November 2012

Aston Students' Union's Official Magazine

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November 2012

2

CONTENTSLetter from the Editor...Hello! What a month it's been! Ihope you've all settled in toUniversity life by now, and for allof you who've come back for yoursecond and final years - I hopeyou find this magazine useful!

We've got articles on placements,graduate schemes, and everythingelse inbetween - along with, ofcourse, our usual dose of sport,entertainment and advice.

So dive in, enjoy, and I hope youhave a good read - a lot of greatwork has gone into this!

Besma Whayeb@besmalucy

Contents 2The Team 4Featured Writers 4Union News 5Your Executives 6Society of Month 7Society News 8Editorial Committee 9Placement Years: What arethey really like? 11Unilever Placements 15Nestlé Graduates 16Aston to Everest 17AppToyz Product Test 19

November 2012

3

Sports Aston 33Student Jobs 34iAM Competitions 36Money Matters 37Aggy's Advice 38

What's On? 20Rag Week Events 21FUN. Review 23Albums of Month 24Frankenweenie 25The Bee Cause 26Student Food 27Summer of Sport 29Birmingham Football 31

@iAstonMagazine

The Team

4

Ather AbbasExec of the Month, 6

Rushiv NayeePlacement Years, 11

Aggy JacobsAggy's Advice, 38FE

ATU

RED

WRITE

RSEditor: Besma Whayeb

This Month's WritersAther AbbasRadostina TsonevaMichael WithersSam JohnsonRushiv NayeeJake DelaneyJordan WilsonJema WyattIman HassanAdrian BennionHarry WalkerNako MooketsiAggy Jacobs

Union Sabbatical OfficersPresident: Max PullenVPFME: Marie-Shireen HadidVPEW: Agnes JacobsVPSA: Tom Farrelly

News

5

A.S.U. NewsWhat's been going on this pastmonth in Aston Students' Union?

Fake Taxi Warning

This month's Union Council will be on 19th November at 6pm in Union Hall.Union Council

Support Movember!Prove yourself in the ultimate show of manliness,raise money for cancer research and change theface ofmen’s health; show your support by growinga moustache in November. The rules:1.Once registeredatmovember.comeachmobromust begin the 1st of Movember with a cleanshaven face.2. For the entire month of November each mo bromust grow and groom a moustache.3. There is to be no joining of the mo to one'ssideburns. (That’s considered a beard.)4. There is to be no joining of the handlebars toone's chin. (That’s considered a goatee.)5. Each mo bro must conduct himself like a truecountry gentleman.There will be fundraising boxes around the Unionwith all proceeds going to movember.com incollaboration with Tacheback. There will be prizesfor those taking part and we also have moustachestickers for any girls not manly enough to grow a‘tache! Find us in the 1st/3rd Floor offices for info.

We have received reports of a number of incidents recently involving faketaxis. These are often (though not exclusively) saloon cars that aim to looklike taxis byusingmagnetic stickers on the sides, and target lonegirls outsideclubs. Please DO NOT get into a taxi that you have not booked inadvance unless it is at a marshalled taxi rank, and avoid travellingalone. If you are concerned about this, please contact your VPEW, AgnesJacobs, at union.welfare@aston.ac.uk

Your Executives

6

Ather Abbas

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, I spent most of my life growing up in Dubai. Since Icompleted my undergrad in Business and Management Studies from theUniversity of Bradford in 2009, I have worked as the Marketing andCommunications Executive of one of the largest Telecom firms in the world andas the Business Development Manager for one of the leading Security firms inDubai. I finally saved up enough money to come to Aston and do a Masters!Previously, I have been the Treasurer (Grade 10), Vice President (Grade 11) andfinally the President (Grade 12) of the Student Council for which I received theECIS award for International Understanding during my school years in Dubai.

I have had the privilege throughout my life to experience many things, good andbad. Having lived and studied in 4 different countries it has allowed me toembrace and live life to the fullest. By coming to Aston, I realised that I am very

YOUR NEW POSTGRADUATE OFFICER:

Hi my name is Ather Abbas and I'm a Postgraduate Officerstudying Strategy & International Business at the AstonBusiness School. Apart from my manifesto, I will also worktowards increasing the level of interaction betweenundergraduates and postgraduates during their time in Aston.

fortunate to be studying in such a well-establishedand prestigious university. Because of this, I wantedto put back into the university and contribute asmuch as I can to help assist the University and itsstudents as much as it is possible for me to do so.Aston has given me a great start, and I hope that itwill continue to give me a great future. I look forwardto the opportunities that are to come in the newyear. It will be a big turning point in my life.

- AtherYou can contact Ather by emailing him, sendyour email to: postgrad@astonunion.com

Featured Society

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Aston ‘Raise and Give’ society helps all charity efforts by the students of Aston University, from the annual Relay for Life in support of Cancer Research UK, to what we call RAG Raids, held in UK cities to raise money for different charities.

From the 12-16th November, Aston RAG will be hosting RAG Week- 5 days of parties, fun and unforgettable moments! On the Monday, 12th November, we are having the1500 student Armageddon bar crawl on Broad Street finishing at the Gatecrasher Birmingham! On Tuesday, RAG is putting on a Pub Quiz in B4 Bar! The 14th November, Wednesday, is going to be a big SESH in the Union, followed by a night in HMV! There will be single ladies looking for a hot date at

Take Me Out, hosted in the Union Hall on Thursday night! And at the end of RAG Week we are doing the Freakers’ Sexual Fantasy Ball at the Union! This is a week that you DO NOT want to miss out on! And remember that all the profits go to the charities we are supporting during RAG Week: Marie Curie, Make a Wish Foundation, Children in Need and a Sexual Health Charity. So make sure you buy a £15 wristband for the entire week! Ticket sales will be held in the Union Hall on 5th November from 12pm! If you want to know more about any of these events, please stop one of our promo team or contact Emily (ragevents@astonunion.com).

We are also excited to announce two of our challenge trips for the year! We will be working with Soft Power Education by running Project Uganda. This will involve 4 weeks working to help improve the lives of a community in Uganda. RAG will also be running a trip with Childreach International this year, there will be more details released over the next week or so! If you are interested in finding out more about these trips, please contact Becky (ragfundraising@astonunion.com). Aston RAG meets every Tuesday at 8pm in the Blue Room of the Union! So come along and ‘Enjoy making a difference’!

@ASTON_RAG@ASTON_RAG@ASTON_RAG@ASTON_RAG FACEBOOK.COM/ASTONRAGFACEBOOK.COM/ASTONRAGFACEBOOK.COM/ASTONRAGFACEBOOK.COM/ASTONRAG

Your Notices

8

Society NewsAston's Asian Society (ASOC)presents to you ALTONTOWERS SCAREFEST.Saturday 27th October from8 am to 9pm. So join ASOCby the guild for a day ofwitchery and magic whichwill give you a run for yourmoney!

Want to post a notice fromYOUR society? Send in a smallmessage toeditor@astonunion.com, oreven get in touch with theiAston Magazine team viaFacebook(www.facebook.com/pages/iAston-Magazine) or Twitter,@iAstonMagazine

iAM Update

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Want to help run your student magazine? We're looking for keen, organisedand flexible individuals to fill the following positions:

Music Editor

In charge of the main features put in the magazine each month. The roleincludes working with writers, editing features and submitting the finalpieces to the Editor. You will have editorial power to prioritise pieces,interviews and advise other writers.

Film Editor

Sports Editor

Head of Promotions

Features Editor

Chief Photographer

In charge of the music articles put in the magazine each month. The roleincludes working with reviewers, as well as reviewing music yourself (bothlive music and recorded pieces) and submitting pieces each month.

In charge of the film section of the magazine. The role includes reviewingcinema/DVD releases, attending press launches and submitting pieceseach month.

In charge of the sports section of the magazine. The role includes workingwith fellow sports writers, prioritising pieces, reviewing University/Birmingham sport and submitting pieces to fill the section each month.

Editorial Committee

In charge of the photography used in the magazine. This includesarranging the front cover every month, whether it be a photo montage orone specific item. The role includes working with other magazinephotographers, photographing events attending with other reporters andsubmitting best photos, after editing, to the Editor.

In charge of the magazine's Facebook, Twitter and E-Newsletter. Alsoincludes organising on-campus marketing activities such as give-aways,promos handing out magazine and designing posters.

Interested? Email the Editor on editor@astonunion.com for more info.

Placements

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Placement Years:WHAT ARE THEY REALLY LIKE?

How did your year in employment differ to life as student? I think I prefer life inemployment; it just seems more meaningful than life at university. I felt that I had moreresponsibility and I could see the direct results of my work, whereas at university youcan’t really see where it’s going at times.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Plymouth? Yes, I only had a week to finda place to live before I started work, so I was lucky in the sense that I found threeresidences and one of them seemed okay. It was difficult but I got lucky.

What was the best thing about your placement? The fact that I was contributing to amajor organisation as well as having a lot of responsibility was pretty impressive andenjoyable; this made the whole experience more worthwhile.

What was the worst thing about your placement? Early starts (8:15am) and the lackof holidays, I only had 21 days, which I think is average for a work placement, but Icouldn’t cope with it, I was struggling.

Did you make any valuable contacts on placement? Yes, management asked me tokeep in contact and offered me a job, which I can take up after I graduate. And Igenerally just made friends with all of the people I worked with.

Would you recommend taking a placement year? Yes definitely, it gives you abetter idea of what you will be doing in the workplace and I think that’s very important.

Paresh Patel, Mechanical Engineering, BEngJunior Engineer, Kawasaki Precision Machinery (UK) LtdLocation: Plymouth, DevonType: PaidNumber of applications made: 35 – 40

Briefly describe your duties at work: I developed a webapplication which allowed Kawasaki’s distributors toidentify spare parts they needed. My daily duties involvedworking in the factory and assisting the engineers.

Rushiv Nayee spoke to a group of final year students about their experiencesduring placement years, so to get an idea of what yours will be like, read on!

Placements

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Briefly describe your duties at work: I had my own research project. This involvedrepeating a few different experiments to perfect and optimise them. I used thoseexperiments to test various unique drugs (tetracyclines) I was the first person to evertest their anti-inflammatory effects.

How did your year in employment differ to life as a student? I had a few friendsaround and was a member of a few societies and therefore maintained a pretty goodsocial life. I had more time available on weekends compared to when I was a student,but less time on the weekdays and was less likely to want to go out during the week.

How did you manage financially? Because it was an unpaid placement I got abursary and the placement award (£2500) from Aston as well as student finance, whichwas enough to support me even though I lived away from home.

What was the best thing about your placement? Probably the experience gainedand the skills I learnt from working as a researcher, as well as the general lab skills andtechniques which included learning how a lab works.

What was the worst thing about your placement? Probably finding the placement inthe first place, as it might influence what you want to do with the rest of your life, butonce you’ve found one it’s not too bad.

Future plans: The placement made me feel studying for a PhD is possible now, whilebefore I wasn’t sure I was intelligent enough. I learnt that it’s not necessarily aboutintelligence, more the willingness to put in the effort to learn.

Would you recommend taking a placement year? Yes definitely, because of theexperience, knowledge and the contacts gained, as well as just having that gapbetween second and final year which will make final year seem easier and lessstressful as you are likely to have matured during the placement year.

Daniel Holbrook, Biology BScResearcher, Aston UniversityLocation: BirminghamType: UnpaidNumber of applications made: 5 - 10

Why did you choose to work as a Researcher at AstonUniversity? I was struggling to find placements with largecompanies. While the placement deadline was approaching Ifound some vacancies within the university and decided totake one. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Placements

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Clinical or Educational psychology so I think working with children in a clinical contextwas the best of both worlds.

Briefly describe your duties at work: My main duties involved writing reports on thebehaviour of clients and sharing these with mental health professionals. I alsoshadowed Clinical Psychologists, which involved watching them work with clients. Iperformed general admin work, assisted the team and occasionally worked on a one toone basis with clients.

How did your year in employment differ to life as a student? I found my year inemployment to be more meaningful, purposeful and rewarding compared to living as astudent. Although I had less time during the weekdays, I really enjoyed havingweekends off, although I probably had less of a social life.

How did you manage financially? I was lead to believe by the staff at Aston that allstudents living away from home and taking an unpaid placement were pretty muchguaranteed a placement award (a grant of £2500 from Aston), which encouraged me totake an unpaid placement. However, I was unsuccessful in my application for theplacement award which made things difficult. I still managed to get by with studentfinance and a bursary from Aston but I had to cut back on buying any desirable itemsthroughout the year and could only really spend money on essentials.

What was the best thing about your placement year? The experience of working ina mental health service and watching clients improve their condition was veryrewarding. I experienced how psychology can practically help people.

What was the worst thing about your placement year? The nature of the work wasquite emotionally draining at times. It was also difficult to know my friends were earningthousands and thousands of pounds on their placements, while I was unpaid andgetting into more debt. But I definitely think taking a placement year was a good ideaand would still highly recommend it.

Rushiv Nayee, Human Psychology BScHonorary Assistant Psychologist, Child and Adolescent MentalHealth Services, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, NHSLocation: Sutton ColdfieldType: UnpaidNumber of applications made: 5 – 10

Why did you choose to work at Birmingham Children’sHospital? I was interested in pursuing a career as a but I wasundecided as to whether I wanted to Psychologist, work in

Placements

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Briefly describe your duties at work: I was in the sales team and worked with arange of IBM hardware. My principle duties were to support the members of the salesteam which involved helping with invoices and selling the hardware itself to clients.

What was it like working in London as a city? Unbelievable. Really good fun. Yesit’s more expensive, and the cost of living is higher than anywhere else, but you’ll oftenfind that companies will pay a slightly higher wage to cater for that.

Was it difficult to find accommodation? Yes, it took me two and a half months. Thedemand for short term leases is very high so if you’ve got the time to look use it. I hadquite a horrible commute from Oxford to London initially.

Do you prefer life as a student or life in employment? Absolutely no doubt for meits employment. I still think the whole experience of university is absolutely amazing butnow that I’ve had that year in employment it’s really made my mind up that I’m doingthe right thing and I really want to work in this industry.

What was the best thing about your placement year? Seeing myself develop andrealising I could do things which I couldn’t do when I started, and now my knowledge oftechnology is quite good, also just having the chance to develop as an employee andperson.

What was the worst thing about your placement year? The hours that I had to putin. I was part of the team so if I was needed I had to work as long as anybody else; mylongest day there was 8am to 11pm, but then at the same time you do have someshorter days and you go out of the office a lot.

Future plans: I really think it’s helped me to realise that I am going in the right directionand that I want to work in an industry that I actually find interesting. Now it’s aboutpushing on and completing my degree and trying to get back to IBM or a business inthat area.

Liam Newbold, Business & Management BScSales and Operations Support, IBMLocation: South Bank, LondonType: PaidNumber of applications made: 35 – 40

Why did you choose to work at IBM? It was in my area ofinterest; I’ve always been interested in technology andcomputing.

Unilever PlacementsCharlotte Davis, Aston Student:Industrial Placement 2012-13, Supply Chain

Why did you choose Unilever?I was really attracted to the friendly atmosphere Unilever emanated, and was keen tolearn more about the company as I felt it would be a great place to develop and growwithin business. I also loved the thought of working for a company with such apassion for sustainability.

Why Supply Chain?Supply Chain appealed to me because I was interested in understanding how you manage every stageof a product’s journey from factory through to store. An efficient supply chain is vital to the satisfactionof our customers, and I was eager to understand how this was achieved. Working in supply chain willmake you feel like you are really impacting the company with the work that you do.

What were you looking for in terms of a placementwhile in second year?I really wanted to gain valuable experience in theworkplace by being given some real responsibility.As soon as I started at Unilever I was given realautonomy. This has allowed me to learn on thejob whilst having the support that I need todevelop on both a professional and personallevel. I wanted to work for a company whereI’d feel totally comfortable and genuinelyenjoy the work I was doing. The friendly,personable culture at Unilever has givenme just that.What are the rewards & benefits?• A salary of £18,500 per annum, pro rata• Access to online training• Use of sport, leisure and numerous on-sitefacilities• 20 days annual leave pro rata for first 12weeks,then 25 days pro rata• After 12 weeks, students will be entitled to abonus based on their performance and ifbased in central London, will receive aLondon allowance• If you pass the Industrial Placement youearn a place on our Future LeadersProgramme directly after completing yourstudies, without having to apply.Applications close 23rd NovemberGo to: www.unilever.co.uk/graduates

Graduates

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Nestlé Graduates

The interview process was quite similar to any other company that I has interviewedfor but what did strike me more than it had at any other company was how manypeople were described as Nestlé “life timers” people that has worked at the companyfor 10, 20, 30 years some had also started on the graduate scheme. It struck me that acompany that has such good company retention can’t be half bad to work for.

Since taking the job a Nestlé I haven’t looked back it has been a whirl wind of learning,networking and making a difference to the business. I am working on a projectcurrently that is addressing improving the availability of Nestlé products on the shelvesof retailers. This project is leading edge in the industry and a high profile project, whichprovides me with great exposure. Nestlé are really pushing initiatives like thisthroughout the business. I genuinely have been working on real projects since dayone, with a great support network and guidance.

If you are looking for a graduate scheme next year and would describe yourself asadaptable, quick to learn and want to work for a company that challenges and valuestheir graduates from day one, then I recommend you apply for Nestlé.

Applications are open now, so good luck and I hope to see some of you at anassessment centre. Search for Nestlé Graduate Scheme 2013 to find out more

Name: Laura MackayDegree: graduated from Aston University in 2012 –Mathematics with computingRole: Nestlé Supply Chain graduate - On ShelfAvailability Champion – Customer ServicesLocation: YorkI went on a few interviews for graduate jobs during myfinal year, but if I am honest I was still a little unsure whatit was I wanted to do. I applied for the Nestlé graduatescheme for numerous reasons:

• A well-respected, multinational company• Nestlé was a name I was familiar with brands that I recognised and loved• All schemes offer a variety of placements within the scheme. I have 3 six-

month placements, offering me the chance to see different areas of thebusiness, in order to give me a broad variety of skills

• The scheme promised responsibility from the onset• A strong graduate network

Music edit

Book club

Preview

The PLACE to go

Sponsored

17

Aston to EverestAston Student Helene Catel tells her story on reachingMount Everest's basecamp for Childreach International

improving their access to either healthcare, education, child rights or child protection.

Initially the £2450 fundraising target sounded like a lot of money to raise, but it provedmuch less daunting than it seemed. Having an award-winning fundraising teamcontinuously support us throughout the year was enormously helpful, and suddenlywe had reached their fundraising deadline and we were ready to set off.

True to its name, the event was challenging, but we had a brilliant team who helpedkeep each others’ spirits high for the whole 15 days. Ask any member of the groupand they’ll say that they had loads of fun and met some amazing people. We alsovisited one of Childreach International’s projects, where we gained insight into howthe local community lives. Learning how different their lives are was eye-opening.

All in all, the event was one of the most enriching experiences I think I will ever have,which made the physical effort so worthwhile. I’d like to say a massive congratulationsto the whole team for their hard work and perseverance – and to ChildreachInternational for giving us the trip of a lifetime.

Interested in signing up to a Childreach international Challenge Event this year?Email infomeeting@childreach.org.uk or visit www.childreach.org.uk/get-involved/challenge-events

On 17th June 2012, after around a year ofholding fundraising events includingsponsored waxes and many a cake sale, Ibegan my journey leading a team of 12 AstonUniversity students to Everest Base Camp,home to some of the world’s most incredibleviews of Himalayan valleys and ranges.

The challenge was on behalf of children’scharity Childreach International, whoseChallenge Events give students the chance totake part in an exciting adventure and raisemoney for children in the developing world,

For more details contact:

astonprojectugada@hotmail.co.uk

Follow us @ProjectUganda

Join the Facebook group www.facebook.com/home.php# groups/401311826589568/

Leaves more than just footprints

Welcome to Project Uganda 2013

Sponsored

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We put three of the best AppToyz products to the test...

With appDrive, we simplydownloaded the dirtbikingapp for our iPhone (for theproduct test we used aniPhone, but the toys fit othermakes and models - find outmore at their website, www.apptoyz.com). Like a typicalgirl, Phoebe struggled tosimply drive around thecourse but some of guysfound it easy enough tomaster. Jake said: "Thedriving one was good, butthe top half of the screenwas covered, still quite goodthough." We gave it 6/10.

Whereas we had to taketurns with the others,appQuiz was great for all ofus to play. The cheesyAmerican presenter reallylivened up the game, withvarious quiz topics, but wewould recommend playingwith an iPad or tablet for thisgame. "We got a little over-competitve with this one!"Besma noted about the quiz.Our overall verdict: great funto play with all four players,but better for bigger screens.We gave it 6/10.

appFishing was hit and miss- literally. Some of uscouldn't quite get the hangof casting lines and reelingin the fish, where others ofus found we were naturals!"The reel action and mimingof casting a line makes thisapp my favourite" said onereviewer. Jake noted themain flaw, however: "Thehome button is coveredwhich is annoying", whichmeant having to prise it fromthe toy each time we wantedto play it again. Overall, wegave it 7/10.

appDrive appQuiz appFishing

To win yourself some AppToyz goodies, simplyemail editor@astonunion.com telling us which isyour favourite AppToy from the range (full range canbe found at www.apptoyz.com).Please include your name, email address andstudent number in your email. Full terms andconditions can be found on Competition Page, 36.

Entertainment

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What's On inNovember?

The Entertainment Guide

Music edit

Book club

Preview

The PLACE to go

Live Music

23

FUN.Jordan Wilson went along to their sell-out gig to tell us

why FUN. are more than a one-hit wonder...

It’s not often you go and see a headline band where you only know one song, howeverFUN. turned out to be one of the best live bands I have ever seen. As soon as theyopened, although I didn’t know the songs, it didn’t matter as they were so incredible!

Even the support act, Walk The Moon, was amazing, and as we walked in theenergetic lead singer was banging his own drum covered in UV paint and the rest ofthe band were doing their bit to get the crowd going! The crowd were so behind themthat it could have easily been their own headline show! These guys are up-and-comingso watch out for them if you like music by Panic at the Disco - the song to listen to isAnna Sun, you will not regret it!

When FUN. came on the crowd erupted. Their opening song was Carry On, an upbeatalbum track that was the perfect way to start an amazing gig! Anyone that has listenedto FUN. will know that their songs are hard for any singer to carry, however frontmanNate Ruess is better live than on any of the album tracks - he was simply brilliant!

One of the highlights of the night was the song All The Pretty Girls, this song has a realretro feel to it and is one that the crowd was able to chant the lyrics to, it's really wortha listen! The set was 14 songs long and it took 12 songs in for the starting drums of WeAre Young to kick in, but when it did the song’s brilliance was plain to see. Listening tothe studio version, you can tell it’s a good song, but live it's simply stunning! After aRolling Stones cover of You Can’t Always Get What You Want the band walked offstage leaving arguably their best song out of the set leaving the crowd in a state ofshock. However after 5 minutes of chanting “WE WANT FUN!” the band obliged andran back on stage for the best song of the set Some Nights! This was genuinely one ofthe best songs I have ever seen live. All in all, you have to go and see FUN. live, youwill not be disappointed! Jordan Wilson

Albums

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November's SoundtrackMumford & Sons: BabelThe piercing sound of teenage girls crying out inanguish could be heard all over America when Babelknocked Justin Bieber’s album off its perch at the topof the album chart. And about time, too. Babel maysound similar to Sigh No More but who cares? Notme. Once again Mumford & Songs have put togetheran excellent variety of songs- “I Will Wait” and “LoverOf The Light” will have you dancing & singing inPropaganda till there’s no air left in your lungs while“Ghosts That We Know” and “Reminder” seem tomake the world itself stand still. - Harry WalkerJake Bugg: Jake BuggIt is so special and satisfying when a singersongwriter like Jake Bugg bursts onto the scene andas I write he sits at the top of the UK album chart.Not bad for a guy who’s only 19! There’s a coolcockiness to Jake which comes across in his musicwith one song even titled “Two Fingers”. It’s thiseffortless swagger that enables him to strum modernand daring Arctic Monkeys-esque riffs with ease.However this cockiness is balanced out with amaturity far beyond his years that will help him staygrounded and ensure he stays at the top for years tocome. - Harry Walker

Matt Corby: BrotherA single rather than an album, but what a single it is.Matt Corby's take on the alternative/acoustic sceneis validated simply by the husky roar of his voice, apure and natural talent that really adds to the overallemotion of the song. Definitely worth finding, if ithasn't found it's way to the radio already. - Besma

Whayeb

Films

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FrankenweenieBesma Whayeb went to the Press Launch in London to findout about Tim Burton's latest feature film, Frankenweenie...

In 1984, Tim Burton created a short called Frankenweenie. The film lead toBurton's departure fromDisney,whilst being released straight onto video. Sowhyis Tim Burton now back with Disney, remaking Frankenweenie as a full-lengthfeature film - the same very film that opened the BFI Film Festival in London?The film itself is a cute, happy and twisted tale about a boy bringing his best friend,his dogSparky, back to life after his early demise.But, just like its inspiration,MaryShelley's Frankenstein, it soon becomes clear that bringing creatures back to lifehas its repercussions, leading to the destruction of the town fair and its prizedwindmill to boot.However, it's really the tale of love, loss and relationships that setsFrankenweenie apart from its rivals (Paranorman, Hotel Transylvania), with itskey Tim Burton touch: being a completely puppeteered film, hand-animated by adedicated team of artists from Mackinnon & Saunders. With six years in themaking, there really is no competition, and it shall be a film I take my youngersiblings to this Halloween.And why is this film now acceptable? Because, almost 30 years on, the filmindustry, its viewers, and taboos have changed. The shining story aboutman andhis dog canbe fully appreciated evenwith its "resurrection" twist. Andwhat a storyit is. - Besma Whayeb

Events

26

The Bee CauseLast month, The Glee Club hosted an extra special comedy event in support ofBirmingham Friends of the Earth. The event was to help raise money andawareness of the falling numbers of bees in Britain - and while they may seemlike a nuisance while eating a nice picnic by the lake during summer months,these bees are essential, as Jema Wyatt soon found out...British bees are responsiblefor saving farmers £1.8billion a year, simplythrough pollinating crops.And that’s not all they do;bees are also an importantpart of producing many ofour favourite foods such as honey, (no more Honey Monster), kiwifruit (no more hairyballed fruit), brussel sprouts (no more hating on them at Christmas), apples, grapes,hazelnuts (NO MORE NUTELLA!) and more. It's clear, we can't live without bees!

So it was in the greatest interest of the bees (and the Honey Monster) to raiseawareness of the cause and what's better than to laugh about it? That’s right, Friendsof the Earth wanted people to laugh, not exactly at the bees but at the amazingbeekeepers for the night. Their best ‘locally sourced’ comedians included: Joe Lycett,Ben Davids, Karen Bayley, Mickey Sharma, Andy White, Gareth Berliner & KirunaStamell and James Cook.

The comedians were amazing and created a buzzing atmosphere in the room (I doapologise for the bee jokes!). Joe Lycett, who has recently been on Keith Lemon’sCelebrity Juice with Jessica Ennis, was the compere for the evening and made sureeveryone was having a good time. Using his wit and energy he managed to get thecrowd interacting and enjoying the show and even promoted some flirting and match-making in order to win some badges (some people will do anything for free-bees...).All the comedians were very entertaining in their own way ranging from one linercomedians such as Ben Davids, to comedians who like to tell you about their lives andchildren like Andy White to comedians who just use their comedy to pick up a date,such as Karen Bayley!

With raffle and bee related song quizzes throughout the night, the evening was a hugesuccess, it promoted the message with a lot of laughter. If you are interested in takingpart in any of their work, go to www.birminghamfoe.org.uk or @Bham_FOE

Chocolate BrowniesStudent Food

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Welcome to the Student Recipes page, a page which will be exploring creative ways touse everyday ingredients. If you’re feeling peckish or keep getting incessant cravingsfor something sweet, go ahead and make some chocolate brownies using this simpleand adaptable recipe! Have a look at possible ideas for substitutions of ingredientsbelow if you can’t find everything you need in your kitchen. By Iman Hassan

Simple & Hassle-Free

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 180g butter• 70g plain flour• 35g cocoa powder• 80g worth of white and milk

chocolate (you can use more/lesschocolate depending on yourpreference

• 150g dark chocolate• 250g sugar• 2 large eggs

If you don’t have the right ingredients or want something a little different:• The white and milk chocolate will be cut up into small pieces and be used

like chocolate chips. You can use actual choc chips – or alternatively you canuse dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries etc) and even nuts if you want to bemore healthy

• If you prefer chewy brownies, add another egg to your mixture. You canalso turn the heat up and put the brownies in the oven for a shorter length oftime – this will make them gooey and moist

• Grab some nutella and melt it in the microwave so you can spread it overyour brownies at the end – use whatever you have in your cupboards todecorate!

What to do:1. Cut the butter into cubes and break the dark chocolate into pieces; place boththese in a bowl2. Fill a small saucepan with water (about ¼ full) and place your bowl on top of the

Feeling lazy?Substitute the doughfor bread or evenbaguette bread. Somesupermarkets actuallysell pizza bases, soyou’re all set!

Student Food

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saucepan (make sure the water in saucepan doesnot touch the bottom of the bowl). Put over low heatuntil the butter and chocolate melt – remember tostir occasionally. (Note: if you don’t want to use thesaucepan method, you can do this step using themicrowave instead; leave bowl in microwave for 2minutes on the high option)3. Pre-heat the oven to about 170C or Gas Mark 44. Break the eggs into a large bowl and add thesugar. With an electric whisk (or a manual one),whisk the eggs and sugar together until thick andcreamy (usually takes around 5 - 8 minutes,depending on how strong your electric whisk is)

5. Pour your chocolate mixture over your egg and sugar mixture; use a spatula ifyou can and fold these two mixtures together6. Sieve your flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and fold it in, using a figure ofeight action7. Cut up your white and milk chocolate (or substituted fruit and nuts) into smallchunks and add these to the mixture8. Use a medium sized tin and cut some non-stick baking parchment to line thebase9. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and flatten the brownie mixture out,evening out the sides10. Place the tin in the oven on the middle shelf for 15 – 20 minutes. To check if it’sdone, shake the tin – if the mixture wobbles, place it back in for at least 5 moreminutes11. Once the brownies are done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for5 minutes

12. Cut up thebrownies intosquares, shareand enjoy!

Sports Report

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British SportAdrian Bennion shares his views on this Summer's Sport

Well, what a summer that was! After the quite frankly disappointingperformances from both the England and Republic of Ireland teams at Euro2012, I couldn’t help but think that this summer might have ended up being adisappointment. What was to come, I don’t think anybody could predict!

Starting with Wimbledon, and Andy Murray becoming the first British man tomake it to the final of Wimbledon for 74 years. Unfortunately he couldn’t quitewin this one, but more on his successes later!

Meanwhile, in the Tour de France Team Sky and the British riders were havinga fantastic time, with Mark Cavendish continuing his run of winning on theChamps Elysées completing the feat for the fourth consecutive year. Then ofcourse there was the General Classification, Chris Froome finishing in afantastic 2nd place. Even with those successes, the headlines were saved forBradley Wiggins, who became the first Brit to ever win the Tour de France.

We then moved onto the ‘big one’, the London 2012 Olympic Games. Startingwith the fantastic opening ceremony, which I lucky enough to go to. DannyBoyle’s masterpiece that was ‘Isles of Wonder’, captivated over 1 Billion peopleworldwide, and it was just the start of a fantastic 17 days to be British. I'm sure

AN AMAZING SUMMER OF

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that it’ll be the first of many!

After a slow start to the Gold medals for TeamGB, once they started to come, they came thickand fast. Starting with Helen Glover and HeatherStanning in the rowing, ending with AntonyJoshua in the Super-Heavyweight Boxing. Therewere many more (27 to be precise) in between.

There were some real highlights, from the sheerunexpectedness of the Canoe Slalom Gold andSilver in one event, to the absolute delight, asNicola Adams became the first ever woman towin an Olympic Boxing Gold Medal. Anotherbeing the Brownlee brothers going head-to-headfor Gold in the Triathlon with Alistair coming outon top with the Gold, and Johnny getting theBronze.Then the curtain came down on what was a fantastic Olympic Games, andeveryone looked to the Paralympics, to fulfill their sporting needs. And theycertainly didn’t disappoint! David Weir, Ellie Simmonds and many more, wereable to continue the Gold rush from their Olympic counterparts.

Just a day after the end of the Paralympics, Andy Murray then started in hissecond consecutive Grand Slam final at the US Open, and looked to berunning away with it, before Novak Djokovic started an ominous looking comeback. Murray, however was able to fight back in the all important 5th set, tomake him the first British man to win a Grand Slam title since 1936. And I’msure that it’ll be the first of many!

And all this, without mentioning RoryMcIlroy winning the USPGA Golf, orEurope’s phenomenal triumph in theRyder Cup, completing a stunningfinal day come back to win the trophyby a score of 14.5-13.5.

Let me know what you thought of thesummer of sport!@AdrianBennion

Football

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Birmingham FootballHarry Walker gives you his Early Season Preview & Review -

as both Birmingham teams kick off with a stuttering start!

Fans’&choice&Paul&Lambert&!

delivering their umpteenth lacklustre performance of their own record breakingseason…the bad kind of records. At the full time whistle the Villa faithful made theirfeelings crystal clear on what punishment the ex-Birmingham city manager AlexMcLeish deserved... sacked in the morning! McLeish was duly dismissed thesubsequent morning and, after flirting with Wigan’s Roberto Martinez and ex-ManUnited legend Ole Solskjaer, the fans first choice Paul Lambert was appointed in earlyJune vowing to apply his philosophy of expansive attacking football to the team. Overthe summer Lambert employed a transfer policy of signing young players with realhunger from the lower leagues. He intends to compliment them with Villa’s own risingstars to create an exceptional squad packed full of raw & emerging talent. Add to thefray 3 experienced recruits from the Dutch league and accomplished premier leagueplayers Darren Bent, Stephen Ireland, Charles N’zogbia, and Shay Given already atthe club, Villa are shaping up to be an exciting proposition this season, certain to thrill.

August & September- Benteke the Belgium Congolese debut is the bee’s knees!Despite a shaky start in the opening 2 games (a 1-0 loss to West Ham at Upton Parksucceeded by a 3-1 thrashing courtesy of Everton), an imperious performance againstTranmere in the League Cup and a very promising draw away to Newcastle made theseason’s target of a top ten finish look very achievable. The season was temporarilyput on hold due to the international break but Villa roared back into action after the two

2012/2013 Season Preview- Lambert’s LionsThe final day of the 2011/12 season climaxedin Manchester with Sergio Aguero jinxing pasta desperate slide tackle before smashing theball into the back of the net to score anextraordinary last gasp winner and sendManchester City to the top of the table andinto the record books. At the same time 180miles away in Norwich, Aston Villa were

Sports Report

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New$manager$Lee$Clark$!

Bluenoses may consider it to be out of reach, a finishing league position of at least theplay-off places must be the minimum ambition for this season. Luckily, resiliency is atrait that comes naturally to Blues and it would take a brave man to bet against them intheir battle to reach the revenue gold mine that is the Premier League. However ifBlues do fall short of this target it could start whispers they have relapsed back to theclub which endured a 16 year exile from the top flight. This is a massive season forBirmingham City’s immediate and potentially long term future. So get down to StAndrews and get amongst true Brummies to help generate the atmosphere which willsurely propel the team back amongst the big boys where they belong!

week interruption by playing an at the time unbeaten Swansea City off the park in awell-deserved 2-0 win. If that wasn’t enough to send the fans home happy the scorerof the second goal was deadline day signing Christian Benteke. The big man cleverlypre-empted Ashley Williams’ sloppy back header, before cheekily knocking the ballover the stranded goalie and calmly slotting into the empty net much to the delight ofthe home support.However over the next week Villa showed the highs and lows thatinevitably come when fielding a young andtalented squad but ultimately one lackingPremier League experience. A crazy four daysencompassed a 4-1 loss away to Southamptonfollowed by a deserved 4-2 win over leaguechampions Man City coming from behind twiceat the Etihad Stadium to send City crashing outof the Capital One cup. The week was roundedoff with a heated 1-1 all draw against Villa’s geographically closest rivals West Brom,where Darren Bent, having been dropped to the bench by Lambert, had to play the roleof super sub grabbing the equalizer and rescuing a point.

12/13 Season Preview- Precious Promotion

A second successive summer of searching for anew manager ended when the club signed upformer Huddersfield boss Lee Clark. A relativelyinexperienced manager but with bags ofpotential, Clark will be looking to pick up whereChris Houghton left off in the difficult task ofbuilding a capable & competitive team on a shoestring budget. While the more pessimistic

Summer&signing&Benteke&(right)&celebrates&his&goal&with&Barry&Bannan&and&Darren&Ben.&

!

Sponsored

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the main University sports facility on campus and boasts high quality facilities that rivalmany commercial facilities. For anyone living on campus this year you are within a 5minute walk of the Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre.

You can keep fit in the 100+ station gym that is modern, light and spacious. There is ahistoric swimming pool with new sauna and steam rooms for you to relax in. Or toneand shape your body in the martial arts and dance studios where we run a full fitnessand yoga class timetable.

Sports AstonThe Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre

Come and watch the Aston BUCS teams intheir home fixtures on Wednesday afternoons.All Aston students are welcome to come alongand watch the University Sports Teamsmatches in The Doug Ellis Woodcock SportsCentre. Basketball, Netball and Volleyball allplay in sports hall which has spectatorseating.

The Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre is

As a student you can take one of our great valuememberships that include:Bronze: Gym only membership.Silver: Gym, Swimming, Sauna & Steam Roommembership.Gold: Gym, Swimming, Sauna, Steam Roomsand Fitness & Yoga Classes membership.Or you can pay per activity (except for the gym).

Academic Year memberships are available which expire on the 22nd June 2013 so youdon’t have to worry about cancelling any direct debits over the summer holidays.

As well as memberships you can pay per use for everything except the gym! To giveyou an idea any of our fitness or yoga classes will cost £2.40, a swim is £1.90, a swim,sauna and steam is £4.50, badminton is £4.70 for an hour and squash is £3.80 for 45minutes!

If you want more information about any of the facilities available to you please visitwww.aston.ac.uk/sport, contact sportsenquiries@aston.ac.uk or call 0121 204 4623.

Student Jobs

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Job SearchWant some extra cash? Saving for your placement year?Time to get a job! (All can be found on Jobshop Website)

For exclusive Aston Students' jobopportunities, vist the Jobshop, 1stFloor of the Union open Mon-Fri,8am-4pm or go towww.astonunion.com/jobshop

1 Students' Union Promo TeamMembers

2 Referees for Five A Side

On-Campus Jobs:1 Christmas Temporary SalesAssistants

2 Kitchen Assistant/Cook3 Christmas Waiting Staff4 Waiting Staff5 Christmas Customer ServiceAssistants6 German Telemarketers7 Italian Telemarketers8 ON CAMPUS - Housekeeper9 ON CAMPUS - Kitchen Porter10 ON CAMPUS - Waiter/Waitresses11 ON CAMPUS - Chef12 Xmas Sales Assistants13 Xmas Sales Assistant RED514 Customer Service Sales15 Xmas Sales Associates16 Buffet Host17 Pizza Hut Hut Host18 Christmas Temporary Assistant19 Sales Consultant

External Jobs:

Calling all Final Years!The new 2012-2013 edition ofThe Times Top 100 GraduateEmployers book is out now.Collect your free copy todayfrom the Aston Careers andEmployability Centre - whilestocks last!

The new Top 100 book is thedefinitive guide to Britain's mostrespected and sought-aftergraduate employers.

For more information, go to:www.Top100GraduateEmployers.com

Thanks to In The Dam Weekender in conjunction with WARNING, RANDOMCONCEPT & RAVEOLOGY, we've got a pair of tickets worth over £250 up forgrabs. This may be the last ever time the In The Dam Weekender happens, soit really is a once in a lifetime opportunity!To win yourself a pair of tickets, simply send an email, entitled "In The Dam",with your name, email address and student number* to: editor@astonunion.comFor more info and to buy tickets, head to www.innovationinthedam.com

Terms and Conditions*Student number can be found on the front of your Student Card, highlighted inorange. Please do not quote your candidate number!Entries must be received by Friday 16th November. The winner for each will bechosen at random. The winner will then be emailed notification of winning,please make sure to check your inbox and junk mail regularly. If winners do notrespond within two days, another winner will be chosen.

Win AppToyz Goodies!

Competitions!Win a pair of tickets to In The Dam Festival in Amsterdam!

To win yourself some AppToyz goodies, simply email editor@astonunion.comtelling us which is your favourite AppToy from the range (full range can be foundat www.apptoyz.com).Please include your name, email address and student number in your email.Full terms and conditions can be found on Competition Page, 36.

Live "Rent Free" for an entire term!CrossCountry have teamed up with NUS to offer one student a term’s free rent:go to www.facebook.com/studentraildeals and enter before 30th November!

Exclusive to iAM

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Money Matters

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Be Thrifty & Green!This month our Reporter NakoMooketsi meets the womanbehind Uni Cycle Books - aninnovative new business that'shelping students make moneyand recycle!Being a university student is quite a hugeaccomplishment - being ever nearer togetting that desired degree and hittingthe workplace running. But as we allknow, it doesn't come easy. Hardwork,

determination and lots of reading has to be done. But after using those books,what can be done with them instead of letting them pile up, take up the spaceand simply accumulating dust?

Having been a university student herself, Nicola Billingham came up with abrilliant idea of helping other university students who are in the same position asshe was once in.Two months ago, she formed a small but promising businessthat buys and sells books; dubbed UNI CYCLE BOOKS, the name representsthe recycling of university books through buying and selling. With Uni CycleBooks, a student can bring their used books (in a reasonable condition and nomissing pages, mind!) and simply sell it to Uni Cycle Books, or let themadvertise it for you to prospective buyers (for 20% commission).

On the flip-side of this, students can buy used books from Uni Cycle Books, withprices ranging from £2-£30. Currently available are books on modern literature,psychology, sociology, chemistry, biology and social media with somestationery items like pencils and vintage post cards too. With free delivery too,it's worth having a browse!

To find out more, go to www.unicyclebooks.co.uk or tweet@unicyclebooks

Advice

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Aggy's AdviceGot a problem? Need some advice? Getin touch with your Union's Vice Presidentof Education and Welfare, Agnes Jacobs

Save Those Pennies!It’s the subject du jour and, if you’re anything like me when I started at Aston, youmight currently be rolling your eyes and thinking “yeah, yeah I can manage mymoney just fine thank you”. But I reckon you’re probably a lot more savvy than Iwas, or at least I hope you will be by the end of this article!

There is a wealth(!) of advice out there on how to save money as a student, beloware my current top 5 tips:£. Make a budget, and stick to it. This is one of the things that I have always foundtricky (the irony of a business graduate who still struggles to budget is not lost onme…). But it remains the best way to ensure you aren’t living off baked beans byChristmas. You can find a downloadable budget at www.savethestudent.org

£. Cook, don’t takeaway. Not only is it much better for your health, it’s also muchbetter for your bank balance. Take it to the next level and bulk cook, then freeze itin portions – defrost and eat it during exams or when you’re running low on funds.

£. Make a shopping list. Not only for food shopping, but also for other not-so-essential items. It might sound silly, but if you make a list of things you think youreally need (new jeans, new shoes, Xbox game, birthday card for Mum…) it’ll bemuch easier to spot the things you actually need to buy this month.

£. Stop taking your debit card for nights out. You might love Gatecrasher, yourdebit card does not, he’d much prefer to be at home watching TOWIE. Take onlythe cash you need, including the emergency £10 for the taxi home.

£. Get a part-time job. Not only will it earn you some lovely cash, but it will help yougain some of the skills graduate employers look for.

Happy Saving!

T: @AstonVPEW FB: Agnes Aston-Vp E: union.welfare@aston.ac.uk