The Edition

Hey there! Here are my top five tips to help you become successful in everything that you do. 

1. Be punctual

Getting to lessons on time is really good because it will get you used to being punctual in the future. Don't be that person who is always late for class/work because they can’t be bothered. 

 2. Don't give up

Just because you didn't get the grade you wanted or you didn't get short listed for a job doesn't mean you are a failure; you tried your best. We learn from these failures and use them to improve our coursework or CV. Please don't give up: there's an employer out there who will offer you a job.  

 3. Find inspiration 

If you wanted to find work or attend college, think to yourself, "What do I see myself doing?" or "What interests me?" That will help you decide what you want to do with your career or at college. 

 4. Be organised 

Always take a diary with you when you go to class in case there are important dates, e.g. exams, that you may need to write down. It would be especially helpful if you’re the sort of person that forgets things and will help you to remember. 

 5. Think positive 

Think to yourself: "I can do this". Push yourself to the limit and don't forget to set yourself personal Targets e.g. get a C grade. It will help you to boost your confidence and to manage things on a smaller scale.

Ingredients for the sponge:

115g plain flour 

50g cocoa powder

1tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

6 eggs

225g caster sugar

2 tsp peppermint essence

115g unsalted butter

Ingredients for the icing:

225g plain chocolate

75g unsalted butter

3 eggs (separated)

150g whipping/double cream

Dr.Oetker Easy Swirl Cupcake Icing Chocolate (optional)

2 squares of chocolate (optional) 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ Gas mark 4. Line two 20cm/8 inch round tins with greaseproof paper, grease the paper and dust with flour. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together.

2. Add the sugar and eggs (beat before adding to the mixture). Add the peppermint essence. Melt the butter and add to the mixture. Make sure you fold the mixture instead of stirring.

3. Put the mixture in the tins. Bake until the cakes pull away from the sides- an estimated 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

4. For the icing, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Once melted, take off heat and stir in butter (diced) and egg yolks. Return to the heat until the butter is blended into the chocolate.

5. Whip the cream until firm. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the cream, then the egg whites, into the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Sandwich together and cover the cake with icing.  

6. Leave the icing to set. If you wish to add decoration to the cake, grate the chocolate on top and pipe the chocolate icing in circular motion onto the edges of the cake.

 By Tramaine Berry

On the 30th March I met with historian, Uphill resident, and Second World War veteran Donald Brown, to discover more about the history of Uphill Village during the First World War. Donald Brown is also the author of three books: Uphill’s Great War 1914-1918, Uphill’s Second World War 1939-1945, and Victoria’s Uphill.

Brown wrote his book on the First World War because he felt that the men of Uphill who had been killed had since been forgotten. On Remembrance Sunday of 2000, Brown asked his fellow villagers whether they knew any of the fourteen names on the memorial, which had just undergone renovation; no one replied. It was then that on Brown decided to write a paragraph on every man on the memorial. His paragraphs became a book including information of the 103 soldiers who went to war, (twenty of these soldiers died, six of whom aren’t remembered on the Uphill memorial and one whose name is not on any memorial), regiments, civilian life and the medical work of the Grave-Knyfton ladies.

Uphill was a small, rural area populated mainly by working class agricultural workers. There were three land owning families, the most powerful being the Grave-Knyftons. In Downton Abbey terms, Reginald Bennett Graves-Knyfton was the ‘Lord Grantham’ of the village. Before the war, Knyfton already had an officer’s rank in the Territorial Army as all powerful men did during the Edwardian era. At the war’s outbreak, he persuaded many villagers, including his workers and tenants, to join up. The men usually joined the Weston Rifles (Somerset Light Infantry and Gloucestershire Regiment pal’s battalions) or the North Somerset Yeomanry, who trained on Uphill beach.

Donald Brown’s research shows just how unique Uphill village was during the war. At the beginning of this interview I had assumed that the roles of the villagers would have been ordinary. However, by the end I discovered that the villagers were rather extraordinary. Here are but a few things I discovered.

Two Military Medals (the 3rd highest bravery award for ranks men) were awarded, and one soldier gained a Mention-in-the-Despatches. One villager was taken prisoner by the Germans and managed to escape their captivity (Uphill’s ‘Great Escape’ moment). Soldiers from the village fought all over the world; most went to Flanders, although some went to Greece, India, Afghanistan, and Russia (to quell the Russian revolution in 1919). The famous “Your country needs you” poster was created in Weston. The creator of the Mills bomb (hand grenade) moved to Broadoak road during the war while the village grenade instructor blew his fingers off teaching recruits how to use them. Two fathers died of broken hearts after hearing of their sons’ deaths. A young Officer Cadet was tragically killed in a training incident a month before the war’s end. One man drowned in Greece while Graves-Knyfton himself died of Spanish influenza two weeks before the end of the war, making him Uphill’s first man to sign up and the village’s last casualty.

After we discussed the historiography, Donald Brown gave his opinions on the fallen and the demonisation of Britain’s enemies which still resonates today. On the subject of the deaths heralded as trivial (flu, drowning, training accidents, etc.), Brown said “the role of every man was to try and get through it. When they didn’t, the way they went meant very little to their mothers. Some fathers took comfort in knowing their son died in battle, but, at the end of the day, a heart break is a heart break.”

During the Second World War, Brown was an Army Officer who guarded German Prisoners. He recalls one prisoner in particular who could speak English. He asked him to send postcards to his family in Germany to tell them he was ‘fine.’ After the War, Brown met with this German to reflect upon the War and revel in their post-war comradery. Brown said to him, “if my father knew I was talking to a German, he wouldn’t understand why and he’d be upset.” The German agreed. At this moment, Donald Brown had a realisation. During times of war, the enemy is demonised in propaganda. Germans were not all baby-murdering brutes, but were ordinary people who were taught to demonise the enemy in the same way. “This dehumanising of races is still seen today. This isn’t me speaking politically. It is factual. I often think to myself, ‘are the Russians and Putin really as bad as the press are making out?’ Obviously I cannot say the same of I.S. because you can’t really fake beheadings, but the Russians… It almost seems like the stuff of World War Two and the Cold War.”

My interview with Donald Brown was extremely educational and inspiring. If you’d like to know more about his publications: ‘Uphill’s Great War,’ ‘Uphill’s Second World War’ and ‘Victoria’s Uphill,’ they are available at Weston Library, Uphill shop, Weston Museum and on Amazon.

By Josh Cottrell

On Friday 27th February, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performed a second iteration of their stunning ‘Heroes and Superheroes’ concert at Bristol’s Colston Hall. Conductor Pete Harrison effortlessly entertained the audience in between stunning pieces of music, which ranged from Koji Kondo’s Legend of Zelda theme to John Williams’ Imperial March.

The concert centred, for the most part, on ordinary movie heroes rather than superheroes. The pieces played prior to the interval included a beautiful cover of Schindler’s List’s main theme, Dick Barton – Special Agent’s theme, The Devil’s Galop, and an incredibly light-hearted cover of The Great Escape. One of the more obscure pieces played during the first half was taken from the video game based on the animated movie Shrek Forever After, although it flowed seamlessly into the following piece: Hans Zimmer’s The Last Samurai.

Post-interval, the orchestra jumped immediately into a rendition of John Williams’ Raiders of the Lost Ark March, more commonly referred to as the theme from Indiana Jones.  The energy and enthusiasm they possessed brought each and every piece to life, which was particularly noticeable with the more emotional pieces by composers such as Howard Shore, who notably scored the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies.

The final official piece of the night came in the form of Williams’ Superman. The quintessential superhero theme was accompanied by a member of the orchestra running hectically around the concert hall, popping up in the audience several times before taking to the stage to play the French horn. Following that, there was an incredible encore performance of the Thunderbirds theme, complete with a dramatic countdown and ominous microphone reverberations (even if the microphone reverb was mainly as a result of a technical glitch that had spanned the entirety of the concert).

Overall, the entire concert was incredible. Every piece was beautifully executed, incredibly passionate and full of life. I sincerely hope that the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra chooses to stage a third ‘Heroes and Superheroes’, but as it stands, their performance in February will stay with me for a long while yet.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is the newest entry in Bioware's fantasy RPG series, but how does it compare with the previous entries in the series? Is it really game of the year?

Dragon Age: Inquisition puts you in the shoes of the inquisitor, a character in the wrong place at the wrong time. The first thing you are faced with is a semi-decent character creator, marginally better than that of the former titles, particularly DA2 which took away one of my favourite part of Origins, being able to choose your race.

The game's story draws on the rich lore of the world of Thedas, with five books and two games worth of history the game world is already bursting with content, which Inquisition builds on. The game delivers time and time again; with strong and developed characters such as the wisecracking, sarcastic Dorian and the strong, empowered court Mage, Vivienne; breath-taking landscapes stretching from the luscious Emerald Graves to the bogged down Fallow Mire; and of course the main quest line, taking you across Thedas to defeat the hordes of rogue templars and rebel mages.

The game also boasts the strongest combat in the series to date: it treads the middle ground between the slow methodical combat of Origins and the 'hack and slash' fun of DA2, providing combat that can appeal to fans of both styles and offering quick action-focused gameplay in tandem with strategic diversity. This diversity is complemented by the class diversity that was conspicuously absent from the second entry in the series: with three specialisations for each class and thousands of spell combinations to experiment with, the combat system is ever so nearly perfect.

If you were a fan of the previous two games then you'll thoroughly enjoy this love letter to the fans. With a strong cast of lovable companions, cameos from former characters and a rich diverse combat system, Inquisition takes what made the other games so enjoyable and builds on it, providing a game that I'd recommend to just about anyone.

9/10

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, here at The Edition we’vebeen looking into some of the most creative proposals, strangest marriages andweirdest traditions. Here’s our top five list of the best:

1. How would you feel about a sky-high wedding?Nothing gets the butterflies going like being lifted onto a platform 160 feet in the air for the ceremony. It worked for Jeroen and Sandra Kippers from Brussels, who of course made it official by bungee jumping over the side after the vows!

2. In China’s Yugur culture, a groom will shoot his bride with three arrows (minus the arrowheads), then break them to ensure that they will love each other forever. Nothing says romance like a barrage of arrows!

3. Ever wondered about the origins of the ‘Best Man?’ Originally, the Best Man was one of great sword skill, to protect the groom from the bride’s disapproving family. As custom, he would traditionally stand to the right, so his sword was easily accessible-to be prepared for any trouble.

4. For a long time, the presence of a bridal party was meant to fool evil spirits. The friends of the bride would dress similarly to her, to confuse any harmful spirits that were hanging around.

5. Bernie Peng’s girlfriend loved the game ‘Bejewled.’ Peng, a programmer, hacked the game so that upon reaching a certain score, a marriage proposal appeared on screen. The company that made the game actually paid for the couple’s honeymoon!

On 10th December 2014, 85 year-old George Vulkanfrom the Holocaust Educational Trust visited Weston College University Campus and spoke to students about his personal connection to ‘humanity’s darkest hour.’ Vulkan’s story is very mild but it shows how things can start off as low-key and become the worst crimes of humanity.

Vulkan illustrated his story with photos and props, including his aunties’ Stars of David and his old school book, which showed lessons of Austrian submission under Nazi rule.

The young George – “a handsome chap” with a “full head of hair” – recalls a happy childhood, followed by the referendum of Anschluss, the radio broadcast of Austria’s surrender and the German invasion in 1938, when he just was 8 and 9 years old. As a young Jewish boy living in Vienna (Austria), the initial persecution seemed tame (when compared to the persecution in Germany). At first he was only made to go to a separate school; however, this quickly became beatings from the Hitler Youth, persecution from Austrian police officers, Gestapo and SS raids, and banning from school altogether.

However, Vulkan had an unusual experience involving the German soldiers. He remembers the excitement that he felt “watching the march into Vienna with their bands and colourful uniforms.” Remarkably, Vulkan had been helped by a platoon of German soldiers who chased away the Hitler Youth and lectured the police on how they had failed in their duty. Even more remarkably, he informed students of his protection from harm by an SS man who was in a relationship with the family child-minder. When asked what he’d say to him if they met again, he paused and said “that is a complicated question. I guess I would ask him why he felt it was necessary to join. Could he now see that it was wrong, and could he condone it?”

George Vulkan had to leave Vienna for France early one morning, with a suitcase, one teddy bear and no goodbyes. From France, the Vulkans then made arrangements to travel to Britain. While his three cousins arrived in Britain via the ‘Kinder Transport,’ his father and uncle applied for a business scheme which would allow the family entry. However, his uncle decided to join the Vulkans at a later date and returned to Vienna, believing that his WWI Bravery medal would protect him. His other two uncles arrived in Britain after skipping borders including Switzerland and France, while three of his aunties applied for domestic service courses to gain entry.

During the war years, George struggled to learn English and fit in with English culture – he was a German speaker wearing lederhosen, surrounded by smartly-dressed British boys. He repeated the phrase from his headmaster, “it is better to speak poor English than good German,” recalling on the anti-German feeling of war-torn Britain and the turning-in of his family under the ‘Enemy Alien Act’. His uncles enlisted in the British army, serving on D-day as members of the Pioneer Corp and later the Royal Engineers.

However, his WWI Hero uncle and the aunties on the domestic service course were sent to concentration camps and were consequently murdered. One of his three cousins was left an orphan from the ordeal. George travelled back some time later to have memorial plaques erected in their memories, as well as to revisit his family home.

George Vulkan was admitted to Britain on a two week permit which was later extended to a month, and gained residency due to the outbreak of war. In his adult life, Vulkan has completed two years of national service and become an environmental scientist. He started giving talks after his father died, revealing the many letters between his father and extended family during the war years. The experience has made Vulkan more religious and he now tells his story for people “not just to remember, but to make sure nothing like it happens again due to race!”

You wake up hanging by your feet in a dark bloodied room. You turn your head to see a hulking, deformed and bloodied man dismembering a colleague; this is the opening scene to the latest horror game from returning industry legend, Shinji Mikami. But after being eagerly anticipated for almost four years, does it live up to the hype?

The Evil Within is a third person survival horror game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks on the 14th October 2014. You assume the role of Sebastian Castellanos, a long-serving police detective in Crimson City as he attempts to understand and escape the twisted dreamscape he has become trapped in. Joined by his long term friend/police partner Joseph Oda, Doctor Jimenez, a doctor from the hospital where it all began and the mysterious Juli Kidman, Sebastian must battle through hordes of nightmarish creatures to stop the seemingly omnipotent Ruvik and free himself and his allies from Ruvik’s control.

Unfortunately, The Evil Within falls short of being a great game for a number of reasons. Despite having entertaining, interesting characters and level design that flips between being fantastically beautiful and horrifyingly deranged, it has a large number of flaws that cannot be ignored. The Evil Within’s major stumble is its story; while the game succeeds in creating a scenario and world that encourages the player to question and theorise, it never really bothers to give them any answers. If they miss even a single collectable journal throughout the game, they will most likely find the ending seems incomplete.

The game is also let down by its permanent letterboxing on consoles. For whatever reason it was included, the only purpose it seemed to serve was to prevent me from seeing anything below my character’s knees. This led to many collectables being missed and traps being detonated. However, after playing through a few chapters, you’ll stop noticing the letterbox, get used to the broken controls and will quickly be immersed in the game’s twisted world.

Overall, despite its many glaring flaws, The Evil Within was an enjoyable, albeit frustrating, experience. With a completion time of between 9-18 hours (depending on your play style and ammo management ), The Evil Within will keep you entertained for as long as any other single-player game on the market.

How much you will enjoy this game depends on how much you enjoy the horror genre as a whole, as well as how much you enjoy bizarrely over-the-top scenes that have no real reason for being (My personal favourite being the flying, flaming school bus).

Rating: 7.5/10

I was incredibly excited when I found out there were tickets available for the Clothes Show in Birmingham this year. On the day, I arrived at the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) on the coach with around 20 other students from our college.

As we walked inside I was thrilled to see that they had major brands such as Rimmel London, Barry M, Models Own, and so many more! The booths filled up the entire NEC; there were so many that I didn’t have time to finish looking at everything they had to offer. It was all so much more affordable than it would be on the high street.

The Catwalk show started at 3pm; Neon Jungle kicked off the show brilliantly. The show was hosted by top UK fashion designer Henri Holland, who presented the entire catwalk show. The catwalks had many different themes such as Disco, Gotham and Wall Street which stopped the show from becoming repetitive and boring. The dance groups in between catwalks made the show even more entertaining.

Overall, it was just amazing; £25 a ticket was incredible value for money. I even managed to see Amy Child and Lauren Goodger, although I couldn’t stop either of them for pictures. The catwalk show was the best 45 minutes I’ve ever had. I will definitely be returning next year, but I would advise people to bring plenty of food with them as the food court is quite pricey.

Rating: 10/10

Not many television shows, or even blockbuster films, celebrate the release of a DVD. The release is usually accompanied by a mandatory Facebook post, Twitter Hashtag and an advert that sums up most of the film witha shoddy voice-over. Marketers presume that most people who will buy the DVD have already seen it in cinemas, or at least attempted to. This just goes to show how much of a cultural phenomenon Doctor Who has become (or to a more cynical mind, how much value this show has to the BBC). The show held a special screening of the documentary ‘Doctor Who: Earth Conquest: The World Tour’, which was then followed by a Q&A hosted by comedian Frank Skinner for a group of lucky fans. I was one of these lucky people, as I won two tickets to go to the event after entering an online competition.

The event itself was held at the London Ham Yard Hotel in the private screening theatre. After a short wait in the comfortable private cinema, we were shown the documentary. It is undeniably self-indulgent for a television show to create a documentary about why fans around the world love the show every time the lead character regenerates (Matt Smith seemed to get one every series). However, it was also very interesting learning about the origins of the show, from the iconic soundtrack to the shape of the TARDIS. Instead of spending an hour repeating the same rhetoric about the skill of the actors or the complexity of the plots, it focused on showing the everyday fans of the show: from Cardiff, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Rio, and even Mexico City (where they have a strange, and very un-British admiration for Steven Moffat).

Following the documentary was, of course, the Q&A. We already knew that Frank Skinner was hosting, but no one knew who else would be on the panel. I have to admit that the cynical side of me expected to see a host of minor characters traipse onto the stage and repeat the same lines about how much of a ‘great opportunity’ it was to be on the show. The atmosphere was almost palpable when Frank Skinner took his place on the stage. After telling a few anecdotes that only the most dedicated fans would understand, explaining his enjoyment in being able to play Perkins in the episode ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ and jokingly tearing out plot holes in key episodes (like any true fan would), Frank introduced his team with the line “If I had to host a Doctor Who Q&A, this would be my dream line-up.”

Entering from a door to the side of the cinema stage was: first Peter Capaldi (The Doctor), Jenna-Louise Coleman (Clara Oswald), Steven Moffat (Head writer and target for all Doctor Who-related complaints), Samuel Anderson (Danny Pink) and Michelle Gomez (Missy). They were met with loud cheers and applause before they started the Q&A.

A number of questions about the most recent series and the show in general were answered. Moffat explained how many scripts he’d had to work on without being able to put his name on it and even now how terrifying he finds the experience. This was followed by Capaldi talking about how he did his whole audition in Moffatt’s kitchen (and that he thought it went badly). It was also interesting to hear that both of them found that the tone of the show hadn’t been particularly ‘darker’ than it had been of the Matt Smith era, contrary to popular belief. Samuel, Jenna and Michelle also talked about their roles; on how Samuel only found out Danny would die in the ‘Death in Heaven’ read-through and how Michelle prepared for the role by ad-libbing many of Missy’s bizarre foibles. Some facts were released that most of the cast didn’t know about, such as Capaldi being offered the chance to audition for the role of the Doctor before in the 1996 movie, which he refused. There was a real sense of comradery amongst the cast, even with Frank Skinner who only appeared in one episode; for example, as a final point, Frank Skinner brought up the Mondasian Cybermen, to which Jenna Coleman groaned and Moffat and Capaldi entered into a witty and probably common on-set debate about their possible return.

When it had all wrapped up (again to another massive round of applause) a few lucky people at the front had their picture taken with Peter Capaldi and then everyone filed out of the cinema to be given a free copy of the DVD. Overall, it was a fantastic experience for everyone in attendance and has, as was intended, raised the excitement for series 9 of one of the UK’s most popular television shows.

Get plenty of sleep

Even if you are staying awake all night for revision, it's not going to make much difference; you will be tired the next day, leading to the possibility of not being able to process information or finding the motivation to study.

Stay active

Physical activity not only has many health benefits, but it also improves sleep.

It improves your memory by speeding up the flow of blood to your brain and its function overall.

If your attention span is poor during lessons or you are unable to study for a long period, strength exercising will help because it requires focus.

Staying active de-stresses you by taking your mind off studying and releasing endorphins in the brain.

Understanding is more important than statistics

If you do not study the basics, you will be unable to develop your statements further and will, therefore, achieve a lower grade.

Timetable

To shorten the time that is spent on studying, take notes and recap on the key points.

Timetables decrease stress by keeping everything organised. Remember: there is only so much you can do in one day, so make your timetable realistic- it will encourage you to stick to it on a daily basis.

Stay calm

Don’t spend all your free time on revision; take a short break to reward your efforts and to avoid burning yourself out.

Don’t do the same routine over and over again

The same routine can become tiresome. Making your revision exciting and active will enable you to absorb more information.

Another way of preparing for exams is to practise old exam papers; the way you answer a question can be the difference between a pass and a fail.

Stay motivated

When you are starting to dread studying for each subject, remind yourself what you are working for and what you want to do with your grades

 ‘New year, new you’. How many times is that phrase thrown around every January? Whenever I hear it I can’t help but picture some sort of Doctor Who-style regeneration, complete with glowing lights and a melancholy soundtrack. Obviously we don’t all throw our arms out wide every year and transform magically into Peter Capaldi, so what exactly is this spontaneously formed ‘New You’? And just what was wrong with the ‘Old You’?

  Realistically, there’s no reason why any life-changing actions need to be saved for the 1st of January every year. The Earth completed another full circuit around the sun; so what? Why do we feel the need to wait until we’ve returned to a certain point in the universe before we sign up for that gym membership or cut chocolate out of our diets?  Moreover, why do we save all this added pressure for the darkest, coldest month of the year?

 The other problem with the need for there to be a ‘New You’ every new year is the eradication of the previous you. Surely something about the whole process of reinventing oneself is flawed if we need to do it year in, year out. The you on the last day of December is just as capable of revising more or eating healthier as the you who woke up on the first day of 2015; why do we feel the need to separate the two?

 This isn’t a condemnation of any newly-formed resolutions. If people want to take the opportunity to make a change then by all means, go right ahead. What I’m trying to say here is that if you like the ‘Old You’, there’s no need to brush them aside in favour of a newer incarnation. If you want to walk more, walk more. If you’re content to keep doing things how you’ve always done them and you have no desire to take any great steps in possibly the dreariest month of the year, it’s not the end of the world. We’re going to keep drifting through space regardless of whether or not a ‘New You’ comes into existence.