Issue12

4TH FEB 2013/ ISSUE 12 FREE

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MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Outrage over exam blunders

P4

Syrian students’ ‘nightmare’ situation

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Blind Date

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REVEALED:

The BOP promoters’ grip on our Halls - Uni bars offer cheap drinks to Social Junkies members - Uni refuses to intervene in RA-promoter relationships, despite paying over £400k a year to Halls committees Richard Crook Editor-in-Chief A controversial clubnight company has a tight grip on our university’s Halls, enjoying a close relationship with student committees and bar managers; as Manchester University gives hundreds of thousands of pounds from student rent to RAs to put on a diverse range of events for students.

The BOP organizers Social Junkies - along with the special perks offered exclusively to committee members in previous years - appear to recruit their staff from Residents’ Associations and

Junior Common Rooms (RA/JCR). At least six Social Junkies employees took their jobs after being in charge of contracting promoters for events between 2009-2012.

Last semester, Brendon Jones, the University General Manager for Pastoral Care, admitted to The Mancunion that they were “aware that students are regularly targeted by promoters,” but insisted they “always offer them support and advice.”

Social Junkies also appear to have the support of university bar staff.

Last year, Owens Park Bars advertised

cheap drinks only for students with “BOP tickets or Social Junkies membership cards”, calling into question the University’s insistence that they have “no formal association” with The BOP. Deputy Warden, Alex Drury described the bar managers roles as mentors. But last year’s Owens Park Residents’ Association (OPSA) told The Mancunion that bar managers Emma Barlow and Paul Kelly would allow Social Junkies boss Louis Alexander to attend meetings to plug events without full committee approval.

They further allege Ms Barlow

would only support OPLIVE, an event planned by Social Secretary Ben Hourahine and then-Social Junkies Director Simon Denby, who now works both with Bars on Campus and Social Junkies. Mr Hourahine refused to comment either on whether he worked for Social Junkies while acting or an RA, or whether he was ever even elected, as he lost his campaign to become General Secretary at OPSA. Last year was not the first time bar managers were accused of getting too involved in RA events. In 2010 the outgoing Whitworth Park Chairperson argued the ‘official’ packs being peddled by Social Junkies did not have the committee’s approval.

In response, Simon Denby, then Director of Social Junkies, told the chairperson: “The website I posted on your group – www.freshersweek2010.

com - is the official Uni of Manchester freshers/welcome week. Check for yourself with Emma Barlow.”

Each year, the University gives over £400,000 to students in Halls who are then charged with the responsibility of creating events and promoting packs. But as autonomous bodies, the University will not intervene on where that money goes.

A University of Manchester spokesperson would not comment on the discount drinks offered to Social Junkies’ members, but said they were “unconvinced at this time” that their staff had behaved inappropriately despite the multiple complaints from former RAs. They emphasised: “RAs are democratic bodies, elected by students and run by students.”

Continued on Page 2

02 : NEWS

ISSUE 12 / 4th February 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Thousands turnout for Pangaea

Highlights

Snowflakes, White Rabbits and Cheshire Cats flocked to the Students’ Union to toast the end of exams at Pangaea. Over 4,000 people attended the annual event headlined by Grandmaster Flash and Ms Dynamite.

Interview: author and journalist Oliver Burkeman

Features, page 9 Picture of the week

Is Spotted really harmless?

Comment, page 11

BAFTA Awards preview

Film, pages 14-15

Continued from front page

RAs/JCRs exist in every Hall and receive a budget of £47 per head to spend on events and Welcome Week packs, but students cannot easily find out how their money is being spent.

In 2011, former Dalton-Elis JCR Jamie Proctor pitched an alternative way to run Welcome Week after turning down exclusive perks from Social Junkies.

His comprehensive development plan was welcomed by the Students’ Union but rejected by the University.

He said in a comment article last semester, “Students should be able to change things that clearly don’t make sense. It seems at Manchester the University staff don’t want to im-

prove the welcome week experience for students.”

“I can only assume their lives are easier when responsibility for Welcome Week is given over to external promoters.”

Social Junkies have regularly found themselves embroiled in controversy.

This year The Mancunion revealed that the company had been secretly rating potential reps for their ‘attractiveness’; an article branded ‘pathetic’ by an irate Ben Hourahine.

They were also forced to pull a Taliban and Army themed clubnight after University and Students’ Union pressure.

Nick Pringle, General Secretary at the Students’ Union told The Mancunion the moment had arrived for change.

“It’s about time the Students’ Union and the University worked together to finally put an end to these sort of problems. Students deserve proper support and value for money in their halls, not to be ripped off by dodgy promoters.”

He added that Manchester should “look to the examples” of high-NSS scoring universities like Loughborough and Nottingham, “where the SU and university properly fund and support their halls to provide an amazing experience for all students.”

At the time of going to print, Social Junkies told The Mancunion there was no one available to comment.

Emma Barlow refused to comment.

Music, page 18

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mancunion.com Facebook: /The Mancunion Twitter: @THEMANCUNION

Lisa Murgatroyd News Editor University of Manchester graduate Hattie Pearson is the newest addition at alternative national radio station XFM. She’ll be presenting the Weekend Early Breakfast Show, building on her success as winner of “Best Female” at the 2012 Student Radio Awards. Miss Pearson is joining the team as part of a new schedule for the Global Network station.

She announced the good news via Twitter: “Thrilled to say… I’m pregnant. Jokes.

Joining XFM to present early weekend breakfast. 2 weeks in Thailand to celebrate will do the job.”

Over the festive period, Miss Pearson took control of the overnight broadcasts on the Baeur Network, including Mancunian local Key 103, Rock FM, Radio Aire and Heat Radio.

A former English student and

star of student radio station Fuse FM, Miss Pearson has also worked as Assistant Producer at BBC 6 Music and spent over 18 months gaining work experience with the XFM breakfast show. “It sounds a bit cheesy but I really do have those guys to thank for letting me in the building and being a general pest.”

On being asked how she manages to keep such a cheery disposition, she answered, “Coffee and adrenalin! There’s no way you could ever be tired or fall asleep… it’s such a buzz to know that you’re broadcasting to heaps of peeps even if they are drunk or half asleep. It’s pretty weird because I wake up at 1ish and get in for 2am then on air at 3. So on a Friday and Saturday I’m in bed for 7pm.

Pretty hard core, ey?”

M13 9PR

film@mancunion.com

lifestyle@mancunion.com

Phone (0161) 275 2943 / (0161) 275 2989

Fashion Editors: Elizabeth Harper & Jake Pummintr

Games Editor: Sam Dumitriu

*

Interview: Paul Banks, Interpol

XFM hire Fuse FM star

The BOP promoters grip on our halls

Web Editor: Jenny Ho webed@mancunion.com Web Developer: Aryeh Grosskopf Sub-Editor: Catherine May

fashion@mancunion.com Beauty Columnist: Jessica Cusack Music Editors: Tom Ingham, Dan Jones & Joe Goggins music@mancunion.com

games@mancunion.com Marketing: Michael Green & Edmund Alcock marketing@mancunion.com Sport Editors: Ciaran Milner. Tom Acey & Matthew Barber sport@mancunion.com

Books Editor: Phoebe Chambre books@mancunion.com

Editor-in-chief: Richard Crook editor@mancunion.com

News Editors: Lisa Murgatroyd, Ellen Conlon, Anthony Organ, Jonathan Breen & Michael Williams news@mancunion.com

Media Intern: Joe Sandler Clarke

Features Editor: Andrew Williams

foodanddrink@mancunion.com

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joe.sandlerclarke@manchester.ac.uk

features@mancunion.com

Arts Editor: Harriet Hill-Payne

Co-Editor: Sophie Donovan

Comment Editors: Rebecca Montacute, Emma Bean & Antonia Jennings

arts@mancunion.com

Advertising : Stefan Redfern stefan.redfern@manchester.ac.uk Tel 0161 275 2930

mageditor@mancunion.com Postal address: Univerity of Manchester Students’ Union, Oxford Road, Manchester,

Food & Drink Editors: Jessica Hardiman & Emily Clark

comment@mancunion.com

Theatre Editor: Hannah Lawrence theatre@mancunion.com

Film Editors: Sophie James & Dylan Wiggan

Lifestyle Editors: Dana Fowles & Oli Taylor

Photography Editor: Patrycja Marczewska patrycjam@live.co.uk Marketing: Edmund Alcock & Michael Green

ISSUE 12 / 4TH FEBRUARY 2012 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

NEWS : 03

Manchester Knitting Society tops naked calendar poll KnitSoc get 24 percent of vote as 6,000 view calendar on mancunion.com Lisa Murgatroyd News Editor

Students took to the polls last month – to crown the Knitting Society‘s entry their favourite month of the University of Manchester Naked Calendar 2013 Offering a cheeky break from revision, over 6,000 people took to The Mancunion website to check out the competition which ran throughout January. A range of societies bravely stripped off for the charity calendar that launched in December. The contest ended in a two horse race between KnitSoc and the Women’s Rugby Football Club.

“Needless to say we’re very grateful!” Rosie Feltham, Treasurer of KnitSoc commented on hearing that they had won The Mancunion poll.

Chairperson Peg Mortimer said, “I’m very happy that we won the poll as I was worried that because it was quite heavily sport orientated, KnitSoc wouldn’t get much recognition.

I enjoyed the experience a lot, it was especially fun using the needles and wool as props!”

After teaming up with The Mancunion, more copies had to be ordered as demand skyrocketed.

The Athletics’ Union opted out of an official calendar this year and a cross-society replacement was organised by Viki Duthie, Project Leader for READ International Manchester Book Project. Even without an official Athletics’ Union calendar, some of the clubs couldn’t resist the chance to get their kit off,

with sports ranging from Rugby to Lacrosse taking part.

The money raised will go towards READ International. Speaking to The Mancunion, Ms Duthie said, “READ International is a nationwide charity that collects, sorts and ships unwanted but good quality textbooks and children’s fiction from around the UK and takes them to Tanzania, where the schools follow a very similar syllabus to that of the UK but their educational resources are very limited.

It’s a simple idea with really effective results.”

Encouraging students to overcome their initial shyness proved a challenge, as Ms Duthie explains. “I thought it would be really difficult to get people to do it and a few days before shooting we only had 5/6 clubs/societies signed up.

But in the end we had plenty, one for every month. Most were really enthusiastic about it and really brave about getting naked in front of a camera, especially the rugby clubs!”

Katie Heald, from KnitSoc, told The Mancunion, “I was nervous about my body shape around others, but no one was judging, and I’m sure everyone had some part of their body they worry about. I took part as it was on my bucket list and I’d chickened out previously with another society.”

“What’s more awkward than doing a naked calendar photoshoot with a bunch of people whom you barely knew? I think it has brought the group closer together in the end though.” said KnitSoc member Ryc Aquino.

Cambridge team hitchhike to Sydney Ellen Conlon News Editor A pair of students from Cambridge have broken the world record for the longest distance travelled in a hitchhike, making it all the way to Sydney for free.

The team were taking part in the sponsored charity event Jailbreak for RAG and were aiming to get as far away from Cambridge as possible in 36 hours.

Wei-Ying Chen and Alice Boughton secured train

tickets to London and then flights Down Under, via Singapore.

Their arrival was announced on Twitter, saying: “10,502 miles from the start - just landed in the pouring rain, still heading for the beach.”

The pair used corporate contacts to secure their flights and fittingly arrived Down Under on Australia Day. “The Australians are going crazy for Jailbreak, fundraising some Aussie dollars atm!” they tweeted.

But they have received some

criticism for organising their flights before the event.

One comment on the Cambridge Tab website said: “Is it ok to use personal contacts (former employer) to get a free flight? Not so much hitchhiking as networking/ using networks.”

Another said: “If the flights were free, okay, but imagine how much money could have been made if everyone just hitchhiked and gave the equivalent flight money to RAG. “It’d be much more impressive and more exciting, than if everyone with the right connections just hops aboard business class.”

Other teams taking part made it to Ireland, Poland, France, Spain and Tunisia.

Shisha bar ‘put lives of customers at risk’ Michael Williams News Editor A shisha bar in Deansgate has been partially taken down due to a “very real risk” that customers would not make it out “safely or even alive” if there was a fire.

The Oasis Lounge, on Great Jackson Street in Deansgate, was served with a prohibition notice in December preventing the building being used for any purpose.

Prohibition notices are only

issued in extreme circumstances – “where there is a serious and imminent risk that people could be seriously hurt or killed if there was a fire”.

The bar defied the order and remained open, despite the fact that customers were “committing a criminal offence” by entering, and risked prosecution.

This led fire officials to take the unusual step of issuing a public warning to potential customers.

“I am concerned that cus-

tomers at the Oasis Lounge do not know the risk they are taking by being in there”, said Assistant Chief Fire Officer Peter O’ Reilly, Director of Prevention for GMFRS. “If a fire occurs in this building - which is made more likely due to the use of open charcoal burners - there is a very real risk that not everyone will make it out safely or even alive because there’s no sufficient warning system and escape routes are inadequate.”

After continuing to flout the ban and remain open for business, The Oasis Lounge was visited by Manchester Building Control on Wednesday, who tore down the marquee.

The Oasis Lounge were not available for comment.

ISSUE 12 / 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

04 : News

Outrage as exam papers ask ‘unanswerable’ questions Complaints made after series of blunders during January exams Jonathan Breen News Editor

Students sitting exams last month were given papers with multiple mistakes in them, The Mancunion has learned.

Exams in Linguistics, English Language, and Nursing were among those with errors.

“For three out of four of my exams at the University of Manchester to have mistakes is quite a big deal really,” second year English Language Tom Ingham said.

The exams, taken as part of semester one modules, included unanswerable questions, repeated questions, and confusing printing errors.

“In my Introduction to Middle English paper, there was a question that was unanswerable, so it was either from another paper or the question had been mistyped,” said Ingham. “What they asked you to look for, which was ‘can you identify these old English pronouns in this Middle English text and can you identify a relic,’ well they weren’t in there.

“So you’d spend ages and ages on the question, and panicked yourself. That was worth 20 marks in the paper and it was a question you had to do.

“Out of the four compulsory questions on the paper, one was unanswerable and the

component to answer one of the other questions was missing, and we were only told 30 to 40 minutes in.”

Ingham also had mistakes in two other exams.

“In my Logic of English paper, we were asked to analyse a formula – part of the formula was missing. It you had revised it enough, you could have made an educated guess that it didn’t matter, but we had never seen formulas like this. It was very obscure to look at. And it was a compulsory question.

“The other mistake was a printing error on a diagram in my Introduction to Phonology paper. Again, if you used your intuition you could maybe have worked it out, but you couldn’t be sure.”

Ingham added, “The problem is, now they’ve said they are not going to mark those questions, so they are going to be disregarded.

That isn’t fair, say if the questions that did have the mistakes were your strong points, and they’re just being completely disregarded you are being shafted in a way. Even though they will up-mark the other ones, it is a very dodgy balance.

“And then you have the re-sit system, for some courses you can only re-sit if you fail and if you resit you can only get 40 per cent.”

Second year Mental Health Nursing student Joe Vickery also

Some students sitting exams last month were given test papers with errors in them Photo: non-partizan @Flickr

experienced problems and said it affected his ability to do his exams.

“In both my exams questions were repeated, and a couple questions were not numbered properly,” he said. “In one exam they asked a question, and then asked a different question straight after, so people didn’t know which one to answer there was a question about a paragraph of text and then a separate list of questions relating to the same paragraph with instructions to answer one from the list.

“There were also loads of questions that were badly

worded, which made it really difficult to understand them.”

One way teachers have responded to the errors is to disregard questions with mistakes from the final mark of paper.

Ingham, Williams and Vickery were emailed by their lecturers saying they had not seen the mistakes and were amending the problem.

Wendell Kimper, a lecturer in Linguistics, emailed students who took the Introduction to Phonology paper saying their grade would not suffer because of mistakes.

“A few of you have expressed

concern that disregarding the two erroneously formatted questions means that all of the other questions will carry more weight,” said Kimper. “This is true, but remember that your raw score is not the same as your mark --- there is a scaling process to turn the former into the latter.

Linguistics and English Language faculty member Antonio Fortin emailed students who took the Logic of English exam saying, “It was brought to my attention afterwards that Q6 had various errors in it. I do have a copy of the final version of the exam that went to the printers, and it had no such typos on it,

but they nevertheless crept in during the admin/printing stage.

“Once I receive the scripts, I will work out exactly what I need to make allowances for, but I wanted to reassure those of you who might be worried about that question that you will not be penalised if there are errors on the exam itself.”

Vickery added that the head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work made an appearance in his lecture on 31 January to apologise for the exam blunder.

High speed rail to run under student area Jonathan Breen News Editor

“It is something that can be done without re-

which we have done today and then that is

Leese said in a statement released by Transport

ally affecting homes and businesses above the

opened up for consultation,” he said. “This is

for Greater Manchester that he supported the

tunnel.

what we think is the best route, but there are lo-

government’s decision to implement the plans

cal consultations that have to go on.

in the face of opposition.

“For phase one from London to the West MidThe next phase of the new high speed rail link is set to go right through the heart of the Fallowfield student area.

The government unveiled proposed plans for the route of the transport link from Birmingham Monday January 28, which show a tunnel passing directly underneath University accommodation in the Fallowfield Campus.

David Meechan a spokesman for HS2, the company in charge of the rail line, told The Mancunion the impact for people above ground would be minimal.

“We can tunnel these days with out anyone really being aware,” he said. “During the actual construction there may be some slight vibration.

lands, which is a bit more advanced, we have

“During the phase one consultation a lot of the

He said, “We see high-speed rail as a once-in-

done a lot of work trying to reassure people

route did change afterwards, there are changes

a-generation opportunity to transform the rail

living above tunnels that the impact would be

that can be made; this is not fixed by any means.”

network, which will not only tackle the West

Second year Thomas Young felt the train line

Coast line’s capacity issues - including the lack

would only be acceptable if when it is running it

of capacity for local commuter and freight ser-

does not affect the people living above.

vices - but will unlock the economic potential of

minimal.”

The plans are the second stage of the multibillion pound high speed railway line said to cut journey times in half between Manchester, Bir-

“If you can feel vibrations from the train go-

mingham and London. There will also be lines

ing underneath then it is not ok,” he said. “But

“The UK is lamentably playing catch-up to our

running to Sheffield and Leeds.

if they can guarantee that its not going to affect

global competitors in our rail transport systems,

people’s daily lives at home then there is noth-

but it is crucial that we close the gap. Without

ing wrong with it.”

this link the North West – and Manchester – will

Construction on phase one is expected to start in four years and open to passengers in 13 years, with the route announced last week set to open six years after that.

However, the phase two route is at an early stage and still open to changes, added Meechan.

“What we do is we publish a preferred route,

the North West and create much-needed jobs.

Second year Biomedical Sciences student Joe

be left stranded, unable to compete with the

Brunner said,“I am not going to be here, so I

likes of Munich, Milan and Copenhagen who are

don’t care, but if I was here I would probably be

already well ahead in the high-speed stakes.”

annoyed if there was any noise.”

Leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard

05: News

ISSUE 12/ 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Gaff’s goes dry: Fallowfield landmark loses licence Off-licence caught with fake DVDs and jewellery on premises

Jonathan Breen News Editor A day feared by students in the Fallowfield area has come, Gaff’s Off Licence can no longer sell alcohol.

The Fallowfield institution had its alcohol licence revoked last week after police discovered counterfeit goods on the premises.

Greater Manchester Police called for a review of Gaff’s license after they found 294 counterfeit DVDs and 14 pieces of counterfeit jewellery.

“In 2011 we executed a warrant at this premises as we believed that counterfeit jewellery and DVDs were being illegally sold there,” said Inspector Lindsay Atherton of the Fallowfield Neighbourhood Policing Team.

“This led to a recent conviction in October 2012.”

Owner of Gaff ’s Abdul Gaffor lodged an appeal in response to the conviction, but because the alcohol licence was in a different name the appeal became void and the licence was revoked on January 17, a spokesman for the Manchester City Council Licensing Authority said.

The original license holder, Mustafa Saleem, will not be able to apply for a new licence.

However, a new application can be made for the same premises.

Gaff ’s manager Asjed Iqbal told The Mancunion the licence revoking against them was a mistake.

“We were caught falsely with counterfeit DVDs,” he said. “A bag of counterfeit DVDs was left in our shop just for a moment by a local character known for selling fake DVDs, we didn’t know what was in the bag.

“At the same time the police came in on a raid for counterfeit goods.”

“Other shops in the area caught with counterfeit DVDs just get fined, this was a total miscarriage of justice towards Gaff ’s.

“The police wanted any excuse to revoke our licence, they have it in for us.

“They tried to revoke our licence in November last year.

The police just came in and said your licence doesn’t allow you to sell alcohol anymore, but they got their facts wrong. We had to take all our alcohol down, then put it back up again.”

Other reasons alcohol licences can be reviewed and revoked include selling to underage children or if there is fighting at a nightclub.

Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchesteer City Council’s executive member for the environment, said “This decision demonstrates how the City

294 counterfeit DVDs and 14 pieces of counterfeit jewellery were found on the premises. Photo: Amy Hallett

Council works closely with the police to deal with those traders who use their premises as a base for carrying out illegal activities.

“We will not tolerate those

who attempt to carry out illegal activities from licensed premises, and we will seek to use the range of powers available to us including, where appropriate.

the ability to revoke licences.”

Iqbal assured customers that despite losing their licence Gaff’s would remain open, “We will continue to trade,

just without alcohol, Gaff’s isn’t going anywhere.

“There will always be a Gaff’s.”

Well, that was Pointless: Mancunion brainboxes crash out of quiz show missing chance of £19k win Michael Williams News Editor When most students get bored of the dissertation slog, they see how many pound pints they can sink at The Footage or spend eight hours browsing ‘Spotted’ on Facebook.

Andrew Williams, on the other hand, decided to use his time in a less ‘pointless’ fashion – appearing on the BBC’s hit quiz show in an attempt to win £19,000.

Pointless, hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman, sees teams of two compete to find the most “pointless answers” they can. They are asked questions which have already been posed to members of the public, and must find the answers given by the least amount of people.

Andrew, who juggles studying for a Masters in International Relations and being Features Editor for The Mancunion, applied for the show back in April of last year.

Rob Fuller, Andrew’s partner on the show, studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Manchester before moving on to work as a political consultant in London.

“It’s less exciting than it sounds”, he explained on the show.

“It doesn’t sound that exciting”, noted Alexander Armstrong.

Pre-show nerves took hold of the contestants in different ways, explained Andrew.

“The night before I sat in the hotel bar with a pint of Guinness reading over a list of American presidents,” he said.

And his partner?

“Rob was really shitting himself, and it showed.”

The show was taped on the same day as Children in Need, meaning celebrities from Terry Wogan (“in white tracksuit bottoms”) to One Direction were roaming the Television Centre.

Was Andrew ever tempted to slip off backstage and do some star-spotting, or

are contestants kept on lockdown?

“You’re not on lockdown as such,” Andrew informed us “but you can’t really go anywhere. I mean, you can go to the toilet.”

Having confirmed that One Direction were not in the toilet, Andrew and Rob assumed their positions on stage. To maintain intrigue, the jackpot is a closelyguarded secret until contestants are live on stage. What could have been going through Andrew’s mind as the £19,000 sum appeared on screen?

“I thought, fucking hell. That’s a lot of money,” Andrew explains.

Throughout the course of the game, the pair answered questions on Fine Art, Football and Italian Towns. The football question saw Andrew’s best performance, scoring just one point – the closest thing to a “pointless answer”.

In the same round, however, Rob offset the advantage by giving a wrong answer – scoring a maximum of 100 points.

“He really did fuck up.” lamented

Andrew’s best performance, scoring one away from a ‘pointless’ answer.

Andrew.

The world of Twitter was even less forgiving. “I hope these two posh twats fall off the stage”, tweeted one well-wisher as the show was being broadcast.

While the boys didn’t bring home the coveted Pointless trophy, they at least

proudly represented PPE students to the Great British public.

One astute viewer commented, “I almost did a politics-related degree.

Judging by the boys on today’s #pointless, I’m glad I didn’t.”

ISSUE 12 / 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

NEWS : 05

Manchester’s Olympic legacy of sports faciliy closures

Residents and pool-goers held a flashmod outside the baths on 27th January. Photo: Joe Sandler Clarke

Lisa Murgatroyd News Editor

Plans to close Withington Baths and other local facilities have been met with strong opposition from the local community.

A flashmob outside Withington Baths on Sunday 27th January was attended by a number of residents and key figures, including local DJ Dave Haslam.

In a bid to save £80m from the Council’s budget, Withington Baths is not the only facility to

face closure; four other pools are listed in the proposal, and six libraries, including Fallowfield.

Campaigners have set up a Facebook page, Twitter accounts, and e-Petitions which have received over a thousand signatures and counting for the vari-

ous causes.

“Is this the Olympic legacy, Manchester?” Asks Sian Astley, business owner and former student who lives opposite Withington Baths. “This is our building, it doesn’t belong to Manchester City Council; this is the community’s building, the community’s land.

“It’s not just a pool that’s being closed, it’s actually an integral part of the community.”

She spoke to The Mancunion of the massive impact losing this facility would have on the local community, from children to the elderly. “I’ve been meeting people who’ve been swimming here for 70 years. I’ve met ladies who’ve had breast cancer and been treated at the Christie Hospital who credit the pool here with helping them get back to full health.”

Manchester City Council have proposed to build a £10m facility in Hough End to replace the Withington and Chorlton Baths. There has been criticism that this is a u-turn on Labour campaign promises to open a joint library and leisure facility in Chorlton centre.

Organiser of the flashmob protest Jill Woodward is a retired Withington librarian. “I have

swam in this pool over a 35 year period, and I’m currently training here for a triathlon.

“Elderley people that walk and swim will not make it down to Hough End.” She added that the building itself has historic importance. “I just love the architecture, why get rid of it? There could be ways that the roof could be dealt with and keep this lovely facility in the community rather than knocking it down.”

There is uncertainty over what the Council plan to do with the building and the land should it be closed after the three week consultation period.

“All the children at the schools will suffer,” Ann Gerraghty, mother of two children that attend Cavendish Primary School.

“They walk up here every Tuesday for their swimming lessons, then walk back to school. They’ve got to keep it open.”

Lib Dem Councillor for Chorlton, Victor Chamberlain, has opened a petition to save Chorlton Baths. “Many people come to Chorlton to go swimming and support our shops afterwards.

I’m worried the Council’s proposals could also hurt Chorlton’s independent traders as there will be significantly less footfall.”

Petition to protect Manchester ‘gateway’ Ellen Conlon News Editor A petition to save the London Road Fire Station has received 1889 signatures.

The ‘Gateway’ to Manchester is opposite Piccadilly station and has been unused since 1986 when bought by Britannia Hotels.

In November 2011 a Compulsory Service Order (CPO) was threatened by Manchester Council but Britannia promised to preserve the building and bring it back into use.

But three months later in February 2012 they reconsidered their plans, saying: “Developing the scheme as it stands, would not be sustainable in either the current climate or foreseeable future.”

The petition has been created in support of a new CPO to save the building and bring it back into use.

It says: “As a symbol, as a building of opportunity and vision, this company no longer deserves this Grade II listed building, to neglect, damage and potentially destroy.

“Standing opposite the main station for Manchester, this exceptional building should become something iconic to represent this thriving city and its future. Instead it advertises to visitors decay and neglect, the very opposite Manchester deserves to have.”

City Centre spokesman Pat Karney said: “It’s a complete scandal and disgrace that this iconic build-

ing has gone to rack and ruin but for the good of Manchester we must now push that to one side and focus on the future.

“When you come into the city from Piccadilly station the fire station is the first thing you see – and it is a shameful blot on all of Manchester.

“This needs to change and we need to make sure 2013 is the year we finally do that.”

Britannia remains committed to turning the fire station into a four star hotel despite leaving it derelict for over 25 years.

A spokesman said: “We feel we have not been treated fairly by Manchester council and we have been misrepresented publically over the whole issue.

“It should be pointed out that Britannia cannot recover its own time and resources spent unnecessarily in dealing with the council’s pursuit of the CPO. “This has also delayed the availability of Britannia’s funds which should have been directed into developing the hotel business and creating jobs.”

Comments on the petition show strong support for the CPO. John Kirkham wrote: “This fine building should be restored ASAP, this is one of the gateways to Manchester and what has been allowed to happen is criminal,” while an Anonymous signer wrote: “This is a glorious building and needs to be restored and used soon and should not be left to waste away.”

Images of world-leading graphene institute revealed Danuiel Magnone Reporter First images of the world leading graphene research centre to be built at Manchester University have been revealed.

The National Graphene Institute will be the UK’s home to research into the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material and will provide state of the art facilities enabling work on cutting edge science with leading researchers.

It is set to cost £61 million and will be funded jointly by the UK Government and the European Research and Development Fund.

Professor Kostya Novoselov, one of the discoverers of graphene, said: “Our researchers and scientists will be able to collaborate with colleagues from other universities and from some of the world’s leading companies.”

“We are delighted that the Government have chosen to invest in graphene, which as the potential to change technology in so many ways.”

Graphene researchers at Manchester will also be involved in a separate Swedish led project called Graphene Flagship, which was awarded €54 million last week to aid its research. It will involve 126 academic and industrial research groups from across Europe.

Professor Novoselov said that he hoped the project would: “build bridges between the best European scientists and industrialists. The hope is that [this] will lead to many new innovations beyond the flagship.”

Due to its novel properties, graphene has the potential to revolutionise hi-tech electronics like smart phones.

Manchester physicist Dr Sasha Grigorenko has used to material to create a device capable of seeing and analysing a single molecule.

The implications for the device could include medical diagnosis, drug tests in athletic and criminal cases and help the search for explosives in airport security.

Work is set to start on the five-story in March and is to be completed in early 2015.

08 : Feature

ISSUE 12 / 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Syrians at UK universities have struggled to pay their tuition fees since the war in the country broke out in 2011. Photo: FreedomHouse

Syrians face “nightmare” situation as conflict leaves them unable to pay fees The Mancunion talks to Syrian students struggling to support themselves due to the war back home Syrian students at UK universities have described their situation as a “nightmare”, as turmoil back home leaves them unable to pay their tuition fees and struggling to support themselves.

The war in the country, which has raged since 2011, combined with sanctions placed on Assad’s regime by the international community and the closure of the Syrian embassy in London has left many students in a precarious position.

One Masters student at the University of Salford – whose fees were supposed to be paid by the Syrian government via their home university – received a letter dated January 7th 2013 stating that they could not “graduate or complete their studies” unless fees amounting to £10,140 were paid to the university.

In the absence of funding from their sponsor in Syria, the student says they have struggled to support themselves financially.

“In the beginning I asked my family to send me money, but with the situation there I can’t ask them to send me more,” they say. “My savings have nearly finished.”

The University of Salford have now agreed to allow Syrian students to complete their studies and pay their fees at a later date. Salford has also stated that they have a hardship fund which students can apply to if they are in financial difficulty.

A PhD student at a university in England explained that the situation in his country has left him unable to pay his fees for close to a year. He says he has become increasingly worried about his situation in recent months.

“My financial reserves in the bank are running quite low,” he explains. “I don’t want to focus on work, because that will add extra pressure.”

Other students say that they find themselves in a similar position. A student studying for a Masters in this country says that since his money from his sponsor in Syria stopped he has struggled to support his day-to-day existence.

“I’ve had times in the UK where I

haven’t money for my daily life,” he explains.

“I worked over the summer. I’m allowed to work for 20-hours-a-week [under the terms of his student Visa]. Of course it is not easy to find a job. I sent my CV everywhere; hotels, cleaning – anything.”

I have not told my family that there might be a danger of me not being able to stay in this country. I don’t want to add pressure to their life. It’s a nightmare.”

He says that he has yet to receive support from his institution.

“I have told the university that the situation is out of my control. I go to my professors. I go to the students’ union, student life, financial department. I’ve had no answer. I’m still trying to find a way. Some of my friends in different cities, their university connected them with organisations or charities to support them financially. But me, I’m still waiting for an answer.”

For many, the financial problems they face in the UK are compounded by their worries about their families back home. The UN estimates that as many as 60,000 people have died in the conflict in Syria; while many more have fled the country as refugees.

The Masters student describes his family’s situation as a “nightmare”.

“Every time I call my family I tell them that everything is okay, but the truth is that everything is not okay. I have not told them that there might be a danger of me not being able to stay in this country. I don’t want to add pressure to their life. It’s a nightmare.”

He goes to say that one of his neighbours was tortured by Assad’s forces. “He was 18 years old, he was in high school and he was on a demonstration. They took him for 18 days and they tortured him with electricity until he was unconscious.

If the regime stays, then I cannot go back.”

The British Government says that it recognises the difficult situation Syrian students find themselves in, but that it is unable to offer support.

A statement from a spokeswoman from the Department of Business Innovation and Skills read: “The Department has consulted HM Treasury (HMT) about the difficulty some students are facing in receiving payment from Syrian banks through the Syrian Embassy.

“HMT has issued licences to the banks concerned to allow them to deal with funds that are subject to an EU asset freeze and transfer this into the students’ personal accounts. Now the Syrian Embassy is closed, students should apply directly to HMT for a licence.”

There are around 600 Syrian postgraduate students in the UK. A minority of who are here under the terms of the Higher Education Capacity Building Project (HECBP) scholarship, which is supported by the British Council.

The British Council has set up a hardship fund for those students studying in this country under the

terms HECBP use to give out grants to support students with their living costs.

So far it has paid, or is set to pay, 58 of the 100 students who are in the UK under the terms of the agreement.

All of the eight partner universities in the UK involved in the scheme – Brunel, Edinburgh, Essex, Heriot-Watt,

This is affecting Syrians living in every country.

The government should have some responsibilities to the Syrians in the UK. Manchester, Marjon (St Mark and St John), Newcastle and Warwick – have agreed to either defer or waive fees for this academic year.

The British government has left it to universities to decide how to support Syrian students.

“We recommend that universities and scholarship awarding bodies use their own discretion over fees, and their welfare and hardship funds to help support these students if possible. In some cases universities have temporarily suspended fees or provided financial support to students.

“We would urge students to speak to their university welfare departments and Student Union Welfare officers.”

The statement added that the Department for Business Innovation and Skills is “not aware that any students have been removed from their courses as a direct result of the political situation in Syria and the impact this has on their ability to access funding.”

For some Syrians, the government’s stance is not good enough.

“The British government should be

doing more regarding the fees,” argues the PhD student. “The government should intervene. This is affecting Syrians living in every country. They should have some responsibilities to the Syrians in the UK.” The National Union of Students has also come out against the government’s position, with the organisations’ President Liam Burns stating: “What we urgently need to see is every Syrian student is given support when finances aren’t forthcoming so they can continue their studies.

“This has to be the least the UK can do considering the tragic circumstances of the conflict in Syria.”

The NUS are understood to be discussing a motion to urge UK universities to waive or reduce the tuition fees for Syrian students.

A petition called ‘Stop UK universities from expelling Syrian students!’ has – at the time of writing – attracted close to 30,000 signatures; while the charity ‘Council for assisting refugee academics’ (CARA) have launched a ‘National Appeal for Syrian Academics’.

A number of universities have agreed to offer support to Syrian students at their institution, with some waiving fees altogether and others allowing students to continue their studies and pay their fees at a later date.

One PhD student told me that his institution had done “all they can” to support him. Providing him with financial assistance to support his daily life and waiving his tuition fees.

Meanwhile, when quoted in Times Higher Education last October, Lucy Shackleton – European policy officer at Universities UK’s international unit – stated that there was a “widespread commitment to helping Syrian students” within the university sector.

In a statement the University of Salford insisted: “We are sympathetic to the exceptional circumstances affecting our Syrian students and we are committed to doing everything we can to support them. We have been in contact with the students and we continue to offer them one-toone advice tailored to their personal situation and to help them try to resolve any funding problems they may have. We do not wish to see any student disadvantaged by genuinely distressing circumstances which could affect their ability to complete their studies.”

ISSUE 12 / 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feature : 09

Happiness for people who can’t stand positive thinking New year’s resolutions broken already? Journalist and author Oliver Burkeman tells Andrew Williams that the problem with our search for future happiness lies in our obsession with positivity Andrew Williams Features Editor

W

e are barely into the second month of the year, yet the chances are that your new year’s resolutions have already gone out of the window.

Whether it’s quitting smoking, dedicating more time to your degree or – God forbid – tempering that overactive sex drive, the chances are that you have capitulated at the first sign of temptation. You are not alone. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 80% of us fail spectacularly in achieving the goals we set ourselves as Big Ben strikes midnight on January 1.

The thought that we might all harbour a deep-seated desire to turn over a new leaf was thrown into sharp focus at the start of 2013, as 10,000 people pledged their commitment to Cancer Research UK’s much-publicised Dryathlon. It is not a stretch to speculate that for every sober ‘dryathlete’, there were several less resolute participants who made it to the first major social occasion of their monthlong challenge, only to take a shortcut to the end of the course via half a bottle of vodka and several Jägerbombs.

Oliver Burkeman thinks he has an explanation for our apparently barren reserves of willpower. An expert on the burgeoning self-help industry – his weekly spot in The Guardian, ‘This Column Will Change Your Life’, takes a look at various aspects of the world of social psychology and the science of happiness – Burkeman believes that we are, quite simply, daunted by the enormity of the kind of overarching, life-affirming goals which manifest themselves as new year’s resolutions.

“One of the many problems with goals is that very, very large ones can lead you astray – either because they become allconsuming and they distort other areas of your life, or because you deplete your willpower too quickly by trying to make all these different changes at once,” he suggests.

Burkeman didn’t bother setting himself any such targets this year – “partly because I would have felt too hypocritical having just written an article telling people that they shouldn’t!” –but he understands that many of us feel compelled to do so.

“I mean who doesn’t want to turn over a new leaf? I think especially in Britain we’re quite bad at admitting that we do have those flaws,” he says. However, the New York-based writer has come to the conclusion that we are increasingly encumbered by an unhealthy obsession with what may or may not happen in the future.

“A big problem with a lot of the stuff I characterise as positive thinking is this idea of ‘future orientation’ – the idea that the time that really matters is some time in the future, rather than now,” he explains.

“So you are going to set goals, and then one day achieve your dreams; you are going to retain hope at all costs because at some point that hope will come to fruition.”

Originally a quiet detractor of selfhelp culture – “I’d always had a totally ambivalent attitude towards it… I had always thought, ‘this is rubbish, I’m too sceptical for this stuff’” – Burkeman has since read “hundreds and hundreds” of ancient texts and motivational books, each claiming to hold the key to a happy, healthy and successful life. It soon became apparent that the majority of these imparted the same, singular message – “this basic idea that the path to happiness and success is to fill your mind with positive thoughts and positive emotions”.

Yet Burkeman refused to accept that fulfilment could lie in such an unsophisticated solution. In fact, slowly but surely, he became convinced that the exact opposite was true. “All the stuff that worked, that seemed to resonate with me, that was backed up by the research, or seemed useful when put into practice in my own life, had this alternative take; this idea of becoming more comfortable with negative things.”

On Burkeman’s view the ‘new year, new you’ phenomenon is merely one component of a myth, propagated by the self-help industry, that our collective quest for future happiness should rely steadfastly on the doctrine of positive thinking. His latest book, The Antidote, rails against “a culture fixated on optimism and positivity,” suggesting that we should embrace failure and negativity as inevitable and, more often than not, valuable and meaningful.

“It’s new and counter-intuitive compared to the last century of popular psychology,

but it’s as old as the hills,” Burkeman argues. Determined that there must be an altogether more erudite path to happiness, the book charts Burkeman’s journey through various cultures and religious traditions in an attempt to uncover the factors which might contribute to a pessimistic but applicable alternative.

The thought of travelling to a secluded retreat high in the mountains of Massachussetts for a week of total and utter silence isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when we consider potential paths to happiness, but for Burkeman it was a revelatory experience.

Entirely removed from the distractions and complexities of modern life, he and his peers were coaxed into seven days of Buddhist meditation. Within 24 hours, the early monotony had given way to a very real sense of security and tranquillity.

Burkeman admits that there may have been “an element of Stockholm syndrome” to his week of contemplation despite it feeling, at times, “like a combination of courtroom and torture chamber”.

Tormented by the high-pitched screech of Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’, which lodged itself in his brain, on a loop, for 12 hours, he was on the verge of going stir crazy.

“Then, after all of the nonsense, and the stupid song lyrics, you get a lovely calm which is delightful. Then you sort of berate yourself about everything you’ve ever done which is bad,” he tells me. I put it to him that, more than anything, it sounds like a mind-numbingly tedious experience, though Burkeman explains that it is anything but.

“Oh, it’s never really boring. And that’s kind of the revelation – how ceaselessly noisy it is inside your own head. I daydreamed a lot, and I was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination at staying focused on the object of meditation, but when you are its either interesting, or occasionally distressing, or aggravating.”

Meanwhile, he recoils with horror at the very mention of the his afternoon on the London Underground, announcing every Central Line station at the top of his voice.

“I was quite terrified, and at first I did it very quietly. I think the interesting thing is, why should that be so terrifying? You’re not insulting people, or hurling abuse; it’s so odd that that should be so scary.

It’s just because it’s so weird that it’s so

embarrassing, and that’s a very interesting fact about anxiety and worry.”

From a personal perspective, Burkeman’s nemesis when it comes to anxiety and worry has long been his penchant for procrastination. “I think I was probably slightly atypical as a student – I freaked out with stress,” he recalls of his time at Cambridge. “It’s good to have some structure in your day and certainly in some student contexts you can go for days without anywhere or anything you absolutely have to be at which, for me personally, is the absolute death knell of productivity, because you need to impose some kind of structure.”

“On the other hand, there is certainly something to be said for a degree of idleness and for having that kind of space.”

It is a state of mind that almost every student can identify with. Whether it’s fretting about the next deadline or putting off thinking about your dissertation until after the weekend, the university experience sometimes feels like a constant battle against distraction after distraction.

Burkeman has a very simple solution: he carries a kitchen timer with him in his pocket wherever he goes. “It’s silly, but creating little blocks of time – whether

it’s an hour to work on something or two minutes to work on some project I really don’t want to work on – reduces the intimidation. It’s childish and stupid, but we are quite childish and stupid deep down.”

Though he does not claim to have found the solution to the future happiness of all humanity, Burkeman is unequivocal when it comes to the pitfalls of baseless optimism and short-sighted positivity.

“One of the many risks with positive thinking is that you come to see everything as a dress rehearsal, because you are putting everything in place for some future shining vision, a grand moment of truth when it’s all going to have been ‘worth it’.”

“And I think that some people don’t mind living that way, and never getting there… but the point of that is to have a good experience now rather than to mortgage your whole future happiness on some point in the future.”

Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking’ is out now in paperback

The Antidote: Burkeman’s book flies in the face of slogans such as this, which symbolise “a culture fixated on optimism and positivbity.”

buymyunirider.com *99% of the 2,099 Unirider customers surveyed in April 2012 said that they would recommend a Unirider to their friend

Politics & Comment

ISSUE 12/ 4th February 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Photo - Wikimedia commons

10

Drawing of Anne by her sister Charlotte.

My Political Hero...

Anne Brontë Let’s take a moment to wonder at the general awesomeness of the Brontë literary family. Three single ladies living under the same roof in a Yorkshire parish; Charlotte, Emily and Anne are responsible for creating some of the most memorable characters of all time, and were undoubtedly pioneers of women’s literature. Unfortunately, discussion of the Brontës all too often starts along the lines of “Yeah, Charlotte was great, and Emily, and... er, who was the third one again?” Poor Anne. Charlotte rocked worlds with Jane Eyre, Emily had the infamous Wuthering Heights, and Anne wrote the much less well known - at least these days - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Britain: why don’t you want to be European?

Danish student Victoria Sorensen asks why the average Briton finds it so hard to cal themselves ‘European’ Deciding to go to university in Britain and leaving home, Denmark, was one of the major decisions in my life. And I can honestly say that I have no regrets what so ever. I love Britain, and I love you Brits. However, sometimes I get the feeling that the love between the majority of the EU member states and the United Kingdom isn’t as mutual as my love for scones and clotted cream. Sometimes I worry that my fellow students only love me for my Nordic blond hair.

Recent events have strengthened this feeling as Prime Minister David Cameron announced his plans for a referendum on the EU. This, coupled with statistics which showed only 40% of the British population actually want to be a part of the Union, can leave a girl feeling unloved. Along with this, I have come across a mystery whenever I am in a deep intellectual discussion about culture or integration with one of my British contemporaries. You keep referring to ‘Europeans’ in the 3rd person. A European is I, and everyone else in the EU, but not yourself. Now, why do you not want to be European?

I came up with three possible reasons. Firstly, the pride and stubbornness of an old Empire.

As a result of this, a constant strive towards maintaining the global power image Britain

enjoyed up until the early 1900s. Secondly, the European financial crisis. It has caused problems throughout European economies, ultimately sending most member countries in to a state of recession. Even those who opted out of the Euro. And thirdly, the geographical divide. Is it the channel? Is it really the water?

Seriously?

Now of course it may have been that David Cameron was effectivey forced by his own Tory backers to take on a certain attitude towards the EU, and that the speech Wednesday may very well be a strategic move. He is probably already thinking about re-election, and needs support from the anti-EU side of his party.

But let us consider the scenario of the UK outside of the EU. The UK would no longer favour financial regulation, the elimination of tax barriers, and free movement of employment and education. Free movement of education makes it possible for young people like me to come and take part in the development of British society, and for young Brits to go study in a wonderful country like Denmark (if you can stand the wonderful, albeit fairly chilly temperatures). All in all, these disadvantages would affect the British national economy, making it difficult to compete with faster growing, newly industrialised countries

like China and Brazil. It could also weaken your relationship with the US, who are likely to favour stronger relations of the EU economic block than with the lonely island of Britain.

This leaves us with the question: is Britain really capable of going on by itself? I dare say no.

The incentives of being a member country of the EU have undeniably diminished over the past few years. However, that being said, the EU is about more than just financial and strategic perks. It is also a project of peace and securing order in our region of the world. And for that project to succeed, we have got to cooperate.

Britain is dependant on the EU and the EU needs Britain. In 1945 the United Kingdom was more needed than ever before. In cooperation with the US, you freed my country and the whole of Western Europe from totalitarianism.

But now you want to free yourself from the very project which has been the armour against new wars and tyranny in Europe. Do you truly not want to be European, and does Britain really want to be the country throwing the project for peace down the drain? I don’t get it; I love you, so why don’t you love me?

Except, not ‘poor Anne’ at all, because Anne is great! Like her sisters, she wrote a fair bit of poetry, as well as the novel Agnes Grey, a semi-autobiographical depiction of the oppression and mistreatment of governesses. However, today I’d like to take a look at the aforementioned The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall. In this book the heroine, Helen Graham, falls in love with the handsome, dark, brooding Arthur Huntington (think Heathcliff, think Rochester, think Edward Cullen) and marries him. Unsurprisingly, Arthur let’s wittily call him Loser - turns out to be a manipulative, abusive alcoholic of a husband. Now, if this was another book, perhaps written by Em or Char or by E. L. James, the heroine would love Loser all the more for his tempestuousness, and perhaps her love would tame him somewhat, and they would live together in impassioned bliss and have really good (implied - this is the 19th century!) sex. Except this is a novel by the amazing Anne Brontë, so Helen ditches Loser, illegally runs away with their young child and eventually gets it together with the nice young chap narrating the story. What a refreshing turn of events!

The Byronic male character was one of intense fascination in the 19th century, and still is today. The brooding, dangerous anti-hero seems to have lingered in the collective unconscious of straight women for centuries. Anne’s deconstruction of the romance surrounding this figure is interesting because it was brave, for one: while The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was a bestseller on publication, it was criticised heavily for its coarseness and brutality. Among its critics was Anne’s sister Charlotte, who deemed it a ‘mistake’ and prevented re-publication of the novel after Anne died of consumption (don’t be jealous, Charlotte, Jane Eyre is still great).

Which leads me onto the other reason I find Anne so interesting: her scathing dismantling of the brooding hero is in stark contrast to the way her sisters seem to valorise said hero. Rochester and Heathcliff are both manipulative and sadistic, and do dark, terrible things, yet seem to emerge as dreamboats (perhaps Rochester more so than Heathcliff). I am loathe to criticise Charlotte or Emily, whose work I completely adore, but Anne’s story is a massive game changer, and is actually really, really inspiring, being lauded as one of the first sustained feminist novels (according to Wikipedia, which is always right). In 2013, it is a huge struggle both emotionally and socially for women to leave their abusive partners. If we imagine how much harder it was in 1848, with the law and convention against women every step of the way, perhaps we’ll have some idea of how radical Anne Brontë’s writing was at the time. In a world of Christian Grays and Edwards Cullens, where 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, this woman’s stance makes her my political hero as well as my literary one, even 160 years on.

Georgia Tate

Comment

ISSUE 12 / 4th February 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

11

After a January exam period made memorable by such Facebook pages as ‘When in UoM’, we ask...

YES As someone who had heard of, but hadn’t yet been acquainted with, the wonderful world of Spotted: Manchester University Library, I didn’t know exactly what it was I was getting myself into. Expecting to find myself wallowing in a degenerative cesspit of 4Chanlike proportions, I found myself ever so slightly disappointed, like a child who has snuck an early peak at his Christmas presents.

The worst things I found on Spotted were juvenile and shallow expressions of lad culture. It was hardly anything worth acknowledging, let alone taking offence from. People have claimed that the fear of online ridicule has driven them away from using the library, but it seems so insignificant and inconsequential.

If Spotted bothers them so much they simply don’t have to use it. If they find it disturbing

Alex Goldhill

that someone, somewhere is judging them, then it is a wonder that they can even successfully interact with their fellow human beings at all.

I admit there is the issue of privacy violations. People’s pictures are being uploaded without their consent, usually pictures of them sleeping in the library when they should be working. I find it unlikely that any of these pictures are going to destroy any future careers.

Some have condemned it for being a source of procrastination, particularly damaging to students during the exam period. Let us be honest here, simply adding or removing potential sources of procrastination will not prevent procrastination. As long as there remains some conceivable way to waste time, then time will be wasted, and blaming Spotted is futile.

“Is Spotted: Manchester Uni library harmless? ” Furthermore, there are times when Spotted can be useful. When browsing through the Spotted timeline I saw a post asking for men of Pakistani origin to fill out some questionnaires for someone’s dissertation research. Not to mention all the lost property notices, often accompanied with pictures of the lost item to assist in identification.

There is something liberating about the anonymity Spotted grants its posters. It gives them the ability to say the things that they lack the courage, or the good taste, to say in public, like telling the girl using Skype in the library to shut the hell up.

Countless numbers of students avoided the library over the January exam period after reading some of the posts on the ‘Spotted: University of Manchester Library’ page. The idea itself is rather creative and it was initially very positive.

Many of the posts provided a humorous distraction from revision.

As time went on, the page lost its inoffensive tone and it became a medium used to humiliate students when their stress levels are already sky-high. Some of the posts went beyond banter. Vivid descriptions of people with reference to their weight,

Tom Danaher

figure or clothing choice were plentiful, and these merely highlighted how shallow many young people are in today’s society. Who goes out of their way to look their best when going to the library anyway?

The case of ‘Spotted’ highlights a wider problem of anonymity on social networking sites. Although they are very cowardly (and incredibly sad), the founders of pages such as this obviously get a kick from the fact that they’re unlikely to be traced. It must take a real front to submit a post on a page such as this.

Are people really so inept in conversation in 2013 that they have to hide behind a Facebook tab to ask people to turn their iPods down or stop their conversation with their friends in the library? Why not talk to one another?

The worst part about the more insulting posts on this page is

NO that many who were targeted are vulnerable in our student community anyway. These range from those who are likely to have appearance or selfconfidence issues, or maybe international students, who find it difficult to communicate and feel welcome anyway.

Taking pictures of these people without their consent is unsympathetic and pathetic.

If you’re going to make the effort of going to the library, would it be too unreasonable to suggest spending the time doing something that may actually contribute towards your degree? But if you believe in such cowardly means of procrastination, make it a little more positive!

Disagree? Tweet us @mancuniondebate, or email us at comment.mancunion@gmail.com

Why the lack of concern over postgraduate accessibility?

Becky Montacute looks at undergraduate and postgraduate funding opportunities, and the different support available At undergraduate degree level, everyone seems to care about widening access. The numbers of students on free school meals are scrutinised.

Statistics are collected on state school attendance and the financial backgrounds of undergraduates’ parents. An awful lot has been done to help, and whilst things may not be perfect, with loans, scholarships and grants the majority of undergraduates who have the ability to are able to go to university.

Recent controversy from the University of Oxford has shown that this is not the case for postgraduates. 15% of prospective postgrads offered a place at Oxford have to turn it down because they don’t meet the university’s financial requirements. Not only do they need to prove they have the money for course fees, but £12,900 a year in living costs. One student, Damien Shannon, is now suing the university after they barred him from taking up his postgraduate place because he could not guarantee this level of funding.

Scholarships for these postgrad courses are thin on the ground. This isn’t just a problem at Oxford. Often the only option for postgrads to get funding is to take out a Professional and Career Development Loan, letting them borrow a maximum of £10,000. These loans are provided through banks, and charge commercial rates of interest. Whilst the government does pay the interest for you whilst you are studying, a month after your studies have finished you have to start

Funding for postgraduate qualifications is hard to gain. Photo: Venet_ @Flickr paying that loan and interest back. If your fees are several thousand pounds already, plus living costs on top, this loan won’t even cover it. For most, this will not be enough to pay for a one year masters course.

What you are left with is a situation in which those with the money are those with postgraduate qualifications. This gives the financially better off an unfair advantage in the job market. But perhaps more importantly, postgraduate qualifications

are done by those who really love their subject.

Thousands of students are being priced out of pursuing their passion in academia, despite being good enough to secure a place to do so.

A better system for postgraduate funding is a necessity, and should be a priority for the government. A system needs to be put in place whereby the amount that can be borrowed can cover both fees and living expenses. Even if this is still done by banks, and commercial rates of interest are charged, it would help open the door for thousands of prospective postgrads.

But with Oxford University having to operate under the current system, are they at least being as fair to postgrads as they can be? It wouldn’t help anyone if several postgrads each year were starting at Oxford, didn’t have enough to live on, and dropped out within a few months. Their space would be wasted, a space that someone else could have taken. But Oxford’s projected living expenses are set much too high. They include an estimate of £56 a week for food – are they really too detached to envisage a student having baked beans on toast for dinner? Oxford are needlessly pricing students out of attending. By lowering their bar to a more reasonable level (Damien Shannon had £9,000 available for living expenses a year) they would considerably widen access, something that is as important at postgraduate as undergraduate level.

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Comment

ISSUE 12/ 4th February 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Why you should take 10 minues to fill out your National Student Survey Nick Pringle Universit of Manchester Students’ Union General Secretary If you’re a final year undergraduate, then in the last week you’ll have received an email inviting you to fill out yet another survey. It’s the National Student Survey, and all final year undergraduates in the country have been asked to fill out that same survey. It’s what is used to create national league tables, and it’s how universities’ compare themselves against each other. Perhaps most crucially, it is one way in which universities identify where and how they need to make improvements.

You can use your survey to tell the university, and the Students’ Union, what you liked or didn’t like about your time at Manchester.

The results from across the country come out every August, and the Students’ Union and University dig into the figures to find out which areas are doing great and the areas which aren’t.

This means that we can learn from them. Your elected reps have used the data throughout this year in university meetings to fight for improvements for students – without the National Student Survey data we would have a much harder job!

Consistently ‘Assessment and Feedback’ has been an issue for universities across the country, as they tend to score far lower in this than in any other part of the survey. In response to these low scores The University of Manchester introduced a policy in 2010 to guarantee high quality feedback within 15 working days, since which scores have risen year on year.

Last year satisfaction with several courses fell dramatically, by up to as much as 38%. Those subjects are putting in considerable effort to address the issues raised. Similarly a fair number of courses all scored at 100% satisfied – but that’s

Hiring more lecturers, refurbishing labs, increasing contact hours and many other changes are all happening after being raised as issues in the National Student Survey

been no excuse to stop them trying to improve.

They’re all still looking for what they can make better, and how they can sustain high scores.

Hiring more lecturers, refurbishing laboratories, increasing contact hours and many other changes are all happening after being raised as issues in the National Student Survey. At the end of the survey there are text boxes where you can leave positive and negative comments about your experience at university. It’s all confidential and the top decision makers at the University will take the time to read them – all of them! It’s definitely worth taking the time to write your thoughts there.

You’ll be asked to rank your satisfaction from 1 to 5 on 23 questions. These then get turned into percentages and used for example in league tables.

Basically, if you answer 1, 2 or 3 it means you’re not satisfied. If you answer 4 or 5 then it means you are! So, overall The University of Manchester scored 83% last year, meaning that 83 out of every 100 students who filled in the survey gave either a 4 or a 5 score for overall satisfaction. So make sure your score reflects how you feel!

The last question is about the Students’ Union, which tells us how satisfied students are and

allows us to compare against other SUs. You can tell us what you think any time – but this gives us a really good idea of how we’re doing and if we’re heading in the right or wrong direction. The survey just takes 10 minutes, but your opinion can have a huge impact for years to come, so please take the time to fill it out!

Photo : University of Manchester

Students should support High Speed 2 Clifford Flemming tells us the benefits of the government’s controversial new high speed train line Clifford Flemming Contributor

The announcement of High Speed 2’s route in the North this week has re-sparked a passion of mine. My first love was Thomas. He was a steamy, old-fashioned type. I was four years old and full of locomotive-inspired romance. Thomas was a tank engine, a beautiful, fun-loving blue train. There’s something quite magical about steam engines of long ago, something hard to put into words. The billowing steam that trails behind as the engine chugs along the line, pulling along passengers in decorated, wooden carriages. There’s the Hogwart Express of the Potter books and films, giving picture to a beautiful, sleek red train full of magical students carrying their spell books and luggage. I love trains, I’ll admit it. Trains of today, alas, are nothing of what I imagined and hoped for when I was younger. The romantic, novel-rousing steam engines are long gone; their replacements, whether electric or diesel, look tired, worn-out and depressed As a student you and I both know how much we rely on trains. The semester ends with lectures full of students with suitcases, all geared up for their journey home. Make no mistake, the journey I take on the Virgin Pendolino service every few months isn’t the smoothest of rides. Firstly, you’ve got to deal with actually buying the tickets. To avoid being charged ludicrous amounts you have to carefully scan national rail online or the train line for the cheapest possible scenarios, weeks in advance. Do not forget your student rail card, it’s a life saver. I was

Photo: Bright Meadow @Flickr perplexed the other day to discover my housemate does not own such a necessity. I spluttered in disbelief as he told me he would spend £30 to Birmingham. ‘£30!’ I screamed. How on Earth could he be so blind?

Planning train journeys is a skill. Once I got back to my sleepy home town of Arundel, five hours away by train, for a mere £11. Screw you Richard Branson.

The next task comes with the less-than-convenient spacing allocated for suitcases. If you’re early enough on the train you can slide your suitcase straight into the lower compartment and avoid the jigsaw

operation that follows. Then the hunt begins in search for your reservation seat. Constantly you see students’ heads bobbing up and down, eyes focusing and ears pricked-up like meerkats. Do I have a window seat? I hope so. What about a plug socket?

Do I even need a plug socket? I definitely want a plug socket. Sometimes you encounter the modern-day miracle that is having a four-seater table to yourself.

That definitely is living the sweet life my friends.

The UK government announced that they will be upgrading the London to Manchester line to high

speed rail, along with other lines too. I was astounded to find so many of the public who were genuinely outraged. David Thornhill from Campaign for Better Transport reacted by saying “I have rarely come across such an environmentally catastrophic scheme that is so pointless and so wasteful of money”. Okay, so it’s a lot of money. £32 billion, but it’s also set to create thousands of much needed jobs and make it a lot quicker to get around the country. It will also encourage a lot more people to use trains instead of carbon-intensive cars and planes. Some concerns I can understand. Farmers and land owners on the proposed route may have genuine concerns of losing their land. Discussions on whether spending the money on improving inner-city transport are a good debate. But in my eyes the proposed investment in infrastructure from a Conservative government should be celebrated.

Our train tickets are over-priced, our luggagecompartments too small and our train conductors grumpy, but us Brits shouldn’t be all doom and gloom.

One mention of something funded by the State and we go into a cynical, miserable rant. High speed rail is expensive, not perfect, will damage some land, and will be an eye-sore; but more importantly high speed rail will provide a more connected Britain. More jobs, and will likely encourage infrastructure investment from all sectors. We have a tendency in this country to get irritated by almost anything. We should stop being so pessimistic and hail this new investment. As students who rely on our shabby trains so greatly, we should get behind this upgrade.

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Film

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ISSUE 12/ 4th February 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

5 Review: ‘Django Unchained’

BAFTA 2013 Snubs 5. Pirates! for Best Animation

There are few things more quintessentially British than Aardman Animations, which made the Pirates! shut out at the British film awards a bit of a surprise.

Their latest work may not reach Wallace and Gromit heights but is still a worthy release from the beloved Bristol studio.

4. Django Unchanined for Best Supporting Actor Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio are spellbindingly against type in their turns as slave and slave owner in Django Unchained. In a film of typically great ‘Tarantino’ performances (aside from the man himself) these two stand out.

3. Steven Speilberg for Best Director Spielberg is not shy of awards, plaudits, money… well anything really. But with his biopic Lincoln garnering 10 other nominations, surely the man (literally) calling all the shots deserved some recognition?

2. Moonrise Kingdom for Best Film Wes Anderson’s latest quirkfest Moonrise Kingdom was a big indie hit last summer, and won The Mancunion’s coveted film of the year award.

A solitary screenplay nomination is a slight consolation, but you can’t help but think this tale of young love deserved more.

1. Skyfall for Best Film Skyfall was released in November and has gone on to be the most successful films ever, in the UK, with over £100 million. Critics loved it too, many dubbing it ‘the best bond ever’. So it seemed 007 would finally end his bad luck and get some real awards love. 8 nods is undoubtedly a good haul, but it missed out on most of the major categories.

Dylan Wiggan Film Editor

The Mancunion’s BAFTA Awards 2013 preview

Sophie James reviews BAFTA hopeful Quentin Tarantino’s latest masterpiece Sat in the cinema waiting for the muchhyped Django Unchained to hit the big screen, I did not know what to expect.

This was not just because Django is the first western to engage with the brutal history of the slave trade – although that was a cause for some intrigue. I’m ashamed to admit that the reason for such anticipation, on my part, was the fact that, until a week ago, I was a Tarantino virgin, untainted by the violence and weirdness that I knew characterised so many of his films. But as the stunning Texan landscape rolled into view accompanied by the glorious cry of “DJANGOOOOOOO!” I was instantly hooked – swept away by the landscape, the story and the hero himself.

This was not your classic western.

Grabbling with a subject as appalling and delicate as the slave trade is a pretty mountainous task for any film. But to tackle it amidst the slapstick atmosphere of the spaghetti western? Tarantino could have been bordering on very dangerous territory.

What can I say? I’ve been wrong before!

Tarantino totally made it work, peppering his otherwise comic, clever and colourful screenplay with scenes that truly brought to the fore the horrific treatment of slaves at that time. Bloody shoot-outs, over-thetop villains, unexpected cameos and the epitome of cool that was Django himself – this film seamlessly covered multiple genres, from western to love story, historical and political commentary to

comedy. We eagerly followed Django and Dr. Schultz on their journeys as bounty hunters across the Wild West and we never knew which way the plot would lead. With twists and turns catapulting us at a break-neck speed (as fast as Django on his trusty steed “Tony”) towards an explosive conclusion, there was no knowing whether our hero would emerge triumphant.

With so many genres and characters to cover, how did Tarantino hold it all together? For me, this was down to the magnetic brilliance of Christoph Waltz. Sinister yet funny, unpredictable yet totally reliable, Dr. Schultz was the true spectacle of the story. Although presenting an unlikely a hero as a dentist turned bounty hunter – two professions that no doubt leave all of us feeling very suspicious and slightly nauseous – in Dr. Schultz, Tarantino and Waltz have crafted a character that the audience will identify with. Silently, subtly and in his own unique way, Dr. Schultz was fighting for the freedom of slaves, with Waltz producing highly emotive performances displaying Dr. Schultz’s horror and repulsion at scenes of slave cruelty that even Django, at times, was surprisingly nonchalant about. With his dry sense of humour and caring camaraderie with Django, it was the relationship between the two bounty hunters, rather than that between Django and his long lost love Broomhilda, that nearly had me in tears.

Whilst the show was stolen by Waltz, Jamie Foxx definitely put in a performance that should have deemed him eligible for some BAFTA and Academy nods. Giving John Wayne a run for his money, Foxx created the coolest cowboy the Wild West has ever seen. Another shock factor was Leonardo DiCaprio, who played a villain so sinister that we soon forgot his usual heart-throb persona: his lover-boy looks were shattered by a terrifying portrayal of Monsieur Candie, owner of the Candie Plantation. Apparently his performance even terrified his fellow cast members during filming – so you can only imagine how many times I was jumping out of my seat!

With appalling brilliance Django

Unchained juxtaposed tough scenes brutal enough to make you squirm with episodes of stunning acting, hilarious dialogue and touching camaraderie. Leaving the cinema, there were only two questions in my mind: why isn’t Christoph Waltz up for Best Actor? And, will the other Tarantino movies that I am rapidly endeavoring to watch live up to this phenomenal piece of cinema?

It’s interesting that two of the most nominated films of this year’s Awards Season showdown tackle the subject of slavery. If I had to pick between Lincoln and Django, it would be Django all the way!

Sophie James Film Editor

BAFTA Awards 2013 Best Film Winning any BAFTA award is impressive, but there can be no doubt that the award that everyone will be coveting is Best Film. The biggest and final award of the night, the film that wins “Best Film” is often seen as the real champion of the ceremony, regardless of its other victories. This year the British Academy has nominated five movies: Argo, Les Misérables, Lincoln, Life of Pi and Zero Dark Thirty.

Argo, Ben Affleck’s third directional outing, has received acclaim by the bucket-load. Critics have praised Affleck’s talent for building up the tension, as well as the fine performances from an accomplished supporting cast. Many thought Argo only had an outside chance at the award due to the epic might of some its rivals. However, after its surprise (but not undeserved) Best Drama Picture win at the Golden Globes, don’t be shocked to see it take the glory at the BAFTAs too.

Another serious contender this year is the musical behemoth Les Misérables, directed by Tom Hooper.

The film has garnered huge praise for its epic scale and knock out performances from the likes of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway. Effectively adapted from one of the biggest musicals on the planet, Les Misérables has to be considered an award favourite.

In a category as tight as this one, any film could take home the accolade of Best Film. Despite this, a lot of film critics and experts are claiming the smart money is on Lincoln winning the prize. The film appears to have been specifically engineered to become an awardmagnet, with one of the world’s best-loved directors (Spielberg), guiding the world’s finest actor (Day-Lewis), in a biopic of the 16th American President. Lincoln will take some beating.

Ang Lee’s Life of Pi is being hailed as ‘revolutionary’ Clockwise from top: Les Mis, Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty, film making, and will no-doubt be Lincoln’s biggest rival come Lincoln, Argo

the awards ceremony. Based on a novel that had previously been called ‘un-filmable’, the film follows the story of a young man lost at sea with a Bengal Tiger.

With some phenomenal CGI effects, Life of Pi is exactly the sort of unique picture that is likely to be rewarded with award statues.

Finally, the last nomination is Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow’s last directional outing, The Hurt Locker, won the BAFTA award for Best Film back in 2010, so she’s no stranger to awardnight glory. This time around she’s hoping to repeat that success with the tense military-drama based on the capture of Osama Bin Laden.

Despite being a category filled with strong contenders, much discussion has been raised at the notable absences to this year’s nominations. For example, being that the selections are made and awarded by the British Academy, Les Misérables is the only British film on the list. Maybe that reflects a poor year in British cinema, but one British film many expected to get picked was Skyfall. James Bond’s latest adventure received much more critical acclaim than his previous outings, but after being neglected by both the Golden Globes and Oscars, the general consensus was that the British awards might show some sympathy to their own countrymen.

Nonetheless the films that have been selected all stand a decent chance of winning the coveted Best Film BAFTA. Lincoln has to be favourite, but this is certainly no one-horse race, with the other challengers nipping at the president’s heels.

Jackson Ball

Film

ISSUE 12/ 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

15

BAFTA Awards

Best Actor / Actress Likely winners Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

To the great surprise of absolutely no one, next Sunday we will all see Daniel Day-Lewis pick up his fourth BAFTA for his role as the 16th President of the United States in Steven Spielberg’s biopic Lincoln. Why is his win so obvious? Well let’s look at the evidence. For a ‘typical-award-winningperformance’ Day-Lewis ticks all the usual boxes. Period piece? Check. Accent? Check. True Story? Check. Physical transformation? Check (his glorious beard). What this all adds up to is another win for the award-laden Day-Lewis, which brings us to our next point. It’s bloody Daniel DayLewis! Between running off to make shoes, he only does critically lauded work. There Will Be Blood, My Left Foot, Gangs of New York. Ok, 2009’s Nine was a rare misstep, but aside from that, the notoriously ‘method’ Day-Lewis has been impressively consistent and will undoubtedly add to his bulging trophy case next Sunday.

Best Director

Should-be winners Best Actor: Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables)

Daniel Day Lewis may seem to have best actor in the bag, but we couldn’t go without mentioning Hugh Jackman. As his CV includes roles in X-Men and Baz Luhrman’s epic flop Australia, any raised eyebrows at Tom Hooper’s decision to name Jackman as his Jean Valjean in Les Misérables would have been justified.

Amongst a star-studded and highly talented cast, it would have been easy to predict that Jackman would be the weak link. But, he rose to the challenge, undergoing vocal coaching in order to pull off a note perfect performance, singing live for the entirety of the film, whilst producing what should be a BAFTAwinning performance. There’s no doubt that DayLewis will be up there claiming the BAFTA on the day, but Jackman certainly gave him a run for his money.

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone)

In the most wide open Best Actress race in years we’re going for Zero Dark Thirty’s Jessica Chastain for the win.

Chastain burst out of nowhere in 2011 with roles in hit film The Help and critical darling The Tree of Life, and cemented her status in the A-List with her portrayal as the dedicated (bordering on obsessed) CIA agent Maya, who is charged with the task of finding Osama Bin Laden. Her gutsy performance as a ‘woman-on-a-mission’ is exactly the type of role awards academies vote for, like Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich or Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side. The only thing that might push the award in the equally favoured feet of Jennifer Lawrence is the recent ‘torture’ controversy that has surrounded the film, as the liberal movie bizz wont want to be viewed as condoning the US’s actions. But we think that fuss has died down enough to ensure Chastain the BAFTA.

Since her Oscar winning portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose Marion Cotillard has been able to switch freely from mega budget blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises to more indie and personal fare like 2012’s Rust and Bone. This versatility is one of the many reasons why Cotillard should be the one picking up the bronze mask next Sunday. Rust and Bone holds one of her most engaging and moving performances, as she takes the role of orca whale trainer Stéphanie, who suffers a tragic accident. The barrier of its foreign language will probably hinder any chances of any major awards, and is perhaps the reason for her Oscars snub. But, in a year when we’re lucky enough to see not one but two foreign actresses in the Best Actress line up (Cotillard is joined by Emmanuelle Riva of Amour), it would be great to see Cotillard picking up the award.

Dylan Wiggan and Sophie James

CORNERHOUSE BAFTA

The effort of having to actually read subtitles the whole way through a foreign film makes it all a bit of an ordeal but this year’s selection has really been worth taking the risk. Austrian film maker Michael Haneke’s Amour has been nominated for Best Director, Best Actress for Emmanuelle Riva, as well as best screenplay.

On paper, the plot’s not riveting. It’s the story of a couple in their eighties, one of whom suffers a stroke which leaves her paralysed on one side of her body. But it’s a beautifully stark look at love and mortality, dealing with the frail reality of life unflinchingly. It’s been hailed by many as a masterpiece and a work of art.

Another French offering is Rust and Bone, which features Inception and Dark Knight Rises star Marion Cotillard. She plays a whale trainer who loses her legs in a killer whale -related accident, and has got herself a Best Actress nomination. It’s a great opportunity to realise how good she really is. Typical Hollywood love interest she is not.

My favourite film though has to be The Intouchables but it’s been annoyingly under-nominated. Strangely it’s another French film with a paraplegic protagonist. This time we watch the relationship of an aristocrat and his carer, (an unlikely mec from the downtrodden suburbs of Paris) unfold. It’s absolutely hilarious and is a light-hearted but acutely relevant look at the divisions in French society. Do try out one of the foreign language films if you don’t normally watch them, you might be surprised. And no, Les Misérables doesn’t count.

Flora Anderson

You could never accuse BAFTA voters of being jingoistic or provincial when it comes to nominating best directors. The nominations for the 66th BAFTAs have once again shown that us Brits (or the BAFTA members at least) are not afraid to bestow our highest of film honours on a foreigner. This year’s nominees show not a single British director in the shortlist: the Americans dominate with three nominations plus representatives from Austria and Taiwan.

Contrast that with the French Cesar shortlist, which was announced this week, where all but one of the nominees are French and we see why the BAFTAs are the far more sought after award on the international stage.

This year sees two returning winners looking to take home their second gold face: Kathryn Bigelow won her first BAFTA three years Director Ben Affleck ago for The Hurt Locker, whilst Ang Lee won for Brokeback Mountain in 2006. Joining them is Quentin Tarantino who is on his third nomination for Best Director having been previously nominated for Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds. Filling the last two spots are two first time nominees Ben Affleck and Michael Haneke.

In terms of how well the Director nominations are mirrored by the Best Film nominations there are the usual odd disparities: neither Amour (Michael Haneke) or Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino) have received best film nods

which history shows us does not normally bode well for picking up the best film award. However even a win for Best Film does not guarantee victory in the Best Director category, as Tom Hooper would likely attest to, having lost out two years ago to David Fincher and this year not even receiving a nomination despite Les Misérables being nominated for Best Film. Steven Spielberg will likely also be scratching his head having been snubbed in the director category despite Lincoln receiving the most nominations this year (10).

Mr Spielberg would be forgiven for feeling a little hard done by having not received a Best Director nomination from BAFTA since 1997 for Saving Private Ryan.

With all this taken into account, the Best Director BAFTA should be Ben Affleck’s for the taking for the fantastic Argo. Whilst there’s no ruling out a last minute surge in popularity for Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, which is released in the UK this week, the momentum remains behind Affleck who has won the admiration of many, having made a triumphant transition to top director from his faltering acting career and was shockingly absent from the Best Director Oscar nominees.

Go Ben! Robbie Davidson

Review: ‘Lincoln’ Any Steven Spielberg movie release creates a certain level of expectation, but for this particular account of a period in American History which saw the nation change forever, it’s sky-high.

Bringing together one of the greatest Hollywood directors of his generation, the talent of Daniel Day-Lewis and the cult personality of Abraham Lincoln, the pressure to succeed could not have been greater. Happily, with twelve Oscar and ten BAFTA nominations to its name, Lincoln can safely say it did America proud.

The greatest success of this film can be identified by its refusal to shy away from exposing the moments of vulnerability Abraham Lincoln suffered during his fight to sign the 13th Amendment and abolish slavery whilst simultaneously coordinating the defeat of the Confederacy in the closing stages of the American Civil War. By focusing on the paradoxes of the man who was Lincoln, Spielberg manages to turn an American legend into someone we can all appreciate the greatness of.

The weight of history was undoubtedly a burden on Lincoln and Day-Lewis captures this perfectly with finely-tuned moments of poised vulnerability that draw attention to the isolation and loneliness of his fight. At one stage Lincoln lashes out at his son Robert ( Joseph GordonLevitt) and slaps him around the face as he insists he wants to join the army. As his son leaves him standing alone Lincoln shuffles his hands awkwardly and stands slightly hunched. For such visceral moments he is reduced to a powerless and vulnerable old man scared of losing his son.

The narrative of the film could have easily focused on myth of Lincoln – achieving political greatness with a god-given ease, but Spielberg resiliently poses questions through these moments of personal tragedy that humanise his legend. The real victory for Spielberg though is how these

moments cause the audience to question whether Lincoln can achieve his political aims through this personal tragedy, and despite knowing the outcome you find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat praying Lincoln pulls through.

Throughout the film the main focus remains on the political and social dynamics of the proposed constitutional amendment. Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones) takes part in some of the most boisterous scenes in the movie as the U.S House Of Representatives takes on a more British House of Commons feel (as it once had) with pro and antislavery representatives screaming and shouting at each other. These scenes may disappoint political junkies as the narrative is slightly simplistic and perpetuates an overly obvious good guy/ bad guy power struggle. But these simplified political battles are nicely tempered by the more personal scenes associated with a Spielberg epic. Such as, on the morning of the vote when groups of Black Americans fill the spectator seats in the House to the disgust of the pro-slave Democrats and the tension Spielberg provokes as each member is asked how he will vote. The realisation that Lincoln’s personal perseverance has worked, and the extra votes needed fall into place, frames the occasion well and the jubilation of an expectant nation shows this movie is not just about an ideologically broken America.

The film allows the celebration of the victory both politically and militarily to sink in. Lincoln restores the Union, frees the slaves and a legend is born, but the personal anguish of Abraham Lincoln is brought to a bitter end as news of his assassination is announced at a theatre with his youngest son in attendance. The film balances reputation and reality without blindly idolising Lincoln but also without damaging his greatness.

Jack Crutcher

ISSUE 12/ 4TH FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

This week: Welcome to 2013

The Image of Perfection?

Street Style

Ones to Watch in 2013 A new year means a new set of designers, trends and models to lust over says Aimée Grant Cumberbatch...

Emma Richards on the Size Zero issue What is the obsession with size zero and the apparent ‘perfect body’? Of course everyone wants to be perceived in the best light possible, but why does that often have to come at such a price?

It saddens me to think of just how many women fall prey to the harsh, and in the most extreme cases, life-controlling desire to conform to this fake image of perfection. What is it that even makes a skinny model so attractive? Ok, yes she might be walking down a catwalk, seemingly leading a life of moneyed glamour and partying, grabbing the attention of the guys we all dream about, but the reality of the situation is hardly ever as exciting as many choose to believe. In fact, the majority of men would not opt to date a skeleton… where’s the attraction in that?

The relentless criticism that numerous celebrities have found themselves confronted with, regarding weight and image, is heartbreaking. Curvier figures are more representative of the modern day woman, yet they face continual attacks for having a healthier weight.

What’s worse is the fact that even after fabricated stories of weight gain, these iconic figures still stand nowhere near ‘fat’ or at an unhealthy weight whichever way you choose to look at it.

Although there have been many attempts to ban the use of size zero

models in the fashion industry, it is still argued by many that their presence on the catwalk, in the magazines and on the billboards is a good incentive for weight control.

However, at what point do we lose our sense of reality and enter, either consciously or subconsciously, into the dark and dangerous obsession to be ‘flawless’? How can the real woman feel beautiful while comparing herself to heavily airbrushed, and therefore ultimately false, representations of ‘beauty’?

Surely someone is at their most attractive when healthy, strong and in possession of enough self-confidence to be themselves. There are plenty of ‘plus-size’ models out there, who enjoy just as much success as size zero models, with the likes of Robyn Lawley featured on the cover of Vogue. Furthermore these figures are much healthier, and quite frankly stunning, icons to highlight as role models in an age of eating disorders.

So, in the words of Marilyn Monroe, herself a ‘curvy’ icon: “To all the girls that think you’re fat because you’re not a size zero: you’re the beautiful one, it’s society who’s ugly.”

Name: Clinton Ajose Occupation: Student of Animation and Illustration at University of Bolton.

Wearing: Jumper by Nanny State, Old football jacket from the Arndale Centre, Rucksack by River Island, Jeans by Urban Spirit, Shoes by Air Jordan.

Icon: I don’t really have a style icon. I think that everyone ends up looking the same because we all try to look different. I’ll wear it as long as it’s ‘me’.

Step 3: Go crazy Once again this may vary with the dye you use, so read the instructions. It’s more or less doing whatever you want with your chosen colours, the desired patterns often don’t call for much care to detail so there are really no mistakes in this process. You may have to rinse the clothing after applying the dye, or else leave them for 24 hours.

“My fashion wish for 2013 is that people will stop wearing beanie hats in a way that makes them look like a condom; who needs their wardrobe telling the world they’re a knob-head?”

– Aimée “Topshop have released new Nail Art pens at only £6.50 each meaning I no longer have to stare longingly at WAH Nails’ instagram and can replicate them myself. Well… try at least.”

– Lauren “I would like to see more of a prominent presence of cape coat for men.”

- Jake “I would love to try wet-look leggings.”

- Elizabeth “Underwear as outerwear. Indefinitely.”

- Wanda “ I want to see more non-white models on the catwalk” - Jessica

Step 2: Tie your Clothes It really is as simple as tying your elastic bands around your clothing in whatever pattern you want the dye to develop. As you can see we didn’t use any sort of intricate technique for our items, we just went crazy with the bands. That’s the beauty of tie-dye, the messier the better.

New Year, New You? Here are Jessica Cusack’s top ten beauty resolutions for you to incorporate into your daily routine – chocolate is still allowed….

Step 4: Patience is a virtue This is the trickiest part – as you may have noticed, if it isn’t raining…you’re not in Manchester. We were fortunate on our day of tie dying and were able to dry our garments outside but you may have to allow for them to dry inside your (probably damp) house. Remember to take care when washing them for the first few times, as the colours may bleed.

There you have it, cheap and cheerful clothes that are absolutely tie dye for.

Yes, I did just go there.

1) Get more sleep.

This should be so easy to do... so why don’t we do it? Schedule in sleep the way you would schedule in a meal – it is as essential to your wellbeing as food is.

A new year, in many cases, means a fresh start and the catwalks of SS13 certainly detoxed. There was a common theme of new minimalism: sharp clean lines, fresh faces and unfussy geometric prints. And it wasn’t just in the conclusion ‘it’s hip to be square’ (see Louis Vuitton’s checkerboard prints) that couture showed its smarts. One of the most visually stunning catwalk themes was also one of the, seemingly, simplest: all white.

Some went clean, some went clinical, but all went clever, showing how much figurative colour cut and fabric can provide. Stella McCartney’s bold top-to-toe use of suggestively sheer broderie anglaise, Balmain’s oxymoronic baroques and Chloé’s laser-sharp cut-outs were textural standouts. Bleached, yes. Boring, never. And white’s pervasiveness among accessories will ensure that, come summer, every little thing is going to be all white.

Editors’ Question: What do you want to see in fashion and beauty this year?

Gráinne Morrison gives her dummy’s guide (from the ultimate tie-dye dummy) to hitting this trend with minimum expenditure and effort

Step 1: Prepare your dye This varies depending on the brand you buy but is generally as complex as adding water.

I bought my dyes from Wilkinson for about £3 each. Using yellow, green and red you can make so many colours by mixing i.e. if you want purple and blue, mix the green and yellow for the blue – then add red to that mixture to make a purple.

Beauty

She’s here. She’s there. She’s everywhere.

On the cover of Vogue, on the catwalks of 38 separate SS13 shows, in campaigns for Chanel and Burberry. And her eyebrows are better than yours. It can only be Cara. I would tell you Model Of The Year 2012 Miss Delevingne is one to keep an eye on in the coming months but you’ll hardly need to. Those cut-glass cheekbones, envy-inducing eyebrows and tousled dish-water-blonde locks are set to be unavoidable this year. If I’m sounding like I’ve got a girl-crush that’s because I do. But I make no apologies: have a quick browse through her chucklesome Twitter photo feed and tell me you don’t have one too. Thought so, we’re all suckers for a sense of humour.

Tie- D.I.Y

Always a festival favourite, the art of tie-dying has made its way into high street fashion as of late. What many don’t realise is how cheap and easy it is to tie-dye in the comfort of your own home. You’ll need the following: dyes of your choice; elastic bands; rubber gloves; basins for the dye and of course, the clothes you want to jazz up.

Fashion

17

“I would LOVE to see a H&M collaboration with Tom Ford.”

- Andre “I like the white on white trend for Summer. Also, classic make-up, red or light pink lips and peachy cheeks.”

- Dana “I am looking forward to seeing all the weird and wonderful things that Lady Gaga will be doing with raw meat this year.”

- Alex “I want to see Ryan Gosling featured as the new Calvin Klein model.”

- Chloe

“We want BOY LONDON to follow in ways of HMV and go into administration.”

- J.J.E. “No more Creepers.”

- Anya “I would like to see more designers making more affordable clothing.”

- Joanne “I would like to see more designers making phone cases.”

- Charlie “I would like to see girls wearing less make-up.”

- Theo “It would be interesting to see a more diverse variety of models being used in ad campaigns.”

- Marie “I want to see a decent ready-to-wear collection that won’t destroy my bank account.”

- Daniel “Designers should make their collections more wearable.”

- Leanne “I hope people will keep their bums covered this Summer. Pockets should not be longer than their shorts.”

- Gabrielle “I have always wanted to see navy and black being shown prominently in collections.”

- Jake

If you missed the vivid animal prints, bold breton stripes and innovative use of quilted fabric (proving it’s not just for grandma’s dressing gown) of his Topshop collection, you can just about be forgiven. However, in 2013 as his womenswear lines begin to find their feet, ignorance of J.W. Anderson will become a crime against fashion.

King of contradiction, his designs blur gender boundaries, bringing a refreshing androgyny to both menswear and womenswear. Named Emerging Talent of 2012 at the British Fashion Awards and an ardent avoider of evening-wear: he’s causing something of a sartorial stir that’s set to whip itself up into a fashion frenzy come September’s catwalks.

CRAVING & SAVING Craving: Red Valentino Jacquard Coat - £675.00 With the cold weather evidently here to stay for another couple of months, a staple winter coat is a fail-safe investment. This gorgeous Valentino coat is the ultimate craving piece. The sequin and crystal mesh collar makes a great change from fur, whilst the jacquard pattern gives the piece a feminine, yet vintage, feel. This coat is perfect for day or night, and is definitely on my wish list for 2013.

Saving: Studded Sleeve Coat - £55 (Warehouse) This coat is the perfect combination of style and practicality. The structured tailoring and exposed zip give the piece an edgy touch, whilst the arms and shoulders are adorned with silver studs, again bringing this coat an element of glamour.

The durable Polyester material also means that you won’t have to compromise being warm in order to look good. Overall, a great buy for winter.

Chloe Letcher

2) Clean your make-up bag and equipment.

There’s no point trying to cover up your flaws with brushes so dirty they’ll give you spots, mascara so old you’ll end up with an eye infection, and all from a make-up bag which is, quite frankly, mouldy. Sort it out: throw it out.

3) Get flossing.

Flossing your teeth is actually more important than brushing.

It gets out all the nasty stuff which your toothbrush will never be able to, and which can otherwise linger for months, putting you at risk of cavities, gum disease and, worst of all, bad breath.

4) Beware of your pillow and phone.

Yep, that’s right. Your pillow and mobile phone could be contributing to your skin woes. By cleaning your phone you remove the dirt, sweat and other crusty stuff which gathers from your face, pocket, bag, the bus…you get the picture. Also, by flipping your pillow (and, of course, remembering to change your bed sheets at least every fortnight) you avoid the risk of transferring the muck which you shed in slumber back onto your face.

5) Leave your hair(s) alone.

Don’t worry, I’m not about to lecture you on the merits of going back to the 70s and letting it all hang out (although serious respect if you do this), but in reference to your eyebrows and hair: STOP plucking to within an inch of your poor brows’ life, and STOP splitting your split ends. That is an order.

6) Eat right, drink right.

As the adage goes, if you put crap in, you’re gonna get crap out. Eating foods such as salmon and almonds that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids is great for your insides and your outsides.

And do I need to tell you about water? Drink it. Lots of it.

7) Breathe fast, breathe slow.

Exercise is still the most important thing you need to take up this year. But don’t just focus on the fast-paced aerobic side – although this is obviously essential if you want to change the way you look and feel – but try to incorporate some more relaxed exercises into your routine as well. Yoga, Pilates and Tai-chi are perfect for calming and re-centring after a long and stressful day, in addition to being great for toning.

8) Practise Safe Sun. Step away from the sun beds. Get to grips with good self tanning (especially those gradual tan moisturisers) and rid yourself of the risk of premature wrinkles and, most importantly, cancer.

9) Scrub and soothe.

Exfoliate your woes away! Having a really thorough scrub in the shower is not only good for smoothing your skin, but for boosting your circulation and re-energising your body as a whole. Don’t forget to lather on some replenishing body cream after – you will be so goddamn smooth you won’t know what to do with yourself.

10) Don’t give up, take up.

Taking something up (be it something as simple as walking to uni or a big change like becoming a volunteer) is a positive change to make to your life this year. Just don’t take up smoking or something. That is not the idea.

18

Music

ISSUE 13/ 11th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Interview

Editor’s Column

The Take Over, The Break’s Over James Birtles Last year, rumours surfaced that Fall Out Boy were either planning an end to their hiatus or would be recording a new album.

Even blessthefall’s frontman Beau Bokan posted on his Twitter account that Fall Out Boy had written a new album. Fans became excited but the post was later removed and Pete Wentz [Fall Out Boy bassist/vocalist] and Patrick Stump [Fall Out Boy guitarist/vocalist] quickly quashed the rumours.

All the members have kept themselves busy since their “hiatus” in 2009. Stump launched his own solo material which was a completely different direction and Wentz also created a side project Black Cards. Both seemed to be met with negative reviews, the only members whose work was met with a positive reception were the two quieter members of the band; Joe Trohman [guitar] and Andy Hurley [drums]. Both were involved with members of thrash metallers Anthrax and mathcore outfit Every Time I Die to create the rock supergroup The Damned Things.

However, just over half a year since the announcements denying the reunion, Fall Out Boy fans rejoiced worldwide when it was officially announced; Fall Out Boy is back. Wentz claimed that “[FOB] need to plug back in and make some music that matters to us.” Does this mean that Wentz’s and Stamp’s respective solo projects meant nothing and Andy Hurley [drums] and Joe Trohman’s supergroup combined with Every Time I Die

5 SONGS IN THE FIELD OF...

Birth Tom Ingham Music Editor

and Anthrax was nothing? That wasn’t the only words he would regret.

Wentz later added that “The future of Fall Out Boy starts now.

Save Rock And Roll.” Some critics have criticised those last four words stating that their attempts to “save rock and roll” when it was them who helped destroy some of the music scene.

Without sounding sceptical, why do Fall Out Boy want to reunite and begin making music again? But then again why does any band reform after years away? To please the fans, to forget those horrible solo efforts or just for the money?

For Fall Out Boy it’s a combination of all three and seeing the success of fellow poppunkers Blink-182. They have already announced that they’re releasing a new album later this year, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel within a fortnight and playing Reading and Leeds.

It may have only been 4 years since their hiatus began but music has evolved and those 13 year olds who used to love Fall Out Boy have now moved on to a new fad. I still remember the first time listening to From Under the Cork Tree. But much like Panic!

At the Disco, many of these fans have moved on.

We, generally, would give a lot to have our favourite bands settle their differences and reunite for tours or a new album, just as a glimmer of hope back to our childhoods or teenage years and a nostalgia trip. But be careful what you wish for! I believe that sometimes it is better to leave them as a memory…

Netsky The Mancunion quizzes Belgium’s favourite DJ on playing Parklife, percussion and popularity Daniel Jones Music Editor It’s been four years since Belgian whippersnapper Netsky first plunged his eponymous debut into the world of liquid drum n bass. He was actually still in his third year at uni at the time. Following the release of imaginatively named sophomore album 2, Netsky, aka Boris Daenen, is still riding on the ripples of his initial success. Speaking to us from his old stomping ground of Antwerp, Boris explains why he is returning to Parklife for a third time this summer, despite the inevitability that it will, at some point, piss it down.

“I won’t forget my wellies this time,” he snorts, “No, I do love Parklife. It’s one of the few festivals in our schedule that we [Hospital Records] get the chance to play together as a label on the same stage. That only really happens in the UK now. In Europe, we’re often part of more mainstream line-ups, sometimes with no other DnB acts on the bill at all. These big festival stages are a completely different world to club gigs. A lot of the time you can’t hear or see the crowd at all, which takes some getting used to. There’s no real connection, but it’s still a thrill to perform on that scale with the lights, the sound and everything that’s going on. Playing clubs is so different. We played a few smaller places in Asia last year and I’d nearly forgotten how nice it was to have that intimacy.”

Having to sacrifice any intimate DJ sets for a while then, Boris reveals that the focus this year is primarily on the live show. “It’s me, a keyboard player and a drummer on stage.

A few guest vocalists too. There’s a very free

environment between us all, a lot more like a live band. Every show has been different, from the very beginning. Nobody feels obliged to stick to a formula, we’re always trying to develop the show as a group. If our drummer throws in a new fill one night and it works then we’ll look to build on that for the next show. If it doesn’t work then that’s fine too; we’re not scared to learn from our mistakes.”

“Percussion has always been very important to me. I started playing drums myself when I was about 7 but it wasn’t until about 14 that I got properly got into breaks. I remember hearing a jungle track around that time and being blown away by the energy.

Before that I was listening to a lot of Troydon and Joey Youngman, trying to conjure up deep house on eJay and Fruityloops. DnB hadn’t really taken off in Belgium at that stage. From that point on though, I locked myself away in my bedroom and became such a computer nerd, messing around with drum loops and producing as much as possible. I ended up on Ableton, mixing down on Logic. I’ve used that combination for so many of my tracks.”

Netsky’s reclusive approach certainly paid dividends when Hospital came a-calling just before he was about to graduate. It was this proposition that saved him from the aftermath a dodgy degree choice: “I was studying Multimedia and I hated it. It had nothing to do with what I do now. When the offer came along it was amazing, but also such a relief to know what I was going to do.

I know I’m lucky in that sense. If it hadn’t happened, I would have probably ended up in web-design. And I’d probably be pissed

1. Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life

2. Diana Ross - I’m Coming Out

3. Morrissey - November Spawned a Monster

The first day of anyone’s life isn’t pleasant; neither for mother or child. The mother has the terrible pain of child birth, and then the baby pops out to be greeted by a load of red tape and bureaucracy. No sooner have you took your first breath, the hospital mob are all over you.

Recalling our time in the womb is often difficult, but that’s not to say impossible.

Some people recall the experience as unbearable and mind numbingly boring, and consequently chose to exit their temporary accommodation earlier than anticipated, showing a real independence (for a fetus).

We’re all familiar with the phrase ‘a face only a mother could love’, but the beauty of being Morrissey is that you can comment on children objectively. Although It’s not universally acknowledged that births in November lead to a high percentage of monsters, it is however definitely something worth looking in to.

off with my boss.” No disrespect to any webdesigners out there.

In terms of what’s next on the release front, Boris does let slip that he’s recently been in the studio with a certain production juggernaut, Mr. Diplo. His DnB faithful might not be overjoyed with that news, but the risk of alienating some fans is something that Boris acknowledges himself as a consequence of trying to develop as an artist.

“When you build up a fan-base, people associate you with a certain genre. There’s a lot of people in DnB who want to protect their genre and it’s hard for them to accept that producers want to experiment with different styles. Those types of people can be so emotional when it comes to veering away from the genre they love. I suppose it can be a good thing and a bad thing. But even if I do make something that isn’t 170, it’s still me.

I think you can still maintain a certain feel in a different genre. There should be more divisions between artists and less between genres. I’d rather make a Netsky tune than a DnB tune.”

The guy’s individual ambition is unquestionable. Whether you enjoy his music or not, his rise to popularity at such an early age is quite impressive. If you considering how fast he has been able to propel himself into the mainstream, intentional then God knows where he’ll be in another four years time. Probably sitting by a pool in Miami somewhere, celebrating super-stardom with High Contrast and Major Lazer whilst sipping on a tall drink with a little umbrella in it.

Bastard.

4. Salt-N-Pepper - Push It The wards of hospitals all around the world echo with these infamous words. Although I’m sure Salt n Pepper weren’t suggesting we call nearly born fetus’ ‘it’, I think musically they felt it had more of a ring to it as opposed to ‘push him/her’.

5. Muse - Super Massive Black Hole Can you imagine the horror; your wife’s gone into labour, you rush her to the hospital, she’s having contractions – she is going to give birth! The midwife spreads her legs apart, and woosh! She’s gone. Consumed by a human black hole – what are the chances?

Music

ISSUE 14 18th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

19

Feature

Parklife 2013 begins to take shape Daniel Jones Music Editor With the likes of Four Tet, Heidi, Hud-Mo and Julio Bashmore already confirmed, Parklife has announced a list of over 100 artists who will be appearing at this year’s festival. KRS One, Breakbot, Toro Y Moi and Johnny Marr all make the cut, as do Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, Bicep and Derrick Carter on the DJ front. Plenty of big names to wet the proverbial whistle then.

The most exciting prospect has to be the promised return of hip hop heavyweights, Jurassic 5. This will be their first show in the UK since the group split in 2007, citing “musical differences” as the main reason behind their six-year-long hiatus.

But after watching De La Soul flop last year, it will be interesting to see whether Charlie 2na, Cut Chemist and co. can provide more of a sustained set on the Sunday, to really show off their skill as a collective.

I’d also like to make the prediction that “let’s take it back to the concrete streets” will be one of the most said sentences of the weekend.

J-5 aside, a lot of the artists on the roster are what you’d have to class as safe bets. The Circo Loco and Hot Natured stages don’t really get the blood

pumping as much as they have done in previous years, same with Metropolis. The promoters seem to have opted for an if it ain’t broke don’t fix it approach as far as those three are concerned.

The Kaluki stage looks promising though, hosting George FitzGerald, Heidi and Maya Jane, whereas Daphni, John Talabot and AlunaGeorge each get a slot on the WHP x Now Wave stage. On the whole, Saturday is definitely more DJ-heavy, so if you’re consciously trying to abstain from all forms of electronica then it might be worth just going for a Sunday ticket.

The Horrors headline the Now Wave stage on Sunday, backed up by the likes of King Krule, Liars and Everything Everything. Mark Ronson will play b2b with A-Trak, which might be worth popping your head in for a sec, just to catch a glimpse of A-Trak’s turntable wizardry. TEED returns to Manchester following his role as WHP curator last October and plays last on the Big Top stage. To be fair, quite a few of the acts have played before, laying a sort of safe foundation for the first-timers to build on. You can count Plan B, Joey Bada$$ and Wretch 32 amongst the Parklife noobs this year, if any of those float your boat. There’s a fair few definite “NO”s which I suppose can’t be avoided, but that

said, I really don’t know anyone in their right mind who would enjoy watching Example in the pissing down rain. I’d rather be sat at home watching Countdown.

But despite the surety that there is going to be a Parklife 2013, we still don’t know where the venue formerly known as Platt Fields will be. Wythenshawe Park has been banded about as a possibility but the actual announcement is scheduled for 21st February. Hopefully the new setting will alleviate any possibility of collapsed

bridges or jammed human traffic.

And so, we can start looking forward to another weekend of mud-caked debauchery come 8/9th June. Pen it in your diary. In fact, the only valid reasons for not going are thus: 1. You’re not in the country.

2. You’ve somehow found a better, cheaper festival on the same weekend.

3. You’re just generally shit craic.

4. You really, really, hate Example.

5. You really, really like Countdown.

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Live

The Pharcyde

Desaparecidos

Sound Control - 8th February 2013 Reunion shows are always a mixed affair for hip hop fans.

After witnessing De La Soul’s disappointing set at last years’ Parklife, the prospect of seeing The Pharcyde perform their mid90s masterpiece, Bizarre Ride II, was a daunting one. With the news that founding members Imani and Bootie Brown would be absent from the tour, on paper tonight sounded like another example of has-been rappers chasing former glory. I needn’t have worried.

Surviving MCs Fatlip and Tre more than compensated for the absence of their former bandmates in an evening that was all about giving fans what they wanted to hear. After a modest introduction, the keyboard hook from ‘Oh Shit’ sounded and they were off, trading schoolyard rhymes so infectious that they soon had the crowd bellowing along to the song’s giddy refrain.

From this point onwards the room was theirs as we roared along indiscriminately to house-

8/10

party favourite ‘Soul Flower’ and entertaining skits such as Jigaboo Time.

J-Swift’s densely-layered beats sounded as vibrant as ever on the notoriously dodgy Sound Control system, while Tre’s goofy, highly melodic flow was a particular highlight on the Herbie Mann sampling ‘Otha Fish’ and cross-over anthem ‘Passing Me By’.

The tunes have barely aged, but the extent to which The Pharcyde are now reliant on a greying audience of former stoners and students was painfully obvious. Yet while the usual Rap-cliches were all present and correct, they seemed to take on a different purpose for a group who are so candid and self-deprecating in their lyrics. After the sucker punch of ‘Runnin’, Tre demanded that the house lights be turned on so they could see the crowd. For most rappers this would be another opportunity for self-worship, but he just seemed pleased that we were there at all. It was an oddly moving moment, proving that, done properly, reunion shows can be a worthwhile experience.

Tom Short

Academy 2 - 10th February 2013 When Desaparecidos, Spanish for ‘the disappeared ones’, did a vanishing act all of their own eleven years ago, they left an album’s worth of jittery, stinging post-punk behind them that many fans probably thought they’d never see performed.

Fronted by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, Desaparecidos is what happens when Oberst puts down the copy of Don DeLillo and picks up a distortion pedal instead. In the current climate, it’s no surprise that their songs of socio-economic woe ring truer than ever, and with their reformation, the band’s fans finally get to hear tunes about tax brackets, payment plans and suburban malaise. Wait, they’re better than they sound.

Given that the band hasn’t played live in almost 10 years, there isn’t much sense of occasion.

What’s in its place is a collection of rough-hewn energetic punk rock and a brutally acerbic Oberst. “Here’s a song about buying shit you really don’t need” he states before launching into the third song of the set.

He seems furious, hawking up globs of spit between lyrics, angry at an American Dream that’s still asleep. Conversely,

the rest of the band couldn’t be any different; high fiving and joking around throughout the set. Musically though, they’re excellent, and the new material sits alongside old favourites with ease. ‘Greater Omaha’ almost incites a crowd frenzy, while ‘Man and Wife, the Latter’ lulls the venue into serenity before splitting heads for its climax.

However, the night is not without fault. Specifically, ‘Man and Wife, the Former’ lost much of the festering anxiety

7/10

the studio version evokes, disappointing given that it’s one of their finest songs. Moreover, a sense of deflation seemed to cover some parts of the room.

Perhaps portions of the crowd were dismayed by the change to the larger Academy 2 or the set’s short running time; nevertheless, the levels of excitement in the room were sadly not one a reunited band should accord.

Oli Urwin

20

Music

ISSUE 09/19TH NOVEMBER 2012 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Now then, now then

Now: Biffy Clyro - Opposites Banquet Records - 2013

Samuel Ward

Since Biffy Clyro released their first top ten single ‘Mountains’ four years ago, the band have gone from strength to strength, moving from support act to festival headliners.

Only Revolutions was the band’s big breakthrough album; it was polished, heavy and a huge step forward. The success of Only Revolutions has provided the band with the license to experiment on this new record.

Opposites delivers the classic run-about riffs and bellowing vocals that we all know and love but adds that extra level of sparkle that really

makes this album shine. ‘Biblical’ is a massive track with plenty of Biffy sing-a-long song charm mixed with trance synths and dance-esque drum beats. Opener ‘Different People’ showcases some interesting Scottish-guitar-violin sounds, the bizarre thing is that these sounds actually do work - Village Studios has obviously left its mark on the band in terms of production. ‘Fog’ gives us a bit more experimentation from the band. A song that builds into a giant harmony of synths and noise, it’s a clear example of how the band has embraced electronic music throughout the album.

The variety on this record, as well as the sheer amount of tracks means it has plenty of depth to lose yourself in. Every track holds it’s own, I don’t think anyone would be averse to hearing the whole album live in its entirety.

Every song is balanced and has its own identity, with trumpets blazing on ‘Spanish Radio’ or funky twang guitar on ‘Trumpet or Tap’, and remaining true to the band; they’re pushed sonically and it shows how malleable they really are.

Opposites sees the continuation of the bands more mainstream pop sound that saw Only Revolution take off. The double album format is perhaps slightly indulgent, giving rise to a sense of déjà vu as regards some of the sounds on the album. But within the vast space we find examples of classic old school Biffy Clyro in tracks like ‘Sounds Like Balloons’. Opposites isn’t a giant leap for Scottish kind, but it is indeed another step towards a new direction that shows Biffy still have a lot to offer.

Then: The Smiths - Meat Is Murder

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Morrissey never has been one to avoid controversy.

In an industry where our modern icons are plastered over the news whenever they upload an Instagrammed picture to their legions of Twitter followers, it’s somewhat refreshing to have an artist who actually has something to say. Way before his recent outbursts about the tragic Norway massacre, the Argentinians’ right to the Falklands, and his description of the Chinese as a “sub-species” due to their cat and dog trade, we have Meat is Murder.

It’s easy to forget that beneath the album’s political tirade lies the music of a band approaching their lofty peak. Any concern over The Smiths succumbing to the dreaded second album syndrome are shattered as opening track ‘The Headmaster Ritual’ kicks in with what is undoubtedly Marr’s greatest guitar riff of all time. Paired with Morrissey’s lyrics about corporal punishment and returning from school with “bruises bigger than dinner plates”, it sets a great tone for the album.

Topics range from the monarchy in ‘Nowhere Fast’, “I’d like to drop my trousers to the Queen”, and child abuse in ‘Barbarism Begins at Home’, “A crack on the head/Is what you get for not asking”; the latter of which bows out with a funky 3-minute rhythm section jam, thrusting Rourke (bass) and Joyce (drums) to a rare position centre stage.

And then there’s the title track. Now I love a good bacon butty, but even I can’t listen to that song without feeling a tinge of guilt about my carnivorous ways. It’s widely believed the song has turned more people vegetarian than just about any other movement, and upon listening to its eerie melody,

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Boomin you can see why. The band pull no punches; it begins with the haunting sounds of an abattoir and the moos of distressed cows being led to slaughter.

It doesn’t get any prettier when Morrissey’s chilling words are thrown into the mix, “It’s not natural, normal or kind/The flesh you so fancifully fry/The meat in your mouth/As you savour the flavour of murder”. Recent live performances of the track by Morrissey as a solo artist have been accompanied by horrific footage of the barbaric treatment of animals in slaughterhouses. It’s nothing if not effective.

Even though I can never enjoy a bacon double cheeseburger in the same way again, it was worth it just to be able to listen to the brilliance that is Meat is Murder.

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Books

ISSUE 12/ 4TH FEBRAURY 2013 WWw.MANCUNION.COM

Our picks of the year ahead New publications in 2013 suggest there is much to be optimistic about ahead in literature

Feature

Will libraries survive?

Increasingly stringent budget cuts have left our public libraries grasping for the means to survive, but will they make it? And what will it mean if they don’t?

Bridge Jones is back in 2013. photo: Universal Studios

The naysayers nay-sayed their way through 2012: books are dying, no one uses pens any more, soon we will all live on screens. Things looked bleak. Random House and Penguin seemed to confirm their pessimism with a merger. No one wanted to publish anything except celebrity autobiographies. And yet. The cynics forgot to account for all the many beautiful books that were published last year. And judging by the wealth of new books coming out in 2013, for a dying art form the world of literature is overstuffed with new books and new writers: books by Sheila Heti, Margaret Atwood, Lena Dunham, Neil Gaiman, Khaled Hosseini, to name only a very few.

It’s also a year of anniversaries reminding us to look backwards as well as forwards for reading material: Pride and Prejudice has already turned 200 (happy birthday!); the 50th anniversary of Sylvia Plath’s death will be marked with a re-issue of The Bell Jar; and November will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Albert Camus and the 50th anniversary of the death of Aldous Huxley.

Here are some of the books we can’t wait to read this year: Joelle’s Picks: 1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman (18th June, William Morrow) Neil Gaiman’s latest offering is described by his publishers as “a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac.” Strong words, but for an author whose back catalogue includes American Gods, Stardust and Coraline, and is an equally highly regarded graphic novelist, then maybe reshaping modern fantasy isn’t such a leap. The story remains something of a mystery. We are told that it is “a novel about memory and magic and survival, about the power of stories and the darkness inside each of us”. That at its centre a man battles for his life against “ancient powers better left undisturbed” with help from three women who live at the end of a lane, all because 40 years previously his lodger committed suicide in the family car. A tricky set-up but Gaiman’s strengths in detail and clever twists will surely make this novel worth a read.

2. A New Bridget Jones novel – Helen Fielding (October, Jonathan Cape) Helen Fielding has announced that 17 years since Bridget Jones’s Diary first hit bookshelves she is writing a new diary for literature’s most famous singleton. But when we last saw Bridget she had secured her man and seemed to finally be leaving the single life behind for good. This new novel will be set in current-day London and Fielding says it will focus on “a different phase in Bridget’s life”. Will this mean nappies and school run then? Or maybe a high-flying career? It doesn’t matter, either way this will surely be an immediate best-seller, gratifying millions of fans worldwide, who undoubtedly can’t wait to see what awkward situation Bridget has managed to get herself into now.

Phoebe’s Picks: 1. The Tenth of December – George Saunders (3rd January, Bloomsbury Publishing) My first book is already out, and I can’t wait to read it. George Saunders, master of the short story, returns with a collection that promises to combine his characteristic surrealism (previous stories feature sliding brains and a futuristic holographic advertising) and an all too familiar glimpse of reality. As author Hari Kunzru points out in The Guardian, his work is often more subtly, and disturbingly, resonant of the world we really inhabit than much non-fiction.

2. The People of Forever Are Not Afraid – Shani Boianjiu (7th February, Vintage Publishing) The debut from this Israeli novelist comes with plenty of good recommendations. As with the best female writers, she deals with the full complexity and contradictions of life, in this case the life of female soldiers in Israel’s national service. I got my first taste of Israeli fiction last year with Etgar Kerrett’s short stories, and am looking forward to getting some more with this book.

3. The Bleeding Edge- Thomas Pynchon – (Penguin Press) It has been announced that the famously reclusive author, of previous tomes of American postmodernism Mason and Dixon and Gravity’s Rainbow, has written a new novel that will be published sometime in 2013. The blogs are all aflutter with the news.

And this makes my list, if only because Pynchon is an old-fashioned rock star of a writer, and it’s exciting to still see a writer (and writing) provoking such fervour. Who knew there were so many rabid Pynchon fans out there? (Well, Pynchon obviously). Maybe I won’t even read it. I’ll just sit back and watch the mayhem unfold.

Joelle Jefferis and Phoebe Chambre

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Yeah it looks good, but what’s it for again? The Alan Gilbert Learning Commons, photo: Sabrina Khan

I once read about a successful writer who didn’t go to university, but instead went to his local library three days a week and read for a full day, from 9 to 5. He felt that after over a decade of this he had received a pretty full and well-rounded education – broader than any he would have received at university, and it had been free. I chose to pay for my ‘higher’, but less broad, education. And I go to my public library, at home in Cambridge, for the wifi. Admittedly their book selection is so bizarrely restricted – books on Mozart’s top hits and ‘70s cookery, but no John Irving – that, in the way of the public library, it could only have occurred through the decadeby-decade scattergun accumulation of books.

It has been more than well reported in the last year that the public library has been marked by the budget cuts. The future of our libraries doesn’t look good. And it’s surely not irrelevant that Manchester University has just built a learning ‘space’ for £24 million (a figure worth repeating: 24 million pounds) that contains no books, and no desks for that matter (24 million and they couldn’t spare 50 quid for a desk?). Regardless of the ongoing issues with the building, 50 years ago no self-respecting university would spend that amount on a bookless building. The point is this: the closure of libraries is not just a financial measure, it is necessarily part of much broader cultural trends and processes – and in that, a vacuum of libraries is both symptom and cause.

So how not good do things look for the library? Research conducted in 2012 by the website Public Libraries News and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy reported that around 200 public libraries closed last

year, which accounts for around 5% of the total number of libraries in the country. And the trend will continue to increase in 2013, CIPFA reports. The care of public libraries lies under local councils, which are under pressure to reduce budgets by over a quarter in four years.

The Independent also reports that spending on libraries was cut by an average of 7.5% this year. In the local area, five libraries have been shut in Bolton and Public Library News cites one proposal under which just two libraries could be left open in the Greater Manchester borough.

Whilst most would agree (except, it seems, the Government) that retaining a public library service is important – amongst whom are big names such as Billy Elliot playwright Lee Hall and author David Almond have made impassioned pleas for its survival – there seems to be a dislocation between the measures taken to ensure that libraries still seem ‘relevant’ and therefore worth saving, and the reasons we believe them to be worth saving.

Increasingly extreme measures have been taken up in order to garner the attention and foot-traffic libraries need to stay open. The Guardian reports a library in Dalkeith that is the first to offer a free pole-dancing class, and highspeed wifi is now only the minimum requirement in libraries, with more advanced technologies needed to stay ahead.

(In Cambridge’s public library this means a strange BFI digital archive cubicle that I’ve never seen anyone go in or out of.)

However, Matt Haig, in an article for the Booktrust’s blog, seems to get to the crux of just why we need libraries, and it’s not for better bandwith: “I see a library as a place of quiet wonder, in a world designed to frazzle us. For me, a library is a book

Want to write for Books this semester?

in building form.” This is what the defenders of the library all seem to be saying, a library is not just a building or even just a “book-lending service”, it is a powerful community symbol and antidote to the world around it.

But herein lies the problem, a library is not this if it’s a wifi hotspot.

Conversely, John McTernan in The Telegraph highlights the dichotomy.

Although he argues that “the liberal whingers are wrong – we should shut our libraries”, he ends up pointing to exactly the need for a separation between the different realms of technology and books, as Matt Haig does. McTernan says that libraries have no place, and no purpose, in our Google and Amazonified-era: “Access to information has been transformed by the internet. Google a subject and you can become ridiculously well-informed ridiculously quickly.”

But whilst it’s true that you can access information on anything at any time, how ‘ridiculously’ broad will your knowledge basis be from a ‘ridiculously quick’ Google search?

Every Internet page has its own agenda, even Google. Books are not ‘live’ in the same way as an Internet page. Of course, a book is not unbiased, but once printed it doesn’t actively seek your time and attention.

So we have to conclude that the webpage needs the continued existence of the printed form. A book, and in Haig’s terms, therefore a library, can (and to some extent must) act as an antidote to the relentless heat-seeking force of the Internet.

But only because it is not that.

So the problem is this: libraries are fighting for survival with anything they can get their hands on, including wifi hotspots, online databases, and whatever else (as they must do). But this focus actually turns us away from what it is that is important about the library. It erodes our sense of the library as antidote. And it’s caught in this losing game because the library doesn’t have time to steadily prove its worth; it needs to pole dance its way back into the budget’s favour.

Although I’d sometimes like to, I can’t remain totally hostile to all the many advantages that technology brings. Digital archives? That’s incredible. Free wifi? Thank you. But the thing is we don’t need to if we recognise, and value, the two sides as polarities that balance each other out. Unfortunately, I fear that it’s already too late for the library. And just as a library is a symbol, allowing them all to close down is equally symbolic, in a much larger sense.

Phoebe Chambre

We’re always looking for new contributors - at any point throughout the semester, so if you’re interested in writing for the Books section all you have to do is, write to us, or come along to our weekly meeting: Write to Books: phoebechambre@gmail.com Facebook Books: http://www.facebook.com/TheMancunionBooks Meet Books, at our weekly meeting: Tuesdays, 6pm in the Student Activities area, 1st floor of the Student Union

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Food & Drink

ISSUE 12/ 4TH FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The Anti-Nando’s Campaign Recipe: Burger Cakes Manchester’s still riding out the burger wave at the moment, but if you’re looking to munch on something even sweeter than a Triple Nom from Almost Famous then these mini burger cakes are worth a try.

Makes 4 100g caster sugar 100g unsalted butter 2 eggs 100g self-raising flour 1tsp vanilla extract 1tsp yellow food colouring 1tbsp cocoa powder 1 pack ready to roll icing 1tsp green food colouring 4tsp raspberry jam A handful of chocolate sprinkles or sesame seeds

Emily Clark talks us through our student restaurant favourites, all in the name of Food & Drink’s anti-Nando’s manifesto

Manchester’s restaurant scene is sprawling and diverse, harbouring offerings from nearly every cuisine, even Ethiopian and Russian. I see no reason why, armed with a student loan and three years, anyone would still consider Nando’s their restaurant of choice. Manchester can give you so much more for your money than chicken with a range of chilli sauces. The recommendations below are all loved and frequented places, categorised by your student needs.

A fair share…

El Rincon de Rafa in Deansgate is an incredible underground Spanish tapas bar with a very unassuming exterior and amusingly hasty service. This is the place for sociable eating, so forget British politeness and share a few dishes with your fellows. Try the chorizo, or lobster bisque if you feel luxurious.

others hunt for the delicate pleasures of the sacred kebab. I am reliably informed that Sanaam’s in Fallowfield is the king of kebabs – go for the grilled lamb.

Home comforts…

Dreaming of your mum’s Sunday dinners?

Trof ’s version is a worthy compromise. The roasts are delicious, inexpensive and look a lot better than anything Wetherspoon’s calls a roast. There are several Trof bars out there, the nearest are on Oxford Road (Deaf Institute) and in Fallowfield.

If you’re looking for something a bit more upmarket (when you’re not paying), try The Metropolitan in West Didsbury. It has open fires, big sofas and Sunday roasts with massive Yorkshire puddings that look like cumulonimbus clouds.

…an even fairer share Preheat oven to 180° and grease a standard 12 hole cupcake tin.

Cream together the sugar and butter before stirring in the eggs and flour. Separate one third of the mixture into another bowl.

Veggie table Green’s restaurant in West Didsbury started its life as a modest veggie caff and has evolved into an elegant vegetarian restaurant. Its co-owner is none other than Simon Rimmer of Sunday Brunch, who is passionate in particular about the crispy oyster mushroom starter which has been on the menu since the restaurant opened. The rest of the menu presents beautiful combinations of ingredients with its inspiration from many cuisines.

In a hurry for a curry Mughli Restaurant and Charcoal Pit tops my Facebook poll for best Indian. The student deal is either bring your own booze or get 15% off the bill. Without doubt, their Lamb Karahi with extra garlic and chilli is the best curry I’ve ever had.

The Parent Trap

… or out of the comfort zone If sharing isn’t your style, you’re starving and low on cash, Red Hot Buffet is most certainly the best choice. It is a self-help canteen of unbounded avarice, situated in the centre of town, comprising unlimited food of all different cuisines. The quality might not suit the discerning diner but value for money is sometimes more important, and prices are even cheaper at lunchtime. However, there are many more buffets in Manchester. It would be unfair not to mention Bem Brasil, ‘where the five metre long barbeque provides an everlasting supply of steak’ - an extensive range of meats are grilled at your command. It’s a bit more expensive, but the quality is upped.

Post-lash quest for meat Krunchy Fried Chicken in Fallowfield has acquired a cult status of hedonism among my friends. We’re even getting them to cater for a housemate’s birthday. This chicken is the good stuff - unprocessed, great hunks of chicken breast, battered abundantly and baptised in oil.

While I opt for the humble chicken, many

Habesha is Ethiopian restaurant on Sackville Street where the diner is armed with injeera (a type of pancakey flatbread) instead of knives and forks. Be ambitious - the food is amazing; the menu offers mostly meat and spices, and this is most certainly not your usual cup of tea. Alternately, go for Kyotoya in Withington for sushi, cheap set menus, huge portions, exceedingly polite waiters and a bit of Japanese pop music for good measure.

Greek lightning Kosmos is a Greek restaurant perfectly situated opposite Owen’s Park in Fallowfield. The food is delicious and authentic; the homemade tzatziki tastes nothing like its supermarket counterpart and the fried aubergines from Kosmos really are out of this world. The £8.50 student deal includes a starter, main and a glass of wine. However, all of these components are considerably smaller than the dishes à la carte, so next time I’m just going to pay a bit more and have the adult-size portions.

Your parents are in town and you’ve had one pizza too many, so you march them off to the best restaurant, smuggle in some friends, eat more than your fill of fine food and make them pay for it all.

In terms of fine dining, Manchester hasn’t quite caught up with the likes of London. While the lack of Michelin stars is no finite stamp of poor quality, there does seem to be a dearth of independent high fliers. However, Albert’s Shed is certainly a contender and a very popular choice in Manchester. The excellent food ranges from rabbit gnocchi to monkfish and scallop curry. Other classy restaurants are Michael Caines’ ABode, Room, Aumbry, Harvey Nichol’s Second Floor Restaurant and Hilton’s restaurant Podium, which is reliably posh and delicious.

For the latter, however, it’s probably worth saving your money to hike a few floors up to Cloud 23 for afternoon tea or evening cocktails.

Here you’ll discover an amazing, heady view of the city, somehow made even more poetic by Manchester’s dismally grey weather.

Add vanilla extract and yellow food colouring to the larger mixture and spoon into eight greased holes in a cupcake tin. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining mixture and distribute into the four remaining holes.

19 Copson Street Withington 0161 434 4494

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cakes spring back when you gently push your finger down on top of them.

Whilst the cakes are cooling, divide the icing so you have two lumps of approximately 50g. Mix yellow and green food colouring into each lump respectively. Crease the green icing into four lettuce shaped pieces and roll the yellow icing out before cutting into thin squares.

To present your mini burger cakes place the lettuce on top of one vanilla cake, spread a tsp of raspberry jam on top, then add the chocolate sponge. Next place a square of the yellow icing and then the top ‘bun’ in the form of another vanilla sponge. Top with chocolate sprinkles to complete the burger bun look.

Of course, you can layer up the burger as you wish – barbecue sauce can be added in the form of icing sugar, water and cocoa powder or you can get creative with rashers of fondant icing bacon.

Catherine May

Imagine a giant folded pancake with a spiced potato curry embedded in its centre and fundamentally, that is dosa. Dosa Xpress restaurant is easily found in the centre of Withington, and is helpfully signposted with perpetually flashing Christmas lights lining the window.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the four of us were seated immediately (most people get takeaway) and couldn’t help but note the continued theme of internal flashing lights now also combined with some sort of epileptic swirling disco. We navigated the menu with a general sense of confusion - Southern Indian dishes like medhu vada, chilli fried idli and the eponymous dosa were so new to us we didn’t know how to tackle portion size, and couldn’t always find a description. We learnt that one dosa per person, with a shared starter, was plenty enough for one.

Dosas (or dosai) are made from fermented ground rice and black lentils. The fermented element gives it a slight vinegary kick, and the same goes for idli, which is a steamed rice cake.

To start, we shared medhu vada, which is a ‘deep-fried savoury doughnut with onion, green chilli and pepper,’ an accurate description, served with the restaurant’s trademark - four mystery sauces. The first mystery sauce was

green, we think it had pea in it; the second was white, sweet coconut; the third an orange elusively-flavoured; the fourth a standard fish and chip shop curry.

Photo: Ollie Cartwright Despite all ordering different meals, three of our dosa were almost identical in appearance and flavour, a vegetable-based thick orange curry. One of these was a paneer dosa, but the shredded paneer was felt to be lacking. The fourth was a mutton dosa; the addition of slowcooked meat was certainly a bonus - find it under the small section labelled non-veg dosas. The meals were served on school dinner-type trays with sections allotted for each part of the dish.

A friend who has visited South India and eaten dosa in its indigenous environment later told

“The humble nature of the slightly bland vegetable-prone dosa makes it a true Southern Indian comfort food” me that these dosa were just like the ones she’d eaten there.

Our meals weren’t over-salted, too spicy, drenched in oil, or reliant on MSG. The flavours were mild, and we got the impression that what we were eating was relatively healthy - more than I can say for many other Indian takeaways.

We weren’t impressed that they didn’t serve tap water, but bottles were only 50p, which mildly appeased us. Everything on the menu was very cheap, and the deals meant we were all fed for about £5 per person. 10% student discount is offered, and delivery is free under five miles.

The humble nature of the slightly bland vegetable-prone dosa makes it a true Southern Indian comfort food, with no post-scoff regret.

I recommend the experience fully, with a small warning that it’s probably nothing like you’ve eaten before.

Emily Clark

Food & Drink

ISSUE 12/ 4TH FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

23

Nigella Lawson: love or loathe?

Domestic goddess and innuendo queen Nigella Lawson is under scrutiny as we ponder what we love and loathe about her. Does she still reign supreme in the British culinary scene?

Loathe: Joanne Procter There are certain attributes that are practically synonymous with the name Nigella Lawson, such as perfect hosting, sensual language and improbable midnight escapades in the kitchen.

Whilst all that makes for an admittedly amusing TV show, it also masks the fact that the food she puts together is just not that great. It isn’t creative, original or inspiring, but it is also not practical enough to throw together without hiring a private detective to track down the ingredients.

Her recipes seem to fall into an impractical middle ground, where you end up spending a small fortune on an unexciting dish that doesn’t even remotely stand out from its cheaper equivalents. That is, if you even get as far as actually trying out her recipes, given that good food is probably not top of the list of reasons why most people watch Nigella.

Unlikely scenarios where Nigella finds herself craving a chocolate-coated treat whilst sporting a silk nightie, I can deal with. As long as it’s an

Love: Jessica Hardiman

Can Nigella regain her popularity after flop Nigellissima?

Photo: Hugo Burnand

interesting chocolate-coated treat worth my time and attention. That’s why, for as long as the food seems to be simply an afterthought to Nigella’s elaborate, slightly ridiculous scenes, I will continue to be frustrated by her dull, yet massively over-romanticised recipes.

I will admit that to say the woman could do no wrong would be perhaps inaccurate, but I would instead claim that Nigella can be forgiven. Her recent Italian-inspired recipes may have been criticised for a lack of authenticity, but no one can accuse her for lack of passion.

She never makes grandiose assertions that she is a chef, instead a self-proclaimed home cook seeking merely to indulge and comfort, assuring us that “the only thing anyone should feel guilty about is not taking pleasure.” Her recipes reflect this notion, as what they lack in finesse, they make up for in approachability. On television she can often be seen hacking at her ingredients in a rather uncouth but likeable fashion, illustrating that she may leave a lot to be desired in knife skills, but also reminding us of the comforting reality that she is still merely human.

Aside from her gloriously gluttonous recipes and finger-licking, Lawson is also for me a latterday Shakespeare. She writes her recipes with

Manchester’s Michelin prospects Preview

Manchester’s Midland Hotel is setting up two Simon Rogan restaurants. Photo: Gene Hunt @Flickr

beautifully crafted elegance, utilising delicious hyperbole and alliteration to create culinary poetry. The enjoyment that she takes from food is translated into the playful verbiage she revels in, evident with her renaming of the classic spaghetti alla puttanesca as ‘Slut’s Spaghetti’. This combination of verbal mischief, decadance and splendour makes for perfect bedtime reading, and it is when I reach for her words that even the most sleepless of nights can be soothed.

Ultimately, I cannot find it within myself to hate a woman who agrees with me on the breast versus thigh debate (chicken, that is) deeming thighs to be half the price with twice the flavour.

I will therefore defend Nigella until death, even if some believe that her best days are behind her.

We must merely gloss over the disappointment that was Nigellissima, and instead reminisce on her better days. She taught us How to be a Domestic Goddess, she taught us How to Eat, and this is done with a wonderful feeling of kitsch campness that I will always admire. For this, she must be remembered fondly and forgiven for her mistakes.

Manchester may be finally re-entering the Michelin Guide, but does the Mancunian restaurant scene need it?

Maddy Hubbard There is a stereotype of the Manchester food scene that we live in a culinary desert. The critics of the major newspapers visit every so often and write patronisingly of the trends that are years behind London, or the restaurants clearly aimed at footballers rather than foodies. It seen as surprising that such a large and cosmopolitan city should have no Michelin stars at all, and to some this is clear evidence that we can provide little beyond curry and clubbing. Well this is something likely to change in the very near future, as this year, two restaurants are opening that have both been tipped to finally regain a Michelin star for Manchester.

Aiden Bryne has gained reknown as the youngest chef to earn himself a Michelin star (aged 22, which is slightly depressing when I consider my own culinary skills.) You may remember him from Masterchef: The Professionals a few years back. He will be cooking at Manchester House, in a restaurant brought to us from the same people

behind the Alchemist bars, Australasia and The Grill on New York Street, so it is sure to be modern, beautifully designed and have fabulous cocktails.

Even more exciting is Simon Rogan’s two new restaurants due to be opening at the Midland Hotel. His food is the epitome of modern British – seasonal, using unusual herbs and innovative combinations with ingredients grown at his farm in Cumbria, which is next to his main restaurant, L’Enclume, which not only has two stars but last year was judged 10/10 by the Good Food Guide, an accolade only Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck matched.

So it looks set to be a good year full of glittery awards for Manchester. The only question is, do we really want them?

Is this kind of dining relevant to the Manchester food scene?

“Fine Dining” as dictated by the Guide tends to involve fussy service, shockingly expensive wine and food served in tiny, albeit pretty, portions. While this is clearly not always the case, as in Rogan’s L’Enclume for example, the focus on these standards as a way to judge the Manchester food scene seems bizarre. To

import Michelin-defined fussiness (and pricing) to the North, just for recognition from a putatively outdated guide seems bizarre and unnecessary, siphoning investment, custom and attention away from the brilliant restaurants we already have. It is absolutely the case that northern food should gain more recognition, we have some of the best produce in the country, and hundreds of chefs are doing brilliant things with it. Ok, so we haven’t had a Michelin star since the 1980s, but that’s irrelevant! It just means we don’t have an abundance of over-priced fussy restaurants. It is a positive thing if incredible and talented chefs choose to open restaurants in Manchester, but if they are merely formulaic Michelin bait then I’m not sure we want them.

Frideswide O’Neill offers some weekly frugal tips for your shopping, cooking and eating habits

Cheaper Than Chips: 3 meals, 1 chicken Frideswide O’Neill

As thrifty students, we often avoid whole chickens in the supermarket in favour of neatly packaged breasts, thighs and drumsticks under the impression that they work out cheaper. However, chicken doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are 3 recipes for 3-4 people that show you just how far a roast chicken can go if you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty!

1. Roast Chicken Firstly, the roast. Try rubbing some butter with herbs and spices (smoked paprika is great) into the skin before it goes into the oven. Opt for cheap vegetables like carrots and potatoes to roast in

the same tin. Once the skin gets crispy, cover the chicken with some foil. Baste as you go, to keep the chicken moist.

2. Chicken Pie Next up is everyone’s favourite, pie. A classic chicken pie needs one sheet of puff pastry (roll out some ready-made), a pack of mushrooms, three leeks and half a pack of bacon. Cook up all these ingredients with some onions and garlic, and while these are cooking, strip the remaining chicken from the bones and add that to the mix. Now for the white sauce - great to have up your sleeve - simply measure out 40g of butter and melt it over a gentle heat. Then measure 40g of plain flour (if you don’t have any scales a big tablespoon of each is a good approximation). Mix this in quite vigorously until you have a thick paste and continue heating for

two minutes. Start adding milk little by little, mixing all the time, until you have a smooth sauce that resembles the thickness of custard. Pour this over the chicken mix in a big dish and cover with puff pastry, tucking in the sides. Bake for 30 minutes.

ingredient to the pan - peas, lentils or butternut squash for example - season well and add herbs and spices of your choice. Once the stock is ready, strain the liquid into the pan and boil until the vegetables are soft enough to blend.

3. Soup The key ingredient for a homemade soup is a good stock. Simply put the chicken carcass into a big pan, cover it with cold water and put it on to boil.

Chuck in a roughly chopped onion, herbs like bay leaves and thyme, and vegetable trimmings of carrots or celery. Boil the stock for about an hour and a half until it has reduced by at least a third, constantly skimming off the scum that bubbles to the top. While the stock is boiling, make the base of the soup. Dice two onions, crush some garlic and gently sweat these. Add your chosen main

Stretch your meals with the bird that just keeps giving.

Photo: The_Smiths @Flickr

24

Arts & Culture

W H AT ’S ON THIS TERM Improdigy @ Cornerhouse We’re proud to present our most exciting project to date: Improdigy – Manchester’s hottest new improv comedy troupe appearing every third Wednesday of the month at the Frog and Bucket Comedy Club.

Students love comedy, and we’re hoping this night will be the go-to place for those hoping for high quality entertainment that won’t break the bank.

Tickets are only £3 for students, and if you really like what you see – we’d love you to be part of it! The only rule is that there are no rules.

Our troupe currently consists of former Manchester University graduates – and we’re looking to get current ones on board too. University can be stressful at the best of times, and we believe this could be the perfect tonic.

Alex Moran Thunder Road

ISSUE 12/ 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Exhibition Feature

‘Erotic Cuisine’ and communal wine Rosalie Warner heads to Kraak Gallery for the launch party of Black & BLUE, a Manchester based publication showcasing groundbreaking work in poetry, drama, prose and ‘other’ Hidden within the murky bowels of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, behind some bins, the determined traveller will discover, with the help of a loitering man who happened to be the bouncer, the Kraak Gallery. Late last year, this fine specimen of a venue showcased the launch of the first issue of Black & BLUE, “a radical new publication for poetry, drama, prose.” Issues of the magazine were available for a fiver or, if you got a friendly vendor, whatever loose change you happened to have in your pocket at the time of purchase. Describing itself as ‘a new space for language’, the magazine is not particularly concerned with collecting works of a specific genre but is more interested in beautiful writing regardless of context, providing an enthusiastic and open-minded environment for young artists and writers to exhibit their work.

Inside the gallery we were confronted with a literal feast for the eyes. Whilst crossing a stretch of rustic wooden floor boards you were lucky not to tread on a wandering potato or a lost-looking roast chicken: part of the ‘erotic cuisine’ spread across the floor that doubled as conceptual art by Couleur Cafe.

All dranketh from one cup in the gallery: a shared glass of

Writing the walls at Kraak Gallery Photo: Black & BLUE wine that was occasionally fed to you by one of the waitresses, if you were willing, which for purely research purposes I, er, definitely was.

The walls were hung with works inspired by the publication’s surreal and eclectic manifesto, an intriguing mix of illustration, photography, video art and sculpture submitted by new young artists from across the

country. Drawing from one source of inspiration, the collection hung together well, and artists referencing from the same quotes produced an interesting divergence of interpretations.

After having eaten a lot of free beetroot and narrowly avoiding eating a free garlic clove, across the alley and up some stairs we found out where

everyone had gone: a club space filled with comfy leather sofas to perch on whilst sipping gaspingly overpriced wine out of, controversially, their very own, personal glasses (next time I’m bringing my own booze).

The atmosphere was relaxed, but social, with a delightfully varied selection of music and entertainment on the stage: poetry readings, a bit of spoken

word and hip hop from Visceral, the brilliant Quarry Lads Skiffle Group, and one last band whose name I can’t remember (too much arty wine) but they were great and managed to unite the mostly segregated groups of people around the room into a dancing mass of synthy joy, bringing a refreshingly different, stimulating night to a lovely close.

Following Rosalie’s story, we caught up with some of the founding members of Black & BLUE, who clarifed the objectives of the publication: ‘Black & BLUE is a new publication for poetry, drama, prose and other, founded by three students from Manchester last year. Our aim was to show that beautiful writing emerges from anywhere including tweets, statuses as well as the traditional forms.’

Having been lucky enough to get my hands on one of the copies, I can confirm they are beautifully put together: an eclectic mix of content, showcased in a magazine which clearly has high production values and has been very carefully thought out.

For more information go to www. blackbluewriting.com Rosalie Warner

Everyday Analysis

‘Newphoria’ and the case of the mobile phone Art Group The Manchester Art Group is an undergraduate collective from the Art History and Visual Studies department.

We curate events, talks, and exhibitions and promote those organised by other institutions that engage with contemporary art.

With the popularity of the Art History Society in swift decline it was widely acknowledged that Art History and Visual Studies lacked a sense of community away from the lecture halls. Hence, a group of third year students alongside Charlie Miller, an AHVS lecturer at Manchester University, established MAG. Thanks to the hard work, determination and creative outlook set down by founding members, the grounds have been laid for MAG to become a prolific player in the whole of the northern art scene. MAG is going places and we would love for you to join us!

If you’d like to hear more, email us at manchesterartgroup@ gmail.com.

Alice Marshall

Our new weekly coloumn comes courtesy of Everyday Analysis, a Manchester-based collective applying philosophical theory to the mudane, the inconsequenctial and the forgotten One can see this analysis coming; a criticism of popular culture’s decorative mobile phone covers coming from a self-congratulating highbrow language. You say Swarovski crystals, we say commodity fetishism, you say retro cassette tape iPhone cover, we say commodity fetishism.

But isn’t there something much more interesting about the idea of cases and covers?

When we purchase a cover or case, we at least partly do so to protect our phone. But we overlook the repercussion; we have paid a large amount of money for the slimmest, smallest, most appealing phone (never shown in a case on the advert) and then we nullify this by making it bigger, bulkier and less-appealing, precisely in order to protect what we have paid for, even at its own cost.

Doesn’t this show us something about the structure

Do phone cases hide or show our desires? Photo: Hannah Reiss of our desires? It is not the ‘slimness’ that is advertised towards which our desire tends at all, but some invisible characteristic or presence within the product, some always illusive object of desire, which always remains unarticulated.

The new tagline for Norton’s phone and electronics protection ‘if excitement over your new device is causing muscle cramps in your face you may have newphoria,’ seems to capture this perfectly. What we are looking to defend in our

product is not one of its actual characteristics but instead some elusive ‘newness’ which produces happiness in us, but which we cannot approach or articulate.

Indeed, perhaps we can go as far as to say that the

cover does serve a protective function. It protects us from the realization that our desire cannot be fulfilled; it maintains the illusion ‘underneath that big bulky leather case, and through that screen cover and Manchester United/Hello Kitty back-cover, is an illusive, secret object of desire, which is my possession, and it makes me happy.’ If we actually faced the object directly, we would face the realization that it does nothing to fulfil us.

We need the cover because it keeps the realization of our desires at a distance, since if our desires were to be realized, we could not handle it.

Everyday Analysis Collective

Theatre

ISSUE 12/ 4h FEBRUARY 2012 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

What’s On 4-11 FEBRUARY

Wilkommen to Manchester’s Kit Kat Klub Helen McCarthy reviews the University of Manchester Musical Theatre Society’s preChristmas performance of ‘Cabaret’

The Accrington Pals Based on the 1982 play by Peter Whelan the drama follows a Pals Volunteer Brigade in First World War Britain and the barbaric reality of life in the trenches. Described by The Royal Exchange as an ‘epic and deeply humane play’.

Runs from 17th January to 16th February at The Royal Exchange. Tickets £5.

Raw Jam Running for two lunchtimes these performances offer two community groups a chance to share their experiences.

Wednesday sees the University of Manchester LBGTQ society performing a compilation of acoustic music. On Thursday Cheryl Martin and The Lesbian and Gay Foundation explore life as an older member of the LGBT community.

Runs 6th Feb to 7th Feb, 1pm at the Contact. Tickets free.

The Secret Diaries of A Teenage Queer Drama based on a true story, about dealing with sexuality.

The Secret Diaries of A Teenage Queer draws upon 10 years of different teenage diaries, combining a focus on sexuality and life in the 1980’s.

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I know Cabaret, and I know it well. In fact, I love Cabaret. So like a mother about to meet her son’s new and potentially unsuitable girlfriend, I was sceptical when I collected my tickets at the doorway of a somewhat unexpected underground club situated on North Campus.

I was then escorted down some cold, concrete steps by a wonderfully camp man dressed all in figure-hugging black, who said I looked lovely and took my obscenely large umbrella from me. He then passed me onto another heavily make-upped, fishnetwearing Cabaret girl. She wasn’t the only one either, there were about a dozen cast members milling around in negligees and white face paint, somewhat predatory. This

is exactly what I’d always imagined the decadent underground nightlife of 1920s Berlin to be like.

I wasn’t walking into a theatre that happened to be putting on a production of Cabaret.

I was walking into the Kit Kat Klub itself.

Turns out my son’s new girlfriend is bordering on perfect and I’m finding it difficult to fault her.

There are so many individual cast members that deserve a mention.

Natalie Schwartz filled the role of the usually male Emcee with ease, barely needing to stop for breath during ‘The Money Song’. Jamie Ross made a blindingly handsome Cliff Bradshaw. Alice Parr was an astoundingly good Fraulein Schneider, and Oliver Hamilton made me hate his Ernst Ludwig so much by the end that if I ever meet him properly, I’ll struggle to hold a polite conversation. But the most challenging and most famous role, Sally Bowles, was what worried me most. If she isn’t right, the whole thing isn’t right.

Fortunately for Ellie Scanlan, her eyewatering, red-faced rendition of the title song was near perfection. Her comic timing was perfect, even her silent moments were

somehow explosive, and I’ve never seen someone with such a mobile, expressive face.

She was almost like a silent film star in her exaggerated drama.

If I’m nit-picking, and I hate to nit-pick, I would urgently say that the UMMTS need more microphones. Someone give them more money for microphones, buy more tickets from them, fill every seat in the house.

It was a crime that I couldn’t hear Alice Parr and Seb Kainth over the orchestra.

Even though I was expecting it, the first swastika still induced a kind of breathy, tangible shock. Nazism managed to stay fairly well hidden for the majority, as though being brushed under the rug. And why wouldn’t it be? This was the Kit Kat Klub, what’s politics got to do with it?

It wasn’t until the second half, when Emcee had got various people up to dance (regrettably I wasn’t one of them; it would have been my dream), and a coat was removed to reveal a red armband, that reminded me of the awful truth. I was enjoying myself so much that the idea of that imposing fascism being just outside had almost escaped me.

And then, with no final bow or applause, in a similar style to our arrival, we were ushered out by one of the Cabaret girls in her Nazi armband. She roughly shook my shoulder and told me to leave like she did with everyone else.

We were shepherded out into a red room, lit with a Nazi flag draped over a huge spotlight, propaganda hanging from the ceiling. It was fantastically seamless and terrifying at the same time.

Four stars out of five.

Runs 7th February at the Contact. Tickets £5.

Shortcuts Combining performances from both Debs Gatenby, with ‘High Anxiety’ and Cheryl Martin, with ‘My Foo-Foo Needs You’, Shortcuts presents a ‘work-in-progress double-bill of queer theatre’ (Contact Theatre).

Runs 7th February, 9pm at the Contact. Tickets £5.

The Polari Mission

Focusing on Polari, a dying language, artists Jez Dolan and Joseph Richardson give a performance in aid of reviving the endangered language.

Runs 9th February at the Contact, 4pm and 5.30 pm. Tickets £3.

Hairspray A musical set in Baltimore, Maryland in 1962, this production follows the story of Tracy Turnblad and her dreams to dance on television. In doing so it offers a social commentary on 1960’s America.

Runs 11th February - 23rd February at The Lowry. Tickets £29 - £46.

What I’m looking forward to this year in Theatre Helen McCarthy gives us the best picks of what local theatre has to offer this year Getting 2013 off to a serious start is Peter Whelan’s The Accrington Pals at The Royal Exchange, a “powerful and poignant drama” about the smallest battalion sent into WWI and local Lancashire heroes. This play kicks off a fantastic year at The Exchange, with something new and stimulating practically every month. I’m particularly eager to see Max Webster’s adaptation of the ultimate classic To Kill A Mockingbird in March, and Blanche McIntyre’s adaptation of that underrated Pinter classic The Birthday Party.

July also sees Swan Lake, Gisele and Don Quixote grace the Palace Theatre stage.

For me these eclipse both The Lion King and Wicked combined, which will both be running from January and September respectively, but no doubt people will maul each other for tickets anyway. I implore people to remember the ballet.

Running from February right through to early March is Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and her Children, for the more high-brow theatregoer amongst us. It’s supposed to be “one of the most powerful stage creations of the twentieth century” and I certainly don’t intend to miss it.

If you like The IT Crowd and Father Ted and the entire first series of Black Books, then you probably like Graham Linehan who wrote them all. He’s recently revived The Ladykillers and thankfully the West End isn’t getting all the fun because it will be showing at the Lowry in March. Make sure you book early because it’s on for only four days and it’s going to be ridiculously popular.

And finally, my last pick for 2013 is Edward Hall’s adaptation of Twelfth Night, showing

at the very well-stocked Lowry Theatre for only five days in April. You know what to do.

Lifestyle FITNESS 101

ISSUE 12/ 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Career

Post exam escapes Lucy Gardner takes us through the best mini breaks to celebrate the end of exams.

Beth Currall on how to shape up for second semester.

all over the continent. The daytime can be spent admiring the eccentric architecture of the town - notably The Astronomical Clock, which was installed in 1410 and is the oldest of its kind still in working condition. This can be done on a Segway tour if you’re feeling slightly sleep deprived or hungover and don’t fancy walking.

Like the rest of Eastern Europe, bar crawling is again the way to go. The Prague Underground Bar Crawl must be done. Starting with power hour (including unlimited wine, vodka and even beer pong) you are ushered on to Prague’s other bars and clubs with VIP entry and a free t-shirt to remember your weekend by.

The AO Prague Metro Strivkov hostel starts at €8 a night and flights from Manchester are £102 return.

Dublin

Amsterdam Berlin It’s the classic, must-be-visited student destination. Even better if your reason for being there is to celebrate the end of the longest two weeks of the year – January exams. During the day you can cycle along its city canals, take part in the free Friday Night Skate tour or visit one of the many museums offering an insight into the city’s sexual history.

During the evening, you will find that Amsterdam’s night life does not disappoint.

Every type of clubber is catered for. Some personal favourites include Club House, which is decorated like a house and even fitted with a living room and bedroom, and Dansen Bij Jansen which I can’t pronounce, but which I know is full of very attractive students. If the eye candy is attracting you to the latter option, take your student card as it is one of the most popular student clubs in town and you will probably need it to gain entry.

Stay at the Aivengo Youth Hostel for just €18 per night and fly from Manchester for £61 return.

Germany’s capital is drenched in history and culture. Berlin offers many activities to pass the day before heading out at night. The Berlin Zoo is the most diverse in the world and the remains of The Berlin Wall let you see a part of the city’s conflict ridden past.

But what is a post exam holiday without some embarrassing drunken stories? Pub crawling is big in this city, with students from all around the world migrating there for the cheap beer. The average drink price in most bars is about €2, so if you don’t want to make too much of a dent in your student loan, then Berlin is definitely the place to go.

Stay at the Amstel Hostel for €10 a night and fly from Manchester for £75 return.

Prague The Central European capital’s medieval skyline manages to encompass a vibrant and modern city, causing it to attract students from

If you feel like staying a little closer to home and simply popping over to see our Irish neighbours, then Dublin is the weekend getaway for you. Without wanting to stereotype, it is no secret that the Irish like a drink or two, and that their Guinness is the best you will ever taste. Speaking of which, why not visit the Guinness Storehouse? Student tickets are around €13.00 if you book online, which gives you a 10% discount.

A day of drinking can be justified with the Dublin Literary Bar Crawl. Combining culture with alcohol, surely a student traveller’s dream?

With three universities in this city, there is no holding back – Copper Face Jacks club could easily inherit the BOP’s title of the easiest place to pull. Generally speaking, there are an endless supply of dirt cheap clubs not to be missed out on.

The Bunkhouse Hotel costs approx. €22 a night and flights come in at just £39 return.

We Ask You Answer

This week, Dana Fowles asks: Spotted, should it stay or should it go?

Aidan I’m definitely not a Spotted fan. I think that it can get pretty nasty, so I would rather that it went.

Jordan I know it has caused a lot of controversy, but I still think that it’s hilarious, so it would be a shame if it went.

Rob Although it doesn’t personally affect me, I don’t agree with getting kicks out of other peoples’ misfortunes, so I don’t think that keeping it would be a good idea.

Scott

If I was written about, it would probably upset me, so I have to say that it should go for that reason! It can be quite offensive.

Ailish I’m impartial, as I haven’t really followed it myself. From what I’ve heard though, the people who created it clearly have far too much spare time on their hands.

Billy It was such a good idea, I wish that I’d been the one to think of it!

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idea; it suggests that they are doing something wrong. I definitely don’t agree with them taking pictures of students without asking their permission and uploading them.

Holly At first I found it really funny, I’m not going to lie. It’s got a bit boring now, but it was a good revision distraction during January exams. I just don’t see how much longer it can go on for without everyone losing interest in it.

Exams are finally over and the second semester has begun. It’s time to wave goodbye to those home-cooked meals and to face another ten weeks of pasta overdose and liver damage (which, let’s face it, we never put a stop to back at home anyway). The one thing which most of us wish that we could actually turn our backs on, however, is that Santa-esque belly which we have somehow managed to acquire. Curse those Yorkshire puddings and numerous nights spent on the sofa in a Quality Street induced coma, not to mention the endless packs of Sainsbury’s cookies which have been consumed while going over our revision notes for the tenth time.

The good news is that you don’t need a gym membership in order to lose that extra weight. There are a whole range of other ways in which we students can shed those post exams pounds, without losing the kind of pounds we would really rather hold onto. It would be a shame to make such a large dent in that lovely January loan, after all. Did you know, for instance, that housekeeping burns a huge amount of calories? According to the British Heart Foundation, a 30 minute blast of your bedroom with the vacuum burns, for the average 18-21 year old, around 106 calories - that’s a whole Kit-Kat, or a packet of Wotsits! Not bad. On top of that, 45 minutes worth of ironing can wipe 104 calories away from your daily intake, not to mention cleaning the floors and other surfaces, which burns a whopping 200 calories an hour. So whack on your iTunes library, change into your scrubs and get cleaning. Plus let’s face it, our student houses could do with a little more tlc.

Fidgeting can burn up to 650 calories a day, so instead of slobbing on the sofa or in bed, wiggle those bums and shake those legs. Experts also recommend sex as a highly effective form of exercise, with 42 half-hour sessions burning 3250 calories. It can also lower your stress levels and boost your immunity to colds or other infections, making it a win-win situation. Another calorie-busting idea which costs nothing is to walk to uni; a slow stroll up Wilmslow Road into Fallowfield could rid you of up to 100 calories. Time to leave those uniriders at home.

So don’t get caught up in the New Year’s Resolution hype and think that an expensive gym membership or a drastic, time-consuming lifestyle change is needed.

These simple steps could go a long way. Of course it has to be kept in mind that weight loss is down to 20% exercise, and 80% diet, so swap the aforementioned Sainsbury’s cookies for apples and the post night out McDonalds’ for carrot sticks, and you could get that beach bod you have been lusting after just in time for summer.

James I think it was being taken a bit too far.

Jack The fact that the creators have decided to remain anonymous proves to me that it is a bad

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mancunion.com

Manchester’s Student Newspaper

Games Reasons to be cheerful in 2013

ISSUE 12/ 4th FEBRUARY 2012 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

28

The first half of 2013 is packed to the brim with AAA releases, The Mancunion have picked the 5 we’re most excited about Tomb Raider (360/PS3/PC) Crystal Dynamics’ reboot of the popular Tomb Raider centres around the theme of Lara Croft as a survivor. The game is based around Lara’s transition from explorer to duel-pistol wielding tomb raider. Lara is shipwrecked on an isolated tropical island; she has to hunt for food, water and shelter to survive.

But picking berries is the least of her worries, as she also has to deal with the dangerous animals and violent mercenaries. After the success of Uncharted it appears Crystal Dynamics are placing a greater emphasis on combat, trailers show Lara dispatching mercenaries brutally with her bow and arrow.

The most noticeable change is that the game has shifted towards realism, Lara’s most famous assets are noticeably closer to realms of physical possibility and the game’s environments are much darker than the vivid horizons of past games.

GTA V (360/PS3) Five years after the last instalment in the series, the action picks up in the city of Los Santos in the fictional state of San Andreas.

The map is set to be bigger than the maps of GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption and San Andreas combined.

GTA V’s story is a series first as you follow not one but three protagonists as the game’s focus is the pursuit of the almighty dollar in present day Southern California.

You play as Michael, a big time criminal in witness protection trying to adjust to life after crime; Trevor, the polar opposite

still working and living in a trailer park, and Franklin, an ex gangster who now makes his money in by collecting debts.

How these three stories will intertwine is still anyone’s guess, but it’s likely to invoke memories of GTA IV’s meeting of Niko, Johnny and Luis.

Gears of War: Judgement (360) The fourth entry in the Gears of War series will take place before the events of the first game, and will for the first time leave Delta Team behind and follows series favourites Baird and Cole. Kilo Team are on trial for treason and each level centres on Kilo Team’s testimony.

You can alter your testimony by taking on extra challenges like only using certain weapons in order to get a higher end of level rating, providing much needed replay value to a story that otherwise might get ignored in favour of multiplayer.

Multiplayer will be important as ever, with Epic launching a new mode called Overrun. A class based mode where the Locust aim to infiltrate the COGs defences and destroy their E-Hole cover. The opportunity to play as a Corpser should be enough to make this a must buy even for those jaded after the last three battles with the Locust.

God of War: Ascension (PS3) Fitting with the year’s theme of prequels, Ascension takes place before the events of the first game. Kratos battles the three Furies in an attempt to sever all ties with Ares, who callously tricked him into

murdering his wife and child.

The most surprising addition is a multiplayer mode that has players swears allegiance to one of four gods and fight to gain new abilities through levelling up.

Different gods give different powers and customisation and specialisation will be vital to online play.

With online multiplayer looking to be incredible fast paced and fun, and after three years without any Kratos action on the PS3, Ascension is shaping up to be a must buy for all PS3 owners Bioshock: Infinite (360/PS3/PC) Whereas Bioshock dealt with Libertarianism, and Bioshock 2 dealt with the Communism, Bioshock Infinite has set its sight on the ideology that started World War Two, Nationalism.

Set on a city in the sky, two warring factions, the Founders obsessed with American exceptionalism and the Vox Populi, a rebel grouping representing the common people. You play as Booker, a down on his luck ex-Pinkerton agent who’s drafted in to pay off his gambling debts tasked with finding Elizabeth, a young woman held captive who may be pivotal to the war.

The game has controversially added 1999 mode, which aims to be make sure your choices matter by giving you less ammo and health and forcing you to specialise early on. It’s a brave move, but it shouldn’t upset too many people provided the standard single player is still good.

In 1983 there was a game called Elevator action where people could play as a super spy. I first played this lovely little and simple game on my very first game boy. This game now gives me a sense of nostalgia that not many others can. This is a gem, and if you have never played it, check it out now.

You are a spy infiltrating an enemy spy base via a grappling hook. Your goal is simple. Find the document in one of the many doors available and get to the ground floor. To do that you will have to fight your way through constant waves of enemy agents, dodge their bullets, and use the labyrinth of elevators and escalators to get there.

I will never forget the time I found my way into the first room.

This was for me the early nineties, getting to run around a building and shooting my way through it with the brand new shot gun from a room I snuck into was exhilarating. Nor will I forget the time I got squashed by the elevator because I stood too close to it. The game is simple, not terribly hard, but not easy either. There are two levels that bullets can come at you from, chest height and knee height, the thing to do is to kneel or jump respectively to dodge them, however, waves of agents can fire a hail of bullets at you rendering dodging pointless.

The mechanics were simple, but the ease of playing as a super spy who was good at his job was certainly new and exciting. This game doesn’t win any big awards like Mario does, but it has its place in video games history.

Sam Dumitriu, Games Editor

Preview

Review

DmC: Devil May Cry Capcom • RRP: £44.99 • PS3/ 360// PC Ninja Theory’s reboot has divided fans, but is it worth a purchase for those new to the series?

Much has been said about the Devil May Cry reboot. The fan reaction seems to be largely negative; they miss the Japanese design of the past. For an outsider to the series such as myself, this Dark Knight inspired makeover is a vast improvement. The new Dante is a younger, crass, and infinitely more likeable hero.

He’s the type who will gladly tell monsters where they can shove their evil intentions, and use every swear word known to man while going about his daily routine. That’s my kind of hero.

When he’s not cursing at demons, Dante uses a range of weapons and abilities to kick ass as violently, and imaginatively, as possible. The hordes of enemies each have their own attacks and weaknesses to exploit. On screen action flows smoothly and looks gruesome, while an engaging soundtrack composed by Noisia and Combichrist plays in the

Jonathan Lee looks at 1983’s Elevator Action

background. Moving around in DmC can be rough, especially during platforming sections that can be clunky and cause frustration, especially when they’re only serving to break up the action and cause Dante to fall to his inevitable death.

Dante’s dual pistols, combos and giant swords are all upgradable to deal more damage and perform even more over-

Aliens: Colonial Marines Alasdair Preston

the-top tricks. Rewards come thick and fast, allowing for rapid improvements. Success and diversity earn higher score multipliers and ultimately leads to a better rank at the end of the level. Furthermore, there are countless hidden challenges and collectibles in every stage that’ll take even the most meticulous a good while to discover.

SEGA • RRP: £44.99 • PS3/ 360/ PC Aliens: Colonial Marines offers fans a new experience in the Alien Universe while aiming to please hardcore followers with plenty of references to the movies. The storyline acts as a direct sequel to James Cameron’s 1986 movie Aliens but takes place after Alien 3.

Playing as Corporal Christopher Winter accompanied by a team of Colonial Marines, you set off on a mission to investigate the strange goings on aboard the USS Sulaco in orbit around LV426.

The FPS game play may make the enemy Xenomorphs a bit easier to kill than in the movies, in order to increase the fast paced action-packed value of the game; but for most fans the opportunity to explore familiar locations such as Hadley’s Hope, the surface of LV-246 and plenty of other recognisable visual additions, will temper the relative ease with which some enemies can be defeated.

Gearbox offer a four player co-op experience (two for

split screen) as well as a powerful looking arsenal, including pulse rifles, smart guns, auto turrets and robotic loader suits – all customisable both visually and in terms of functionality – offering gamers the opportunity to personalise their experience in a genre which has previously lacked such depth in its games.

Multiplayer team death match (Marines vs. Xenomorphs),

Ben Green a 4v4 objective mode called Escape where a squadron of marines must reach an evacuation point whilst under siege from the Xenomorphs evoking memories of Left 4 Dead and perhaps most importantly, following the success of Horde mode in Gears of War, a survival mode will be offered where four Colonial Marines take on waves of Xenomorphs!

Societies

ISSUE 12/ 4th February 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

RAG Week

Your chance to get involved in a range of activites for a good cause, Monday 11th February until Sunday 17th February

Photo Caption: Blahatblah Rag Week volunteers the blah Ice Rink last year. Photo: RAG Seven days. Seven different events. Hundreds of people.

The chance to raise thousands of pounds. RAG Week 2013 is fast approaching and is set to be bigger and better than ever!

Starting on Monday 11th February and running till Sunday 18th February, this week raises crazy amounts for the RAG Community Fund, which is divided in May between various Northwest based charities.

Kicking off the week is a comedy

night held at Squirrels Bar on Monday at 7pm, headlined by Colin Manford and showcasing some of the finest student stand-up the university has to offer. Tuesday night is your time to get your corset and fishnets on (gender irrespective) for the long-established screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, shown at Fab Cafe on Portland Street from 7pm. Need a date in time for Valentine’s Day? Head down to Joseph Whitworth o

Wednesday 13th from 8pm to be matched up with the girl or guy of your dreams in our massively successful Speed Dating. If nobody there takes your fancy, never fear as Take Me Out is taking place on Thursday 14th in Academy 2 – with contestants from the ITV show making an appearance.

We’re still looking for contestants, so if you’re interested, email ragweek@manchesterrag.com.

Take Me Out 2012 was hugely

popular so get your tickets early from the Student Activities office.

If you fancy doing something a little different on Friday night, Dare Night is for you – head down to Font, Fallowfield, at 8pm and take part in some ridiculous and hilarious dares across the city. Saturday night sees student bands competing for your vote in Battle of the Bands, and finally the week culminates in a fully interactive pub quiz at Owens Park bar, from 7pm.

If this isn’t enough, keep your eyes peeled around campus during the day. Ever fancied trying Water Zorbing? Well here’s your chance - head to University Place on Tuesday. Think Quidditch is just for wizards? Think again and come to our very own tournament on Wednesday 13th. Get your fix of summer by coming to the carnival on Thursday, also held outside University Place, for sumo wrestling, gladiator jousting and much more.

RAG week is organised by students, for students, and really does have something for everybody to get involved in.

Come and let your hair down and have a laugh, knowing that you’re helping to raise thousands of pounds for deserving causes.

Jo Mortimer

Bogle

A scenic but challenging fifty-five mile walk around Greater Manchester raising money for different charities.

Boglers having a quick break during last year’s walk. Photo: Bogle Bogle 2013 (1st-2nd March) is organised by Manchester RAG and has been a highlight of the calendar every year since 1961, providing an intense challenge for students as well as raising thousands of pounds for charity.

This challenging walk started fifty-two years ago when a group of UMIST lecturers missed the last bus home in Lancaster and decided to walk back to Manchester. Allegedly, along the way some of the group started to

RAG

Events

hallucinate and saw the Bogle (A Lancashire imp of folklore). The Bogle began to taunt the walkers, willing them to give up, yet they powered through and defeated the Bogle, giving the event its legendary name.

Now, the walk anticipates 500 people taking their own challenge and offers three levels of difficulty. The Bogle Stroll is a fifty-five mile walk taking between fourteen and twenty-five hours to complete. The Bogle Ramble

is a twenty-five mile walk taking up to ten hours to complete and the Bogle Roll is more suited to two wheels as it is a seventy-eight mile cycle taking about five to six hours to complete. The sponsored walk aims to support many charities, and walkers pick one of their choice to support. Last year Bogle walkers raised money for over one hundred different charities. Bogle also has a chosen Charity of the Year which this year is Mencap.

The route takes the walkers to Manchester Airport, Stockport, Failsworth, Farnworth and Salford, and whilst it is an exceptional challenge, it is also extremely rewarding and is a lot of fun. Previous ‘Boglers’ have many stories to tell, including this one from Sarah Barnes who tells of her experience last year.

She explains, ‘ we were walking through deserted, deepest darkest Stockport, it was about 2-3am and our morale had begun to drop. A man pulled over in a car and wound down his window- I was a little worried but he was with three lads so it was ok. He asked what we were doing, and looked at our British Heart Foundation t-shirts. We explained, and he drove off. Two minutes later, the same man drew up alongside us, and handed us £20 in cash.

His father had a lot of support from BHF in his later years, and he wanted to give something back. It really raised our spiritsthere are good people lurking in the dark!’

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Society Spotlight Rachel Heward talks about the Societies section’s latest feature and how you can try something new this semester with Give It A Go 2013 This semester the Societies section of The Mancunion will launch a new feature aiming to show off and promote the wide range of societies and clubs we have here at the University of Manchester. Society Spotlight will show students how easy, interesting and fun it can be trying something new, and how beneficial joining a society at university can be.

Each week I will meet and have a go at a different society’s activity or event - I may discover a new found talent, face a difficult challenge or fail miserably at something, but hopefully with entertaining results. The aim is to show-off the variety of things students can get involved in, from drama, baking and circus skills, to music, academic and political societies. There is something for everyone, and by taking part personally I will show just how easy it is. It can be daunting joining a society or group, especially so late in the year, but it doesn’t have to be Freshers’ week to start something new, and often societies are always looking to welcome new members.

Society Spotlight needs you!

If you are part of a society and would like some free coverage and advertising then please get in touch. All you have to do is tell me when, where and what, and I’ll be there ready to have a go at whatever it is you guys do best. Email mancunion.spotlight@gmail.com for more information or to arrange a visit.

Give it a Go 2013 Alongside this, the University of Manchester Students’ Union is launching ‘Give it a Go 2013’. Between January 28th and February 10th, student societies and groups will be holding open sessions which anyone can go along to - you do not need any knowledge or experience. There are a wide range of activities and schemes on offer. You can find out about how to get involved in Peer Mentoring schemes, the Mini Bridge society, Debating Union and Ip Man Wing Tsun Kung Fu. International organisation, AIESEC will also be holding an information session where you can find out how to develop business skills through projects and placements around the world. You can also go to sci-fi screenings, ballroom and latin lessons and Yiraje Tango lessons. There are also a number of campaigning and activism groups to find out about and join, including Young Greens, Students Stop Aids, Global Zero and Mental Wealth.

You can even get started making your own television program with Fuse TV. For more information about these events as well as many more, visit manchesterstudentsunion.com/giveitago.

These events are a great way to learn a skill, discover a hobby and meet new people. Whether you are looking for something fun to do outside of classes, or something to boost your CV, there are many opportunities available and this is the perfect time to get started.

For more information visit www.manchesterrag.com/bogle Rachel Heward

Give it a Go 2013: University of Manchester Students’ Union

Monday 11th February

Tuesday 12th February

Wednesday 13th February

Comedy Night, Squirrels Bar, 7pm. £3.

Rocky Horror Picture Show screening, Fab Cafe (Portland Street), 7pm. £4.

Speed Dating, Sir Joseph Whitworth, 8pm. £2.

Thursday 14th February

Friday 15th February

Take Me Out, Academy 2, 7pm.

Featuring contestants from the ITV show. £3.50 in advance from the Student Activities office.

Dare Night, Font (Fallowfield), 8pm. £1.

30 : SPORT

ISSUE 12/ 4th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

First Term Sport Awards After an excellent first semester of sport, Alex Underwood and Sport Editor Ciaran Milner select our outsanding performers and performances Team Performance: Men’s Basketball 1st Team vs Bangor

Venture Further

Having been second best for so long in their season opener, the Men’s Basketball 1st team managed to complete an incredible turnaround in the final quarter against Bangor University. Trailing by 20 points going into the last quarter, against an energetic but defensively solid Bangor side, Manchester looked to be dead and buried but a series of welltaken chances and vocal support t the Armitage Centre changed the game. In an exciting final 10 minutes, Manchester came alive and overturned that deficit to win by just 3 points in the final seconds.

Event: Ice-Hockey Varsity vs MMU

The inaugural Ice-Hockey Varsity in October was an event from which we honestly did not know what to expect. Manchester Metros delivered us a cracker, however. A lively crowd built a fantastic atmosphere, and were not disappointed as the sides on the ice brought us a thrilling blood-and-thunder varsity contest. Tickets were inexpensive, Altrincham ice-rink proved a great provider of venue (and alcohol), and the event was cheer-leaded enthusiastically throughout. This was a perfect example of how to run any varsity, yet alone an inaugural one.

Club Performance: Table Tennis Club

The University of Manchester’s Table Tennis club have had an incredible first semester, achieving a brilliant level of consistency that is unmatched by any other clubs in the Athletic Union. The Womens 1st and 2nd teams, along with the Mens 2nd team, finished top of their respective leagues, suffering a solitary defeat between them. All of this was achieved despite the loss of star player Li Hang; truly an incredible performance from a talented generation of Manchester table tennis players.

Business start-up competition Want to start your own business?

Here’s your chance to win £10,000 and make it a reality.

• Enhance your CV - enterprise and entrepreneurship skills • Advice, mentoring and support workshops • Produce a business plan and progress your idea It’s open to students, researchers and recent graduates from all subject areas at The University of Manchester – so get involved!

The closing date for entries is Friday, 22 March 2013.

“I would encourage anyone with a business idea to enter Venture Further. It’s a safe environment to test your ideas and builds a great foundation for the next steps.”

Matthias Schmid 2012 winner and co-founder of Kaffeination Ltd. – the creators of UPs caffeinated sweets.

Comedy Moment: Streakers at the Rugby Varsity

Elenis Papadopoulos broke a world record in November.

Photo: Coutesy of Elenis Papadopolous

The Rugby Varsity at the start of the semester descended into a somewhat sadistically amusing farce as countless streakers took it upon themselves to liven-up proceedings by invading the pitch in the second half. Not everyone was impressed; with club captain Freddie Drummond stating that the intervention ‘exasperated tensions in the game’.

However, it certainly provided some much needed entertainment to a match that had developed into a tedious, one sided-contest by the end.

Club Achievement: SKUM

Congratulations to SKUM, who managed to scoop the national award for University Club of the Year at the Snowsport England Club and Volunteer awards, which recognizes achievement in developing the grassroots foundations of snow sport. An impressive feat, and well deserving for the biggest club of the union, who manage to balance the needs of over 400 members

Team Achievement: Men’s Hockey 1st Team

There were many contenders for this accolade, with the table tennis, basketball, and volleyball teams all putting in exceptional performances in the first semester. All were unbeaten and contributed significantly to Manchester’s ranking in eighth place at the end of the semester. However, the men’s hockey team just about edged it. Playing in a competitive division including Newcastle and Durham, the Men’s 1st team have dominated, winning all of their matches and notching an incredible +25 goal difference. If the team continue to perform like this, the division title will be theirs by some distance.

Individual Achievement: Eleni Papadopoulos (Swimming)

Visit our website for more details – www.manchester.ac.uk/venturefurther /ManchesterEnterpriseCentre

Manchester Enterprise Centre

@MEC_UoM

While most people were complaining about the colder than usual November weather, Eleni Papadopolous was busy smashing word records with her incredible swimming talent. Swimming in the S10 disability category, Leni put in an incredible performance to complete the 200m butterfly in 2.37:52. Not content enough to relax after her achievement, Leni has set her sights high, aiming for a place in the Olympics in three years time. ‘I’m determined,’ she said, ‘after another few years of hard work, I’m definitely determined to get to Brazil for 2016.’ Leni has had an incredible year, and currently holds six British records.

Individual Performance: Carol Serban (Basketball) vs Bangor Original Thinking Applied

As the Men’s Basketball 1st team entered the final quarter of their season opener against Bangor University, they looked to be in need of a miracle to overcome a 20 point deficit.

Then up stepped Carol Serban. For 10 minutes he tore through the Bangor defence and almost single-handedly dug into their lead, delivering basket after basket in a pulsating and inspirational performance. He put away the final basket of the game and his 17th point of the final quarter to ensure Manchester came back from the brink to win 57-54. For the confidence he instilled and the dominance of that final quarter, Serban’s effort has to go

SPORT : 31

ISSUE 13/ 11th FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM/

Manchester left ‘gutted’ by cup defeat University of Manchester

59

University of Chester

69

Jessica Benson Manchester Men’s Basketball are ‘gutted’ having suffered their first cup loss of the season to Chester on Wednesday.

Neither the coaches nor the players denied that it was going to be a tough game prematch, but team talks revealed quiet confidence and steely determination from both sides.

Manchester’s coach claimed he was never nervous despite Chester having held them to their lowest point score when they last played, and Chester’s J. Howes said that although it was tough playing a team you’ve played so recently ‘we should take them’- and sadly, that’s exactly what happened.

The game was an intense one, with on and off pitch drama coming to a climax in the final quarter. Chester came out aggressively with some early fouls but equally two early scores, putting Manchester on their toes right away. They quickly stepped up their game; some hot rebound snatches from T.Marks and an impressive 7th point from S. Berbet.

Chester’s line up seemed less flexible, they were running the same players continuously, very hard- but they definitely made up for that in gel and flow. Star player N.Gillard, BBL player for Cheshire and my ‘one to watch’, put a spanner in the works for

Manchester too, scoring some beautiful 3-pointers where our boys were lacking.

A disappointing first quarter soon gave way to a faster, harder second one catapulting Manchester into the leadbut only just. Just as Chester equalized the tension mounted on the sideline with Chester’s coach and players contesting that B. Thomas had committed five fouls. Manchester seemed frustrated with the time wasting as Chester’s attitude got the better of them, arguing with the referee and the desk despite having no one doing stats to back them up. The end of the second quarter was swamped in controversy with an angry Chester and a tense 30- 31 lead against our boyslooking to smash both coaches’ predictions of neither team breaking the thirty boundary.

The first point in the third quarter was smashed in by another ‘one to watch’ C.Serban and Manchester managed to show their aggression and dominate the majority of the quarter. But fate had decided the game was to be a tense one, much to the dismay of the one-man desk, and there was rising frustration as technical difficulties with the score board brought the game to a halt several times.

Manchester take on MMU last season. Photo: Jonny Whiting The game intensified tenfold in the final quarter, every player trying his guts out, coaches sweating on the sideline. A whole new level of basketball entered the building.

Manchester team became increasingly frustrated with Chester’s smashing scores and fearless runs, though they put up a fierce defense and ran their hardest- the team just seemed lacking that tight communication that fuelled Chester’s fire power. After a

few outstanding three-pointers there was an un-sportsmanlike call made by the referee against Chester’s E. Raka for aggressively pushing a player in the chest. He then became violent and was asked to leave the building for the safety of others; the smashed drinks machine he left in his wake, much to the disgust of the other players, made this seem like an all round good decision. The drama off pitch only spurred the boys to run harder and

faster, and though Manchester kept fighting till the very last it wasn’t enough to claw back from their ten-point loss.

Manchester 59 to Chester 69.

After an intense game Chester’s N. Gillard said that he was ‘chuffed’ and Manchester had made them ‘play out of their skins to win’- it sure looked like it. J. Lake, Manchester’s number 5, admitted they were gutted; they could have played better but that Chester just ‘shot harder’. A sickening loss

to end their 9 game winning streak but Manchester don’t seem too despondent, ‘we want to be undefeated in the league’, Lake told me positively. They travel to Chester next weekend hot on the heels on the heels of this weeks loss so there will certainly be added pressure and extra tension when these rivals clash again- hopefully they can maintain that fourth quarter intensity and bring back their winning streak in style.

New season yet to bring new hope for Salford Super league campaign starts with heavy defeat to Wigan Warriors Lisa Murgatroyd Super League XVIII kicked off on Friday 1st February, and for this reporter this meant taking a trip to see the Cherry and Whites play at Salford City Stadium.

Anticipation was high, following talk from Salford City Reds’ millionaire new owner of turning the club into a Super League superpower and Wigan Warriors narrowly missing out on a place in last year’s Grand Final.

The bailout of Salford City Reds

by Dr Marwan Koukash was a welcome relief to fans following the failure to secure a loan from the local council. The club faced administration at the end of last season until the successful racehorse owner stepped in, with high hopes of bringing silverware home.

Salford were no match for Wigan, conceding no points with an eighty-try romp. A final score of 0-42 saw Man of Steel Sam Tomkins score a hat trick, and Ireland international Pat Richards put injury woes behind him to notch 14 points to his

personal tally.

The ground itself, located near Eccles, is shared between the League club and Union Sale Sharks. Salford City Stadium is certainly a step up from the old Willows ground, with a 12,000 capacity that can be extended to 20,000. This is likely to come in handy when hosting the Rugby League Wold Cup Scotland vs USA match in November this year. It’s not an easy one for fans to get to however, especially when you find that the accidentprone A57 has been closed when you try to leave, as happened on 1st February.

The away end, North Stand, has a capacity for 2,500, but Warriors fans quickly spilled out in to East Stand in comparison to a subdued Salford crowd. It was a quiet atmosphere, certainly missing the benefits of the large TV screen brought by Sky. With no fanfare of music or even announcements throughout the match, it was easier to find out what was happening on Twitter.

The novelty of being able to take alcohol on to the terraces was a nice change from the restrictions at football grounds, and it was nice to see prices weren’t extortionate.

Pint and a pie for £6? Bargain!

The one thing I couldn’t understand was the new kit for the officials – they wore a pink and blue chequered shirt that blended in with the players’ colours. Sort it out ref!

2013 looks set to be a good year for Rugby League, culminating in the World Cup. Tickets are up for sale already, and matches are being spread throughout England, Ireland, Wales and France, with the final being held at Old Trafford. Reigning champions New Zealand will play their first match vs Samoa at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington, with tickets starting as low as £5.

Salford City Stadium is home to both Salford City Reds and Sale Sharks

SPORT

4TH FEB 2012/ ISSUE 12 FREE : @Mancunion_Sport : /TheMancunion

MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

P31

Hockey: UoM 0-3 Durham

Manchester women storm table tennis leagues

WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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Relegation fears grow for sorry UoM

BUCS Mars Northern 2A 2012-2013 P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

Lo’borough 1st

8

5

2

1

9

17

Nottingham 1st*

8

4

2

2

4

13

Stirling 1st

10

3

4

3

5

13

Sheff Hallam 1st

8

3

3

2

-2

12

Northumbria 1st

8

2

2

4

-6

8

Manchester 1st

10

1

3

6

-10

6

*Nottingham deducted 1 point for failure to submit County FA affiliation on time.

RESULTS: Sunday 27th January Sheff. Hall 1st 1-2

Stirling 1st

Monday 28th January Northumbria 1st P-P Lo’borough 1st Sheff. Hall 1st 1-0 Manchester 1st Wednesday 30th January Manchester 1st 2-4 Nottingham 1st Northumbria 1st 3-3 Sheff. Hall 1st Stirling 1st 3-3 Lo’borough 1st FIXTURES: Sunday 3rd February hope going into the second Sheff. Hall 1st v

Manchester were soundly beaten by an in-form Nottingham side Photo: Cil Barnett-Neefs

University of Manchester

2

Hornby 36’, Osho 79’

University of Nottingham

4

Kelly 18’ (og), Sikuade 35’, Timotheo 56’, Plummer 84’

Tom Acey Sport Editor Manchester remain six points from safety after a comprehensive home defeat to second-placed Nottingham.

An own goal from Andre Kelly and a close-range finish from Hugo Sikuade put Nottingham ahead within 35 minutes, before Julian Hornby pounced on a defensive mixup to half the deficit before half-time.

A fine strike from Michael Timotheo was then cancelled

out by a goal from Manchester captain Anthony Osho, but Chris Plummer’s late, looping volley was enough to secure victory for the visitors.

Manchester were searching for a first win since early November, but they were made to pay for their lack of discipline by a confident and well-drilled Nottingham side.

The visitors were composed on the ball and largely dominated possession, while the hosts often resorted to long-ball tactics, and struggled to service front-man Calum

Botham in the testing windy conditions.

Manchester started with Botham as the focal point of a 4-2-3-1 formation, with James Gregory and Hornby providing pace and trickery on the flanks. It was Gregory who created the first real opportunity of the match, winding his way through a crowded penalty area before drawing a smart block from the Nottingham keeper.

But just two minutes later Nottingham took the lead and it was Gregory’s opposite number who did the damage.

Timotheo played a quick onetwo with his captain before delivering a wicked cross towards the near post, where a misunderstanding between ‘keeper Heltorp and centre half Kelly led to the latter

heading into his own net.

The home side’s woes continued soon after as another defensive error contributed to Nottingham’s second. Osho took a risk in attempting to shepherd the ball out of play and after stumbling under pressure the ball was squared for the Sikuade, who gratefully sidefooted home from all of ten yards.

It looked then as though the hosts would be up against it, but Nottingham were equally gracious in gifting their opponents a route back into the game. Another hopeful high ball caused confusion amongst the back line and this time it was Hornby who benefitted from some hapless miscommunication.

The goal gave Manchester

half, but Notts’ advantage was restored when a flowing move was finished off by the impressive Timotheo.

By this stage the game’s frenetic pace had slowed and with Nottingham’s two-goal cushion restored they began to stroke the ball around with ease.

The height of Osho, Botham and Mike McKintosh meant the home side posed a threat from set pieces, and the game looked set for an exciting finish when Osho fired home from a half-cleared corner.

But it was Nottingham who grabbed a late goal, with another superb delivery falling kindly for Plummer, his first-time volley beating a stranded Heltorp just six minutes from time.

Nottingham 1st

Wednesday 6th February Nottingham 1st v Northumbria 1st Sheff. Hall 1st v Lo’borough 1st

BUCS

league standings PTS 1

Loughborough University

2481

2

University of Bath

1835.5

3

Durham University

1671

4

University of Birmingham

1632.75

5

University of Exeter

1583

6

University of Nottingham

1480

7

Leeds Met Carniege

1450

8

University of Manchester

1425