It’s been almost a year since Edward Snowden’s insider info about the United States National Security Agency (NSA) came to light, via Glen Greenwald at the Guardian. Specifically, that the NSA was illegally collecting massive amounts of data about American citizens. Just like that, we knew for a fact what many had suspected for years, that the government was spying on us. It wasn’t a huge surprise to most. People made jokes about government surveillance and those who wanted to show off would say anti-government messages on the internet. It was as if to prove that if the…
Author: Wyatt Warner
Coldplay are not the type of band that whips fans into frenzy over an album release. They don’t play fun pop earworms or even divisive music that rides its controversy to stardom. That’s never been a problem though–understatement is the backbone of their music. Besides, they’ve never been lacking for fans who’d rather listen to their music in the car on their way to work than in a sold-out arena. So there is no reason to get excited over their latest album, ‘Ghost Stories’. But even without hype or controversy, even without any context on which to predict its quality,…
The icon of the security office and unofficial mascot of Ffriddoedd halls site, known by many names to many students but universally as Security Cat, has died. A surrogate pet for those missing their own, and a calming influence on stressed students, he could often be seen lying in the box for maintenance request forms, or, on sunny days, on the pavement outside. He was found as a kitten seventeen years ago by a night security guard in the bushes just outside the security lodge. The security guards adopted him and he stayed there ever since. Soon after his adoption,…
Though last year’s game was close, this year, Bangor was behind from the very start. Club Captain Joanna says that Aber’s team was stronger than last year, especially on defense. In comparison, Bangor’s team had a high number of freshmen, though Joanna says that they played well for a new team. Bangor did step up their game during the second half, especially the third quarter, which they won 9-8.
Bangor earned a point lead very early on in the game, which they maintained throughout. The team attributes their success to teamwork and solid play from each of their players. Star player Bryanna (#44, pictured) said that whenever she went for a goal her team was always there to back her up. Another player, Jenny (#14) said that even the team’s weaker players played very well. It was Jenny’s last game after six years with the team, and she said she was glad to end on a win. Bangor capitalized well on Aber’s mistakes—a fumble of the ball or a…
Too often a TV show will have a great first season, creating a unique if incomplete identity for itself, fumbling its way into the mainstream, only to crumble from the attention and expectations heaped onto it in its second season. This is not the case with House of Cards. The showrunners moved nowhere but forward with the Netflix original’s 13-episode second season, following villain-protagonist Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his rising power in the American government. The second season is bigger in scope than the first, without seeming melodramatic or forced, expanding naturally into more settings and viewpoints to further…
As we approach the 20th anniversary since the tragic death of Kurt Cobain, our resident American and Seattle-native Wyatt gives us a lesson into grunge music and its legacy today. Punk music is like particle physics—observation fundamentally changes it. It’s rare for a punk band to enter the mainstream without adjusting its music; for example, by incorporating pop influences to sound more like the music on the radio, or polishing the genre’s trademark roughness to appeal to a wider audience. That’s why it was so impressive when a few bands from Seattle rose to stardom in the 90s without compromising…
I was raised in the notoriously Democratic Washington state; the home of hipsters, Nirvana, and Microsoft. During the last election, we were not just one of the states to vote to re-elect Obama, but we also legalized recreational marijuana and gay marriage. Not only that, but my parents are biologists, so it was no surprise that I grew up listening to Bob Dylan and growing my own organic vegetables. I was as liberal as Barack Obama’s use of the word “folks.” So when, at age eleven, I moved to Enumclaw, a conservative farm town an hour away from Seattle, I…
When the browser prompted me, I rated Paula’s Home Cooking at 1 star. Not that I minded the show, or that I had even seen it, but I had seen one too many “recommended for you” sections filled with cooking shows. I had the certainty of a fourteen year old that my taste in television was the best, and I wanted my family’s shared Netflix account to acknowledge that, no matter how hungry my brother seemed to be. At least I recognized Paula Deen’s show, unlike the ones that showed up whenever my dad used the account. The TV shows that…