaure of the restaurant and allows customers to even choose which piece of meat or fish they wish to order. La Braseria offers a special deal on a two course lunch for just £8.95 and a fine selection of wines or champagne to choose from.
be a modern and recurring theme for newer style restaurants. For my starter I ordered ‘Spare Ribs’ which were served piping hot, complimented with a light dip. For my main course, I tried the ‘7 Oz Rump Steak and a side of chips’, which was served medium and to perfection, just the way I like steak cooked. One of my friends decided to try the ‘Stuffed mushrooms’ for his starter and the ‘Salted Gower lamb chops’, which looked well presented and mouth watering. All dishes were served on a sizzling platter on a wooden plate, to keep the tasty food hot!
more choice.
Food & Drink: Review of La Braseria
Located at the bottom of Wind Street, La Braseria is one of Swansea’s authentic Spanish style restaurants. After dashing through the heavy rain and getting absolutely soaked, we finally reached our destination. Upon arrival, we were
greeted by a friendly barman who welcomed us to the restaurant, and we were led to be seated. Once settled and relaxed, key features such as the rustic decor and traditional wooden beams were noticed. The ambiance of the
Whilst the food is being prepared and cooked, the open plan kitchen allows eaters to observe what is happening behind the scenes, which seems to
Overall the food was appetizing and enjoyable, although in my opinion I think the menu should have offered a bit
Food & Drink: Review of La Parilla
Have you ever felt out of place? Like you don’t quite belong? Well last year our friend, Lauren, spent a good fifteen minutes sitting in a ‘History of Medical Science’ seminar before making the educated decision to leave as it was definitely not the lyrical poetry she’d been hoping for. It’s the kind of feeling you would get if you were sat in the Cardiff stand at Varsity in your Swansea t-shirt. In a word; awkward.
Well, last Tuesday we were supposed to be dining at ‘The Restaurant’ in Swansea’s marina which specialised in seafood. As you can imagine, arriving at the building to discover it has actually been re-named and turned into an Italian was quite distressing. Firstly we have already reviewed an Italian this term, and secondly, at half past six when the weather is less than appealing we now had nowhere to dine. So with a
quick text to the editor and a perilous walk across the iconic Sail Bridge we made our way to ‘La Parilla’ – one of the more upmarket dining experiences the city has to offer. Set in a converted grade II listed building the restaurant is appealing at a glance; a well lit courtyard overlooking the river mouth, whopping windows and a friendly face to welcome you at the door. ‘La Parilla’ has a considerably sized water feature at the entrance and it was not until we were fully inside and sat at the bar that we realised that the attire of hoodies, jeans, UGG boots and a hairstyle which now resembled something like a bird’s nest was not quite within the dress code. Surrounded by the marina residents all of whom were dressed to impress we couldn’t help but feel a little out of place, nevertheless we sat at the bar and ordered a drink; a coke. (It’s worth noting that a bottle of the Chateau Petrus 1990 Paullic is £4405!) A bit out of our depth
methinks! It wasn’t long before we were sat down and the waitress enlightened us to how ‘La Perilla’ operates; you have to actually go up and choose your food from a selection of fresh meat and fish on display at the front of the open kitchen! This was all very new and exciting for us and we picked the best looking tuna steak and monkfish we could see and when offered a salad with the meal agreed wholeheartedly but after a tip from a friend about the extra charge for bread baskets, declined that proposal. Our food arrived promptly and was exceptional; the tuna had been char grilled medium to rare as requested and the monkfish was served with chorizo, tomato and red peppers – so we may not have made it to the actual seafood restaurant but this serving more than made up for it! I can’t help but think that whilst eating with the designer cutlery and having fresh napkins placed on our table with a fork and a spoon that ‘La
night’s performance! Sophie Bamber & Emma Mesney
Affectionate and accommodating staff emphasise this unique and relaxed atmosphere. La Braseria is ideal for those people who would like to try something different. As this is positioned on Wind Street, why not have food here before strutting along to the bars and pubs with friends. It costs just a little bit more in the evening and weekends, but I would definitely recommend people to try it. Booking is advisable to avoid disappointment.
Luke Samuel Curtis
Perilla’ took us a little out of our comfort zone and that next time it would be a good idea to dress for the occasion. The food was delicious, if a little over-priced, but we really enjoyed our evening and the restaurant would be perfect for a special occasion – if you’ve got a 21st coming up we’d highly recommend it as the staff were very accommodating and it really has a good atmosphere. You could do it for £20 if you cut back on the £3.50 side salad (!) and for such an affluent area (whilst waiting for our Yellow Cab we noted the abundance of 08 number plates – they certainly reflected the cliental!), we’d say that it was quite a good deal for quality food and a different dining experience – albeit a little awkward when you’re wearing your favourite hooded jumper! Sophie Bamber & Emma mesney
www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
Books: Interview with Student /Author Jamie Stacey is already being sold by such companies as Tesco and Play.com and can be found in the on campus Waterstones. I spoke to Jamie about the inspiration behind the novel, when he found time to write and advice for all those aspiring authors out there. What first interested you in writing? I started writing nearly five year ago now, and it was at a time where I was reading a lot and I just got this idea in my head one day and I just really wanted to pursue it and I thought why not just go for it this time. I just took the opportunity, I put pen to paper, and I wrote a bit and from there it just developed, and developed, until I had my story.
It is a rare occasion that the Waterfront gets an exclusive interview with an author, but we were lucky enough to get one! Jamie Stacey, a Swansea University Politics student has recently had his novel ‘Azarrii’ published, which
inspiration from things like music to people, anything really. You can find inspiration anywhere you go. When did you find time to write?
I spent a lot of my time writing in the summer holidays, then various points like after school, I would get home, write for a couple of hours, then do homework and then have the rest of the night off. But there were times were I just woke up in the morning, where I would have half an hour before school and I would just quickly write something. Just finding these little pockets of time, if I had an idea I would stop and just write it down.
I find that amazing because 5 years ago when I first started I never thought that I would get to this point and now that it’s here its just…wow! Who are your favourite authors?
Well I read about eleven books over the summer and I would say my favourite one was probably ‘1984’ and I read ‘Animal Farm’ at the same time as well and I loved it. George Orwell is just amazing. Going back to my book though, I would have to say an Australian writer called Marianne Curley, some of the ideas I got, such as the style of writing are based on hers. She wrote a trilogy of books, the first one is called The Named, its one of my favourite books, I’ve read it several times and it’s really good.
What was the inspiration behind your novel?
How do you feel about your book being sold by major companies such as play.com and your novel being sold in Italy and Japan?
Originally the idea came from a dream, which made up part of the story. But my inspirations come from a lot of other places. When I was writing I found
I was quite shocked when I first saw it, I thought wow! That’s pretty big! Yeah I’m just amazed. It really gives the confirmation that its really out there and
Well, not a lot because obviously I’ve got a degree to go for, but I would like to, but I’ll have to wait till the summer holidays.
Azarri is the first novel written by Swansea University’s own Jamie D. Stacey. A fantasy novel set between three cities, Sohomotos, Kodain and Salaq, it follows two separate stories, that of Major John Carter and that of a young woman named Neriah. The enemy they face are the Azarrii, and they both have to play their role in a desperate attempt to save mankind from this deadly enemy.
Major John Carter’s story begins with the fall of Sohomotos where he is given orders to escort a group of technicians to the city of Salaq. On this journey they encounter unwanted hurdles and form friendships that they didn’t know they needed. As their protector and a man of honour, there is no running away for John Carter and he is forced to face his past in order to do his job. On the other hand, the novel follows the story of Neriah, a girl with a mysterious past and a role in the battle against the Azarrii
that she could never have predicted. Alternating between the narratives of Carter and Neriah, the story quickly unravels into an enjoyable, heroic fantasy tale. Although initially wary of the first person narratives, they do move the story along respectably and the cliff hangers at the end of each chapter work in creating an effective page turner. The novel presents friendship, loss, fear and heroism in a war where victory seems impossible.
Thomas Cromwell seems an unlikely figure for the protagonist of a novel, but seasoned author Hilary Mantel has done just that in her Man Booker Prixe winning novel ‘Wolf Hall‘. The book follows Cromwell’s rise to power in the court of King Henry VIII. Mantel spent a number of years meticulously researching the novel and it shows. The breadth of detail in the novel is outstanding. Mantel claims to have cross-referenced where each historical figure was at the time-period in the
novel so that she would not contradict history and it is this thorough attention to detail that sets Mantel out among the crowd. The prose is lyrical yet clean and economical. The plot holds the reader in a vice, not letting go until the final page. Mantel has truly created something extraspecial here, a historical novel that never becomes stodgy on details or sparse on action. James Noughtie, the chairman of the Booker Prize panel, asserted that the novel was bold in narrative and that Mantel had created a “contemporary novel, a modern novel which happens to be set in the 16th Century”. The analogy
could not be more true, as the reader feels themselves drawn inextricably to the central characters despite the distant centuries. Unusually for historical fiction, what resonates in Wolf Hall is just how funny Mantel can be. Many times I found myself laughing out loud in a public place at a turn of phrase or line of dialogue and this adds a distinct new dimension to the text that keeps it from being heavy and dull. The Man Booker Prize never fails to throw up a treat or two and this is no exception. For students of History and English or even those of you who are fans of the
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Are you working on anything at the moment? Yeah, I still write a little here and there and if I get any ideas I just write them down, if I’ve got time to do it I’ll just write the ideas down and come back to it. Any advice for aspiring authors? My advice would be that if you have an idea and you want to go for it, just go for it! Don’t stop, don’t listen to anyone if they criticise you or whatever because if you really want to do it, just go for it, don’t stop. Stay determined and you’ll get there. The most important thing that I take by heart though, and I would give this as advice to anyone, is that nothing is impossible.
Tom Maya
Books: Review of Azarrii by Jamie D. Stacey
Suzanne Beynon
Books: Review of Booker Prize Winner Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Art & Design: ‘Diversions’ at the Glynn Vivian The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is currently displaying a collection of work entitled “Diversions”, showing until the 10th of January. The exhibition features sculptures from three different artists, all of whom have different approaches and ideologies concerning their art. The first is a duo known as Freshwest, aka Marcus Beck and Simon Marco, who design furniture in Tenby for a living. Beck and Marco have been Freshwest since 2005. Their furniture displays a subtle humour, for example, a dining
table made out of a surfboard from the 1950s, and a collapsing wooden chair. The second is Nao Matsunaga, who specialises in ceramics and installationbased work. His ceramic work has an organic nature, combined with striking architectural qualities. Similarly to Freshwest, Matsunaga creates furniture with a humour to it, such as a bath with two chairs at each end, entitled “Conversation”. The last of the artists is Dawn Youll, another ceramics based artist. Youll’s
work is formed from complex ideas regarding perceptions, meaning that her work isn’t obviously grasped on first viewing. Her work also contains much colour, as well as having elements of the natural world, like pools of water, mountains, and animals. Despite the artists all having very diverse approaches to their craft, the work is all linked by the deeper use of narrative hidden underneath the playful surface. All artists featured also share extremely prestigious backgrounds,
television series The Tudors, this is an exciting, funny, moving novel that fully deserves the hype.
Rhodri Diaz
with highly regarded educations at prestigious universities and well reviewed exhibitions across the UK. To view work from these esteemed artists, the exhibition can be found in the Craft Gallery section of the Glynn Vivian, and admission is free. Caitlin Gwynn
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Art & Design:Swansea Camera Club Exhibition at the Grand Theatre exhibition is to give all our members an opportunity to exhibit their work.
We certainly hope that the exhibition will attract a wide audience. Last year just under 100 people attended our opening night at the Grand, many of those are not themselves dedicated amateur photographers. We hope to repeat last year’s successful opening on Tuesday 8 December at 7.30 pm.
Two of our members are currently studying for photography degrees at the Met. Uni. and our President Brian Gaylor has a B.A. (Hons) and an M.Phil in photography.
So will it appeal to students from the university?
It definitely will not feature a particular photographer it is all about inclusion. However, as mentioned, those members who have gained recognised qualifications this year have their successful panels on display. They are Suzanne Durie ARPS, Peter Stickler AWPF and John Pile AFiap.
Could you tell me a little about the type of photography that will be displayed in the exhibition?
A The type of photography in the Exhibition is wide ranging - a some of thi exhibits are what they call these days ‘creative’ and this certainly applies to the Best Print by Dave Coffey ARPS which is titled ‘White Egrets in Flight’ and is abstract. Awards are made in the following categories: Landscape, Portrait, Nature and General. Also Best Print, Best Colour Print, Best Monochrome Print with an additional five highly commended awards. I should mention that the images are prejudged so that they can be displayed together. The Judge, Harry Gardiner AWPF will give a short address on the opening night giving his reasons for making the choices that he has. The landscapes are particularly good this year - the winner of that award is Peter Stickler AWPF with ‘Evening in Penclawdd’. In addition to the 142 entries we shall also be displaying three successful ‘distinction panels’ for the ARPS (Assoc. of the Royal Photographic Society), the AWPF (Assoc. of the Welsh Photographic Federation) and the AFIAP. It is important to realise, however, that the main focus of the
Well. I’ve just gotten off the phone with Paul Booth, who, I must say, was one of the nicest and friendliest people I’ve ever spoken to. He was in France at the time, but was more than willing to talk and answer my questions. Paul is a saxophone player and an extremely high-profile character. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London,
graduating with Honours, and since then has been jetting around the world doing tours and making albums. He is coming to Swansea on December 9th – and so I rang him up to quiz him a little before it… Becca – Hi Paul, I was just wondering if I could do a short interview with you for The Waterfront Newspaper? Paul – Hi, yes of course, no problem at all! B – Okay, great. To start with then, how did you get into playing the Sax? P – Well, music has always been in my family. My Dad’s a semi-pro player and I played the piano between the ages of about four and six so I’ve always been into music. It probably helped that a friend played the Sax too B – Okay. You’ve played with some fantastic people, who would you say has been your favourite person to work
with? P – That’s a big question! I’d say Steve Winwood, he’s such a big name. I toured in the States with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, that was incredible, playing to 15000 to 30000 people a night! I love their music too. A bit closer to home I would say the trumpet player Ingrid Jensen, I’m very inspired by her! I worked with her in April for the new album – I’m very excited for it! Michael Janisch the US bass player is also so incredible. I don’t think I could really narrow it down to one!! B – Fair enough! There does seem to be so many to choose from! P – Exactly! B – Okay, you’ve won so many awards, what would you say has been your proudest moment so far? P – Proudest moment? For me it’s much more about the playing than winning
any awards. When I was eighteen I got the chance to go to the United States but since then it’s so much more about the playing, and who I get to play with. Playing with certain idols that I’ve been such big fans of and listening to is a great moment for me. I’m fortunate enough to get proud moments every year, and it’s the playing that elevates you to that level B – Okay great, thank you! A couple of lighter questions – have you ever had any disasters on stage? P – Disasters? I’d say I’ve been pretty lucky enough to never have had any major disasters – although would missing a gig count? I missed a gig once due to traffic and bad timing on my part… I arrived late and got sent home… but other than that just tiny things that only I or other musicians would have picked up B – Okay, and last question – do you
have any other interests? P – I do, but with my job I don’t tend to have much time. I like going to the gym, keeping healthy – this job is not a healthy one! I like films, going to the cinema, I’m a very social person so I like seeing my friends. If I’m not playing or travelling I tend to be practicing or writing songs so I don’t tend to get much time otherwise! B – As long as you’re enjoying it! P – Oh, very much B – Okay well thank you very much! P – No problem at all. Come along to my gig! B – I will do! And do you know what? I think I will. Check out www.paulboothsax.com and listen to some of his music. December 9th… I’ll see you there!
card along! If (like me) you’re not an ice skating pro I would recommend bringing someone along who can help prop you up. I enlisted the help of Tom (the Culture Editor) who was very useful; otherwise I would have spent the entire 40 minutes flat on my face! You never know you could find you’re the next Torville and Dean!
pancake stand also sells coffee, tea and hot chocolate. One to try is the hot chocolate with Baileys and whip cream, defiantly a sweet drink that will keep you warm! There is also a carvery stand to get an early taste of the Christmas bird! They have a selection of baguettes and the classic burger and chips. To fulfil your inner child you can also munch on fun fair style sweets such as candy floss, fudge and toffee apples!
LC2 and the Waterfront Museum. For students who are staying in Swansea over the Christmas Period, it will also be open on Christmas Eve, 10am-7pm and Boxing Day 11am-6pm. Rosalyn Thomas
With the end of the first semester approaching, and Christmas within a matter of weeks, it’s time to take a break from lectures and essays to get into the Christmas spirit! A great way to bring out the kid in you, sit on Santa’s lap and drink all the mulled wine you want is to visit the Waterfront Winter Wonderland. Everything is there to make you feel
all Christmassy inside and like a big kid! Huge Snowmen! Santa’s Grotto! Ice Rink and Fun Fair! The Fun Fair includes all the typical things you expect to find, a traditional Carousel, Swing Chairs and a giant Ferris Wheel! The wheel is 44m high; those who are brave enough can see some amazing views of the city and the sea during the day or lit up at night. You can also find the classic fair stalls such a ‘hook-a-duck,’ or in the case of the Winter Wonderland, ‘hooka-Winnie the Pooh,’ for a chance to win a massive Winnie the Pooh cuddle toy to treat yourself to an early X-mas present. The best part of the Waterfront Wonderland experience has to be the Ice Skating! The ice rink is pretty big in size and is pretty reasonable in price. Regular admission is around £7 for 40 minutes but students get the discounted price of £5, so be sure to bring your student
On Tuesday the 8th of December, Swansea Camera Club are putting on an exhibition at the Grand Theatre. I interviewed the publicity secretary, Jennifer Ellis about the upcoming event.
Who are the Swansea Camera Club? The Swansea Camera Club is the oldest in Wales and currently has 75 members . We meet every Monday evening in the Dynevor Centre where the facilities are excellent for our purposes. We do have members of all ages although, in common with other Clubs, the membership is a bit top heavy with older members - however, we have a number of very talented and active younger members. It is one of my priorities as the incoming Chair to see how we can encourage young photographers to join. Anybody can join - we try to cater for all standards and their different requirements. For example many of our members are very keen on competing both within the Club and externally and gaining qualifications - others, on the other hand, prefer to come along to the Club and simply enjoy their photography in a more relaxed way.
We certainly would hope that students from the University will visit the Exhibition and that they will appreciate the exhibits - I imagine that there is a photographic society in the University.
Will it feature photographer?
any
particular
Charlotte Ellis
Will the photography on show appeal to a wide audience?
Music: Interview with Paul Booth at Jazzland
Event: The Waterfront Winter Wonderland is here!!
Between ice skating and bringing Santa some mince pies you can take a break and choose from a small, but yummy, selection of food and drinks. Embrace the festive spirit and keep warm and merry with some mulled wine, or for the non wine drinkers a variety of cold German beers are also available. For some good light food try the pancake stand with a variety of flavours, it offers classic simple pancakes with lemon and sugar, or for people with a sweeter tooth, a Nutella and banana filing. The
Overall the Waterfront Wonderland experience is a thoroughly enjoyable one and well worth the visit! It’s a great way to get into the Christmas spirit and to spend time with friends before the Christmas break! The Waterfront Wonderland is open from 12 Noon - 10pm Mondays to Fridays, and 10am-10pm Saturday and Sunday and is situated between the
Rebecca Cooper
www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
Film: Previews of upcoming films at the Taliesin beautiful and affluent mother, Claire (Sandrine Bonnaire), whose seemingly perfect lifestyle contrasts sharply with Elsa’s. This contrast serves to highlight Elsa’s instability as she goes from being Claire’s new friend to her stalker.
L’Empreinte de l’ange/Mark of an Angel 12A 7th December The idea that children are in constant danger and therefore require constant protection is a common obsession within contemporary society. It is this sense of paranoia that French director, Safy Nebou, both encourages and manipulates in his latest film. Based on a true story, L’Empreinte de l’ange (Mark of an Angel) stars
Pranzo di Ferragosto/ Mid-Afternoon Lunch U 8th December Middle aged and borderline alcoholic, Gianni lives with his whiney and slightly oppressing mother in an old fashioned apartment in the centre of Rome. Debts are making their life hard, so when the flat’s landlord asks him to look after his mother in exchange for
Catherine Frot as Elsa, a shop worker currently involved in a bitter divorce. When collecting her ten year-old son from a party, Elsa is left visibly stunned by the sight of a pretty blonde girl whom her son informs her is the sister of his new best friend. However, it quickly transpires that Elsa is convinced that the girl is the daughter that she lost as a result of a hospital fire that occurred five days after she gave birth to her. This leads Elsa to do everything she can to ingratiate herself into the little girl’s life, including befriending her his arrears to be extinguished, it’s an offer he can’t refuse. The day after, though, the man turns up with two old ladies, the mother and the aunt, and Gianni, if grudgingly, is yet again obliged to agree. The heat of the mid-summer bank holiday (Ferragosto, the 15th of august) and the stress of caring for the three old women cause Gianni to faint, so the doctor is summoned. After reassuring him on his condition, the man too admits he has a mother who needs to be looked after, and begs him (and pays him) to take care of her. Gianni is then left on his own to cook for and tend to the four elderly women, each one of them with their pride, eccentric personalities and demanding lifestyles. From then on a series of funny and bizarre events make his holiday a nightmare, and teach him a lot about the sense of loneliness and neglect that troubles old people. The director, Gianni Di Gregorio (Gomorra‘s co-writer), was highly applauded for his casting. None of the old ladies are professional actresses: they are all actual elderly mothers who know about the loneliness of old age
L’Empreinte de l’ange conveys a strong sense of claustrophobia and arguably has almost Hitchcockian undertones, particularly as it explores the idea of voyeurism. This is evident during a particularly tense scene, in which the audience is forced to watch Claire watching her daughter’s ballet performance on stage. She is convinced that her daughter is being watched by someone in the wings but she cannot see for sure and is unable to act upon her suspicions. It is this combination of voyeurism, tension and claustrophobia that makes L’Empreinte de l’ange such an interesting film. It also features compelling performances from its lead actresses and a surprising ending.
Goodbye Solo 15 9th December
Goodbye Solo is the third feature directed by Ramin Bahrani (Chop shop, Man Push Cart). Bahrani is an independent film director who has gained much respect over the last ten years throughout the independent film festivals. Goodbye Solo is set in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and follows the story of Solo played by Soulemanne Sy Savane (a previously unknown actor with only a few minor roles). Solo is a Sengalese cab driver who Sarah Hill is trying to gain a better life for his family, setting out at living the America dream.
and they all contributed to the making of the film with their own personalities. This choice was very much praised, especially because their presence led to changes in the script and gave the film a feel of innocence and realism. Di Gregorio also plays the main character. “Just before the casting I was explaining to my crew the main characteristics I was looking for in the actor” says Di Gregorio ”Middle aged, a bit of an alcoholic and who lived for years with the mother.. at that point everyone started staring at me!” Casting himself was a clever move considering the whole plot of the film was inspired by an event of his own real life: he once found himself in the same position as Gianni, but decided to refuse to look after the landlord’s mother. Years later he started wondering what would have happened if he had, and this is the result. Referred to as “the surprise of the Venice Film Festival”, Pranzo di Ferragosto is certainly the must see Italian movie of the year.
Bright Star PG 14th &15th December
Oscar Winner Jane Campion returns with her first full length feature in six years to bring us the story of poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his ill-fated love affair with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Bright Star is being hailed by many as the New Zealander’s best work since the highly successful The Piano, if not her best work ever, and certainly marks as a departure of tone and setting from her previous film, the erotic thriller In The Cut. The film begins in London in 1818 as Fanny meets Keats and his friend Charles Alice Copello Brown (Paul Schneider), who share half of a house in Hampstead together. Fanny is intrigued by the poet,
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When William, played by Red West (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Glory Road) hires Solo to take him to the top of a mountain with no return journey, they both stumble on an unlikely friendship that changes them both forever. Goodbye Solo has been achieving recognition throughout the independent film world with its lead (Savane) being nominated for the breakthrough award at the Gotham Awards, located in New York and created to recognise the merit of independent films. Bahrani explores the themes of friendship, regret, family and the issues presented with living the American Dream. This film is sure to be heart warming and heartbreaking with excellent performances, direction and screenplay. Winner of the Fipresci prize at the Venice Film Festival 2008, Goodbye Solo promises to be a favourite among independent film fans, being described as ‘an almost perfect film’ by the New York Times. Goodbye Solo will be showing on Wednesday December 9th at the Taliesin Arts Centre. Suzanne Beynon
and asks him to teach her about his art, soon Keats becomes a family friend to the Brawnes and they promptly move into the other half of his house. However, as Keats and Fanny become increasingly close, Fanny’s mother, played by Kerry Fox, begins to object, seeing Keats as an entirely unsuitable match for her daughter. Additionally, Charles’ jealous and trouble-making nature, as well as Keats’ worsening tuberculosis (a disease which has already killed his brother), serve only to add to the lover’s problems. Showcasing stunning performances from Whishaw and particularly Cornish, whose career is certain to sky rocket following this tour de force, as well many familiar (and some new) Campion touches; Bright Star is a measured, delicate and beautifully restrained film. Nathan Shaw
Event: Shoreline Theatre Panto - 1st & 2nd Dec- Book Now! Ahh, the Christmas season is upon us again. We all know what this means, tinsel, turkey and drinking mulled wine in JC’s. But wait! Haven’t you forgotten something? The Shoreline Christmas Pantomime! Any of you who’ve been to a Shoreline Pantomime before will know you’re guaranteed a night of pure entertainment – and this year is NO exception. Written by students, for students, where else will you find flying monkeys, Shakespearian fairies and some breakfast cereal together onstage?? When Mary and Joseph (Nez Gallagher and Ross Gribble) get lost inside a wardrobe and find themselves in Oz, they get sent on a quest to destroy the Wicked Witch of the West (Lowrie Davies) and her evil flying monkey
servant (Nick Ruggieri). Aiding them on their quest is estate agent Buttons (KellyAnn Bradnick) and next door neighbour Dame Edna Extremely Overdone (Ben Kennedy), along with the only magical being left available, Puck (James Thomas). Follow them on their journey through the land of Oz, complete with Munchkins, breakfast cereal and Spanish waiters. Featuring some classic songs… albeit with slightly altered lyrics… and with some adorable little Munchkins dancing around, you’ll be tapping your feet and singing along in no time! We promise you singing, dancing, crossdressing and a rather beautiful twist on the traditional Nativity Story… so next Tuesday and Wednesday – December 1st and 2nd – come to DIVAS, only
£5 for students, and bring your friends and housemates to a Pantomime which promises to start your festive season off with a bang! To pre-book tickets email uws_drama@hotmail.com, and ensure yourselves a seat for what promises to be the best Pantomime Swansea University has seen so far!
Rebecca Cooper
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WATERFRONT 184 - 30/11/09
AUTOMATIC, HI!
Reporter Sarra Grummet talks to drummer Iwan and Guitarist Frost from the ‘Monster Band’ The Automatic in their first return to Swansea since their live show at the 2007 Summer Ball and their first live interview with our very own Xtreme Radio. properly yet. I mean, we’ve been playing in Swansea for years…back when we used to be called White Rabbit. It’s always nice being back here. Do you enjoy the student scene? How does the atmosphere of performing in front of students differ to your other fans? Frost: Well that’s our market really. We’ve got a few older, few younger, but students are always up for it, always excited. If you’re not gonna do it as a student, when are you gonna do it?
Before the interview in Oceana began, I was coaxed into joining the boys in a drink of paint-thinning vodka and orange, pouring the alcohol into the glass gaining an impressed nod from Frost stating “That’s a respectable portion that is”. Welcome back to Swansea! How do you feel being back? Frost: It doesn’t feel like we’re back
the idea is that it doesn’t really live up to the expectations. It’s definitely meant to be a sickly view of advertising. It’s quite M&S and the girls are great until it starts getting a bit weird and everything starts burning and you don’t know whether you’re supposed to act angry or disgusted.
With new track ‘Interstate’ coming out in December, it seems far removed from your first single ‘Monster’. Was this a conscious choice? Frost: Well…’Interstate’ is the most similar to that single in this new album. We’re not on a big major label anymore because we left our previous one and so we’re a lot more in control and this album is a lot more how we sound I think so the end products are a lot more us. So yeah it is kind of different, but it’s not that dissimilar to it.
Leaving your record label, did it affect your morale and were you a lot more in charge of how you handled everything? Frost: I think by the time we left and the way our record label was treating us, being indecisive and not really knowing what they were doing and we thought in the end that we would just do it ourselves and that would mean that we could push things in the direction that we want them to go in. So yeah, basically the morale since leaving is a lot different. Rather than waiting for other people, we thought we’d try this out instead and so far it’s gone alright. Everyone we had working for us is the same, so it’s the same team, the same band, just everything without the bulls**t.
The music video for “Interstate” is quite unusual, what is the story behind that? Frost: It’s kind of an American fifties type diner theme going on with all the cars and the pin-up girls and the food but
You’ve often been labelled as a ‘one hit wonder’ when the single ‘Monster’ came out, was it your objective to make something just as popular? Frost: When we wrote the song we were seventeen, and in school, we just wrote
it because it sounded cool and dancey. We didn’t intentionally do it to try and make it a hit. Iwan: Oh yeah, it’s definitely opened a lot of doors for us and the fact that we’re releasing our third album shows this. Frost: You look at some bands and so many of them haven’t had that chance. Some people say, “do you wish you hadn’t written it?” and you go “are you kidding?”. It’s what a band dreams about doing basically.
break them into the mainstream and that’s what we did straight off. There’s a lot of bands out there wishing that they’d wrote a song like that. Iwan: It’s something to be proud of, really.
So you don’t let these comments affect your music? Frost: No, you know some bands spend ages trying to write a single to just
Ok guys well thank you for your time! Iwan: No, Thank you!
Lastly, what can your fans expect from your new up and coming album ‘Tear the Signs Down’? Iwan: It’s short. Short and sweet and to the point.
THE FUTURE (A)HEAD
Reporter Sam Loveless has a chat with The Futureheads members Ross and Barry, discussing such topics as the unfamiliar DJ set, future covers and a possible gig in Swansea!
Ross and Barry of The Futureheads are nice people. They also seem to spend a lot of time thinking about stuff. This stuff has obviously not included why they chose such a wide range of songs for their DJ set. Or what a DJ set is: “It’s almost embarrassing being asked this. It’s like practising primary school French then doing degree-level French. The decks are like an instrument...it’s like learning to use the guitar or the drums... it takes as much effort. We’re not DJ’s – we turned up because someone asked us to.” That doesn’t mean they haven’t enjoyed it though. “We’ve got to play stuff we wouldn’t normally get to play.” They know what the difference is between this and a live set is though: “Being a DJ isn’t very physical. Playing a live set is very physical thing. It’s full of sweat and tears. You feel like you’ve
put a shift in. You could play a 12-hour DJ set and not be exhausted.” The Futureheads have been very quiet of late. When asked about this, they give away good news, both personal and professional: “Well our drummer [Dave], has had a baby. His wife gave birth to a little boy, Louis, so he’s being a good father. Meanwhile we’re going through a new phase, which shows on the next album, which we’re readying.” Were they willing to impart anymore? A name perhaps? “We haven’t crossed that bridge yet. We’ve got enough songs, more than enough songs.” A new album also means a new cycle of touring. “Yeah, it’s been frustrating, just sitting on our hands for a year, but we know there’s no point in touring if we have nothing new to say. So it’s all about next year, getting the album out,
and touring again.” Is Swansea going to be a part of this? “We’re used to going new places, like Weymouth. We haven’t done much of Wales, just Cardiff and Wrexham. When we got to Wrexham the manager told us not to go outside for any reason. We wondered why. But yeah, we’d definitely be up for doing Swansea.” Hopeful signs. The topic of covers is brought up but also The Flaming Lips (where The Futureheads took their name from) they complement their cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. They then discuss how to do covers, including why their rendition of The Hounds of Love worked: “When people don’t know the song, it’s easier to make it your own. All we did was add the “oh-oh-oh” bit and put some solid chords in, because the Kate Bush one had loads of floaty synths around
the place.” We round off by asking what entire album they would consider covering. Ross plumps for Physical Graffitti: “If you’re going to do it,
do it with some ambition.” They would know: they’ve probably been thinking about it.
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DRINKING BUD WITH MR. HUD
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Music Editor James Taylor shows us the Q ‘n’ A that slowly turned into a huge session of drinking with Mr. Hudson and crew, with such unique topics as Jedward, jacket potatoes and dolphins in the swimming pool!? Well for Starters, what should I call you Hudson, Mr. Hudson? Hud: Call me what you like I don’t mind. Kanye calls me ‘Mr. H’, My mum called me ‘Ben’, and Dappy calls me ‘Hud Hud’ so take your pick. Haha! Ok Hud Hud, this isn’t the first time you done a gig in Swansea is it? Hud: Um, I’m pretty sure we did a gig here before. Hey didn’t we do one in the Library? Wilkie: No it was a book shop Hud: Well Wales in general I know we supported The Police at the Millennium Stadium, and done a few gigs around Cardiff too. When I was a youth I did a gig at the Fat Cat in Bangor and was paid with a pint of Guinness and a jacket potato –I was 14! I had to get the National Express coach driver to pull over in Rhyl and I threw up by the amusements. All the Guinness hadn’t agreed with me. And that was my first gig in Wales. National Express is not living the high life is it? Hud: I was 14 man, I had a limited budget. You know that fiver has got to spread over Games Workshop and Tekken. But now I’m drinking Laurent-Pierre Rosé talking into your mp3 recorder. *laughs* By the way guys do you want anything to drink at
all? We got sh*t loads here. Um, nah it’s ok I think I have had enough. Hud: Ok that means a double vodka and coke for you then. This is how we do it lads, it’s Saturday night – not Monday. Let’s get on it! Oh this is going to hurt me in work tomorrow. In regards to Kanye, being with him must have been a new experience for you. Where did you guys like to hang out? Hud: Yeah it was a completely different league. But one of the first times I met Kanye he asked, “you want to go grab some lunch?” So I agreed thinking we would go to some members only club or restaurant, but we went to a McDonalds drive through. *laughs* He is very down to earth and a big kid. Surely you lived the high life with him at some stage? Hud: Yeah I mean I went from rainy North London to being in a 5 star hotel suite in L.A. with dolphins in the pool. Wow! Dolphins in the pool!? Hud: Dolphins...in the pool! What was your reaction to Kanye disrespecting Taylor Swift at the VMA Awards this year?
Hud: Well, um, I didn’t think much really, I think there are much bigger things to worry about in the world. I mean Kanye always puts his music first, and entertaining people comes second so…his heart is in the right place. Who do you think Beyonce should have won the award for best female video then? Hud: Haven’t really thought about it if I’m honest. Because for me, the idea of having a winner in music is a bit odd anyway, because it’s not sport. I was terrible at sport in school; that’s why I went onto music because it wasn’t about being ‘the winner’, it was about being yourself. I mean I’m not interested in awards for music, if you make a dud record you know it’s still gone out there and done what you wanted it to do. My favourite musicians have probably never won anything to put it that way. But on the subject I did win the Q Music Award for Best Breakthrough Artist though. It meant a lot I will be honest, but I didn’t feel a winner, I didn’t feel like I beat anyone else to it. It was just an acknowledgement of what I had done. Back to your roots, are there anymore upcoming projects with your previous band the Library? Hud: Well I mean half the Library are here with me now, you got Willkie and Joy here now. We get Joy to sing a couple of songs at gigs, and both get involved. It feels a lot looser – but in a good way. But I don’t think there will be any projects in the future with The Library as the concept of it just disintegrated more or less. But those days were great, I mean me, Wilkie and Joy got started in my living room, you know. The usual “put the kettle on” banter. Joy would be on the steel pans, Wilkie on the drums, and I’d be on my piano in the living room. Such songs as ‘Too Late, Too Late’ were born in that type of setting.
Then Kanye came knocking I’m guessing? Hud: It wasn’t as simple as that. It wasn’t until two years down the line I get that phone call from Kanye and my whole world changed. I remember it being a cold rainy day in Manchester, I think I was coming back from someplace like Maccy D’s, trudging along back to the sound check. It was one of those days where you think “what am I doing with my life” you know? And to get that call from Kanye was a real boost, definitely. You’ve done such gigs as Glastonbury and V Festival with the Library. What was your favourite? Hud: Wow I don’t know. Any ideas guys? Wilkie: Best gig for me was in Cardiff when we had a stage invasion; some bird jumped on stage, run over to me and kissed me while I was playing the drums. Hud: Gave her the cheeky wink didn’t you son. *All Laugh* But the small gigs are the best, I mean when you play at big gigs like Glasto, it is an honour. But when there’s only 200 people, you can make eye contact with basically all of them; it’s got that personal edge to it. Big fan of the Student scene then? Hud: Yeah man it’s a brilliant crowd, I mean Christmas is around the corner, you’re all spending the last of your loans – so money is tight but you all manage to still make it out no questions asked! Brilliant crowd. Speaking of Glastonbury, it has been stated now that U2 are headlining the gig next year, have you got any speculations at all? Hud: Hmm, wow really U2? I reckon Kanye would do a good job to be honest. For me though I would love to see Bowie up there, for me that would be amazing. On that note, who would be your ideal collaboration? Hud: Bowie, without a shadow of a doubt! He is my hero, I know they say don’t meet your heroes but I would still love to. When I was 15 a guy in my school knew I was into music and he put a copy of Ziggy Stardust in my hand and said “if you lose it…I’ll kill
you” *laughs* …didn’t say anything else, he didn’t even say listen to this, he just walked off. So I knew I had to give this a proper listen as it seems really important. And just fell in love with it. Listened to it on my ghetto blaster until the batteries ran out. Do you see yourself becoming the new Bowie then? Hud: Well that’s the thing, if I could be a tenth of what Bowie is I would be happy. I mean you’ve got Michael Jackson, Beatles, Bowie, it’s pretty tough competing with these guys, I mean any other rock band coming out now are not going to have a patch on Led Zeppelin. Exactly - someone always gets called the new Beatles or the new Jacko, without being allowed their own unique edge. Hud: The new Jedward will be a good one *all laugh*. Speaking of X-factor, what’s your view of singers who attempt fame through these means? Hud: Well in the words of Alan Shearer “talent will out,” let them have their 15 minutes or so. But hats off to the likes of Will Young and Girls Aloud for going strong to this day, and doing something slightly different than the rest, and they’ll still be here for a few more years to come. We hear you are also quite partial to graffiti art, you must know of Banksy’s work then? Hud: I do know of him just never met the guy, Bristol he’s from right? I’m not a great artist but it’s a hobby I’m working on, it’s great fun. Ok Mr. H thanks for your time you’ve been amazing. Hud: It’s all cool no worries. You going to hang ‘round for a bit? Yeah no worries. Hud: Awesome well help yourself to the fridge before you leave, grab and go lads grab and go! Haha! Cheers Ben
18 FRONT - MUSIC
WATERFRONT 184 - 30/11/09
MAKING Elliot Minor WAVES IN - THE Kid with WALES Trainers!
Reporter Mike Mantin gives us his opinion on upcoming Welsh bands that are set to make a splash in the Welsh music scene next year. Wales already has its fair share of topnotch musical exports - from the antiBritpop of the Manics and the Furries to leftfield rock like Mclusky and Los Campesinos! - but there’s plenty of intriguing new bands springing up all over the country. Yr Ods Welsh-speaking newcomers Yr Ods take their cues from ‘60s psychedelia, fusing it with modern indie-rock in a way reminscent of Super Furry Animals. Their pop hooks are to die for, and their live show (complete with Welsh stage banter) is all multiple synths and group harmonies. And though they’ve only posted one recorded song on Mypsace slow jam ‘The City’s Heart Is Burning’ - it’s a winner, with Bowie-esque vocals and a stupidly catchy synth line. http://www.myspace.com/yrods Future Of The Left This Cardiff trio formed from the ashes of the hugely revered and sadly missed Mclusky, nicking the bassist from Southampton math-rockers Jarcrew while they were at it. They retained all of mclusky’s relentless, bile-spewing punk-rock attitude, but lending it an extra touch of musical sophistication. Their second album ‘Travels With Myself And Another’ is a masterpiece in mouthiness:
sometimes noisy, sometimes hilarious and always, always exhilerating. http://www.myspace.com/futureoftheleft Talons Talons are a five-piece from Hereford who make punishingly loud instrumental rock in thrall to 65daysofstatic and other instrumental bands who eschew the classic quiet-loud-quiet post-rock template in favour of something more urgent. They’re are all hugely talented musicians and weave some excellent guitarwork into the noise. When they rarely calm down, they reveal their delicate violin lines and pretty melodies. A force to be reckoned with, and they’re only about to release their first single. http://www.myspace.com/gotalons Them Squirrels A true find at recent the Cardiff bash Swn Festival, Them Squirrels impress with their ability to invent and confuse. Their live show is packed with vocal quirks, like chopping up samples of themselves whooping and sucking their microphones and opening a song with the drummer repeatedly slapping his mouth, sometimes recalling the impact Wild Beasts’ eccentricism first made. They’re worth keeping an eye on, especially since they’re bound to reach their potential to match their creative energy with some truly great tunes soon. http://www.myspace.com/themsquirrels
Reporter Sophie Evans got intimate with rock band Elliot Minor, talking to the band about seaside boat touring, welsh accents, and the TRUE story behind their name. Outside Sin City, we meet with the bands manager, who takes us upstairs where they’re sound checking. Standing next to the bar I secretly wish for a drink to steady the nerves, but before I knew - it was time to introduce ourselves. After a quick handshake, front man Alex Davies and guitarist Ed Hetherton whisked us away to the tour bus for a natter. Walking past the queue of people outside and onto the bus I must admit I was feeling smug, and rather like a rock star! After getting over the initial “wow” we settled into the bus and got down to business, and it seems the boys love us grubby students, Alex: “They’re [student crowds] usually the better shows I think.” Ed: “I mean you guys [in Swansea] are nutters! I remember that [show] being a good one!” Alex: “Really cheap drinks as well so I think we might be staying round for a bit afterwards!” After chatting for a little while it’s clear these are really cool guys and also rather hilarious so it started to feel less terrifying; quizzing Alex and Ed about their own experiences of being star struck, having toured with the likes of Fall Out Boy
Alex: “We played a one-off show with those guys, I remember Patrick just walking round before we went on singing show tunes, literally like Broadway musicals so that was pretty surreal!” The band then divulged their own backstage habits, a memorable occasion for Ed when he covered the whole interior of the tour bus in Marmite, we hear the cleanup was expensive! We then talked more about living on the bus, where the guys tell us how the motion of it moving sends them to sleep... aww! This is when we got onto the topic of boats, bringing about an interesting idea. Ed: “Thinking about it, I’d love to do like a Seaside Tour but on a boat. You go round the coast, and pull in to all kinds of places.” I for one look forward to it! Next it was time to find out something I had personally always wondered, where the name ‘Elliot Minor’ came from Alex: “The true story is, you know Elliot of Scrubs? Yeah, it’s her, just random you know. Elliot Minor doesn’t quite... does that sound like a superhero? I think it sounds like a kid, a kid wearing trainers [laughs]” Ed: “I don’t know because the only
Elliot I ever knew was a complete t**t so [laughs] it ruins it a bit for me. A lot of people still think its one guy; they think Alex is called Elliot... the kid with trainers!” For the next few comical moments we mess around with accent impersonation. And it’s revealed that Alex is a huge fan of the welsh accent... he thinks I sound like Stacey from Gavin and Stacey and even does his best to say “Llanfair pwllgwyngyll gogerych wyrndrobw llllantysilio gogogoch”. He sounds more Scottish than Welsh but still, good effort! Unfortunately we had to say our goodbyes and headed on up to the show where the band opened with ‘Shiver’, Ed’s personal favorite, followed by the rest of the new album, which Alex described as less pop-punk and “harry potter-esque”, and more classic rock. Towards the end comes the moment everyone’s been waiting for when we hear the familiar intro of ‘Parallel Worlds’ and all go nuts. When the sets over Elliot Minor received an amazing cheer, and it’s no doubt their next visit is eagerly awaited. I for one have had a top night, and now my very own claim to fame!
‘A’ IS FOR ASH!
Reporter Ben Price reviewed the night at the ‘S’ gig of Ash’s Alphabet tour at Sincity. format; instead deciding to release a the doors to open, I jumped at the warm up act for the night’s headliners. From Mars’ and ‘Burn Baby Burn’, to Through the wet and windswept streets of Swansea, I made my way to Sincity in the hope of catching an interview with Northern Irish Rockers, Ash, at their performance that night. Recently the band have been through a lot; they have gained and lost a member, won an Ivor Novello Award, almost become bankrupt, split from their long term record label and taken the bold move to drop the traditional album
series of one off singles. This current tour also represents something a bit different from the norm. The A-Z Tour does exactly what it says on the tin, with the band playing each of the 26 gigs in alphabetical order, starting in Aldershot and finishing in Zennor. The A-Z series is also the medium in which the band has begun to release its series of 26 singles. While waiting outside for
opportunity to request a possible interview with the band from the event promoter, but sadly the band were unable to offer an interview that night. Slightly disappointed, I made my way inside, deciding just to enjoy the music instead. In support of Ash was their Northern Irish brethren, Panama Kings, who, with a blend of indie rock and electro synth undertones, were a perfect
By the time Ash ascended to the stage, amidst a solitary white light and what seemed to have been the soundtrack from a space mission, the place was quite literally packed. Despite tickets not being sold out at the start of the night, but by the time Ash began their first song it seemed as though they had. With a set that featured the old and new, there was something for everybody, from hits such as ‘Girl
the lesser know tracks, ‘Punk Boy’ (a cover from Swansea’s own Helen Love) and ‘Kung Fu’, which really seemed to get the hardcore fanbase pumped up. Overall, Ash gave a great display of the professionalism and music that has kept them in the business for over 15 years, and although not being a huge fan myself, I had a great night and would definitely see them again given the opportunity.
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FRONT - MUSIC 19
MIXTAPE
This week, SU Societies and Services Officer Raechel Mattey gives us her top 10 tracks at the moment. Hi it’s Raechel here, your Student Union Societies and Services officer! If your interesting in joining or setting up a new society, have any suggestions for the SU facilities and services or just want a friendly chat - I’m the girl to see! Pop up to my office which is level 3 of Union House! Now down to the music - here is my mixtape with old and new anthems that represent me! Lady Gaga - Just Dance Having been heavily involved with the dance society during my time at Uni, this is the dance anthem that gets us all on the dance floor and reminds us of society madness we have had! Kings of Leon - Use Somebody The Kings have quickly turned into legends of the music scene with many memorable anthems! This is one of my favourite songs ever and guaranteed to get everyone singing along!
Jason Derulo - Whatcha Say One of the newer songs on my mixtape. I love the sample from Imogen Heap making it not a bad song that will guarantee to get you dancing along! John Mayor - Free Falling For the days when I actually don’t want to dance about - this man does it for me. Such a beautiful mellowed song that is great to chill out to! The Script - The Man Who Can’t Be Moved I love the Script they are one of my favourite bands and so easy to listen to! This is one of my favourites off the new album!
Even though it’s a cringy song that annoys a lot of people it reminds me of how I have truly amazing friends who supported me through one of the best weeks I’ve had at Uni! Not sure what song will top it for next year’s campaign!
David Guetta - Sexy Chick
Sidney Samson - Riverside
Journey - Don’t Stop Believing
Ok this song is a bit mental and it does cause crazy dancing - especially around Oceana this term! The rule is dance like a complete idiot for 3 minutes! DONE! Make sure you dance along to them performing at the SU Snowball in Oceana!
I thought a nice bit of cheesy rock is the best way to end my mixtape - as this is one of the regular songs at Divas and reminds me of Uni in general! Divas is a must be for weekends and holds some of best memories (drunken ones especially!)
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
Check out Raechel’s Mixtape on: www.xtremeradio.org in the near future
Definitely must listen to this band too many good songs to choose from but this one top’s it! Great for days when you’re in a reflective mood.
S Club 7 - Reach for the Stars Or ‘Raech for the stars’ as it was better known during campaign week this year.
This is dedicated to my favourite person Michaela and house 9 girls. One song that will guarantee us on the dance floor - yes there is a bit of a trend here we like songs we can dance to ha!
REVIEWS
Our harsh critical reporters review this weeks upcoming singles and albums.
Weezer - Raditude
Elliot Minor – Solaris
‘Raditude’ is universally known as the album where Weezer started hating their own fans. You just have to glance at the song titles ‘The Girl Got Hot’, ‘I’m Your Daddy’ and ‘Can’t Stop Partying’ to realise this is one big wind-up. This is their take on Lou Reed’s famous two-finger-salute to his record label ‘Metal Machine Music’; only instead of impenetrable noise we have identikit frat-boy anthems. The nerdy charm which previously defined them seemed to have died; with the occasional track on teenage awkwardness, such as single ‘(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To’, but that’s pretty much the only redeeming feature. The rest is a wasteland of overproduction, unconvincing declarations of fun and, to top it all off, a Lil Wayne cameo. Snigger at the artwork and then leave it on the shelf to gather dust.
It’s difficult to define whether Elliot Minor are in fact Rock or Pop. It’s even more difficult when you realise that they haven’t ditched their Classical origins; fusing all three genre’s to create something new. In turn, I’ve coined the turn ‘Prockical’. Will in catch on? I doubt it. None the less, what we have here is the sophomore album from a band that in the past two years have achieved a debut top ten album and sold over 125,000 singles. I’m unsure whether ‘Solaris’ will be able to match their self titled debut album, but it has a decent chance. My personal highlights from the album are the diverse ‘Shiver’, which mixes all three elements of rock, pop and classical music to create a very passionate track. New single ‘Electric High’ is an impressive single that hooks you with the opening guitar riff and just runs with things from there, which pretty much sums up the entire album. It’s not the best work that a band will ever put out, but for a sophomore album, it’s a good sign for what’s to come from this young band.
2/10
8/10
Mike Mantin
Dale Williams
Alice in Chains – Your Decision
Mini Viva – I Wish
No-one knew exactly what the expectations were for Alice in Chains with their first material since 1996. Between the long wait, the (sadly necessary) replacement of their frontman Layne Staley and the fact they weren’t even the biggest of bands in a nowdefunct genre, it would seem that AiC were a relic of the grunge heyday. Yet it came as a shock that they still sounded the same as they did 13 years ago. Vocalist William DuVall takes over from Staley, and fills his shoes well, providing a clear lead to the simplistic lyrics written for the song. This song comes out of the more acoustic range of AiC’s catalogue, and that probably makes it more radio-friendly than their heavier efforts, though the grunge streak that gave them comparisons to Nirvana and Pearl Jam are still there. Alice in Chains were never anyone’s first choice of band, but ‘Your Decision’ proves that even after 13 years, they still have a relevant place in the business.
Mini Viva. Hmmm....Where to start. After wasting 3 minutes and 54 seconds of my life listening to their second single from their debut album ‘I wish’, makes me wish this single never crossed my path. The vocals are amateur and can only be described as grating. It is clear to see why Britt has the nickname Mini, from Minnie Mouse. Admittedly one can sing better than the other, but that isn’t even much of a compliment. The lyrics are not even standard English, with such horrific lyrics as “I now wished that ‘us’ away,” and the beat is shockingly cheesy. When Q Magazine called them “very pop,” I can only think that they must have misspelt the word ‘poor’. The girls apparently want to invite us into their universe. Well no thank you, I don’t plan on being certified just yet...
6/10
7/10
2/10
Dale Williams
Sam Loveless
Sam Tattam
Bowling for Soup – Sorry for Partyin’
Don’t be fooled by the title of this album, Bowling for Soup aren’t sorry for anything. This is actually Bowling for Soup’s seventh studio album, and as a band that have sold millions of albums worldwide during their career to date, you’d expect them to start growing up and to have matured as a band. No such luck here, as opening track ‘A Really Cool Dance Song’ proves, poking fun at the popularity of dance songs right now with an actually entertaining rhythm. ‘Only Young’ and ‘Me With No You’ show the band can diversify at times, while the single ‘My Wena’ is the band at their childish best. The biggest problem with ‘Sorry for Partyin’’ is that it’s more of the same from a band who seem to still think they’re teenagers. For diehard fans that will likely be a good thing, but it’s unlikely to impress music critics or new potential fans. Whether this is an album for you depends on whether you like songs that is simply interested in only having a good time – personally, that’s exactly what music is all about.
22 Fashion
fashion
fashionfashionfashionfashion MacDonald gets patriotic By Amy Sheridan
Merthyr born designer, Julien McDonald has created a new line of handbags for Debenhams baring the Welsh dragon. Julien McDonald, the man behind the outfits of Cheryl Cole every Saturday night on the X Factor, has taken inspiration from the latest craze of the Union Jack adorning items of clothing instead gearing it towards the fiercely patriotic Welsh, gaining the thumbs up of Cheryl in the process. “Cheryl loved them. She said the bags have got the X Factor,” he said. Julien masterminded the outfit that saw Cheryl perform her new single for the X factor and also dresses her for the live shows. With many watching the X factor and commenting on Cheryls outfits and an already successful line in Debenhams; ‘Star,’ Julien hopes to continue his success with his new handbags. Julien wants to make the line bigger by creating a different piece of clothing with the Welsh Dragon on every year. Launching ‘Welsh Dragon’ with a clutch, a handbag and a purse, 10% of the profits will go straight to Breast
HOT New Moon
The most anticipated film of the year, with the fittest men ever to grace the screen! Question is are you team Edward or Jacob?
Cancer Care. The launch of these bags coincides with the rugby season, with hopes that the bags will be in attendance for all games and may even in time become as essential a clothing item as a rugby shirt is for all Welsh games be it rugby or football.
fashionfashionfashionfashi
CALLING ALL MENS ATTENTION! By Amy Sheridan
Have you ever wondered what the ladies in your life are doing in the long drawn out routine that is getting ready? I’ve compiled a stage by stage explanation of what is going on inside a girls bedroom. Please bear in mind that more often than not, a lot of these stages require advice from female friends, drink and a lot of gossiping! Maybe now you’ll understand. Stage 1, Shower Includes washing wanted hair, shaving unwanted hair and exfoliating body. Could take a while! Stage 2, Moisturise This means face and body especially if the next step is to be put into action. Stage 3, Tanning Almost every single girl would admit that their confidence is increased with a tan on a night out. For a student, a bottle of the fake stuff is a lot cheaper than the flights and accommodation to the beach; unless you’re lucky enough to have a natural colour. Stage 4, Hair There’s some debate on whether this should be done before make up. Personally I prefer before so that any surplus moisture doesn’t ruin the effect. This stage partakes in the drying and styling of hair. Styling including curling, straightening and putting into an elaborate ‘updo.’
NOT Weather
It’s miserable and depressing and makes choosing an outfit that much harder. Bring on summer!
Shorts and Flip Flops
It’s raining and it’s windy. Blue toes and pasty legs really don’t go with the summer look!
Stage 5, Make up. Ready? Foundation, bronzer, blusher, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick/lipgloss. (Time should be allowed for mistakes and re-application before a foot is stepped out of the door.) For some ladies make up will also include nail varnish of the hand and or foot variety. Stage 6, Outfit Some prepared girls may have already chosen their outfit earlier on, however there will almost always be some worry over chosen outfit. Be warned men, this also includes jewellery, handbags, outerwear and most importantly of all shoes. I hope that I’ve educated and explained what your lady friends are doing spending so much time locked in whilst you’re pre-drinking or playing fifa 10. Perhaps next time your girlfriend, housemate, sister, even mum walks out of the room ready for a night out you’ll appreciate the effort and compliment them! P.s Any preperations, PG only, for men that are sent in will be gratefully received and happily printed.
X Factor
Essential viewing for a Saturday and Sunday night, with Cheryl and Dannis outfits getting as much criticism as the contestants and their performances!
Deadlines Winter Wonderland
This event coupled with the Coke advert is how we all know that Christmas is in our midst. Time to dig out the scarves, hats and gloves. Instead of ‘busting the moves’ on oceanas dance floor, try the ice rink!
waterfront 184 - 30/11/09
It’s coming to the end of the term and the time is approaching for the assignments and essays to be handed in! Rubbish!
If you would like to write for the Waterfront Fashion Section please e-mail the fashion team; waterfront. fashion@hotmail. co.uk
Tom ‘Topman’ England History- 3rd Year Jumper- Topman £15 T-shirt- Topman £4 Belt- Topman £12 Jeans- River Island £25 Shoes- Topman £14 Bag- Topman £15
Swansea Students
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Fashion 23
onfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashion Hangover... Not Anymore!
Look curvylicous this Christmas By Jaye Turpin
Still want to look good for Christmas even though you’re not the usual ‘stick insect’, well choices are slim for the perfect party dress for those with an ‘hourglass figure’. As many curvy women are aware choosing the perfect party dress that hides all the ‘lumps’ & ‘bumps’ can be murder, especially with the lack of shopping options, especially on a student budget. In Swansea there are only a handful of shops that offer the option for curvy women to look glamorous at Christmas without losing their dignity by trying to squeeze into a dress. One of the first options is the beloved New Look with the Inspire section, this section although quite small is perfect for a student budget especially with a 10% off for all student card holders. Although pickings can be quite slim, if you dig deep enough you are almost sure to find something to make you feel sexy and glamorous especially in the festive party season.
By Jaye Turpin
If you’re looking to spend a little more on the perfect party dress then Evans is your shop, with dresses a little more pricey than those of New Look, you can still find a drop dead gorgeous dress to make a statement this Christmas. This shop is dedicated to those women with curves like Beyonce and the iconic Marilyn Monroe. With a much larger selection from sexy frocks to sophisticated skirts finding a part outfit will be as easy as learning your ABC’s. However if you really want to splash the cash this season and have been saving for the perfect dress this Christmas, then Monsoon is your shop. With dresses being quite pricey you are sure to find that dress full of sophistication and class. This shop is not for the faint hearted, you are sure to fall in love with many, many, many dresses but be aware of the price tag, because they will cost you.
Tip of the week... Did you know.... To stop your fingers and wrists from going green after wearing cheap jewellery, paint it with clear nail varnish before use.
do it in style
Do you ever wish you didn’t have that shot or drink? Or stuck to your idea of having a quiet night?
Black one shoulder with Gold belt: Monsoon £150 Black sparkly tunic: Evans £55 Purple cocktail dress: New Look £18
Shoe of the week Perfect for the festive season whether you’re hitting the clubs or dining out for Christmas. Could also make an appearence for New Year!
Getting into trouble for missing lectures from being too hungover from the night before? Has 1 drink turned into 1 too many? Dreading the hangovers over the festive period? Well here are some tips to beat the cruelest of hangovers……. Ever used the excuse that you can’t remember anything from the previous night due to your alcohol intake? Well this excuse can be used no more…. Before you have consumed any alcohol eat a big meal, in particular a bowl of Pasta, as it can slightly slow the absorption of alcohol into your stomach and can therefore help ease the dreaded ‘morning after’ feeling.
While I am afraid time cannot be rewound, here’s a way to help you out of your ‘slump’. Have a large greasy fried breakfast (bacon eggs sausages beans etc) and don’t feel guilty. This is the one excuse where you’re allowed to ‘pig out’! Whether you cook it at home or go to your nearest café be sure to surrender to the power of the grease.
Used the expression ‘never drinking again’? Well our next tip is exactly that…. Drinking again. This is not for the faint hearted but I’m sure you have all heard of it, ‘Hair of the dog’. Having a glass of the tipple you drank the night before is said to help bring you back to life……
£36 www.very.co.uk
Celebrity Corner...Mr Hudson! Whilst in Oceana Swansea last Monday evening, Mr. Hudson showed The Waterfront his new jacket exclusively designed for him by Kim Jones, the creative director of Dunhill. He praised Jones describing him as ‘fresh and gutsy,’ and proved it by showing the lining of his mac, a 19th Century London A-Z. Waterfront Fashion hopes to chat clothes, style and more with a celebrity each edition.
Sarah Law- 1st year Dress and scarf bought on holiday in Portugal Cardigan- Gap £16 Leggings- Topshop £18 Uggs- Uggs Online £111
Mr Hudson: I never get lost when I wear this jacket
Waterfront 184 - 30/11/2009
24 FIlm
WaterfrontFilm
Jingle bells!!
Everyone’s excited (or scared) that Christmas is right around the corner. So now we consider what films are best to get into the Yuletide spirit! The Santa Clause
Bad Santa
Tim Allen plays single dad Scott Calvin, who, after putting on Santa’s suit, winds up contractually bound to be Santa Clause. Scott and his son, Charlie, find Rudolph and friends, deliver presents and finally stop by the North Pole. Head elf, Bernard, shows Scott a business card in the suit which states that whoever wears the suit after the death of the previous Santa, will become Santa - this is the Santa clause! Scott is given until the next Thanksgiving to get used to the idea of being Santa. In the process, he develops a taste for Christmas treats, puts on a little holiday weight, grows a beard and his hair even whitens. This is the perfect film to watch with children; it’s got giggles and plenty of entertainment for the grown-ups too! BH
Our ‘Bad Santa’ Willie (Billy Bob Thornton), and midget henchman Marcus, aka Tony Cox; set out a heist mission, plotting to raid the safe of the malls where they are working dressed as the local Santa and elf duo. Inevitably, in the true spirit of the twisted version of Christmas, their plans are foiled by a beautiful lady and an endearing child. Or in this case, a tubby and annoying trade in. Either way, they discover the importance of love, friendship and the meaning of Christmas. Quite the achievement really, considering the fact that it was hailed the most profanity ridden Christmas film of all time. Weighing in at a hefty 243 swearwords. Billy Bob Thornton also admitted to be genuinely inebriated throughout the film, which makes some of the revolting improvised lines emanating from the boozy man in a Christmas get-up all the more originally funny. RB
Home Alone Home Alone is a timeless Christmas classic that tells the story of Kevin McAllister (Culkin), an eight year old boy left at home after his parents leave for a vacation in Paris over Christmas. Kevin, realizing he is alone begins to fully enjoy his new found freedom until he learns of an impending robbery on his house by two robbers; Marv and Harry. Kevin sets about protecting his house with a series of booby traps that lead to hilarious comedic moments. Home Alone is a heart-warming Christmas story that delivers genuine comedy and leaves you with a true festive feeling. SB
Love Actually Love Actually is the 2003 offering from Mr Richard Curtis, screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director extraordinaire.The film tells the stories of ten loosely connected lives in the runup to Christmas. The new Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) falls for ditsy catering girl (Martine McCutcheon). His sister is played by Emma Thompson, who’s husband (Alan Rickman) maybe having an affair with his secretary. Her friend (Liam Neeson) who is desperately trying to come to terms with the loss of his wife and connect with his stepson (Thomas Sangster) who is longing
for a girl in school. Joined by a writer (Colin Firth) recovering from being cheated on in France, a newlywed couple (Chiwetel Ejiofor and Keira Knightley), and washed up rock star (Bill Nighy) looking for a second chance this is a great feel good film that’s perfect to watch, cry and laugh with. MB
The Muppet Christmas Carol Personally my favourite Christmas film of all time, The Muppet Christmas Carol is filled with unlikely excellence. Michael Caine delivers one of his finest performances as Scrooge, stealing the show entirely from the eponymous Muppets. This is the perfect Christmas film for people of all ages to enjoy, funny without being crude, emotive without being obvious and in places chilling with puppet related special effects. This is a strange interpretation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in which Gonzo plays Dickens himself, telling the story as we see it unfolding in a series of outstanding performances from actors and puppeteers alike. Though the characters are far too likely to burst into spontaneously outrageous fits of singing, this film manages to maintain the dignity and pathos of a hundred year old novel. This is the perfect Christmas film; and definitely better than any of Tim Allen’s attempts. NC
Miracle on 34th Street Good news kids, Santa is already in town, in Cole’s department store- right at the heart of Manhattan! And he is “the real thing”: genuine beard, naively
kind and generous, though a little impulsive... especially when other Saint Nick impersonators try to sabotage him. Attenborough’s character is sweet, but also melancholic, challenging everyones bitter associations of Christmas: from the embittered Dorey and her sceptical daughter, to profit driven CEO’s. But when the latters question his mental faculties and the old Kris Kringle faces trial, the whole city defends him. The film touches everyone’s soft side, but apart from altruism, kindness and togetherness, it is rather an epitome of the American dream. The film is also impressive in an aesthetic way, through the wonderful decor and the classical beauty of the actors. GA
How the Christmas
Grinch
Stole
Let’s admit it: wicked characters are the heart and soul of Christmas films. And if the bad character is also a recluse, like the long line of cinematographic Scrooges, has green skin and is awfully hairy, then we have a “Grinch” case here. A what? A conspicuous“What”, different from the rest of Whoville’s inhabitants. The Grinch’s bitterness however, stems from other people’s shallowness in regarding Christmas just as a celebration of commercialism. Exiling himself in the outskirts of Whoville, the Grinch can only scoff at its inhabitants, as he is unable of any profoundly evil deed. Also searching beyond the blatant materialism is the little Cindy Lou Who, who sees a shadow of kindness in the Grinch’s heart. But when the green creature is humiliated again at a public festivity, he decides to steal Christmas. Will he manage it? GA
What About?
Elf Elf is the Christmas story about an orphan named Buddy, played hysterically by Will Ferrel, who grows up thinking he’s one of Santa’s Elves. Until one day, Buddy finds out that he is in fact a human and decides to journey across the North pole to a magical land called New York to find his father. This is the perfect family Christmas film as it promises timeless laughs, a romantic twist and an exhilarating snow ball fight! With a superb cast including James Caan and Bob Newhart, Elf isn’t just a film for children but big kids too; This film offers something for everyone (even if you’re a cotton headed ninnymuggins).
JT
By Bryony Hicks, Stephen Baldock, Rosie Bridge, Matthew Bambridge, Nick Copson, Jennifer Thomas and Georgiana Avram, all of whom still believe in Santa Clause!!
Ever noticed something about a film that intrigues, confuses or infuriates you? This week, Rhys Williams explains why he thinks films should never substitute substance for style. This month saw the release of 2012, an over the top CGI filled disaster movie which has seemingly scrapped any sense of traditional narrative in favor of attracting cinemagoers with expensive effects. CGI special effects have been around since the 1970’s, but there was limited technology, which meant that it was rarely used in favor of practical effects. Practical effects however proved to be expensive when used on larger scales, this meant that there was a large demand for new technologies to make the process of creating special effects cheaply and effectively, which in turn pushed for the advance of new technologies. In the last decade there has been a CGI revolution in Hollywood, with more and more films using CGI as a way of creating lavish set pieces, and stunts that would be too
expensive or dangerous to accomplish otherwise. Although CGI can work well when being used in small doses to create stunts or large scale explosions that would otherwise be impossible. I think that CGI is sometimes overused in films, for example in the film 2012 it seems as though half of the film exists not to engage audiences in a plot but instead make them marvel at the pretty CGI mayhem on screen. 2012 has also shown that CGI can prove to be very expensive with a large proportion of the budget going toward creating special effects, which then means that less money is spent on more important things, such as a scriptwriter with a reading age above that of a twelve year old, or a cast who can at least make an attempt to portray
characters with feeling. As more and more people are flocking to the cinema purely to see how good the CGI looks, it could mean that the future of plot driven cinema as we know it is in jeopardy, unless directors such as Roland “end of days” Emmerich stop using CGI to attract audiences and start creating films with actual narrative. Sadly this dream will not become a reality until us, the cinema going public stop handing over our hard earned cash to watch this mindless drivel, and choose films with more substance.
Front - Film 25
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New releases 2012
Law Abiding Citezin
Who’s in it: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Amanda Peet
Who’s in it: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney.
What it’s about: The film begins with American geologist Adrian Helmsley (Ejiofor), travelling to India where he discovers that solar flares are causing the temperature of the earth’s core to rapidly rise, causing an Apocalypse of Biblical proportions. What’s it like: This thoroughly flawed disaster film is the latest offering from Hollywood disaster director Roland Emmerich, who this time manages to combine a very silly script, over the top special effects and a questionable cast to create what is possibly the most spectacular two and half hours of cheese you will ever see committed to celluloid. Yes, this film may be pretty but that doesn’t save it from its very noticeable flaws, such as its overly long runtime (a life stealing 160 minutes) and a cast of characters who are seemingly without emotion. The area in which the film suffers most is the uneven pacing as the last hour and a half of the film drags itself along like a one legged Sloth. The films only saving grace, albeit short lived, is the sublimely funny ranting of Charlie Frost (Harrelson), an ageing radio host who predicts that the world is going to explode. This over the top, cheese ball of a film will leave you wondering where the last two and a half hours of your life went. Rhys Williams
Once again, Waterfront Film brings you the best and worst of this fortnight’s releases!!
The Men Who Stare At Goats Who’s in it: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey What’s it about: Heartbroken reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) heads to Iraq to cover the war, however en route meets with Special Forces agent, Lyn Cassidy (Clooney), who claims to have psychic powers, and leads him on his “secret mission”.
What it’s about: Law Abiding Citizen is the tale of Clyde Shelton (Butler), who’s wife and daughter were killed in front of his very eyes. The killer get’s off lightly and Shelton sets to revenge the criminals and the unfair justice system. What’s it like: Law Abiding Citizen is a traditional game of cat and mouse seen through the eyes of attorney Nick Rice – allowing for a few shocks on the way. Butler’s chilling performance occasionally brings reminders of Kevin Spacey in Se7en. In fairness to director F. Gary Gray, his past record doesn’t inspire confidence; with films such as Be Cool and The Italian Job, it may seem daunting. However, the direction here is subtle and understated; while the idea of someone administering their own brand of justice is not wholly original, Law Abiding Citizen manages to present it in a way which feels fresh and unpredictable, keeping its audience on the edge of their seats with jump-worthy moments and some gore and dark humour thrown in for good measure. While it may not be the most realistic film, it never aspires to be anything more than it is. Ultimately it’s forgettable, though enjoyable while it lasts.
What it’s like: First of all, the acting was top notch, as you’d expect from such a highly rated cast. Clooney delivers all his lines with the hilarious poker face and great comic timing, while McGregor follows him around with an accessible and engaging innocence, perfectly fitting to the overwhelming ridiculousness of the story he’s being lead through. The film is a lot calmer then some directors might have envisioned, with nothing particularly over the top or slapstick. The gags roll along with the film, rather then the film fitting itself around the gags, which ultimately creates an engaging charm which propels the film for about an hour. However, once this begins to wear off, and the history of the psychic soldiers is caught up to the present, it quickly becomes apparent that the film isn’t going anywhere, and so it meanders along for about twenty minutes without any real conviction or sense of purpose. This is basically what the film is about, applying hippy mentality into a cynical age. The film takes nothing seriously and is a feel good film in everyway, made obvious by the ridiculous closing shot which left me in gobsmacked stitches.
Andy WIlliams
Charles Gallery
After losing Johnny to the zombies, Barbara manages to escape to a decrepit yet fairly impenetrable house. She then meets up with Ben and the frightened refugees sheltering from the dead in the cellar. The rest of the film is based on the group barricading the house and doggedly surviving the – (cue thunder
What’s it about: The plot continues to follow teenage Bella Swan(Stuart) and her road to recovery after the love of her life, Vampire Edward Cullen (Pattenson) altruistically leaves her. As her friend, the gorgeous Jacob (Launter) helps her pick up the pieces the lines of their friendship begin to blur...That and he’s a werewolf. What’s it like: The fastest selling film of the year, “New Moon” is one of those film adaptation that manages to surpass the book it’s based on. It is a little different from “Twilight” (due to the change of director), but still brilliant. It will make you want to have sex, then go to cry and then to have sex again, especially with Taylor Lautner as a young sexy werewolf! The story gets more action than “Twilight” and that means more fighting which is always a good thing with vampires. Special thanks to Dakota Fanning for just being in the movie for 5 minutes. Surprisingly, she is perfect for a role of little, bitchy, sadistic vampire girl, Jane. Absolute hit for couples because love is the essence of this movie.
Victoria Boldycheva
Name: James Eugene Carrey
Great films that you should see that you may have never heard of.
The film starts off fairly incognito. One guy (Johnny). One girl (Barbara). The only slightly odd thing about this couple is that they they think picnicking in a graveyard at night is perfectly usual. Despite this odd attitude to courtship, the build up is so tacit that it is understandable to mistake this film as one we could all enjoy and reminisce about on the way back home. Significantly, this does not happen; in the next moment a dead person comes back to life.
Who’s in it: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Actor Profile - Jim Carrey
Hidden Gems With the recent release of the film Zombieland, alongside other recent zombie-horror classics such as 28 days later, it would be most appropriate to revisit one of the most influential horror films of all time, Night of the Living Dead.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Date of birth: 17th January 1962
Best known for: His over the top comedic style, including pulling bizarre faces, silly voices and flexible movements. These talents have gotten him roles in surreal comedies and lightning noises) Night of the Living such as The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. Recently he’s taken on more serious roles, such as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and The Dead! Number 23. However he is still a bin name in comedy, his most recent role being Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. The film was groundbreaking at the time as the extent of the explicit content and gore shown in the film Trivia: Even as a child, Carrey was had never been seen before, prompting destined to be a performer. By age age restrictions on films to come into ten, he had already sent of a résumé place the following month. It was also “The Carol Burnett show” and was the first film that cast a black actor in given a few minutes to perform to a starring role in a horror film. The his class mates in Junior High at director, George A. Romero (only 28 at the end of every day, to stop him the time of filming) also made headlines disrupting the class. However, his for the political undertones of the film, performance career nearly died culminating in the unexpected ending during his young adolescence when although you will have to watch it to his family were forced to relocate from their home town of Newmarket find out how. to Scarborough, where they all had So that’s Night of the Living Dead for to work in the Titan Wheels Factory and had to live out of a Volkswagen you, I’m off for a bite to eat (sorry.) camper van until they could return to Toronto.
Charles Gallery
26 FRONT - SOCIETIES
Waterfront 184 - 30/11/09
S E I T E I C O S
thewaterfront
Christmas Socials
Get Involved with as many as you can this festive season Christian Union Christmas Carol Concert Wednesday 2nd November- St Helens Stadium 7:00pm
Euro Ball Thursday 3rd December Oceana Swansea 7:00pm
There will be a short talk on the true meaning of Christmas with a performance from Swansea University Gospel Choir.
Christmas Ball for all Modern Languages and Erasmus Students! Hosted by the modern Languages Societies! Tickets available from the Box Office! For more information contact: spanishsociety@hotmail.co.uk
Free mince pies and hot choc!! Swansea_uni_cu@hotmail.co.uk
Shoreline Theatre Presents... “A Witch, A Wardrobe and a Baby Nigel” Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd December Divas 19:30pm
Humanities Xmas Dinner 4th December Dylan Thomas Centre, The Marina 19:30pm
December spells snow.... dark nights.... tinsel and turkey... and the SHORELINE PANTOMIME!!!!!
The History Society, Postgraduate History Society, Society of Ancient Studies, American Society, Politics & IR and War and Society invite you to the Humanities Winter Ball on the 4th of December!
With witches, Shakespearean fairies, flying monkeys, breakfast cereal and a odd twist on the Nativity Story... “A Witch, A Wardrobe and a Baby Nigel” is THE pantomime to see this year!!!
The night consists of an amazing three course meal in the beautiful period surroundings of the Dylan Thomas Centre in the Marina. The meal will be followed by music and entertainment!
For more information please contact uws_drama@hotmail.com
For more information and tickets contact: swanseahistorysociety@yahoo.co.uk
Geography Xmas Dinner Tuesday 1st December Marriott Hotel 7:30pm
Comedy Goldfish Xmas Show Tuesday 8th December Divas 8pm
The more stylist social of the year. Don’t miss out on fine food and drink with fellow course mates and guests, sure to be an evening to remember!
‘The Comedy Club have their Christmas Show on the 8th December in Divas at
For more information contact: Uwsgeography@hotmail.co.uk
For more information contact: comedyclub@live.co.uk
8pm, full of new festive sketches and great student stand up.’
www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
B EW
FRONT - SOCIETIES 27
s r e d r o B t u o h t i w s r e e n i g n E
So what is EWB? Engineers without Borders UK (EWB-UK) is an international development organisation that removers barriers to development through engineering. Their programmes provide opportunities for young people in the UK to learn about technologies role in tackling poverty. Supported by the EWB-UK community, Students can get involved in projects and actively contribute in making a difference to people’s lives around the world. For information on how the Swansea Branch is involved and what we are set to accomplish, take a look on our board which can be found just up the stairs from le café.
Next event
– Trip to the Center of alternative Technology, Machynlleth What is CAT: With the search for globally sustainable, whole and ecologically sound technologies, CAT is an internationally recognised educational center that explores and demonstrates a wide range of alternatives that addresses issues regarding human contribution to Climate change. Date: December 4th - 6th Cost: £30 (includes food, transport and accommodation for the whole weekend) Itinerary: Leave Friday evening from Swansea and spend the next two nights living in an eco-cabin with the rest of the group. Saturday will be spent at the CAT center with a range of organised practical demonstrations/activities on renewable technologies and minimising carbon emissions. Before heading back on Sunday afternoon, there will be a picnic lunch after a gentle climb up the Snowdon hills. For further information, please have a look on our board by le café.
Thinking of a career in teaching? Get a head start with EWB’s Outreach program
Our new ‘Outreach’ program Do you enjoy working with Children? Are you thinking about a career in teaching? Are looking for a commendable addition to your CV through volunteering? The Outreach programme is aimed to engage the younger generation in global development issues. The EWB-UK Outreach programmes involves student Volunteers visiting Schools to carry out interactive practical activities demonstrating simple technologies used in developing countries. There are a number of workshops aimed primarily for primary school children on topics such as; the importance of water sanitisation, adequate shelter and a basic introduction to alternative energy sources. All the resource material for the workshops has been provided by EWB-UK and no technical background is required. All it requires are fun, enthusiastic volunteers!
For further information take a look at: www.ewb-outreach.org.uk Please feel free to contact us if you would like to book a place on the CAT trip or would like to volunteer for Outreach: charlie.meggy@ewb-uk.org
Psychology Hi from Swansea University’s Psychology Society
Social Fun: Physchology members try their had at poker at the Las Vagas party
This year we are dedicated to providing our members with any support they need. As a committee we felt that our previous years lacked the support of a society and so this year decided to make a change. With special implementations set up, such as our ‘families’, we aim to give psychology students help whenever needed academically. Our families are grouped members in which are a mixture of freshers, second and third years, enabling essay guidance, handing down of texts and ways to meet new people on socials. The department is also particularly keen to be involved.
SOCIALS
Our first two socials have been a massive success; for a small society we were overwhelmed by our support. The children’s party saw an unusual twist on traditional drinking get-togethers with the inclusion of a clown magician Mr.-Ricks and various party games which blew people away. The glitter tattoos were a particular favourite amongst everyone. The second Las Vegas party with cocktails, casino tables, tarot readings and the fantastic hypnotist Hugh Lennon also gave people more than their money’s worth! Hugh’s show blew everyone away, when guests Kyle, Hannah and Felix performed the likes of the Spice Girls, Madonna, acted like seven year olds, trains, typewriters and were given glasses enabling them to see people naked!
CHRISTMAS PARTY
Members should look out for up and coming Formal Christmas Party information which will take place on the 7th December including stockings and wine for all, awards, entertainment and a festive buffet. Any information needed will be on our Facebook group, and tickets will be available from Ents. For a society that has literally started from scratch, this year is looking positive and exciting! The committee would like to thank all members who continue to support our hard work by coming to our socials. Mark Garvey shows us he does have a brain
Travel - TheParis City of Lights
28 FRONT - Travel
Waterfront 184 - 30/11/09
Paris attracts millions of visitors from all over the world each year and quite rightly as it boasts some of the most impressive architecture, artists and an atmospheric setting like no other city. Unfortunately people have already summed up the French thanks to the clichéd rumours of them being stylish, romantic, passionate and rude. The latter not always being true. While visiting Paris I never encountered one rude person, they were friendly and very proud. Knowing a little French can get you a long way and personally I think if you are visiting a country and do not speak the lingo it is common courtesy to at least learn the very basics. The Waterfront has put together the top 10 must-see, must-do so you can make the most of your trip:
Eiffel Tower
Of course no visit to Paris would be complete without visiting the Eiffel Tower, built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889; the Eiffel Tower is Paris’ most famous landmark. Go up to the top at sunset for the best view of the city. It costs around €12 to the top.
Shopping Musée de Louvre
This world-famous museum needs little introduction. Home to many famous works of art, the Louvre is hard to pass up. The best way is to map out the main works you want to see and make sure to visit them first. The museum is like a maze, so make sure you have lots of energy! Friday night is the best time to visit as it is free for students.
Seeing as you are in the fashion capital of the world, it would be rude not to explore the shopping potential of the Champs-Elysees. You will find boutique after boutique and even if you are strapped for cash you can experience window shopping like never before!
Musée de Louvre
This world-famous museum needs little introduction. Home to many famous works of art, the Louvre is hard to pass up. The best way is to map out the main works you want to see and make sure to visit them first. The museum is like a maze, so make sure you have lots of energy! Friday night is the best time to visit as it is free for students.
Latin Quarter
Situated on the left bank of the River Seine, the Latin Quarter is known for its lively atmosphere and bistros.
Notre Dame
Begun in 1163 and finished in 1345, this cathedral is a sight that cannot be missed. Its French Gothic Architecture features flying buttresses, portals surrounded by ornate carvings and many gargoyles on the roof.
Pigalle
This neighbourhood in Montmartre has long been an epicentre for sex shops, peep shows, strip clubs, cabarets and general adults-only, X-rated adventures. However it is also home to some of Paris’ most famous cabarets including the Moulin Rouge.
Arc de Triomphe
Its impressive form (164ft high, 148ft long and 72ft wide) stands at the end of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. Twelve streets branch out from it and if you climb its top will get an eyeful of Paris.
Basilique due Sacre-Coeur
Cheese (of course)
Charles de Gaulle famously commented that “You can unite the French only through fear. You cannot simply bring together a country that has over 265 kinds of cheese”. In fact, there are officially over 300 types of French cheese so for serious cheese-lovers, France is ultimate bliss!
Paris is a culturally vibrant city all year around, but visiting at this time of year with Christmas just around the corner is magical. The Travel Shop in Fulton House will be offering a weekend break in Paris from next semester for a great price! This includes 2 nights B&B and transportation. I went on the trip a few years ago and I had an awesome time, so be sure not to miss out!
Win Win Win with thewaterfront Every issue Rough Guides will be offering a lucky reader the chance to win a Rough Guide of their choice!
A stunning landmark in Montmatre neighbourhood, the 19th century basilica, built by the French Government is the second highest point in the city after the Eiffel Tower.
Q. What is the first country in the world to see in the New Year?
The Catacombs (Les Catacombs)
To enter please email your answers to 442296@swan.ac.uk. Good Luck!
This is a network of tunnels that were once the refuge of bandits and smugglers. Now these stone quarries are the burial place of millions of Parisian skeletons that are over 200 years old.
www.waterfront.co.uk
FRONT - Travel 29
Top New Years Eve Destinations
Stuck thinking of idea’s where to celebrate the New Year in style? Swap your local pub for a night to remember in one of the top 10 destinations to visit for New Years Eve.
Las Vegas, Nevada The playground for adults- renowned for casinos, clubs, hotels and non-stop partying, this Sin City certainly knows how to through a party to remember! Indoors, the hotels put on spectacular events from concerts to celebrity appearances. Outdoors, the strip is closed to traffic so everyone can join in the crazy street party and watch the grand fireworks display above the city’s neon lights.
Niagara Falls, Canada
Reykjavik, Iceland The Northernmost capital of the world certainly knows how to throw a good party during long, dark nights. So when a city has the motto: the colder the temperature, the hotter the party- you know New Years Eve is no exception. Remember to wrap up warm before heading out to the street party with the locals, to watch the fireworks and stand around a large Brenna (bonfire). Icelandic people really know how to party so be sure to head downtown to party the night away.
Cape town, South Africa
The Niagara Falls park commission organise the annual event, ‘Party in Niagara’. There are outdoor food and drink areas (fully licensed) and fireworks over the waterfalls throughout the night. The event is free and attracts around 30,000 visitors each year.
There are very few backdrops that are more impressive than the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain. Cape Town goes all out for New Years Eve from costumed dancers to painted faces. The Waterfront is full of rooftop parties, cocktail lounges, jazz clubs and restaurants. The Vortex Prism Rezonance Festival offers music from all genres including Drum ‘n Bass, Techno and Chill.
Prague, Czech Republic
Edinburgh, Scotland
Don’t be surprised as Prague bursts into an explosion of light and colour at midnight when the whole city starts setting off fireworks. Until then spend your evening in pubs or café’s lining your stomach with Guláš (popular dish among Czechs) before you start sampling some of the cheapest beer you will ever buy! Either head to the Old Town Square or Charles Bridge at the stroke of midnight for the firework festivities.
Hogmanay is a five day festival which culminates on New Years Eve. There is something for everyone from wild parties to parades and concerts to dog races, all leading up to the extravagant fireworks display at midnight. Dare to show your Scottish spirit and wear a kilt?
Paris, France
Barcelona’s año nuevo celebration includes plenty of drinking and non-stop partying. Start the night in a traditional Spanish style by having dinner with family and friends. At the stroke of midnight be sure to eat 12 individual grapes, which are believed to be a symbol of good luck for the New Year. Then do as the locals do: make your way out onto the streets of the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas to dance the night away in the clubs.
The city of lights has been described as a ‘mass of twinkling gems’ on New Years Eve. Most people flock to the Champs-Elysees at around 9pm, stocked up with bottles of champagne to start the celebrations. Head to the Arc de Triomphe at midnight, for the best view of the Eiffel Tower fireworks.
Austin - Texas, America Known for its ‘cool’ nightlife, Austin really pulls out the stops to celebrate New Years Eve in style! Its First Night Austin event offers everything from dance and theatre to food and fireworks at midnight. Congress Avenue is home to the Grand Procession, which includes a plethora of festivities. This year’s theme is ‘Illumination’, a true celebration to the arts.
Hey Guys! The past few weeks I have been concentrating on midterms as promised! So glad they are finally over and pre-thanksgiving planning/ celebrations can begin. I didn’t realise just how big-of-a-deal thanksgiving is to Americans.
Barcelona, Spain
Bangkok, Thailand In Thailand New Years Eve takes place three times, so you will be sure to have fun as Bangkok really knows how to bring the year in with a different style! The locals celebrate along with the western world on 31 December. The second New Years Eve is in mid-January when the Chinese celebrations begin in Chinatown in Bangkok. The third New Years Eve celebrations begin in April when the Songkran festival begins.
Zinny’s Diary
As we get the week off Uni, I have decided to go on a road trip to Las Vegas! My weeks have been pretty much filled up with planning the adventure, I’m so excited! Still finding the time to attend pint night- the weekly Thursday night gathering at different bars and clubs around the city. The nightlife is very different compared to Swansea and there is no equivalent to wind street. Nobody really does pub crawls, everyone tends to go to one place and stay there most of the night. But I’m enjoying experiencing how cultures differ. As this is my last diary of the year, I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New-year! I’m sure I will have lots to update you on in 2010! Until then...... Cheerio! Zinny
30 Culture - Xtreme Splash
Waterfront 184 - 30/11/09
www.xtremeradio.org
1431 AM
Splash Xtreme Host Student Radio Chart
Tom Upton and Mark Garvey presented the chart: Xtreme Radio’s answer to Mavrick and Goose
Last Sunday (22nd November), Xtreme Radio hosted the Student Radio Association (SRA) Chart. The SRA is a national body representing the student radio stations in the UK and each week the chart is hosted by a different university or college at 3pm every Sunday. Broadcast across the nation, Xtreme’s very own Joint Heads of Music (Mark Garvey and Tom Upton) presented a run-down of the top 20 most-played songs on student radio from that week. Not restricted to just the chart; the show included music news and gig guides. Hosting the SRA Chart is also a great opportunity for local bands to showcase their music as the location of the show changes each week, enabling listeners to hear music they may not necessarily come across otherwise. Llanelli-based band, Sierra Alpha, provided an exclusive track, ‘Loco’ when it was our turn ahead of their gig in Swansea. Being on the air across the UK was incredibly beneficial for implementing one of our aims of putting ourselves on the map and appealing to a wider audience. With this exposure, the station only hopes to build upon its popularity amongst the student body – and not only in Swansea! To see the chart in its entirety go to www.studentradiochart.com/chart
The Schedule
Get onboard with Xtreme Radio!
Get in touch! Email manager@xtremeradio.org
Experiencing the Student RAdio awards
Xtreme Radio bag 2nd place at SRA’s for best Technical Achievement - station engineer Brett Jenkins tells us all about the occassion On Tuesday the 24th November, I was lucky enough to have one of the best, even if a bit surreal, days of my life. I was nominated for Best Technical Achievement at the Student Radio Awards 2009 and therefore got invited to tour BBC Radio 1 and Global Radio’s studios, as well as an invite to the Student Radio Awards in the O2 Arena (Millennium Dome). After arriving in London, I went straight to Radio 1! So I get my guest pass, and wait outside, then I hear someone say “Excuse me” to the gaggle of other student nominees waiting, who should walk past but Fearne Cotton just after coming off the airwaves – everyday stuff. Then walking up the stairs I get passed by Al Murray, very surreal! When in Radio 1 we had talks about, how to get a job there, and stuff like that and a tour around the studios; it was awesome and we got to watch Greg James do some of his show, and were shown around by his producer, Neil Sloan! Followed by a tour around Chris Moyles’ studio, we even got mentioned by Greg James, while we were in the studio next door listening in! Then it was off to Global, for more of the same. Seeing their studios was also fantastic including tours of national stations Galaxy and XFM. Then it was time for the main event, the Awards, hosted by Scott Mills, Fearne Cotton and Greg James. Loads of famous faces were giving out awards, including Zoe Ball, Westwood, and Richard Park. Then my award came up… and I won Silver! Was very happy and chuffed to win, just beaten into second place overall by Falmer Universities student station. With the formalities over with it was time for the mash up! Global Radio vs BBC Radio 1. This was awesome! DJs represented both sides, with a bit of friendly banter thrown in! The likes of Scott Mills, Sacha Brooks, Greg James, Dave Pearce, Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq, all had a go, and by the end of the night, we were all slightly tired and emotional but really loving the music and having fun with all the other folk from student and national stations across the country. All in all a great night, Xtreme Radio will be pushing to go again next year! Big thanks to BBC Radio 1, Global Radio, the Student Radio Association and to everyone that I met last Tuesday!
www.waterfront.co.uk
Features 31
ADVICE
A Third Year perspective The first year is brilliant; you’ve left home and are starting to look after yourself, but also know that you can crank the heating to full and host a Hawaiian themed party with the windows open or rig up ‘REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT’ on your roof in thousands of twinkling lights, and still only pay a flat rate for rent including bills. I miss those days. Instead I’m sat at my desk contemplating accommodation issues facing first years, and realising I didn’t fair too well in the experience. I’m wearing the thickest fathomable coat and boots (seriously there must be at least twelve very cold sheep somewhere), yet I’m still wondering where my hat is, and even though all the windows are closed there’s a nice, ‘fresh’ breeze going through the room. We have a mouse called Barry that pops by, baby slugs in the bathroom (which are as yet unnamed), and even if we had the money to put the heating on it’d never get to my room in the leaky attic, as the pressure is always gone. Welcome to the joys of the private sector. So, students love living in squalor right? No..? True we’re not always the tidiest of beasts, but student landlords tend to exploit this by offering us run down properties and often not carrying out repairs unless you harass them constantly. If you opt for university managed accommodation you’ve got the piece of mind that if the place needs repairs you’ll be looked after, but this is also often more expensive than private landlords. While you’re viewing properties if any of the current tenants are there and you get a second away from the landlord’s ear, ask them what they really think of the house – hopefully they’ll let you know if there are any severe issues and give you the lowdown on your prospective neighbours. Even in student areas there are families and older residents, so where ever you decide on it’s a really good plan to knock a few doors and introduce yourself. If there’s more students then great you’ve got some extra drinking buddies, but if not take the chance to meet residents and make a good sober impression. Then when you have a party or come back a little noisily as occasionally may happen, they’ll be less likely to phone the police and council on you like my neighbours did. It’s really wise to check if there is an itinerary and not be naive like me in thinking that what you see is what you’ll get; when we moved in all the double beds had been replaced by singles. (Bar one, which I obviously shot gunned.) The best approach is a sceptical one; if the landlord agrees to or offers any improvements, as nice as he or she may seem get the changes signed into the contract. It’s also a really good idea to get the contract checked out by accommodation services, but if you’re reading it through yourself take some time over it. Most landlords will take a damage deposit and small print clauses could see your money disappearing. Other simple things I didn’t think about can really set you back, like whether the property has a phone line – if you want sky TV you’ll need one, and from experience you don’t want to get stuck with paying £150 to have one installed. It hurts. Being a student landlord is easy money, so especially in the current dwindling economy we should make them sweat a little for our hard earned debt. Mentioning that you’re bearing a few houses in mind and all the others have lower rent, or include water rates can’t do you any harm, and if it secures them tenants for the next year they’ll most likely at least consider it. If you’re looking at a typically flawed student house, one of the rooms is likely to be only substantial enough for a dwarf, so it’s worth seeing if that room can have a reduced rental charge. Last year an estate agent agreed to replace the beds with doubles and even offered us all free smoothies for when we signed. They want our money, so work it. As for the dreaded bills, after first year you not only have to budget for them but decide which company gets the pleasure of your custom. When it comes to budgeting and paying for bills, a joint house account might be the secret – if everyone puts in at the start of term when loans come through its done and out the way before you can miss it. But if you’re worried one lucky housemate might abscond with the loot or you’re trying to discourage people from being wasteful, pay-as-you-go electric makes you really conscious of how much you use. If you want to keep the bills down, using energy saving bulbs throughout the house can save up to 75% on energy bills. And avoid the tumble dryer – it’s the devil, and eats electric like I eat cake.
If distance isn’t an issue, you might consider looking in Mumbles too, with its seaside feel and numerous pubs and shops. Obviously it is further out from the university, but there are buses to and from the city centre. If (for some reason) you’re looking for the quiet life, you may find lettings here, although they will probably be pricier. The even more well off of you might even consider the marina, although I see this situation as being highly unlikely!
Truthfully I didn’t start looking for a new house until late March of my first year, and as a result am in a less than beautiful dwelling - where I’ve now stayed in third year through sheer laziness. If you like, see me as a warning to start looking for houses now, however, don’t get worked up if everyone else seems organised and you’re not. Though my house has its flaws its’ also pretty cheap, in a good location, and we didn’t pay a damage deposit so the end of year blowout will be epic. If you want to live in a house of seven or more then don’t hang about because they’re scarce, but if there’s just a few of you – yes it makes sense to start looking early, but there will still be rooms available even if you leave it until September, so long as you bear in mind that this may also mean sharing with a few free pets.
Kimberley de Selincourt
Other areas where you may find lettings include Sandfields, which is the area around the old football stadium (Vetch Field). However, the properties here tend to be smaller, so may be more appropriate for smaller groups. Right next to Brynmill and the beach, you will also be close to the shops on St. Helen’s road, and the Tesco’s superstore. There are also properties available in Mount Pleasant, where the Metropolitan University is based. Further away from the Singleton campus than the areas mentioned above, it is therefore closer to the city centre, and being on the side of a steep hill, some properties also have that desirable sea view… however, it’s your call if you’d rather have the longer walk to lectures! Being closer to the city centre might be more convenient if you have a job there, or if you’re an avid Swans or Ospreys supporter and regularly go to the Liberty Stadium. It could also save you on taxi fares on nights out… At the end of the day, in any of these areas you will never be far from food or drink! It’s worth looking in each area, as there is a wide range of accommodation available, all with their own good and not so good points, and of varying prices. As properties get snapped up, you may find you have to compromise. It’s worth considering how close you want to be to the university or the city centre, and the beach. Try and get a handful of viewings in, as then you will have a good idea of what’s on offer, and what suits you best. If the current habitants are around during your viewing, ask them what they think about the area! Wherever you end up, you’re likely to be around other students, close to the university, never far from shops and pubs; and it’s you’ll have the scenic walk across Singleton Park to your lectures to look forward to. Happy house-hunting!
Peter Golding
Photographs by Liz Cooley and Marc Holmes
www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
Careers Advice...
Ask Jan
Careers 33 Written by Careers Advisor Jan Binnie-Gordon
How to succeed at an Assessment Centre
Assessment Centres are increasingly used by employers as part of the recruitment process. Well done for getting this far – chances are you’ve successfully hurdled the barriers of application form and first interview and since Assessment Centres are very expensive to run it means that there’s lots about you that ‘they’ like. This is where you need to demonstrate your skills in front of a bunch of assessors and other candidates. Just like interviews, all Assessment Centres are different but the types of exercise involved are pretty similar. They can last from a half day to three full days. During each test, a group of observers will rate you on a range of set indicators using a prescribed performance scale. In advance of the assessment, you should receive a timetable of tests, location of rooms etc. Prior to each test, you will be given instructions describing the exercise, your role, timeframe, equipment etc. I suggest you take with you that will make tasks easier and faster. Personally, I’d take, coloured pens, pencil and rubber, highlighter, Post-it Notes, calculator and a watch!
The In Tray
This is where you work through the correspondence in your in-tray. The exercise measures your ability to draw out key information, act on it appropriately and deal with information overload. Some items will be far more important than others and the assessors are looking to see how you deal with these items. Always keep in your mind how much time you have in the scenario to deal with each item. You could for example, mark items which are urgent and important with a particular colour which will save time when sorting through them. Develop your own system for classifying items which is something that you can do using practice tests. This will save you time in the actual exercise and you can spend that time very profitably making more considered decisions. An In Tray could last for 3 hours and before you begin you will be provided with all the information you need to complete the exercise. Identify the key information. Who you are, your function, type of organisation, recipients & how they relate to you, date on the item in relation to that day, dates of meetings & deadlines. Don’t make any assumptions or try to read more into things than is actually there. You might be provided with a diary sheet and calendar - if not then create your own. Nothing very elaborate, a simple grid will do. You need to be able to see the days of the week and mark in significant appointments and actions. The information may be presented in a haphazard way, but you don’t want to be seen to work in a haphazard way. Using Post-Its to identify items and clearly annotating items will help you to keep things under control. Start by scanning through each of the items quickly and sort them into chronological order. At the same time, look for items which are interdependent or items which make a another item redundant. This is an important step as you don’t want to waste time with items which have been superseded. Consider putting items into three piles – Urgent, Important & Routine. Segregate them further by who is to deal with them – Myself, Delegate & File, or base it on a time frame – Next Hour, Today, Tomorrow & Later. Deal with diversions. I watched in horror when a candidate at a Tesco assessment went into total meltdown when she was interrupted for the third time for a spurious ‘emergency’ during her In Tray exercise. She told her ‘deputy’ that the old lady trapped in the revolving door would have to ‘wait until she was finished’. Watch out for fillers - attachments, brochures and reports included with an item, but don’t add anything. You’ll not have time so don’t be sidetracked. Assessors will be testing how easily diverted you are from important issues, so don’t fall into their trap. They will be watching how you manage your time and whether or not you spend time on key issues that have a significant impact on the organisation or become distracted with urgent, yet trivial items. You will be judged on how well you prioritise, your willingness and appropriateness to delegate and whether or not you set a deadline for the activity. During ‘justification’ (where you defend your decisions) any notes and prioritising methods (Post-Its, numbering) will enable you to be more efficient in your answers. Spend time at the end of the exercise to put all the items into order with notes and you’ll easily be able to refresh your memory. Be prepared to describe what strategies you used during the process and how you divided up the time allowed for the exercise. Offer a detailed explanation of how you arrived at your decision and the factors you used to make it.
The Presentation
You will be given a topic or a choice of topics and asked to make a presentation of around ten minutes with time for questions. This is designed to measure your presentation skills, your ability to organise and structure information and to communicate your points clearly.. These presentations are kept fairly short as the same assessors usually observe all of the candidates to ensure fairness. You will have made presentations as part of your degree but I’ll remind you of the basics. Research the topic carefully. Make sure that your sources are credible and up to date. Gather all the facts and put them into some kind of order. The best way to do this is to use cards. Write one fact on each card, spread them out and then sort them in the most appropriate order. Put the most important facts first and avoid trying to get too much information across in the limited time that you have. Structure your delivery to ensure that your ideas are well organized, logical and convincing. The best way to do this is to support each point that you want to get across with
just enough information, before moving on to the next point. Again, you can use cards for this. Write the ‘point’ at the top and summarize the supporting information underneath it. You should end up with between 5 and 10 cards for a ten minute presentation. Stay within the allocated time by rehearsing your delivery. There is no excuse for overrunning your time slot or for running out of material when you have been told how long your presentation should take. Speak naturally using cue cards to prompt you. Don’t read a pre-prepared script – it is not acceptable. Rehearse the whole thing at least three times. Speak clearly at a steady pace, keep eye contact with your audience and refer to your cue cards only when strictly necessary. At the end there will be questions. Think about the sort of things that might be asked and try to have some answers ready. If you don’t understand the question don’t be afraid to ask for clarification and if you don’t know the answer, then be honest. If the assessor disagrees with one of your points then you will be expected to defend your reasoning but remember to be polite and constructive.
The Group Discussion
Another Assessment Centre favourite is the Group Discussion Exercise which involves you working with the other candidates as part of a team to resolve a given issue. These exercises are designed to measure interpersonal skills such as group leadership, teamwork, negotiation, and group problem solving skills. Employers are looking for management skills, one of which is the ability to get the best out of your co-workers. Your social skills will be included in the assessment so listen to other people, be friendly and participate. Employers don’t usually want people who are withdrawn or those who are aggressively dominant. Try to forget the assessors, give your attention to the task and the group. You will be assessed on the quality of your contribution and how you relate to the other participants. You will be also assessed on your ideas, leadership, involvement and co-operation. Remember that your participation and reasoning is more important than the substance of your ideas and decisions. In summary then, in any group exercise be prepared to contribute ideas, listen actively, define objectives, plan solutions, create discussion and draw conclusions. In my experience as an observer candidates tend to forget the given time limit in a group exercise (so intent are they on making a good impression) so you get to score points by checking your watch and being the person who says “I’m conscious of the time so perhaps we should …….”
The Panel
Panel interviews are regarded as a more objective means of assessing your suitability as you will be interviewed by between three and five people and therefore the decision does not rely upon just one person’s opinion. They are usually more structured than a one-to-one interview as the panel need to assess all of the candidates against the same criteria. This may be either a panel or sometimes a series of interviews with different assessors. Interviews at this stage are likely to be more in-depth than those you experienced during the first stages of selection and could be with someone from the department to which you are applying or even with a potential future colleague. Questions may refer back to your first interview, or to aptitude test results. In addition, panel interviews are usually more structured than a one-to-one interview since all candidates need to be assessed against the same criteria. Prepare for a panel interview in the same way that you would prepare for a one-to-one interview, but remember to greet or at least acknowledge each panel member at the beginning of the interview. You should also look at all of the panel members when answering a question, whilst making the majority of the eye contact with the person who asked it.
The Role Play
A role play exercise allows the assessors to see if you can play the role that is necessary to address the situation they have created. Most role play exercises will involve you interacting with another person or group of people to resolve some issue. The role play scenario is likely to reflect the needs and concerns of the organisation. The exercise may require you to convince reluctant subordinates to accept a new idea for example. There are many ways to succeed at role play exercises but there are two vital points that you must keep in mind. Firstly, identify the ‘problem’ as soon as possible and secondly, use an approach with which you are comfortable. In many cases, you will be presented with one or more ‘symptoms’. This could be a customer complaint or an under-performing subordinate. You need to identify the underlying problem straightaway. Why is the customer complaining? Why is the member of staff under performing? Identifying the underlying problem is the essential first step to taking the necessary remedial action. It is also important to use an approach that you are comfortable with and that you feel will best accomplish the goals appropriate for that situation. Role play situations may call for a wide variety of approaches. The approach that you might use in dealing one-on-one with a poor performing subordinate may be wholly inappropriate for addressing a large group of upset customers. The important point is that you need to stay in control for the duration of the exercise – so don’t start something that you can’t finish. Final advice, keep calm. The assessment is designed to ‘test’ you so you are bound to get a little stressed just don’t lose it - like the graduate I watched at a Civil Service assessment whose solution to the tight corner he’d found himself in was to use up most of his available funds to pay a hitman to assassinate an opponent!
34 ADVICE
Point of View
WATERFRONT 184 - 30/11/09
With Samantha Louise
The secret to impressing this Christmas Though ‘tis the season to be jolly’, Christmas often evokes stress, panic and frustration when you’re unable to find the perfect present for someone. Luckily, I am a person who loves the task of finding a gift that ‘says it all’ and have, over years, picked up some tips and good websites to help my search. As my festive gift to you, I shall divulge: In my opinion, Christmas gifts outweigh anything you buy throughout the year and so I always adhere to a few simple rules:
Personalisation
Every gift I give at Christmas represents a part of that person’s personality and so if you’re stuck for ideas really think about what the person loves and take that as a theme. If that’s difficult for you to do then ANY gift can be improved by a means of making it special for them; think engraving, initials, names, dates- something that will make it more about them.
Gift Ideas:
If you still need a helping hand, why not consider these:
Different
I always go out of my way to find a gift that they never would have thought of, which always shows more thought. Instead of looking down your local high street, try and look in places that not many people go- that way the gift will be more unique. Push the boundaries and try something new.
Presentation
A gift isn’t complete without a good box, tissue paper, bows, string and a nice tag. Even if your present isn’t up to scratch, the wrapping will make it 100 times better.
My Favourite Sites for gifts: www.totally-funky.co.uk www.selectgifts.co.uk www.chargrilled.co.uk www.chocoletta.com www.swarovski.com www.presentsformen.co.uk www.gettingpersonal.co.uk www.zazzle.co.uk www.bagsoflove.co.uk
1) If your budget isn’t an issue, ‘experience’ gifts are great ways of providing something new and exciting that they’ll never forget; photo makeovers, rally car racing, paint balling etc. 2) If you like the idea of that but lack the funds, why not make a voucher for a day trip and plan a day together where you pay for tickets, transport and food. The voucher will still be something to present on Christmas day 3) Spa vouchers 4) Re-visit your childhood and get creative; home-made gifts say it from the heart. Think books, paintings, collages 5) Ebay has great things to offer without necessarily being second hand. You can chose the ‘new-with tags’ option and get great bargains on expensive clothes brands and original pieces 6) If you’re struggling to find a major present, buy an empty stocking and fill it with a few smaller gifts; they’re easier to find and may cut your costs but will still look impressive and provide fun when opening more than one. 7) Shops that always have great, original things whenever I visit are Attica in Swansea centre and the Love Spoon Gallery in Mumbles. 8) My secret weapon is using photos. They’re personal, individual, evoke memories and say more than anyone can. There are so many ways of turning photos into gifts and as well as Truprint, Boots and Tesco offer a quick service.
www.notonthehighstreet.com
letters
Dear Editor
This letter is regarding the grief I, and many others , have suffered as a result of the restricting hours allocated for people to use the pianos at the Taliesan Annexe. I was appalled when I went to play the piano to find that the rooms were not available to be used until six o’ clock that evening. There are many reasons why this arrangement is inappropriate and ignores the needs of the students. To begin with no student benefits from the two hours. It is particularly inconvenient for those who live off campus. The University is contradicting itself because it encourages students to go home in groups at a reasonable hour. How can this be achieved if the music rooms are only available after all the
lectures are finished? Those who are off campus or who are at the Student Village have to come back to university and leave at night. This means that students have a higher risk of being attacked than if they had returned home with everyone else in day light hours. Why should we be forced into this dilemma? This is clearly ignoring the needs of students. Furthermore the hours are too short. Those who are keen, will play for four hours. The two hours are not adequate to meet just one students needs. Also there is not enough rooms to cover the demand of students who want to practise, therefore shortening the hours is certainly not the solution. The rooms were closed as a result of alleged claims from lecturers and students that the music was disturbing them. This is certainly not a sufficient
reason for them being closed as the practise rooms are sound proof. The university has an obligation to cater for the needs of all students especially when the fees is so high. Speaking on my own behalf the piano is a way for me to express myself. When I need to think, or relax the piano is what I rely on. It must be understood that this requirement is a necessity. However there is hope as someone has started a petition to increase the hours. This petition has been hung on one of the practise rooms. I would be very grateful if anyone would like to add their name to the list. Kind regards, Victoria Hodkinson Dear Victoria Sorry to hear that the changes have affected you. We have tried to find some space to cater for the loss of time during the day but due to the limited space that the union currently has, we cannot provide such a facility. This adds further evidence to back up our call for new investment in activities and facilities
that aide student development. I can appreciate how frustrating this must be, however, as teaching is being disturbed, we have to recognise the university’s right to act in this situation. We will be working with the University’s Estates department to try and sort the issue out in the long term but I’m afraid we can’t be more help at the current time. I will take your comments into account during these discussions. Kind Regards Luke Young - SU President Dear Victoria Thank you for your letter and getting in touch with The Waterfront. I was first made aware of this issue last month and immediately identified and recognised your disappointment with a restriction of time allowed for practice. I can understand why lectures are concerned the noise level might disturb their students work, however I am unclear to why opportunities of extracurricular activities should be taken from students at the snap-of-the-fingers. It seems from where I am sitting that
knee-jerk action has been taken without thought or consultation with the student body that uses the room. The University has also been one dimensional when arranging the restructured hours, failing to recognise that musicians can also be sports players, with reference to the longer time allowance given to the music rooms on Wednesday’s, when most AU sports place and lectures do not. It also concerns me greatly that the practise rooms remain closed at the weekend when it would make the most sense to have them open all day for students to use. I can assure you and other users of the practice rooms that The Waterfront will continue to follow the progress of this story with the hope of helping deliver some results on this issue next term. Kind Regards, James Snaith – Editor YOU PROVIDE THE VOICE, WE GET YOU THE ANSWERS Please get in touch with The Waterfront if you have any issues concerning University or Student life. editor@swansea-union.co.uk
36 SPORT
WATERFRONT 184 - 30/11/09
Intramural League review - 25/11 - by Deputy Sports Editor Tim Harris
Can anyone stop SPR’s run?
Team Name PLD 1 SPR 4 2 Swansea University 7th’s 4 3 Swansea University 6th’s 3 4 Team Sloth AFC 3 5 Hardly Athletic 3 6 Liquor 3 7 Ajax Treesdown 3 8 Photosynthesis 3 9 Geography 3 10 T.I.T.S 4 11 Sketty Bolognese 2 12 History Boys 2 13 Clinical Finishers 3 14 Geog On 3 15 Balls Deep 3 16 Sub-Standard Leige 4
Photo: Marc Holmes
BULLETPROOF form from SPR sees them remain at the top of the Intramural table, winning a 6-2 battle over Ajax Trees Down. Only three fixtures were played on Wednesday as a consequence of the weather. SPR have won an impressive four out of four. The Uni 7ths in second have also chalked up four in four, with a closely contested match against Tits which wasn’t reflected in the 6-1 score-line. The Uni 6ths Vs Sub-Standard Liege was the only other match on show yesterday, in which the Uni 6ths rattled Sub-Standard 7-0 to claim third spot in the table.
League Table
After their first defeat this season, Ajax remain mid-table. Tits also fail to climb any higher up the Intramural ladder. Sub-Standard sit bottom of the league, still to put a point on the board. No other teams were able to play their matches out, but Sloth and Hardly Athletic, the only other sides with a 100% records will be looking to carry that form on this week. Liquor, Photosynthesis and Geography sit a comfortable mid-table, with the prospects of moving up the league. Sketty Bolognese and the History Boys have two games in hand to help
them improve on their bottom-half positions. Clinical Finishers, Geog On and Balls Deep have yet to score a point. Now the first round of the cup has been played, the draw for the second round will be made in JCs on Wednesday, at around 4:30 after the matches have been played. Feel free to join the team Captains and players for a drink as the cup tension builds. The fixtures in these last two weeks of term will be crucial in shaping the table for the Christmas break, it’s an exciting time for Intramural Football...
W 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
L 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 4
GF 35 23 17 16 16 12 14 5 4 12 3 2 1 3 4 1
GA 4 6 1 2 5 6 10 2 6 24 6 9 12 16 24 35
GD PTS 31 12 17 12 16 9 14 9 11 9 6 6 4 6 3 6 -2 3 -12 3 -3 0 -7 0 -11 0 -13 0 -20 0 -34 0
Uni 6ths 7 - 0 Sub-Standard Liege EARLY GOALS for the Uni 6ths commenced a very productive afternoon for the Intramural side. Rich Fulton provided the first: a leftfooted shot that dribbled past the SubStandard goalkeeper and Captain Tom Wilford, standing in for the injured first choice keeper. Eliot Hughes headed in the second to give the 6ths a 2-0 lead within 10 minutes, and with the wind causing everyone problems, an uphill climb was shaping up for Sub-Standard. The game did even out, SubStandard creating chances of their own
that produced some fine saves from Noddy Jones in the 6ths goal. And they were unlucky to concede again before half-time, Moses Thompson scoring after a defensive mistake to put the 6ths 3-0 up going into the break. The 6ths did control proceedings in the second-half though, Dan Tetlow, Rich Glanville and Nick Pratt all scoring from corners. Moses Thompson bagged himself another goal, with an impressive 20 yard strike. 6ths Captain Tom Price would have scored on his birthday; were it not for Wilford in the Sub- Standard goal.
Ents go bar-my as SU pays the penalty By Luke James Sports Reporter ENTS retained bragging rights after a nail biting derby clash against the Students’ Union Bars team had to be settled by spot kicks. The Ents team, which included two university first team players, eventually lived up to their favourites tag but had to come from two goals behind. The Bars team were gifted an early lead when a mix up between goalkeeper Luke James and centre back Mike Reed saw the defender poking the ball past the oncoming goalkeeper and into an empty net. Bars extended their lead after Students’ Union international officer Andy Patton pounced on a goalmouth scrab-
bled to fire home. And for a long period it looked as if Bars would see the game out to claim a famous victory in the fiery fixture played once a term. But a man of the match performance by Johnny Whittle in midfield dragged Ents back into the game. On the hour the pint sized hero saw his wonder strike from range hit the back of the net and just minutes later created the space for American Brian Durbin to coolly slot home the equaliser. Then Whittle started the move that saw Ents take the lead, spreading the ball wide to Ents manager Russell Wade whose cross was flicked on by Ents assistant manager Jamie Tagg and finished sublimely by striker Joe Street. Josh Sutcliffe could have settled the game after Street hounded down Bars goalkeeper and pinched the ball before
squaring it to Sutcliffe who with the goal at his mercy sent his shot into the side netting. But Bars were not ready to concede defeat and ten minutes from the end capitalised on a slippery pitch and Ents defenders failure to clear the ball to fire home and make it 3-3. Both sides struggled to create a chance in a tense ending and an epic encounter had to be settled by penalties. Josh Sutcliffe stepped up first for Ents, sending the Bars goalkeeper the wrong way. The pressure proved too much for Bars first penalty taker, his effort going wide. Four more penalty takers for either side beat the keeper with their efforts before Ents stopper Luke James got a hand to Michelle Owen’s spot kick, cue celebrations.
Spot Kick: Goalkeeper Luke James saved the final penalty for ents
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SPORT 37
Men’s Rugby finally end drought By Luke James Sports Reporter AN EMPHATIC 39-15 win for the men’s rugby first team over St Mary’s ended a run of five straight defeats. The win has come as a relief to the team who have endured a woeful start to the season with a run of 400 minutes without tasting success. Victory lifted the green and whites from the foot of the table; they now sit second from last in sixth place and still six points adrift of the next side, Bath, in fifth. But Swansea’s defeats have been narrow in all of their games; the St Mary’s side they beat on Wednesday claimed three points over Swansea by just a point on the opening day of the season. And first team coach Richard Lancaster believes the win will be a turning point and see his side consolidate their position in the top division. “We’re really happy with the win, we’ve been disappointed so far this season in that we’ve been ahead and every game so far this season but let the opposition come back,” said Lancaster. “Nobody in this league is guaranteed a victory against us and I think the win has given us a bit of confidence to move on and pick up a few more results before the end of the season. “The most important thing is we capitalise on this first win and we get a few more victories.” Despite the win Lancaster was clear what the goal for the season was simple,
RELIEF: The Men’s firsts had suffered five straight defeats and were bottom of the league until they finally broke their streak against St Mary’s avoid finishing last and stay in this a lot of fresher’s in the side and it always of the unknown but we’ve got over that Loughborough and UWIC who recruit division. takes time to bed a side in. now and we feel like we deserve to be people to play rugby. “The aim for the season is to “And a lot of it is confidence, it is here.” “We put a lot of effort in to try consolidate, we’ve come up into a very difficult to go to places like Hartpury Siwan Lillicrap, Atheletic Union and look after our people who put a difficult league and we just want to keep and UWIC who have such a proud President, is confident the team can lot of effort in not just in rugby but it’s our place in the league,” he said. history of rugby and Hartpury were continue to compete at the highest fantastic to see them playing at such a “We’re pretty confident (of staying British champions last year and are tied level. high level. up), we certainly have the ability. in with Gloucester Academy and are a “The team are playing at the highest “Hopefully after Wednesday win we “There are some fantastic players in massive side. level they can and that’s fantastic,” she will have a few more and not miss out the team this season, we’ve got a heck of “There’s always a little bit of a fear said. They are playing against sides like by a couple of points or a try.”
Promising start for Swansea Pain and joy for the Swansea Snowriders the Women’s Rugby team By Rachel Clayton Sports Reporter THE Women’s Rugby team faced tough opposition this week for their first game of the season against a very competent UWE side. Swansea saw the majority of possession in a difficult match which wasn’t helped by the tricky playing conditions. It was only the hostile weather that failed to perform though, as the girls held their previously first division opposition to a promising 0-12 defeat. With many players enjoying their University debuts and others playing a match for the first time, Swansea displayed how much they’d improved through many weeks of hard training in the build up to their long awaited first match. Proud captain Carole-Ann Burt looks forward to an exciting season after her team’s brilliant performance on Wednesday. She said, “Despite the defeat I was more than happy with our performance. A great team effort and some good individual displays means that we can look forward to plenty of progression throughout the year.” UWE chose Janette Olsen as
TOP PERFORMANCE: Craig Smith came fourth in the Boarder X
By Michelle Owen Sports Reporter CONFIDENT: Swansea’s women made a fantastic start to the season Swansea’s player of the match, a great She said. “After seeing our achievement after playing her first full weaknesses in this week’s game we rugby match. are all keen to get back out on the field Swansea’s player of the match went and work to improve further in our next to Kate Hubbert who, back from injury, fixture.” showed her form to be as strong as ever. Women’s Rugby face Team coach Siwan Lillicrap also Plymouth away on the 21st November, expressed her appreciation for the way an eagerly anticipated match for all that the girls performed. involved. “We played very well in bad High in confidence after seeing the conditions, with many of the girls who true prospective of the team, Swansea had never played before showing just are looking to develop their game even how great their potential is.” more in the upcoming weeks
THE Swansea Snowriders had mixed results in the British University Dryslope Championship in Edinburgh one week ago. Swansea’s highest achievement was the performance of Craig Smith, claiming fourth place out of about 100 snowboarders in the Boarder X (boardercross). Race Captain Andreas Forfang was pleased with the result. “Finishing fourth was such an achievement. Initially there were 100 boarders which were whittled down to
60 qualifiers, so the result is great.” The Snowriders also had expectations for Tom Hales, who is a Wales national team skier and the best ranked skier at the competition. However, they were left in disappointment as Hales crashed out suffering from a bad fall in the slalom competition, ending up spending a couple of hours in hospital. The highest finisher was Jacob Barany, ending 72nd out of 350 racers. “Hales was our chance of winning the whole thing,” Forfang added. “But 72nd from Jacob isn’t a bad performance considering the quality of the racers there.”
38 SPORT
Recession could affect sports clubs, says AU President Continued from back page And while the clubs will not have noticed the slump so far, Lillicrap believes the consequences could be yet to come. “We are struggling this year but I think everyone is with the recession,” she said. “I think more and more people are not going out, and that gives us less income in terms of Wednesday nights. “They are still very popular, and we do get a lot of people going to them. But it isn’t as many as last year. “People are watching their money these days, and are more careful with going out, which affects the situation. “Our budget is tighter, and it is a bit tough. “It hasn’t yet hit the clubs, but it could affect the clubs in the future due to the current situation. Our budget is based on last year’s income and it has been lower this year, but I don’t think anyone has noticed any cuts yet. “It hasn’t had immediate effects, but it could have effects in the future.” The news will not be welcomed by the sports clubs, as some have recently conceded that they lack the resources need to compete at the highest level
This leaves the AU’s with the challenging task of trying to meet the various requests, and Lillicrap has urged people to understand the difficulty of the situation, insisting that the AU does what it can to help as many clubs as possible. “We don’t want to overspend, so with the income we have it’s important to balance it. “You want your clubs to have the facilities to compete at the best level, and if you don’t have the money to provide that then it can be frustrating. “But I do think we are going forward and a lot of clubs are happy. “We don’t set off an amount of money for each team, but rather try to provide each team with what they need to compete at their level,” she explained. “Different clubs have different expenditure and it also depends on what level they play at. “It is difficult times, but I think we’re pretty fair. We give clubs what they need, and everyone have the option of coming up with their own stuff to raise money for their clubs if they need any extra equipment. “Hopefully in the future we will have the finances to improve the facilities
Squash club benefits from rivalry By Rachel Clayton Sports Reporter
of our teams, but at the moment the financial situation doesn’t allow us to do that. She added that the main worries of most teams are locations to train, a problem that will take time to solve. “I think we have to look at the bigger picture, and make improvements that
can benefit all the clubs,” she said. “The big issue is that in terms of new pitches and turfs, we don’t have anywhere to expand. “Obviously in terms of all the clubs, we want to try and help then as much as we can. But it’s a tough situation to handle.“
Swansea Aikido club mastering the fine art of self-defence By Thore Haugstad Sports Editor There are a handful of Martial Arts being performed at the University, but none of them are quite like Aikido. Originating from Japan, the sport has found its way to Swansea University where the club now has 30 members training three times a week. Club captain Kyriakos Spiliopoulos has told the Waterfront about the essence of Aikido, and why it stands out from most of the other Martial Arts. “It’s a defence sport,” he explained. “It’s more like confronting the enemy, your power against my power. You receive the opponent power and direct it against him. “For instance, if you receive a punch, you could push the opponent backwards with it, or put a lock on the wrist. “You also learn how to defend against people kicking, punching and people with weapons.” Spiliopoulos also emphasised how Aikido exists solely to teach its students to protect themselves, and how this replaces the competitive elements found in other Martial Arts. “Whenever you see a situation with trouble, you should get out of it,” he said. “That’s what aikido teaches you. “The defence techniques only come
WATERFRONT 184 - 30/11/09
After coming down from a very difficult division, the Men’s 1st squash team have joined the 2nd team in the same league this year. Although the two Swansea sides are yet to face each other, both teams are battling hard within a very versatile Western Conference 2B division. A close game is expected when they meet for the first time on the 2nd December as the two sides have produced similar results thus far. The start of the season saw both teams celebrate a 5-0 victory over Cardiff Medics, and a 1-4 defeat to Aberystwyth. More recently, a slightly weakened 1st team fought hard in a closely contested match against Glamorgan which they marginally lost 3-2. Despite the 1st finding their feet early against a new variety of teams, the 2nd team currently lie above them in the table. However both teams are taking the rivalry in good spirit. First team captain Phillip Allman said: “To some extent it has been useful playing in the same league, it allows us to discuss and compare teams together when preparing for our next match.” The aid of a new coach has helped the two teams towards their successes so far this season, making training sessions even more testing and productive. “It helps that he sets us specific drills which really help us to focus on specific individual skills,” Allman added. Although winning the league seems out of grasp for the two teams this season, the men’s squash are relishing the opportunity to play against a good spectrum of teams and abilities. Not forgetting though that in a few weeks time they will be facing one another in an undoubtedly tight match that neither side will let pass by easily.
Get Involved in the Waterfront Sports section DEFENCE: Aikido has no competitive element, but exists solely in order to learn its students how to defend themselves
into play when the only thing you can do is to defend yourself. “Everyone is training with everyone. There is no competitive element in it, but all about helping each other to become better at what we do.” Social Secretary Tiffany Golding confirmed that the main reason why people join the club is to become able to protect themselves. However, there are also other elements that Aikido brings to its members. “My reason way because of self
defence, but you do get things like fitness and friendship out of it as well,” she said. “It gives you a good education, and a chance to see other people and learn from them. “ While Aikido only contains selfdefence techniques, there is no organised competition across the country like with other Martial Arts. But the club still travels to see other University with the same passion in common. “We don’t fight other universities,
as aikido is purely self defence,” she added. “But we do have courses where we go to other universities and learn from other people with the same interest. “People might be unsure about giving it a go because they’re afraid of getting punch and stuff. “But none of us are particularly scary, and it’s a great way to gain confidence and become aware that you can look after yourself in various situations.”
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39 SPORT
Triathlon team on top form By Rhys Williams Sports Editor SWANSEA’S Triathlon team enjoyed huge success at the recent Castle Combe Duathlon, building on the excellent results from last season. Holly Lawrence claimed a phenomenal third place in the women’s event whilst Captain Ross Macdonald finished fourth in the men’s event. Holly completed the course in a fantastic 51m33s, whilst Ross finished the race in a blistering 46m39s, putting him in contention to reclaim his BUCS Triathlon title from last year. However, these weren’t the only good results for Swansea, there was real strength throughout the team. Tim Butt and and Adam Atkinson finished 11th and 24th respectively, with times of 47m19s and 49m14s. The duatlon, which consists of a two mile run, ten mile cycle and then a final two mile run is the first event of the triathlon season. With over 200 students competing, including Great Britain representatives from Loughbrough, Birmingham and Bath, Swansea made a good start, building on last year’s strong results. Triathlon captain Ross Macdonald was very impressed with the way Swansea Triathlon Club competed. “They did well, some of the best competitors in the country were present against a squad of both experienced and
Hi all,
TEAM WORK: The men’s triathlon team fought hard to claim fourth place overall in the duathlon event inexperienced athletes from Swansea.” “The race Conditions were tough on the day with strong 30 mph winds making parts of the cycle really hard but training on the Gower prepared the team for this.” “The triathlon team once again showed huge potential and some brilliant results at the Duathlon in Wiltshire.” Ross was not only happy with his own performance, but also reiterated how much he appreciated the whole
team’s effort. “Five finishers in the top 40 was a great result and the team waited with anticipation for the mens team award.” “Swansea’s men finished fourth in the team competition, but in the end but it was very close.” “Beating Bath, Leeds Met, Bristol and Oxford for the second year in a row shows the true talent in this years Swansea team.” “A lot of the other squads were double
the size of Swansea’s and had their own team of physios and coaches with them so the team were all really pleased with what they had accomplished, especially the time many of them had knocked off from the same race last year.” “The team also included some complete amateurs to duathlon and notable performances came from Dai John in the men’s event and from Kezia Jukes and Susie Howells in the women’s.
Swans soar to historic heights By Criag Lawton Sports Reporter FEDE Bessone’s last gasp screamer against Derby County on Tuesday night meant Swansea moved up, even if only for a few hours, to third in the Championship. The 1-0 victory signalled a run of 11 games unbeaten and took Sousa’s men to their highest league position in 26 years, before eventually ending the weekend in fourth spot. The Swans stand one point ahead of arch rivals Cardiff City as well as in a play-off position for the first time this season. More importantly the culmination of hard work, honest football, and astute transfer dealings through the season has made Swansea a difficult side to break down and take all three points from. The last side to stop the Swans were Preston, who won 2-0 back on 12 September. Since then Swansea have gone on to record six victories and five draws, amassing 23 points in that time. In comparison, Championship leaders Newcastle United have taken the same number of points over that period and it is these two form sides who will, by the time you read this, have met on Saturday at St. James Park. If the Swans come away with anything other than a defeat it will be heralded as a huge achievement for all those involved with the club.
AU President Siwan Lillicrap
UNBEATEN: Swansea’s 11 game unbeaten run has given them their highest league position for 26 years However with the Championship being such a competitive league there is will be no chance for Sousa and his players to rest on their laurels as two defeats in a row can see a club plummet down the table faster than a bluebird
that has had its wings clipped, one such example being that of Middlesbrough. As a result, although the old saying “the table never lies” does have some significance, the Swans should not become overly obsessed with their
league position just yet. The clearly didn’t dwell on their league position when they were languishing towards the bottom of the table with a solitary point from their first three matches.
Where do I start?... these past few weeks have been very frustrating due to so many outdoor sports being called off due to this pretty rubbish weather. I find my self constantly wishing for no rain as all we all want to do is play sport and not have a massive back log of fixtures to be played. So I’m still hoping for no rain so all next weeks fixtures can be played. But on a good note we have had some fantastic results over the past 2 weeks. Firstly we started with the Snowriders and the Running Club having some great results up in Edinburgh. Then the Swimming Club came an overall fantastic 2nd in the Bucs short course competition in Sheffield. With each athlete that went reaching a final, competing in 30 of an available 38 finals with an overall point’s total of 225, 19 points clear of 3rd placed Stirling and 34 clear of 4th placed Bath. It makes me smile when I come into work on a Monday morning with such fantastic results and then it makes me smile even more when I see these results pushing us up to second place in the British University and Colleges of Sports overall league table out of 143 universities. On another positive our results on a Wednesday just keep getting better and better. Many of our teams still undefeated (Men’s rugby 4th, Women’s Football 1st, Men’s Lacrosse 1st and Women’s hockey 1st), well done to you all and keep up the good work. I feel very honoured to be working with you all. Last Wednesday saw the return of the playboy mansion to Play nightclub, with Jay from the inbetweeners doing a fantastic DJ set….. What a great night it was. Every Thursday I get excited for what we have on the following week. .Next week Wednesday we have our first ever AU Christmas dinner in the Liberty Stadium followed by a under the sea part in Play. Get your tickets ASAP as its going to be a BIG night. Finally we still have some tickets left for the Ospreys Vs Munster on the 5th of December, so hurry up and get your tickets. I think that’s it from me, so until next time, keep up the great work. Big love Siwan
Sport thewaterfront
30/11/09
SWIMMERS CLINCH 2ND IN BUCS EVENT By Tim Harris Deputy Sports Editor
AN OUTSTANDING performance from the Swimming team saw Swansea wrap up 2nd place at the BUCS Short Course Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield two weeks ago. The 19 swimmers claimed a total of 12 medals in the event, while breaking a number of records along the way. Three gold medals went to Georgia Davies and Alys Thomas, with Davies setting all new records for the Women’s 50 meter and 100 meter Backstroke. Meanwhile, Thomas broke the record for the 200 meter Butterfly. The ‘Big Three,’ Loughborough, Bath and Stirling, were all in attendance, but some resounding swimming saw Swansea comfortably surpass both Bath and Stirling. The performance was a significant improvement of last year’s 5th place finish, with the introduction of the High Performance Programme in 2007 clearly paying dividends. And Female Performance Captain Vicky Austen was ecstatic with Swansea’s increasing form. “I think it is a really exciting time for the swimming team,” she said. “The team swam to the best of their abilities and made a number of other institutions stand up and take note of what’s happening in Swansea.” The team consisted of performers from the University Programme, Swim Wales/University Performance Group, and two swimmers from the British Swimming Intensive Training Centre. Austen added: “The team’s
IMPRESSIVE: The Swimming team came second overall in the BUCS Short Course Championships, taking a total of 12 medals in the event performances went from strength to strength.” “Overall, Swansea smashed previous bests out of the water, both in individual, male, and female team performances.” For the men, Joe Sowden took the Silver medal in the 50 meter Breaststroke, and Robin Williams took Bronze in the 50 meter Butterfly.
Recession could have effect on AU clubs By Thore Haugstad Sports Editor AU PRESIDENT Siwan Lillicrap has admitted the recession could have negative effects on the sports clubs in the future. The AU is currently on a tight budget as a result of the economic downturn, and has been forced to limit their spending in
order to balance the books. While Wednesday night is still popular, it has seen less people go than last year, affecting the AU’s financial situation as the major source of income. At the same time, the AU’s budget is based upon last year’s numbers, leaving this year’s total figures in the red.
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The girl’s team also impressed, achieving joint 2nd in the Female Individual Swimmer Trophy in which every member of the team got a top ten finish in at least one of their selected events. The 12 medals racked up by Swansea at this year’s Short Course just goes to show the colossal improvement on last
year’s efforts at this event when the medal table was left completely bare. The BUCS Long-Course Championships in February will also be held at Ponds Forge, and Swansea have vastly raised the bar for themselves. Austen concluded: “With both Stirling and Bath tamed at the Short Course Championships, the focus now
moves to the Long Course.” “Maintaining 2nd spot should be seen as a realistic target, and we hope to close the gap between us and Loughborough. “They enjoy the services of three full-time paid performance coaches. “You could imagine what we could achieve with a level playing field.”
Inside this week’s paper Snowriders
Women’s Rugby
Aikido