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The Spring Edition God Save The Greens: The Search For England's National Vegetable P.6 The Man Behind The Mask: Uncovering The Shape Of Water's Doug Jones P.13
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The Galleon
Friday 30th March 2018
NEWS Our Team Editor: Jordan Osborne 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: Stevie-Marie Jones sport@galleonnews.com Technical Manager: Vacant tech@galleonnews.com PR and Social Media Manager: Vacant marketing@galleonnews.com
News:
Deputy Editor: Vacant Senior Reporter: Vacant
Lifestyle & Culture:
Fashion & Beauty Editor: Brogan Kirkby-Bott Sex & Relationships Editor: Vacant 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
National News
UoP renews its partnership with Santander The deal will provide the University with an extra £120,000 worth of funding over a three year period Kayla Francis News Editor The University of Portsmouth has renewed its partnership with banking giant Santander. The partnership was originally formed in 2015 with a threeyear agreement. Santander Universities has supported universities for twenty years and now supports 1,198 universities worldwide. The University of Portsmouth is one of the eighty-three UK universities the bank supports. Santander is promising to generate £120,000 worth of funding towards scholarships over another three year period. The agreement was signed by
less and UK, full-time postgraduate students are given priority. However, those already supported by a mobility scholarship cannot apply. If you are interested in applying for the Mobility Awards scholarship please complete the Santander Mobility Santander Mobility Awards 2017 Application Form and all supporting information/documents which you can find on the University website through http://www.port.ac.uk/internationalstudents/current-students/santandermobility-awards/
Email them to studyabroad@ port.ac.uk by Friday 6 April, 17:00 UK time.
National Geographic admits Racist Past The controversial issue has caused a massive upsurge in traffic on the publication’s website Cassandra Franz
Visit us at The Student Centre, Portsmouth Students’ Union, Cambridge Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2EF.
In their most recent issue, which was published online last week and is available in shops from March 27, National Geographic admitted that racism had influenced the reporting of the magazine for decades. The head of the magazine reflected critically on images of bare-breasted women and portrayals of brown-skinned tribesmen as savage and unintelligent. The newest issue starts with a letter from Susan Goldberg, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, in which she states that the magazine did not allow African-Americans and other people of colour to subscribe to the magazine un-
News TBC Lifestyle Monday 5pm, Third Space Culture Monday 3pm, Third Space Reaction TBC Sport TBC
country and abroad. The scholarships offer the chance to receive up to £5,000 as well as to cover entrepreneurship/startup ideas and projects. The funding also helped to create the Mobility Awards that will enable as many students as possible to undertake overseas activities that contribute to their studies. The Mobility Awards can be used to cover travel, accommodation, subsistence, course/ conference fees, as well as other costs. All University of Portsmouth students are eligible for the scholarship but UK, on-campus full-time/parttime, undergraduate students who are on a household income of £25,000 or
National News
Send any complaints to mediacomplaints@ upsu.net
Writers’ Meetings
Professor Graham Galbraith, ViceChancellor of the University, and Matthew Hutnell, Director of Santander Universities UK, at the Future Technology Centre. The Future Technology Centre is a new extension on the east side of Portland Building that only opened in January this year and cost £12 million. In the original three year agreement, Santander Universities provided the university with funding worth £120,000, plus an additional £154,500 through additional agreements. Santander has also supported the university and students by offering a range of placement opportunities across the
til the 1960s and did not acknowledge people of colour in America, only mentioning them in relation to labourers and domestic workers, until the 1970s. At the same time, they pictured people of colour from elsewhere as exotic and savages, often without clothes and as hunters. For example, in a story from 1916, two Aboriginal people from Australia were pictured while the caption of the photo suggested that they were savages who were less intelligent than other human beings because of their cultural background. Furthermore, people of colour were rarely pictured in cities or with technology like cars or planes, in contrast to white people who are usu-
ally fully clothed and around technology in the photos used CREDIT: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC in the magazine. Moreover, Goldberg says National the reactions of readers are mainly posiGeographic has done a better job em- tive. Goldberg says that a high amount ploying women than people from dif- of conversation was predicted for this ferent ethnicities and races but adds issue just like it was for the issue about that the magazine is going to employ gender that was released in January more people of colour and different 2017. backgrounds in the future since they are National Geographic reaches 30 milable to bring a different point of view to lion people around the world and was the magazine and help to tell a more ac- one of the first magazines to publish curate story. colour photos. The magazine is pubThis issue has caused the highest web lished monthly in 172 countries and 43 traffic on the National Geographic web- languages and is famous for its reports site so far this year. Traffic for the issue about history, science and culture. is expected to grow even more, though
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Local News
Solent Region Universities inject more than 4.2 billion into the economy every year Rosario Uribe The University of Portsmouth has proved to be of great relevance for the country and the region’s economy as a recent study concerning the Solent region universities and their economic impact reveals. The major study, made by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (short LEP) confirmed that a key component of the region’s economic strength are the three leading universities the University of Portsmouth, the Solent Southampton University and the University of Southampton through undertaking pioneering research and acting as centres for in-
novation. In fact, they pump over £4.2bn into the UK economy every year and support 52,300 jobs in the UK.
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The three Universities support one in 20 jobs in the Solent region”
More important is their contribution to the region, as they contribute about £2.1bn of economic value, and support 33,000 jobs in the Solent region. More specifically, every pound the universities produce from their own work sustains 6 pounds worth of UK economic activity, and half of that value is retained in the Solent LEP area. Another analysis made by Biggar Economics, an independent economic consultancy, showed that the three universities support one in 20 jobs in the Solent region, which is higher than the national average of 1 in 36 jobs.
This furthermore highlights the worldleading university research occurring in the Solent region universities in engineering, biomedicine, aerospace, defence, marine, maritime and advanced manufacturing. Gary Jeffries, Chairman of the Solent LEP said: “The Solent has many strategic assets that help make our region an economic gateway to the UK and the world. Our universities are a key part of this critical infrastructure and this report underlines the enormous contribution that they make not only to the Solent, but to the UK economy as a whole. The Solent LEP focuses a significant proportion of its strategic investment on key sectors such as the marine and maritime. The role that our universities play in helping the Solent region maintain its pre-eminent position in this area is integral and that is why the Solent LEP will continue to work in close partnership with them so that we can deliver the maximum economic return for the region.” He also added that they have invested over £51m
in key projects within the Solent region that will drive economic growth and create skilled jobs that everyone living in the region can benefit from.
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As the fourth largest employer in Portsmouth, the University’s success is intimately connected to the city’s - and vice versa”
There is so much potential in the Solent region with its three universities, world-class ports and its position as a gateway to the world. Professor Graham Galbraith, Vice Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth said: “Universities must demonstrate why we matter to our regions - and this is precisely what this study does. Not only are we engaged in world-leading research and in producing over 12,000 highly-skilled graduates each year - nearly 1 in 2 of which
are STEM graduates - we also inject vital economic benefits to our region. The universities are vital contributors to the Solent and I am delighted that we play such a positive role.” Examples of the universities’ ‘knowledge assets’ include the University of Portsmouth’s Future Technology Centre, the cluster of tech firms around the University of Southampton’s Chilworth Science Park and Southampton Solent University’s Warsash Maritime Academy. Donna Jones, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, added: “The three Solent universities are vital to the region’s economy. They employ nearly 10,000 people and have a combined turnover of £0.9bn, per annum. Our universities engage in world-leading research and attract students from all over the globe. Their success is central to the success of an outward-looking Solent economy postBrexit. As the fourth largest employer in Portsmouth, the University’s success is intimately connected to the city’s - and vice versa.”
National News
Individual degree courses to be rated gold, silver or bronze The new scheme promises to expose inefficacious courses Rosario Uribe The controversies about UK higher education, especially with the recent tuition fees increase and after the news that many of them pay their senior managers very high salaries, calls for more information and regulation about the quality and transparency that universities offer. A new system is to be launched by 2020, which aims to classify each subject offered with either gold, silver or bronze. According to the Department for Education, as well as a gold, silver or bronze scheme,
further details about the degree will be available such as post-degree employment prospects, potential earnings, and dropout rates. The ranking is the next phase built on the new ranking system for universities overall, where the University of Portsmouth was awarded gold. This is also supported by the data from the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), which assesses universities on a range of measures including student satisfaction and what students do after they graduate. Nevertheless, some top universities protested the TEF’s last ranking
procedure as inappropriate after failing to achieve the highest award. A spokesman from the Department of Education stated the rating system would allow students to make “consumer-style comparisons of degree courses” and “this will shine a light on poor quality teaching and ensure that standards are driven upwards.” The great expense that each student has to pay for a degree, normally a surplus of over £30,000, has to be done with caution. In this way hopefully potential undergraduates can compare different courses from
different universities with more certainty, and any poor-quality teaching by universities will be exposed. Sam Gyimah, the new universities minister, said: “Prospective students deserve to know which courses deliver great teaching and great outcomes, and which ones are lagging behind. In the age of the student, universities will no longer be able to hide if their teaching quality is not up to the world-class standard that we expect. The new subject-level TEF will give students more information about that than
ever before, allowing them to drill down and compare universities by subject. This will level the international playing field to help applicants make better choices, and ensure that more students get the value for money they deserve from higher education”. The award will first be piloted by fifty universities as a test and should be available on the internet in websites through the government and the respective universities. A consultation on the way the new framework will operate is being launched and will last ten weeks.
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The Galleon
Friday 30th March 2018
NEWS
National News
Stephen Hawking passes away at the age of 76 Millions have paid tribute to the famous physicist, cosmologist, author and professor Kayla Francis News Editor Prof. Stephen Hawking peacefully passed away at his home in Cambridge on the 14th of March, at the age of 76. Hawking was one of the world’s most renowned physicists and the first to advocate cosmology as a union of relativity and quantum mechanics. In 1974, Hawking discovered a phenomenon now named ‘Hawking radiation’ after he discovered that black holes leak energy and fade to nothing. He has authored many famous books including A Brief History of Time which has sold more than 10 million copies. Hawking has defied people’s expectations from a young age. At just 21 he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given two
years to live. His disease left him in a wheelchair and the inability to speak without the help of a computer.
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He once said: ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever”
Hawking’s fame is not just due to his remarkable work in the science and academic field but also due to many features in popular TV and culture. Hawking has starred in The Simpsons, Futurama, Red Dwarf, The Big Bang Theory and more. In Star Trek: The Next Generation he was the
only guest in the entire Star Trek series to play himself. Prof Hawking’s life has been the subject of much interest. As well as a series of books there was the 2004 BBC movie Hawking, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch and more recently the 2015 film The Theory of Everything, which won Eddie Redmayne an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe for best leading male. In a statement, Hawking’s children said: “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said: ‘It would not be much of a universe if it
wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever.” Since the news of his death, millions have paid their tributes to the scientist. Prof. Brian Cox called him “one of the greats”. British astronaut Tim Peake said Prof. Hawking, “inspired generations to look beyond our own blue planet and expand our understanding of the universe.” Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, praised Prof. Hawking’s “colossal mind and wonderful spirit.” Tributes have also come from Theresa May who said, “his courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.” Jeremy Corbyn also paid tribute saying Hawking “inspired the world with his determination to explain the mysteries of the cosmos”
and “showed breath-taking courage to overcome life’s adversities.” Former US President Barak Obama tweeted a photo of them both with the caption, “Have fun out there among the stars.” Many celebrities have paid tribute including, Brian May, Nancy Sinatra, The Big Bang Theory cast, Brent Spiner and millions more who have been inspired by Hawking. As Hawking said, “One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don’t throw it away.”
National News
Former Russian spy and daughter poisoned in Salisbury The nerve agent used in the attack was developed in Russia in the 1970s and 1980s Cassandra Franz The attempted murder of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain has led to the accusation of Russian involvement. Moscow has requested a sample of the nerve toxin used to poison the former spy and his daughter and claims to have nothing to do with the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, in Salisbury on March 4th. The use of a nerve poison is believed to be an indicator for a possible Kremlin connection although Moscow has denied any connection to the attack several times. Detectives
are still working to figure out how and where the toxin was delivered. It is believed that this was the first nerve agent attack since the Second World War.
“UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson stated that he believes that Vladimir Putin is likely to be behind the Salisbury attack”
The attempted murder investigation of Skripal has expanded, with
police sealing off the graves of his wife and son who, according to the family, may have died in suspicious circumstances. The police also confirmed that 46 people had been assessed in hospital as a consequence of the attack. Skripal and his daughter remain in critical condition after they were found unconscious on a bench in the Maltings shopping centre. Police officer Det Sgt Nick Bailey who was involved in the investigation also fell ill and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson stated that he believes that Vladimir Putin is likely to be behind the Salis-
CREDIT: BBC.COM
bury attack but Russia denies this and says the accusations against Putin are “shocking and unforgivable”. The UK government states the nerve agent that was used in the attack was the type Novichok, which was developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s but according to Russian news agency Tass, this statement has not been confirmed. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the allegiance has no reason to doubt the findings of the British government which suggested Russia’s accountability. He also stated that NATO allies are going to support Britain which was also supported by a
joint statement from the US, France and Germany and a pledge of support by Australia. This has caused conflicts between the UK and Russia. Prime Minister Teresa May announced several sanctions against Russia including the expulsion of 23 diplomats who have to leave within a week and ministers and members of the Royal Family will not attend the FIFA World Cup later this year. Furthermore, Russian state assets will be frozen if there is evidence that they will be used as a weapon against UK residents. May also added that there will be other measures if the UK faces provocation from Russia.
5 news@galleonnews.com
Local News
University of Portsmouth’s Blackwell’s closes down The on campus bookshop has closed its doors after 15 years of service Rosario Uribe Blackwell’s and the University of Portsmouth have announced the closure of the shop at the Students’ Union in Portsmouth, confirming Friday 2nd March as the last day of trading. After months of discussion between
the bookshop and the University of Portsmouth, which is the shop’s landlord, both parties could not come to an agreement causing the loved bookshop to close after 15 years of service. They were unable to agree on a new premises, as the university wants to use the space for another unknown purpose. According to Bl ackwel l’s, the closure was not specifically about rent or costs, and staff redu n d a n c i e s have not yet been confirmed. The discussion about a possible
closure of the shop started in December last year, when shop manager Jo West declared, “We have been struggling over the past few years - as have most bookshops - and the university has been supportive to us in terms of our rent, but we know they now want to reuse the space we are in and they have not been able to provide what we think might be a viable site. It is desperately sad.” This caused people to sign a petition to save the bookshop, reaching 1,195 signatures, but it was evidently in vain. This is lamentable as the bookshop was deeply cherished in the community and could have been of further benefit to the university. It connected the university with the wider population of Portsmouth and had a great impact on the explosion of writing and artistic talent that has happened in Portsmouth over the last five years
through its book launches, sales, support, promotion of local writers and through organising talks and visits by world-renowned authors. It was only one of two dedicated retail bookshops left on the Island of Portsea. A spokesperson for Blackwell’s confirmed the closure with the following statement: “It is with regret that University of Portsmouth and Blackwell’s Bookshop confirm the closure of the Blackwell’s campus bookshop. Blackwell’s is very grateful for the support the university has provided over the past 15 years. Blackwell’s and the University of Portsmouth continue to discuss a 365 day a year bookselling provision for students based around bookstalls and online, and are planning to maintain a presence on campus at the start of the academic year.” Furthermore, the Blackwell’s Team
wished their customers well on their Facebook page Blackwell’s Portsmouth with the following lines: “Ness, Brian & Jo would like to thank you all for the support that has been shown over many years and especially in recent months. It has been our pleasure to work among shelves full of friends - old and new; academic, comforting, challenging and frivolous - and to introduce them to customers… many of whom have themselves become great friends. It has been our privilege to encourage reading ‘For Learning, For Life’ and see lives flourish as a result. It has been wonderful to help nurture and celebrate writers, whether fledgeling or famous and witness the magic their words can conjure. Keep reading; keep learning; keep supporting local business! We wish you well and will be seeing you around”
National News
New Millennial Travel Cards cause chaos “Getting a 26-30 railcard is worse than getting a Glastonbury ticket” Kayla Francis News Editor The 26-30 railcard, dubbed the ‘millennial’ railcard, launched online on March 13th. For only £30 customers could get a third off the cost of peak travel - a massive bargain considering the amount of money that goes into transport. The card can be used on the London Underground. It gives a third off of a Zones 1-6 Off-Peak Day Travelcard, subject to the minimum fare of £8, and the same discount on a Zones 1-9 Travelcard as an add-on to a ticket into London, subject to a minimum £17.20 fare. The railcard can also be loaded on to your Oyster card, to save a third off single off-peak fares. The chancellor, Philip Hammond, said in his budget speech in November that the railcards would give “4.5 million more young people a third off their rail fares”. However, chaos ensued not only because only 10,000 cards were made available
but also due to technical errors meaning the website was crashing regularly due to popular demand. Emily Thomas, from London, wrote: “Getting a 26-30 railcard is worse than getting a Glastonbury ticket. Sort out your website to make it fair!”
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The average person spends nearly 14% of their monthly income just on commuting”
Many customers found themselves calling National Rail in a desperate attempt to get one of the railcards. Those who tried to call were shocked to find themselves not only on hold for up to an hour but also charged for their calls. One unlucky customer was charged almost £40 for the call after buying the £30 railcard bringing up the cost to almost the same cost as the standard £70 railcard. Another unlucky customer racked up £68.95 in
phone charges just trying to get through. The extreme popularity of the railcard goes to show the extortionate fees that people have to pay for travel especially for those living and working near London. The average person spends nearly 14% of their monthly income just on commuting. However, despite a third off transport, the railcard is not without faults. The railcard is digital only and loaded onto your mobile phone meaning that you have to show the train conductor the card on your phone, this also means that if your phone was to run out of battery you would have to pay the full price of a ticket or a penalty fare. It cannot be used on Eurostar, Charter, and Heritage Railway services. A £12 minimum fare will also apply for journeys starting between 4.30am and 10am Monday to Friday, excluding advance fares. The 10,000 millennial railcards will serve as a trial period to see how popular they are. The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail industry, urges people
to sign up for updates to find out when and if they will be able to buy one another time. However, due to age restrictions this was the only opportunity for anyone turn-
ing 31 to buy one. This comes after a 3.4% increase in train fares across the UK in January. The biggest increase in train fares since 2013.
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The Galleon
Friday 30th March 2018
OPINION
Your View
England Needs A National Vegetable The Referendum We All Want George Dummons Reaction Editor England has many things that define it and things that are ‘national’ staples. Our national drink is tea (originally from India and China), our national sport is football (FIFA have acknowledged that the Chinese game of Cuju is the first example of ‘modern football’), our national meal is the Tikka Masala (an Indian dish devised to cater to the English love of all things gravy) and our national flower is a rose (almost all native roses are from Asia and mainland Europe or the New World).
One thing we are missing is a national vegetable. We seem to be lacking something that symbolises us as a nation in a veg form.
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As a nation though we should make a choice, it may not be from our country but we still have learnt to love it and make it our own”
There is where the slight issue with this need for a national veg starts to show itself; not many vegetables are indigenous to England. They were bought here by invaders and explorers alike throughout history. We see peas and carrots coming from Syria and Afghanistan respectively. Garlic has been claimed by the French as a native plant, leeks are that of the Welsh and potatoes are from the Andes and were brought to Europe by the Spanish in the back half of the 16th Century. The Welsh are, to be fair, the only
country to have a national vegetable. All of the other countries that make up the United Kingdom have been assigned flowers, much like most of the world, that tie into their patron saints. Wales has the daffodil, Scotland the thistle and the Scottish bluebell (yes, they have two), England the rose and Northern Ireland have the shamrock. So none of the vegetables you would consider ‘traditionally British’ are that. As a nation though we should make a choice, it may not be from our country but we still have learnt to love it and make it our own. Obviously though potatoes seem like a easy choice, they are delicious and
versatile. However I feel that Ireland’s historic relationship with the potato would be like getting with your friend’s ex after they have broken up - not too cool. Although it would also be nice to help take the stereotype away from Ireland about potatoes, after all they were not the only people affected by the famine, just the worst affected. So what does that actually leave us with? Well asparagus is a good choice, we do grow the best in the world specifically in a two month period but nevertheless it is outstanding. Apart from being a little woody in texture and making your urine more vibrant in odour it is a perfectly good vegetable to pick. It symbolises the craftsmanship and dedication of the people of England; just watching asparagus pickers on the One Show a few months back indicated to me that there is more to this veg than previously assumed. One down side is that there is an elitism to how to pick the crop. They all have to be the same size, or worth, to be considered for selling
(I know this happens with almost all veg) but asparagus farmers take the biscuit with this. The slight window in harvesting is around St. George’s Day, obvious connection to national patron saint day is too obvious to be ignored making it a strong contender. Broccoli is actually quite versatile. Along with cauliflower, which the two are not as closely related as you may expect. These can be covered in delicious cheese sauce or steam cooked perfectly with a slight crispness. Perhaps roasted and put with a salad hey, do not judge me on that check out roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad recipes, they are delicious. With the growing popularity between health nuts about broccoli and cauliflower rice as a healthy alternative for the starchy grain, why should we turn down the opportunity to back such a trendy vegetable? We could change the way people thought of these vegetables. Inspire children to learn to love them as they would a chicken nugget. Spinach and/or kale are similar to the broccoli and cauliflower outlook. These are trendy health foods and are actually really tasty. Spinach is perfectly delicious uncooked or cooked, put it in a cream cheese and salmon sandwich and thank me later, or cook some and throw it in a tomato pasta sauce or curry. Heck, blend them in a smoothie and take them to wherever you have to be in the morning. Kale is a little bit more intense. It is a more woody than spinach and steaming it or frying it in garlic butter to go with a roast (I know, not that healthy but everyone is allowed a cheat day) and you have a delicious side to go with any major meal. Vegetables are not as heavily favoured as fruit is, everyone wants an apple or a banana. We, the British public, need to find a new passion for the
humble veg and change our attitudes toward them as not only necessary but also different in flavours and textures. Black berries are native to the English countryside. Hedgerows of blackberries and nettles is all we seem to have - and though not vegetables these should be celebrated for being able to remain part of the iconic scenery of our countrysides.
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We may not seem to have a wide range of things are truly, genuinely ‘English’. Though there is a slight sense of irony in that. We are a nation of diversity and change. Should we really be bolstered down with a singular vegetable to identify with?”
Traditional English cooking leaves little to the imagination, often filled with drab colours and bland flavours there is not many traditional dishes to be named after all. Pies were a French way of carrying stew, they would re-
move the lid before eating the filling and discard the pastry (though the pastry was only made of flour and water and not much else). Fish and chips come our way thanks to Jewish immigrants. Like the French with pies, they would remove the batter, which was only there to hold the fish, and eat the fish inside. However with both of these English people learnt to love the fatty pastry and batter, which did improve over time but only because we insisted on eating it. I would be darned if the only truly English food was jellied eels, offered traditionally in the East End of London. It seems to sum most things up in terms of ‘English cooking’ in my mind. Give me an exquisite Italian dish or a generous helping of a earthy-flavoursome Moroccan dinner any day and I will be happy. We may not seem to have a wide range of things are truly, genuinely ‘English’. Though there is a slight sense of irony in that. We are a nation of diversity and change. Should we really be bolstered down with a singular vegetable to identify with? As we continue to travel through the 21st Century we should probably consider our ethnically diverse landscape and embrace the range and scope of what is on offer to us. Spices, herbs, fruit and vegetables allow us to experiment in different ways with new and exciting flavours and textures. Maybe it is time to crack open the polling stations once more and it should be put to a vote, allow the nation to decide, or maybe we should just leave it alone, and let the individual decide when they choose. Although widespread riots over broccoli, probably would not be too welcome - if not a slight change of pace from Brexit and other national affairs.
7 opinion@galleonnews.com
Politics
I Quite Like The Welfare State George Dummons Reaction Editor Recently, a friend of mine and I have been discussing the past political systems. It was part of this conversation that my friend said that she did not mind Margaret Thatcher because ‘she ran the country like a business’. I was taken aback. Though I tried not to be, I couldn’t contain the inner left wing fight in me; ‘Yeah, if the business is failing and being forced to close like
zens. We see the first stages of this style of thinking appear in the Elizabethan period. With the Elizabethan Poor Law enshrined this right with the practice of sturdy and less sturdy beggars being sent back to their parish of origin ostensibly for help. Although later modified, this system, remained largely intact until the offensive launched by the Utilitarian reformers. Lloyd George is often credited for the invention the concept, however
One of the fundamental characteristics of the entire idea behind the NHS is that treatment is based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Everyone receives treatment appropriate to their condition. The idea of quality is so deeply embedded within the NHS, that it is no wonder that those who believe that the world should be based upon status and privilege should want to destroy the NHS: such a beacon of equality threatens the mere existence of conservative thought. But such conservative thought had been codified into the last few Tory Parities governments - that started with the Coalition’s Health and Social Care Act until the present - and our NHS, the most important part of the welfare state, is under threat.
“ BHS’ I scoff in response. ‘Tories just wanna cut everything down and sell it off ’. My friend then went on to explain that she simply thinks that too many people rely on the welfare state. It is not an uncommon thought process. Often the welfare state seems to be over-saturated with people clinging to it, like someone has dropped the loo roll into the toilet, fished it out and left it on the top of the cistern. At least that is how the (right-wing) media seems to likes to paint it. In the United Kingdom, the welfare state was a system that meant the government comprises expenditures in a way to improve health, education, social security and employment. It is often referred to as an example of a liberal welfare state system, meaning it is designed to benefit everyone and raise a level of equality for all the citi-
it seems that he, alongside a young Winston Churchill may have simply refined an already existing logic and pushed it to the hands of the state. We see national health and a more limited coverage of the expense as well as unemployment insurance were introduced by the 1911 Act. Parliament laid out their levels of contribution to the system and benefits that could be taken out, but friendly societies and mutually-owned bodies operated the health scheme at the time.
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We cannot help it if we are not all born into the 1% and have to work hard for a living but I’ll be darned if that means I suffer for it”
Perhaps people who work in those sectors should be advisors to the government on how best to manage spending budgets and what areas need immediate fixing”
David Cameron’s miniature reign featured a plan for the ‘Big Society’. This concept basically worked along the logic that friendly societies, charities and non-profit groups would step in and looking after those among society that are suffering. The whole idea palmed off those in need from the government and placed them in to smaller, less secure hands. A former economics tutor of Cameron’s stated at the time that the idea of a ‘Big Society’ was actually a very 19th Century view — where the Salvation Army would help you out if you were in need - except if you were gay (yeah, look it up).
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Give a voice to junior doctors and nurses, stop hammering teachers for percentages and actually invest in apprenticeship schemes that would allow a new generation to move up the employment ladder and into society”
The welfare state is one of the crowning gems of the UK. Tax credits, for example, allows people/families of lower economic to make ends meet.
They are also intended to lift families out of welfare dependency and incentivise people to work - before their introduction, most benefits were withdrawn as soon as someone returned to work. These are not only used for people who are ‘poor’, if you are eligible people quite often will automatically get them just to help out. Child tax credits are an absolute God-send if you have ‘dependants’ - which is the legal phrasing for child. This can help keep the kids in socks for school, or paying for, you know, food for them to eat — whatever it is that children really need to grow and flourish. There are arguments to be made about how far the welfare state should cover large masses. Perhaps their is a way to ‘trim the fat’ as it were without cutting the whole cow in half. I do feel that the intentions of the welfare state were initially good but as most things in life it was not black nor white. Every one should have the basic right to certain things - education, health care, social security and employment
CREDIT: EMAZE - and by cutting bits off at a time we are left with little to offer people. We cannot help it if we are not all born into the 1% and have to work hard for a living but I’ll be darned if that means I suffer for it. I definitely think the people to reform it should not be a Tory government but someone a little less concerned on keeping rich with their buddies. Perhaps people who work in those sectors should be advisors to the government on how best to manage spending budgets and what areas need immediate fixing. A select committee of nurses, doctors, teachers, administration staff, employment experts and others who are in the know of what the welfare needs in order to provide sufficiently.
Give a voice to junior doctors and nurses, stop hammering teachers for percentages and actually invest back into proper apprenticeship schemes that would allow a new generation to move through and up on to the employment ladder and into society. The welfare state was a way for the government, the people we elected to represent us, to help people who were in need when not everyone else can help individually. It is not as though everyone who earns over a certain amount (that amount would be a figure that meant you could live comfortably and be able to give some away without it meaning you had to cancel your Netflix) gives regularly to those in need. By giving everyone a close enough playing field and advantage from the beginning we are ensuring a brighter future. The conversation with my friend ended by her explaining why she, as a PGCE trainee teacher, was enraged with the pressures the government were putting on schools. ‘They just seem to care about figures and results. Not really about the students.’ There was a slight silence in the room before I replied; ‘They’re just running it like a business.’ She glared back at me; ‘Not helpful.’ I won that one I think to myself, though it feels like a hollow victory.
8
The Galleon
Friday 30th March 2018
OPINION OPINION
Your View
Teachers Should Not Have Guns George Dummons Reaction Editor Consider this, dear reader, an unofficial part two to my article regarding wanting America to pull its finger out and figure out how to enforce gun laws or at least gun control. Part way through that original article I wanted to encounter the topic of teachers having guns in the classroom but found I struggled to enforce a serious enough tone to which to convey the absurdity and somewhat vomit inducing irony that seemed to ooze out of the very notion. Putting a gun physically into a school sounds like a worse idea than
ficer, accidentally fired a gun and injured a student in gun safety class.
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If there’s an accident — people could die. If it’s just one, that’s more than enough”
Dennis Alexander, the reserve officer with the Sand City Police Department in question, was teaching a lesson at Seaside High School in Seaside when he pointed his gun into the ceiling and accidentally fired it, said Abdul Pridgen, the city’s police chief. The 17-year-old student was injured by a bullet fragment or by debris that fell from the ceiling.
ingly has since changed his mind on the matter. Gonzales said the incident involving his son at Seaside High School changed his views about President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to arm teachers. “I was kinda leaning toward having armed people in school in case something happened. After today, I get why people say there should be no guns in schools,” Gonzales said. “If there’s an accident — people could die. If it’s just one, that’s more than enough,” he added.
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On the horizon we can hear, faintly, the sound of drums. A power struggle - not quite a war but certainly a hefty fight - is building as young people seem to be stepping forward and taking a stand”
Just acknowledging that someone got injured in a school by a gun is not a reassuring message that the US government DENNIS ALEXANDER, A TEACHER WHO SHOT A STUDENT BY ACCIis acting in a way that builds DENT an awe of admiration. Instead, what the message we the time I decided to, while off my are getting says is ‘WE HAVE NO face, take a 1am walk around DigIDEA WHAT WE ARE DOING!!’ beth in Birmingham - famed for scrawled on the walls in an Arby’s in hosting smack heads, street gangs purple wax crayon. and a guy that fought moving cars… This past Wednesday (14th and won. All you have done is make March 2018) students across Ameriit easier for potential shooters. ca performed a mass walkout. Linebacker Brad no longer needs Most left their classrooms for to worry about sneaking a gun into 17 minutes in total (a minthe building because he can just ute for every life that was lost overpower Mrs. Jones, the science in Parkland shooting) while teacher, and take the gun she has ‘for See, if we were to arm teachers others took the whole day as safety purposes’. to stop the possible shootings that some schools closed for the In the wake of the Parkland could take place, it would not just entire day, pre-warned of the shooting that left seventeen students be any teacher; it would be teachers demonstration. During this of Stoneman Douglas High School trained in the safe use of firearms mass walkout, or at least the dead, we have heard a lot of people - like a reserve police officer who footage and news coverage express a lot of ideas about how to teaches gun safety. So this Keystone I have seen, there is a slight end these sorts of school shootings. Cop who accidentally fired his gun change happening in AmerAlthough, arguably, the dumbest during a gun safety course is the ica at the moment. Out over has come from the National Rifle NRA’s answer to keeping these chil- on the horizon we can hear, Association, who says that the an- dren safe. One of the people who faintly, the sound of drums. swer is to give teachers guns. And if thought that arming teachers was a A power struggle - not quite a you don’t believe me, a Californian good idea was the father of the in- war but certainly a hefty fight teacher, who is a reserve police of- jured student. Though he surpris- - is building as young people
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Students across America performed a mass walkout. Most left their classrooms for 17 minutes in total (a minute for every life that was lost in Parkland shooting) ”
seem to be stepping forward and taking a stand. After all they, and the teachers, are the people who are going to suffer first hand in another school shooting. Everyone else - the parents, and community - suffer in the aftermath. Throughout the past few years with the, what seems like, increase in gun violence in the United States it is clear to see why now more than ever something has to change. I understand that is difficult to change a whole nation’s outlook but surely the lives of children matter more. I find myself awake at night questioning whether this actually factors in or, if more darkly, they simply do not care. Teachers having guns, no matter what type of gun it is is still a moronic and ill-founded idea. There seems to be a lack of clear thought put into the idea of ‘gun control’ and instead we are left with powder kegs and a box of matches. What could go wrong? It all seems like a form of sick joke. Some personal relations group for the NRA spitballing ideas on how to lessen gun violence. Dave says; ‘Maybe we should arm the students?’ before Joe laughs; ‘No, one better, the teachers.’ The whole room falls silent and everyone looks at each other and nods vigourously. Suddenly visions of the Hunger Games are all too real and we are awaiting our Katniss Everdeen to help liberate us from this system of
madness. As Alexander Hamilton once said; ‘When the government betrays the people by amassing too much power and becoming tyrannical, the people have no choice but to exercise their original right of selfdefence — to fight the government’. I will acknowledge that the view looks different when sat across an ocean and looking in on the situation rather than being in the heart of it. I understand the somewhat legal issues and the social norms and values being questioned. It just seems like someone did the maths wrong and instead of getting four when added two and two, they are instead getting three thousand, eight hundred and nine. I fear that America will not learn from these events and will keep falling over its untied shoelaces, only to get back up and attempt to runaway from the injustice it has dealt its people. Overall, someone is going to have to give in the stalemate between government and the sound wall of the future generation of world leaders as they come steaming down the tracks. Change is a natural part of life and could be made, for better and worse. Here’s to a brighter tomorrow; a tomorrow where students and staff are not scared to enter into schools. Where lives are not torn apart because of ‘mentally unstable’ people who have access to guns; either through purchasing them or stealing them.
9 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Television
Six Netflix Shows That Are Actually Good For Your Education Who says television only gives you square eyes? Kaitlin McKenzie Television Editor It’s March. The rising tide of deadlines is now well upon us. The need for an excuse to procrastinate has never been greater. But students need look no further than Netflix. ‘I can’t spend hours binging junk TV!’ We hear you cry. But what if it isn’t rubbish? What if you could learn something while relaxing? With this handy list of shows, you can discover hours of content which will make you smarter while taking your mind off of university for a moment. What could be more justifiable than that?
What the Health (2017), 1h 32m.
This documentary bills itself as ‘The Health Film That Health Organizations Don’t Want You To See.’ Co-directed by the creators of 2014 film Cowspiracy (also available on Netflix) Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, What the Health is a controversial look at the link between diet and disease. The show is packed with shocking facts and information on the corruption in the American health and food industries.
The documentary is executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix and has apparently influenced several celebrities including Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and singer Ne-Yo to go vegan.
Icarus (2017), 2h 1m.
After the Sochi Olympics, in the wake of the Lance Armstrong scandal, Bryan Fogel reached out to the director of Russia’s anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, for advice on how to cheat. The show originally started out as an effort expose the methods some athletes use to hide doping, but accidentally ended up documenting, to quote the trailer, the ‘Unimaginable level of criminality’ involved in the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal. Icarus recently won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and is a fascinating look at the darker side of competitive sport.
The Good Place (2017), Two Seasons.
What if you got to heaven, and then realised you’d been put there by mistake, in the place of someone else? Would you own up or would you just keep quiet and
hope no-one noticed? This is one of the many moral dilemmas faced and tackled by the characters of The Good Place. Enjoy the witty banter of bad girl (almost) gone good Eleanor, played with sarcastic charm by Kristen Bell, as she tries to learn to be a better person and earn her spot. Hilariously uptight deceased professor of ethics, Chidi (William Jackson Harper), ends up teaching Eleanor and, by extension us, key lessons in philosophy and ethics. Unlike the other programmes on this list, this Netflix Original production is a pun-stuffed comedy with two binge worthy seasons. Plus it has the added bonus that by the end, you’ll find yourself accidentally intelligent on the teachings of philosophers like Immanuel Kant and Aristotle.
Making a Murderer 2015, One Season.
Arguably the most addictive true-life story on Netflix, Making a Murderer is a fascinating look into the inner workings, or in this case failings, of the American legal system. The show follows the story of Steven Avery. Wrongfully convicted of
a rape and attempted murder, Avery spent 18 unnecessary years in prison. Upon his release, he began to seek compensation for his wasted time, but he soon found himself back behind bars for another, far darker crime. This modern-day whodunnit lets the watcher come to their own conclusion about the still-ongoing process. Law and creative writing students will be inspired and entertained by this unique real-life drama.
Louis Theroux, Various Shows
The beauty of Theroux’s television work is that you never know where on earth he might take you. It could be a weekend with porn stars in the Los Angeles San Fernando Valley in Weird Weekends or a day with Anne Widdecombe on When Louis Met… . Netflix has a buffet of Theroux shows which cover all imaginable manners of things you didn’t know you wanted to learn about. His childlike, ironic manner and the larger-than-life characters he meets will keep you enthralled for hours.
Blue Planet: A Natural History of the Oceans 2001, One Season
CREDIT: NETFLIX Relax into a little educational nostalgia with the momentous first series of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet. The series took five years to make and the result is a dazzling record of life beneath the waves. The beautiful visuals won the Emmy awards for Outstanding Cinematography for NonFiction and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series. Netflix isn’t likely to release the sequel Blue Planet II (2017-18) for a while yet, but it is available on BBC iPlayer. If that still hasn’t satisfied your nature cravings, then Netflix has a selection of Attenborough’s other shows including Planet Earth: The Complete Collection (2006), Frozen Planet (2011) and Life (2009) ready to stream. There’s nothing better than the mysteries of our stunning planet and David Attenborough’s soothing voice to wash away those deadline stresses.
Technology and Gaming
Overwatch Banning Spree Continues - ‘xQc’ Scandal pt. 2 Will Brown Gaming and Tech Editor Upholding a professional level of conduct is essential to any form of competitive video gaming scene. In the short space of time that the Overwatch League has been in action, regulators and team authorities alike have had to take disciplinary actions against a number of players following a speight of wrongful behaviour within the franchise. Four players were dealt punishments by the League for their actions, most notoriously is the suspension of professional player Félix “xQc” Lengyel, the former Dallas Fuel tank specialist has now been released from his contract after his second suspension this season. Lengyel had initially been suspended by the League after making homophobic remarks about Houston Outlaws player
in a racially disparaging manner, actions which have seen his fine increase to $4000. This hasn’t been the only recent offence committed by xQc however, his actions on social media have seen him FELIX ‘XQC’ LENGYEL. CREDIT: MASHABLE accumulate a lot of negative attenAustin “Muma” Wilmot, which saw him tion after he tweeted that the Overwatch fined $2000 and given a four match ban. League’s standard of coverage “gave me However, since serving his punishment it cancer”. The Fuel have since removed him hasn’t taken long for him to end up in hot from the team, presumably to ensure that water again, this time for using an emote they do not gather similar bad publicity for on the League’s stream and social media employing such a controversial figure.
The League have released a statement on the matter, noting that “it is important for all members to be aware of the impact their speech may have on others - we are committed to building a community around the Overwatch League that is welcoming and inclusive for all players and fans”. It is clear that the OWL want to ensure a positive growth in their inaugural year, by imposing discipline upon wrongdoers they are certainly sending out a good message to the community and all those involved. If the League wants to succeed then taking action on pro players and showing that the commerce is well run is vital. As a result, OWL have taken some very positive steps towards improving the community and competitive Overwatch scene with this follow up. Following the removal of xQc from
Dallas Fuel, the team have since brought Son “OGE” Min-Seok on board for Stage 3 of the competition. Interestingly, OGE is also a tank specialist like xQc meaning that although further action hasn’t been taken against Lengyel, Dallas Fuel are clearly intent on standing by their decision to remove him. As of the moment xQc has not released an official apology for his actions, instead posting a vague tweet stating “I single-handedly ruined this team”. Legyel has since gone on to post satirical and/or “edgy” statuses including one in which he accuses Dallas Fuel’s new signing OGE a “stream sniper”. Whether xQc will release a professional statement following this incident is unknown but it will be rather interesting to see how the OWL handles any further issues.
Galleon 10 The Friday 30th March 2018
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Travel
Barcelona: The City of All Things Sun, Art and Football With the flight time being the same as a train to London, what are you waiting for? Stephanie Lukins Travel Editor Memories of the Christmas holidays are far behind us, and so it is time to look ahead to the approaching holiday breaks of this year’s spring and summer. The endless opportunities to fly here, there and everywhere for that long-awaited trip is a nostalgic feeling that is known too well.
Barcelona is one of Europe’s many cities full of beauty, culture and art, making it a hot spot to visit this summer. Commonly mistaken as Spain’s capital - with the title going to Madrid - Barcelona is instead the capital of the self-spirited Catalonia. It can be hard at times to find a destination which mixes city life with beach life, hence why Barcelona is sometimes considered the quintessential getaway break destination. And with the student budget tight on the pockets, this sun-filled city has everything to offer. Barcelona is most notably famous for its architecture, world-class drinking scenes and of course, its legendary football team. Just a few days is needed here to get a real taste of
the culture without needing to sacrifice tanning time at any one of the Spanish city’s enchanting beaches.
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Visiting anywhere outside of school holidays is considerably easier on the bank account”
Barcelona is a city that is proud to engage in such cultural bound phenomena. It would be impossible to visit without witnessing the epic works of 2000-year-old architectural contemporaries which give a window into a more Roman inspired Barcelona. It is a wonderland for all art lovers with Modernism also exciting the streets of Barcelona as visitors find Gaudi’s world-wide renowned work scattered all around. It would be criminal to leave without seeing the world famous La Sagrada Familia. It may be one of Gaudi’s unfinished masterpieces, but this does
not mean it isn’t worth seeing. It combines Art Nouveau with Gothic traits and dominates the skyline. Make time to visit Park Güell as well - another of Gaudi’s inspired works which also holds the UNESCO status. Even if sports and football aren’t your thing, a trip to the Camp Nou should be on everyone’s to do list. A guided tour explains the club’s history from its start up to its world-class crowning glory hunters of today, plus entrance to the museum. Visit www. getyourguide.co.uk to get tickets starting from just £25 per person. Barcelona has its art and football up to par, but what about its food and drinking scene? Stroll down the famous boulevard, but be aware of those pickpockets - one of Barcelona’s lesser wellknown commodities - which aren’t overly advertised in travel brochures and holiday packages. Barcelona fames itself on its offerings of the ultimate Mediterranean banquet, which includes hearty paella, tapas and seafood. A real delight when trying the local
cuisine. As for the Barcelona nightlife, it’s full of possibilities. Whether it’s a chilled evening in a rustic beach-side bar you prefer, or a night of traditional flamenco fun when darkness falls, Barcelona is never boring. Its brassy jazz shows even give Chicago, the home of jazz and blues, a run for its money. Consider visiting in May or June just before the usual school holidays kick in and avoid the wrath of kids and families. It also goes without saying that visiting anywhere outside of school holidays is considerably easier on the bank account. Check out Airbnb for some of the best deals for accommodation. It’s still an up and coming venture, so make the most of it before the hype takes over. And when it comes to booking airline fares, don’t even consider taking a holdall case. Hand-luggage will do the trick for just a few days in the sunshine. So pack the euros, sun-cream and get your camera ready for a real Mediterranean adventure.
Food & Health
Brain Food It’s time to fuel one of the things you’ll be using most this term Georgina Monk Deputy Editor With exams and deadlines looming just around the corner what kind of food should you be eating and what is the best food for maximum brain power? Although you may feel like binging on chocolate when you’re stressed, or at the very least comforting yourself with a hot bucket of greasy chicken wings, eating the opposite will cause you to feel less stressed. Countless studies have proved that how you react and deal with stress can be countered and helped by the food we consume. We are what we eat, after all. However, in the depths of the deadline abyss, you will probably believe that you don’t have time to eat the right food. Who has time to be
Jamie Oliver when they’re aiming for a first, right? These healthy foods, however, are both simple to prepare and will instantly boost your brain power and reduce your stress levels. Blueberries Grab a handful of blueberries at the start of your day, sprinkled over your muesli or as a snack between meals, and you are sure to have increased brain power, as well as, apparently, a couple of inches off your waist line. Not only do blueberries reduce the chances of getting age related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, but blueberries also stop the brain’s levels of oxidative stress, increasing your ability to learn as well as your motor skills. Blueberries are one of the easiest and best brain foods, having a
range of affects on your brain, and to your five-a-day. Seeds and Nuts No brain power article would be complete without a mention of these notoriously healthy foods. Although these may not sound like the most appetising foodstuffs, put in a salad, these could become tasty morsels, as well as increasing levels of vitamin E in your brain, which is proved to help cognitive abilities, and even protect your brain for the future. Avocados Avocados are great for brain health. They increase blood flow and decrease blood pressure, all things that can be irritated by stress, as well as being re-
nowned for their ability to improve memory and concentration. Lower blood pressure is also connected to a healthy, and less stressed, brain and so this superfood can improve cognitive powers. Spread them on toast or use as a side, and you have a multipurpose fruit that can be used for many occasions. Broccoli Broccoli is also incredibly high in vitamins, such as vitamin c (eating half a cup of broccoli gives you half of your needed vitamin C each day) and vitamin k, and choline, and will leave you feeling too full of all those burgers, as its high fibre content makes you feel full quicker.
Dark Chocolate And for the typical, vegetable hating student, the final contender is dark chocolate. Less of a demon that its milkier relative, dark chocolate has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities and also increases blood flow to the brain, and that in turn makes for a better brain. If you opt for dark chocolate, try to buy a chocolate with over 70% cocoa, as this is the best percentage with which to receive the benefits. Food is an extremely important factor of everyday life, and, with the right knowledge, it can also be used to get our bodies to maximum energy levels, brain power, and positive thinking. Just don’t skip breakfast.
11 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Theatre Review
Portsmouth is alive with The Sound of Music 5/10 Georgina Monk Deputy Editor Everyone knows the story of The Sound of Music, from Boxing day afternoons eating the last of the turkey, or your parent’s initiation ceremony, when you were plonked in front of the television and shown the green pastures of the Austrian mountains. Except me. So, when The Kings Theatre announced that they were housing the touring production of The Sound of Music, starring Lucy O’ Byrne, former runner-up of The Voice, I thought I better book my tickets before anyone found out about my dire level of knowledge. For those that don’t know, The Sound of Music, set in 1938, focuses on a former
nun, Maria, for whom every day is one long song, as she becomes the governess of seven children in the Austrian Alps. Expect three hours of singing competitions, weddings and Nazis to follow.
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An energetic and sweet rendition of a well-loved classic”
This production was hardly sumptuous- its only real budget seemed to be focused on a large gold staircase, which dominated most of the stage. However, this did not diminish the peaceful atmosphere, defined by the calming mountain backdrops and the sweetness of birdsong. This is what dragged me into the otherwise mediocre show, where I expected a bland journey through an out-dated musi-
cal, what was presented was an energetic and sweet rendition of a well-loved classic. Lucy O’ Byrne herself, was a pert and precise singer, managing to convey the old-school glamour of musicals in her buoyant performance, whilst also managing not to subsidise The Sound of Music’s more classical roots. Not once did her Maria seem anything like the stereotype of the spirited governess that we have grown used to from Nanny McPhee and Mary Poppins. Instead, she brought new light to the trope, giving Maria a contemporary edge whilst paying homage to Julie Andrews’s famous portrayal. Her rapport with the children also had a delightful maternal chemistry that was really the star of the show- it was this lively relationship that became the backbone of our empathy- and of the show itself. The parts that really stood out, howev-
er, were the performances within the Abbey, where Maria spends much of her time escaping real life, and not doing a very good job at it either. The beautiful music of the Abbey was enrapturing and contrasted well with Maria’s joyful opening, ‘The Hills are Alive’. Mention must be given to Megan Llewellyn here, playing the Mother Abbess, who could have earned a standing ovation single-handedly with her majestic rendition of ‘Climb Every Mountain’. There was nothing revolutionary about the production itself, however. The basic and uninspired sets were memories of how touring productions used to be thought of: easy to dismantle and hurried. Teetering on the edge of professionalism, there have been more extravagant high school plays, even though huge set pieces aren’t everything. This isn’t Miss Saigon, after all. But, with tickets as expensive as the
pricier tours, it might be worth wondering if we shouldn’t expect the same standard from every show, whether it is put on in Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre, or here in Portsmouth, whose Kings Theatre has a quaint, if not giant, auditorium. Shouldn’t every production have the best performers, the best set, and the same unique precision found in the West End’s more settled shows? That said, I loved this production in that mild way I like cheese sandwiches. It was funny, sweet and made a brilliant homage to classic musical theatre, whether that was through the gripping final scenes, or the almost cabaret style of the singing competition. To relive your childhood in the classic scenes and delectable score, The Sound of Music was the perfect and nostalgic mountain to climb.
Art
The Front Room - Southsea’s Poets, Songsmiths, and Writers Rosie Gigg On the 8th of March, International Women’s Day, I went to an event held by The Front Room at Aurora cafe on Albert Road. This event’s purpose was to showcase the local talent of female poets, songsmiths, and writers. As it was being held on International Women’s Day, there was an emphasis on women’s stories and experiences, each performer being asked to show some of their own original pieces and then also say something about another woman that had inspired them.
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This sense of ‘coming together’ only got more apparent throughout the evening” Having never been to an event like this before, I was a bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying myself.
As soon as I walked through the door to the cafe I was met with friendly and welcoming faces. It became clear as more people turned up, that most people there knew each other from previous events, but not once did I feel like an outsider or that I was alienated because of this. Some people came up to me and noticed that I was a newcomer, asked if I was going to perform myself and made me feel part of the community. This sense of ‘coming together’ only got more apparent throughout the evening. After a warm welcome and an introduction emphasizing “collaboration and support” from our hostess, the first performer, a published poet, took to the stage. They read out two original poems first, depicting the lives of girls living in war torn places. The poems, although heavy in subject matter, were very visual and you could see what they were describing clearly in your mind’s eye. They also brought awareness to the atrocities that happened in these war-torn places too, such as young girls being
kidnapped and taken to be slaves or ‘wives’ against their will. Then they finished on a much lighter note, reading out a poem by one of their inspirations, Wendy Cope. This set the tone perfectly for the rest of the evening, a little bit of seriousness about stories of women around the world, and a little bit of comedy to keep the mood up. The next performance was, in my opinion, one of the highlights of the event. A visual artists and musician took to the stage set up in the corner of the cafe and brought with her an instrument I had never seen before; a steel tone drum called a hapi drum. She also brought with her two sticks with strings attached. The string was passed through the audience so that everyone could hold a part of it, allowing us to be a part of her performance, then she began to play the drum using the sticks. The song she played for us sent chills down my spine, it was so beautiful. In the middle of her performance, she told us about her grandmother who had inspired her but unfortunately passed away, then
invited us to remember her and our there was a short moment of stunned own grandmothers as she played her silence but then room burst into loud next song. applause and whistles. The evening continued like that, It was then that I realised what The poets, and musicians alike, sharing Front Room was about. It wasn’t just their stories and their lives with the a showcase of talent, but a safe space rest of us there. During the open mic for people to express themselves withsection of the evening, there was one out fear of judgement, a space to have poet that shared with us her story of others listen, hear, and support each sexual assault, and I was reminded other, and to heal through art. once again how important art and selfAnd for that I am proud to be a expression is. Their performance was woman celebrating women. probably one of the most raw and powerful I had ever seen, and it really shook me to the core. I know that I wasn’t the only one that felt so either, for when it was over, CREDIT: TEAMLOCALS.CO.UK/AURORA-CAFE-
Galleon 12 The Friday 30th March 2018
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Travel
A Coastal Treat for Easter - Visit Lisbon There’s still time to get away from the dismal English weather Nine Hedlundh The Easter holidays are upon us, which means a well-deserved break from university. It is a great time to relax and recharge your batteries for upcoming final exams and impending assignment deadlines. So what would be better than an affordable city break to one of Western Europe’s most charismatic and vibrant cities? Lisbon, Portugal’s capital and Europe’s westernmost capital city, offers exceptional value for money as a holiday destination. Not only that, Lisbon is one of the sunniest cities in Europe, thanks to its coastal location and Mediterranean climate, making it a pleasant destination to visit all
year round.
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The hills of Lisbon may be steep but the prices definitely aren’t. Compared to other Western European capitals, Lisbon is a bargain. Local dishes are typically priced at around £6”
A beautiful coastline with over twenty beaches, with easy access from the city centre by public transport, surrounds the city. Portinho da Arrábida and Sesimbra are two locations not to be missed out. However, if trips to the beach get tiresome,
Lisbon inevitably also offers a wide range of alternatives. Although Portugal’s capital does not have a lot of typical “must-see attractions” like other European coastal destinations, the city itself exudes charm, with its mix of traditional heritage and modernism. Alfama is one of the most traditional parts of the city, consisting of steep cobblestone streets formed as a labyrinth. Sé Catedral is a main attraction worth visiting in Alfama, and once there, make sure to stop by one of the many cafes and try the local wines. The hills of Lisbon may be steep but the prices definitely aren’t. Compared to other Western European capitals, Lisbon is a bargain. Local dishes are typically priced at around £6. Something that is even better
and will be music to many student ears is that most of the local beers cost under £2. Although, do take note that some restaurants located in the notorious tourist areas are more expensive and prone to hiking up their prices, so make sure to do a bit of research before stomachs start to rumble. Getting around Lisbon using its public transportation is easy and price friendly. It’s also reliable, and locals and visitors are never left without a service to use. But to really explore and get a true sense of the the city, walking is always the best recommendation. Bus faresare the cheapest way to get around at 1.80 euros each. Be sure to take cash, as this is always paid when boarding.
Accommodation and flights are always the biggest expenses when it comes to holidays and city breaks, but with some planning in advance there can be major savings. Several of London’s airports offer direct flight round trip tickets for around £100. When it comes to accommodation, Lisbon offers accommodation for all tastes and purposes, from 12 euros a night hostels which include breakfast, to fancy boutique hotels. The average price of a three stars hotel per night is usually 35-50 euros, with most of them including breakfast as well. So treat yourself after a term of hard work, and remember, travelling is one of the few things that make you richer.
Food & Health
Ammolite Café: The Only Malaysian Café in Portsmouth Time to try something a bit different, this Spring... Hana Zainal The ‘Beast from the East’ has blasted through the streets of Portsmouth and will hopefully take winter away once it melts. In a few days’ time, the commencement of the spring season will come along with blooming tulips, blackbirds chirping and chocolate Easter eggs in the hands of every child. We can start shedding our thick winter coats and put on our bomber jackets and trench coats. Spring is the best time for spring cleaning and trying something new; whether that be an activity, shopping somewhere new or eating some new cuisine. Just like the ‘ammolite crystal’ suggests, the Ammolite Café is a one-ofa-kind café. Stroll through the centre of Portsmouth, behind Cascades Shopping Centre, to experiment your taste buds and satisfy your belly with a fulfilling Southeast Asian meal. The café is a hotspot for trying
homemade Malaysian delicacies that will certainly have you ordering more and planning your trips to Commercial Road around it.
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Although the café provides authentic Malaysian food, you can find a mixture of other Asian style meals that are Korean and Chinese”
Most of the main dishes are heavy foods such as rice and noodles alongside all sorts of meat and vegetables. Although the café provides authentic Malaysian food, you can find a mixture of other Asian style meals that are Korean and Chinese. A few of the popular dishes include the Korean Forces Hot Pot that you can order for two people.
Some of the most popular meals would be the House Special Chicken Chop and Rice along with the Curry Laksa. Along with a selection of traditional sides and appetizers including chicken satay and
Indian style roti, there is something for everyone. To compliment the variety of delicacies, the café provides a range of unique drinks such as the Matcha Green Tea
Latte, the Michael Jackson; composed of soya milk and glass jelly, and Teh Tarik. As well as these traditional drinks there are also your standard soft drinks and authentic tea available. One of the desserts you can look forward to in the summer is the Malsyian shave ice or ABC Ice Kacang. A true selection of delectable sweets sure to please anyone. However good the Ammolite Café may be, most of the meals do involve meat so any substitutions would need to be addressed if you are looking for vegetarian or vegan options. Luckily, the café’s staff are very kind and understanding in regards to any dietary requirements. They are happy to make any changes that you may require if it is available. So, come down to Commercial Road and try the delicious delicacies that can only be found at the Ammolite Café, the only Malaysian restaurant in Portsmouth.
13 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Film
Doug Jones: A Man of Many Faces Is it time to give the actors behind special effects their due? Dawn Brissenden Film Editor Doug Jones is not a household name. In fact, most people wouldn’t even recognise him in the streets. This is because he has been the man behind the mask, playing many of the creatures that have graced our screens for the past thirty years. Despite having credits in over 150 movies and TV shows, Jones remains ‘the tall, skinny guy’ (in his own words) that rarely gets a second glance on the streets. However, with his latest starring role in The Shape of Water under his belt, people are beginning to pay attention to the hidden actor. Despite starring in this latest Oscar contender, with 13 nominations, Jones has starred in numerous other silver screen endeavours. His first appearance in a feature film was the role of ‘thin
clown’ in Batman Returns in 1992. It’s safe to say that since then he has built up quite a reputation and repertoire within the acting community. Some of his more well-known roles include Abe Sapien in Hellboy, Fauno and the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth and The Silver Surfer in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, to name a few. All of which he did in such varying costumes that it is no surprise that people weren’t aware he was playing all these roles: one moment he has gills and the next he’s sporting antlers. Outside of cinema, he has also appeared in many television shows, and whilst researching Jones I was shocked to find his cameo appearances in so many shows that I have enjoyed over the years. Most recently, Doug Jones has been appearing in Netflix’s Star Trek: Discovery as another costumed creature known as Commander Saru, a non-human Starfleet
officer. Whilst this is a recurring role, his face in and out of costume has also made one-off appearances in shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, Arrow and The Flash among others.
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The challenges he must face in creating life-like movements and expression, whilst covered in layers of foam and latex, puts him on another level…”
Despite bringing Doug Jones into the limelight, The Shape of Water is not his first time working with director Guillmero del Toro. In fact, they first worked together back in 1997 on del Toro’s first English-language film, Mimic. Following
this Jones was cast as Abe Sapien in del Toro’s adaptation of the Hellboy comics. From his depiction of the character you would think the role was made for him. Despite having a dubbed voice in the first film, Jones was able to voice the character himself in the sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, adding to the vibrancy of the role. Since Hellboy’s release in 2004, Jones has appeared in all of del Toro’s films (with the exception of Pacific Rim) which speaks highly of their relationship, and Jones’ talent as an actor. Jones’ performances in costume can only be a testament to his true skill and ability. The challenges he must face in creating life-like movements and expression, whilst covered in layers of foam and latex, puts him on another level to other actors.
Yet somehow, he was overlooked amongst the many Oscar nominations The Shape of Water received- his only recognition took the form of an honorary award for ‘exemplary body performance’. Other special effect actors, like Andy Serkis, have also failed to be recognised by the Oscars. In today’scinema, where special effects are regularly combined with live action performances, it seems time to start recognising the actors behind these roles.
Film
Isle of Dogs Review - A Tale of Great Beauty and Bite Wes Anderson’s ninth film is far from a dog’s dinner Jordan Osborne Editor As 2009’s Fantastic Mr Fox shows, when Wes Anderson vacates reality for the malleable universe of stop motion, all bets are off. His latest animated feature Isle of Dogs submerges its audience into a whimsical, but sobering dystopian future. The Isle of Dogs sits just off the coast of Japan, which has been supposedly ravaged by a tsunamic plague of ‘dog flu’ and ‘snout fever’. As a result, human society has turned its back on its dependable canine companions, shipping them off to the desolate Trash Island to see out the remainder of their days melancholic and masterless. Anderson doesn’t conceal this. Isle of Dogs is not lit by the primary colours familiarly associated with The Grand Buda-
pest Hotel or The Royal Tenenbaums. The tone is downcast understandably even though our underdogs are still wholly capable of melting hearts.
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It’s here, in the mastery of the mood swing, perpetually pivoting from the dismal to the delightful, that Anderson strikes gold amongst the clutter and rubbish of Trash Island” Boiled down to its most basic bones, Isle of Dogs is a quest/adventure flick. Determined 12-year old boy Atari crash lands on Trash Island in search of his prized pooch Spots, the first dog to be ex-
iled. The canine crackdown is orchestrated by the Orwellian Mayor Kobayashi, who sports a startling feline-themed tattoo on his back a la Ben Affleck. Stylistically, Isle of Dogs is another stuffed crust of complex pop culture, filled to the brim with both eastern and western influences. Early on, Anderson pastiches Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic Great Wave off Hanagawa with an arresting image of a group of canines caught in the wave just as it begins to curl back in on itself. Composer Alexandre Desplat, fresh off his Oscar win for The Shape of Water, provides an agile accompaniment to Anderson’s visuals. Desplat switches between intense taiko drumming, amplifying the tension throughout, and a waggish flute finale that hearkens back to Moonrise Kingdom. The voice cast has less importance
here but that is by no means a complaint. Anderson has clearly put his emphasis on his famously, and intricately, symmetrical backdrops and the mannerisms of his respective canine creations. The central posse of pooches, voiced by Bryan Cranston, Bob Balaban, Ed Norton, Bill Murray and Jeff Goldblum, all have their moments in the spotlight. Goldblum’s Duke brings a comical counterpoint to the narrative, often informing his cohorts with the gossip he’s eavesdropped from other dogs on the island. Elsewhere, Scarlett Johansson’s show dog Nutmeg crucially reminds Cranston’s Chief that humans are still capable of being loving and Tilda Swinton plays a ‘psychic’ pug named Oracle. However, plaudits must go to Harvey Keitel, whose moving cameo as the head of a rumoured cannibal group of dogs is a scene-stealing performance
of Crufts level proportions. It’s here, in the mastery of the mood swing, perpetually pivoting from the dismal to the delightful, that Anderson strikes gold amongst the clutter and rubbish of Trash Island. There are the clouds of dust kicked up by the furry fisticuffs that recall endless Saturday mornings watching Cartoon Network. And then there is the desperate state of the dogs themselves. Forced to live off of maggot-infested scraps and subjected to the experiments of the long defunct Megasaki City corporations that were based on Trash Island, many of the dogs are not only gaunt but resemble war veterans with their missing limbs and visible scars. Even for the ever-ambitious Wes Anderson, the concoction seems more potent and more daring than the previous entries in his faultless filmography.
Galleon 14 The Friday 30th March 2018
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Technology and Gaming
Violence in Video Games: Again, Really? Michael Pusey Culture Editor I don’t know about you, but video games have long been a source of release for me. When the working day becomes too much, when the stresses of University life get on top of me, or I need a break from reality, video games are one of my safe places where I feel I can escape to. However, in the past few weeks, President of the United States and full-time doofus, Donald J. Trump, has managed to bring back up the argument that violence within the media forms such as video games, movies and television are part of the reason for gun violence in America. There’s no denying that video games have been known to be violent. There are infamous examples of video game violence throughout history, and arguably the most notable came from the Call of Duty franchise in their 2009 instalment, Modern Warfare 2. Debatably the most notorious scene in gaming history, a main mission requires the player, controlling an American spy, to infiltrate a Russian group by partaking in an airport massacre. The mission opens with several men prepping guns in an elevator, before walking out into an airport filled with civilians and opening fire on helpless people. The scene has come under intense and widespread scrutiny who felt that the
scene went too far, particularly for a game that is widely played by people under the age limit.
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A prime example of performative scapegoating by another administration in the only country on Earth which suffers this problem on such a deadly scale”
It’s not just guns in video games however. Another famously violent video game franchise is that of Mortal Kombat. In recent years, as graphics and technologic advancements have been made in the field of gaming, the animations within the game have become more brutal, glorifying the kills made and showing them in excruciating detail. As part of a misguided effort to put the blame for gun violence on video games, Donald Trump showed an 88-second video of such violent scenes at the White House in front of media reporters, video game industry bosses, and Senate Republicans in which he said that gaming “is really shaping young people’s thoughts.”. The video showed the aforementioned Mod-
ern Warfare 2 airport massacre scene alongside animations from games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, Dead by Daylight, Fallout 4, Sniper Elite 4, The Evil Within, and Wolfenstein: The New Order. A prime example of performative scapegoating by another administration in the only country on Earth which suffers this problem on such a deadly scale.
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I don’t mind violent games. I mind games that glorify it & present it in graphic, disgusting ways”
The clip came under fire from gaming industry execs and gaming fans very quickly, pointing out that the clips were taken from a select few games that do not fully represent the gaming industry as a whole. Non-profit organisation, Games For Change, saw the compilation put together by the White House, and decided to retaliate with their own montage of beautiful gaming moments. Their 88-second rebuttal included clips from games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Minecraft. Choosing instead to highlight the beauty of video games, the clips largely feature wide shots of natural landscapes and a plethora of colours bringing everything to life. As well as the video, Games For Change also released a statement, saying, “After seeing that the White House produced a video depicting video games as ultra-violent, we felt compelled to share a different view of games. Video games, their innovative creators and the vast community of players are so much more than what is depicted in the White House’s video. We wanted to create our own version, at the same length, to challenge the White House’s misdirected blame being placed upon video games. We urge you to join us in celebrating the multifaceted features of video games: the beauty, creativity and joy that is inherent in this medium. To all you game developers and players who create and use games to connect with friends, to relax, to share experiences, to learn about new things, to inspire, to explore the unknown - this is for you! #GAMEON” It would be fair to say, however,
that not every gaming industry executive responded in the same way. Warren Spector, most known for his directorial work on Deus Ex, Thief, and Epic Mickey, expressed his disgust for the imagery shown during the White House’s video. Spector said in a series of tweets, “I don’t believe games cause violent behaviour. Not for one second. However, the videogame reel shown at the White House on Thursday is simply disgusting. Every shot is in colossally bad taste and everyone associated with those games should be ashamed of themselves. They hurt us.”
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There are infamous examples of video game violence throughout history, and arguably the most notable came from the Call of Duty franchise in their 2009 instalment, Modern Warfare 2”
When it was pointed out to him that his own games include violence, Spector responded with another tweet which read, “True enough. But the games I work on typically offer alternatives to violence; I try to show the consequences; there aren’t any decapitations, bloody gibbing headshots or ax
killings. I don’t mind violent games. I mind games that glorify it & present it in graphic, disgusting ways.” President of Gearbox, Randy Pitchford, also posted his reaction on Twitter, saying, “Such depictions are sometimes necessary if art is going to be useful to our species. Have you not read Shakespeare? The Bible?” Whilst it may be a bold claim to put video games on a similar social standing to The Bible, Pitchford has underlined the usefulness of certain violence within the story context that video games afford to players. Video games have violence within them, of that there’s no doubt. Whilst the violence can often be gratuitous and gruesome, and yes, sometimes unnecessary, but they are part of what makes video games a safe space for people. Trump’s administration is the latest to attempt to pin the blame for their problem with gun violence on a worldwide medium where this kind of issue is not present in many other countries on such a deadly level.
15 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Travel
Visiting Belfast Northern Ireland’s Emerald Wonder Elizabeth Smallwood Copy Editor Just a hop, skip and a plane ride away is the capital of Northern Ireland: Belfast. 7 million people visit Belfast each year, and here are some reasons why you should be one of them. For as little as £50, fly from London to Belfast in under an hour and a half. Arrive early Friday morning and make the most of a long weekend. Get a bus for £10 return into the city centre to the accommodation, where there is certainly no shortage of hostels to stay in. Starting from £11 in a dorm, or, if feeling slightly more decadent and want to splash the last of the student loan, stay in Helen’s Tower - a castle a little way out of Belfast - for £150 a night. Because who wouldn’t want to stay in a castle?
There is so much to do in Belfast, time will feel like it is just running away. Grab breakfast at Granny Annie’s - a family run restaurant, with a cosy, homely aesthetic and quirky interior - that will make you feel like a part of the family and ready yourself for the day ahead. Feel free to even pop back a bit later on for dinner and live music - apparently something Granny Annie loved. Head off towards the Lagan and look for The Big Fish - literally. Also called the ‘Salmon of Knowledge’, this finned friend was commissioned in 1999, as a celebration of the regeneration of the River Lagan. Each of the scales is a tile that tells a story about Belfast. Spend the afternoon at the museum which is one of Belfast’s biggest claims to fame, and is all about The Titanic. In
this fantastic museum, truly immerse yourself in the history of this most famous ship. Step back in time to the sights, sounds, smells and experience the Titanic in a way like never before. Set over six-floors and featuring nine interpretive and interactive galleries, this museum really brings all aspects, from conception to voyage, to life. The museum is located by the Titanic Slipways, which is the very place where The Titanic was designed, built and launched in 1912. For students, tickets cost as little as £14.50. Make sure to visit Crumlin Road Gaol too. A 19th century Grade-A listed jail which is open for tours to the public. It opened its gates (before closing them behind the prisoners) in 1846, and ran as a fully operational prison for 150 years until 1996. There are so many stories and is steeped in his-
tory, having played host to murderers, suffragettes and loyalist and republican prisoners. Nicknamed ‘The Crum’, the prison has seen births, deaths and marriages and has been the home to executions, escapes, hunger-strikes and riots. Around 25,000 prisoners walked the hallways, with 17 spending their last days in the ‘Condemned Man’s Cell’ before facing execution. The last one being in 1961. If this isn’t chilling enough, there are also evening ghost tours to amp up the fear factor. If you are a fan of George R. R. Martin’s hit TV series, ‘Game of Thrones’, you have come to the right place. The scenes of Winterfell were filmed in Belfast and it is the perfect place for #TeamStark. For just £35, spend the day being shown the secrets of the
shows by mega fans or those who were extras in the series. Meet at the meeting point at 8.30am and be escorted to where the series was filmed and get shown the farm where Winterfell stood. Visitors are taken to the ruins and given a cloak with a chance to stand with your fellows as you shout ‘King of the North!’ and pledge your allegiance to Rob. There is also the chance for a ‘meet and greet’ with the wonderful actors who played the Direwolves - yes, the dogs - which is definitely something not to be missed. Lunch is included, although drinks are not included, but it is very much worth the money. Don’t be a Ned and lose your head with the excitement!
Food & Health
Dieting: What Works and What Doesn’t Lucy VS Morris Lifestyle Editor As the summer months are swiftly approaching, more and more of us are signing up to the gym or starting ‘fad’ diets to help us lose weight in time for swimsuit season. Little do we know, some of the diets that we are using, and that celebrities are endlessly promoting, are doing more
harm than good. So, I have done research for the top three diets now and have tried them myself to tell you what works and what should be completely avoided. Bootea So this is one that I see promoted constantly across social media, so decided to try it myself. I had read before that the bedtime tea induced a ‘laxative effect’, which is not healthy.
Not only are you losing essential nutrients this way, but ladies, your pill is also less likely to be effective which is something to beware of. I didn’t experience the ‘effect’ personally, but I know others who did and as soon as they started eating again, the weight returned. As with all ‘tea’s’ such as this, they put a big price label on what is essentially green tea and tell you that to achieve the desired effect, you need to exercise regularly and eat healthily. So, if you think you’re feeling benefits from the tea, likelihood is it is just from the natural good you’re doing to your body! 5:2 Diet The 5:2 diet is slightly different, there are no awful tasting teas to digest, just simply less food. For five days of the week it is recommend to intake a ‘normal’ amount of calories per day, but for the other two you must cut it down to five hundred for men and six hundred for women. This is meant to be easier as there is less restriction and you are able to
consume all of the food groups. I tried this myself and experience nausea, fatigue and dizziness, to name but a few. I found it difficult to concentrate on work and university and after having researched further, found that many others felt the same as me. Although weight was lost, the side effects of the diet were a major negative and I stopped this one pretty quickly. Slimming World Slimming World is a nationwide known slimming group that have extensive success stories. Their diet works not by counting your calories, which can become a chore after a while, but by focusing on the foods that they call ‘free’ which are higher in nutrients and lower in calories. This is one of the few diets that leaves you feeling hungry, if you follow it correctly. Having such a large member base, there are many recipes to follow that are counted as ‘free’, meaning you don’t have to worry
about what you are going to have for dinner at the last minute. Slimming World’s ‘unhealthy’ options are counted as ‘syns’. Each syn should be recorded, and the suggested intake is five to fifteen syns a day (for example, a standard size Cadbury chocolate bar is 13 syns). This is a diet which I regularly return to, having lost two stone the first time and found it very easy to follow. Once your goal weight is achieved though, be careful not to slip back into old habits as this is where the weight is put on again. The clear winner for me is Slimming World. It is easy to follow, won’t leave you hungry and if you are careful and clever with your syns, you can enjoy the journey also. Remember, just because a celebrity is promoting the ‘latest thing’ to help you lose weight, doesn’t mean it works. Do your research and remember, if you don’t feel good then it’s not for you!
Galleon 16 The Friday 30th March 2018
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Travel
Budapest: What to See Our Deputy Editor walks us through the sights that lie in Budapest Georgina Monk Deputy Editor Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is one of the most enchanting cities in Central Europe. The city is a fairy tale in two halves: Buda and Pest, Buda with its gorgeous views of privilege and Pest with its bustling streets of shops and cafes.
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Go beneath Buda Castle and explore the labyrinths under the hill”
One of the greatest joys of going
If you get bored of the views from up above, then you can go beneath Buda Castle and explore the labyrinths under the hill it stands on- in turns creepy and wondrous, these labyrinths are half cave and half cellar, having been used as a hospital and a shelter during the war. However, the best view in the city is from Gellert Hill, a vast mountain of greenery which looks more like it should be placed overlooking Rio than it should be settled at the side of a city in Europe. Although finding the bottom of the hill and a pathway up it provided a challenge, the steep hill gifted us with many surprises; from giant statues tucked away
CREDIT: WORLD TRAVEL ADVENTURERS to Budapest in Spring is the blossoming walkways outside Buda Castle. Lined with cherry blossoms, the walkway provides a view of both the pretty architecture of Buda and the more Cinderella-like houses of Pest, giving you a panorama of two very different lifestyles, which are captured harmoniously within one city.
among the brush to the awe-inspiring Freedom statue at the top, built in 1947 in remembrance of the liberation of Hungary during the war. Trying to see the top of the monument up close only gives you burnt eyelids, and so if it is only views of the statue that you are looking for, it might be best seen from down
below, or even in across the river in Pest. Underneath the statue however, gives you the most beautiful and extensive view of the Hungarian capital. With the Danube flowing through the city and the Hungarian Parliament Building dominating the shoreline, Budapest looks its most refreshing from up above, in clear blue skies that even in early Spring, felt like the beginnings of summer.
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One of the most striking things about Budapest was the amount of trees that line every street”
Against this beautiful backdrop, the metal shoes lining the Danube pay a haunting reminder of the Jewish people killed by the fascist Arrow Cross militia during the war, who were stood before a firing squad and shot so that they fell back into the river. This moving memorial is not only a memorial of the people that were killed, but also reminds us of Hungary’s darker past, one that left a disturbing print on history in its own right. However, never fear if history is not your scene. Budapest also has plenty of shopping to be done, from obscure markets located on squares that can only be found by wandering around and getting lost, underground shopping centres and the more up-market Andrassy Avenue, you can shop till you drop long into the night. Famous for its fashion, the long boulevard of Andrassy Avenue is sure is a leave you with arms full of shopping; from museums to the large neorenaissance mansions lining the street, there is really something to entertain even the most stubborn of people. One of the most strik-
ing things about Budapest was the amount of trees that line every street, giving you the sense that you are in a stylish, concrete forest and which makes the city feel so much more fresher and more lovely to look at. At the end of Andrassy Avenue, you come to Heroe’s square. Covered with shoals of school children and guide-led groups, you would think that the tourist-y nature of the site would be off-putting. However, along with the snapshot, Instagram ready letters spelling B-U-D-A-P-ES-T, and which seems to be prevalent on everyone’s social media for every city in Europe (Why doesn’t London have one?), are a semi-circle
tectural delights, then find the dessert to the main course. The Fisherman’s Bastion, designed between 1895 and 1902, is the perfect fairytale building for a fairy tale city. Built in the neo-gothic style, its spires look like they come straight out of the latest Disney movie. Although, if you are reading the signs and think that 800 HUF, or 3.50 Euros is worth the access to more of the balconies and windows of the structure, don’t bother. Most of the Bastion is free to look around, and so paying a fee to visit the same view, a stretch of stone that you can see from the ground, is superfluous. Budapest is a beautiful take on
of more giant statues forming a eerie guard around the area. Everything in Budapest seemed to be ten times larger than in England, and this last monument is no exception. The monument documents the seven chieftains that led the Magyar tribes to Hungary topped with the Arch Angel Gabriel. If you are looking for more archi-
Europe, one fit for a film or a fairytale in which there are many happy ever afters. Unlike any other European city I have visited, Budapest is an elegant concoction of unique vistas, refreshing nature and astounding monuments. It is difficult to grasp the full extent of Budapest’s wonder but, among all these other positives, even the air feels fresher here.
17 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Fashion & Beauty
French Fashion Designer Hubert de Givenchy Dies at 91 Why Givenchy leaves a legacy that is as modern as it was at the company’s beginnings Brogan Kirkby-Bott Fashion Editor In a statement given by his family, the world was informed of the death of legendary French designer and icon Hubert de Givenchy. The designer died at the age of 91 on Saturday 10th March at the Renaissance chateau which was once shared with his partner Phillipe Venet. Famously associated with actress Audrey Hepburn and First Lady Jackie Kennedy, the designer made both fashion and cinematic history with his designs of many iconic costumes worn by famous faces like Hepburn. Givenchy first opened his house in 1952 after working with other designers Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior and continued to act as creative director and lead designer until he retired from fashion design in 1995 when John Galliano took the reigns of Givenchy.
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Givenchy also launched a cosmetic line which encapsulates the modern woman with luxury“
When originally agreeing to work alongside Hepburn, Givenchy initially thought that his designs were going to be for American actress Katherine Hepburn. The first of many of Givenchy’s designs to be
PIECES GIVENCHY DESIGNED FOR AUBREY HEPBURN worn by Hepburn was her wardrobe for 1954 film Sabrina, where she was defined by her Cinderella-esque gown worn when dancing with actor and former flame William Holden. This film and wardrobe defined both Audrey and Givenchy for the rest of their careers and birthed a relationship between the two that would last until Audrey’s death in 1993. One of Givenchy’s most famous designs was a black sheath dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, where he designed many of the items worn. The dress was floor length, covering most of Audrey’s legs, with a fitted bodice and a distinctive cut out detail at the back of the design. The Roger Scemama necklace worn by Audrey sat on top of the décolleté featured on this design. The dress itself is simple yet extremely feminine and Parisian. Both Breakfast at Tif-
GIVENCHY WITH NICOLE TRIBAUD
fany’s and Sabrina set precedent for Givenchy and his future in fashion. It was then not long until Givenchy created his first men’s line in 1969. Like other luxury designers, the House of Givenchy was split in 1981 to begin a perfume line known exclusively as Parfums Givenchy. Of course, before the split, the house had made various perfumes in which Audrey Hepburn became the face of in the late 1950’s. Alongside the creation of perfumes, Givenchy also launched a cosmetic line which encapsulated the modern woman with luxury and creativity in mind.
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Givenchy himself was known as being a champion in diversity”
As Givenchy changed hands from Galliano, Julien Macdonald and Riccardo Tisci to now creative director, British stylist Clare Waight Keller, the style and designs the world knew best changed as directors became more experimental and adventurous with what they designed for the fashion house. Tisci’s Fall 2015 readyto-wear collection saw giant septum rings and a lot of other facial jewellery and braids. This collection was different from Givenchy’s usual conservative dresses, pea jackets and kitten heels, seen in the much of the 1960’s. This collection was commented on as one fashion’s biggest mashups as the dark, velvet Victoriana dresses harked back to previous shows by Tisci and introduced more
Gothic and darker themes within the to ever since. clothing and his work for Givenchy. The question now on everyMany fashion bloggers and com- one’s lips is what is to happen with mentators did have mixed opinions Givenchy now? Current creative on the collection as it did not rep- director Clare Wright Keller comresent the original premise of the mented at Paris Fashion Week that French fashion giant. she wishes to start Givenchy on a new Since the release of Breakfast at journey when asked about tackling Tiffany’s 50 years ago, the iconic the house’s ghosts and taking them dress is still a vision of elegance and into a new direction. As mentioned, Givenchy. Many actresses and party the house has significantly changed goers have attempted to recreate the and probably will continue to so long look with the over sized black sun- as the design process is in safe hands. glasses, hair piled on top of the head, Like any other designer, their clothes coffee in hand wishing to walk the and any other lines have to follow the streets of Manhattan. The thrill of trends and fashion which is happenan evening dress being warn in the ing now. It is of course their own deearly morning was imprinted on eve- cision if they wish to take the house ryone’s mind even if they had or had into a different direction, whether not seen the film. The likes of Audrey that be revising current designs or Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Lauren Bacall were the perfect muses and spokeswomen for the fashion house and helped to launch this exclusive luxury brand. T h e legacy that Givenchy leaves will not just be the dresses he designed or the famous CREDIT: REFINERY29 women who wore his designs but instead it will be the work axing the use of fur and other animal force he had behind him. Givenchy produce from their work. himself was known as being a chamAll in all, the fashion industry pion of diversity and began asking and its audience thanks Givenchy women of all ethnic backgrounds to for his commitment and revolutionwalk in shows. Fashion designer and ary approach to changing they ways author Jeffrey Banks once quoted in which women see themselves and that “At one point in the 1970s, his the way they dress. The Givenchy entire cabine was almost exclusively fashion house made a statement African-American girls—and no one about Hubert’s death saying “Towas doing that then!”. Givenchy first day his approach to fashion and his started using women from all dif- influence still continue … his work ferent walks of life and ethnic back- remains as relevant today as it has grounds in 1973 and has continued always been.”
Galleon 18 The Friday 30th March 2018
LIFESTYLE & CULTURE Music
Southsea Summer Sounds Giada Nizzoli Music Editor Although the Southsea music scene is buzzing all year round with indoor festivals, gigs and various events, it’s when the sun comes out and the temperatures get warmer that we can appreciate it at its best. The usual open mic nights and acoustic events are obviously still on across several pubs and venues, especially along Albert Road and Elm Grove, but there are also many outdoor music events to look forward too. So, if you need something to keep you going during assessment period or if you are planning on staying in town over summer, here are four free or student-budgetfriendly events you can look forward to in Southsea.
1) Record Store Day - 21st April, Castle Road
Castle Road, close to Southsea Common, is a bustling and quirky street, known for Pie & Vinyl, vintage shops and, of course, its occasional markets, part of The Village Popup. For the fourth year, there will be a free popup market to celebrate Record Store Day: over forty independent
traders are organising food, drinks and market stalls. What else? Live music on stage, of course.
2) Modrophenia - 25th-27th May, South Parade Pier
If you have a vintage soul, you have probably found yourself wishing you could have been part of the Mods and Rockers scene in the sixties. You might have not been in Brighton when, during a Bank Holiday weekend in 1964, young people of both subcultures rode down on bikes and scooters for what resulted in the famous riots, but you can relive the Mods’ spirit on South Parade Pier (with less mayhem, don’t worry). The Gaiety Bar is hosting a mod-themed event with food, memorabilia and live music. Entry is free until 7.30 pm, whereas to see the headliners (The Autumn Stone, Orange Street & the Targets, and Badness) tickets go from £5 to £20. If you have a scooter, bring it with you! Not only it’s
encouraged, but there will also be a prize for the best one.
3) Live at the Bandstand - late spring/summer, West Battery Gardens
Is there anything better than listening to live bands, whilst enjoying a cold cider on Southsea Common under the sun? Yes, actually: the fact that it’s free! Live at the Bandstand is a popular event that runs every weekend from the end of May to mid August. The 2018 dates haven’t been confirmed yet, but you will find them soon on their Facebook page. All we
CREDIT: FACEBOOK.COM/VICTORIOUSFESTIVAL know so far from Donna Jones (leader of Portsmouth City Council) and Nick Courtney (local music promoter) is that, although the usual Rhythm of the 90s band is busy touring, they will keep the decade alive with the band Choose 90s. Every year there is a wide selection of artists and genres, and the event is the perfect opportunity to showcase some local talents. What a treat for music lovers!
4) Victorious Festival - 24th 26th August, Southsea Common
The festival, born as the Victorious Vintage Festival in 2011 at the Historic Dockyard and grown year after year, is a vibrant event that takes place on Southsea Common, right by the sea. It offers different genres
across several stages, from acoustic sets to pop, from swing to rock, and much more. Every corner has something different. You can suddenly find yourself in the exotic World Music Village, with tunes and instruments from around the globe. Or walk down Market way, for handmade goods, arts, craft and delicious food. 2018 will also see the introduction of the Happy’s Circus, included in the price of the ticket. The headliners will be the Libertines, Paul Weller and the Prodigy. Tickets are £33 for Friday night, and £49.50 for either Saturday or Sunday, so you can argue that it’s not the most student friendly event. However, it’s much cheaper than the average music festival and, since it’s in town, there’s no transport and accommodation to consider on top of the ticket price.
Beyonce & Jay-Z Announce Second Joint Tour Michael Pusey Culture Editor In an announcement made on Beyoncé’s Instagram page, music fans around the world rejoiced at the
news that she, and her long-time partner Jay-Z, would be going on another joint tour, dubbed “On the Run II”, after their previous outing in 2014. Except this time, the duo are
visiting the UK. The two artists first collaborated at the turn of the century, when it was still unclear whether or not they were a romantic item. Their first work as musical partners came on the 2002 track ’03 Bonnie And Clyde, and since that day, the two have had hit after hit.
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CREDIT: TIDAL
Fans had been speculating online about the possibility of another joint tour after it was accidentally listed on Ticketmaster and Beyoncé’s Facebook page”
Two of the most notable songs in their respective repertoires are the hugely successful Drunk in Love (2013) and Crazy in Love (2003). In their early music days, no-one quite knew if the two were romantically involved, but their musical chemistry was undeniable. Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been a power couple since those days, supporting one another and proving themselves to be one of the music industry’s most influential duo. The two have had big musical years, with Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Jay-Z’s 4:44 both dealing with difficulties in their marriage as well as Jay-Z’s alleged infidelity. Despite this however, fans had been speculating online about the possibility of another joint tour after it was accidentally listed on Ticketmaster and Beyoncé’s Facebook page on Tuesday
6th March. Twitter went into meltdown for the week following until the official announcement, and the excitement has been palpable since then. The tour covers much of North America and Europe, as well as a flying visit to the UK after it’s omission from the first joint tour. Four dates have been planned for the couples visit to Britain, performing at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 6th June, Hampden Park in Glasgow on 9th June, the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on 13th June, and concluding at the London Stadium in London on 15th June. Tickets go on sale on the 23rd March, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they are going to be expensive and gone fast. You’ll want to make sure you are wide awake well in advance, and ready to mash that button when sales go live.
19 LIFESTYLE & CULTURE features@galleonnews.com Television Review
Jessica Jones Season Two Review Our favourite super detective has more drinks to down and cars to crush in her new series Michael Pusey Culture Editor Jessica Jones made her triumphant return to Netflix earlier this month, and it could not be more timely in the world of entertainment. Given the recent #Time’sUp and #MeToo movements, it seems fitting to welcome back Jessica Jones and her powers, as she attempts to tackle men, mental illness and hauntings of the past. Returning as the superpowered private investigator is Krysten Ritter, as well as the supporting cast of Ra-
most notable being David Tennant providing Jessica with hallucinations of the deliciously evil Kilgrave. Melissa Rosenberg returns to create, write, executive produce and run the show from behind the camera with a team of 13 other female directors taking one episode each.
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If the first season was Kilgrave in Jessica’s head, then this second season is everyone else in her heart”
CREDIT: NETFLIX chael Taylor as Trish Walker, CarrieAnn Moss as Jeri Hogarth, and Eka Darville as Malcolm Ducasse. New characters enter the fray, with J.R. Ramirez playing Jessica’s new superintendent Oscar, Terry Chen playing rival investigator Pryce Cheng and Leah Gibson as former IGH nurse Inez Green. However, perhaps the most interesting new addition is that of Oscar-nominated actress Janet McTeer as Jessica’s mother, Alisa Jones. Other familiar faces make their return to the show, with the
Drowning in anger and wrangling with her newfound fame as a “vigilante superhero”, the events of Marvel’s Jessica Jones second season follow on not long after the events of season one. We pick up with our beloved and hard-drinking Jessica doing her thing, privately investigating a pizza delivery man who is being unfaithful to his workplace partner, with the titular character being as cynical and grouchy as ever. What shocks Jessica shortly after however, is that given what happened with
Kilgrave at the end of season one, she finds herself being offered more money to kill the cheating CREDIT: NETFLIX boyfriend. Determined not to be known for her actions, Jessica re- misogyny and men behaving badly fuses the money and instead opts to head on. Within the first episode, scare the boyfriend into leaving and when Jessica’s Alias Investigations nearly loses her temper at the wom- business is under threat of absorpan who hired her. tion, Jessica confronts the man behind the business. When he says, “I never take no for an answer”, Jessica sternly and coldly replies with, “How rapey of you.”.
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The show does a marvellous job of not shying away from the big issues recently talked about, like the misogyny and blatant sexism on show during the 2016 presidential election”
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Jessica Jones is a tremendous testament to those hardworking women behind the camera”
As the season unfolds, more twists come at Jessica from every anFor those who have avidly folgle as she grapples with her strained lowed Marvel’s collaboration with relationship the police, her associate Netflix, the show follows much the Malcom, her best friend Trish, and same episodic structure as its predeother newly introduced characters. cessors. The story builds for the first Secondary characters do well to hold five episodes, with various storylines their own in scenes that don’t feature overlapping whilst Jessica attempts Jessica Jones, as Malcolm and Trish to deal with cases on multiple fronts. draw closer together and Hogarth At the end of episode six, a major attempts to reconcile herself with reveal is finally unveiled, and the folthe debilitating medical condition lowing two episodes are spent either ALS. If the first season was Kilgrave in flashbacks or captivity. The cliin Jessica’s head, then this second mactic few episodes ramp up the acseason is everyone else in her heart. tion once again, before building to a Writing began during the 2016 brilliant finale. Whilst the show has presidential elections in America, been generally well received by critand in an interview with The New ics, pacing issues is something that York Times, Rosenberg spoke of Marvel’s shows on Netflix have sufthe inspiration for the show’s tone. fered from since their inception and She said, “We were writing the I find it remarkable that despite The second season during the whole Defenders miniseries, this is someTrump/Hillary election, and I was thing they have failed to address. just so angry. We constantly talked about characters that had been trying to be nice for so long, finally just saying, ‘Get out of my way!’ Just tapping into the rage Hillary must have felt every day.” The show does a marvellous job of not shying away from the big issues recently talked about, like the misogyny and blatant sexism on show during the 2016 presidential election. Despite being filmed between April 2017 and September 2017, before the fallout from the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal, the show tackles CREDIT: NETFLIX
What’s perhaps not immediately noticeable, but definitely noteworthy, is that every single one of the thirteen episodes this season were directed by women. In a show that endeavours to empower its female characters in the face of misogyny and mental illness, Jessica Jones is a tremendous testament to those hard-working women behind the camera. Given the show’s release around International Women’s Day, it seems fitting to celebrate these brilliant filmmakers and the talent they have brought the small screen in this second season. Reactions to the show’s second season have been overwhelmingly positive once again, perhaps making a strong case for Marvel’s Jessica Jones to be the crowning jewel of the partnership between Marvel and Netflix. Showrunner and creator Melissa Rosenberg spoke to Indiewire after the show’s premiere, saying “It’s so thrilling after having worked on this for so long. People’s reactions have been overwhelmingly wonderful.” Marvel’s Jessica Jones returns viewers to the noir superhero world of Hell’s Kitchen in New York but addresses issues that have rocked the real world in the last few months. Drinking lots of liquor and kicking huge amounts of ass along the way, Jessica Jones makes an emotional and triumphant return to the streaming service.
Galleon 20 The Friday 30th March 2018
SPORT
Sport
F1 2018: The Teamby-Team Guide Are we in for another season of Mercedes mastery or can Ferrari and Red Bull close the gap? Jordan Osborne Editor
Mercedes
It looks like business as usual for the sport’s leading team. With Mercedes looking supreme in pre-season testing, they look set to take a fifth consecutive title. Mercedes’ target for testing was to try and iron out the weaknesses that threatened to derail their title push last season and should this season conclude with yet another title win (as expected), they will equal Ferrari’s record of five consecutive drivers’ and constructers’ doubles.
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton & Valtteri Bottas
Juan Manuel Fangio’s five title haul is in sight for Hamilton who now sits on four titles after last season’s hard fought triumph. Hamilton is the favourite for
VALTTERI BOTTAS CREDIT: THISISF1 the title again understandably and unless someone can provide a consistent challenge throughout the season, I can’t see him relinquishing his throne. As for Bottas, he still has much to prove. Bottas’ season trailed off quite quickly after a strong start and if he fails to show noticeable improvements I can’t see him hold-
KIMI RAIKKONEN CREDIT: SKY SPORTS
VERSTAPPEN & RICCIARDO CREDIT: SKY SPORTS ing onto his seat for 2019/20.
Ferrari
The Scuderia still looks well placed to be Mercedes’ best competitor but their pre-season testing hasn’t shown the leaps in improve me nt that they were hoping for. Ferrari have suggested that mid-season updates could significantly boost performance but by that time the title race could already be put to bed by Mercedes.
Drivers: Sebastian Vettel & Kimi Raikkonen
Vettel also has the motivation of equalling Fangio’s five titles this season. In fact, this is the first time that there have been two four-time champions on the grid simultaneously. And Vettel is still in with a good shout for a title challenge. Last season’s sig-
nificant lead was undone by a few m o ments of weakn e s s from the German driver and if he can s h o w g r e a t e r composure and mental strength he could close the gap between himself and Hamilton. Unfortunately for the one-time champion and F1 veteran Raikkonen it looks like another season of playing Robin to Vettel’s Batman. Raikkonen can still kick it with the best on a good day but he needs to make those good days less rare this season if he doesn’t want to get left behind by his teammate, Mercedes and Red Bull.
HAMILTON & VETTEL CREDIT: ZEE NEWS The best of F1’s packed midfield, Force India have shown that on rare occasions they can challenge the top 3. But unless they can significantly improve the car’s performance, I can’t see them bettering last season’s impressive fourth place finish. However, with upgrades yet to come, it’ll be interesting to see how much they can improve on last season.
Drivers: Sergio Perez & Esteban Ocon
Last season’s most combustible pairing look set to lock horns again this season. Both Perez and Con are at interesting cruxes in their F1 careers. Perez, should he have a good season, may be worth another shot at a big team especially with Bottas and Raikkonen’s futures looking doubtful. And for the young Ocon the
claim the vacant seat at a big team should it become available. Expect sparks to fly once more.
Williams
With Paddy Lowe heavily redesigning the car for 2018 and the recruitment of the rookie Sergey Sirotkin alongside the inexperienced Canadian teenager Lance Stroll, it’s very hard to call how Williams will fare this season. Even if their new design works well, it might take time to see results with such a green pairing in the cockpit.
Drivers: Lance Stroll & Sergey Sirotkin
Stroll had a solid debut season, with the highlight being a 3rd place finish at Azerbaijan. With Felipe Massa departing the team for good, Stroll may be more
Red Bull
Red Bull finally look to be closing the gap on the top two and some would say they are closer to Mercedes than Ferrari based on pre-season testing. However, the Renault engine looks to be both an enhancing and hindering feature of their car this season. Red Bull have arguably the best driver pairing on the grid but they need a reliable chassis underneath them if they are going to disrupt the Mercedes/Ferrari monopoly.
Drivers: Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen
THE FORCE INDIA TEAM CREDIT: MOTORSPORT.COM situation is quite similar after showing much promise and consistency last season. Unfortunately for Force India, the main hurdle for each driver is their teammate. Whoever emerges the better driver this season will be most likely to
Ricciardo is a popular driver amongst fans and in the paddock and much of this popularity has stemmed from his daring manoeuvres on track. Ricciardo is an old school driver in that respect which can have its benefits. However, the Australian needs to improve his adaptability in order to get the best out of his car. Ricciardo could be a real challenger if he can really nail the technical side of being an F1 driver. Verstappen has all the makings of a future champion and might’ve challenged for the title last season if it wasn’t for severe car unreliability. Verstappen is a brave and fearless talent who is getting better year on year. Expect him to challenge Hamilton and STROLL & SIROTKIN Vettel if his car can keep up.
Force India
CREDIT: THE DRIVE
relaxed going into his second season. However, with another rookie now in the picture with the acquisition of Sergey Sirotkin, Stroll will face an intriguing challenge for no.1 driver over the course of the season.
21 sport@galleonnews.com midfield and backend of the grid, reliability is a rare commodity. If Toro Rosso can keep their cars on track and boost their performance, they should pick up some points through default.
Drivers: Pierre Gasly & Brendon Hartley
HARTLEY & GASLY CREDIT: BBC NEWS Renault
Albeit too late for Jolyon Palmer, Renaulut claim to have fixed their woeful unreliability from last season. With the car looking much stronger and more updates due to come throughout the season, Renault look like they could capitalise on Williams’ early jit-
an underrated talent in F1. Now in his seventh season and with a good car underneath him, perhaps 2018 will be the year that he finally gets the taste for silverware. Since taking over from Jolyon Palmer at Austin last season, Sainz has continued to has show that he is a hot prospect in F1. It’ll be an interesting
VANDOORNE & ALONSO CREDIT: ZEE NEWS ters and possibly even leapfrog Force India. A strong duo in the cockpit will also boost their hopes for an impressive season too.
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg & Carlos Sainz Jr
Hulkenberg, perhaps due to the absence of that elusive first podium, is
internal battle between the two drivers this season.
Toro Rosso
Finally! A good news story about Honda engines. Toro Rosso have enjoyed a good preseason, getting in plenty of laps without hindrance from their new Honda engines. Amidst the congested
Any driver that comes with the Red Bull stamp of approval should be looking to disrupt the grid. After being thrown into the melee at the end of last season, 2016 GP2 champion Pierre Gasly settled pretty quickly. In his first full season, Gasly will be confident of building on an impressive start. On the other side of the garage is a polar opposite - the exp er ience d Brendon Hartley. The 28 year old New Zealander is highly decorated having won the World Endurance Championship twice and the Le Mans 24 last year. Toro Rosso’s balance of nascency and experience could prove to be a shrewd move in the long run. Gasly will probably prove to be the quicker, better driver but Hartley could be the team’s Jenson Button, helping to develop and improve the car as the season progresses.
Haas
teammate Kevin Magnussen, another McLaren reject, will be looking to use Haas as a springboard back to the top after producing some moderately impressive returns over the last couple of seasons. With the car’s improvements, it’ll be interesting to see where the drivers can take Haas and how that figures in the head-to-head.
McLaren
Having established a new engine deal with Renault after the woes of their Honda partnership, McLaren seem confident of returning to the upper
echelons of the F1 hierarchy. The chassis looks as good as any on the grid but the question is whether McLaren can well and truly put their reliability issues behind them. 2017/18 will be a huge season for the future of the team. Failure to show noticeable improvements could be detrimental to the team’s future.
Drivers: Fernando Alonso & Stoffel Vandoorne
Buoyed by the reassurance of improved performance and reliability, veteran Fernando Alonso is sticking for at least another season at McLaren. Alonso will be key to McLaren’s quest for redemption. There are few drivers who will be able to get as much out of the wounded McLaren as Alonso. Vandoorne was able to fly under the radar of criticism last season with the car performing so
Drivers: Romain Grosjean & Kevin Magnussen
MAGNUSSEN & GROSJEAN CREDIT: JAMES ALLEN ON F1
Sauber
After finishing last place last season, Sauber have taken on a Ferrari engine and a new Alfa Romeo branding. The new partnership has seen Sauber take on a plethora of new aerodynamic features that have yet to improve the car’s performance. With the car languishing
LECLERC & ERICSSON CREDIT: AUTOSPORT
Since their debut in 2016, Haas have shown in bursts that they’re capable of leading the midfield and possibly breaking into the top 3 teams. But they need that consistency and reliability. Preseason has been promising. Haas have shown great pace and good balance in the longer practise sessions and during single lap runs, showing that the car can adjust to both qualifying and race days easily. Haas look good for a fourth place finish in the constructors’ championship.
Haas’ driver duo is an intriguing one. Grosjean is a driver that blows hot and cold, recalling Juan Pablo Montoya’s brilliance and clumsiness. His
badly but with the car looking visibly better, there is nowhere to hide if Vandoorne doesn’t meet expectations. If he can stay close to Alonso on track, Vandoorne might just make it to the end of the season and beyond.
SAINZ & HULKENBERG CREDIT: NEXTGEN-AUTO
in last, Sauber need to try something new and even though the car still seems to lack grip and pace, the rebuild could lead to improved performance after they’ve ironed out the bugs.
Drivers: Marcus Charles Leclerc
Ericsson
&
Marcus Ericsson has failed to score a single point in the last two seasons. Ericsson brings finance to the team but Sauber need to start improving their performances if they’re going to start challenging the teams near them. In Leclerc, Ericsson has his biggest challenge yet. Leclerc was supreme in F2 last season, taking the title with seven wins and is being tipped to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari in the near future. Such praise does not come lightly, so expect Leclerc to leave Ericsson in his dust.
Galleon 22 The Friday 30th March 2018
SPORT
University Sport
Year in Review: University of Portsmouth’s Sporting Successes It has been yet another year to remember for UoP sport Stevie-Marie Jones
survive in Premier South. Badminton’s Men’s second team have secured promotion to the Third Tier after beThe 2017/18 season for the University coming winners of South Eastern 4A of Portsmouth has been one of success this season, while the women have for many clubs within the AU, both achieved a third place finish in South BUCs and non-BUCs alike. As the Eastern 2A. With Men’s Basketball, season ends for many within the AU, their Men’s second team came second it has been fantastic to look back over in South Eastern 4A, putting them how some of the clubs within the uni- in good stead for next year while the versity have done over the past season. women’s basketball team achieved Some societies and clubs do continue a third-place finish which solidified their season into the summer, such as their Tier 2 status for next season. cricket, however, as the final games Cricket seemed to have nothing and competitions come to a close, it is but success this season, with both the Men’s and Wo m e n’s teams securing places at the National Finals in Cardiff. The women did so in style with six wins from six games, while the men pulled off an CREDITS: PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS impressive win streak of a good time to reflect on what has been their own by winning five out of five. achieved by many of our sport clubs. The women were unfortunate to not For the men of American Football, make it past the pool stages, whilst the they can safely say that they will have men did fantastically well to make it yet another season in the Premier all the way to the final. Unfortunately League after a hard-fought campaign they narrowly lost to Leeds in the fiduring 2017/18 allowing them to nal but it is a remarkable achievement nonetheless. After such a promising indoor season, confidence will be high leading into an exciting outdoor season for the club. T h e university’s Dance CREDITS: UPWRFC FACEBOOK PAGE Club went Sport Editor
to Loughborough University Dance Competition recently, entering teams into multiple categories. The Dance Club placed second in the Novice Tap competition, and vice-president Celia Coleman was involved with all four competitions that the club entered into. For Women’s Football, success has not been far away for both the Ladies’ first and second team. The Ladies’ first team have once again won South Eastern 1A and will be training hard for their Premier League play-offs now. The second team have also been crowned winners of South Eastern 3A, earning promotion and bouncing right back after their relegation the year before. The University of Portsmouth’s Hockey club have had some top finishes to shout about, with their Men’s second team earning themselves a second-place finish after relegation last year, and the Ladies’ second team are very close to securing themselves a second-place finish in South Eastern 4A if all goes according to plan. The Ladies’ first team are also waiting the results of the 1A Play-Offs in April to see if they will be able to retain their place in South Premier B League after beating Southampton in their final BUCs league fixture to bump themselves up into 5th place over Gloucestershire University. Netball have had a very successful season, with five of their six teams securing top four places in their respective leagues. The Ladies’ first team fought hard for their second place in South Eastern 2A, while the third team finished fourth in South Eastern 4A. The Ladies’ fourth team were crowned the winners of South Eastern 6A with an impressive ten out of ten wins, whilst the fifth team were right on their heels in third place of the same league. Finally, the sixth team finished third in South Eastern 7A. Women’s Rugby can also be proud of their campaign during the 2017/18 season, with a second-place finish
secured for them with one game to go. The Women are also looking forward to their Cup Final against Sussex on the 21st March. Tc h o u k ball’s First Team are also doing extremely well this season,CREDITS: UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH CRICKET with only two losses throughout their entire camFrom the results above, the achievepaign with both only coming at Na- ments made across the clubs at the tionals. They remain undefeated in university have been fantastic, and the their Regional League (South-East mentioned clubs are only a handful of Regional League Division 2) with six those who have been tasting success wins and one draw. Not to mention this season. For other clubs and societhey were able to, once again, beat ties, their seasons are still ongoing or Southampton at Varsity. have yet to begin. Hopefully the same Tennis also have had success with level of success that has been shown
CREDITS: UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH DANCE CLUB PAGE their Men’s second team, who have secured a top four finish in South Eastern 2A this season. Meanwhile Volleyball Ladies first team are currently holding steady at second place in South Eastern 3A and hopefully they can maintain that strong position.
across the board within the multiple AU clubs and societies already can be taken forward into the outdoor seasons of the other societies and clubs that have yet to see the end of their sporting calendars.
23 sport@galleonnews.com University Sport
Varsity 2018 Roundup Another year, another rivalry, and another nearmiss for UoP Stevie-Marie Jones Sport Editor Another year has come, and another Varsity has gone. This was the 10th Annual Varsity between Southampton University and the University of Portsmouth, and Southampton had the home advantage this year. Portsmouth haven’t won the Cup since 2013… and it seems that we’re going to have to keep on trying. While this year we sold the most amount of tickets to an away event in the history of Varsity, and we had beaten Southampton teams in BUCs and non-BUCs events leading up to event, it was just not University of Portsmouth’s year. The final score was 188-
96 in Southampton’s favour, but Portsmouth still has some success stories to be proud of. Hockey’s Ladies second team beat their opposition for the first time in five years, and the Men’s first team were able to hold Southampton Men’s first team to a draw. Cricket had success with their Men’s and Women’s first teams, and Men’s Rugby managed a clean sweep, with every team winning their fixture. Tchoukball also managed to get points on the board for the University of Portsmouth at Varsity, with a 61-51 win over their rivals. These are just some of the many success stories that have come from Varsity this year. Not to mention, despite not being able to get our hands on the up, we were able to secure the Intramural
Cup! The Intramural Cup keeps everyone involved in Varsity. It is there for those that prefer to compete in a more relaxed and sociable environment and have joined teams at the university that are not involved in BUCs leagues but have leagues of their own. These teams can include futsal, squash, tennis, badminton, football (5, 6, 7 & 11 a-side), CREDITS: MARCUS CAMPOPIANO UPSU ACCOUNT hockey, and netball. It is safe to say that the whole of competitive sport, free pizza, and fun peted.” It can definitely be agreed upon Portsmouth experienced a student in- fairground rides. that Varsity is the event of the year for vasion like no other with the Varsity When asked about Varsity 2017/18, all those who live and breathe the riAfter-Party in Lyberry. The town was VP Sport Marcus Campopiano had valry between Southampton and Portstruly painted purple with Varsity shirts, this to say: “Varsity is always one of mouth. Hopefully the win of the Intraface paint, glitter and the temporary the best days of the year. Congratula- mural Cup is now a big jump forward tattoos from the packs handed out at tions to Southampton on yet another toward the University of Portsmouth the Student Union. A brilliant way to fantastic Varsity. Long may the rivalry winning the Varsity Cup in the near end a full day that already provided continue and well done to all who com- future.
Sport
Del Potro best placed to break Rafa/Roger Grand Slam stranglehold
CREDIT: UBITENNIS
The imposing Argentinian looks to be making up for lost time Jordan Osborne Editor You don’t have to be an avid follower of tennis to realise that the game is in a tantalising state of flux. Andy Murray has been missing since his Wimbledon collapse and despite making his return from injury, Novak Djokovic looks an anaemic projection of his former self having lost his last three matches with startling acquiescence. The decline of Djokovic and Murray has allowed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to reemerge as 2017’s conquerors, but the bloated tennis season schedule seems to be having a hangover effect. Nadal hasn’t played since his quarter final withdrawal at the Australian Open in
January and Federer exited the Miami Open this week after a shock second round loss to world no.175 Thanasi Kokkinakis, citing fitness issues and exhaustion. With Nadal far from peak fitness and Federer perhaps finally showing signs of weakness in old age, and the often forgotten Stanislas Wawrinka also struggling with knee problems, the top five are very much on the ropes with the clay season fast approaching. But amidst the fog of uncertainty emerges a tall, lumbering figure, ready to monopolise the void created by the absence of tennis’ elite. The ultimate renaissance man, Juan Martin Del Potro, seems to have resolidified the form that won him the
US Open and a no.4 ranking by just the age of 21. Back from the brink of extinction after recovering from two career-threatening wrist injuries, there is always an air of adoration surrounding the Argentinian. During 2014 and 2015, Del Potro only managed 14 matches and slipped outside of the top 1000. Retirement seemed like an inevitability. We’re now in 2018, and Del Potro has climbed back into the top 10 and defeated an inspired Roger Federer in the final at Indian Wells. It was a glaring reminder of Del Potro’s initial promise. When he won his sole major in 2009, Del Potro became the first player to defeat both Federer and Nadal en route to Grand Slam glory. Nine
years later, Del Potro is still capable of unsettling the game’s most graceful players. But of course in this rare window where the elite are waning, showing chinks in the armour, there are other contenders who will be buoyed by the possibility of unexpected glories. Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov and the young Alexander Zverev have cemented themselves as top 5 players in this recent period of upheaval and each of them look capable of pouncing on a subpar Federer or Nadal. However, there is something about Del Potro that places him on a lone step between the top two and the remainder of the chasing pack. In addition to the devastating
forehand, the Argentinian has managed to revive his backhand, slowly adjusting to a two-handed grip that has whispers of Nadal’s post-knee operation revival. It’s a move that has helped to make Del Potro a dangerous proposition once again. The liberated backhand removes the need for unnecessary footwork to strike off of the forehand or negotiating anticlimactic backhand slices and chips that alleviate advantages built during rallies. Like the Del Potro of old, he is free to attack from all angles, able to take full advantage of his intimidating frame when returning serve. In a season of unpredictable oscillations, Del Potro looks like the man for all seasons, all occasions, and all types of player.
Sport World
In this issue...
Politics in Sport: Does It Belong There? Stevie-Marie Jones Sport Editor
F1 Season Guide P. 20-21
Varsity Roundup P. 23
Del Potro's Disruption P. 23
For an age, it seems that sport has always had an influence on what is said and done in the political world. From the time America almost boycotted the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Germany, to the 1982 South African Grand Prix drivers’ strike, politics - any form of such - has always had some sort of impact on the sporting world. Now we find ourselves in another, highly-strung and tense political atmosphere of which we don’t have a single idea of what will happen next. Since the attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, the United Kingdom and its government have accused Russia as the culprits behind the incident. According to BBC Sport, the two were poisoned by a “military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia” which, as such, can only lead to fingers being pointed in Russia’s direction, with Prime Minister Theresa May claiming that it was “highly likely” Russia were responsible. With this turn of events, many are now questioning just how much this politically heinous act will influence the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which is being held in Russia. Russia have recently expelled 23 British diplomats, which according to Chronicle Live, is “the largest mass expulsion of diplomats since the Cold War”, so it seems like the situation won’t be resolved any time soon. Prime Minster Theresa May
has also stated that Russia will be suspended from having any high-level contacts with Britain, and that many ministers will be boycotting the World Cup this summer. The situation doesn’t stop just there, however, with news that members of the Royal Family will also be refusing to attend the World Cup after showing their support at the tournament in previous years. As far as we are aware at this current time, the England football team will be going. However, only time will tell if this decision changes. The opinions of some Members of Parliament are certain. In a statement to BBC Radio 5 Live, Labour MP John Woodcock believes that “England’s participation in the World Cup ought to be in question” and that there “should be no question of government officials, dignitaries or senior members of the FA going over there.” While on the other hand, former FA executive David Davies informed BBC Radio 5 Live that he was against any boycott that didn’t have the support of the international community. However, Davies did assure us that the FA will “want to be convinced of the safety” for the England team and their supporters during the tournament. From Chronicle Live, a statement from the FA reads: “The FA will continue to work closely with the UK Government and relevant authorities regarding our participation in this summer’s FIFA World Cup and the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in June. Our priority for all England matches is to ensure the safety and security of the fans, players and staff. As is standard prac-
tice, we will take all travel guidance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.” With all this speculation and the missing faces of ministers and royalty, is sport becoming too involved with political battles? In years gone by, governments and their countries have attempted to, and successfully used, the power of sports and their corresponding events to make statements. It would not be the first time that England makes a political statement using sport if they did have England withdraw from the World Cup. For example, the apartheid in South Africa led England’s cricket team to cancel their tour due to the racism that was being experienced in South Africa. Rarely do we hear about sports events being boycotted as of late, with relationships amongst countries being amicable enough for competitions and tournaments to go ahead without issue. Nor do we hear problems and accusations outside of the sporting world influencing the actions of athletes and sporting teams. Even the Russian doping scandal was not enough to hurt athletes who had remained clean for their respective competitions, despite it being understood as a state-wide sponsored doping. Clean Russian athletes were still able to compete in Summer and Winter Olympics, even if they were unable to do so under their Russian flag. If we argue that politics have no place in sports, then we must consider what positives we would lose when it comes to how sports engage politics in a way that brings countries closer together. We can
see this through the unity showed between North and South Korea as they walked out together at the recent Winter Olympics. Or the moment when World War I came to a halt for some soldiers in the trenches as British and German soldiers celebrated Christmas Day with a game of football. Not to mention the “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” between China and America, which allowed US players to enter China for exhibition matches in 1971. This would be the first time any Americans entered China since 1949. In these positive moments of sport related politics, nothing else mattered but good relations and creating more amicable futures. Politics and sport will always have a “Call Me When You Need Me” relationship, with politics becoming involved with sport as and when diplomacy needs to take place or concerns are at the forefront of government minds. Sports shall always help influence the course of politics either through a positive outlook with bringing countries together and creating openings for better future relationships. Or they will be there ready to make statements through withdrawing teams, boycotting tournaments, or potentially even through the uniforms designed for major competitions. Only time will tell how politics will effect the England football team’s appearance in the World Cup, with officials, ministers, and members of the Royal Family already deciding they will no longer be attending such a prestigious and historic event.