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Meghan Markle Brings The Christmas Sparkle P. 4 Bored Of The Bard? Has Shakespeare’s Fair Turned Foul? P.6 Make Sure You’re Not Alone Under The Mistletoe This Christmas P.16
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The Galleon
Thursday 14th December 2017
NEWS Our Team editor@galleonnews.com Deputy Editor: Georgina Monk deputy@galleonnews.com Copy Editor: Elizabeth Smallwood copy@galleonnews.com Design Editor: Alex Fiske design@galleonnews.com Graphics/Photography Desk: Mhlengi Mntungwa photography@galleonnews.com News Editor: Kayla Francis news@galleonnews.com Lifestyle Editor: Lucy VS Morris features@galleonnews.com Arts & Ents Editor: Michael Pusey artsents@galleonnews.com Reaction Editor: George Dummons reaction@galleonnews.com Sport Editor: Vacant sport@galleonnews.com Technical Manager: Vacant tech@galleonnews.com PR and Social Media Manager: Vacant marketing@galleonnews.com
News:
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Lifestyle & Culture:
Fashion & Beauty Editor: Brogan Kirkby-Bott Sex & Relationships Editor: Paige Whiteway Travel Editor: Stephanie Lukins Food & Health Editor: Victoria Wilton Showbiz Editor: Vacant Film Editor: Dawn Brissenden TV Editor: Kaitlin McKenzie Gaming and Technology Editor: Will Brown Music Editor: Giada Nizzoli Arts Editor: Laura Davis
Opinion:
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Sport:
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Small Print Produced fortnightly by student volunteers at the University of Portsmouth Students’ Union. Printed by CNN News Print The Galleon bears no allegiance to any political party and discriminates against no-one. Editor in Chief Amber Mathurin amber.mathurin@upsu.net Send any complaints to mediacomplaints@ upsu.net Visit us at The Student Centre, Portsmouth Students’ Union, Cambridge Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2EF.
Writers’ Meetings News TBC Lifestyle Monday 5pm, Third Space Culture Monday 3pm, Third Space Reaction TBC Sport TBC
Local News
Karen Blackett named Chancellor for University of Portsmouth Karen Blackett has been appointed as our new chancellor but who is she? Kayla Francis News Editor Karen Blackett OBE and chairwomen of MediaCom UK has replaced OBE, comedian, writer, producer and presenter of Great British Bake off Sandi Tokisvig after five years in office. Karen Blackett is the University’s fourth chancellor, taking the role in its 25th anniversary. She is the first chancellor to be from the university herself, graduating with a BA in Geography in 1992. Karen Blackett has always shown initiative with young people, launching the first government-backed apprenticeship scheme for 18-24 year olds in the creative and media industry in 2012. She was later given an OBE for her services in 2014. In 2003 and 2005 Karen Blackett was
CREDIT: UOPNEWS KAREN AND EX-CHANCELLOR SANDI TOKSVIG voted by Management Today as one of the 35 Most Powerful Women under 35 in the UK. Since then, she has contributed to The Telegraph‘s Wonder Women editorial section.
Karen Blackett has also recently been named as one of the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000, one of London’s most influential people of 2015 and as one of the Debrett’s 500 2016 which
was published in the Sunday Times. She has also been featured five times in the Power List of Britain’s 100 Most Influential Black People, becoming the first black business woman in 2015. During her tenure as CEO of MediaCom UK she has worked with a range of well-known companies such as Sky, Tesco, GSK, Coca Cola, CRUK, Centrepoint, Audi, DFS and the Met. Police. She has also won over £790 million of new business for the company. She has also launched an apprenticeship scheme at MediaCom for disadvantaged young people who want to get into the media industry, taking on 10 to 15 people each year. With such an amazing track record Karen Blackett has not only proved what a University of Portsmouth student can do but also that the university is very lucky to have her.
News
Egypt devastated by Terrorist attack
CREDIT: THE TIMES OF ISRAEL (AFP/ STRINGER)
Egypt was left devastated on November 25th after suffering its worst atrocity in years Liberty Cullen There has been a terrorist attack on a Sinai mosque. As prayers were coming to an end on Friday, a bomb ripped through the mosque. A group of militants then opened fire on the worshippers in a gun assault.
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It shows an extreme escalation in the battle between Egypt and Islamic State.”
Officials have now raised the death toll to 305 people, including 27 children. A further 128 people were wounded in the attack. Nobil Sadeq, Egypt’s chief prosecutor, said that 25-30 militants had carried out the attack. The militants had positioned themselves at the mosque’s main doors and 12 windows before opening fire on those inside. The attack resulted in more than 50 ambulances ferrying the casualties to nearby hospitals. Pictures released from the scene showed rows of bloodied victims inside the mosque. So far, no group has claimed re-
sponsibility for the attack. However, it shows an extreme escalation in the battle between Egypt and Islamic State. Egyptian security forces have been battling the Islamic State insurgency for three years after the killing of police and soldiers. It has been reported that the militants could be seen carrying the flag of Islamic State. The attack was not only one of the worst terrorist attacks in Egypt’s history, but it is also the first attack on a mosque. The justification for carrying out an attack on a Muslim place of worship seems to be that the mosque was frequently attended by
Sufis. Sufis is a sect considered by many Islamic extremists to be heretical. However, many conspiracy theories have begun to circulate, suggesting that this incident has provided president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with a perfect opportunity to demonstrate his security credentials. Theresa May contacted the president and told him that the UK ‘stands ready to help in anyway possible’. Downing Street also stated that the two leaders agreed international cooperation is necessary to tackle the rise in terrorism.
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National News
President Mugabe forced into resignation Zimbabwe’s military and government overthrow Mugabe’s four decade reign Liberty Cullen Mugabe’s four decade reign, that lasted from the country’s independence through to its economic collapse, has come to an end after he was forced to resign by Zimbabwe’s military and his own political party. When his reign began, he was seen as a liberator as he was one of the last heroes of the anti-colonial struggle, but as it ended, he was seen by many as brutal and autocratic. Events culminated in Zimbabwe on November 14th when the leaders of the
military detained the then president and took control of the country’s government. This lead to one of the country’s largest anti-government demonstrations in its history. Despite refusing to resign at first, days of negotiation led Mugabe to send his letter of resignation to parliament. The announcement came as a shock during the debates of his impeachment. The discussion was halted so the announcement could be made - leading the body of people to burst into cheers. According to the speaker Jacob Mu-
denda, Mugabe’s letter said that he was resigning for ‘the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and the need for a peaceful transfer of power’. He then announced that the new president would be named on Wednesday. For the last week, the people of Zimbabwe have united to oppose their harsh leader, expressing the hope that this unity would lead to change. Soon after Mugabe’s resignation was announced, members of the public could be seen dancing on the top of cars and blasting music while waving the flag of Zimba-
CREDIT: WALL STREET JOURNAL
bwe, One man could even be seen kissing the ground while another fell to his knees. Precious Mazayi, the owner of a security company, said ‘I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. I don’t even know who the president is right now. But for now, let us just celebrate. We have waited so long for this’ The US embassy of Harare released a statement that called his resignation a ‘historical moment’ for Zimbabwe and urged them to choose a leader who would let the people ‘voice their opin-
ions without fear’. In the following days, Emmerson Mnangagwa was named as the new president. In his inauguration speech, he praised Mugabe as Zimbabwe’s ‘founding father’. He also stated that ‘he was ready and willing for a steady re-engagement with all the nations of the world’. It has since been revealed that Robert Mugabe will receive a $10 million pay off and immunity for him and his family. Zimbabwe is happy to finally have new leadership, but what does this mean for the future of the country?
News
Mount Agung’s eruption causes mass chaos Highest warning level reached as gas clouds and lava endanger Bali Rosario Uribe Bali, the popular backpacker destination in Indonesia, is in great distress;its main volcano, Mount Agung, started erupting last week and the situation seems to be escalating quickly. The volcano, located in the East of Bali, had already erupted 50 years ago, leaving 1,600 deceased. Tremors had already taken place in September and rumblings in the area announced that Mount Agung, the Island’s highest point, might erupt. It was not until last week that the eruption was made a reality, when alarming and confirming signs of this natural disaster started to appear.
Glowing red lava, ash clouds around 5.5 miles high and constant earthquakes have been tormenting Balinese citizens and visitors alike. Visitors are common here as the Mount is situated near Bali’s main tourist points: Kuta and Seminyak. The main airports Denpasar and Lombok have been closed due to the ash clouds, keeping about 69,000 passengers trapped on the island. The airport stayed closed for three days until it reopened this Wednesday due to a favourable wind direction change, but the situation remains indefinite. Last week, Mount Agung start-
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The highest alert level was implemented as all citizens and visitors within 6 miles, which total around 100,000, were instructed to evacuate the area.”
CREDIT: SKY NEWS
ed emitting thick ash clouds and lahar (streams of rock mixed with water) and on Monday the highest alert level was implemented as all citizens and visitors within 6 miles, which total around 100,000, were instructed to evacuate the area. Curiously, only 29,000 citizens evacuated the city and entered the shelters offered by the state. The rest fled to Lombok or even planned to stay until the lava “really” came. Many Balinese people live in rural areas of the danger zone and do not want to leave their work and home if the eruption is not as bad as they have been told. The
shelters offered are extremely poor, made of bamboo and plastic sheets and have to be shared with other families. This concerns the citizens a lot because they do not want to end up trapped in the shelters and lose everything they have achieved at home. However, it seems that if the situation does not improve they will not have any other alternatives.
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This catastrophe will certainly leave a mark on Bali as a tourist destination for a while.”
Some other citizens see this not as a disaster but as a cycle of nature, and see the eruption as an opportunity to start new with more fertile land than before. Mount Agung is very special for the Balinese people as it is perceived as a sacred site with great power and energy, which many of the simultaneously fantastic and terrifying pictures of the volcano’s eruption confirm. What should be expected from this natural disaster? Given that scientist
say that the highest alarm point was reached on Monday, perhaps many Balinese are right about staying. If not, hot and fast avalanches of rocks, dust and gas mixed with mudflows and ash will fall upon the area, destroying everything on its way and creating severe health problems for those who manage to survive. Tourists do not need to fear as much as the airport is now open, but this catastrophe will certainly leave a mark on Bali as a tourist destination for a while. This will have a bad impact on the island’s economy because tourism is the main income. Restaurants, cafes and hostels have been empty for the past few weeks, and with all the reconstruction and shelter money needed for the community this will certainly leave tracks on Indonesian economy. Apparently NGO’s and private help have already delivered masks, food and water for the affected, but there has been no real help from neighbouring countries. If we can take one good thing from the eruption, NASA reported that Mount Agung might be able to produce high amount of sulphur dioxide emissions which would help slow global warming by making the planet cool down.
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The Galleon
Thursday 14th December 2017
NEWS
National News
Prince Harry of Wales is single no more! As the nation’s girls cry, The Galleon asks just who is Prince Harry’s new fiancee? Rosario Uribe When the news of Prince Harry’s new girlfriend filled magazines last summer after they attended an Invictus game together, no one would have guessed that we were looking at the future Duchess.
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Her background makes her a special choice as the Prince’s new wife; she is the first bi-racial “Princess” and only the second American actress to marry a Prince since Grace Kelly. “
Harry’s free-spirited character
and his various girlfriends and dates had led us to believe that he would remain the cool, single Prince and uncle of Prince George. However, as Kensington announced last Monday, he is ready to settle down and has planned to marry Meghan Markle in spring 2018. The Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have publicly given their blessings to the couple. They are delighted about the news but not surprised as Ms Markle was apparently a constant visitor at Nottingham Cottage, Harry’s house. It was here that he proposed on a normal cosy night, over roasted chicken and with a ring made of his mother Diana’s diamonds. The couple will move to Nottingham Cottage, which is in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, once they’re married. Meghan is planning on becoming
a UK citizen and leaving her acting career to fully commit to her new role as Duchess. The American actress, who is three years older than Harry, was born in Los Angeles and struggled with her acting career until she got the role that brought her fame: Rachel Zane, the love interest of the protagonist in the legal series Suits. She married film producer Trevor Engelson in 2011 but got divorced after two years before meeting her future husband Prince Harry. Her background makes her a special choice as the Prince’s new wife; she is the first bi-racial “Princess” and only the second American actress to marry a Prince since Grace Kelly. However, what really attracted Prince Harry was her engagement in social reform, especially topics concerning women and children. She has stepped up publicly in defence
CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
of them and has spent time in Africa helping children. Harry said that he is not only in love with her but that he believes she is perfect for the job of being a Princess; Markle cares for the people, is charming and has a strong character.
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The wedding will boost the UK’s economy as it will attract tourists and help the service industry as many people will go out to celebrate the wedding.”
As Kensington Palace announced on November 27, the wedding will take place in Windsor Castle next
May, after Duchess Kate third child is expected. The Queen has given her permission for them to be wed at George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle and announced that the royal family will pay for the wedding costs. Experts say this wedding will not be as expensive as Wiliam and Kate’s, which cost about 10 million pounds, but is in the same price range. However, the wedding will boost the UK’s economy as it will attract tourists and help the service industry as many people will go out to celebrate the wedding- this trend also happened the year the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got married. We certainly look forward to more details coming about the wedding in the next few months, as well as their public appearances such as their visit to Nottingham.
National News
New UK Drone Law to be published in 2018 Drone safety measures increase after a spate of dangerous incidents Cassandra Franz A new law that applies to drones is to be published in spring 2018. The new bill will allow police officers to order drone users to land their device when necessary and it will be mandatory for drone owners to register their drone if the aircraft weighs 250g or more. Drones in this weight range will most likely also be banned from flying near airports or above 400 feet, in an attempt to control unsafe flying. Moreover, it is also expected that drone users will have to use apps instead of simple remote controls, to make sure that the rules are always easily available and included in the flight plan. Points of expected legislation are:
Drone users will have to complete safety awareness tests. Owners of drones that weigh 250g or more will have to be registered. The government is working closely with drone manufacturers in order to use geo-fencing to keep drones out of restricted zones.
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Rules regarding drones do already exist under the Civil Aviation Authority Drone Code but they are not effectively enforced, which allows criminal actions to occur.”
The past actions of some drone users have led to a bad perception of drone technology. These actions include incidents with drones at London Gatwick and Heathrow airport, in which drones near-missed aeroplanes, often only by a few inches, putting hundreds of lives in danger. Drones have also been used for illegal flights over sport events and drug and mobile phone deliveries into prisons. The National Police Chiefs’ Council leader for the criminal misuse of drones, Assistant Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, stated: “Police forces are aware of the ever increasing use of drones by members of the public and we are working with all relevant partners to understand the threats that
this new technology can pose when used irresponsibly or illegally. Do not take this lightly - if you use a drone to invade people’s privacy or engage in disruptive behaviour, you could face serious criminal charges.” Rules regarding drones do already exist under the Civil Aviation Authority Drone Code but they are not effectively enforced, which allows criminal actions to occur. The new law is supposed to help prevent criminal behaviour and improve the power of the police. This would make it easier to tackle violations of the rules. The new planned bill faces some backlash since manufacturers argue that the upper-weight limit of 250g is too low and based on 48-year-old assumptions. Therefore, they suggest
the weight limit should be raised to 2.2 kilogram, especially since most widely used drones, with the exception of some toy models, are over the 250g mark. However, it was stated that this weight limit was chosen because these drones weigh so little that they are not likely to harm people or property in the case of failure. There is also a concern that the law will be difficult to enforce, for example, the height restriction. Christian Struwe, head of European public policy at drone maker DJI assured BBC breakfast though that they will be able to limit the flight altitude in the industry. It is also believed that apart from that, safety awareness is generally important and will make drone pilots more aware of their aircraft.
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National News
It’s not EU, It’s me David Davis’ comments create further tension in Brussels Jordan Osborne Editor David Davis has been criticised over his recent comments regarding Brexit negotiations. Davis labelled the UK’s concessions to help quicken the progress of negotiations over a Brexit deal ‘a statement of intent’, damaging the already strained relations between the UK and EU. Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s coordinator and former prime minister of Belgium, slammed Davis’ comments as ‘unacceptable’ in a fiery Twitter post. The nature of Davis’ negotiating tactics has harmed the UK going forward, claims Verhofstadt. In response to Davis, Verhof-
stadt has also claimed that the EU will now take a tougher stance towards negotiations in light of this revelation, with member states set to meet to discuss redrafting the wording of the second phase of negotiations. Davis responded to reports that the British government’s assurances of uncompromising Brexiters that Northern Ireland would continue to work in accordance with EU law in the future were meaningless. The Brexit secretary stated that the agreement made with the European commission was was “more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing”. The controversial, but accurate comments caused some concern in
Dublin. In response to Davis’ comments, the European commission were quick to remind Theresa May that she had made a concrete agreement. The draft of the agreement already included a clause that clearly stating that the UK could not backtrack on any agreements made in phase one. the agreement stated that “Negotiations in the second phase can only progress as long as all commitments undertaken during the first phase are respected in full and translated faithfully in legal terms as quickly as possible.” For the next phase, the member states are likely to insist that the UK begins drafting the main points of the
w it hdrawa l agreement in the new year so that its completion will coincide for the EU leaders’ summit in March. The leaders’ summit will discuss the future of the relationship between the EU and the UK, with the nature of the talks expected to take a turn for the worse in the aftermath of Davis’ comments. How the UK ap-
proach the drafting of the withdrawal agreement will affect how Brexit progresses. Only with the EU’s trust can the transition phase get underway.
National News
Women’s Aid’s latest Femicide Census reveals shocking figures 69% of women were killed by a current or former partner Kayla Francis In December 2017, Women’s Aid published the Femicide Census results for 2016. The report revealed that 113 women were killed by men in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2016. Femicide is the murder of women because they are women though some definitions will categorise any
murder of females as femicide. The Femicide Census was launched in February 2015 by Karen Ingala Smith and Women’s Aid in the hope that by correlating cases of femicide they could not only find a connection between cases but find a way of identifying the signs and preventing further abuse and femicide. Despite only starting the census two years ago, it has already
revealed key details. The report revealing 2016 figures has shown that nine in ten women killed that year were killed by someone they knew, 78 women were killed by their current or former intimate partner and 65 of those were killed in their own home or the home they shared with the perpetrator. The reports have already helped in identifying key markers. Most of the cases reveal a similar pattern of male violence towards women, they also revealed that many acts of femicide were committed in similar settings such as the victim’s home or the home she shared with the perpetrator. Similar weapons were used (usually sharp instruments) and the reports have also shown that similar relationships existed between the victim and the perpetrator (the majority of the victims were killed by a current or former partner). Key findings from the Women’s Aid website and the Femicide Consensus reveal
that from 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2016: Victims: • 69% of women were killed by a current or former intimate partner. • 1% of women were killed by a male family member, i.e. a son, father, brother, nephew or grandson. • 4% of women were killed by a man they knew, who was of no intimate or familial relation to them. • 9% of women were killed by a stranger. • The greatest number of femicides occurred within the London Metropolitan, South Wales and Greater Manchester police force areas. • 2% of women were killed at their own home, or the home they shared with the perpetrator. • 4% of women killed by their ex-partner or ex-spouse were killed within the first year that followed that separation. (1) Perpetrators:
• 5% of perpetrators were aged between 36 and 45. • In 47 cases, perpetrators used a sharp instrument to kill their victims. • 19 men suspected of killing a woman either killed themselves or died prior to trial. • 37 perpetrators pleaded not guilty to murder, 28 of whom were found guilty of murder. • 84 perpetrators were found guilty of murder, manslaughter or of causing death. (2) • In 47 cases, perpetrators used a sharp instrument to kill the victim (1) This figure is of those women known to have separated from their partner/spouse only. (2) At the end of November 2017, five perpetrators are awaiting trial. The Census should not only be able to help authorities and charities but be able to identify cases quickly. It reveals that we need to take domestic violence cases far more seriously in order to prevent further loss.
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The Galleon
Thursday 14th December 2017
OPINION
National
Are We Bored Of The Bard? Lessons in why Shakespeare may no longer be important in the classroom George Dummons Reaction Editor With few pupils in the classroom engaging with the source texts and showing little interest in the works of William Shakespeare, is it really important for him to have an active role in our classrooms? Whether it be in Drama or an English Literature lesson students dissect, analyse and interpret his plays and poetic works in order to explore the evolution of English Literature.
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There are a number of newer authors and texts that better communicate to the needs of a more ethnically diverse, and increasingly curious, modern-day student.”
Despite being seen as a core figure of the Western canon and a spearhead in the creation of aspects of the English vocabulary and lexicon, there are some people out there who believe it is time we lay him to rest for good. One of those people is veteran high school English teacher, Dana Dusbiber, who wrote a piece for the New York Times back in 2015 claiming that students should no longer suffer. Dusbiber’s main argument is that
there are a number of newer authors and texts that in themselves better communicate to the needs of a more ethnically diverse, and increasingly curious, modern-day student. That these works may in fact share themes and narrative correlations to Shakespeare’s writing is, within itself, a testament to William Shakespeare’s cultural legacy. Mark Bayer, an associate professor and chair of the Department of English at the University of Texas in San Antonio, claims that there are two reasons to the Bard’s longevity. According to Bayer, ‘one [argument] is intrinsic to the plays’ universal appeal. But also, one could plausibly argue Shakespeare has been manufactured into what he is today through popular culture’. The other factor that he states explains the cultural capital, saying that ‘[a] certain amount of Shakespeare’s notoriety is predicated on hype.’ We study the works of Shakespeare because we have been told they are worthwhile pieces of literature; we are informed of the literary canon and the cultural worth of these texts through social conditioning. We can see several times when our social conditioning of literature has been negatively influenced. Russian Revolutionary novels such as Crime and Punishment and Fathers and Sons, are supposedly tomes for ‘intellectuals’ and are often portrayed as ‘high brow’ literature - in truth they have very simplistic plots. However, we may find that as peo-
ple living in Westernised, capitalist societies, we potentially lack social context for these narratives.
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People often see the canon as a form of snobbery and a depiction of high class - due to the education level needed to ‘deconstruct’ the stories.”
The use of literary canons has been raised time and again as a hindrance rather than a positive. People often see the canon as a form of snobbery and a depiction of high class - due to the education level needed to ‘deconstruct’ the stories. But we know that Shakespeare was enjoyed by the masses in the Elizabethan, and later the Jacobean, era so his work is obviously supposed to speak a language everyone can understand. Recent educational changes to the English GCSE and A Level curriculum have seen modern American texts such as Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck be removed, supposedly focusing solely on English Literature and moving away from American Literature. This has opened up a space for a different type of reading, with some centres studying books like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon or Anita and Me by Meera Syal, with some examination boards pushing to avoiding Victorian literature as well. Shakespeare’s cultural significance in England cannot be denied. When teaching, his input to the literary world should be acknowledged and the class should move on to see how his ideas and contributions to the writer’s arsenal have been adapted and used in a range of settings. Schools should not be severing ties from the writings of the past and
the present; students should understand the natural evolution pf literature through landmark texts. Throughout my undergraduate course of Creative Writing and Film Studies, Shakespeare actually did not come up that often. Even now in post-graduate studies, he is not a name that echoes through every lecture or seminar - it may simply be that it is deemed ‘covered’ by secondary school or sixth form colleges and therefore does not need to reappear unless necessary.
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Studies like this prove that maybe examination boards and the government…should widen the net on the sort of texts and materials that children are exposed to”
In 2013, a survey called the What Kids Are Reading report published its findings on the reading targets and reading age levels of primary and secondary school children in the United Kingdom. The results of 300,144 children nationwide were concerning, with children aged 11+ not being challenged enough with the types of reading they did. “The average book difficulty rises as pupils get older, but not in proportion to the rate at which the pupils should be improving in reading,” says the report. “After year six the book difficulty level flatlines to below the actual age of the pupils, which is alarming … It appears that there is something seriously amiss with the way secondary schools encourage young people to read. If the older readers challenged themselves more, better reading outcomes could be anticipated.”
In an interview with The Guardian, the author of the report, Professor Keith Topping (from the University of Dundee), explained that; “This is a particular problem at secondary level,” before going on to say that, “We know that reading ability is highly correlated with academic achievement. So if children are reading books that are too easy, this is not only affecting their reading, but also all of their intellectual development - they will not be encountering more difficult and complex concepts; ie not thinking better.” There does seem to be a lack of guidance in what children read during their time at school. The exam boards force-feeding classics is not the be all and end all, and fetish of the literary canon as an unassailable, impossible to criticise monolith of cultural worth does not help at all. Schools are struggling to promote reading as a fun thing to do recreationally, however studies have found that around 32% of adults find reading boring as they grow older. Professor Keith Topping also explores the role of parents in encouraging their children to read as well as “engage in more discussions with children about what they are reading, seeking to follow children’s enthusiasms but ensure that the book is at a high enough level of difficulty to challenge the reader”. Studies like this prove that maybe examination boards and the government, with the help of teachers who are interacting with students and pupils, should widen the net on the sort of texts and materials that children are exposed to while studying English Literature. Perhaps as well, the key to engaging children in secondary schools to read more is to allow them to study books that are not so distant from them as modern readers.
7 opinion@galleonnews.com
National
#MENTOO, Because Yes, It Does Matter What happens when we all look the other way? George Dummons Reaction Editor If you use social media you may have seen the #METOO campaign flourish and bloom, with women stepping forward and declaring their experiences of harassment and sexual assault.
the internet was awash with the stories of these women who were brave enough to show other women that they are not alone. After a short amount of time another hashtag started appearing, one addressed to and for men; #MENTOO. This in itself angered many
to embody everyone. An example of this is the recent spike of Islamophobia that has been seen throughout the Western world in response to terrorist acts carried out by the so-called Islamic State. Traditional forms of media seem to be aiding this pot stirring activity, determined to keep the
are going to face some amount of suffering throughout your life. Yes, the number of women who are sexually assaulted is alarmingly high but so is the number of male suicides. Until we find a way to stand together, truly united as a collective of human beings, we will always suffer the same shortcomings. While drawing attention to men who have been the victims of sexual assault is important, the creation of this separate hashtag has done little to help combat this issue. Men who have been victims should have used the #METOO campaign umbrella because that is what it set out to do. Arguing that men need a separate category, their own box to be neatly placed into is just as bad as if same should happen to women.
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By further dividing ourselves between ‘his and hers’ hashtags, we are only keeping ourselves from helping each other.”
Some of the women named their attackers, others merely recounted what happened. Women came forward no matter how long ago the attack happened because it does not matter how long ago. It simply boils down to the fact that it did happen, when nothing like that should have happened in the first place.
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People accused it of undermining the original sentiment of the original hashtag - it was somehow belittling the stories of survivors.”
The hashtag originally appeared on MySpace in 2006, posted by Tarana Burke as part of a grassroots project to empower women through empathy over what they and others had experienced. In October 2017, the hashtag took dominance on Twitter, with women announcing they were the victim of harassment, before moving to social media networks that did not limit their word count. Soon
people who saw it. People accused it of undermining the original sentiment of the original hashtag - it was somehow belittling the stories of survivors. After the initial backlash to this new hashtag, other people started joining the argument, claiming that the suffering of men was being overlooked - only to be met in response with laughter and people questioning ‘the struggles of men’. Twitter user @men_matter states; ‘This general blaming of men for the problems of women is no different than holding everyone who is white responsible for the slavery wrongs of the past. Today is a new day. I didn’t rape you when you were young and I expect you to treat me as such.’ This holds an important message but unfortunately fails to convey it effectively. It feeds into the statement that ‘not all men are that bad’, an off branch of the ‘nice guy’ cliche which we see all too much of in these narratives. Like I said, the message is not all untrue. Holding an entire group of people accountable for a small group’s actions does not help tackle the issues of that small group. Instead, it widens the parameters of their actions
lines drawn and the armies divided as they know their existence depends on people being kept from open dialogue. This is why #MENTOO is important. Often the struggles of men- and yes, they exist- are overlooked because of how the patriarchal system enforces gender stereotypes. Men can be abused and sexually assaulted by both men and women, the same as can happen to women - though unfortunately it is statistically more likely to happen to a woman.
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Often the struggles of men- and yes, they existare overlooked because of how the patriarchal system enforces gender stereotypes.”
This is what many people seem to forget: under the patriarchy, everyone suffers. However, the suffering differs according to certain aspects and unless you are a rich, white man you
However, women did not force men to create this new hashtag. It was created by a portion of the internet where ‘men’s lives matter’ and they carved out this space where they could shout out against the rest of the world. Feminism is an agent of equality and is an umbrella term for everyone who suffers under the patriarchal system. By further dividing ourselves between ‘his and hers’ hashtags, we are
only keeping ourselves from helping each other. The biggest factor against the #MENTOO was when allegations against Kevin Spacey came forward. It was all part of the #METOO campaign and the Hollywood whistleblowers who spoke out against these men. By not segregating their claims from the others that where coming forward, these were met with the same level of acceptance and acknowledgement as the other claims that surfaced. It was also shocking due to Kevin Spacey using his rebuttal of these events as a backdrop to coming out, ending years of media rumours. In turn, we did not see much negative media backlash against the men who came forward. On social media, there were a few comments regarding certain men’s appearance and how they could not correlate why them - which is just an average troll on a comment sectio1vn. The media itself reported these claims with the same seriousness as all the others. One argument often presented against the assault of a man by a man is that, unlike a woman, he has the potential to fight his attacker off. This is a damaging statement to make, mainly due to the fact that no one (man nor woman) should have to walk around prepared to potentially have to fight off an attacker. If an attack does happen, you are telling the victim they were not strong enough, not manly enough. Victims of assault come in all shapes and sizes, all genders and sexualities and races. Every single one counts and has a voice.
8
The Galleon
Thursday 14th December 2017
OPINION OPINION
National
Is It Time For Us To Give In To Thanksgiving? Do we need another chance to celebrate, eat food and see annoying relatives? George Dummons Reaction Editor November saw everyone’s favourite shopping event of the year roll around
- Black Friday - followed shortly by Cyber Monday, a witty but not necessary online version. However, neither of these have really caught the imagination of the British population quite like Brexit or The Great British Bake Off because they are not ours. We live in a multi-cultural world whereby we can enjoy an amount of globalisation and movement. This means we celebrate Christmas traditions from almost all over the world; the streets of Birmingham and London light up for Diwali and Chinese
dragons wind down our streets every Chinese new year. As a capitalist nation, it makes sense for us to have gripped hold of Black Friday at the start of the commercial Christmas
countdown, only to ring it dry within a few years.
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Should employers in the UK allow US born workers the time off?”
When it comes to the rest of the holiday surrounding Black Friday, we encounter Thanksgiving. Stories of colonists and Native American interactions are now resembled through a
roast Turkey, pumpkin pie and a four day weekend- it is easy to see the appeal. A holiday in which to reflect and be thankful for what you have - which is similar to other holidays that exist. We can see aspects that have crept through into our celebrations through the Christmas/Winter period: eating a turkey on Christmas Day when it would have been a goose or duck and the notion of being thankful for what you have and ‘giving’ offerings of thanks by exchanging presents. According to the findings of the 2011 UK Census, there were 173,470 US-born residents in England, 3,715 in Wales, 15,919 in Scotland, and 4,251 in Northern Ireland. Traditionally, these people will celebrate Thanksgiving.
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Thanksgiving is, by historical definition, an English holiday.”
However, when it comes to how they interact with British society, the question of cultural practices is called in. In America, Thanksgiving is marked by two days of National Holiday - should employers in the UK allow US born workers the time off? When it comes to key dates within a range of other social groups, such as Eid, Muslim employees are often offered the day(s) off and children do not have attend school. It is, after all, an important religious festival. Throughout history we have seen countless celebratory feasts, festivals and holidays be merged with preexisting dates, most notably when Christmas was merged with preChristian British winter solstice and the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. This meant that Christians were not creating a new holiday but rather rebranding an existing format, something which keeps happening to Christmas to keep it culturally relevant. From
Prince Albert and the Victorian love of Christmas trees and Christmas cards to commercialisation and, arguably, gift receiving (or over giving) as we enter into a more non-secular and ethnically diverse society.
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How we commemorate events and dates nowadays is very different. The internet has awoken an entire, previously unknown, calendar of ‘International *fill in blank* Day’s (such as International Talk Like A Pirate Day and International Doughnut Day).”
Thanksgiving is, by historical definition, an English holiday. During the reformation by Henry VIII, Church holidays (including Christmas and Easter) were looked at being removed. Instead Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving were introduced. Days of Fasting were introduced in relation to droughts and plagues, while Days of Thanksgiving were used to mark important dates such as the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the fail-
ure of the Gunpowder plot. Pilgrim English people in the New World also marked Harvest dates with Days of Thanksgiving. These days existed throughout the 17th Century before the War of Independence. Therefore, the pilgrims in the New World, most notably New England, were still English and served under their monarch. But do we really need another event to have to spend way too much time with extended family? If Days of Thanksgiving were going to have remained a vital part of life in the Church of England system then they would be more culturally significant today. We ‘celebrate’ Guy Fawkes night on November 5th, through a sinister mock human sacrifice and blowing stuff up, but there is no formal holiday to commemorate the day: no special feast, people have to go to school and work and no presents are exchanged. How we commemorate events and
dates nowadays is very different. The internet has awoken an entire, previously unknown, calendar of ‘International *fill in blank* Day’s (such as International Talk Like A Pirate Day and International Doughnut Day). These seem to reflect our social need to celebrate things, no matter how insignificant they are, and to try and unify as an international collective rather than individual groups with our ‘own practises’.
9 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Television
Our Top Ten Christmas Adverts Featuring some top treats and a few turkeys Kaitlin McKenzie Television Editor The gradual arrival of Christmas adverts on British television channels heralds the start of the festive period better than anything else. We can pretend it’s not a competition but let’s face it, the Christmas advert season is hotly anticipated and highly competitive. The retailer with the best offering usually gets reams of media attention and boosted sales as a result. Read on to find out who we think played our heartstrings well and who barely struck a chord.
10. Argos’ #ReadyForTakeOff
This advert follows an elf who, after discovering a forgotten toy, races to get it on a departing turbo-boosted delivery sleigh. Argos is one of the only retailers to use a North Pole setting this year. Presumably the others don’t want to give Mr Claus all the credit. Despite the futuristicyet-traditional tone, on the whole, the ad is quite unimaginative and is really just a preamble towards the announcement of their new ‘Delivery from as little as four hours’ offer.
9. Apple’s ‘Sway’
The tech giant’s slogan this year is ‘Move Someone this Christmas’. Ironically the accompanying advert is far less moving than last year’s ‘Open Your Heart to Everyone’ which showed Frankenstein’s monster being accepted into his community, making grown men weep in the process. The disappointing 2017 ad shows a woman putting in her wireless headphones, dancing along the streets of New York and bumping into a man who joins her dance. The choreography and setting are beautiful, but the advert lacks any real emotion and seems more like a thinly-veiled attempt to advertise Apple’s less than popular wireless headphones.
CREDIT: HEATHROW
8. Asda’s #BestChristmasEver
Asda’s new ad ‘Best Christmas Ever’, sees a young girl and her grandad explore a Willy Wonka-esque ‘imaginarium’ where Asda ‘make’ their festive recipes. Imaginative scenes included tiny chefs working on bungalow-scale canapes and a woman zapping truffles with a large ray gun full of gin. This ad was the first out, but despite its charm, it fails to be truly memorable.
7. John Lewis’ #MozTheMonster
This high street grand dame is often thought of as having coined the heartwarming and lucrative concept of the Christmas ad. As a result, they are held to a higher standard than their competitors. The plot of this year’s ‘Moz the Monster’ campaign, is about a little boy who discovers a noisy monster (Moz) under his bed. They eventually become friends and play after dark. But these midnight shenanigans cause the boy to fall asleep during the day, and Moz, noticing his little friend’s exhaustion, gets him a night light for Christmas which allows the boy to choose when playtime happens. Tears are jerked when Moz waves goodbye to his new chum and the light is switched on, but when the light clicks off, we hear a familiar grunt and the advert ends warmly. Critics have called the advert ‘frightening’ and argued that it reminds children of ‘the monster under the bed’ but in reality, Moz is not a scary character, and John Lewis have done well to break that nightmare stereotype as well as make an enjoyable festive advert. Despite the negativity, John Lewis stores sold out of the featured planetarium night-lights the morning after the advert first aired.
6. Lidl’s ‘Every Lidl Thing For Christmas’ and #BeautifullyNormal
Lidl has set itself apart from the crowd
this year by releasing selection boxes of shorter Christmas adverts and one longer global ad. The short clips each profile a Christmas character and pair them up with the perfect product. The ‘Visiting Vegetarian’ gets a vegetable pastry dish, the ‘Double Dipper’ gets a large selection of finger food and the ‘Rebel Roaster’ gets a well-priced joint of beef. The adverts are funny and make clever, relatable comments about Christmas. Their longer advert celebrates the #BeautifullyNormal with a touching montage of actual Christmas occurrences including spills, snacks, over-photographed babies and poorly chosen gifts.
5. Tesco’s ‘Turkey, Every Which Way’ #EveryonesWelcome
Tesco also went down the montage route, capturing the ‘real’ Christmas using short scenes of frayed tempers, meddling relatives and kitchen mishaps to punctuate the overarching warm welcome theme. Memorable characters included the brave turkey-barbequer, the ‘Can I have some ketchup?’ kid and the dad who responds ‘Go on then’ to the offer of a turkey sandwich. The supermarket chain spread their message of inclusivity with a beautiful female cover of the Shakin’ Stevens song ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ playing in the background. Overall this
CREDIT: MARKS AND SPENCER cross-section of a British Christmas is honest and heartwarming to watch.
4. Aldi #KevinandKatie
Viewers will be thrilled to know that Kevin the Carrot has returned once more to British television. He starts off still in pursuit of Santa, hopping on a ‘midnight express train’, where his head is turned by a pretty lady carrot atop a stack of reasonably priced mince pies. The vocal talents of actor Jim Broadbent are also back, and he narrates with rhymes Kevin’s navigation of a treacherous dinner table to reach his love. The script is crammed with puns, witty references and festive magic. The
carrots’ happy ending is sure to elicit a wry smile from even the Scroogiest of watchers and will leave everyone hoping for another sequel next year.
3. Marks and Spencer’s ‘Paddington & The Christmas Visitor’ #LoveTheBear
This is probably the most plot-heavy advert out this year and potentially the most expensive. Paddington Bear can’t have come cheap, especially the week before his new movie comes out (we hear he is a bit of a diva). The advert is set on Christmas Eve and sees a rotund man in red accidentally waking Paddington Bear. Only, this man is not delivering presents - he is stealing them. This anti-Santa, who is played by familiar British actor Mark Benton, gets swept along on Paddington’s confused mission to re-deliver all the pinched pressies by morning. The ad is crammed with all the coincidences and capers audiences have come to expect from the marmalade-loving bear but ends sweetly with the burglar seemingly absolved of his crimes. It is a touching ending that promotes a traditional festive message of forgiveness, but this advert ranks highly for its production values more than its emotional accuracy.
M&S’s motto ‘Spend it Well’ is pleasantly ambiguous - of course they mean our time at Christmas, but naturally, they also mean our money.
2. Sky Cinema
Sky Cinema was always going to be well armed in their bid to pull on our heart-strings, seeing as their arsenal is overflowing with all the best Christmas movies. Of course, some of the movies most synonymous with Christmas don’t even get a mention. Sky chooses The Sound of Music and follows the relationship of a young mother and daughter as they make a tradition of watching the movie every year. A favourite moment was the mother doing her best Mariaon-the-hills impression to the audience of her mortified daughter and her boyfriend. But the ad achieves its true poignancy later when the roles shift, and we see the arrival of a granddaughter who is equally mesmerised by the movie. Sky Cinema do their job beautifully. The watcher feels their heart swell in the final scene before the appearance of the well-timed slogan: ‘Nothing brings people together like a movie at Christmas’ breeds the relatable fantasy of snuggling up with a classic, of course, via Sky Movies.
1. Heathrow Airport’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Flight’ #HeathrowBears
Of course, I had to save the best for last. Last year’s Heathrow offering was the tender ‘Coming Home for Christmas’ which featured a pair of grandparents navigating Heathrow arrivals as two charming teddy bears. The marketing bosses must have said to the ad team ‘do the same again, but this time, make them weep’. So this year the advert went back in time to reveal that the two bears met on a flight and Grandma-bear was a British Airways flight attendant. The story tracks their relationship and growing family in what is a beautifully nuanced look at Heathrow, British Airways and British fashion through the ages. The advert ends with the arrival at Heathrow of the Grandpa-bear, but there’s no-one there to meet him. Perhaps times have changed, maybe the family are all too busy to meet him. The bear’s shoulders slump with sad disappointment. But then the crowd part to reveal his very human family, very happy to see each other at Christmas. I’m not crying, you are!
Galleon 10 The Thursday 14th December 2017
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Fashion & Beauty
Self Care This Christmas Taking care of you, during the festive period snuggly socks and slippers to go with the cosy feeling. It’s a match made in heaven. Nothing beats the classic festive Not everyone is fond of festive feel goods; a new pair of pyjamas, a pyjamas so thankfully everyone’s fawhimsical Lush bath bomb, a glass vourite, Topshop, offer gossamers of of fizz at hand and a Christmas film intricate lace and satin sets which can seeing in the big day. The run up to be mixed and matched with similar Christmas can leave anyone feel- colours, patterns and textures. Toping wobbly and craze the need to shop may seem to be on the more recharge after long days of turmoil, pricier side, especially seeing as pyfeaturing the arguments about who jamas are only worn in the evening will be allowed to take holiday over and when in bed, but there is noththe festive period and questioning ing more satisfying than getting into whether you should be studying if fresh, clean bedsheets in a new pair assessments are due as soon as the of jammies. All sets can be bought Spring term commences. These together or separately and prices times call for a personal pamper ses- start from as little as £8 for pointelle sion, something which doesn’t have camisoles with other items including to be expensive but can leave you a muted lavender satin and lace set feeling relaxed in the lead up. priced at £38. Nothing beats Lush at Christmas time. Scents of cinnamon, sweet orange and patchouli fill the nostrils with nostalgia and tranquility as you float away into a sleepy haze. During the stress of wrapping gifts and grabbing last minute items, it is important to be aware of self CREDIT: LUSH ENCYCLOPEDIA INTERNATIONAL care. Having a soak in the bath may seem like a simple task but it allows all senses to be taken care of and as trivial as it sounds, scents are comforting and serve as an avenue to past memories and other experiences. Lush has a variation of products including bath bombs, face masks and bubble bars. All products are Discount giant Primark has an free from animal testing and do not overwhelming variety of nightwear harm the environment and humans, up for grabs for as little as £5. The making them completely guilt free. range itself includes satin two pieces, Christmas theme night dresses and an array of Disney and Harry Potter nightwear. Slipping into a new pair of pyjamas is one of life’s many luxuries, so a set of snuggly pj’s will not go a miss, adorned with Disney motifs and Christmas gimmicks, there is no wonder why these sets caught Nearly all of the products from the attention of over 36,000 people Lush are extremely inexpensive on the retailers Instagram when re- making the perfect gift this Christvealed. Primark also include many mas for yourself, family or friends.
Brogan Kirkby-Bott Fashion Editor
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During the stress of wrapping gifts and grabbing last minute items, it is important to be aware of self care.”
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Looking after the skin over the festive period is vital.”
There is an overwhelming amount of gift boxes to choose from which range between £10 and £250, coming in all shapes and sizes. Favourites include the Little Snow Fairy gift box which is priced at £11.50 with the gift box containing two products; a shower gel and jelly bomb. Both items are candy floss scented and are cult products in the Lush Christmas range. The jelly bomb is a new release for the environmentally friendly brand which is said to leave a skin softening jelly blanket across the bath and pink fluffy waters for that long soak. Finish it off with the Snow Fairy dusting powder, packed with glitter, and slather the body in the Snow Fairy body conditioner. The glitters used in all of the products in Lush do not contribute to any environmental damage as the glitter is not packed with micro-plastics, which are not biodegradable.
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Simply take a few laps around the shopping mall and that is all the exercise needed for the day!”
For an extra dose of luxury in the bath, get together a tray of goodies including a face mask, bubbles and maybe some chocolate. Exclusive to Topshop, online beauty site Mad Beauty have launched Disney Princess refreshing sheet masks. With the choice of Princess Jasmine, Ariel, Belle and Sleeping Beauty, these masks are packed with natural agents to help soothe and moisturise the skin. Looking after the skin over the festive period is vital, as too much of the wrong food and drink can make your skin lose its glow and suppleness. Following Christmas are the awkward days that loom between Boxing day and New Year’s Eve. No one is sure whether to hold off on the over indulging or whether to carry on and begin the healthier lifestyle until 1st January. Now will probably be the best time to lay off the booze. A cheeky beverage is okay time to time but the more alcohol a person consumes, the more the skin becomes dehydrated, dull and dry. As mentioned, a face mask will make the skin perkier and whilst maintaining a beauty regime can be challenging at times after a boozey Christmas party, the skin should never be neglected. There
are of course easier ways to maintain healthy skin, and that does not have to include any more than 3 steps. The cleansing balm is slowly taking over the beauty sphere, with blogger and Youtubers raving on about their favourite balms from IT cosmetics, Clinique and Elemis. But these are not the best for those wanting to save money. Garnier have released a 3 in 1 cleansing balm as part of their rose botanical range. The balm is packed with natural ingredients designed to use day and night and also as a face mask, protecting the skin from dryness for under a tenner. Use with their natural rose water toner and finish with the rose water moisturiser for even better results. Another important factor linked with self care over the next month or so is to remain active, not allowing the tubs of Heroes and Twiglets to go straight to the hips. It is likely that gyms are going to be shut over the holidays, but this is not an excuse not to keep moving. Between the shorter days and drop in temperature, any physical activity becomes almost impossible but there are other ways of fitting in exercise which fits around Christmas perfectly. No one can deny how exciting the New Years and Boxing Day sales are and with there being special ticketed events there is no doubt that the sales are going to be huge. Simply take a few laps around the shopping mall and that is all the exercise needed for the day! Alterna-
tively, there are an overwhelming amount of at home workouts which can easily been done in the lounge away from all Christmas decorations, and can be done with or without equipment. Youtube sensation Cassey Ho, known as Blogilates, posts full length HIIT workouts which are workouts specific to parts of the body. Cassey even has an 8 minute video workout designed to do when watching the TV, so there really is no excuse. If this all too much then a simple light walk after a dinner or in the morning will get the brain and muscles engaged. Make a date with the bathtub, slip into something comfortable and pour a sensible drink and be prepared to have fun this festive season. The most important thing this Christmas is to stay stress free and to have fun. Do not try to go above and beyond, keep things easy and be content. Drop all tasks which are known to increase stress like Christmas shopping lists and what to wear for Festive nights out because in the end these little things will not matter when the family are gathered to open presents and watch the Queen’s speech.
11 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Music
Eivør: Casting her Faroese Spell Ethereal and enchanting, Eivør takes Faroese traditions to a global audience Giada Nizzoli Music Editor Isolated green gems hidden between Norway and Iceland, the Faroe Islands are a paradise for every fantasy lover. With their untamed landscapes, misty hills and mountains, they seem to have come out of Tolkien’s dreams. The language of those 18 islands, though, didn’t have a standard written version until 1890. How did they pass on history and knowledge, then? Ballads, folk stories, and more ballads! Thanks to Eivør Pálsdóttir, this tradition lives on despite the advent of technology. The 34-year-old singer-songwriter was enchanted by those ballads ever since she was a little girl, growing up in a small village that counted fewer than 500 inhabitants. The elders’ singing inspired her. ‘It touched me deeply,’ she explains, ‘because it was unique and it came straight from the heart.’ She started recording those ballads when she was
thirteen and used them as inspiration for her own songs.
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She never stopped singing in Faroese, to cast the spell of wizards, northern lights and waves on those who still didn’t know much about the culture of the Faroe Islands.” Her first album came out when she was only sixteen, and was a mixture of folk and jazz. In her first records, such as the homonymous Eivør Pálsdóttir (2000) and Krákan (2003), she sang in Faroese, describing journeys, cliffs, hills and love, breached castles and traditional Lur horns, capturing the soul of life in her exotic hometown. The audience started to fall in love with her poetic lyrics full of power-
ful metaphors. A perfect example is the stanza opening the song ‘Rósufarið’, the Faroese language equivalent of ‘rose trail’. “Your eye is a cold drop you never found your rose trail Searching and searching every night You never let yourself cross the threshold of the mountains. You dream yourself away to the sea of the dreams In a rose trail you fly away The heartiest sounds and the most beautiful women Lull you, lull you, gently to sleep.” She slowly added other languages to her repertoire, including Swedish, Icelandic, Danish and English. Some records, such as Mannabarn/Human Child (2007) were released in both a Faroese and English version. This helped her expand her music around Scandinavian countries and the rest of Europe but she never stopped singing in Faroese, to cast
the spell of wizards, northern lights and waves on those who still didn’t know much about the culture of the Faroe Islands.
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Thanks to her ethereal voice echoing through the misty Faroese skies, the magical folklore of those islands will survive even abroad.”
From Larva (2010), whose title suggested a rebirth, Eivør’s style started ranging from Celtic folk to folktronica. These genres developed in Room (2012), Bridges and Slør (2015), where the influence of Icelandic singer Björk started to show. After her father’s death, she explored themes of loss and mourning. This hasn’t broken her connection to nature, in fact, making it even stronger. ‘Sometimes
in the night,’ she sings on ‘Waves and the Wind’, ‘the wild wind weeps/ I try to comfort it/ And put it back to sleep.’ Understandably, she feels a special connection to the sea that surrounds her islands, and in one of her songs she even described herself as ‘a seal-spun daughter of the tides’. This image resembles that of the Selkie, a mythological creature that lives in the Scandinavian seas as a seal, but can temporarily walk on land as a human if she removes her skin. She has explored this folkloristic element even further in At the Heart of a Selkie. Eivør has been touring Europe multiple times, with a few dates in the UK over the past month in Bristol, London, Manchester, Edinburgh. But her most iconic exhibitions are the intimate ones on the Faroe Islands. She often sings by coastal cliffs, with no music other than her traditional frame drum. Thanks to her ethereal voice echoing through the misty Faroese skies, the magical folklore of those islands will survive even abroad.
Music
Ho Ho Hygge! Cracking Vinyl and Scandinavian Playlists How to find happiness through the soothing mantra of hygge Giada Nizzoli Music Editor
You must have seen the word hygge (hoo-gah) before, probably next to a bunch of scented candles or a selection of small books. Unfortunately, this deep Scandinavian concept of ‘cosiness and comfort’ came to the UK in 2015 as a consumeristic trend. Last winter, it was the ultimate market-
ing tool to sell all sorts of wooden or hand-knitted home decorations. That’s not what hygge is actually about though, and that’s why you shouldn’t let it disappear into the jungle of trends. Hygge is the art of creating intimacy, of feeling comfortable and safe, and taking the time to enjoy simple pleasures. It goes beyond buying a £5 scented candle and posting it on Instagram. It’s personal! And that’s why you can achieve it through what makes you happy. My advice? Music, of course! Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and author of The Little Book of Hygge, has published a study in
which 4000 people were asked how happy they felt after different activities. Listening to music was obviously in the top three. So what’s the best way? Although hygge is all year round, Autumn and Winter are the best time for this Scandinavian cosiness. So make your room warm and comfy, switch off from social media for an hour or two and enjoy some inspiring music. The most hyggeligt way is listening to the soothing sound of a good old vinyl player - if you don’t have one, you should definitely write it on your letter to Santa Claus. But in the meantime you are allowed to use
Spotify. What to listen to? Anything that makes you feel relaxed, happy and cosy! Classical and folk music are usually ideal, or, since 25th December is getting closer, the best Christmas songs from your childhood, perhaps? If you want to go full Scandinavian, try out Danish singer Agnes Obel. Her mixture of lyrics and instrumental songs is delightfully hyggeligt, and so is her pianoplaying. Or, going back to Spotify, there are many playlists specifically designed to set a cosy ‘Nordic’ atmosphere, such as ‘Hygge - Cosy & Relaxed’ and ‘Det’ dansk. Det’ hyggeligt’.
Galleon 12 The Thursday 14th December 2017
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Sex and Relationships
Fifty Shades of Christmas Pleasure The gift that keeps on giving, and giving, and giving... Paige Whiteway Sex and Relationships Editor Christmas is no longer all about couples. This time of year can be for everyone what with the unneeded stress and pressure of doing everything right and on time, it’s time to take a step back from tradition and do something for yourself for once. And if you’re in a relationship, the time to spice things up in the bedroom is now. Pleasuring yourself is great and isn’t spoken about nearly enough. It makes you feel amazing, it takes your stresses away, and it makes you a happier person all together by releasing those all important endorphins. For singletons this Christmas, the only partner you
need this festive period is a nifty pleasure toy to keep you company.
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Female masturbation has always had a stigma surrounding it. Everyone does it, yet no one wants to admit that they do.”
With the new Fifty Shades of Grey film ‘Freed’ due to be released in the February of next year, author E.L James has worked closely with adult toy and lingerie website LoveHoney to make a sophisticated collection of bondage, sex
toys and accessories. Introducing Fifty Shades of Grey: The Official Pleasure Collection. The collection includes sex toys for him and for her as well as couple toys, as you don’t just have to be single to experience the pleasure, and bondage kits. There are even masquerade masks and Fifty Shades of Grey silky lubricant available to purchase. Who wouldn’t want to feel like they’re living the heated book collection for real? It’s just a shame that you won’t have a real life Christian Grey to live it with you, unless you are Anastasia Steele. Not only is this a great gift to treat yourself with this Christmas, if you are in a relationship and looking to heat things up in the bedroom, this
is the absolute perfect gift to surprise your loved one with on Christmas day. Maybe not something you would exchange at dinner around a table full of family, but something to save until the wind-down, when your special someone thinks that all the presents are over with for this year. Female masturbation has always had a stigma surrounding it. Everyone does it, yet no one wants to admit that they do. Even the words ‘sex toy’ have people turning their noses up and scoffing at how tragically crude it is to imagine someone using them. But the truth is, there is nothing wrong with it and we need to learn to be more open with our pleasuring and embrace selfpleasure just as much as men do. In the
world of men, masturbation is praised and seen as the norm, so why do women feel so compelled to hide something so natural? Well, that time is no more. With the rise of erotic novels and heightened discussion over social media, women empowerment is stronger than ever meaning that masturbation is no longer something we need to keep to ourselves. The commercial impact has grown with the amount of sex toys and different ways to pleasure yourself being advertised everywhere. So don’t feel like you have to miss out this Christmas. Treat yourself to something fun and exhilarating to get you through this festive season. You won’t regret it.
Travel
Ice Skate. You Skate. We All Skate At Guildhall this Christmas!
CREDIT: TEAM LOCALS
A true Winter Wonderland in Portsmouth’s own Guildhall Stephanie Lukins Travel Editor Unless you have had your head buried in the sand, or more likely, library books and university assignments, you will have noticed the sudden appearance of a pop up ice skating rink slap bang in the middle of Portsmouth’s Guildhall Square.
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Monday’s are officially student nights at the rink, where students get 2 for 1 entry.”
Rumours began circulating as
early as August of a possible ice skating rink coming to town. Although, it didn’t take too long for the news of the city’s first ice skate rink to emerge in September when it was officially announced that the council granted THIS Events Co Ltd planning permission to transform Guildhall Square into its very own Skating Winter Wonderland. Taken from the Portsmouth News, councillor Linda Symes said, “It will make the square look beautiful through the end of the year and it really is a win-win situation for the council and residents. Hopefully, it will bring more people into the city centre and Commercial Road, giving it a bit of a lift.” The ice skating rink will stay for
two months throughout the festive season until early January 2018. This is not the one and only time that the rink will be open to the public to enjoy. THIS Events Co Ltd are contracted to a six year deal which will let the city centre hub host a Winter Wonderland every winter up to 2024. The company who are bringing ice skating joy to the city centre have also had great success with other ice rinks around the country, including Bath and just down the road, Bournemouth. The ice rink is able to accommodate 215 people at a time and each session lasting one hour with prices for students costing £8.50 including skate hire. It is open daily (excluding Christmas Day) from 10.30am to 10pm. Monday’s are officially student
nights at the rink, where those who have valid student I.D can grab a partner and get in for 2 for the price of 1. Pre-booking online is available and advisable, especially once the Christmas holidays begin and the weekends inevitably prove exceptionally popular with locals and students alike. Visitors can even book their very own Ice Marshall to help keep them on their feet rather than on the floor, as well as master the art of skating. For those who may feel a bit more like Bambi on Ice rather than a Dancing on Ice Champion, Ice Skate also has Moguls Alpine Bar as well as the Feed Hot Dog Co adjoining the ice rink where visitors can simply kick back, relax and take in the festive spirit whilst watching the ice skaters instead.
Moguls Alpine is able to offer more than just a traditional mulled wine or steamy mug of hot chocolate. Visitors are able to book out an array of VIP booths with cosy seating both inside and outside, and take advantage of the fully licensed bar with waitress service, prosecco, champagne, spirits not just festive - and group photos. The one hour skate session is just an extra bonus. With three packages available based on 10 people, they range from £200 per group to £500 per group. Since its opening weekend on Saturday 18th November, the ice rink has proven a real hit already with families and students travelling from all along the south coast too visit. So what are you waiting for? Get your skate on!
13 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Art
Portsmouth Student on the Stigma Behind Drama Degrees A lesson to be learnt on the importance of representing the arts Laura Davis Arts Editor Third-year student, Ellie Snow was fifteen when she started acting, but the journey towards getting to where she is today hasn’t come without hurdles and criticism; something she’s still not free of. Speaking to Snow at a local coffee shop, she admits, ‘I have a lot of anecdotes actually.’ She takes a sip of her drink and then explains her frustration over how careers in theatre are hardly ever taken seriously. ‘I remember talking to a careers officer in high school, and we all sat down and talked about what we wanted to pursue after we finish school. So, I told her that I wanted to continue with acting. And she looked at me dead
determined that the continuous criticism will not affect how she feels about her degree. ‘Just last week my neighbour asked, “How can drama be a degree?”’ The fact that people still disregard the importance of theatre should not be a deterrent, in fact, it highlights that there is a calling for more passionate people like Snow to keep trying to get this strand of the arts recognised. She laughs before adding ‘How can drama be a degree? What, you mean, how can the oldest art form in the world not be?’
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They’re blind to the level of depth and history in theatre, but also its potential for social change.”
CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER in the face and said “No, no, I said career, not hobby.”’ The same reaction occurred in college. Snow was told to weigh up the statistics; ‘how many people make it in a profession like teaching compared to how many people make it in acting’, but she didn’t let this deter her. Despite the negativity she stuck at it, completed her chosen A-Levels, and went on to start her Drama degree at the University of Portsmouth. Fast forward three years and she’s
Snow notes how it’s unfortunate how the question ‘How can that be a degree?’ sums up such a large percentage of society’s views today when talking about most degrees in the arts. People fail to take it seriously. They’re blind to the level of depth and history in theatre, but also its potential for social change. Yet, she adds ‘these people are happy to go home and relax with a film or listen to music.’ Note that these are all forms of art, but areas hold a lot more weight in the eyes of society.
‘People don’t realise that art students are doing their degrees because they’re passionate about it. Because it has changed their lives in some way.’
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The fact that people still disregard the importance of theatre should not be a deterrent, in fact, it highlights that there is a calling for more passionate people like Snow to keep trying to get this strand of the arts recognised.”
On the week of my interview with Snow she had just completed a performance of The Little Match Girl at Fernhurst Junior School. ‘It’s so nice to see so many young aspiring performers get excited by theatre in education.’ Looking back on her own education, Snow remembers how much these school performances influenced her. ‘You can learn a lot through performance.’ She explains that something crucial like fire safety shouldn’t be taught by textbooks and long PowerPoint presentations as most children don’t learn that way, it needs to be exciting and engaging. ‘That’s what sticks in children’s minds and that’s what speaks to them.’ Later in my interview I discover that Snow hit a huge milestone earlier this year when she received a nomination for best actress by DV mission (an annual 48-hour film competition). For her it wasn’t winning that mattered, it was the fact that she had finally received some recognition after all her hard work. ‘When I talk to people about what I’ve achieved, they slowly start to see how much more drama and performance is. It’s the naivety in people that makes them unable to see how important and amazing it can be.’ I ask Snow what her ‘end goal’ is, what she really wants out of this de-
gree. ‘I want to change lives through performance. If I can change someone’s opinion or change their life in any way through acting or directing, then I’ve done my job.’ Snow is resolute about proving the importance of art. It’s a heavy responsibility, but one which she doesn’t mind carrying on her shoulders.
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‘I want to change lives through performance. If I can change someone’s opinion or change their life in any way through acting or directing, then I’ve done my job.’”
The road to success in theatre is never easy, it takes time as well as a tough skin. Snow’s come a long way since high school. Seven years ago, she acted in her
first play to around twenty people for her Drama GCSE. Now she’s auditioning for short films, directing, and volunteering in the community to see and contribute towards the impact that the arts has on changing lives. Snow feel incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to study what she loves. ‘There are constant cuts to arts and arts funding, there’s even a threat to take drama away as an option at GCSE. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who didn’t have the option to study drama at University and it’s just not right.’ This further reiterates the necessity for more passionate actors, directors, and playwrights to continue proving to society how theatre is important. Although we can never fully escape people’s ignorance, Snow is still optimistic. ‘I’m excited about getting more young people involved in theatre and look forward to what the next few years bring for the arts.’
Galleon 14 The Thursday 14th December 2017
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Food & Health
All About Tea- The Perfect Spot for a Winter Warm-Up A tea for all, this Christmas time Anna Ryan ‘Tis the season of baubles, tinsel, and Mariah Carey. But with the big day arriving soon, Christmas shopping soon takes over. To treat yourself, why not pop in somewhere for a warming hot drink on the way back from all that trapsing around the shops? All About Tea is a shop dedicated to what it says on the tin— tea. Situated on Middle Street, this cafe is a hidden gem. It’s just opposite the Eldon Building, only a short walk from University and it's the perfect place for any tea lover. All About Tea has blends for every occasion, meaning you’re sure to find the perfect festive drink this season. Just name a flavour and no doubt it is among their many options. Lavender and Chamomile blend will relax you if you need calming. Looking for something a little fresher? Take a look at their mint teas, including Moroccan and Double Mint. If herbal and fruit
teas don't take your fancy, you can order a Portsmouth Tea or a Classic Early Grey. There is also a Bertie's Blend, inspired by the cocker spaniel that lives there.
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The Christmas Tea is a blend of orange, cloves and cinnamon; all the Christmassy flavours into one."
Afraid you won’t be able to try all the flavours you’d like to? Don’t worry about it. All About Tea is not only a cafe, but also a factory. All the teas are blended, packaged and sold on site, meaning you can buy as many as you’d like. They have shelves of all the different teas you can take home, from traditional loose leaf to the humble tea bag. Each tea is brewed with care. Most of the teas are made from more than one flavour, such as the Apple
CREDIT: TRIPADVISOR and Mango Tea. The aroma of these teas are intense and delicious. You can smell each individual flavour. Their newest creation, a one-off
for this time of year, is the Christmas Tea. It’s a blend of orange, cloves and cinnamon; all the Christmassy flavours into one. This tea smells and tastes
delicious. It has a habit of transporting the drinker to Christmas just from the first sip, the perfect drink for Christmas Eve. Despite the name, tea isn’t the only thing they serve. When you walk into the quaint, little shop you are greeted by the sight of delicious looking cakes; toffee torment, lemon, chocolate brownies. Each cake is beautifully finished and full of flavour. The portions are sliced fresh and brought over to you. If cake is too cold for the wintery, blustery day, All About Tea also has a range of hot food; crumpets, tea cakes and recently, homemade paninis including ham and cheese and cheese and marmite. Their brie, bacon and onion chutney panini, however, is perfect this Christmas. Maybe order a pot of the Christmas tea to go with it? A perfect combination. Surrounded by all the twinkling lights, the light jazz music, and drinking Christmas tea, how could you not feel festive?
Food & Health
Give the Gift of a Hot Meal this Christmas Can you help those in need during the festive period? Victoria Wilton Food Editor During the festive season our televisions, social media and billboards are flooded with delicious images of Christmas food. The turkey and all the trimmings have become a staple of the British Christmas and for many of us the festive spread on Christmas day may be the highlight of our holidays. It’s difficult to imagine a successful Christmas without them, but the reality is very different for those who are living on the streets or on the poverty line. People in these situations often live without the option of a hot meal any day of the week, let alone Christmas. In Portsmouth, homelessness is a rising issue, the number of people
sleeping rough has been estimated to have trebled in the last five years. And these rising figures show no sign of slowing down.
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The Lifehouse team are always happy to receive donations of nonperishable food items.”
But in this time of crisis there are organisations providing help for the homeless and those at risk. The Lifehouse and Don’t Hate Donate are two Portsmouth based charities tackling the rising rates of homelessness and taking care of those already affected. They are currently looking for extra
volunteers during this busy holiday period. The Lifehouse team state on their website that they are a ‘resource, support centre and kitchen’ helping to support those most at risk in Portsmouth, tackling issues of homelessness and addiction. The team at The Lifehouse have expressed their interest in new volunteers joining them and helping to extend their opening hours, especially during the cold winter evenings. If you don’t have the time to donate, or are going back home for the Christmas break, The Lifehouse team are always happy to receive donations of non-perishable food items, such as sauces, jams and tinned food, as well as blankets and sleeping bags; these can be distributed by the team at The Lifehouse
to help keep those affected by homelessness fed and warm this winter. Don’t Hate Donate is a similar charity, often setting up their kitchen in the middle of Guildhall Square feeding anyone who needs it, whether homeless or just hungry, in an attempt to help to bring the Portsmouth community together while also helping those at risk. Their vision is to ‘unite communities for a better world’. As well as food they also provide essential aid and clothing to those affected by poverty, homelessness or fleeing war torn countries. Both charities are easy to contact if you are interested in volunteering with them. Don’t Hate Donate is contactable through their Facebook page, where they update with oppor-
tunities to help to feed the local community and donate supplies. Lifehouse encourages volunteers to use their app ‘Street Support Portsmouth’ in order to find areas in Portsmouth where volunteers are needed to help distribute food and blankets during the Christmas period. These charities, and others just like them around the country, are reliant on donations of time, food and money in order to keep their doors open during the busy holiday season. Whether staying in Portsmouth or going home, see if you can help those in need this Christmas. Remember that Christmas is the time of year for giving not just receiving. This year think about giving the gift of a hot meal on Christmas day.
15 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Travel
Winchester’s Christmas Market Cracker It’s time to experience the Christmas magic a little closer to home... Stephanie Lukins Travel Editor It is that time of year again; department store television adverts are all that is being talked about, I’m A Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here is back on the screen, Christmas trees are making their appearances in town squares and city centres up and down the country, and so inevitably, are also the arrival of Christmas Markets.
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celebrated its 10 year anniversary last year. Still being a young and fresh tradition to the south of England, it has proven popular with locals and visitors alike and has gained a reputation fit to rival those in mainland Europe with close to half a million visitors each year. There really is no doubt in denying that it is England’s Christmas Capital. Monday November 20th saw the opening of the 2017 festive season in the medieval town, and it is open every day all the way through to
Market, but the atmosphere is still electric with festive music and decorations never going a miss.
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There is the usual fascination with going abroad during the festive season, especially to mainland Europe to visit a traditional Christmas Market. People are often mesmerised with visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, or the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham. However, this year, there is no need. In fact, only 25 miles from Portsmouth, one train ticket from Portsmouth and Southsea to Winchester for a £6.80 return with a railcard, is all that is needed to get on board with all things festive and merry. Winchester Christmas Market
December 22nd. Plenty of time to get those woolly mittens wrapped around a warming mug of steaming hot chocolate or a glass of traditional aromatic mulled wine. Inspired by traditional German Christmas Markets, Winchester’s Christmas Market boasts over 100 wooden alpine chalets located in the Cathedral’s historic close, brimming with goodies, selling everything from traditional wooden toys and arts and crafts, to its German theme of food and drink offerings including festive favourites such as mulled cider, cinnamon churros, mince pies and bratwursts. Prices are as expected for a traditional Christmas Market, ranging from £3-£5 for a beverage, and £3 upwards for food. It is more of an arts and crafts market as opposed to the more traditional ambience of a German Christmas
cafes and restaurants. Of course, weekends are the busiest time to visit Winchester’s Christ-
The Cathedral’s in-house team individually select the stallholders each year to ensure quality and authenticity in their products.”
CREDIT: CHRISTMASMARKETS.COM
Winchester’s Christmas Market boasts over 100 wooden alpine chalets.”
for adults and either £5-£7, or £6£8.50 for children, depending on peak times when visiting.
If the Christmas shopping list of gifts to buy friends and family still isn’t ticked off, then a niche Christmas gift from one of the many stalls is the perfect solution. Warm blankets, scarves, tweed clothing, handmade cards, wooden toys, china and glassware are among just some of the popular items available to purchase inside the chalets. The Cathedral’s in-house team individually select the stallholders each year to ensure quality and authenticity in their products. So, even just finding that extra special decoration to put on the tree is enough to get that festive feeling and know that it is something truly unique. The alpine chalets also surround the open-air ice skating rink which transforms into a magical wonderland for children and adults, with ticket prices at around £8.50-£10.50
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Ideally, bring cash as most stalls don’t accept cards, and the nearest cash point is back in Winchester’s High Street - not ideal to walk back to if you have already struggled through the waves of other festive goers.”
Its unique location is given a thumbs up from visitors too. The Market can sometimes get too crowded, so it is easy to get a break from the bustling crowds and wander beyond the Close into the centre of the city. Visit the Cathedral, the heart of the festivities, and even The Square and Parchment Street, both with an array of independent shops,
mas Market, so for a more relaxed time it is best to visit during the week. Otherwise, if visiting at the weekend, be prepared to meander through the stalls and ice skating rink along with the rest of the crowd. Ideally, bring cash as most stalls don’t accept cards, and the nearest cash point is back in Winchester’s High Street - not ideal to walk back to if you have already struggled through the waves of the hustle and bustle of other festive goers. Where: Winchester Cathedral Inner Close. When: Every day from Monday 20th November - Friday 22nd December. By Bus: A 5 minute walk from Winchester bus station and coach stops. By Train: Approximately a 10-15 minute walk from Winchester train station.
Galleon 16 The Thursday 14th December 2017
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Sex and Relationships
Heartbreak at Christmas A Christmas break-up? A few tips to help you cope Paige Whiteway Sex and Relationships Editor Christmas isn’t just about exchanging presents and stuffing your face with delicious food. Everyone is obsessed with the Hollywood movie ideal of having the romantic Christmas love story; snuggled up in front of fire, ice skating in sync, drinking mulled wine whilst strolling through the Christmas markets. This fantasy is hyped up so much people make it their Christmas mission to find a companion to share the season with, and then are disappointed when it doesn’t go to plan. There is nothing worse than being in a relationship that has made it, by the skin of its teeth, to the Christ-
mas period and having to hold your breath in case you make one wrong move that results in you being
single again.
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For good Karma, donate your now spare gift to a shelter or hospital where you know someone will appreciate it.”
Getting ‘dumped’ just before or during the Christmas period isn’t nice for anyone, it will make you feel like the last thing you want to do is be festive and fun. But, there is a way
of getting back out there and proving to everyone that you do not need a significant other to make December magical. One of the worst things about breaking up during this period is having already bought Christmas present for your other half. Should you take it back and get a refund? Hold onto it in case of an unexpected reunion? It is one of the most difficult decisions to make, and having spent hard earned money on the gifts, there is no doubt that part of you will be incredibly annoyed. Instead of burning it along with all the other memories of them, re-gift it to someone in your life that you know will appreciate it. Failing that, don’t feel bad about taking it back and us-
ing that spare cash to treat yourself. Or, for good Karma, donate it to a shelter or hospital where you know someone will appreciate it. Jokes aside, you can feel very low and down if your partner has broken up with you around this time of year, if only you had the power to cancel Christmas altogether. The best thing to do is surround yourself with the positive people in your life. Your friends and family are going to be there for you no matter what, so make plans and enjoy yourself with them, proving to yourself that you can have an amazing Christmas without being all loved up. The best thing you can do in a situation like this is remove them from all social media and block their
number. We all know how easy it is to send a drunken text and have a quick stalk of their Facebook profile, just to see if he’s replaced you already. This will just eat you up more if you see them having an enjoyable time, and the process to getting over them and moving on will be heavily delayed. Don’t dwell on the past, there will come a time where you cut all ties and feel nauseous at the thought of being with them. But it takes time, and Christmas is by far the hardest to get through a break up. Just keep your chin up and take care of yourself this Christmas because at least you’ll now have more money in the bank.
can be cooked from frozen- and what’s more, they’re glittery. If you’re wanting a Tesco haul, Tesco also has one of the widest and most traditional varieties of products, including their Portobello Mushroom Wellington. Tesco’s meat replacements mean you can have food just as good as any of your friends are wishing for under their crackers and party hats. What would make more of a perfect present that Vegan Ben and Jerry’s? Lucky for you, Ben and Jerry’s has recently released their new range of vegan ice creams just in time for the festive season, especially tasty if you’re planning on a cosy night in watching the old Christmas movies. These ice creams come in most of the well-loved flavours, including Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Peanut Butter and Cookies. If you’re feeling like being more DIY this Christmas, there are also
some merry recipes sleighing round the internet, including pear and goat’s cheese tartlets, mushroom, kimchi and sweet potato pie and cauliflower and stilton soufflé (the latter two from Bruno Loubet). These recipes are said to be celebratory in their rich and complex flavourings and can be made within an hour. They can also serve up to six people, so if you have a whole family of vegetarians going home-made is perhaps the best plan for you. Never fear, Santa is still here for vegetarians. With the world now more aware of vegetarians and vegans, there is a wider range of options for your diet, way more than the single, slightly soggy vegetables that supermarkets used to presume that vegetarians ate. So get your shopping trolleys lined with tinsel, because, with all these options, this is the season to be hungry.
Food & Health
Deck the Halls with Veggie Goodies Are you dreaming of a veggie Christmas? wine. Why not seek an alterative to jingle its way onto your dinner table Copy Editor this year? Is everyone going on about pigs in Instead of the classic roast you blankets, turkey, stuffing and gam- could seek the veggie alternatives mon slabs too much for you? Veg- to the classic beef wellington. By etarian and running out of options choosing this savoury pastry dish, to boast about to your friends? Filled you have a choice out of mushroom, with nuts, grains, vegetable oil, broth halloumi or vegetable wellington, to and butter, the traditional nut roast name a few alternatives, a range of might not be your cup of mulled likeable flavours for even the fussiest of relatives. Even supermarkets are getting in on providing good veggie food this Christmas. From ricotta stacks to butternut squash and sweet potato rosti, M&S CREDIT: MODERN DAY HIPPIE GIRL could be your
Georgina Monk
vegetarian dream, where you can plan a vegetarian Christmas full of party food, meat replacements and the infamous butternut squash, a fashionable food that is a cross between sweet potato and pumpkin in its soft and sweet flavourings.
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If you’re feeling like being more DIY this Christmas, there are also some merry recipes sleighing round the internet.”
If its puddings you’re looking for, you’ll be stealing Santa’s presents straight out of his sack, with Tesco’s hidden veggie treats such as their vegan churros, which are filled with chocolate and hazelnut sauce which
17 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Film
12 Films of Christmas Indulge your holiday spirit with these 12 Christmas cinema cult classics! Dawn Brissenden (Film Editor), Michael Pusey (Culture Editor), Kaitlin McKenzie (Television Editor), Giada Nizzoli (Music Editor), Ben Lain, Laura Davis (Arts Editor) and Bethanie Norman Christmas brings with it the most wonderful time of the year to settle under the duvet, make yourself some delicious hot chocolate and watch the films that we love. Fan favourites, classics, and feel-good films abound, but we here at The Galleon have put together our list of 12 Christmas films to make sure are on your watch list this festive season.
nals will surprise and delight you, and will definitely wish you a ‘Merry Christmas, ya’ filthy animal!’ KM
Muppets Christmas Carol
In 19th Century London, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come take mean Ebeneezer Scrooge on a journey that will show him what truly matters in life. A Muppet adaptation of the classic A Christmas Carol, with Gonzo the Great narrating the tale, and Michael Caine portraying Ebeneezer Scrooge, this film is a delightful mix
a hilariously incongruous school nativity, all helps to keep the movie alive and deliver a charming festive message that love actually is all around us. LD
Gremlins
Directed by Joe Dante, Gremlins is a cult classic Christmas film for a reason. Its protagonist, Billy Peltzer, is an unsuspecting young adult who is gifted a ‘Mogwai’ named Gizmo and given three rules to look after it. These three rules, as anyone can tell you, are: don’t expose him to bright light, don’t get him wet, and never
Bad Moms 2
If you are looking for a laugh this Christmas, Bad Moms 2 is the film for you. Our three favourite mums are doing things their own way again, but this time with tinsel. Although, things don’t quite go to plan and festive hilarity ensues when their own mothers arrive unexpectedly. The film is delightfully bawdy but there are also several touching family moments to remind watchers what this time of year is really all about. KM CREDIT: UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Home Alone
If you think you’ve had rough Christmases, the trials of Home Alone protagonist Kevin McCallister will probably make you feel a whole lot better. Not only is he forgotten by his family TWICE, but both times he is left at the mercy of hapless villains ‘The Wet/Sticky Bandits’. Luckily, this lad knows a thing or two about hijinks and is able to keep the criminals at bay until they can be brought to justice. Both of the Home Alone origi-
of Muppets and well known actors that won’t fail to move you and make you smile. GN
Love Actually
Love Actually is everything you could want in a Christmas romcom. Dive in heart first to a sea of interlinking stories, laughs and warming moments. Hopping about between various scenarios such as a wedding, an office party, a retreat to France and
house swap chat room just before Christmas. Both have issues with their romantic relationships, but not with their successful careers. They agree to swap lives for two weeks. Amanda travels to the beautiful English countryside and falls for Iris’ brother, while Iris goes to Los Angeles and falls in love with one of Amanda’s colleagues. Both women end up happy and together for Christmas with their new partners. BN
The Snowman
This beautiful tale of a young boy’s snowman coming to life is a Christmas classic. Join James as he builds his snowman, who comes to life at night, and then travels with them across the world to arrive at the North Pole while Aled Jones’ ‘Walking in the Air’ plays to beautiful hand drawn animation. They then engage in whimsical hijinks with other snowmen, and Santa bestows James with a present. They fly home and James and his Snowman have a tearful goodbye. With no words, this short film can bring joy to any who watch it. BN
Nightmare Before Christmas
feed him after midnight. Of course, failing to follow these rules feed the film’s black comedy style. Its use of polarising characters and the juxtaposition of Christmas-time as a backdrop for the carnage result in a refreshing and timeless piece; accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith’s complimentary score. BL
Miracle on 34th Street
This film depicts the charming tale of a department store Santa, played by Richard Attenborough, who turns out to be the real deal! He teaches the six-year old nonbelieving Susan Walker to understand the meaning of Christmas and the magic of the season. While Santa is embroiled in a court case, the judge Henry Harper falls in love with Susan’s mother and their love becomes the joyous ending to the film on Christmas Day. BN
The Holiday
Two women meet in an online
Tim Burton’s spooky Christmas animation is a treat for those of you who aren’t ready to leave Halloween behind for the festive season. His stylised characters and the talented directing of Henry Selick have created a unique Christmas tale in which the king of Halloween falls in love with Christmas. As a result, he tries to take the place of Santa Claus; with the help of his ghoulish friends, Father Christmas is kidnapped and hijinks ensue. DB
Santa Claus: The Movie
This classic Christmas film depicts an origin tale of Father Christmas and his battle against the corporate world that threatens to take over the holiday. Along the way an elf named Patch is seduced into helping a ruthless toy manufacturer who only cares about making money, and Santa befriends a young homeless boy and teaches him the values of giving. The combination of real world issues with a candy cane-fuelled car make this a must see this time of year. DB
Harry Potter
Whilst not a typical Christmas film, it’s unlikely in the coming month that you’ll be able to scroll through the channels without wandering across one of the Harry Potter films. The series needs little explanation with its wide scale fame and fandom. It’s safe to say that the books and films are a national treasure, so it’s no wonder that every year they are marathoned on our screens. The knitted jumpers from Mrs Weasley and the winter snow that always makes an appearance certainly prove they are Christmassy in their own right. DB
Die Hard
For some, Die Hard may not be a Christmas film. Those people are wrong. Set on Christmas Eve, New York policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) visits his wife and daughters at a party in Los Angeles, before getting caught up in a terrorist plot at Nakatomi Plaza, spearheaded by the villainous Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). What follows is an actionpacked, and thrilling adventure, where one man attempts to bring his family together at Christmas, and kill several terrorists along the way. MP
Galleon 18 The Thursday 14th December 2017
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Technology and Gaming
EA on the Battlefront ‘Too’ Fighting on all fronts - how EA missed the mark Will Brown Gaming and Tech Editor The relationship between developers and the gaming community is of course, nothing short of crucial when it comes to a game’s success. Developers need the support of the community in order to sell their games, so when EA announced the release of Battlefront 2, fans were understandably excited. EA’s plans appeared to be going smoothly until one Reddit user called out the developers on one of their ingame decisions. The Star Wars Battlefront subreddit post questioned EA’s decision to have Darth Vader locked upon release despite some players paying upwards of $80 for the game and additional content. Had players not been required to spend such amounts on the game, the prospect of having
better characters locked until players had enough in game credits (earned through playtime) could be considered somewhat reasonable. Although, given the situation, the ends did not justify the means.
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This issue has been the latest spanner in the works for EA, who have long been considered and previously voted the least popular games developer among fans two years in a row.”
EA’s Community Team soon responded, but few people would have predicted both the response they would produce and the ensuing re-
action from the community that followed. According to the developers, the decision to make players unlock characters was to ‘instill a sense of pride and accomplishment’, which, at face value seems somewhat reasonable. However, it was soon discovered that for the average player to unlock a higher tier character they would be required to play approximately 40 hours of gameplay each, a quantity of time that very few people would be able/ willing to invest in order to receive their desired outcome. To make matters worse, it was found that for those people who didn’t wish to invest unreasonable amounts of time into the game there was, naturally, a monetary plan B. The community immediately saw this as an attempt by the developers to exploit their fan base by providing them with near unattainable content with the hope that they
would be too desperate in wanting the extra content and would resort to purchasing it with actual money. This issue has been the latest spanner in the works for EA, who have long been considered and previously voted the least popular games developer among fans two years in a row. Following this year’s events, the company could see themselves make it a hattrick. Much of the disdain towards the developers comes as a result of their content being heavily centred around micro-transactions, which consists of in-game content that players can purchase for a small fee in the hope of getting applicable items that will enhance their playing experience. These features are commonplace across the majority of modern video games. However, many are advertised as having no statistical enhancement and being purely aesthetic in purpose. Where
EA have suffered is by applying microtransactions with the incentive that they will make a player’s experience better or give them an advantage over their opponent on a pay-to-win basis. As of right now, EA’s Reddit response has amassed 670,000 downvotes, making it the most downvoted post in Reddit history. It has easily surpassed the previous record-holding post with 20,000 which was a post which was genuinely asking for downvotes. The community-led backlash has prompted actions from the developers, who have since altered their in game features and for the meantime, removed all micro-transactions from Battlefront 2. Whether this will be on a permanent basis or temporary is currently unknown, but EA are certainly finding themselves in the wars.
Technology and Gaming
Black Desert, the MMO Bringing Heat to 2017
CREDIT: STEAM
It’s getting hot in here, with this new MMO Fraser Vigrass Black Desert Online is an MMO that is unlike any other that has come before it. With beautiful graphics and enough grinding to keep you busy, Pearl Abyss have done a wonder on my play-time. The story follows the protagonist along a slaughter, at the command of the Black Spirit. Possessed by this mysterious creature, you follow his every order, killing at every opportunity. Growing in power, there seems little that can stop its rein over your soul. The storyline is honestly a mess, bland and passive, but that is commonplace within the MMO genre. There can be an interest with the lore, but it will take a lot reading to fully grasp the concept. A lack of detailed cut-scenes results in clicking through text-boxes. Not
the best way to keep a player entertained.
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Where Black Desert truly shines however, comes after the journey through the story-line. A world of opportunity and enterprise, and how you grind is now a choice.”
Where Black Desert truly shines however, comes after the journey through the storyline. A world of opportunity and enterprise, and how you grind is now a choice. Horse training will demand creating the highest quality racehorses. Pro-
cessing will have you turning resources collected by workers into products to sell on the market, or trading across the land. Grinding for gear is still prevalent, there are no raids as such, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lack of competition. Open-world PvP is used to contest spots - having better than recommended gear is essential for the optimal spots. For those wanting a World of Warcraft experience, where the game features world bosses which drop the best loot in the game, look away now. There are no raids or a traditional end game other than smashing weapons and accessories, this demands huge time investment. Most of the highest tier gear doesn’t appear on the market very often, due to the sale price on the market (fixed). The cost to enhance, and the rarity of the drops, means that
gear progression hits a wall early on that will take perseverance. Sticking to it will yield high rewards in better grind spots mixed with the ability to fend off rivals in PVP. Gamers that have limited time investment can still progress through awayfrom-keyboard activities. Processing and fishing can provide vast wealth to highlevel players. No longer will you be left behind due to the lack of commitment to the ever-growing MMO genre. Placing pre-orders on the boss drops placed on the market will allow you access the best gear without having to place a foot in the grinding spots. Many of the player-base won’t step foot outside the towns other than the occasional trip to the other side of the map for the best trade-off. For the highest geared players, sieges
and node wars are contested. Victors gain access to the marketplace tax added to each transaction. The silver is on defence for the next guild willing to try their luck. Smaller guilds fight over the resource nodes for the chance to build offensive weaponry, siege elephants, and battleships. Black Desert Online is one of the best MMOs out there that breaks the norms of the genre. Being able to progress while inactive is almost unheard of and doing it well can net a decent profit. Having to dedicate all your time into a game has been wiped out with Black Desert Online’s formula. Although having to combat problems recently, Pearl Abyss have helped create a masterpiece. I would highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a fresh MMO.
19 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Television
True Detective Season Three Preview: What we know so far The acclaimed crime drama will return to screens in 2018 Michael Pusey Culture Editor Dark, brutal, and gritty detective drama True Detective first broadcast on HBO in January of 2014, and fans will be eager to see it return to their screens sometime in 2018, with an official start date not yet announced. When True Detective first hit small screens worldwide, courtesy of HBO, fans were astounded by the level of depth and complexity to the characters expertly brought to life by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, as well as some incredible work behind the scenes from creative mastermind Nic Pizzolatto. The second season continued to employ a star-studded cast list, with leading men Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn supported by Rachel McAdams and
Taylor Kitsch.
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Casting news is still very much under wraps, but bringing in someone of Ali’s calibre and talent continues to show the high expectations of both the show and the studio”
Now heading into an eagerlyanticipated third season, True Detective showrunners have finally announced their leading actors. Whilst the first season garnered universal praise, and the second season divided opinion, fans of good television and either of the two seasons
will undoubtedly be excited to know the show is making a return in 2018. Greenlit by HBO back in July, it was announced that True Detective would be returning for a third season, casting Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, House of Cards) in the lead male role, alongside Carmen Ejogo (Selma, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). Any other casting news is still very much under wraps, but bringing in someone of Ali’s calibre and talent continues to show the high expectations of both the show and the studio, and their desire to work with fantastic actors. We don’t yet know much about this third season, aside from the news that creator Nic Pizzolatto will be returning to produce the show
alongside David Milch, who is a new addition to the creative team. Once again changing locations from its predecessors, this season will be set in Arkansas, in a mountainous region known as the Ozarks, but will remain true to previous seasons, and take place over three separate time
periods. Whilst we may not know what to expect, you can be sure that there will be violence, intrigue, and no small amount of dark humour. Just give me a Matthew McConaughey cameo, and I will be a very happy man.
Art
Christmas Culture - Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum Don’t be a Scrooge, visit Dickens this Christmas Rosie Gigg Portsmouth has a rich literary heritage, perfect for those studying English, Creative Writing and more, seeing as it was once the home to many famous writers. Neil Gaiman,
H.G Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling have all spent some time in this inspiring city, but one of the most famous writers to come from Portsmouth is none other Charles Dickens, arguably one of the most prolific writers of the 19th century.
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In celebration of the writer, The Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum recreates his home in authentic Regency style from the early 1800’s through household items, decorations and furniture.”
With his most notable works being too numerous to name, Dickens has cemented himself as not just one of the most prolific writers of the 19th century, but one of the greatest writers of all time.
What?
In celebration of the writer, The Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum re-creates his home in authentic Regency style from the early 1800’s through household items, decorations and furniture. Inside three fully-furnished rooms can be seen: The parlour, the dining room and the room in which Dickens was born. Plus, there’s also an exhibition showing off some of Dickens’ personal belongings: an inkwell and paper knife, his snuff box and the couch on which he died.
Where?
393 Old Commercial Road (known as 1 Mile End Terrace in Dickens’ time).
When?
Unfortunately, the museum will be closed until April 2018. However, to welcome the winter season and Christmas spirit, the museum will be open on the 9th and 10th of December, at 10am to 5pm. Price? For students, it is only £3.20 for admission, but if you are a resident of Portsmouth you can enter for free, so long as you are able provide proof (further details can be found online). And if that’s not enough for all you Dickens’ enthusiasts, from
April to September 2018 there will be readings from Charles Dickens’ works on the first Sunday of every month at 3pm, lasting around 45 minutes.The museum gives us a small insight to the everyday life of Dickens’ family and is a perfect place to visit this December, especially those of us inspired by literature and the local history.
Galleon 20 The Thursday 14th December 2017
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Travel
All I Want For Christmas Is… A Cheap Getaway to London Discover the magic that London has to offer this Christmas Níne Hedlundh It is that lovely time of the year again Christmas! A favourite holiday for many, with students in particular as it is a time of giving, making memories and stocking up on every piece of food possible. Additionally, it is also a break from university, due dates and other stressful obligations. A break from university is exactly what students need every once in a while, and what could possibly be a better treat than a short get away to London during the Christmas season? Visiting London during the festive season is indeed something extraordinary,
what with its magical decorations, festive markets, and all round Christmas atmosphere. It is the city which has everything that you could possibly want when you think of a metropolitan Christmas getaway!
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Many restaurants offer student discounts with the restaurant app.”
A lot of the things to see and do in London are free. This always comes in handy for students in particular who don’t fancy parting with their small change towards the end of term just to see a few
fancy attractions. Planning ahead of time is key. In order get discounts on both National Express coach tickets as well as on train tickets, book early! Tickets can be anywhere between £5 and £15 if you’re lucky, especially with student railcards and coach cards. When in London, the public transportation system is easy, but can quickly add up. It is always possible to walk to a lot of the attractions if taking a crowded tube doesn’t quite take your fancy. Sometimes, where you may want to end up is not always within walking distance, so there is always a travel day pass that can be purchased at any major tube station or bus depot station. Remember, those of you with railcards can get discounted travel on the underground. Not only can you get discounts on travel tickets, many restaurants offer student discounts with the restaurant app, or NUS card around the city centre of London as well. It’s worth checking the terms and conditions beforehand though, as some
Left: Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, London. Left Below: Oxford Street. Below: Carnaby Street. Right Above: Kew Gardens.
discounts aren’t valid at certain times or on particular days. There are so many things happening in London at this time of the year, but one of the greatest is the iconic Christmas lights on Oxford Street. Inspired by the image of falling snowflakes, Oxford Street is lit up by over 750,000 LED light bulbs. Continuing down onto Regent Street which leads to Piccadilly Circus, experience even more Christmas lights and decorations which will definitely guarantee a feel good festive spirit.
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Even if a bit of retail shopping is not on the agenda, there is always time for a little bit of window-shopping.”
Covent Garden is the place to go for somewhere which has a real ambience of Christmas cheer and all things jolly. There are over 40 mistletoe chandeliers which decorate the Piazza, as well as a huge glowing Christmas tree. Covent Garden is renowned for its wide variety of unique shops, restaurants, cosy Christmas pop ups, and not forgetting some of the West End’s best entertainment, all thanks to it is
location in the best theatre district in The Big Smoke. Another major event not to be missed are the Christmas Carols in Trafalgar Square which take place from Monday 11th December to Friday 22nd December. A number of carol singing groups gather around an immense Christmas tree to sing and entertain. The atmosphere shouts ‘Winter Wonderland’ and it is one of the most popular gatherings for happy Christmas people to come along and sing classic Christmas songs. Some of the Christmas choirs will also be collecting money for different charity organisations, so what could possibly be better than the combination of being able to sing your heart out and contribute to a good cause. Last but not least, even if a bit of retail shopping is not on the agenda, there is always time for a little bit of windowshopping. Selfridges and Harrods offer two of the best Christmas window displays in London this Christmas. Selfridges on Oxford Street displays their theme “With Love From”, which tells a story of a Christmas parade which has dancing and singing characters facing the window shoppers. Harrods window display on the other hand is more luxurious and goes by the Italian Dolce & Gabbana theme. Although these stores are two of the most expensive on Oxford Street, do not be deterred by the expense of the items, the fun experience of taking a peek at their Christmas displays definitely makes up for it. If you are planning some last minute Christmas shopping for friends and family, and most definitely not yourself, Westfield Shopping Centre located in White City is a safe bet, offering a wide variety of stores and restaurants, and many of them offer student discounts as well. These are only a few ideas of what to do during a Christmas holiday get away to London which are both cheap and definitely memorable. Keep in mind London is a world metropolitan, and has so much to offer in all its districts and boroughs. You will not be disappointed; that is a guarantee.
21 sport@galleonnews.com National Sport
England Dealt Promising Hand by Diego Maradona
CREDIT: THE IRISH TIMES
England face winnable fixtures against Tunisia and Panama before the formidable Belgium in their final World Cup group game Jordan Osborne Editor Set in the heart of Moscow, the 2018 World Cup group stage draw was always going to be a glamorous affair. As well as dignitaries from each of the 32 teams, the ceremony was blessed by the presence of true footballing royalty. The likes of Cafu, Ronaldo, Gordon Banks, Pele and Jay-Jay Okocha lined up backstage for a social media-melting selfie before the draw got under way. Despite the array of stars on display, it only seemed right that Argentina legend Diego Maradona, a player synonymous with past English World Cup heartbreak, should literally hand England their fate
for Russia 2018. Maradona made the English wait nervously, first pulling out Croatia and Mexico. However, those selections would prove to be fortuitous for the English; Croatia were grouped with Argentina, whilst Mexico drew Germany.
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Even with England’s propensity to choke on the biggest stages, they will be expected to come through the group stage even if they lose to Belgium.” England were eventually placed
alongside Belgium by the wandering hands of Diego. The fixture should provide an entertaining battle considering the Belgians’ current crop of stars, many of which are illuminating the Premier League this season. The match will most likely decide who tops the group as well considering the modesty of the other two teams grouped with England and Belgium. Tunisia and Panama are two of the lower ranked teams in the tournament, currently ranked 27th and 56th respectively. However, both teams have showed terrific fight in qualifying, with Tunisia topping African Group A and Panama stealing the third CONCACAF qualifying space, beating the United States, Honduras and Trinidad & Tobago into
the bottom three. Even with England’s propensity to choke on the biggest stages, they will be expected to come through the group stage even if they lose to Belgium. Based on quality and depth, Belgium will be expected to beat England and realistically attempt to win the tournament. Arguably Belgium trump England in every position except full back and can count on the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in attack and the Tottenham centre back pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in defence. With two relatively easy openers and a real challenge in Belgium, England’s group stage could prove beneficial in
more ways than just a straightforward route to the knockout stages. The nature and order of their opponents will allow England to acclimatise smoothly to the difficulty of the tournament with the aim of finishing top of Group G a realistic prospect. Hopes of going deep into the tournament will be kept fairly quiet though; should England top their group, they will play either Poland or Columbia in the first knockout stage and then most likely Brazil should they come through the first knockout stage. Expectation has proved fatal for England in the past. Devoid of an obvious ‘Golden Generation’ and the pressure to succeed, the preamble of Russia 2018 might just make it our most hopeful draw in a long time.
National Sport
Joshua,Shrubsole and Hamilton lead SPOTY Nominations The last ten SPOTYs have been won by men Alex Fiske Design Editor On the 17th November, the BBC announced the contenders for this year’s Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY). Big names include Lewis Hamilton, Anthony Joshua, Johanna Konta and Harry Kane. The 12 contenders come from a range of sports such as, short track speed skating, para-athletics, cricket, and taekwondo. There are certainly some athletes who stand out from the crowd, and will no doubt feature in the top 3 awards, but is it time we gave the award to someone playing a lesserknown sport Andy Murray has won the award consecutively in 2015 and 2016 follow-
ing his success at Wimbledon. Lewis Hamilton then won it in 2014 after winning another Formula 1 championship. In the past 10 years, only males have won the main prize. So should there be a change here too? This year’s line up features Elise Christie, ten-time European short track speed skating champion, Johanna Konta, a top 5 tennis player, Anya Shrubsole, the World Cup-winning cricketer and Bianca Walkden, double European and World taekwondo champion. It’s not like the female nominees are short of achievements in comparison to their male counterparts. When compared to the male sports stars up for the prize, however, it seems as if the female nominees’ chances of winning are very slim. Anthony Joshua, Mo Farah
and Chris Froome are all amongst the favourites following an outstanding year in their respective sports. After winning his fourth Formula 1 championship, Lewis Hamilton has the chance to win his second Sports Personality of the Year award, following his first in 2014. Due to the fact he has already won this award for the exact same reason, bookies have put Lewis down the pecking order despite his achievements. His chances of placing 2nd or 3rd however, remain high, but it’s not worth betting on. Harry Kane has had an incredible year both with Tottenham Hotspur and individually. 2017 has seen his goal to game ratio almost equal 1 to 1 and become England’s and Tottenham’s star
CREDIT: BBC
player - a measure of his consistence and quality. Often compared to the best strikers and players in the world, England have found themselves an absolute gem. It has been a long time since England have had a player as prolific as Harry Kane, and the future certainly looks bright for the talented striker. Without a doubt, Anthony Joshua is the number one favourite to win the award. Continuing his unbeaten boxing career, Joshua participated in arguably the biggest boxing match in years. Taking to the ring with Wladimir Klitschko made for a huge spectacle. Joshua, after being knocked down, managed to claw his way up to knock down Klitschko in an event that captured the world. Joshua has become a national treasure to Eng-
land and boxing, and will be quietly confident of bagging the award. Despite these big name stars, there are plenty of underdogs in this year’s line up too. Mo Farah ended his career covered in gold medals as he produced, yet again, special performances on the track. Adam Peaty became Britain’s new swimming sensation following his success in the water at the World Championships this past summer. And Johanna Konta made her mark on the tennis stage reaching this year’s semi-final at Wimbledon. It’s fair to say this year could be a close battle for 2nd and 3rd, but we think the number 1 spot has a clear favourite, and he goes by the name of Anthony Joshua!
Galleon 22 The Thursday 14th December 2017
SPORT
National Sport
Premier League: Team of the Year So Far Don’t worry - just the four Manchester City players in the team Jordan Osborne and Michael Pusey, Culture Editor, GK - David De Gea - MP
The Spaniard has been in scintillating form yet again this year, keeping eight
CREDIT: PLANET FOOTBALL clean sheets for the Red Devils, the most of any goalkeeper in the Premier League at this point in the season. Despite constant transfer rumours around his future, De Gea has remained loyal to his current employers, and turned out some tremendous performances to keep them in games at times.
LB - Marcos Alonso - MP
Chelsea decided to splash the cash on left back Marcos Alonso last summer, paying £24 million to Italian club Fiorentina for his services after successes there. Alonso has cemented his place in Antonio Conte’s side with attacking flair and solid defensive work, contributing 3 goals and helping his team to six clean sheets so far
this season.
CB - John Stones - MP
With one of the highest passing rates in the Premier League this season alongside players such as David Silva and Fernandinho, no-one quite expected Pep Guardiola to make use of John Stones in such a similar way to his previous teams like Barcelona. Whilst fans of Manchester City may largely talk of the attacking talent, Stones’s composure and ability to play from the back is testament to the faith Guardiola places in the young Englishman.
CB - James Tarkowski - MP
Sean Dyche’s Burnley have, on occasion, shown they are no pushovers in this unforgiving Premier League and at the heart of their defence this season has been James Tarkowksi. With 193 combined blocks and clearances this season, Tarkowski has been a stalwart at the back for Burnley, proving he’s willing to put his entire body on the line time and time again to aid his team.
stature move up the motorway to your title rivals and the performance. it must be painful watching for Conte; the steadfast Serbian Nemanja Matic has been even more impressive than he was at Chelsea. Out of the shadow of his Chelsea midfield partner N’Golo Kante, and currently outshining his replacement Tiemoue Bakayoko, Matic looks reborn at the base of Mourinho’s midfield diamond. This season, Matic looks strong and composed and crucially for his team, the more creative elements, such as Paul Pogba, are being given space to breathe in attack.
CDM - Nemanja Matic - JO
What was Antonio Conte thinking? Even for a substantial £40m, you don’t let a holding midfielder of such prestige and
through the eye of a needle has made him an invaluable part of Guardiola’s setup this season.
ahead if he can maintain this level of performance.
ST - Harry Kane - JO
RCM - Kevin De Bruyne - JO
It seems that Kevin De Bruyne has finally settled into his new position. After impressing for Belgium in a deeper midfield role, Pep Guardiola took his chances on trying to develop De Bruyne in this deeper role in order to balance his starstudded midfield. Now that De Bruyne has had the summer to acclimatise, he’s thriving. Last season, De Bruyne’s contri-
RB - Cesar Azpilicueta - JO
It’s been fascinating watching Cesar Azpilicueta go about his work this season. In the past he has operated at mainly either full back position and occasionally at centre back, but this season he has excelled in the archaic sweeper position made famous by the eminent Franz Beckenbauer. With a newfound positional mentality, Azpilicueta has developed his defensive game further this season. However, he hasn’t neglected his attacking side either - his impressive delivery from the wings has seen him grab 5 assists, the majority of them for new signing Alvaro Morata.
CREDIT: LIVERPOOL FC
CREDIT: BELFAST TELEGRAPH LF - Leroy Sane - JO
Even amongst Manchester City’s headline acts, Leroy Sane at just 21, is managing to make waves in just his second season. With six goals and six assists, Sane leads the way this season with most direct goal contributions. With his pace and acute ability for dribbling at speed, Sane offers something completely different to Silva and De Bruyne when he gallops down the left but he looks a far more complete player when compared to the similar Raheem Sterling on the opposite side. It’s been an impressive start from Sane and one that looks to get better assuming Guardiola utilises him more.
RF - Mohamed Salah - MP butions were limited by a strictly attacking position but in his new position, he has a greater scope to illustrate. The end result is six assists and 900 completed passes already this season as well as a few crucial goals - the winner at Chelsea will no doubt be his favourite. De Bruyne has grown exponentially this season - he’s not far off being a complete midfielder.
LCM - David Silva - MP
David Silva has long been a key part of this Manchester City squad, often boasting an outstanding pass completion rate, large numbers of assists, and a very sportsmanlike mentality on the field. The little Spaniard’s ability to find space where there is none, and to thread a pass
It was always going to be hard to pick a centre forward after the season’s blockbuster bill of attacking play but Harry Kane looks to be the most consistently complete striker in the Premier League right now. With eight goals in eleven appearances this season, Kane has picked up where he left off after another Golden Boot last season. Fortified with strength and pace, Kane is one of the few strikers who looks capable of scoring any type of goal at the moment. Even when compared against an Aguero or a Lukaku, Kane looks like most fans’ first choice. But as good as Tottenham have been in the last few seasons, and such is the importance of Kane, you can’t help but feel that their results would drop off if their talismanic striker made the dreaded permanent holiday to the Bernabeu.
One of the more redeeming qualities of Liverpool’s season thus far is the performance of Mohammed Salah, current leading goalscorer in the Premier League with nine goals in twelve appearances. With his electric pace, willingness to chase the ball, and ability to link up well with other Reds frontmen Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino, Salah could have a tremendous season CREDIT: REUTERS
23 sport@galleonnews.com Sport
Easy, Tiger: Has the GOAT made a mistake in returning… again? Is it yet another eternally hollow promise from the 14-time major winner? Alex Fiske Design Editor Born in 1975, Eldrick Tont Woods turned professional at the age of just 20. Just one year later Woods had already won three PGA Tour events, with the inclusion of his first
major, the 1997 Masters. Arguably the most famous win ever, Woods’ red Nike jumper became an iconic look. Breaking the previous record for the course score, Woods was destined for success. In the same year he reached the world number one position, and would carry on to domi-
nate the field throughout the 2000s. Woods had two remarkable spells at the top, lasting 264 weeks and 281 weeks respectively.
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There is no doubt every golfing fan would’ve loved to see Tiger win another trophy, no matter how big or small the competition was. But the hard facts were that it was just too soon.”
Woods had become a golfing icon with many young players looking up to him. He became a sporting superstar signing big contracts with TAG Heuer, and of course, Nike. He had his own personalised golf clubs and clothes, which only the very best were eligible to have. Woods currently sits 2nd in the all time PGA Tour wins, and 3rd in the all time European Tour wins. In to-
CREDIT: USA TODAY
tal, Woods has won 35 individual awards, with many labelling him as the greatest of all time. But after many personal issues away from golf, Woods began to fall off the radar. Several criminal charges and injuries meant Woods was no longer in the correct mindset to play golf for several years. However, in 2016, he announced he would be returning following successful operations on his back. A brilliant sight for all golfers, Woods was finally back on the tour. His return was much anticipated, but many knew he wasn’t the same Tiger as before. His body wouldn’t allow him to match the swing of his younger competitors. His putting wasn’t always up to scratch, and judging by his facial expressions, he was in pain. A return too soon perhaps? There is no doubt every golfing fan would’ve loved to see Tiger win another trophy, no matter how big or small the competition was. But the hard facts were that it was just too soon. Maybe Tiger had lost his touch, but wasn’t willing to admit it?
November 2017, and following another injury, Tiger is said to make a second comeback. This time at the Hero World Challenge towards the end of November. After a nine month recuperation from his latest back injury, Woods took to social media to tell the world he would be playing again. He may not be in the same shape as he was when he joined the tour, but seeing videos of that beautiful, iconic swing, can only make a golf fan’s hair stick up on end. We can’t wait to watch a (hopefully) fully fit Tiger tearing up divots on the golf course again. Golf ’s elite players have become better and better since Tiger took a break from the sport. No matter how well he performs during his return, the rest of the field will take some beating. His fellow USA teammates are arguably the best group of Americans ever to play the game at the same time, whilst competitors from other nationalities are also putting their names in the history books. It’s fair to say, Tiger’s return will make for cracking viewing.
Sport
Chapecoense One Year On From 2016’s biggest sporting disaster to a truly inspiring regeneration Michael Pusey Culture Editor On the night of Monday 28th November in 2016, the sporting world was shaken to its very core as a plane carrying the Chapecoense football team crashed into a hillside on the outskirts of the Colombian city of Medellin. One year on, the team and the town have come together to continue to defy the odds, and remind sporting athletes everywhere, to never give up. A small and relatively unknown team from southern Brazil, Chapecoense had become the first team to come from
outside of Brazil’s four national divisions to a continental final in 2013, in less than a decade. The progress they had made was unparalleled, and gathered the attention of the Brazilian football world. Before their plane went down, the Chapecoense team were on their way to the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final in Medellin. Of the 77 people on board the plane, 71 lost their lives immediately, or in the aftermath of the crash itself. The opposing team that Chapecoense were due to play in the final, Atletico Nacional, suggested that Chapecoense be awarded the Copa Su-
damericana. This was more than simply a nice thing to do, as it would also allow for Chapecoense to be a part of the Copa Libertadores, the Champions League of South America, bringing in some much-needed revenue for a club that would soon be in dire need of rebuilding. Three players survived the crash; midfielder Alan Ruschel who has resumed his career with the club, Neto who is in training to make a comeback next year, and goalkeeper Jakson Follman who unfortunately lost a leg and was forced to retire. It was suggested by the league and teams that Chapecoense be given two
CREDIT: GETTY
or three seasons exempt from relegation as they tried to rebuild, but the club were very quick to dismiss these offers. They were determined to stand by their own strength, and continue the hard work started by the players that had gone before them, and they were largely helped by two factors. The first was that Brazilian teams often go through quite drastic overhauls during the offseason, and other clubs helped tremendously by sending players on loan. The second was that they had a few months before the season kicked off. The divisions in Brazil don’t start their campaigns until the middle of May, meaning the team
had time to find new players and incorporate new styles of play in the aftermath of what had happened. After an amazing start to the season, Chapecoense found themselves top of the table exactly six months after the crash. Obviously, it would require a gargantuan effort to maintain their momentum, and the team eventually slumped. Despite this however, the team has secured their place in the top division again next season.The events of the crash will stay with the people of Chapeco for a long time yet, but the heroics of the team in 2017 have honoured the memory of those lost in the crash.
Sport In this issue...
Sport
Who Can? This Girl Can! England World Cup Draw P. 21
Prem TOTY So Far P. 22
Tiger Woods’ Comeback Trail P. 22
The campaign is successfully reducing the gender gap in sports and exercise participation Stephanie Lukins Travel Editor Eliminating and overcoming fear, selfconfidence issues and judgement in sport can be difficult. It can deter women and young girls from joining in or taking part in sports and other activities. According to research carried out by Sport England, sports participation in the UK is suffering from a severe gender gap with two million fewer 1440 year old women than men play sport regularly, despite the fact that 75% of saying they want to be more active. A national campaign developed by Sport England and funded by the National Lottery, known as This Girl Can, aims to celebrate active women up and down the country who do their own thing at their own rate, own pace and own ability without the feeling of being judged and without any boundaries. The week from 20th - 26th November saw the celebration of This Girl Can. Supported by the University of Portsmouth’s Student Union who teamed up with the University’s Sport and Recreation department to bring free taster sessions to sport throughout
the week, with a target to hit 50,000 minutes of activity during This Girl Can week. The opening free sessions were to encourage and inspire those to get more involved with sport and other activities, and to also get a taster for a sport for those who may not have had the opportunity to do so before. The University’s support campaign encourages those who do not even have prior experience of playing or participating in certain sports or activities to just simply turn up, even without booking.
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Sport and physical activity is imperative for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It should not be used as a weapon against those who feel like it is only for those who are at a professional level, or do it almost every day.”
By offering free sports sessions, virtual classes, fitness classes and more
gave the incentive for all female students and female staff of the university to attend. Some of the sessions included Bodybalance, Bodypump, Zumba, Free Weights, Touch Rugby, Football, Basketball, Rounders, Dodgeball and Netball.The This Girl Can Zumba special was a big attraction with 34 ladies and gentlemen contributing 1,700 minutes towards the University’s Sport and Recreation goal of 50,000 active minutes. Inside the Student’s Union on Wednesday 22nd, there was an incentive for giving away free sports bottles for just 10 minutes of cycling on the bike machines.The free Netball taster session on the Tuesday evening got in women trying out the sport, with 2,880 minutes contributed of active time and a mixed halls tournament on the Friday evening saw around 35 women and men turning up to join in the fun and games. Taking part in one of the University’s student groups is also a great way to make new friends, offset studies and enrich the university experience. Sport and physical activity is imperative for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It should not be used as a weapon against
those who feel like it is only for those who are at a professional level, or do it almost every day. Sport is given an automatic competitive edge which is only inevitable. But that is not a reason why those who are nervous about taking part in a sporting activity should be deterred from doing so. Of course it feels good to come first in a race, or throw the furthest, or win the match, but nobody should feel undervalued if that does not always happen. The results of the campaign speak for themselves. It can be seen that there is a genuine change in consumer behaviour. Women are beginning to feel inspired to make a positive difference to their lives, and as a result, it is thought that 1.6m women have started exercising or are taking part regularly in a sport. Bringing it back to the university’s level of success, it can be safely said that it has been another very successful This Girl Can week proving that women can do whatever they want and will let nothing stand in their way. Photo Credit: Stephanie Lukins