EDITOR’S LeTTeR
D
ear readers,
Welcome to the debut issue of Life360, the magazine that satisfies the curiosity of dynamic, creative individuals about other cultures and the good things in life, on a budget. Our editorial team are excited to serve up your first helping of lifestyle, fashion, music, society and travel. Our aim is to introduce you to something new; something fresh and exciting. The diversity of topics reflects the diversity of our team and of you, our readers. This month we explored the uncertain world of the freelance worker, found out how the Welsh are keeping their language alive and debated whether Egypt is still a tourist destination worth visiting. We listened to Britney, watched Keira and hung out with Greek rap stars. We even threw in some synchronised swimming fish for good measure. Enjoy, and get ready for our fashion special next month.
6
EMPLOY yourself: real stories from real freelancers
8
Why become more
welsh?
Yours,
Becky
10
Never let me go Film review
2 | Life360 March 2011
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Contents | MARCH 2011
4
TRAVEL
News
4
with
Danger
EGYPT: TOURIST TRAP? Becky Bruce discovers beautiful but dangerous touristic locations. QUADRANT: 4 funny stories of the month.
Interview
5
PROUD OF CHINA. Iris Zhan meets the manufacturer of the official tableware for the upcoming royal wedding.
Geeko MOTOROLA XOOM. A serious rival for the iPad
5
iPAD gets a new competi-
tor from
Motorola
10 Exclusive:
interview with Mr.Gifted
6 7 8 9
10
11
Features UNFOLDING FREELANCE. Evrydiki Katsoulaki explores self-employment opportunities in this time of recession. WHY BECOME MORE WELSH? Yang Liu investigates how many parents in Wales send their kids to Welsh middle school.
Seven Questions MR. GIFTED. An exclusive interview with Robert Buzz, Los Angeles-based Rap star.
Previews RITUAL by White Lies. Music review. FEMME FATALE by Britney Spears. Music review. THE LONG SONG by Bndrea Levy. Book review. JERUSALEM: THE BIOGRAPHY by Simon Sebag Montefiore. Book review. NEVER LET ME GO. Film review. DRIVE ANGERY (3D). Film review.
ON THE COVER: Cover design by: Yuan Tian Photography by: Kate McElwee Model: Kate McElwee Flickr.com/photos/thephotofactory/1885031971
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Life360 March 2011 | 3
arc
Egypt: tourist trap? by Becky Bruce
Recent events in Egypt may mean this traditional tourist destination is no longer the hotspot it once was.
O
n 25 January 2011, the people of Egypt rose up to call for the resignation of their president of 20 years, Hosni Mubarak. A series of demonstrations, marches and riots protested against corruption and police oppression. The revolutionaries called for democratic reforms to the political system, in order to allow the voices of the people to be heard more clearly. After sustained pressure, Mubarak stepped down on 11 February 2011.
Turmoil in Egypt may affect tourism
The events in Egypt were preceded by similar events in nearby Tunisia, and there is a fear that similar uprisings will ripple throughout the region, causing unrest in other Middle Eastern countries. Other Arab nations, including Jordan, Libya and Yemen are already experiencing the rumblings of conflict. The consequences of the revolution are still unclear, but they are bound to be extensive. With all the political upheaval, tourism may seem the least of the Egyptians worries, but for a country whose economy relies in part on the industry, the effect of the revolution in scaring away visitors may be serious. Egypt has been a popular destination for travellers for hundreds of years. The Pyramids and the Sphinx
are among the most recognisable sights on the globe. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the World, and thousands of people flock to Egypt to see it every year. Alison Blair of Thomas Cook travel agent doesn’t think the dip in Egyptian tourism will last forever: “It has so much history and so many sights you don’t get to see anywhere else” she explains. Egypt is by no means the only tourist country that has drawbacks as well as attractions. Many of the most interesting and exciting places in the world come with added dangers. For thrillseekers and explorers of the undiscovered world, this can add to the allure of the destination.
Other beautiful but dangerous tourist locations:
Colombia Once known more for its kidnappers and drug dealers than its beautiful scenery, the South American country is becoming a popular destination. Although rural areas are still considered dangerous, the cities of Bogota and Cartagena are steeped in culture. 4 | Life360 March 2011
Israel Conflict has characterised
coverage of Israel for many years, but tourism remains one of the countries major sources of income. As well as many historical sights, it also has beach resorts, national parks for hiking and relaxing hot springs.
Kenya Despite being the victim of terrorist attacks and electionrelated violence in the last decade, Kenya remains one of the places travellers can most immerse themselves in nature. Tourism remains strong, with safaris selling out months in advance. www.jomec.ac.uk/life360
Proud of china, proud of China!
‘Royal Wedding’ Made in China by Zhan Zhan A Chinese porcelain manufacturing company has won the order to make the official tableware to be used at the British royal wedding of Prince William and his fiancée Kate Middleton. This company is Guangxi Sanhuan Group, which is based in Beiliu, a city in China’s Guangxi province. Here is an interview with CEO Chen Cheng. ZZ: How do you feel about winning this order? CC: When I found out I was very happy and excited! The staff and I paid great attention to it.
arc
quadrant
bitesize news by Becky Bruce
Hearing the Music of Stars A huge amount of new data on 500 far-flung stars has become available by listening to the ‘music of the stars’. The Kepler telescope at the University of Birmingham uses ‘astroseismology’ to measure the soundwaves bouncing within stars thousands of light years away.
The Artist, the Murderer
ZZ: How will you deal with your success? CC: I always keep my peace of my mind. When I decided to bid for this order I just regarded it as good training for our company and I never thought about the result.
A new exhibition of 400-year-old police reports at Rome’s State Archives has revealed that artist Caravaggio was a roguish criminal. The archives describe the worldfamous bad boy artist carrying out gang warfare on a tennis court, and assaulting a waiter with a plate of cooked artichokes.
ZZ: Have you had this kind of order before? CC: Yes, our company has got a lot of similar orders in the European market. ZZ: What do you think was the key in winning the bid for this order against the competition? CC: It must be the high quality of our products. We have one of the most advanced manufacturing processes in China. ZZ: Could you introduce the manufacturing process briefly? CC: Firstly, a special high-fire glazing technique is used to manufacture the wedding porcelain, and then with the plates and then we set the mugs at temperatures of more than 1600 degrees C in the kilns.
Fishy business More than 50 Chinese animal rights groups have joined gathered to campaign against the televisation of magician Fu Yandong’s six synchronized-swimming goldfish, saying the use of magnets harms the fish. But Mr Fu refuses to reveal his magical method as it would break the magician’s code.
Downing Street’s New Owner In order to clean up a gang of rats, Larry, a cat, has been installed as Downing Street Chief Mouser. He had lately been living at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home after being taken in as a stray. “He is quite independent and has bags of character,” say staff. Tableware for the royal wedding will be produced in China.
ZZ: Many British people are not familiar with your company, could you introduce your company for them? CC: Our company is the largest ceramic enterprise in the Guangxi Province, and our products are exported to Europe, the Middle East and Southest Asian markets. Our proudest achievement is that our products have been selected as the special gifts for heads of State in the China-ASEAN Expo and as the special utensils in the Embassy of China in 10 ASEAN countries. ZZ: What do you think of these products? CC: The theme of these products is everlasting love, and they contain our best blessing for the royal wedding, as well as to the prince and his future wife. www.jomec.ac.uk/life360
o
geek
iyan
u by R
Tang
Motorola Xoom rivals iPad Motorola has launched its iPad alternative, the ‘Xoom’. The new tablet computer runs Android’s ‘Honeycomb’ software, the main competitor to Apple. The Xoom is being considered a strong alternative, but the iPad’s thousands of apps give it the edge. Life360 March 2011 | 5
Feature
Unfolding Freelance Is self-employment ideal for surviving during the economic recession? Three freelancers from Cardiff explain their life on a treadmill.
T
he phone is ringing. His accent becomes heavier while speaking to his manager on the phone about the current documentary project, ‘’The Wall of Silence’’, in his homeland, Poland. ‘‘Money is a major problem for this profession’’ explains Bartosz Nowicki, a 29 year old freelance documentary photographer and the co-owner of a charitable gallery ‘The Third Floor Gallery’ in Cardiff Bay. ‘‘There are times when my ears itch to hear my phone ring with calls from my employers or any other agencies. Once, when I was primarily just a freelancer, I actually had to stay without money for two months, living off borrowed money from my friends, just enough to pay my apartment rent. Today I work with a company alongside doing freelance work. I have to in order to meet my basic monthly needs such as paying my apartment rent, the bills and my living expenses’’, he adds. He knew from the first day he walked into the documentary photography class at Newport University in Wales that working as a freelancer would not be as glamorous as it might appear to be. Maciej Dekowicz thinks differently. He is a camera lover, indeed a lover of all the sensual arts. He is a Polish freelance photographer and the
co-owner of the Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff Bay. He is a man with a natural talent who lives by the charm of photographs. His passion for capturing moments through his lenses, by travelling around the world, has become his only source of income today. Maciej believes that freelance is a profession which gives you the chance ‘‘to explore other cultures and observe their living conditions’’. After working for several years at the University of Glamorgan as a Research Assistant, he managed to save enough money in order to open his own charitable gallery and pursue his passion for freelance photography. ‘‘Living my dream, as a freelancer, I can say that I live a decent life with the little money that I earn through my work’’ he adds. Today, he has worked on various projects home and abroad but most of all he has captured people’s lives from countries with a human interest story such as Yemen, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, India and Tanzania. The self employed labour forces who prefer to work at home rather than work at an office are characterised by David Cameron as ‘‘contributors to the nation’s economy’’. Many freelancers today became self employed because they want to earn while doing the thing that they love most. Freelance as an established profession A study carried out by Kingston University showed that, currently 1.4 million freelancers are working in the UK while online websites such as freelance.co.uk has recorded 2,158,702 subscribed freelance users in the region and around the world. In 1981 there were more than 12,000 freelance writers working in Britain, predominantly men. Accord-
6 | Life 360 March 2011
by Evrydiki Katsoulaki
ing to research by Kingston University for the Professional Contractors Group (PCG) there are now 163,000 freelancers with 62% being men. Nerys Lloyd- Pierce, 30 years old, feels there is ample evidence of this. After finishing her studies in business administration in North Wales she decided to search for better opportunities in Cardiff. She is struggling to survive in the media business while working as a freelance writer for publications including the Guardian and the Sunday Times and also as a PR consultant to many companies around Wales. ‘‘Some companies are less keen on hiring freelance women who are full time mothers’’ she adds. The challenge of being on top The hardest part in the life of a freelancer is definitely to build your reputation and to beat the huge competition which exists in the media field. Gaining a reputation through public events or various award contests is crucial for photographers. ‘‘The multiple awards that I gained have helped keep my reputation out www.jomec.co.uk/life360
Feature
“There are times when my ears itch to hear my phone ring”
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there alive. Clients approach me after seeing my work through the public exhibitions and publications in national newspapers’’ Maciej adds. So, is being freelance actually a praiseworthy profession? The answer to this question is hidden in a poll of businesses leaders. According to the PCG, 60% admitted that it could be difficult for a company to function without the work of freelancers, while 55% said that freelancers help the UK economy flourish. According to the PCG managing director, John Brazier, ‘‘Freelancers bring talent, skills and of course flexibility to the market place. The results of our poll confirm that more and more people see freelancing as a conscious career choice’’. However, the flexibility that the profession has to offer can’t always be characterised as ideal for many freelancers who are struggling to survive purely through this profession. ‘‘In order to survive as a freelancer, you must never give up and constantly strive to improve yourself’’ Nerys notes.
4 Tips to Start Your Freelance Business •
Set a date: Make a plan and start working on how to get your first freelance job.
•
Start a blog or a website: Start to advertise your company or your work through digital mediums.
•
Be consistent: You will have to offer good-quality service in a way that offers customers benefits they will not easily get elsewhere
•
Chase opportunites: The important thing to be sucessful in freelance is to be cooperative, friendly and always keen on working with demanding clients. Good manners and a cheerful demeanor are always essential.
Life 360 March 2011 | 7
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Feature
Compared with 30 years ago, more Welsh parents send their children to Welsh middle school.
Why become more elsh ? W by Yang Liu
8 | Life 360 March 2011
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Feature
T
ry to imagine there are two boys standing in front of you: one from Wales and the other from England. Can you see any difference between them? Both of them are wearing Superdry, eating Burger King and have the latest PS3 games in their hands. When they start to talk with you, unsurprisingly, they speak English. Perhaps somebody might ask, “What makes the Welsh children become so “unwelsh”? They can’t even speak Welsh!” Like Welsh music and poetry, the Welsh language is what Welsh people are most proud of. The reason this language can survive today, and is even considered one of the eight wonders of Wales, is not only because of official protection. The overriding reason is Welsh people’s powerful love of their own language. However, it looks like identifying the characteristics of Welsh people is becoming more and more difficult. Films, entertainment or fashion: all things which young people are crazy about and have nothing to do with traditional Welsh culture. For the Welsh parents, it becomes increasingly hard to get their children interested in Welsh culture and language. Therefore, they have to take some measures to protect the Welsh language. “I don’t know how we can make the Welsh children like our own culture or language. Even we parents try speaking Welsh to them at home, most of the time when these children are at school or with their friends, they speak English,” Gavin Williams, father of two children worried. “For children, culture, language or senses of national pride are too serious. Obviously, they prefer games, films or superstars.” This worried father had to choose a Welsh primary school for his second daughter when she reached school age. In his opinion, this is the best way to ensure his daughter speaks Welsh.
In Wales, a lot of parents have made the same choice as Gavin. At present, they think the most useful way is ensuring the young generation gets Welsh language education. Although there are fewerWelsh speakers compared with the 19th centuryonly 18.7% of Wales’s population - the proportion of young people is growing. Without question, this is good news for the Welsh language. It looks like efforts by In 2010, there are two academics from Bangor University who spent one yearinterviewing parents living in the Rhymney Valley. They asked these parents about why they chose Welsh medium education for their children. In the 1970s, the same survey was conducted in the some place. In the 2010 study, more than half the parents said they chose Welsh medium education for their children because of cultural reasons, with 34% saying educational, 8% saying economic and a further 8% saying personal. However, in the study done 30 years ago, economic reasons were in the majority. This is because at that time, Welsh medium education was much cheaper than English education.
“I don’t know how we can make Welsh children appreciate their own culture.” “I’m Welsh but I don’t speak Welsh fluently. I only know a few phrases,” says Kate Jones, an English teacher from Cardiff University. “I was born in 1970 and I think Welsh was viewed differently at the time. My parents did not consider speaking Welsh to be important.” “Things have changed now, and
How many young people in Wales can read this signs in both Languagers?
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Welsh alphabet
people realise it is a valuable skill and that it is important to keep the language alive. I think that parents should be able to choose a Welsh language education for their children if that is what they want. Hopefully, if enough people choose to educate their children in this way, the language won’t die out,” Kate said. There are about 448 primary schools and 53 secondary schools which provide Welsh medium education in Wales. The Welsh local government plans to get more Welsh medium schools in the future because a lot of parents suggest that Welsh medium education should have been paid more attention in Wales. Gwilym Owen, a primary teacher from Swansea said, “I think getting Welsh education can let students keep a balance between English and Welsh. In our school, we provide courses in both these languages. More importantly, we pay more attention to teaching the history and culture of Wales. It can help children to build a sense of national pride and belonging.” “My Mum was educated in Welsh school and so am I,” Lloyd Mumford, a student from Glamorgan University said, “I feel proud that compared with my friends, I can speak Welsh as my first language rather than just know ‘Croeso’.” Nowadays, Welsh parents are aware of how important speaking Welsh is for the next generation. We are now in the 21st century rather than 30 years ago when parents didn’t want their children to be different. Since there are more than 500 million English speakers around the world, being a Welsh speaker is cool, isn’t it?
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Life360 March 2011 | 9
Intersection
Mr. Gifted
Gifted: His mother called him that when he was a child, as she thinks that his voice was a gift from god. by Evrydiki Katsoulaki
“In Greece, I feel like Barack Obama!”
‘made in the USA by Blacks’. It’s not like that. I believe that you can’t tailor hip hop music to different countries. Greek rappers only produce music for a particular portion of people, which is their mistake. They aren’t trying to produce something that will be heard by the masses. I’m willing to do that with my music. There are some Greek artists that they are doing a good job. In Greece I feel like Barack Obama! People think it’s weird to see a black guy become so successful in Greece, and people are always asking me: ‘How did u do it? You started as a basketball player!’ E.K:Have you studied? G.B: Back home in California, I studied Business and later on I completed a degree in Journalism. I can’t say that I miss the student life because what’s past is past. The good thing about studying in a different country is that you meet new people around the world students in the States get a lot of benefits. E.K: Do you miss your family? G.B: Of course I do. My family is part of my life. There are times that I want to see them and have dinner with them. I miss my mother. I didn’t have time to visit them this Christmas but I hope I will be there at Easter.
Gifted Buzz as he prefers to be called, or Robert to his close friends, is a hip hop performer and the director of the Knocked Out team. His passion for music made him start organizing events in his hometown of Los Angeles and he later moved the business abroad, finding his big break in Greece where he is most famous for his Knocked Out parties, held in big venues all over Greece. Gifted is multi-talented. He has his own PR company back home in America, he composes his own songs, and has worked with, among others, Mariah Carey, J.LO and his idol 50 Cent. He has worked with famous Greek singers such as Sakis Rouvas and Tamta, and has made his name as the truly black representative of hip hop music.
the match some Greek players took us to celebrate the victory in a club. I saw that r’n’b music there isn’t represented in the way we blacks know it back home. I wasn’t raised that way with hip hop so I thought that I should show how hip hop actually is. I know what hip hop and r’n’b should sound like and if you know both well you can make a lot of money in the States. I ended up organizing small events and then some people saw my work, they liked it and asked me to work for them.
E.K: How did it all start? G.B: In California I started organized small events in clubs in my area. I was doing PR at the time. After years I started working with bigger venues and worked with performers such as 50 cent, JLO and Mariah Carey. I came to Greece for the first time for a basketball matchand the night after
E.K: Are you doing a better job than Greek hip hop performers? G.B: I can’t compare myself to Greek rappers because I can’t be like them as I don’t speak Greek. They refer to hip hop music as ‘black music’ or ‘American music’. It’s not those things. I believe that hip hop was born in America but you can’t put the label
10 | Life 360 March 2011
E.K: Do you like working in Greece? G.B: I do because the weather is like LA. Greece reminds me of home and it’s a place that you can stay until the end of the summer. But I’m here all the time; my job means I travel a lot.
E.K: What is the key to success? G.B: The important thing in this job is to be down to earth. Many people don’t want to see you succeed and are happy when you fail. My parties in Greece are really famous because who I am in reality. In the hip hop scene the big fish eats the small. It’s always like that. There is a lot of competition in this field. E.K:Any future plans? G.B: I want to help people who are at the beginning of their career. My team consists of young members. The youngest is 15 years old boy and he’s doing a really good job in the hip hop scene as a DJ and lyricist. He has a dream and I want to help him succeed it. I don’t want to settle somewhere, I love travelling around and I would love my kids to be able to do the same. I want to be like my dad. He had the time and money to take his friend on a vacation to San Tropez!
Events: TUESDAY 22/2 @ DOME ClubAthens : ‘’The 6 Year Aniversary Party of KNOCKOUT’’ Facebook Group : http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/
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Previews MUSIC
BOOKS
FILM
Ritual
The Long Song
Never Let Me Go
White Lies
Andrea Levy
This is the second studio album by British alternative rock band White Lies following their debut album “To Lose My Life”. Their comeback single "Bigger Than Us” is also the album's lead single, which continues their steady ascent towards something serious and important. “Peace and Quiet” and “Turn the Bells” are also huge songs.
Levy illustrates the cruel devastation of the slave trade and the unexpected defiance of the slaves. Levy writes novels that she, as a young woman, had wanted to read - entertaining novels that reflect the experiences of black Britons. She looks perceptively at Britain and its changing population and at the intimacies that bind British history with that of the Caribbean.
The film is a dystopian drama based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel of the same name. It centres on Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, played respectively by Mulligan, Knightley and Garfield who spent their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school where all is not as it seems. Disturbing and bewitching in equal measures.
Femme Fatale
Jerusalem: The Biography
Drive Angry (3D)
Release Date: 29 March 2011
Publisher: W&N
Release Date: 25 February 2011 (UK)
Release Date: 3 January 2011
Britney Spears
Britney Spears' hugely anticipated seventh studio album has been in the making for two years. The hit single of the album “Hold It Against Me” was released in January and is already a great success. The album is described as being a "tribute to bold, empowered, confident, elusive, fun, flirty women and men", and Britney claims it is her best album to date.
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Publisher: Headline Review
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Jerusalem is among the most important places in the world today. It is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths. How did this small, remote town become the Holy City and now the key to peace in the Middle East? Simon Sebag Montefiore's superb new book is able to use the city as a prism to shine light upon a number of diverse periods and movements.
Mark Romanek
Release Date: February 11, 2011 (UK)
Patrick Lussier
This 3D film tells the story of a vengeful father who escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter. Nicolas Cage plays the anti-hero driven to prevent the cult that murdered his daughter from sacrificing his infant granddaughter. He is being pursued by 'The Accountant' (William Fichtner), a supernatural operative of Satan. A supernatural thriller.
Life360 March 2011 | 11
life360 Next Issue: Special Fashion Edition Have a little Vintage affair
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MA IJ Magzine Pathway 2011