Retro Video Games Corner: A Bug’s Life

Retro Video Games Corner:  A Bug’s Life

 · Dominic Aveiro

I hate this game. ‘Hate’, is a term thrown about very loosely nowadays but this monstrosity absolutely deserves it. This is actually the first game that made me question the existence of God, prompting me to lift my head to the heavens and cry out, “Why don’t you love me?!” As I take a gulp, with a tear running down my cheek, I lift up my PlayStation One controller and realise it’s time to revisit ‘A Bug’s Life’.

 

Do not be fooled by Disney’s colourful, kid-friendly image. They may produce films that cause your heart to melt like butter in a microwave, but they also make  video games. This is where I draw the line with this seemingly cuddly organisation. Granted, there are some good Disney games, but ‘A Bug’s Life’ is not one of them. As soon as the game begins, you are intoxicated with mediocre graphics, terrible music and gameplay that makes you want to pull your own hair out. I know I’m supposed to help this ant colony collect food so they aren’t crushed by deadly grasshoppers, but I find myself doing everything incorrectly so that they are all horrendously murdered.

Karma hurts, eh Disney? 

Issue 2: Editorial

· Pedro Diogo, Editor

Students and student activism have dominated the news over the last few days. Whilst in theory this should be a good thing for us, the reality we are confronted with is very different: the media have used the National Demo-lition on Wednesday 10 November as an opportunity to showcase the violent actions of a small minority of protestors who decided to hijack the march and undermine the 50,000 students who, peacefully, protested against cuts in education. Once again, sensationalism and sale tactics employed by tabloid editors and television news teams have taken precedence over the fact that some 52,000 students and lecturers quite clearly showed their dissatisfaction at the government’s proposed increased cap on tuition fees, the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance and a reduction in funding to Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences courses, something I am particularly astonished at as both the Prime Minister and his Liberal Democrat Deputy have Humanities degrees!

EMA TO BE SCRAPPED

 

 Pedro Diogo

EMA TO BE SCRAPPED

·

The week before half-term, the government announced its Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), detailing the cuts being made in almost every department. Further Education has been particularly hit by these cuts. The Chancellor of the Excheque the  announced that the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) was to be scrapped, affecting hundreds of thousands of students in schools and colleges across the UK. The Department for Education's website states that "[EMA] will be replaced by an enhanced discretionary learner support fund" and that "decisions about which young people should receive financial support will be made by schools, colleges and training providers who are in a better position...to determine the needs of individual students." The EMA scheme will close to new applicants in January 2011, although students who currently receive the allowance will continue to get it until the end of this Academic Year.

Christopher Sanchez, President of the RuTC Students' Union said that “this is unfair and puts students from poor backgrounds at risk of not being able to buy their books or travel to college.”

What this means to students who currently receive EMA

From next September it is up to schools and colleges to decide which students need financial support. Schools and colleges will have to devise their own regulations for awarding this extra financial help.

Under current regulations, only students from low-income backgrounds whose annual household income is under £30,800 receive the means-tested benefit. Around eighty percent of those who receive the allowance come from families whose income is less than £20,817 per year.

What students use EMA for

Oliver, A Level student at RuTC said "I use EMA to buy my books and other materials I need for college" and added, “I understand why these cuts are being made and support them.”

Savanna, also an A Level student at RuTC said “I use EMA to help pay for travel costs, food and the occasional trip to the cinema!”

A campaign to save the allowance, 'SaveEMA.co.uk', has launched an online petition and is lobbying the Government and MPs to continue providing students from deprived backgrounds the opportunity to attend Further Education. Most students who receive EMA will not be able to attend college without it according to research carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, RCU Market Research and Ipsos MORI between 2007-2009.

Richmond students join 52,000 others in National Demonstration

· Pedro Diogo

On Wednesday 10^th November, an estimated 80 students and two lecturers from Richmond upon Thames College attended the ‘National Demo-lition’, a march jointly organised by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the University and College Union (UCU) against cuts in Further and Higher Education. The coalition Government is proposing to raise the cap on university tuition fees from the current £3,290 to £9,000, to abolish the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and to cut funding for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences courses. Added to this Train to Gain, Adult Education and many vocational qualifications, including apprenticeships are also being hit.

The latest estimate from the NUS reveals that approximately 52,000 students attended the march, which started on Whitehall and went around Parliament Square, finishing outside Tate Britain for a rally with speeches from Sally Hunt (UCU General Secretary), Aaron Porter (NUS President) and Frances O’Grady (TUC Deputy General Secretary). On the route, which passed the Headquarters of the Conservative Party, the Millbank building complex, a small number of protesters (many of which are believed to belong to extremist groups) attacked the building, breaking windows and furniture, drawing graffiti on walls, flooding various floors with fire hoses and climbing to the roof to throw missiles (including a fire extinguisher at police and other protestors.) Around 50 people have been arrested and over 10 taken to hospital, both police officers and protestors. Aaron Porter, President of the NUS, condemned the “despicable” actions of a minority of students “who have undermined the serious message that 50,000 other students tried to put across.” No students from RuTC were directly involved with the riot.

At the same time that the march was taking place, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, took questions from MPs as he stood in for Prime Minister David Cameron who was away in China. It was clear that the debate about university tuition fees was at the top of the day’s agenda, with no less than twelve questions asked on the subject in the Commons. All Liberal Democrat MPs signed an NUS pledge confirming their manifesto commitment to scrap tuition fees altogether. It is now believed that many of them will break this pledge by voting for a rise in fees, as proposed by Secretary of State and  MP for Twickenham, Dr Vince Cable. The NUS, meanwhile has set up a campaign to recall MPs who break their pledge.

Retro Video Games Corner: F-ZERO X

 

Retro Video Games Corner: F-ZERO X

 · Dominic Aveiro

As so many of you are taking driving lessons at the moment, I thought it would be fitting to revisit a racing game - one which drove me insane as a child.

Released in 1998 but set in the 22^nd century, the adrenaline inducing, concussion producing, F-ZERO X made for the Nintendo 64 made its way onto our shelves. As a child, I only used to play it at my God brother’s house as I didn’t own the console at the time, but now I have got my hands on one. I picked this game up off Amazon for £3, fully boxed and in perfect condition - any collectors’ dream. In F-Zero X you choose from a selection of 30 genetically enhanced super pilots as you race through courses that are a weird mixture of rollercoaster and epileptic seizure, in your plasma-powered hovercar. The aim of the game is to reach the finishing line first. Yet the problem is, you find yourself very often confronting death and that’s when the aim changes, with the sole purpose to stay alive! F-Zero X has stood the test of time - you’ll find yourself bobbin’ your head to the retro music and sounds. Just the simple addition of Captain Falcon makes this game awesome. I recommend wearing a skiing jacket and ear muffs when you play. You’ll need them, as the future is a very, very cold place indeed.

Cool as a cucumber, Nintendo delivers an intense driving experience.

Enrichment review: Badminton

Enrichment Review

· Kaoru Kodama

What: Badminton

When: Friday 1pm-2pm approx.

Where: Sports Hall

How: Just turn up (although places are limited to 20, so first come, first served) and the instructor will register you in.

Here is further information for those interested: first 10 minutes or so is warm-up; casual practice with a partner, then you can choose to either continue playing casually or actually learn new moves and improve your skills. The instructor will give the wanting-to-learn group some useful tips and you can try them out with your partner and have matches. The instructor will teach you a different skill each week so no rigorous commitment to attendance necessary. Recommended for its quick, easy and fun workout with your friends and new people during Friday lunchtimes.

Book Review: Yes Man!

 

Book: Yes Man by Danny Wallace

· Jade Smith

“Yes Man” is the hilarious and surprisingly true story of part of Danny Wallace’s life. The book begins with Danny talking to a man on a bus about how boring events have been recently, and the man’s response of: “say ‘yes’ more”. From then on, Danny decides to not only say ‘yes’ more often but to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity, request or favour, no matter how ridiculous or potentially life-threatening it seems. The result is this fantastic book that documents his every move, ranging from saying ‘yes’ to buying a broken blender, to saying ‘yes’ to a random advert and consequently spending a weekend in Singapore.

 I really cannot recommend “Yes Man” enough; it’s definitely one of my favorite books, and is without a doubt the one that has affected my life the most. Although Danny’s approach to experiencing new things is a little extreme, the overall message is simple: doing something stupid is better than doing nothing at all.

Exams—should we pay for them?

· Jordan Rowe

Students should pay for their exams. Schools and colleges already spend an average £150,000 on exam fees and are left with hardly any funding for textbooks, photocopying and other learning aids. According to a recent BBC report there has been a 51% rise in exam fees and students should also have a responsibility to help fund some of the cost of their education, while schools should continue investing in modern learning aids—such as computers and interactive whiteboards.

What Agony Aunt Priscilla received this week...

You haven’t had the greatest start, but don’t worry as there is an advantage in you probably being the only girl in the class who hasn’t spoken to him. You’ve maintained your mysteriousness, and trust me, we all like people when they’re a mystery to us. You haven’t spoken to him because you’re afraid that he will lose interest in you because of your personality. My advice to you is that you sit near him in your next lesson, and when you’re having a group discussion make eye contact with him. Eye contact is the key. Once eye contact has been established, you will find it easier to talk to him. Do you know why? Because once you’re confident enough to look him in the eye, you’re confident enough to do anything, and confidence means being sexy. And all boys want a sexy girl. You’ll pull!

Aunt Priscilla

Write to me at noise.rutc@gmail.com

Comment: I want a Locker!

I want a Locker!

· Kaoru Kodama

Contemplation of whether to start using suitcases on wheels to college has cropped up a lot lately. Carrying thick textbooks around college all day leads to aching shoulders and a longing for lockers... What happened to those that were along the corridors around college last year? I had been armed and ready with my padlock to grab and claim one as soon as the new term started. According to the Estates Department those lockers had to be removed: a decision that was made by inspectors who come to the college every few years to monitor Health and Safety. Currently, there are some lockers around the college which were bought by individual departments (e.g. in the Hairdressing area), solely for students on those courses. While this is reasonable, the majority of students agree they need a locker, especially those on coursessuch as Art, which require them to bring in a lot of materials. One student remarked that the college is large enough to have them, while another says that it would be a problem, “running to your lockers located on the other side of college during break will make you late for class, and it’s much easier to just carry your stuff with you.”   Although there isn’t enough space in the college, more lockers for individual students who need them would be helpful.

EPQ scaled down

  Jordan Rowe

EPQ scaled down

·

According to Stephen Grant, course co-ordinator, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) operation at RuTC has recently been downsized due to cost-ineffectiveness.  The project is equivalent to an AS Level and requires students to write a university dissertation-style essay about a subject they’re interested in. Since the new academic year, the EPQ has been restricted to Gifted and Talented students, with only the few remaining spaces given to others. The EPQ is essential to some students who need to add an AS Level to get into university.

Mr Grant said that “in the past too many students dropped out, meaning the course wasn’t cost-effective.” A few students have been concerned by this decision after hoping to get a place on it in their second year.