To Meow or To Woof?

by Louisa DassowCats or Dogs? Dogs or cats? One of the most dividing questions of our time. I believe I am well qualified to answer this question, having had in total four cats and four dogs. Currently I have three dogs and one cat (and a rabbit), each with their own individual personality and each completely different from the other. I've never been able to decide which animal was my favourite. When I was younger it was definitely cats but then...

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Visit to Ypres: February 14 and 15, 2013

by Ben CharlesMany people associate a visit to Belgium with trips to chocolate shops, eating mussels with frites and drinking beer brewed for generations by Trappist monks. Yr 9’s visit over the February half term holiday accommodated some (but not all) of these activities as their attention was focused mainly on gaining a greater understanding of the conditions facing soldiers on both sides of the Great War (1914-18) in and around the town of Ypres...

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It’s a Team Game!

by Charlie AlbueryFor those of you who don’t know me I’ve never been good at team games. Due to a mixture of poor co-ordination and general loneliness as a child I never played football; attempting it later in life I discovered it was just as well I never tried – I played like a dyspraxic yeti on a hotplate with a tremor, in both hands, wearing a mask and moon boots…. I think you get the point.Anyway I digress.I was never good at team games, but I consider myself the expert at THE team game, so, in an attempt to make something I’m actually...

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Should We Stick to Fruit and Veg?

by Lucy Cole(source: Daily Telegraph)For the majority of those out there, the idea of swapping a lump of steak for some carrots is not one that strikes as particularly appealing. As one who has been vegetarian since the tender age of four, I am unable to comprehend the almost infatuation- like relationship that my family and friends have with a piece of cooked dead animal. I have been questioned many times by awe-filled friends as to how I have managed...

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CDs and DVDs: An Obituary

by Katherine Tobin(source: designstudies2010.wordpress.com)In the recent weeks, the HMV story has been a hot topic in our news. If you are not aware of the story, in the past years, HMV’s sales have been steadily decreasing, and earlier this month, led to their temporary shutdown whilst they attempted to find money to continue to fund the stores.  The stores are now back open and in action, but it begs the question – what has led to such a dramatic...

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Trompe L’œil- The Foundation of 3D Street Art?

by Zoe Dukoff-GordonEscaping Criticism by Pere Borrell del Caso, 1874(source: Wikicommons)The ‘Trompe l’œil’ ('trick of the eye') is made to look three dimensional to ‘fool’ the eye into thinking the piece is coming out of the page. It first began in the Ancient world, for example in Pompeii; the Greeks or Romans would use the style as a window or door way with intent to suggest a larger room. Then the style became popular in Italy where...

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The Internet: A Language of its Own?

by Melissa SmithEver since the early nineties, when instant messaging was all the rage and Facebook wasn’t even a twinkle in Zuckerberg’s eye, a new language has been developing: Internet speak. What started as timesaving, acronym-heavy chatroom talk has rapidly expanded into a world of its own, connecting Internet users across the globe with its somewhat mind-numbing, occasionally incomprehensible misuse of the English language. A thought perhaps even more terrifying is that as keyboard slang continues to grow, the line between the online world...

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Driving Disasters

by Hattie Gould and Annie Materna(source: abldriving.co.uk)In the UK, from a young age, it is an ambition of every child to reach the age of 17 and finally be able to learn to drive. The sense of being independent and transporting ourselves wherever we like looks like a dream: meeting your friends whenever you want, MacDonald’s drive through and controlling a vehicle. Driving looks effortless, we see our parents do it every day, but is it really...

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Why You Should Avoid Penguin Poo and Country Music

by George ChapmanAs a budding medic, one of my greatest career aspirations (apart from getting through the next few months of the International Baccalaureate) is to contribute ground-breaking and useful research to the scientific community. As we all know, the ultimate recognition for such research is the Nobel Prize, awarded annually for the publication of greatest consequence in each subject area during the preceding twelve months. However,...

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Wavelengths

For JHSoothsaying, watery whispers wash upon the beach,Secreting our past in undulating waves.Hushed they tug over pebbles, hovering up tiny memories,Then retreating hastily to depths unknown.Reticent memories fight with truths, replaying them in our minds,Clinging to roots, built in sand.Our expectations, hopes and fears washed by petulant prevailing tides,That buffet the rough to smooth.Lifelong spirits, whirlpool down, dragged to mysterious abysses,Stirring...

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Valentine Poems

Poems by pupils in 9V, inspired by Carol Ann Duffy's poem, 'Valentine'Not a teddy bear nor a golden ring.I give you a flame.It is a warm breath of life.It promises passion,Like the rutting deer in Spring.Here,It will melt your iron heartLike a blast furnace.It will brand our heartsWith the promise of devotion.I am trying to be truthful.Not a chocolate or a trip for two.I give you a fire!It will protect you from darkness,Loving and possessive.As we...

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Portsmouth Point Poetry – Canzoniere I, 3

Italian textEra il giorno ch’al sol si scoloraroper la pietà del suo fattore I rai,quando i’ fui preso, e non me ne guardai,ché i be’ vostr’occhi, mi legaro.Tempo non mi parea da far riparocontra’ colpi d’Amor; però m’andaisecur, senza sospetto; onde i miei guainel comune dolor s’incominciaro.Trovommi Amor del tutto disarmatoet aperta la via per gli occhi al coreche di lagrime son fatti uscio et varco:però, al mio parer, non li fu onoreferir me di saetta in quello stato, a voi armata non mostrar pur l’arco.English Translation by George LaverIt...

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Why Valentine’s Day is like Richard Dawkins

by Nathaniel Charles (source: fotopedia.com) I’m aware the title is a little, um, odd and random, but the argument boils down to this:I have great respect for the ideals of Valentine and the (controversial) view of atheism put forward by Richard Dawkins. What I don’t appreciate, however, is being slapped in the face with them.Due to the massive commercialisation of Valentine’s Day many have forgotten what it actually stands for (and, no, it isn’t...

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Review: Opposites by Biffy Clyro

A year ago today, George Neame wrote the first music review (and second article) published on Portsmouth Point blog. Here, he reviews Biffy Clyro's new double album, 'Opposites'.(source: themidlandsrocks.com)A double album. One of modern music’s greatest risks. Of Course, Biffy Clyro’s 20-song (22 if you play your cards right and download from iTunes), double-disc sixth studio album is not quite so unusual following Green Day’s Uno!Dos!Tres!...

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