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Bangor History: The University

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By on History

In examining the history of Bangor, it is impossible to ignore Bangor University. Even more so for one of its students, writing in one of its studios, on one of its computers, with its logo sewn on to the side of his jacket – all of which I am, and it is. So it’s no surprise that I won’t be ignoring the university, and in fact I’ll be starting with it. To this end, I spoke with Huw Price, the Professor of Welsh History at Bangor, to learn more. How did the university in Bangor originate? There was a college…

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Historical Mysteries: The Lost Colony of Roanoke

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By on History

Apologies in advance for the fans of American Horror Story, I am not talking about the Roanoke series. I am going to be delving into the 433-year-old mystery of the disappearance of the Lost Roanoke Colony. The Roanoke Colony refers to two separate attempts of permanent English settlement in North America; both attempts were led by Sir Walter Raleigh. The first colony was established by Governor Ralph Lane in 1585. This colony’s main failure was due to not only a lack of supplies and bad relations with local Native Americans, but Lane, whilst waiting for a resupply mission, decided to…

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Photo by John Tuesday

Calls for Licence fees to be stopped

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By on TV

As we swiftly enter a new decade, you may notice certain elements of society that remain the same, but there is potential room for change with others. The television license is a price many of us are willing (or unwilling) to pay in order to source entertainment value directly from our living rooms. But in a society where entertainment grows ever more portable, could the time to say goodbye to the old box be approaching? Culture secretary Nicky Morgan made a recent statement claiming ‘we must all be open-minded about the future of the license fee at this point’, implying…

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Photo by Sam Taylor/Netflix

Sex Education Series 2 review

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By on TV

Brimming with hilarious one-liners (‘Wash your hands you detty pig’ will forever be written on toilet doors) and packed with innuendos, the return of Sex Education has proven it to be a Netflix teen drama like no other. Following the tradition set by American cult classics such as The Breakfast Club, its success can owe a lot to its authentic portrayal of life as a British adolescent as well as the obvious scenes of a sexual nature the characters find themselves in. Fully aware of its popularity, I tend to avoid shows with settings like this, due to their tendency…

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Fantasy Recommendations

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By on Books

Fantasy is one of the most popular genres when it comes to reading and even if it’s not your favourite, you can guarantee that you have read a fantasy novel at some point. Whether it be the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, along with other Tolkien works such as the Silmarillion, the collection of notes for the world of Lord of the Rings, or maybe you were a bigger fan of the Harry Potter series, having grown up alongside the characters. Whichever you prefer, this collection of recommendations may help with getting you into more fantasy series and growing…

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Ways to keep track of your reading in 2020

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By on Books

With us already two months into 2020, you may have already started on your reading for the year, and if not, don’t worry; you have another ten months to do so. However, if you are like me and read a lot of books during the year (hoping you don’t get into a big reading slump) or just have a terrible memory, you can sometimes lose track of how much you’ve read so far in the year. So, here are a few suggestions on how you could track your reading this year. Goodreads: Goodreads is one of the most accessible ways…

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The Next Generation of Gaming

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By on Games

After entering a new decade, we are also in the midst of the beginning of the next generation of gaming, and with it there’s a lot of new things that each company is bringing to the table. While Sony has effectively become radio silent, and Nintendo revealing that they won’t be moving away from the ever-popular Nintendo Switch, Microsoft seem to be much more aggressive in their approach. Xbox Series X In December, Microsoft announced the official title of their next generation ‘Project Scarlet’ console. Titled ‘Xbox Series X’, Microsoft has revealed some information regarding the new console, mainly its…

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Are Microtransactions Really All That Bad?

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By on Games

Microtransactions have become a massive factor in gaming during the last decade. That’s not to say that they were never present, but they were never really as aggressive as they are now. Microtransactions were mostly found in mobile games and free-to-play games, but it was at the beginning of the 2010s that they caused a great divide in the gaming community. However, are they as bad now as they have been during the last ten years? So the first instance that really brought microtransactions into full-priced triple-a titles was in 2014 with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare which introduced Supply…

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Is Michael Bay really that bad?

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By on Film

One of the most recognisable directing styles in the world is that of director/producer Michael Bay, the former music video director who has gone on to create box office behemoths over the past 25 years. However, where he has generally had financial success his films have often been torn down by critics and as a result only 3 of his 14 features have achieved over a 50% critic rating by Rotten Tomatoes. His work has been criticised for having lacklustre plots, poor acting and in some circles he has even been accused of racism and sexism by some of his…

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Graduating into the New Roaring Twenties

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By on History

Are the prospects of the future a great depression? With all that’s going on in the world today, the issue of living out one’s life well has become as difficult as deciding how to start one’s career well. As I approach my day of graduation, I realise it will not be in the same decade. Growing up used to a barrage of impending disasters and political avalanches that never seem to end, it is hard to see that final year students will be graduating into their own roaring twenties. What does this entail for us? Will we see solutions to…

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Cold War on Ice

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By on History

The geopolitical tensions between the Western and the Eastern bloc – known as the Cold War – shaped the world history of the second half of the 20th century. Despite the name, the period of the Cold War was everything but cold. Although the two blocs never directly fought each other, proxy wars served as an indirect trial of strength. But the capitalist West and the communist East also fought each other by other means. The Space Race was a competition for power and superiority over the respective political system. Another such showdown was in sports. The Olympic Games became…

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Your Christmas TV Selection box

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By on TV

Without a doubt Christmas is the busiest time of year, and when many students return home to reunite with friends and family, the social calendar begins to look a lot fuller. I’m sure we all look forward to those moments where we can crash on the sofa in the company of some good TV- so rest assured you’ll have a wide choice of TV treats to choose from… Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special – BBC One We’ve been looking forward to this reunion almost as much as mum’s pigs in blankets. After ten years off screen, the return of…

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FEELING FESTIVE: HOLIDAY RECOMMENDATIONS

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By on Books

The christmas period might be the time of the year where you love to pick up a new book and enjoy the atmosphere of christmas  or maybe you have a friend you loves to read around the festive period who would love to add a new book to their shelves that they can read this year, either ways christmas is a great time to settle down and find yourself some new books to read, with plenty of genres, which all have a little bit of Christmas magic. Curl up under a blanket, make yourself a hot chocolate covered with whipped…

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Bookish Gifts for Christmas

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By on Books

If you are struggling to decide what to get for your friend or family members for Christmas, and if you know that one of the people close to you loves to read, here is a small collection of ideas that are a great gift for one of your bookish friends and family. Bookmarks As someone with an ever-growing collection of my own, bookmarks are a great gift for someone who loves to read – you can never have enough of them. Bookmarks can also be found anywhere in many different styles, such as: the magnetic ones that fold over the…

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Pokémon Sword & Shield Review

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By on Games

I’ve been quite a big fan of the Pokemon franchise since I was little, however as a child I didn’t play any of the games and instead was an anime-only fan of Pokemon. My first game in the franchise was Pokemon Let’s Go! Pikachu, a remaster of Pokemon Yellow, so I went into Pokemon Sword & Shield with very little knowledge or experience.  The first thing that surprised me about this game was the world design: the new Galar region is heavily inspired by Great Britain and the different influences of British culture and lifestyle is seen throughout the…

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Console Wars

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By on Games

For as long as I can remember, any and all discussion involving video game consoles have been split into three groups: Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo. There are some who enjoy all of these, but for the most part, there is a heated debate as to which is the best of these platforms, so I thought I’d delve into my own opinions about each console in this generation, as next year we’ll be seeing a new generation of consoles introduced.  Firstly, I’d like to talk about Xbox. Xbox has been an incredibly successful company when bringing out consoles, games and…

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