thewaterfront
Free Issue 212 February 27, 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
INSIDE
the official student newspaper of swansea university NEWS
Faraday re-fit draws critcism
FEATURES
page 3
Memes craze sweeps campus
SPORT
page 14
Frank Morton event hosted
page 29
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ANGER OVER VISA PLANS £20,000-a-year pay needed to stay in UK after graduating from univeristy by Gemma Parry
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University’s international students are outraged that they may have to earn up to £20,000 a year in order to stay in the country after finishing their degree. The new reform is being introduced to increase the number of international graduates who leave Britain after their studies in an effort to reduce net immigration. The UK government has announced it will be possible for international students to stay in the UK with a general work permit visa, as long as they find a job earning £20,000 a year or more. Until now the government has restricted visa entry for both students and employers. It is also planned to abolish Post Study Work (PSW) in an effort to reduce net immigration. The tier 1 PSW visa will close to new applicants on April 5. Tier 1 (post-study work) category allows the UK to retain the most able international (non-European) graduates who have studied in the country. This means that under these rules, international students can look for work without needing a sponsor. Tier 1 also provides a stepping stone to work. The PSW visa is currently available to non-EU students who graduate from a
UK university at undergraduate or postgraduate level. It allows students to remain in the UK for a further two years after they graduate and work in any profession or become self-employed. Neil Gaskin, manager of the university’s international student advisory service (ISAS) said: “The availability of this visa has made study in the UK a very attractive choice for students from all over the world. “Its removal will make it harder for all UK universities to attract new students.” Sajid, an international management student from Pakistan said: “Before coming to Swansea University, I was planning to apply for PSW but now, I don’t have that option.” The UK government has announced that it will be introducing a new tier 1 (graduate entrepreneur) visa route in the future. It means there will be an annual limit of 1,000 visas to be shared among all higher education institutions in the UK. Fahid Mahmood, a third year law student from Hong Kong believes the reforms will “just lose the government people and thousands of pounds”. Swansea University is currently undecided as to whether they will participate in this scheme. The government is planning to release detailed rules for the suggested changes on March 15.
Another night of fun in Swansea
thewaterfront Third floor, Students’ Union Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP (01792) 295 988 editor@swansea-union.co.uk web: waterfrontonline.co.uk twitter: thewaterfrontSU facebook: the waterfront swansea SECTION EDITORS News Becca Taylor, Gemma Parry waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk
Features Samantha Booth sammeeb@hotmail.co.uk
Sport Craig Hadley, David Hendy waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
Front Jon May front@swansea-union.co.uk Music Alex Gibbs waterfrontmusic@swansea-union.co.uk
Film Michael Samuel waterfrontfilm@swansea-union.co.uk
Culture TBC waterfrontculture@swansea-union.co.uk
Listings Russell Wade waterfrontlistings@swansea-union.co.uk
Societies James Langridge waterfrontsocieties@swansea-union.co.uk
Travel Zoe Gullett waterfronttravel@swansea-union.co.uk
Fashion Lucinda Reid waterfrontfashion@swansea-union.co.uk
Games Matt Edwards waterfrontgames@swansea-union.co.uk
Gadgets Richard Cowie waterfrontgadgets@swansea-union.co.uk
Proofreaders Grainne Corish Photographers photographysu@gmail.com Website waterfrontweb@swansea-union.co.uk
Advertising Annie Cottam (01792) 602496 Distribution Russell Wade (01792) 606715
thewaterfront 212 27.02.12
Two-horse race for presidential role in election by Becca Taylor
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk THE battle to replace Luke James as president of Swansea University students’ union will be a two-horse race in next month’s full time officer elections. Current general secretary Mitch Theaker will take on current societies and services officer Tom Upton to run the union from July. In a 22-strong candidates’ list, the role of societies and services took on board the largest number of candidates with seven students running for the job. Current Welsh affairs officer Owain Harries, current students with caring responsibilities officer Steve Ralph, and non-officers Dave Townsend, Tom Giffard, Joshua Hayman, Martha Kiff, and Hamish Simmie are all in the frame. The brand new sports officer role has three contenders, women’s officers sees four competitors, while welfare, education and international officers have two candidates each. Dan Ryan-Lowes hopes to carry on his soon-to-be extinct athletics union presi-
dential duties in the new sports officer role but will face competition from Zac Shaylar and Imogen Stanley. Charlotte Britton will stand for a second year as welfare officer challenged by Chinemere John Eze. Kayla Bates will take on Mahaboob Basha for the role of international officer. Eleri Jones will make way for a new women’s officer. Current students with disabilities officer Izzy Granville, Millie Balkan, Rebecca Warrilow and Pearleen Sangha, the current community and housing officer will all fight to replace Miss Jones. Rhiannon Hedge is also stepping aside as education officer which will be contested between Zahid Raja, and LGBT+ officer Ian Morgan. Campaigning begins on March 15 and online voting will take place through the students’ union website from March 20-22. Live coverage of the results can be found on the Waterfront website on the evening of the count on March 22.
CANDIDATES’ LIST President Mitch THEAKER Tom UPTON Societies & Services Officer Tom GIFFARD Owain HARRIS Joshua HAYMAN
OFFICERS’ CORNER
02 I NEWS
Societies & Services Officer cont. Martha KIFF Steve RALPH Hamish SIMMIE Dave “Mr T” TOWNSEND Welfare Officer Charlotte BRITTON Chinemere John EZE
See all the candidates’ manifestos in the next issue of the Waterfront. Out Monday March 19, 2012 Education Officer Ian MORGAN Zahid RAJA
Women’s Officer Millie BALKAN Izzy GRANVILLE Pearl SANGHA Rebecca WARRILLOW
Sports Officer Dan “Flash” RYAN-LOWES Zac SHAYLAR Imogen STANLEY
International Officer V.R.S.A.Mahaboob BASHA Kayla BATES
luke james, students’ union president
IN the words of American crooner Andy Williams “the most wonderful time of the year” is upon us again - he meant Christmas but I mean elections! Before you take cover from the campaigning masses preparing to occupy campus let me at least try and get you as excited as I am. I have always thought of campaign week as more
Meeting Times (Meetings are in the Waterfront office) Features Front Section editors News & Sport De-brief & Ideas
Monday, February 27 Monday, February 27 Monday, March 5 Monday, March 5 Friday, March 16
12pm 12pm 11am 1pm 1pm
like a seven day campus carnival than your average election. The mall will be awash with colour as potential officers have turned to the Dulex colour chart to pick the most eye-catching/offensive colours for their badges and posters to grab your attention. Our campaigners’ willingness to speak to anyone about their ideas brings social barriers crashing down, people who have never had reason to talk are suddenly chatting freely and those chats can often turn into real friendships after election fever has ended. And for the candidates and their teams the week is the climatic ending of weeks of preparation that will have tested their arts and crafts ability like nothing since Year 7 geography. But there’s something about cutting up cardboard, sharing pizza and pumping out Eye of the Tiger on a loop that seems to bring friends together
like nothing else. In short, campaign week provides the kind of shared experience that is only rivalled by Varsity. But most importantly students who want to lead the union have to go out and get your approval for their ideas. It’s extremely important that the elections are not just an exercise to change the faces that sit in offices on Level 3 of Union House. Students really need to test the ideas of the candidates to make sure they stand up. So if you’re accosted by a campaigner then challenge them on the promises they are making. Whether you are a candidate, campaigner or voter we’re all Swansea students and we all need to play a positive part in a week that’s about new ideas for the future of the union. And as one fictional politician for Staines once said: Keep it real!
Final deadlines for next issue Earlier copy and picture deadlines will apply Features Front News Sport
Friday, March 9 Friday, March 9 Thursday, March 15 Thursday, March 15
6pm 6pm 7pm 7pm
Disclaimer The Waterfront thanks everyone who contributed to this issue. Content does not necessarily reflect the views of the students’ union, when an opinion is expressed it is the view of the journalist that is represented unless otherwise stated.
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NEWS I 03
Students voice concerns over Faraday building renovations by Becca Taylor
Fulton House toilet attacker pleads guilty
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk STUDENTS and officers have questioned Swansea University’s spending priorities after a multi-million pound renovation of the Faraday building began. They feel dealing with a lack of career advisors at the university as a bigger priority than renovation works on campus. Students have also expressed surprise that this money has become available when students had to fight to maintain their lecturers and courses in modern foreign language departments just a year ago. Anger erupted on Facebook, when the Waterfront revealed the news of the renovations before Christmas. Rob Abrams, environment and ethics officer in the students’ union said: “I think it is important to note that the university is taking environmental concerns more seriously, and projects like Green Impact universities have been adopted across campus in a relatively short period of time. “However, I think the claim of greater energy efficiency that has been tagged on was made too hastily. “Questions I have put forward towards the university have received inconclusive answers, though I did re-
RENOVATION: Millions of pounds are being spent on the latest project to bring Faraday up to date. ceive a guarantee previously from the the building a face-lift. said. estates department that the contrac“The project also aims to extend the “During the first year of work the tors used by the university, in light of useful life of the facility whilst dramati- academy will increase opportunities the poor energy performance of the cally improving its environmental per- for relevant and challenging work newest accommodation buildings on formance, potentially reducing carbon placements and enhance opportunicampus, had reviewed their own pro- emissions by up to 22% whilst improv- ties for students to develop entreprecess.” ing visual, thermal and acoustic prop- neurial skills. But the university said the work was erties.” “Options already available for stu“essential”. The spokesperson added that a new dents vary from a year in industry, a “Regular investment in buildings employability schemes, run by depart- year abroad (either studying or workavoids huge bills building up which ments would help with careers advice. ing), summer placements and entrewould have to be met from future “Swansea employability academy preneurial skills modules. generations of students,” said a will be launched in March and will “The careers and employability team spokesperson. work across the university to support continues to provide a drop-in service “The improvements to the Faraday employability, entrepreneurship and every day dealing with students’ embuilding do not just centre on giving employee learning,” the spokesperson ployability enquiries.”
T-shirt campaign raises feminist awareness on Swansea campus by Gemma Parry
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University students and lecturers took part in a campaign to endorse the feminist movement called ‘This is what a feminist looks like.’ The campaign was promoted by Swansea students’ union women’s officer Eleri Jones and participants wore t-shirts reading the name of the campaign throughout the day. The 30 participants were encouraged to write a personal statement about the day and how people reacted to the t-shirts. A statement by students unions’ caring and responsibilities part-time officer, said: “My personal opinion of the way in which feminism is viewed by others was indeed changed. “I believed that people would react badly, but they did not. It’s not just a t-shirt, it’s everything it stands for and I believe today it did make a difference because of the reaction of people personally relating to the tops.” Miss Jones added: “I decided to run this campaign because of the stigma and negativity that surrounds
RAISING AWARENESS: Current women’s officer, Eleri Jones, wearing a T - shirt for her campaign. feminism. “Using the word ‘feminist’ as a political or personal label can be problematic because of confusion and misconceptions which surround it.
“It’s often difficult to stand up and be counted for what you think is right.” She added: “Overall, the volunteers who have contacted me have stated that they only received positive
feedback. A blog will be left open for any one wishing to submit a piece about their view of feminism. To contribute, email womensofficer@swansea-union.co.uk
by Chris Flynn
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk A MAN has admitted attacking two female students in toilets on the main Swansea University campus. The incident happened on Wednesday, November 16 last year in the toilets on the first floor of Fulton House. Daniel Mclean, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of common assault, two counts of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and three counts of assault with the intention to commit sexual offences. The charges included other offences that took place in Swansea city centre and Brynmill. Mclean, of St Helen’s Avenue, who is not a student, appeared before Swansea Crown Court via video link from Ashworth Hospital, one of three secure psychiatric facilities in the UK. Sentencing was adjourned until March 19. Eleri Jones, the students’ union’s women’s officer said: “The incident on campus understandably left the student body shaken and concerned for their own safety. “I would like to re-assure students that the union and university staff response was impeccable, immediate and professional and that the wellbeing of our students is the most important issue for us. “Sexual assault is a traumatic and horrendous crime and I’d like to remind students that our Zero Tolerance policy is in place to protect all of our students if they ever experience unwanted sexual attention.” After the initial arrest, South Wales Police inspector Andy Reed said: “I would like to reassure all students and staff that this is an isolated incident and should not cause undue worry. “Having said that, I would ask everyone to consider their own personal safety, especially during the late evening and night-time.” The police also praised the university’s in-house security team for the speed in which they called the police and helping provide information to make an arrest. Police have reminded students that if they see anything or anyone who is suspicious to contact PCSO Dainton, the police non-emergency number ‘101’ or in an emergency 999.
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NEWS I 05
Students warned that they are not to use payday loan websites by Becca Taylor
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk THE money advice and support centre has warned students against using payday loans websites, after sites came under fire from the National Union of Students. NUS vice-president Pete Mercer led the criticism against Wonga.com and branded the firm as “irresponsible” to push the short-term loansas part of a student’s everyday financial planning. He said the adverts referred to the loans as an alternative to governmentbacked student loans, which have an interest rate of 1.5% APR, compared with a payday-style loan which can come with interest rates of up to 4,000% APR. If the repayments cannot be met, the interest rates can lead to debts much higher than the original amount borrowed. He said they are unsustainable as a long-term form of debt solution. “Wonga should immediately withdraw this predatory [offer], which contains information that appears to be inaccurate, and is aimed at financially vulnerable young people,” he said. And Claire Ashton, of the money advice and support centre, agrees. “If you have already taken out a pay day loan and are having trouble
repaying, the important thing is to get advice now - ignoring the problem will only make it worse. “The money advisors here are able to give free, confidential and impartial information and advice on a range of money matters.” The students’ union current Welfare Officer added: “We know that more and more students are taking out these loans. “The debt can build up incredibly quickly, so I urge anyone with moneyissue to go and see the money advice and support centre in Keir Hardie. “There are some hardship grants available and loads of advice. “I spiralled into some pretty serious debt myself in my second year -it’s so important to talk to the university or the students’ union about it, and not to stick your head in the sand.” John Moorwood, a spokesperson for Wonga.com denied the firm targeted students. He said: “We do not directly target students and they make up a miniscule proportion of our customers. “That is because many students do not have regular income and wouldn’t pass our stringent credit checks. “On the other hand, we don’t believe students who work and do have an income should be excluded from credit automatically.
by Gemma Parry
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk
COUNTING THE PENNIES: Students have been warned against using payday loans “Our decisions are made in an automated, objective way and we pay for thousands of pieces of public data, from sources including the major credit reference agencies.
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“We have nothing to gain from lending to people who cannot afford the service and we decline around two-thirds of first time applications.”
TWO Swansea University academics have been presented with prestigious awards by the Leverhulme Trust, which carries a £70,000 prize. Dr Siwan Davies and Dr Antonio Gil were both awarded the Philip Leverhulme prize to recognise their work in their field areas of expertise. Dr Davies was recognised for her contribution to geography and Dr Gil for his contribution to engineering. The award is designed to acknowledge and facilitate the work of outstanding young research scholars or practitioners of proven achievement, who have made and are continuing to make significant contributions to knowledge in their field. Thirty prizes were given in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, economic, engineering, geography, modern European languages and literature and the performing and visual arts. Dr Davies said: “I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled to receive this prize. “It’s a great honour and I’m very proud to be recognised in this way. “At this stage in my career, having £70,000 will allow me to undertake some exciting research.” Dr Gil added: “I am ecstatic to receive this highly prestigious award. “We are doing some really exciting research and it’s exciting to have it recognised in this way.”
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Campus shop donate £250 prize winnings to union nursery by Jazz Dicker
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University students’ union nursey is set to benefit from a £250 donation. The money, which will be spent on a laptop to help children with their learning, is coming from the Level 2 Spar shop in Fulton House. Spar received the money from food giant Ginsters as they were the top 10 Ginsters sellers in university shops in the country. The shop has come fourth in the country as their sales have risen by 55.52%. The Glyntaff Shop at Glamorgan University topped the table as their sandwich sales have risen by 95.69%. Spar Manager Emma Snaydon, believes this may have happened because of the 20 pence reduction in the price of the meal deal.
Academics recieve prestigious award
Swansea student facing trial by Chris Flynn
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk
WHO ATE ALL THE PIES?: Level 2 Spar recieves prize money of £250 from Ginsters food company
A CRIMINOLOGY and criminal justice student is to stand trial over accusations of sexual assault. Second year Joshua Holmes, 21, will be tried by a jury in May over the alleged incident on July 19 last year. During a hearing before Swansea magistrates, he opted to have his case heard in the city’s crown court. Holmes, of Brentwood Place, Ebbw Vale, pleaded not guilty to sexual assault of a woman. He was in his first year when the attack allegedly took place. Judge Keith Thomas granted Holmes conditional bail. The trial is due to start in the last week of May.
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Mosque volunteers raise money for the homeless
HELPING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE: The mosque has been the centre of charitable activity this week. by Jon Griffiths
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk VOLUNTEERS from Swansea University’s mosque have been raising money to help put together kit bags for the homeless to keep them warm during winter. It is a joint effort by the mosque and Al Mu’minaat sisters group who want to raise awareness and money to help pass these bags on. The mosque has raised about £360
through Friday prayers, along with donations from both staff and students, with £243 spent on clothing, and £115 on food. These kit bags were handed over to the Big Issue office on Kingsway. Under the leadership of Sheik Mohsen, the committee meet regularly and purchased blankets, hats, scarfs, gloves, socks and tin food to pack into the bags, along with a “we care for you” message written inside as a reminder where it has come from.
The students’ union’s current international officer, and member of the mosque governance committee said: “From the past four years, Swansea University mosque raised more than £100,000 to support poor people in the world. “I would take this opportunity to thank the university senior management team, student services, students’ union, students, staff and the local Muslim community for their generous support and contribution to help others.”
NEWS I 07
Students’ union to back NUS walkouts by Rahul Vashisht
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University students are giving their support to the mass walkouts taking place next month. The walkouts are being led by the National Union of Students to what it calls “privatisation by the back door”. It believes the UK government is making too many changes to the higher education system. NUS accuses the changes are not in the form of a bill that would be passed through Westminster, but through the back door, removing any debate that would take place. Such changes include the rise in tuition fees and the attempt to bring private providers to the forefront of higher education. Swansea University students’ union president Luke James said he wants to see education “kept as a public good”. He will be attending a mass lobby of Parliament, along with the president of Swansea Metropolitan University, protesting the alleged backdoor attempts to privatise higher education. They will also be writing to both the Swansea West and Swansea East MPs. The students’ union has already held the ‘Students not Consumers’ rally in November protesting against the rise in tuition fees. At the time of the protests Mr James
said: “Swansea students will reject being treated as consumers because it will harm our student experience.” “If it were another time of year, we could have held effective walkouts.” However he maintained the importance of the full time officer elections, stating that there could have been “an excellent walkout at Swansea University” had it not been taking place a day before full-time officer elections take place.
ITV staff to host journalism event STUDENTS interested in a future career in the media are being given a chance to gain a greater insight into the world of journalism. Jonathon Hill, main presenter of ITV Wales’ news programme Wales Tonight, will be visiting Swansea University next month to speak to students. Mr Hill is also the associate editor of ITV Wales and is responsible for all English language programming of ITV Wales, will also be present. He will share his experience and advice on some of the good ways to weave into the competitive world of journalism. The talk will be held on Wednesday March 7, from 1pm till 2.30pm in Glyndwr C.
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CYMRAEG I 09
Y GORNEL GYMRAEG
Dawns disgo, ensemble a stepio, Abertawe yn ymosod ar Bangor! gan Nia Johns
welshaffairs@swansea-union.co.uk
Am 8 y.b. dydd Gwener gadawodd bws mini’r brifysgol yn llawn o fyfyrwyr blinedig ar daith hir i Fangor er mwyn cystadlu yn yr Eisteddfod Ryng-golegol dros y penwythnos. Ar ôl gwneud ychydig o seibiau anorfod cyrhaeddodd y criw yn y Gogledd am tua 2:30 y.p. Yn syth wedi cyrraedd aethant i weld y cystadlaethau chwaraeon yn y gwynt a’r glaw. Wrth i’r gemau ddod i derfyn cafodd y myfyrwyr amser i ymlacio, cynhesu ac yn fwy na dim, cyfle i fwyta! Darparwyd bwyd i bawb ym Mar Uno ar gampws y brifysgol. Cyn i’r noson ddechrau aeth nifer o fyfyrwyr o bob prifysgol i’r Neuadd Chwaraeon, lle roeddent yn cysgu, er mwyn dadbacio a pharatoi am weddill y mwynhau. Ar ôl gweld golygfeydd Bangor, wel, ei thafarnau, a noson heb lawer o gwsg, roedd y criw yn barod am ddiwrnod llawn o gystadlu yn Neuadd PJ. Aeth ychydig mwy o aelodau i fyny gyda ni eleni, a gwnaethom gystadlu mewn mwy o gystadlaethau er mwyn profi fod Abertawe yn bodoli a bod gennym dalent! Caryl Parry-Jones, Elan Isaac ac Iwan John oedd y beirniaid. Y cystadlaethau cyntaf oedd yr unawd piano (Rebeca Thomas), yr unawd offerynnol (Gwydion Jones ddaeth yn ail) a’r unawd llefaru (Glesni Morgan.) Yn ogystal cystadlodd Gareth Taylor yn yr unawd stepio, daeth Gwydion Jones yn 3ydd yn y gystadleuaeth ffotograffiaeth, a bu’r
criw yn weddol lwyddiannus yng nghystadleuaeth y sgets wrth ddod yn 3ydd. Creodd y Gym Gym argraff ar y beirniaid a myfyrwyr gweddill y brifysgol yn eu sgiliau canu llynedd yn y côr heb sôn am ddod yn ail!! Ond nid oedd eleni mor llwyddiannus, er bod nifer yr aelodau wedi cynyddu o 9 i tua 100...gyda help myfyrwyr o brifysgolion eraill. Heb os, uchafbwynt y diwrnod o bawb o Abertawe oedd y ddwy fuddugoliaeth cawsant. Wrth ddilyn arferiad llynedd, daeth y bechgyn, Llŷr Roberts, Rhodri James, Jeremy Davies, Gwydion Jones ar gyrrwr bys, yn gyntaf eleni eto yn y grŵp dawnsio disgo.
Hefyd daeth yr ensemble offerynnol yn gyntaf, gyda Nia Johns - ffidl, Gwydion Jones - trymped, Rebeca Thomas - piano a Jeremy Davies a Gareth Taylor yn chwarae’r maracas yn y cefndir. Chwaraeon nhw gyfuniad o dair cân, All that Jazz, Jurassic Park a Don’t Stop Believin’. Penderfynodd cyflwynydd yr Eisteddfod alw “Smell the Glove” ar y grŵp. Yn anffodus, nid Abertawe enillodd yr Eisteddfod eleni, Bangor daeth yn gyntaf, Aberystwyth yn ail, Caerdydd yn drydydd, Caerfyrddin yn bedwerydd a daeth Abertawe yn bumed, blwyddyn nesaf amdani felly? Er mwyn dathlu’r holl gystadlu ac i gloi’r holl benwythnos cynhelir gig Gymraeg fawr yn Neuadd PJ.
Roedd nifer o fandiau Cymraeg yn chwarae fel Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, Bandana, Sŵnami, Creision Hud, Al Lewis Band, gan gynnwys band un o aelodau’r Gym Gym sef Elgan Roberts sy’n chwarae i Helyntion Jo’s y Ficar. Fe fydd yr Eisteddfod yn symud i Gaerfyrddin am blwyddyn nesaf ac efo nifer o aelodau y Gym Gym yn aros yn Abertawe, a fydd yna cyfle i crynu’r enwau fawr fel Aberystwyth, Caerdydd a Bangor ac enill rhai o’r cystadlaethau fawr? Os rydych chi efo ddiddordeb i fod yn rhan o gystadleuthau rhyng-ol, dewch yn cysylltiad efo ni ac fe allwn ni paratoi i gipio rhai o’r gwobrywau fawr allan o ddwylo prifysgol Bangor!
Cymruddigarbon,a yw’nbosib mewnpryd? gan Hannah Sams
welshaffairs@swansea-union.co.uk
Dyna oedd y cwestiwn yr oedd Cadeirydd Pwyllgor Amgylchedd a Chynaliadwyedd y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, a Llefarydd Plaid Cymru ar yr Amgylchedd ac Ynni, Dafydd Elis Thomas yn mynd i’w ateb yn narlith gyhoeddus ar y campws nos Iau ddiwethaf. Dechreuodd ‘DET’ drwy amlygu’r tri chymhelliad amlygaf dros warchod yr amgylchedd. Roedd rhesymau economaidd, cymdeithasol ac yr amlycaf oll amgylcheddol y tu ôl i’w ymgyrch. Mynegodd yr Arglwydd Elis Thomas, sydd yn ymgyrchu’n frwd dros arweinyddiaeth y Blaid ar hyn o bryd, yn erbyn Elin Jones y llefarydd iechyd ar ran Plaid Cymru a Leanne Wood cynrychiolydd Plaid Cymru dros Ranbarth Canol De Cymru, fod egni niwclear yn hanfodol er mwyn cyrraedd y targedau yma. Pwysleisiodd y gallai egni niwclear helpu’r llywodraeth gyflawni ei nod o fod yn Gymru ddigarbon erbyn 2030. Byddai cynnydd yn egni niwclear yr ydym yn ei gynhyrchu yn golygu cynhyrchu cannoedd o swyddi ychwanegol yng ngogledd orllewin Cymru. Rhywbeth y byddai nifer yn ei groesawi yn nannedd caledi economaidd ac mewn cyfnod lle mae cymaint yn gorfod cefnu ar Gymru er mwyn dod o hyd i waith. Gyhoeddwyd adroddiad gan y cynulliad eleni yn ddangos fod Cymru ar y trywydd iawn, mynegodd hefyd fod yna llawer i’w wneud cyn cyrraedd y targed o leihau gwastraff wrth 70% erbyn 2025 a mwy i feddwl am gyflawni’r nod o ddiddymu gwastraff yn llwyr erbyn 2050 a lleihau allyriadau domestig hyd at 80-95%. Ni chafwyd ateb pendant i gwestiwn mawr y ddarlith sef ‘Cymru ddigarbon a yw’n bosibl?’, amser yn unig a ddengys.
Ychydig o llwyddiant a llawer o sbri Dydd yn cystadleuaeth pel-droed rhyng-ol Dewi! gan Gwydion Jones
welshaffairs@swansea-union.co.uk
Rhedodd y tîm o’r ystafelloedd newid a’r brwdfrydedd yn pefrio yn barod i wynebu pencampwyr y llynedd, Tîm y Geltaidd, Aberystwyth. Ar ôl canlyniadau siomedig yn y rygbi, roedd Abertawe yn barod i ormesu’r twrnament pêl-droed. Unwaith eto, Abertstwyth oedd y cyntaf i faes y gad. Roedd y gêm yn un agos dros ben. Roedd cryfder y ddau dim yn holl amlwg. Daeth terfyn ar y gêm gyda sgôr cyfartal o 0-0. Dechrau addawol gan Abertawe!
Yr hen elynion, Caerdydd, oedd nesaf. Eto ymddangosai cryfder y ddau dim yn gyfartal yn yr hanner gyntaf. Chwareodd Abertawe pêl-droed prydferth a’r ddechrau’r ail hanner, gyda phasio gwych rhwng Arwel Davies a Gareth Taylor yng nghanol y cae. Yna, pasiodd Llyr Roberts bas gwefreiddiol trwy amddiffynydd Caerdydd gan gyrraedd draed y gyrrwr bys. Taniodd y gyrrwr bys sgrech o ergyd at y gôl, yn anffodus adlewyrchodd yn ôl oddi wrth y gôl geidwad. Ceisiodd am yr eildro ond sbonciodd oddi ar y postyn y tro hwn. Fodd bynnag, ar y trydydd cynnig (Tri chynnig i Gymro!), o ongl anoddach fyth, daeth
o hyd i gefn y rhwyd! 1-0 Abertawe! Yn fuan wedi’r gôl death y gêm i ben. Buddigoliaeth gwych i Abertawe. Bangor oedd nesaf. Anafwyd Rhodri James yn gynnar yn y gêm, felly daeth Arwel Davies arno yn ei le. Tybed a fyddai colli Rhodri yn effeithio ar berfformiad Abertawe? Roedd yr amodau gwyntog wedi gwaethygu’n bellach gan beri i’r bêl i chwythu i bob man. Yn agos at ddiwedd y gem sgoriodd Bangor gôl bler iawn. Bangor oedd yn fuddigol, a sgôr terfynol o 0-1. Roedd gêm olaf y twrnament yn erbyn Caerfyrddin. Eto, cafwyd hanner cyntaf clos dros ben. Ond erbyn yr ail hanner sgoriodd Caerfyrddin
ddwy gôl yn olynnol. Sgôr terfynol, 0-2 i Gaerfyrddin. Aberystwyth oedd y pencampwyr eleni eto. Ond o safbwynt Abertawe, roedd y fuddigoliaeth dros Gaerdydd werth teithio bob cam o’r ffordd i Fangor! Roedd yna nifer o pwyntiau positif i gymryd o’r gem, ac roedd Abertawe yn medru dod yn ol yn gwybod roedden nhw yn hynod o anlwcus. Ar ol cael i symud i fyny cynghrair yn y cystadleuaeth ‘Play Football’ fe fyddy Gym Gym yn gobeithio efo’r profiad hynny a chwarae fel tim am blwyddyn ychwaengol, fe fydde nhw yn medru enill y cystadleuaeth rhyngol ymhen flwyddyn!
Fe fydd yna cyfle i wych i chi ddathlu diwrnod Dydd Gwyl Dewi eleni yn JC’s! Fe fydd yna cwis ddwy-ieithiog yn cynnwys thema Cymraeg yn a bar a diodydd rhad ac arbennig ar gyfer y diwrnod! Dewch i JC’s ar Fawrth 1af 7yh-11yh i ddathlu’r digwyddiad! There will be an opportunity to celebrate St Davids day this year in JC’s in style! There will be special drinks offers and a Welsh quiz, ideal for first language and Welsh learners on the night. Come along to JC’s 7-11PM on March 1st to celebrate the event.
front! Memes craze sweeps campus >> 16
Men’s fashion and grooming special >> 18
JCs launches cocktails >> 19
Cool way to spend a Monday night >> 20
Job prospects for film buffs >> 21
societies 26
tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
food & drink 19
front row 18
11
fashion 16 - 17
February 27, 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
features 14 - 15
L I F E S T Y L E F O R S WA N S E A S T U D E N T S
Beach race postponed over environment fears T HE first-ever Welsh Beach Race, which was due to take place around Swansea Bay this weekend, has been postponed over environmental concerns, writes Rachael Sharp. The event, planned for March 2-4, was expected to attract big European names in the professional motorcross community. Hundreds of riders and thousands of paying spectators were predicted to attend the races along the stretch of beach between the Marriott Hotel and St. Helens. As such, businesses across the city were eager for the economic boost that such a high profile and large scale event would provide. Since the event was announced, however, controversy has been raging, particularly about the impact on the local environment. Swansea West MP, Geraint Davies described the event as an “environmental disaster”. The races will require large sections of the beach to be remodelled in order to form the 40 dunes and jumps, with several thousand tonnes of sand expected to be moved in the process. Labour MP, Mr Davies, expressed concern for the underlying peat and clay where damage caused by the motorcycles may be both scarring and irreversible.
Many areas of the beach are important nesting and foraging sites for rare overwintering species of birds, with the stretch of beach between Blackpill and the Mumbles, in particular, regarded as a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’. Collectively, the effects of noise, loose wind-borne sand and large crowds, could have an adverse effect on the biologically important populations. Concerns have also been raised with regards to the volume of litter that will undoubtedly be left during the event and the potential threats this may pose to both the beach and marine environments. The current sand dunes provide important coastal defences with the full extent of their protection and resulting effects of their removal being
largely unknown. Race organiser, Gareth Hockey of RHL Activities LTD, insisted the beach would be returned to its original condition and noise levels would be monitored. “We have staged beach races in Weston for many years and we have an excellent track record of managing
societies 26
tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
food & drink 19
front row 18
fashion 16 - 17
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features 14 - 15
front
February 27 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
contents features 14 >> One does not simply connect to eduroam... Memes craze sweeps campus
fashion 16 >> Men’s fashion and grooming special
front row 18 >> environmental issues.,” he said. “We take this responsibility very seriously and we have taken steps to ensure we have addressed the issues raised.” Despite Mr Hockey’s assurances the event has now been postponed in order to allow sufficient time to assess the full extent of potential environmental damage and to develop an effective means of reducing the event’s impact. The organisers are now applying for a licence from the Marine Consents Unit in an attempt to reassure people that every effort is being made to protect Swansea beach and its local wildlife. At the time of writing, suitable replacement dates have yet to be discussed with Swansea Council. Those who have already entered into the competition or paid as a spectator will be contacted directly to explain the situation. Mr Hockey stressed: “We want to put on a sustainable event at Swansea, an event that will run for at least the next ten years and eventually attract the same number of visitors as the well established Beach Race at Weston does on the other side of the Bristol Channel. In 2008 more than 100,000 people travelled to Weston to see the Beach Race, and there’s no reason why Swansea shouldn’t surpass even these figures in the future.”
Everything you need to know about what’s on where in the next fortnight
food & drink 19 >> We road test the new range of cocktails at JCs; plus try our tasty new sci-snack
music 20 >> Spend an evening in the company of The Gents
film 21 >> Job prospects for film buffs; Oscars preview
travel 22 >> Snowriders hit Les Deux Alpes; A Canadian abroad
gadgets 23 >> New products in the pipeline at Apple
games 23 >> Mass Effect 3 reviewed
tv & culture 25 >> Mining a rich seam of TV gold; Borgen reviewed; Strictly Come Dancing, Swansea style •For further information and updates regarding the race please visit www.acu.org.uk
societies 26 >> Frank Morton Sports Day; Drama Society
T H E L AT E S T I N T E R N E T P H E N O M E N O N A R R I V E S I N S WA N S E A
features
Y U NO Seen Swansea University Memes Facebook Page?
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Meme created by Matt Poskitt
Meme created by Jason Abimbola
As the creation of memes turns viral, Samantha Booth investigates how students at Swansea University and worldwide are pouring out their wit and wisdom.
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F you are a regular facebook user, you may have noticed the sharing of Swansea University memes appearing on the news feed recently. The page’s humorous content has got everybody talking. Nearly every university in the country has a facebook page and this platform has allowed the meme trend to go viral. Memes are ideas or beliefs that spread by sharing. They usually take the form of an image with a short, often funny phrase that encapsulates the idea. The sharing is done largely through social networks, email, blogs and forums and this pattern has been around for several years. However, it is only over recent months that university meme creations and searches have risen. It was reported on 1 October 2011, that the Florida International University of Miami opened the first Facebook university meme page. The first image uploaded was a meme of Y U NO Guy, with the caption ‘FIU [Florida International University] Y U NO make touchdown.’ Other American universities began to pick up on the idea of campus-specific pages and by early February the viral phenomena had reached Wales. The Swansea University Memes page had its first post on the 8 February with a ‘Me Gusta!’ meme featuring the Waterfront’s assistant news editor, Chris Flynn. Receiving 15 ‘likes’, mainly by those involved in the Students’ Union, the page was reposted and then quickly inundated with custom-made memes by other Swansea students. Type ‘Swansea University Memes’ into the search box on facebook and a description of the page, made by the so-far, anonymous creator, states: ‘We all know we’re better than any other Uni. I mean Aber has more STDs, Bristol has more crack, and Edinburgh has more schmortions, but who cares... we can out meme them all.’ The most recurring meme theme is the ‘One does not simply walk into Mordor’ quote by Sean Bean playing Boromir, in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The most popular uploads following this are ‘One does not simply hop on the 82A bus’ created by Nick Short, a first year Physics student and ‘One does not simply, Connect to Eduroam’ by the unidentified page creator, which has attracted 711 likes.
Other frequent memes includes discussion of students’ Swansea experience. Featuring Jimmy McMillan, a New York City resident and founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, one meme reads ‘The Uplands Is too damn high!’ uploaded by Barry Bannon, a Physics student. Luke Williams, a second year Business Economics student, created the meme featuring the political commentator Bill O’Reilly with the tag line ‘Blackboard maintenance during exam period, You can’t explain that!’ Many of the memes do address universal issues at the university such as student accommodation and university policies. However, no urgent issues have arisen from the recent craze. There have been numerous uploads of memes illustrating rivalry between Swansea University and Swansea Metropolitan University. The ‘Meanwhile, in Swansea Met’, uploaded by first year physics student, Louis Fitzsimons, shows a play barn with young children running around. This has received the most recognition on the page with 749 likes at present. While memes have been used in a ‘cruel-tempered class struggle’ between rival universities elsewhere, Swansea’s University Meme page seems to be light-hearted and rarely means to attack rival universities. The rapid growth of the use of memes has caught the attention of researchers within the marketing industry. Commercially, the viral use of the meme offers an almost cost-free way of advertising. For instance, Virgin Media have started using the ‘Success Kid’ meme within their advertising recently, which has been successful in increasing recognition. StudentMoneySavers.com is also riding the trend. They have launched a competition to upload a meme linked to your university. The one with the most likes will be crowned as ‘The Uni with the Best Banter’. For a chance to win Swansea University this ‘bantersphere’ title, email meme@studentmoneysavers.com. Currently, the Swansea University page has close to 2500 likes on facebook and despite being opened almost a month ago, it is still growing in submissions. •Search for Swansea University memes on facebook.
societies 26
tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
food & drink 19
front row 18
History of Memes: The Survival of Ideas
Below: Meme created by Louis Fitzsimons
Above: Meme created by Craig Hadley
Below: Meme created by Callum Blake-O’Brien
fashion 16 - 17
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features 14 - 15
February 27 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
Meemee? Meh-meh? Mayh-mm? Yes. The pronunciation of the originally French term, meaning ‘same’, is one that many are finding difficult. It appears that it is not only with students this is happening but also throughout various markets including online gaming communities, television, radio, and other media forms. To prevent embarrassment, the correct pronunciation is phonetically: MEEM.
A scientific low down on how the term ‘meme’ was defined and the origins of the word by Luke Kristopher Davis Biologist Richard Dawkins originated the idea of the meme in his book The Selfish Gene in 1976. It was defined as a unit of cultural information that is any idea that exists in a culture. He argued that the meme acts like a gene in the sense that it wants to survive and thrive. A meme develops over time from other memes or it arises spontaneously. Developing memes sometimes die out due to them being initially rejected by a collection of people; this meme may have not fitted the fashion of the day, and it may have been too contentious, not useful enough or just plain destructive. An example of an everyday meme could be that you propose to your friends that you should go bowling one night. You develop this meme by finding out how much it costs etc. and you back this meme up by saying how fun it will be. Some friends reject it and replace it with another meme entirely, some do not wish to partake and others mould your original meme to a different destination or they add a night clubbing meme to it. This shows how memes start and how they try to survive, sometimes they get rejected in total and other times they are slightly adapted to fit the group. One meme that has had a famous and quite difficult past is evolution. Evolution was proposed by many biologists but it began to fully develop as a unit when Charles Darwin began to carry this meme. He himself adapted the meme using observation and reason. He then published it (a great tool for a meme’s survival). This meme however contradicted another meme which was then at the top of its game: Religion.
Above: Meme created by Barry Bannon Above: Meme created by Luke Williams
Super-memes are those ideas which hold a big share of the culture market. Fundamentalism the idea that one should believe in something forever without denial - is a super-meme. It literally changed the game for memes, if a meme went against another meme which was believed fundamentally by a big majority then it had no chance. So, only memes which fitted the super-meme kept surviving. Religion is the son of the fundamentalism meme, so is terrorism and sexism. However there are always gaps in the game for small players to try and develop. Science and the idea of logic and evidence developed greatly and began growing; it has battled fundamentalism for centuries. Now it is itself a super-meme itself. Science has become a successful meme not because of power, indoctrination, threat of eternal punishment or the illusion of infallibility. It has become successful because it works, it helps us live healthier, longer and allows us to become more intelligent about the universe around us. Science has changed the game so that a meme that proposes nonsense becomes discarded, a meme that proposes a rational plan or idea to help science itself or to help humankind will win.
Meme created by Richard Marc Lewis
fashion
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MEN’S FASHION AND GROOMING WITH LUCINDA REID
Tinie Tempa:
from disturbing london to fashion icon Alice Simpkin reveals the man of the moment in fashion. At just 23, Tinie Tempah has had a phenomenal rise to success since his first mixtape back in 2007. Whist conquering the music charts through several top 5 hits and with his number 1 album, Disc-Overy, under his belt, the artist has also proved his fashion credentials in the process. This year sees Tempah rightly named number 1 in GQ magazine’s 50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2012. His personal style beat the likes of Alex Turner (#30), David Beckham (#13), Mario Balotelli (#2) and his close friend and producer Labrinth (#41) to the prestigious accolade. His effortless style exemplifies modern urban man. With his looks combining both urban edge and sophisticated catwalk inspiration, he is a key British menswear icon. He is also a massive hit with the ladies, with many women’s magazines citing him as one of the most stylish and eligible bachelors in the UK. Significantly, Tinie Tempah has the ability to bridge both casual and smart style with ease. By day Tempah is one of the most dynamic representations of street style. Unafraid of colour or print he pairs urban staples such as sports jackets and trainers with chinos or jeans to create a look which screams confidence. Combined with his iconic wayfarer or aviator style sunglasses and use of subtle accessories such as beanie hats or scarves, Tinie epitomizes casual swag. His credentials don’t just stop in the day however. The artist’s contemporary flair for men’s tailoring ensures he always walks the red carpet in the slickest suit. Though he always maintains his own personality in his classic evening wear with the addition of a quirky bow tie and his trademark geek glasses, putting him bang on trend.
GET THE LOOK
Recently Tinie, real name Patrick Okogwu, has also entered into the world of fashion design through his record label Disturbing London. Collaborating with street wear brand MHI he has created a collection of limited edition menswear pieces clean in cut and design. The garments unite high fashion with street cool, with the website description hailing them as ‘influenced by music, London living and the world of fashion’. Many of the pieces feature the label’s iconic symbol of a skull with a crown in the shape of London landmarks and are frequently worn by Tempah on stage. Prices range from a hefty £270 stadium jacket to the more student-friendly £20 T-shirts, and can be found at disturbinglondonstore.com.
night From left: New Look Men’s Gibson Shoe £19.99, H&M Glasses £6.99 Zara Jacket £59.99, New Look Men’s Black Bow Tie £6.99, American Apparel MQ-76-9A Casio Men’s Wristwatch £20, Nike 6.0 Mavrk Mid 2 Trainers from ASOS £57, Topman Light Brown Carrot Chino £40, Disturbing London x MHI Abstract Crew Sweat - Marl Grey £80, River Island Navy Varsity Jacket £60, River Island Black Aztec Print Sunglasses £16
day
six nations the kits
The Italian team like their kits practical and simple. Cariparma, an Italian bank sponsors the team.
Hannah Botting reviews the latest six nation kits and which rubgy nation has the most style this season. This year’s Wales kit is the lightest and most durable jersey in the country’s history, Under Armour are the designers of the creation. The jersey features breathable fabrics, strategically placed ventilation and grip enhancing technologies. The strip was originally released for the 2011 World Cup warm-up games.
Ireland has secured Puma to design their new 2012 six nations kit, the only major country in the rugby to have such a major associate. The shirt features a special grip enhancement feature to aid with ball retention.
Remember to check out David Beckham’s bodywear range for H&M, prices start at £9.99
grooming for the modern man
Eating a hand full of olives every week can combat balding, as they contains high levels of vitamin E, which promotes growth.
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O quote Men’s Health magazine 2012, “Unwanted facial hair, jagged nails, discoloured teeth and body odour have no place on modern man, “ says Jessica O’Donnell. Male grooming products have become a necessity to most modern-day men, and the one tip every male grooming site or magazine stresses is to always moisturise. Men’s skin is 16% thicker than women’s, it’s more acidic and to state the obvious, is hairier. Male skin is more prone to dryness and moisturising will not only hydrate skin, but it can lessen the effects of premature ageing. Men-U matte moisturiser contains sebum absorbers which help overcome areas of greasy skin, especially around the T-zone, leaving skin refreshed with a protective layer to keep oiliness at bay. For men who work out and take a couple of showers during the day, the hot water strips skin of its natural protective oils and can often leave your skin feeling dry and sometimes sore. Burt’s Bees Shea Butter and Vitamin E body lotion is perfect, it will keep your skin well moisturised, hydrate dry patches as well as being fragrance free, so it won’t override the smell of your aftershave. Phillips’ electric razor is ideal for taming stubble and Gillette fusion razor is perfect for a close and smooth shave. Exfoliating skin once every week can unclog blocked pores and prevent ingrown hairs. L’Oreal Men’s expert exfoliator contains scrubbing beads that’s softer on skin than a gritty exfoliator. Approved by dermatologists it can leave Scotland has secured a sponsorship from the Royal Bank of Scotland which is also the main sponsor of the six nations tournament this year. The black number has been designed by Canterbury, the same supplier as the twice World Cup winners South Africa. The strip is of a tight breathable material with gold piping.
your skin glowing. Use a shaving gel that is suited to your skin. Gilette have brought out a range for all types of male skin from sensitive skin products to tough beard shave gel and many more. Nivea aftershave balm is a good product to use post shave. It’s infused with moisturisers and cooling agents that reduce stinging, replenish skin and re-seal pores. Tigi Bed Head for Men Matte Separation Workable Wax provides a strong hold all day. Suitable for any hair thickness, it doesn’t flake off and smells great. The beauty with this product is that it gives a matte finish, which cheaper hair products do not, it makes hair look more natural and as it completely shine-free, there is no danger of hair looking greasy . For a slightly lower budget version of this product, choose V05 rework gel. Sudocream is pefect for getting rid of spots; the antiseptic cream usually used on babies is an unknown miracle worker. Put a small amount of cream on blemishes before bedtime and by the morning the spot will have almost disappeared.
societies 26
tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
food & drink 19
front row 18
fashion 16 - 17
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features 14 - 15
February 27 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
What Women Want : FLICKING through GQ’s ‘50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2012’, it seems the male population deems a man in a suit the most stylish. With David Gandy, Beckham and Ed Westwick scoring high, there were no t-shirts or chinos in sight. So, Catrin Morgan began thinking, if that’s what guys regard as stylish, what would women really like to see them wearing?
Although the GQ men did look outrageously suave, I wouldn’t expect any student to wear a suit to a lecture or to replace their high tops with leather moccasins on a night out. But is it too much to ask for a little bit of independent thought when choosing an outfit? Yeah, that’s right I’m referring to the chino brigade. Although they are at the forefront of men’s fashion at the minute, and who doesn’t like a man with a sturdy pair of chinos in just about every colour, would it be so difficult to sometimes comprehend matching it with anything other than a t-shirt to show off your ‘guns’? Sure, Geordie Shore’s Gary requires nothing more to pull a plethora of women, but it looks more One Direction when a whole group of you are wearing what can only be described as a uniform. But don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan; after all they look good on just about any guy, regardless of shape or height.
swansea girls say
Kate and Ali (second years): It would be good if guys could dress up a little more on a night out, but not in check shirts, they’ve been done to death!
With lectures requiring no styling effort whatsoever, you’d think most men would like to spruce themselves up a little on a night out. But apart from the now famous regime of GTL they seem to undertake in the premise of pulling, it’s sometimes hard to see if any effort has been made at all. I’m not saying I expect to see what you might wear to court, but maybe a casual shirt here and there, or if that’s too hard a decent-looking polo? Team it with whatever - jeans, cords or chinos, it’ll instantly look better. Marianne (3rd year): I’d like to see guys wearing what Lastly, I like to see guys wearing something that doesn’t look generic. Maybe even vintage. However, be warned, they like, anything’s better Joey Essex’s mishmash of moth-bitten jumpers and tight than seeing all guys look exactly the same. 1980s shorts is not advisable. I like it when you can see a man has actually got some taste, instead of following the ill-advice of his friends; skinny jeans will never suit everyone, and it’s possible to look more douche bag than dapper in a baseball cap. And so, in short, it’s best to be yourself when dressing, regardless of what the outside world may think, there’ll be someone out there who actually likes your lurid jumpers or hideous t-shirts, it just won’t be me.
Juliet: Daniel Craig in his tighty-whities. End of.
France show off their impeccable physiques and enhance their performance by decreasing wind resistance and enabling better grip during tackles and scrums. The strip has been designed by Nike.
England has kept to their classic design. Plain and simple is the mantra, these boys are concentrating more on the game than what they look like. Once again the kit has been designed by Nike and the team are sponsored by O2.
What Men Want?
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front row
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THINGS WORTH GOING OUT FOR
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Pizza and Peroni
Xtreme Lounge, next to Divas Nightclub 8pm, Tues 28 Feb - £3 members/£5 non-members The Italian Society present numero due (number two) of the popular event hosted in the Xtreme Lounge. Tickets are £3 for members of the society and £5 for non-members and this includes as much pizza as you can eat! There are soft drink options available too if you’re not a fan of the Italian lager. This notoriously entertaining evening features the DJing skills of Chris Flynn and a welcome from the Italian Committee, president Marianna Puzzo, secretary Sam Phillips and treasurer John Probert. There’ll be a variety of pizzas (including a veggie option) and a selection of Italian delicacies served on the night.
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Give Blood
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Cheese and Wine
Dining Room A - Fri 24 & Mon 27 Feb
The Welsh Blood Service organises the collection, testing, processing and distribution of blood. They rely entirely on voluntary donors to maintain supplies to Welsh hospitals. Over 400 donations of blood are made every day and demand has risen steadily over the last 10 years as medical techniques become evermore sophisticated. Anyone aged between 17 and 66, who weighs over 7st 12lbs (50kg), who is healthy and not subject to certain medical exclusions can volunteer to become a blood donor.
Divas Nightclub - Tues 13 Mar @ 8pm
You can buy tickets on the door for the French Society’s Cheese and Wine night priced at £3 for members and £5 for non-members. Authenically French cheese and wine is supplied and in previous years has packed out Divas in a night you won’t forget (or remember!)
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Book Recycling
1 March - Ents Office
As part of the English Society’s participation for World Book Day, there will be a collection of old unused books that will be sold with all money going towards the Books For Africa charity, which buys English learning books for children and young adults.
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Battle Of The Bands Divas - 1 March @ 7pm
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Sexuality Awareness Week
The competition kicks off on March 1 in Divas. There will be four heats spread over three different venues and a grand Final held at Sin City. Each Band will play a 20 minute set consisting of all their own material although one cover song is allowed. Prizes include £500 cash, a studio session, video shoot, a slot at the Summer Ball and other “cool prizes.” For more information, e-mail: livemusic@ studentswansea.co.uk
Fulton House, Mon 27 Feb - Fri 2 March
The LGBT+ Society will be running a Sexuality Awareness Week, hoping to teach the differences in sexuality with a week filled of activities and learning excercises. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Homosexuality Bisexuality Charity cake sale Other Sexualities Transgender & Gender Identity
The main aim of the week is to inform people what each sexuality means, such as pansexual, asexual and bisexual. On Wednesday, money from the cake sale will be donated to the Terrance Higgins Trust, a charity that campaigns on HIV and AIDS awareness.
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Coriolanus
Taliesin -Tues 13 Mar @ 7.30pm - £4.75
Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Roman tragedy. Coriolanus tells of a proud warrior who, having been turned out of his own city, joins an enemy tribe and returns intending to raze it to the ground.
Cocktails in JCs Bar
Campus bar offers sophisticated spirits for students
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HE friendly student bar, where everyone knows your name, is serving cocktails from 28 February. The traditional mojito will be featured alongside the more Swansea orientated Varsity Shooter in a new line of drinks. Pitchers that come in fishbowl-like glasses start at £7, Cocktails at £3.50 (or two for £6!) and Shooters (coloured shots) from £2.
Varsity Shooter • 1 x shot Grenadine • 1 x shot Apple Corkys Tequila Sunrise (right) • 1 x Tequila • Orange Juice Red, White and Blue • 1 x Archers • 1 x Blue Curacao • Grenadine
A few of the drinks on offer: Pink Lady – Pitcher (below) • 1 x bottle of VK Apple • 2x shots of Corkys Cherry • 2x shots of Corkys Apple • Topped up with lemonade
So what exactly is a cocktail?
Club Tropicana - Pitcher • 1 x bottle of VK Tropical • 2 x shots of Corkys Apple • 2 x shots of Corkys Cola Cube • Topped up with lemonade
The first recorded use of the word cocktail was in The Morning Post and Gazetter in March 1798.
All this talk of cocktails, what does it really mean? Where did it come from? This is a brief history of cocktails and when they began.
The definition came a few years later in 1806 when The Balance and Columbian Repository answered the question “What is a cocktail?” with the answer “A stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters and vulgarly called bittered sling”.
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tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
food & drink 19
front row 18
fashion 16 - 17
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features 14 - 15
food & drink
February 27 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
Sci-Snack BITE-SIZED SCIENCE With Luke Davis
Doppler Effect Any pedestrian will notice the difference in the pitch of a police siren as it comes towards him and then goes away from him. This quite trivial phenomenon happens in other scenarios too; the colour of certain stars, the ‘swoosh’ of an airplane overhead and many more. Why is this? This phenomenon can be explained by the Doppler Effect. Consider that you are at rest relative to the ground and an object is travelling towards you at a constant velocity whilst emitting a wave (sound or electromagnetic). The waves will bunch up and become more frequent relative to you, this is due to the object getting closer to you and emitting whilst getting closer. This results in a high pitch in the case of sound. As the object passes you and moves away the waves spread out and become less frequent hence a lower pitch. This effect is used to tell whether stars are moving away from a point (Earth): if they are moving away the stars’ colour becomes redder. How Do Cats See At Night? Evolution is quite a marvellous process; we see hints of evolution everywhere in the natural world. One example is a not so heard of fact about one the most common household pets: Cats.
Nowadays it’s pretty much any blend of alcohol, often spirits and juice. It could almost be one of your five fruits a day and a great, sophisticated drink! During the prohibition in the United States (1920 - 1933) when alcohol was banned, cocktails became quite popular. They were made with illicit and poor quality gin, and served illegally in places called speakeasies.
The Cocktails Reviewed Jon May and friends helped road test the drinks! Out of the drinks we reviewed the Woo Woo (refreshing and sweet) was the best, closely followed by the Pink Lady (alcoholic tango punch) and the Red, White and Blue shooter pictured below (smooth and patriotic!) Are cocktails not your thing? You’re in luck, wine is also going to be sold with the Jack Rabbit range of wines including Merlot (Red), White Zinfandel (Rosé),
Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay (White) with small, large and bottle costing £1.50, £3 and £7.50 respectively. For that special occasion and you want some bubbly, rosé White Zinfandel Sparkling will be sold at £12 a bottle. For the non-drinkers Mocktails are all £1.50 with our special recommendation of the Sunsplash (Pineapple & Grapefruit Juice and Grenadine) Overall, a great fruity mix that will certainly hit the spot.
Cats are night-time hunters and they have a special trick which helps them detect their prey. At night it is quite dark, (durr) so do cats need extra light to see? No they don’t need an extra light source, they just need to be more economical with what light enters their eyes. They literally recycle light by reflecting it back. In their eyes there is a reflective layer called the Tapetum Lucidum which sits behind the retina. As light reflected off objects hits the retina to be absorbed and used as info, some light breaches past the retina and hits the lucidum, this is then is directed back at the object to further more processing. This is why cats’ eyes glow at night when lit and how they see in the dark.
music
20
GOING FOR THE RECORD - WITH ALEX GIBBS
Let The Good Times Roll With The Gents L
OUIS Armstrong once said that ‘if you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know’. The best way to find out is to head over to Noah’s Yard on a Monday night. For only £2, the brilliantly talented jazz band The Gents can provide you with an alternative option to the fun found in Oceana. The quartet has a wide repertoire of familiar tunes and impressive improvisational skill. Starting at 8pm, they fill the evening with a warm sound that can accompany a casual drink on the sofas or a dance at the front. They are incredibly professional; their skill is impressive for any calibre of performer, not just for their age. The Gents: Dylan Goldring (drums), Tom Duggan (sax), Tom Vine (bass) and Sam Vine (keyboards).
in 2011 saw saxophonist Tom Duggan solo on the tables. They’re chilled, but never forget that there is an audience with shifting moods and needs. You can also catch pianist Sam Vine at Bar Reef every other Sunday; his playing builds a great atmosphere. Swansea’s English Literature students may be interested to know that bassist Tom and pianist Sam are sons of lecturer Dr Steve Vine! The line-up is completed by Dylan Goldring on drums. Brilliant musicianship, an excellent bar and friendly people make this one of the best nights Swansea has to offer.
For a real treat, enjoy the great showmanship; a memorable gig
By Hazel Monaghan
The Gents perform at 8pm every Monday at Noah’s Yard, Uplands. Tickets for this incredible jazz band are are £2.
Whitney: Tribute To An Iconic Figure ON 11 February 2012, the music industry was shaken by the passing of the phenomenal Whitney Houston. Only two days beforehand, Houston sung her heart out in her final performance in Hollywood with Kelly Price, after also duetting with Mariah Carey and Faith Evans. Houston sold at least 170,000,000 records and was the first woman to enter the album chart at number one on the US Billboard. Her exquisite voice sold one of the bestselling songs of all time I Will Always Love You. It sold over 4.5 million copies, and featured in her acting debut ‘The Bodyguard’. She defined music during 1985 to 1995; impressing
By Alex Gibbs everyone with her gorgeous vocals. She released a total of seven albums in 24 years. The Grammys featured tributes to her from Bruno Mars, Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder. Houston won 6 Grammys in her music career, out of the phenomenal 411 awards she won overall in her life. Like many other people, I used to turn up the radio and jump around to I Wanna Dance With Somebody, belt out the key note of I Will Always Love You and feel empowered by songs like Million Dollar Bill. Even though she suffered a turbulent lifestyle of drugs and a poisonous marriage to Bobby Brown, she will always be an incredible emblematic figure to music. An inspiration to all generations.
Do you think a band or genre should be featured? E-mail us at waterfrontmusic@swansea-union.co.uk
singles
albums Jodie Marie
The Black Keys
Gym Class Heroes
King Charles
Mountain Echo is a beguiling collection of rich folk-pop recordings from singer songwriter Jodie Marie, who hails from Narberth in pembrokeshire writes Steve Jones. To promote her rural routes, her music neglects manufactured money-grabbing pop; instead Marie’s style opts for a mix of blues, folk and country. Marie’s talent lies in the soothing quality of her voice with a stripped down selection of songs about love and loss of love, with standout emotive tracks ‘Dandelion Wishes’, ‘What Would It Take?’ and ‘On The Road’. A refreshing album with a warming tone, inspiring a fondness that grows with each listen.
The Black Keys: The first three words of denial in the apparent ‘death of rock’ and America’s greatest band at present writes Rich Willetts. Hype aside, El Camino the blues-rock duo’s seventh album is their most accessible vintage yet, with memorable tunes and flawless producing from Danger Mouse. There’s nothing new here but there are plenty of people who still need to discover their sound. If their previous album Brothers caught your attention, El Camino drives home their capability for bluesrock brilliance, with a stunning and blistering musical intensity. As well as sounding cooler than practically anything around.
This second release from The Paper Chronicles II hits home on all long distance relationships writes Alex Gibbs. Fresh, emerging dance-pop songstress Hitch adds a feminine and melodic element to the anthem. With a pounding yet intoxicating backing beat, the song moves its spotlight from McCoy and focuses on Hitch, as her gorgeous voice adds a poignant, emotional air to the track. The combination of McCoy’s rapping and Hitch’s soulful voice makes a flawless musical fusion. McCoy pumps out another dynamic, hip-hop tune with not only a vivacious rock rap, but an honest response to complications in love.
Not a brand new single, but one many of us have sorely missed. King Charles has been defined as ‘an occasional shaman’, his music as ‘frazzled’ and ‘skiffle’ writes Ophelia Strange. The lyrics focus on a familiar theme; ‘lust only grows like anger and revenge, oh beauty comes and goes but love stays’. What isn’t familiar is his rustic voice filled with solid harmonies, which combined sound like sex operatics. Love Lust begins with folk-soaked pop which descends unpredictably into something reminiscent of psychedelic rock. His album is out in 2012; a potential hit if the rest of his tunes are anything like this.
Mountain Echo
El Camino
Ass Back Home (Featuring Neon Hitch)
Love Lust
Job Prospects For Film Buffs Michael Samuel talks to three Swansea graduates who have carved out a career in the film and television industry.
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OBS are scarce right now for anyone, let alone a media student. Finding an ideal career in the film or television industry after graduation is a daunting prospect. Whether you are interested in directing, producing, writing or simply being part of a production crew, here are some reassuring stories from fellow Swansea University Screen Studies graduates from the class of 2009. There are opportunities in Wales for those interesting in learning the craft of film production, as Daniel Harris found out by following the independent/ freelance route. Daniel comments: “My passion for the technology and craft of film production, and an MA in Moving Image, allowed me to explore my own artistic work, as well as have the confidence to aid freelance video work,” said Daniel. “I have found business and extra cash for my own projects through commissions from weddings and events, as well corporate sponsored videos. In 2011, I was hired by Lucozade to shoot promotional material from their summer festivals.” Former students Chris Bryan and Liam MacIntyre have some great advice on how to find success in London. “After a couple of work experience placements, mainly with the BBC (Coast) and Talkback Thames (X-Factor), I found the industry to be very hard to break into,” said Chris Bryan.
“It was the best move I ever made” “Whilst in an admin role, I continued to apply for jobs within the media, some production based, some not. “In late January 2010, I was contacted by both MTV & ITV for job interviews in London. Two completely different roles (one in Operations and the other in HR), but they were good entry points. “After countless journeys from Newport to London, I managed to secure the MTV job. I’ve now been working with MTV for over one and a half years and I can honestly say it was the best move I ever made. I actually work for Viacom International, who own MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures - to name a few. Starting as an assistant in the International Programming Operations department, I ran normal office duties,
societies 26
tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
food & drink 19
front row 18
fashion 16 - 17
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film
February 27 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
review Chronicle
By Rachael Sharp
Chronicle follows three high school guys, each belonging to very different rungs on the popularity ladder. After making a strange discovery at a nearby barn party, however, they find themselves unlikely friends after waking up with their very own superpowers. Over time, the trio discover the power is much like a muscle, developing in strength and control if it is ‘worked out’. What begins as schoolboy fun, however, quickly turns sinister as Andrew (Dane DeHaan) begins to abuse his power in an attempt to fix his tormented life. The whole film is shot in a ‘found footage’ style (other examples include Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield), that works surprisingly well, whilst 26-year-old director, Josh Trank, breathes new life into an all but exhausted ‘loner-guy gets-superpowers’ theme. 2012 promises to be a big year for super hero movies (Marvel’s the Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises to name a few), so it would be easy to overlook other much smaller films of this genre. Nevertheless, even without the big dollar budget and all-star cast, Trank creates a film that is strangely both hilarious and dark. Refreshingly unique, Chronicle will leave you thinking long after the credits stop rolling.
Clooney Tipped, But Gary Oldman Deserves Oscar Working for MTV: Chris Bryan but was tasked with delivering MTV content to International regions after seeing it through processes in London relating to Ofcom compliance, editing, and adaption to the UK break structure. “I was promoted in November 2011 to International Content Operations Coordinator and now coordinate the delivery of material to over 100 channels across the MTV brand globally. As we are International, we are tasked each year with coordinating the live feed for the MTV Movie Awards, Video Music Awards, and Europe Music Awards. We also work closely with the director to produce a final directors cut. It’s a job I never imagined myself doing but it is exciting, challenging and very rewarding. Liam Macintyre has combined freelance video editing with working full time: “In September of 2011 I moved to London to work at a postproduction company called ITFC, which provides a wide variety of services to clients in the TV (mainly ITV and Five) and film (Paramount, Warner Bros. etc.) industries. “These include subtitling, audio description, compliance editing and Blu-ray/DVD authoring. My role is in the company’s Media Management department, and involves receipt and dispatch of broadcast material both on tape and via downloads from FTP servers. “In the last year I have done some of my own work in video editing, with a few freelance videos already online, and I am keen to further explore this in 2012.
WITH a list boasting names such as Clooney, Pitt and Oldman, it is clear that 2011 has been a golden year for films, writes Saul Masters. Yet it is still difficult to pinpoint one stand-out performance in the Oscars list for ‘actor in a leading role’. Clooney’s transformation to Hawaiian dysfunctional father in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants, may have won him a Golden Globe but he is facing stiff competition from the stand-out film of the awards season The Artist. Jean Dujardin’s performance as silent actor George Valentin is exceptional considering he does not utter one word throughout the film. The only British nomination goes to Gary Oldman for his turn as George Smiley in the clever and sophisticated remake of Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy. Amazingly this is Oldman’s first ever academy nomination and rightfully so as he brings a new dynamic to a role famously played by Alec Guinness in the 1970s television series. As for Pitt, in his role as baseball coach Bill Beane in Moneyball, I can’t help but consider his performance in Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life as bolder and more thought-provoking, so to see him nominated for Moneyball was something of a surprise. In my opinion the award will go to Clooney (pictured in the film, above), despite many critics citing Dujardin as the rightful winner. Yet I can’t help but wish it was in the hands of Oldman instead.
Aaron Sorkin accepting his Golden Globe for The Social Network in 2011.
THE profile of the writer in the director and celebrity-dominated film industry seems lower than ever, says Michael Samuel. So let’s hope that one the greatest contemporary screenwriters, Aaron Sorkin, is recognised at the Oscars. Sorkin has made his name in both television with The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and film, enjoying success with A Few Good Men and The Social Network. Sorkin has been nominated for the Writer (Adapted Screenplay) Oscar for Moneyball. Will his sports drama be able to fight off competition from the likes of Hugo, The Descendants and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy? We will find out on February 26.
travel
22
STUDENT ADVENTURES ABROAD
Snowriders Hit Les Deux Alpes I
T has been another record breaking year for the Swansea Snowriders club; our race team reached the Kings finals in London and had some brilliant results in the British University Dry Slope competition in Edinburgh back in November, writes William Lloyd. Every year our club has two ski trips. Last year, on the 16th December, 130 plus eager Snowriders assembled outside Fulton House ready for the trip of their lives. We set off with our executive double
decker bus filled to the brim with booze and excited students on a marathon trip to the French Alps. It wasn’t long before things got playfully messy and before we knew it we had reached the glamorous port of Dover in no sober state of mind, dressed up in our pyjamas, we were quick to find the ferry’s bar. Following Snowriders tradition, the marker pen came out
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for some inappropriate doodling and those with the lesser stamina or had sought a faster rate of intoxication perhaps wished they hadn’t fallen asleep - Heidi Sowerby. Memory fades a little and so the story continues the next morning. We woke up to find that overnight we’d travelled deep into France. It wasn’t until we were about to ascend the meandering roads up to the Alps when we realised we were one short. A certain Sam Butler had just woken up in the ferry’s toilets, after going back and forth the channel for several hours. We opened a few beers to ensure clear thinking, and decided to go on with the journey as planned (fortunately Sam managed to hitch a lift). We arrived in the resort late afternoon, dumped our luggage, picked up ski hire, and after a few ski funnels (yes funnels in skis) went straight out in our tour t-shirts to investigate the resort’s night life. With our travel company Outgoing organising us cheap drinks, the pitchers were circulated and we literally took over the resort’s biggest bar for the first of many unforgettable nights. The resort had record dumps of snow in the weeks before we arrived so we awoke early to a beautiful bluebird day and a full day’s skiing hunting out tree runs in the most amount of powder I have ever experienced. There were appropriate slopes for the beginners to find their feet and a gondola which took the more experienced skiers to the larger skiing area. The wild Le Pano Bar for après ski
INCE I wasn’t going home for Christmas I decided I would make the most of my time in Europe. I found myself with an invite to Italy. One doesn’t get the opportunity to have an Italian Christmas very often so I leapt at the chance, writes Kelty Campbell. As most people do in Italy, I filled myself with food. Lasagne, pizza, pistachio gelato, and Sicilian cannoli to name a few of the delicacies I indulged in. Staying with someone I know was a blessing for my bank account. If you plan on doing any travelling on a budget make a list of all the people you know and could stay with. It seriously cuts on costs and is usually much more enjoyable. I was blessed to have a real home to stay in even if it wasn’t my own home for December 25. Following my trip to Italy, I met up with two friends from home for a mini European tour. The four countries we arranged to visit were Germany, Switzerland, France, and England (unfortunately, Wales didn’t make the cut). The most economical means of travel was buying a £200 Eurail pass. Our first stop was Munich where we decided to take a tour outside of the city to Neuschwanstein castle. The castle was interesting but on the way back to our hostel our tour guide told us to get on the wrong train. She was able to jump off last minute - but took all our tickets with her… The ticket conductor must have thought we were trying to pull a scam! Thankfully we weren’t charged again. The next country we graced our presence with was Switzerland. Upon the first sight of snow-covered mountains my mind was
was where snowriders accumulated in their numbers at the end of the day to heavily inebriate before skiing (often tumbling) back down the mountain. All in all, the trip was a massive success; it was the perfect combination of skiing and drinking (the two of the most fundamental parts of Snowriders, if not, life). I had a good mix of intense skiing days and others just messing around with a great group of friends. We had six epic nights during the week with some hilarious fancy dress themes, there were several memorable nights including the Mountain Meal where we had a whole bar/restaurant booked out for the club with copious amounts of Mexican food and unlimited carafes of wine. To add to the whole après ski experience Outgoing organised a raucous evening where we had Scratch Perverts play exclusively for the club! Overall, I had a really great time and a week I won’t forget anytime soon. TRIP NOTORIETIES: Rhod Lewis/Sally Jones: Worst navigational fail. Phil Jury: Most patient bottom-bunker. Tom Hales: Best Christmas fancy dress Bryn Ruston: Most sociable badger. Ollie Baron: Best Emily Summer look alike. Giles Lewington: Sexiest Texas Ranger. Holly/Angharad: Least time spent skiing.
filled with visions of the Von Trapp Family frolicking across meadows. We had planned to go sledging down the Swiss Alps. Never in my life have I had a better January 1. Surrounded by such natural beauty was a fantastic way to bring in the New Year in Interlaken. Despite Switzerland charging gargantuan amounts for everything, like ten quid for one burger at McDonalds, visiting Switzerland was well worth it. Paris was our second to last stop. After a long all-night train ride, where we were surprised to find out that you have to pre-book the train to Paris (resulting in us having to pay an extra 20 euros to sit in the luggage compartment). We arrived at our hostel and upon finding mystery stains on the bed sheets we decided it would be a smart move to change hostels. Better research would have avoided this situation. We eventually found a decent and comfortable place to lodge. We had to do all the typical touristy things just to say we’d done it. Last stop was merry old London. By this point in the trip the three of us were slightly worn out so it helped that we had another friend there that we could stay with, couldn’t take another hostel! My personal highlight of London was going to London’s oldest wine bar right off the Embankment called Gordon’s. Resembling a hobbit cave, I would have never found this place but because we had locals touring us around we were lucky to find this charming spot. And thus my three weeks of holidays came to a close and I was surprisingly happy to come back to my humble room in Swansea. Swansea never felt so much like home to me.
As one of the biggest and most sociable clubs on campus I Implore you to get involved with us, we run weekly sessions to our local dryslope (free lessons for beginners) on Tuesdays and have socials which start out in our sponsor bar Peppermint on Wednesdays. Our next skiing and snowboarding trip is on the first week of the Easter break, this time to the resort of Les Arcs, one of the most scenic resorts in Europe and caters for all abilities. All are welcome on our trips, regardless of ability. In fact, many of the members have no ability at all, at skiing or anything else for that matter. We offer the lowest of prices in return for a once- in-a-life time experience. Booking is closing soon with spaces going fast… book on www.outgoing.co.uk and the group code is swan2012. Find us on Facebook for more information. and to get in on all of the action!
A Canadian In Europe
iPad & Apple Rumours
A
PPLE has started 2012 the way it ended 2011, continuing its dominance of the technology industry. Reports from analysts Gartner show that 23.8% of smartphone handsets are iPhones. Rumours are also bouncing around of the imminent release of the iPad 3, writes Richard Cowie. Apple have called a press conference on March 7, where it is widely expected that the latest version of the incredibly successful tablet will be announced, though it is unclear what will be different from the previous versions of iPad.
Most critics believe that it will feature a faster processor, and retina display similar to that which features on the iPhone 4 and 4S. Exact details are unknown, but there isn’t long to wait. There is also good news for Mac users; Apple has shown a preview of the new version of its operating system OS X. ‘Mountain Lion’ will bring many features from the iPad and iPhone, such as the notes and reminders app, also the new look notification centre from iOS will also be integrated into the update. Mountain Lion has been given an expected release in late summer 2012.
SPOTLIGHT When more and more people are playing games on their mobiles, is there really a need for a portable gaming console? Sony seem to think so. Following in the footsteps of the PSP, the Playstation Vita boasts some impressive specs, such as front and rear touchscreens and quad core processer, and is easily the most powerful handheld yet, and looks good too, which is a plus. Sony have also announced that they are tying games purchases to the PS3, so you can buy a game once and have it digitally available on your Vita and PS3 console. It may be slightly pricey but certainly provides a lot for the money. The Playstation Vita is available in both WiFi and 3G versions from £229.99
societies 26
tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
food & drink 19
front row 18
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gadgets
February 27 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
banking Barclays Mobile Banking App The ‘Pingit’ app, which is available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry, links your phone number to your current account, secured with a 5 number pin, allowing you transfer money in payments up to £300. At the moment only Barclays customers can make and receive payments, although there are plans for other banks to join.
apps Angry Birds Get Facebook The hit mobile game that has been downloaded 500 million times has now been released on Facebook. The Facebook version will however have a few different features to the original versions. Users will be able to pay for extras, such as extra birds to get past that hard level and power ups that change the way you play. It also integrates social features so sharing scores with your friends will be incredibly easy.
Doyou youwant wanttotoput putaagadget gadgetororgame gameininthe thespotlight? spotlight?Email Emailwaterfrontgadgets@swansea-union.co.uk waterfrontgadgets@swansea-union.co.uk Do
games
NEWSBITES
SPOTLIGHT
Gaming Doesn’t Make You Go Blind
Kingdoms of Amalur
IT was once considered unhealthy to sit in front of a screen and play games, ‘square eyes’ being cited as a common symptom. Instead, this sort of attitude may be proven wrong, as Dr. Daphne Maurer of McMaster University in Canada claims that 40 hours of gaming could significantly improve the vision of people born with cataracts. “After playing an action video game for just 40 hours over four weeks, the patients were better at seeing small print, the direction of moving dots, and the identity of faces,” she said. It has already been proven that gaming can help treat ambylopia (lazy eye). Dr. Maurer will be presenting her findings to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver. If her findings are accepted, perhaps we’ll be given PC games on prescription. I’ll take CounterStrike, League of Legends and The Witcher 2, please. Matthew Edwards
In Earth’s Hour Of Need M ASS Effect 3, the conclusion of Bioware’s epic sci-fi tale, is almost upon us: and it’s never looked as good, writes Ben Rogers. The demos for a bout of single player and multiplayer fun are now available on Xbox Live and the PSN. To explain the story so far would take far too long, so I’ll skip the details and jump right in. The single player segment allows you to play two chapters that will now be familiar to anyone who has seen the gameplay trailers for Mass Effect 3. The first one finds Shepard and his/her old buddy Anderson clambering over the rooftops of alliance headquarters moments after the Reapers arrive on Earth. The second playable chapter finds you, Wrex, Liara and GARRUS! I actually made a whooping noise when he walked into view. Shepard’s motley crew are off legions of Cerberus troops as they protect a fertile female Krogan. From the demo I’m not sure if this is a peace offering from the Salarians to the Krogan, or if Wrex
just needs a bit of in-game squeeze. Combat has been tightened. Storming (a.k.a sprinting) has been improved. Shepard is now like an Olympic trackstar. As well as that, Shepard can now roll forwards, backwards and side to side in the middle of battle, handy if you get caught unawares with no available cover. Whilst single-player is action-packed enough, the online multiplayer will leave you thinking ‘This is freaking awesome’. I have only managed to unlock a Human male soldier and a Drell male sentinel. The human soldier plays just as a soldier Shepard, but playing as the Drell was… well, let’s say ‘interesting’. When I wasn’t roundhouse kicking mercs in the face with the Drell’s melee, I was back-flipping and cartwheeling around like a loon while moving between cover. Mass Effect 3’s single player is enough for any fan. Mass Effect 3 is out March 9 on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Earth needs saving. Can you save it in time?
Following in the well-worn footsteps of Dark Souls, Skyrim and a plethora of other fantasystyle RPGs, Kingdoms of Amalur has been impressing some reviewers with its fluid combat and incredible lifespan (Kotaku reviewer Mike Faley clocks the main quest alone at 25 hours). Eschewing the traditional class system of countless RPGs past, your abilities work in a similar vein to Fable; you can specialise in magic, skills, strength or a combination of all three. Whilst quests become a bit predictable after some persistent gameplay, the combat prevents it from turning into a soul-destroying grind. In a tribute to the Elder Scrolls series, you can also create and name your own armour and weapons. This is something for the casual RPG gamer. Don’t let the length fool you – the tasks amount to little more than World of Warcraftstyle questing. It’s still fun, though. I’m just not letting my flatmate name my weapons like she did in Skyrim. Apparently, all of the best adventurers have the legendary ‘Ebony Bow of Anal Fissure’. Matthew Edwards
MineThis Rich Seam ofTV Gold A
S with everything else in life, when it comes to television, everyone is looking for the next new thing; a new format, a new gripping storyline, a new character, writes Catrin Lewis. However, in doing this, people are forgetting those gems that have already graced our screens, and have probably been the inspiration for so many other shows. I’m going to prove to you that no new TV show can ever do better than the ones that have already been, despite what they may promise you. Take for example the series Spaced from 1999. Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, this series was the inspiration for Shaun of the Dead, and yet almost no one I know has ever heard of it. The series begins with Tim (Pegg) and Daisy trying to find a flat and work out what to do with the rest of their lives – seems rather apt for all of us student types. If you want to see some timeless, funny, scripted comedy that isn’t just Noel Fielding prancing about in a silly hat talking gibberish, then do yourself a favour and get onto 4oD. You’ll thank me. Perhaps one of the best series that’s come out in the last few years, Being Human also has a relatively small following. Beginning in 2009, it follows the lives of a werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost. Yes, I know, supernatural stuff, it’s not like that’s not been done before. But trust me, this series is one of the most
Noel Fielding: Abstract delights? Photo by Ella Mullins
Simon Pegg and Spaced director Edgar Wright. Photo by Kayla Kromer
skilfully crafted series in some time, and does a fine line in witty humour, well scripted drama, and characters that you can really get under the skin of. Generally, I can’t stand anything with a vampire in (I’d love to see if Edward Cullen bleeds glitter glue) as it tends just to be focusing on the screaming 14-year-old girl audience, but this show actually requires your intelligence to get the best of it.
“If anyone tries to make me watch it again I will be forced to jab myself in the eyes” On the scrap heap this week, we see Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. As a fan of The Mighty Boosh, I thought I’d give this a go to see what abstract delights Mr Fielding would give us this time. Whereas The Boosh followed a storyline of sorts, his new work seems just to be a mish mash of ideas that seem to have originated from a person trying rather too hard to live up to their zany label. Without the swearing, it could almost be shown on a kids’ TV channel. I made it to the end of the first episode, and I’ve vowed that if anyone tries to make me watch it again, I will be forced to jab myself in the eyes until I’m either removed to a mental ward, or I’m blind. Either way, I won’t have to watch that again, which can only be a very good thing. Like all good things in life, cheese, vodka and lost £20 notes, TV only gets better with age.
Strictly Come Dancing, Swansea Style SWANSEA students’ union officers and staff will be donning tap shoes, leg warmers and tutus and getting paired up with teachers from the SU Dance Society in aid of charity, writes Fran Lloyd. Swansea staff (pictured right) will have one hour of training a week until the charity competition in Oceana on 12 March, which is a Swansea University version of Strictly Come Dancing. The SU Dance Society committee will be judging the competition which will include dances in Ballet, Tap, Bollywood, Breaking and many more styles that will put the dance novices out of their comfort zones and put the audience into hysterics. All money from ticket sales will be going towards charity, and not just for one great cause, but three! Everything raised will be shared between the Swansea University RAG Society, which raises money for a variety of charities throughout the year; Maggie’s Cancer Unit at Singleton Hospital; and Myton Hospice in Warwick,
which from personal experience offers unbelievably amazing support for both cancer patients and their friends and families. As a great way to get ready for a messy IloveMondays and give to some fantastic charities, the charity dance competition is not to be missed. So keep your eyes open for how to donate, where to buy tickets, and your union staff’s jazz hands, pirouettes and pulled muscles!
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tv & culture 25
games 23
gadgets 23
travel 22
film 21
music 20
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tv & culture
February 27 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
Borgen: More Scandal Than Towie! I WAS due to go to Denmark back in 2008, I had invested over £100 of my student loan in flights to Copenhagen and then disaster struck, writes Luke James. The budget Danish airline I was due to fly home with went bust and overnight I lost my money and my trip to Denmark. Needless to say I haven’t harboured particularly warm sentiments for the place since. But for the past month I’ve been gripped by Denmark’s answer to the West Wing. Borgen, which means ‘government’ in Danish, has all the highs and lows of a political drama worth its salt but it is also extremely accessible to viewers who aren’t political anoraks. The first episode wastes no time in establishing a close bond between viewer and the show’s principled star Birgitte Nyborg who is leading her Moderate Party into a general election with low expectations. Things start to get interesting when Denmark’s own expenses scandal blows up during a televised leaders debate on the eve of the election and it’s a roller coaster ride for a further nine hour-long episodes. Borgen’s success is in the depth of each of the many characters, their stories unfolding alongside Birgitte and her fight to reform Danish politics. None more so than Birgitte’s husband Philip, formerly a big player in business who, as he sees it, is reduced to nanny for their two children, his career culled at the expense of his wife’s political ambition. And ambition is paramount for campaigning journalist Katrine Fonsmark, a self styled thorn in the side of the Danish political elite with a complex relationship with Birgitte’s spin doctor Kasper Juul. Borgen is packed with political issues that will test your moral compass and has more scandal than your average episode of The Only Way is Essex. Sidse Babett Knudsen, the actor who plays Birgitte told the BBC she couldn’t understand why a programme in their ‘ugly and limited language’ had gained such a cult following. But Borgen’s unfamiliar yet beautiful places, people and language gives it a touch of the exotic that is even managing to rehabilitate my relationship with Denmark. •You can watch the whole of the first series on BBC iPlayer and the second series is expected on BBC4 later this year.
societies
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E N H A N C E YO U R S T U D E N T E X P E R I E N C E
Chemical Engineers Host Frank Morton Sports Day C
HEMICAL Engineering Society held the 27th annual national Frank Morton event, which sees chemical engineering departments across the country unite for a day of sports and networking, writes James Langridge. The event was initially organised by Frank Morton, an esteemed professor who acknowledged the importance of combining the academic discipline with leisure activities to actively promote his field of study. Initially held among a handful of universities, the event has expanded to encompass departments at many top universities. Previous winners of the event include Loughborough University and the University of Sheffield. This event has two distinct areas - the first is a sports competition, and the second and arguably more important, the networking aspect. University teams participate in simple, fun events such as badminton, dodgeball, netball, hockey, tag rugby, and table tennis, with the main goal to find the most sporting Chemical Engineering department. The day is run in conjunction with the Institute of Chemical Engineering, the field’s largest organising body. This allows academics to network and discuss ideas, and students to attend a careers fair featuring a number of chemical engineering companies, giving the chance to meet prospective employers and for companies to headhunt individuals. The Frank Morton event has gone from strength to strength, with 20 universities, 2,000 students and 10 major contributing sponsors all playing a part in the day’s events. With
Society News Roundup STUDENT ACTION FOR REFUGEES
The STAR network is having a music and buffet social at the Chattery to raise money for the charity. 29th Jan | Free Entry | Chattery, Uplands star@swansea-union.co.uk
DISCOVER ISLAM WEEK - ISOC
Hosted in the large marquee between Fulton House and the Digital Technium, the Discover Islam week will be teaching the true meanings of Islam and give people the opportunity to experience Muslim culture and learn the history of Islamic civilisation. 27th Feb - 2nd Mar | Free | Marquee swansea.isoc@gmail.com
DANCE SOCIETY - STRICTLY COME DANCING
The University of Birmingham won Frank Morton in their “Brumcredibles” costumes. credentials like this, Swansea University Chemical Engineering Society can be proud of hosting a national event with major recognition and active involvement. Following the sports day and careers fair, there was also a celebration of the day’s sporting accolades at the awards ceremony in Odyssey (pictured above), with the winning teams receiving prizes. Event organisers, Dan and Will, were keen to pass on their thanks to the separate bodies who helped organise the event. Ed said: “We are engineers,
not event planners. The SU has been fantastic and pivotal to our success. “For example, they prompt us when something needs doing, which was often the case as we didn’t know how to organise an event on such a scale.” They also extended gratitude to the Department of Chemical Engineering for offering financial support despite the difficult economic circumstances and budget cuts. Dan added: “Frank Morton 2012 is a fantastic opportunity for all Chemical Engineering students to network and find job opportunities whilst also having fun.” Birmingham won overall, although you’ll be pleased to know that Swansea came 3rd in the Basketball and 1st in the Laser Tag comepetition.
On March 12, you’ll be able to see the SU Staff take on a different challenge from providing the services you need. Rosie Hunnam (pictured below), Russell Wade, Simmo and a few full time officers will be taking up various dancing disciplines from belly dancing to ballet, all in the name of charity! 12th March | £5/£10 VIP| Oceana Swansea dance@swansea-union.co.uk
•For more information, pictures and for the scores in full, check the Waterfront site: www. waterfrontonline.co.uk
Want to know more about societies? Check out www.swansea-union.co.uk/societies
SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT
Drama
The Shoreline Theatre (AKA the Drama Society) has come on leaps and bounds, from having all their props destroyed in an asbestos contamination, to putting on a show at Swansea’s Grand Theatre. ‘The History Boys’ is on March 7th and 8th at 8pm with tickets costing £8/£5 concessions, writes Linda Menzel. The society will also be putting on William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” on March 28th and 29th in the Dylan Thomas Theatre. Members are working on several short plays and performances culminating on June 3rd with a collaborative event with the Dance, Comedy, Gospel, Musicians, Choral and Glee societies at the SU Performing Arts Showcase. For tickets for The History Boys, contact the Grand Theatre on 01792 475715
SIFE - KRISPY KREME SALE
The Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Society held a Krispy Kreme sale in Fulton House on Feb 13th to raise money for community projects. They raised almost £200 and are looking to repeat the success later in the year. sife@swansea-union.co.uk
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SPORT I 27
INTRAMURAL FOOTBALL
INTRAMURAL is the competitive 11-a-side football competition, that plays every week, weather permitting, at Ashleigh Road.
THE TEAMS INVOLVED: Ajax Treesdown, Blazin Bonville Bulldogs, Cefn Eleven, Crayola FC, Clinical Finishers, Hardly Athletic, History FC, K.A.Y FC, Uni 6ths, PhotoSinthesis Grasshoppers, Signature, Sketty Bolognese, Singleton Park Rangers, Sub-Standard Liege, Team Armadillo, The Firsts, Team Sloth, Uni 7ths.
Sketty deny 7ths place Team Profile: in ENTS cup semi finals Clinical Finishers
by Alex Roberts waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
A POTENTIAL re-run of last year’s Intramural Ents Cup final is off as the Uni 7ths were beaten in the quarter final by Sketty Bolognese. Ajax Treesdown and the 7ths staged a memorable final last year. But a 4-2 defeat for the 7ths ended their hopes of facing Ajax again who in turn went through to the semis with a 5-3 win over Clinical Finishers. The semi-final line up sees Sketty
take on Ajax and Photosinthesis up against Crayola. Photosinthesis overcame Team Sloth 4-0 and Crayola defeated Kay FC 2-1. Head of Intramural Laurence Hodgkins still expects the latter stages of this year’s competition to provide a lot of excitement for supporters and players alike. He said: “The semis provide two fantastic fixtures ahead of us with the winners creating a massive final for St. Helens in just under a month’s time.” Dates for the semi-final fixtures are to be confirmed shortly.
by Alex Roberts waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
WITH the Intramural League in full swing, the Waterfront caught up with fifth place Clinical Finishers’ captain Gareth Evans. “I’m really pleased with both league and cup performances,” he said. “Our recent run speaks for itself; the whole team has been fantastic.” Thomas Kavanagh has been in form this season, with nine goals in nine. Evans added: “Tom Kavanagh has been excellent up front, leading the line.”
Their successful rise is remarkable given their course constraints. Evans said: “As the team is made up primarily of medical students, it’s difficult getting everyone together. “We’re often all scattered about Wales on placement.” Hopes are high in the team camp. “Hopefully we can push on and finish as high as we can,” Evans added. “We’re still to play some of the teams around us so it’s all to play for.” The captain is hopeful for the future. He said: “Swansea Medical School will double in size over the next two years, meaning more potential players.”
Team Sloth come back from two down to take a point in a fierce encounter
FIERY AFFAIR: The chase for the title intensified in this enraging encounter between Team Sloth and 6ths
by Alex Roberts waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
Team Sloth University 6ths
2 2
A LAST minute wonder-goal from Jack Taylor salvaged a point for Sloth as they came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the Uni 6ths. Taylor’s long range piledriver and an equally impressive strike from Lewys Thomas proved to be enough for Sloth to take home a share of the spoils. Taylor said: “When the ball came to
me there was only one thought in my mind really. “I saw the gap open up in front of me and just put all my weight behind the shot. Luckily for me it flew into the net and we’ve managed to gain a point from the game.” 6ths captain Rich Fulton bemoaned the loss of all three points, but said his side could have done nothing about the two Sloth goals. “I’m disappointed that we lost our two-goal lead but I can’t take much away from my defence because the two goals we conceded were both really good strikes,” he said. “Perhaps a draw was a fair result on reflection.”
The 6ths started the game strongly and scored after five minutes when Josh Kirby got his head on the end of a free kick hit deep into the area. Before Sloth had a chance to regain some composure, the 6ths added their second of the game, again from Kirby. A long throw was helped on into the Sloth box by Paul Gregson and Kirby was there on the end to score his second header. It was followed by controversy soon after as a Sloth ball was seemingly handled outside the area by 6ths goalkeeper Eric Antunes. Referee Daniel Lewis gave a free kick to Sloth but ruled Antunes did not handle the ball deliberately and did not
produce a card. Sloth made their feelings known but Lewis waved the protests away. From the ensuing set piece, James Mahoney failed to test Antunes as his near-post effort was comfortably saved. The second half saw a number of feisty challenges being put in, with referee Lewis producing a yellow card for Sloth’s Gwenallt Jones for a late challenge. Sloth gained in confidence as the second half wore on and pulled one back when Lewys Thomas hit a 25-yard drive beyond the reach of Antunes. Taylor then equalised by drifting past two tackles before driving his shot into the bottom corner.
FOLLOWING a strong start to the season, Joe White of ‘the Firsts’ remains leading goalscorer, along with Tom Kavanagh of ‘Clinical Finishers, with nine goals. Will anyone catch them?
Swansea Intramural League Table Teams
P
F
A
Pts
Uni 7ths
9
44
19 24
Ajax
9
37
13 24
Uni 6ths
9
39
11 22
Team Sloth
9
36
18 18
Sketty
9
29
17 18
Clinical Fins
9
26
15 17
Kay FC
9
27
16 16
B.B.B
9
26
17 16
S.P.R
9
11
14 14
The Firsts
9
28
26 13
PhotoSIN
9
18
23 11
Cefn Eleven
9
23
32 7
History FC
9
12
21 7
Sub-Standard
9
16
35 6
Crayola
9
18
37 5
Hardly Ath
9
19
39 5
Signature
9
16
54 4
Fixtures (Feb 29) Sub-Standard Liege v KAY FC Hardly Athletic v The Firsts Signature v PhotoSinthesis Ajax Treesdown v History University 6ths v Clinical Finishers Team Sloth AFC v BBB Crayola FC v Team Armadillo University 7ths v SPR Cefn Eleven v Sketty Bolognese
Intramural in action: Sloth and Uni 6ths EVERY issue we will send one of our photographers down to the selected games to provide you with the best of the action in pictures.
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Cup success for hockey team by David Hendy
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
Lacrosse’s Jones ready for the final push towards promotion
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
SWANSEA 1st 1 BATH 2nd 0
POSITIVE SWING: Lacrosse are on the up as they aim for honours on three fronts
by Craig Hadley
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk WOMEN’S lacrosse has flourished this year with Swansea set to return to Division 1A after two years of rebuilding in the division below. Emily Jones has led her side to the top of the table on a run of five straight wins following their season opener defeat to Plymouth Marjons. “I’m ecstatic,” said Jones. “It is really unexpected, and I hope it continues.” Swansea took revenge on Marjons
Equestrian expansion by Grant Yardley
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University’s equestrian club has played a key role in the creation of a new league that will see their riders gain much needed competition experience. The club competition will run alongside the current Bucs league to give teams the ability to compete on a more regular basis. Captain Victoria Hope said: “Basically we are going to do as we do for Bucs. But because our second team has not been entered into Bucs, we have formed our own mini-league. “The league will consist of Gloucestershire, Aberystwyth and either Bath or UWE – we are waiting to confirm
Archers are exceeding all expectations by Tom Nightingale
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
SWANSEA University needed a golden goal against Bath to progress to the semi-finals of the Bucs cup. Captain Becky Gosney was ecstatic with the win. “We’re currently second in the league, one point behind Bath and we have ambitions of winning the league,” she said. “This win today has really boosted us and has given us the confidence to make a real push for the league, as well as the cup.” The first half of the match allowed the poor weather conditions to dictate the slow pace of the game and neither side was troubled defensively. The second half was slow-paced, lacking attacking flair from both sides. With the game at 0-0, it went to extra time. The first half of the extended period belonged to Bath whose possession and attacking flair were troubling the Swansea defence without any penetration. But Swansea finally broke the deadlock two minutes before the end of extra time after a succession of short corners. Bath goalkeeper Izzy Tiemann made two great saves to deny Swansea. But Chloë Guy fired the ball into the bottom right corner after another short corner sparking jubilant celebrations from the Swansea side.
SPORT I 29
which one. “It is quite good as we are expanding our range of university competition. We haven’t played Bath or UWE before, so it’s exciting to compete against someone different and to travel further afield.” As the league is not being run through Bucs, the AU cannot fund the competition, so the club have been raising funds through cake sales. The Swansea leg of the competition will take place on March 14, combining show jumping and dressage on the same day. Hope added: “Unlike Bucs we are going to pick our own horses, as normally you pick out of a hat, so people will get to choose and get used to them.”
when they faced them in the return fixture earlier this month with Jones’ side coming out on top 12-5. Jones added: “It was really satisfying as they were our biggest competition.” Swansea have also beaten Cardiff Met, Gloucestershire, and Royal Agricultural College along the way to the top. With Swansea struggling last season picking up just four points from a possible 27, Jones has pointed to training changes that have revitalised the side’s performances. “We change captains every year, but also training has been more regimented
29th Frank Morton goes to Birmingham
Seconds team continue chase for promotion WOMEN’S HOCKEY
SWANSEA 2nd 7 SWANSEA 3rd 0 by Grant Yardley
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
THE BRUMCREDIBLES: Birmingham win the event hosted by Swansea
by David Hendy
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
RIDING HIGH: Swansea’s equestrian club are establishing themselves
this year,” said Jones. “Drills are divided between the captains, and I think we are a little stricter than last year.” Swansea look set to take the league title with only two games remaining of the season, both against bottom of the table sides. And Jones is hoping for triple glory this season with her team still in cup and hoping for big things at varsity. “Yes, we are aiming to win the cup, but the big one is varsity, we are really hoping to win that,” added Jones.
SWANSEA’S archers exceeded expectations at the Bucs Indoor Championships 2012 in Aberystwyth. In the gentlemen recurve competition, stand-out performer Rhodri Curnow shot 36 golds in a round of 60, finishing eighth out of 175 archers. Swansea had two impressive performers in the gentleman compound tournament as Phill Dunn finished third with 31 gold shots and David Leach finished fifth with 26 gold shots. Alex Tappenden finished ninth out of 29 in the gentleman barebow. Swansea’s experienced women top performer was Victoria Moore whom finished 23rd out of 63 with 11 gold shots in the recurve competition. The novice category saw Swansea’s archers record an 18th place finish out of a possible 36. Mark Evans came 23rd out of 93 with 10 gold shots in the gentleman recurve, Alaba Baju finished ninth out of 22 in the gentleman barebow, while Anna Lawrence was fifth in the nine-person lady barebow event. In the experienced category, Swansea finished 24th out of 43 competing universities. Jason Yiu won the three-person gentleman compound event with a gold shot total of 21. Novice archer Yiu praised the team’s performance over the weekend. “It was a great weekend and the team achieved some fantastic results,” he said.
SWANSEA University hosted the 29th Frank Morton Sports Day where Birmingham University came away as the overall winners. Imperial College London were second after securing four top-three finishes and Manchester University came third, also with four top-three finishes. The one-day event, which consisted of 13 sports, saw Birmingham win six events and finish second in tennis. The Midlands-based university started off brightly by winning four of the first six events which included hockey, netball, squash and tag rugby. They went on to win two more events later in the day - basketball and bowling. Second place finishers Imperial
College London came first in ultimate frisbee, table tennis and the ultimate kids sports day, while they finished second in bowling. Manchester University came second in both ultimate frisbee and netball, and third in both bowling and football. The day ended brightly for Swansea also, after they secured two podium finishes in both basketball and laser tag, finishing in third and second respectively. Event organiser, Dan Eade was happy with the event’s success. “Frank Morton 2012 was a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “We are engineers, not events organisers. “The students’ union has been fantastic and pivotal to our success.” Next year’s venue is yet to be announced.
SWANSEA 2nds kept their promotion dreams alive after thrashing the 3rds. The win keeps Nicola Mooney’s side second in Western 4B Division, three points off unbeaten leaders Glamorgan. Captain Mooney said the strong start to the second half was vital in their victory. “The second half was better, especially in the first 10 minutes where we scored two quick goals,” said Mooney. “After that we dropped off a little, but overall I’m very pleased.” The 2nds took control from the start and their early pressure was rewarded when Danielle Hunt flicked in a short corner. Anne Chinnick made it 2-0 shortly afterwards. After that nightmare start, the 3rds grew into the game. But they were undone on the stroke of half time by quick thinking Ellie Jack who scored. It was all one-way after the break with 2nds forward Sian Powell claiming three more goals. Kirstie Cashmore rounded off proceedings. Mooney added: “Glamorgan have easy fixtures left. “But hopefully we’ll catch them.”
30 I SPORT
thewaterfront 212 27.02.12
Photo by: Jon Collier
Swansea struck down by Bristol in cup clash
Swansea edged out in the quarter-finals WOMEN’S RUGBY
SWANSEA S’HALLAM
by Craig Hadley
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
SWANSEA suffered defeat to Sheffield Hallam, knocking them out of the Bucs trophy in the quarterfinals. The tight contest went into extra time with the players suffering from fatigue. “It was a tough game, Sheffield Hallam played really well, and it was very evenly matched,” said captain Lizzie Hearn. “Everyone gave their all, I’m happy even if it was a loss.” Hallam had the majority of the possession in the opening 15 minutes. Swansea gifted the ball to the opposition with sloppy passing and narrow play. The home side managed to turn it
1st 1st
5 10
around towards the end of the half, forcing back the visitors into their own 22. The second half began in a flourish with Swansea scoring their opening try. Hearn’s run from the centre allowed her teammate Sasha Owen to score down in the left corner. The resulting conversion kick was missed. Hallam surged back into the game five minutes after Swansea’s try with one of their own. The resulted kick was short of the mark. The game went into extra time with the score at 5-5. Hallam scored the winner 10 minutes from time. Hearn was down as a result of a challenge a minute earlier and the Swansea backline was left short as Hallam snuck past to score.
STRUGGLED: Susie Howells (above) was frequently put under intense pressure by Abbey Freeman from Bristol
WOMEN’S SQUASH
SWANSEA BRISTOL
by Craig Hadley
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk CERIS Challenger admitted it was no surprise Swansea were knocked out of the Bucs championship cup in the opening round. Swansea were comfortably beaten 4-0 by Premier Division side Bristol University. “I think this outcome we all predicted,” said Challenger.
1st 1st
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“We did well considering they pretty much won the Premiership.” The difference in class between the two showed as Bristol made light-work of their win. Cassie Mason took on Charlie Heller. Mason was on the back-foot throughout; Heller’s clinical shot placement helped her cruise home in straight games (11-1, 11-1, and 11-1). Susie Howells’ unbeaten season was brought to an abrupt end by Abbey Freeman who eased to victory (11-1,
11-1 and 11-4). The third and deciding match saw Lici Venables put on a spirited performance against Emma Custance-Baker. Venables scored well but was unable to connect consistently and lost in straight games (11-2, 11-3, and 11-2). In the final match, Challenger found it tough against Rebecca Quiney. Quiney was on the end of some vicious drives from Challenger but somehow managed to keep in the rallies and win point after point. The match was sealed in straight games (110, 11-3, and 11-1). This match concluded the team events for the year for Swansea, and they will now prepare for next year.
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SPORT I 31
Swansea deal early Varsity blow with confident win against Cardiff
Swansea defeated by resurgent Bath thirds WOMEN’S NETBALL
SWANSEA 1st 33 BATH 3rd 39 by David Hendy
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
Photo by: Jon Collier
SKETTY STRONGHOLD: Swansea impervious to defeat as their unbeaten home record continues
MEN’S FOOTBALL
SWANSEA CARDIFF
by Tom Nightingale
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA extend their lead at the top of league 1A following a convincing win against Cardiff. Coach Nick Bowen was thrilled with the team’s performance. “We’re very close to winning the league now,” he said. “With three games to go now we’re two points clear with a game in hand over second place. We’ve won every game in the league bar one,
1st 1st
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which we drew” Bowen was also delighted with the way Swansea’s standards had remained of the highest quality despite their troubles with injuries. “Playing style-wise, we’re far more comfortable in the way we’re playing now. We had a relatively big squad at the start of the season but we’ve got lots of injuries – today we’ve had a couple of people drop out in the warm up through injury or illness, and we lost our top goal scorer to injury, so it’s really encouraging that we’re still managing to pick up wins
and still playing at the top of our game despite this.” Swansea went in to the game top of the league with five wins and a draw from their six previous fixtures, and was confident they could complete the double over Cardiff following their 1-0 away win in November. Throughout the first half Swansea dominated possession and had the best of the chances, with Josh Clayton firing narrowly wide after no more than two minutes. Cardiff’s first chance of the game was headed wide from six yards when it looked easier to score. With ten minutes to go until half time, Swansea were foiled by the Cardiff keeper, but the resulting corner was only half cleared, and a cross was swung
to the back post where James Pickup volleyed the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Five minutes later Swansea doubled their lead when Aaron Keefe drilled the ball into the bottom corner following a scramble in the Cardiff penalty area. Midway through the second half Swansea went 3-0 up with the best goal of the match. Clayton split the Cardiff defence with a perfectly-weighted through ball which Steve Davey converted by lobbing the goalkeeper from the corner of the area. Late in the match Cardiff netted a consolation goal after Swansea failed to deal with a high ball into the area. However, Swansea were able to survive a late Cardiff flurry and held on for victory.
Medal haul for trio Medals galore for at Bucs Long Course Swansea jitsu club
TOP STANDARD SWIMMERS: (from left to right) Thomas, Suggitt, Mitchell by Craig Hadley
waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA’S swimmers impressed at the Bucs Long Course Championships by claiming a bronze finish - matching their Short Course Championship success in November. The team picked up 217 points and just missed out on second to Bath by nine points. Performance captain Chris Titterington said the swimmers swam “well above expectations” in all sections. Chris Suggitt was the stand out performer for the men winning three individual medals in the 1500m freestyle,
400m medley, and 200m medley. “I think we performed to our maximum, I got a personal best which was good for me,” said Suggitt. “It’s just on to Olympic trials and see how it goes.” Libby Mitchell also proved a handful for her opponents as she posted impressive times on the way to two individual medals herself in the 100m and 200m butterfly. She said: “We all swam well as a team, and the aim now is to improve our times even more.” Other individual triumphs included Emma Smithurst, Adam Mallett, and Alys Thomas in each of their respected fields. The team events also went well for the Swansea with three more medal wins.
SWANSEA University’s jitsu club won four gold medals, two silvers and two bronze at the Randori Nationals 2012. The event, held at Walsall Judo Centre, saw Swansea win the medals over two gruelling days. Gold medallist, Konstantins Lazars enjoyed his performance at the event. “I am very proud; I was one of the smallest in my category.” He added: “Support from the team also helped me to achieve gold.” The Randori Nationals are divided into three categories standing throwing, ground work and an open competition. Lazars, Idris Birch and Russell Marsh, as well as the captain all won gold at
the event in novice ground fighting, yellow belt ground fighting, purple belt standing in blue category and purple belt ground fighting in light blue category respectively. Both Leon Nell and Katie Palmer won silver in yellow belt fighting in light blue category and yellow belt fighting in the open category respectively. Joe Kershaw and Gordon Cummings finished the competition with a bronze medal apiece in yellow belt ground fighting and orange belt ground fighting respectively. Katrine Salomonsen also gained a mention (fourth place) in the green belt standing and ground category.
SWANSEA University suffered a crushing defeat against Bath University 3rds; a week after Swansea had defeated Bath 2nds. Swansea captain Brooke Collett admitted: “We may have got a bit complacent because we beat their [Bath’s] seconds last week and [we lost to] their thirds this week. “Anyone would expect to beat them. “If we had beaten their seconds we should beat their thirds. “We lost to them once before, then we beat them in the cup, so we didn’t know which way it would go.” The game started brightly for Bath, who went 2-0 up in the first two minutes, with their goal-shooter Jess Dudley scoring both points. The first quarter was a mixed affair for both teams as they were each scoring in flurries; however Bath came out on top leading 9-10 going into the break, with their goal-shooter Jess Dudley scoring six of their points. The second quarter followed the same pattern as the first, both teams unable to dictate the game long enough to obtain an advantage, however Swansea’s goal-scoring threat had increased tremendously due to Collett’s quarterback-style passing around the court. Swansea led 21-19 going into halftime. Swansea’s goal-attack, Rebecca Steingass, scored seven points in the second quarter to give Swansea a two point lead going into the second half. Both sides made substitutions at halftime. Swansea replaced wing-attack Jasmine Lane and goal-shooter Katie Lellilott with Lisa Starbuck and Amber Jones respectively. Bath made two changes at half-time, replacing wing-attack Alice Moger and goal-attack Jess Dudley with Sofia Fernandez and Emma Groundwater respectively. Swansea’s changes slowed their pace of play in the third quarter. Starbuck’s fiery introduction and mishandling of the ball had been to the detriment of the Swansea attack, however later in the third quarter she found her rhythm and played at a pace that complimented the new-found Swansea attack. Bath dominated the third quarter, however still found themselves trailing by one point going into the break, with the score 26-25 in favour of the hosts. The final quarter seen Bath dominate and take advantage of sloppy defending from a tiring Swansea side. After exchanging one point apiece at the start of the fourth quarter, Bath scored six unanswered points, extending their lead to 32-27 with six minutes remaining in the game. A resilient attack from Swansea in which they scored six points was not enough as Bath were able to withstand the pressure and score a further seven points to finish the game 33-39 to the visitors.
February 27, 2012 waterfrontonline.co.uk
INSIDE
sport thewaterfront
Swimmers blitz to bronze at Bucs
page 31
PARALYMPIAN AIMS FOR MORE GOLD
GOLD MEDALIST: David Smith already has a selection of medals in his cabinet and he is hoping to add to them at the London 2012 Paralympics later this year by Chris Flynn waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
SWANSEA’S David Smith is hoping for more gold medals when he competes in his second Paralympic games later this year. Fourth year aerospace engineering student Smith, 21, won gold at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in Boccia and has more in his sight at the London Games. Boccia is one of 20 disciplines Games and is similar to bowls. Played on a long narrow court,
players aim to get their balls closest to the target. Smith began playing the sport at the age of 14 and after winning the nationals has been UK number one ever since. “Boccia’s a good way to go- you can surprise yourself,” he said. Smith experienced China first-hand when he flew to compete in his first Paralympics back in 2008. “We saw a bit of it [Beijing], the Chinese are very good at hiding what they don’t want you to see,” he said. “We saw all the bits they wanted us
to see like the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. “They looked after us quite well.” Smith described the atmosphere of the Paralympics as “crazy”. “As a Boccia player you’re not used to it,” he said. “You usually just play on your own, maybe with a couple of fans. “The setup was wicked, with a live TV feed and about 2,000 people filling the hall every day.” Smith talked about the finals and how satisfying it was to meet Team GB’s old rivals Portugal.
“We thumped them 8-4 and the margin of victory was even more satisfying,” he added. “We were world number one anyway, so we were expected to do well.” Smith said it hasn’t always been easy though. “Boccia is constantly evolving and everyone is improving all the time,” he said. “When we first started out, Portugal were the hardest team and we were a fair way behind them. “Recently we’ve had Korea come up,
but I think we’re pretty much on level terms with them.” Smith is engaged to a fellow Boccia player and joked that if he did not win a medal this year she would not marry him. “She’s very supportive of what I do and has herself played for Wales,” he said. Team GB are now ranked third in the world, and individually Smith is ranked second in the world. “I was number two before Beijing, so I was hoping to be number one by now,” he added.
Sports news in brief from Swansea University (February 10 - February 23) NETBALL
FENCING
TENNIS
LACROSSE
SQUASH
Swansea seconds defied the odds to reach the quarter finals of the Bucs cup but failed to make it any further after losing 65-30 to Glamorgan.
Despite a valiant display from Swansea’s fencing team they were defeated by UWE 135-104 which brought their cup run to an end.
Swansea mens team battled their way through a tough contest, at the Aberystwyth Tennis Lawn Club, to come out on top 8-4.
Swansea womens 1sts took one step closer to the Bucs cup final after beating Cardiff Met 13-2 in a straight forward victory for the home team.
Swansea mens 1st are into the semi final of the Bucs Western Conference Cup following a tight victory over Glamorgan away 3-2.
TENNIS
BADMINTON
FOOTBALL
RUGBY UNION
HOCKEY
Swansea womens 1sts were dealt a blow ahead of varsity after losing 10-2 away to Cardiff 2nds.
Aberystwyth produce a fine display as they send Swansea back down south on the back of a 8-0 defeat.
The seven match unbeaten run comes to an end for Swansea 1sts following a 3-1 defeat away to Plymouth.
Swansea 4ths were soundly beaten by Exeter away, 18-0, in the Bucs Western Conference Cup quarter finals.
Swansea produced some of their best hockey yet, to earn their first win of the season, beating Newport 7-0.
Swansea’s last netball team in the Swansea miss out on the final of Swansea slam Aberystwyth to cup are knocked out by Glamorgan the Bucs trophy losing to UWE earn semi-final place
Swansea women out of the cup North Wales demolition job knocks following resounding defeat Swansea out of the Bucs cup
Swansea into the semi final of the Bucs cup after beating Cardiff Met
Unbeaten league run comes to an Freshers team taught a lesson by end at the hands of Plymouth Exeter as they exit the Bucs cup
Swansea come out on top in epic squash contest in Glamorgan
Thirds beat Newport in bottom of the table clash