My Music Magazine "Mashup"

Here's a music magazine I made all by myself, using Adobe InDesign.
All interviews are original.

:)


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Feature Article

Interviews

The voice of Clacton was heard on the day of Brexit

The almost empty train in which I travel has reached its destination after about 80 minutes. I have left behind the Christmassy, cheerful, very expensive, packed with tourists and intoxicatingly cosmopolitan London, and suddenly I feel I am touching down in another country within the same country: I am now at the littoral Clacton-On-Sea.

At first I feel relief. Finally, I can find some peace. The day is a typical winter day, with a pale suspicion of sunshine, which makes the cold weather a little more bearable. Thankfully the sound of seagulls reminds me that the sea is not that far away. I have been walking only for a few minutes in this completely unknown to me corner of England and I am quickly flooded by the feeling that all the answers that I need for my new ambitious story could be found here, in this typically English city, with 55,000 residents, who scored one of the most impressive figures in favour of Britain leaving the European Union last June: an astonishing 70%.

Clacton-On-Sea makes me think of the England I heard about from my English language teacher when I was a teenager. The England of the 70s, with the outrageous fashion, the rugged landscapes and all the English clichés. The ethereal air and luxurious feel of London seem to be thousands of miles away. Forget the well-dressed and sophisticated Londoners, forget the modern cafés and restaurants and the extravagant fashion. Just forget most of what you think you know about the country, that is based solely on the images of London city.

The difference between the capital and Clacton is not just of an economic nature, this is perhaps the least. It is a cultural schism which causes a great shock to the unsuspected visitor, but also provides valuable explanations to why the result of the June referendum was what it was and why it could not be any different.

I say to myself as I walk: welcome to the country of Brexit!

From postcards I have seen that Clacton is full of life during summertime, but just before Christmas it looks like a different place. In the streets there are almost only elderly people. The city has become a destination for retirees and it is estimated that in 20 years from now 60% of the population of Clacton will be over 60 years old. This in itself could be an explanation for the triumphant victory of “Leave”, but that was not enough for my research and so I sought much more complex answers in the central pub in Clacton Main Street, which is located right opposite of the grey-looking sea and the melancholy deserted premises of the summer amusement park. Unlike London, where it would be considered totally indiscreet to speak to strangers, all my efforts to talk to regulars at the Moon and Starfish pub were unexpectedly successful. Everyone seemed happy to give me a quote and I almost felt like I was back home in Greece, in a café at a small remote village, where everyone knows everyone and people are so open with each other and whole-hearted.

“I belong to the silent minority of Clacton” says in a secretive and conspiratorial way Mr. Bryan Adkins, 52, as he’s drinking a pint of cold beer along with his father.

“I think the majority voted to leave the European Union without really believing that this could actually happen. Some still do not believe it will ever happen” he adds.

On the opposite table there is 25-year-old James, who works at a mobile phone shop in one of the most commercial streets of Clacton. He seems to be in a somehow philosophical mood and I truly enjoy talking to him. He confesses to me with slight embarrassment that he did not vote in the June referendum.

“I do not know why I did not vote. From my friends, only half of them voted. And to be honest, I still do not know whether I did the right or the wrong thing. If I could use an excuse, it is that for us here the meaning of the European Union is something quite distant. Yes, we know the positives, as well as the negatives, but that’s about it really.”

Next I see Carol Molony, a 64-year old redheaded woman, who wears a strange for her age outfit with traces of her hippie youth. She seems to be mad for joy when she finds out that I am from Greece. She strongly believes that because of her Irish origin we have so much to share and discuss. She begins to talk about Brexit and she does not want to stop.

“There is no way you can explain the passion of my fellow citizens about leaving the EU without becoming insulting.”

It quickly becomes obvious that Carol was a supporter of the “Remain” vote.

“The problem with all referendums is that we are asked to provide answers to very serious issues that we are poorly informed about. The public is so easily influenced and prone to populist propaganda. Here live people, who do not travel much and actually just repeat what they hear, so they do not have their own opinions.”

Just as James said earlier, Carol confirms that Clacton does not suffer from issues like high unemployment or influx of immigrants, two of the main reasons why England voted to leave the EU. So what is the reason why this Brexit stronghold did not want to be part of Europe anymore?

As I continue chatting with Carol, a middle-aged man behind me overhears us and breaks in on our conversation.

“Britain should only belong to the British!” he shouts to me and the whole pub turns to look at him.

Carol explains to me that the loud chauvinist is named Oliver Wrenn and he is a firm supporter of Brexit.

He continues talking to me in a slightly aggressive way, as he takes a sip of his beer, but I am struggling to understand what he is saying. His thick native accent is too hard for a foreigner like me to understand. Judging by the wet marks on his Christmas jumper, he must have been drinking quite a lot, so I choose to ignore him, although his patriotism has somehow made me think that most of the regulars in the pub feel the same way as him.


I speak to a few more people at the Moon and Starfish pub, but more or less I get the same answers. Many people are not sure why they voted “Leave”, others feel that the EU membership is limiting their freedom and a few believe that with Brexit, their wages and pensions will receive a high boost. No one however, seems totally sure about their vote and I sense hesitation in the voices of some when they speak to me.

I get the feeling that Carol was right when she said that people here, in Clacton, are “poorly informed”. Maybe misinformation is the key answer to the question of my reportage. Maybe people repeat what they watch and hear on TV, maybe they blindly accept what their preferred political party advocates or maybe the hope for a better future has influenced their decision.

As I am leaving the crowded pub, I realise that the first images I saw as I came out of the Clacton central railway station were very representative of the “Leave” vote. Here, in this city, blows a nostalgic air of the old England, with the lost traditions that have been flattened and mutated at London, with the big multinational companies, the bright lights, the glamorous lifestyle, the loud clubs and the politicians who have ceased to care about the simple and common people.

The voice of that old England was heard on the 23^rd of June in 2016.

Alcohol can be our heart’s biggest enemy

When I first moved to London, one of the first things that really shocked me about life in the UK was the British drinking culture. In my head, I had pictured English people very well-mannered, reserved and sophisticated, completely different from those infamous British youngsters who love visiting my country during the summer – especially the island of Corfu, which has become a regular English destination for partying – and drink everything that can be found in liquid form in bars and nightclubs. Don’t get me wrong though. The British are of course well-mannered and elegant, but maybe not so much after 7pm, when the local pubs are starting to serve pints of beer and Jack Daniels on the rocks.

In the beginning, I found it almost scary how pervasive alcohol is in the British and Irish society, to the point where I cannot imagine anymore a social occasion with my British friends, where alcohol is not part of it in some form or other. It just feels like English social life revolves around alcohol.

The worst part however, is the huge peer pressure to drink and ‘be merry’. And if you decide not to drink, then you are labelled ‘boring’ and not willing to ‘live life on the edge’ and have fun.

I have tried for years now to tell my friends that there are so many more things we can do in our 20s than getting drunk and being sick and embarrassing. Cinema, sports, dancing, cooking. You can do all of these things and more without needing to be intoxicated.

I have always tried to show them how harmful alcohol can be for our mental and physical health and how poisonous it is for our bodies. But I always get the same old answer: “a little bit of alcohol here and there can be fun and good for you.”

I remember even when I was a child my grandpa used to drink a glass of red wine with his lunch every single day and when I used to ask him repeatedly why he did so, he used to say that “a glass of wine every day is very good for your heart.” As I was only a kid, the smell of alcohol annoyed me and I always wanted to prove him wrong, but I just did not know how.

A few days ago, I was very happy (and kind of satisfied in a strange way) to read about a new, revolutionary research from the American College of Cardiology, which proved that excess alcohol intake is one of the many causes of serious heart conditions.

Alcohol has been mainly associated with liver damage. However, it appears that it also increases the risk of heart arrhythmia, stroke and heart failure, as much as hypertension, diabetes, smoking and obesity do. Furthermore, the study concluded that the reduction of alcohol consumption can decrease cardiac arrests.

The research, which was led by Dr. Gregory Marcus at the Department of Cardiology at the University of California in San Francisco, took into consideration the analysis of the medical database of 14.7 million patients over the age of 21, out of whom 268,000 (about 1.8%) consumed vast amounts of alcohol daily.

By processing all the data, the researchers found that heavy alcohol use is associated with double the risk of atrial fibrillation, as well as increased risks of heart attack and congestive heart failure. Instead, they reported, that complete abstinence from alcohol could lead to tens of thousands fewer chances and incidents of heart disease.

I contacted myself various doctors on their social media to found out more about their views on the topic:

Dr. Krumhol, cardiologist and medicine teacher said that “older studies have shown that moderate levels of alcohol consumption can help the heart, as they raise our high density lipoprotein (HDL), which is easier known as the ‘good’ cholesterol. Antioxidants are substances that can be found in certain alcoholic drinks, which also help protecting from artery damage. So definitely, the results of the recent ACC research are coming to change a lot of the things we thought we knew and show that we need to decrease alcohol consumption as much as we can, to reduce any chances of hurting our heart. People who avoid drinking are winning in this case.”

Cardiologist and researcher, Dr. A. Banerjee, strongly emphasised on how bad alcohol can be not only for our hearts, but also for our whole bodies: “Have you ever wondered why we vomit after we drink too much alcohol? That’s because alcohol is a poison and our bodies are trying to save us by removing alcohol through vomiting. It can be harmful for many of our organs and heavy drinking especially weakens the heart muscle and causes cardiomyopathy, which means that the heart cannot pump blood properly to the rest of the body and veins, which can then result to premature death.”

“Many people think that even drinking a little is good for our heart, but studies have shown the exact opposite. We only have one heart and we should take  care of it, before it abandons us” Dr. Banerjee added.

Finally, my views on alcohol and how harmful it can be have received scientific confirmation.

Now the tables have turned and I am the one who can put pressure on my friends to stop drinking and enjoy ‘living life on the edge’ without alcohol.

I realise however, that no matter how hard I try to persuade them, alcohol is part of their culture, a very big part of their lives and they will most likely keep drinking, getting drunk and eventually being sick. I think that alcohol is a topic on which general agreement is almost impossible to achieve. I have come to the conclusion that actually only a few people drink because they enjoy the taste of a drink and most people drink to overcome their social awkwardness and anxiety, and be more friendly and merry. I feel that everyone perceives drinking differently and young British people might see it as harmless, because the environment in which they see alcohol being consumed, consists of fun and happiness with friends and family.

Although I might not win in my attempt to change my friends’ minds, I now have an excuse to avoid drinking myself and no one can blame me nor judge me and call me ‘boring’.

At least, I have another big reason to annoy my British friends when they go out and drink and I can encourage them to indulge in other healthier habits and non-alcoholic beverages.

I also have finally an example and a scientific proof to show my dear grandpa that he was actually wrong when he said everyday at the kitchen table that alcohol is good. Shame though that he passed away 14 years ago of heart failure and I never told him.

Pokémon Go: Good or Bad for our health?

Mega crazy frenzy has been caused all around the world since the release of the mobile game Pokémon Go, which was recently named the most downloaded phone application of 2016.

As soon as it launched, Pokémon Go managed to reawaken the imagination of all the Pokémon fans and recover the nostalgic memories of the whole 90’s generation. Within its first week of release, the game was downloaded over 10 million times on the App Store and grossed $440 million globally. It has since gathered over 30 million active users worldwide and as Apple Inc. said in a recent press release, it has become a “cultural phenomenon”.

The mobile game is based on the Japanese media franchise Pokémon – derived from Pocket Monsters – which was created in 1995 by Nintendo and Game Freak, and it urges its players to take to the streets and identify, catch and train tiny virtual creatures.

The interesting fact about Pokémon Go is that it is an “open-world” game and it is connected to the real world. By using the camera and the GPS service of the mobile phone, the game requires players to leave their homes, walk outside and chase Pokémon that can be found in different locations. The aim of the game is to battle other Pokémon trainers and catch all of the 150 Pokémon. It also enhances social interaction and encourages the community of users to meet with nearby players in public places, socialise and make new friends – a factor that makes the game different from other video games which are usually played by the user alone.

Besides the fun side of the game, Pokémon Go seems to also have a direct positive effect on human health as it increases physical activity and creates an impulse for users to ‘peel off’ from their normal static position and begin to walk considerable distances.

Yael Maxwell, Senior Associate News Editor for the TCTMD, believes that the game can offer multiple benefits to players, because “it has great potential to improve the health of people who do not exercise and lead sedentary lifestyles. There are many players who need to diet, walk more and become healthier and this game is designed to make people want to exercise.”

“It is strange, but now with Pokémon Go, we exercise more than just our thumb’s swiping skills. Only two weeks after the game was released, millions of people started jogging, walking and stampeding their way through neighbourhoods to catch the mythical creatures” added Mss Maxwell.

The American Heart Association also reported that numerous players were not familiar with the Pokémon franchise before and did not tend to exercise regularly, but since its introduction to the world, “Pokémon Go has been getting players physically moving in the real world, a change from the stereotypical stationary screen time usually associated with gaming. People get up from their sofas and walk many miles, especially in parks and green areas, so that they can find the rarest Pokémon.”

On the other hand, the game has also been quite notorious for leading its players into dangerous and remote locations, while they are trying to track down new Pokémon.

Many video game creators emphasise that great care is required when playing Pokémon Go, as there have already been several reports of accidents from players. Doctors suggest that it is very easy for users to lose their sense of environment or run in unknown places to catch Pokémon, especially during night-time. They also warn that parents are highly advised to accompany their children when they are playing Pokémon Go outside.

Michael O’Riordan, medical journalist for the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, mentions that “Pokémon Go has many pros and cons and is definitely being looked at by many health organisations at the moment, in an attempt to fight obesity, diabetes, etc. My own personal opinion about the game is mixed. It’s good to get people moving and exercising, but it’s not so great to bump up ‘screen’ time even more.”

According to Syracuse NY Local News, over 90 incidents of injuries and deaths that are associated with Pokémon Go have been reported over the last six months. Many teenagers were robbed and attacked at gunpoint when playing the game, while other users crashed their cars because they were playing and driving at the same time. Groups of players had serious bloody knife fights over game disputes and disagreements and more recently, two players declared that they were sexually assaulted by other ‘fake’ players, who pretended to play the game.

Cassandra Warrender, 21, a South-African psychology student, says that “initially the game made me go out a lot and I met many cool people at different Poké stops. Now whenever I naturally leave the house, I open the game and play. I certainly do not feel that it is distracting or dangerous at all. It’s just the equivalent of texting someone while walking. I think there have been accidents, because people acted foolishly and immaturely. It’s a game, but at the end of the day it requires a certain level of attention. It’s honestly just a fun thing to do when you are going somewhere or while you are sitting on the tube and have nothing else to do.”

Besides making headlines for accidents, the Pokémon application has been praised by many for giving a spark of awareness about historic monuments around the world, which are considered important landmarks in the game, such as the statue of Louis B. Russell – the 34^th heart transplant recipient – which is located in Dallas.

The AHA also claimed that “it is very important that Pokémon Go inspires other companies to develop games, which involve physical activity and constant movement that is tracked by a GPS. We are hopeful that in the future more phone apps will motivate users to exercise, be healthy and of course stay safe.”

For more information about the AHA and how Pokémon Go can affect our health please visit: (http://news.heart.org/?s=pokemon+go&lang=ICL_LANGUAGE_CODE)

Londoners slam the Government’s decision to approve Heathrow third runway

London citizens protest while Heathrow airport is set to be expanded after 25 years of hesitation and indecision, as the Government gives the green light for the construction of a new runaway that will cost over £17billion.

Heathrow Airport in London @ Pinterest @ Londonist.com

The British Government announced on Tuesday the 25^th of October that it is launching the construction of a third runaway and sixth terminal at the Heathrow Airport in West London. This is one of the most costly plans the new Government has made, in an attempt to strengthen the trade bonds with other countries, after the UK voted to leave the EU. The controversial decision was welcomed by the business community, but was also strongly criticized by members of the Cabinet, environmental organisations and local citizens, who are planning to take legal action to overturn the Government’s plans.

Protests and backlash from the public prevented the implementation of such a decision for Heathrow six years ago, and this time again residents have expressed their concerns about the expansion and the negative effects this could have on the environment and on their local communities.

Eimear O’Rourke, a 22-year-old student from Dublin, took part in a protest in November along with a group of other activists, against the construction of the third runaway. “I do not think people fully understand the negative impact that this runaway will have on our environmental health. The air pollution levels will rise tremendously in the whole of West London. Plus in order to build the runaway, many London boroughs and councils have already started making serious cuts in local services.”

Several campaigns have taken place around the UK with the most recent one being the obstruction of the M4 and A4 roads in London, which caused a temporary blackout and disrupted the traffic.

“Authorities stopped our protests near Heathrow, but will not be silenced and we will continue to fight for our rights and prevent the destruction of our communities and our lives” Mss O’Rourke added.

A third runway is likely to affect thousands of people in areas such as Surrey, Berkshire and West London because of loud flight path noise.

Abbey Hewitt, 41, of Staunton Road in Slough claims that she has already complained numerous times to her local authorities and to Heathrow airport for the noise coming from airplanes taking off and landing.

“The noise coming from airplanes is so disturbing and you can hear it literally every five minutes. I constantly have a headache and my children who are still at school struggle to study and concentrate. I cannot imagine adding to that another runaway with hundreds more airplanes. This would also mean that we would have to move house. We have been leaving in the area for more than 15 years and I do not want to move away from my neighbourhood and lose all my friends” said Ms Hewitt.

Critics of the construction idea also include the current Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Boris Johnson, whose constituency is close to Heathrow, as well as the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who announced that he will be “involved in any legal process” to continue challenging the Government’s decision.

The expansion of Heathrow, which is the busiest airport in Europe, is one of the largest construction projects in the continent and it will have to win the final vote of the Parliament in about a year from now, which technically means that the new runaway will not be operational before 2025.

According to a three-year study by Britain’s Airport Commission, a new take off – landing runway at Heathrow could create over 77,000 new jobs by 2050 and lead to an increase in GDP between 0.65% to 0.75% during that same period.

Varsha Muckatira, 20, a business trainee from Station Road in Uxbridge, believes that a third runway is very much needed in Heathrow: “I fly regularly from and towards Heathrow and the air traffic around the airport is terrible. The airplanes usually fly in circles above the airport until a runway is clear for landing. Once the landing of the airplane I was in, was delayed for 45 minutes. A new runway will allow the passage of thousands additional aircrafts annually and will also mean long term prospects for employment.”

The Government considered in the past the possibility of expanding Gatwick airport, but this scenario was discarded after the Department for Transport suggested that the construction of a runway in Heathrow will boost the British economy and will ensure the creation of new jobs and new business opportunities. According to preliminary estimates, the new runway is expected to bring economic benefits of £61billion.

The decision is to be approved by the British Parliament in a final vote that will take place in 2017.