Christmas Issue December 2013

What do you
love about
Christmas ?
Entertainment
Reviews
Media & History
Trips
Competition Winners
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
Welcome
Merry
Christmas
By Stevie French
I
t’s that time of the year again when
shopping ‘deals’; and though they try to
your food-baby is actually food and
we reluctantly get the scarves and
out-do each other with the cutest, most
not the real thing, or whether it’s a
gloves and hats out from the back
festive and sometimes most nauseatingly microwave meal because, as much as
of the wardrobe because we’ve
cliché TV adverts of all time (although I
you love your parents, they can’t boil an
been in denial for too long, and decide
don’t think anyone could fault that John
egg without burning it, whether it’s none
that it’s better to have use of all 10
Lewis’ love struck snowman advert of
of the above… enjoy it. This year take a
fingers, than pretend Britain’s winter
2012)… despite all this, I think we all
look around and see what defines your
hasn’t already begun. It’s the time when
secretly enjoy it. Because it’s just the
Christmas holiday, because every single
mornings still look like night-time, as
prelude to what Christmas really is.
one of us has waited a year for it. Might
if getting out of bed for 9 wasn’t hard
as well appreciate it.
enough even in the summer. But most
For me, it’s a ridiculously large family
of all, whether you admit it or not, it’s
that can’t fit round one long table, so the
And then at New Years Eve, when you’re
the time when we all hold our breath
grand-‘kids’ despite all being teenagers
watching the London firework display
just waiting to see that coca-cola lorry
now, are put on a separate table in the
that gets longer every year, make this
advert for the first time in a year; and
living room (which we don’t mind at all). resolution: to appreciate every minute of
we strain our ears and eyes for the
not just St. Nicks. Especially
This year take a look around and see 2014,
first Christmas song or tree in the
those of us who next year will be at
shops- anything that tells us we can what defines your Christmas holiday, Uni’s across the country, or in new
finally start talking about Christmas
apprenticeships, gap yearsbecause every single one of us has jobs,
and begin shopping for presents and
whatever you do, you’ll be doing
not be socially shunned for starting
something new. And your entire
waited a year for it.
too early.
perspective will be different.
I have to say that when I saw my first
So enjoy the holidays and forget
Christmas tree of the year in a carvery
For some, it’s a family of 3,4 or 5 maybe about the pile of coursework and revision
on the 28th of October, I wanted to run
watching x-factor (I won’t judge… a
for just a couple of days, it’ll still be here
in the opposite direction screaming as I
lot). For others, it’s smaller, with 2 of
when you get back. Enjoy the good, and
went. I’m no Scrooge, but one holiday at you sat on the sofa exchanging gifts and
the bad- even the terrible drunken games
a time please… All Hallows Eve, Bonfire breaking out the Buck’s Fizz early. And
of charades- because all of it, together,
Night, Christmas, New Year. This is the
there are so many more versions of the
is what really does make Christmas the
natural order.
same holiday that I can’t even scratch the most wonderful time o the year.
But although the shops are getting
surface.
earlier and earlier in their attempts to
Whether your Christmas includes a roast
lure people in for irresistible Christmas
dinner that is so filling you wonder if
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News
Contents
Gladiators Ready!........................5
Who’s That?................................7
Remembering the Fallen.............9
Battlefields Trip..........................10
History Trip................................13
Film Studies Trip........................14
Sport..........................................19
Features
Editorial.......................................1
What do you love about xmas....3
Rant...........................................10
Stuff That Matters......................11
Competitions.............................15
Short Story Winner....................16
Next Steps & Careers.................17
Weren’t they cute......................21
Sport
Page 19
Reviews
Games
Doctor Who 50th......................8
WWE 2K14................................18
Music
Trivium - Vengeance Falls..........18
Poppy Day
Page 9
Gladiators
Page 5
Competition
Page 21
Dr Who
Page 8
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 2
Feature
What Do
youLove
About Christmas
Molly Abernethie
“For me it has to be the chaos! The
whole family crammed into my front
room, all sitting on foot stools, cushions
on the floor or someone on the arm of
the chair. Everyone having a laugh. It’s
just ace to have my sisters and brother
all come home, and aunts, uncles,
grandma, everyone all in one room.”
Evie Coates
“My favourite thing is when you get
really thick snow and your house is
lovely and warm after walking home
from the bus stop!”
Joshua Peart
Personally, I couldn’t possibly pick one
favourite thing about Christmas, I love
that everyone seems to come together
and has such an enjoyable time. The
festivities and countdown to the day just
make everything extra special. I hope
you have a wonderful Christmas and a
Happy New Year!
?
By Ruby Howard
C
hristmas means something
different for everyone and
different things make it special
for each individual. We asked
you what made your Christmas so
great...
“I like the fact I can spend time with
my entire family because we all have
Christmas dinner together.”
Evie Coates
Jake Kershaw
“My favourite thing is all the Christmas
treats and food everyone gets, it makes
the season extra special and fun.”
Rosie Anderson
“My favourite part is the Christmas Gigs
my favourite bands put on.”
Sam Mcnally
“I really love the festive spirit and the
happiness it brings everyone.”
Joshua Hunt
“A cosy fireplace and lots of decorations
really makes me feel all Christmassy and
warm!”
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 4
Feature
Gladiators,
Ready?!
By Lewis Brown
FCSA- What We
Do…
W
hen we were discussing
what to do for Children in
Need during our weekly
FCSA meeting the most
common recurring idea was something
bouncy castle related. So, we went on a
bouncy castle hiring company’s website
and here we found a Gladiator’sinspired arena. We all adored the idea
of teachers beating each other senseless
for a good cause, so we decided to hire a
gladiator arena for Children in Need.
The result was fantastic. Students and
teachers alike paid to have a go in the
arena and you could tell everyone was
enjoying themselves, either having
a laugh on the podiums, or watching
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friends and teachers duke it out.
Not only was it fun to watch, but
it was good to know that it was all
going towards a good cause. Being a
member of FCSA you feel a sense of
accomplishment knowing that you
helped put this plan into fruition.
All in all it was a great experience
watching both students and teachers
have fun whilst doing something for
Children in Need. I hope next year turns
out the same if not better!
The Franklin College Student
Association, or FCSA for short, is
an extracurricular activity in which
members arrange events that take place
throughout college, such as Halloween
and Christmas themed events. As a
member of the FCSA I’m here to explain
what we do and how we can help you.
An individual member can be either an
ordinary FCSA member who can put
forward ideas and vote on an issue,
or can also be given a specific role.
Examples of roles are the president,
who arranges most of the meetings
and topics to discuss and the vice
president who also arranges meetings
and topics to discuss either in the
president’s absence or both take it in
turns every week. My role is year one
representative, where year one students
can tell me their college-related
problems and I’ll put them forward an
the next meeting.
Every Thursday we meet up and arrange
the events to take place in a democratic
process. Anyone can put forward and
idea and at the end we decide on which
ones would be the best to stick with.
For different events, members may be
given a certain job to do such as setting
up stalls and then putting them away.
Meetings aren’t all serious though, we
do have a laugh and a joke and we have
a friendly atmosphere during meetings.
Joining the FCSA gets you involved
in what goes on in college and it
looks great on your CV. I’d strongly
recommend joining as it shows that you
are able to take on responsibilities which
is an essential quality for many jobs and
it really pays off to see a well-planned
event be successful.
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 6
By James Armatage
Who’s That
?
By James Armatage
Doctor Who
The Day of The Doctor
O
n Friday 22nd November
Franklin was invaded by lots
of Doctor Whos even though
there was not a Dalek in sight.
They in fact came to the Doctor Who
celebration put on by the biggest Dr
Who fan in the world Emma Bell. Exactly
50 people turned up for the 50th year
of Dr Who (trust me it wasn’t planned.
People were asked to come in wearing
things related to Doctor Who with
people coming in fully dressed, fezzes as
well as bow ties (because as we all know
bow ties are cool). The fans watched a
mini-episode and other clips from the
show, before finishing the event with
a remote control Dalek battle. Emma
said “The support for the occasion has
been fantastic.” Word was spread via @
FranklinMaths on Twitter, in a similar
way to the methods used by the BBC
whilst marketing the anniversary.
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Cancel all weekend plans, they said.
Mark it in your diaries, they cried. For
the day is nigh. “Our future depends on
one single moment of one impossible
day, the day I’ve been running from
all my life. The day of the Doctor.”
The long-awaited, heavily hyped 50th
anniversary of a peculiarly British
phenomenon with 77 million viewers
worldwide and the highest Audience
Appreciation Index of any TV drama in
the UK.
There had been arguments about the
fact that we had no plans to see The
Day of the Doctor in one of the 3-D
selected cinemas across the UK. But
although it would have made all the
dreams of the 10-year-old come true,
an evening cinema visit would have
caused problems for those aged seven
and three, who would have been up
way past bedtime.
So TV it had to be, content in the
knowledge we were watching a
“simulcast in over 75 countries from
Canada to Colombia, Brazil to
Botswana and Myanmar to Mexico.”
“The world is watching,” intoned the
continuity announcer, putting on a
special spooky voice. Even the threeyear-old knew what was happening:
“It’s the Day of the Doctor!”
It was already slightly irritating that
Elizabeth I turned out not to be River
Song (Alex Kingston is even a lookeylikey). But Joanna Page heavingbosomed and bareback with David
Tennant will do. So much for the Virgin
Queen. Ding indeed.
“He’s kissed thousands of girls,”
squealed the seven-year-old as they
escaped from the horse-turnedrubbery-alien.
By the time the fez had appeared
three times and we had already been
to the War to End All Wars and 1562
and had the Ventolin gag several
times, I was exhausted. And we hadn’t
even had the merchandising shot of
the sonic screwdrivers yet. But it was
worth it for the triplet of Doctors shot:
“I’m looking for the Doctor.”
“Well, you’ve certainly come to the
right place.”
By this point, as it turned out the
Ventolin inhaler girl was also a shapeshifter, I was looking at Twitter for
reassurance. “Am I supposed to have
a vague idea of what’s going on or
is that the whole point?” read one.
“Relegated to margarita mixer as have
absolutely no idea what’s going on.”
Phew. Not just me, then.
Beautiful acting, though. “Did you
ever count how many children there
were on Gallifrey that day?”
“They’re what you become if you
destroy Gallifrey. The man who
regrets. The man who forgets. The
moment is coming. You have to
decide.” It was like Cup-a-Soups,
except you add time. Right. And you
could travel across time if you put
yourself in a painting. Or something.
I guess you have to do what you can
when you don’t have a Tardis.Still, it
was all worth it because, basically,
Billie Piper saved everyone. And
because we got this line: “I may
have the body of a weak and feeble
woman. But at the time so did the
Zygon.” I hope they did send Derren
Brown some flowers, by the way.
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 8
Remembering the Fallen
Battlefields Trip
Franklin College History students, Megan-Rose
Macdonald, James Ferrol, Oliver Seddon, Molly
Allman, Declan Handscombe and Leon Kemplay
put together this addition to the Poppy Appeal
Collection.
They raised another £20 which was sent as a
donation from the college to the British Legion.
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The English Battlefield’s trip was an incredibly moving experience. WW1 AND
WW2 have shaped the world into what
it is today, and yet I seemed to know
very little about it. At school, you briefly
learn about the allies, the “enemies”, the
reasons the war started (Sarajevo and
then Hitler): the outline. That’s all it is, a
hollow outline of all the war was.
You can learn all the facts and figures
and terms in the world to describe the
war and its casualties, but even though
these facts aren’t lies, they are not entire truths either. You can know there’s
a monument called Thiepval with the
names of 73,357 British and French soldiers, whose bodies were never found;
but you won’t know what it feels like to
stand underneath the arches and look
up reading the names until they’re too
high up for you to see them anymore.
You won’t know feel the respect and
solemnity, you won’t know what it feels
like to realise that behind all the numbers and names, there are real men who
had whole lives of their own.
3 days visiting various cemeteries and
battlefield’s including Tynecot, Delville
Wood (South African soldier’s monument), Vimy Ridge (Canadians), and
Langemark (German graves). 3 days was
enough to better understand the full
impact of the War; so many lives were
sacrificed and I’ve never felt more grateful.
It wasn’t all “doom and gloom”, sharing
evenings with friends was a welcome
aspect of the trip as well, the laughter
and fun appreciated more after the
sadness and loss of the cemeteries. I
know I speak on behalf of most of, if not
all, the people who went as well as me
when I say that we are not the same
people now, that got on the bus at the
beginning of the trip. It changed for the
better, so thank you to all the staff who
made this opportunity possible- it is not
one I will ever forget. We will remember
them.
By Stevie French
Just over a month ago an eclectic mixture of students (myself included) departed Grimsby for France, and it would
prove to be a unique emotional journey
for all of us as we retraced the steps of
the thousands of people who lost their
lives during the First World War. I would
confess that prior to the trip I had the
emotional range of a teaspoon, but after
seeing the sacrifice and horrors of the
war for myself, I found myself experiencing emotions I previously didn’t know I
had.
With the epidemic of emotion present
throughout the groups, we found comfort in communicating with each other
as an outlet. This led to the forming of
bonds and friendships between people
who, for many on the trip, would never
have otherwise associated. This all
resulted in a trip that ultimately change
the way many of us viewed both history
and our own lives for the better.
By Stevie French
By Ismail Stewi
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 10
Stuff That Matters
By Rosie Anderson
Russell Calls for Revolution
W
e all know Russel Brand for
his sense of humour, role
in various regrettable films,
divorce to Katy Perry and crazy hair,
but he is much more than a pretty
face. After what he described as a
‘spiritual rebirth’, he is voicing the need
for change and spiritual awakening in
western society. The Jeremy Paxton
interview catalysed growing attention
to the subject of a revolution, and the
‘Anonymous’ movement was voted the
most influential group this year.
The 5th November, 400 years ago, Guy
Fawkes plotted to blow up the houses of
parliament, but failed. This year, millions
of ‘Anonymous’ protesters marched
in 400 different countries, united by
one goal: social change. The masses
are starting to gain consciousness and
fighting together against corporate
greed. Anonymous have no single
leader, hence the mask-it represents
equality and unity while reminding
everyone of the V for Vendetta message.
Fighting against far reaching matters
such as internet freedom, GMO
labelling, corruption and false truths
in governments, Anonymous are ever
expanding but focused.
Russell Brand has a soft spot for politics,
despite admitting his lack of interest
in the subject. He says the vote ‘does
not represent power’ and refuses to
participate in the ‘political hockey
pokey, where every four years we get to
decide what colour the liar who leads us
wears’. We see different faces churning
out the same old recycled speeches,
regurgitating the same old lies, year
after year. He is not alone in feeling
utterly ‘bored by the illusion’.
After the broken promise to end tuition
fees, students have somehow lost trust
in the government. No wonder young
people are not interested in politics.
In Grimsby, we feel the first knock of
any cuts and see the rippling effects on
our town. At my school, children were
drinking, smoking and taking drugs,
each year starting earlier than the last.
The problems created by an undeserved
Page 11 - www.franklin.ac.uk
society will continue to accelerate while
the government continues to ignore
them.
The ruling class in our society benefit
from a system that they cushioned
around their toes, while the average
man feels cut after cut. It has reached
the extremity in our country that people
cannot even afford food. Why has it
come to that? In 2005, Topshop paid no
income tax in England on the £1.2 billion
they raked in. The cleaners that swept
the floor gave more back to our country
than that company did. This is not illegal;
it is systematic.
Multi-national corporations exploit the
workforce, rape the earth and poison
consumers. You probably already know
that Coca-Cola caused atrocious ground
water pollution and water shortages in
India. Not only did the company poison
the water source, the product poisons
humans too. Aspartame -which you
consume every time you glug down a
can of coke-was actually made illegal,
before suspiciously reappearing again.
It causes memory loss, headaches,
provokes brain tumours, Alzheimer’s and
MS, but of course it doesn’t say that on
the label. They do not care about the
planet, their workers or your heath. They
only care about money. Corporations are
bleeding our eco-system, abusing the
workforce, and controlling what you eat,
all in the name of profit.
But we let them get away with it. It
is easy to feel apathetic in a society
that has severed our link with nature,
isolated you from the true meaning of
your life and got you chasing fashion
and talking about Miley Cyrus, instead
of the agony in Syria. We have to move
together and fight back against greed
and corruption, soon. We are about
to see the biggest spiritual awakening
in western society and Anonymous is
growing stronger. Be part of it.
Rant
By Ismail Shtewi
It’s nearly Christmas- which means
Christmas will be over soon!
F
or most of you the Christmas
spirit has only recently arrived
this December, but for me
it’s been dragging on for a
month already. It first started with the
unannounced and equally unwelcome
exhumation of the abomination (aka
the Christmas tree), a towering effigy
that reminds me that people will soon
be losing their minds in the quest to buy
things they don’t need, with money they
don’t have, to impress people they don’t
like. It’s only a matter of time before
the infamous ‘Black Friday’ becomes
a regular staple of the British ‘Holiday
Season’.
The aforementioned effigy that scars
the previously pleasing landscape of
my living room, marks the incessant
bombardment of Christmas related
nonsense and should burn for its
crimes; these include poorly conceived
Christmas movies that are aired
unseasonably early (probably due to
climate change somehow), and the
unearthing of those inane ornaments.
These are assumed to be household
tradition despite making zero impact
upon the overall décor of the room and
just sit there seemingly forever gathering
dust and cluttering any free surfaces.
One thing that I cannot seem to
understand is the immersion of these
Christmas shops that I do believe
exclusively sell garbage. Garbage you
have ten of already, at home- occupying
already scarce floor space that you can’t
help but buy because IT’S CHRISTMAS!
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate
Christmas, but I do resent what it’s
become: a brainless frenzy to buy
whatever techno-crap we can lay our
hands on. Money sprayed at checkouts,
competing shoppers shunted out of
the way in a fit of rage over that last,
overpriced toy designed to condition
kids into thinking a certain way so that
they will make better customers in the
future.
Personally, I can’t wait for January so
that we can all settle down and finally
get back to sanity and civilisation.
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 12
History Trip:
London
Last week we had the privilege of visiting our nation’s capital with the History
department. It was an amazing experience for us and helped broaden our
understanding of the country’s heritage by giving us access to a range of valuable
primary sources, from walking through history in Churchill’s cabinet war rooms
to reading the heartbreaking love letters of the brave soldiers who fought and
died for our country. Alongside our journey through the past, we developed
our cultural understanding of the modern world with a visit to the Tate Modern
which was a moving and enthralling experience and an exploration of London’s
colossal consumer industry with visits to Oxford Street and Covent Garden. As
we travelled by train, rather than coach, we had the full commuter experience by
making the most of the famous London Underground and did a large amount of
travelling on foot too, covering around 29miles each. We arrived back to Grimsby
Train Station past 11pm, after several delays, everyone was exhausted but would
definitely agree it was a worthwhile and memorable experience.
Natasha Mitchell and Joshua Hunt
Page 13 - www.franklin.ac.uk
Film Studies Trip:
Aesthetica Film
Festival
On Friday the 8th of November I had
the pleasure of going along with other
Media/Film Studies Students on a trip
to the Aesthetica film festival in York,
and needless to say, it was a rather fun
experience. What is Aesthetica Film
Festival? It’s a Film Festival for Short
Film Makers to broaden their audience
and to inspire all the people who
want to make short films, something
it definitely made a good job of doing
from what I gathered from both my
own experiences and from asking
others about their own. Whilst I only
got to see one selection of Thriller
films because of how booked some
screenings were, I can honestly say
the experience was rather exceptional,
I enjoyed watching films made by
people who were once probably in my
shoes, and one of the film makers was
fortunate enough to have Emilia Clark
(Game of Thrones) star in their Thriller
‘Shackled’. My favourite film was ‘The
Black Scholes Conspiracy’ a film in which
a business man sets out to destroy a
corporation to avenge his wife, the film
was very enticing, well filmed, wellpaced and over all very enjoyable.
The Master Class was also really
intriguing, the class, taught by Cowboy
Film’s Lisa Bryer (Last King of Scotland)
basically told us all about how she came
to be in the film industry and how to get
there yourself, such as either starting
a You Tube channel and starting there,
or getting an internship at a production
company and working your way up
from the bottom, and also, much to my
delight as I’m a big fan of James McAvoy
told us of her experience with Last
King of Scotland, which proved to be
incredibly insightful and helpful.
I also took the liberty of interviewing
some people on their experiences too,
Catherine Pykett, a fellow Film student
who also enjoyed the experience
found both the films and master class
to be very “insightful” and found that
it “opened her eyes to a lot of other
styles and genres.” her favourite film
was an experimental titled ‘Ma Forest’,
and what she took from the experience
is “generally how you progress in the
industry.”. Steve Robson, Media Teacher
also enjoyed the experience, stating
how he “would love to go back for the
full thing” and his favourite film was
Documentary “The Other Side of The
Road”.
Overall I found the Festival to be an
incredibly helpful experience, I’d
recommend it to anyone who loves films
and is interested in making them, and I’d
absolutely love to go again, maybe for
the whole weekend so I can see more
films next time aswell.
By Bill Grant
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 14
Competitions
Do you have a digital camera
or cameraphone?
E-mail your picture to
sue.wallis@franklin.
ac.uk to win a £10
Voucher and a
chance to show your
work in the next
edition.
This months theme is
“Time”.
Creative Writing
Short Story Competition
Page 15 - www.franklin.ac.uk
Do you want to be
published?
Send your 500
word story to sue.
wallis@franklin.
ac.uk for a chance
to win a £10
Voucher and have
your story printed
in the next edition.
Short Story Winner
Story by Stevie French
It’s been 6 months since the invaders arrived; 6 months for man’s empire to fall.
We called it the Giant’s War at first; a vacuous, foolish judgement, for this is no more a war than it is between a
lion and a lamb.
They came in great machines of a dauntingly prolific amount, and stalked the world, rising above all. In their ethnocentric, pitiless view we are ants.
Swiftly they attacked, with weapons far beyond our prosaic minds, hoodwinking all national security. We were
overrun.
It’s been 6 months since humans were forced into hiding from the only Giants in this so called war. Belligerent,
unfeeling and unmerciful, they hunt us. Always.
*
I crept through the doorway, stepping further into the smell of decay and took care to avoid the strange, alien
plants that gripped the walls. Vibrant red stems contrast flaccid grey flowers of some kind; they appeared after the
invaders took root and are now just as ubiquitous as the dust that fills the air.
Hardly any light had managed to find its way through the blackened windows caked in dirt and grime. So I listened:
steady drips of water; the squeak of a hinge from a shutter outside; the protesting groan of floorboards as I shifted
my weight to my left foot.
“Watchit Casey.” I was concentrating so hard I jumped a mile in the air when Darren’s voice emerged from the
silence behind me.
“Darren, you pig!” I tried to punch him shakily on the arm but he dodged easily out of the way, chuckling under his
breath.
“Aw come on Case, lighten up.” I could picture the flash of his white teeth in the mischievous, benign smile he kept
just for me.
“You don’t take this seriously.”
“You take it too seriously.”
“Better serious and alive than funny and dead.”
“They won’t catch me. I was born lucky, always won scratch cards.”
“DARREN.”
“Okay, okay!” I felt his arms curl round my shoulders.
We moved silently out of the dank room and followed the hallway of what used to be a school. Broken lockers;
bent and misshapen formed menacing shapes in the gloom.
“Case… you know the chances of finding him are slim to none.”
“He’s my brother. I have to try.”
Darren sighed sadly, “I know, but-”
The silence exploded with a high pitched keening that had only one terrifying, succinct message: they’re here. I
whirled round.
The invader glared at us through black eyes, poised to attack, teeth bared. But the razor-like fangs aren’t what you
have to look out for. It’s their writhing tail with a poisonous barb that’s the most deleterious personal arsenal they
have.
And now it whipped toward us, quickly wrapping around Darren’s foot. For a moment, his eyes locked with mine intense and beautiful and understanding. Like the understanding you get when reading the penultimate chapter of
a book and you suddenly realise the ending.
Then he fell and the invader slowly dragged Darren towards him.
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 16
Reviews
Next Steps &Careers
Applying to Oxford –
From the Perspective
of a Student
For me personally, deciding to apply
for Oxford was one of the most nervewracking but exciting prospects of my
life so far. I first began to think about
applying to Oxford after I got my AS
results, which were far better than I ever
expected it gave me the confidence to
believe that I was capable of achieving
more. My choice to do History at degree
level was a decision I made in my first
year at college. As soon as I started
studying AS History I fell in love with it
and knew that if I had a career in History
I would have a happy and fulfilled
working life. I’ve found the experience
of applying for Oxford challenging but
thought provoking at the same time.
After sitting my HAT exam and sending
off a piece of written work to Oxford I
feel relieved and invigorated. Regardless
of the outcome I’ve found applying to
Oxford a worthwhile and rewarding
experience.
Medicine
Hi my name’s Lee Woolsey. I’ve studied
Medicine first at Durham and now at
Newcastle. This summer I spent 8 weeks
in various hospitals in Solomon Islands
on my elective placement. Moving
around different teams, I helped out on
the wards with tasks such as, practical
procedures and paperwork. In theatre
I was able to scrub in and assist with
operations, and did some minor surgery
myself under supervision, which was
pretty scary! It was an amazing
opportunity to be able to contribute,
whilst also learning loads from the
doctors there who achieve so much with
very limited resources.
It wasn’t all work and no play though;
I explored the islands, scuba dived at
some of the best wrecks and reefs in the
world, swam with dolphins and turtles,
and spent time with the Solomon people
and other medical students from around
the world. After a holiday in Australia
WWE 2K14
Platform: Xbox 360,
Playstation 3
Wrestlemania X. This offers hours of
nostalgic goodness depending on what
era you grew up watching as you start
at the original Wrestlemania in 1984
and make your way to the most recent
Wrestlemania XXVIIII. Wrestling fans
such as me will enjoy recreating matches
we remember watching when we were
younger.
on the way home, I’m back in Newcastle
for the 5th (and hopefully final!) year,
completing my senior placements in the
various specialities before final exams
next summer.
I hope you’re all enjoying your time at
Franklin - I was there 2006 to 2008. I
have great memories of my college days
and I’m very grateful to all of the staff
who helped me to get into university
and gave me the opportunity to have all
of these amazing experiences.
By Laura Birkinshaw
Choosing university is one of the most
important decisions of your life, so
deciding to apply for Oxford has always
been a big deal for me. Oxford has been
something that I have wanted for such
a long time, I decided to apply when I
was still at secondary school and I have
known for a long time that politics is
my calling in life, this is unusual for
anyone and deciding to apply can be
something you can chose at any point
prior to the deadline. The uniqueness
of the application process to Oxford
can be daunting but for me sitting my
entrance exam and waiting to be told
whether I have an interview has give me
a rush. It is exciting going through the
process and no matter the outcome I
will always know that I tried. From my
experience applying for Oxford I can
only recommend to you to pick what
you want to learn and to not be put off
by the application process, at the end
of the day if you are suited to learning
in Oxford you will get there somehow,
someway.
By Sarah Barber
Page 17 - www.franklin.ac.uk
Whitehall
This summer I had the opportunity to take part in an internship for two weeks in the
civil service in Whitehall, London. After hesitating over applying for the application
following its advertisement through college, I finally applied. (The application takes
around 1 ½ hours).
With everything paid for including food, accommodation, travel and entertainment,
all you need to worry about is making a good impression. Working in the Department of Health I had fantastic opportunities such as going to a press conference with
Jeremy Hunt, meeting the permanent secretary of health, visiting 10 Downing Street
and meeting Nick Clegg at an evening reception.
I would recommend anyone that is eligible against the criteria to apply, as along with
providing me with an amazing experience which looks great on my personal statement, it also helped me to decide my future career path, meet friends and have a
taste of life in government. Check out your college emails/newsletters, search for the
Social Mobility Foundation, and apply!
By Lois Harmer
What is it:
2K Games’ first wrestling game
published celebrating 30 years of
Wrestlemania.
Pros
Despite being published by 2K Games,
the controls are the exact same as
previous THQ WWE games, meaning
that they are smooth and fluid.
Some new moves have been added
avoiding the stigma of it being the
same game as last year. A cool new
feature to mention is that you can now
catapult your opponent into the air after
throwing them into the ropes and then
catch them in midair with your finishing
move. It doesn’t do anything special but
it sure as hell looks cool.
The 30 years of Wrestlemania feature
is a nice idea, celebrating 30 years of
WWE’s most famous event. This feature
lets you recreate classic Wrestlemania
matches over the decades such as
Shawn Michaels taking on Razor Ramon
for the Intercontinental Championship
in the first ever ladder match at
Cons
Just like the previous games, the
graphics are still below average.
Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 had better
graphics than these past couple of
games!
The actual wrestling is way too reversal
based. The main reason why people
honour the wrestling games made by
AKI for the Nintendo 64 as the greatest
wrestling games of all time is because
things like reversing moves actually
required skill, whereas here all you
need to do is press one button when
the prompt shows. You could be on
a massive comeback after taking a
beating only to have one reversal stop all
momentum you had leaving you back to
where you started. This is frustrating as
it makes some matches feel like a battle
of luck rather than actual skill.
Sadly, the online is still terrible. If you're
lucky you can get a good match going,
but in most cases every action you
make will have a 1-3 second delay on it
no matter how good your connection is.
Final Verdict: 3/5 stars
Trivium
Vengeance Falls
By Chris KIng
It’s been 10 years since Trivium’s debut
album “Ember to Inferno” and what
better way to celebrate? Frontman
Matt Heafy’s vocal techniques have
been more diverse due to lessons
with Disturbed’s David Draiman,
giving us a new sound and yet still
capture his distinct style. There is
significantly less growling from Heafy
but his performance is still enjoyable
to listen to. As always the guitar riffs
between Heafy and Corey Beaulieu are
catchy and just plain awesome. Paolo
Gregoletto’s bass technique is similar
to Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris, involving
Harris’ trademark “galloping” technique
which I, as a bassist myself, am a huge
fan of. My personal favourite songs on
this album would have to be “Brave this
Storm” and “Strife”. To wrap things up I
strongly recommend this album to both
Trivium fans and metal fans alike.
By Lewis Brown
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 18
Sport
Beaming smiles bring
about inspiration!..
Disability Sport
Franklin College
Students get recognised
for their brilliant
work!!...
England Flying
to the Favela
By Joe Lilley
By Our Sport Team
A
s part of the Franklin College
Leadership Academy Myself
(Abi Heywood) and Lily Davies
have been assisting the
disability sports group for the past 6
weeks commencing the 3rd of October,
with 5 participants over the six weeks
we have had 4 who have attended every
practice since the start.
The game Boccia - an adapted style of
bowls in which the ball must get closest
to the ‘Jack’ through any means of
propulsion, be it by kicking, throwing
or rolling the ball down a shoot - has
been our focus for these past weeks
and we have been able to witness the
development of friendship, skill and
determination.
This group have played matches against
one another in practice to better their
skills and have fun, it has been very
clear that there is a healthy competition
between us all and this has brought a
focus to our own abilities.
Each individual has excelled with a
determination I have never seen, there
have been different winners each week
showing that each person has had their
chance to be the best: and even now
they are still striving to do better…
Last week (21st November) we
witnessed something which really
inspired those around them and put
a smile on mine, Lily’s and CJ’s faces,
Connor and Andy two wheelchair users
decided they wanted to have a try at
badminton.
We helped Andy and Connor to practice
their serves, Andy struggled at first so I
went over and helped him just by simply
dropping the shuttle and showing him an
Page 19 - www.franklin.ac.uk
easier way to hit the shuttle with more
accuracy, within 10 minutes he was
serving over the net and was able to also
return some of the shots. In this time
Connor had sought out the badminton
coach to ask if he could have a go as
well, the coach found him a suitable
racket and showed him how to return
shots, Connor also had some issues
with returning the shuttle but with time
his accuracy and skill had improved by
100%, at the end of his 10 minutes he
had returned every single shuttle, over
the standard height net, and then he
proceeded to say one more go (several
times)!
The beaming smiles we’ve seen over the
6 weeks have been such an inspiration,
and the 2 faces of Andy and Connor
this week who took to a task many able
bodied people shy away from. The group
of individuals everyweek have set out
to do their best exceeding their own
expectations.
Their success inspired and impressed us
so much and we hope to help them to
try out as many sports as they like .
New sports are currently in the process
of being arranged for this group of
students for all year round and they
are going to be playing a Boccia match
against Humberston Academy before
Christmas.
Since the beginning of the year a
number of students have been making
positive impacts within the community.
They have been helping the local School
Sports Partnership with the delivery
sports events for Primary School aged
children and also College Sport Maker
events. These events have been a range
of different sports such as, hockey,
netball, basketball, x-country, football,
badminton, disability sports and
sportshall athletics.
All the student volunteers have come
away saying how much they’ve enjoyed
helping out with the events and the
buzz this has given them being able to
help other young people to enjoy sports
events as much as they used to!!
The volunteers and CJ Stephens (College
Sport Maker) have gained some very
positive feedback and compliments on
the fantastic work they have been doing.
They’ve been told how well they present
themselves, how mature they are and
how motivating and they are so willing
to help the children. Because of how
impressed school staff have been with
Franklin Students they have even been
asked to go into school themselves to
help with the delivery of sports.
Volunteering can make a real difference
to your own life and the lives of people
around you. It helps to improve your
communication skills, increase your
confidence and self esteem, enhance
you CV and develop knowledge
and experience around the area of
volunteering you wish to focus on and
much, much more. If you’re looking to
pursue a career or university course
based around helping people, delivering
to an audience or that role that required
patience and confidence which most
do…get involved and start making an
impact on yourself and young people
today…!
There is some great volunteering work
going on and you can still be involved!!
For more details speak to CJ Stephens in
the Sports Department.
sportmaker@franklin.ac.uk
01472 875000 Ext. 799
England faced Poland in a must win
game to qualify for the Brazilian world
cup. The pre match buzz was bigger than
ever tickets were sold out; Wembley
was full with the ever optimistic England
fans and 16,000 travelling Polish fans.
The stage was set all England had to get
was the crucial first goal. Half time soon
approached and the game was still without a goal but in the forty-first minutes
Wayne Rooney stepped up and headed
England on their way to Brazil. Critics
feared England would not be able to
hold on in the second half but Hodson’s
men came out fighting, strong performances from the likes of Baines and
Townsend in the second half ensured a
clean sheet. Finally to end the game on a
high captain Steven Gerard gambles and
nabs the ball by interception of a weak
pass across the polish defence. He then
has excellent vision to lift the ball over
the advancing Szczesny. England can get
the factor 50 out now. They’re going to
Brazil! Almost exactly 40 years since the
Three Lions last needed to beat Poland
in a make-or-break World Cup qualifier
– and the man who stopped them then
was back in town to witness England’s
revenge.
Thinking of going to witness history?
Think again, with world cup travel packages ranging from £3,000 to £15,000 and
then with the cost of tickets and a few
beers. Means you will need to splash out
if you want to follow your team to the
streets of Brazil.
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 20
Weren’t
1
They Cute
3
2
Match the Teacher to the
Child and win a £10 gift
Voucher
Name............................................................
Progress Coach.............................................
7
4
5
6
8
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Match the teacher to the child by picking the teacher’s
number and childs letter.
When finished, hand in to the LRC!
Child
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Page 21 - www.franklin.ac.uk
Teacher
H
www.franklin.ac.uk - Page 22
Photo Competition Winner: Baily Mawer