Inside...
FA Cup set to come to the Union On Saturday 10th May from 1pm the FA cup will be coming to our students’ union.
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Local News Local election results are announced page 3
CCI Showcase RAG Jail and Slave Auction - photos Tom Worman
Record breaking RAG This year RAG has raised an outstanding £8000 plus, for charity, nearly doubling the amount that was raised in the last academic year. At the beginning of the year the RAG committee voted on its three
Our biggest fund raisers
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Issue 14 Wednesday 07.05.08 upsu.net/news
Portsmouth’s official student newspaper
Steve Topazio
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pugwash news
charities which would be supported in the 2007 - 2008 year. RAG traditionally supports one local charity and two national charities. This year’s chosen local charity is Rowans Hospice who provide specialist Hospice care and support to patients with life limiting illness living in Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, their relatives and
carers. The two national charities are Macmillian Cancer Support who are a source of help with all the things people affected by cancer want and need, and a force for change, pushing for better cancer care. The third charity is The National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease (NACC) which brings to-
gether people of all ages who have Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease, their families and the health professionals involved in their care. These two illnesses are both forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and they affect about 1 in 400 people in the United Kingdom. Various events have been organized by the
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See a collection of the best student work from a new online showcase pages 6-7
Reviews Weezer, The Kills, and the highly rated movie 21 pages 8-9 UPSU Media
Want to write for Pugwash News?
Pugwash News & Purple Wednesdays is the Union’s student newspaper. If you have something to shout about, from burning issues to match reports, comment to features, or you want to photograph, design or help lay up, get in touch! More info: upsu.net/p/2166
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Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
Inbox
News
Coming up at the Union
£8000 for RAG Overpaying Continued from page: 1
RAG committee this year to raise money for charity, including speed dating, a cake sale, RAG jail and RAG slave auction. The RAG jail and RAG slave auction raised in excess of £600 in one night alone which was an amazing success and our thanks goes to everyone who took part. The Naked Calendar this year raised an outstanding £580 so thank you to all the media and sports clubs who took part. Other amazing events this year include the underwater marathon by Portsmouth Univerdity Divers and the PURE FM 24 hour broadcast. RAG week this year has raised £700 and counting thanks to RAG blag, get spotted, jail, slave auction, quiz and carnival cake stall. The big event of the year was without doubt the RAG skydive which raised a total of £6,158.38 which breaks all RAG records! The star performers of the skydive were Shane Wilson who raised £790 and Lauren Evans who raised £720, both were given the treat of having their skydive video taped, and the footage can be viewed online at UPSU.net. Thanks must also go to Simon Owen and everyone at the Skydiving club for all the hard work that went into organizing the event. The main thanks this year has to go to the RAG committee who have been amazing and have left last year’s committee in the shadows. President Joe has been the most enthusiastic president in years, Vice President Steve has kept Joe’s enthusiasm under control, Beth was an amazing secretary, Brian has had more ideas than a monkey on steroids, Jenny has done well to liaise with media, Sarah has helped organize a great RAG week and that leaves Lauren who in my opinion has been this year’s star of RAG! So thank you on behalf of the RAG committee to everyone who has helped us organise events this year, and raised this amazing amount of money! It is the taking part that matters, but to raise over £8,000 is absolutely amazing!
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Produced fortnightly by the University of Portsmouth Students’ Union (UPSU). Printed by Quotemeprint - www. quotemeprint.com, 0845 130 0667, and printed on 100% recycled paper. Pugwash News & Purple Wednesdays bears no allegiance to any political party and discriminates against no-one.
To get in touch with the Pugwash News & Purple Wednesdays team, please visit upsu.net/newsdesk, email us at newsdesk@upsu.net, call us via the Union’s Media & Publications Officer at 023 9284 3657, or visit us at The Student Centre, Portsmouth Students’ Union, Cambridge Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2EF.
Editors
Ed Butterfield, Nick Chapman, Mike Cooter, Ben Endley, Lauren Evans, William Hobson, Gabriel Jeffery, Tiffany Lee, Abby Morgan, Chris Musgrave, Andy Needham, Joshua Naden, Ben Norman, Phil “cannon” Palmer, Ben Pearson, Isobel Rigg, Adam Sims, Harri Sutherland-Kay, Steve Topazio, Tom Vincent and Tom West.
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Errors & omissions: while we take every care to verify our content, we may occasionally make mistakes. Please contact us using the details above to report any inaccuracies or mistakes.
A BBC investigation has uncovered cases of graduates being charged for debts they no longer have. The investigation, in partnership with the NUS, has highlighted examples of students being forced to continue paying their student loans even after the whole cost has been repaid. The problem occurs as the Student Loans Company, which administrate student loans, do not have access to information about how much a graduate has paid until the end of the financial year. Because of this there is the possibility that a student will be forced to pay back more money than they owe. Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said “As from next year, student graduates will be able to predict when their repayments are due to cease, step out of the automatic system and repay manually through direct debit,” continuing to reassure that this means “that no-one will repay more than they’re due to.”
Bank Charges A recent court battle over the amount of money banks charge customers has come to an end. The courts have decided that the Office of Fair Trading has the right to investigate and dictate what is a fair charge for customers who go over their agreed terms. Until this time banks have had the right to charge to a greater or lesser degree what they want to. Mr Justice Smith announced his decision earlier than expected, however his decision does not dictate that charges are unfair, but the court’s decision has encouraged many to begin trying to claim back the charges the banks have made. The OFT has estimated that banks make up to £3.5billion a year from unauthorised overdraft charges. Thousands of cases currently have been frozen until the banks make a decision over whether to appeal or not, this decision has to be made by the 22nd May. For more visit: upsu.net/p/2933
Time Wasting
“Small Print” and back issues
You can download back issues of Pugwash magazine and Pugwash News online at:
student loan?
Editor: Laura Patricia News Editor: Jacob Leverett Design Editor: Tom Worman Features Editor: Steph Hall Sports Editors: Peppa Barnett & Marisa May Reviews Editor: Tallie Kane Web Editor: Luke Simmonds Sub Editors
Design: Peter Allsop, Andy Donohoe & Kev Wilkins Features: Matt Blackall
Unfortunately our special monkeys didn’t quite get the photo credits right in the last issue. A number of the boxing photos on the back page and inside are courtesy of Jacob Leverett. The monkeys apologise to you!
Not sudoku...
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Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
News
Fortnights’ Politics
Council Elections Results FA cup comes
P.D. Allsop
Jacob Leverett
London’s Mayor Elected
Portsmouth City Council, one of the few unitary councils in the country has recently held elections for a third of its seats. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives now hold 19 seats each, after the Liberal Democrats lost one seat and the Tories gained four. The Labour party suffered a loss of one, reducing its total number of councillors to two. Two more councillors sit on the local authority, both being members of an Independent group A total of 59 candidates put themselves forward for election across all 14 wards - a third of the council. Each ward has three councillors. They are elected to serve a four-year term of office. The council, which has powers ranging from rubbish collections to implementation of education in the Portsmouth area is made of 42 councillors, of which 14 are due to be elected every year.
Bumbling, self-deprecating MP Boris Johnson has been elected Mayor of London. The blonde Tory takes over from incumbent Ken Livingstone after a fierce election campaign. The Eton and Oxford educated Mayor claimed his aims for London include tackling the blight of petty crime across the city whilst also to “have an administration that looks after taxpayers’ values”. Johnson beat Livingstone by about 100,000 votes in an election that had a turnout of over 2 million, which is a record turnout of about 45% Johnson visited the University in December 2006 spending time with students and then describing Portsmouth in GQ magazine as “one of the most depressed towns in Southern England, a place that is arguably too full of drugs, obesity, underachievement and Labour MPs.”
to Pompey
The composition of the council before the election was: * Conservative 15 * Independent Group 3 * Independent 1 * Labour 3 * Liberal Democrat 20 The Liberal Democrat deputy leader of the council lost his Milton seat to Tory Sarah Dinenage This year’s election has seen little change to the overall power held in the council, no one party holds a large enough majority within the council to be in overall power. In recent years, the three main parties have each formed the biggest group, but no party has had overall control since 1999 when Labour had 20 of the 39 seats. The number of seats increased to 42 the following year. The results were announced in the small hours of the 2nd May at the Portsmouth Guildhall. More info: tinyurl.com/4b69g2
Tax Office Offences Over 600 members of staff at the Tax office have been charged with accessing private data over the past three years. The HMRC hold the data which is available to staff conducting investigations, however those that have been disciplined have been accessing the data for no justifiable reason. HM Revenue and Customs are responsible for dealing with the taxation from wages. The HMRC have in the past had data issues when CDs of personal details went missing.
The Students’ Union will be displaying the genuine F.A. Cup on Saturday 10th May during its visit to Portsmouth. The most prestigious award in English football is in the city as Portsmouth FC prepare for their first appearance in the cup final in over 60 years. Students and local residents will be given the opportunity to be photographed alongside the trophy, with proceeds donated to charity. The Union’s award-winning Volunteering In Portsmouth (VIP) committee have organised an exclusive first viewing for local disabled children before members of the public are admitted between 1.30pm and 4.45pm. The Students’ Union will be asking those attending to make a minimum donation of £3 with all profits going to the Raising And Giving (RAG) committee. RAG have raised more than £8,000 this year, which will be donated to the Rowans Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Support and The National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease. The efforts of the VIP committee were recognised last year when they won ‘volunteering team of they year’ at the National Higher Education Volunteering Awards. For more information visit: thefa.com/TheFACup upsu.net/facup
VIPs needed
Teacher Power
The Union is looking for student volunteers to help with the logistics of running of the FA cup visit for disabled children.
The recent teacher strikes across the country affected more than a third of schools across the country. The National Union of Teachers were looking for a pay increase of about £1,200 a year. At the same time thousands of civil servants went on strike affecting government departments and coastguard services.
If you are interested in helping out between 9am and 4pm on Saturday the 10th May, please contact Ben Norman, the Student Activities & Development Officer. The new make-up of Portsmouth City Council
e-mail: sado@upsu.net web: upsu.net/vip
Prisoners in American 1playing jails are being given cards displaying
photos of missing people in a bid to jog memories and find those that are missing.
A giant two-storey 2 high inflatable pig went missing from the
Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival, only to be found in tatters in the desert.
Putting newly made 3 up words in Pugwash News doesn’t automati-
cally get them in the dictionary.
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A seal has been described as a ‘sex pest’ after trying to rape a penguin.
Campaigners on the 5 Greek island of Lesbos are fighting against
the use of the term Lesbian to describe homosexual women, the islanders describe people coming from the island as Lesbians.
Ali Campbell, the 6 singer with the band UB40 has been replaced
by his estranged, professional spoon playing brother.
National News
University News
Plagarism at UWE
UoP is 14th best for satisfaction
Jacob Leverett
The University of West of England (UWE) has recently identified more than 300 cases of plagiarism in the last year. The number only represents 1% of the entire student body at UWE, however it shows a increasing trend for cases of plagiarism being reported. Questions have been asked if this shows an increase or better detection. Reports show internet-based essay writing and assistance companies offering “No Plagiarism guarantees” are springing up all over the
place, with Pugwash News being approached to promote them. Universities however are looking to the internet and technology to combat the problem; many universities submit work through plagiarism detection software which can detect copied or unreferenced work. This however struggles to detect when students hire academics or graduates to custom write work for them. In these cases lecturers claim that interaction and working alongside students is the best method of combating this. Universities are not the only organisations facing increased
problems of plagiarism, many academic journals including the British Medical Journal are increasing wary of non-orignal work being submitted according to the Times Higher Education Supplement. The THES outlines plans by various journals to use similar software to that used by universities to catch out article copying. The University of Portsmouth policy on plagiarism in its extremes can lead to expulsion from your course, so is it such a good investment? For more information: tinyurl.com/4hdf4r
The University of Portsmouth has risen up to 60th place in a nationwide league table of all universities. This places Portsmouth just below Oxford Brookes University. The move was a jump of 16 places in the Independent newspapers league tables, which are compiled in association with The Good University Guide. The tables measure nine key aspects of activity including student satisfaction, staff to student ratios and facilities. The tables also show that UoP is an incredible 14th in the student satisfaction leagues, with all the
universities up to 8th sharing the same score. The University of Portsmouth Vice-Chancellor, John Craven, said about the improvement “It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of all University staff who are committed to improving the student experience at Portsmouth and something which we continue to build on.” The University of Portsmouth now ranks ninth in the table of the best Universities in the South East. See the whole table at: thegooduniversityguide.org.uk/
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Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
Life and Style
An Englishman in Spain Tom West
Because I enjoy freaking myself out and for no other reason, I write countdowns in my diary to, well, anything, which is how I came upon the suitably startling fact that I have only a couple of months left in Spain. In an attempt to put this remaining time to good use, I found myself agreeing to a day trip to Seville with my friend Anna. The day started off rather predictably, (if you’re me anyway), because the 8am coach that we’d both got up at stupid o’clock to catch was full, and so we endured two hours of clock-watching in the bus station whilst waiting for the next one. I rendered this bearable by wisely spending the time plotting murders most horrid for the sarcastic bint behind the ticket desk. “You should’ve got up earlier hee hee.” Erm, no, you should have bigger coaches YOU BINT! Get up earlier than 6.30am being a student?! More chance of hitting the moon with a snowball, darlin’.
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last time they’d seen wheeled transport was when Jose bought a donkey and cart home in 1957
After a particularly uneventful journey, we arrived in Seville and purchased what can only be described as a ‘vintage’ street map to help us find our way around – I could’ve written any extra directions we may have needed in the thick dust on the front cover. The silly thing was so out of date that upon our arrival at a plaza we’d chosen to have a couple of cocktails in, we found it to have been
Sudoku
concreted over and what can only be described as a spaceship landing pad erected on top. Needless to say, my blood alcohol level didn’t reach the desired heights that day... Anyway, we had a wonderful day in Seville. It’s astonishing; you have to try and go at least once in your life before any more branches of a certain megalomaniacal US coffee chain infest the city centre (six, in what I’m sure was less than a square kilometre) and suck out its soul one latte at a time.
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I could’ve written any extra directions we may have needed in the thick dust on the front cover.
The journey back home was possibly more interesting than the day out itself. Our curiosity as to why the ride home was going to take over an hour and a half longer than the ride out was rewarded as the coach continually left the motorway, insisting on passing through every single miniscule hamlet along the way, where people stared open-mouthed at the coach as it went past because the last time they’d seen wheeled transport was when Jose bought a donkey and cart home in 1957, and having us whiz through must have been like the shiny chariot of the gods paying a surprise visit. It’s amazing: Spain can seem so completely postmodern in some aspects and seem so utterly prehistoric in others. I’ve now been left wondering how to best fill my remaining time here. I came upon a flyer advertising ‘Arabic Afro-Hindu Pilates’ which sounds like a bizarre source of fun, so I may give that a whirl. Should you never hear from me again, it killed me.
Attention! Achtung! Attentión! East Coker from Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot
Tallie Kane
This isn’t as long and rambling as my usual offerings, but it’s a topic that needs to be addressed. We all know that story – Sat in our English classes as less-thaneager year sevens graphically mutilating a piece of poetry that our rosie-cheeked freshly graduated teacher has placed in front of us. Their enthusiasm does nothing to rouse the senses or give us any hope of enjoying something which many people still view as old, redundant and in some ways bloody boring. From an early age some assume that poetry is the dead art that is drummed into our influential bodies and even the loudest of voices couldn’t budge them from this literary slumber. For Pete’s sake don’t give up on it. And teach Poetry properly so that children don’t upgrade into adults with an aversion to it likened to having four hundred pins shot down your neck at a high speed. In this day and age we need the lyricism, expression and reaction that can come from poetry. I’m going to leave you with this awe-inspiring poem by the great American poet TS Eliot (For you musical lovers out there, his books of poems ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’ inspired Cats) which deals with the notions of time which all of us wish we had more of.
photo: avi4now at flickr.com
In my beginning is my end. In succession Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass. Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires, Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth Which is already flesh, fur and faeces, Bone of man and beast, cornstalk and leaf. Houses live and die: there is a time for building And a time for living and for generation And a time for the wind to break the loosened pane And to shake the wainscot where the field-mouse trots And to shake the tattered arras woven with a silent motto. In my beginning is my end. Now the light falls Across the open field, leaving the deep lane Shuttered with branches, dark in the afternoon, Where you lean against a bank while a van passes, And the deep lane insists on the direction Into the village, in the electric heat Hypnotised. In a warm haze the sultry light Is absorbed, not refracted, by grey stone. The dahlias sleep in the empty silence. Wait for the early owl. In that open field If you do not come too close, if you do not come too close, On a Summer midnight, you can hear the music Of the weak pipe and the little drum And see them dancing around the bonfire The association of man and woman In daunsinge, signifying matrimonie-A dignified and commodious sacrament. Two and two, necessarye coniunction, Holding eche other by the hand or the arm Whiche betokeneth concorde. Round and round the fire Leaping through the flames, or joined in circles, Rustically solemn or in rustic laughter Lifting heavy feet in clumsy shoes, Earth feet, loam feet, lifted in country mirth Mirth of those long since under earth Nourishing the corn. Keeping time, Keeping the rhythm in their dancing As in their living in the living seasons The time of the seasons and the constellations The time of milking and the time of harvest The time of the coupling of man and woman And that of beasts. Feet rising and falling. Eating and drinking. Dung and death. Dawn points, and another day Prepares for heat and silence. Out at sea the dawn wind Wrinkles and slides. I am here Or there, or elsewhere. In my beginning.
Crossword Down
Across
2. Artistic Movement typically to music (12, 5)
1. Large piece of work, most of them are due in by now (12)
3. The next varsity day is Portsmouth vs (4)
6. Peter ? the AU dinner guest speaker (7)
4. IOW festival we’ve been given free tickets to (8)
7. Darby’s favorite person (7)
5. The G in PUGWASH (5)
8. The band that played at the AU dinner (10)
10. Portsmouth University Radio Experience (4)
9. The event that raised the most money for RAG (9) 11. The name of New Music Society club night (9) 12. The E from ECF (11)
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Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
Life and Style
Rattlesnake release party photos: Jacob Leverett
Sabb Corner Ben Norman
Gabriel Jeffery
On 26th April, Rattlesnake hosted a party supported by the University and Apple at the Union. Gabriel Jeffery caught up with Will Wallner, lead member of the band. It was in CO2 that I met a flustered Will, the driving force behind the band, to conduct an interview with him. I was disappointed that the other band members had declined the opportunity to talk with me, but nevertheless it was a pleasure to sit down with Will and discuss the night. First of all he was incredibly grateful to the Union for their most generous sum, which had enabled such a night to take place. Through a business plan the savvy entertainer had set up this grand finale, this final wave from a band that has graced many of the local Portsmouth haunts. Soon they will disjoin. Yes, Will is off to America after the promotion of this album,
to look for more opportunities on the ‘sunset strip’, the place where, amongst others, James Blunt was discovered. Trevor, the singer, is off to London, and both drummer and bassists are students who will return back to the usual antics. Will emphasised, amongst other things, that in today’s ‘poppy’ climate it is difficult, near impossible to make it as a band of the old, Rolling Stone style. Bright trousers, head-banging routines, and indulgent guitar solos which roll on past the five minute threshold, are largely things of an era which has passed, at least in England. Will says ‘there’s still a buzzing scene down on the sunset strip’, which explains quite perfectly his actions in leaving this delightful, overcrowded strip of land. He feels that ‘blander’ bands are of the order of the day, with the emphasis on their commercial, media appeal. He also feels that the age of ‘performance’ is reaching it’s close, citing the example of Tiger Tiger’s huge crowds
who go wild for a recorded version of a song, far more than if a live band were there. One might call this the ‘clubbers culture’. One other thing Will mentioned was that he will not be setting up a band in America of the same name. I suggested a cunning disguise, which would throw off the scent with a reference to a child’s toy not normally, due to ignorance, associated with our green friends. Sadly though ‘Snake Rattle’ did not appeal to him, and ‘Rattle’ fared no better, so he will be stuck in devising a new name when he hits foreign soil. ‘Bush fires…’ might be too political, who knows? So, back to the performance itself. They played ‘You Could Be Mine’ a Guns and Roses cover to open. This had the place rocking. The Rattlesnake banner ‘ROCK NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD’ loomed large, as I parried to the side of the stage, past photographers and enthusiastic fans. The band have always enjoyed a good
local following, and this was apparent on the night. Trevor, the singer cast in eyeshadow, appeared rather shy, clustering at the side of the stage whilst Will set up the apparatus before the gig, but once all was in swing he was as involved as the next man. Will had proudly left the stage to jump in the midst of the heaving throng, sending most of the girls wild with that hit which guiltily has left my mind without a tag, something to do with ‘a city where the girls are pretty’. ‘Gravy Train’ was the final number to this epic night. The crowd asked for an encore, but these experienced rockers know where to draw the line. As the best Bondminded womaniser knows, always leave them wanting more. The Rattlesnake album is out now on Rockwill records and is produced by Will Warner. For more information: rockwillrecords.co.uk
Life and Style » Festivals
Love Music Hate Racism Harri Sutherland-Kay & Nick Chapman
On Sunday April 27th, it was the 30th anniversary of the legendary Rock Against Racism gig in Victoria Park, London. To commemorate this day which historically featured The X-Ray Spex and The Clash among others, Love Music Hate Racism held a carnival in the same spot. Portsmouth Students’ Union provided a free coach for the students who wanted to attend the event. It was a brilliantly successful day
with 100,000 people of all ages contributing to a fantastic atmosphere, despite the rain. The main message was one of anti-racism with a need to eradicate any trace of the Nazi British National Party from the Greater London Authority in the local elections on May 1st. This is as important today as it was 30 years ago with the disastrous wars in the Middle East, which have led to attacks on civil liberties, immigration and pervasive scapegoating of Muslims by the government. The BNP’s hold in some areas of the UK is a scary reality and one which needs to be combated.
It is days like the one on the 27th which send a clear message that their extreme right wing policies are not welcome. NUS, supported by its student members, have implemented a no platform policy for fascists within universities. The BNP are at the top of the list and it is essential that we uphold this as students’ unions should be a safe place for everyone. Holding events like the One World Fashion Show and the Societies Carnival, are ways of telling other universities and wider society what our priorities are – a fair, free, equal world. Love Music Hate Racism
photo: AidanJones at flickr.com
This week the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) began its official investigation into the death of Reuters camera man Fadel Shana who was killed 16th April by Israeli tank fire. This tragedy comes days before the state of Israel marks its 60th anniversary. Indeed it presents a sober assessment of the state of Israel sixty years since David Ben-Gurion declared independence from the British mandate of Palestine, thus establishing the first Jewish state in 2000 years. The history of Israel is a history of British Imperial hubris and ethnic nationalism, followed by invasions, counter invasions and occupation. When the Union flag was first lowered over Jerusalem and the last British soldier sailed from Haifa, Israel was the twice promised land. It was the promised land of the Jewish people; it was the promised land of the native Arabs, and that, as Robert Fisk would say, was the equation that turned sand into blood. As Israel moves into its sixth decade its people still live, die and kill due to that same promise. Whilst the IDF continue to occupy the West Bank and continue to blockade the Gaza strip, the Israeli population continue to live in a climate of fear with a siege mentality. However, this year of commemoration also presents a year of hope. Ex-President Jimmy Carter, returning from a diplomatic mission his country did not want him to take, has suggested that Hamas may finally be prepared to enter talks with Israel. Simultaneously Israel may be about to enter negotiations with Syria about returning the occupied Golan Heights. As Israelis gather to commemorate the war of independence, and as Palestinians prepare to mark the Nakba tragedy, it is time for both peoples to realise they have more in common than divides them and make real strives towards a real and just peace.
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Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
Features
CCI Showcase The faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries have presented a showcase of students’ pictures. The showcase demonstrates the creativity of the student’s work from the last twelve months from units on digital photography and creative processes. In each unit, students have to present a sketchbook of ideas and their processes before they present their final images and brief. -SH More of these fantastic images can be seen on the University website:
www.port.ac.uk/showcase/cci/
Ignite your career
MSc Engineering Geology MSc Contaminated Land MSc Geohazard Assessment Scholarships and placements available. T: 023 9284 5550 E: sci.admissions@port.ac.uk W: www.port.ac.uk/geology
Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
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Features
Images courtesy of the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries, for more information contact claire.sambrooke@port.ac.uk
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Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
Arts and Entertainments
A
Singles Coldplay: Violet Hill Rating: Ed Butterfield
Weezer: Pork and Beans Rating: Ed Butterfield
Lightspeed Champion: Galaxy of the Lost Rating: Tom Vincent
Film This newest spiel by digestible indiepop pioneers Coldplay is a song of two halves. The first sections consist of the typical piano-driven, pseudopolitical colours that Chris Martin seems to so eagerly douse himself in, reminiscent of ‘Politik’ but with a surprisingly bitter, hearty bite to his usual, feeble bark. Moving outwards rather than forwards, everything in
this section is loud, fittingly vivacious and surprisingly exciting, given the sheer banality of ‘X&Y’. Near the close of the track however the tone unexpectedly shifts, revealing a glimpse, however brief, of the same tenderness that made ‘Parachutes’ such a striking record. Not a song to convince the cynical, but this is certainly a track worthy of at least some credit.
After the widely panned 2005 album ‘Make Believe’ an insipid, uninspired piss stain of a record things were looking bleak for Rivers Cuomo and company. However large the fanbase, a bad record is a bad record, and Weezer had certainly started on that slippery sewage slope down to the hinterland inhabited by previous victims The Smashing Pumpkins and
Hot Hot Heat. Lucky then, he’s managed to pull this little porky gem out of his behind, inexplicably dazzling his way out of the sewers and into the sunshine. With a chorus roughly the size of the Titanic smack in the middle of quirky, El Scorcho-esque verses full of lyrics about underwear and ‘mmm-mmm-mmm’s, this is vintage Weezer at its very best.
I tried to be objective with this review, but ultimately I am just too resentful towards Dev Hynes for his role in the creation of nu-rave. Anyway, ‘Galaxy of the Lost’ is the kind of horribly over-produced, multi-layered tat that will probably have the NME reaching for their thesauruses, but to me, it just sounds like more boring, soul less posturing. The arrangement is nice, the playing adept and the lyrics nod knowingly towards the kind
of personal songwriters that Hynes clearly admires, but there is nothing that really reaches out and grabs you emotionally. Unfortunately, any genuine sentiment or feeling is drowned in the swirling cloud of pretense that surrounds this egotistic, annoying venture. I really wanted to like this, just to prove myself wrong, but its just plastic and annoying, really annoying.
every audience member was asked what they would most like to see performed on stage, no matter how impossible it may seem. So we complied and made our way to our seats where an envelope waited on every seat. Each contained a party popper or blower and instructions for at what point to use them. This caused great excitement amongst the audience as the room buzzed with anticipation, quite unlike anything I had seen there before. The show unfolded as so; a ball was thrown out to random members of the audience who were then asked to pick characters from a bag. The characters picked would then would materialise on stage to deliver the rest of the performance. What
unravelled was a fascinating display of suspended gymnastics, poetry, satire and magic as the truly bizarre personalities onstage entertained the audience, whilst maintaining a confused expression on every face in the room. To consider the show with great seriousness would no doubt spoil the enjoyment, however there were beautiful moments where images of love and hate were projected behind aerialist Zenaida Alcalade’s mesmerising dancing. The magic was largely basic and at times easy to see how the stunts were achieved, however the performance was thoroughly enjoyable and the performeraudience banter was very amusing. Just don’t sit in the front row!
21 Rating: Isobel Rigg “21” is a fast-paced, exciting, glamorous portrayal of life as a ‘cardcounter’ in Las Vegas – designer clothes, expensive drinks, exclusive nightclubs - and the occasional strip club! Jim Sturgess stars as the likeable Ben, one of six prodigal students at Boston’s Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, who are taken under the wing of Professor Micky Rosa (placed by Kevin Spacey: an actor who can barely do wrong and is on top form in this film). Rosa and his exclusive team count cards in Las Vegas casinos at weekends: cheating the system, hiding under false
identities, working out all possible card combinations and winning big money. Unfortunately the team’s activity catches the attention of thuggish casino veteran Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) and his men. The film – which is based on a true story - has an “Ocean’s 11” feel to it; although the script isn’t as witty, the bulk of the cast haven’t got the star quality of ‘Oceans’ and the motivations behind the heists are much more selfish; although the protagonist Ben needs money to attend Harvard School of Medicine, the rest of the child geniuses are bored and greedy, keeping all the takings for themselves. The film is entertaining and exciting to watch, though not one a viewer would watch repeatedly, unless they had a big crush on one of the cast – or an obsession with casino movies!
Theatre Puntocero Presents… In The Darkness Rating: Tiffany Lee The advertising promised darkness, illusions and wonderment. In truth, the unsuspecting audience that found themselves in the New Theatre Royal on this particular evening did not know what to expect. Upon arriving,
Games
Grand Theft Auto IV Rating: William Hobson
As the latest in the classic GTA series this game has a lot to live up to, and it delivers in a big way. It improves on the free-roaming style of its predecessors in dozens of ways; the biggest new things are the graphics, the
Every week we’ll be showing a chart of the Top 5 artists that the members of our Last.fm group have been listening to, if you want your music scrobbled, log in and add the Pugwash chart.
Go to upsu.net/lastfm physics, and the new mobile phone. The last is a gimmick that quickly becomes indispensable, and makes it possible to arrange missions, cars, dates or information from anywhere on the map, even whilst driving. The phone represents just how amazingly close to real life GTA is without becoming boring –sometimes its just easier to ring a taxi than drive like a madman, no matter how fun that is. The graphics are amazing, even before you consider just how big and complex the environments and models are – everything shows
damage ranging from bloodstains to bulletholes, from the car’s to the walls – and every object that isn’t nailed down has physics attached to it. Aside from looking amazing, this changes the gameplay to a more realistic, slightly harder but more rewarding style; i.e. the cars have momentum, and so do you . At first you might be disconcerted but it soon grows on you and goes well with the new, improved gunfights which makes it far more tactical, as well as looking perfect with the brilliant and original new plotline.
1
Bloc Party
2
Foo Fighters
3
Radiohead
4
Muse
5
Incubus
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Pugwash News Wednesday 7th May 2008
Arts and Entertainments
The Kills These New Puritans Rating: Tallie Kane
There are moments when the intelligence of These New Puritan’s combined music and lyrics is outstanding and often misunderstood. At times they can come across as shouty and hollow, and nonsensical, when in fact this is just one of the charming things about this rather odd band. Pl a y i n g n e wl y famous tracks ‘Sword of Truth’ and ‘FFF’ with an alien intensity, These New Puritans created a glass case around themselves, barely recognizing the crowds presence. Jack, eternally reaching out at something we can’t see or eyes nailed to the floor is not the best of singers, but I don’t think a perfectly note-per-
e
Interview
Gigs fect chaunter would have done any justice to music based in numerology and the precise energy these three manifest on stage. After minute upon minute of technical tweaks by the crew and the careful placement of guitars, Corona and water onstage, ‘Hotel’ and ‘VV’ also known as The Kills, paced onstage. There was no idle banter between the crowd and them, and the fans were fine with it. You don’t go to see this band to get a huge verbal hug and unadulterated attention, you go to see the pure onstage chemistry between the two piece. From start to end an intense energy filled the tiny Wedgewood stage, Alison (‘VV’) parading, the stage like a caged tiger, Jamie pulling the guitar with his entire body like an unwanted limb. Many critics have commented on the lack of a drummer the silent partner sitting in the corner as a drum machine that provided the pounding background - but it’s easy to see that they don’t need one, they’d probably ignore them anyway. New offerings from ‘Midnight Boom’ such as ‘Last Day of Magic’ were played with an e vil majesty,
and left the crowds with the classic ‘Good Ones’ ringing in their ears long after they thundered offstage.
These New Puritans photos: Tallie Kane
Grammatics Abby Morgan
Do you still get nervous before you go on stage? Owen (vocals/guitar)- very yeah! It kinda depends if we are on a string of good gigs, the nerves are replaced by determination, if you’re on a run of bad gigs, then you can be terrified. If you’re feeling tired it can be pretty scary, but sometimes the nerves can get you through it, otherwise you would just be passed out on the floor having fit. Is touring the best part? Owen No! Rory (bass) -I like it, I like touring, these guys don’t. I enjoy it, you see alot of things, see alot of service stations! Owen- I see it as an extend of groundhog day with added alcohol abuse and sleep deprivation. It can be great, but I would much rather be in studio recording. If you can just record constantly and release music, but you didn’t have to tour, to advertise and sell it to people I would do that!
Have any of you ever been to uni? Owen I went to music college for a year and dropped out! Amelia just dropped out of university to do the band, she was doing a history of art course. Rory I just finished applying to university, then I realised I would have to quit to do the band full time. How did you all meet? Owen I met Dom (drums) at music college, I dropped out but we stayed in touch, we were kind of instant best friends really when we met. After a few years we started doing a club night together called Grammar in York which was really popular at the time. We were listening to the same stuff, DJ together, and Rorey used to come down and DJ as well so. But after doing that for a year, we kind of got really sick of it, and there was a decent scene going on in Leeds that we wanted to be part of. So we decided to ditch the club night and start the Grammatics. Owen Amelia Joined us at the beginning of this year after out previous
cellist left the band. Rory We didn’t jump on a bandwagon, there was a few bands in Leeds that we liked, we had already been practising and messing about and we kind of realised we wanted to do it full time. Owen Yeah it was a kind of feeling that you liked the stuff that was going on around you but we sort of felt we had something to add to it. The national scene at that time was just disgraceful, everyone was trying to be The Libertines at that point.
What’s your favourite way to spend a night off, if they said now the gig is cancelled would you go home or would you go out partying?
Owen We have made the mistake of going out. When your touring you really need to take the opportunities to rest else you can really screw yourself up. We do drink a lot on tour and we do stay up a lot, so you are feeling terrible 99% of the time. Rory We would probably go and get a pizza or something, drink a bit but not stay out all night.
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Purple Wednesday Wednesday 7th May 2008
Sports Events
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S C
E s p c d
Windsurfing get blown away! Adam Sims
After a hectic journey we finally managed to arrive at Calshot near Southampton for the 2008 BUSA Windsurfing Nationals. All 11 of us registered and found our spot on the campsite, with two tents and two campervans between us we were well set up. Being the first there we naturally put on some music and let the drinks flow, ten minutes later we were told off by some locals in the caravans for ruining the quiet ‘weekend back garden’, if only they knew 300 students were about to descend upon this ‘back garden’! The evening was a horrendous affair with some premature drunkeness and even our very own president having to be put to bed by 12 and let’s not talk about our new social sec, team captain and vice president getting together for some inter-committee what can only be described as stuff (involving a five minute sound recording). It seemed that we would have to make up for this behaviour for the
rest of the event, and so we did. On the Saturday the Student Windsurfing Association (SWA) had organised individual racing for three different levels of windsurfers, with representation in the intermediates and the advanced groups we were in for a chance at doing well in something. Due to the nature of the wind and our club being in its first year we didn’t have the kit needed for the conditions within the club and so we stood no chance against the guys who had the kit and were in the olympic development squad and couldn’t pull out a podium positions despite our best efforts. However, that said, our very own Sam Moffatt managed to win in the intermediate group overall, and in style, with a number of firsts and seconds, winning himself a nice sparkly shiny boom. Then it was time for the much anticipated SWA party and this year it was to begin on a boat, with the bars in full flow it was another awsome party which was taken on into one of the hangers, with some interesting drunk five-a-side being taken up and some kind of rugby
with a 4ft wide ball... The Sunday saw light winds and a nice wake up call from a massive lightning storm that passed over head and with it there was no wind and so some of us made the decision to leave early whilst others stayed for prize giving and some general banter with students from other universities. W.S.UP (Windsurfing @ University of Portsmouth) is a club that has only just been setup this year and we have managed to attend almost all the SWA events that were put on and we go windsurfing whenever it is windy. We also have beginner trips at the start of the year and some fun socials including a bit of dogging (not what you think, but windsurfing on the common on skateboard like boards) so there really is no excuse not to join. It’s awsome fun and our sponsors have been a great help at getting us going so thanks to them; Camp Leaders, Turf Dog, Bodyglove and Sola. Want to learn to windsurf? Contact: sportsofficer@upsu.net
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Purple Wednesday Wednesday 7th May 2008
Sports
Sporto Challenge
Every fortnight we pit two of our sportos against each of the in a fast paced Q&A session to see who’s cooler. Oh, and they have to draw a donkey too... Decide for yourself.
League Table Top 5 Sportos
Score
Phil Palmer
20
Marisa May
19
Peppa Jane Barnett
18
Andrew Machin
17
Andy Watson
17
Behind the scenes with the...
ROLLER HOCKEY CLUB Want to see your club committee team here? Email: sportsnews@upsu.net
Every week we will be bring you an insight into the people behind your University of Portsmouth sports teams. The committees are the life blood of your sport so we want to give you a bit more information about who they are and what they do. This issue we bring you the Cricket Team. Ben Pearson President
Andy Needham Football 4th Team Captain
Phil Palmer, Swimming social sec
What level do you play at? 4th team and Mixed Team
What level do you play at? Whatever I have to. I’m slightly too social at the moment though! Have you ever… Been on tour? I don’t like tour.. I love tour! ‘Course I have. Kissed a person of the same sex? Once or twice Won any silverware for the University? Yup, water polo trophies, on tour too Slept outside? Hell yeah, on many occasions
Have you ever… Been on tour? Yeah - my middle name is ‘tour’ Kissed a person of the same sex? Yeah, and the rest Won any silverware for the University? Mixed league and Cup under my expert leadership Slept outside? Yes - backpacking round Australia gets messy Played Touch Cup? Yep, only missed five PW’s in four years Been naked in public? Yes, most of my Fresher year Been asked to leave the Union? Yes, halloween, ‘cos my broomstick was apparently a weapon Missed a lecture to play sports / to do soco stuff? Hence being a “4th year” instead of graduated Do you have a MIDAS (mini bus) license? Yes How many times have you been “gotcha’d”? Three or four, mostly from Christmas 2006, stay away from the grotto kids Is Snakebite your choice of beverage at the Union? Yes How many societies / clubs have you represented at uni? (1 point for each club) Just the one - Hockey Now draw us a donkey...
Score: 15
Played Touch Cup? Touch Cup is for gods, 1 on 1 touch cup with paddy from hockey between lectures is a true mans’ game Been naked in public? Yup... nuff said Been asked to leave the Union? Yup... 1st year antics, and at febfest, even though it was a stitch up Missed a lecture to play sports / to do soco stuff? What are lectures? Yeah all the time... great role model I am Do you have a MIDAS (mini bus) license? Yup, shame they limit the damn things now How many times have you been “gotcha’d”? I once had a whole page of them in the RAG edition of PW, and was in every issue of PW in my 1st year, so I would say a lot.. Like maybe 100 times Is Snakebite your choice of beverage at the Union? Yes, though I have been edging towards bottles of jack rabbit rose with a big straw in them How many societies / clubs have you represented at uni? (1 point for each club) Offshore sailing, RAG, Swimming, Cheerleading, water polo... Does driving the minibus count; if so then tramp and gym too Now draw us a donkey...
Score: 20
NHL fetish & trouser dropping for 3.
Laurie Hodge Vice-President Gone into retirement after scoring more than Dean Gaffney.
Alex Duckworth Treasurer The first taxman of the club who is more popular than any other member.
Rhys Williams Kit Secretary Rhys farts like a pneumatic drill and strips like a pro. When put together, bad things happen.
Rory Butchart Social Sec Hat trick in 1st ever game. End of.
Dan Knight Secretary UoP’s own Will Farrell: “We’re streaking!”
Busa Gymnastics Joshua Naden
Nine of the Gymnastics team met at The Union at 7am (which is too early!) on the 19th April to begin the 6 and a half hour journey up to Newcastle. We were aiming to get up there for about 2.30 to check in and then find where we were going to compete. For myself, Lee and Stretch we were going to be competing at four o’clock on that day which was not good because we were all knackered although we had been doing nothing all day. When we turned up we had an hour to warm up and get ready to compete, but after watching some of the elite men I was feeling slightly less confident with my routine, but grinned and got on with it. First was the vault which can be a bit nerve racking, pelting down at a big stationary thing and having to get over it with out hurting yourself! We then came to the parallel bars which I was more confident about, although people thought me moving the mat was funny seeing as I didn’t use it. Finally we had the floor routine left, every one thought it was hilarious the camera angle that Emily had chosen, and then we were free for the rest of the afternoon to watch the others compete. The second day arrived and it was now the turn of the girls, Kerry, Sharon, Emily and Becca. After their presentation it was down to work. Again they began with the Vault during which they all landed spot on. To the floor routines and after a scare that the music didn’t work which involved me running back to the van, Kerry found them in her bag and it was all back on with some impressive tumbling from Sharon; round off flick straight back full twist. Moving on to the beam everyone pulled off a good routine! After presentations we left and had a very filling Sunday roast. The journey back wouldn’t have been the same without the Killer sheep!!
Gotchas
Just for your amusement Boxing President takes salsa lessons Leigh Higgins gets more female attention dressed as a woman .. he doesn’t have to approach them, they come to him! Sleazy found out the hard way a taxi to Worcester cost £200! Which little Irish hockey boy has been getting more than a snakebite from one of the bar staff at the Union. Simon O’Connor is desperate for Peppa’s cavegirl outfit and blonde wig! Basketball prez has been getting a Little loving. Peppa & Marisa haven’t been out so there are no decent gotchas ;) Dan Hendy formerly known as Danielle No need to test makeup on animals ... just use Sleazy! Dan Barbar does his weekly shopping in Farmfoods, FACT! Wayne Gardiner has been spotted wearing only an apron and pink marigolds! Does Simon only have one friend? Has anyone seen the squash president? Vice president of Dance is Professor Plum, in the dagger, with the kitchen... apparently! Hockey Prez ....“This Way Up” last Wednesday! Rugby Chop thinks he can run through glass doors Anna Banana, another rugby player? Really!
Chris Musgrove
The day started with an 8.30 early doors meet at the Union. The banter started as well with Karris and Gee taking the brunt of the punishment with their terrible shirt and tie combos. We didn’t end up leaving till about half 9 for our trip to Romford, Essex. Karl Harris decided to step up to do a quiz on the way to pass the time. The winners ended up being ‘Cable, Big Dave, Davids and annoyingly Leigh Higgins who branded them the team of dreams. Team of woes went to Ned, Gee, Beaky and Boz with a pathetic 25/60. Getting to Romford with around 20 mins till our 12.30 kick off, a mad dash was made for the changing rooms off the bus. Main problem with this was the fact that in one of the bags was two crates of team beers. The game then started in the changing room with Higgins announcing the team, with a shock exclusion of big Dave not being lino. The poor fella didn’t know where he was without a flag in his hand. The warm up was short and lack luster. The game started with NESCOT on top for the opening half with challenges flying in from the likes of Ouzo, Davids and Higgins Who injured their star centre back. NESCOT had a host of opportunities but top goal keeping from Karl Harris kept them at bay. Leigh Higgins had a rasping shot from 20 yards which went over by inches. The second half started with us on
EE
SESSA cup triumph for Pompey 4ths
FR
PURPLE WEDNESDAYS
Issue 14 Wednesday 07.05.08 upsu.net/news
Banter Inside...
Get your photo with the FA cup
top after a poor first half Ebun had a header wonderfully saved by the NESCOT keeper. Phil Cable was causing all sorts of trouble for the NESCOT defence but the conditions conspired against him. Outstanding performances on the day from the defence included Ryan Beak, Tom Rowe, David Gardner and Jaime Atherton. The game was going into extra time with a goal less 0-0 draw, but no in the small print in the rules the games would go straight into a penalty shootout. The five brave men to step up were Roman Wolf, Nedjad Medic, Phil Cable, Chris Musgrove and Alex Ouzonogalu. However Ouzo being a bottle job stepped down and Thomas stepped in. It came down to Chris Musgrove needing to score to win the game after a perfect penalty record from the rest of the team and a top save from Karl Harris. Musgrove remembered his technique and slotted it home to a mass bundle. The shenanigans started with champagne thrown everywhere and animal dress up initiated. Higgins was royally stitched with a princess costume and a few tins of special brew. We watched the 3rds and the 6ths slip to agonising defeats. The night moved on to Fuzzy Duck for a boat race, and then to The Union for a few bucas and snakebites. A few of the lads ended up in the Gate of India at about 3 o’clock in the morning thoroughly drunk and rowdy. All in all a great day with the 4th team boys.
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Behind the scenes with Roller Hockey Gotchas! Bringing back the banter: Purple Wednesdays’ usual stitch-ups
Lacrosse
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Flags tournament final
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Pompey suffered a humbling defeat on the big stage against their Eastern division league leading counterparts. Once again victims of coming out of the blocks too slowly, Pompey found themselves 4 goals down at the end of the first quarter, without having produced a meaningful attack. Despite some vastly improved play in the later stages of the game, Pompey could not make up the deficit and were left exposed by an excellent passing team. Both teams were required to leave the delights of the south coast and journey inland. Reading was the ordained neutral venue for all the
days finals. Things started badly for Pompey when they lost the coin toss and were forced to play in Reading’s home kit due to a clash of colours. The game also came at a difficult time for the lads with a number of important players unavailable; it is also possible that some players were overwhelmed by the occasion leading to disappointing performances from usually consistent players. Either way Pompey struggled to gain control of the ball and retain any form of settled possession. Were it not for an outstanding performance by the rearguard, the deficit faced at half time would have been considerably more
than six goals. Pompey attempted to change tactics in the second half, playing a more settled form of attack and containing Brighton when they attempted to break forward. As the third quarter wore on Pompey created more and more chances and a goal seemed all but inevitable. When it came, the finish was worth waiting for, outstanding build up play and ball movement through midfield, allowed Jim Hitchman to lose his marker, the President could make no mistake from six yards out. Unfortunately as Pompey pushed on desperately trying to lessen the deficit they left the Defence exposed and sev-
eral slick Brighton moves resulted in goals. By the time Mike Beatty added to Pompey’s score line the contest was all but over. The disappointment was clear on all the lads faces as they collected runners up medals, unfortunately on the day the best team won however. Pompey must now pick themselves up and begin preparations for their second cup final in the West & Midlands in two weeks time. -BE Final score: Brighton Panters: 10 Portsmouth: 2
... and features, and photos, and socials, and anything else you want to tell us about your club! It’s easy to get a mention in PWs - just e-mail everything to sportnews@ upsu.net, visit www.upsu.net/newsdesk, or come in to the Sabb Office at the Union and have a chat with us any time!