RANT 65 : By Young People For Young People Portsmouth City Council Intergrated Youth Support Service
Youth Centres & Projects Youth Centres, Street work, music recording DJ and band rehearsal spaces, sports, BMX, Boards and blades, Under 18 music nights, computer access, Rant magazine, photography, have a say in the Youth Parliament, arts, outdoor adventure, drama, Radio shows, film-making, trips away, job clubs, accredited training, chat, have fun, new friends, talk, advice and guidance, support, help, are you 13 -19 yrs old. Sounds like fun? Want to be involved? We are now part of the new IYSS (Integrated Youth Support Service) 023 9268 8798 Where to find us IYSS Youth Centres The Brook Club, Sackville Street, Southsea PO5 4BU ...............................................................023 9282 4618 BYAC @ Charles Dickens development, Lake Rd, Buckland.......................................................023 9275 4851 Hillside Young Peoples Centre, Cheltenham Rd, Paulsgrove PO6 3PY ....................................023 9237 9738 Hilsea Youth Club @ City Boys School, Hilsea PO2 9RJ ...........................................................023 9265 2762 Portsea Youth Club @ New John Pounds centre, Queens Street, Portsea ................................023 9289 2023
Information, Advice and Guidance Connexions Go For It Centre, Station Street, Portsmouth PO1 1EQ ........................................023 9273 2450 Connexions Go For It Medina House, 38 Medina Rd, Cosham PO6 3EX ................................023 9228 8760
Other things to do and places to go Artzone (citywide) main base @ Hillside Young Peoples centre ................................................023 9237 9738 The Deaf Youth Project @ Hillside Young Peoples centre ..........................................................023 9237 9738 No Name theatre, Drama, Film and role play project .............................................................023 9275 4851 Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and Outdoor education unit............................................023 9238 5389 Ethnix Project Multi-cultural Young Womens group @ The Brook Club..................................023 9282 4618 4U Project - for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and sexually unsure young people ..........................................................................................079 3153 6973 Rant Magazine and Rant on the Radio project ............................................023 9273 1540 / 077 3006 5626 Southsea Skatepark, Southsea Common. (All ages welcome!) .................................................023 9282 5005 Stamshaw Youth Project, Stamshaw & Tipner Leisure centre ...................................................023 9268 8252 U4ria Gay and Lesbian club nights..........................................................................................079 3153 6973 Young Parents project @ The Brook Club .................................................................................023 9282 4618 Young Money grants (YCF, YOF) application information..........................................................023 9265 2762 Portsmouth Youth Parliament ..................................................................................................023 9268 8305
Partnership Projects CafĂŠ Central, Cosham Baptist Church Havant Rd, Cosham PO6 2QZ (Friday evenings) CafĂŠ Central @ Highbury Community Centre, Hawthorne Crescent, Cosham (Wednesday evenings)
Streetwork (Detached) Project workers There are two Detached projects with Youth Advisers working on the streets with Young People. If you live in the Paulsgrove area or the S.E of Portsmouth you may like to get involved in what they are doing for more info call ................................................023 9228 8760
rant #65 We love May and so should you. OK, you may have a few exams cluttering up the month but you also have the promise of summertime, an FA Cup final and a bunch of bank holidays! That’s it, stay positive and focus on the good times… So what have we got for you in Rant #65? How about articles about sex in the classroom (not literally), sunbeds, youth crime and ASBO Animals to start you off? We also debate the Twitter phenomenon. While making up your mind whether it sucks or not, why not add Rant? Our mind-numbing trivialities can be tracked via twitter.com/rantmagazine Before I sign off I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest member to the Rant team, 13-year-old Sam Pack. For your information he’s responsible for the article about Sims. Go check it out! To become a member of Rant just like Sam email me: matthew.woolway@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
06: Who are the Dollyrockers? We take a peek at the latest kitsch-pop phenomenon!
12: Ever been addicted to a computer game? Sam Pack talks about his SIMS obsession!
Have fun in the sun! Matt (Editor)
Rant magazine is a Portsmouth City Council project brought to you by your Youth Service. Contact Rant magazine: FREEPOST SCE1104, Portsmouth, PO1 2BR Rantmagazine@portsmouthcc.gov.uk Editor Matt Woolway Assistant Editor Emma Murphy Creative Team Sumra Rehman, Tash Jones, Andy Hayward, Naomi Enderby, Dan Tee, Andy Hayward, Emily Bartlam, Alice Hare, Chantal Tyler, Sam Whitehead, Erin, Laura Adshead Jnr, Hannah Lane, Nikki White, Mark Hayward, Selina Celestine, Yaz, Jason Miller, Sam Pack, Lianne Carpenter, Nick Rogers, Jess Kearney, Patsy Walsgrove Design Sifer Design Additional photography Andy Hayward Club photography Oscar
You can get this Portsmouth City Council information in large print, Braille, audio or in another language by calling 023 9281 9311.
16: We bring you pics from SN2K at The Student Union…
24: ASBO Animals? Watch out, that swan is proper mental… Disclaimer All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the editor. The views and opinions expressed in Rant are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily the view of Portsmouth City Council. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in Rant, we cannot guarantee the magazine is 100% glitch free. Rant is about taking responsibility for your actions so use your common sense before acting on Rants advice or anything else you read for that matter!
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Laura Adshead reveals that the realities of sunbeds are far from tanfastic… It’s that time of year again when flesh is revealed because the tiniest bit of sunshine has appeared from behind the clouds. For many of us, the reason we strip to our itsy bitsy swimwear is to get as golden brown as possible. A tan makes everyone feel better and we instantly look healthier and we are perceived to be wealthier. Worryingly, however, many of us are turning to desperate measures to keep that tan topped up. Would you endanger your life just to escape the paleness associated with miserable winter months? It’s easy to see why people want to have a tan. The media is full of gorgeous celebrities like Zac Efron and Paris Hilton who are rarely papped without sporting a bronzed complexion. Naturally, we all have an inner instinct to live up to these role models and if we want to look like them, then we’ve got to get ‘Tango-ed’ too! Most of us don’t want to be fussing about with messy and expensive fake tan lotions, and with the weather being so unpredictable it’s no wonder that the sun bed has become a phenomenon amongst young people. When you’re on a sun bed it feels like you’re lying on a beach under a golden sun, except in reality, you’re lying in a capsule similar to an alien space ship, with blue light bulbs providing you with the tan. Getting a fairly decent fake bake similar to many WAGs and Hollywood residents is costly and hard to come by. Especially in Portsmouth, it’s difficult to find a respectably priced salon that will spray you with the right colour, whereas sun beds can cost just 20p a minute. This means that we can use up loose change during our lunch hour. What is terrifying is the fact that many of us are using these sun beds without taking into consideration the severe risks. Continued exposure to the UV rays used in sun beds is known to cause skin cancer and, following recent events, we all know that cancer can happen to anyone from our closest grandparents to the late Jade Goody. Skin cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK and increasing the chance of contracting it seems a ridiculous risk to take. Sun beds also cause burns and sunspots which will cause the skin to age at an increased rate – so when you’re just 30 years old, you’ll look like you were born in Ancient Greece! Don’t panic though, the sun isn’t the source of all evil! You should remember, however, to take necessary precautions: Slip-Slop-Slap (slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat), then theoretically you’ll be fine. In my opinion, sun beds are the only things you should be avoiding completely. Remember that just because we are young it doesn’t mean that the dangers do not apply to us and, contrary to belief, we are certainly not invincible. Words: Laura Adshead rant /// 5
For weeks, Rant chased after an interview with a certain pop act. At first the dilly-dallying was annoying, but soon it became boring. We invented a game called ‘stay awake’ where the objective is to not fall asleep while waiting for ‘interview confirmation’. Eventually ‘stay awake’ got the better of us and we ended up in a semi-conscious slumber where Dappy’s hat entered our dreams and brought us out into a communal cold-sweat. Not pretty.
Thankfully, something outrageous arrived in an email and made giggle with intrigue: Rant Magazine is proud to present you with ‘Dolly Rockers’. In the past we have featured established stars on the cover, you know… people that your Grandma would recognise. McFly? She’s all over it. Lilly Allen? Probably not a big fan of her second album. Dolly Rockers, however, are an emerging ‘talent’ but you can already hear the publicity rumble.
The group have been described as “the brashest, brightest, most entertaining girl band to spring out of the ether since the Spice Girls”, while Music Week has rhapsodised about the groups soon-to-besuccessful brand of “punchy pop-disco with attitude”. Now it’s our turn top have our say: Rant Magazine describes Dolly Rockers as “ridiculous fun”.
Rather cutely, the girls (Sophie, Brooke and Lucie) are preparing for a tour of schools up and down the country as well as series of dates at Butlins. But don’t be fooled by these humble beginnings, as the group have signed to Major Label Parlophone (alongside Coldplay!) and have already caught the attention of Radio One DJ Scott Mills. Having played their signature tune, ‘Je Suis une Dolly’, on the station at the end of April he subsequently spent five minutes raving about the soon-to-befamous pop troupe.
They’re gonna be big, So what do they sound like? If The Guardian is to be believed then “These Primark poppettes sound like what might happen if Alex Turner were put in charge of the next Girls Aloud album”. Bizarre? Yes. Successful? Bound to be,
trust us…
Check them out for yourselves via www.myspace.com/dollyrockers
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Why Twitter Rules by Dan Tee
Why Twitter Sucks by Tash Jones
8 ///rant
rant /// 9
At the beginning of April, a shocking case of torture and abuse reached the ears of the British public. Two boys aged eleven and nine were allegedly slashed with knives, beaten with bricks and burnt with cigarettes whilst they were on their way to go fishing. Apparently, the assault was only cut short when the attackers were disturbed by a passer by. Reports suggest that the elder victim was kicked punched and stamped on. When he was found, he was thought to have been only an hour from death, but now he continues to remain stable and is showing signs of improvement on a life-support machine in hospital. The younger victim has had operations to treat a deep cut in his arm and was found dazed, covered in blood and with burns to his body. At the time of writing, neither victim has yet been interviewed by detectives. The accused attackers are brothers aged ten and eleven, who cannot be named for legal reasons. They are being charged with an offence of attempted murder for each victim and an offence of robbery against each victim, making the total count four charges for each of the accused. This tragedy is a chilling echo of the James Bulger case of 1993, where a two year old boy was taken from a shopping centre in Liverpool, by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both ten. The baby-faced killers became the youngest people in the 20th Century to be charged with murder. They served only eight years in prison (they were let out two years early for good behaviour) before they were released and given new identities. According to a 1996 report, 1/5th of murders of children have been commited by other children – this seems to be usually high but this is often because the perpetrator is an adolescent rather than a young child, such as the case of the Columbine High School Massacre in America, in 1999. It would be easy to proclaim that the individuals who commit such crimes are intrinsically evil, but that would be a lie; murderers are not born, they are made. Their actions are shaped by the experiences they have faced in life. I am not suggesting that their actions are in anyway excusable, but just that they may be preventable. The responsibility for their immediate actions lay with the individuals themselves, because they are old enough to know right from wrong. But what of the build up to these events? In my mind it is the responsibility of the parents and of the school system to bring children up as law-abiding citizens. The brothers in our main story came from a family of seven brothers and stepbrothers but these two had been living with foster parents after their mother told social services that she could no longer control their behaviour. When asked to comment, she denied any responsibility for the crime. Although she refused to answer her door, she yelled through the letter box that it had “nowt to do with [her]” because they were not in her care. So where is the moral framework for these two young suspected criminals? Clearly it does not come from a mother who has washed her hands of them, neither does it come from the education system as they were both expelled for bad behaviour. Children cannot be allowed to think that this behaviour is in any way acceptable. Social workers and the police force need to work closer with families to stop anti-social behaviour before it turns into violence. Children need to learn right from wrong because they cannot use their age as an excuse to hide from justice.
KIDS AND CRIME
My heart goes out to the families on the victims in this case; I cannot imagine what they are going through. I wish for the speedy recovery of both boys and for justice to be delivered. Words: Emma Murphy
WHO IS TO BLAME? Emma Murphy looks beyond the headlines…
rant /// 11
You might look at the top of the page and think, “Sims?” You may even think “Oh, Sims!” Well whether you know Sims or not I’m here to tell you about the phenomenon. The very early version of what would become the Sims was a commodore 64 (A very old 8-bit home computer realised in august 1982) game. This game was called Raid on Bungleing Bay and allowed players to roam around an island in a helicopter bombing places. That game soon led to “Sims City” fuelling William Wright’s (The Creator of the Sims Empire) rocket to fame. That game led to “Sims City 2000”, “The Sims”, the amazing “Sims 2” and now finally “The Sims 3”. I also have a story of my own with the Sims: It can become really addictive, making me stay up all night and spending hours creating life, families, houses and all sorts of things. I sometimes like to stay in with Sims and call it my ‘geek day’. Like many fans of the Sims saga I have a favourite Sims game: I love The Sims 2. I like The Sims 2 for its ability to create families, map out generations and make parents look like children! There are many pros to The Sims. One of the pros is simply hours of entertainment. There are life-teaching skills based in the Sims too. Many of The Sims games are very life-like but, when boiled down, simply rely on emotional well-being. Sims emotions are very easy to follow: when they are at rock bottom I know what to do to make them better and this can apply to real life also. Why not follow their example? There are also cons. The Sims can take over, making you stay up and become tired and agitated. It’s hard to get your head down at school while you’ve been up all night on a computer game. With Sims it is also very hard to know how long you’ve been on it for as it covers the Windows bar and the time. Somewhat dangerously, time flies when you are playing Sims... Although Sims is one of the best selling games of all time, there are many arguments battling against and for it. My conclusion is Sims is a good game as long as you’ve got a grip on your fascination. With the new game coming out soon, The Sims 3, will that change? The Sims 2 had many faults like lagging, freezing and lots of glitching. With the all new Sims coming the 5th of June hopefully we will see improvements as they build upon these solid foundations. Are you a game addict? Ask yourself these questions: Do Do Do Do Do
you you you you you
play almost every day? often play for long periods (over 3-4 hours a time)? play for excitement? get restless and irritable if you can’t play? try to cut down their playing but can’t?
If you answer ‘yes’ to the majority of these questions then it may well be time to assess your gaming. Enjoy what video games have to offer but remember that you should be in control of your life. rant /// 13
Nikki offers food for thought on this modern health issue… Comfort Eating, Binge Eating, Emotional Eating, whatever your preference is it is still over eating. So why are we so prone to eating, not because we are hungry, but to feed our emotions, when all we are doing is giving our emotions more energy to make us feel more stressed, more pressured and more bored? It seems stupid, right? The fact is that a lot of us fall for it, hook, line and sinker. Internet commentator, Dr. Agarwal, says, “Sweets are often used as a comfort food because they seem to provide instant relief. However, instead of helping, sweets often make the problems worse. They actually give your body an initial rush and when your body’s insulin response kicks in, it causes your blood sugar levels to drop and release stress hormones. This can leave you feeling worse than you originally were. ” So, how can we conquer this? First of all we need to look at what causes comfort eating to be able to tackle these problems. These problems I have categorised into four groups: Social: Socially eating around others can cause us to eat more. It seems ridiculous that other people encourage us to eat, or the fact that we eat more just to fit in, but it’s actually true. Feelings of inadequacy are normally the source to over eating socially, the best way to conquer this is practice being around people. Set up a website, or talk to people through the internet and while you’re talking to them eat at your own pace. Gradually you will build confidence enough to be able to eat out with your friends and at your own pace. Emotional: Eating for emotions that brings us down such as stress. Dr. Naresh Goyal says, “In today’s fast paced world, everybody undergoes stress to some degree. It can manifest itself as a head ache, raised heart beat, mental depression, being fed up with life and many other forms.” But stress isn’t the only emotion we eat for; we also eat for tension, depression, anger and loneliness. So how can we conquer this? Well, instead 14 ///rant
of eating for these emotions we need to express them harmlessly. What do you strive to do? Do you strive to just relax? Well just relax, let go. It’s as simple as that, take a bath or meditate. Thoughts: Eating because of excuses or negative self-worth. No matter how much you have suffered from an unhappy childhood or a traumatic incident, you risk being the victim twice. It is not you who should be criticised, even if it’s as small as a person’s shame. You should seek help from a professional counsellor, but you can do it yourself by positive thinking. This although is very hard to do and therefore I suggest a professional counsellor would be a better option. Situational: Eating because the opportunity is there. Advertisements and offers are the worst thing you should go for, you should take them with a pinch of salt, in other words say to yourself that you don’t need it over and over, or try to avoid them by looking at a different store or making a cup of tea during advert breaks. Physiological: Eating due to pains. Some of us eat due to increased hunger because we skip meals; the worst thing to do is to skip a meal because you will only eat more than you would of in that meal. Hunger pains can influence you to eat more, other pains like headaches or migraines influence you to eat to get rid of them. Like we found out with emotions this does not work as the pain has more energy to use. The best remedies for headaches are rest and relax. http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/index.aspx I recommend this site, you don’t have to sign up but use the recipes, exercise techniques and stories to inspire and help you. http://www.off-the-record.org.uk/ A free local counselling service in Portsmouth that will give you support and guidance if you need it.
Words: Nikki White
On these pages are pictures from our second Urban event, the return of SN2K. The acronym stand for ‘Say No 2 Knives’ and, in addition to exposing some choice local MCs, the evening highlighted the dangers of knife culture. Hardly a day goes by without knife crime being reported in the news. It is reported that over 5,000 knife offences are committed in The United Kingdom every three months, which is the equivalent to one incident every 24 minutes. Quite simply, it is time to stop ruining lives. The event, at The Student Union, was a great success thanks to the hard work of Rant Studio One. Keep your eyes peeled for further Under 18s events, publicised within the pages of Rant Magazine.
SN2 SSN N2K 2K Got an event you want us to cover? Traditionally, these pages cover ClubRiot! However, while this event is on ‘holiday’ we are looking for you to tell us about the coolest parties/events/club nights in our city. If we like the look of where you are going we’ll send some photographers. So, whatever your event is (whether it be tea drinking with your Nan or a mega-superparty-rama) let us know… rant /// 17
Andy and Emily continue to update us on their pregnancy. Ladies and gentleman, we have big news… Andy… I would like to start by praising and thanking the entire team on the labour ward at St Mary’s Hospital, especially Carol our delivering midwife and Maria the attending student midwife. I wake blearily at 3am and am welcomed by the sight of Emily in pain, on all fours, clutching the side of the bed. Nine months of waiting are soon going to be over. After a brief phone call and some rushing around to find hospital bags, clothes and car keys we’re off! One contraction every 5 minutes means that the time between our 4.30am arrival at hospital and 8am fly by. 8am arrives meaning shift change at St Mary’s and Emily makes her first decision of the labour, pain relief. Over to Emily……. I would like to start by praising and thanking the anaesthetist who administered my epidural (a pain relieving drug). Everyone tells you that contractions hurt, but until you feel it for yourself, you can never understand the real extent of it all. After the epidural kicked in, the relief was amazing, but the combination of not being able to move, eat or even go to the toilet made everything after that very dull. At around half three Carol told me it was time to start pushing and I spent the next two and a half hours doing just that. It was exhausting! Eventually I had to have an episiotomy and forceps but thanks to the epidural it didn’t hurt even a little bit! When Carol placed her on my chest, all I could do was cry and gasp in shock. She was absolutely gorgeous, I didn’t even care a little bit about all the blood (and believe me, there was a lot), I didn’t care the fact I was lying there, legs akimbo, in a room full of people, covered in god knows what, because I had my daughter and I knew that I would never need anything or anyone else, ever. Back to Andy… Now the problem we have here is that 400 words just isn’t enough to sum up this huge event. The things I am certain of is that I have honestly never cried that much in my life, sobbing to the extent of a bleeding nose. Also, I have never seen that much blood in my life, and I am so unbelievably proud of Emily for the past 9 months. Cleopatra June Violet Hayward was born at 5pm on the second of April 2009, pick up the next issue of Rant Magazine for a post birth view and account of our daughters first month alive. rant /// 19
Sex in the Classroom
Sex Education Vs Pornography – a modern dilemma I am part of a group, a lucky few whose sex education has been of quite a high standard, but only thanks to my mother. From a young age my mum started introducing me to the concept of babies and sex, and gradually the information bit by bit until I was old enough to receive all the graphic details. School started teaching me about sex when I was in Year 6, by using an animated video, which still haunts my nightmares. The video was like watching cartoon porn and seemed to teach me very little. From my experience, the education system was lacking: I was either taught that sex was a beautiful experience or that it was wrong. The classroom certainly didn’t enlighten me. A recent survey, which was carried out by YouGov, was referred to in the Channel 4 programme Sex Education Vs Pornography. This made the shocking discovery that “58% of all 14-17 year-olds have viewed pornography 20 ///rant
online, on mobile phones, in magazines, movies or on TV”. Personally being an older sister to young siblings, the idea that my little sister could be watching porn in only 6 years time horrifies me. I did my own experiment (don’t copy if you are not over 18, please) which shocked the hell out of me. Using two different search engines, Google and Ask, I searched the word ‘porn’ and only Ask automatically filtered the search to ‘all age’ appropriate results while Google gave me 233,000,000 in only 0.30 seconds. The first ten searches were all pornographic websites. This shows how easy it is for someone of any age to get their hands on explicit material. Society really does have little control these days. Yes, parents could add filters to their computer but how many of us know more about modern technology than our parents do? And the internet isn’t the only source: TV, magazines, films and mobiles can also provide explicit images in under a second. Arguably, young people are being ‘educated’ ion the ways of sex before they have been educated by
established educators such as teachers. Is it worrying that a generation are learning about sex and forming their expectations on the matter from sleazy sites? “More than a third of teens say they rely on getting advice on sex from friends, the internet, magazines and via pornography” references the Sex Education website. Porn isn’t a place to go to when you need advice on anything relating to sex; it is an incorrect representation of sex and relationships. The acts performed in porn are rarely performed anywhere else, condoms should be used at all times for the safety of everyone involved (often in pornography they are not) and such material normalises an abnormal body image. Basically, what you see in porn isn’t representative of real life. Real people have imperfections; quite a few women do have one breast bigger than the other, for example. Annoying, I know, but true. Porn doesn’t tell the truth, it shows a glamorised version that is far from the truth.
The government needs to modernise sex education; it needs to be as open as it is presented in the media. We need to be taught about the good and the bad, the shameful and the kitchen sink of sex education. The approach needs to be more hands on, like the way which was portrayed in the programme Sex Education Vs Pornography. Parents and schools need to work together to make sure that we’re getting a fair and overall view of it all. We should also be taught about different sexualities; not every young person is the same and we should cater for everyone. Sex is an individual experience, felt differently by different people and that needs to be presented in sex education. I also think that the approach should start early but gradually, ‘over the years’ is better than ‘everything at first’. I say do it my mother’s way and not the government’s.
Words: Naomi Enderby rant /// 21
The way we listen to music is changing all the time, Nick investigates the options on your behalf. Isn’t he nice? Yes he is. The Music Revolution is well and truly here. In just a couple of decades we have gone from buying a 7-inch vinyl to teenagers having hundreds of CD’s and unlimited access to thousands of songs online. There are now more ways to enjoy music than ever before, but which is the best? I look through the main ways of listening to music to see which is the top option and what to watch out for. Vinyl Pros – The old favourite is still available and many prefer it as it gives you a ‘feel’ of the music, as the records are played through vibrations. Still a very popular way to listen to music with many fans who dislike digitally enhanced sound. Cons – The quality is not as good as CDs or downloads, they only work on record players and they are easily damaged. CD’s Pros – CDs are very easily available from many shops, and every band releases their music on these. They can also be very cheap for producer and consumer, plus they are digitally made so the quality of sound is always good. Cons – While they can be cheap, they can also be very expensive and often dearer than other ways of getting music. They can get lost easily and if they are damaged, you can’t listen to the songs anymore. iTunes Pros – With an huge online song library, iTunes is arguably the most popular modern way of getting music that is always high quality. Cheaper than CD’s, millions of users around the globe download from the easy-to-use program. Cons – Recently there have been more sites competing 22 ///rant
with iTunes for their dominance, namely Amazon’s new download system. iTunes’ songs are expensive for a download site and many users have been drawn to the cheaper options. Spotify Pros – Spotify is basically an online iPod; log-in for free and you can listen to thousands of songs as many times as you want. The quality is great and you can access it from any computer with the program. Cons – You cannot download the songs, so you can only use Spotify if you have a computer. Plus you have to listen to advertisements throughout, unless you upgrade the program, which costs money. Of course, there are other (illegal) ways of downloading music, through programs such as Limewire or BitTorrent. While these have huge song libraries and are free, there are many dangers to look out for. These download sites are notorious for viruses that can ruin your computer, while new government laws mean internet providers will cut anyone’s connection if they are caught illegally downloading files. In April of this year, four people went to prison for hosting one of these sites, so there are many things you need to beware of. So which is the best way to listen to music? Well, for the music purists, vinyl records have the best ‘feel’ and it is easy to download from music sites like iTunes and Amazon. But, my tip for the best way to listen to music is Spotify, the free and totally legal online iPod. You watch, it just might be the next big thing…
Words: Nick Rogers
Words: Cassy Fiford
I know a lot of people who are guilty of acting sweet and innocent to cover up their less innocent actions. Look around, and you will see this dishonesty everywhere: in relationships, children, in your fellow teenager, in fact I do it all the time. All you have to do is flash the sweetest smile and you can get away with murder. But beware people of Portsmouth; the animals have cottoned onto this. For years we have been oblivious to their mischief but now its time to realise when it comes to trouble they’re as bad as us. And we look the other way, because, lets face it... they’re so adorable! Even my own cats are guilty, they trash our bathroom (smashing bottles, clawing carpets and unravelling toilet roll), and you’ve probably got problems with your own animals, but I’m here to warn you that they are just one small example of Britain’s large scale problem which needs addressing, fast: the behaviour of antisocial animals. So what do we do when people get nasty? We slap on an ASBO. An ASBO (anti-social behaviour order) is an order made against any person over 12, who has been known to harass, alarm or cause distress to others. They protect members of the community in various 24 ///rant
ways, sometimes issuing the offender with a curfew, or banning them from a certain area. ASBOs are not currently issued to animals; maybe the government should listen up to the stories of these ‘beasts’ that have made their neighbourhood’s lives a misery. Case 1: THE VICIOUS SWAN If you’re planning a day out to the riverside, don’t venture near the River Cam in Cambridgeshire. A ‘swan-gone-wrong’ feared by parents of young children and ‘beefy’ rowers, haunts the area and is renowned for its violence and bad temper. A brave bird, he attacks boats on the river, even causing one to capsize. One not so brave rower from Cantabrigian Row Club said, “It’s a vicious beat. I don’t go past if I am alone…I’m too scared”. Defenders say its only protecting its nest: I say, stick to Canoe Lake, the swans are much friendlier there. Case 2: THE EVIL KITTY Meet Mani, the cat who has caused £7,000 worth of damage in the past 18 months. Mani, the cat with expensive tastes, has pooed in two pairs of designer shoes, ripped the lining from a £500 Hugo Boss suit, and destroyed vases at £300, carpets at £600, sofas, shirts and more. Mani has also taken to raiding nextdoor’s house, returning with ‘trophies’ including a
postman pat doll and a multicoloured beanbag toy. Case 3: THE ‘STONER’ MONKEY One monkey’s antics in a Swedish zoo have shocked visitors with its high levels of premeditated violence. The cheeky chimpanzee, would spend its nights calmly gathering rocks and even breaking lumps of concrete into manageable sizes, when the zoo gates opened, the monkey would become highly stimulated, and use the rocks as ammunition, throwing them at passers by through the bars in the cage. Case 4: THE GANG MEMBERSA monkey mafia have taken to reaping havoc in Cape town, South Africa. Moving in groups the baboons open empty car doors (whilst their sidekick keeps watch) in search of food. The monkeys break into houses, raiding fridges and leaving behind urine and faeces- not a very polite thankyou gift. The locals are furious, but tourists find their behaviour charming. Some residents even install bars on their windows to keep the pests out, but the monkeys are far cleverer than that, and nearly always find a way in... And you thought hooded culture in Britain was bad. SAVE YOURSELF (AND YOUR PETS) Vets and animal behaviourists blame this animal
yobbery on the unwillingness of owners to punish their pets for bad behaviour. Also at fault is the ‘humanisation’ of pets caused by allowing them to sleep on sofas and beds, indulging them in pampering services and even dressing them in designer animal clothing. MY TOP TIPS: DO discipline your animals, DO allow your pets freedom to interact with others DO try not to let your pet sleep on your bed every night DO reward it when it’s been good DO play with your pet; stroking a cat or dog is a proven stress reliever. DON’T overfeed your pet, some animals can’t tell when they’re full. DON’T spoil them with clothes or pampering sessions DON’T carry your animal in your handbag- Only Paris Hilton can get away with this one. Above all LOVE your pet, relationships with animals can be so rewarding, and the animals themselvesunforgettable. We want to hear your stories of good pets gone bad- so go on, make us laugh and send them in… Editor’s note: No animals were harmed making this article... rant /// 25
Road safety applies to EVERYONE
Whether you’re a driver or a passenger, you have to take care while on the road… Because safety is key in any situation, we have provided you with a list of safety tips for passengers and drivers. By following these simple tips you can help increase your safety on the road. Passengers: Make sure you do your bit to be safe every journey… Safety Tip 1: Don’t distract the driver- distracting the driver will break concentration and lead to an increased risk, leaving you and the driver in danger. Safety Tip 2: Always Buckle up- Whenever you get into a vehicle, whether it is with someone you know or not, always use a seatbelt as they protect you in the event of a crash. Safety Tip 3: Never over fill a car- One seat and seatbelt per person is the rule. If you find yourself in a situation were there isn’t one per person, don’t get in. If you aren’t safely buckled up in a vehicle this could lead to a police penalty or severe injury/death in the event of a crash. Safety Tip 4: Influence - NEVER in any situation should you enter a car when the driver has been drinking alcohol or is influence by drugs. Drivers: If you have done your lessons, passed both of your tests and are lucky enough to own a car, the it’s time for some congratulations! However, be warned that cautious driving doesn’t stop now, so follow these simple and easy-to-follow instructions and be safe on the road:
Safety tip 1: Check, Check, Check and Check again – As a driver you now have more responsibilities, as you are free to roam the roads of freedom. 1. Check your passengers are buckled up, safe and secure. 2. Check your mirrors and blind spots, do this constantly as you move away, pull in or change lanes. 3. Check your indications and lights, indicators show other drivers and pedestrians what you intend to do. If driving in night condition put you’re lights on. 4. Check your speed, follow the speed limits there in place for your safety and others. Safety tip 2: Road worthy- Is your car roadworthy? As a driver your car should be fully certificated and worthy of road use, which is required by law. Safety tip 3: Influence- NEVER drink and drive. The title says it all! Drinking and driving even the morning after is never a good option, even if you feel fine and sober. The alcohol is still in your blood and impairs your judgement. This could lead to a fatal accident for both you and your passengers don’t be a dangerous driver. Even if you do not drive yourself, it is important to be aware of the above so you can keep an eye on the person behind the wheel. Your safety, to a large extent, is in his or her hands. Be aware! If you want to know any more information go to the Direct Gov Website under Travel and Transport. www.direct.gov.uk Words: Bradlee Moore
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What is Street Fashion? In this article I’ll be having a look at what it means and where to find it. Street fashion is styles and trends that emerge from real people in the street, rather than a design studio. Often these styles are copied and brought to the catwalk by designers roaming the streets, choosing imaginative and individual styles invented by young people as inspiration for collections. A few notable styles to have moved from street fashion- to catwalk fashion- to high street fashion have been, Punk, Goth, Hippy and Hip Hop. Perhaps the best place to start with this article would be Tokyo, Japan: now the most famous place for youth street fashion in the world; so much so, that Gwen Stefani seems to mention Harajuku girls in every song, and appears have her own pack of them. But what is a Harajuku girl, and where can you find one? The Shibuya district in Tokyo is the place to be, containing some of the biggest shopping places in Japan and this is where you’ll find Harajuku. Every Sunday, young people gather here to hang with their friends and show off their outfits - which are, in this writer’s opinion, quite simply works of art. The term “Harajuku girls” is used in the English language media to describe these teenagers. They display a huge variety of styles; such as Cosplay - a look where people dress in costumes from their favourite computer game, film or
more popularly, manga/anime, Lolita- which originated in Osaka, and is based heavily on the Victorian era. It involves a heavy mix of lace, gothic fashions and props. These props are usually teddy bears or parasols, and give girls a more child like appearance (hence the name Lolita) and my personal favourite, and probably the most recognised is Kawaii. Kawaii is the Japanese word for cute and again involves wearing clothing intended for children. This look is BRIGHT. Bright hair colour, bright make up and bright clothing. My favourite outfits have to be all in one costumes based on the likes of Pokémon and Hello Kitty. For further reading, I strongly recommend a book called Japanese School Girl Inferno, which details the history of Japanese street fashion. Now we move to London. For years it was the swinging capital of the world; all new music and fashion emerged from our city but what about today? What I love the most about London is that you can’t really name styles emerging from there like you can with Japan, as everyone is so individual. Everyone has their own look and their own fashion agenda, all of which have elements which can be pulled together to create a whole number of new looks. So many looks have come from the London street scene-punk, teddy boy, Mod, New Romantic, and that, I believe, is truly what makes it the fashion capital of the world. Words: Sian Presswell rant /// 27
When you think about your life in Portsmouth, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the iconic Spinnaker Tower or the shores of Southsea beach? Perhaps the allure of Gunwharf Quays or high street shopping in Commercial Road is your thing? Maybe you prefer to marvel at Portsmouth’s rich history; Portsmouth’s very own museum (which is free by the way, if you haven’t already been then shame on you!) or the naval docks? What if someone told you that you had to leave your hometown and live in a completely foreign country because your parents weren’t technically British Citizens? Would your love for good old Pompey be great enough to withstand this hurdle?! The inspiration for this topic came from an article on the BBC website, about the Calderon family from the Philippines who had been living as illegal immigrants in Japan for over 13 years! Immigration controls arrested the Calderons in 2006 and since then they had been fighting to stay in the country. Because she was born in Japan their daughter, Norika, was technically a Japanese citizen although her parents sadly were not and so face deportation. The daughter decided that she would prefer to stay in Japan rather than return to her parents homeland with them. Japan 1 Parents 0 Her parents say her life will be better in Japan than the poor farming community where they will be living in the Philippines. But this poses a startling questions: Does family life really mean that little in today’s society?! I asked some people what they would do if they were put in this situation, and the result was fairly unanimous: stay of course! ‘I’d stay because my parents would want what’s best for me, and I could always go and visit them later on!’ (slight tinge of guilt there!) Emily Bartlett, 17 ‘It depends on what the conditions were where I was being deported to. If I had a better quality of life here, I’d probably stay’ Amy Maddison, 17 ‘I’d stay here of course’ (gives me a weird look as if I’ve just asked the most stupidly obvious question in the world) Nick Sayer, 17
Portsmouth Versus PARENTS!
Most peoples response was fairly typical of this, however, on a gloomy day after braving the rain to run between classes, I did pose this question to my biology partner who replied, ‘I’d go with my parents, at least it would be hot and sunny’ Hurrah! Loyalty at last….! Though I doubt very much it’s just the fact that people love Portsmouth so much that they can’t bear to leave (as fantastic as Pompey is…) It’s probably more the reason that we make friends and form relationships that are difficult to just give up and leave. After a certain age, probably early teens, your parents tend to take a more backseat approach in your life – I remember in a class poll once in Year 8 we were asked who we were most likely to listen to, our parents or our friends, and the result was pretty undisputed: we’d choose our chums all they way :) So I guess it’s not really that surprising that Norika chose Japan. After all it is a very up and coming country that would have seemed much more attractive than the rural life of the Philippines. So if you had to choose to stay in Portsmouth or return to another country with your parents, which one would it be?
Words: Sumrah Rehman
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This article is sponsored by Adolescent Health… My name is Charlotte and I am a Young Carer. I didn’t always think that way. My mum has a severe back condition that means that she is in pain all the time and doesn’t manage to cope all the time with normal things, that’s when I step in. For a long time, I thought I lived a normal life, just like every other teenager. Cooking, shopping, helping her get dressed, looking after my little sister, and distracting her when mum was in pain and crying, supporting her when she was in hospital having operations was second nature to me, every day life. I thought it was nothing to shout about. Juggling school work, with helping my mum in the house along with helping my sister and looking after my mum. Carrying on, day after day, getting tired and stressed out. Imagine, seeing your mum being in pain all the time, and being unable to help. You feel isolated because there is no-one you could talk to, no-one who you think can understand, and even if there was, who were you to complain when there were others out there worse off than you. That’s when my school bought in the young carers group. My best friend, who knew some of my situation, suggested that I went to speak to the teacher in charge and see what she said about it. Eventually, I went. I expected her to tell me that in no way was I a young carer. What I found instead, was a caring, considerate teacher who knew where I was coming from and said that I was most definitely a young carer and that the school should be supporting me. She explained to me what a young carer was and, to my surprise, I fulfilled all the criteria. Since then, I have had a meeting once a week with young carers in my school, where we just relax and talk about things. We go out on trips to places, just for a break, we can have fun without worrying. That’s important when you’re a young carer, relaxing and knowing that if you’re in trouble or behind with work or needing to talk to someone when things get bad, believe me they can get bad, there’s someone there, ready to listen. Without the young carers scheme at my school, I would still be thinking that I was just a normal kid who had problems at home. Worrying, without anyone I felt I could talk to without being a problem or nuisance. Now I feel that I have the support I need without any stigma surrounding it. 30 ///rant
The Hillsborough disaster Erin Corrigan explains why the disaster should not be forgotten… April 15th 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of one of football’s biggest disasters: The Hillsborough disaster. On that day in 1989, thousands of Liverpool fans traveled to the stadium in Sheffield, looking forward to their club’s FA cup semi final clash with Nottingham Forest. Little did they know that 96 of these fans would never return. The shocking incident developed in the early stages of the game, with the police letting too many Liverpool fans onto the terraces. Quite simply there was not enough space for so many people meaning that fans became crushed at the front of the terrace. Only a few minutes into the game, when the seriousness of what was happening hit home, the game was abandoned. People - some already dead – were lifted over the barriers and others were rushed to hospital. But for 96, it was too late. The memories of this horrific incident still live on today, with victims family and friends, and also with the lucky survivors, who will never forget what happened on that fateful day. To mark the 20th anniversary, a memorial service was held at Liverpool’s stadium, Anfield, where thousands attended to pay their respects, with tributes also being paid in the cities of Sheffield and Nottingham. How quickly this all happened makes you realise how unpredictable life is. If anything positive can come out of this, it certainly motivates you to live each day to the full as no one knows what is around the corner. Thankfully, lessons have been learned from this incident. Resultantly, football ground safety has improved to ensure that ‘another Hillsborough’ doesn’t happen. From that day on, the restriction barriers were taken away and concrete terraces (standing room) have been replaced with plastic seats. As well as this, police and security measures have both been stepped up. We have also seen the introduction of family friendly arenas all across the country to ensure that nothing like it ever happened again. 32 ///rant
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