issue 3

Issue 3Friday 2nd March 2012

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Hundreds evacuated after St Michael’s bomb scare

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UCU to begin campaign against cuts

• Over 500 staff and students evacuated after ‘suspicious package’ found• James Watson, St Michael’s and Guildhall Walk closed for 2 hours

DOWNTIME JOBS LISTINGS, PUZZLES, COMICS AND MORE... PAGE 20

Union election candidates announced

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Arts&

EntertainmentFeaturesLondon Fashion Week:Fashion correspondent Kelsey Diggins looks at the latest trends paraded at LFW

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/GALLEONNEWS @GALLEONNEWS

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UPSU Elections:what makes you vote?

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EntertainmentEntertainment

FILM The Muppets p15

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Fixers - Guildhallp16

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The GalleonFriday 2nd March 20122

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Editor: Dan [email protected]

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NewsDeputy: Vanessa AzzopardiSenior Reporter: Luke BaynesSenior Reporter: Lucy Kirk

FeaturesDeputy: Position VacantFashion: Kelsey DigginsSex & Relationships: Rose BratchTravel: Sophie GoodallFood: Position Vacant

Arts & EntertainmentDeputy: Flynn MasseyScreen Editor: Amy WestGaming and Technology Editor:Graeme StevensonMusic Editor: Matt BoruckiCulture Editor: Hannah Todd

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Errors and Omissions

Government scraps early repayment feeAnthony Strzalek

Head of News

The coalition government has abandoned plans to penalise students who wish to repay their student loans early.

The Lib Dem scheme would have introduced annual charges of about 5% on payments above a certain limit. The idea being that this would prevent wealth-ier students avoiding interest charges on the new standard 30-year repayment plans.

From September 2012 stu-dents will be able to receive loans that will cover both their annual tution fees (up to £9,000) as well as their living costs.

These loans must be repaid once students begin earning more than £21,000 a year, with any outstanding balance being written off after 30 years.

Think tank, CentreForum, urged government ministers to get rid of the policy in a report published in September 2011.

Tim Leunig, CentreForum’s chief economist, said: “This is the right decision taken for the right reasons. Evidence shows that the students who repay their loans early are not the wealthiest, but the most debt averse.”

Mr Leunig added: “Students should not worry about taking a loan from the student loan com-pany. Equally, the government

should not penalise those who want to get out of debt for what-ever reason.”

President of the Students’ Un-ion, Amy Baker, said: “This is a plan which should definitely be scrapped by the government and I think every student will welcome this. It seems ludicrous that if a student wants to pay back the money they owe to the government early they would be charged more.”

Ms Baker added: “However, I do believe this has been in-troduced now because the gov-ernment is starting to realise that the amount of money they loan to students to enter higher education may never fully be re-trieved.”

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Police and students team up to prevent crime on campus

Anthony Strzalek

Head of News

Students have teamed up with Hampshire police in a new ini-tiative to help cut campus crime.

Twelve students on a variety of courses including criminology and entertainment technology have put themselves forward to help prevent criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.

The scheme has become a popular one and other police forces are considering copying this initiative in other university cities across England.

Alice Hickman, who is the University’s volunteer and grad-uate recruitment officer and is helping to run the scheme, said: “It’s a really nice scheme and the students who have volunteered are getting to see the commu-

nity side of policing and they’re really getting something out of that.”

Hickman added: “Most of the volunteers are thinking or hop-ing of applying to become police officers once they’ve graduated, and by volunteering they are gaining a better understanding of policing as well as being given a flexible way of volunteering.”

The students are trained by the University’s police officer Dave Fairbrother who offers them crime prevention advice. The volunteers have to dedicate a minimum of an hour a week to work on the programme.

The student crime preven-tion team will be stationed in halls of residence, working with first year students who are away from home often for the first time. They are also being put to

work at buildings that attract a large number of students includ-ing the library and on the streets in close proximity to University buildings.

Dave Fairbrother said: “We wanted to support and encour-age student volunteers to help reduce crime on campus and since they’ve started we have seen an effect, including a drop in fire alarms being set off false-ly.”

Adding: “The programme is also helping to boost the vol-unteers’ confidence and skills. They are vetted by Hampshire police, given basic training and I support them completely, but one of the biggest benefits to them is that they will all be giv-en a reference which says they were trusted and have been ef-fective.”

Union Canterbury trip set for 10th March

Anthony Strzalek

Head of News

The Students’ Union has or-ganised a coach trip to Can-terbury, Kent, for students who wish to spend the day in this historic city.

The coach, which will leave from Museum Road at 8.30am on 10th March, will pull into Canterbury at ap-proximately 11.00am.

Students are encouraged to “Experience Canterbury’s his-tory and heritage, see stun-ning architecture and world famous buildings. Visit one of the many tourist attractions in the city, or just have a day shopping.”

Amy Baker, President of the Students’ Union said: “The Canterbury trip is part of a new initiative at the Un-ion, ‘Give it a Go’. This pro-gramme offers students new experiences and a chance to learn new skills.”

The coach will leave Can-terbury at 5.30pm giving stu-dents the chance to spend six hours wandering the city.

Ms. Baker said: “We de-cided to provide a trip to Canterbury so students have a chance to visit another city within the UK. A lot of stu-dents rarely travel from Ports-mouth whilst studying here especially international and EU students.”

Adding: “Canterbury was the city of choice as there is plenty to see and do, from visiting the magnificent Ca-thedral to taking a river tour, grabbing some ‘me time’ in the abundance of shops and boutiques or taking in the ar-chitecture.”

Tickets cost £13 from the Union shop.

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Dan Chesterton

Editor

500 students and staff were evacuated on 22nd February after a suspicious package was found in St. Michael’s building.

The alarm was raised by staff at 1:03pm, and “specially trained officers” were soon de-ployed to the scene to assess the situation. Over a dozen firefight-ers were also in attendance.

The surrounding area, includ-ing King Henry building and Guildhall Walk, was cordoned off by police, St. Michael’s build-ing and James Watson halls were evacuated and road clo-sures were put in place.

Customers in Yates’s and oth-er bars on Guildhall Walk were asked to remain inside while police officers and firefighters investigated the incident.

During the incident the Uni-versity sent an email to all stu-dents stating that St. Michael’s building and James Watson were closed due to “a security incident”. The email advised students to “avoid the area un-til further notice” and to “make your way to the Students’ Centre

if you require assistance”.After investigating the inci-

dent the police removed the cordon and gave the ‘all clear’ at approximately 2:40pm. James Watson and St. Michael’s reo-pened soon after.

The police confirmed the

suspicious package had been “intended for someone at the University but the labelling was not clear and gave cause for con-cern” and “no criminal offences were identified and the package was not deemed to be a hazard”.

Inspector Phil Jones said: “I’d

like to thank everyone for their patience. Luckily, there was nothing to worry about on this occasion. We took these meas-ures to cordon off the area for everyone’s safety both at the university building and in the vicinity.”

Student Ben Tilley said the evacuation was “calm and fairly quick” as the fire exits were used rather than the main entrance”, but “the majority of the commo-tion came once everyone was outside, nobody really know where to go”.

‘Suspicious package’ found in St. Michael’s building

Students are evacuated from James Watson halls Kelsey Diggins

Anthony Strzalek

Head of News

On February 9th, the UCU (Uni-versity and College Union) pro-posed four motions in regards to the proposed cuts and handling of cuts in Art, Design and Media and the School of Education.

These motions have now all passed the ballot and the UCU will begin their campaign against the cuts.

The proposed closure to ac-cess courses may result in re-dundancies of UCU members as well. These cuts have been pro-posed despite the University’s £17.2 million surplus (almost 10% of turnover).

It has recently emerged that the planned cuts, which were kept secret until the summer of 2011, were in fact drawn up back in December 2009.

The UCU branch secretary is also at risk of redundancy which

the UCU are describing as “vic-timisation.”

Louise Allen, UCU Secretary for Portsmouth, said: “Under the terms of the Disputes Agree-ment, and as is customary, UCU requires the University to with-draw all closures of course and facilities and redundancies no-tices and threats, including the threat of dismissal of the UCU Branch Secretary and the non-payment of and dismissal of the intern, until the dispute has been resolved.”

Adding: “As you will agree, these are grave matters, most of which threaten the livelihood and indeed lives of endangered staff and some of which threat-en the status of Portsmouth as a university.”

The ‘grounds of dispute’ at the UCU decision meeting were: The closure of courses and facilities at the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) and the School of

Education and Continuing Stud-ies (SECS); the redundancies and threat of redundancies in relation to those courses.

Also discussed was the treat-ment by CCi (Creative and Cul-tural Industries) management and their dealings with staff and students. The dismissal of intern Claire Heath at the University as well as the notified dismissal of the UCU branch secretary.

Louise Allen said: “Many UCU members who attended a recent public meeting regarding the proposed redundancies, course closures, and lack of meaning-ful consultation agreed that now was the time to actively oppose management’s short sighted and shameful behaviour.”

Adding: “Rather than seek solutions that would safeguard our jobs and maintain successful courses, the management has pressed ahead regardless in the face of mounting protest.”

UCU begin campaign against art cuts after members ballot

Stephanie Anne Mandy

Two people have been arrested for stealing a number of impor-tant and personal items from a student house in the north sec-tor of Francis Avenue, Southsea on Thursday 16th February.

A large amount of the stu-dents’ property was stolen, in-cluding laptops and a hard drive containing the owner’s Univer-sity work.

Among the stolen items were a series of precious, irreplace-able family photos, which PC Jo Shields described as having “huge sentimental value” to the distressed student. The photos are of the student’s two baby brothers that live in Hong Kong with the rest of his family, who he rarely sees.

The offenders entered the house through an alleyway that follows the back of the house. Residents in the surrounding area of Southsea and Fratton

are therefore being urged to ensure that all entrances and exits of their houses, including windows, are securely shut and locked.

PC Jo Sheilds said that a per-son was seen carrying a very large rucksack which would have been heavy and full, in which one of the residents of the students also recalled as black with an orange trim.

Hampshire police media state that “An 18-year-old woman and a 39-year-old woman from Portsmouth have been arrested in connection with this burglary and are currently in police cus-tody”. The stolen items have not yet been returned to the stu-dents.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Fratton police station on 101, or to alternative-ly call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555111 for their iden-tity to remain anonymous.

Two arrested after student house burglary


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Sabbatical candidates announced as contest heats upLuke Baynes

Senior Reporter

Nineteen candidates have thrown in their hats for the five sabbatical officer positions with-in our Students’ Union.

Nominations were finalised on 17th February and voting will begin on 12th March, last-ing four days, until 15th March.

This will be followed the next day by a live results show in the Waterhole Bar.

The newly announced sab-baticals will begin their jobs on 18th June whilst current sab-batical officers will continue in their office until 1st July.

The role of President of the Union is being contested by two current Sabbatical officers: cur-rent VP Activities Milly Young-man and current VP Education

and Democracy Godfrey Atu-ahene Junior.

The candidates running for Vice President of Sports are Olusegun Olufehinti, Cat Red-ding and Stephen Dancey.

Running for Vice President of Welfare and Community are Becky Gardner, Suzanna Loxton, Kirsty Loveridge, Chris Elley and Perry Taylor.

Fighting for your vote for Vice President of Activities are Grant Clarke, Patrick McMahon, Alex Vince, Gregor Engelmann, Mo-hammed Ahsan Karim and Liam Ryder.

Finally, candidates running for Vice President of Education and Democracy are Enzo Rossi, Sam Bogg and Luke Franks.

Sabbatical officers are elected students who take a year break from their studies, have just

completed their final year at the University of Portsmouth or have just completed a year in another Sabbatical position.

They will earn a minimum of £18,000 a year and their expe-rience as sabbatical officers will help to boost their CVs.

There will be ‘question time’ events taking place from 5th to 9th March, which will allow stu-dents to pose their queries and concerns to the potential sab-baticals and give them the op-portunity to impart their inten-tions and proposals for the year ahead.

All students at the University of Portsmouth are eligible to vote at the election, which will take place all over the campus. Last year 4,122 students voted in the election.

Battle of the Sabbs: Vanessa Azzopardi interviews your President candidates

What made you de-cide to run for Pres-ident?My involvement in the Union quite sim-ply transformed my University experience – and I want it to do the same for as many others as possible. Whether on increased or current fees, all stu-dents deserve the best experience they can get during their time here.

I want to make posi-tive changes and im-provements to really put Portsmouth on the map for an amaz-ing all-round student experience. It’s also really important to stand as a strong Un-ion and speak up on a local and national level, something I’d be honoured to do on behalf of our students.

If elected as President, what is the first thing you would improve?A big priority for me is making it easier for students to get things done, in both the Union and University. I’ll endeavour to make it simpler for student’s ideas to be put into action, and press the Univer-sity to really listen and let student feed-back and ideas shape their decisions. My feeling is that ‘what students want’ is of-ten assumed by those who have limited personal experience of being a student – I feel this particularly happens with under-represented groups.

What skills do you intend to bring to the table as Presi-dent?I like to think I’m very diplomatic, and am able to sit apart from an is-sue if needed, al-though still very passionate and opinionated on is-sues that matter to students. I like to facilitate discus-sion and always take on board the

views of others. I’m an enthusiastic and approachable (I like to think!) person and I’m also very used to working under pressure - including functioning on lim-ited sleep!

What do you think makes you stand out from the competition?I’ve had involvement in all activity areas of the Union, giving me a well-rounded knowledge of the whole organisation. Supporting other Sabbaticals in their work is a key part of the Presidential role for me – something which I’ve already demonstrated this year, be it attending events or making videos and posters. Al-though I have my own ideas informed by student feedback on what needs chang-ing at the Union, I’m always open to new ones too.

Milly YoungmanWhat made you de-cide to run for Pres-ident?For me it is all about creating a change, I want University life and the Union to be open, easily accessible and reflect all students’ needs. I want to build an agenda that lasts for more than a year, by continuing, the good work, building on the foundations and look-ing to the future. It would be a privilege to lead our Union. I have always felt that the Union gave me eve-rything the University had to offer, so by running for President I could give it all back.

Plain and simply… I want to make a Better Union and University for You!

If elected as President, what is the first thing you would improve?Work on the issues that students have told me matter to them the most - the money in their pocket – from hidden course costs (ie lab jackets and university trips) to increasing bursaries and finan-cial support.

What skills do you intend to bring to the table as Presi-dent?I will never stop representing/sup-porting you and your ideas - I have excellent com-munication, clear leadership, real integrity, bonding and bridging skills. I’m dependable, passionate and creative.

What do you think makes you stand out from the competition?I’m hardworking, organised and ap-proachable. I have gone over and be-yond my VP election manifesto and job description. I have worked with a wide range of student groups from Media, So-cieties, RAG and Course Reps, to deliver the things they want and need. I under-stand the University and Union inside out. I also connect with all students for example - mature, undergrad, postgrad, sporto, international, home and EU.

Godfrey Atuahene Junior

No Suitable Candidate (NSC)Students are able to vote for no suitable candidate if they feel that none of the nominated candidates are suitable for the position. A vote for no suitable candi-date means the voter wishes the Union to reopen the nominations process and hold another ballot for the position.

UPSU

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Sabbatical candidates announced as contest heats upcompleted their final year at the University of Portsmouth or have just completed a year in another Sabbatical position.

They will earn a minimum of £18,000 a year and their expe-rience as sabbatical officers will help to boost their CVs.

There will be ‘question time’ events taking place from 5th to 9th March, which will allow stu-dents to pose their queries and concerns to the potential sab-baticals and give them the op-portunity to impart their inten-tions and proposals for the year ahead.

All students at the University of Portsmouth are eligible to vote at the election, which will take place all over the campus. Last year 4,122 students voted in the election.

Battle of the Sabbs: Vanessa Azzopardi interviews your President candidates

Luke Baynes

Senior Reporter

On 22nd February UPSU along with the Volunteering in Ports-mouth (VIP) group organised a beach clean up on Portsmouth beach.

This trip to the seaside was motivated by the national Stu-dent Volunteering Week, which was carried out from 20th to 26th February. The beach clean up was an opportunity for Uni-versity of Portsmouth students to get involved with the local community and give something back.

32 students took part in the event, which took place between 12 and 2 o’clock. They braved the wind and the rain and were able to fill 20 large bags of rub-bish from the banks of the So-lent.

VP Welfare and Community Stephen Roberts said about the event: “[it was] really popular and it’s definitely something we will look to do in the future.”

The beaches around Ports-mouth are cleaned daily only during the summer months, which means that during these cold winter and spring months it is important for volunteers to take care of our coastline.

According to the The Marine Conservation Society, levels of pollution are at a record-break-

ing high along the British coast-line, with “nearly 2,000 items of rubbish for every kilometre on a beach”, while “plastic litter on beaches has increased 135% since 1994.” Statistics like this suggest that it is important for events such as the beach clean up to take place.

Not only do the beaches bene-

fit from such events, but students who take part in them also ben-efit. Volunteering organisation Volunteering England states: “Volunteering enhances em-ployability, with 51% of recent graduates under 30 years old in paid work saying that volunteer-ing helped them secure a job.” So even if you’re not too worried

about the environment, taking part in future events could give you that extra advantage when you graduate.

If you missed the beach clean up then there will be many op-portunities made available in the near future provided by our Students’ Union and the com-munity group VIP.

Students join forces to clean Portsmouth’s beaches

Students pick up litter on the beach in Milton Portsmouth News

UPSU Volunteering Fayre a success

Lauren O’Neil

The Volunteering Fayre took place on Friday 24th Febru-ary in Third Space at the Stu-dents’ Union as part of this year’s annual national Stu-dent Volunteering Week.

The week aims to encour-age as many students as pos-sible from universities all over the country to get involved in volunteering.

Events earlier on in the week included a beach clean-up, a creative team meeting involving organising the VIP (Volunteering in Portsmouth) Elderly Spring Tea Dance, a charity focus group and an environmental focus group.

Purple Door Careers and Recruitment and the Univer-sity of Portsmouth Students’ Union worked together at the Volunteering Fayre to provide students and also members of the public with information regarding the volunteering opportunities that are avail-able to them in Portsmouth.

Turnout was good, with those attending being able to talk face to face with mem-bers of local charities and or-ganisations who offered them insightful information as well as the chance to sign up and apply for any volunteering placements that interested them.

Stephen Roberts, Vice Pres-ident for Welfare and Com-munity, said: “Volunteering is a really valuable thing to do while you’re at University. It’s a great way to meet new people and make the most of your spare time.

Employers are also increas-ingly interested in hiring graduates with experiences outside of their degree, and volunteering can really help you build up a strong CV that will get you noticed in the job market.”

He added: “Anyone can get involved in volunteering. There are opportunities avail-able whatever degree you are studying and whatever you’re interested in.”

For more information and the chance to complete a UPSU Volunteering Registra-tion Form, head to: www.upsu.net/activities/volun-teering.

George McCann

Volunteering in Portsmouth (VIP) held a 1940s themed event at Shearwater Centre for the elderly on Wednesday 22nd February.

The care home is a special-ised centre which offers help and support to those who are af-fected by dementia.

The event was part of the Stu-dent Volunteering week which ran between 20th and 26th Feb-ruary.

The Community Coordinator for VIP, Emily Troeger, and sev-eral other members of the soci-ety and students were involved in the event.

Much thought and prepara-tion went into the event and a subject was finally decided: a 1940s themed party would

hopefully bring back some hap-py memories for the residents of the Shearwater Centre.

It would not have been a party without some good old fashioned music, so ‘The Three Bells’, originally formed in Ports-

mouth, were booked and it was not long before everyone was up on their feet dancing and singing along to what can only be described as timeless 1940s classics.

VIP may have organised and

funded the event, but it was up to the residents to have a good time, and with an impressive spread of food and drinks it was almost impossible not to.

A fundamental part of the event was the hiring of Remi-niscence Boxes from the Central Library.

The boxes contained some memorabilia from the 1940s which included the likes of ra-tion books and sewing ma-chines.

The boxes aided those from the era to share their memories with the care workers and the volunteers.

The event was a huge success and all those involved were left with a great feeling of achieve-ment as the residents of Shear-water got to re-live some of their greatest memories.

Volunteering in Portsmouth hold 1940’s event for elderly

Volunteering Week

VIP


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University of StirlingA report into how the Univer-sity of Stirling is run has sug-gested that students should be involved in the salaries of the higher up members of their uni-versity.

The report suggests that stu-dents should have the power to decide the salaries and bonuses of the the university’s princi-ples and that two members of the Students’ Union should be voted into the university court.

This is just one of a number of recommendations in the re-port which was started by Mi-chael Russell, the Cabinet Sec-retary of Education.Source: onestowatchmedia.com

London School of EconomicsViolence broke out after a Pales-tinian society’s protest was as-saulted by water balloons.

The blame instantly fell on the Jewish Society, although leaders of that organisation have condemned the attack.

The Palestinian society had put up a mock check point out-side of the St. Clements Build-ing. Students were stopped before entering the building and asked by protesters for “pa-pers”.

Certain Jewish students com-plained of “harassment and in-timidation” as access to St. Cle-ments was blocked.Source: thebeaveronline.co.uk

Queens University BelfastA QUB Business Club’s social to be called CEO’s and Ho’s and was cancelled after they received many emails from the Belfast Feminism Network.

The club tried to change the name to CEO’s and Secretaries but this also caused complaints. Treasa Harkin, VP of Equality, said: “I spoke to the Business Club who immediately realised their misjudgement – the event committee swiftly moved to pre-vent any further offence. It was the sole decision of the Business Club to cancel the event and I commend them for such a ma-ture and immediate response.”Source: thegown.org.uk

University of BristolA former pub, due to be con-verted into student housing, has been occupied by 11 squatters.

The King’s Arms was part of controversial building develop-ment and many local residents were concerned about the threat of noise and litter, fear-ing it would turn into a ‘student ghetto’. Nick Boyce, the Univer-sity Police Officer, confirmed that the occupation was “a case of civil trespass”. He stated: “The squatters are occupying the premise using civil law, and it is down to the owner of the property to take legal proceed-ings to get an eviction.”Source: epigram.org.uk

University Roundup: The best of student media from around the UK

Islamic Awareness Week comes to Portsmouth

Jasmine Rapson

An awareness week dedicated to Islam was held at the end of February, with the aim to clear the common misconcep-tions that surround the Islam-ic faith.

Today’s media often creates a negative stigma of Islam due to a focus on extremists and terrorists that are active in the world today. Islamic Awareness week attempted to change these stereotypes and help to create a more positive image of Islam.

The event was held by the Islamic Society of Portsmouth (ISOP). The society is aiming to spread the message of Is-lam around campus through a range of different events.

The events included a va-riety of talks, such as ‘The Power of Intention’ and ‘Clash of Cultures: What happened when the Taliban captured a western feminist’.

The events, however, were not exclusive to Muslims. It was a chance for those of all faiths to become aware of the diverse religious community on campus.

A debate was held as part of the event called ‘Can God be Man’, focusing on the na-ture of Jesus. Sporting activi-ties were also held to encour-age all students to become actively involved in the event.

Awareness was raised through exhibitions held in the Portland Building atrium. ISOP offered free copies of the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an as well as further information about Islam and light refresh-ments.

Anthony Strzalek

Head of News

One World Week, a joint ini-tiative between the University and the Students’ Union, kicked off on Monday 27th February and continued until Friday 2nd March.

One World Week (OWW) aims to give students the chance to experience different cultures, raise awareness and celebrate our diverse University commu-nity.

Milly Youngman, VP Activities for the Students’ Union, said: “One World Week celebrates the diverse student community we have here in Portsmouth. Last year was a fantastic success, and this year we have even more exciting and fun events happen-ing throughout the week, allow-ing everyone to try a little bit of something new and experience the world from a different point of view.”

A wide variety of events took place throughout the week in-cluding a diversity photographer

of the year competition, held in the library.

Students entered photo-graphs that promote the theme of diversity and inclusion. The top photographs will be on dis-play in the University Library and the winning photograph will be mounted and displayed throughout the year.

There was also a curry com-

petition every lunchtime where students are encouraged to sub-mit their best curry recipe from around the world. Each day one of the chosen curries was cooked and sold in Third Space.

Other daily events included a chance to meet exotic animals from around the world in Third Space; an intercontinental 5-a-side football and badminton

tournament on in St Pauls Hall; a writing workshop with pub-lished writer, Miriam Halahmy in St George’s, and the oppor-tunity for students to take part in a recreational game called Boccia in Third Space, which is traditionally played by those with cerebral palsy and limited motor skills, but can be played by anyone.

Portsmouth’s diversity shown off at One World Week

Aaron Thomson

The University of Portsmouth has begun trialling a beta ver-sion of a new site that will re-place the LookUp pages.

MyPort will feature students’ timetables which can also be imported onto iCal so that an electronic calendar and the

timetable can be viewed on a smartphone, such as an iPhone.

Students will also be able to access their assessment marks and other details about their course.

Contact details will also be shown and can be edited when-ever needed.

Similar to LookUp, the site

will also feature any contact de-tails for help and support that may be relevant to the student.

The IT service desk will be expecting feedback on what stu-dents think of the MyPort site and will hopefully change it for the better in the future.

VP Education and Democracy Godfrey Atuahene Junior said:

“I feel the MyPort beta website will considerably change the way students interact with the institution. From simple things like downloading your timetable to a one stop shop for all your university needs.”

He adds: “I am very excited as I have seen the MyPort web-site and I can’t wait to hear what everyone has to say about it.”

The trial will continue for at least a few months.

The University trials a new beta website

Students attend the OWW exotic animals event in Third Space Sarah Jackson

ISOC


OPINION @GalleonOpinion

Vikki Kitteridge

There has recently been some debate over whether or not it should be compulsory for cy-clists to purchase insurance and show registration in order to protect them in accidents. Due to a rise in the number of bikes there are on the road in the last twenty years, accidents involv-ing cyclists are increasing too.

Some 111 were killed on the roads in 2010, the latest fig-ures show, with 2,660 seriously injured and 14,414 slightly in-jured. Most of these occurred during rush hour. These figures show how the increase in cy-clists has led to an increase in accidents on the road, but would insurance and registration help to prevent these?

Making insurance compulsory for cyclists is likely to stop a lot of people from cycling. A second year student said: “I already fork out lots of money for tax and in-surance on my car, and so if I had to pay extra to use my bike I wouldn’t use it.”

Like this student and many others, a bike is used recreation-ally or as a tool to get around when the weather is nice and for extra exercise. Making eve-ryone pay for insurance and reg-

istration on their bikes would stop those who cycle for fun, for exercise, or even with their children as a fun day out. Also, if

people stopped using their bikes it would mean that more people are driving on the roads, leading to huge impacts on the environ-

ment.There may however be some

positive effects for some cyclists, but I think that this will only

impact those who cycle on a regular basis. Having insurance may put cyclists on a more equal ground to cars, meaning that the ongoing feud between the two could be stopped or decreased.

The insurance price would also be quite cheap and may save the cyclist a lot of money if they caused an accident and would have otherwise had to pay the expenditure themselves. However, just like everything else, the insurance price is bound to go up year after year.Even though the opposing argu-ments are valid, I think cycling, a fun day out for some people, could be ruined by imposing this law upon them, all because of those that think it is okay to ride recklessly, jumping red lights and cutting in front of cars.

Whilst I am not suggesting that all cyclists ride like this, there is nothing to say that mak-ing them pay would stop some cyclists riding like they do now.

Everything is becoming too regulated and I think cyclists should have the freedom of choice as to whether or not they want to protect themselves and pay for insurance. This way it can be mostly used by those who cycle daily rather than those who only get out in the summer.

Do you think cyclists should have insurance? Takver

Should cyclists have compulsory insurance?Transport

Sam Ward

Barack Obama recently sang Sweet Home Chicago at a char-ity gig at The White House to commemorate the Blues. How-ever, it does not look likely that Obama will return home to Chi-cago any time soon.

Obama’s presidency has fol-lowed a similar pattern to the previous ones, even with the media trying desperately to add some drama. The Healthcare Bill fulfils a major campaign prom-ise and fits his early rhetoric of change. But Obama has shown signs of a traditional American president. He has failed to close Guantanamo, and the enigma surrounding Osama bin Laden’s death remains.

However, Obama has recently recovered from a loss of sup-

port. His poll ratings are up, un-employment is down and most importantly the Republicans are desperately trying to out ‘con-servative’ each other.

The Republican party is fac-ing an election in which they have no strong candidate, and certainly not one supported within the party ranks. The Tea

Party has not been as prominent in this election run up but its legacy can be seen; a Republican party split and polarised.

The current frontrunners are Mitt Romney and Rick Santo-rum. Romney is the multi-mil-lionaire every man. A cut-out from the little book of tradition-al Republican candidates who

can’t remember his own poli-cies. He is pro-business because that is Pro-American. He is pro-oil because that is pro... you get the picture. Also, as Newt Gingrich pointed out, Romney speaks French, an absolute no for the American president (ap-parently).

Rick Santorum is the surprise candidate and has the momen-tum but is a man so backwards he would offend cavemen. San-torum has, among other things, compared being gay to bestiality and argued that women couldn’t serve in the military because they are too emotional. Ask him about contraception and then you will see emotion. The only thing we can forgive Santorum for is his name (look it up).

Newt Gingrich was seen as the straight talking man to

tackle Romney but his star has faded somewhat. But Mr Ging-rich is your man if you love the moon. Gingrich is so obsessed with the moon you would think he had missed an important epi-sode of Button Moon. Ask him about healthcare and he’ll talk about great healthcare prospects on the moon. He plans to build a base on the moon for hard working Americans to ‘vacate’ in peace.

Lastly is Mr. Liberty, aka Ron Paul. Paul is the man who wants absolute freedom for everyone, except: Blacks, Jews, gays and women seeking abortions.

So, Sweet Home Chicago looks like it will have to wait for Obama.

Congratulations Mr. Obama, the Republicans have nominated you as President in 2012.

International

US elections: home sweet White House for ObamaChris Christner

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Sam Bogg

Opinion Editor

Imagine not eating for 66 days. This is exactly what Palestinian Khader Adnan has done. Khader was arbitrarily detained by Is-rael, a law dating back to the British mandate in the region. The law allows for Israel to de-tain anyone they feel like, with-out being charged and without trial. Khader’s hunger strike was ignored by most of the British media, but thanks to the power of social media, he is now set to be released on 14th April, that is if his sacrifice has not already cost him his life by then.

The story of Khader Adnan is one all too familiar to the Pal-estinian people. The number of people who are detained with-out charge and simply forgotten about by the State of Israel is unimaginable, as is the suffering they go through. Imagine being detained with no contact to your family for a length of time that

you do not know, all the while being tortured and beaten for information you most probably don’t possess. That is the situa-tion faced by thousands of Pales-tinians detained by Israel.

However, arbitrary detention is not the only thing the Pales-tinians have to face. Each day they are confronted with humili-ating checkpoints. Just to get to work, school or to visit friends they are made to suffer hours of delays and dehumanisation by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).

Gaza and the West Bank are nothing more than open prisons. Israel decides what goes in and what comes out, and moving about in the occupied territories is dictated to you by the IDF.

The number of stories of women in labour who have lost their babies due to waiting at checkpoints are, again, count-less. While minimal amounts of food and water may be allowed in by Israel, the materials to re-

build the bombed homes of or-dinary Palestinians are not. They have been stripped of all control in their lives.

This brings us on to the sub-ject of terrorism. The IDF along-side many other Zionist groups have tried to label Khader as a Jihadist terrorist responsible for countless suicide bombings and other attacks in the region. They might be right; it is something yet to be proven. But while these sorts of attacks on innocent ci-vilians are crimes and are de-testable, we have to think about what circumstances people are in which make them do this.

The situation the Palestin-ians are in drives many to feel hopeless. If we add this to the fact that both Fatah and Ha-mas (who, whatever you think of their views, were democrati-cally elected) have sold out the hope of any real right to return, are we shocked that people may take part in acts of terror out of

sheer desperation? And is that act any different to the acts of terror that Israel enacts on the Palestinians?

Unfortunately, the Palestini-ans cannot rely on the UN or any other state to aid them in achiev-ing freedom. While the US has unconditional support for Israel, supplying them with more arms than they do any other country, and blocks any bid for state-hood, the chance of a legal solu-tion in the current circumstanc-es is unlikely. However, there is a famous saying that “the road to Jerusalem runs through Cairo”, and it makes what is happening in Egypt all the more important to Palestinians, far more impor-tant than any UN ruling on its membership.

The Arab Spring is not over and has not bypassed Palestine. Even the UN has said the chance of another Intifada is inevitable.

While the plight of the Pales-tinians is wilfully ignored by the

West and by the media, millions of people do not ignore it, and in Portsmouth there is such a group of students who do care for the Palestinians. As I write, a Palestine Solidarity Week is be-ing organised and students who care for justice should be in-volved. They seek to inform and educate on the issue as well as get students to take action.

Nelson Mandela said: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestin-ians.” Regardless of your views on a solution to the issue, un-conditional support for Israel is barbaric and support for the Pal-estinians is not anti-Semitic but humane. We can no longer bury our heads and deem the situa-tion too complicated or hard to understand, but we must take action.

For every minute we waste, more Khader Adnans are being created and more people are dy-ing for dignity and freedom.

International

How long will the world ignore the plight of Palestine?

US elections: home sweet White House for Obama

Molly O’Shea

Deputy Opinion Editor

It’s coming up to student elec-tion time at the University of Portsmouth. It’s time to be pur-sued and persuaded and per-haps even bribed.

The positions available are for President, Vice President Activi-ties, Vice President Education and Democracy, Vice President Sport and Vice President Wel-fare and Community.

The five successful candidates will lead the Students’ Union for the next academic year covering a wide variety of issues with the main aim being to help improve the quality of your time at uni-versity.

It can be difficult in decid-ing who to vote for. Soon there will be contenders attempting to sway your decision by handing out free lollypops and stickers whilst dressed as Shrek, all of which can be enticing.

However during student elections it is easy to see how the balance may be swayed, with the risk that it could turn into a popularity contest, or that the successful candidates

may be appointed solely on the grounds that they gave out the best sweets, or designed the best poster.

Not everyone is interested in politics but most people will

have experienced something they would like to see altered during their time at Portsmouth.

This is a good time to try to elect someone who is on the same side as you.

This being said, if the best person for the job also happens to be the one armed with sugary treats then everybody can sleep happily.

Each candidate will be put-

ting forward a manifesto of what they hope to achieve should they be successful.

There will also be ‘question time’ style events running be-tween the 5th and 9th of March.

I believe that this will be a perfect opportunity to put them on the spot, grill them to the point that if there’s no substance behind their catchy slogans and well made costumes, there will be nowhere to hide.

This is an opportunity for the students of Portsmouth to be heard, and for their qualms to be addressed. It is easy to sit be-hind a computer and type what people want to hear before pa-rading Guildhall appealing for votes, but the ones who actually care and are serious about work-ing to help you will surely stand out when put under pressure to answer your questions.

On what basis people decide to, or indeed not to vote is per-sonal to them. However let’s hope there are enough people willing to interrogate the candi-dates enough to ensure the best are picked from the bunch.

Bring on the elections!

Students campaign for your votes in previous elections UPSU

What makes you vote in the UPSU elections?Elections


FEATURES @GalleonFeatures

Finance

London Fashion Week round upFashion

Chanice Henry and Lizzie Gayton

Sometimes work just isn’t that appealing. So you put it off for another half an hour and you tidy up your room. A task that simply couldn’t wait. An hour later, you got a bit too involved and you organised your folders, re-turned DVD disks to their correct boxes and have got-ten rid of the clan of glasses dotted around your room.

But by now you’re hungry so you sniff for something ed-

ible and munch away. Then you pop onto YouTube.

Three hours later and that work is no closer to being fin-ished. You use one friend’s Facebook page to hop to the next like stepping

stones.The work is still not

done and you’re tucked up in bed content with

your decision to skip the lec-ture tomorrow.

You may have been put off by the blustery walk in. Or maybe you tell yourself that you’re just not 100% and it would be ‘dangerous’ to risk it. You then comfort yourself by saying that lecture would have been a waste of time anyway.

Many of us have ‘thrown a sicky’ before. But when we are the ones paying to attend, how much of our own money are we sacrificing?

A full-time undergraduate currently pays £3,375 per year. In this academic year (excluding

holiday and exam periods) there are 25 teaching weeks in total. So we all pay £135 a week to study here.

Here at The Galleon after ask-ing around the University we have made an approximation to how much the hourly spend is to study here.

The maximum number of contact hours a week we came across was 24 and the minimum was 7 hours. Totting up to be-tween £6 and £19 per hour.

When using the same data we concluded that some 2012 stu-dents, who will be charged up to £8,500 per year, will be paying £340 a week and between £14-£45 an hour!

That’s money that you could have used on socialising or on your weekly shop. And if you get a student loan, technically that’s money our government could have applied elsewhere.

Failure to show for lectures regularly could result in having to retake a whole year, and then it would be a whole lot more than just £19 you’ll be parting with!

How much do you fl unk when you bunk?

Ray Tang

Around this time every year, there is one word that every stu-dent fears: dissertation. Whether it’s creative or academic, a port-folio or a very long essay, this particular piece of work tends to drive almost every student into isolation and mini-breakdowns. But there are ways to avoid this predicament. Here are a few tips to keep ahead of your disserta-tion:

It’s never too early to focus on your dissertationWhether you’ve already had an idea half way through your sec-ond academic year, or you al-ready know what you wanted to do before you came into univer-sity, there is not a rule such as having too much time. Time is a clinical factor on dissertations. So even if you have a spare ten

minutes away from your other commitments, use it to focus on your dissertation, as by the time you get into your final year, you will already have a ‘headstart’ to the game. More to the point, if you leave it too late, then you’ll have a big mountain to climb.

Edit, edit, and edit again

Refining your work on a regu-lar basis will be one of the most important things that will boost that final mark that you want. This does not mean you should start editing your work every single day till it becomes emo-tionally draining, but when you do take a break away from your work, take a look at it in a few

days with a pair of ‘fresh eyes’, and you may just spot that sim-plest of mistakes.

Update your bibliography regularlyIt is not uncommon to hear students complain about doing the dreaded bibliography at the end of such a project. But that’s

the problem right there. It’s be-cause you left it right to the end. Whether you’re referencing five, twenty or fifty sources in your dissertation, it is wise to update your bibliography the moment you have a source included in it. By using this technique, you no longer have to worry about backtracking all your sources at the end, and can avoid miss-ing out a source you used which would otherwise cost you marks.

Never avoid your tutorDespite this being an obvious factor, there are students across the country who choose to avoid their tutor for various reasons. Remember you tutor is there to help you. They may be mad at you if you haven’t done as much work as you should have, but it doesn’t mean they’ll give up on you. They are there to help and point you in the right direction.

Four steps to avoid death by dissertationEducation

Features editor Chanice Henry and Lizzie Gayton take a look at the true cost of missing your lectures and seminars

Follow these four simple

steps to avoid feeling like

this! Nigel Pepper

How much money are you wasting each week? Stuart Pilbrow

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London Fashion Week round upKelsey Diggins

Fashion Correspondent

This time last week, starlets were out in force to view the first of the two London Fashion Weeks of 2012. This spectacle is exclusive to buyers, fashion crit-ics and the press.

Actors, models and other fashion hungry ce-lebs lined the frow (that’s front row to you and me) to catch a glimpse of the trends that will be bursting onto the scene in Autumn this year and the trends that we will be look-ing fabulous in through to Spring 2013. Next year will be London Fashion Week’s 30th birthday.

Organised by the British fashion council, a company focused on promoting our fashion to a global audience, London fashion week was held in the Natural History Museum. It spanned from 17th to 21st February with menswear day falling on day six.

This week was one to remember with Stella McCartney’s spectacular ‘flash mob fashion’. In-stead of a conventional catwalk, McCartney had the models dancing on tables and chairs while the fashion elite sat down to a six-course, black-tie meal. The at-mosphere was de-scribed by some as ‘electric’ and the line was quite frankly Stella.

In amongst the madness, Autumn/Winter wardrobes were being dictated, so I have complied some of the key trends to keep your eyes peeled for when the autumn months creep back around:

MilitaryLapels and khaki were seen from the Topshop catwalk to Victoria Beck-ham’s. To keep the trend looking understated go for either a khaki dress or a black jacket with lapels to steer clear of looking ‘costume’.

Animal printsFrom cats, to owls, to foxes you’ll be hard pushed to find a jump-er this year that’s not adorned with some kind of cuddly critter. Burb-erry Prorsum kept the prints from looking too cutesy with jewelled ap-pliqué versions.

Bomber Jackets

Yep, you read that right. Boys and girls will be donning the padded bomber jacket mainly in muted tones to keep warm in the colder months.

BrightsThere will be more colour clashing, espe-

cially in purples, yellows, deep blues and reds. Keeping it warm and snuggly look for bright knits.

TailoringTuxedo jackets, skinny trousers and pencil skirts are going to be big in evening wear. Jackets will be over-sized and ‘man-ish’ but staying la-dylike and svelte on the bottom half.

MetallicsGolds will be especially big too, from

trousers to oversize tees. Wear them with blacks or muted colours to keep the

look understated.

So, let’s keep up with New York Vogue editor

Anna Wintour’s perception of British girls, who she descr ibed as “better d r e s s e d than any-body” and look fab all year.

Fashion

How much do you flunk when you bunk?

Four steps to avoid death by dissertation

Features editor Chanice Henry and Lizzie Gayton take a look at the true cost of missing your lectures and seminarsMoniqueLhuillier uses brights in her Spring 2012 designsFrazer Harrison

Jason Wu shows off Jewelled appliqués in his Fall 2012 collectionFernanda Calfat


FEATURES @GalleonFeatures

Jaime Steers

Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish which is simple to make whilst looking impres-sive. There are lots of filling variations so you can really get experimental. You don’t necessarily have to include fish so

anyone can enjoy it.To make sushi it is advised to buy a

bamboo rolling mat as it makes the roll-ing a little easier. These are relatively cheap, costing around £2. You can pur-chase rolling mats, seaweed and Japa-nese sushi rice from any oriental food store. Try the Akram Oriental Supermar-ket on Palmerston Road.

The first time you make sushi it may cost around £9 depending on which fill-ings you go for. However, you’ll have plenty of ingredients left over, making it cheaper for the next time you fancy get-ting creative in the kitchen.

Step 1Rinse the rice in cold water. Place the rice in a large metal pan with a ratio of 1:1 water. Bring to the boil and add a pinch of salt and sugar, now simmer for 15 min-utes whilst stirring. Take the pan off the heat and cover it, leaving to stand for 10 minutes.

Step 2Chop the cucumber, avocado and smoked salmon into small pieces. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Step 3 Lay a sheet of seaweed vertically across a chopping board (and the rolling mat if you have one), allowing you to roll the sushi away from you. With wet hands spread a thin, even layer of rice about 1/2cm thick, covering about three quar-ters of the seaweed.

Step 4Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on top of the rice. Next layer your fillings on top of the cheese. Not too much other-wise you will have trouble rolling.

Step 5Now the fun part – firmly and slowly roll up the sheet, pressing down lightly with both hands. Wet the end piece of sea-

weed to stick the roll together.

Step 6Cut into pieces using a slightly wet knife. Serve with soy sauce.

TipsYou want the rice to be sticky so it com-pacts together. If it’s too dry it will scatter when you roll.

Ensure the rolls are tight and evenly rolled.

Optional fillingsPrawnsWasabi sauceSpring onionsRed pepperRice vinegarTunaToasted sesame seedsCarrotGreen beansGobo

Food

Ingredients (approx 30 pieces)

250g Japanese sushi rice5 sheets of nori seaweed sheets1tsp sugarHalf a cucumber1 avocadoSmoked salmonCream cheese with garlic and herbsLemon juiceLight soy sauce

Recipe: simple authentic sushiTravel

Sex and RelationshipsFollow our simple recipe and cook authentic Japanese sushi in no timesxc.hu/szarlota

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Canterbury: more than just a cathedralSophie Goodall

Travel Correspondent

Famed for its cathedral, Canter-bury is a picturesque city situ-ated within the ‘Garden of Eng-land’, Kent.Built along the banks of the River Stour, the city provides its visitors with stunning archi-tecture, plenty of cozy pubs, as well as many historical places of interest.

So what is there to see? First-ly, Canterbury cathedral, a UN-ESCO World Heritage Site, has been an attraction for pilgrims and tourists alike since it was founded in the 6th century AD. As the focal point of the city, the cathedral attracts over one mil-lion visitors a year and it’s easy to see why.

Not only is the cathedral the symbolic home of the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and leader of the Church of England, Rev-erend Rowan Williams, but its halls have also seen the mur-der and burial of Saint Thomas Becket. The cathedral serves as the final resting place of Edward Plantagenet and King Henry IV.

It is marked as the final destina-tion for the pilgrims depicted in Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’.

St Margaret’s Church, built

during the medieval era, plays host to ‘The Canterbury Tales’. This museum attraction allows you to step back in time to the 14th century to hear Geoffrey

Chaucer’s infamous stories re-told by large models. Open all year round and less than a ten-ner for a student ticket, this is definitely worth a visit (even if

it is just reminding you of those dastardly English GCSE class-es!).

Playwright Christopher Marlowe was born in the city around 1564, and the tower of St George’s church where he was baptised still stands in the city today, despite the rest of the church having been destroyed in the Baedeker blitz bombings of 1942. Marlowe has since be-come the namesake of the city’s most popular theatre.

With UPSU offering a trip to this historic city on Saturday 10th March, you can make your very own pilgrimage to the ca-thedral, or just spend the day checking out the city’s shops and pubs.

And, as an extra bonus for the ladies, Canterbury is also the birthplace of everybody’s fa-vourite pirate, Orlando Bloom. Rumour has it that he can often be spotted grabbing his grocer-ies or meeting his mum in the city’s streets.

Tickets for the trip cost £13 and are available in advance from the Students’ Union shop.

Travel

Rose Bratch

Sex and Relationships Correspondent

Have you ever been asked out on a date by someone you don’t find attractive? If so, have you ever said yes simply because you felt sorry for them?

This is what’s called a pity date, something you shouldn’t let happen.

Frankly speaking, nobody should go on a date out of pity. The warning bells should sound as soon as you are asked out by somebody that you are not inter-ested in. Put simply, if asked on a date that you don’t want to go on, you need to say so!

By agreeing to go, you are signalling that there is a mutual attraction between the two of you. As a result, it’s likely that you will end up hurting them, or else embarrassing them, when they realise that you don’t feel the same way. And it’s probable

you’ll also embarrass yourself when they don’t appreciate your true feelings.

Problems usually occur when somebody simply doesn’t know how to turn down an offer to be taken out. A lot of the time, peo-ple panic and hastily agree just for the sake of it and because it’s easier. Others merely don’t

want to humiliate the person as they don’t know how to decline them.

Yet just because you don’t have mutual feelings for some-one, doesn’t mean you have to be rude about it. Let them down gently – be polite, yet firm. Be nice, but not overly friendly to give them the wrong impres-

sion. Suggest that you want to remain friends, which is more likely to happen if there is less humiliation in the first place.

And if you’re pestering some-one to go out with you and feel-ing the vibe that they just aren’t interested, take the hint! Don’t keep pursuing it - if it’s meant to be, you’re likely to feel a con-

nection. If you don’t feel it, then move on – it’s their loss. As they say, there are plenty more fish in the sea.

Sex and Relationships

Dates that start with pity will end the same way

Your View

Hannah Chaytor, third year:“Don’t go on a date with some-one just because you feel sor-ry for them. The chances are, because of that, nothing will come of it and the other person could end up hating you.”

Christian Wilton, second year:“I took a girl out once and thought it went really well. Then I realised she didn’t even l i k e me and just wanted a

free meal. Don’t go on a date with someone un-less you like them or you’ll end up feeling used!”

me and just wanted a free meal. Don’t go on a

less you like them or you’ll end up feeling used!”

Ed Yourdon

The River Stour in CanterburyDavid Iliff


ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT @GalleonArtsEnts

PreviewWhat’s Hot What’s Not

The Muppets return to the big screenThe MuppetsIn cinemas now

Harry Knight

At risk of losing their famed yet dilapidated studio to corrupt oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), it is time for the long-since disbanded Muppets to reu-nite in an attempt to raise the money needed to save their old home. As the simple title sug-gests, The Muppets brings it back to basics with the straight-forward no frills humour that the 1970s ‘Muppet Show’ was all about.

The film suffers from some pacing issues, drawing us in with the long-winded story of Gary (Jason Segel) and his pup-pet brother, Walter (Peter Linz), growing up. Skip forward a few years and Mary (Amy Adams) joins the inseparable duo, as Gary’s ever-patient girlfriend.

Despite what the introduc-tion suggests, we see little of the charming trio as the story unfolds, giving a slight long-ing for more development into Gary and Mary’s rocky relation-ship. After the main plot is set in motion midway into the movie, Kermit and his ensemble take up

The VowIn cinemas now

Corrie Pitfi eld

If you are looking for a film that uses all the typical con-ventions of any rom-com, but then smashes them to a degree whereby after watching the movie, you think “that’s 2 hours of my life I will never get back”, then be sure to watch The Vow.

From watching the trailer I was instantly excited to see the film because, not only did it have Channing Tatum in it, but romantic comedies are also my favourite genre of film.

Little did I realise that after watching this film I would be left with nothing but the feeling of regret and also utter anger that there was no real ending.

The story-line was nothing

We wish we could get amnesia and forget this fi lm

The Best Exotic Marigold HotelIn cinemas now

Amy WestScreen Editor

It has an essence of Love Ac-tually about it, quintessential-ly British-made with a large cast of famous faces. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tells the story of 7 strangers who venture on a holiday to ru-ral India, only to find things they never expected to find – friendship, love and fun!

Maverick SabrePyramids, 9th March

Matt BoruckiMusic Editor

Maverick Sabre has already been announced to play al-most every UK festival this summer, so here is your chance to catch the rapper before the hype really begins. Certain to play songs from the new album Lonely Are The Brave which debuted at number 2 in the charts.

Call the MidwifeBy Jennifer Worth, out now

Hannah ToddCulture Editor

This critically acclaimed nov-el by Jennifer Worth has just finished as a prime-time BBC series with 10 million tuning into each episode. The mem-oirs of a midwife in 1950’s war-torn east-end London is definitely worth a read.

Mass Effect 3Released 9th March for PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows

Graeme StevensonGaming and Technology Editor

After having to wait an extra year for its predecessor, PS3 gamers are now getting this at the same time as their 360 counterparts. Take con-trol of your custom Commander Shepard for a final battle; don’t fear the Reapers.

Upcoming gigs and showsWednesday 7th MarchMcFly - Portsmouth GuildhallThe Magic Band - Wedgewood Rooms

Thursday 8thRise to Remain - Wedgewood Rooms

Friday 9thMaverick Sabre - Pyramids

Saturday 10thJaguar Skills - Portsmouth Guildhall

Sunday 11thMatt Cardle - Portsmouth Guildhall

Rizzle Kicks - Wedgewood Rooms

Monday 12th - 17thChicago - The Kings Theatre

Tuesday 13thThe Stranglers - Pyramids

The Australian Pink Floyd - Southampton Guildhall

Wednesday 14thLaura Marling - Southampton Guildhall

Project XOut 2nd March

Amy WestScreen Editor

Not to be confused with the 1987 sci-fi of the same name, Project X boasts being the “next Hangover” about a group of high school boys set on throwing the best gradua-tion party ever. But, as knowl-edge of the party spreads, things start to get out of control! Sounds similar to... nearly every other party film out there.

One Direction - UK Tour

Matt BoruckiMusic Editor

These 5 little children are not content at only ruining chinos; they have to go and spit in the face of every other hardworking musician. Skip everything that dedicated mu-sicians go through to achieve success and just announce a tour that includes shows at the O2, M.E.N Arena, and Birmingham N.E.C with the backing of one album.

2012: A Leap Year

Hannah ToddCulture Editor

Is it only me that finds it weird that every four years we somehow gain an extra day? Guys watch out, appar-ently your woman can pro-pose to you on this day. It also means one more day to wait till summer. Not a fan.

The Sims 3: ShowtimeOut 6th March

Graeme StevensonGaming and Technology Editor

We’ve reached the sixth ex-pansion pack for The Sims 3. I applaud those who have shown the loyalty to stick with this series despite its constant recycling. Serious gamers will steer clear, but that won’t stop profits leading to expansion pack 28 for The Sims 6 in 2029.

SonisphereDownload Festival’s rival Soni-sphere has finally announced who will be headlining the Kneb-worth stage this June. Rock ‘n’ Roll legends Kiss will be headlin-ing the Friday, and arguably the most famous band in the world, Queen, are set to headline Sat-urday, with Faith No More clos-ing the weekend.

Also announced are Evanes-cence, Incubus, Marilyn Man-son and the Darkness plus many more to come. Visit www.soni-sphere.co.uk for full details on the line-up and tickets.

Eden Sessions 2012With Plan B and Blink 182 al-ready announced as headliners for the series of one-day festivals this summer, Eliot John Gleave, or Example to most, will be joined by Devlin to play in Corn-wall on Saturday 30th June.

With tickets for each day priced at £35, it is an affordable option if you’re stuck for choice this summer. Visit www.eden-project.com/sessions/ for more information and to purchase tickets.

T in the Park 2012Announced to join The Stone Roses as headliners in Balado this year are Kasabian and Snow Patrol. If that isn’t enough, Geoff Ellis, director of the festival, has already announced Florence + the Machine, as well as Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Elbow, New Order and many more.

For full line-up details visit www.tinthepark.com. Shame it’s all the way up in Scotland.

Camden CrawlOne of the more unique “festi-vals” around nowadays, Cam-

den Crawl is back between 4th and 6th May to showcase hun-dreds of bands in many of Cam-den’s pubs and venues. Among the acts first to be announced include Rolo Tomassi, Dutch Un-cles and Alabama 3 and many more.

For more info and details on how to purchase tickets visit www.thecamdencrawl.com.

The ‘Best of British’ Olym-pic Closing CeremonyHaving recently been presented with the ‘Outstanding Contribu-tion to Music Award’ at the Brits, Blur have been booked to close the London Olympics in Hyde Park on 12th August 2012.

To help numb the disappoint-ment of the Olympics ending, The Specials and New Order will also be performing. We all knew Boris had something up his sleeve. Tickets priced at £55.

2012 summer festival previewMusic editor Matt Borucki continues his preview of the biggest festivals this summer

Allistair McMillan

trol of your custom Commander Shepard

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MelancholiaOut now on DVD/Blu-Ray

Graeme Stevenson

Upon viewing the beautifully-shot Melancholia, the realisa-tion hits you of how far Dan-ish film has come since the Dogme movement in 1995, when low budget film-mak-ing was the norm.

Coincidently, it was Mel-ancholia’s director, Lars Von Trier, who initiated the move-ment, hitting out at the spe-cial effects and fantastical story elements on display in Hollywood. Then, last year, he gives us this, an Ameri-can film in all but ending. We have an all-star cast, a budget approaching $10 million, and a typical apocalypse narra-tive.

That’s where the cliched Hollywood similarities end. A story in two parts, the first a dysfunctional family wed-ding, the second a tale of an individual’s depression in the face of impending global dis-aster. Von Trier shoots with a realistic documentary-style that seems almost contradic-tory when coupled with the crisp, sharp visuals on offer.

Dunst and Sutherland are the most impressive of the American cast. Playing a character reminiscent of her role in The Virgin Suicides (1999), Dunst portrays the medical condition Melancho-lia (a form of depression) to devastating effect, somehow making it feel more hopeless than the approaching planet of the same name. Both ‘epi-sodes’ of the two-part film are very much about her and the struggles that her sister Claire (played by Von Trier regular, Charlotte Gainsbourg) goes through in helping her deal with the condition.

It’s certainly not one for the faint-hearted. The incredibly bleak ending will be seen as refreshing by some and, well, depressing by others, but you really shouldn’t expect any less from a Von Trier film.

The Muppets return to the big screenThe MuppetsIn cinemas now

Harry Knight

At risk of losing their famed yet dilapidated studio to corrupt oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), it is time for the long-since disbanded Muppets to reu-nite in an attempt to raise the money needed to save their old home. As the simple title sug-gests, The Muppets brings it back to basics with the straight-forward no frills humour that the 1970s ‘Muppet Show’ was all about.

The film suffers from some pacing issues, drawing us in with the long-winded story of Gary (Jason Segel) and his pup-pet brother, Walter (Peter Linz), growing up. Skip forward a few years and Mary (Amy Adams) joins the inseparable duo, as Gary’s ever-patient girlfriend.

Despite what the introduc-tion suggests, we see little of the charming trio as the story unfolds, giving a slight long-ing for more development into Gary and Mary’s rocky relation-ship. After the main plot is set in motion midway into the movie, Kermit and his ensemble take up

the centre stage with occasion-al appearances from television executive, Veronica (Rashida Jones), checking in on them and Tex Richman, discussing his evil plans in true Bond-villain fash-ion.

The Flight of the Conchords fans will find the satirical mu-sical numbers (written by Con-

chords’ Bret McKenzie) all too familiar. Now Oscar nominated for his work on The Muppets, we can thank McKenzie for bring-ing some refreshing tongue-in-cheek musical humour to a film at risk of being overrun by Mup-pet sentimentality.

Sure, the film has some down-falls, but you will find it difficult

not to get some enjoyment out of it. You will be thrown into a relentless carefree laughter from the start and even if the humour isn’t your thing, the various ce-lebrity cameos scattered around are bound to bring a smile to your face. If you’re looking for an easy watch, this may well be for you.

The VowIn cinemas now

Corrie Pitfi eld

If you are looking for a film that uses all the typical con-ventions of any rom-com, but then smashes them to a degree whereby after watching the movie, you think “that’s 2 hours of my life I will never get back”, then be sure to watch The Vow.

From watching the trailer I was instantly excited to see the film because, not only did it have Channing Tatum in it, but romantic comedies are also my favourite genre of film.

Little did I realise that after watching this film I would be left with nothing but the feeling of regret and also utter anger that there was no real ending.

The story-line was nothing

short of rubbish, with its cyclical narrative that had no resolution. As for the acting, well I think it’s safe to say that Channing Tatum should have ended his career with Step Up and Rachel McAd-ams should never have ventured from her role in Mean Girls.

Disappointment does not come close to how I felt when the credits appeared. For a film based on true-life events, surely director Michael Sucsy could have done a much better adapta-tion instead of using the typical memory loss theme that’s been seen in other rom-coms such as 50 First Dates, and also casting Tatum with the same role that he plays in every single film; the try-hard macho male who gets everything wrong yet always wins the girl, even if she doesn’t remember him.

For someone who loves rom-coms, this film has surely ruined that. Avoid avoid avoid!

We wish we could get amnesia and forget this fi lm

Film

Gary (Jason Segel) and new Muppet Walter before their trip to Hollywood

SCREEN


ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT @GalleonArtsEnts MUSIC

Gig Review

FixersPortsmouth Guildhall, 21st February

Charlie Vinall

Fixers, a five-piece band from Oxford, took to the stage at Portsmouth Guildhall and dem-onstrated precisely why they are worthy of supporting the al-mighty Kaiser Chiefs in concert.

Shyly walking onstage to be-gin their performance, Fixers completely altered any first im-pressions the audience might have had of a quiet and lack-lustre band as soon as the first song began, delivering songs that were energetic, up-beat and lively. Within seconds the audi-ence were bopping their heads in time to their catchy songs, and found themselves singing along to songs they probably hadn’t even heard before, due to their memorable lyrics and feel-good nature.

Highlights of the perfor-mance included Fixer’s rendi-tion of their new single ‘Iron Deer Dream’, packed full of energy and oomph despite the somewhat sinister lyrics: “You’re

homicidal, you’re a beached up sea.” Their performance of ‘Swimmhaus Johannesburg’ was also particularly good, display-ing the impressive vocals of lead singer Jack Goldstein, as well as revealing a very 80’s feel remi-niscent of Depeche Mode.

Their modesty continued throughout the performance, often avoiding eye-contact with the audience and instead focus-ing on their instruments to de-liver their songs perfectly. How-ever, as a result, they lacked any real connection with the audi-ence.

Their humble exterior is un-doubtedly part of their charm, and their passion for music is evident, yet they need to have more self-belief and confidence in the promising music they are creating. They are a band packed full of talent and prom-ise, they just need to believe it themselves.

Overall they delivered a solid performance, exciting the audi-ence and unveiling their prom-ising future. Based on their evi-dent potential for greatness and their impressive songs, I don’t think this is the last you will hear of Fixers.

Oxford fi ve-piece fi x it in support of Kaiser Chiefs

The Shins - Port of MorrowOut 19th March

Rachel Hughes

The Shins are due to release their newest album, Port of Mor-row, on 19th March this year, fol-lowing their single release ‘Sim-ple Song’. And the long-awaited album does not disappoint.

It’s an album that sounds like summer and compliments the times of watching the world pass you by when the sun is shining. There is a tone of matu-ration within the songs of heart-felt nostalgia and philosophical ideas, while James Mercer and the group use their well-earned freedom to experiment instru-mentally.

‘Single Song’ encompasses the entirety of the album with The Shins-esque sound never falter-ing, and is also the song Mercer dedicated to his wife.

It’s been four years since the band released more music af-ter their Grammy award, and every song deserves to be heard.

In particular, ’40 Mark Strasse’ is the epitome of beautiful and sends shivers down your spine when you hear the lyrics “eve-ry single story is a story about love.”

Equally, ‘It’s Only Life’ has Mercer’s kind voice, striking lyrics and the melodic back-ing vocals creating a magi-cally thoughtful song about life. There’s an air of history in ‘September’ as influence of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ flows through it. Meanwhile, ‘Fall of ‘82’ takes The Shins in a new direction with a trumpet creating an upbeat and success-ful growth for the group’s music. Mercer really has done an excel-lent job.

‘Bait and Switch’ carries an es-sence of Fleet Foxes and Grimes, amongst other music appearing on the indie scene today, sug-gesting that it’s set to be the next single from the album. It is very likely to be a hit for fans as well as those less familiar with the band.

Port of Morrow should defi-nitely set The Shins up for their next Grammy award and should

expect every success with fans. Mercer has created 10 beautiful tracks that should be the sound-track to everyone’s summer.

Dry the River - Shallow BedOut now

Kathryn Black

When you read the genre “stealth rock” on a band’s Face-book page, you can’t help but think of a lame attempt at sta-dium rock that won’t get further than a gig down the local pub.

In fact, is stealth rock even a genre? Whatever it is, Dry the River do it superbly well with their debut album Shallow Bed: a haunting mix of heavy bass lines, strings, and singer Pete Liddle’s ethereal vocals. Dry the River find the perfect balance between folk music and well-produced rock.

Sounding like Arcade Fire’s cooler, rockier cousin, Dry the River’s album opens with ‘Ani-mal Skins’, the kind of song you can imagine huge crowds wav-

ing flags and singing along to as the sun sets at a festival. ‘New Ceremony’ shows off violinist Will Harvey’s skills, and pro-vides a slightly more up-tempo song to kick off the main bulk of the record.

In 2010 The Guardian said: “Like Mumford and Sons, this London band offer a glimpse of the pastoral with their infectious semi-acoustic ditties.” ‘History Book’ sounds a little like Marcus and co. but, overall, Dry the Riv-er have their own unique sound that outshines most of their con-temporaries. In fact, one of the most appealing things about Dry the River is the uniqueness of their vocals.

Another track to look out for is ‘Demons’. This heart-wrench-ing track about “fight[ing] those demons day in and day out” is moving, yet positive and emo-tional without being clichéd.

BBC got it right when they named Dry the River as one of the Sounds of 2012. If this band don’t make it big this year it’d be a terrible shame for British rock music. This brilliant album de-serves a top 10 chart place.

Front man Jack Goldstein performs Charlotte Tedds

Indie rockers Wombats return to the UKThe BRITS 2012

Flynn Massey

Deputy Arts and Entertainment Editor

A shambolic travesty, or just a run-of-the-mill awards show? Either way, the BRIT Awards 2012 was a complete and ut-ter disappointment.

Yet again, we witnessed the dangers of live broadcasting, allowing people to bear wit-ness to some of the blandest music Britain and abroad has to offer, the likes of which has graced our radios all year through. Stand up Ed Sheer-an, take a bow Rihanna, and keep on rolling Adele.

The mere fact that some-how on this planet One Di-rection managed to win Best British Single, the first so-called band or act this year to win an award over the Totten-ham diva, is astounding and depressing. Following suit, mediocre-to-average present-ing by funnyman James Cord-en left little to no impression, as jokes went far and wide past the mark.

Rihanna’s less than stellar singing meant her dress, that can only be described as a po-tato sack, was the best thing about her performance after bagging the International Fe-male Solo artist award. One humorous moment I enjoyed though was Corden’s quip on RiRi’s apparent ‘painters’.

Once again, the BRITS was a worrying representation of British ‘talent’: squalid perfor-mances, average presenting, and awards presented by the most useless and drunk celeb-rities they could find.

In all honesty the highlight and most talked about mo-ment of the whole show epit-omised the events that tran-spired. Adele’s abrupt and undeserved snub of a thank you speech ended by the lack of time left on the live show saw her give the bird to the audience, later stating that it was aimed at the suits, not the fans. Truly, throughout the show it felt as if I, as a music fan, was also being giv-en the finger.

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Gig Review

The WombatsPortsmouth Guildhalll, 20th February

Rob Clarke

Following the release of The Wombats’ second studio album, The Wombats Proudly Present… This Modern Glitch, the indie-rock group have been touring extensively around Europe and the United States. Now back in the UK for a short while, it was a pleasure to have the Wombats here in Portsmouth having put on a mesmerising show.

The trio formed in Liverpool chose well with their opening song, ‘Schumacher the Cham-pagne’, due to its steady build that inevitably led to an explo-sive climax, providing an atmos-phere that every good gig needs. A more popular choice of song followed, ‘Kill the Director’, en-forcing the already buzzing at-mosphere of the show.

It is not uncommon for the vocals in a live performance to not sound quite as good as they do on the release. However, the

vocals of frontman Matthew Murphy were just as strong live as they were on the album; the sign of a talented vocalist. This was evident in ‘Techno Fan’ and ‘Moving to New York’, which were both performed approxi-mately half-way through the set.

It was clear the group were continuing to promote their lat-est album, having played the likes of ‘Our Perfect Disease’, ‘Jump into the Fog’, ‘Anti-D’, and their latest single ‘1996’. ‘To-kyo’ appeared to be a particular crowd pleaser due to its upbeat tempo and popular lyrics.

The reaction of the crowd to the closing song ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ was nothing less than ecstatic, despite it being very predictable. To play the song that The Wombats’ are per-haps most renowned for was the best possible way to end the gig. Starting their tour of Australia next week, it is evident that The Wombats are rapidly growing in popularity, and will therefore need to maintain their good rep-utation through continuing to perform live shows to the stand-ard that they did at Guildhall.

ing flags and singing along to as the sun sets at a festival. ‘New Ceremony’ shows off violinist Will Harvey’s skills, and pro-vides a slightly more up-tempo song to kick off the main bulk of the record.

In 2010 The Guardian said: “Like Mumford and Sons, this London band offer a glimpse of the pastoral with their infectious semi-acoustic ditties.” ‘History Book’ sounds a little like Marcus and co. but, overall, Dry the Riv-er have their own unique sound that outshines most of their con-temporaries. In fact, one of the most appealing things about Dry the River is the uniqueness of their vocals.

Another track to look out for is ‘Demons’. This heart-wrench-ing track about “fight[ing] those demons day in and day out” is moving, yet positive and emo-tional without being clichéd.

BBC got it right when they named Dry the River as one of the Sounds of 2012. If this band don’t make it big this year it’d be a terrible shame for British rock music. This brilliant album de-serves a top 10 chart place.

Indie rockers Wombats return to the UKEvery Time I Die - Ex LivesReleased 6th March

Sam Brownjohn

After almost constant touring since their last album New Junk Aesthetic, ETID return with their heavily anticipated 6th studio album, Ex Lives.

If you’re already a fan of the band then you won’t be disappointed; this offering contains sarcasm, screaming and extremely heavy hooks.

Album opener ‘Underwa-ter Bimbos from Outer Space’ grabs you by the throat straight away with Keith Buckley’s unrelenting vocals screaming the hook “I want to be dead with my friends”. Start as you mean to go on boys.

Upping the tempo imme-diately, the album bounces from one song to the next constantly chugging in classic ETID fashion.

The first 5 songs do appear to almost blend into one upon first listen, with the lyrics be-ing the focal point of distinc-tion, but with 14 tracks on the album, value for money isn’t something that can be ques-tioned.

By ‘Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow’, we are reacquainted with the old cross genre tricks, combining some country/math rock sounding guitar with almost soulful singing until once again the return of tonsil crushing harmonies.

Halfway through this bru-tal album there is finally a change of tempo with ‘Reviv-al Mode’ which is practically a ballad by this band’s stand-ards, allowing you to actually pay a bit more attention to the lyrics and vocals.

But, don’t relax just yet as it’s straight into more hard-core with ‘Drag King’ and then the furious ‘Touch Yourself’. ‘Indian Giver’ again shows off the bands flare for multi-tex-tured songs, combining heavy metal verses and a mellow haunting chorus.

Overall, ETID have found a formula which works for them and under Epitaph it is clear they may still flour-ish for some time. This album will provide some future clas-sics but expect a few listens to really appreciate it.

Ben HowardPortsmouth Pyramids, 14th February

Hannah Todd

I have been a fan of Ben Howard for the last 6 months or so, he’s relatively new but seems to have already gained a cult following. Channelling similar sounds to that of Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow and Ray Lamon-tagne, Ben has a unique voice which is at times deep and grav-elly, yet can also be soft, gentle and hit some pretty impressive high notes.

Playing well-known songs such as ‘Keep Your Head Up’ and ‘Old Pine’ from his 2011 album Every Kingdom, he was accom-panied by singer India Bourne who also played the cello, and drummer and guitarist Chris Bond who actually managed to play both drums and guitar simultaneously, no mean feat! They claim to play folk/rock, but the musical accompaniment and lyrics are played and sung with such heart-felt emotion that to call it rock seems a bit

too generic.Although they kept the au-

dience waiting until 9.30pm, when they finally appeared on stage they launched into ‘Depth over Distance’, an emphatic, powerful song which almost stunned the audience to silence, not an experience I’ve had very often. The band were excellent at manipulating their songs, be-ginning with what sounded like

a very quiet, slow and simple acoustic track, ending up as a raucous folk-inspired energetic ditty, similar to that of Mumford and Sons.

The crowd really got in-volved, to the extent that the band remarked on how pleased they were to be given such an in-credible reception at a location they had not previously visited.

Unlike other bands, they

didn’t feel the need to mumble on aimlessly between tracks, and merely stated the name of the track, and a few Valentine’s Day-inspired stories. In one in-stance Ben elaborated on the meaning behind a track, say-ing that his album had been inspired by a break up with a long-term girlfriend, which only added depth of emotion to the thoughtfully-penned lyrics.

The Wombats on stage at the Guildhall Adam Chalmers


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A helpful guide to getting over Skyrim addiction

Stephen Pye

Blinking into the light, re-alising you’ve just spent the last twenty hours hunting dragons, slaying trolls and plundering dungeons, your eyes begin adjusting to the drab colours of your bedroom wallpaper. No, you haven’t been on a night out down Commercial Road; just lost in the immersive life-consuming world that is Skyrim.

But fear not, for I’m here to help you reconnect with the ‘real’ world, hopefully recovering your social life in the process (or at least your sanity). By the end you wont know your Thu’um’s from your Dovahkiin’s.

First of all, look around you. If you see beautiful mountains, acres of pine trees and the occasional dragon on the horizon, despite the fact that you haven’t left Ports-mouth, then consult a doc-tor as soon as possible, be-fore you try running down a mountain and break your legs or graze your knees.

• Give disc to housemate – whenever you get those cravings to delve back into the land of all things Nord, you simply won’t be able to. No matter how badly you try to barter it back with gold pieces or loot.

• Make way to nearest pub - as you look around you’ll notice that a) no one drinks mead and b) no one is playing the lute (unless it’s open-mic night). Fur-ther inspection will show that there are no cat-peo-ple or lizard-people, elves or orcs.

• Just finish the game - that’s right, if all else fails, finish the story. With no further story you have no reason to go back.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.

Final Fantasy franchise back on track with XIII-2Final Fantasy XIII-2Out now for PS3 and Xbox 360

Alex Pescott

Final Fantasy XIII received a decidedly mixed response back in 2010, with many com-plaints about its linearity and the slow introduction of game-play elements. Happily, Square Enix seems to have taken fans’ comments to heart, and have improved on many gameplay aspects for the game’s much-anticipated sequel, Final Fantasy XIII-2.

You play as Serah, Lightning’s younger sister, who spent most of the original game as a crys-tal, and Noel, a moody young companion from a future where he is the last surviving member of humanity. Together, they set out jumping through time and space to try and find Lightning, whom they hope can restore the timeline and prevent mankind’s destruction.

Almost immediately upon starting the game, you’re intro-duced to ‘cinematic action se-quences’, which help to break up some of the lengthy cut scenes and help you feel involved when you’re not fighting. Then, once you take control of the main characters, you’re given access to most of the game’s features fairly quickly.

Combat is much the same as

the original game, using a slight-ly enhanced version of the ‘Ac-tive Time Battle’ system. You’re given more control over your party’s actions this time around, and the AI getting a lucky in-stant-death on your leader no longer results in a frustrating game over screen staring back at you.

As a replacement for your missing third party member, FFXIII-2 has an interesting mon-ster taming mechanic, where you have a chance of taming any monster you defeat. You can then pick which ones will bat-tle alongside you, and upgrade them using items you find to make them stronger. The game’s upgrade system has also been improved, becoming less restric-

tive by allowing you to pick and choose how to build your char-acters, although it has come at the cost of making the game slightly too easy.

Unfortunately, the original game’s greatest strength - the story and characters - is its se-quel’s greatest weakness. Much of the plot makes no sense at all, with the story jumping from one thing to another without much focus, and completely random events being written off as the effects of ‘time paradoxes’, leav-ing the player wondering what just happened. Resolution of previous characters’ stories are also sadly lacking, despite cam-eos from Hope and Snow.

The main characters them-selves are rather bland, with

Serah in particular seeming to be a female version of Hope, complete with a one dimen-sional personality and clichéd “we can do it” lines. Noel is slightly better, with motivation beyond ‘save Lightning’ and a fairly compelling story, but he still comes across as a less inter-esting, less amusing version of FFXIII’s Fang.

Overall, FFXIII-2 is a better game than its predecessor, de-spite its weaker narrative. If you liked the original FFXIII, it’s a must buy. If you hated it, then it’s probably worth renting sim-ply to try out the new game me-chanics and see just how much it’s improved. If you’ve only come for the story – well, you should really look elsewhere!

GAMING AND TECHNOLOGY

Retro-Respect: Kingdom Hearts (2002)

Graeme Stevenson

Gaming and Technology Editor

Few developers do nostalgia better than Square Enix (or Squaresoft, as they were known back in 2002).

With Kingdom Hearts, the Japanese makers of gaming’s biggest RPG franchise (Final Fantasy) teamed up with the masters of Western animation, Disney, to form a partnership that is still going strong to this day.

Visually, the game is very much informed by Disney, while scriptwriting duties were left to Square. They weaved a rather mature story revolving around the evil Heartless, who are in-

vading different worlds within the game’s fictional universe. You can travel between these worlds in your ‘Gummi ship’.

Yes, the game is much more mature than the innocent look and feel of it would have you believe, I promise you. In a way, this juxtaposition of your colour-ful childhood memories with an invasion of scary creatures feed-ing off the darkness in people’s hearts was the game’s greatest strength.

It never deviates from its in-tended style, retaining Disney production values throughout, yet Square also worked in origi-nal elements to complement Disney worlds such as Deep Jungle, Olympus Coliseum and Atlantica, based on Tarzan, Her-cules and The Little Mermaid re-spectively.

Those original elements in-clude main protagonist Sora and

his friends Riku and Kairi, as well as antagonist Ansem. While the story centres on these four, it is their interaction with the worlds around them that gives the game its unique flavour. The game certainly feels more Disney than Final Fantasy, with traditional RPG elements toned down in favour of a more action-adventure orientated approach which drives you through events in an enjoyable 50-60 hours of gameplay.

If any criticism could be made, it would be that the game almost goes by too quickly. You’re rarely given the chance to stop and simply enjoy the di-verse atmosphere of each world, and although you can travel back to previous worlds at any time, they are not expansive enough to hold your interest af-ter you’ve completed all relevant tasks there.

This is no Disney GTA you’re getting here, but most people would take sublime storytelling over a sandbox-focused game that would take three more years to make anyway.

Production values are further enhanced by Hollywood voice acting in Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, A.I.) as Sora, and Hayden Panettiere (who would go on to play cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes) play-ing Kairi. Mark Hamill, Leonard Nimoy and even Christopher Lee have also graced the series with their talents.

It would be surpassed by its sequel, but there’s little doubt that this original holds the fondest nostalgic memories for many gamers worldwide. If only Square Enix could stop mak-ing Final Fantasy sequels long enough to bring us the long-de-layed Kingdom Hearts 3...

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This is no Disney GTA you’re getting here, but most people would take sublime storytelling over a sandbox-focused game that would take three more years to make anyway.

Production values are further enhanced by Hollywood voice acting in Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, A.I.) as Sora, and Hayden Panettiere (who would go on to play cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes) play-ing Kairi. Mark Hamill, Leonard Nimoy and even Christopher Lee have also graced the series with their talents.

It would be surpassed by its sequel, but there’s little doubt that this original holds the fondest nostalgic memories for many gamers worldwide. If only Square Enix could stop mak-ing Final Fantasy sequels long enough to bring us the long-de-layed Kingdom Hearts 3...

Anton and Erin: Let’s Do It TourPortsmouth Guildhall, 22nd February

Hannah Todd

Culture Editor

I headed to Anton du Beke and Erin Boag’s Portsmouth leg of their Let’s Do It tour with trepi-dation, fully expecting to be the only head of hair sat in the au-dience that was not blue rinsed, permed, greying or sparse in particular areas. Considering it was a Wednesday night, the Guildhall was three quarters full, not a bad turn out consider-ing and surprisingly I wasn’t the only member of the audience under seventy.

I was preparing myself for an evening of pensioner schmooz-ing from the debonair, smooth-talking, and surprisingly funny Anton, who has a reputation for always being partnered with ladies in the twilight of their years, and never making it past week four on Strictly. The pair has been dancing together for

fourteen years, and are often hailed as the Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire of our time.

Embodying the glamour and elegance of a bygone era, the world ballroom dancing cham-pions are the only professionals to appear in all nine series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Having reviewed Brendan Cole’s egotistical dedication to himself in the form of his tour at the end of January, I felt it would be an interesting point of comparison to experience Anton and Erin’s tour.

They are more famed for clas-sic ballroom dances such as the American Smooth and the Vien-nese Waltz, all accompanied by the rousing London Concert Or-chestra who played classic songs such as Fascinating Rhythm, Get Happy and He Had It Com-

ing from the musical Chicago to which Anton, Erin and two other professional dance couples per-formed a 1920s inspired routine clad in thigh-skimming shimmy-ing dresses and pinstripe suits.

The costumes were of an in-credibly high standard, with Erin wearing some stunning ballroom dresses specially de-signed for the Strictly tour.

I was pleasantly surprised that they did a lot more dancing than Brendan Cole, but unfortunately they still had a shot at singing. This is a phenomenon I can’t quite get to grips with. Why do world class ballroom and Latin dancers feel the need to enter-tain their audiences through the medium of song, when they are ten times better at keeping their mouths shut and moving their feet?

Luckily Anton and Erin did not take themselves too seri-ously, and their songs poked fun at aspects of Strictly Come Dancing. In short, they did not fancy themselves as the next chart topper, unlike Brendan, who definitely did.

CULTURE

What are universities for?By Stefan Collini, £9.99. Out now

Flynn Massey

Deputy Arts and Entertainment Editor

Around the world, universities within this sociological climate are even more numerous than before, yet within the vastness of numbers lies a major prob-lem; an unprecedented misper-ception about their purposes and actual value to students.

Within the book “What Are Universities For?”, the reader is offered a vigorous and compel-ling argument for a completely new way of thinking about the way we view our universities, and the value of their existence by Cambridge professor of Intel-lectual History and English Lit-erature, Stefan Collini.

Collini questions the common claim that universities must prove their willingness to make money in order to receive more money. Instead, he argues that we as a society we must reflect

and study on the varying types of institutional roles they pre-sent.

In particular, we have to rec-ognise that any attempts to ex-tending human understanding which lies at the core of disci-plined intellectual enquiry can never be fully utilised to imme-diate social purposes, especially in the case of the humanities, which attain an attraction and confusion for many people and remain therefore the most diffi-cult subjects to justify.

At a time when the future of higher education lies in the balance, “What Are Universi-ties For?” allows us all a clearer, deeper and more approachable understanding of the impor-tance of university to everyone.

Theatre Review Book Review


DOWNTIME

Portsmouth FCSUDOKU

CROSSWORD

Across4. What boys name begin-

ning with D means “God is my judge” (6)

6. To improve further (7)7. A large sailing vessel of the

15th to the 17th centuries used as a fi ghting or mer-chant ship (7)

9. What is compare the meerkats Aleksandr Orlov friends name? (6)

10. A ginger cat that puts on to much weight in the fi nal chapter of Shrek (4,2,5)

12. Insect-eating mammal which has spiny hairs on the back and sides (8)

14. An energetic, hardworking, forceful person. (6)

15. Both an animal and action (4)

Down1. An aquatic bird of the family

Spheniscidae (7)2. Having power and ability;

effi cient; competent (7)3. What is this you are cur-

rently doing? (6)5. A book, passage, etc., to

which one is directed (9)8. A woman who has authority,

control, or power, especially over the household (8)

11. The abrupt, harsh, explosive cry of a dog (4)

12. Having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty (6)

13. The mother of one’s father or mother (7)

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All Portsmouth clash ends in win for 4ths

Steph Keay

Wednesday 15th February saw the second clash of the season between Portsmouth 3rds and Portsmouth 4ths netball teams. As always, the match was expected to be one of unchallengeable ferocity between the two teams.

From the warm up it could be seen that anxiety was high. Both teams were under pres-sure to retain their status in the league and not be dragged in a relegation battle.

The first quarter saw Ports-mouth 3rds taking a well-deserved four goal lead. Portsmouth 4ths were finding it difficult to settle into the game due to the top form of the 3rd team’s defence down the court.

With a combination of ex-cellent defending from Beth Evans, Rosie West and Char-lotte Hughes, and some great effort from the attack to feed shooters Rachel Bealing and Sophie Wright, the 4ths clawed back some vital goals early in the second quarter.

With the score level peg-ging at half time, both teams were still competitively in the game and determined to take the lead in the third quarter.

Portsmouth 4ths were the team to do so, defying their pre-match underdog status, taking a 19-23 lead from some accurate balls into the circle from Megan Gibson and exceptional long distance shooting from both shooters.

The final quarter saw both teams flying all over the court to make interceptions and battling hard for any and eve-ry loose ball and rebound.

Portsmouth 3rds were throwing everything at their opponents’ defence in a last effort to take back the lead, but the 4ths were able to take control of the game in the last five minutes and the match finished 26-39 in their favour.

Leeds grab point as Pompey drop to second bottomSam Balls

All the talk before Pompey’s home game against Leeds United was about the Fratton Park club entering into admin-istration. Portsmouth had been docked 10 points by the Football League, and consequently sat in 22nd place ahead of Saturday’s encounter.

Administrator Trevor Birch stated in his programme notes: “There is a serious risk that the club could run out of cash with-in the next couple of months.” This clearly emphasises the deep financial trouble at the club.

Despite the dark circumstanc-es surrounding Saturday’s game, Pompey started the match with a lot of energy and intent. Ports-mouth dominated possession for the opening fifteen minutes and restricted Leeds to the long ball game on the odd occasion that the Yorkshire side had pos-session. Portsmouth were hardly playing like a team on the brink of going bust. Mullins was pull-ing the strings in central mid-field and Halford was seeing plenty of the ball on the right wing.

For the next 20 minutes the game was played entirely in the Leeds half with Neil War-nock, in what was his first game in charge, barking orders at his under-performing team. Portsmouth’s constant pressure meant that Leeds lacked any shape or creative ideas. Mul-lins was the man who created Pompey’s first effort on goal, before going close with a left footed strike from the edge of the box minutes later.

As the first half entered stop-

page time, controversy ensued. Leeds defender, Tom Lees, seem-ingly handled the ball in his own penalty box. Everyone inside the stadium was unanimous in their belief that it was a blatant pen-alty, with Warnock commenting that he thought it was a “certain handball against us.” However, referee Philip Gibbs did not see anything untoward, and as he left the field for half time, he was greeted with a chorus of boos from the Pompey faithful.

The second half began in the same vein as the first ended, with much controversy. Although, this time, it was Leeds who had a case to be angered by the ref-eree. McCormack hit a thunder-bolt at the Pompey goal, which replays show was clearly over the line. As the ball struck the underside of the bar, Snodgrass

tapped in the rebound, only to be found offside by the assistant referee.

Leeds began to find their feet after this promising effort, with Luciano Becchio released just inside the Portsmouth half. He ran at goal and turned inside Pompey left back, Aaron Mokoe-na, only to force Stephen Hen-derson to make an outstanding save from six yards out.

As Leeds came more into the game, the match turned into an end-to-end thriller. George Thorne arguably had Ports-mouth’s best chance at goal as he fired a low shot at Andy Lon-ergan from 20 yards out. On the 76 minute mark, Appleton intro-duced Norris and Benjani for the home side.

Norris had an immediate im-pact as his blocked shot resulted

in another long throw in from Halford. Halford’s throw cleared everyone inside the box and settled in the back of the Leeds goal. Again, Pompey fans were angered as the referee felt that no one touched the ball and the goal was ruled offside.

That was the final piece of goalmouth action as the game finished 0-0. It was a fine per-formance from Portsmouth, with Appleton’s men playing some entertaining football at times. However, the point leaves them 23rd in the table, and at the heart of a relegation battle.

Appleton concluded that the next 15 league games are “15 cup finals.” Let’s hope that for the sake of Portsmouth Football Club, the team recreate some of their FA Cup final magic of 2008.

Portsmouth FC

Lee McCormack shot hits the bar and appears to cross the line Dan Chesterton

Team W D L GD Pts

1 Sussex 1st 7 0 1 100 21

2 R. Holloway 1st 6 0 1 47 18

3 St Mary’s 2nd 5 0 2 19 12

4 Pompey 4th 3 0 5 -21 9

5 Pompey 3rd 1 0 7 -53 3

6 Brighton 3rd 1 0 7 -92 3

SOUTH EASTERN 4A

Nola Hamilton

The AU intramural cricket tour-nament gained a wide variety of interest this year with netball, hockey, AU executive and even lecturer-based teams entering.

In the interest of fairness, the netball, hockey and AU ex-ecutive teams were offered a University Cricket Team player. Teams were split into two pools with UPCC Elite and Academ-

ics qualifying easily from pool A, and the AU Executives and Hockey qualifying from pool B.

The first semi-final saw UPCC Elite versus Hockey in a close-ly fought contest with hockey showing some cricketing prow-ess. However, UPCC Elite gained the vital win to qualify for the final, winning by a single run.

The other semi-final saw the AU Executive team take on the Academics. The Academics had

taken the tournament very seri-ously all day and did not look like backing down for the semis.

Some very good tactical play by the Academics saw them comfortably through into the fi-nal to face the UPCC Elite.

The final took place in a very tense atmosphere as the Uni-versity Cricket team had never lost their own tournament be-fore, and were facing some very tough and serious opposition.

However, with some superb bowling by Mike Morgan, the Academics had wickets falling throughout their innings. The UPCC Elite managed to hang on for the win and won the tourna-ment on the last ball of the day.

This is not the last time the Academics and UPCC elite will meet on the cricket field. Both teams aim to play an outdoor friendly fixture during the sum-mer months.

Cricket almost run out as lecturers roll back the years

PORTSMOUTH 0 - 0 LEEDS UNITED


SPORT @GalleonSport

Pool club pocket bronze at Yarmouth championshipsZach Ward

University of Portsmouth Pool 1st team came away with Bronze medals in the Team Tro-phy at the 9th annual BUCS-UPC Eight-ball Pool Champion-ships this past weekend in Great Yarmouth.

The number three seeds and 2010 Championship winners were placed in a difficult group with York 3rds, Manchester 3rds, Strathclyde 1sts and Exeter 1sts.

One win, one draw and two defeats left Pompey third after four matches, and qualified for the Trophy.

An excellent 6-3 victory over Kent3rds followed, resulting in a semi-final clash with St Andrews 1sts.

Going 2-0 down, Pompey ral-lied to put themselves within touching distance of the final; frames from Oli Poole, Ayden Munns, James Pettitt and Adam Degen put them 4-2 up, two frames away from victory.

However, a late comeback from St Andrews in a tense de-ciding frame meant Pompey had to settle for a Bronze medal in the Trophy.

The 2nds also enjoyed a suc-cessful tournament. Remain-ing unbeaten in their first four matches in the BUCS Shield with three wins and a draw, they lost only once and finished run-ners up in their group.

However, they were defeated in the round of 16 to eventual Shield winners Plymouth 1sts.

Former pool society president

Oli Poole, who played in the Portsmouth 1sts, was pleased to get a medal from the tourna-ment, but was ultimately disap-pointed not have gone further in the competition.

He said: “Yarmouth was as ever a fantastic occasion and I’m really sad that it was my last year and I will never experience it again. It’s definitely one of the

best parts of my University ca-reer.

“Although our aim was top two to make the Champion-ship knockouts the Trophy, we felt, was winnable. We started well and beat Kent in a great team performance, before being edged out by St Andrews in a tense final frame.

“We felt that we got a bit un-

lucky at times in the semis and perhaps should have at least made the final.”

The Portsmouth 3rds also produced a strong showing, losing only once, and narrowly missing out on qualification to the knockout stages by a single point.

“They should be very proud of how they did,” explained Oli, who was making his third ap-pearance at the tournament.

Stand out performers were Rob McClintock, who Oli said “played out of his skin”, and “Lee, who captained well and was a great find.”

Portsmouth were also well represented in the singles com-petition, which started with over 460 entrants. James Bennett, Tom Thorpe and Adam Degen made the round of 128, and 16th seed James Pettitt reached the last 64.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Edge Hill 1sts won the Champi-onship, Leeds 1sts were victori-ous in the Trophy, and Plymouth 1sts defeated Ulster 1sts in the Shield. Rhys Williams, of Edge Hill, triumphed in the singles competition.

Pool and Snooker

Southampton, we’re coming for you...Varsity 2012Netball club raise £200 for

children’s charity Barnardo’sEloise Johnson

With bets placed and horses at the ready, the University of Portsmouth Netball Club’s first annual Race Night proved to be a successful and exciting event.

After multiple rounds of races and some great video commen-tary from Social Secretaries, Lucy Smith and Kate Ashcroft, a substantial amount of money was raised for Barnardo’s, the UK’s leading children’s charita-ble organisation. Out of every £1 raised, 95p will aid poverty stricken and abused young peo-ple and their families.

Held at Club 8 on Guildhall Walk, the evening of Thursday 16th February proved to be a re-ally exciting night. Video clips of pre-recorded races were shown for club members to bet on the horses they thought had the best odds of bringing in the money.

Club members were charged 50p a race, eventually allowing the club to raise over £200 for

the children’s charity.Sally Tibbitts, President of the

University of Portsmouth Netball Club, was really pleased with the overall event and with what the club had achieved, saying: “The turn out was really remark-able. I was extremely happy that so many girls proved that not only do they support the club on court, but off court too.

I’d like to thank all of the committee for their help in pre-paring and running the event as well as Club 8 for allowing us the use of their venue.”

Emily Edwards, a fundraiser for Barnardo’s and a Netball Club first team member, was pleased with how successful the event was and grateful for the efforts of her club.

She said: “Thank you very much to UPNC for their fantas-tic efforts during the Race Night and the fantastic donation to Barnardo’s. It was an enjoyable evening and the money is going to an incredibly worthy cause.”

Lacrosse guarantee Premiership status with convincing Warwick win

Hannah Butt

Tensions were high and the pressure was on, as a win for ei-ther team was sure to guarantee premiership lacrosse for either team next season.

University of Portsmouth’s La-crosse team held host to a large Warwick squad, in league clash of the upmost importance. The game saw Portsmouth raise their levels to destroy a strong opposi-tion in a 12-4 victory.

The game started at a blister-ing pace, with the home side gaining an early advantage from captain Chris Willson’s outside shot.

Willson showed his high level of talent as he carried on his scoring streak, even managing to score whilst on the ground.

Warwick struggled to gain momentum throughout and

were consistently kept out of at-tacking play by the Portsmouth defence. The home side showed team work and determination to ensure that a win was the only option.

Welsh international Ashleigh Meyrick, played a highly tal-ented game as he attempted to push the Pompey play forward to the Warwick defence.

During the third quarter War-wick’s determination was quick-

ly deteriorating as they strug-gled to get control of the play. No doubt the away team’s mo-tivation decreased when even Pompey’s goalkeeper Dan Black took his chances by playing out-field.

Congratulations should also be given to Portsmouth defend-er Sam Harris, for his part in the game in scoring his first goal for the team – a goal that sealed a deserved win for the home boys.

Portsmouth 1st 12Warwick 1st 4

Football

Oli Poole, Lewis Burks, James Pettitt, Adam Degen and Ayden Munns Zach Ward

Rhianna Dawes

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Pos University Pts

1 Loughborough 3688

2 Durham 2240

.......

23 Brunel 919

24 Southampton 852

25 Liverpool 814.5

26 Sheffield 779

27 Portsmouth 737

28 St Andrews 719

29 UCL 718

30 Bournemouth 713

31 Sheffield Halam 681.5

7th March

Badminton (W): Portsmouth 1st vs Reading University 1st .....................................................................

Basketball (M): Portsmouth 1st vs Reading University 1st .......................................................................

Fencing (M): Portsmouth 1st vs Royal Holloway 1st ........................................................................................

Football (W): Portsmouth 1st vs Royal Holloway 1st .......................................................................................

Hockey (M): Portsmouth 1st vs Reading University 1st ...............................................................................

Lacrosse (W): Portsmouth 1st vs Royal Holloway 1st ......................................................................................

Netball (W): Portsmouth 2nd vs St Mary’s University College 1st ....................................................

Table Tennis (M): Portsmouth 1st vs Roehampton University 1st ....................................................

Volleyball (W): Portsmouth 1st vs Royal Holloway 1st ....................................................................................

Correct as of 28th February

14th March

Badminton (M): Portsmouth 2nd vs King’s College London Medics 1st ...................................

Fencing (W): Portsmouth 1st vs Imperial College London 2nd .........................................................

Hockey (W): Portsmouth 1st vs Kent 1st ......................................................................................................................

Netball (W): Portsmouth 3rd vs St Mary’s 2nd ........................................................................................................

Rugby (M): Portsmouth 1st vs St Mary’s 1st .............................................................................................................

Rugby (M): Portsmouth 2nd vs St Mary’s 3rd ...........................................................................................................

Rugby (W): Portsmouth 1st vs Royal Holloway 1st ............................................................................................

Tennis (M): Portsmouth 2nd vs Reading University 2nd ..............................................................................

Volleyball (M): Portsmouth 1st vs Brunel University 1st ...............................................................................

BUCS Table

15th February

Badminton (M): Portsmouth 1st 6 - 2 Imperial College London 2nd ...........................................

Fencing (W): Portsmouth 1st 104 - 135 Royal Holloway 1st ...............................................................

Lacrosse (W): Portsmouth 1st 7 - 15 Brighton 1st ............................................................................................

Netball (W): Portsmouth 1st 46 - 24 University College London 1st ...........................................

Squash (M): Portsmouth 1st 5 - 0 Reading University 3rd .......................................................................

Squash (M): Portsmouth 2nd 3 - 0 Royal Holloway 2nd .............................................................................

Volleyball (M): Portsmouth 1st w/o v Kingston University 1st ............................................................

Results

22nd February

Football (M): Portsmouth 3rd 1 - 1 Roehampton University 1st .......................................................

Golf (mixed): Portsmouth 1st 2.5 - 3.5 Bournemouth 3rd .....................................................................

Hockey (W): Portsmouth 2nd 1 - 2 Kingston University 1st ..................................................................

Hockey (W): Portsmouth 3rd 0 - 1 Royal Holloway 2nd ..............................................................................

Lacrosse (M): Portsmouth 2nd 2 – 15 University of London 1st ......................................................

Netball (W): Portsmouth 2nd 39 - 30 University of Chichester 2nd ............................................

Table Tennis (M): Portsmouth 1st 1 - 16 University of Kent 2nd ......................................................

Volleyball (W): Portsmouth 1st 3 - 0 University of Westminster 1st .............................................

Home Fixtures For a full list of fixtures visit www.bucs.org.uk

Southampton, we’re coming for you...Hayley Ford

Deputy Sport Editor

The FA Cup, the Ryder Cup, the Six Nations, Wimbledon, even the Olympics – it all pales in sig-nificance when compared to the Portsmouth versus Southamp-ton annual university Varsity! Spirits are high and the rivalry is long and deep-seated whenever these two universities go head-to-head, and Varsity on Sunday 4th March will be the culmina-tion of it all.

At last year’s event over 58 sports were contested with 136 individual matches being played. The impressive figures lay claim to the Portsmouth ver-sus Southampton Varsity as one of the south’s biggest sporting event of the year.

Portsmouth have struggled over the last few Varsity visits to rival host city Southampton, losing 91-45 in last year’s com-petition. However, University of Portsmouth’s Athletics Union

has made huge forward strides over the past few years, climb-ing ten places (37th to 27th) in the BUCS overall league table since the 2007-08 season.

Southampton have dropped five places (18th to 23rd) in the same time period, showing that we are catching them up fast and if the pattern is to continue Portsmouth will soon overtake and be the pride of the South.

This year’s Varsity is gearing up to be the closest competition so far, with Portsmouth in the

strongest position they’ve ever been before when taking the trip to Southampton. So let’s show our support to the teams who are making the trip to South-ampton and wish them luck as they face off with our rivals in an array of sporting arenas.

We’re coming for you South-ampton!

The Galleon will be attend-ing Varsity and live blogging at www.galleonnews.com/varsity. Also, look out for our four page special in the next issue.

Varsity 2012

Points shared in 3rds’ return to action

Sam Petherick

Sport Editor

Faced with the toughest possible return to action, the University of Portsmouth 3rds took on Roe-hampton 1sts, having had no fixtures since November.

The opponents looked an impressive team on the face of it, fielding some enormous presences who would not be outmuscled easily. Portsmouth would have to call upon their full passing potential to avoid being dragged into any sort of physical battle.

On top of their imposing physical standing, however, Roehampton had pace and agili-ty flowing throughout their side, as well as accurate passers who could spray pin-point balls from distance into strikers’ feet.

The away side began the game looking threatening in all areas of their attack. Warning signs for Portsmouth were there from the start and the top of the league team wasted no time in

taking the lead.The very dangerous left wing-

er Remmell came hurtling in on Oli Sage who had not been an-ticipating such a ferocious chal-lenge, continued with the ball and with Pompey fast backtrack-ing and out of position, was able to pass twice infield for it to be rifled in.

It was clear that Portsmouth needed to regroup after a first half where lone striker Ed Lee received too little support, and Roehampton’s high-sitting line that was all but impenetrable needed stopping.

In a positive start to the sec-ond half, they managed to rem-edy the latter problem, but Lee remained starved of service. It seemed though that doing so would require safety to be sac-rificed which could allow in the deadly away attack.

Roehampton’s centre for-ward indeed managed to bus-tle through the home defence but Nathan Hedley, having an excellent game in Portsmouth’s goal, did extremely well to send the striker wide and see off the threat.

The first half presented so

many chances for Roehamp-ton that it appeared they could score numerous goals but the key question remained whether they would.

When Portsmouth were awarded a penalty for a regret-table handball which captain Alex Pritchard coolly converted, the away side found the creativ-ity they had in abundance had all but disappeared.

Mere minutes later though they too had a chance from the spot but Remmell, who had been excellent all match, pulled his spot-kick wide.

After chasing the game for an hour, Portsmouth amazingly looked the team most likely to win the game.

A Michael Kelly effort was fumbled, a chance that on an-other occasion could have fallen for an easy tap-in which would have capped an incredible turn around.

Portsmouth were industrious and by the end of the match the near four months off hardly showed. They persevered right up until the final whistle to earn themselves a richly deserved point.

Portsmouth 3rd 1Roehampton 1st 1

Football

Krish Mistry

SportRhianna Dawes

The sun was shining as the 8-0 Southampton Stags visited Langstone for a huge rivalry game, and it soon became ap-parent that both teams were go-ing to put up an incredible fight. Portsmouth lost nine players to injuries, an accurate reflection on their valiant effort in the game.

The Stags weren’t alone in their visit: they bought along two squads of cheerleaders to ri-val the Portsmouth Phoenix who were fresh from their champion-ship win the day before.

But on this occasion South-ampton’s side-line were loud-er with their cheers echoing throughout Langstone campus and keeping their boys going.

The game started with no hesitation from Southampton and soon they were near Ports-mouth’s end zone, but on the fourth down they opted for a

field goal which was unsuccess-ful. They soon got the ball back, however, and broke through Portsmouth’s defence to score the first touchdown of the game with no conversion.

Portsmouth’s Brook Ince scored one of his powerful run-ning touchdowns in the second quarter, but Southampton had the same idea and soon they had another touchdown on the board, leaving the half-time score 12-6 to Southampton.

Southampton’s defence were denying Portsmouth the yards they needed to make big plays, making sure the wide-receiv-ers couldn’t get their hands on the ball and the running backs couldn’t advance.

Portsmouth’s defence had stepped up since last week’s game against Reading but were no match for Southampton’s of-fence and they, once more, ad-vanced down field and put an-other 7 points on the board after

successfully converting their touchdown.

Quarterback Ben Clift was making daring runs with the ball throughout the game, some of which paid off and gained Ports-mouth yards but at other times S o u t h -ampton’s defence w e r e quick to f igure o u t w h o h a d the ball.

P o r t s -mouth were gaining yards in the fourth quarter but it was apparent after the two-minute warning that they weren’t going to get the points they needed to win, and the game ended

19-6 to Southampton.Portsmouth’s hopes of reach-

ing the playoffs now hinge on three matches on the 4th March and they will have the home-field advantage against bottom of the league Surrey

Stingers.

Destroyers down but play-off hopes remain

Pompey stalemate against Leeds Page 21

Varsity preview

In this issue...

Page 23

Lacrosse 1sts guarantee top league statusPage 22

Portsmouth Destroyers lose 19-6 to Southampton Stags in crunch derby fi xture

mouth yards but at other times

quick to

two-minute warning that

of the league Surrey Stingers.

Brook Ince battles through the Southampton defence to score Portsmouth’s only touchdown Dan Chesterton

issue 3

Documents

technology editor

entertainment editor

molly osheasportdeputy

matt boruckiculture

graeme stevensonmusic

flynn masseyscreen editor

wealthier students

student volunteers