Collected July 2009
Part of my plan for tackling boredom this summer was to go through the old issues of Pugwash and collect all the articles I’ve ever written into a portfolio. I found my editorials over the past two years, and figured I’d share – I think they trace Pugwash’s progress pretty well, though I do say it myself! Enjoy! (more…)
Well, I just finished University! I have handed in my final pieces of coursework, and it’s just a matter now of waiting on the final three marks to come back and (assuming I pass, which I should) collecting my diploma. If all goes to plan, as of the 22nd of July, I will no longer be a student, and will have to start thinking and acting like a fully fledged and proper adult! Scary stuff…
Other things are ending as well. I completed my last ever issue as Editor of Pugwash News, and have handed over to the new guy – it is well and truly ‘not my problem anymore’. Sadly, things did not end exactly as I had hoped they would; it’s a long story. But I am trying to see all the positives instead of dwell on this. I made some wonderful friends and memories, and I have three years of wonderful and educational experiences behind me. I know the new team will look after it well, so I’m happy to walk away with pride. (more…)
Well, it’s official. Pugwash News has a new Editorial Team, and I’m not on it! The elections went really smoothly, and I was, overall, pleased with the outcome, but it really is winding down to the end of my era here, and it’s all getting a bit emotional.
As I write this, I am sitting in the office in the process of laying up my penultimate issue of the paper. We’re at the phase where my first role, the copy editing, approval, and collection of articles is largely done, and my second role, the jabberwockying (extending or cutting articles to fit) and so on has not yet started, so I can sit back and attend to other things while the design team does their bit. Updating this blog is at the top of a list of about 100 things I have to, most of which are Pugwash related. We have two big socials coming up, which need arranging, and a handover period for the old and new teams, plus the final issue this year, so there’s lots going on and it’s going to be a busy month. (This is all on top of my last three deadlines and moving house, but that’s another story for another day!) (more…)
In an hour’s time, we are having our Pugwash Editorial Team Elections, which will democratically decide who will be running Pugwash News and Pugwash Magazine next academic year. This is quite a big event in the ‘history of Laura’, as it is the first year that I will NOT be running for a position. This is, of course, because I am graduating this summer, and will be moving on to other adventures, but it’s still sort of sad.
Pugwash has been a part of my university life literally since Freshers’ Week in my First Year. And it’s been a huge part of my experience here; not only in terms of the friends that I have made and the time I have devoted to it, but also because of the amount I have learned and achieved during my time on the team. Yes, it has been a long and stressful road, with plenty of angst, tears and more than one moment where I have threatened to quit. However, overall there has been more ‘better’ than ‘worse’, and I have many fond memories of my time here. (more…)
Or the common cold!
(Written in October 2008)
Pugwash News offers you advice on how to avoid the dreaded Freshers’ Flu, or, if you’ve already caught it, how to send it packing as fast as possible. Your first few weeks at uni are the most exciting of your life, and you don’t need any illnesses slowing you down or numbing your senses.
There are many different theories as to what exactly causes Freshers’ Flu, from the lecturers’ idea that it’s all down to too much sex, drink and rock & roll, to the parents’ conception that it’s due to poor living conditions in Halls and is a side effect of homesickness.
Most likely it’s a combination of these things and more; people come from all over the country, each bringing with them their own local brand of germ. Mix this bacteria party with stress, late nights, a probably less-than-ideal lifestyle and the fact that we all congregate in large groups often, and it’s no surprise that many of us are left feeling a little under the weather. (more…)
As Copy Editor for UPSU student media, my job is to ‘red pen’ – yes, it’s a verb – our website and magazine, as well as Pugwash News. I have the task of translating Pugwash into English, finding every bit of missing or superfluous punctuation, and trying to make sure that not only is everything spelled correctly, but that it makes sense too. Before you brand me a complete nerd, let me explain that this is actually a legitimate job and that we’re everywhere in the world of publishing.
(Let me also iterate that I am very far from perfect, so please don’t email me nitpick-ly pointing out the few mistakes I’m sure I let slip. I’m only human, and you should see some of the text before I get my hands on it!)
Now, most people have a basic grasp of the English language, but stumble on all the different rules and refinements of it. (more…)
This time twelve months ago, I could never understand why my Third Year friends cringed and expounded “No, no, don’t mention the diss!” whenever I asked them how their final year projects were going. I thought it was silly and immature – the thought that somehow not talking about it would mean it didn’t have to be done eventually. But now, being in that situation of a fast approaching ‘D-Day’ myself, I get it. I admit that I myself am struggling with my dissertation, and I would just rather people didn’t bring it up.
In my musings on the topic of dissertations, I came to formulate a theory, which I hope to share with you here. Every person who has ever completed a degree in the past has had to produce a dissertation of some sort; every person currently in or about to enter a degree will eventually have to produce one in the future. My theory proposes that when it comes to their dissertation work, all students can be broken down into three categories: the Good, the Bad, and the Bluffing. (more…)
A study in California has recently revealed that, as a general rule, people who vote Left-wing define themselves as iPhone fans, while their compatriots on the Right are more likely to be users of BlackBerries. (more…)
