Issue 187

thewaterfront YOUR UNIVERSITY, YOUR EXPERIENCE, YOUR VOICE, YOUR PAPER

22 February 2010 - Issue 187 www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

EST - 1995 FORTNIGHTLY AND FREE

FRESHERS’ REP FRETS OVER

‘FORGOTTEN LAND’

By Thore Haugstad

News Reporter

FRESHERS’ REPRESENTATIVE, Mitchell Theaker believes students at the Hendrefolian Student Village are viewed as ‘second class citizens’ by the university.

A steady stream of complaints has been flowing to Theaker during the academic year by students who have experienced problems with accommodation at the student village.

Students The Waterfront have spoken to have mentioned issues with mould, heating, damp, leakage, hygiene, doors and windows, and crime and security.

Incidents have also occurred where mould problems have been ‘solved’ by painting over it, and some students have waited for months before things have been repaired.

Theaker has lamented these conditions and is worried by the university’s ignorance towards the village students’ welfare.

“The current state is not good enough.

It’s just a completely forgotten land which is unacceptable considering the money we pay to stay here,” he said.

“Every single week something will break in a house, something in the kitchen, the bathroom or the lights. It’s absolutely guaranteed and it just piles up.

“It’s been going on for years. Nothing has been done to improve it and I really don’t think the university seems care anymore.

“They know the village is going in five years now and why would anyone put loads of money into something which will be gone soon? Nobody would, but in reality they should, considering the amount of students living here.

“I think it reinforces the fact that the village students are not only feeling like

IGNORANCE: Freshers’ Representative Mitchell Theaker believes the students living in the village are treated as ‘second class citizens’ by the University

second class citizens, but also viewed as second class citizens by the university.”

Theaker also thinks the university is using the student lifestyle to their advantage when deciding how much money to spend on the village.

He added: “I think they use the fact that we are students and that this is the way students are supposed to live. They think they can get away with it.

“But even in one or two years, I’m not

going to give up on this. I can promise you that.

“You don’t know what these issues will do to your health, and the crime is making people feel insecure.

“The least you want to see is some evidence of care from the university, but you just don’t see any.”

A number of first year students living in the village have stepped forward and told The Waterfront of their experiences.

Egyptology student Isabel Granville said: “We’ve been broken into three times.

The doors have been smashed in while we were there and there’s still a hole in the wall which is yet to be fixed.

“The oven didn’t work so we got in another one, which didn’t work either.

They brought in a third oven which they didn’t install so we had three defective ovens.

“The bathtub upstairs starts leaking when you fill it with too much water. I can’t be bothered reporting it anymore.

I’ve given up.”

Law student Hannah Luffman said: “Four men just walked into the house at 4 o’clock in the morning and refused to leave. I woke up and saw them in the kitchen, I had never seen them before. I rang security and they took an hour to get here...

Turn to page 3

02 NEWS

Editorial “Sometimes I think God is teasing me, just like he teased Moses in the Desert! Tested Homer, God tested Moses.”

Avid fans of The Simpsons will no doubt recognise this quote, it has been floating round my head for the last day before going to press and I have to say I really do feel like I have been both teased and tested this week after a number of backlogs, delays and setbacks pushed a number of us in the office right against the wall before we could finish the job on this edition.

Once again this fortnight does not disappoint with a number of events going on to get involved with, none bigger than RAG Week which kicks off today (Monday 22nd) If this is your first experience of the week of events I can’t promote it enough as the Raise and Give society aim to raise over £2000 for charity via a number of socials, stunts and methods.

Tonight in Diva’s (Monday 22nd) a number of faces from around the University, some famous, others not so, (I am one of the not so famous ones) will be up for auction all in the name of charity. I fully encourage the cheerleading team to come on down and bid for myself, and at a push others.

Also don’t forget the SU take on the AU in the Presidents ransom this Wednesday (24th) first one to raise £250 pounds gets released and wins! So dig deep guys and donate whatever you can to this week of charitable events, it ALL goes to superb causes!

On more sobering notes when referring to this week’s lead story it was recently brought to The Waterfronts attention by Fresher’s Rep Mitch Theaker that a number of student’s in Hendrefoilan Village feel that their voices are not heard clearly enough when it comes to problems or issues that arise. Does this sound familiar to you? If so get in touch!

AN APOLOGY and CORRECTION to lecturer Javier Bonet. In the last issue 186 of The Waterfront we referenced him as The Deputy Head of the School of Engineering when covering the story about the undergraduate anger over late night lectures. He is in fact the Head of the School.

Finally, on a more personal level, thank you to all the staff at Le Cafe for keeping me sane and happy when I wander in tired and hungry after I emerge down from my office tower.

Inside this week’s edition

Societies and Services: Craig LAWTON Raechel MATTEY

Food and Drink join a whole host of other reviews. Including a whole page dedicated to the Welsh Film Festival.

All in this editions Culture section - Pages 12 to 14

NEWS EDITOR LAURA BURNIP ALUN RHYS CHIVERS waterfront.news@hotmail.co.uk DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR COLLETTE BIRD NEWS TEAM THORE HAUGSTAD TOM HAINES ANGHARAD JONES LAURA MORGAN CATHERINE DANIELS LAURA RICHARDS MATTHEW EDWARDS LAURA ANTRAM DAVID LEWIS VICTORIA HOGEKINSON SPORT EDITORS TIM HARRIS RHYS WILLIAMS waterfront.sport@hotmail.co.uk SPORTS TEAM THORE HAUGSTAD JAMES ROBERT BEN DONOVAN MICHELLE OWEN BRADLEY MORGAN CULTURE EDITOR TOM ‘TIM’ MAYA culture.waterfront@hotmail.co.uk CULTURE WRITERS LUKE SAMUEL CURTIS ALICE COPELLO SUZANNE BEYNON RHODRI DIAZ FFION HUGHES PAUL SEACOMBE SAM TATTAM CHARLOTTE ELLIS CAITLIN GWYNN MUSIC EDITOR JAMES TAYLOR waterfront.music@hotmail.co.uk MUSIC WRITERS CHARLIE TEASDALE SOPHIE EVANS LAUREN ELLIS BRYONY HICKS

FILM REVIEWERS HARRIET PERKINS ANDY WILLIAMS LIANNA THOMAS FORBES DAVID LEWIS CHARLIE TEASDALE HANNAH BOWDEN JOSEPH COLLIASS ZOE LIM GEORGIANA AVRAM TRAVEL EDITOR NIKKI LITTLEHALES

Music Editor James Taylor unlocked an EXCLUSIVE interview with up-andcoming girl band Girls Can’t Catch last week. Check out all the girls had to tell us.

Also whats your opinion on Glee? See ours in the Music section - Pages 15 to 17

ELECTION NIGHT/MORNING: Thursday 11th March/Friday 12th March

FASHION WRITER LUCINDA REID FEATURES WRITERS KELSEY RICHARDS WELSH TEAM JESS MAIN KERBY JAMES ALUN RHYS CHIVERS PHOTOGRAPHY MARC HOLMES HALEY McARTOR ROBERT DAVIES HELEN CAVE JAMES SNAITH

CAREERS JAN BINNIE-GORDON CARTOON ARTIST MARTIN MAXWELL WITH THANKS MARK GARVEY JOANNA MORGAN

Education Officer: Callum ALLSOP Simon DARVILL Scott David DAVIES Luke JAMES Samuel LOVELESS Alice McLINTOCK Kyle SOULSBY Angharad WILLIAMS

POLLING DAYS: Wednesday 10th March – In Hendrefoelan Village from 1-7pm Thursday 11th March – On Campus from 9.30am-7p Bring your student card!

FASHION EDITORS AMY SHERIDAN JAYE TURPIN

ADVICE SAMANTHA LOUISE WILLIAMS

Women’s Officer: Raegan HEALY Sarah RAMPLING

HUSTINGS/QUESTION TIME: Monday 8th March - In JC’s This is your chance to question the candidates on ANY issues that concern you!

DALE WILLIAMS SAM TATTAM BELLA WHATELY NIA HOOPER EVA SELLMOSS BEN PRICE SIWAN LILLICRAP - Mixtape FILM EDITOR VICKY DOHERTY-BONE waterfront.film@hotmail.co.uk

Welfare Officer: Charlotte BRITTON Lance HORSEY James KERR Ben SHAW

International Officer: Andy PATTON

ELECTION WEEK: 4th – 11th March – Campaigns kick off for all candidates

James editor@swansea-union.co.uk

SUB EDITORS LIZ COOLEY

Candidates for the SU 2010 elections are announced President: Paul CARGEEG Luke YOUNG

Keep up the good work guys.

See you in a fortnight,

EDITOR JAMES SNAITH editor@swansea-union.co.uk

WATERFRONT 187 - 22/02/10

From the Internet to The Waterfront. Find out if you have been overheard @ Swansea and won a prize in our NEW feature counting down the top 5.

Page 34

Village voices go unheard Cartoon By Martin Maxwell

www.waterfront.co.uk

Mould found on the ceiling of one village residents room

DESPITE CLEANING: Constant mould on the window sill of another residents room

AU cuts ‘more than likely’

By Laura Burnip News Editor AU PRESIDENT Siwan Lillicrap and General Manager Richard Lancaster have expressed fears that cuts could be made next year.

The warning comes less than a week after the re-election of AU President Siwan, who just beat candidates Jonny Taylor and Simon Bright in regaining the post.

Lancaster said the close race, which Siwan won by 20 votes in the second round, was “a credit to the AU” and praised the calibre of candidates.

However despite victory, Siwan’s plans for next year could be blighted by a lack of funds.

Lancaster praised his colleague, saying that over the last year she had been “pivotal to helping the AU move on immeasurably”.

However he told The Waterfront that: “The way things are it’s more than likely we’ll have to cut back next year.”

Siwan said that despite rumours she had not heard anything yet.

“I think there definitely will need to be cuts but I don’t know where those cuts are going to come yet.”

“It’s going to be difficult for everyone, especially because this year we’ve used up our stores to fund everything that we need to.”

“We will try our best to get other income in through sponsorship but we’ll have to wait and see I guess.”

One area where the AU is hoping to bring in revenue is by focusing on alumni events.

Siwan said: ”We’re looking at bringing more old players back into their clubs and setting up some kind of relationship

with them.”

“Obviously sport made their time at university so hopefully we can set up a few schemes that we’ve got planned.”

While these new schemes will bring in money for the AU, Siwan also feels that former students, including herself, will benefit hugely.

“When I leave this job as AU president I want to know that there’s an event to come back to every year.”

However both Siwan and Lancaster stressed that the AU needs more staff in order to continue and expand its current services.

“Our events and fundraising manager left, so myself and Richard have been doing that for the last four months alongside our jobs.”

“Something definitely needs to happen because the amount of hours that myself and Richard work a week is ridiculous.”

AU funding currently comes from the University and also from self-generated sources such as AU membership, Wednesday nights at Play and Alumni events.

However Lancaster said that the AU needs more staff to put on more events.

Lancaster said: “Unless we’re granted an extra member of staff to keep developing the AU there’s no way we’ll be able to deliver as much as we’re delivering at the moment. We’re so stretched.”

“There’s loads planned but we’ve got to have the staff to make them happen, and when they do happen they’ve got to be successful otherwise people won’t come again.”

The threat of budget cuts comes after a successful year for the AU, which will be hosting Cardiff for the Welsh Varsity for the first time since 2006 later this year.

Continued from front page ...by which time anything could have happened. It was quite scary.”

Criminology and social policy student, Katie Scoble was met with rooms smelling of damp upon arrival. “Our parents had to do cleaning for us when we came,” she said.

Politics student Jamie Sperrey added: “If you held the door open for too long, the alarm would suddenly go off. We also had broken windows that only needed a few screws to be fixed and a broken tap.

“We reported all this once we moved into the house, but it wasn’t fixed until this semester.”

The Student Union President ‘broadly agrees’ with the points raised by Theaker, and says there has been word of getting a £900,000 investment into the village over the summer. However this has not yet been confirmed by the university. ”Because the village will be sold at some point, the worry is that it is just left to rot,” he said. ”That’s something we’re not happy with, which is why we’re working to get investment into it. ”The problem for the current students is that they won’t see anything of the money invested over the summer which is disappointing. ”If we had the resources to do it then we would step in, but there are some things that the university should step in on. The state of some of it up there isn’t ideal at all.”

Head of Residential Services, Gareth Atkinson believes the complaints are not reflective of the general thoughts of the village students, refering to the examples as ’isolated issues.’

Atkinson points to a survey where students have responded to the accomodation facilities at the village, which he is ’confident’ reflects the students’ thoughts.

”I don’t want to take anything away from his comments because there are going to be issues there that we will have to look at, but the overall opinion of the students is very positive,” he said. ”I’m not saying there’s nothing wrong with it. They’re tired, but the reality is that we manage the village with the facilities as they are. ”If we provide them a secure, warm and hospitable environment then students will enjoy it there. ”As long as the accommodation is clean and decent when they arrive and its good value then it fulfils its purpose.”

He also says there is a ’complex’ and ’sophisticated’ complaints process which is available to students, and says there has been only one complaint in two years regarding the flats’ conditions upon arrival which hasn’t been solved on the day.

On crime and security, Atkinson said the level of crime is low compared to the population living there. ”The crimes that have taken place have often come as a result of people leaving windows open,” he said.

We have a security team on campus and have just brought in a night porter who started last week actually.”

According to Atkinson, the university spends £30,000 a month in maintaining the village. He also said the £900,000 will be spent upgrading kitchens and bathrooms at Woodside if confirmed.

However, nothing extra will be invested before the summer.

He added: ”No, there’s no opportunity to do that.” ”For the students that are there at the moment, they’ve had their good value accommodation that we’ve looked after the best we can.”

If you have experienced problems at the village, or have a different opinion, The Waterfornt would like to hear from you! Contact editor@swansea-union. co.uk

News 03

Vox Pops What’s your opinion?

Freshers Rep, Mitch Theaker claims students in the village feel like they are “second class citizens“ - What’s your opinion

Oli Mizen Ancient History - Level 1 “I like Hendrefoelan. I don’t think the facilities are any worse on campus. I have a family in my house in the village. The only problem is the distance.”

Ieuan Delaney-James Foundation Engineering “Student village facilities are not as good but possibly the socialising is better because of the parties.”

ORG ‘not fit for purpose’

By Collette Bird Deputy News Editor THE GENERAL Secretary of Swansea University Students’ Union believes that the Officer Responsibility Group is not fit for purpose.

The Officer Responsibility Group (ORG) is made up of four part-time executive officers and is appointed to scrutinise the performance of the fulltime sabbatical officers. The group, which is chaired by the General Secretary, accepts evidence and comments from all members of the Students’ Union; the General Secretary then chairs a meeting with the other three executive officers who discuss any issues raised.

It is then up to the General Secretary to write a report summarising any praise or criticism.

However, it has been suggested that the group does not have the power to make any significant change. The General Secretary told The Waterfront “I have reported on the Officer Responsibility Group for the The Waterfront last year and chaired the group this year and as far as I can see it achieves very little,” “All you get at the end is a report which picks petty faults in people, rightly or wrongly, who for the main part work hard and I know I would not respond to that well”.

Opinion within the executive committee regarding the ORG appears to differ. The Welsh Affairs Officer states: “I think it’s important to have people within the committee there to hold the sabbatical officers accountable. It’s part of our job and I think it’s essential the ORG stays so that there is somewhere to address issues in private”.

It has been suggested that student politics is being kept within a Students’ Union “bubble” when the real criticism should be done by the student body electorate. “The place to scrutinise and give criticism is the Student General Meeting’s (SGM’s) which are every month” Says the General Secretary.

“Students can ask questions themselves or anonymously post their queries in a box for me to ask on their behalf.”

The Students’ Union President has recognized the problem and took action at last weeks Annual General Meeting, implementing a code of conduct which specifically outlines the duties of the sabbatical officers.

The president stated “I agree that ORG does not have the power it needs, but that is why we have made the decision to implement a set of rules for the Sabbs and the Officer Responsibility Group.

It is the first time that anything like this has been drawn up and that way we can pinpoint what our jobs are and make sure we carry out our duties”.

Naomi Stribley Public and Media Relations - Level 2 “I thought it was a very good interesting experience. Great parties. At certain points for example bank holidays security was not around but I loved the student village.”

Rose Barnet English Literature “I agree with Mitch - I have plenty of negative experiences from the village. Our door is always left open and I’m very aware of theft in the area. Once our oven broke down and our entire house had to survive for a week without one. Everything always takes a while to get sorted.”

04 NEWS

Think you have debt?

Try £3.3 million!

THE WALL: Debt racks up at Money Matters week aspect of student debt and the support available.”

Ross also revealed to The Waterfront that the figures have worsened since last JUST OVER 200 Swansea students year: “We expected the debt to go up have racked up a collective debt of and for years to come, we expect the nearly £3.5m. situation to get worse. However this The figure was revealed last week campaign was done to shock students as part of Money Matters’ Wall of Debt, into arguing for better value for money an initiative where students revealed on their courses and to make them aware their current debt on a wall at the side of exactly how bad the situation was.”

Fulton House.

The week also included giving A total of 216 students contributed students the chance to air their thoughts to the wall, including undergraduates on their courses. and postgraduates, totalling £3,363,272 Students from a whole range of with an average debt of £15,570 per different subjects submitted praise and contributor. criticisms of lecturers, lecture times and The survey found that first year value for money. students already owe more than £7,000 These comments will be passed on to on average, with final year students Course Reps and brought to the attention facing payments of over £15,000. of the relevant course directors.

With more and more graduates Ross advised students struggling unable to find jobs and looking to do with debt or other problems to have their masters’ courses, pushing the average say. He said, “Make sure you tell your figure up to £24,000, debt is causing department directly or contact one of particular concern. your course reps.”

Ross Gilman, Education Officer, There is a course rep for every year said that the week’s advice tried to cover and every course, and their details can be every aspect of student debt including found on the Swansea Union website. gambling, alcohol and drug-related If you are struggling with funds problems, as well as providing general please go and see the money advice information on budgeting and on what team at Student Support Services in financial support is available.

Keir Hardie, or if you have any issues Ross told us, “When we did the wall please get in touch with Ross Gilman of debt last year it was only a day but we at educationofficer@swansea-union. realised this just wasn’t enough.” co.uk.

“We needed a week to cover every

By Laura Burnip News Editor

Asbestos at the SU

By Matthew Edwards News Reporter THE STUDENTS Union building will undergo work this summer to remove asbestos from within the building’s structure. This will hopefully mark an end to disruptions such as phone line disconnections in The Waterfront office.

As Union House is over 40 years old, the presence of asbestos may be inevitable. Estates will be working on tackling the issue in most areas of the building – bar the surface risers – whilst changing the pipework.

Asbestos was a popular form of insulation until it was discovered that airborne fibres, normally dislodged when materials are damaged, can be harmful. It was extensively used as a building material in the UK for about 30 years and any building built before 2000 could contain asbestos.

Jeff Davies from Estates was keen to emphasise that the situation is well

within guidelines and that the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 have been followed closely, such as requiring mandatory training for anyone liable to be exposed to asbestos fibres at work .

Mr Davies said, “A full Type 2 survey has been conducted with the help of relevant experts.” He revealed that heating will be shut off at the end of May in advance of the task. A prioritizing system will be used to handle areas that are most likely used by people not trained in asbestos management, and areas that are not handled in the summer will be watched closely.

When asked if this could be a safety concern for students and staff, Mr. Davies replied that the people most at risk of the issue would be construction workers and engineers in direct contact with the building’s structures. He also acknowledged the university’s luck in having experts in the field of asbestos in the Estates team such as Health and Safety Officer, Graham Jones who has conducted research projects on the issue.

WATERFRONT 187- 22/02/10

Ballot Box returns to campus for 2010 General Election

By Thore Haugstad News Reporter BALLOT BOXES are being brought back to the University campus for this year’s General Election.

The boxes were taken away from campus in 2008 due to a low turnout for the council elections, although nothing was done by the Students’ Union to inform students about the election.

The SU President, believing this was the reason behind the low turnout, has now re-installed the boxes along with a ‘care to vote’ campaign which will encourage more students to use their vote.

The President told us “It’s about educating students about their rights and what they can change by voting.”

“We will be telling people that they

have the power to make up a government, set a direction and shape the future of Swansea.”

The SU campaign hopes to provide students with all the information they need about the election and the presence of ballot boxes should encourage them further in voting.

“Students are a big part of wider society, and for a lot of students this will be the first time they vote.”

“If you can get an 18 year-old to vote, then that person is more likely to vote for the next elections too.”

The ballot boxes may also see people who don’t care about politics voting due to the easy accessibility, but the SU President believes this is a natural part of the democratic process.

He added: “If you have democracy you have to accept that people vote for many different reasons.

“Some will vote because they’re involved in a campaign, some because of single issues and others will just walk in and put an X wherever they chose.

“That’s just life. The best response we can have to that is to give as much information as possible about the candidates and the election. Ultimately, it’s the individual’s decision.

“What we would like is a debate about who represents them best. Students are very representative of wider society in that they’re not edging towards one party or another but pretty much split between them all. They have their part to play.”

Will having a ballot box on campus make you more likely to vote in the upcoming General Election? Have your say and tell us! Get in touch - editor@ swansea-union.co.uk

CASTING A VOTE: The clock ticks down on a May General Election

Uni leads way to B-EAT eating disorders

By Tom Haines News Reporter SWANSEA UNIVERSITY is leading the fight against eating disorders by becoming the first university in Wales to set up its very own B-EAT campaign.

Tuesday, 23rd February sees the launch of B-EAT Cymru, the first panWales eating disorders charity which will offer support to sufferers, families and carers. The launch in Cardiff’s Welsh Assembly Senedd building will be attended by Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones.

Swansea University will be launching its own B-EAT campaign two days later on Thursday 25th, coinciding with the nationwide Eating Disorders Awareness Week between 22nd February and 28th February. As reported in the previous issue of The Waterfront, this campaign will allow the Students’ Union to run its own self help groups for sufferers and friends of sufferers of eating disorders.

The Students’ Union Women’s and Welfare officers are the first Sabbatical Officers in Wales to have been trained

by B-EAT and the campaign will be the first set-up in any Welsh University.

Laura Hislop, South Wales Representative for B-EAT, says that

the events of the Eating Disorders Awareness Week are designed to raise the profile of B-EAT Cymru and to raise awareness of eating disorders, telling people that it is an illness and not a lifestyle choice.

When asked what she thought of the setting up of the campaign and service within Swansea University by the Student’s Union, Hislop told The Waterfront “It’s fantastic! You have a very dedicated and passionate group of people, all of whom have very great personal attributes that will help create and facilitate a very successful self help group at the University.”

“It shows that the University are really there for their students and want to ensure help and support is available.”

Hislop also encouraged other institutions to follow Swansea’s example and get involved with the campaign.

“Other universities should follow in their footsteps as they are a true inspiration and breath of fresh air.”

“We are very proud to have them as affiliated volunteers of B-EAT Cymru and wish you every success with your group and awareness campaign.”

Welfare Advisor Haley Harris from the Universities on campus based advice centre also expressed her pleasure that Swansea was taking a lead role with

this campaign, “It is an achievement that as part of the B-eat Cymru selfhelp network our group is the first of its kind to be set up on a Welsh University campus.”

“Our self help group aims to provide informal and confidential support for students and I hope that it will be of value and benefit to those who students wish to access support. Please come along to our launch in the foyer in Fulton House on Thursday 25th Feb, to find out more.”

The self-help groups will allow students suffering from eating disorders to talk about their problems, issues and concerns. The groups are strictly confidential and will take into consideration all areas of personal privacy and confidentiality. The first self help group will be on Tuesday 2nd March 7-8pm in Students’ Union Executive room.

If you would like more information on eating disorders please contact Swansea Unions Women’s officer at womensofficer@swansea-union.co.uk or Swansea Union’s Welfare Officer at welfareofficer@Swansea-union. co.ukYou can also call the b-eat Cymru helpline on 0845 634 1414 or the SU Advice centre on 01792 295821.

WWW.WATERFRONT.CO.UK

NEWS 05

IT’S BACK!

St David’s Day launch of Swansea-Cork ferry

York University – Nouse

Alun Rhys Chivers News Editor

York University’s RAG week had a controversial start, after their attempt to hold the “worlds largest toga party” was poorly attended and accused of being misleading in nature. The World Record, which stands at 2,166 was planned to be held at a venue with a maximum capacity of 800. It doesn’t seem like York were ever in for a chance of breaking the record, as only five people turned up to the event.

WHILE SWANSEA is gearing up for a sea of red around the city on St. David’s Day, the re-introduction of the SwanseaCork ferry link will ensure that there will be a hint of green in the mix.

The Swansea-Cork ferry ran into financial difficulties in 2006, meaning that the service, which was first established in 1987, came to an abrupt end.

A campaign was launched by a private investment consortium in 2008 to re-establish the sea link, with £3 million of the target coming from campaigns in both Swansea and Cork.

Now, thanks to businesses and private investors, Swansea students and other travellers will soon be able to enjoy easy access to and from Ireland throughout the year.

The 28 year old MV Julia ship was bought by Fastnet Line Ferries earlier this year for £6.9 million, having previously sailed the Baltic Sea and parts of Scandinavia. The MV Julia, which is 154 metres in length and longer than Croke Park, is designed to carry 1,860 passengers and 440 vehicles. Its facilities include a cinema and casino.

The new overnight service, which it is estimated will bring £50 million to both the Welsh and Irish economies, will be launched in Cork on March 1st, returning to the Emerald Isle from Swansea on March 3rd.

The new service will no doubt be of great benefit to students looking to travel between Swansea and parts of southern Ireland.

Cambridge University – Varsity

ALMOST READY TO SET SAIL: The MV Julia ship that will make the journey to Ireland One such student is Karl McDonald, as an alternative to an already well- students are from families in the Southwho says he is likely to use the service established and popular St Patrick’s West region who will benefit directly and occasionally. “It’s great because it’s Day trip that we offer every year. With indirectly from the reconnection with so close to the Uni, so I think it will the recent establishment of AEGEE Swansea and the expected resurgence in encourage more people to come to Abertawe, a society with a European business and travel to Cork.

“As a major international Swansea from Ireland, students or focus that collaborates with over 235 other European cities, the return of the university, UCC collaborates with otherwise.” The reintroduction of the ferry could well serve as a vehicle, in its numerous universities and institutes in Swansea-Cork ferry could prove to be beneficial to both Swansea and Cork physical and metaphorical sense, to offer the UK on joint ventures, especially in Swansea University students a greater the research and development arena.

Universities.

“The opportunity to travel

Swansea University’s student experience and links with the by car between Cork and Swansea International Officer told The Waterfront, Emerald Isle”.

The President of University on such a well-equipped ship is an “I believe that, as a Student’s Union, we College Cork, Dr. Michael Murphy said, attractive proposition for students and could now possibly investigate whether “I am supporting the Cork to Swansea their families, encouraging visitors to we could improve on the variety of events our Travel Shop offers by route with Fastnet Line because of its stay longer in the area and explore the offering weekend breaks to the beautiful manifest benefits to the region as a whole educational options available in the Munster region. This could also serve and to the University in particular. region.”

“Many of UCC’s 19,000

Union to apply for Green Awards Angharad Jones News Reporter THE UNIVERSITY’S Environmental Society is competing for recognition in this year’s Sound Impact Awards.

Sound Impact is an environmental accreditation scheme, with an awards element designed specifically for nationwide Students’ Unions. The aim of this environmental organisation is to prompt unions to encourage and celebrate good practice and a greener environment within universities.

The Sound Impact Awards is entering its fourth year and hopes to see up to ninety Students’ Unions involved in the programme in 2010. Launched in 2006, NUS’ Sound Impact scheme aims to bring SUs to the forefront of social and environmental campaigning. The three awards available are bronze, silver and gold which will be awarded through a points based system.

This year will be Swansea Students’ Union’s ninth application for the Sound Impact awards, however following

UK uni round up

last year’s loss by a mere three points, Environment and Ethics officer Steve Cushen is confident that Swansea will receive recognition this year after many improvements. He tells The Waterfront “I am really optimistic that we will finally get the recognition that our Union deserves, and as it’s my last year as an officer it would be great to feel that I’ve made a difference!”

In a 2009 Students General Meeting it was agreed that the Sound Impact Awards would enter the top 100 priorities of the Students’ Union and as a result, attempts to make the SU greener have improved through more energy efficient utilities, raising awareness among staff, encouraging recycling in student accommodation and establishing an Environment and Ethics committee for the first time in ninety years.

For many students applying to university, the green credentials of an institution are of increasing importance.

Swansea SU will be sending the evidence of their greener development by the 26th February and are hoping to succeed in their attempts later on this year.

RAG week is here!

Laura Morgan News Reporter

RAG’s WEEK of fundraising events is back, with plans to be bigger and better than ever. For those of you that don’t know, RAG is a fundraising society run by students all year round, the forthcoming week being the biggest in RAG’s calendar!

RAG Week 2010 will be taking place from Monday 22nd to Sunday 28th February. Last year RAG week raised an outstanding £2120 for charity and they hope to break that record this year! They are encouraging students and staff to dig deep into their pockets and give anything they can towards helping raise money for the charity. Simon Maughan, RAG’s Publicity and Media Officer, told The Waterfront “RAG week is a great way to get to know what we do and to get involved in a number of events to raise money. With a diversity of events, it is one of the highlights of the year.”

Fundraising events run throughout the week, including Monday’s ‘gnoming all day on campus’ involving people dressing up as gnomes, pinpointing students around University by any means possible – and only stopping once

they’ve been paid. That evening also sees Diva’s host the RAG Slave auction, where familiar faces from around the university will be up for grabs, for the right price. This event will be held in conjunction with the Christian Union, who are also holding events throughout the week, as they host a fashion show during the intermission in which clothes can be purchased. Another fundraising event for the calendar is the ‘AU versus SU President RAG Ransom’ on the Wednesday, whereby the Presidents will be kidnapped and have to raise a ransom release of £250 each!

Following the sudden and traumatic Haiti Earthquake, RAG joined forces with the UNICEF society last month and raised a phenomenal £813.66 in a one day collection from the RAG Raid.

Speaking to The Waterfront, RAG President set out their aims for this year, “We hope to raise over £2000 again from the events during the week.” He also gave the paper an insight into why he initially joined the society, telling us that “It’s a great way to do something different for charity, and RAG Week is how I originally got involved.” Students can get involved by either participating in the societies events or making donations.

A controversial academic, infamous for his condemnation of Israel, spoke on Monday night at Clare College, for an event held by the Islamic Society. Dr Azzam Tamimi, director of the London based Institute of Islamic Political Thought, had been invited to talk by the University’s Islamic Society. He discussed the consequences of the Gaza conflict, changes in the region, and the possibility of an amicable resolution.

The talk was not well received by either the Christian Union or the Israeli society.

London School of Economics – The Beaver As universities across the UK plan to cut courses, scale back campuses and lay off staff, The London School of Economics has recently announced that they have no plans to do so. To deal with the financial climate, the school is instead looking at ways to use resources more efficiently and to moderate expenditure growth.

Edinburgh University – The Student Another university has passed a motion for Facebook to be banned in their Library. Facebook is now banned between 10am and 4.30pm, after the motion was approved at Edinburgh’s AGM. It is hoped that this ban will free up computer space and allow students to become more focused on their work.

Newcastle University - The Courier The leader of the council has hit out at claims suggesting they have an antistudent agenda. A strategy has called for up to 6,000 purpose built bed spaces to be built in Newcastle. Head of the Liberal Democrat city council, John Shipley, denided the council’s housing strategy was trying to force students out of residential areas into purpose built studetnt accommodation.

www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

A Mass-debate at Swansea

News 07

Change for

Student Parents

By Catherine Daniels News Reporter

MAKING A POINT: Debate teams from Uni’s around the country do battle in dining room C house believes that civilians who occupy well organized and on time which is

By Laura Richards foreign land illegally may be treated as different from the average IV!” News Reporter military targets.”

The Deputy Chief Adjudicator, Mark Focusing mainly on the situation Manson of Oxford University remarked SWANSEA UNIVERSITY Debating between Palestine and Israel, the debate that “this IV was incredibly well run, Society hosted its first inter-varsity (IV) increased in depth and knowledge, and the debates were entertaining and of debating competition in over a decade making the judges’ decision very great quality.” last weekend. difficult.

The President of the Debating Teams travelled from across Wales After an hour’s deliberation, the Society commented: “I’m very happy and England in the hopes of winning the University of Birmingham’s team were with how well this event panned out contest which was based on the British declared the winners. and the links it’s created with other Parliamentary format.

Despite organizing the competition universities will be invaluable to us in 24 teams took part over four rounds, with no previous experience of/in? the future. Due to all the hard work put with only 15 minutes to prepare for a running an IV, the competition proved to in by our members we have been able 5 minute speech on subjects ranging be a huge achievement not only for the to put Swansea firmly on the debating from current affairs and recent events to Debating Society but also for Swansea circuit.” hypothetical law changes.

University.

If you are interested in joining The final round consisted of teams “It was really good” commented the debate, the Society meets every from the universities of Birmingham, Bethan Eleri of Cardiff University Thursday at 6pm in Fulton House, London, Nottingham and Bristol in Debating Society, “The whole day was Lecture Room 3. which they debated the motion “This

STUDENTS’ UNION staff are determined to help and support student parents at the institution after it has been recognised that they are not given as much help as other undergraduates.

Areas such as the nursery have undergone serious redevelopment in recent years with a relocation taking place. Manager Tracy Knuszka told The Waterfront how the redevelopment has had a positive effect: “We used to be up a flight of stairs in Fulton House, now we have outdoor space, a proper eating and playing area and better changing facilities.”

Lateness or missing lectures is also an issue that can regularly affect student parents due to external commitments highlighted by a second year student midwife; “some lecturers understand, but some don’t look too favourably”.

To try and support students with this issue, Education Officer Ross Gilman assured The Waterfront “we are sending emails to departments to try and work with them to be more understanding with student parents”.

Financing has also been highlighted as an important personal issue.

Childcare Officer Jess Mansell has been working to help with the communication between students parents and areas of the Students’ Union and University departments. “We have created an account for them to email us with any issues they have, and it has been really successful”. Gilman also commented “we want to arrange a parents day where they can discuss issues and have a day about them” If you are interested in asking any questions regarding issues or help within the university you can contact the officers at swanseastudentparents@ googlemail.com.

Islamic Week Success

By David Lewis News Reporter THE ANNUAL Islamic Awareness Week, which took place between the 15th and 19th of February, has once again proved to be a successful week.

Events included a series of evening public lectures, conducted by a number of guest speakers, on topics such as prophethood, the afterlife and Shariah law. This was accompanied by an informative exhibition in the Mosque, which provided information on Islamic

traditions and a number of current issues affecting the faith. There was also a short video introducing people to the key concepts of the religion as well as a display of a number of pieces of artwork

by Muslim students, which are due to be sold on an online auction site to raise money for local charities. The week was rounded off with a community dinner, giving students an opportunity to meet and talk to members of the community.

Rahala Begum, Head of Charity for Swansea University Islamic Society and Finance Officer for the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS),

was pleased with how the week had gone and said: “It is a good opportunity to get across the true message of Islam, one of peace, and to get rid of certain misconceptions that have been presented by some of the media”.

Meanwhile, commenting on the success of the week, the Student Union’s Race Relations Officer said: “I am grateful for the help of the sabbatical officers, the large number of volunteers and for the money provided by the Islamic Caal of Libya, without all of whom this week could not have been as successful.”

Inaugural womens sports day

By Laura Antram News Reporter THE FIRST ever Women’s only Sports Day at Swansea University is being held later this month.

The event, organised by the Students’ Union Women’s Officer together with the Athletic Union, aims to get women more actively involved in sports. The women’s sports day will be held on Sunday 28th February and is the first time the event has taken place.

The day and the wider campaign aims to enable women to overcome any stigma

attached to playing sport, which the Women’s Officer attributes to “lack of confidence, cultural values, or intimidation.” The day will consist of different sporting events where having fun will be emphasised over competition.

Another purpose for the day will be fundraising for the Emily Jordan Foundation.

The Women’s Officer explained why she had chosen to support this charity: “I chose to work with this charity as Emily Jordan was a student at Swansea University who unfortunately passed away not long after graduation.

“She was a great inspiration to many women at the University, being actively

involved in the A.U. where she set up the ladies’ lacrosse team.”

Those interested in participating in the event will need to pay a £10 sign-up fee per team of five people which will be donated to the charity.

Also present at the event will be an organisation called Health Challenge Wales which will be giving advice to women on the day about general well-being.

For further information students are encouraged to join the Facebook group “Women in sport - like a girl” or to email womensofficer@swansea-union.co.uk.

High five for red hand day at Fulton House

Caught Red Handed!

By Collette Bird Deputy News Editor A GROUP of Swansea University students were caught red handed trying to raise awareness in stopping the use of Child soldiers.

Friday 12th February played host to Red Hand Day, a global campaign which aims to raise awareness of the plight of child soldiers through public protests and demonstrations.

The use of children as soldiers has been universally condemned as unacceptable. It is estimated that there are over 300,000 children who are currently being used as soldiers worldwide, but due to the expendable nature of childhood, this figure probably runs much higher, with female child soldiers often becoming victims of sexual abuse.

The group of motivated International Relations and Politics students joined the global campaign and camped outside Fulton House urging students to submit their own Red Hand Print as part of an original and alternative petition

campaigning for Child Rights. The hand prints were then sent off to Sian James, an MP in Neath who is passionate about Child Rights in Burma.

Rob Alexander, a third year student who organised the event, told The Waterfront “We came up with the idea to raise awareness as we were doing research for one of our study modules. It is such an important issue – child soldiers are forced to live in harsh conditions with little food and healthcare. We needed to let everybody know that they too could do their bit to help bring an end to child soldiering!”

An impressive total of 119 hand prints were collected. Heather Jones added “We’re all really happy with the turnout, and would like to thank everybody that did turn up to voice their concerns”.

Over 300,000 red hand prints have been collected in over 30 countries between Red Hand Days in 2008 and in 2009, and this campaign is still ongoing.

To find out more check out http://www. unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/protocolchild. htm.

08 Welsh/Cymraeg

WATERFRONT 187 - 22/02/10

^ Waterfront Gwyl Ddewi ‘Yma O Hyd’

Sêl Bendith i’r Beibl Cymraeg mewn Braille DYDD GŵYL DEWI –

EDRYCH YMLAEN AC YN ÔL Gan Jess Main

Gan Alun Rhys Chivers Fe fydd pobl ddall yn gallu darllen Beibl William Morgan am y tro cyntaf yn y dyfodol agos, yn sgil ymdrechion ymgyrchwyr i godi arian er mwyn ei drosi i Braille.

Mae apêl a drefnwyd ar y cyd rhwng eglwysi, capeli ac aelodau’r cyhoedd wedi cyrraedd eu nod o £21,000 sy’n golygu bod modd bwrw ymlaen gyda’r cynllun i lunio fersiwn o’r Beibl a fydd yn hygyrch i Gymry Cymraeg sy’n ddall ac sydd wedi methu â darllen y Beibl yn ei ffurf wreiddiol hyd yn hyn.

Aethpwyd ati i lansio’r ymgyrch ychydig dros dri mis yn ôl, gyda Chymdeithas y Beibl a chymdeithasau eraill yn addo cyfrannu gweddill yr arian er mwyn cyhoeddi’r fersiwn newydd.

Dywedodd noddwr yr apêl, y darlledwr Sulwyn Thomas, “Cafwyd ymateb ardderchog gan eglwysi a chapel, ac unigolion o bob rhan o Gymru. Mae’n amlwg bod yr apêl wedi cydio yn nychymyg pobl, oedd yn barod i gyfrannu tuag at ddiwallu angen pobl ddall yng Nghymru i gael ‘darllen’ y Beibl yn eu hiaith eu hunain.”

Mae iaith Braille yn dibynnu ar gyfres o godau sy’n defnyddio dotiau ar bapur arbennig, ac fe gafodd ei ddyfeisio gan y Ffrancwr Louis Braille ym 1821. Fe ddylanwadwyd Braille gan Charles Barbier, a gafodd orchymyn gan Napoleon i lunio cod cudd ar gyfer milwyr ar faes y gad.

Ar hyn o bryd, mae fersiynau Braille o’r Beibl ar gael mewn 30 iaith yn unig. Dyma’r datblygiad mwyaf cyffrous yn hanes y Beibl yng Nghymru ers i William Morgan ei gyfieithu i’r Gymraeg ym 1588, ar ôl i Elizabeth I fynnu bod fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yn holl gapeli ac eglwysi Cymru. Hyd at 1588, dim ond darnau o’r ysgrythur a oedd ar gael yn Gymraeg, cyn i’r Esgob Morgan sicrhau mai’r Gymraeg oedd yr iaith answyddogol gyntaf yn Ewrop ar ôl y Diwygiad Protestannaidd i gael ei fersiwn ei hun o’r Beibl. Roedd y Testament Newydd eisoes ar gael yn Gymraeg, ar ôl i William Salesbury ei gyfieithu ym 1567.

Bwriad gwreiddiol Elizabeth I oedd defnyddio fersiwn Gymraeg y Beibl er mwyn lledu ei dysgeidiaeth Brotestannaidd, a chael cefnogaeth y Cymry er mwyn lleihau’r posibilrwydd o fygythiad i’w theyrnas a’i theyrnasiad. Ar yr un pryd, roedd hi’n credu y byddai’r Gymraeg yn rhy anodd i lawer o’r Cymry ei deall, ac y byddai’n rhaid iddynt droi i’r Saesneg. Ond mewn realiti, roedd dylanwad William Morgan a’i Feibl ar ddatblygiad y Gymraeg yn anferth. Am y tro cyntaf, gallai’r werin wrando bob dydd Sul ar ffurf safonol a barddonol ar eu hiaith. Er ei bod yn hynafol, fe godwyd y Gymraeg i fod yn iaith addoli.

Bydd y datblygiad diweddaraf hwn yn yr unfed ganrif ar hugain yn sicrhau y gall to newydd o Gymry Cymraeg ei fwynhau.

Mae gan Brifysgol Abertawe hithau draddodiad o gynnig cyfleusterau o safon uchel i fyfyrwyr deillion.

Meddai Caplan Anglicanaidd Prifysgol Abertawe, y Parchedig Nigel John, “Rwy’n croesawu unrhyw fodd o gyflwyno’r Beibl, ac mae’r ffaith ei fod ar gael mewn Braille drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, iaith Cymru, yn wych iawn.”

Dathlu Dewi ar y Campws Gan Kerby James Mae Prifysgol Abertawe hefyd yn mynd i hwyliau, wrth i’r Adran Arlwyo drefnu wythnos o ddathlu bwydydd Cymru o Fawrth 1af hyd at Fawrth 5ed. Fe fydd gwybodaeth ar gael ar stondinau am gyrsiau iaith Gymraeg ar y campws. Ar Fawrth 1af, bydd sesiwn yn y bore i fyfyrwyr a staff ar hanes yr iaith Gymraeg, ac yna wers Gymraeg i orffen.

O fewn Undeb y Myfyrwyr, fe fydd Noson Gymreig Gŵyl Ddewi yn Oceana, a band Cymraeg yn chwarae yn JC’s yn y nos. Felly ewch allan, cymerwch ran a dangoswch eich balchder.

Fe ddaeth yr amser i ddathlu diwrnod arbennig unwaith eto. Anghofiwch am Ddydd San Padrig, anghofiwch am Ddiwrnod Crempogau... Na, rydw i’n sôn am Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi!

Fel yr ydych yn gwybod, Dewi Sant yw nawddsant Cymru. Yn ôl hanes, roedd Dewi Sant yn byw yn ystod y chweched ganrif. Ar un adeg, roedd yn Archesgob Cymru ac fe helpodd e i hybu Cristnogaeth ymhlith y llwythau Paganaidd Celtaidd.

Cafodd e ei eni ar arfordir de-orllewin Cymru, ar bwys dinas fach Tyddewi.

Mae’r dathliadau ar y diwrnod ei hun yn dyddio’n ôl i’r flwyddyn 1120. Mae llawer iawn o bererindodau i’r eglwys gadeiriol wedi digwydd ar sail ei fynachlog ef ac mae llawer o eglwysi wedi cael eu cysegru iddo.

Felly, beth sy’n digwydd i ddathlu Dydd Gŵyl Dewi eleni, miloedd o flynedd yn ddiweddarach? Yma yn y Waterfront, darganfuom rai o’r digwyddiadau mwyaf cyffrous ar draws Cymru i’ch helpu chi i ddathlu ein nawddsant ni mewn steil!

Rhwng Chwefror 26ain - 28ain, cynhelir y drydedd ŵyl fwyd flynyddol neu The Really Welsh Food Festival yng Nghaerdydd, gyda gorymdaith Dydd Gŵyl Dewi ar Fawrth y cyntaf.

Neu os ydych chi’n edrych am rywbeth mwy lleol, mae wythnos gyfan o ddigwyddiadau arbennig yma yn Abertawe. Mae ‘Wythnos Gŵyl Ddewi’ yn dechrau ar Chwefror 22ain ac yn rhedeg hyd at y cyntaf o Fawrth, a hon yw’r unig wythnos o ddathliadau ar gyfer ein nawddsant drwy Gymru gyfan! Mae’r wythnos yn cynnwys perfformiadau cerddoriaeth fyw gan The Automatic, Rhydian Roberts a Patrick Jones, a dosbarthiadau blas ar Gymraeg. Mae cyfle hyd yn oed i wylio’r gêm rygbi rhwng Cymru a Ffrainc mewn awyrgylch cyfeillgar yn Siop Tŷ Tawe. Mewn gwirionedd, bydd rhywbeth i bawb, felly gwnewch yn siŵr eich bod chi’n rhan o’r cyfan eleni.

Am ragor o fanylion am y digwyddiadau, ewch i’r wefan www.stdavidsday. com/events neu fel arall, ymwelwch â Siop Tŷ Tawe ar Stryd Christina am y rhaglen ddigwyddiadau.

St. David’s Day on Campus Swansea University is also getting in on the fun, with Campus Catering running a Welsh food week from 1st March to 5th March, and information on Welsh language courses will be available from information stands on Campus. On March 1st itself there will be a session in the morning for students and staff on the history of the Welsh language followed by a taster Welsh lesson.

On the Student Union side of things there will also be a St David’s themed Welsh night in Oceana, and a Welsh band playing in JCs in the evening. So get out, get involved, and show your pride if you’re Welsh, and if not, get involved anyway and learn more about the country you’ll spend at least three years of your life in.

www.waterfrontonlone.co.uk

waterfront

Opinion 09

OPINION

No Ifs, No Butts

Cameron’s Higher Education policy

By Liz Cooley

By Charlie Teasdale

As I head to university for a busy day of lectures, ok so maybe not busy, but for lectures none the less, I am often passed in the park by those much fitter than me, occasionally pass those who are not so eager to get to class and invariably arrive on campus having just emerged from a cloud of smoke blown in my face by someone or the wind. However, despite my personal preferences, I can’t begrudge a fellow student the right to smoke in an open, public place, whether I get a mouthful of it or not. Once recovered from my brief coughing fit, it is with great disappointment that I now view the abundance of chewing gum and cigarette butts which grace the grooves of the new mall paving, specifically outside the library.

As I marvel at the lack of respect students have for their campus, I also note that there is a severe lack of bins and the new ‘No Smoking’ policy means a complete lack of cigarette bins. What you may not know, or may choose to ignore, is that new university policy states that anywhere within a 5 meter radius of any university building, which includes the whole of the newly refurbished mall, is now a smoke free zone. Considering this, I am amazed by the number of students I still see smoking on campus. The debate then opens up, if students aren’t to smoke near buildings, where are they to smoke? It would also seem at the moment that there a distinct lack of signage to this effect and without the rules being enforced people will continue to smoke on the mall. However, my incredulity doesn’t stop there. While I think the policy should be adhered to, I appreciate it is somewhat unrealistic-what I don’t think is unrealistic is to expect a group of intelligent adults to clear up after themselves, and spitting out your chewing gum or chucking your cigarette butts onto the floor once you’re finished does not suggest the presence of any such intelligent adults. Having spent a significant amount of money on refurbishments, the first of a number of stages to improve our pedestrian areas around the university, the lack of respect people have for the not even finished work is appalling. Yes we may have all been disturbed by the ongoing work throughout the last term but is it really necessary to take it out on the pavement? You may refer to the aforementioned lack of bins for cigarette butt disposal, but what do you expect in a no smoking zone? The other vital component that seemed to have been forgotten in the making of this walkway was the bike rack. There were never that many to begin with and with vandalisation of the few left, those who choose this cheaper and greener mode of transport are left with few safe places to leave their bikes during lectures. I was left asking the question, why has so much been spent on this walkway and no consideration been made for simple necessities such as bins?

It was with this attitude that I marched off to estates to find out a little bit more about the plans behind the construction.

After a particularly amiable discussion with estates, I was fully humbled and shamed to think that I had been so short sighted as to think that a board of professionals deciding on how to improve the university would have overlooked such simple additions. Admittedly the timing of construction and now the gap between completion and installation of such ‘furniture’ is not ideal; however they are working to ensure that bins, signs, and even bike racks, though not along the mall, are introduced. In the meantime I urge you to have pride in your university and start taking care of it rather than mindlessly dropping your litter.

In the education section of the Conservative’s draft election manifesto David Cameron has set out controversial plans to rearrange the system in which graduates become teachers. The Tory leader plans to deter graduates with ‘3rd class’ degrees from entering the teaching profession by offering to pay off the student loans of those who have achieved a 2:1 from “good universities” and have studied “maths or a rigorous science”. Cameron himself has compared this proposed scheme to the similar “brazenly elitist” (Cameron’s words) systems in place in countries such as Finland and Singapore. So essentially, if you aspire to be a science or maths teacher, you will have to attend one of only a handful of outstandingly prestigious universities, writing off most aspiring teachers in Britain, including those at Swansea University.

But how does Cameron intend to define a “good university”? Is a 3rd from Cambridge worth more than a 1st from Bournemouth? The intention is that there would be a panel of judges that decides whether a university is ‘prestigious’ or not, pre-ordained to instantly write off any former Polytechnics, such as Westminster University. This may lead to these institutions shifting investment into their science and maths departments in a panic, therefore draining it from other departments. So yes the sciences will improve, but what of the humanities or languages for example? Are they not as important?

Like many political figures in the UK, Cameron went to Oxford. So the idea of denouncing 90% of the others would not seem like a big deal. But the truth is, not everyone has the option of going to one of the ‘prestigious’ universities. I, for example was discouraged by a teacher at school from applying to Bristol because I would be “disappointed” with the response. I wasn’t even encouraged to apply, so what chance did I have? There is a sense of classic Tory elitism coming through in this new scheme, they are happy to accept that some universities are better than others, as long as the university they went to is one of the better ones. Can we defer class connotations from this? That is to say will a Tory government slowly nip and tuck the system so that all major professions in the UK are given to people who get a first from Oxford or Cambridge, regardless of experience, wit or character?

A good teacher is someone that manages to relay the necessary information to the pupil in a way that is interesting and engaging, and not always someone who knows everything about the subject. Experience and character are the elementary virtues of a good teacher, not condescension and pity. Furthermore, empathy is a wonderful trait for a teacher to possess; if a student is struggling with a concept (especially in the sciences or maths) then I’d imagine he or she would be reassured to know that their teacher had struggled with the very same concept only a few years before. There is no automatic equivalent between knowing a subject and knowing how to teach it and until Cameron realises this, teaching standards won’t change.

10 Features

All things Welsh

Waterfront 187 - 22/02/10

By Kelsey Richards

The Legend of St David

The first of March is traditionally known as St David’s Day. Traditional welsh costumes are usually worn by young girls in schools and people will usually pin either a daffodil (for the females) or a leek (for the men) to their clothes. Schools will often take part in an Eisteddfod around this date which is a very large competition which includes, but is not limited to, singing and welsh dancing.

There are many different stories relating to St David and many different translations which make it hard to pinpoint which exact version of the story is true. The general story depicts a great war between Saxon invaders and the Welsh. The battle raged for hours but it became apparent that despite their efforts, Wales were slowly losing.

One monk began to notice this was a grave problem, and as they lost more and more ground he cried out to the warriors around him, “Welshmen! You must mark yourselves so you can tell who among you is Saxon and who is Welsh!” with that, the monk plucked a wild growing leek from the ground beside him and continued “Here, wear these so you will know you know that any solider who does not carry a leek is your enemy.”

The solders considered this a rather odd idea, but as the monk was a man of God they decided to follow suit. Soon, every Welsh man had attached a leek to his helmet, attacking the invaders, and soon the Welsh had won the battle.

The name of the clever monk was David, who later died on March 1st where the Catholic Church later made him a saint, and why the people still wear proudly the leek or daffodil today. St David’s body was buried and still remains at St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire.

Land of my Fathers

“Ahhhhhhhhhh-la-pino?”

It was a scene not too dismiliar to that of Mr Henry Higgins attempting to teach Eliza Doolittle to speak “properly” in My Fair Lady. “Ahhhh-lapinoooo?”

I was sitting in a restaurant, and people were beginning to stare at the strange sounds I was making as I was getting more and more frustrated.

“It’s hal-a-pino, a h! Can you not say your h’s? I honestly have no idea why you are struggling with it so much; you’re an English student, for God’s sake. ” I opened my mouth to protest, but my English and proper-speaking housemate shot me a look that told me to keep it shut, unless I was going to correctly pronounce the little green peppers I was trying to order from the menu.

The truth is, while I might be an English student and full well know that I am not pronouncing it correctly, at the same time, I am Welsh, and not only am I simply Welsh, there is a marked difference; as I am a Valley Girl.

In order to really understand what I’m saying in this article, I’d like to take some time to jot down my background. You should know that there’s long been a kind of snobbery among the north and the south, many making jibes that one is not Welsh if they cannot speak the Welsh language. It’s true, that many of the southerners cannot speak the language, but for me that never really made much of a difference. I believe it’s not just about the language that has been lost to the south; this is, for me, what it means to be Welsh.

I was told that my ancestors spoke Welsh. They lived in Bangor, north Wales. My great –great grandmother jumped on the back of a milk cart one day and hitched a ride down to the south, walking where she couldn’t get the transport. Work was scarce and she settled in the mining town of Maesteg, and bought a house that three generations of my family lived in. When I look back at old family photos, they are taken within that small red-bricked terraced house, which was built for miners to live in. There are snaps of me being washed in small tin “baths” which was really a small tin bowl placed inside the kitchen sink. I would spend my summer chewing on grass while my mother tended to our horses, and the only food I ever recall my grandfather, (grandfathers in my area were often called “bampa, or “bamps” if you were particularly cool – which I was not) making me was egg, beans and chips, and I don’t believe I ever remember him eating or preparing any other meal in his life.

My grandfather was a miner, before they were closed down. His father was a miner. My fathers’ father was a miner, so was his father, and when I sat down and asked my housemates what their grandfathers did for a living; it always caused me a great amount of surprise to hear they worked as a carpenter or a dentist. I can always remember when I was an infant, we would have competitions of “Who’s daddy was bigger” which consisted of one child stating, “My daddy’s bigger than your daddy, he can beat your daddy up,” to be followed by another shaking their head and adding a similar line of “Nuh, my daddy’s bigger than your daddy, he can beat your daddy up!” with the occasional winner of the challenge shouting “Oh yeah? Well my daddy’s a giant.” I remember noting, at the tender age of four, that my father was not, in fact, a giant, and if that were the case, my dad would most definitely be “beat up.”

It caused me no end of concern, and I recall going home one night and informing my father that the fat toddler across the street’s father was a giant, and that we should all be fearing for our lives.

My father gave me a hug and told me not to worry, because his Uncle was a pirate, Captain Morgan, who sailed the seven seas slaying evil, and if ever a giant came along to eat us, he’d be right there with his ship to save us. The fact we lived forty five miles to the nearest ocean did not bother me. It sufficed for now, for I believed my Pirate Uncle was something special, he was different and new, and as far as I was concerned, it just didn’t happen in my Valley. It was a mining community, and no one escaped it. Most of the hills in my community on which structures are built are on massive slag heaps from leftover coal from the mines. The two most prominent buildings in my community; Tesco’s (there’s not much to my little community, as you can imagine) and the Comprehensive School are both built on forgotten mounds of heritage, lost beneath the grass that grows and covers it with each passing year.

FRONT

Packed with music,film, food and Girls Can’t Catch It’s your essential culture guide

Exclusive INTERVIEWs with Girls Can’t Catch and Tiger lillies Pages 13 and 15

12 FRONT-CULTURE

Art & Design: Tom Pope at the Glynn Vivian Tom Pope is an emerging, talented photographer whose first major solo exhibition, “The Escapades of the Higher Man”, will be shown at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery from the 20th of February until the 18th of April. Pope describes his photography as “ambiguous” and the photographs on

his website take in a number of themes including his own take on fairy tales and a collaboration to photograph the San Francisco panorama on the world’s biggest Polaroid camera The title of the exhibition is taken from a philosophy of Nietzsche’s, which discusses the possible existence of a superior being to

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God. This concept is explored through Pope’s photos, which are taken to make it appear that Pope, who features in the pictures taken in Marseilles last year, is flying. For Pope, this represents the fulfilment of a childhood dream, and also undermines the concept that photography embodies reality with his surreal photographs that depict a moment of flight.

Pope has recently graduated with First Class Honours in the Photography in the Arts course at Swansea Metropolitan University, where he is now undertaking a residency as a practising artist. Bristolborn Pope has also recently got a place at the highly prestigious Royal College

of Art in London, where Ridley Scott and Tracey Emin have studied.

As well as academic success, Pope has also been shortlisted for many coveted art awards, and even winning the Swansea Open award, enabling one of his pictures, “Willsbridge” to be displayed in the Glynn Vivian. Pope was also shortlisted for the Saatchi Art Gallery and the Channel 4 competition, 4 New Sensations, which won him much critical acclaim.

Pope’s unique use of photography is performance based and focuses on chronicling and documenting events. He uses Polaroid pictures as part of his work, a more traditional form of photography

used before the technological advance of digital photography. Discussing his work, Pope says, “My interest in photography stems from the dialogue that exists between a potentially timebase photography and its ability to record a privileged notion of event”, and the notion of time and perception is one that runs throughout his work. The idea of flight found in the photos gives Pope’s work a surreal quality, and the capturing of the moment of apparent flight is one that can only be achieved through the taking of a photograph.

large glass. Once in the restaurant, key features leap out, such as their unique decorations in a modern surrounding.

Whilst observing and interpreting the unique Asian atmosphere, myself and my dining partner were asked to order.

I haven’t really sampled Japanese food before, so I was debating my choice greatly and was slightly sceptical of certain dishes. In the end for my starter I shared a dish of ‘Tuna and Salmon Sashimi’ which is raw fish sliced very thinly and served with a choice of soya sauce and wasabi dressing. For my main dish I ordered ‘Spicy Chicken Ramen’ which has a Miso soup base with chillies, char-grilled chicken, mixed vegetables and a variety of other ingredients. My

friend ordered the ‘Seafood Ramen’ containing soy sauce based soup topped with fresh seafood such as; prawns, squid, mussels, seaweed and many other ingredients.

All three dishes cost just under £7 which is hardly going to break the bank compared to a night out on the town.

My starter arrived and struggling to use my chop sticks, I took a bite of my food which was served to perfection and was definitely fresh, the way this sushi like

cutlery. My Spicy Chicken Ramen was scrumptious and is definitely the dish to have when struggling with a cold!

The mild spices within the soup were sensational and quite mouth watering. A pleasant and light dish to have, for those who are a little health conscious.

Wasabi is the perfect place to go with friends or even visiting family. There is also the added advantage of the restaurant being a stone’s throw away from popular student pubs. So, why not try out Swansea’s only unique authentic Japanese style restaurant? Booking is advisable but not necessary 01792 464 999.

Caitlin Gwynn

Food & Drink: Review of Wasabi in the Uplands

Bored on a Friday night? Want to do something different? Then Wasabi Sushi and Noodle Bar is the place to be!

Located in central Uplands this authentic Japanese restaurant serves delicious and extraordinary food compared to any other in Swansea.

Upon arrival you’re greeted by a friendly member of staff who will take you to be seated. The traditional style of the

pseudo-communal experience of long tables will definitely give you that feeling of Asian dining. However, some people may prefer not to dine with other customers, therefore advance booking is highly recommended for a private table.

Once settled I was asked for my drink order, and I decided to try a pint of the famous Japanese lager, Asahi, which is light tasting and served cold in a

Ever found yourself in town, fancying a coffee or some light food, or simply

looking for shelter from the Welsh weather, and being completely lost? Is Starbucks busy, the pub expensive and locals in the little cafes making you feel out of place?

There’s a new student café in town, and it’s brilliant. In a very handy spot in the city centre, just opposite Wilkinson and the Grand Theatre, Grumble Bellies is the ideal place to have a coffee or some food and find the same familiar and cosy feeling of any student bar on campus.

The place is newly renovated and the theme is basically “every colour you can think of”, with bright orange and green walls, comfy armchairs and loads of room to be sociable. The outside “patio” is the perfect place for a sunny

day and the huge glass wall means light floods the café even on the grimmest days.

The prices are very cheap and the food, from Panini’s to sandwiches and all day breakfast, is made on the spot and all the ingredients look really fresh. And when I say cheap, I mean “lunch and coffee for two for £6” cheap. Also worth noting how under “breakfast” you can also find actual breakfast food like cereal and porridge, something I’d never personally come across.

The concept underlying the café is appealing: as one of the owners, a former Swansea University student, explained to me, he and his mates felt that there was nowhere in town where students could socialise and have a

friendly coffee without being kicked out if they haven’t ordered anything for 15 minutes. Very true. The atmosphere is so laid back you could probably have just one coffee throughout the whole day and still hang around reading the newspaper till close. Refills of squash are free anyway!

Despite all this, the place is still largely unknown, and it’s a pity. Grumble Bellies opened in September, but couldn’t make it to fresher’s week, and that certainly didn’t help. To advertise the café the owners have now started a series of events, and they are sure to accommodate all tastes: just to give you an idea, an art exhibition by the Swansea Met arts students will take place in the café very soon, and at the same time the

place will be running FIFA 10 nights (yes, they have a PlayStation AND a Wii. And yes, you can play for free whenever you want). Gigs have also been planned, although they take place during the day.

To keep up to date with all the events and offers, be sure to add them on Facebook, where you can also check out their menu.

All in all what strikes me the most about the place is its extreme friendliness and chilled out atmosphere, combined with good prices and good quality. So next time you’re in town looking for somewhere to go, try Grumble Bellies, you might just find yourself as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Heliopolis is the second novel by author James Scudamore (The Amnesia Clinic).

It is set in Sao Paulo and follows the life of Ludo, a man born in a shanty town but transferred to the rich side of the city through his mother’s employment as a cook and then his later adoption by the family who have employed her.

Through Ludo’s narrative we learn more about his life, the details of how he got to where he is now and the dissatisfaction he feels with the way he is living his life. With Ludo’s background, which is revealed gradually throughout the novel, it initially seems quite hard to

relate to the main protagonist of the novel, however Scudamore’s talent as a writer overcomes this in the details he includes. You see the world exactly as Ludo sees it and even more importantly you believe it. Scudamore presents a city haunted by social divisions and then focus’s in on the ability of people not to care, their ability to just accept things the way they are, complain how awful it is and then get on with their lives.

The novel is however very neat and controlled in such a way that you feel yourself wanting to rebel against what the author is telling you to feel. Nothing

is really left open to interpretation and everything is tied up very quickly. It is an enjoyable read, and poses interesting questions about society to the readers but does not really allow them to answer them. You are left feeling that, with the very apparent talent of Scudamore, the plot could be that much more intricate.

Despite this, Heliopolis is very much worth reading and is approachable by all.

You do not get lost in the descriptions of the city; the fact that it is such a focused novel means that you do not find yourself not being able to remember what you just read. It is the type of novel

that you are left feeling you want to read more of and wanting to know what the author’s next piece of work will be like.

Although it is lacking in a particularly endearing plot line, you are still drawn into the novel from the very start, and leave it very reluctantly at the end. One of the main shortcomings of the novel is that it seems to end so abruptly; you are left wanting to know more about the world of Ludo. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2009, Heliopolis seems to be just the beginning of the talent that will come from James Scudamore.

Suzanne Beynon

dish should be served.

The main dish arrived boiling hot with a rather large wooden ramen renge (Japanese spoon) which was difficult to use at first but, after a little trial and error, I was soon an expert using such

Food & Drink: Review of Grumble Bellies

Books: Heliopolis by James Scudamore

Luke Samuel Curtis

Alice Copello

www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

Stage: Interview with the Tiger Lillies

Tom Maya speaks with Martyn Jacques, the founder of the Tiger Lillies. Martyn tells us about living above a brothel, musical inspirations and reasons why you should go and see the Tiger Lillies.

How did you first get into playing music?

I started playing when I was about fifteen.

I wanted to be an artist or a musician, I decided to be a musician instead of a painter because I thought if I was a painter I would have all these canvas whereas if I was a musician I could actually just play. I started playing

the piano, then, at the age of thirty, I bought an accordion and that is when I started the Tiger Lillies.

What interested you in the specific style of music that you play?

I was searching for a musical style and I never really found one that I was really comfortable with. As I said, I bought an accordion and I started playing this accordion and singing and found out I could sing in a high voice. I was searching for a style, something that was original and found something unique within it. I didn’t want to be a pop singer

or a pop star, I actually wanted to do something that had more artistic value.

The Gorey End, could you explain to our readers what these are about?

Where would you say your influences come from?

Shocked headed Peter was based on a book written by a German Psychoanalyst called Heinrich Hoffman, he wrote this book about children. It contains stories like a child sucking their thumb and the scissor man comes along to cut them off, which is what Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands is actually based on. There is also a girl who plays with matches and she catches alight and burns to death.

They are these absurd stories of various small misdemeanours done by children.

I wrote a collection of songs for a theatre show, which became rather successful and won an Olivier award.

The Gorey end comes from a man called Edward Gorey, he published a lot of books in his life. He did all the illustrations himself, they were quite macbre and strange. He became a fan of the Tiger Lillies and he wrote me a letter saying he would like to work with me, so i said I’d love to. I was going to fly out to America to meet him, but sadly he died, so I never got to. I took all the work

I was very influenced by Jacque Brel a Belgian singer, I was influenced by the Three Penny Opera by Brecht and Weil, Gypsy music, old blues singers. Pretty much a fairly eclectic mix of different things.

I also read that you lived above a brothel for 7 years, I was wondering if you could tell us what that was like?

It was good! I enjoyed living in Soho.

I use to spent lots of time in illegal drinking clubs, I knew a lot of the girls that worked there. It was a great time and really inspiring. I think the music I am interested in comes in some way from the street. It was a good inspiration to live in Soho.

The performance you will be doing is based on Shocked Headed Peter and

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he had sent me and I made an album of songs, which became quite successful and got nominated for a Grammy.

Why should people come to see the Tiger Lillies?

We’re just trying to give more people things to think about. It’s entertainment, we make people laugh but at the same time its a bit more weird and strange and different then an average musical. We’re just trying to make something that is entertaining but at the same time isn’t just the same as everything else, maybe that’s a good reason to come and see the Tiger Lillies because you’re gonna see something that’s a bit different and unusual.

Tom Maya

Stage: To Kill a Mocking Bird at the Grand Theatre

‘ ‘Shoot all the Blue jays you want if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.’ This famous quote from one of the greatest novels ever written, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is being revived as a play adaption in Swansea’s Grand Theatre from the 9th to the 13th of March. Following plenty

of critical acclaim and standing ovations ten years ago for his adaption of To Kill a Mockingbird, director Tim Baker returns with his biggest challenge yet of improving the last performance but also maintaining the magic that was created the first time around. This production features some of the original cast and the play is guaranteed to give justice to

Harper Lee’s original work, which many of us studied during our high school years and grew to love. To Kill a Mockingbird deals with very complex and serious themes of prejudice, racism, honesty and hypocrisy while portraying these themes through the eyes of innocent children.

Therefore Lee’s criticisms of American society during the 1930’s are presented in a humorous way, guaranteed to arouse interest. A black man, Tom Robinson (Oliver Wilson) is accused of raping a young white girl, Mayella Ewell (Rhian Blythe) and he is trialed without any valid evidence against him, except the word of a sleazy father.

Atticus Finch (Gwyn Vaughan Jones – Rownd a Rownd) tries desperately to defend Tom and although he fails, his children Scout (Amy Morgan) and Jem

(Joshua McCord) whom the play is seen through the eyes of, are directly affected by these events, and will never see the world in the same way again. Although all of the actors play their roles with such conviction that the audience is in complete awe, Gwyn Vaughan Jones is the highlight of the cast and captivates the entire room, almost making the production his own. Similarly Gregory Peck, in the 1962 film adaption, played the role of the well respected lawyer Atticus extremely well, and Jones’ is fortunate enough to be playing Atticus for the second time.

The sets, although simple and consisting mainly of a bare country road, keep the audience’s full attention on the dialogue and action taking place. Songs, blues and gospel from the period, are played

Music: Catrin Finch and Cimarron at the Taliesin

Delighting audiences at Womad with their hypnotic beats, Cimarron and Catrin Finch combine heavenly classical harp with the llanera sounds of Columbia. Catrin Finch is widely regarded by audiences and critics as a world expert and leading exponent of the classical Harp. Carlos Rojas and his six piece Columbian band are indigenous

Mestizo people from the llaneros, the vast savannah flood plains of the Orinoco delta. The Mestizo are a mix of African, Spanish and Native-American ancestry, a heritage which is reflected in their infectiously funky music.

Along with Billy Cobham and Asere from Cuba, another cross-collaborative project that successfully premiered at

Taliesin in 2007, Cimarron have gained a considerable reputation as electrifying live performers. Billy Cobham played drums with the Mahavishnu Orchestra a musical project with long time Miles Davis collaborator John McLaughlin and others that attempted to give a Jazz-fusion soundtrack to fashionable 1970’s eastern mystical beliefs like transcendental meditation.

Whilst almost unclassifiable in terms of genre Cimarron’s Afro-Latino rhythms of Mestizo blended with traditional Welsh melodies from the excellent Catrin Finch on Harp accompanied by Spanish guitar, bandola, cuatro, maracas, bass and cajon hammer create music that is often hypnotically melodic and sometimes riotously ebullient.

In the 21st century it is increasingly apparent that music has no borders.

World-roots is now a well established and dynamic part of the music scene, spawning a variety of multi-cultural

crossovers. High profile crossover projects of the last five decade’s witnessed The Beatles recording with classical Indian sitar guru Ravi Shankar who was also spiritual and musical mentor to George Harrison. The Rolling Stones original rhythm guitarist Brian Jones played a mean sitar, and released ‘The Pipes of Pan’ a ground breaking world music album in 1968. Travelling to the Atlas Mountain’s of Morocco with little more than a magnetic tape machine and a jar of hashish jam the wayward Stone captured the sounds of Berber pipes and drums at tribal ceremonies religious festivals and weddings. ‘The Pipes of Pan’ produced and edited by Brian Jones and featuring the master musicians of Jajouka from the remote region of Morrocco’s Atlas mountain’s, presaged an upsurge of enthusiasm for contemporary roots music that is reflected by the success of Womad and other international music festivals.

throughout the production and the Musical Director Dyfan Jones along with his fantastic Welsh Orchestra brings this inspiring adaption authenticity and revives the 1930s. The Clwyd Theatr Cymru is proud of this production and they have every right to be as many classic novels are destroyed when they are adapted to the stage, but this production is giving the public another alternative way of enjoying To Kill a Mockingbird and I think is a show not be missed. Due to such a high level of demand it may even be touring around Wales again in a couple of years. So get your student cards out and spend your money on something different this March, you will not be disappointed.

Sam Tattam

Live recording from 2009 ‘Cimarron and Catrin Finch: Yn Byw’ is available from Astar Records. With tickets selling out fast, be sure and catch Catrin Finch and Cimarron for a mega mix of finest llanero Columbian beats and classical Harp cadences delivered by virtuoso musicians. If Swansea campus is lucky the masters of llanero will perform the exuberant Joropo dance from the Venezuelan and Columbian borders.

Catrin Finch & Cimarron Taliesin Friday 12th March. Taliesin box office 01792 60 20 60 (student discount available with valid NUS card). www.taliesinartscentre.co.uk

Paul Seacombe

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Film: Wales One World Film Festival at the Taliesin Treeless Mountain TBC 8th March Showing in part of the Wales One World Film Festival, comes this tender and heartfelt film from Korean director So Yong Kim, director of cult smash In Between Days. Released in 2008 in its native Korea, it tells the story of a fresh-faced six year old girl called Jin who lives with her mother and sister Bin in an apartment in Seoul. Her mother The Wind Journeys 15 8th March As part of the WOW Wales One World Film Festival, Taliesin Swansea will be showing Colombian film, The Wind Journeys, on Monday 8th March. The Spanish film is the second by Ciro Guerra, and is the follow up to his well-received debut, The Wandering Shadows. The Wind Journeys was part The Maid/ La nana 15 9th March Released in Chile in 2008, and a year later internationally, The Maid has won 24 awards and was also nominated for a Golden Globe. English subtitles are given for this humorous Spanish speaking fictional film that has received an abundance of positive press throughout the world and the Taliesin is proud to be showing Sebastian Silva’s masterpiece for its WOW festival.

The tagline ‘She’s more or less family’ Departures 12A 9th March The Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film of the year, Departures, is to be shown at the Taliesin Centre. This film takes a journey into the heartland of Japan and provides the viewer with an astonishing insight into Tulpan 12A 10th March Like all nomadic people, the sheep herders of Kazakhstan on the windswept Russian Steppes face an uphill struggle to retain their cultural identity in the 21st century. Writer-director Sergei Dvortsevoy’s full length feature Tulpan shows a young Kazakhs search for life, love and happiness in one of the Still Walking U 10th March Written and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, Still Walking (Aruitemo aruitemo) is a charming Japanese family drama following two grown children as they go to visit their elderly parents one summer’s day. Bringing their own families along with them they return to the old family home for a reunion to

embarks on a journey to find the girls’ father and the girls spend the summer with their aunt before going on to their grandparents’ home. The film is a touching exploration of a child’s ability to cope with distinctly adult emotions and situations and is masterfully directed

by Kim. The film won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, the Muhr Award for Best Film at the Dubai International Film Festival and the Netpac Award at the Pusan International Film Festival and has been screened and

praised at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Buenos Aires Festival of International Cinema. It has also been praised over the pond, being nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography which is set to be awarded on March 5th. For fans of foreign and independent cinema, this is a truly moving and emotional film that will resonate with all ages. The WOW Film Festival is dedicated to bringing audiences in Wales the latest in cuttingedge foreign independent cinema.

WOW were one of the first to bring such cult hits as Amores Perros, Oldboy and City Of God to Welsh audiences.

Treeless Mountain is showing on the 8th of March and the festival runs until the 10th.

of the Un Certain Regard section of the official 2009 selection for the Cannes Festival, and has also been shown at many other international film festivals.

The film follows Ignacio, played by Marciano Martinez, who spent his life travelling around Colombia as a juglar, or minstrel. However, after the sudden death of his wife, he leaves town in order to return his supposedly cursed accordion to its previous owner, a man who claims he won it after a duel with

the devil. On his travels, he runs into a teenager, Fermin, played by Yull Nunez, who wishes to learn the accordion and play as well as Ignacio does. So the film takes the form of an odd couple tale as the pair travel through Colombia together.

As to be expected from the subject matter of the film, music features heavily and many of the most spectacular scenes of the film are highly unique set-pieces with highly talented musicians. As well as the

focus on music, the landscape of the film takes centre stage, with it all being filmed on location in the Caribbean regions of northern Colombia. This gives the film a travelogue type feel as it looks at the huge diversity of Caribbean culture.

misleads the viewers into thinking this film is giving the positive sides of working for a family for more than 20 years. The film deals without bias of the issue of the Latin American aristocratic tradition of serfdom, which although may not be something which audiences from the UK are familiar with, it is extremely interesting to see how a maid has deluded herself into believing she is part of the family, instead of just an employee. The upper-class Valdes family are kind to Raquel, the maid (Catalina Saavedra), but Raquel’s increasing bitterness towards the elder

children becomes insufferable and the family believe that employing another maid would help Raquel’s temperament as the workload would be reduced.

Raquel full of desperation to maintain her position in the family childishly tries to drive away every new employer until she encounters Lucy (Mariana Loyala), a genuine kind hearted girl who sets the contrast of maid being solely a job, and not a life commitment. With Claudia Celadon playing the Mistress, Pilar, this film is full of quality acting and the cast are not strangers to the television or cinema. Director and Writer Sebastian

Silva has created an entertaining motion picture that deals with entertaining topics, for example the awkward scene about soiled bedsheets, and yet the beauty of the film is that without winning or losing, everyone seems to become happier. The transformation of Raquel is portrayed so subtly that it is awe inspiring and Silva masters a technique that is very rarely seen in Cinemas.

the sacred Japanese heritage. The story revolves around ‘Daigo Kobayashi’ who, after losing his job, moves back to his hometown to start a new life.

Desperate for income he answers to a classified advert entitled Departures.

After believing this job to be for a travel agency he is shocked to learn the job entails him preparing dead bodies for the next life. After hesitantly accepting

the job, little by little he warms to his role and endows the elaborate funeral ceremonies with grace and humanity.

This films interesting and, at times, comical observation of the journey of life and death has a lovely touch that allows the viewer to reflect on the wonder and the miracle that is life. A story of love, of revelation and of discovery, Departures will linger in your hearts and minds long

after viewing.

remotest societies as its central theme.

Asa has completed his national service in the Russian navy and returned home to his vast, poverty stricken and oil rich homeland. Kazakhstan is a huge country whose territorial boundaries cover an area equivalent to the whole of Western Europe. Kazakhstan’s topography offers the dramatic contrast of the mountainous, heavily populated regions of the east to the sparsely populated, energy-rich lowlands in the west, and from the

industrialised north, with its Siberian climate and terrain, through the arid, empty steppes of the centre, to the fertile south. Winner of numerous awards at Cannes, London Film Festival and also an Oscar nomination, Tulpan is essential viewing for fans of world cinema. Asa’s agenda is to get his own herd of sheep and marry the village beauty Tulpan, who also happens to be the only unattached female within a 500km radius. Whilst his upwardly mobile plan is taking shape,

Asa must live in his sisters Yurt, sharing the cramped living quarters with her husband and young family. Although its a comedy, Tulpan is also a commentary on a disappearing world interspersed with breathtaking shots of the Kazakh landscape. The cinematography features spectacular dust storms and crystal clear night skies illuminated by the light of a billion stars.

Paul Seacombe

commemorate the tragic death of the eldest son, Junpei, who drowned while trying to save a school friend fifteen years ago. Also invited to the reunion is the boy that their brother was attempting to save that day, who is now 25 years old and has grown up to be tiresome, overweight and underachieving.

The film follows the events of this day as they eat and converse, with much strained politeness and family bickering mixed with poignant comedy. There

appears in each family member to be a need to punish the boy that is still living when their beloved Junpei is dead, by poking fun at him and mocking him. The surviving son Ryo is also belittled and made to feel second best to his deceased older brother; he sits silently seething as he hears anecdote after anecdote of how great Junpei was.

There is no explosive arguing or platesmashing confrontation during the film, as the arguments and anger are

hidden beneath a facade of politeness and respect. Still Walking tender and simplistically portrays a family reuniting and realising that everyone has subtly changed since the loss of their loved one, and each trying to deal with the bickering and rivalry that comes with every family.

Rhodri Diaz

Caitlin Gwynn

Sam Tattam

Charlotte Ellis

Ffion Hughes

WWW.WATERFRONT.CO.UK

FRONT - MUSIC 15

FOUND A MATCH WITH GIRLS CANT CATCH

Music Editor James Taylor has a chit chat with the sexy girl band Girls Can’t Catch, at the Lock and Key Party.

Hey girls, how are you all?

All: Really good, Thanks!

How did you girls meet exactly?

Daizy: Well we were scouted, so we were all singers before hand and the guy at our record label said to us ‘I think you girls would be brilliant in a band together’ and asked how we felt about that. Obviously we jumped at the chance. So here we are.

Where did the name ‘Girls Can’t Catch’ originate from?

Phoebe: Well we had loads of meetings and stuff when we first got together, and we just couldn’t decide what to call ourselves, the names we came up with were either taken or just didn’t seem right. So after a while the label said ‘how about Girls Cant Catch’ and we all thought it was wicked and loved it.

Our sources told us that the name was originally offered to The Saturdays, were you aware of this?

Daizy: Yeah, it was the Saturdays that came up with it. I don’t know why it says that it was offered to them because the girls came up with it - it was their idea. Yet further on down the line they decided to go with ‘The Saturdays’ instead. So when the label asked us if we wanted the name we jumped at the chance.

So you were quite happy to take that name from The Saturdays then?

So I’m guessing you find being with Girls Can’t Catch a lot less stressful.

Daizy: Yeah, its ‘girl band love’!

Phoebe: Got to love ‘girl band love’.

Daizy: I am pretty sure it was Rochelle that came up with it and she said ‘take it’ so we were just like ‘thanks’ ha-ha!

Phoebe: Oh yeah big time! Big time!

Daizy: Until there’s a single release.

Phoebe: Yeah and then we’re just crapping ourselves ha-ha!

Do you ever hope for a collaboration with The Saturdays at some point in your career?

Phoebe: I would love to, I mean Girls Aloud and Sugababes collaborated to do ‘Walk this Way’ for Red Nose Day, I think it would be so cool.

Jess: It’d be a great laugh.

Daizy: We would love to do something similar, and the video would be similar too like with three of us and five of them.

Phoebe, I know in a previous life you were a member of the band ‘Hope’ from X-Factor two years ago. How does the social atmosphere differ between your past and present band?

Daizy: You prefer Hope, don’t you?

All: *Laughs* Phoebe: Well because it was on a reality show, there wasn’t much team work as you’re in it for yourself. So when you’re in a band on X-Factor you’re fighting, fighting, fighting. But with us girls we have a team behind us and also much more fans than Hope did, so I much prefer being signed to a record label.

Would you recommend the X-Factor experience to aspiring artists?

Phoebe: Oh I would definitely recommend it, just because it got me into Girls Can’t Catch, and it has been great for me. It’s not great for a lot of people; I think you have to be incredibly lucky and be clever on the contacts you get to know when you leave X-Factor and then you might make something of yourself, but if you’re not smart then it can be hard for people to have fame and to just lose it so easily.

What about the most recent season, with the likes of Lucy and Jedward and Joe. Do you see fame in these people’s lives?

Phoebe: I think they are great, I think some of them will do really well and have careers that last for years, and some of them might not. I know Lucy is doing modelling now, Jedward have obviously got a debut single out now, and we met Miss Frank who are just gigging at the moment. Some will be lucky and some won’t, that’s what happens with XFactor.

POSERS: Daizy, Phoebe and Jess joined The Waterfront on the sofa of love at the Lock and Key party

Well one band who shone from Reality TV is Girls Aloud, and I know you recently toured with the veteran band. What was the experience like?

Phoebe: It was absolutely amazing, once we found out we were in the band we went on tour with them about two weeks after. So we had to do rehearsals two weeks solid and only found out our name two days before we went on tour. It was so fun, they are really lovely girls.

I know your current single ‘Echo’ did really well in the charts, but a lot of people believe it was your debut single, what was your reaction to this?

Daizy: I know! I think ‘Keep Your Head Up’ had its place, I think it was great for that time, I think it did remarkably well.

I mean getting a top 40 single is not the easiest thing to achieve, especially when you are a completely unknown girl band, so to get number 26 in the chart was a brilliant achievement.

Jess: And without that I don’t think ‘Echo’ would have done so well, because we needed to keep our head up high to continue to our next single, so I think ‘Keep Your Head Up’ did that for us.

Phoebe: It is definitely the most poppy track on our album too, and ‘Echo’ is a bit more of a ballad, so I think it showed how we grew between those two stages as well.

Well I don’t know if you know but the single ‘Echo’ made it into Radio 1’s A-List and that must definitely be a moral boost for you girls?

Phoebe: Yeah and it was the second highest chart entry of the week.

Daizy: Yeah I think we have done pretty well so far, considering we are still new.

I also hear that you have an upcoming single coming out that has been written by the lovely Pixie Lott. How amazing does that feel?

Jess: It was amazing!

Daizy: All of our writers have been the best and at the top of their game. So going into this with all the best writers was amazing. And Pixie Lott is one of those greats that we have had the privilege to work with.

Is there a particular artist you would like to work with in the future?

Phoebe: I do love the way that Ne-yo writes, I love some of the songs he’s

brought out.

Daizy: I find him too slushy though.

Phoebe: I know you do, but he has written some great tracks for Leona and Rhianna. I love Rhianna too she is amazing – Oh my god!

Daizy: I would like an English artist though, like Beverly Knight maybe?

So what’s next for Girls Can’t Catch, except for the gig tonight obviously?

Phoebe: Well we’ve got our third single which should be out in April sometime, so we’re thinking about shooting the video very soon, and then the album which is all done and fully recorded.

Is there a release date for the album yet?

Phoebe: Well officially no, but you can pre-order it off HMV already which is odd. I mean we haven’t even named it yet!

Do you girls have any inspiring words for the students of Swansea Uni? Phoebe: Yeah, party hard!

All: *Laughs* Phoebe: You’re only in Uni once guys!

Andy (Manager): Sorry to interrupt guys, but does anyone think James looks like Matt Willis?

Phoebe: Oh my god yeah! Do you get that a lot?

Yeah I do, quite a lot.

Daizy: That’s not a bad thing mind.

Phoebe: So do people come up to you then in the street and ask?

More than I would wish for yes ha-ha!

From drunken girls on nights out to random kids in work. Since Busted have disbanded it has kind of died down...until now.

All: *Laughs* Daizy: Phoebe used to get mistaken for Amy Winehouse Phoebe: Yeah all the f**king time!

Daisy: While on crack All: *Laughs* Ha-Ha! Well on that note girls I think we shall call it a day. Thanks for your time and good luck.

All: Aw thank you!

Daizy: Bye Matt!

All: *Laughs*

16 FRONT - MUSIC

DONT STOP BELIEVING, JUST STOP REPEATING

WATERFRONT 187 - 22/02/10

GLEE OR FLEE?

Reporters of the Music section give us their opinion on the current US based craze - Glee.

Reporter Lauren Ellis discusses the endless versions of the student cult hit ‘Dont stop Believing’ that have flooded the charts over the past few months

It is very common knowledge that the cult track of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ has proven to be a large hit within the student community.

We hear the iconic tune in our favourite waterholes such as Tooters, Sin City, Oceana and Play. But the question has to be asked; has this signature anthem been completely obliterated by nasty imitations? Over the past few months the song itself has been repeated and customised greatly from the duet in the cast of the hit TV series Glee, to west-end singer Joe McElderry from X-Factor. Also recently, many DJ’s have decided to jump on the bandwagon and create their own dance remix of the classic tune.

Bearing this in mind I took it upon myself to listen each reworking of the song, to see if the song has been, in a nutshell ‘raped’. After carefully listening to all of the versions of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ I can safely agree with this point of view. Although the cast of Glee successfully created a rather catchy version of the song it still doesn’t make up for the fact that

the song has just been covered and re-covered time and time again in the last few months. Even the original version of the song has gone back up in the charts and been overplayed hugely at both Nightclubs and radio stations.

The song itself was first released by Journey in 1981 and was released in Great Britain in February 1982 and went back into the British charts in December 2009 with thanks to the fantastical art of digital downloading. It then went straight in at number 9 in the Christmas charts and then went even higher to number 6 when Glee released their rather memorable version.

The song has also appeared in films such as The Wedding Singer and Bedtime Stories as well as being in the famous TV shows Family Guy, Scrubs, The Sopranos and of course Glee.

This song has managed to spread itself around more than Ashley Cole’s snap shots, and is a true sign that Journey need to pull on the reigns allowing the song to be reworked, before it dies completely.

And as for the dance version...really? Do we really need an electronic beat put to this song and furthermore add a million other unnecessary attributes like the repetition of the same tune or the unneeded extra effects that give it the oomph of a mouldy sausage role?

I think not!

To be honest I really don’t think we need any more versions of this song, because as soon as that 80’s style piano intro begins, we stumble towards the dance floor, congregate together into circles with our arms thrown around each other and waiting for our chance to bellow “Just a small town girl...”. We want to all sway to the song that is Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, and this week when I’m dressed up as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for my friend Zoe’s 20th birthday bash in Sin City, I want to be able to dance off my face to the original not some ripped off, west end, bass pumping piece of crap which is a futile reattempt of the classic 80s hit. Go on Journey – Don’t stop Believing.

LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE!

Reporter Bryony Hicks lets us in on the upcoming phenomenon that is Battle of the Bands Everyone loves a good battle. Everyone loves a bit of music. It’s time for Swansea University’s Battle of the Bands! Are you a budding rock star? Get onto the Student Union website to register by 25th February – bands AND solo artists are welcome. Bands wishing to enter must have at least one member at Swansea University or Swansea Metropolitan and bands who wish to rock their socks off must pay a £20 entry fee – however, will be then given twenty tickets to their ‘heat’ which they can sell for a mere £1 each. Here’s the good part – the first prize for an act will be £500! And that’s not all, the winning act will also get a chance to perform live on stage at this year’s Summer Ball! Now there’s something to get your rock socks on for!

Now here’s the information bit for those new to this event: Battle of the Bands is made up of

four heats, a semi final and a grand final. Each heat will take place in either Woody’s, located in Hendrefoelan Student Village, or Diva’s, located on the University campus. Set times are between 15 and 20 minutes long depending on how many bands are in each heat. The heats start on from March 4th at Woodies so I advise all of you interested in hearing a range of different style bands to head on up to the village. The best band or solo artist from each heat will go through to the grand final on Thursday 18th March and those coming in second will compete in the semi finals on 16th March for a place in the final! So do you think you could belt out rock ballads as smooth as Kings of Leon? Or as heavy as Metallica? Or are you a mellow acoustic guitar player just looking for an audience? Battle of the Bands needs you! Full backline – including

guitar and bass amps, drum kit and Pa – are provided by the union, although you need your own instruments, rock gods and goddesses. For those with a keen ear for music – or even just a wicked opinion – the judges decision makes up 50% of the vote (one of which is our very own Music Editor James Taylor) and the rest by the audience so make sure you’re there to cheer on and support your favourite artists and bands! Some bands already expected are La Fiasco, Icarus Song, Fresh Lobster, Friday Night Lights, Scramjet, The Omerta and Letters From Lima – this will already prove to be an amazing event; so get registered or just get down to the heats and most of all – have an amazing time! Good luck to all bands and artists who enter – we salute you!

“Apparently ‘it’s all about Glee’... personally, I don’t get it!” – Bryony Hicks

“It comes as no surprise that ‘Glee’ is consistent in getting singles into the UK charts. The show is full of great music and campy fun that makes it an entertaining television highlight every week, and it doesn’t suffer from the same problem as every other teen based musical - the music isn’t forced in and it actually makes sense as to why these characters burst into song.” – Dale Williams

“If the script is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, then it’s funny, but if it’s supposed to be realistic, then it’s a televisual abomination. The songs are good though.”

– Charlie Teasdale

“I’ve never seen Glee, so will just talk about my outrage over the cover of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. The song’s an institution, so seeing the Glee cover do well in the charts & having people like it is bad enough, but the final straw was hearing it played on a night out in replacement of the original. YOU DON’T COVER JOURNEY! So as unfair as it is, I hate Glee on principal.” – Sophie Evans

WWW.WATERFRONT.CO.UK

FRONT - MUSIC 17

MIXTAPE

This week, re-elected AU President Siwan Lillicrap gives us her top 10 tracks of the moment.

Hi I’m Siwan Lillicrap and I am the Au President. I basically look after all of the sport in Swansea and make all arrangements for fixtures, trips and events. I’ve been asked to do the mixed tape for this week as I got re-elected as AU president last week so you have me for another year. If you want to get involved in sport then come and see me and I will be more than happy to give guidance and help. So here we go, my top 10 tracks….

The Glee Cast - Don’t Stop Believing This song was played all the time during campaign week and completely represents the week; I never stopped believing that we could do it therefore this song was an inspiration to battle our way through the week.

The Beatles - Hey Jude

Owl City - Fireflies

through a load of work.

This was my campaign song, the girls changed the words from Hey Jude to Hey Siw and sang it to me on numerous occasions. This song will always remind me of campaign week 2010.

This is my favourite track at the moment, such a good chill out song. A great tune to put on when I am trying to plough

Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind I love Alicia Keys and I think her most recent song is one of her all time best.

Yet again, great tune with great lyrics.

Whitney Housten - Million Dollar Bill This song reminds me of a crazy dance me and the girls made up in Unibar, we have some crazy looks when this dance is performed.

The Killers - Mr Brightside

Cheryl Cole - Fight for this love

Michael Jackson - Thriller

This song is my fresher’s song, reminds me of all the good times I had with my sports science crew and the messy crazy nights that will never be forgotten.

Always lifts the mood on a night out.

I love Cheryl Cole and this song just gets me well in the mood for a night out.

The Script - The Man Who Can’t Be Moved

This song reminds me of last summer.

An amazing weekend in Brighton and BUCs conference in Keale where I met some amazing friends from other Universities and this song will always remind me of them. We always text each other when we hear the song. Great friends which will never be forgotten.

I put this in here as it reminds me of my AU exec. We did an on stage dance for the Halloween Ball in play and we did it to ‘Thriller’. It turned out really well, and I put this one last as I can’t thank them enough for the work they do and their efforts for all the AU.

Black Eyed Peas - I’ve Got a Feeling

The Script are my favourite band and this is most definitely my favourite song. Great band and great lyrics.

REVIEWS

Our harsh critical reporters review this weeks upcoming singles and albums.

Twin Atlantic – Lightspeed

One Life Stand – Hot Chip

‘Lightspeed’ is the third single to be released from Twin Atlantic’s debut mini-album ‘Vivarium’ on March 1st. It was written by lead singer, Sam McTrusty who based it on the importance of friendship, using his bond with fellow bandmates as an inspiration.

As a first time listener to Twin Atlantic, I was surprised at the blatancy of their Scottish accent but it actually gave the song a soothing and melodic sound without taking away the energetic vibes.

‘Lightspeed’ is for me the catchiest single the band have released so far, but ‘You’re Turning into John Wayne’ and ‘What is Light? Where is Laughter?’ would still definitely get a crowd chanting along at a festival. Twin Atlantic are currently touring the UK and supporting Enter Shakari on their European tour later in the year. Their originality is reflected in their ever-growing fan base and I look forward to hearing more of them.

Despite the falsetto vocals hilariously resembling the voice of the pervy old man in Family Guy (listen to the chorus of track three ‘I Feel Better’ and you’ll see what I mean!) I actually think this album has a lot to offer with its slightly sickly yet sweet 80’s feel coupled with tender lyrics and interesting fusions such as African influence (steel drumming in the title track ‘One Life Stand’) The prominent theme running through the album is love, both brotherly and romantic. ‘Slush’ opens with rising and falling vocal arpeggios which lift the listener up and gently takes them down again creating an almost lullaby like feel. While it is much the same sound throughout the album, the warm vocals contrast with the rigid electro pop feel and mechanic drum beats creating an altogether pleasing effect, as Kitty Empire (The Observer) aptly puts it, the album resembles a “great big aural hug”.

8/10

7/10

Nia Hooper

Bella Whately

The Features – Some Kind of Salvation

MPHO – See Me Now

Gorillaz – Stylo

There once was a young diva called ‘MPHO’. She could sing. Then one day, a producer called Rick Nowels and an out-of-favour R’n’B artist named Wale persuaded her she could be just like every other female R’n’B female out of there.

So she produced a single called ‘See Me Now’. In it she put a clear performance and a good range of vocals, which would have been worthy of a good pop career.

But she desired to follow a genre those around her persuaded she could do, and limited herself to a monotonous quasipop single, destined not for the fairytale world of stardom but the scrapheap where many other such songs lie. Worse still, she allowed Wale to make a guest appearance, in which he reinforces everything that made the single so bland and wasted.

Now there is a fairytale of a music career gone wrong.

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s Gorillaz are back after five years with a new single Stylo from their upcoming album, Plastic Beach. Formed in 1998, the virtual band of Murdoc Niccals and Co. have gone on to pick up some of the music world’s most prestigious awards, and have sold 12 million albums worldwide. New offering, Stylo, incorporates a number of contrasting vocal styles, from the wailing of American singer/songwriter Bobby Womack, and the MC work of Mos Def, held together with a heavily repetative and dark, synth bassline, and the signature Gorillaz vocals of Albarn.

This track may not be for everybody, but I am sure that fans of the Gorillaz will not be disappointed. Plastic Beach will be released by Parlophone on 8 March, 2010.

8/10

5/10

7/10

Charlie Teasdale

Eva Sellmoss

Ben Price

‘Some Kind of Salvation’ is what’s known euphemistically as a ‘grower’.

At first I was indifferent and the album made next to no impact on me. But after the 4th or 5th listen the charisma and quality shines through and you smile like you know something no-one else does. The opening track is an off-putting sea shanty reminiscent of the Popeye theme, but quickly descends into the grubby rock ‘n’ roll that the Kings of Leon patronage would seem to promise.

A hundred different intricacies and elements worm their way into your ears, revealing saxophone, synthesiser, violin and trumpet, occasionally throwing up dodgy results (The sample on Concrete is very odd) but generally offering an eclectic and robust maturity that is so hard to find these days. The album is described as “A bulging mix of scrappy white-boy soul”, sound rubbish? I know, but give it a try.

Travel -

#18 Travel

Waterfront 187 - 22/02/10

ARE YOU LOOKING TO TRAVEL ABROAD?

IMPORTANT SAFETY ADVICE!

Foreign & Commonwealth Office study shows dangerous gaps in student travel preparation

Students at Swansea University are putting themselves in danger abroad as more than a fifth (22%) admit to running out of money when on holiday, the Foreign and Commonwealth office can reveal.

Whether students plan to travel for a two week holiday or a long term gap year trip, the FCO is urging student travellers to better prepare before they travel. Researching the culture of the destination they are travelling to, taking out adequate travel insurance and understanding what help the FCO can give by visiting www.fco.gov.uk/travel are amongst the tips being released.

Alice Draper from the ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said: “Students understandably like to take advantage of bargain flights on no frills airlines, but spending less on travel doesn’t mean you should cut corners on travel preparation before you go. This includes checking you have the money and can get access to it easily, as well as ensuring you have travel insurance.”

Hospitalisations

The survey of over 1,000 students currently studying at UK universities reveals that over 1 in 10 (11%) have ended up in hospital while abroad. With the cost of repatriation from the US back to the UK now averaging £45,000 this highlights, more than ever, the importance of taking out comprehensive travel insurance.

Alice Draper continues: “A trip to hospital when abroad doesn’t have to cost you money if you are covered for all the activities you are enjoying. Do your research and don’t be scared to ask insurance providers questions.

For example, many people do not realise that if you have an accident on holiday after consuming alcohol it is likely that your insurance will be invalid. It’s better to be safe than be faced with a big bill which can rise to tens of thousands of pounds if repatriation is required.”

Insurance

The report also shows that 25% of students admit to driving or being the passenger of a moped or quad bike when abroad without first checking if their insurance policy covers them.

James Pinnington, from Surrey, was travelling in South-East Asia on a gap year when he had an extremely serious moped accident and found that not reading the small print properly had been an expensive mistake.

James was preparing for a night out with friends and realised he had left his mobile back at the hostel. “I jumped on the moped I’d hired and the next thing I remember is waking up in excruciating agony in a rural Vietnamese hospital. I had dislocated my hip, broken both legs and a couple of vertebrae in my back and was suffering from internal bleeding. I can’t remember the crash, but apparently I’d hit a lamppost outside the hostel.” he said.

“While I was in hospital someone came to tell me that my travel insurance would not cover my medical repatriation to the UK. Although my dad and I had read the policy before I left to go travelling, we hadn’t noticed that I was only covered to ride a moped if I had a class A motorcycle licence back in the UK, which I don’t. We had to cover all the medical and repatriation costs ourselves.” James’ parents spent £20,000 flying him back to the UK on a private plane to Bangkok and then a stretcher flight, accompanied by a doctor and nurse, on a national airline.

Stephanie Coulter of InsureandGo, added: “For students who don’t have a lot of money, travel insurance may seem like an extra expense they can do without. We would urge anyone going abroad to purchase travel insurance – and to make sure it covers them for all the activities they are likely to do, such as bungee jumping or white water rafting. If you fall ill, or injure yourself, whilst you are away it can prove extremely expensive.

Not buying travel insurance really is a false economy.”

Laws and Customs

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office research also reveals that students run a high risk of falling foul of the law as 24% of students admit to not researching their destination’s laws and customs before setting off. For example, many people do not realise that topless sunbathing, swearing and public displays of affection can lead to arrest in some countries. Local laws and customs can vary from the UK significantly and ignorance of these laws can lead to more severe punishments than in the UK. British students should visit www.fco.gov.uk/travel to read more about the laws, customs and entry requirements of the country they plan to visit.

For further information on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign please contact: Nikki Littlehales, Student Brand Ambassador, 442296@swansea.ac.uk

Win Win Win with thewaterfront

Be as prepared as possible with the FCO’s top ten tips: Research Research the country you are visiting before you go. Visit www.fco.gov.uk/travel or call 0845 850 2829 for the latest information.

Passport Check your passport is valid and includes next of kin contact details – and that you have all necessary visas. Country specific visa information can be found at www.fco.gov.uk/travel.

Travel Insurance Take out comprehensive travel insurance and read the small print so you know exactly what your policy covers.

EHIC If you are travelling within Europe, take your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) card with you. Check the card’s expiry date before travelling – you can renew your EHIC at www.dh.gov.uk/travellers. The EHIC will entitle you to free or reduced cost emergency healthcare in most European countries. Remember: this is not a replacement for travel insurance – you will need that as well.

Money Take enough money with you and make sure you have access to emergency funds. Check with your bank that your cards can be used in the country you are travelling to.

Vaccinations Visit your GP well in advance of your trip to ask about any vaccinations or medication you might need. If you need to take prescription medication with you, pack enough for your whole trip plus a few days extra in case you are delayed returning home.

Documents Make copies of important travel documents and keep them separately from the originals. It is advised you keep one copy with a friend of family member you trust.

Every issue Rough Guides will be offering a lucky reader the chance to win a Rough Guide book of their choice!

To enter please email your answers to 442296@swansea.ac.uk.

Q: Vancouver’s Chinatown is the second largest in North America, but which North American city has the largest?

Keep in touch Keep your family and friends informed of your plans and leave emergency contact details with them. Register with LOCATE so that the FCO can contact you should there be an emergency by visiting www.fco.gov.uk/locate Mobile Phone Make sure your mobile phone will work abroad and that you pack the right charger and adaptor.

British Consulate and Embassy Help Find out where the nearest British consulate or embassy will be – check the FCO website to find out their contact details and opening times.

www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

Travel 23

CANADA - Vancouver 2010

By Nikki Littlehales Travel Editor

In Vancouver you have one of the world’s great scenic cities, its watery and mountain fringed setting on a par with those of Sydney and Rio de Janeiro. Vancouver’s enhanced international profile, looks set to continue as the 2010 Winter Olympics are well underway. The honour is in no small part due to the proximity of Whistler, 125 km north of the Vancouver, a modern centre for skiing, boarding and other winter sports, for hiking, in-line skating, golf and, above all, mountain biking in the summer (the resort now has as many summer as winter visitors).

Vancouver has been a popular immigration and tourist destination over recent years and has even been named as the best place to live. It has a vibrant Downtown district that fills a narrow peninsula, surrounded by Burrard Inlet to the north, English Bay to the west and False Creek to the south. Edged around the waterfront are beaches, a dynamic port and magnificent parkland, not to mention the mirror-fronted skyscrapers that look across Burrard Inlet and its bustling harbour to the residential districts of North and West Vancouver. Beyond the suburbs, the Coast Mountains rise to form a dramatic counterpoint to the Downtown skyline and the most stunning of the city’s many outdoor playgrounds. No wonder the city is so popular.

Whether it’s sailing, swimming, fishing, hiking, skiing, golf or tennis, locals barely have to move to indulge in a plethora of recreational whims. Summer and winter the city oozes hedonism and healthy living – it comes as no surprise to find that you can lounge on beaches Downtown.

Vancouver claims a world-class museum and symphony orchestra, as well as opera, theatre and dance companies at the cutting edge of contemporary arts. There are many festivals throughout its mild summer while numerous music venues provide a hotbed for up-and-coming rock bands Vancouver gives you plenty to do come sunset, laying on a varied and cosmopolitan blend of live music. Clubs are more adventurous than in many other Canadian cities, particularly the fly-by-night alternative dives on and around Main Street and Commercial Drive, and in the backstreets off Gastown and Chinatown. Check out www.bcpassport.com/festivals for festival info.

These days Vancouver is more dynamic than ever, its growing population is the fastest growing on the continent. In response the Downtown area is spreading to the older and previously run-down districts southeast of the old core. Development over the last decade has seen a dramatic increase. Real estate here is now more expensive than in Toronto, and the city is North America’s largest film and TV production centre after Los Angeles and New York. Yet, in the peculiar way that seems second nature to Canadians, the changes are being handled in a manner that’s enhancing rather than compromising the city’s beguiling combination of pleasure, culture, business and natural beauty.

Accommodation is easy to find, whatever your budget. It is worth staying in a fun hostel as you will meet more people and even save yourself a few pennies. Visit www. hostelworld.com to check out available hostels. Vancouver is easy accessible by land, air and sea. The US cascades (Amtrak train service) is the best form of transport if you want to take a scenic route. Visit www.amtrak.com for more info.

PICTURESQUE: Downtown Vancouver

MAIN HIGLIGHTS OF VANCOUVER Stanley Park - North America’s largest urban park is an oasis of forest, beaches, gardens and peaceful trails.

Granville Island - A superb market and specialist stores are the main attractions of this hugely popular enclave.

Grouse Mountain - Ride the cable-car for jaw dropping views from one of the major peaks on Vancouver’s North Shore.

Vancouver Canucks - Canadians love their ice hockey. Go and see a game at GM Place Stadium.

Pacific Rim National Park - Beautiful Long Beach makes this park the island’s scenic highlight.

The Inside Passage -Take this day-long ferry ride to enjoy the best of British Columbia’s coastline.

Historic Gastown - Historical area of Vancouver and is the birthplace of the city of Vancouver.

Whistler - Come here for unmatched outdoor activities in summer or winter.

Museum of Anthropology - Vancouver’s finest museum is a showcase for Canada’s finest collection of aboriginal art and artefacts.

Zinny’s Diary

Hey Guys!

Hope you had a good Valentines Day. I had a very interesting one actually.

Went to The Great San Francisco pillow fight (another one of San Francisco’s random but funny events). Whacking strangers across the head with a pillow was so much fun. As soon as the clock on the ferry building struck six, the carnage begun. Came home over an hour later with a bad headache. The streets completely covered in feathers. A cup of hot chocolate sorted me out.

Prior to my weird Valentines Day, the past week had been a very busy one! Settling into class, crashing classes (Trying to get into classes I didn’t originally get into) etc.

Due to the budget cuts in the State of California, not only are there not enough classes due to education funding, teachers now have to take unpaid days off (furlough days) too!

This is obviously not all bad at all as I get a four-day weekend this weekend! Boom! Going hiking at the Redwood National Park in North California to try and spot some bears! Perfect “School is off and it isn’t Christmas/Spring break” get away. Can’t stand the nature for more than three days though! It reminds me of the movie Shrooms! Hope this one is fun.

Hope you guys have an amazing week.

24 Fashion

fashion

fashionfashionfashionfashion Chemical Overload

By Jaye Turpin

Research has now suggested that U.K women are smothering themselves in 515 chemicals every day. Research by natural deodorant-maker Bionsen have discovered that in our morning routine alone we’ll apply several different products, each containing a shocking average of 15 to 25 chemical ingredients. Natural cosmetics makers ‘My Pure’ warn that over 700 chemicals can be used to make a fragranced product (a typical shampoo fragrance is created by blending 100). By law many of these chemicals don’t have to be listed and can fall under the category ‘parfum’. There have been some links to cosmetics and the increase of Breast Cancer although according to an in-depth study by ‘Breakthrough breast cancer’ there is no evidence to support this claim.

As there is so much controversy over cosmetics used daily maybe there is some

cause for concern? But with research still on-going all we can do is get a better understanding of the products we use and their potential effects on our bodies!

Condoms + Fashion = Really?

By Jaye Turpin

Adriana Bertini has given a new meaning to the term ‘safe sex’. The Brazilian artist has designed cocktail dresses made out of condoms for the ‘rubbers’ exhibition at the museum of sex in Manhattan. The artist used 1,200 quality test rejected condoms and then hand dyed them to create the eyecatching evening wear. Brazilian artist Adriana Bertini has displayed her dresses all over the world supporting HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns, but this latest exhibition takes museum visitors on a tour through the evolution of the condom.

For more condom inspired designs visit her website- http:// www.adrianabertini.com.br/

HOT WEATHER

The sun is finally starting to put its hat on, hip hip hip hooray!

fashionfashionfashionfashi

Alexander McQueen: The Loss of our Fashion King

By Lucinda Reid In the periphery of Paris, October 2009, fashion followers waited with baited breath for Alexander McQueen’s latest creations. Assigned ‘l’enfant terrible’ by the industry due to his rebellious attitude, the audience had to expect the unexpected. His spring/summer 2010 show entitled ‘Platos Altantis’ did not disappoint. Inspired by Darwin’s theory of evolution, McQueen portrayed intricately detailed animal prints juxtaposed with futuristic structured dresses. The collection was a revelation to the fashion world and was claimed to be his best yet. It would also be his last.

On the morning of February 11th, the 40 year old fashion designer was found dead at his home in London, after he reportedly took his own life. The news left the fashion industry devastated as it came only days after his mother passed away. A true fashion icon, his designs have influenced our dress sense for over a decade and as Anna Wintour, American Vogue Editor, commented “in such a short career, Alexander McQueen’s influence was astonishing, from street style to music culture and the world’s museums. His passing marks an insurmountable loss.” This is why his death is so tragic, as although for many the name McQueen might have meant nothing, in reality his talent significantly changed British culture.

His rise to brilliance within the industry was rapid. Leaving school aged 16, McQueen was given a prestigious apprenticeship

at Saville Row where he was able to master the art of tailoring. These skills proved invaluable as they would be the elements that would inhibit many of his garments, creating an originality that would have been unattainable without his knowledge of cutting fabric.

After being employed by various designers including Koji Tatsuno, he was persuaded in 1994 to complete a Master’s degree in Fashion Design at Central St.Martins. This would be the beginning of his own label as the whole collection was famously brought by magazine editor Isabella Blow. Consequently fashionistas were soon grappling for a piece of the latest McQueen.

His catwalks were a mirage of emotionally charged themes due to his use of an amputee model in 1998 and calling one of his early collections ‘Highland Rape’ The clothes were concerned with shocking the industry into thoughts against the norm by a portrayal through either the fantastical or the historical. Although his catwalks were highly theatrical and innovative this did not prevent his ideas embarking onto the high street.

In 1996, the creation of his ‘bumsters’, a low slung jean that would remain on the British high street for over a decade, caused a stir. The style however enabled McQueen to show the industry that there were still original ways to dress. Another iconic design that features heavily on the high street is the use of skulls. This motif was highlighted by McQueen

A host of celebrities on one song for an amazing cause, which got to Number 1 at the weekend. In stores now.

NOT THE PASTY LEG

Time to drag out the pasty legs we’ve been hiding underneath trousers and

WALES GLORY

With one loss and one win Wales are putting up an excellent fight for the 6 Nations title.

BIKINI BODIES

Time to hit the gym as the Summer approaches.

ASHLEY COLE

Caught playing away AGAIN. If Cheryl Cole can’t keep her man, what chance do the rest of us have?

in his catwalk shows and transcended to the high street with many shops copying the use of his skulls on scarf’s and t-shirts.

Arguably his greatest influence is his use of tailoring, as he created beautifully structured garments for both men and women, styles which were then imitated.

As fashion mourns their great loss, there is speculation to whether the Alexander McQueen brand will be able to continue without the creator, and as to whether someone else can progress with his innovative designs. In an interview after his consequent last show in Paris, McQueen was asked what the most exciting thing he had ever stolen was. The designer paused for a second and broke into a mischievous smile, “someone’s heart”, he replied. In fact, Alexander McQueen stole the hearts of the fashion industry.

Swansea Students

tights the last 5 months.

HELP FOR HAITI SINGLE

waterfront 187- 22/02/10

If you would like to write for the Waterfront fasion please e-mail waterfront.fashion@ hotmail.co.uk

James Lan - WINNER! Computer Science 3rd Year Shoes- Topman £35 Jeans- USC £100 Belt- Republic £20 Jumper- Envy £40 Jacket- River Island, prices start from £40

www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

Fashion 25

onfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashionfashion “Excuse me I can see your bra!”

By Amy Sheridan

Men Behaving Badly

By Jaye Turpin Ashley Cole has allegedly been playing away from home once again, the footballer, who let’s face it is married to the hottest celebrity of our time, has said to be engaging in saucy text messages to an un-known topless model and a blonde secretary.

The alleged texting between him and the secretary apparently lasted over 2months (according to The Mail online) whilst his wife was busy working on the X-Factor. The football star is said to have sent saucy pictures of himself and is supposed to have asked the same in return from the un-named blonde. Let’s face it, this is not the first time that Ashley Cole has allegedly been ‘playing the field’ and the question we are left asking is WHY? Many men (and women) I’m sure would do anything to be with the phenomenon that is Cheryl Cole, so we all have to ask if these stories of the alleged infidelities are true, what the hell is Ashley Cole doing? And more importantly is Cheryl Cole going to ‘forgive’ him once again? Cheryl Cole is under immense pressure at the

Any of the Spring Summer collections and showcasing magazines being produced at the moment will all be gushing over the latest trend for underwear as outerwear.

Sex and the Citys Carrie Bradshaw foresaw this trend and during the shows 6 year reign frequently used a bra or even a pair of Bridget Jones pants to enhance her outfit.

Stella McCartney and Christopher Kane were amongst the hordes of designers who took this trend and made it their own, with designs featuring leotards, corsets and the regular lingerie set. Really though?

Is this the kind of look that the Swansea student can pull off on Wind Street?

Would you have the guts to rock up to Sin City deliberately wearing your underwear outside for all to see, and in the meantime gaining the look you’re more accustomed to receiving with your skirt tucked into your tights? I suppose the civilian way would be to take the burlesque route and use the corset under a blazer with jeans and killer heels. Another way to embrace your underwear goddess it to play with chiffon and tulle to create a barrier between your underwear and the outside world. Whichever way you dare to show, do it with confidence and rest will follow.

moment with all the media speculation but put on a brave face to perform at the Brit awards, showing girl power to all women wronged by their men.

It’s not just footballers like Ashley Cole and John Terry who are apparently in their wives bad books but radio D.J and T.V personality Vernon Kay has also admitted to sending raunchy text messages to a page 3 model behind the back of his stunning wife Tess Daly. The Radio 1 D.J made a gruelling apology live on air, stating “he had let his family down.”

The question now then girlies is, if beautiful women such as Cheryl Cole and Tess Daly are having trouble with their men and infidelity, what chance do we have, if any, with keeping our men’s eyes from wandering? If you have an opinion on these rogues e-mail waterfront.fashion@hotmail.co.uk.

Tip of the week To get the perfect ‘fake’ tan and to avoid streaks apply your tan liberally with an old sock. This will ensure an even coverage and will stop your hands going orange too!

do it in style We’re always on the lookout for those students doing it in style.

This weeks winner: If you think we’ve missed you on our scout, send us in a picture with where you bought what and how much they were to waterfront.fashion@ hotmail.co.uk

Shoe of the Week This edition we’ve scoured the magazines and webistes and picked our favourites for style and for price. Both shops we’ve picked our shoes from offer student discount.

Topman On sale down to £10 from £25 Available in other colours

Julia Zimmermann Languages 4th Year

New Look

Shoes- New Look £25 Skirt- Topshop Denim Jacket- Mango £30 Leather jacket- Zara £80

Also available in other colours

£25

Swansea does Vintage

By Amy Sheridan

The past decade has seen a huge resurgence in Vintage popularity with many of the fashion conscious choosing the Vintage route rather than the designer.

And with Vintage offering affordability and individuality amongst its advantages it’s no wonder this particular genre of clothing has gained huge followers. Rather than just buying a piece of clothing, you collect a piece of history, indeed many of the major Vintage collectors search for pieces to add to their collection proving to vintage hardcores that Vintage clothing is more than just something to wear it’s a part of a collection. Now we have a chance to embrace this growing trend with Swansea Vintage fashion fair taking place on the 7th March in Brangwyn hall, featuring everything from Victoriana to the 1970’s and features both men and women’s clothes.

The fashion industry as we know it started to take shape in the 50’s with the influencing icons producing hordes of wearers of leather jackets, denim jeans and rock and roll shirts. Fashion identity really took off in the 60’s with the experimentation taking place in society at the time being mirrored in the clothing being worn. Clothes were not just something to cover yourself up they were defining and showed your personality and tendencies be it the hippy psychedelic or hip band followers that wore very little.

The 70’s created the wearing of garments that showed the world their view of the wars taking place during this era, military clothing were no stranger to the streets of the U.K, whilst on the other side of this extreme saw the pop culture; disco and punk, influencing what was worn.

Continuing with the trend of self expression, the 80’s fashions really showed people up with asymmetrical, oversized shoulder pads and wide belts exemplified the “over the top” attitude of the day. Lingerie, worn as outerwear, would be a lasting impression linked with oversized hair and excessive makeup. This particular trend underwear as outerwear was recently seen on the catwalks of the Spring Summer shows showing the past as extreme inspiration for the designers and what better place to combat this trend then to go to the past where it all started?

If you are interested in attending the Swansea Vintage fashion fair tickets are £3. Go to http://www.blindlemonvintage. co.uk to find discounted tickets.

26 - Film

Waterfront 187 - 22/02/2010

WaterfrontFilm

Sex

Cruel Intentions (15)

The plot of this teen romp involves sexual fiend Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Philippe) and his cruel, seductive stepsister Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) gambling for a young woman’s virginity.

The girl being Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), a poster girl for kindness and virtue. Throughout the pair’s devious plan they encounter a number of sexually tense and blatant scenes that make this film one of the most memorable and deliciously addictive teen dramas ever.

Sensuality rules this film; who could forget the scene where Kathryn shows the innocent Cecile (Selma Blair) how to kiss? Painfully cringe-worthy at some points but fascinating to watch, the best part of the film is the sexual language that is used all the way through between Sebastian and Kathryn. Cold and heartless about his conquests at first, Sebastian’s growing love for Annette culminates into a tender lovemaking scene and by the end Sebastian is not just dangerous but likeable as well.

The acting from Gellar and Philippe is superb as they banter their way to the anticipated climax (no pun intended) and Ryan Philippe is awesome man candy!

Overall a very, very sexy film.

HP

Brokeback Mountain (15)

Following the struggles two men in love face in the deeply conservative Wyoming and the 18 years as they hide their relationship from their families.

Censorship in the cinema Over the last few weeks of term, and after the break, we will be chronicling the most taboo subjects film ever dared to show, and which movies pushed the boundaries of taboo and taste.

This week, we start with sex.

The first sex scene involves the two men in a tent when Ledger’s Ennis Del Mar makes love to Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist.

Overall, the scene is relatively graphic considering the attitudes towards gay cinema. The sex is key to the plot because without it, the men would not have been able to admit their love for each other. Brokeback Mountain is a film that undoubtedly changed perceptions. Dismissed by some as the “gay cowboy” film, its themes run deeper than that. Highly controversial upon release, Brokeback Mountain was Oscar nominated – even winning three. However some critics feel that the film deserved the Best Picture Oscar – accusing the academy of homophobia.

The social conventions, especially in Hollywood, were broken because traditionally in romance, the leads are a male and a female. The only reason Brokeback Mountain caused such controversy was because it featured two men at the centre of its love tale. AW

History of Violence (18)

This is the story of a mild mannered family man as his dark past comes to threaten his family’s safety, and shakes his wife’s trust in him. The changes in the relationship between Tom and Edie Stall (Viggo Mortenson and Maria Bello) are chronicled by two drastically different sex scenes. The first, a playful role playing game between the couple as they try not to wake their teenage son and young daughter, features the first 69 in a non-pornographic film. This tender and loving scene is contrasted with a scene that takes place after sinister mob boss

Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) rolls into town to reveal Tom used to be a rival mobster.

The blistering anger Edie feels towards Tom is demonstrated in an explosive sex scene on the stairs; as Tom tries to get Edie to talk, she violently pushes him away, culminating in a violent, combative encounter that some would

The Dreamers/Ma Mere (both 18)

describe as near-rape.

Over the years, the use of sex in films has become far more frequent and far less censored; being used in a way that’s no longer seen as taboo, but that seems to give an insight into the characters as well as giving them depth. Good examples of this are Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers (2003) and Christophe Honoré’s Ma Mère (2004), which both use sex in an incestuous context in order to portray how relations between family can develop, and how often boundaries are broken in relationships. Although, neither actually shows full intercourse between the characters, enough is implied for the lack of censorship to be evident. Bertolucci uses the sexual relationship between brother and sister in The Dreamers to indicate how child-like the characters are, and to portray an innocence which condones their behaviour. Contrarily, the sexual relationship portrayed by Honoré in Ma Mère, is between mother and son, and is used to depict the possibilities and experiences available in life if you are brave enough to allow yourself to be open to it. However, regardless of the differences between the two films, both succeed in portraying an aspect of sex which by its very nature is taboo and therefore, maybe should be censored, consequently proving how censorship in film has evolved. LTF

VDB

Secretary (18)

Delving into the hidden kinks of a pair of office workers, Secretary was the film that brought Maggie Gyllenhaal into the eye of the mainstream. The timid, childlike figure of Lee (Gyllanhaal) begins a sadomasochistic relationship with her boss, E. Edward Gray (the delectable James Spader.) Despite being the submissive in the relationship, it’s Lee who steadily becomes more assertive and womanly while Gray becomes more reclusive, showing shame for their actions and it’s because of this inhibition their relationship is never truly clarified.

The link Lee and Gray share through their spanking sessions (and a whole range of very creative S&M activities) oddly empowers the submissive and humiliates the dominant. The power struggle it creates is wonderful to watch, very sexy and in the end, kind of sweet, as the couple finally realise and consummate their feelings for each other. This is a fantastically sexy film, even if you aren’t into S&M yourself, and the soundtrack includes Leonard Cohen lustily singing “I’m Your Man.” Best to watch this one alone.

WARNING

This page contains material some may find offensive.

The Reader (18)

Thanks to Kate “allergic to clothes” Winslet, we were swamped with examples for this week’s look at sex.

Because of this, we have limited ourselves to only one of great Kate’s films. So which one will it be? Quills, Heavenly Creatures, Little Children?

The clear winner is The Reader.

Arousing controversy due to the humane portrayal of a former Nazi, and because of the graphic sex scenes, the film told the story of how a young man’s affair (David Kross) with the older Hanna (Winslet) led to far more than anyone could have imagined.The Reader was the debut film for young actor David Kross , and he was involved in some shockingly realistic sex scenes with darling Kate.

Kross, who was awarded “luckiest boy in film” by some reviewers for his close encounters with Kate, was only 17 when filming began. The film crew had to wait for Kross to turn 18 before they could film the full frontal nude and sex scenes.

The emotional detachment Hanna feels for her young lover is exhibited by how she refuses to tell him her name until the third time they meet for sex, while poor Michael falls for her as deeply as any young man would for Winslet, writing her a love poem and reading her his favourite books. Ultimately, the relationship with Hanna inhibits all his relationships for the rest of his life, as does the later realisation that she used to work for mean old Mr. Hitler.

VDB

VDB

Compiled from the dirty minds of Harriet Perkins, Andy Williams, Lianna Thomas Forbes and Victoria Doherty-Bone.

What About....?

What makes Disney have that special and undying brand of storytelling? .

The age-old theme of romance has been central to human fiction as it speaks to a universal desire within any audience of the concept of ‘true love’. Hence the Disney films; they can be enjoyed and are primarily marketed towards young children and pre-teens with their comic relief characters and igniting a dormant passion to become a princess or a knight of old.

Yet they are timeless classics that can still be enjoyed at university and beyond.

With sarcastic characters like that of Phoebus in The Hunchback of Notre Dame who has a certain charm that

captivates and drives the plot forward, with lines likes ‘Achilles, Heel!’ that coincides with the slapstick/ immature scenes that concern the Gargoyles.

expressions and WALL.E’s exasperated sigh told the audience more then any soliloquy or monologue ever could have.

Disney are leaping into the twenty first century with the visually stunning artwork of Pixar with the traditional storyline of boy meets girl, they fall in love and some obstruction needs to be overcome by both hero and heroine to affirm their newly requited love. Within the adventures of WALL.E coherent words were not even needed to convey messages/plot/characters/love, the music denoted mood and tone, the

Disney movies are a guilty pleasure that should be indulged in over and over again as they produce something that melds all age groups together. One example is Mulan with the cuteness of the cricket Cri-Kee, the comedy of Mushu, the pre-destined love and finally the idea of a Mulan fighting the constraints of her gender. This shows the delicately woven plot and character designs so that they can be enjoyed and are of relevance to

anyone as a result making them ageless classics.

With Disney’s current venture, The Princess and the Frog, having huge success at the box office, I have no doubt that Disney will continue dominate both children’s and adult viewings for years to come.

Hannah bowden

www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

New releases

27-FILM

*Drumroll* And this week’s new releases are.........

The Wolfman

The Princess and the Frog

INVICTUS

youth in revolt

Who’s in it: Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving.

Who’s in it: (The voices of) Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Jennifer Cody.

Who’s in it: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge

Who’s in it: Michael Cera, Steve Buscemi, Portia Doubleday, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Long.

What’s it about:This loosely based remake of the 1941 film sees Benicio Del Toro returning to his estranged family’s English estate on the moor following the mysterious death of his brother. Here he encounters supernatural theories about the recent deaths of the villagers and resolves to find an answer, on his way encountering the Wolfman.

What’s it about: A fairy tale set in New Orleans that centres on a young waitress, Tiana, who must help a prince that has been turned into a frog by a rather mean witch doctor known as The Shadow Man.

What’s it like: Featuring a solid cast and a creepy performance by Anthony Hopkins, the Wolfman largely achieves what it set out to; to create a well rounded old fashioned style monster story, if not one lacking slightly in plot. The action set pieces with the beast are entertaining and due to the emphasis on the more realistic look of the Wolfman himself, the film is a welcome change from the CGI’d monsters of films we’ve become all so used to. There are numerous violent deaths and dismemberments for bloodthirsty viewers and a few jumpy scenes that attempt to scare you. Though the large amounts of gore in the film fail to make up for any real feeling of suspense or actual fear that you would hope for. So those hoping for a gothic horror will be sorely disappointed, instead the result is a slasher film largely comprised of what seems to be an overly hairy man chasing Victorians round the countryside. Though the film isn’t perfect it is definitely a step in the right direction following the steroid enhanced dogs of Twilight’s New Moon.

David Lewis

What’s it about: Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

What’s it like:The Princess and the Frog is Disney’s first traditional animation since 2004’s Home on the Range, widely being claimed as a return to form for the studio following a period since the early 90s that, bar the Pixar films, has produced very little of interest.

As is the case with most people I’m sure, Disney animations were a staple of my childhood and thus I took an excitable interest in these claims. So, how does this latest offering compare to the studio’s past classics? Sadly I don’t think it quite reaches the heights of Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and the like but it is most definitely a triumphant return for Disney 2D animation. Through the use of the classical animation style, vibrant jazz based song and dance numbers and the usual array of entertaining sidekick characters the film manages to echo these early masterpieces, inducing nostalgia and, dare I say it, reclaiming some of the ‘magic’ that Disney seems to have lost in recent times.

WHAT’S IT LIKE: I was excited about seeing this film, because I love a bit of rugby, but quite unsure about what to expect, and I can tell you now that this film is not just for rugby fans but appeals to a wider audience. I think both Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon excel in their roles. Freeman’s particularly impressive portrayal of Nelson Mandela, surely a difficult role, shows that he isn’t just that soothing voice narrating the Shawshank tale. I can’t think of Matt Damon without thinking about Team America but he plays a mature role with that unusual South African accent and is in my opinion outstanding. The plot is surprisingly heart warming with Mandela’s support of the South African Springboks in order to unite the white and black South Africans with a common victory, but has those wonderful bone-crunching moments of solid rugby tackle collisions to balance out and not make it pathetically soppy.

In the background somewhat are the security team protecting Mandela who add a humorous element but help to show the threat Mandela faced as well as the unity he managed to bring about.

Joseph Colliass

zoe lim

‘Plan B. Let’s just kill each other’ This 1997 production bears the signature of director John Woo and stars Nicholas Cage and John Travolta, engaged in a game of masks, life and death.

Travolta, playing the role of FBI agent Sean Archer, is set to catch the terrorist Castor Troy. This is not only a matter of pride, as much as a personal issue, since Troy murdered Archer’s child six years before. Even though this does not differ much from other Hollywood scenarios, the turning point of the story strikes the balance in favour of John Woo and his lead actors. Following a violent arrest, Archer catches his enemy, only to find out that a bomb attack is to take place in downtown LA. With Castor Troy injured and unconscious, Archer can’t find other solution to stop the attack, but to take the terrorist’s persona through an intricate plastic surgery.

Nevertheless, Archer’s plans to penetrate Troy’s clique and stop the attack are threatened when Cage’s character regains consciousness and steals his place in society. Travolta’s acting is not only a matter of

What’s it Like: Cera gives his best performance to date as intellectual fop Twisp in this clever indie rom-com. I was expecting to be sickened by his usual weak and annoying nerd personal but his playing of Twisp and alter ego Dillinger was admirably mature and very funny.

However Doubleday’s performance as Sheeni is inescapably annoying and a tad self-aware. Gustin Nash’s script (adapted from the popular novel) is witty without being pretentious, giving this teen comedy an intelligent feel where films such as Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Superbad fall short.

Director Miguel Arteta gives Youth in Revolt its ‘Indie’ element and perfectly portrays the notion of summer love with vivid colours and a warm texture reminiscent of director Wes Anderson.

The soundtrack is sweet and folky and sits comfortably next to Twisp’s bookish teenage angst.

If you want clever direction, personable characters and a witty jaunt through the trials of pubescent passion then definitely go and see it.

Charlie teasdale

Actor Profile

Hidden Gems Face/ Off (1997)

What it’s about: Lonely teenage outcast Nick Twisp (Cera) fabricates an immoral and debauched alter-ego named Francois Dillinger to keep the girl of his dreams, Sheeni Saunders (Doubleday) interested. Inevitably, riotous trouble ensues and 16 year old antihero Nick is thrown into a world of passionate love and criminality.

Full name: Kate Elizabeth Winslet psychology, as he tries to understand and imitate his enemy, but also an issue of suffering and disgust, as he gets an in-depth into his dealings and witnesses him taking his parental role.

When the two rivals meet, the only solution is to try to kill each other, and with this the other’s actual identity.

What differentiates Face/ Off from other genre movies is the intricate, tough plausible scenario and an engaging attention to details, even when the end becomes predictable.

Best to see in: A famously adept actress at bodice rippers such as Titanic and Quills, Kate has also shown her versitilty in films such as the indie rom-com Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, the post WW2 drama The Reader and the gritty Little Children. It’s a damn good idea to also check out Kate’s very first role in Heavenly Creatures.

Aged 17 at the time of filming, this film features Winslet’s first nude scene and her first sex scene with actress Melanie Lynsky. The start of an infamous career!

Her cameo in Extra’s is also one of the funniest in the history of cameos.

Trivia: Kate’s birthday is on the 5th of October. Waterfront Film editor Victoria Doherty-Bone celebrates this every year by eating cake while watching Quills on this date.

Georgiana Avram

Victoria Doherty-Bone

28 SOCIETIES

Waterfront 187 - 22/02/10

thewaterfront

S E I T E I C O S

GOT TALENT? 1st March 2010 - Oceana Does your Society have a talent?

Do you want to win £100 for yourself and £200 for the society you represent?

Apply online at the Societies Page and email: - societiesandservices@swansea-union.co.uk - kerrynewsome@swansea-union.co.uk It’s the same principle as Britain’s Got Talent so anything from the weird and wonderful!

- NO LIMIT TO NUMBER OF ENTRANCE PER SOCIETY (You can enter 1-10, the more you enter the more chance you have of winning!)

- NO PROOF OF SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP NEEDED – YOU CAN ENTER SOMEONE ON BEHALF OF YOUR SOCIETY! - CHANCE OF FREE GIVEAWAYS AND PRIZES FOR EVERY ENTRANT!

RAG Week is HERE!!! All this week

Get Involved

Wednesday - AU vs SU President ‘RAG Ransom’ We will kidnap both Presidents, and both have to raise a ransom of £250 to be released! RAG team also plan a street collection for spare change on Wednesday eve on Wind street to co-inside with AU night out.

Monday - RAG Slave Auction where a number of well known faces from around the University will be up for grabs (for the right price of course!) and Fashion Show (with the Christian Union), they are looking to sell the clothes worn in the fashion show that night @ Divas 8pm followed by Mile High @ Oceana

Thursday - Cake Sale on Campus – Fulton House ‘RAGeoke’ @ Woody’s ‘Vagina Monologues’ @ Sin City

Tuesday – Open Mic Night @ JCs 7.30pm

Friday - Gnoming on Campus - Tooters @ Divas Saturday - ‘RAGs to Riches’ @ Divas / Sunday - RAG Quiz @ JC’s

www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

Shoreline

SOCIETIES 29

Contact: uws_drama@hotmail.com

www.shorelinetheatre.co.uk

Theatre

Shoreline Theatre is a society for all those who wish to get involved with all aspects of theatre productions. This covers from acting on stage, to writing, directing and also the more technical side. So far this year we have performed a night of One Act Plays and a rather student themed Pantomime. You may well have spotted us around on Wind St. Or in Oceana and Sin City in various fancy dress costumes!

As part of RAG week we are holding a performance of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ in Sin City on the 25th February in order to raise money for V-Day and Swansea Women’s Aid. Tickets available at Ents and on the Door.

Other forthcoming performances include a production of Marat/Sade on the 11th and 12th of March in the Dylan Thomas Theatre based at the Marina. This production depicts the assassination of Jean –Paul Marat, as a play performed by inmates of an Asylum, directed by the Marquis de Sade.

Also another night of One Act Plays on the 26th April in Diva’s, including ‘In Camera’ by Jeanpaul Satre, ‘The Tragic Tale of Melissa McHinley McNormous, McWhale’ and ‘Shakers’ by John Godber. And lastly a production of Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’, set to the background of communist revolution, performing on the 4th and 5th of May in the Dylan Thomas Theatre.

We are always open for new members, if you want to get involved in any aspect of theatre productions. If you would like to get involved then feel free to e-mail us at uws_drama@hotmail. com.

Shoreline take to the stage for a production

Ancient Studies TOGA PARTY - 11th March

CU

As you come to university, it’s a chance to start a fresh, be who you want to be away from you parents, and decide for yourself what life’s all about. One of the most important questions you might ask yourself during this time is ‘Is there a God?’.

For many of you, your scientific knowledge might prompt you to say no without really thinking much about it. Others might be content to say probably, but what has that got to do with me? Others of you may have real questions about who ‘He’ is. The Christian Union exists to provide a forum for Christians to meet other Christians within the university, to learn together and build support, but also for those students with questions to come along and find out more.

We have a weekly meeting on a Monday evening at 7pm in Lecture Room 2 of Fulton House, along with other prayer meetings and bible studies. Our annual events include things such as Carol Concert, two ‘house parties’ where we go away for the weekend and other socials. We also have guys and girls football teams which take part in leagues and Varsity.

Starting on Monday the 15th we have various activities and events happening on campus for students to attend and take part in, including a justice cafe and a talk entitled ‘Where was God in Haiti?’ Working alongside RAG, who will be combining events such as a slave auction with a fashion show and gnoming around campus, the two societies hope to raise awareness for various causes and charities as well throughout the week.

Prizes for best dressed togas.

Monday 15th March 10am Nail Parlour - Fulton House 6pm Fashion show and talk ‘What am I worth?’- Diva’s Tuesday 16th March Popular Culture day 7pm Open mic night - JC’s Wednesday 17th March 10am Post your secrets - Fulton House 12.30pm Lunch bar and talk ‘I know what you’ve done’ Thursday 18th March 10am Justice Cafe - Marquee 7pm Talk ‘Where was God in Haiti?’- JC’s Friday 19th March 10am Arts outside Fulton House 7pm Art display and talk ‘Freedom’- JC’s

This isn’t a society-only event so invite all of your friends!

If you want to get in contact with the CU, or are interested in coming along to one of our weekly meetings, email Swansea_uni_cu@hotmail.co.uk, join our facebook page, or just turn up!

Find a bed sheet and get involved! TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!

Thursday March 11th at 9 p.m.

Meeting at at Unibar and then we will finish off at Sin City for Sin Savers Price: £7 Tickets will be sold at Ents and online Additional info: Material for the togas is being given with the ticket.

30 Xtreme Splash

Waterfront 187 - 22/02/10

www.xtremeradio.org

1431 AM

By Mark Garvey and Joanna Morgan

Splash

Garvey Takes on a Vampire Weekend

(and it was only Wednesday)

Vampire Weekend – The indie pop quartet are going from strength to strength! So here at Xtreme we thought it would be fitting to go and see how the guys are doing on their first headline European tour.

On the back of their self-titled, 2009, hugely successful break out album, the band was back in the UK touring with their sophomore effort ‘Contra’.

The venue was the 02 Brixton Academy in London, one of the larger venues on the tour, this gig was a real show of how far the band have come in the last few years, and the guys did not disappoint. After a blistering opener to the track ‘Cousins’ a huge background was unveiled, presenting the band’s latest album cover art, a photo of a woman fitted with ever changing glowing eyes. The band also unveiled a string quartet who accompanied the band on most of the tracks, which added a rare glimpse of how beautiful live strings can make a song instead of using the ever popular effects board.

The set list comprised of a mix of new album tracks with tried and tested favourites, with the guys mentioning how wonderful it was to be able to play the new tracks, however it was the old favourites that got the crowd going with both ‘A-punk’ and ‘Oxford Coma’ receiving a rapturous applause from all. Some tracks were dubbed down to slow beautiful acoustic numbers, which if anything showed off the bands haunting vocal harmonies while others were rocked up which likewise showed that the band could make a crowd stand up and listen. The gig was a huge success with the new album showing that these guys are here for the long run, I would definitely recommend trying to see them in the future as I promise you won’t regret it.

Universally challenged new quiz show looking for contestants

Have you ever thought to yourself when watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The Weakest Link, Mastermind, or University Challenge, “I could do that”? We all know that thousands apply to these shows so the probability of actually appearing is slim to none but have no fear, Xtreme Radio have a new show coming up and we want you to take part!

Airing on a Tuesday night, our one-hour quiz show will bring you all the usual entertainment and banter from our normal radio shows but will be bringing you at least three rounds of pure quizzical fun.

Two contestants will be pitted against each other in a battle to win whatever we at Xtreme Radio have on offer that week. The rounds consist of a speciality round where the participants answer questions on a topic that they know more about, be it history, sport, or fashion - anything goes! Then we have a music round, funnily enough; we are a radio station, as well as the typical general knowledge round that features in most quiz programmes.

You could win anything from tickets to Oceana or DiVAS to a bottle of wine (as well as plenty of mystery prizes!) – so what are you waiting for? To apply, send us your name, your course and your specialist subject to programming@xtremeradio.org or research@xtremeradio.org

Are you part of Xtreme Radio?

Want to try your hand at writing as well as broadcasting?

Want to tell us about your show, broadcast career, gig review or promote an on air feature?

You can with this page!

Contact: editor@swansea-union.co.uk or webeditor@xtremeradio.org

www.waterfront.co.uk

Features 31

That’s about all the family history I ever cared to indulge in. One history lesson in school shocked me so much I daren’t ever look into it; we were in a history class where the teacher revealed that she was related to a famous pirate. Others in the class chirped up “Me too! Me too!” and I held my breath waiting for her to reveal the name “Captain Morgan! On the rum bottle!” and I suddenly realised my whole class was incestuous. To this day I fear to ask my boyfriend if he is related to the famous pirate that everyone in the community is somehow related to, and just consider myself grateful that I have a genetically enhanced liver.

As St David’s Day approaches and I consider what to write for this article, all I can recall are drudged memories of childhood competitions. We were expected to dress up in traditional welsh costume. This includes the stupid looking hat and the itchy tartan skirt and a fake daffodil if you were lucky. I always had real ones, as my mother seemed to indicate some kind of preference toward them, so mine would always wilt half way through the day. The boys would wear rugby shirts and attach leeks to their collars and would usually get sent home for the rest of the day either due to illness from attempting to eat them or due to detention after rubbing them in some unfortunate victim’s eyes. The whole school would stink of onion for weeks afterwards. Apparently, there is a certain age where everyone has a sudden realisation that instead of donning the welsh costumes; it is far cooler to wear a rugby shirt. This insight missed me, and every year my mother would excitedly pull out the welsh costume, and I’d sit there in my stupid looking hat while everyone else watched the rugby. I never felt the need to follow the rugby, as every time Wales scored the whole country would explode in noise and excitement. A friend of mine recently told me that a New Zealander said to him you can never tell who’s won a rugby match in Wales, as the Welsh celebrate it anyway, there’s such a communal spirit to it that he was yet to find anywhere else, and I know what he meant by that.

From a young age we were entered annually into the Eisteddfod, a kind of competition of all things Welsh. We would have to learn welsh songs that we didn’t understand and compete with fluent welsh schools for “points” that meant nothing as soon as we left the building. Teachers would train us for hours on end until we perfected songs in order to compete with the welsh speakers, some vain attempt to show that we were somehow more welsh than them, or we’d be sent to the classroom to do maths. Naturally, we learned to sing.

Another aspect of the competition would be art. There have been many great Welsh artists through the years, but the secret is not as lucrative as once thought. The Welsh I feel, are no longer naturally born artists, but if I may, I’d instead like to draw your attention to our flag; the dragon. At four years old we were told to compete against each other to draw the best dragon in order to once again, win pointless competitions. I would not say the welsh are necessarily naturally gifted, but instead, un-naturally stubborn, and I would sit up all night writing my name in calligraphy and perfecting hand crafted dragons, singing the national anthem so that I wouldn’t have to do maths the next day.

I don’t know whether everyone is as innumerate as I am, but there is definitely a different mentality inside a Valley, a certain communal spirit which is hard to shake. When I first moved to Swansea, which I did always consider to be a big city before University opened my eyes, I never quite understood why students didn’t want to go to Wind Street on a weekend for fear of the “locals” that emerged. As far as I was concerned, Swansea was a bit of a posh area, and most people were tidy (no Gavin and Stacey cracks, please, this is a Welsh article and I’ll damn well write how I like!).

It was a few months down the road that it hit me; people weren’t afraid of the Swansea locals, it was the strange yobs from the Valleys they feared, and after coming away from the community, I slowly began to recognise why.

People regard a Panini as some form of posh sandwich, and don’t know what a ciabatta is, let alone how to pronounce it. An English friend of mine was shocked when she was invited over for “tea” at an elderly lady’s house and presented with peaches and cream in a dish when she was expecting, well, I don’t know what she was expecting, because she wasn’t getting a Panini. While years ago, my grandfather would have gone straight from the mine to the Working Men’s Club to spend all his wages that was supposed to have gone on the family’s food, now we have no mines, but we are not far off a dissimilar position. There is vast unemployment yet not an empty pub in the town. The locals can be spotted due to an extensive knowledge of every Big Brother episode, an obsessive amount of fake tan, large muscles, no testicles and breasts which sometimes produce milk; this is the male. The female also has an extensive knowledge of Big Brother, might have appeared in several episodes of Jeremy Kyle, dons fake tan, hair extensions and breasts which sometimes produced milk depending on how far through the pregnancy they are. Male or female, we will drink the pint of Strongbow because we see no wrong in doing so. The female generally wears the trousers in the relationship and both male and female will be seen throwing chips at each other in early hours of the morning outside Chick-o-land because both are too stubborn to back down, such is the trait.

Now lots of people might consider that a harsh judgement, and please, read it with some humour. I know we sound funny. I’m a valley girl myself, and as I sit here I am waiting for my fake tan to dry I am finishing off a pint. I can’t speak properly, nor do I feel I should try to. I can draw a damn good dragon, and although I can’t add up, I get shiver down my spine every time I hear the national anthem, for I believe there’s nothing else that brings home to me the beauty of my country and what the people stand for than when I hear it at a rugby match, all stood still, singing in unity, the songs our fathers once sang, for all their troubles and suffering, for all their joys and triumphs, in our own mother tongue. Nothing makes me feel prouder.

“What would you like to order?” The waitress asks me, tapping her foot. I look at my housemate, and he politely orders the extra jalapeño peppers for me. The waitress sighs and reads the order back to us. “Two pizzas, extra ja-lap-ino’s, is it?” She says, her voice ringing out like the bells of the Valleys themselves. My housemate looks flabbergasted as she shoots us a brief smile, apparently not realising the error of her ways, and I consider what it is to be welsh. We no longer speak the language of our Fathers, but there are small intricacies that undoubtedly keep it alive, and while I understand the differences between the pronunciation of “here, hear, and ear” it is sheer stubbornness that prevents me from doing so. I might not speak the language, but I’ll be damned if I pronounce my h’s.

Welsh National Anthem A copy of the Welsh National Anthem and English translation. There are many different interpretations of how the anthem should be read but this one is a literal translation from the welsh verses.

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi, Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri; Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mâd, Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

The old land of my fathers is dear to me, Land of poets and singers, famous men of renown; Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots, For freedom shed their blood.

Nation, Nation, I pledge to my Nation.

While the sea is a wall to the pure, most loved land, O may the old language endure.

Old mountainous Wales, paradise of the bard, Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd, Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i’m golwg sydd hardd; Every valley, every cliff, to me is beautiful.

Through patriotic feeling, so charming is the Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si murmur Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.

Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad.

Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau, O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau.

Of her brooks, rivers, to me.

If the enemy oppresses my land under his foot, The old language of the Welsh is as alive as ever.

The muse is not hindered by the hideous hand of treason, Nor [is] the melodious harp of my country.

www.waterfrontonline.co.uk

Careers Advice... Ask Jan

Careers 33 Written by Careers Advisor Jan Binnie-Gordon

Careers in Broadcasting

I know that there are many different types of ‘media’ careers, but to most students it means broadcasting so for our purposes today I am going to concentrate on working in television and radio.

The world of broadcasting may look glamorous, but behind every newsreader or radio presenter are many, many people that make possible what you see and hear.

So, how does the broadcasting industry work? Simply put, it’s radio and television stations, it’s the networks that create the content or acquire the right to broadcast taped television and radio programmes and it’s the companies who are commissioned to make those programmes.

Competitive Industry I cannot emphasise strongly enough that this is a fiercely competitive industry.

There are hundreds (maybe thousands) more wannabees than there are jobs so to be successful in this field you have to be incredibly determined as well as having a background of relevant experience. This relevant experience can be gained with work on campus radio, voluntary work in local or hospital radio or (if you’re very lucky) an internship at a professional station or studio. Most entry-level positions are at smaller broadcasting outfits so you have to be willing to relocate in order to be successful and then change employers frequently as opportunities arise.

Working in Broadcasting You’ve determined that working in broadcasting is for you but which role in the field interests you and would suit you best? Although on-camera or on-air positions are the most familiar occupations in broadcasting, the majority of employment opportunities are behind the scenes. Working in broadcasting can be demanding and competitive with long and unsociable hours but most people who work in the radio and television industries find it immensely rewarding and wouldn’t swap what they do for any other career.

Available Careers So what careers in radio and television broadcasting are available? The following, in no particular order, is a partial list but you need to be aware that the identical role might be described and advertised in a different way by different employers.

As far as your degree is concerned, the discipline is rarely important except for the obvious roles in the technical areas like engineering and computing. Every year, new entrants to the TV, film and radio industries show that there are no rules about relevant qualifications for getting employment in this field. Media Studies may seem like the ‘obvious’ choice, but really there is no advantage over other degree disciplines and it won’t guarantee you work. The truth is, many media studies courses are more about giving you a general overview and appreciation of the various forms of media and are not designed to prepare you for a career in the field. At least half of the people starting out in the industry every year come from backgrounds with no obvious links to the industry like English or History graduates.

Make sure that you have a clear and realistic idea of what you want to do

and what’s involved in that job. Ask to work shadow someone actually doing it.

Visit www.skillformedia.com for lots of information on the various skills needed.

The website has all the information you need to start your career or you can call them on 08080 300 900.

• Assistant Producers & Researchers provide support and background research; assist with the preparation of musical, written, and visual materials; • Video Editors select and assemble pre-taped video to create a finished programme, applying sound and special effects as necessary.

• Producers plan and develop live or taped productions, determining how the show will look and sound. They select the script, talent, sets, props, lighting, and other production elements.

• Internet Producers plan and develop Internet sites that provide news updates, programme schedules, and information about popular shows.

• Presentation Announcers read the links between programmes providing information, such as programme schedules and station breaks for commercials or public service information.

• Radio Presenters host magazine programmes, current affairs shows or as disc jockeys; they play recorded music on radio stations.

• Studio Managers are in charge of on-air programming in radio stations. They decide content and supervise on-air personnel.

• Reporters gather information from various sources, analyse and prepare news stories, and present information on the air.

• News Writers or Sub Editors write and edit news stories from information collected for all kinds of sources.

• News Correspondents, analyse, interpret, and broadcast news received from various sources. Unlike reporters they have a field of expertise.

• Weather Presenters report current and forecasted weather conditions. They gather information from national satellite weather services, wire services, and local and regional weather bureaus. For the BBC

you need to be a qualified meteorologist but for the other channels you just need to be articulate and (usually!) cute.

• Sports Presenters report on all kinds of sporting events sometimes specialising in one or more areas of sport. They usually select, write, and deliver the sports news for their particular programme.

• Runners gofers who fetch & carry and help the Floor Assistants.

• Floor Assistants ensure that all of the props and people are prepared and in the right place in the studio.

• Assistant Floor Managers supervise the Floor Assistants and are answerable to the Production Manager • Production Managers oversee and instruct the AFMs and keep a tab on the money spent.

• Assignment Editors assign stories to news teams - maybe split into UK and overseas.

• News Editors have overall responsibility for the news team made up of reporters, writers, sub editors, and newsreaders as well as studio and mobile unit production crews.

• Lighting or Sound Technicians or Engineers operate and maintain the electronic equipment that records and transmits radio or television programmes.

• Technical Directors oversee the Lighting and Sound Technicians above.

• Vision Mixers operate the mixing desk equipment. They switch shots from cameras in the gallery sometimes supervised by the Director.

• Camera Operators set up and operate cameras, both in the studio and on remote locations.

• Directors of Engineering are responsible for all of the station’s technical facilities and services.

In this industry everyone starts at the bottom – no matter what degree you did.

Starting off as a runner is most likely but some people get breaks as researchers as well so you might want to show that you have gained research skills. Runners are responsible for doing anything and

everything that no one else has time to do. This usually involves the most mundane tasks on set like making the tea, photocopying and getting lunch orders.

The hours are long and the pay is low but you will get to experience how the industry really works and you’ll be able to make those all important contacts. Runners’ jobs are not usually advertised as employers are sent so many CVs all year round they don’t need to bother with an ad. Do some research at university or on the internet, get a list of independent production companies and post production/facilities houses and send them your CV. Try to make it stand out but don’t do anything too wacky! (like the guy who put his CV on Astro-Turf and wrote ‘Here’s My Pitch’) Reality shows tend to use dozens of runners so watch the end credits to see which company actually makes a particular programme and then contact them.

Researchers help to fill the content on news, educational and entertainment programmes. Anything from daytime chat shows to factual shows like Crimewatch will need researchers. You will need to show you can spot a good story that will be of interest to viewers and that you can do the leg work e.g. find background info or respected experts on the subject. To get an edge on the competition you might think about targeting programmes that relate to your degree subject e.g. if you did an engineering degree apply to Top Gear or similar. Try ‘The One Show’ with your CV and some ideas of topical stories you think they should be covering. It’s a chance to show you’re up to date with the news and can find a creative angle – it will also show that you know what kind of audience that programme is trying to reach.

Remember, be persistent, be humble and show your enthusiasm for the industry and your understanding of the realities of the work.

I’ll end with a list of useful sources.

The following list of publications and websites will give you further information on what the work involves, further training and sources of job vacancies. Use these

resources, gain a personal insight into a job through a period of work experience or shadowing and by talking to people about their work and experiences. > The Network is a weekend (2629 August 2010) of a comprehensive introduction to TV, through masterclasses, workshops and careers talks in conjunction with Media Guardian at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. They offer successful applicants access to top industry professionals and with the exception of travel to Edinburgh, everything else - from accommodation and food to the actual workshops - is entirely free. > Log on to Prospects.ac.uk for their broadcasting sectors guides which provide information on the state of the industry, how to break in to the industry, major employers, key roles and case studies. > Also on the Prospects website, you will find individual job profiles covering a wide range of graduate jobs in these sectors.

Each profile includes a list of typical work activities, salaries, entry requirements and training. > The BBC Jobs website includes current job listings and a work experience placement search which helps you find placements across the BBC. > BBC Training & Development offer free online courses in television, radio, broadcast technology, broadcast management and journalism. They also offer a range of face-to-face courses. > Benn’s Media Directory provides detailed listings of the media including: publishing houses, national and regional newspapers, radio and television. A reference copy is available in most libraries. > The Guardian Media - a supplement published every Monday includes articles, latest news about these sectors and job vacancies. The most recent three weeks copies are kept for reference in Careers. > Log on to the Noise Festival website.

It’s a virtual arts festival which showcases the creative talent of people aged 25 and under. Any work that can be presented digitally can be included - fashion, film, music, design, architecture, written word, graphic design, fine art and illustration.

The Noise Dream Jobs Project offers young people work placements with top creative companies. > Skillset is the sector skills council for the audio visual industry, their website provides comprehensive information, advice and guidance to graduates wanting to pursue a career in the media industries. > Click onto Transition Tradition which aims to help graduates from non vocational degrees pursuing creative careers, make the transition from university to employment.

It includes an online magazine that contains useful articles about creative careers, work experience listings, discussion forums, events listings and an online resource directory.

Final words, don’t give up - yes it’s frighteningly competitive and yes you’ll have to start at the bottom but stick with it and you’ll find yourself in one of the best careers out there!

Point of View 34 ADVICE

WATERFRONT 187 - 22/02/10

With Samantha Louise

This Week Sam asked you for your points of view on a number of topics: Sometimes things are made out to be so difficult; here it is, simply, laid out for you as asked and as answered by real students...

What do you look for in the opposite sex?

“He has to be taller than me and funny. I love nice arms and a lad who can also be sensitive. A foreskin is also desirable!” Anon, female “I look for men not boys. He has to have good banter and be able to keep up ; ) ” Michaela Hinton “I like a nice smile with good teeth. I do like a good stomach but so long as they are fun and spontaneous I’m happy” Katie Protheroe “ I like to be wined and dined but with a taste for adventure. They have to respect me” Tammy Hemming “Beauty, caring and fun” Daniel Furlonger “In general big melons, a nice trimmed cabbage patch and a behind that’s as firm as mutton! A good sense of humour, friendly pretty eyes and a nice smile!” The Hammer Being cheated on “After a few times it completely screwed up my mind and made me so paranoid. My world collapsed. I hated all men and thought that he was the worst person in the world, but still made excuses why he did it. It made it very hard for me to trust people.” Anon, female “I found out from a friend and was absolutely devastated. He still lied to me after I confronted him but then appologised and said we could be stronger. I was confused, lost and sad.

I always thought if someone cheated on me I’d break up with them straight away but as it happened I couldn’t let him go” Anon, female Cheaters “Between the sudden pressure of uni adding to the fact that we weren’t at the peak of our relationship, when I met someone I really liked and ended up getting close to, it didn’t feel like cheating because it felt like the relationship was already dead” Anon, female “I didn’t know how to end it, so I thought the easiest way would be to cheat so then it would be over” Male, Anon “I knew in my head that my relationship was already over. There had been chemistry with the guy I cheated with for months and sleeping with him was like a release.” Anon, female “I cheated because my boyfriend at the time was just convenient and I fancied the other guy for a while so when I got a chance I slept with him.....3 times” Anon, female “It was exhilarating because it was something that you may dream about and when it became a reality it was exciting, dangerous and I wish it didn’t stop. The downside though was explaining to my other half what had happened and that I couldn’t be with her any more” Anon, male “At first it felt good, the adrenaline rush of doing something I wasn’t supposed to. People not knowing or if they had, a feeling they were never sure. Yeah that didn’t feel too bad..... but it went wrong when I actually began to like the girl” Anon, male Everyone has different reasons for doing something and these reasons may not necesserily be what the ‘typical’ person would think. If you have been in a situation like any stated above, remember that it isn’t always a personal attack on you and that it may be a good idea to confront the person in question for closure. Talking to university councellors available or your friends and family may be a good way of getting things off your chest.

TOP 5 of the fortnight

in association with

Overheard @ Swansea Number 5 Posted by Lowri Breeze While watching the Super Bowl “Come on Idonesia” (In reference to the Indianapolis Colts)

Number 4 Posted by Naomi Mayne “Hey Sian, haircut and a blowjob is only £20 at this hairdressers!”

Number 3 Posted by Lindsay Barber Randomer on wind st.“I live in KENSINGTON! we don’t have guns, we have libraries!”

Number 2 Posted by Allyson Smith Queuing at a bar in oceana....random girl to friend ‘’well I wasn’t really that fussed on him until he shoved four fingers up my arse’’

This Fortnights WINNER!!!

Posted by Michaela Louise Hinton Girl sat behind me in a lecture- “yehhh normally we take in turns to hold the camara, but tonight we’re making a stand so it can film us having sex!”

Congratulations you win two VIP Tickets to Oceana courtesy of ENTS (valid from Monday 22nd Feb) Collect your prize from The Waterfront office.

Remember The Golden Rule!

It’s OVERHEARD in Swansea. NOT said to a mate in Swansea!

Keep your ears open!

36 SPORT

WATERFRONT 187 - 22/02/10

Intramural League review - 17/02 - by Sports Editor Tim Harris

Hardly Athletic’s stint at the top ended by a determined Sub-Standard

League Table Team Name PLD 1 SPR 8 2 Team Sloth AFC 7 3 Swansea University 6th’s 7 4 Hardly Athletic 8 5 Liquor FC 8 6 Swansea University 7th’s 8 7 Ajax Trees Down 9 8 Geography 7 9 Photosynthesis 6 10 T.I.T.S 8 11 Sketty Bolognese 8 12 Balls Deep 7 13 Sub-Standard Liege 8 14 Clinical Finishers 8 15 Geog On 6 16 History Boys 7

W 7 7 7 6 5 5 4 3 2 2 1 2 2 1 0 0

D 4 0 0 1 2 0 2 1 1 1 3 0 0 1 0 0

L 1 0 0 1 1 3 3 3 3 5 4 5 6 6 6 7

GF 44 33 28 29 26 28 29 16 6 18 10 14 7 6 10 6

GA 6 7 7 11 14 16 22 13 6 34 18 35 44 20 28 29

GD PTS 38 21 26 21 21 21 18 19 12 17 12 15 7 14 3 10 0 7 -16 7 -8 6 -21 6 -37 6 -14 4 -18 0 -23 0

Sub-Standard 1 - 0 Hardly Athletic

PHOTO: Marc Holmes SHOCK: Sub-Standard Liege shock Intramural Football by putting the temporary League Leaders to the sword.

DEFEAT at the hands of underdogs: Sub-Standard Liege sees Hardly Athletic drop down to fourth place, following their short stay on hot-spot at the top.

The game finished a tightly contested 1-0. SPR reclaimed their familiar status as league-leaders after seeing off Photosynthesis 2-0. Team Sloth put forward a reminder of their league aspirations by beating an injury-plagued Ajax 5-1. Swansea Uni 6ths have the bragging rights over the Uni 7ths after they came away with a 2-1 victory. All three teams at the top are only separated by goal-difference, and the fight for the Intramural league title is wide-open.

Liquor have had a kind schedule of

fixtures thus far, and a 1-1 draw with Tits means they lead the rest of the pack, having surpassed the Uni 7ths.

Ajax, Geography, Photosynthesis and Tits all failed to win; the mid-table is unchanged.

Sketty Bolognese, Balls Deep, SubStandard Liege and Clinical Finishers have crept up the bottom half of the table, distancing themselves from the strugglers at the back of the pack. SubStandard have put together consecutive wins after propping up the table for quite some time.

Geog On and History Boys have still yet to score a point this year. Both teams were unfortunate to come away with the

sour taste of a one-goal defeat. Geog On lost 4-3 to Balls Deep, and History Boys were dealt a 1-0 defeat by Clinical Finishers.

With games on Wednesdays AND Sundays, Ashleigh Road is now the theatre for a feast of Intramural action.

It’s enough to tickle your appetite and sweat your palms.

THE CUP CORNER – (sponsored by ENTS)

ENTS CUP DRAW – Feb 24th, 4:30pm in JC’s! favourites to take the title, Ajax and Tits will be looking to cause an upset.

The Cup has taken significant support this year. League Organiser Richard Fouracre enticed ENTS on board as sponsors, who have subsequently set up

find the equaliser. The Sub-Standard defence stood firm, and Captain Tom Wilford was resolute between the sticks. Wilford was ecstatic with the win. “It has given us some much needed confidence and I am sure we can push on.” “Everyone played out of their skin, but special mention goes to our wingers Sam Stone and Mike Haworth who didn’t stop running all day.” Hardly Captain Sean Lindsay felt his team were hard done by in defeat. “We dominated from start to end, we just couldn’t put our chances away.”

“It was a good kick up the backside for us.”

Pick of the quarter-finals: Ajax Trees Down 4 - 2 Liquor FC (AET)

TEAMS IN THE SEMI-FINAL DRAW: - Ajax Trees Down - Swansea Uni 7ths - Team Sloth - Tits

THE FIGHT to be Intramural Cup champions this year is wide open as we reach the latter stages. Some of the big guns have already been slain; SPR and the Uni 6ths have both fallen. And while Sloth and the Uni 7ths are strong

AGAINST the odds, Sub-Standard Liege scored late on to come away with victory over Hardly Athletic; their heads held high and a 1-0 score-line to enjoy. The game was a tight affair; both teams created chances in the first-half but to no avail. The half-time score-line was 0-0. In the second-half, Hardly controlled proceedings, but failed to put away numerous chances on goal. And in the seventy-fifth minute, Sub-Standard punished them for their wastefulness; Sam Stone finished a placed shot from just inside the area; the winning goal, and his first of the season. Hardly pushed forward in the final ten, but could not

Intramural Happy Hour (4-6pm every Wednesday in JCs). The semi-final draw takes place THIS WEDNESDAY, and the air couldn’t be more tense!

A SIX goal thriller saw Ajax come from behind to eliminate Liquor, and book their place in the semi-finals. After a slow start to the game, Liquor took control. However, the deadlock was actually broken by a Liquor own goal; the defender putting the ball into his own net trying to clear a long throwin. Ajax went into half-time 1-0 up.

After the break, Liquor turned the tie on its head; Joe Harvard scored twice in quick succession, a tap-in, and a shot from range. Ajax’s long-ball over the top was not paying off, and Liquor looked comfortable with their lead. But then Ajax dealt a sucker-punch; Adam Balzano finished a lob from distance in

stoppage time, to force the tie to continue.

Liquor’s confidence was knocked going into extra-time having conceded so late on. And with their new found zest, Ajax punished Liquor, scoring twice to seal the match. Captain Alex Gordon and Stephan Paustian-Bulmer put their names on the score-sheet. Gordon said “I think Liquor felt a bit like Scotland after Wales turned them over late on in the Six Nations!” Liquor Captain Richard Cook commended his team’s efforts. “The whole team was devastated to come away with nothing”. “It was a tough match for both teams”. No jokes about a ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ then.

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SPORT 37

Ospreys beat Leeds Carnegie despite loss of internationals

By Bradley Morgan Sports Reporter DESPITE losing many of their star players to the Six Nations Championship, the Ospreys managed to secure a narrow win in their recent Anglo-Welsh Cup game.

The Ospreys fixture list has been shortened as so many players have been lost to international duty. However, they still had to produce a good result in their final group game at home to Leeds Carnegie, which the Welsh side won 2117.

The Ospreys fielded what was practically a reserve team, with some foreign regulars who are not involved in the Six Nations. The game was far from a classic with many errors and little to shout about.

The visitors took the lead with a Joe Ford penalty, but then halfway through the first half, the Ospreys showed their skill.

Hanno Dirksen broke through the Leeds line in midfield and set off on a storming run. He had support with him, and soon got the ball back and dove for the corner for the Ospreys’ first try.

Within ten minutes, the home side got their second try, with Gareth Owen threading the ball between two Leeds

players followed by Steve Tandy scooping the ball up and sliding over the try line to increase their lead.

However, just before half-time, the visitors got back in the game, with the forwards driving towards the Ospreys line. Erik Lund eventually got the ball over the line, and cut the deficit to four points, with the half-time score 14-10 to the Ospreys.

The second half didn’t really get going until the last 20 minutes, with Ospreys scrum half Jamie Nutbrown getting the ball from a scrum just outside the Leeds 22, finding the gap, straightening up and sprinting for the posts for the team’s third try.

Ospreys now had a firm lead, but the visitors then began to pressure the Ospreys defence, which held firm going into the final 10 minutes.

But then, with minutes to go, Ospreys forward Ed Shervington saw yellow for lying on the ball in the ruck, and the Ospreys would now play the rest of the game with 14 men.

And Leeds took immediate advantage of the extra man in the scrum. They forced a penalty try to get them back to within four points and set up a tense few minutes for the Ospreys.

But in the end the try simply came too late for Leeds, and the home side saw

IMPRESSIVE: Ospreys’ teenager Hanno Dirksen made a real impact in the absence of the Ospreys’ usual top players

the game out for a hard fought win, the final score being 21-17.

Both sides finished bottom of respective groups with just one win from four games. Both sides will now look to

their other competitions.

The Ospreys are still fighting for the Magners League title and also in the Knockout Stage of the Heineken Cup, while Leeds Carnegie will be fighting to

avoiding relegation from the Guinness Premiership, as they are currently in last place.

Ferrie steams back into action

By James Robert Sports Reporter DUTCH midfielder Ferrie Bodde made his second comeback of the season at The Gnoll as he turned out for Swansea City Reserves versus Bristol City Reserves.

The midfield maestro has been plagued by knee injuries over the past two years, missing the majority of last season as well most of the ongoing campaign.

The injury first reared its head in November 2008 and left Bodde out of action for the remainder of the Swans season, which culminated in them gaining promotion from Coca-Cola League One. Bodde finally made his comeback after surgery and intensive physiotherapy work in September 2009. However his first start in nearly a year, against Sheffield United on 26th September 2009, ended in heartache as he limped off the pitch after just nine minutes with an injury to the same knee as before.

The injury, originally thought to require further surgery, was not as severe as first thought and after more physiotherapy he was finally ready for his return in Neath just three weeks after recommencing full training.

Bodde slotted straight back in where he had previously left off, firing a number of accurate long range passes out to the wings and towards his strikers from his central position.

COMEBACK KID: Ferrie Bodde has suffered a long and complicated injury, but appears to once again be firing on all cylinders for Swansea City Reserves.

His 59 minute performance before being substituted was capped by a sublime goal from 20 yards which beat Steve Collis in the Bristol City goal low at his far post midway through the first half which spurred the Swans on to a 2-1

victory.

It would appear that the interest from various Premier League clubs, which has included Portsmouth, Wigan and Bolton, even during his spell on the sidelines, has been well founded.

It is likely that as he moves closer to his first team comeback the interest that has been shown in the 27 year-old will only continue to escalate.

Come the end of the season this could provide a headache for Swans manager

Paulo Sousa. However, he will be more than pleased that his midfield lynchpin is back and raring to help his side continue their quest for a play-off spot come the end of the season.

38 SPORT

WATERFRONT 187 - 22/02/10

President Siwan pledges to sort out Fairwood, intramural and funding

By Rhys Williams Sports Editor

AMBITION: Siwan aims to keep Varsity in Swansea’s Liberty Stadium beyond 2010.

SIWAN Lillicrap has once again been elected as the President of Swansea’s athletic union, after a close fought battle with Jonny Taylor.

Voting took place on 11th February, with Lillicrap declared the winner with 416 votes. Runners up Jonny Taylor and Simon Bright scored 396 and 227 votes respectively.

With such an intense campaign, Siwan was understandably eager to thank all those involved.

“Obviously I’d like to thank all the people that voted for me, but also my campaign team. Without my campaign team it wouldn’t have been possible.”

“My housemates have been fantastic, and some of the rugby and football girls have been there with me, helping me every day. It was a real team effort that got me the result.”

Now that Siwan has secured reelection, she is now in the process of following up on many of her manifesto promises.

One of the biggest causes of disruption this season has been cancelled matches at the Fairwood playing fields.

“Being president this year has made me realise how many fixtures we lose from it. I think that is a massive task, but hopefully we can improve Fairwood.

Obviously that’s not going to happen instantly.”

“We’re looking at doing a report based on the facilities we use here, looking at how much they are used and what clubs

use them.”

“We can then take that to local organisations and hopefully they will be able to help us out and give us cheap facilities as it’s currently causing havoc with our fixtures.”

Another issue on Siwan’s manifesto was greater participation via more intramural sports, another promise that Siwan is intent on keeping.

“The plan is that in the last semester of this year we are going to set up more intramural sports. We’re currently looking at netball, which could be quite a big one.”

“We’re also looking at mixed hockey.

We’ll see how they go and then develop next year. If they are successful then we can get even more sports involved, maybe rugby sevens or something that everyone can get involved in, that’s what I’m looking to do.”

The thorny issue of funding is also something that Siwan will have to solve in the coming year.

“Rumours are going around that the university are cutting funding all around, but we haven’t heard anything yet, so we’re not jumping to that assumption.” “ If it does come to that then we should have the ability as an athletic union to cope with it. One of the points on my manifesto was finding alternative sources of funding, and hopefully we can do that, working with the sports council.”

“The more organisations we can work alongside, the better for the AU. But we are hoping that it doesn’t come to our funding being cut.”

However, it is Varsity that Siwan saves

her greatest enthusiasm for.

“There are lots of things that happened last year that I’m proud of, but the most exciting thing for me is bringing Varsity back to Swansea.”

“It was always at Cardiff when I was a student here, and now I’m really excited to be organising such a massive event for Swansea.”

However, it’s not just this year’s varsity that Siwan is looking forward too, she also believes that if this year’s event goes well, Swansea may retain it next year.

“We go through the tender process again, and then we’ll see how this year goes. Cardiff do have the rights to it, but if this year goes as well as possible then hopefully it will stay in Swansea.”

“We have a fantastic stadium here and everything over on one complex at Sketty Lane, instead being scattered all over Talybont and Llanrumney like we are at Cardiff.”

“It’s got the potential to be a much better event in Swansea than in Cardiff.”

Those that want to attend this year’s Varsity are advised to buy their tickets on the one day sale.

“The Varsity one day sale is 8th March, Don’t miss out on that. A lot of people have been asking me about them, and I think we might sell out.”

There will be a limited amount of package tickets available which include transport, a ticket for the rugby match, a T-shirt, bumper sticker, temporary tattoo and tickets to the after party at Play. For the one day sale this package is available for £17.50.

Above-par competition leave Swansea battling relegation

By Ben Donovan Sports Reporter CAPTAIN Joe Ash has cited the quality of opposition, coupled with a lack of funding from the AU, as the main reasons behind a disappointing campaign so far for the Golf team.

Following the success of last season, they currently lie at the bottom of the table on three points but with games in hand over their rivals as they bid to avoid relegation from the BUCS Western Conference 1A. Ash commented, “The teams in our division are very good with the likes of Newport who, for example, offer full scholarships to all their players.”

“Bournemouth has two teams in our league which gives them a chance to rotate their players and that is reflected in their league position whereas we are a bunch of lads who come together and give our best, week in week out”.

Ash has also described the opposition this season as ‘some of the best in the

UK’ but Ash insists that this hasn’t affected the performance and overall commitment of the players involved.

“The level of opposition has been far greater than last year but along with this our overall standards of play have improved on the back of last year which has helped us grow as a team”.

Last year the team won the divisional cup that was on offer as well as gaining promotion, which was a fantastic achievement for the club.

However, Ash has admitted that the next level has been a big factor in terms of the position that the club finds itself in currently.

“This year we are struggling with the huge step up in terms of ability but our aims at the start of the year were to stay up and find our feet which we look hopeful to achieve.”

Funding has also been a big problem for the team this year, and Ash said “The University gives us no funding towards membership which is £120 per player and we pay for our practice sessions too, but all they provide is transport to and

from away matches”.

With the results being what they have been this year, many would suspect that the team has not had a settled team throughout, but Ash insists this hasn’t been the case.

“We have about eight lads all competing for spaces in the team of six which play matches. Anyone is able to replace anyone so we have good competition for places.” he said.

With the return of Varsity in Swansea this year, Ash is hoping that they can build on the stalemate that materialised in Cardiff a year ago.

“We drew last year down at the Vale of Glamorgan for the third year running, but this year we are home and are hoping to win. I’ve made it more interesting this year by creating a Ryder Cup format with 15 points up for grabs playing doubles in the morning and singles in the afternoon.”

The squad will be hoping to pick up the points needed to avoid relegation and build up the confidence ready for the showpiece event in April.

BOGEY SEASON: Captain Joe Ash admits this season has been tough for Swansea.

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39 SPORT

Bouncing above UWIC just out of reach for the basketball firsts

By Tim Harris Sports Editor JUST a few points separated Swansea from league leaders UWIC firsts in the closing games of this season. But unfortunately, a significant scoredifference meant that topping the table was all but impossible, making the final fixture of the season at home against UWIC redundant. Swansea lost the game 83-74.

Despite this, the Basketball firsts have enjoyed a strong season, racking up consecutive victories in the BUCS Western Conference 2B, leaving them second in the table.

Club Captain Richard Broadley recognised the team’s emphatic form.

“Success this season has been down to having a strong squad.” “We have twelve players who all have the ability to be in the starting five, and produce a match winning performance.”

The only other defeat of the season came early on under a set of somewhat controversial circumstances.

Following a collection of errors and miscommunications with the AU over the time of the match, the team were rushed to warm up, and did not have a full squad of players to select from.

However, Broadley has put this disappointment firmly in the past.

“Despite the loss I feel that our position is strong.” “We have ground out good results this year, whereas last year we lost games we should really have won.”

The focus can now turn to the semifinal clash with Bristol in the BUCS Western Conference Cup, and of course Varsity. Claiming both these titles would be a perfect sign-off to a very successful season, and the potential is there.

Men’s Secretary Calum Sharma knows the team would love a Varsity victory on home turf. “Cardiff are in the league above us, but if we perform to our best we can win”. “I hope that we can get a big crowd together and put on a show in our house”. “Varsity is ours for the taking.”

“We are much more structured this year with many scoring threats in the team and a great defensive unit” added

Sharma. “We have the ability to win the league next year.”

Among the solid performers this year, Brian Durbin has stood out as a consistent asset. Durbin has hit crucial shots all season to collect important points, and drive the team forward in times of need.

However, Club Captain Broadley also commended the efforts of this year’s freshers. “Ivan Filipe, Davis Viavods, Dan Strange and Dan Buttifant have all adapted quickly and become integral parts of the team.”

The target for the remainder of the season now lies in Cup and Varsity triumphs.

Despite the successes of the season, Broadley outlined his disappointment over the limited number of league fixtures scheduled. “BUCS only allow us to play each team once, meaning one bad result can take you out of the title chase.”

“Along with backing from the AU, we will be contacting BUCS in order to try and resolve this issue for coming seasons.”

Photo: Helen Cave IMPOSSIBLE JUMP: Swansea narrowly missed out on topping the BUCS table.

Badminton firsts face the Snow causes chaos drop after pointless season for the Slalomers

SNOWY SUCCESS: Canoe team performed well despite difficult weather.

By Ben Donovan Sports Reporter

WITHOUT A WIN: Badminton team target a valiant Varsity victory after a torrid season without a single point in the league.

By Michelle Owen Sports Reporter SWANSEA University Mens Badminton firsts have suffered badly this season, rooted to the bottom of the Western Conference 1A, without a single point to their name.

Amongst the back to back losses, there have been close games fought out.

However, Swansea have come off worse every time.

With several key members leaving the squad at the end of last year, a lack of new players has vastly inhibited league

performances, whilst other universities have benefitted from adding strong freshers to their ranks.

Swansea have often been unable to field a full-strength team in vital games, and the consequences have been clear in the results.

Club Captain Alex Hurst admitted that this season has been an ordeal. “We have had a lack of strong reinforcements this year.”

“Other teams have flourished with new talents.”

And with relegation an inevitable fate, Hurst admits the team’s focus is on new

goals.

“It is our main aim for the rest of the season to win Varsity in April,” he said.

Cardiff firsts have enjoyed a season far from the turbulence that Swansea firsts have endured. And with losses home and away to the Welsh rivals, Swansea will be desperate for vengeance when they visit in April.

Last year’s Varsity encounter saw Swansea take triumphant victory over Cardiff. And with the event being staged in Swansea this year, retaining the title would see a sweet end to a very sour season.

THE CANOEING team experienced mixed fortunes at the recent River Weekend event held in Llandysul, mid Wales.

There were no real winners over the course of the two day event as weather played havoc with the competitors, cancelling many of the events due to heavy snow.

The boating lake was also affected, freezing over, which prevented some polo events from taking place.

Captain Matt Hodder said, “The weekend wasn’t as successful as it perhaps could have been, particularly because the weather put paid to that.”

“We didn’t do too badly in the polo events that did beat the weather as we won one out of three, and that was without our other captain.”

However, success for Swansea did come in the form of Kerri Morgan, who

came first in the women’s slalom event, and fourth overall.

One of the main events of the weekend was the much anticipated white water race, but this failed to reach its potential as only three teams competed. Swansea had to withdraw from the head to head event due to the adverse weather conditions.

Hodder added, “Even though we didn’t always get the results we might have wanted, we did see the weekend as a success. It was good from a social point of view and for everyone to get to know each other a bit better.”

“It was also good for us to get outside of the university and compete in the outdoor environment.”

When asked about the possibility of competing in Varsity this year, Hodder said, “We are doing our best to try and get clearance to compete in Varsity and to use the National Pool as a venue.”

The Canoeists have two other events coming up in the form of both the Cardiff and Doncaster Canoe Polo events.

Sport thewaterfront

22/02/10

BEST SEASON EVER FOR SWIMMING TEAM

By Thore Haugstad Sports Reporter

THE SWIMMING team has completed their best season ever after clinching an overall second spot in the BUCS Long Course Championships held in Sheffield one week ago.

The BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) event saw the men’s team finishing fourth and the women’s team finishing second, resulting in the best positions and the highest points total ever achieved by Swansea.

A total of two gold, five silver and five bronze medals were collected by the swimmers, who have reduced the gap to leaders Loughborough and increased the points down to Bath and Stirling.

The result reflects another fine performance after they also claimed second place in the BUCS Short Course Championships in November last year.

And although they came into the event in such rich form, Performance Captain Vicky Austen admitted the display still exceeded their expectations.

“Obviously coming second at short course we had high expectations for the Long Course Championships, but realistically we aimed for a third or fourth place finish,” she said.

“We knew Stirling and Bath were taking much bigger teams this time round, and we were down three swimmers from short course.

“I did think we were capable of getting second if everything went to plan and thankfully I was proved right. It was an excellent result.”

The swimming club has made remarkable progress in recent years

MAKING WAVES: Swansea’s excellent season has secured them second place overall, firmly establishing them as one of the ‘big three’ teams amongst British universities.

having finished eighth in 2008, sixth in 2009 and finally second in 2010.

Austen believes this along with the two second spots in long- and short course has put Swansea University on the swimming map.

“This was an excellent result for us as you can see form the progression we have made over the past three years,“

Siwan secures second term as AU President

By Rhys Williams Sports Editor SIWAN Lillicrap has once again been elected as the President of Swansea’s Athletic Union, after a close fought battle with Jonny Taylor.

Voting took place on 11th February, with Lillicrap declared the winner with 416 votes. Runners up Jonny Taylor and

Simon Bright scored 396 and 227 votes respectively.

With such an intense campaign, Siwan was understandably eager to thank all those involved.

“Obviously I’d like to thank all the people that voted for me, but also my campaign team. Without my campaign team it wouldn’t have been possible.”

Full Story on page 38

she said.

“Coming second in two championships back to back firmly proved our place as one of the top swimming universities in the country and proved to the rest that it wasn’t just a lucky result in November.

“In fact, we scored more points this time round than at short course.”

Swansea currently sit second in the

overall ranking having raced away from Bath and Stirling with their recent success.

The gap up to Loughborough remains wide though and Austen concedes the runaway leaders might be too hard to catch.

She added: “Obviously it would be great to come first, but Loughborough

are still quite a way ahead of us.

“We had two British swimmers on our team, they have about 15.

“Hopefully, though, with our success this year it will encourage more up and coming swimmers to consider Swansea as their university and then we can work to bridge the gap between second and first place.”

Inside this week’s paper Badminton

Basketball

Canoeing