OAKBANK Sixth Form Magazine
ISSUE 1 - June 2010
University Open Days for June.
Off-the-cuff Cooking.
Current Fashion.
Media Reviews
How NOT to be late for school.
AS Exams Enlightening
Content
The mob descends
Dear Readers,
Voilà! I present to you the new Sixth Form Magazine! With much typing, nagging and working,
it was finally put together, hurrah! This issue contains the usual selection of music, games and
film reviews alongside the new fashion page, author profile and a few other miscellaneous arti-
cles. Also included, is an article that I‟m sure every student can associate with; the subject being
mornings. I think that this month‟s calendar will be taken over by the World Cup; as I type Eng-
land is playing USA , c‟mon England?!
It feels so strange to be writing this instead of Kerry, but I'd like to applaud her for being the
steady leader of the magazine for the year. I‟d also like to thank the OSFM team for this
month... Ploughing on through the exam period was definitely mad, but we did it! So well done
all!
I hope that you enjoy the Issue, feedback is always welcome.
Your New Editor,
Jasmine Camm.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 02
03 - The New Website!
04 - AS Exams Enlightenment
05 - Snoozzzzzzze
06 - Confectionary Conclusions
07 - It‟s a Breeze
08 - Summer fashion 2010
09 - Author Profile: Pratchett
10 - Internet Picks of the Month
11 - Things to Do
12 - Things to Own
13 - 4 Years Later
13 - Gig Reviews
15 - Music
16 - Film
16 - Games
17 - Random Facts
18 - June Open Days
19 - Contact Us
(Click a page title to be taken to it!)
"And since all this loveliness can not be
Heaven, I know in my heart it is June."
– Abba Goold Woolson (1838–1921)
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 03
The New Website! By Kieran Clayton
>> www.osfm.co.nr << The new official Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine website offers plenty of
new things. It has a new style and layout which allows easy navigation
across the whole site. (Without an ad to be seen!). The new site will display
much of what can be found in the magazine, but there is also content exclu-
sive to the website; examples being articles published randomly by the
team which means that you won‟t miss anything!
Not only that, but there is now a whole section for the Sixth Form Team.
Mary and both Rachels currently have an account. In this section they will
be able to post instant updates and information just like the stuff that you
get through emails; the difference being that it is all stored in one place and
won‟t ever be „exceeding the storage limit‟. You could even ask questions
and comment on the articles using the simple comment form.
What sort of Content can I find on the site I hear you ask?
Well, we have:
A list of tutor periods - something that normally circulates by word of
mouth.
Useful links to UCAS and other handy websites that will make your
time at Oakbank easier.
A list of Open Days, provided by Rachel Gallagher, which will be up-
dated whenever we are informed of a new open day!
The ability to download the latest issue of OSFM, you can also view it
online in the style of a real magazine!
You can even submit your own article by using the simple submit
form, the article will be sent straight to the Editor‟s email and you
might even end up in the next issue of OSFM.
The new website is just a great way of keeping in the know about what's
going on in Sixth Form, whether this be Fundraising or important meetings
in the common room, it will all be in one place, www.osfm.co.nr.
We‟d encourage both students and teachers to get involved.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 04
AS Exams Enlightening By Nicola Langthorne Closing of Exams for AS.
Now that you've have jumped the hurdle of exams it's time to take a breather, it‟s also a great op-
portunity to make the best of your time. Here are a few suggestions!
I t's highly recommended that we invest some time doing voluntary work. This could be at
Manorlands through the connections we have at Oakbank - a wonderful organisation to help and
be a part of. Other options are as part of the vInvolved volunteering award, which you can sign
up for on the 28th June Period 2! These are great opportunities in which you can selflessly help
others and feel great about, with another plus side of it being helpful on UCAS and job applica-
tions.
A good plan would be to look at UCAS and career websites, researching the possible options
you have for University and jobs for the near future. From here, you could look at how you could
link any voluntary work or hobbies to the subject which you wish to study. Also, beginning your
CV's and Personal Statements is a great idea; the latter of course will be a main subject in tutor
periods. The better you can make them, the better your chances!
Something that would be beneficial for the nearing A2 year is looking for extra work. AS stu-
dents can begin to look into extra work to get a head start in your subjects. This could be from
wider reading for English to visiting museums for Art! Look into your options, and also what you
can do over the summer. This is a wonderful chance and you will reap the benefits.
Finally, make the most of Enrichment Week, and most importantly have some fun!
By Jasmine Camm Top 5 Things that AS exams have taught me:
Set up a revision timetable earlier. Admittedly, we were told again and again to set up those time tables; but who waited until the last
few weeks of exam mania to draw up their calendar? From what I've gathered, quite a number. The
exams seemed to sneak up on us, no matter what we were told. Ah, It‟s a lesson learnt. Point:
Don‟t wait until there is so much stress that revising becomes a mixture of panic (of the time you
have left to revise) and crammed knowledge.
Read through notes after lessons. Again, it was advised and yet the exams seemed to be so far away that it seemed rather strange to
do that so soon. The transition from GCSE exams to AS exams was massive, as was the work load
and thus the need for revision.
Point: The earlier you start, the more comfortable you‟ll be with the subject, the less nervous you‟ll
be when it comes to the exam.
How to revise. After trying stacks of techniques and advice given to me, it was only in the past month or so in
which I finally found a way that works for me! This was the most valuable thing that I learnt from
the exams, at least now I have the technique sorted and so i‟m comfortable with how I can improve.
Point: It‟s pointless revising if the technique isn‟t suit-
able for you.
Avoid panicking people. Just before an exam there is chaos. Basically, it‟s some-
what contagious and should be avoided at all costs. If
you end up panicking in the exam, then it will muddle
your brain, calm down.
Point: Don‟t cram, don‟t have joint panic attacks with
people, and be calm. You‟ve done all you can.
“Told you so”
I‟m sure that many of us are cursing ourselves for lis-
tening, but not putting into action, the advice which we
had been given by both teachers and students at the
beginning of the year.
Point: Cringeworthy... „listen to what we are told‟.
Also, don't worry after exams. What's done is done, wor-
rying will do nothing to help, take Nicola's advice above
and fill your time with things that will help.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 05
“OH NO! Its 8 o‟clock, my bus is in
10 minutes!”
By Kieran Clayton
Snooze, the first word most of us read in a morning. There is no doubt that we all love it - such
a handy tool. I‟m sure you all agree with me when I say that getting out of bed in the morning is
one of life‟s greatest challenges; given the chance I think we would all rather stay there for a few
more hours and roll into school at the hour that pleases us best.
Waking up in the morning and getting out of bed really shouldn‟t be a chore; what excuses do
we have? Too tired? It‟s warm in here... I‟ve got too much to do! Getting up in the morning
should be a good thing - you are waking from, on average, 8 hours of sleep; a new day has begun
and it shouldn‟t be taken for granted. In this article I will give you some tips on how to get out of
bed fast and begin your days! As well as others‟ methods of getting up...
Tips on how to make it easier to get out of bed in a morning:
Be organised! - Having to pick out what to wear and gather your books together in the
morning is all too confusing when you‟ve just woken up, so do it the night before. Spend
10 minutes before you go to bed putting your books for the next day in your bag and get
your clothes out, or at least pick them.
But what do I have to get up for?! – Think of the benefits of getting up... some that
spring to mind for me are; I won‟t miss the bus, I‟ll have time for breakfast, Mary won‟t
kill me! I can start a new day - who knows what might happen!
Think of the dangers... – A classic mistake is when the alarm sounds like an air raid
siren; in a tired dash to stop the ear splitting noise, instead of hitting snooze you hit turn
off... then you fall back to sleep. OH NO! Its 8 o‟clock, my bus is in 10 minutes! You will
never make it, so just think... if you‟d have gotten out of bed pronto then you would be
able to stroll to the bus stop instead or running half dressed.
Now here are other people’s methods, the
weird and the wonderful:
“I get my mum to come in and put Queen on LOUD; I
have big speakers!”
“Wash your hair the night before.” – Courtesy of Year 12
History class.
“I set about 5 alarms before I go to bed; phones, radio,
clock... they all go off about 5 minutes after each other”
“I use my phone alarms, so I set two; the second one goes
off 30 minutes after the first so when I snooze the first
one, they start going off randomly and that really starts to
annoy me”
If you still can‟t get out of bed after reading this then you need
to go to bed earlier... seriously.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 06
Confectionary Conclusions By Jasmine Camm
After undertaking a number of food experiments that had successful and not-quite-successful re-
sults, I decided that they‟d be interesting to share - at least the successful ones. You may be wonder-
ing what on earth confectionary has got to do with school? To be perfectly honest, I would say that it
hasn‟t got much to do with school. If I had to pick an argument, I‟d say that food is essential to good
learning (albeit, healthy food) and that relaxation is crucial to coursework - This is how I relax, wel-
come!
Sweet Successes
The Somewhat Soufflé
Mini Muffins
Contents: Victoria sponge mix (with cocoa), chilli chocolate, double cream and some
berries.
This is something that I discovered on a lazy day. I wanted something chocolate and quick.
After cooking the chocolate cupcakes (either in a ramekin or as usual), make some ganache
by pouring almost boiling cream into a bowl of equal amounts of chopped chocolate, I used
chilli chocolate. Then mix. Cut the cakes as you would do a butterfly bun, but make the cut
deeper, then fill the gap with the ganache, place in the oven again to heat the whole thing to the same tempera-
ture. This recipe is ready to eat in less than half an hour so it‟s perfect for those chocolate urges or pajama days.
Depending on your tastes, I‟d suggest eating with raspberries, black cherries or shortbread. I am in love with
this snack, it‟s quick, it‟s easy and it tastes amazing.
Contents: Victoria sponge mix, food colouring, buttercream and smarties.
These were purely and simply, ace. Due to the minute bun cases that the cupcakes
were cooked in peeling away, we resorted to this is order to make them presentable
for a party. A tiny amount of buttercream in between the mirroring cupcakes sticks
them together and then the swirl of buttercream on the top adds flavour and texture
to the whole thing. They tasted like a compact version of a butterly bun, and looked
really quite fictional, they reminded me of a children‟s fairytale. The downside? They are gone in one bite.
Sweet Disasters The Cardiac Cake
Contents: An awful lot of butter, sugar and chocolate. Improvise.
Sure, it doesn‟t look like much, but after only a few bites you‟ll soon find yourself wondering
just exactly how much chocolate is in the cake. The recipe is practically butter, sugar and
chocolate with a sprinkle of flour and egg. It was coated with a thick layer of Cadbury‟s ga-
nache as we made too much for such a small cake - with Cadbury‟s chocolate, the ganache
tastes very caramel-ish, very sickly. Even the largest Chocoholic I know couldn‟t handle an-
other slice. Although the general flavour exceeded expectations, that aspect of the cake was also its downfall;
everyone feared for their blood-sugar levels that day, we couldn‟t stomach any junk food, how sad...
Gummy Bear Genocide
Contents: Victoria sponge mix, food colouring and gummy bears.
This was purely experimental...The analysis? Gummy bears + Cake mixture = Ex-
plosion. The rating was given for prettiness and the sheer addictive nature of these
colourful creations, stars were taken off because they are sickly and really quite
revolting. As you can see in the picture, the pink was the most delightfully cute
thing, which boosted the rating a lot. Otherwise, the buns are like extra strong toffee
to the teeth, as the melted gummy bears refuse to release their grip on anything they
touch. They were certainly unusual, and the gummy bears gave the sponge a very sweet flavour, they may have
even been nice if there was a higher sponge : gummy bear ratio. Overall, they were fun to make, fun to watch as
the gummy bears explode in the oven but really not fun to bite.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 07
By Rhianna Jones
Discounts With Breeze Cards you can get great discounts, free gifts and gain entry to special events all
around the Leeds area!
Some of the many events include:
Young Peoples Film Festival
Middleton Railway Trust (£1 off adult return, 50p off additional Breeze Card holders. Saturdays
only) Freedom Divers (20% off all try dive sessions)
Swimming (Discounts vary with age)
Squash/Badminton
Fitness Classes
Breezereads Book Discounts (15% off selected books at Borders)
Karate International Black Belt Schools (Discount of £15 per person)
Leeds Wall (10% off pre-booked sessions)
Breeze Cards double up as a library card
Jumbo Records (5% off all full priced merchandise)
Breeze on Tour!
Breeze International Youth Festival 2010
Breeze Breaks Out!
It‟s a Breeze Are you 19 and under?
Do you want great discounts on
sports and entertainment?
Could a Breeze Card be for you?
Breeze on Tour This five week tour gives you the chance to get outside and have a laugh with your friends.
Aimed at 8-18 year olds the Breeze Tour travels to different locations holding many activities
that Breeze Card holders can access for free!
Some activities at Breeze on Tour:
Dancing
Arts + Crafts
Music
Football
DJ‟s
Movie Making
Performances from locally formed bands
TO GET YOUR BREEZE CARD, VISIT:
www.breezeleeds.org (Click above to be taken to site)
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 08
Fashion By Olivia Sayer & Michaela Johns
Summer is on our doorstep! ... Hopefully. So make the most of the sunny days as they come
by stepping out in the à la mode of spring/summer 2010.
Proportions have changed this season; floor skimming hemlines are summers favourite new
length. From bodycon styles in bold shades and eye-popping prints to floaty pieces in romantic
hues. This long and flowing shape is going to be this season‟s statement silhouette.
Trend 1 – The Maxi Dress Trend 2 – Sportswear Trend 3 – Nude
A big one for the summer is
the maxi dress. In order to
make it look good, ensure
that you have the cut that is
perfect for you, so even
short people can wear it. If
you‟re short, avoid dresses
with large skirts, to avoid
being swamped. Team with
strappy sandals and either a
denim jacket for the chillier
days or a waistcoat when the
sun is blazing.
Here are some maxi dresses
from the high street, differ-
ing in types:
Another trend to follow this
season is the All American
collegiate look. Sports in-
spired pieces can include;
sheer layers, aertex meshes,
neoprene panels and lattice
detailing – creating a cool
athletic vibe. Haute hoodies
emblazoned with motifs,
sweatpants and oversized
baseball jackets can be
teamed with jersey maxi
dresses or knits.
This season is focusing on
the colour nude. Pastel col-
ours and nude are a must if
you want to hit this season‟s
main trend.
£20,
boohoo.com £39.99,
River Island
£32,
Topshop
£30,
Topshop
£18,
Topshop
£40,
Topshop
£40
Urban outfitters
£18
Urban Outfitters
£22
Urban Outfitters
Something for the Guys...
£25
Asos.com
£40
Asos.com
Biography
Sir Terry Pratchett, OBE, was born in Buck-
inghamshire in 1948. He is an extremely suc-
cessful fantasy writer, having sold over 55
million books worldwide. He was given an
OBE for services to literature in 1998, was
knighted in the Queen‟s 2009 New Year Hon-
ours, and has received 8 honorary doctorates.
He was diagnosed with Alzheimer‟s disease in
2007, and has since made large donations to
help find a cure; he has also presented a TV
programme to help raise awareness. He pub-
lished his first story at the age of 13, The Hades Business (in his school magazine!), which was
later published commercially.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 09
Author Profile: Pratchett
By Ruby Whelan
Works
The Discworld series is his most prolific series, and follows the stories of the inhabitants of the
Discworld – a parallel world to our own, where the world is (as the name suggests) a large disc.
However, as the name definitely doesn‟t suggest, it is also carried on the back of four elephants,
who ride on the back of a giant turtle. The first Discworld book – The Colour of Magic, was
published in 1985, and he has since published a further 36. Pratchett‟s works feature a great
amount of parody, on subjects as varied as Shakespeare, to fairytales, great battles and Holly-
wood.
The majority of the books are set in Ankh-Morpork, the Disc‟s largest and most… interesting
city (smell-wise, anyway), ruled by benevolent tyrant Havelock Vetinari. The books don‟t fol-
low any one character, but instead follow groups of people; the City Watch (led by cynical and
street-smart Sam Vimes, also known as “Vetinari‟s terrier”), the Wizards and the Witches. Or
specific people, for example Rincewind the wizard, Death (wonderfully anthropomorphically
portrayed), Susan Sto Helit (Death‟s granddaughter), and Moist von Lipwig (a con artist, saved
from the gallows (post-hanging) and forced to re-vamp the post office). There are also stand-
alone novels, which follow different characters, though these usually feature the series regulars
in some way or another.
Interesting Facts
He has a greenhouse full of carnivorous plants in his
garden.
He credits his local library for his education, rather
than his school.
He came top of the country in the exams for the Na-
tional council for the Training of Journalists Course.
He has a great interest in astronomy and had an ob-
servatory built in his back garden for that very purpose.
He‟s a trustee of the Orang-utan Foundation UK –
one of his most popular characters, the Unseen Univer-
sity‟s Librarian, is an orang-utan. He says, on the subject of writing, that you must “make
grammar, punctuation and spelling a part of your life”,
(which makes me very happy indeed).
Name: Terry Pratchett
Born: 28 April 1948
Location: Salisbury,
Wiltshire
Genre: Fantasy
“In the beginning there was nothing,
which exploded”
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 10
Internet picks of the month
All sites found using: www.stumbleupon.com
By Ruby Whelan
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
This rather interesting website gives you access to the
front pages of hundreds of newspapers, worldwide,
from The New York Times, to The Ashasi Shimbun, in
Japan. Obviously, the newspapers are generally in the
language of their home country, though some, like the
Japanese paper I mentioned, have English versions. This
could be extremely useful if you‟re studying languages,
though weirdly, there are NO French newspapers on the
database. I suppose I‟ll have to just read the ones from Luxembourg… There are a majority of American
newspapers on here, and currently only 4 from England (one of which is the Lancashire Evening Post,
which I find quite odd – no Daily Mail, or Telegraph, but we WILL have the Lancashire Evening Post!),
but the ability to look at newspapers from Vietnam and New Zealand sort of makes up for it. Updated
daily.
I adore this website, partially because it allows me to keep
track of what‟s happening in the world, without the boredom
of sitting through the news, or reading a newspaper. Worldly
knowledge, sans effort. Plus, you get to look at lots of fantas-
tic photography; yay, pretty (though sometimes shocking, as
with the oil spill) pictures! More recent photo collections are
of South Africa‟s world cup preparations, and the horrific
Gulf of Mexio oil spill, currently advancing on America‟s
south eastern coast, destroying the habitat of many helpless
animals as it goes. The website updates every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/
This webcomic can be ridiculously geeky, which is kinda why I love it.
As it says, it‟s “a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language”,
and also extremely funny, unless you don‟t get the joke, which, unless
you‟re a real maths/computer nerd, you won‟t for every comic. How-
ever, this is not an overly regular occurrence, and as it updates 3 times a
week (Mon, Wed, Fri), there‟s always something that will appeal to all
audiences.
http://www.xkcd.com/
I adore pretty much everything about this
webcomic, from the artwork, to the hu-
mour, to the more serious “let‟s reflect on
life in quite a silly way” aspect of it. Some
of the comics do contain HUGE walls of
text, though (which I sometimes skip,
which is very naughty of me, but I am lazy
and it doesn‟t necessarily detract form the
joke, so whatever), which I suppose can be
a negative, but not everything is perfect.
There are a few regular characters here,
such as the sphinx, pictured on the right,
whose terrifying appearance doesn‟t make
her many human friends, though that may
be because she eats them. It updates…
Well, it does update fairly regularly, but I
don‟t think there‟s currently any rhyme or reason to when. Generally, it‟s every week.
http://www.viruscomix.com/subnormality.html
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 11
Things to do By Jasmine Camm
Victorian Sports
Day.
People‟s Park,
Halifax.
June, 1pm -
4pm, Free.
If you‟re looking for a unique thing to do with
your time then this may be for you! It sounds
quite hilarious - Victorian costumes, egg and
spoon races, whip and top? Hilarity is sure to en-
sue. Of course, it isn‟t imperative that you dress
the part, but why not? Refreshments are also
available.
A Tour with
Anne Lister
Shibden Hall,
Lister‟s Road,
Halifax.
13th June/11th
July, 2pm, Usual
admission.
Following the release of BBC‟s „The Secret Dia-
ries of Anne Lister‟, the tour at Shibden Hall al-
lows you to find out more about the life and loca-
tion of this fascinating woman, the first modern
Lesbian and mistress of the Hall in the 19th cen-
tury, and to have a refreshing walk around some
awesome rooms and grounds. You could even go
on the mini-train or the rowing boats afterwards if
you were feeling particularly child-like.
Calderdale Pride. Piece Hall, Hali-
fax.
19th June, 2pm
- 8pm, Free.
Once again the Piece Hall has the pleasure of
hosting the celebration of diversity in Calderdale.
Everyone is welcome to bring picnics, blankets
and friends to enjoy the day. In the Hall there will
be a variety of eating places, a bar, a full pro-
gramme of live entertainment, and „quality DJ‟s,
artists, bands, and speakers‟. Not much missing is
there?
1960‟s Weekend. Haworth Main
Street.
19th/20th June,
Free.
If you enjoyed the vintage feel of the 1940‟s
weekend, why not indulge yourself in another era
of iconic things? Take yourself back to the days
of fashion from that of Mary Quant‟s miniskirt
and Doris Day‟s feminine gowns to Bardot‟s bee-
hive hairstyles and Hepburn‟s skinny jeans. The
most popular style associated with the 1960‟s is
that created by those who prompted sexual libera-
tion and „peace, love and freedom‟. Groovy...
The Bridge
Birthday Bash.
Hebden Bridge. 19th June,
1:30pm start,
Free.
A medieval festival celebrating the 500th anni-
versary of the Bridge. There‟ll be a packhorse
procession over the bridge, medieval music,
dance and Jesters. It‟s a chance to learn truly fas-
cinating facts and fiction about bridges; some to
„fascinate even the unfascinatable‟.
Leeds Loves
Food.
Millennium
Square, Leeds.
1st - 4th July,
Free for brows-
ing.
A festival which shows off the range and the
quality of the food in Leeds, including events and
promotions. The four day spread of events has a
packed calender which can be viewed online.
There‟s no shortage of food, as the choice varies
from BBQ, picnics and Mexican dishes to the
smoothies, the Mad Hatter‟s Tea Party and a se-
lection of master-classes. If food isn‟t your thing,
then Angel‟s Share Vintage Fair on the 3rd July
may give you a break from the mass amount of
edibles. See http://www.leedslovesfood.com/ for
specific times and dates.
OSFM, Issue 2 Oakbank School/
www.osfm.co.nr
17th July The next issue of Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine is
released, just as we say bye bye for summer!
Event Location Times Further Information
£16.99,
Amazon.co.uk
„To make walking rainy days fun‟, at least
until you get run over by the car that you
never saw because you were too busy staring up at your umbrella screen. It contains a built-in
camera and allows photo-sharing, so you can upload the photo‟s that you take via a wireless
Internet connection. Obviously, this is something every umberella needs - who cares about keep-
ing dry? It also has the function of a birds eye 3D map, this could be useful; however, its pur-
pose is described as being for the user „to compare the 3D views to real sights‟. Perhaps this is
just me, but doesn‟t the physical sight erase the need for a 3D view? I admit that it‟s creative, but
I fail to comprehend WHY somebody looked at an umbrella and thought that it was necessary to
add the Internet. I know that it is the „Age of the Internet‟ and such, but surely this is a little ex-
cessive...
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 12
Things to own
By Kieran Clayton
This Months Essential Item!
There is no doubting that we
are all hyped for the release
of Toy Story 3 in UK cine-
mas 23 July 2010. So, why not re-cap on the
gang‟s shenanigans in the much loved child-
hood classics, Toy story and Toy story 2, to-
gether in this new boxset!
Toy Story 1 & 2 Boxset
This handy little gadget will help
with that ever so daunting task of
revising. With the Sound Asleep
pillow you don‟t even have to open
a book, all you need to do it SLEEP! Simply plug in
your mp3 player, and listen to pre-recorded lectures or
class notes whilst you sleep, experts say it works...
Sound Asleep Pillow,
£20,
soundasleeppillow.co.uk
We have all been caught out by our mobile
or mp3 battery whilst on the move; it has to
be one of the most annoying things that can
happen! The Freeloader Solar Charger will
charge up any mobile device including; iPods, phones and even
portable games consoles, just from the power of the sun, any-
where! It would come in handy for festivals and camping trips
this summer.
A lot of us don‟t eat breakfast in a
morning even though we are told time
and time again that we will perform
better throughout the day. This may
look like your average cereal bowl however it has a built in shelf
which stops the milk coming into contact with all the cereal. In-
stead it releases a little bit of milk onto a small section of the ce-
real, keeping it crunchier for longer! YUM!
EatMeCrunchy Cereal Bowl,
£4.99,
firebox.com
Freeloader Solar Charger,
£40,
sciencemuseumshop.org.uk
Editors Pick
Pileus: The Internet Umbrella!,
£16.99,
pileus.net
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 13
4 Years later... By Jacob Bartnik
The EDITORS played at St George's Hall in
Bradford on Monday 8th March as part of their UK
tour to promote their latest album, “In This Light
and on This Evening”.
The set which included some old favourites as well
as new material went down well with both old and
new fans. The EDITORS style of Indie-Rock was performed with a
stunning backdrop full of visual and lighting effects which added to
the experience.
The supports acts were equally as good featuring Cold Cave, an ex-
perimental Synthpop band from Philadelphia and English band The
Strange Death of Liberal England which varies from folk to Indie-
Rock.
A number of Oakbank students attended the night, each enjoy-
ing the evening to its full.
www.editorsofficial.com www.myspace.com/tsdole
www.myspace.com/coldcave
Pictured: Top - Tom Smith, Editors | Middle - Cold Cave | Bot-
tom - The Strange Death Of Liberal England
Well the waiting is over; the most anticipated
sporting event in the world has come around yet
again. I am talking, of course, about the Fifa World
Cup. Nothing in the world of sports can amount to
such an awesome, contagious force that floods across
the planet, compelling peoples from every nation to
tune in and watch the greatest and most popular sport
in the world, football. The tournament will be held in
The Republic of South Africa where 32 teams from
across the globe will battle it out to take home the tro-
phy. Of course, most people know this is more than just sport.
This is patriotism. This is pride. What happens over the next
few weeks will be written in the history books along with all
of the other past tournaments.
As a nation who holds football close to its heart, we devote
ourselves to supporting the 23 heroes chosen to represent our
country. Although we may not have competed so well in the
previous World Cup (Losing in the quarter finals to Portugal
in a penalty shootout), we have grown and developed into a
team that is considered one of the favourites to take home the
gold. Led by newly appointed captain Steven Gerrard, our
nation‟s squad is built up of powerful, talented athletes who will work
themselves to death to win this tournament and the love and admiration
of their proud nation. (Yes, I know it rhymes.) So keep watching, this is
history in the making; be proud of our beloved England, no matter what
the outcome... unless we lose in penalties.
By Rhianna Jones Gig Reviews
I was looking forward to seeing Portia
Conn live after the let down on a previous
attempt where she was pulled from the line
up, the only problem this time was the fact
that Portia was, once again, pulled from the
line-up. We went anyway, what fool would
turn down a free gig? We deliberately arrived
late so we could try and avoid seeing the first
support act, “Eight days straight”, however
this plan was foiled when we arrive thirty
minutes after doors and people were still wait-
ing outside.
When we were just about to give up and go
find something else to do, there was move-
ment, doors. After battling with rude staff
over the guest list we were finally stuck to the
floor inside the oddest basement id ever seen,
where I couldn‟t help but feel sickened by the
smell of what I should hope is the toilets seep-
ing through my blocked nose.
We sat away from the stage for the first
support, “Eight days straight”, I was genu-
inely afraid of needing ear treatment if I got
any closer to the speakers, or the girls screech
emitting from them. I also found myself being
irritated by her trying too hard to pretend she
gave a damn about the main act, “MiMi
Soya”, by screaming there name down the mic
towards her obligatory fans. The people who
were paying some kind of attention to EDS
could only be described as... relatives. I re-
sorted to checking Facebook on my phone,
were I got carried away and posted on Portia
Conn‟s wall expressing my disgust towards
the evening so far; you know when you‟re on
Facebook at a gig, you can‟t be having a good
time!
Before the next band, “Pegasus Bridge”,
we went to speak to the manager of MiMi
Soya, Pegasus Bridge and Portia Conn –
Nathen McVittie. He was very friendly and he
kindly explained the situation with Portia and
we couldn‟t help but to forgive him, he also
told us more about Pegasus Bridge and we
even had a brief conversation with Tom Lyn-
man (drummer of PB) before they took to the
stage.
Pegasus Bridge, consisting of two look-
alikes; Russell Howard and Nick Jonas/Simon
Amstell (although I think I was on my own
with this one), got my foot tapping
“are you looking forward to MiMi Soya?!!!!!!!”
- Not Really...
almost straight away. Now we were up in front of the
stage it really sank in how poor the turnout was for
this gig, I would say there was at a max, 25 people
there... 4 of which were staff, 2 managers, 7 bands
members and the rest... „fans‟. I couldn‟t help but to
give Pegasus Bridge the loudest wolf whistle I could
at the end of every song; something which literally
got the thumbs up from Tom. However some rude
members of the audience didn‟t like it as much and
these just happened to be the members of MiMi Soya
- The main act of the evening! Edward Turner, the
lead singer of PB had an outstanding voice which
pleased the audience and Tom was beating the crap
out of those drums like there was no tomorrow.
These guys really did lift my mood and I was actu-
ally having a good time! Whilst we waited for MiMi-
soya we again had brief conversations with Alex
Howick (Bass) and Tom who donated a couple of
drops of his drink for the purpose of a cheers.
It was time for MiMi Soya, I was hoping she
would stand behind the pole in the middle of the
stage however no such luck. I reluctantly watched
the head banging, shaking and eye rolling (with the
hand on the hip) of the singer of MiMi Soya whilst
thinking to myself; “SOZ paramour”. Struggling to
depict any difference between each song I gave no
whistle just a pathetic little clap.
Overview of the night... Eight Days Straight -
Who? Pegasus Bridge - What an awesome bunch of
guys with the potential to be BIG. MiMi Soya - get
your own act.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 14
By Kieran Clayton
Eight Days Straight
Pegasus Bridge
Ribena available now - FREE @ http://www.myspace.com/
pegasusbridge
MiMi Soya Hear more of the same @
http://www.myspace.com/ mimisoya
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 15
Music
Pendulum are back, but have
they brought anything new
with them? In my opinion: no.
It‟s the same formula that has
always been used by the fa-
mous Australian D&B band. I
can‟t deny the fact that the
song in itself is not bad at all,
but I just can‟t completely
differentiate it from its prede-
cessors. It brings nothing new
to the table, which will even-
tually have its consequences
as original artists could shine
through and leave pendulum
in the dust. Putting aside the
lack of originality, this song
still stood out to me as a must
have. Its fast paced euphoria
will blow your mind away,
and I can‟t even begin to
imagine how incredible this
would be if this was per-
formed live.
Pendulum - Watercolour
NEW
Scouting For Girls - This
Ain’t a Love Song
I must admit, I‟m not very
fond of Scouting for Girls, but
this one caught my attention.
It differs from the stuff you‟d
expect to hear from them, so it
captivates a wider audience; it
managed to dominate the
charts for a couple of weeks.
If you‟re a SCG fan already
you won‟t be disappointed nor
let down and if you‟re not al-
ready a fan you may just be
pulled in by this one.
Four Year Strong - Enemy
of the world
ALBUM OF THE MONTH
The eccentric, explosive FYS
are back and are better than
ever. Personally I don‟t be-
lieve it‟s as good as their last
album Rise or Die Trying but
it‟s still an amazing album!
From beginning to end its pure
ear melting goodness with
upbeat pop punk to really get
you into the summer mood.
Yeasayer - Odd Blood
Panic! At the Disco - A Fe-
ver You Can't Sweat Out
I first saw these
guys live sup-
porting Bat For
Lashes in
Leeds, it turns
out they have col-
laborated on most of the track
on her CD. I thought they
were good but one of the vo-
calists seemed to be trying to
go too high. When I heard
„Odd Blood‟ I wasn‟t expect-
ing much however I was truly
blown away by its excellence!
The experimental indie music
really is something new, a
great outcome to an experi-
ment if you ask me!
Now I know
this album isn‟t
new and most
have you have
probably forgot
about its exis-
tence , it was the same for
me. Listening to it for the first
time in years really was such a
treat, the transitions in it are
fantastic, they really add the
story like feel of the album
when listened to from begin-
ning to end. The music in it is
extremely varied, they have
probably used ever instrument
under the sun, and it really
works! If you havn‟t listened
before, do it. Even if you don't
think its „your thing‟.
www.pendulum.com
www.scoutingforgirls.com
myspace.com/fouryearstrong
www.yeasayer.net www.panicatthedisco.com
June Releases to Look Out For
By Michaela Johns
By Michaela Johns
By Michaela Johns
By Kieran Clayton
By Kieran Clayton
3oh!3 - Streets of Gold
29.06.10
We Are Scientists -
Barbara
14.06.10
Scissor Sisters - Night
Work
28.06.10
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 16
Film & Games Film
The Bounty Hunter
Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler) a bounty hunter gets his dream job when
he is given the task of picking up his ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hur-
ley (Jennifer Aniston) who has „jumped bail‟. Milo, thinking he has
this one in the bag goes for the easy catch, only to find out that
Nicole has other ideas. The pair play cat and mouse for a while
which becomes a little repetitive, but has its funny moments. While
they‟re arguing between themselves it turns out they are being pur-
sued by a bigger threat, suspects from a murder case Nicole is re-
porting on. The action is questionable but it‟s played well and
helped by the obvious chemistry between Butler and Aniston. In the
end, they both get locked up in a police jail, but seem happy to be
there together. Overall its quite funny, and definitely worth a watch.
By Christina Cooper
Games
By Joss Cope-Smith and Jacob Bartnik
Here at the Games Review our goal is to inform you of the top new games being released and
share with you our honest opinions on their content; stretching from storyline and game play to
graphics and online content. For this issue of the Sixth Form Magazine we will be reviewing the
best game of 2009 (and probably the decade), Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, as well as some
of the newest and most anticipated releases of 2010.
As you may already know, Final fantasy is one of the largest
gaming franchises of all time, with dozens of instalments for
different platforms and even a couple of movies. So, does the latest
instalment, Final Fantasy XIII, meet its much anticipated expectations?
Short answer, no! But why is it such a let down? Well, you may have seen
the adverts on TV; though you may not believe it, those aren‟t cinematic -
that is pure game play. The graphics are unmatchable, but that‟s not all
that games are about. Yes, it is very new and very shiny, but the in game
content, the lack of depth underlying its predecessors and its dismal battle
system make it very boring, repetitive and an all round letdown. I don‟t
think it would have been as difficult to play if it had a follow-able plot. I
would consider it a game to play, but definitely not one to waste your
money on.
Call of Duty is an established series of top-notch first person
shooters, never failing to entertain. Modern Warfare 2 (MW2)
is the second instalment of the highly successful MW series. It
follows the exploits of 2 army divisions; Task Force 141, and The
U.S Army Rangers, fighting against Vladimir Makarov and his ultrana-
tionalist regime, whilst also driving back a Russian invasion of America.
This amazing storyline is well complemented by an array of excellent
missions, great realistic graphics and outstanding game play. But the game
doesn‟t finish after the campaign. The real MW2 experience is found
within its mind-blowing multiplayer content. Players can customise their
classes with an arsenal of unlockable weapons and perks and can play
with, and against players from anywhere around the Globe. This can be
done in various game modes and locations - from the basic team death
match to the complex demolition, in which teams try to destroy 2 central
objectives. It has been hailed the shooter to end all shooters and is a defi-
nite must buy.
Call of Duty Modern
Warfare 2
Final Fantasy XIII
Welcome to the random page. Here you‟ll
find snippets of information that will range
from humorous to serious, and from origins of
phrases to scientific theories. Much of this
information is trivial and useless in ordinary
life, however there are also possible conclu-
sions to questions that we‟ve all asked, such as
„Why is yawning contagious?‟.
The average chocolate bar has 8 insects‟ legs in it. (Sorry!)
A blue whale‟s aorta is big enough for a human to crawl through.
French was the official language of England for over 600 years.
„Raining cats and dogs‟ originated in the 17th century when homeless animals
would drowned and float down the street, making it seem as if it had rained cats
and dogs.
A picture of Gandalf the Grey (LotR) can be seen in the collection of great wizards
in Dumbledore‟s study in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would kiss the family cat for
good luck.
The „brain cooling theory‟ says that when we contagiously yawn we are participat-
ing in an ancient ritual that evolved to help groups stay alert and detect danger.
No other language has a word that means exactly the same as the English „cake‟.
During World War II, sugar was ra-
tioned in the UK, so icing could not
be made and cakes were reduced in
size. To make them look presentable
cakes were often served inside a box
which had been decorated with plas-
ter of Paris, to resemble the tradi-
tional cake.
There is a 7 ft sculpture made com-
pletely of marmite. It is a re-creation
of „The Kiss‟ sculpted by Jeremy
Fattorini.
'Yahoo' is an acronym for „Yet An-
other Hierachical Officious Oracle‟,
created by David Filo and Jerry
Yang.
In 1926 women were banned form
competing in marathons as it was be-
lieved that they caused infertility.
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 17
Random Facts
By Jasmine Camm
In 1843, a Pari-
sian street mime got stuck
in his imaginary box and
consequently died of
starvation.
Fact of the Month
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 18
June Open Days 12 06 10 University of Derby
12 06 10 University of Central Lancashire
16 06 10 Royal Holloway, University of London
18 06 10 Northumbria University
18 06 10 University of Reading
19 06 10 Coventry University
22 06 10 Aston University
23 06 10 Askham Bryan College – Taster Day
24 06 10 University of Birmingham
25 06 10 University of Birmingham
26 06 10 University of Liverpool
26 06 10 Peninsula Medical School
26 06 10 University of East Anglia
28 06 10 Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
29 06 10 Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
29 06 10 Durham University
30 06 10 Liverpool John Moores
30 06 10 Newnham College, Cambridge
30 06 10 London School of Economics and Political Science
30 06 10 University of Glamorgan
30 06 10 St Anne‟s College, Oxford – Formal Open Day
Seminars, Conferences, Workshops
If your university isn‟t here, check the Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine Website for a full list of
University open days.
And some for early July...
01 07 10 St Anne‟s College, Oxford – Formal Open Day
02 07 10 Leeds Metropolitan University
02 07 10 University of East Anglia
02 07 10 Newcastle University
03 07 10 Newcastle University
Oakbank Sixth Form Magazine 19
Contact Us Have anything you‟d like to say? Read anything that you
want more information on? Or do you have a story you‟d
like to tell?
Feel free to get in touch!
Editor: Jasmine Camm
Email: [email protected]
Everyone in Sixth Form is auto-subscribed to the maga-
zine, if you would like to stop receiving the emailed maga-
zine contact our tech support:
Check out our webpage at: www.osfm.co.nr
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We look forward to hearing from you!
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