Hi Student Body,

Welcome to your second ever issue of BlueMoon!

Well this second issue has proved a challenge, with a tight deadline and lots of responibil-ity we’ve certainly had our work cut out. However despite a few teething problems, we’ve all gained some valuable work experince and hopefully have given you a student maga-zine to be proud of!

Thank you to all those who got involved with this issue, we’ve had lots of eager volunteers and a special thank you to Kenny and Alaster for working so hard to get this snazzy maga-zine looking great.

We would love to have a little feedback from you lovely readers (email below). Keep checking universe.uhsu.co.uk for an up to date bluemoon blog (coming soon).

Love,Emma & Charlotte

editors.bluemoon@gmail.com.

EditorsCharlotte StockEmma Jones

DesignKenny EnglandAlaster Armitage-BrainJames Ellis

LegendsThom PalserFilip HnizdoChris Ulph

uhsu.co.uk/media

Name: Lynette MooreYear of Study: 3rd-eek!Studying: Humanities- English Literature, me-dia, journalism and SpanishAchievement: Biggest achievement? Being the first female station manager of Crush of course!

Hello Lynette how are you?

I’m good, a little tired as it’s 11pm. I still haven’t eaten dinner and I’m still sorting out Crush stuff! But it’s all good, I’m happy that it’s all going well.

That sounds like it’s a lot of work. However how does the title of Crush station manager make you feel? It feels pretty good actually. I didn’t realise I was the first so I’m chuffed!

How did you get this position?

I was elected at the big media meeting earlier this year.

I hear you’re the first female to get this posi-tion that is amazing so do you boss all the boys around? I’m afraid I do a bit! I think I’m turning into the Margaret Thatcher of student radio! But seri-ously though I work them hard for the good of Crush and we are a tight team.

What does this position give you for when you leave University?

Experience! In managing people and situations, communication, thinking on your feet, budget-ing and last but not least radio skills!

What do you want to do when

you leave uni?

Get into radio or TV production. I want to be an executive producer or director some day.

Wow you’re a women with a lot of ambition! Go you! How will you do this?

Hopefully by wowing people with my CV but also by doing as much work experience as possible. I did some placements this year at the BBC and at a TV production company and loved both.

Any advice you would give to fresher’s?

Get involved in media or whatever makes you happy! There’s no better time than now and you will not only get new skills but also make loads of new friends.

By Charlotte Stock

PIGGY BACK: INTER CAMPUS TRANSPORT INITATIVEBY TINA MANDERThe University of Hertfordshire has set up a new system to help students and staff when travelling between the De Havilland cam-

pus and the College Lane campus. The new motto is

“Please be nice and ride”

which means that if you are waiting for the UNO bus to arrive, or if it is filled up for in-stance, then offer your back and give some-one a piggy back ride to the other campus.

The University are investing £17,000 for footpaths to be built for piggy back riders. Due to health and safety precautions, how-ever, it is advised you fill out the confirma-tion letter (see website) and return it with a passport sized photograph of yourself so that you can carry a piggy back ride pass with you. Random checks will be taken on piggy back riders and the carriers.

Continued on Page 24

TOP SOCIETY AWARDThis month, the Society of Butlery has been voted our favourite.Here, you will learn the secrets of being a butler, for example mastering the proper way of stretching your arms when clean-ing chandeliers. Head Ralph Ligit urges for students to join in the fun, “You won’t regret it we have so much fun and model ourselves Jeffrey, also known as Geoffrey,

from the Fresh Prince, who has agreed to fly over here and help us out.” G, made no comment. Society of Butlery also offers trips to the Royal Butler Institute for further in-depth seminars. If you would like to get involved in this society, sign up on the ‘UH But-lery’ Facebook page for more info.

STUDENT RAVE IN TEXASUS SPECIALThe University of Hertfordshire’s annual trip every February has been arranged at long last. For February 2011, stu-dents and teachers have the chance to go to Texas with the aim of finding Thomas Hewitt. This trip will particu-larly be favoured by Geography and History students as the students will be watching the old Texas Chainsaw Massacre films to help them locate where Thomas Hewitt might have gone to since his disappearance in 1974. Ge-ography students will help them locate him. Dr Mary Claire, who is running the trip, will be holding a meeting on 18th October in the Sports Village at 1pm. She says, “It is advised that you attend to get the low down on the expenses. This will be a first come, first serve basis. We will also allocate spaces first to those who have short nails and nice breath. According to the Oxford Jour-nals I have a PhD in; Thomas does not like to be scratched on.”

Continued on Page 13

EXCLUSIVE: UNO BUSSES REPLACED

Illustration by Nicola Suckling

Saturday, 9th October 2010 saw the first of many cel-ebrations to come. It was the night that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s groundbreaking musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ hit its well deserved 24th Anniversary. The 24th Anniversary performance was led by a flaw-less cast, featuring Scott Davies in the title role as ‘The Phantom’ and Sofia Escobar as ‘Christine Daae’. The most effective attribute between the two was the sheer chemistry; Scott’s Phantom, an even more tragic portrayal of the titular character, a lost, tor-tured soul. However, Scott always manages to stay on top form with this character & brings a ‘charm’ to the role, yet there is a sense of isolation. What make’s Scott a terrific actor for such a tough role is his sheer passion for the show itself, he arrives to a job he loves doing. This is easily noticed in not just his outstanding vocalisations, but in his acting. The man you see perform the role of ‘The Phantom’, is not Scott at all. Scott is the man back stage, as soon as the lavish costume, the make-up & the famous Mask goes on; he instantly becomes this tragic figure.

Sofia Escobar, a truly wonderful actress and young soprano. She plays the character of Christine, she plays the part unlike any previous actress. Sofia’s portrayal of ‘Christine’ was almost child-like in man-ner yet sweet and innocent as the role ought to be played out. During the performance, her charac-ter began to develop as the show moved on caus-ing the audience to really show sympathy for her.

The orchestrations of ’Phantom’ are still without a doubt, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best score, from the powerfully establishing ’Overture’ at the start of the show, to the classically beautiful melodies of ‘The Music of the Night’, gracefully sung by Scott Davies with much enthusiasm, power, and a seductive charm, and ’All I ask of you’, sung beautifully by So-fia Escobar and Will Barratt (Raol)with dramatic form and a romantic touch. The title song ‘The Phantom of

the Opera’ is one of the most memorable sequences ever shown in theatre; an illusive stage forms into The Phantom’s world, bridges which show the de-cent into ‘The Labyrinth’, dry ice, candelabras which rise through the mist, all which form a scene unlike any other. Scott Davies is a wonderful actor in my opinion the best Phantom to ever play at ‘Her Maj-esty’s Theatre’. His voice transcends from low, sooth-ing notes to a full, powerfully created sound. When ‘The Phantom’ appears as this mysterious charac-ter, he lures ‘Christine’ into his world of music, us-ing her angelic voice like an instrument as his world unfolds. Sofia sings like no other, her voice is strong yet sweet with a hint of youth and the chemistry be-tween Scott and Sofia works so well, a perfect duet. This show is now 24 years of age simply because of the ‘power’ it creates, it has earned itself over 50 awards and has been seen by over 100 million peo-ple worldwide in over 25 countries. The allure of this amazing piece of musical theatre continues to en-chant the world, even if musical theatre is not your cup of tea, this show certainly will not disappoint. If you haven’t see this show, then where have you been? If you haven’t seen a musical before, particu-larly in the West End, make sure this will be your first.

by Christopher Marsh

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

P.5

I couldn’t wait to get away, to start afresh and sketch out a brand new slate. I had lists of things I wanted to take, a whole bedroom full of ticked-off itineraries, highlighted and underlined lists of everything and anything important I could think of: wallet, phone, charger,

condoms, a floor scattered with wel-come leaflets, the true A to Z guide, the ultimate A to Z guide and every other A to Z guide with an equal or more powerful name to precede it.

I was raring to go, ready to grab uni-versity by the horns and ride it like a mother beast. The morning of the

move had arrived, I jumped in the car with my less than enthusiastic Dad who was more concerned with why we had to leave before lunch rather than at what time registration started.

After a long, drawn out, drive listen-ing to what I thought were the the ramblings of a tired and over-zealous driver (oh how I wish I listened more intently to those pep talks now) we arrived at College Lane Campus.

Settling in was hard. Naturally, as a first year student I had this pre-concieved idea that clothes washed themselves, food supplies never ran out and bedrooms would magically replace that old fart smell with scents of the forest. I learnt the hard way.Having spent more than a few days in the same t-shirt and having to resort to pasta with a spoon of chunky pea-nut butter in, I decided it was time to grow up and get on with living alone. Shopping for myself was a wake up call, I knew from the experiences of living with parents that bread and milk were a necessity, but beyond that, everything else was a mystery.

I was left with unanswered questions

like: “what’s that sauce mum used in the pasta?” and “can I buy fruit sepa-rately or can I buy it in bunches and if I can buy it in bunches, what is the advantage?” My mind ran wild.

Soon, however, I realised I wasn’t alone. More to the point, I wasn’t incapable of finding out for my-self about the pasta, or the fruit, or anything else I wanted because I was now a Herts student. We’re not afraid to buy the wrong pas-ta sauce only to find out that it is the wrong pasta sauce, because if anyone asks... we’ll tell them we meant to buy that pasta sauce.

“I was raring to go, ready to grab university by the horns and ride it like a mother

beast.”

By Dean Fletcher

The current body of work originates from re-search aimed at examining the significance of ornamentation in ceramics, with specific refer-ence to craft as a separate entity within contem-porary art. The work intends to transcend the inherent aspect of practical functionality fixated to the notion of making craft objects. It rather focuses attention on reading into the altered meaning of decorative artifact through a para-digm of our material culture. The need to create and build with my hands, experimenting with form, texture and tactile surfaces, are a few but major factors that instinctively drive my work.

The tiling objects I create empathically refer to the infiltration of adornment (pattern) into our everyday lives within the domestic sphere. Touching bases of a distinct body art form known as ‘henna’ in the West, it metaphori-cally emphasizes on the fraction where human body also becomes a place that inhabits art.

The obsessive detail and intricate designs seen in the individual pieces has materialized out of a conscious decision to explore the plethora of patterning skills within the confines of Islamic anionics; a study that negates the portrayal of

human figure and other animate species in art. Observing the rich decorative traditions of Is-lamic culture, the work celebrates a combination of arabesque pattern, mainly focusing on floral and paisley motifs. Approaching the fringe of conventional tile making techniques and fusing it with a practical yet inventive method by us-ing carved wooden blocks for indenting designs in to semi-hardened clay slabs for interior spac-es thus lies at the core of my creative practice.

Clay as a material with its malleable potential and transformative quality to solidify yet still remain fragile within the process indeed serves its pur-pose by replacing the traditional canvas, it allows ideas to flow as well as to permeate mark making while I shift between dimensions and processes.

From a stand point of a maker, crossing over the fine art divide and stepping in to explore it alongside ceramics (craft) has made fusing concept and skill easier in immeasurable ways.

I aspire to keep this knot tied as ide-as inspire and possibilities make their way in order to drive my creativity.

Remixing work by Empire of The Sun, The Prodigy and Dizzee, Sub Focus certainly proved a crowd pleaser at The Forum Hertfordshire.

Sub Focus came around in 2003 when one of his demos landed in the hands of drum and bass big shot Andy C. Within weeks, Sub Focus stormed the drum and bass scene as his tracks were released. Since then Sub Fo-cus has played various gigs and festivals, including this year’s Bestival, and supporting Pendulum on their 2010 tour. He is also the mastermind behind Example’s track ‘Kickstarts’ featured on the album ‘Won’t Go Qui-etly’. Various tracks exult a techno vibe, whilst others depict a grounded Drum’n’Bass feel. Unlike the other acts of freshers, Sub Focus proved to be something for everyone. I think most had a pretty dank time that evening.

P10

The first thing that came to mind when listening to the boys from High Wycombe was that this was one of the reasons I chose Herts. The music scene. During the performance I had previously lost all my friends that evening, so I was pretty content standing and watching the alternative-rock band. May of this year saw Young Guns complete their own headline tour which dated in different areas around the UK, leaving them time to grace the Forum with their presence. During their per-formance it was clear to see their popularity through the amount of fan boys. Not really my cup of tea but was great to see a live band; takes me back to Brum.

I am yet to shut up about her. Do you know why? Because she is dank. I remain in shock that my chums haven’t smacked me in the face as I have now named her ‘Diana

Dankerz’. The best thing about the Vickers is her individuality. When we consider the various product’s of Cowell’s money making corporate machine, we forever link the art-ists that come of the show, with the show, thus tainting their careers. What Vickers has done, is break the mould. Her debut album conveys a sense of individuality and a long awaited release of personal ideas. The likes of Nerina Pallot, Patrick Wolf, Ellie Goulding and Dev Hynes aka Lightspeed Champion have all contributed to her album ‘Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree’. Peo-ple will remember Vickers as the girl with the distinctive voice and rather questionable hand gestures.

During her performance I saw lit-tle of ‘the hand’ and her voice was

much more astounding than I pre-dicted it would be. I strongly recom-mend taking a look at her cover of Snow Patrol’s ‘Just Say Yes’. The X factor’s marmite did a great job.

So, Roll Deep bailed on Herts, but worry no more; Kano to the rescue. As one of the UK’s most prestigious grime acts, Kano certainly stepped up proving he was lord of the mic. At the young age of 17, Kano stepped up against Wiley in Lord of the Mics 1 in one of the most recognisable clashes of the grime scene. Despite his more mainstream tracks including ‘Nite Nite’ and ‘this is the girl’, Kano’s flare for underground grime doesn’t go unno-ticed. Despite Kano’s musical style not being my preference, you gotta give it to him, he certainly get’s a crowd going.

Words by Ryan Ward Pictures by Charlotte MaddoxLayout by Kenny England P11

Set in Charlestown, Boston, where violence is rife and crime is survival, ‘The Town’ offers intruiging mixture of brawn, brutal-ity and brave ambition. Directed by, and starring, Ben Affleck (as Doug MaCray), the film explores Doug’s desire to escape the chains of Charlestown, where robbery is a family trade in which the tricks are passed down from generation to generation.

The opening sequence shows Doug and his men holding up a bank and taking bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage in order to successfully complete the job. Bound and blind-folded, a terror-ised Claire is released with no physical harm (although the psycho-logical damage is deep-rooted) and spends the following month attempting to put the ordeal behind her. Unbeknownst to her, the gang are hot on her pursuit after Doug’s right-hand woman and best friend, Jem, suspects she maybe able to identify him as one of her abductors. Sent in to survey her, Doug ends up falling for Claire and in doing so igniting an ambition to escape the lifestyle that comes in hand with Charlestown. In his own words, MaCray is desperate to put the “whole fuckin’ town in [his] rear-view mirror.”

The subsequent plot, although exciting, is some what pre-dictable, with Charlestown residents such as Jem, Jem’s sister (Doug’s old flame) and a leather-faced, drug-dealing florist (who heads the jobs that Doug is involved in) refusing to accept this decision to leave. Without revealing too much,’The Town’ has quite a touching plot considering its content, and Rebecca Hall delivers a delicate and convincing performance as an un-likely character to find herself caught up in this violent world. Although delivered with charm (and likely to gain empathy, and maybe even capture the heart of female audiences), Af-fleck’s is somewhat questionable as to whether, realistically, a man of his nature would have survived this far in Charlestown.

Exciting, enjoyable and packed with action, it is nonetheless a film worth watching.

You’re after a descrip-tion, really? Just go read the book, it’s a w e s o m e !

Peter Highman (Downey) is hur-rying to catch a flight in time for the birth of his first child. But on the way he meets as-piring actor, Ethan Tremblay (Gal i f ianak is) , who persuades

him to hitch a ride instead. (Comedy)

“Modern fam-ily” Nic and Jules are married with two teenage children, Joni and Laser, who were conceived by a donor in-semination. But as Joni prepares to leave for col-loege, fifteen-

year-old Laser asks her to help find their biological father. (comedy/drama)

P12

The 2004 remake of George Rome-ro’s shambling monstrosity horror is much better than you may ex-pect. While die-hard Romero fans probably are shaking their heads and screaming ‘NO!’ at this choice, I find this film to be perfect for this Hallowe’en. I think a certain epic scene that happens after the cred-its will sway undecided viewers.

Gore FactorHigh

Jump FactorHigh

Mental Scaring FactorLow (unless your scared of zombies)

A Hallowe’en film for those who cannot handle too much horror. While Bride of Chucky is a part of the ‘Child’s Play’ franchise, this film is watch-able without having to un-derstand the plot of the first three films. More comedy than true horror.

Gore FactorHigh

Jump FactorFair

Mental Scaring FactorLow

The original ‘scary pale lady’ Japa-nese horror film. Ringu is a must-watch horror film for Hallowe’en. The fact that it is subtitled, forc-ing you to remain

watching the screen, makes it even more pants-wettingly horrifying.

Gore FactorLow

Jump FactorBoiling Hot

Mental Scaring FactorMaximum

The 1980s clas-sic! While a must-see for all horror fans, the campy 1980s hairstyles/c l o t h i n g / s l a n g makes this pretty funny to watch.

Gore FactorHigh

Jump FactorHigh

Mental Scaring FactorLow

Turn it into a drink-ing game, un-less the sight of blood makes you lose the contents of your stomach.

P13

As far as anticipation for an entertainment release goes, Halo:Reach is well up there with the best of them. With Halo grossing $3,000,000 in its first week alone, Reach has a lot to live up to but believe me you won’t be disappointed!

Reach is a prequel to the original Halo game, detail-ing the fall of Reach, a planet colonised by the human race.

You play as the newest recruit into ‘Noble Team’, a team of elite sol-diers known as Spartans, who are developed to be faster, stronger and more resilient than other soldiers. Spartans are used as the humans’ major tool against battling the Covenant, an alien race who sought to destroy the human race in any way they can, and are attacking Reach.

Like the other titles in the series, Halo Wars aside, the game is a first person shooter. What sets the title aside from other FPS games such as the Call of Duty series is the strategy used in defeating the ene-mies. In Halo: Reach you’re not a normal human, and therefore, aren’t going to go down easily. Unlike most games in its genre, Reach is more of a run-and-gun type of game, with your character being able to take down numerous enemies before hav-ing to take cover and wait for your shields to recover.

This gives the game quite a hectic feel, as though you can realistically be a one man-army fighting the Covenant. What adds to this feel is the large variety of weapons at your disposal. Weapons are divided into human weapons and Covenant laser-based guns. Naturally, both sides have their advantages and you can adapt your style of play appropri-ately. For example, if you prefer to accurately dispatch numerous ene-mies while remaining safe (a strategy that I would recommend on the higher difficulties), go for the human weapons, or go in all guns blaz-ing and try to destroy them all at once with the Covenant weaponry.

For any hardcore Halo fans out there, one thing to note is that you aren’t just limited to having sprint as an option for that trusty LB but-ton anymore. This can be swapped out for various different abilities

such as creating a hologram decoy of yourself, and even a jetpack, both of which can really alter the game, both online and off.

Unfortunately, graphically Reach doesn’t exactly ex-cel. It’s not awful by all means, but it has never been developer Bungie’s strong point. Sometimes, you feel like the non-player characters you’re look-ing at have faces that are flatter than an ASDA value pancake, and the sea-based environments

look grimier than Southend in the middle of winter.

Nowadays, a crucial point point of a game is its on-line options, and Reach has been loaded with extras ga-

lore and an online ‘rank-up’ system, similar to that seen in most online games of late which will keep you occupied. The higher ranks give you more options to customise your armor for your online Spartan and quite obviously, bragging rights.

WIth so much available Halo:Reach will keep you play-ing until you miss last week’s assignment deadline... again.

7/10