WWW.MANCUNION.COM 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 / ISSUE 15 FREE
Hard left students accused of anti-Semitism Jenny Sterne Head News Editor
After the resignation of Alex Chalmers—the Co-Chair of the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC)—over the decision to endorse Israeli Apartheid Week, Ed Miliband has decided to pull out of a talk with the club. Miliband said he was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations of antiSemitism within the OULC. Miliband was a former member of OULC and was due to talk on the 4th of March 2016, but has decided to postpone the event until investigations into the allegations have been carried out. Mr Miliband’s office in a statement said: “It is right that the executive of the club has roundly condemned the comments and fully co-operates with the Labour Students’ investigation. “Ed and the Labour Club have agreed that his talk should be postponed until the investigation is resolved.” Universities minister, Jo Johnson tweeted that he was “concerned by reports of vile anti-
semitism on campus” and declared that Oxford University “needs to undertake urgent investigation.” According to The Telegraph, a senior source at OULC has alleged that the left-wing group, Momentum, are partly to blame for the rise in antisemitism at the university. David Cesar Haymann, former Co-Chair of the Labour club, said in a Facebook status: “I arrived at OULC in 2013, when there was a welcoming atmosphere, with execs focused on hosting good speakers and campaigning to bring about a Labour government. Since 2015, and particularly after the election, there has been a concerted effort from the Oxford hard left to take over the club. “Many of these people have little connection to the Labour Party or its values, and have brought with them the worst of Marxist tactics, approaching OULC with a ‘you’re either with us or against us’ attitude. The hard left has brought about a culture where vicious personal attacks are routine, and that has included revolting antiSemitic incidents, such as the ones reported on
by Jsoc [Jewish Society].” A source quoted by The Telegraph referenced hard left groups such as Momentum and said that “These people are associated with the hard left groups, they are Marxists and have taken over the club and promoted a vicious culture […] They advance a Marxist tradition, which is quite authoritarian and intolerant of any dissent.” A spokesman for Momentum has responded to these allegations and said: “Momentum opposes racism, anti-Semitism, and all forms of oppression. Allegations that Momentum is involved in anti-Semitism at Oxford University or anywhere else are baseless and we have received no claims about any individuals or groups associated with Momentum.” John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire, called for the party to sever ties with the club, stating that he has “written to the Labour party asking for an investigation as a matter of urgency. It is hugely embarrassing for the Labour party. This is something Jeremy Corbyn should personally look into.” Oxford University are yet to comment on
whether they have decided to investigate the claims themselves, but have said that all students are encouraged to report any harassment they suffer to university authorities. Labour students have launched their own investigation with which OULC have said that they will fully co-operate with. Over 30 former and current chairs and executive members of OULC and other supporters have signed a letter which condemns the decision by the club to endorse Israeli Apartheid Week. The letter says the week propagates a “one-sided narrative, seeking to dismantle the only majority-Jewish member state of the United Nations”. The letter also states that, “we are troubled by OULC’s decision and feel compelled to speak out. In a climate of rising antisemitism, we have a duty to oppose initiatives that foster an intolerant political culture which intimidates Jewish students.”
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Development research institute launched in Manchester William Brown News Editor Last Wednesday, the university launched the Global Development Institute (GDI), the largest research and teaching institute of its kind in Europe. The launch was chaired by Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester, Dame Nancy Rothwell, and the Co-Director of the institute Professor David Hulme. The event was attended by over 600 academics, students and members of the humanitarian sector from across the country. The keynote speech was delivered
Oxfam’s International Executive Director Winnie Byanyima gave a keynote speech on inequality and development to a packed lecture hall to officially launch the institute, the largest of its kind in Europe by Oxfam International’s Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, and focused on inequality and development. Before Ms. Byanyima’s talk the audience were pleasantly surprised by a video clip from famed economist and Nobel Prize Winner, Joseph Stiglitz. In his address, Stiglitz spoke of his respect for the GDI and his excitement
at its focus on the rising levels of global inequality, an issue he is well known for. He spoke of Manchester’s strong academic record and his voiced his admiration for the university’s ‘hallmark,’ its ‘multi-disciplinary approach’. Primarily, the GDI is a merge of two departments: the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM) and the Brooks World Poverty Institute. Both departments have been world leading in their own right. In terms of development, Manchester is already ranked 1st in terms of policy impact in the UK, while it claims an impressive 3rd in the QS Global rankings for the topic. In particular, the IDPM, which is over 60 years old, boasts a vast network of over 10,000 graduates working across the globe in over 100 countries. The institute will contain 45 academics and over 100 Ph.D. students. According to Professor Hulme, the formation
of the GDI seemed a necessary response to the increasing complexity of the international sphere due to globalisation. He told The Mancunion : “Today we are living in an ever more globalising world; with the launch of the institute we’re recognising the incredible inter-connectedness of all of humanity.” Beginning her speech, Winnie Byanyima, who is herself a graduate of Manchester University, gave a heartfelt account of her student years. A refugee from Idi Amin’s Uganda, Winnie had worked hard to get a place at the university studying aeronautical engineering. Much to the auditorium’s amusement, she confessed had had little time for her degree and had instead spent the majority of her student life discussing radical politics with friends or endlessly
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Features: Interview: Gulwali Passarlay
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Peter Tatchell accused of transphobia and racism
The NUS’s LGBT Officer has refused to attend an event where celebrated gay rights activist Peter Tatchell was speaking, raising questions about his conduct and ideology Merle Streck Senior Reporter Fran Cowling, the LGBT Officer for the National Union of Students, refused to attend an event alongside gay rights activist Peter Tatchell at Canterbury Christ Church University, after accusing Tatchell of being “transphobic” and “racist”. The event, entitled “Re-radicalising Queers”, was aimed at tackling discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people and organisers have expressed disappointment at Cowling’s absence at the talk. It was reported that Cowling sent an e-mail to the organisers prior to the event detailing her decision not to attend, referring to Tatchell’s signature in an open letter in The Observer against the common trend of “no-platforming” at UK universities as part of the “safe space” policy. According to Cowling, the letter incites hateful behaviour and violence against transgendered people.
Tatchell recently made headlines when his position on free speech was challenged after he openly supported a Christian bakery in Belfast that refused to decorate a cake with the gay rights slogan. Justifying his decision, Tatchell claims that a Muslim printer should not have to publish cartoons of Muhammad, or a Jewish printer publish books of a Holocaust denier, so why should Christian bakery be denied the right to refuse service to customers whose beliefs stand in direct contrast to the firm’s owners. In light of Tatchell’s history as a leading gay rights activist, news of his support of the Northern Irish bakery surprised some of his fans. In his life, he has been arrested over 300 times, cofounded Outrage!, an LGBT rights direct action group, attempted a citizen’s arrest of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe for his homophobic stance, and in 2007 he was among a group of protestors fighting for the right to hold a gay parade in Moscow, who were
harshly beaten by a group of Russian men. In response to Cowling’s accusations, Tatchell has stated publicly that he would be happy to debate with Cowling in order to challenge each other’s views in a professional manner. He has since expressed his discontent about Cowling’s decision, saying “Fran and the NUS have refused point blank to engage with me […] They have turned down debating me on Newsnight. It seems she is willing to make accusations that have no foundation and then is not prepared to defend her position.” Following the controversy surrounding the talk, he tweeted: “Fran Cowling made false allegations re my supposed racism & transphobia. Her supporters now try to make out she’s the victim. Shameless!” In a statement to The Mancunion, the University of Manchester Free Speech and Secular Society said: “Looking at past reporting on Peter Tatchell the accusations made against him by
Fran Cowling seem unlikely. He’s not transphobic, he simply stood up for the freedoms of people who’ve said transphobic things. “He’s also not racist; he’s simply challenged people from those countries where homosexuality still carries a jail sentence or the death penalty. However, that is not the relevant point here. The fact that this is now being proposed against a renowned progressive campaigner highlights the pitfalls of no-platforming. It quickly spreads to everyone who does not conform to a narrow set of ideals held by the censors.” In a statement to The Observer, the NUS commented that Tatchell has not been “no-platformed” by the union in general, adding that the decision has been left entirely up to Cowling regarding her plans for the event. Cowling has yet to issue an official statement about her failure to attend the talk.
Government criminalises boycotts of Israel
Music:
The controversial policy to outlaw boycotts of Israeli goods and services was implemented on the 15th of February—without parliamentary vote or debate
A quick Q&A with Kanye West
Paul Scott Senior Reporter
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Film: The #OscarsSoWhite controversy
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The UK government recently announced that boycotts in Britain of Israel will be outlawed as part of a move that prevents all publicly-funded institutions from spurning goods or services offered by firms with links to the arms trade, tobacco products or Jewish-only settlements in occupied areas. According to a government spokesperson, such boycotts “undermine good community relations, poison and polarise debate, weaken integration and fuel anti-Semitism.” The imposition of these measures will affect city councils, NHS trusts, public bodies and potentially students’ unions across the country currently involved in boycotts or the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement in solidarity with Palestine. The BDS movement is a means of protest against the perceived oppression of Palestinians and the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by the Israeli state, through campaigning for boycotts of Israeli goods, cutting trade ties with Israel as well as implementing sanctions against it. The
movement has garnered significant support across Britain, with many public institutions joining the cause. Last year the National Union of Students – which represents over 7 million people – voted in favour of boycotting Israel under the motion of ‘Justice for Palestine’ and in 2011, The University of Manchester Students’ Union was the first in the country to ratify a total boycott of Israel in protest against the military presence in Gaza and the West Bank. Outlining a list of demands, Manchester SU rallied behind the Palestinian cause and devoted itself to the BDS movement. However, that commitment could now be in jeopardy as the government step in to ban “divisive” boycotts in publically-funded bodies. Critics of the new plans see it less as a protectionary measure for community cohesion and public harmony, and more an attack on democracy, freedom and right to protest. A spokesperson for the University of Manchester Action Palestine Society said: “We were very saddened to hear of the news that the government will now be outlawing a legitimate form of peaceful protest, which we as British citizens have a right to. It seems illogi-
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cal to us how they can ban a boycott, which in its very essence is inaction. “This decision shows the government is using the power the public entrusted in them against the will of the people. If BDS was not something the public wanted, the government wouldn’t need to counter it. We believe it’s an attack on democracy and an attack on freedom of speech.” Conservative MP Matt Hancock has stated that the policy is in place to “help prevent damaging and counterproductive local foreign policies undermining our national security.” But a spokesperson for the University of Manchester Students’ Union questioned the logic of the decision, saying: “Students’ Unions are charities regulated by the Charities Commission, and so I find it very baffling how the government could push this law onto charities and in the case of unions, charities that don’t even receive any government funding. “The ability for organisations and members of the general public to decide where they spend their money is the cornerstone of a democratic society and [this move] would be deeply contradictory of a government which also says it believes in a free market. It
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is through free markets that consumer choice becomes important and it is a proven fact that boycotts and divestments are a way for ordinary people to take a stand as organisations and governments.” Echoing Manchester SU’s comments, the university’s Action Palestine society has promoted the role and significance of boycotting, stating: “BDS was a major player in dismantling South African apartheid and it is proving to cause damage to an oppressive regime once again. We as a society will continue to boycott Israeli goods legally by continuing to encourage consumers to take matters into their own hands and not buy Israeli goods. As far as institutions such as the SU are concerned, we will be playing it by ear and deciding how to move forward with the BDS campaign legally in the near future.” The future for boycotts within students’ unions remains unclear at this point but they could soon be under threat from a measure the government says will tackle anti-Semitism and improve “good community relations”, but critics are branding an “attack on democracy.”
The Mancunion is the official student newspaper of the University of Manchester., established in 1969 with a readership of around 20,000. It is printed weekly for 20 editions and is distributed across campus and the city. All writers are volunteers and new contributors are always welcome. You can get involved by turning up to a meeting, the times of which are listed on the Mancunion website’s Join page. We gladly accept contributors from outside the University of Manchester.
The Mancunion is part of the Manchester Media Group, along with Fuse FM and Fuse TV. This body encompasses all of the Union’s official media outlets, and organises training, outside speakers, and social events for Manchester students interested in student media. If you have any comments, questions, or complaints, or would like to contribute, please e-mail the Editor-in-chief or Deputy Editor-in-chief.
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ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Nigerian student faces deportation to death
Master’s student Luqman Onikosi faces deportation back to Nigeria where he will not receive critical Hepatitis B treatment Alexandra Bickell Reporter Luqman Onikosi, a Master’s student studying at the University of Sussex, suffers from Hepatitis B, a potentially fatal disease. He is currently facing deportation back to Nigeria, where he claims that they “do not have the medical infrastructure” to keep him alive. Onikosi first arrived in the UK in 2007 as an undergraduate; it was then that he was diagnosed with Hepatitis B, a condition that later killed two of his brothers in Nigeria, in 2011 and 2012. The illness is a chronic condition affecting the liver; according to the World Health Organisation, 240 million people are infected with the virus worldwide, 780,000 of whom die every year due to complications such as liver cancer and cirrhosis. The Home Office first tried to deport Luqman in 2012, but he fought the decision and was permitted to stay. A crowd funding effort then allowed him to return to the university to undertake a Master’s degree after working at the Nigerian High Commission in London. Now, he faces the issue for a second time. The Home Office states that they sent a letter to Onikosi informing him of his visa application rejection in May 2015, but the Nigerian student maintains that
he only received it a matter of weeks ago. The ‘Campaign to Stop the Deportation of Luqman Onikosi’ writes that Luqman is “now at risk of detention and deportation at any time” as a result. The stress of the situation has taken its toll on Luqman—he says that he is “struggling with physical and mental health” and is simply trying to get through the day and “stay sane” in the midst of the upheaval. Luckily for Onikosi, he has been “overwhelmed by support” in the UK—grassroots groups both in and out of the University of Sussex have joined forces to create the campaign #dontdeportluqman, as well as to pay his legal expenses, through the crowd funding website ‘Generosity’. Luqman has highlighted the similarity of his situation to several others on his official statement on ‘Novara Wire’, an online political media platform. This includes Ama Sumani, who was deported back to Ghana whilst receiving treatment for terminal cancer in Cardiff—she died three months later. Luqman argues that migrants have made significant economic and social contributions to the UK and so should not be dealt with in such a “dehumanising and humiliating” manner. The ideal outcome for the campaign in the eyes of Onikosi and his supporters is for him to be given leave to stay in the UK, in order to receive the medical treatment that he needs “to stay alive”.
Reclaim the Night returns Rebecca Noël Reporter On Thursday 25th February 2016, Reclaim the Night will once again take over the streets of Manchester, protesting against street harassment and sexual violence to women. It is a protest against injustice and preda tion and showing that the women and supportive men of Manchester will fight until they feel safe in their city. The sexual violence epidemic, as it is now being called, is being fought through a “neon parade” heading along Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road, to Manchester Students’ Union where a festival of female empowerment awaits. Women’s officer Jess Lishak has been one of the biggest driving forces in both the 2015 and 2016 Reclaim the Night events here in Manchester, and is striving to ensure that each year hits even harder than before. “We’re building a movement so that Reclaim the Night is not just about reclaiming one street on one night, but a force for
change and empowerment for as many people as possible.” So, what makes Reclaim the Night so important? In 2015, The Guardian reported that 1,802 cases of rape were dealt with by Greater Manchester Police and 30 incidents involved university students in the winter semester of 2014 alone, according to Manchester Evening News. In spite of this, only 15 per cent of rapes are thought to be reported worldwide and the conviction rate is a shocking 5.3 per cent. With facts and figures like these, it’s no wonder that 95 per cent of women don’t feel safe at night and 73 per cent have a genuine concern about being raped. A pre-march event in the Pankhurst Centre by Manchester Royal Infirmary at 5:30pm will be taking place as an opportunity for them to come together beforehand. In the same manner as previous years, an after party will be taking place in the Student’s Union to showcase women talent through live music, speakers, poets and DJs.
Students’ Unions criticised for censorship
Julie Bindel has spoken out against the dangers of censorship at universities, after the University of Manchester was ranked as one of the worst offenders Lucy Menage Reporter Student censorship has for some time been gaining media attention across the UK. The past few months have seen the likes of academic feminist Germaine Greer banned from one university and gay rights activist, Peter Tatchell criticised after making comments that some have considered offensive. Feminist activist Julie Bindel has spoken out in a video on The Guardian after huge amounts of people signed petitions on Change.org to prevent Roosh V and Donald Trump from entering the country. In the video, Bindel explains that simply banning people from speaking does nothing to change a problem, it just reduces awareness that people hold offensive opinions. Bindel points out that “political movements such as civils rights and feminism have made such pro-
gress because we were able to hold people accountable” and “banning people from publicly stating their views, does not make those views disappear. Banning Donald Trump from the UK won’t stop Americans voting for him”. Julie Bindel herself was no-platformed from several universities due to the accusation that she was “transphobic”, The University of Manchester’s Students’ Union being one of them. In fact, in the 2016 annual survey of campus attitudes to free speech made by Spiked, the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union has been branded as red in the traffic light rankings of student censorship. This ranking was awarded due to the Students’ Union banning Julie Bindel and Breitbart associate editor Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking at an event. In addition, a copy of the Charlie Hebdo magazine was banned at the student fair in 2015 and copies of The Sun were prevented from being sold in the Students’ Union in 2013.
Photo: callumcant @Generosity.com
HOPE Not Hate director allegedly ‘no-platformed’ by NUS campaign Jenny Sterne Head News Editor Allegations have come to light that Nick Lowles, director of HOPE Not Hate, has, according to a post on his Facebook page, been “no-platformed” by the NUS Black Students’ Campaign due to their belief that he holds “Islamophobic” views. “It seems that NUS black students are opposing a plan to invite me to speak on an anti-racist platform” he says. In the status he declared the decision “ultra-left lunacy”, mentioning the work HOPE Not Hate has done “challenging anti-Muslim hatred”. Lowles commented that it seems “some ultraleft activists believe [him to be] Islamophobic because [he has] repeatedly spoken out against grooming and dared to condemn Islamist extremism”. Telegraph columnist Dan Hodges has described it on Twitter as “peak lunacy“. Hope not Hate, founded in 2004 after the BNP started to win substantial votes and local councillors, seeks to “challenge and defeat the politics of hate and extremism within local communities”, and Lowles was due to speak on an anti-racism platform. In Lowles’ Twitter bio he describes himself as “anti-fascist with HOPE not hate” and a “staunch supporter of the Kurdish fight against ISIS”. In a statement, Lowles said it was proposed he speak at the upcoming NUS’ anti-racism conference, however a few leading figures have fought against this alleging he was an “Islamophobe”.
“This charge is obviously quite ridiculous. I am an independent member of the Government’s Anti-Muslim hatred Working Group and over the last few years HOPE not hate, as an organisation, has worked closely with Muslim communities throughout Britain to defeat the politics of hate. Only last December, I co-authored the most comprehensive report into organised anti-Muslim hatred. “My crime, it seems, has been to repeatedly call on the anti-racist movement to do more to condemn on-street grooming by gangs and campaigning against Islamist extremist groups in the UK and abroad. “I make no apology for either position. We need to be consistent in our opposition to extremism – from whatever quarter it comes – just as we need to be more vocal in our condemnation of child sex grooming. “The situation is almost amusing in its absurdity, but I want to stress that my beef is with a small group of ultra-leftists within the NUS, not NUS itself, who were, I’m led to believe, unaware of all this.” Megan Dunn, President of the NUS, explained that she had unsuccessfully tried to let the organisation know they were still welcome at the NUS. “Hope Not Hate is not on NUS’ no platform list. I would happily share a platform with anyone from Hope Not Hate tomorrow. “Representatives from Hope Not Hate, including Nick Lowles, have and continue to be invited to NUS events. I have tried to clarify this issue with Mr Lowles but have been unable to contact him.”
The highest number of bans goes to Aberystwyth University who have censored freedom of speech five times in 2013. Since being posted on the 10th February 2016, Bindel’s video has gone viral with her view that opinions should be voiced as long as the words do not incite a crime: “let us hear the arguments put forward of those with which we disagree, so that we can expand our knowledge and show rational resistance”. In UK law, article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects the right to freedom of speech and prohibits censorship from the government and public bodies, including universities. This is true unless the speech needs to be stopped in the interest of protecting public safety, morals, the reputation of others, information given in confidence and to prevent the incitement of violence or crime. Photo: @bindelj @Twitter
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ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Oxford Labour Co-Chair quits over factional splits
Alex Chalmers, Co-Chair of OULC, resigned after a decision was made to endorse Israeli Apartheid Week, an annual series of university lectures against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Jenny Sterne Head News Editor Alex Chalmers announced over Facebook his decision to resign as Co-Chair of Oxford University Labour Club (OULC), in response to OULC’s decision to endorse Israel Apartheid Week. In his lengthy Facebook post Chalmers stated that it was “with the greatest regret that I have decided to resign as Co-Chair of the Oxford University Labour Club.” Chalmers explained that he “originally ran for the position of CoChair back in Trinity, after [Labour’s] crushing defeat at the general election, because [he] was increasingly worried about the state of OULC.” He added that the “club [he] had invested an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and emotion in during my first two terms at Oxford, which had given [him] a network of close friends, was becoming increasingly riven by factional splits, and despite its avowed commitment to liberation, the attitudes of certain members of the club towards certain disadvantaged groups was becoming poisonous.” Chalmers referenced incidents where executive members had thrown around the term ‘Zio’—a derogatory term for Jews—and senior members of the club had expressed their ‘solidarity’ with Hamas with one former Co-Chair, according to Chalmers, claiming that “most accusations of antisemitism are just the Zionists crying wolf.” He continued his post by declaring his belief that a “large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford more generally have some kind of problem with Jews. The decision of the club to endorse a movement with a history of targeting and harassing Jewish students and inviting anti-Semitic speakers to campuses, despite the concerns of Jewish students, illustrates how uneven and insincere much of the active membership is when it comes to liberation.” Chalmers said he had hoped during his tenure as Co-Chair to “move the club away from some of its more intolerant tendencies” but believes that he is “now in a position where [he] can no longer in good conscience defend club policy”. The post ended with Chalmers wishing Noni Csogor, the remaining Co-Chair, “the very best for the rest of term” and stated he fully respected “her decision to continue, even if it is not one I can take myself”. Csogor has now responded to Chalmers decision through a blog
Photo: Facebook Alex Chalmers
post on Medium in which she expressed being “deeply upset by Alex’s decision to resign, but it’s one I respect; his commitment to his principles is honestly admirable, and he is—and will remain—one of my close friends.” Despite this she believed that the debate during which the decision to endorse the Israel Apartheid week was “healthy”, “passionate” and of a “civil nature”. The result of the debate came back 18-16 in favour. Csogor stated she was “glad we as a club can be a place for this kind of democratic debate” and added that they “did not vote on a blanket position on the Israel-Palestine conflict; we voted to support Oxford’s Israeli Apartheid Week”. Csogor highlighted that the “motion notes, OULC and the Labour Party have always been against racism and oppression in all its forms; this must include the policies of the current Israeli government.” Chalmers is right, according to Csogor, “to highlight growing antiSemitic violence in the UK as a major issue; it’s also horrifying that
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Photos (including front page): University of Manchester
Jewish students feel unsafe on campuses. It’s unsurprising, given incidents like that at KCL Israel Society a few weeks ago, and I’m sure OULC members would join me in condemning the silencing of Jewish students, who often have uniquely nuanced perspectives on the Israeli state.” While Csogor made it clear that “Jewish students spoke on both sides of the debate this evening”, she assured everyone “we take allegations of anti-Semitism in the club very seriously” and said they would be discussing “how to deal with the kinds of statements Alex mentions, and what concrete steps we can take in future to preserve a club that’s been a safe haven for Jewish students in the past.” Csogor concluded her statement that while she understands Chalmers’ position, she looks forward to “contributing to an ongoing discussion about the complex intersection of justice for Palestine and the safety of Jewish students.” Mo Ahmed, co-chair of Manchester Labour Students and a friend of Chalmers, has told The Mancunion that he was “very sorry to hear that Alex has resigned. He is a friend, and I know he has been trying to do the best job he can. It’s a real loss for the Labour Party.” Since Chalmer’s resignation more allegations of anti-Semitism have come to light according to the Oxford University Jewish Society (OUJS). The society claim to have been approached by OULC members who have reported incidents including, members stating that all Jews should be expected to publicly denounce Zionism and the state of Israel, and that we should not associate with any Jew who fails to do so. Another member of OULC was apparently formally disciplined by their College for organising a group of students to harass a Jewish student and to shout ‘filthy Zionist’ whenever they saw her. OUJS explicitly reference the influx of the radical student left in recent weeks and months to OULC as playing a part in this rise in antisemitic behaviour. On their Facebook page Labour Students have released a statement, stating that they “were deeply troubled to hear reports of antisemitism at one of our most prominent Labour Clubs”. They claim to “unequivocally condemn any form of anti-semitism” and that they “are taking these allegations very seriously and will do whatever is necessary to ensure every Labour Club is a safe space for Jewish Students”.
leafing through varied tomes in the Africa section of the John Rylands Library. The bulk of Winnie’s speech was spent discussing her ideas for a more ‘human economy.’ This was connected to a recent report published by Oxfam detailing how currently the world’s top 62 billionaires hold more wealth than the bottom 50 per cent of the global population. Winnie pointed to the rising inequality of incomes in economically advanced economies and the appalling work conditions seen in many developing countries as both being directly linked to a global acceptance of ‘market fundamentalism’ or ‘neo-liberalism.’ Winnie argued the ideology had to be challenged on all fronts, including and perhaps most essentially at universities. “The global economy works for the few rather than for the many… almost a billion people go to be hungry every night…this makes no moral or economic sense.” ‘There is no global success story’ – exclaimed Winne. There is a “wildfire of inequality is spreading across the world.” Winnie took time to discuss how gendered global income inequality was. Out of the top 62 billionaires dominating the economy, one is a woman. Winne contrasted this to the overwhelming dominance of women in the poorer paying sectors of the global econo-
my, pointing to the textile industry in Myanmar, where women make up the vast majority of workers. “We need to create a human economy. An economy that works for the people, not people working for the economy…think how many scientists or doctors are pounding maize as we speak!” Winnie roused a huge cheer when she argued that everyone should step forward to protect public services from increasing privatisation: “sometimes I want to jump out of my office and join the junior doctors fighting to protect the National Health Service.” “We [Oxfam] are not anti-business. We are against businesses that put profit against anything else” Winnie also pointed to how around the world poor countries are losing an estimated $170 billion – more than the total money they received in aid – due to global tax avoidance and evasion schemes. Towards the end of the talk, David Hulme interjected emphasising how more needed to be down about inequality: “after your first billion, does it really add more to your life to have another billion? Share it out a bit!”
A full interview with Professor David Hulme is available online at www.mancunion.com
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ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Refugees & The Homeless: Real Stories Harriett Gaynor Reporter A ‘Refugees and the Homeless - Real Life Stories’ event was organised by the student-run Manchester Global Health Society, who aim to educate students and the public on the importance of health care and public health through the use of workshops, events, and blogs. The society believes that the solution to many global health issues must be sustainable in order to provide the most effective help, and that we should adopt a ‘think globally, but act locally’ attitude when tackling such issues. As a society they have already received a number of prestigious awards, such as Best New Society and an award for services to health and wellbeing at the International Festival for Public Health. Both the refugee crisis and homelessness issues, such as the newly-constructed camps in Manchester city centre by homeless protesters, have received immense coverage in the media recently. The sold out event consisted of talks from two guest speakers, Gulwali Passarlay and Haider Khokhar, and a ‘People’s Panel’ discussion. The People’s Panel consisted of Victoria Fowler, a dental student at the university who recently undertook voluntary work at the refugee camp in Calais; Ryan Khurana, a soup kitchen facilitator and president of a student-led homeless charity, Saint Vincent de Paul Society; Josh Strange, a third year medical student involved in Ancoats Urban Village Health Outreach Project; and Dr Pip Fisher, a GP with an interest in the homeless, refugees, and the marginalised. The event began with Gulwali Passarlay, an author of The Lightless Sky, TEDx speaker, and student at The University of Manchester. At the age of twelve, he embarked on a year long journey from
his war-torn home in Afghanistan to Britain. It took five years for him to be granted refugee status and a further five years to be granted citizenship. Gulwali recently returned to the refugee camp in Calais, which has now been branded by the media as ‘a jungle’. He described the situation as inhumane, and spoke of his frustration that situations reflective of his own experiences are still very much apparent in the 21st century. He ended his talk with a simple but powerful question: “What will you do if your homes become war zones?” Gulwali’s heartfelt story highlighted the true extent of the crisis. When asked what more could be done to help refugees, Gulwali explained the importance of engaging with society and showing
Gulwali with his brother Noor (left), his uncle and cousins, 2002. Photo: Gulwali
compassion. He spoke of welcoming refugees with both respect and dignity and providing more opportunities, such as scholarships for universities to allow refugees to achieve their aspirations. Haider Khokhar, a University of Manchester graduate and social entrepreneur, focused his talk on homelessness. In February
2013 Haider decided to use the money he won in a competition to help kick start a window cleaning company for a homeless man known as Glaswegian George. Anonymous donations and support from local businesses allowed George to develop skills and gain an income. However, the story took a dramatic turn when George was evicted from a property and was found to be using illegal substances. Haider explained how at first he believed that the solution to this problem was money, however he now believes that sustainability, patience, and persistence play a more fundamental role in tackling the issue of homelessness. When asked what advice could be given to students that wished to get involved with helping both refugees and the homeless, the People’s Panel pointed to a variety of charities and organisations that specialise in this field. Such organisations included the St Vincent de Paul Society, Barnabus, Cornerstones, Refugee Action Manchester, Manchester Central Food Bank, and the Students’ Union Outreach project. The group also encouraged people to speak to homeless individuals, as this may often be the only conversation they have had that day. The People’s Panel pointed out that a lot of work has been and is currently being done to help both refugees and the homeless. This includes providing the homeless with food packages and rough sleeper information packs that highlight places offering help and emergency accommodation. Voluntary work and donations at the refugee camps in Calais have helped to provide emergency health care and shelter. If you are keen to become a part of the Manchester Global Health Society, or would like more information on global health issues, please visit their website at mcrglobalhealth.com or alternatively you can follow them on Twitter @GlobalHealthMCR. To read more turn to The Mancunion’s exclusive interview with Gulwali Passarlay on pages 8-9
Campaign launched to A life lecture from British “super-surgeon” Dr. David Nott help homeless women David Nott, an NHS consultant surgeon and voluntary humanitarian aid worker, delivered a life lecture to the Manchester medical faculty this week
on their periods
Rossy Natale Reporter This week, Manchester alumni Dr. David Nott gave a lecture to medical students and the medical faculty describing his work and the importance of humanitarian aid for BBC One’s The One Show. Dr. Nott alternates his time between his work as an NHS consultant surgeon in London and travelling to war torn and disaster struck countries to provide humanitarian medical aid. After entering a career as an NHS surgeon, Nott travelled to Bosnia during the civil war in 1993. Working in a hospital so full of bullet holes, it had been dubbed the “swiss cheese hospital”, Nott launched his second career as a humanitarian worker. Since this initial trip, Nott has travelled to dozens of areas including Haiti, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Congo, and most recently, Syria, working with the Red Cross, Syrian Aid, and Médecins Sans Frontières; this is all done on unpaid leaves of absences of up to six weeks from his surgical consultant position in London. Nott detailed some of his most memorable experiences, and some of the decisions he has faced while working. Presenting the audience with pictures and videos of war torn countries and wounded civilians, it is easy to see where Nott gets his drive to help others: “The spark is still there,” he tells the audience. “It was eye opening and moving,” one Manchester student tells The Mancunion: “If you haven’t heard of him you really should look him up and see the work that he and others have done to help those affected in war zones.” Working in less than ideal conditions with limited supplies, Nott has not only saved thousands of lives, but he has established a course to train surgeons in trauma surgery. However, this British doctor feels that humanitarian medical aid is becoming less and less possible. Speaking from experience, he explains how hard it is to come back from these trips. Nott admits to the audience that he has suffered from PTSD, and explains the constant danger he faces when working in these areas, as humanitarian workers are common targets of attacks. The areas where most humanitarian doctors are needed are so dangerous that most organisations have withdrawn their help. The threats on humanitarian workers are so real, he explains, that he sends messages to another doctor, a friend of his who is stationed in Aleppo, every day to check that he is still alive. Humanitarian corridors, Nott argues, need to be established to protect those who want to help. Since his return
Photo: The Mancunion
Merle Streck Senior Reporter
Photo: University of Manchester
from Syria in 2013, he has campaigned to British ministers, but has been largely ignored. “The Geneva Conventions are being completely ignored,” Nott argues. Most of the patients David Nott treats are innocent civilians, many under the age of 18. He does this all while risking his own life. Amidst the ongoing protests regarding the government’s imposition of new contracts on junior doctors, Nott is calling for a different kind of medical protest from Britain’s current and aspiring doctors: “You shouldn’t have to worry that by putting one foot out to help someone, you might get kidnapped or killed.” He urges British medical students, the next generation of humanitarians, to join him. “You have to speak out,” Nott tells the audience, “If you believe something is wrong, you have to speak out about it.” True to his words, Nott is a outspoken about humanitarian aid and has also founded the David Nott Foundation which provides surgical training for surgeons working in natural disaster areas. David Nott’s lecture is part of the life lecture segment on BBC One’s The One Show.
Student Action, a volunteering branch within the Students’ Union at the University of Manchester, is launching Time of the Month (TOTM), a campaign to distribute sanitary products, such as tampons, underwear, sanitary pads and baby wipes to women facing homelessness in Manchester. The campaign is set to launch on 25th February 2016—the same day of the student-led “Reclaim the Night” march which aims to tackle violence against women and advocates a safer environment for female students. After the march, the TOTM campaign will seek to raise awareness and donations for the project by asking for sanitary products as entrance fees. In her statement to The Mancunion, Vice-Chair of Student Action and the coordinator of the campaign, Jodie Louise Connor, said that her idea of setting up the TOTM in Manchester was inspired by a similar campaign entitled #TheHomelessPeriod, in which three interns working at Bartle Bogle Hegarty—an advertisement company in London—sought to draw public attention to the issue of homeless women and their menstruation cycles, a topic that has not been widely discussed. The campaign influenced students to set up their own sanitary collections to be set up across universities. “It was really great,” Connor says, “we had loads of things donated but then it hit me that all of those things would have ran out soon after that. “We all hate getting our period and most of us like to speak as little as possible about them, but we need to realise the grim reality of how bad they must be for
the women who don’t have the means of dealing with them the way we do.” Although, as announced in the Autumn Statement, tampon tax will be used to fund women’s shelters across the country. The problem of sanitation for women, particularly for rough sleepers, remains to be addressed. This is why Student Action, Connor and a group of student volunteers have put it upon themselves to help raise awareness. Talking about the origins of the project, Connor tells The Mancunion: “the amount of people that have said to me “you know, I never thought of that, I never even thought about what homeless women would do on their period!” And that’s exactly it. I didn’t realise until #TheHomelessPeriod launched and it’s such an important thing to be aware of.” “We had the idea to launch it with Reclaim [the Night] because it just seemed like the perfect timing,” says Connor. “In February, everyone is all fired up with feminism which is really great and I think that works to our advantage massively, given the nature of the campaign.” After the Reclaim the Night march, the co-ordinators of TOTM and a group of volunteers will be selling handmade tampon badges at the launch, with the profits being sent to Emmeline’s Pantry Parlour, a food and clothes bank for women who have suffered domestic violence based in Manchester. The co-ordinators have formulated plans to arrange donation collection points all around campus in the last week of every month, with two permanent collection bins all year round. If you want to get involved or find out more information on the “Time of the Month” campaign, please visit their Facebook page: Time of the Month Manchester.
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ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
CRISPR – the controversial, yet revolutionary gene-editing tool
The use of a powerful new gene-editing technique, known as CRISPR, has sparked much debate in recent news headlines. But what exactly is CRISPR, how is CRISPR being used, and should we be worried about the imminent prospect of so-called “designer babies”? Senior Science Reporter, Tori Blakeman, met with Zoology professor, Matthew Cobb, to discuss the applications and concerns surrounding this revolutionary genetic technology.
Photo: Matthew Cobb
Every cell in your body contains DNA - your biological template that determines who you are. Ever since the fundamental role of DNA was realised, scientists have dreamed of easily and precisely editing our genome. Researchers have employed numerous genomemanipulating techniques in the past; however most have proved imperfect, labour-intensive, and expensive. This is where the new genome editing technology, Clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR, comes in. CRISPR has taken the world of medical and biological research by storm, as this new power allows scientists to edit the genome in an incredibly quick and precise fashion. What’s more is that CRISPR has been shown to work in any organism, unleashing enormous potential for the technique. The ease and accuracy of CRISPR will revolutionise genetic engineering, vastly increasing the pace of scientific research. Dominating recent news headlines, CRISPR brings immense excitement, but also extreme concern. There is now speculation of when the first “CRISPR baby” will be born - a baby that will have started out as the first human embryo to have had a faulty gene edited. Using such a technique on the embryo will ensure the child, and its offspring, never carry the gene for the disease it causes. Scientists of many disciplines, from all over the world, have rapidly adopted the use of CRISPR. Current discussions are debating the use of CRISPR in a genetic mechanism called a gene drive. This involves the use of CRISPR to genetically edit pest organisms, such as weeds or malaria-carrying mosquitos, to have a lethal gene. The gene drive will then spread the lethal gene throughout the population. Despite the prospect of revolutionising agriculture and endemic diseases, many worry of the long-term effects of such gene editing on ecological systems. After his recent BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Editing Life, I spoke to Matthew Cobb, professor of Zoology here at The University of Manchester, to discuss the profound impact, and challenges, of this revolutionary gene-editing tool. I met with Professor Cobb on a dull Tuesday afternoon, for what I thought would be a quick chat. Conversing in his office for over an hour, amongst an array of scientific literature and toy dinosaurs, it became evident just how broad the applications of CRISPR are. Before exploring these applications, I first wanted to understand exactly what CRISPR is, and specifically why there has been so much excitement surrounding it. “This [CRISPR] is a naturally occurring system in bacteria, which bacteria have been using for billions of years. It means that they [bacteria] can keep a genetic record of viruses that have infected them, and when those viruses come again, they [bacteria] can mobilise enzymes, called Cas9, to come and snip up the virus. “CRISPR is a description of what they [the researchers] found in the genome - they found these bits of DNA, which were repeated over and over again, in different clusters, with bits in between them. “The excitement began around five to six years ago, when people realised that the enzymes that chop up the viral DNA, were guided there by the bits of DNA in the clusters – they [the Cas9 enzymes] knew where to go. It was then realized that they could give
it [the Cas9 enzyme] a different DNA target. So the enzymes, metaphorically, act as a pair of scissors, and know where to go. You can give it [the Cas9 enzyme] a sequence of DNA you want it to recognise, give it a guide, and you can then put this in any kind of cell.” It became evident that the precision of CRISPR was something making it truly extraordinary compared to other techniques: “It [the CRISPR technique] is extremely well targeted, can be used in any kind of cell and organism, is extremely precise, and it can snip out or insert something. It then uses the cells naturally occurring machinery for sticking the sequence back together again. These combinations made people think that this [CRISPR] can be used in all sorts of ways. “Old techniques are much more cumbersome and slow – CRISPR can be done in a matter of weeks.” As with many biological techniques, there were originally concerns over potential “off-target effects” of CRISPR – worries that the Cas9 enzyme may act in unexpected places: “The Cas9 enzyme is being bioengineered, can be fiddled around with to make it do whatever we want. It has been engineered already to be more effective. In a recent article in Nature, it was said that there were no off-target effects at all. This was thought to be a big obstacle towards the safe application of CRISPR, however this has now been removed.”
Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9): - Enzymes such as Cas9 act to increase the rate of chemical reactions; - The Cas9 enzyme acts as a pair of scissors, cutting up foreign or unwanted DNA; - Cas9 is useful in gene editing as it can be told where to go, therefore it can cut out the exact bit of DNA you want to remove. With CRISPR, the genetic code has never been so easy to rewrite. The recent approval of using CRISPR on a human embryo by the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA) has sparked much debate. A team of scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, lead by Kathy Niakan, is utilising the technique to assess questions surrounding fertility. The use of such a technique in human cells seems to not worry Professor Cobb: “We’ve been allowed to work on them [human embryos] for years. You can only work on them for 2 weeks, and then you have to dispose of them - and you are not allowed to implant them. At the Crick they are working to understand what happens in the early stages of development of the embryo, and when it goes wrong. “ “This is the first time CRISPR has been used in the UK on a human embryo, however this already happened in China back in April, and it worked. To be honest, it would be more amazing if CRISPR didn’t work in something.” I was keen to ask Professor Cobb his opinions on the potential of CRISPR advancing the reality of designer babies: “The things that we’re worried about,
could have had whatever colour. “The assumption is that someone will make a CRISPR baby somewhere in the world. I’m not worried about it, as it won’t change humanity. It won’t change our relationship with ourselves any more than the soft eugenics we do at the moment - in the form of genetic counselling.” “These are ethical issues that we’ve been discussing for twenty to thirty years. The only issue now is that we can do them really easily. So this changes the sharpness of the discussion, but it doesn’t alter the fundamental questions that are being debated, I don’t think.” Despite the vast media coverage on CRISPR use in humans, there are several other promising applications of the new gene-editing technology that could revolutionise many aspects of scientific research. As a Professor of Zoology, Professor Cobb seemed extremely excited about the prospect of CRISPR use in ecology: “We want to improve our crops. At the moment we have two ways of doing it: selection, and GM (genetically modified) crops – introducing foreign genes from a different organism. And this (GM) has caused a huge row. Now the crop development people are using CRISPR. Those crops (CRISPR crops) will not be GM crops, not in the terms of Europe, as they will have no foreign DNA in them. So, although you need to use the Cas9 to put it in, which is from bacteria so obviously foreign, there are ways of removing this. You achieve your change, then you remove the Cas9, and in fact you now have a pure crop with just a couple of changes. So CRISPR crops will not be GM. This is going to be a much more precise way of getting the desired change without any foreign DNA.” And what exactly does Professor Cobb find most exciting about CRISPR? “Oh I don’t know – anything! I can’t predict. I think it’s going to transform in biology. We will really be able to move away from model organisms, which aren’t really models of anything. There are many of fantastic organisms out there that have great ecology, and amazing behaviours, and we’ll be able to understand that using this system (CRISPR), as we’ll be able to go in and disrupt the genes and see what happens. CRISPR seems to work in anything. So I think it will broaden our understanding of life, and help us work out why it is the way it is.” Professor Cobb moved on to explain the potential of CRISPR in enhancing xenotransplantation – a process involving the transplant of organs, or live cells, from a non-human animal source, into a human recipient: “If you can’t get a kidney, the best way is to use a pig, as they are very similar to us in the structure of their kidney - although this can give very bad reactions. CRISPR is being used on pigs, and they’re being altered so that, maybe, you can put them in people.” CRISPR is being used in many areas of research, but the powerful potential, and ease and pace at which scientists can use the technique raises some questions. I asked Professor Cobb what he finds most concerning about CRISPR: “Now the problems come with the applications of CRISPR – the most obvious one being there’s the possibility of curing genetic diseases. “Firstly, is it safe? - For example the precision of the enzyme finding its target. If something goes wrong in
CRISPR could help cure genetic disorders, such as: Muscular dystrophy - A genetic muscle-wasting condition, often inherited from a person’s parents; - It is progressive, meaning it gets worse over time; - People with severe muscular dystrophies can die as early as their late teens to early twenties. Huntington’s disease - A disorder in which gene mutations damage nerve cells in the brain, eventually leading to mental decline; - The disease affects muscle coordination, causing involuntary movement in the limbs; - A child of someone with Huntington’s typically has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the disease. like genetic diseases such as Muscular Dystrophy and Huntington’s Disease, are resolvable - creating a master race is not. You can’t just snip out some DNA and all of a sudden we’re going to have a master race, it doesn’t work that way. You could have blue eyes, but I don’t think that’s going to destroy society. Its just going to mean someone has wasted a lot of money on having their child born with blue eyes when they
say a fly, its no problem you just start again. However this is different if this is in a human. “The thing I’m most concerned about, which is the real need for regulation, is gene drives. What this gene drive does, is that it copies itself [the gene] onto the other chromosome, so you have it in both chromosomes. So very, very quickly the gene will swamp the population.
“Using flies it has been calculated that in twelve generations, everyone would have the same characteristics. This is the ‘genetic bomb’ that people are worrying about.” Professor Cobb seemed much more concerned about the risk of CRISPR in ecology, than in medicine: “Well on the medical side, what’s the worst that could happen? Someone could die. I don’t think that the medical ethics are posing us with anything new. The problem about whether you should or shouldn’t change the human genome or not, has massive con-
Genetic counselling: - Advice is given to prospective parents whose child may have inherited a genetic disorder; - Embryos are selected on the basis of them not containing the gene for the disease. sequences on future generations. “I think the medical issues are primarily about safety. There is an ethical issue of germline modification, however if you could remove disorders such as Huntington’s Disease, I cannot see why it wouldn’t work. As that [the Huntington’s Disease gene] is not a gene useful to us - it is a mistake that causes tragic consequences. And as far as we can see, removing this gene would have no consequences at all, other than that it would save a life. Anything about improvement, however, that is different.” The vast applications of CRISPR in controlling the genome have brought the technology under intense ethical scrutiny. Questions are now being raised over who exactly should decide how CRISPR can be used, and how it should be regulated: “Now this is the real issue. There is an argument, suggested by many bioethicists, that this can only be decided at an international level. “I think the reality will prove to be a mixture of local initiatives, in the UK or Europe perhaps, to say this should or shouldn’t happen, or stating procedures for controlling what’s happening, and for checking.” After discussing the ethical implications of the technology, Professor Cobb informed me of another debate surrounding CRISPR: “There is also an associated war about credit. So who actually did the work? The head of the Broad Institute, Eric Lander, wrote a big article in Cell called ‘The heroes of CRISPR’, and, if you’ve ever read 1984, you’ll know one of the phrases in there, ‘he who controls the past, controls the future’, and that’s exactly what he did. So he wrote an aversion of history that’s entirely slanted towards his institution. “So there’s a huge row going on. There’s money and a Nobel Prize involved. However, if the Nobel committee decides there were too many people involved, they won’t award it to anyone. “Everyone is very concerned about the patents, as that is vast amounts of money. CRISPR application anywhere in the world would then have to pay money.” In his BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Professor Cobb discussed current research projects using CRISPR, so I enquired as to whether anyone here at The University of Manchester was utilising the technique: “There is a range of all sorts of interesting things. There are people looking at mucus in frogs, somebody else looking at making new mutants in flies to look at insecticide resistance – basic biology and medicine is going to be transformed as we can manipulate genes in a very precise way. “Andrew Doige is looking at early onset Alzheimer’s. He’s trying to make the right model to try and understand how that works. Other people are using it in synthetic biology. At the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, they’re getting it to make E.Coli to make new products. “Sue Kimber is looking at kidney disease, mutating cells to make them like cells with diseases. Making very precise changes to mirror changes seen in diseased people.” CRISPR is improving the pace and changing the breadth of scientific discovery, here at The University of Manchester, and around the world. If you would like to find out more about CRISPR, Matthew Cobb’s BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Editing Life, is available on BBC iPlayer Radio. Alternatively, you can follow Professor Cobb on Twitter: @MatthewCobb
Global 7
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
In theThenews this week... important and interesting stories from the wider world this week. Stories by: Charlie Spargo, Isaac Atwal, Joe Evans, Paul Scott, Rossy Natale
Life off the clock UK Two pensioners from Cumbria have decided to live on European time, one hour ahead of GMT, after returning from a holiday. Jim and Barbara Casey have said that the change of lifestyle has allowed them to avoid traffic, get the best tables at restaurants, and always make appointments by avoiding crowds. Mr Casey has stated that he has made the decision because he hates being told how to live. He said ““I don’t like being told to do things by government - they robbed us of an hour of daylight without asking us.”
Ride of a lifetime USA Phillip Frank Panzica caused a stir when he was caught having sex while riding a 550ft Ferris wheel in Las Vegas. Now the story has taken an even more unusual turn as it has been revealed that he was due to get married later that day but instead was taking a wild ride with Chloe Scordianos . Other riders say that they saw him “stripping off and romping naked on the floor” with Scordianos during the 30 minute ride. Despite being told to stop via the rides intercom system the couple ignored warnings and continued to indulge in one another throughout the ride. They were arrested when they eventually “got off”.
Brothel opens doors for children’s fund raiser
New Zealand A New Zealand brothel is dividing opinion due to its plans to hold an open day raising funds for hungry children. Shh… Adult Fun Spot is inviting guests for a tour of the legal brothel, a question and answer session with the venues working girls, and light refreshments all, of course, in exchange for donations. The event is being organised in order to raise funds for local charity Kai Kitchen, which provides needy children in the area with healthy lunches. Despite this the planned charitable contribution has provoked debate on social media due to the combination of sex work and vulnerable children. Family First New Zealand, a conservative Christian lobby group, has expressed distate for the event however charity founder Rochelle Steer has stated “doesn’t care where the money comes from.” Steer herself has confessed having had prejudices about the sex industry, but has said that having met the brothel’s girls and helping paint the parlour she has had a change of heart. Nicky Hughes, the brothel’s owner, is a member of the committee at Kai Kitchen and said, “I know the finances of Kai Kitchen because I am a committee member. Those kids shouldn’t miss out because some adults have issues with us.”
Careless tourists dehydrate dolphin Argentina An endangered baby dolphin was left dead after tourists in Argentina eager to get a selfie expose it to fatal heat. A large crowd of holidaymakers gathered around the Franciscan dolphin on a beach after it had been snatched from the water, and then began passing it round like a toy. Seemingly overexcited by the prospect of a photo with the animal, people grabbing it appeared to forget that, as a marine creature, it would not be accustomed to long exposure out of water in the hot sun - it ultimately succumb to dehydration. Animal welfare organisation PETA called the incident a “na ïve disregard for life.”
Hairy panic Australia The sinisterly-named hairy panic, an aggressive strain of tumbleweed, is plaguing a rural town in south-east Australia. The fast-growing weed, native to inland Australia, is blowing across from fields in Wangaratta, Victoria, piling up on and around residents’ houses, blocking exits and at times reaching the height of rooves. This means that angry locals must spend hours each day clearing Panicum effusum from their plots, though the local authority has admitted it has little power to deal with the infestation.
In Science this week... Science by: Andy van den Bent-Kelly & Lucy Menage
Breeding between humans and neanderthals began tens of thousands of years earlier than first thought Human DNA found in a Neanderthal genome suggests that we started breeding with the species much earlier than previously thought. The body of a Neanderthal woman found in a cave in Siberia revealed that a Homo sapiens mated with one of her ancestors 100,000 years ago, adding roughly 40,000 years to previous estimates. The discovery has significant implications for our understanding of early human history. The breeding is believed to have commenced after humans first left Africa and migrated out to Europe and Asia, which was inhabited by the now-extinct Neanderthals. The researchers studied Neanderthal genomes and compared them with those of modern-day Africans, in whom Neanderthal DNA isn’t found. Although there were no traces of human DNA found in European Neanderthals, their Asian counterparts had strands that bore a great similarity to the African DNA. The sexual encounters helped shape today’s genetic landscape. It is estimated that modern-day humans carry up to 4 per cent Neanderthal DNA, although there is uncertainty about the effect the genes had on the Neanderthal population. A gene linked to language development was found in the Asian Neanderthals, suggesting that the breeding may have had a positive impact.
That’s one way to protect your car
Czech Republic “Either I am overworked or I should stop doing drugs [sic]”. This was the reaction of Jenda Stedronsky this week when he saw what appear to be two white tigers in the boot of a BMW. Stedronsky was driving through Prague when he spotted the felines who appeard to be moving around diffusing the notion that they were, in fact, models. The reason behind the tigers being crammed into the boot of the family car is yet to be clarified although the image has been viewed been tens of thousands of people have viewed the image online. One commenter summed up the general consensus saying “Do you know of a better alarm for your car than two hungry, pissed off tigers?”
Here’s lucking at you, cat Japan A cat with lucky eyebrows is drawing tourists from far and wide to a small Tokyo tobacconists in the hope that a glimpse can bring them good fortune. Hachi, whose name means ‘eight’ in Japanese, has two diagonally angled black markings above either eye, which is the symbol for the number eight in kanji Japanese. The number is considered to be lucky in Japan. The cat was born a month after 2011’s disastrous meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant which followed an earthquake and tsunami. People have told the owner of the tobacconist, who looks after Hachi in the daytime, that “good things happened to them” after they saw its face.
Homeless man eaten by Crystal Meth users USA A couple high on crystal meth were arrested for eating a homeless man in central Park after police received several 911 calls. Jacob Hackens and Darlene Smith were reported as acting strange as they walked through the park, jumping up and down and spinning in circles. A policeman said that when he approached the couple their faces were covered in blood and he could hear the homeless man crying for help. When assistance reached the injured party he was found to have had every single one of his fingers eaten off, before they moved on to chewing his toes. The man was rushed to hospital and is in a critical condition after losing all ten fingers and four toes. The couple claimed that they were hungry and had not eaten for five days but still had the strength to resist a tazing, eventually requiring several officers to subdue them. They are currently being held without bail awaiting a mental evaluation.
Coffee pot pioneer buried in his Moka pot Italy The ashes of Renato Bialetti, Italy’s coffee pot king, have this week been buried inside a giant Moka. The Moka is an octagonal coffee pot and made the Bialetti name famous. After struggling to get the business off the ground, the coffee pot empire had sold over 330 million Moka pots worldwide at the time of the founder’s death. He died aged 93 and was buried in the family tomb nearby Omegna. The mascot which adorns the pots, a caricature of Bialetti, named L’omino con i baffi (the little man with the moustache), will continue to adorn the Moka pot. A fitting tribute to a man who died as he lived - adoring coffee.
Monkey business in India courts India The Hindu monkey god Hanuman has been issued a court summons in eastern India for encroaching on public land. Photos show the statue of the god, who appears in the Hindu epic Ramayana, had the order, addressed directly to the deity, pasted to it. It came after a temple in his honour was built at the side of the road in Bihar state, and was alleged to be obstructing local traffic by officials. They later released a statement saying the summons was not intended to be addressed to the god himself but to the management team of the roadside temple, though this has not stopped religious groups slamming the department. This is not the first time a Hindu deity has faced legal action. Ram, protagonist of the Ramayana, had a complaint brought against him by a lawyer in the same state for the unjustified banishment of his wife Sita in the epic story.
Virtual reality could lead fight against depression Virtual reality could be used to treat depression, after a British study revealed that designing a therapy around the technology could significantly reduce symptoms. 15 sufferers of depression underwent the therapy, which required them to don a virtual reality headset. In this virtual world, the patients were told to display compassion towards a clearly-upset avatar of a child, which resulted in the child calming down. In subsequent sessions, the patients then took the role of the distressed child and watched as the avatar that they had previously controlled comforted them with the same words. After a month of therapy, nine of the patients reported a reduction in their depression symptoms, with four claiming that a severe reduction had occurred.
New cancer therapy sees successful breakthroughs A clinical trial at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in the US using genetically modified immune cells has been extremely successful in treating blood cancers such as leukaemia. The T-cells were extracted from the participant’s bodies and modified using chimeric antigen receptors before being infused back in to the host’s bodies. The participant’s immune systems were then better able to recognise the cancer cells and destroy them. The trial enjoyed statistics of 94% remission in the cancer patients, who only had a few months to live following the failure of all other treatments, including chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant. It is hoped that this treatment will become available in the next few months as well as being applicable to more common cancers like breast and pancreatic.
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ISSUE 15/ 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Photos: The Mancunion/Gulwali Passarlay
Photos: The Mancunion
A refugee’s story S
at over his lunch in the corner of Christie’s Bistro, Gulwali Passarlay could pass for a member of university staff or a city worker retiring for lunch. Aged 21, his demeanour gives the impression of someone far older while his formal attire is likewise deceptive in ascertaining his youth. Despite his ambiguous appearance, Passarlay is, like us, another student of the university—currently in his third year studying Politics and Philosophy—albeit a student with an incredible story. Aged 12, Passarlay’s mother paid traffickers $8,000 to smuggle him out of his native Afghanistan. This followed the death of five family members, including his father, grandfather and uncle, at the hands of US forces during the invasion of Afghanistan. He has spoken frankly about his family’s involvement with the Taliban, with whom his uncle was affiliated prior to his death. However, the decision to flee came when the Taliban began pressuring him and his mother into working as suicide bombers in their attacks on US troops. His mother’s decision that he should depart from Afghanistan set in motion a year of constant travelling. He covered 20,000km and was separated from his brother—a separation only rectified upon Passarlay arriving in England. During this period he was forced to jump from trains, risk drowning crossing the Mediterranean and, finally, arrive in Calais via a banana truck.
“If you don’t want to be criticised say nothing, do nothing and be nothing, so even though I don’t like criticism, sometimes I have to just take it.” Upon arriving in Britain he was—due to his deceptively old appearance—told by Kent authorities that he was too old to be taken into foster care. Wrongly assuming the 13-year-old Passarlay to be 16, it would be another three years
before he would be placed under the care of the state. Following this he gained ten GCSEs before going to college and completing A-Levels, resulting in his incredible journey to the University of Manchester. Upon greeting Parrarlay he almost immediately begins speaking, seriously but welcomingly, about his relationship with journalists. “When people ask me the same questions that is frustrating, especially if I am repeating myself all the time. You can get the whole story online or on my blog. Journalists will often say ‘yes but I want to hear it from you’.”
I ask him precisely what it is that journalists regularly hone in on, an offer to give his complaint some context, which he takes up. “The main example is my journey—the basics. I don’t mind giving a summary but then asking details, because I’ve said it so many times, becomes incredibly stressful. It also becomes very upsetting repeating things when I just want to move on. If you want to read it then read the book.” It is an issue with which you can only sympathise with the activist and author. In October Passarlay’s book The Lightless Sky was published, a depiction of his odyssey from shepherding cattle in the fields of Afghanistan to safety in Britain. With this in mind Passarlay comments: “Sometimes journalists are lazy, especially the bigger ones. They are sometimes only interested in using me to tick boxes and I don’t like that. They say we have spoken to a refugee but they don’t take your words into consideration. They only want you to say what they want to hear.” A discomfort surrounding media attention is understandable given the inconsistencies depicting the plight of migrants in recent months. Taking this into consideration, I wondered
Student and refugee activist Gulwali Passarlay talks to The Mancunion
whether Passarlay was concerned about his personal history being commodified through his book. “There are so many refugees and asylum seekers who don’t want to talk to the media because they don’t want to be labelled as refugees or asylum seekers,” he replies. “I am pleased that I am able to be a voice for the millions of people, but again I feel a lot of responsibility on my shoulders.” His characteristically rapid delivery stops for a second before adding: “Sometimes it gets frustrating but then the whole point is that people are informed and educated so going that extra mile is worth it.” His preoccupation with his responsibility is only exemplified by the increasing profile Passarlay is garnering. The night before our interview he had returned from France where he had visited the Jungle and appeared on late night French television. The day after we sat down he would again be leaving Manchester to fly out to Denmark to give lectures and more interviews. His depiction of the Jungle is a deeply moving one. “I went to film for French TV there and I couldn’t help but cry. It is so sad. It is inhumane the conditions that they have there and for me to be able to come back and talk about it helps at least generate more sympathy.” Given the fluctuating sensibility towards migrants in previous months, I am keen to hear the reaction to Passarlay. As with almost every answer he gives, his response is enthusiastic. Despite his harrowing experiences he rarely strays from positive outlook.
“We are very civilised in Britain. The majority of people in the US just don’t get it, even their media. “The majority of the time it is positive and people are nice. My belief is that the majority of the people are sympathetic. They show solidarity and are humane.” His book, in particular, has been met with a warm response. “I have been lucky since the
book publication in October. I have been to 30 to 40 literary festivals and conversation events; for example, I went to Chatham House. That was amazing because I have always wanted to go and be in the audience. I was invited to be on a panel with a guy who used to be work in the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [Pia Oberoi].” His bravery, however, seems not to have deserted him upon his arrival in the UK and he is unflinching in illuminating the more difficult circumstances his status bring him into contact with. “Sometimes I go to places where people are there just to challenge me which I like, I don’t care, I like being challenged. “Sometimes people are very offensive without knowing me or without reading the book and they just want to make a point.” Undeterred, he again puts on a positive spin: “There is a famous saying that if you don’t want to be criticised say nothing, do nothing and be nothing, so even though I don’t like criticism sometimes I have to just take it.” The US is one location that Passarlay dwells upon in negative terms. During his first trip to the US after the New Year he says that he experienced ignorance unlike anything he had experienced in Europe. “I realised how lucky we are in Britain in the sense that we are very civilised. The majority of people there just don’t get it, even their media. Journalists will ask such stupid questions and I just thought, ‘Seriously, that is how ignorant you are?’” I wondered aloud whether geographical detachment from the current refugee crisis is to blame for this streak of ignorance to which he refers. “It is not just on this issue—it is on lots of issues. Some of the American people only see America as the whole world for them. I think that distance has something to do with it but then America has 11 million undocumented migrants, and there are one hundred thousand unaccompanied children whose futures are unknown. “I don’t accept any excuse that if you are American you have some right to be racist or ignorant. I mean there are ignorant people everywhere but I think in the UK, especially within the media, people are a lot more intelligent.” Despite Passarlay’s affirming view of the United Kingdom, the political landscape also flirts with the far right. I ask him whether the rise of UKIP, and their anti-immigration rhetoric, dampens his love for his adopted home. “For me those politicians play on people’s emotions. It is okay; it is good to have a wide spectrum and wide perspectives in politics.
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ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
“I think in Britain we have about 70 million people. You will always have a minority there— so a million, for example, voted for UKIP. It’s not a big deal, 69 million didn’t.”
respect.” Despite his Labour membership, Passarlay is keen not to be drawn into a discussion about party politics: “I think Labour and the Conservatives should work together to find realistic solutions as to how Britain can play its part. Not only taking its fair share of refugees from Europe but also doing more to resolve conflicts rather than sending soldiers and bombing—which does not help.” The issue of his home and its current status is something which visibly moves him. “In Afghanistan Britain spent 40 billion pounds, 500 soldiers lost their lives, and 200 were injured. Why? For what? For whom? Afghanistan is not a better place. I would be very happy to be in Afghanistan and live my life, even if I am poor, and be with my family.”
“When I see the sign ‘Welcome to Manchester’, I feel like I am home.” Passarlay carried the Olympic torch in Burnley in 2012
Passarlay is a member of the Labour Party and has debated a number of times with UKIP’s immigration spokesperson, an opportunity he says, “would be really hard in most parts of the world.” Given his affiliation to the Labour Party I ask him whether he thinks they are the best suited to furthering the cause of refugees and migrants like himself. “I think, probably, that Labour is better suited to solving the refugee crisis but I think it is not a British issue it is a global issue. We all need to engage with it in a humane way.” He also states that he feels the response to the refugee crisis is not representative of Europe’s political outlook. “The Calais Jungle should not exist and it is a shame for Britain, it is a shame for France, and it is a shame for Europe. It does not represent Europe; it does not represent our values. Those human beings need dignity and
Passarlay refuses to avoid laying some of the blame for this at the doorstep of Western foreign policy. “The issue is the Western governments and the NATO member states will not acknowledge the failings in Afghanistan. There is a double standard. Germany wants to send Afghans back. Of course we should show solidary with the Syrians. They are at conflict and in civil war and we should welcome them but so are Afghans. Afghans have been leaving and fleeing for the last twenty years. “The reality is that Afghanistan is worse than what it was in 2001 in terms of security and peace. We cannot wash our hands from that responsibility. Millions of people have been killed as a result of our foreign policy either partly or completely. To say it has nothing to do with us is unrealistic and immoral.” It’s a topic that disturbs Passarlay and he finishes with a light, if unconvincing laugh. “Maybe
we have got too political,” he jokes. Islam is a driving force in Passarlay’s life. He attributes much of the strength that has carried him this far to his faith. “I think on this journey with all the obstacles and the brutality I faced, two things kept me going: hope and faith. I think my morality mainly comes from faith and my understanding of Islam.” Misrepresentation of Islam then is something that deeply upsets him, a question I ask in relation to the Paris attacks in November. “Of course. When I went to the 9/11 museum in New York I couldn’t help but be emotional and cry because that tragic incident shouldn’t have happened, but to know that it was done in the name of my religion is a very disgusting feeling. I take it very personally.” While his religion being misrepresented by people acting in its name sickens him, so too does the labelling of his faith. “What makes me even more angry is when the West labels all Muslims with the same brush. That is why a lot of Muslims feel isolated and that is why they feel joining the Islamic State is the way forward. They don’t feel British enough, they don’t feel French enough, they don’t feel European enough. The way the European policy has been, I see the War on Terror as a war on Islam. That is a problem.” His opinions on how to avoid this, however, come not from governmental intervention, but from personal kindness he alludes to as lacking in representations and engagement with Muslim people. “Muslim people should not be given special consideration; we should just treat them as a part of society,” he says, “We are sitting here and you are not telling me I am British-Afghan, or Afghan-British, or Muslim. I am just a person; I am a student like you. I don’t think the labelling helps, we are just people.” Given his experiences in Britain, Passarlay stresses that he would love more Afghans to be able to be educated in Britain. “I would love for Afghans to be able to come to Britain, to be able to come to Manchester to study. To become leaders, to become educators, to become academics. I would love Britain to become an education hub.” “We should move away from this idea that
when people come to Britain they will not leave, they will stay here. Why do we have this mentality when Britain is this great place? I mean, people haven’t seen the weather yet, but if you want to contribute, if you want to work, you should be able to. We need to be more open and people should be able to come and experience.” Manchester particularly holds a special place in Passarlay’s heart. “I think Manchester is the place to be. Sometimes I think it is faith in fate that brought me here. I think to myself sometimes that this little boy who used to be a shepherd in the mountains of Afghanistan now has the opportunity to sit around a cabinet table.” While he is aware of his incredible journey he is determined to take full advantage of his opportunities. Asked whether he finds the time to put his feet up, he tells me that it is rare that he gets the chance to. Likewise, when he speaks about his degree he is determined that he be treated as a student first and that his activism should not be considered within his studies which he says are his “first priority.” With his graduation looming he is making plans for what to do next. “The plan after my studies is to do some internships and work at the UN refugee agency because issue of refugees is not going to go away soon. “I really want to learn about government and governance from a practical level. When I go back to Afghanistan in the next eight to ten years I would like to get involved with the government and play my part in the peace process.”
“I see the War on Terror as a war on Islam.” He is tired, clearly exhausted from his excursions the night before, and so, on hearing of his plans for the future I thank him for his time. After taking some photographs around the university—during which he says that the Whitworth Hall courtyard in summer is his favourite place in the university—he leaves me by saying: “When I see the sign ‘Welcome to Manchester’ I feel like I am at home.” Wishing me luck for my studies he returns to Christie’s. While his parting words are a reminder of the kindness Passarlay is keen to promote, I cannot help but dwell on his recollection of returning from France the evening before. “When I arrived from France I was questioned by the immigration officer. It’s sad but being a refugee, being a Muslim, being an Afghan doesn’t help.” It is a seemingly throwaway statement for Passarlay, but it leaves a sour taste to hear him so speak so frankly about this kind of experience. It seems sad that he is resigned to the inevitability of facing that scrutiny and it highlights the value of the work he does. The need for the contribution of people like Passarlay is certainly nowhere near over. That said, his insatiable thirst to improve things is a warm light at the heart of a seemingly cold and contentious crisis.
Gulwali Passarlay’s book The Lightless Sky: An Afghan Refugee Boy’s Journey of Escape to A New Life in Britain (Atlantic Books), written with Nadene Ghouri, was published in October and is available online or in all good bookshops.
Passarlay, aged ten, with his brother Nasir
Passarlay, aged eight, selling tailor supplies in the bazzar
Turn to page five to hear about Gulwali’s involvement in a pro-refugee talk this week.
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Opinion
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After the controversies surrounding Peter Tatchell and Germaine Greer, is censorship at universities missing the point with the issues at hand?
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Division hangs over the Supreme Court Jack Hughes The Supreme Court of the United States (or ‘SCOTUS’ as it is commonly known) is the highest court in its land. Its membership of 9 Justices are each individually nominated by the sitting President and confirmed by the Senate. Once in place, SCOTUS Justices enjoy life tenure, pre-eminent jurisdiction over federal courts and state court cases and a generous salary to deter bribery and keep their cupboards full. The Supreme Court’s members each have a single vote (including the Chief Justice). These votes have been used to determine the result of some landmark cases such as Brown versus Board of Education (ending racial segregation in schools), Row versus Wade (legalising abortion) and more recently, Obergefell versus Hodges (legalising same-sex marriage). All have changed the course of America’s history and influenced the rest of the modern world, which is why it is such a big deal when one of towering 9 Justices relinquishes their position. The recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia added to the list of those who have lived and died by the Constitution, and who are often not easy to replace. When a vacancy arises, it must be filled. The Supreme Court cannot function forever with an even-numbered membership, simply due to the reason that frequent tied votes would erode its functionality (especially when so many decisions are made on the margin). But as the presidential election draws closer each day, it seems that apart from Obama (who is keen to cement his place in history by joining the 18 presidents who appointed more than two Justices) and his minority liberal wing (who would like to have a majority somewhere), no one is in a rush to fill Scalia’s place.
This is an excerpt from Jack’s article, the rest of which can be found online at www.mancunion.com
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Rose Mills Contributor Last week, the NUS’s LGBT officer, Fran Cowling, refused to attend a debate on the future of gay rights activism at Canterbury Christ Church University. She claimed that she would not share a platform with another invited speaker, Peter Tatchell, due to the “racism” and “transphobia” of his decision to sign a letter in The Observer, calling for an end to censorship of individuals at universities. Peter Tatchell, one of the most celebrated LGBT rights activists in the history of the movement— who has been beaten and arrested for his activism, and quite literally risking his life for his belief in equality—was considered a bigot unworthy of sharing a stage with. Cries of “this generation’s gone mad” don’t seem unwarranted. Of course, Cowling received a strong backlash against her decision, with historian Tom Holland calling the move “a quite transcendent display of ingratitude”, and journalist David Aaronovitch asserted that Cowling should feel “honoured” for the opportunity to speak with Tatchell, “who she clearly knows nothing about”. It certainly does seem like an odd judgement to make of someone who is often looked on as something of a national treasure for his role in progressing gay rights, by someone who supposedly represents the LGBT community amongst students—especially with little evidence for Tatchell’s alleged transphobia and racism; other than his signature on a letter that advocates neither of these two things directly. But Cowling’s choice, while perhaps misjudged, is not necessarily as surprising as it may have been a few years ago; before the NUS implemented their ‘no platform’ policy, by which no individual with certain disagreeable viewpoints should be given a platform to speak. While it was not the NUS’s decision to ‘no-platform’ Tatchell, the choice of
No-platforming obscures the free speech debate
Cowling to do so undoubtedly stems from a current culture—amongst students in particular—of censoring those with whom one disagrees. This is a trend perpetuated by the NUS and it’s ‘no platform’ policy. It is fairly ironic that the letter Cowling opposes so vehemently is the one that argues against censorship and for “democratic political exchange” amongst those who disagree with one another. The letter in question was written last year as a response to the ‘no-platforming’ of various speakers, and signed by over 100 public figures and academics. One of the individuals mentioned in the letter was Germaine Greer, who was brought to public attention again in late 2015 when a petition circulated around Cardiff University seeking to prevent her from lecturing there due to ‘transphobic’ comments she had made. In this case, it is clear that remarks Greer had made could be considered offensive to transgender people. To put it simply, she does not think it is possible for a man to transition
into a woman. This position, although controversial, does not incite violence or hatred towards transgender people. Greer does not believe that men should not be allowed or able to transition, and she refers to people by whichever pronoun they prefer. Her reasoning is, as The Independent’s Abigail Tarttelin puts it: “trans women’s and cis women’s issues intersect, but they are not identical”. Whether or not the signatories of the petition at Cardiff agree with this view or not, it is irrational to disregard Greer as a credible speaker because of it. Greer was and is one of the most important feminist thinkers in the world, as well as being an esteemed academic. This cannot be discredited due to one of her unpopular opinions. In any case, the lecture Greer was due to give—and, in the end, did end up giving—was entitled ‘Women & Power: The Lessons of the 20th Century’. She was not going to speak about her views on transgender people. How confused has the debate surrounding free speech
Photo: Funk Dooby @Flickr
No place for morality in Cameron’s Britain The Conservative’s successive undemocratic crackdowns on our freedom to protest are a sign of a government with little effective challenge
Joely Thomas Opinion Writer Under dictatorships, protests are met with sharp attempts at repression. Where the rope is kept taut, it takes only the tiniest of forces for the vibrations to be felt. Yet, in the ‘great democracies of the West’, free speech is welcomed, debate is encouraged, and civil liberties are granted unanimously; or so the saying goes. While there is certainly more space for protests, this space is carefully monitored and increasingly restricted. Like the prisoners who are allowed enough time in the yard to release their energy, so too, are citizens given only enough space to vent their grievances without posing a threat. Yet even demonstrations have to stick to a set route, thereby systematising that, which is supposed to be subversive. Meanwhile, protest camps are viewed as eye sores and eventually cleared away, such as the global Occupy movement and The Ark outside of Manchester Metropolitan University; or institutionalised as attractions, such as the tents stationed in London’s Parliament Square that featured amongst many a tourist’s holiday pics. But protests are not the irksome complaints of a few sore losers. People
become that 3,000 people petitioned to censor a highly respected feminist and academic on the subject of her expertise? While the ‘no-platforming’ of Tatchell and Greer is made decidedly more outrageous due to their reputation as pioneers of equality, the problem with censoring any individual—that is, one who isn’t actively inciting hatred or violence—really boils down to the silencing of free speech. That Greer is a hugely significant figure in the campaign for women’s rights, and that Tatchell is a person far removed from the transphobic racist Cowling believes him to be is, to a certain extent, irrelevant. Ultimately, their opponents have every right to disagree with their views. The point is that if someone’s opinions on certain issues are questionable, the fine, question them. It should be too obvious to point out that not everyone is going to agree with each other all the time. And yet, the ‘no-platform’ policy discourages debate by suppressing contentious or provocative viewpoints, rather than allowing them to be argued with. Wanting to provide a ‘safe space’ for students where they are free from feeling threatened by anyone sounds like a wonderful idea. But if a speaker does not advocate violence or hatred, is it really a threat to simply be offended by their opinions? It is condescending to assume that all students need to be mollycoddled out of hearing any opinion that might offend them, or that they are impressionable enough to agree with the latest opinion they’ve come across. Instead, the NUS, other Students’ Unions around the country and anyone else wanting to refuse a platform to somewhat controversial speakers, should consider that lively debate and conversation is far more beneficial to the expansion of students’ minds—surely a crucial reason most are attending university in the first place—than censorship.
driven to protest displays a flaw in the political system. People are unable to channel their grievances democratically because the channels to do so, do not exist. It is not simply enough for Conservatives to claim that because they were voted in, they are automatically legitimised to carry out all that was in their mandate. Still, police tactics, such as kettling, are frequently used to encourage demonstrations to turn sour, whilst those who stick to agreed routes and remain peaceful find their messages sabotaged by sensationalist headlines that focus on a few deviances and fail to scrutinise police conduct. And, ultimately, the Tories know they can ignore such manifestations of frustration. Jeremy Hunt—the face of the government’s attack on the NHS—was all too happy to push through the new contract for junior doctors as they stood with their placards across the country. People in Lancashire are also still having to protest against the government pressure for fracking to begin, despite having been told that the ultimate decision would rest with local councils. It makes the conscience cringe, but in a money-minded world, such government decisions are not irrational—at least not in the short-term. No consideration needs to
be given to the toxic water, earthquakes and various illnesses, including nose bleeds and headaches, that have been proven by more than 500 studies to result from fracking, when it can help those two most insidious of terms—‘security’ and ‘growth’. Pushing the capacities of doctors and nurses to the limit rather than employing more staff and paying acceptable wages, is far better for the public purse. Who cares about broken bones when power is wielded by arms made of steel? It is an affliction to which the ‘Heathrow 13’—activists who chained themselves to railings at Heathrow terminal in protest of plans to build a new runway—fell foul. Having discovered a means to carry out essential protests in a way that actually had an impact, they were taken to court and recently found guilty. Assertions that they will be jailed leave us wondering where were political prisoners included in the Conservative party manifesto. Banknotes are what lies, too, at the heart of the criminalisation of other forms of protest. Strikes have always held more power than demonstrations, with their ability to hit company and government pockets hard, and it is as a result of doctors’ willingness to strike that it has taken this long for the junior doctors’ contracts to be pushed through.
Public transport workers have found strikes to be their slingshot in the fight against Goliath but now the Trade Union Bill seeks to curtail the few remaining rights of workers by undermining industrial action. Plans and details, as minute as the social media to be used, will have to be published within 14 days in advance, and employers will be able to substitute agency workers for those striking. It is a move the United Nations are even warning risks breaking international labour law, further illuminating the undemocratic workings of our beloved democracy. Perhaps the worst blow, however, is the move to ban local councils and public bodies from boycotting unethical companies—meaning that not only is ethical action criminalised, but also ethical inaction. Amnesty International have severely criticised the restriction on ethical consumer choice, which disincentivises ethical business practices and supports those willing to cut corners; in such ways like using child labour and environmentally harmful methods. The link to vested interests in Israel and the arms trade is clear, with claims that boycotts undermine national security and encourage anti-Semitism—the latter being an argument typically made by Zionists of human rights supporters. It thus appears that under a moneyhungry regime, there is no place for morality. But, with no slack in the rope, will David Cameron and his cronies soon feel the vibrations and find themselves in a tug of war with those less used to having their freedoms curtailed? Or have the majority of citizens also become so capitalist in an increasingly consumerist society that they will prove to be too passive to take an ethical stand?
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ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
An ivory tower flying a red flag
Colm Lock Opinion Writer
Even before this student came to university, I knew there was something amiss with our representatives. They are aloof and disconnected from the reality on the ground to an extent that would make Tsar Nicholas II look like a proletarian hero. Who could I possibly be referring to? Who could be so obviously ambivalent to the plight of the average student in Manchester? I am of course talking about the Manchester Students’ Union. Now, you might well question why I am about to go after this body of self-congratulating money wasters. Well, if you are patient with me and read through to the end of this article, you will understand. The problems are many and varied. I will not make it through all of them in this article. But if you wish you can add some of your own grievances in the comments section online. Please do not swear. I will start with the most glaring failure of the University of Manchester Students’ Union: Their failure to stand up for the rights of students. Obviously, their campaigns against sexual violence are warranted and just. Nobody should have any issue with them for that. But the Union do not seem to have bothered to take the university to account for the colossal waste of money that is the big screen now squatting on the front of the Ali G. It only advertises our own university and serves about as much purpose as some of the Students’ Union’s own officers; by which I mean bugger all. That monstrosity cost a small fortune, and yet the Students’ Union did not think to start a campaign to try and get the money diverted into improving our main Students’ Union building — which currently resembles some kind of Orwellian Ministry of Truth. That money could have gotten us more urgently-needed computers for the library, or made your pint at the Students’ Union bar just that little bit cheaper. Instead, they see fit to waste their time by engaging in petty politics by restricting free speech in the guise of banning certain speakers and protesting
Union represents us. Especially if their opening salvo to new students includes speeches such as this, or has posters adorning its walls reading “overthrow the government”. Their little pet project, the Student Senate, is just as much of a waste. On Tuesday, many of us will have received this email from one of the Students’ Union’s officers. Part of it reads as follows: “On Thursday at 6pm we’re holding our third Senate of the year in the Council Chambers, discussing the Safe Space Policy, Amazon Lockers, Donald Trump and more! Head down from 5:30pm and grab a bowl of vegetarian three bean chilli before we start”. This seems to be in direct contradiction to the officer’s statement that “We all have our gripes about university. Fortunately, this week you have a couple of opportunities to influence the change you’d like to see.” What is on the agenda is not what students want to gripe about. What they want to complain about is the Students’ Union and how poorly the whole thing is run. How is the banning of Donald Trump going to affect us as students? Considering the reputation the Union have given us, I am surprised any speaker is willing to come here let alone Trump. And who is paying for this complimentary chilli? We students are footing the bill! But do not fret; there is an alternative. We must look to Winchester University to show us the light. A friend of mine is an Students’ Union officer there. They have nine part-time officers who are unpaid and carry out their duties in their spare time and only three full-time paid officers. Our university has eight full-time officers and the cost is eye-watering. So, while I am usually the first person to argue against any sort of revolutionary action, I do feel a symbolic defenestration might be in order. It would be just the ticket to improve the students’ way of life and it would remind these people that they are in these positions to represent us, with the aim of bettering our quality of life and the standard of our education.
Is the Students’ Union facilitating waste while failing to represent the student body?
At the time of writing, France is preparing to bulldoze half of the Calais migrant camp, also nicknamed “The Jungle”. 800 to 1,000 people will be evicted and ‘re-housed’ in adapted shipping containers. At risk of being bulldozed by the authorities are important communal spaces: churches, a mosque, shops, and schools—as well as other people’s homes. The current situation in Calais appears to be a remarkable one. But the few thousand living in the jungle are amongst a billion that live in informal, ‘slum’ conditions across the world. The situation is a throwback to our urban history, and might also be precedent for our future urban policy. Slum clearances are a regular feature and important process of the urban history of the developed world. As the ‘first industrial city’, Manchester experienced very high levels of clearance itself. Even in the present day, authorities still come into conflict with informal settlements—the evictions at the Ark shelter near Manchester Metropolitan University, for example. From Rio to Istanbul, Cairo to Nairobi, slum clearance is the go-to policy in the present day of most developing nations. The policy has been, and is, painfully continued in urban policy, despite swathes of literature, campaigns, and protest that argue against it.
with the junior doctors. They are paid £16,600 a year for this “work”. That’s £132,800 of the Students’ Union’s annual budget being wasted. That money could fund 40 £3,320 bursaries for students from poor backgrounds.
Photo: The Mancunion
Their actions have resulted in our great university being given one of the lowest ratings for free speech in the country, while also alienating any student who might have wanted to hear the speakers or anyone who believes that despite someone’s views, it is better that we challenged them as opposed to sucking our thumb in the corner and crying about how we feel “threatened”. I know many fellow students who feel alienated in this way. One such student was first year Zach, who, at the end of an introductory lecture in his
While it is important to exercise your right to free speech and protest, the Students’ Union is supposed to represent the entire student body. Their actions have left many students, who do not adhere to their communist dogma, feeling like they are unwelcome. Zach told me afterwards that “she [the officer] incited students to protest the Tory conference which alienated part of the student body, despite having earlier claimed to not want to leave any student unrepresented”. Those of us, like Zach, do not feel like the Students’
Europe’s urban policy is failing refugees Tristan Parsons Opinion Writer intricate socio-economic relations in those communities, will only be to the detriment of the camp dwellers. The greatest assumption in slum policy, as demonstrated by the French authorities, is that people prefer ‘nicer’ housing. One powerful example is the failure of re-housing of those in the ‘slum-like’ areas of Paris into tower block suburbs. The result was the loss of informal but important communal relations, and therefore poverty and violence continued.
“The assumption in slum policy, as demonstrated by the French authorities, is that people prefer ‘nicer’ housing.” Some writers, such as Mike Davis, claim that the slum clearance projects of the developing world are inseparable from colonial power legacies, and that they have benefitted only the wealthy landlords. In this sense, it is assumed that those traditions are in the past for the developed world. But the Calais jungle is clear evidence that policy makers still do not understand slums. The claim made by the prefect of Calais, Fabienne Buccio, is that by halving the number of people living in the camp would be “acceptable to the local population”. What she fails to note in this particular comment is that ‘the jungle’ inhabitants were originally evicted from the town itself and then directed to an area of wasteland outside of the town. The camp is already fairly severed from the local economy and also has divisions within itself—with claims of ‘Muslim-only’ areas being no-go areas for the police. Tearing down parts of the camp, and the
first week, had a Students’ Union officer invite the students to take part in a protest at the upcoming Conservative Party conference, an event which Zach was actually attending. This protest in the end turned a bit violent.
Photo: malachybrowne @Flickr
Thus, when it is claimed that the re-housing into shipping containers or the distribution of some of the camp dwellers across France will be beneficial, we must be very skeptical. The terms ‘refugee’ and ‘migrant’ have been contorted and abused by the media and both ends of the political spectrum. Let me clear something up. A refugee is a type of migrant—a forced migrant. It is the left that frustrate me the most with the use of these two terms. ‘Refugee’ has become a term with
connotations of sympathy and those cringe-worthy ‘we’re all humans’ kinds of slogans. This generalisation is disrespectful to the vast quantities of research into the processes of migrant integration. These connotations are used to support the narrative for European governments to accept more migrants, regardless of the fact that very little EU refugee protocol has been followed properly, and that we know that the factors of war and persecution are not the only factors that result in migration—not all are ‘refugees’. Encouraging migration is not the best long-term policy. Instead, those within Europe should be encouraged to stay in the country that they presently find themselves in, with the flexibility to migrate to urban areas. Aid should be given to those countries that will have higher numbers of migrants, such as Greece. By allowing roots to set down, communities will be created, markets will form, and with good government intervention—provision of water, transport, electricity, for example—stable communities will hopefully flourish. ‘Distribution’ of migrants is both disrespectful to their humanity and ineffective as integration policy. Therefore, the Calais camp should be invested into and it should be allowed to develop as a new French community. This would hopefully reduce crime, and control numbers of attempts to cross the channel in the long-term. We may view the example of the Calais migrant camp as a stage and precedent for the future of integration policies. Within the next few decades, there will be a dramatic increase in the volume of migration resulting from environmental change (there is much academic dispute as to how many ‘climate migrants’ there will be). Many of these people will require the refuge and assistance of environmentally stable regions; of which, much of Europe can provide. We do not know how to deal with these questions, and I concede that I have avoided them. But what I do know is that, at what might be considered just the beginnings of mass-migration into Europe, poor urban policies are already in use. The jungle says a lot about our societies. Quite simply, we are overly wary of poorer and more informal communities. In Manchester we clear out the homeless from the streets, in Calais, tents are cleared from wasteland, and the ill-founded consensus around slum policy rumbles on. We fail to respect the homes that don’t look like houses, and the communities that aren’t paved with concrete.
Music
12
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Live
Manchester’s own Floating Points opens portals into other dimensions
Floating Points 12th February @ The Ritz Spencer Soley Music Critic
8.5/10
Transfixed on a mesmerising light painting from the get-go (straight out of the Silhouettes music video), it finally clicked that I was in for a sensory onslaught. I should have seen this one coming. Elaenia, Floating Point’s 2015 debut album, offers an immaculate, unique and rewarding ambient listening experience. In moments of clarity it is gentle, but in moments of pure energy it soars euphorically. I was tentatively curious to see how this would manifest in the context of a live performance. Tentative despite knowing that when equipped with fifteen fellow musicians, Floating Points managed to win Best BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale Session. I should definitely have seen this one coming. Sitting silently in the shadows at his electronic workstation, you could almost see the brain of qualified neuroscientist Sam Shepherd, a.k.a. Floating Points, precisely map out a variety of intricate details. Accompanied by clearly skilled but appropriately sparsely utilised guitarist, bassist and drummer, Shepherd’s melodies elegantly took centre stage. He toyed with his equipment; constantly experiment and testing, probing the machine for Photo: Rene Passet @ Flickr
sounds unheard by human ears, like the crazy scientist I really want to believe that he is (but know that he probably isn’t). To the uninitiated, the opening may have felt like a clichéd build up, but those of us familiar with Elaenia knew we were in for a treat. Within ten minutes the arrival of the first all-out energetic passage, ‘Silhouettes I’, had gripped the entire audience, rendering us incapable of anything but motion. The previously mentioned euphoric soaring parts of the album had translated perfectly into pure sonic bliss that, when paired with a near seizure inducing display of flashing light, created a weirdly evocative experience. Masterfully executed yet subtly complex jazz rhythms seamlessly flowed into each other keeping us on the very edge, before we’re repeatedly pushed over that edge, by the sheer awe of numerous climactic moments. Full appreciation of this layered depth really requires listening to Elaenia. A large amount of the crowd appeared to have failed to do so, and instead unappreciatively decided to talk over more minimalistic (but still tense) parts of the performance. The wonderfully coherent visual and auditory aesthetic continued for less than an hour, regularly swaying from blasting us with an unstoppable four-to-the-floor atmospheric thrash of energy, to relentlessly gripping our attention with an intense display of meticulously designed geometric patterns floating against the back wall of the stage, seemingly opening portals into other dimensions. The experience was an amplified version of listening to the album. A perfect transition from listening in full, eyes closed, whilst lying down, to soaking in a flawless incarnation of modern electronic music in its most authentic form. Floating Points clearly gives it his all at every opportunity, and will be rewarded for as long as he continues to do so.
Tame Impala
Thursday 11th February @ Manchester Arena
This is how you make the leap to the bigtime: Tame Impala know how to fill an arena, and Kevin Parker knows how to wear the emperor’s clothes Henry Scanlan Music Editor
8.5/10
It’s taken 6 years for Kevin Parker to amass enough disciples to fill out arenas, but that time has come, and it feels right. It may have been unimaginable back in the early days of scruffy, Cream-influenced Tame Impala, but as it turns out, Parker wears the emperor’s clothes well. He’s not the only one wearing them - the number of Kevin Parker lookalikes packed into the Manchester Arena made me feel like I was tripping out before the band had even played ‘Apocalypse Dreams’. Then the real Kevin Parker stood up and kicked into ‘Let It Happen’, and reminded us that while many of his fans may resemble him, no one quite possesses his strange presence. Like a feline creature, Parker meekly tip toes around barefoot, vacuum-packed into his jeans, staring at the floor like a psychiatric patient unwittingly gifted with musical genius. But despite the shy mannerisms, Parker has clearly grown into his massive success, handling the enormous crowd with some admirably professional “You want one more? I can’t hear you!”-type stage banter. It’s symbolic that despite having expressed discomfort about their biggest hit, ‘Elephant’, the band seem to have reworked it into their set as a Sabbathesque chugger. Admittedly, the band’s unease about ‘Elephant’ is understandable when you see the reaction it gets: the sight of 5000 people sloshing pints about in one hand and yelling “FEELS LIKE AN ELEPHANT SHAKING ITS BIG
GREY TRUNK FOR THE HELL OF IT” is about as psychedelic as The Ten O’Clock News. Still, I’m not sure Tame Impala are really trying to open the doors of perception so much as ring the doorbell repeatedly. There isn’t a lot of food for thought in the long term, but in the short term a Tame Impala show is a totally dazzling experience, with the band building you up to humungous climaxes, and you surrendering your erogenous zones to melody. The last two albums are definitely more suited to the mega crescendos and steep drops that Tame Impala enjoy pulling off live, but the highlight of the set was an Innerspeaker moment. Specifically, it was the long, meandering intro to ‘Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?’, which started off as Parker fiddling on his guitar, the reverberations of which were translated into vibrating lines on the projector, and built up a tonne of momentum until the crispest of drum intros. Finally, for those concerned about Tame Impala’s transformation into something less mind-expanding and more wad-expanding: yes, they’re playing huge arena gigs now, and yes, the crowd looked like ant people from where I sat, but even from way up in the highest tier, I could see that those ant people were dutifully lighting ceremonious joints. Either that or they were holding their lighters in the air. I really hope they were lighting joints. Photo: Nicole Kilbert @ Flickr
Album
Animal Collective: Painting With Released 5th February via Captured Records Elizabeth Slawther Contributor
6/10
Painting With is Animal Collective’s latest studio album, and it certainly has retained the unmistakable tone of their previous albums. It’s classic Animal Collective through and through, with all the zeal and madness that is to be expected of them. However, as a whole the album is too similar to all their previous work and, whilst it is a pleasure to listen to, for the most part it lacks any unique or distinct sound of its own with many of the songs sounding more like they should be B-sides or rejected ideas from their previous projects. ‘Painting With’ is energetic and light hearted, but unfortunately it somehow manages to be as forgettable as it is fun. Most songs on the album follow a simple, almost clumsy pattern of production, with a complete overuse of the same catchy beat and alternating layered vocals, but no really interesting instrumental or lyrical elements. In this way much of the album feels formulated and unnatural when listened to closely, and the majority of the songs are limited to simply being good rather than excellent.
Tracks of the
Week Cassie Hyde Contributor
Animal Collective’s latest output aims to be their most accessible yet. Unfortunately, a lack of colouring in leaves broad strokes looking dull. However, there are a few stand-out songs, with the best being ‘FloriDada’, ‘Golden Gal’ and ‘Recycling’. The song placement is also problematic, as ‘FloriDada’ is the first on the album and ‘Golden Gal’/ ‘Recycling’ the final two. The rest of the album pales in comparison, with the likes of ‘Hocus Pocus’ and ‘Vertical’ serving as weak and unmemorable introductory songs. This isn’t to say that the album is terrible or not worth listening to, but overall the lack of subtleties leads to the album as a whole sounding messy and rushed. ‘Golden Gal’ provides some muchneeded variety, but it isn’t quite enough to excuse the general lack of diversity throughout the majority of the rest of the album. The problem lies in comparison, as compared to the average indie album it still holds its own and is bouncy and fun, but it simply lacks musical complexity in comparison to Animal Collective’s usual work. It feels as though with a little more time and care, Painting With had the potential to be a great album, but it just falls short of the mark.
5/10
Photo: Album Artwork
Kanye West: ‘Ultralight Beam’ From The Life of Pablo, released 14th February
Animal Collective: ‘Golden gal’ From Painting With, released 19th February.
Mavis Staples: ‘Action’ From Livin’ on a High Note, released 19th February
Whatever you think about The Life of Pablo, `Ultralight Beam` is pretty much one of best tracks Kanye has ever put out. Essentially, this is an amalgamation of the best aspects of his career. The gospel from Late Registration, the rich autotune from 808s and Heartbreaks and the creepy abrasiveness of Yeezus all come together beautifully. Moving between references to the Paris Attacks, to Sia (you can’t see ‘er!), to Arthur (the anteater/aardvark), at no point does this feel crass or stupid. In fact, the track is deeply moving. A true career highlight!
With their 10th outing, Painting With, Animal Collective seem to have firmly moved away from their avant-garde work on Merriweather Post Pavillion. Yet, the song `Golden Gal` shows that their take on psychedelic pop is not an entirely bad thing. Full of standard AnCo flourishes, with vocal harmonies and squelchy synth, the heart of this song feels like a Beach Boys song. Although it isn’t a deep song, it still is lyrically engaging. Combining this with the band’s standard warm sound, `Golden Gal` is an overall great experience!
Taken from her new album, Livin’ On A High Note, `Action` is a perfect example of Staples combining the old and the new. Written by afrobeat weirdo tUnE-yArDs, the song very much has her stamp on it, with prominent use of backing singers and a tight bassline. Yet, Staples tones down this weirdness, blending these elements together to make this a soulful gospel song. However, this choice never feels forced or downplaying more interesting parts of the songs. Instead, it feels almost a natural choice to make this a soul song. Gorgeous!
Music 19
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Interview
NZCA Lines It took four years for the return of Michael Lovett’s sci-fi synthpop project NZCA Lines. He discusses JG Ballard, singing with a cold and music in 2086 with Jacob Bernard-Banton Photo: Waxorian@Flickr
Four years is a long wait between albums nowadays. The vocals and instruments of NZCA Lines, Michael Lovett is well aware of this. “It was never supposed to be that long,” he says of his second album Infinite Summer, a concept album about planet Earth in the midst of a sun turned red giant. “I finished a version of the record in 2014,” he says, before being “offered to play with Metronomy”, thus delaying its release. The album’s concept came out of “reading science-fiction novels that I’d never properly read”. Lovett hesitates where to pinpoint the source of its inspiration, yet credits album track ‘New Atmosphere’ loosely for starting it all. Of the concept itself, (“It’s not very original,” he laughs) Lovett already had some established ideas, but admits he pilfered a little from JG Ballard’s The Drowned World about “the sun expanding and the sea levels rising, and everyone getting a little bit possessed by the sun”. Of course, talking about sci-fi in Northern Quarter’s Soup Kitchen meant that I couldn’t pass an opportunity to mention the nearby Forbidden Planet and talk turns to Lovett’s sci-fi credentials (“I don’t have much sci-fi memorabilia…the ephemera”). He remembers the time he made a Boba Fett costume for Hallowe’en when he was “seven… or maybe five”. “The helmet was really spot-on,” he says proudly. His debut featured geeky lyrics about falling in love with an airship and formatting a hard drive—hardly conventional topics in the world of rock and pop. But it isn’t mere novelty for novelty’s sake. That’s partly because the songs on Lovett‘s debut, and indeed Infinite Summer, are absolute gems: a unique, offkilter brand of cerebral electro-pop that doesn’t forget to feel. But it’s mostly because Lovett is pretty capable of stringing together a coherent story. “I really wanted to make this album
more of a proper concept album,” he says, and talks about approaching the album like an art project. “The first album was toying with these ideas,” he continues, “[but] it was intentionally quite vague and elusive. I wanted to be explicit.” The reason for Infinite Summer’s gestation is a fairly ordinary one: “I’m quite good at distracting myself. Spreading myself too thin basically.” He’s not the only one easily distracted. It seems nowadays we’re constantly forcefed a bombardment of new bands and new music without allowing it to digest. “It is bad. There’s a huge saturation of music. I feel my own attention span being constantly diverted. When I’m trying to work, [I turn] off my email notifications on my phone. Having said that, I really wanna [sic] work quickly and make another album.” He says he needs to do more of “capturing the spontaneous”, though he’s still a perfectionist. He eschewed a vocal take for ‘Persephone Dreams’ made with “a proper mic” in favour of the demo recording produced on a mic “that’s not really supposed to be for vocals” when he had a nasty cold: “The quality was better but the performance wasn’t as good.” What does he make of the increasing trend towards solo acts and duos? Is it the legitimate sound of something new, of 2016, or are people strapped for cash? “A bit of both,” says Lovett. “I could be doing this on my own if I wanted to.” However, he notes that given the spirit of the record—which saw live drums provided by Sarah Jones, erstwhile having NYPC and Hot Chip drummer, and Ash’s Charlotte Hatherley on board—“it wouldn’t make sense if I tried to do it on my own.” He praises the theatricality of some performing artists. “Gold Panda plays by himself, but it’s quite physical, he’s really into it. You can play everything if you’re playing by yourself, so it doesn’t have
to be a pared-down sound. It’ll be very interesting to look back in 10 years and think of what the sound was,” he says, regarding the sparse, electronica-addled pop du jour. “It’s definitely a very particular sound, brought about by the technology that everybody now has access to: tuned kick-drums and trap hihats, this clean sound, people like Flume.” Surely that means the end of longstanding indie guitar band phenomena? Perhaps the emergence of solo artists making their own music is the new wave? “I think it comes in phases, but maybe,” he muses. “Good songwriting always stands out whatever the genre is,” before praising Field Music, Stealing Sheep and Mac DeMarco. I probe him about the partisan coverage of guitar bands over all else in the music press: you’re more likely to see Catfish & the Bottlemen or Blossoms on the front cover of Q than, say, LA Priest. He’s not entirely sure. “I think the whole synth thing is overplayed now,” he says archly. “Either way, people can get a bit purist about it. I think it really depends on the artist rather than the genre. DIIV sound like Slowdive to me. I mean, it doesn’t and it is different, but that’s the gist of it. But I guess I’m just sounding like I’m getting old really.” Where does he see the future of music going? “It’s gonna [sic] be interesting to see if a music industry exists in twenty years.” As for music in 2086, Lovett cites some new music he discovered based around “a guy recording his voice in a room and playing the recording of his voice back and recording it again. Eventually, what you end up with after 40 replays is the just the resonant sounds of the room—you lose the voice completely, you lose any definition of the voice, it’s just the acoustic sound of the room.” It seems that Lovett is as ready for the future of music as anyone.
Opinion
Hearing protection: The modern music taboo? Is hearing protection for the paranoid, or unfaithful to the quality of music? Is it something we should all be considering? Have a listen to Adam Rogers... Being university students of a city as rich and diverse in its music history as Manchester, it’s no surprise that the vast majority of us are familiar with the same all too common sensation after a night out—tinnitus. Whether it’s after a gig or a club night, a DJ set or even a house party, that ominous drone starts to sink in as soon as your head hits the pillow. You groan, you roll your eyes, and then you turn over and ignore it. At some point you really have to ask yourself the question: Is it really that bad? Can I really afford to keep ignoring this? What can I do about it? Bluntly, the answers are yes, no, and hearing protection! Tinnitus actually stems from the sound of your sensitive inner ear cells dying. I hear you cry, “But Adam, I really enjoy music, and wouldn’t want any perceived quality loss listening to my favourite blackened ska crust punk artist! Also, I don’t want to look like a knob!” Well, my reply is simple: Let’s keep it so you can still listen to your favourite blackened ska crust punk artist, and nobody is expecting you to wear those huge over-ear defenders. Let’s instead consider some vaguely subtle ear plugs, of which there are three main options. The first option is foam ear plugs. These are by far the cheapest of the lot, but you’ll certainly know it. These are the sort that builders wear on construction sites or grumpy spouses wear because their significant other snores like an earthquake. These aren’t for everyone as there’s a significant drop in quality, and sometimes the attenuation can be too heavy, as
well as there being an issue with occlusion (hearing your voice inside your head when you plug your ears with your fingers). They’ll also have to be replaced every few nights out as they wear out pretty easily, although you can nab 50 pairs on eBay right now for £7.50 delivered, so it’s hardly an issue. Comfortable, affordable, disposable—they’re better than nothing. The second option is silicon ear buds, and these usually clock in at about £14 for a decent pair. Probably the most popular option, they balance cost, performance and style (most of them are barely visible). Silicon ear plugs attenuate the spectrum of frequencies much flatter than foam earplugs, alongside going a short distance to solve the occlusion problem so you can still have conversations. The only downside is that over several hours these will cause your ears to become achy and sweaty, but unless you were planning on a 24-hour session at Berghain, this isn’t really an issue. Finally, the big expensive custom moulded option. These are the sort of plugs that session musicians go for and tend to come in at a revolting £140—but hey,
“Whether it’s after a gig or a club night, a DJ set or even a house party, that ominous drone starts to sink in as soon as your head hits the pillow.”
what’s the price of hearing loss? To obtain a pair you first have to go to an audiologist and have moulds taken of your ear canals (it’s a very bizarre sensation). They’ll get sent away and the pretty casts of the inside of your head are returned about a week later. These are by far the superior option, allowing for the filters to be chosen for the flattest frequency spectrum (hint, hint, audiophiles), a tailored amount of attenuation (looking at you, speaker fiends), and effectively unlimited comfort (albeit it does take a little getting used to). As these can be cast in clear silicon, they are effectively invisible too. Speaking from personal experience, these are the only option I thoroughly recommend and are totally worth the financial hit— you can even find 20% off vouchers for certain companies as a student. Everything just sounds as if the volume had been turned down, although I do tend to mumble when talking because of it. To sum up, if you’re heading out clubbing every week, then the recommendation on nabbing a pair of ear plugs is high, and if you’re a regular gig goer it’s pretty imperative. The ubiquity of music nowadays from iPods or otherwise means you’re already consistently hammering your ears anyway, and leaving permanent hearing damage to chance might not be the best course of action. Besides, having music slowly ruin music for you is some pretty crap irony, don’t you think?
Top 5 Electronic artists to watch in 2016 You heard it here first...keep an eye out for these beat merchants this calendar year
5 Dombresky Having emerged virtually unknown this last year with a slew of heavy hitting bass house records, this French producer was already on an upward trajectory before landing a collaboration with the godfather of Future House himself, Tchami, not to mention a new EP on A-Trak’s imprint Fools Gold Records. Best Track: ‘VIP’
4
Walker & Royce
Coming off a recent string of stellar remixes and originals, these two New York producers are set to take the house scene by storm following major support from veterans of the game such as Claude Von Stroke, Green Velvet and Shadow Child. Best Track: ‘12 Stories - Bright Lights’ ft. Digitaria (Walker & Royce Remix)
3
Louis The Child
This Chicago future bass duo, have shown themselves to be able to follow closely in the footsteps of the likes of Flume and in doing so have received absurd amounts of support on internet streaming services as well as major radio play on their debut single. Best Track: ‘It’s Strange’ ft. K.Flay
2
Mura Masa
Another UK based young gun, slicing his own path through the electronic music scene with his lo-fi, oriental and hip-hop influenced beats. Having amassed millions of plays on Soundcloud and backing from Radio 1’s Sound of 2016 list, this soon to be dance music shogun is not to be missed.
Photo: BBC
1
Sam Gellaitry
Expect spectacular things to come from this 19 year old Scottish prodigy, who has already received backing from the likes of Annie Mac and labels such as Soulection for his pioneering and genre bending R&B and hip hop inspired productions. Best Track: ‘Long Distance’ Nirav Chandar Contributor
14
Music
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Botch: We Are The Rec rd Romans Reappraisal Released November 1999 via Hydra Head
RIP Viola Beach Ed John pays tribute to local rising stars after their following their tragic death. Within the first two months of the year we’ve lost cultural icons such as Lemmy, Bowie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s frontman Maurice White. With the news that up and coming indie band Viola Beach have died in a car crash, we’re reminded that the all-too-soon dwindling of bright sparks can be just as tragic as the flickering of old flames. Having formed in May of 2015, Warrington natives Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe and Jack Dakin saw a rapid rise to fame. Their upbeat and melodic indie style, enthusiastic approach to the craft and raw talent had everyone from the BBC to The Courteeners listening, with the four lads even supporting their fellow Greater Mancunians on a UK tour. They released their debut single ‘Swings and Waterslides’ in August of 2015 and secured a slot at Reading & Leeds that very same month. As if that wasn’t enough to line them up as Manchester’s new Indie sensation, they made the
BBC’s selection of artists to watch in 2016 for their Introducing section, along with an invite to play a session at the prestigious Maida Vale studios. They had even begun to break America, with an upcoming show in the States booked for next month. A true embodiment of the British indie scene, Viola Beach were a youthful, charismatic and hugely talented band with nothing but a promising future ahead of them. They seemed to be living the dream and were looking to do no less than exceed the predictions of success made by everyone who had heard them. Our heart goes out to their friends, family and fans. You don’t have to wander far in Manchester to find someone with a connection to them; it’s clear to see the scar they’ve left on our local music landscape. A loss of any kind is hard to swallow, but such a swift loss of potential is one only made easier by what little music they had a chance to leave behind.
Photo: Album Artwork
Quick Q & A: Kanye West In a rare and unexpected exclusive, Rob Paterson sat down with rapper, entrepreneur and serial tweeter Kanye West shortly after the release of his new album The Life Of Pablo. Wow Kanye, this is amazing, thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me. “All positive energy” Yeah man, for sure. Congratulations on the new album. Are you happy with how it’s been received? “To Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, New York Times, and any other white publication. Please do not comment on black music anymore.”
Oh, I’ll take that as a no then. Hang on, didn’t Pitchfork give it a 9? “The album is a 30 out of 10.” Right… well who cares what the music press say anyway? They’re just a bunch of cowardly, self-indulgent… let’s move on. You recently asked Mark Zuckerberg for money… “I want to help the world and I need help to do it. I am an artist and I care about humanity.” Right on. And I assume this is related to your new company Donda, it looks amazing. I mean alternative energy resources, medical research hover boards… really it’s impressive you can get involved in all this! Emoticon autocorrect, what is that...? “If you want to help, help me. You’d rather open up one school in Africa like you really helped the country…”
Get Involved!
All genres of music have an album of pure brilliance that goes largely unnoticed when released. Whether it’s The Velvet Underground & Nico sitting and waiting impatiently for the rest of the world to catch up, or Pixies selling out world tours only after they had been broken up for ten years. It’d be fair to say that various subgenres of metal and punk wouldn’t be where they are today without Botch’s We Are the Romans. Botch were a four-piece balls-to-the-wall mathcore band hailing from Tacoma, Washington, renowned for their malicious blend of metalinflected hardcore that sought to oppose the drawn-out, simplistic clichés of the scene at the time. The result was a sound that is an unequivocal punch to the throat – swapping out the standard three punk chords for erratic, noisy guitar stabs and shifting time signatures. Following the release of their debut album American Nervoso, Botch took only a year to put out We Are the Romans - an LP that brought a more dynamic and complex approach to their already noise-laden sound. The album opens with ‘To Our Friends in the Great White North’ and distils this attitude into a single track; Starting with a riff in 5/8 at 180BPM and ending with the mantra “It’s your fault – fucking up the kids”, this album gives you a swift kick to the nuts and then berates you for it. We Are the Romans is one of the first albums that manages to meld punk attitudes with progressive musicality and still come across with a raw headbanging clarity. It’s something very few of their contemporaries were able to reconcile; with other bands such as Coalesce or The Dillinger Escape Plan tending to sway towards
one or the other. This signature style of riffing can be seen in bands as large and mainstream as Architects or Bring Me The Horizon, right down to local level bands such as Ithaca or Irk. A true tragedy is that We Are the Romans was the final album Botch created before the demise of the band three years later, where tensions within the band led to communications breaking down and fizzling out. The group died a lonely death after being shunned from the crews of the underground scene for eschewing and even mocking their clichés. It was only several years later that the band started to gain critical acclaim, but in the words of drummer Latona, “I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but it’s like, ‘Where were you in 2001?’”.
Photo: Album Artwork
Erm, Africa’s a continent… “Shut the fuck up and enjoy the greatness. Yeah, sorry man, I shouldn’t try and work you out. I’ll be honest, you confuse the fuck out of me, but your music is fucking great, so I should just focus on that. “BILL COSBY IS INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!” Woah, ok, that’s a little hard to ignore… “...on another note, can brah be the girl verson of bruh???” What does that have to do with… ah, it occurs to me that I may have fallen asleep in front of my Twitter feed. I really need to sort my sleep-writing out…
Thanks to Helena Ross for the amazing illustration. Keep your eyes peeled for our TLOP review in the next issue.
Preview: i Sessions final
After shamelessly plugging his own play in last week’s Theatre section, Rob Paterson previews an event which he swears he has nothing to do with
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15 years on from the demise of Botch, Adam Rogers explores the bands highly influential, and heavily chaotic final LP
Photo: The i
Bunkerous, intimate and sordidly sweaty, Gorilla is one of Manchester’s most coveted venues: any new band would be lucky to play there. Through hard work (and a good deal of luck) 5 have earned the chance in the final of the iSessions competition. After 19 local ‘battle of the band’ style competitions up and down the country and an online voting round, the finalists represent an impressive musical spectrum which reflects the UK’s thriving student music scene. Manchester’s own entry The Vanity Project have made the cut; a genre mashing, instrument hopping duo with a flair for manic and theatrical live performances. We’re very nervous, but feel we’ve really honed our live set in preparation and can’t wait to air our new songs to a big crowd. Did I say we?.. I mean they. As if I’d use this paper to plug my artistic endeavours two weeks running; what kind of narcissistic prick do you take me for? So aside from providing us… them (fuck) some much needed support, why come see a load of bands you don’t know that potentially suck? Well BBC 6’s Marc Riley will be there for one, judging alongside with Tom Baker, Founder of Field Day and Alice Jones, the Deputy Arts Editor for The Independent. As if its star studdedness wasn’t enough of a draw, it’s FREE for students and comes with two free drinks. To get your ticket, visit www.independent.co.uk/isessionsfinal. Everything kicks off at 7PM on the 29th of Feb. Come have a drink and a dance and support new music.
Games 15
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Review
Feature
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 How did Activision’s latest Call of Duty title turn out? Read on to find out Robert Parris’ opinion on this, frankly, very bizarre entry into the franchise. Robert Parris Contributor Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is easily the weirdest Call of Duty ever made, and that’s definitely not a bad thing. Whether it be electrocuting imaginary wolves with the palm of your hand, or travelling back through time as a multiplayer specialist, or transforming into a strange squid beast in a Zombie infested 1940’s Chicago, there’s a significant element of crazy in Treyarch’s newest Call of Duty. Is it the best Call of Duty ever made? No. But Black Ops 3 is easily the most distinctive, biggest and ultimately one of the most fun out there. The main campaign, is set amidst a dark and paranoia inducing future, where man and machine have become one, and explores some surprisingly dark moral implications of this technology. However, the campaign fails to completely tie these themes together by the end, and relies too heavily on gory shock moments to move the story along than significant character development. Fortunately the gameplay itself is great; the fast and fluid gunplay remains top of the console fps class, and the new plasmidlike character abilities add some muchneeded spice to the level designs. You can now boost jump on top of buildings and run along walls, shoot nano bees from your hand, and turn invisible, to name just a few. What’s impressive is that most are actually worth using in Call of Duty’s frenetic firefights, successfully diversifying each of the larger and more complex levels than we’ve seen before. These give way to some surprising emergent gameplay moments. For example around half way through the game you are tasked with destroying a massive 25 foot robot tank and its goons. One option is to blow away the infantry with regular weapons and then focus on destroying the tank. Or if you have the hacking ability equipped you can risk a lengthy hacking process and then take direct control of this final boss like behemoth and annihilate the ground targets with missiles. I even got an achievement for it too. It’s moments like these and the integrated XP ranking in each game mode that gives Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 far more replay value than any previous entry. Every aspect of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is playable with up to four people online and two people locally, even the campaign. Whilst it does get a little grindy towards the end, the story mode is still entirely playable solo. The real
The Witness in Motion Stephen Lewis Contributor
Photo: Activision Publishing Inc.
meat of Black Ops 3, the multiplayer, has undergone some significant changes compared to previous entries. The enhanced mobility present in the campaign has translated rather well over to the multiplayer. In one move you could be running across a wall, fire an explosive crossbow round into an enemy causing her to explode into a million bloody chunks, and then from the wall, boost jump onto the top of a building and snipe another enemy camping on the opposite building. It’s exciting stuff, partly due to the implementation of the new ‘specialists’. Functioning like heroes in MOBA’s you choose one of around nine characters, each with two distinct abilities. Reaper can transform his robot arm into a minigun temporarily, and Prophet can ‘glitch’ back to a previous location to avoid a gunfight to name a few. These singleuse abilities run on a cool-down timer which is reduced by either earning kills or by completing objectives, and no matter how bad you are, you will get to use your ability around twice a match. Just make sure to use them before you die as they do not carry over into your next life. The specialists help diversify the experience as they help shake up the leveling process, and present a compelling reason to keep playing to find out what the next blurred out character can do. The maps themselves are mostly great, they are colourful, and have a good sense of flow to them. However, the enhanced mobility means that it is easy to get flanked and you have to stay constantly moving in order to survive. Despite these advances, the multiplayer is by no means flawless. The touted underwater combat is woefully underplayed, with only a few maps supporting this design. The only new game mode Safeguard, in which your team must escort a robot to a location on the map while the other team attempts to destroy it, is functional
but forgettable and I doubt anyone will be playing it in a few months. Gunfights still generally boil down to the person who is aiming down sight first gets the kill, although the jump pack does give you an opportunity to escape if your timing’s right. The Killstreaks also seem to be a bit weak in my opinion, and difficult to earn (five kills for a UAV in Team Deathmatch—are you kidding me?!) However, everything considered, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s multiplayer is a significant improvement on the previous two entries. It is faster and deeper, and so far has remained well populated on the Xbox One version, which I used for the review. The new Zombies map, Shadows of Evil has also been a hit with the community, where either you alone or 4 people take on never ending waves of the undead, this time in a misty 1940’s Chicago. The star-studded cast includes Jeff Goldblum as a twisted magician and Ron Perlman as a murderous boxer as playable characters. The banter between these personalities is great and the map is filled with secrets and easter eggs. You can ‘become the beast’ which allows you to slash zombies with your squid like tentacles and unlock other areas of the map to escape to. In my opinion this is one of the best zombies maps ever made; it’ll take months to discover everything this mode has to offer. The top down zombie mode, Dead Ops Arcade, returns, which you can now also play in first person, and remains as much fun as it did back in 2010. If that wasn’t enough zombies for you, after you complete the campaign you get access to additional nightmares campaign mode which is essentially a sequence of zombified campaign levels, with an eerie unseen narrator tying the sequences together. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is an enormous game, but when competing with titles like Fallout 4, it had to be. Despite its breadth, the modes are all of good quality and the new movement and character abilities help spice things up (even if there’s a distinct whiff of ‘TitanShock’ about the new additions). If you got burned out on the series long ago, the gameplay tweaks and the 15 hours of single-player content alone may be enough to warrant a purchase. Even though Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 doesn’t significantly innovate the FPS genre, it does push the series forward in a meaningful direction.
After waiting years for The Witness to be released on PlayStation 4, I downloaded it within a week of its release. A puzzle game not too different the classic PC game Myst, but it has more intuitive direction alongside near-total freedom. There are practically no other titles like this; apart from perhaps The Talos Principle. It was a horrible moment though when I had finally started playing, and about 20-30 minutes in, I started to feel queasy and unbalanced. This has never happened to me before whilst playing any kind of game. At first I thought I just wasn’t feeling so great, that perhaps the pressure of deadlines that had just passed was finally catching up to me. So I took a break and laid in bed. Once I was feeling better I thought I would start playing again. But after 10 minutes of gaming, the same thing started to happen again. After a quick Google search, I found that I was not the only person to have experienced this. Since its release, The Witness has been in the gaming media for two main reasons: the apparent level of piracy and how it could be seen to discriminate against colour-blind players as some puzzles
required the ability to see the colour differentiations, and there is no option in it settings to adjust this. There has been far less comment about how the colours, field-of-view, movement speed or a combination of these can cause motion sickness to gamers such as myself. Jonathan Blow, the creator of the game, has responded to direct comments about motion sickness by saying that he is trying to “hack” something in, and that there should already be a patch in beta on Steam for the PC players. However, it will be weeks before such a patch is seen on the PS4, and I do feel slightly cheated out of my £30. I didn’t buy the game on day one because the price was higher than I was expecting. But after seeing the reviews, I was convinced that, after waiting so long, that the game was worth it. Somehow these issues didn’t come up in any reviews or any play-testing, otherwise they would have, hopefully, been fixed before the release. Hopefully Blow’s hack will be available soon and will fix these problems. Otherwise players will be stuck with a game that not everyone can enjoy, and it cannot be returned or traded in as it is only available through digital download. We shall see how this issue develops.
Photo: Jonathan Blow
King of the North 2016 King of the North is happening once again and this time it is bigger and better than ever. We have moved from Academy 2 to Academy 1 so that is double the space and you bet we are taking full advantage. This year at King of The North there will be Leage of Legends, DOTA 2 and CS:GO UK university finals which you can watch live. There will also be two tournaments based on the Super Smash Bros series: a Melee tournament and a Smash for Wii U tournament. For fans of rocket league there will also be a 1v1 Rocket League tournament. If all of this excites you then buy a ticket now! It is really cheap and can be bought over at: www.uomesports.com. If you purchase a ticket now it will cost you £2 rather than the £3 on the door. To enter either of the Smash Tournaments it will cost you £5 but that is nothing compared to the £100 cash prize. As for Rocket League, entrance is free! So you have no excuse to not enter. Check out the King of the North facebook
Photo: UoM eSports Society
page or the UoM eSports website for more information. The festival will be held on March 2nd 2016 and we hope to see you there.
Want to meet fellow gamers in Manchester? For this week’s event we reccommend everyone go to the Facebook page. The date is not set in stone, but the event will be at Whitworth Hall’s Grove Bar. We will have various different consoles with games like Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Rock Band. We will also be giving details on our upcoming Pokemon League so come down for more details. /GamingSociety
Photo: Activision Publishing Inc.
Fashion & Beauty
16
Laura Mills talks you through her top 5 iconic beauty looks from the past couple of thousand years
Back to the pas t..
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When hearing about friends’ childhood wardrobes, numerous favourites resurface from the early noughties era: white tights and light up shoes at the age of 5, pinafores and dungarees aged 7, and matching sibling outfits (until 18, if some mothers have their way). The eclectic scattering of family photographs around the house often tell an interesting story of our parents’ control what we wore, until free reign was finally given and we could dress ourselves. Whilst I, too, was subject to Mini Boden knitted cardigans, teddy bear pyjamas, and the gift from Grandma forced upon me for every visit, my parents were perhaps a little more liberal with my input to compiling my wardrobe (and probably liable for sparking my interest in fashion). Whilst the fairy costume and Barbie heels were a personal favourite, Jeans for Genes Day saw the annual emergence of my denim catsuit (along with the inevitable fight with my best friend who wanted to wear it, too). Striped tights, tutus, and florescent beads were another that emerged at the school discos, and even an electric blue pair of leather flares—an item I still regret throwing away to this day. I also confess, with my head downcast, to my 12-year-old obsession with the idea of owning a pair of jeans in every colour; this I quickly gave up on after pocket money ran out five pairs into my mission. This still could never rival the Jack Wills phase when I was 14, for which I had to borrow my friend’s clothes to brandish the JW logo as my mother deemed it ‘too expensive’ (Pfft, as if). In amongst these carefree “fashion” choices, I also learnt the important lesson of the lasting impression clothes can have on a person. The day
Photo: pdomenick @Flickr
1. Cleopatra Perhaps one of the earliest beauty icons, Cleopatra has remained a classic influence throughout time and has had her looks recreated and portrayed by actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie. It could be argued that she wore one of the most recognisable make up looks ever. Whilst her reign is long over, her iconic peacock blue theatrical shadow combined with heavily applied kohl liner has stood the test of time. She even has a Charlotte Tilbury product named after her. 2. Marilyn Monroe Marilyn is perhaps one of the most well known beauty icons to date. With her short blonde curls and classic red lip, Marilyn was the emblem of the traditional 50’s pin up look and she epitomized Hollywood glamour. Not only has she had a Charlotte Tilbury product named after her, she’s appeared as the 2015 Face of Max Factor and an ambassador of Chanel No.5 long after her death. Not many have achieved that kind of beauty recognition. 3. Twiggy The supermodel of the 60’s trademarked the mod make up style with her dramatic lashes and iconic liner. Think lashings upon lashings of mascara, fake lashes, and drawn on bottom lashes, and you’re almost there. Paired with a blocked out nude lip, a bold brow, and a short pixie haircut, Twiggy embodied the mod movement and it’s easy to see why she was the icon of the decade. 4. David Bowie Whether he was covered in glitter as Ziggy Stardust, rocking a lightning bolt as Aladdin Sane, slicking back his hair as Thin White Duke, or working some seriously dramatic liner as the Goblin King in Labyrinth; Bowie’s constant reinvention and varying beauty styles made him a true icon. His reigning presence and influential make up adaptations lasted well throughout the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, and he completely threw gender norms out of the window. His sense of style and choice of make up was untamed and unapologetic. He simply did not care, which is why so many loved him so much. 5. Grace Jones The legendary singer and supermodel symbolised the classic 80’s dramatic style of make up. Her staple look was bold, angled blusher, heavily contoured cheeks, striking eyeliner, and a dash of neon eye shadow; whether that be blue, pink, orange, purple, or yellow. Combine this with her androgynous hair style and daring fashion choices; Jones was a true beauty icon of the 80’s.
Sophie Soar Contributor
Photos: The Mancunion
I started secondary school, I panicked for fear of not making a good impression and I turned to my dear Mum to save the day. My friends still won’t let me live down the moment I walked through the door with leather boots, a khaki mini skirt, a fur shrug, sunglasses poised on my head, and a t-shirt with the slogan:”Who Needs Chocolate, I’m Sweet Enough”. I continue to blame her to this day… But some loves never change, even when cultivated from a young age. My favourite orange velvet dress I wore every day for a year (along with the liberating freedom of not having to vary accessories at 6-years-old) still remains to be my favourite colour and fabric. My current daily footwear of clomping lace-up heels also scarily resemble the school shoes I eventually convinced my Mum to buy me in Year 5, which were soon renamed the “clod hoppers” as I stomped from room to room. It was an eclectic collection and I often look back in slight bewilderment at what I deemed the height of cool. However, it is a rite of passage of every child as they explore who they are and how they shape their personality through their dress; mine would apparently be mad and rather scary. Mostly, I applaud my parent’s never-ending patience (probably mixed in with extreme amusement) as they witnessed one car crash outfit after another. They smiled politely to avoid any teenage tantrums over their dislike for what I deemed to be life-essential choices every time I walked out the door. However, I must especially thank my mother who, to this day, I shall forever praise for calmly talking me out of creating tops from our spare pillowcases, and most nobly with a straight face.
Noughties Nostalgia!
worn in a crowd, the cargo pants frequently referenced the top of another bandmate, creating a sense of cohesive cool. Glossy makeup The reflective material in fashion translated into the makeup of the early ’00s, with copious amounts of lipgloss being the biggest craze. Eyeshadow was also favoured, with the smokey eye being truly discovered in the early ’00s. High-shine was matched with fake tans that were considered better for being evidently orange, with the desired aesthetic of channeling Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie during their time on The Simple Life.
Rebecca Thomas Contributor Although seemingly very recent, the style of the early noughties has already become as recognisable as the iconic trends of the 80s and 90s. Here are a few of the greatest and most questionable fashion and beauty trends that were hot at the turn of the millennium: Velour Tracksuits The peak of cool in the early 2000’s was the matching velour tracksuit from Juicy Couture. The matching coloured separates and ‘juicy’ printed on the butt was the mark of fame, and had an army of celebrity worshippers, too. The ultimate Juicy Couture moment came when Britney got married to Kevin Federline; with the bridal party and groomsmen sporting pink ‘Maids’ and white ‘Pimps’ tracksuits respectively. Halternecks With ‘less is more’ being the mantra of ’00s stars like Christina Aguilera, halternecks were miniature and had a DIY chic look going on due to their appearance in metallic and bandana materials. Highlights Blended and subtle were the antithesis of this hair trend that saw a confusion of zebra highlights in contrasting bleach blonde and dark stripes. Atomic Kitten taught the world how to work tri-colour highlights on linear straight hair. Men reached for the bleach and transformed into porcupines; hair was spiked into alternating monochrome tufts. Cargo Pants Cargo pants were featured heavily on the red carpet—the most elite were those made in a shiny material or camouflage, and worn with heels. The most exciting qualities of the cargos was their ability to unzip into shorts and their many useful pockets. Versatile. If
WAG style Possibly the best way of immersing in early ’00s memories is a look back at the huge cultural moment of the WAG (abbreviated from wives and girlfriends), and media representation of the jostle for style queendom at the sidelines of sporting events. The mixture of designer handbags and cliquey vibes made the WAG image a noughties answer to Mean Girls, with Posh: the Regina George of the crowd. Photos (top to bottom): AmaliaAdina@Flickr, faveforafact@Flickr, jingdianmeinv1 @Flickr
Top 5: Iconic Beauty Looks
The memoirs of toddler tailoring and adolescent atrocities
Fashion & Beauty 17
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature
e h t o t ... in future Kyle Zabawa channels Mystic Meg as he dusts of his couture crystal ball to bring you the technological future of fashion and cosmetics: including 3D printing, computer chips and even your own DNA
High fashion goes high-tech could be the answer to your prayers. A specialized substitute for the humble sewing machine, input your designs virtually and marvel as the 3D printer works its magic especially for you in a state of the art fusion of skills from the spheres of material science, mechanical assembly and three-dimensional design. For the 3D printer, making the jump from tech offices (where they have been based since their conception in the 80s and 90s), to the catwalks of today is no mean feat. Designers across the globe are hidden away currently researching the best ways to make tech couture more articulated and sensuous. Take the most expensive piece of 3D fashion to date, for example—a $100,000 dress designed with
Although still in its embryonic stages, the concept of wearable technology is an exciting prospect. Despite the fact that my inner conspiracy theorist is still not entirely trusting of the wonders of such technological advances such as free Wi-Fi (it all seems to good to be true?), in what I’m christening as my very first ‘infotainment’ feature, I’m going to be diving head first into the depths of cyberspace and beyond to show you that the very best of cutting edge clothing and cosmetics is yet to come. Bubble Dreams: Gaga for the Lady In a change of direction from her usual attire of lingerie, haute couture, or even antipasti, it was pop icon Lady Gaga who first introduced me to the potential for the worlds of fashion and technology to collide and give birth to something altogether more revolutionary. Never one to shy away from the unconventional, back in late summer of 2013, Gaga was photographed leaving Camden’s Roundhouse venue surrounded by a nebula of bright bursting bubbles. There were no devoted acolytes nor doting assistants blowing these bubbles, they were instead emanating from her very own dress. Titled ‘Anemone 2.0’, it was white, 3D printed construction by Studio XO which featured four distinct bubble factories designed to produce a fabulous flurry with every step. One might even say that the dress was designed to quite literally reinject the ‘pop’ back into pop culture. The thrills of 3D printing How frustrating is it when you dream up exactly the garment you need—yet the humble high street is unable to satiate your sartorial cravings? Fear no more, fellow fussy fashionistas, for 3D printing
Photos: Intel, Albert Sanchez, Gagapedia
burlesque icon Dita Von Teese as its muse. The result of one hundred hours of skilled work, a total of 17 printed pieces of lasered nylon; three thousand articulated joints and 13,000 Swarovski crystals (my favourite ingredient) were all needed to ensure that this unique piece was both functional and form-fitting. Like its inspiration, the resulting dress really was a true reflection of fantasy.
face of anything ever seen before. Here’s hoping that the Çetin sisters invest in a whole collection of a similar nature to ensure that this highly intelligent couture can become a staple for the more flamboyant fashionistas of the universe in the near future.
Metamorphosis à la Mode: The Butterfly dress
In what is being hailed as a revolutionary crossover between the worlds of technology, cosmetics and forensics, beauty products can now be tailored to even the most individualistic of tastes through the miracles of 3D printing. Simply locate your desired colour on the Pantone colour chart and marvel as the modern machinery meticulously produces the matching pigment. The resulting colour can then be added to mixing mediums, producing nail
In what could be thought of as the perfect blend between the worlds of haute couture and science fiction, the Çetin sisters this year presented a piece of well-orchestrated design that they hoped could change the world’s approach to fashion and technology. From the depths of the creative chaos of their combined minds, came the butterfly dress.
Thin eyebrows The full brow of recent years has been an answer to its noughties predecessor, eyebrows were thinned and shaped into manicured arches. Decorative belts Oversized belts made of circular, studded brown leather (or pleather) segments were characteristically slung over gypsy skirts, making them ornamental accessory items rather than functioning as true belts.
Bespoke Beauty: This time, it’s personal
paints, lipsticks, eye colours and eyeliners with the hopes that foundations and concealers will eventually follow. Although it is currently exclusive to the makeup mavens of the world, it is thought that in as little as one year from now, printers of a similar nature will be on sale to the general public. A Most Macabre Moisturiser If (as is the case for every human being to have ever lived) your face suffers from pigmentation, acne, an oily T-zone or even dull, dry patchiness, a Vampire Facial Cream could be your (un)holy grail. The magic ingredient? You guessed it—the client’s very own blood. The elaborate production process involves a trained professional drawing two teaspoons of blood from the willing participant. A centrifuge (a piece of fancy laboratory equipment that a linguistics degree student is dangerously unqualified to use or even describe) then isolates platelets from the blood—a 10 minute process according to the experts. The platelets are then ‘activated’, spurring them to release 8 growth factors thought to be crucial to the healing of injured tissue. While this process may sound like a scene from an episode of American Horror Story, thankfully, the white cream that contains the aforementioned blood is not a gore-toned red but a sparkling white due to the translucent nature of the platelets. Fellow Beauty School Dropouts rejoice. The cream (once devoured by ‘bloodthirsty’ pores) promises to improve skin tone and texture, tighten problem areas and even plump the hollows of the face. At £950 a pot, you’d jolly well hope it was doing some good. Unfortunately, as this alleged miracle cream is way out of my price range (and at time of writing this I have yet to be granted a trial) the only guarantee I can offer to you is that this product will take a bite out of your bank balance. For much too long, when it comes to fashion and cosmetics, we’ve been living an analogue life in a digital world. All of this technologically tantalising tailoring and tincture won’t stop us from buying off the shelf just yet. For the foreseeable future, it seems to be the case that (unfortunately so) these products shall remain largely the possessions of the upper echelons due to their tremendous (yet justifiable) cost. So, on a closing note, while the pairing of technology and fashion is an exciting venture (a marriage of which we are nowhere near the apex) we are forced to remain comfortable, yet content with our current wardrobes and cosmetics. Vampire Facial, anyone?
High Fashion
The Future of Fashion Week
now movement has grown hugely. The traditional fashion week is aimed at the press and buyers who have the opportunity to see a designer’s collection six months before its eventual sale, deciding which pieces they believe will suit their customers. But the internet has allowed potential customers to voice their reaction alongside the show, and in six months time when it is available to purchase, customers have lost interest. Big names including Burberry and Tom Ford have completely disregarded this system; Tom Ford has recently cancelled his NYFW show in February, in favour of one A/W collection in September, so customers can buy when the clothes are relevant. Henry Holland has designed special rings with Visa, enabling customers to buy the pieces off the catwalk with their jewellery—embracing technol-
Baker boy hats The baker boy or newsboy cap resurged from its 1920s origins into the millenium. An example of a more erroneous trend that had emerged, the baker boy hat was often worn over pigtails, and worn by Keira Knightley in Love Actually was where it was at its most iconic. Crop tops and low-rise jeans Following on from the ’90s trend for cropped tops, the noughties made it more extreme, with tops becoming even more miniature and trousers ending lower, expanding midriff visibility.
The dress itself is simple yet chic. Made from an elegant blend of luxury jacquard, interwoven with metallic lurex fibres and cerulean feathers, the 40 individual computer-powered butterflies adorned the collar of this piece to truly ensure that the wearer stands out from the crowd. Thanks to an embedded proximity sensor (the Intel Edison chip), the otherwise secured and poised butterflies were primed to react to external stimuli. The closer an approaching person gets to the dress, the more fervently the butterflies are encouraged to flap their wings until—finally—in an otherworldly, avant-garde display, the butterflies release en masse into their immediate surroundings. The resulting effect is quite literally, fashion that flies in the
ogy in fashion and modern, fast-paced consumer habits. Fashion weeks in their current layout are clearly going to changebut they are unlikely to disappear. They drum up a huge amount of interest and money for the designers, retailers, press, and cities involved. One consideration recently reported in Vogue is changing fashion week into an event for the customers, more similar to how couture week is established—aiming to elevate certain clients and encourage more ‘of the moment’ purchases. Fashion has always managed to retain its position as an elite industry that takes pride in its artistry, and thus isn’t as business-oriented. These new steps clearly highlight the influence of business that is gradually infiltrating the fashion world, as they are moves to prioritise the customer over the press. But never fear; fashion week is the ultimate press stunt. So the press, designer, retailer, and customer will continue to enjoy it together.
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Photo: J-No@Flickr
Sarah Kilcourse looks at the changing face of the previously revered biannual fashion shows and what these developments mean for the future of the industry We are now heading into full fashion week swing—New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is just behind us, London is still tinkering on, while Milan and Paris are still to come. These four fashion capitals have instilled the running of the world’s fashion industry into a biannual catwalk show divided into seasonal collections; Spring/ Summer and Autumn/Winter. However, in recent years this format has become outdated. With the advent of online shopping and social media, the see-now-buy-
Photo: Marie Claire Korea
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Film: Oscars Special
18
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Awards Season
Mancunion Film’s Oscar Predictions 2016 Best Picture
Photo:Paramount Pictures
Nominees: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight. Will win: The Revenant Could win: Spotlight Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Supporting Actor Nominees: Christian Bale (The Big Short), Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Sylvester Stallone (Creed). Will win: Sylvester Stallone Could win: Mark Ruffalo Should win: Tom Hardy
Best Animated Film Nominees: Anomalisa, Boy & the World, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep Movie, When Marnie Was There. Will win: Inside Out Could win: Anomalisa Should win: Inside Out
Photo: DreamWorks Pictures
Best Director Best Supporting Actress
Photo:BFI
Nominees: Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight). Will win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu Could win: George Miller Should win: George Miller
Nominees: Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs). Will win: Alicia Vikander Could win: Jennifer Jason Leigh Should win: Kate Winslet
Best Documentary Film Nominees: Amy, Cartel Land, The Look of Silence, What Happened Miss Simone?, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom. Will win: Amy Could win: The Look of Silence Should win: Amy
Photo:Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Actor
Photo:20th Century Fox
Nominees: Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl). Will win: Leonardo DiCaprio Could win: Eddie Redmayne Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Nominees: Bridge of Spies, Ex Machina, Inside Out, Spotlight, Straight Outta Compton. Will win: Spotlight Could win: Inside Out Should win: Inside Out
Nominees: Carol, The Hateful Eight, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Sicario. Will win: The Revenant Could win: Mad Max: Fury Road Should win: The Revenant
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Best Visual Effects
Nominees: The Big Short, Brooklyn, Carol, The Martian, Room. Will win: The Big Short Could win: Room Should win: Carol
Nominees: Ex Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road Could win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Photo:20th Century Fox
Best Actress
Photo:A24 Films
Nominees: Cate Blanchett (Carol), Brie Larson (Room), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn). Will win: Brie Larson Could win: Cate Blanchett Should win: Brie Larson
Photo:Open Road Films
Drinking Game
Feature
Should this really be Leo’s Year? Imran Bukhari Film Critic
Leonardo DiCaprio should already be an Oscar winner—notion universally accepted amongst casual moviegoers and rabid fans on the internet. Some would passionately go on to argue that not endowing him with the coveted statuette would be committing a heinous crime. When it comes to this discussion, I believe I take a different stance. Examining DiCaprio’s relationship with the Oscars in detail, it’s clear that on every occasion he has received a nomination, a superior performance by another nominee has simply beaten the actor out of winning an award. His most recent nomination for The Wolf of Wall Street saw DiCaprio rightly lose to Matthew McConaughey’s transformative role in Dallas Buyers Club, and back in 2007, Forest Whitaker’s powerful depiction of Dictator, Idi Amin, was a much more deserving winner. The strongest argument for DiCaprio being robbed was for James Moules Head Film Editor
Leonardo DiCaprio is fantastic in The Revenant. I have no intention of denying that. His performance is a masterclass in physically demanding roles and that will be remembered as one of his finest moments onscreen. Does he deserve an Oscar for it? Yes. But is he really the most deserving of the nominees? Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of Steve Jobs is an infinitely more fascinating performance than what DiCaprio delivered. In The Revenant, the key character was the dark and merciless abyss of the wilderness in which DiCaprio found himself struggling to stay alive. Hugh Glass’ clear-cut motivations of survival and revenge have nothing on the complex and intense character of Steve Jobs. Fassbender’s eyes could range from playful to furious in the space of seconds, and the volatile nature of his character kept us guessing about his true intentions throughout the film’s duration. Many have been citing the film’s poor box office returns as the
The Aviator in 2005, where he lost out to Jamie Foxx as Ray—but DiCaprio not winning then was a blessing in disguise. The decade of acting work that followed showcased a man dedicating everything to his craft—culminating to the unprecedented level of commitment demonstrated in The Revenant. He suffered and endured sub-zero temperatures, ate raw bison liver and kept himself warm inside a horse’s carcass. Yet, it is DiCaprio’s humanisation of Hugh Glass that allowed the viewer to emotionally invest in such a bleak and sorrowful tale of vengeance. The Academy Awards have infamously waited too long to reward iconic actors in the past. Paul Newman, a cinematic behemoth, eventually won in his seventh nomination. Newman was 62-years-old and the award was seen mainly as a recognition for his career as a whole. And at the age of 41, DiCaprio, on the other hand, would triumph with his fourth nomination for Best Actor. Furthermore DiCaprio does not face the same degree of fierce competition as before. Bryan Cranston’s nomination is an acknowledgment of his work in Breaking Bad, Eddie Redmayne’s performance is textbook Os-
car bait and Matt Damon plays Matt Damon as an astronaut. All of these factors collude and collide to the same verdict: that The Revenant is the right film, and more importantly, it is the right time for DiCaprio to finally make that acceptance speech.
reason why Fassbender might not be a contender for the win—but the history of the Academy Awards would suggest that there’s more to it than that. To see this, we only need to look at DiCaprio’s performance in The Wolf of Wall Street—his last nomination. This is the film in which DiCaprio crafted Jordan Belfort—a sickeningly depraved, yet charismatic character—and employed his prowess as a physical actor. Yet, much like Fassbender’s performance in Steve Jobs, it is a far less overt ‘performance’ than the eventual Best Actor winner. Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club represented an incredible transformation for the actor, but the character himself was little more than a self-caricature. His weight-loss was the main talking point—it kept everyone interested in the role and saw him with an Oscar win. Similarly, when people talk about DiCaprio’s performance, they do not talk about the emotional depth in it, but rather about the physical limits to which he had pushed himself. What we witnessed, and what we will most likely witness again this year, is a victory for showmanship over skill. Everyone wants to see DiCaprio win an Oscar. He’s
one of the finest actors today who has delivered a consistently strong body of work. But to say that he absolutely should win this award for either the showy nature of his performance or for the fact that he is ‘due’ for a win is to buy into the devaluing of the Academy Awards—what every cinephile detests.
Oscars Drinking Game 2016 Enjoy an extra-milky White Russian whenever the word ‘diversity’ is mentioned. Take a double when Chris Rock says it. Drink a Bloody Mary when Leo wins his Oscar to remind yourself of the blood he shed to earn it. If he doesn’t win, take a shot for every moment his sad face is on screen.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
If Sam Smith wins Original Song, drink an outrageously watererd down vodka martini. Drink a colourful Tequila Sunrise and shout ‘What a lovely day!’ for every award Mad Max wins. Add to your drink, whatever it is, a handful of ice every time The Revenant wins an Oscar. Put in your predictions at the start of the evening. For each one you get wrong, take a shot.
Enjoy! Photo: Paramount Pictures
Film: Oscars Special 19
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature
Oscars So White
With all of 20 Best Actor nominees being White for a second time, many are crying out for Hollywood to address its lack of diversity — but where does the root of the problem lie?
Top 5
Oscar nominated
Do the Oscars have a major diversity crisis? Parizad Mangi Film Critic If you’re a fellow cinephile, you’ve probably been keeping up with the current torrent that is award season, and have most probably stumbled upon the most talked about topic: #OscarsSoWhite. Once again, just like last year, people of minority different groups were shut out of all the acting categories and were noticeably missing from behindthe-camera categories as well. Although it is not exactly surprising, it is still frustrating that despite there being so many critically acclaimed films helmed by people of colour, the Academy decides to reward some of the most mediocre movies this year. The Black actor and director of Creed were overlooked for their stellar work and instead Sylvester Stallone gets an Oscar nod. Straight Outta Compton scored a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but the writers are White. Beasts of No Nation has been making waves in all other award shows but was completely ignored by the Academy. Latino actor Oscar
Isaac’s performance in Ex Machina went unrecognized as well. The list goes on. The media hasn’t hesitated to get soundbites on it from prolific personalities in the industry. Fraternity members such as Spike Lee, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith are boycotting the Oscars; and Lupita Nyong’o and Idris Elba have also expressed their disappointment. Yet Whoopi Goldberg commented that it can’t be that racist since they once gave her an Oscar. Not quite sure how that logic works, but alright. Some White actors agree with the complaints— George Clooney being one of the few who have called Hollywood out on its lack of diversity. Emma Thompson joked that you either have to wait for the old, White men running the show to die off, or kill them off slowly. Sadly, there are a few White actors out there who remain completely clueless. Helen Mirren, who has been nominated for role in Trumbo, reckons that the lack of diversity just happened to work out that way this year and that perhaps the audience doesn’t want to watch movies about child soldiers—even though such a film didn’t fail to get recognised elsewhere.
Kristen Stewart suggested that if they want to be included they should stop complaining and “do something”. Something? Is Kristen Stewart suggesting that she is more sought after than Tessa Thompson or Gugu Mbatha-Raw by doing something more than they did? The most recent and irritating response came from the beloved Meryl Streep, who dismissed the problem by saying: “We’re all from Africa originally.” It’s disheartening to see how oblivious they are to their White privilege. The only time Black actors and filmmakers seemed to catch the attention of the Academy is slavery films, and much less films about daily modern life. It’s clear that part of the solution would be an overhaul of the Academy—whose members are currently overwhelmingly White and male. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the first African American woman to hold this position), has promised that drastic changes will be made to better reflect the diversity of society within the Academy. This issue is a symptom of the racism that still persists in society today, so attitudes will need to change on the outside as well.
Or should they be solely based on merit? Mritunjay Sharma Contributor
Photo:ABC
Yes it is, indeed it is White for the last two years and a lot of people are not happy about it, the Oscars are so White that the President of Academy of Motion Pictures and Science (Cheryl Boone Isaacs) for the last two years belongs to minority (racial/ethnic minorities), it is so white that among the three recipients of the Governors Award also belong to people of other ethnicities like Spike Lee, and the recipient of both Best Director and Best Picture nominations also going to Alejandro. G. Inarritu. Moreover, films like Boy and the World by Ale Abreu, When Marnie Was There by Hiromasha Yonebayashi (Animated Feature Film), Theeb by Naji Abu Nowar (Foreign Language Film), Amy by Asif Kapadia (Documentary feature), A Girl in the River by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Documentary Short), Ave Maria by Basil Khalil (Live Action Short film), Sanjay’s Super Team by Sanjay Patel (Animated Short film), and ‘Earned It’ from Fifty Shades of Grey by Ahamad Balshe (Original Song) got nominated for different important categories. These might not be an overwhelming number of nominations, but they
are enough to prove the fact that it is not totally dominated by White nominees. This also proves that to get nominated for the Oscars, you don’t have to belong to certain type of ethnicity. It is instead, purely on the basis of merit—which doesn’t mean that the films that were not nominated are not good, because they are really good. In fact, the whole year was really good for films. But the point is, to be nominated, the films need to be of excellent standards. The same Academy Awards (with perhaps a few changes in its members) being criticised for the lack of diversity in the nominations, gave 12 Years a Slave an Oscar for Best Picture. And this was not because of the colour of the director, but because of the merit. At the end of the day, a film award should just be decided by the quality of the films. The debate should be about the process of nominations, they should be more transparent and people should know the number of votes given to a particular film or any other category—for which the nominees are selected. The debate should be about the talent agencies that are a gateway to the industries— where the representation of the ethnic minorities is really feeble—and was also pointed out in the 2015 Hollywood Diversity report.
Costumes
Costumes are one of the many details that add to the brilliance of any great film—here are our picks for the five best Oscar-nominated costumes 5
Atonement
This stunning adaptation of Ian McEwan’s tragic love story was nominated for Best Costume Design in 2008, and it is easy to see why from Kiera Knightley’s iconic, flowing emerald dress, an iconic piece of costume designed in our era.
Photo: Focus Features
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Photo: New World Pictures
Sleepy Hollow
Tim Burton’s go-to costume designer Colleen Atwood has been nominated for Best Costume Design for the Academy Awards countless times due to her distinctive and recognisable style of gothic costume that has inspired and enthralled audiences for generations. Boasting her signature black and white stripes, blood red dresses, and embossments of incredible detail, it is clear to see why Tim Burton works so well with her. Sleepy Hollow stands out particularly for Christina Ricci’s striking black and white gown in a town full of morbid black garments.
3
All About Eve
This lavish film won Best Costume Design in 1951 for its glamorous ball gowns, stylishly flaunted by Hollywood star Bette Davis. A little known actress Marilyn Monroe also makes a cameo appearance. Filmed in black and white, we can’t see their colours, but it is still wholly possible to swoon at the aura of those incredible cocktail dresses.
Review
Deadpool Nicole Tamer Film Editor Deadpool is a record-breaking phenomenon that will have a lasting impact on the film industry, but not necessarily in a good way. Once a concept becomes successful, studios try to replicate it in order to make a quick buck. Deadpool’s success can be explained by its self-awareness which is difficult to replicate. Throughout the film, the fourth wall is broken; references to real-life events and trends are (literally) thrown around and the ridiculousness of the whole premise is questioned. Thrillingly funny, overtly sexual, and deadpan honest, the film captured the audience. This was especially apparent by the number of audience members dressed up as the character and the unusual amount of cheering. The film starts with a brilliant opening sequence which accurately described the writers as “the real heroes here” and the director as “an overpaid tool”. If the audience has not had the chance to see the trailer beforehand—which received a standing ovation and encore at the 2015 Comic-Con—they were drawn into Deadpool’s brash world from the first second. The film title is based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. Ryan Reynolds seems to be born to portray the superhero, especially in the tight Deadpool costume, he managed to underline his constant puns with expressive body language.
Deadpool breaks not only the fourth and sixteenth wall, but also box-office records by delighting audiences which are tired of the usual Hollywood superhero formula
Ironically advertised as a love story, the plot is about taking revenge on the British villain (Ed Skrein) who disfigured him and turned him into a mutant. Deadpool’s excruciating journey to his mutant powers is told in flashbacks which are integrated tightly into the narrative. After proposing to his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), he collapses and gets diagnosed with terminal cancer. Hunted down by a slimy recruiter, he is offered a place in a secret programme with the promise of a cure of cancer and super powers at the same time. The portrayal of his struggle with cancer was especially poignant. The hardest fact about cancer is that it will always affect the people closest to the sufferer. He does not want Vanessa to witness his physical deterioration. His motivations to join the secret programme did not stem from selfishness, but from wishing to lead a normal life with his fiancée. The bitter irony is that after his involvement with the programme, he will never look the same again, and his vanity does not allow him to go after her. Unlike other superheroes, Deadpool made all the senseless decisions himself that led to his precarious situation: A disfigured body, a thirst for revenge to get his normal skin back, and no guts to confront his fiancée. Deadpool is a character with major flaws, and whilst he is aware of them, he does not try to fix them which makes him relatable. His rashness and pride make his life difficult but also define his per-
sona. One point of critique is that the audience does not find out much about the scope of his superpowers, because the film focuses too much on his wacky personality. I was curious to see the film’s portrayal of his pansexuality which is mentioned in the original comics. The R-rating allowed a lot of creative freedom contrasting other Marvel superhero films which played it safe in order to appeal to a younger audience. Deadpool does not care for subtlety, and sexual jokes are made throughout the film. These jokes are not condescending, but simply acknowledge that sex is a major part of our society and is nothing to be ashamed of. The film managed to integrate Deadpool’s sexuality contextually and as a major comic relief. One danger the film might run into is the jokes on popular culture that, over time, could lose relevance and make the film less of a classic. On the other hand, there were enough jokes that were made without being time relevant, and I even spotted a few Monty Python references. The self-referential Marvel universe jokes will also delight anyone with a knowledge of the other franchises. And for a Ferris Bueller reference, do not miss out on the rolling credits! Photo: 20th Century Fox
Photo: Paramount Pictures
Photo: Columbia Pictures
2
American Hustle
Nominated for Best Costume Design for the 2014 Academy Awards. The luscious, suave seventies costumes for the aptly stylish O. But American Hustle was beaten to the award by The Great Gatsby. Exuding a glittery, sea-green mode of jumpsuits from Amy Adams and pure brown and mauve suits for Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper, the wardrobe for American Hustle really was something else.
1
A Room with a View
This period drama starring Helena Bonham-Carter won an Oscar in 1985 from the outstanding designs from London costumiers John Bright and Jenny Beavan. Room with a View was a game changer in theatrical costume design as it distinguished costume from period clothing. Whilst the costumes were made from scratch for purely theatrical purposes, the designs for Room with a View were based on original period patterns, rendering them all the more authentic. Jane Simmons Film Critic
Books
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ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature
Interview: David Hartley Roma Havers Books Contributor
On Monday 1st of February, I interviewed David Hartley about his upcoming book of short stories, Spiderseed. I was familiar with some of his work, from going to some of his performances around Manchester and was excited to get an insight into his new project. According to David, Spiderseed is a collection of flash fiction with a “weird edge”, illustrated beautifully by Emily Ingle and published by Sleepy House Press. Knowing he had previously selfpublished, I was interested in what Sleepy House Press had added to the process this time. Hartley praised in particular, their additional editorial eye and fresh enthusiasm. He recounted one particularly amusing correction happened when the editors were reading a story about a Manta Ray had actually been about a Mantra Ray until that mistake had been spotted. Next, I asked David about his decision in choosing to write flash fiction. A style of writing perhaps less often explored, I wondered how he had come across it and what about it attracted him. David Hartley noted that it seemed the best fit, especially in light of his experiment, upon leaving the University of Manchester in 2008, where he attempted to write a short story every week for a year. So being able to write something complete and in short periods of time would work best. Around this time, he also started attending spoken word events around Manchester, where an average of 5 minute sets meant being concise was important. As someone who tries to perform at spoken word events regularly, I was interested in his opinion on how reading work out loud changes it, and how his work adapted between the spoken and the read. The most important thing to consider, Hartley noted, is that when you’re speaking to a crowd, maybe halfway through a night, maybe tired, maybe
not listening, you have to hook them on the first line. I personally remember being hooked by one of his stories about a fox at a Hallowe’en reading. He also noted the importance of judging an audience. Next, I wanted to know how he writes, maybe an age-old question, but it is one I think tells a great deal about a writer. Myself being a prolific bus stop writer, I wondered if he ever wrote in public. No, was the short answer, he prefers to write in his study surrounded by his books. And when I mentioned inspiration, Hartley described Adam Marek’s analogy of his brain being like a gambit machine, with the first wheel being formative memories, the second being ideas from places, and the third being what you’re looking at. And every time you try to write, the lever is pulled and sometimes the three wheels line up perfectly to create something. I think this is a wonderful way of describing inspiration, but I was particularly interested in what kinds of images keep spinning on David’s gambit machine. Animals seem to appear frequently in Hartley’s stories— particularly in Spiderseed—in weird and wonderful ways. He attributed this perhaps to his time volunteering at Manchester’s RSPCA where he became increasingly bothered about the treatment of animals. He also suggested that he had more recently realised how often his childhood experience of growing up with his sister Jenny—who is autistic—and her unique view of the world, appeared in his writing one way or another. His story, Fly faces these experiences head on. Lastly, I was interested in the role that Manchester and the university had played in his writing.Having studied film, English and drama at the University of Manchester 10 years ago, and choosing to stay for another seven years, Hartley noted that, during his time here, he didn’t venture much away from the Oxford Road Corridor. But when he decided he would be settling here
after graduating, he began to explore the city. He realised the diversity and complexity of the city and the events going on around it. He met plenty of older writers and joined Manchester Speculative Fiction Group, who still meet often and perform at events such as Verbose at Fallow Café. The city has much to offer for writers of all kinds and is well worth exploring.
I very much appreciated David Hartley taking time out of his day to meet with me, and being so open and honest with his answers to my questioning. I really recommend both seeking out Spiderseed and his spoken word event in Stretford Sip Club, Speakeasy, the next event being on the 3rd of March, and the writer’s workshop beforehand.
Spiderseed will be available from the 25th February on Kindle, Sleepy House Press. There will also be a launch party on the 25th February at The Castle Hotel, Manchester. Both Sleepy House Press and David Hartley can be found on Twitter at @ zzzhousepress and @dhartleywriter.
Photo: Emily Ingle
Upcoming
Photo: Emily Ingle
Don’t miss Verbose on 22nd February Taking place at Fallowfied’s iconic Fallow Café., the spoken-word and live literature night Verbose is back for its second outing Review of 2016 on Monday 22 February, featuring special guests plus the usual open mic of prose and poetry performances. Sarah-Clare Conlon, who is hosting the night, has sent The Mancunion a preview of what we can look forward to from Verbose. ‘This month, readers from The Real Story will be bringing creative non-fiction to Verbose for a change from our usual prose and poetry – although you’ll still be treated to that by our open mic performers. The Real Story is an online platform for creative non-fiction, with a regular performance night in Manchester city centre. At their special Verbose appearance, you’ll be hearing from The Real Story organisers and regulars Nija Dalal-Small, Adam Farrer and Danielle Peet. A further nine published and up-and-
coming poets and prose writers will also read. Verbose has been hailed in the press as one of the best spoken word nights in Manchester and each month invites three headline readings from writers who collaborate on projects and publications. Over the last year since being revamped and relaunched in January 2015, Verbose has welcomed such luminaries of the North West literature scene as Jenn Ashworth, Elizabeth Baines, Sarah Butler, Aisla Cox, James Davies, David Gaffney, Jim Hinks, Sarah Jasmon, Tom Jenks, John McAuliffe, Ian McGuire, Nicholas Royle, John D Rutter, Geoff Ryman, Graeme Shimmin, Scott Thurston and Emma Jane Unsworth. Emerging talent has included Sian Cummins, Marianne Daniels, Kate Feld, David Hartley, Richard Hirst, Benjamin Judge, Fat Roland, Adrian Slatcher, Eric Steele and Kate Woodward, and Didsbury Arts Festival 2015 poetry slam winner Liv Barnes.
Man Booker Prize shortlistee Alison Moore has also graced the stage.’ Taking place on the fourth Monday of the month at Fallow café in Fallowfield (2a Landcross Road, M14 6NA), Verbose is free entry and doors are at 7.30pm. See verbosemcr.wordpress.com. For the open mic, emailverbosemcr@gmail.com. The next Verbose takes place on Monday 28 March (Easter Monday) and will feature readings by members of the Manchester Left Writers group, who recently appeared at Manchester Literature Festival with their multimedia site-specific Precarious Passages project.
Photo: Fallow Café.
4th-10th March
All of the Students’ Union‘s facilities and events are provided with the direction of our elected Exec Team, who work full-time to implement your ideas, run campaigns, support student-led activities and ensure your voice is heard by the University. We need students to vote to shape the future of the Students’ Union. All registered students can vote for the 2016/17 Exec Team between Friday 4th and Thursday 10th March via MyManchester. Vote because students need your support to win and make a difference. Vote because you’ll get free printer credit, tea, pizza and a chance to win Pangaea tickets! Vote because last year 13,264 students did and this year UCan do better!
manchesterstudentsunion.com/elections
Food & Drink
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ISSUE 15/ 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Reviews
Meat and Moonshine
Lifestyle Editor Eva Katz reveals the mystery that lies within the Northern Quarter’s finest rib joint
Photo: Cane & Grain
There’s just something about the Prohibition era which has always held an air of secrecy and excitement isn’t there? The lengths, ideas and inventions that many would go to for a sip of the Devil’s water has certainly never failed to intrigue and amaze me. I’m not saying that I blame them nor think them foolish but rather I am dazed by the extensive creativity that the forbidden inspired. But what has this got to do with that swishy rib joint in Northern Quarter, you ask? Well, everything. There is no doubt that Cane and Grain channels that era of embargo to its very
core. Hell, even the door leading to their first floor is a riddle in itself, so carefully hidden by the bar’s dim lighting and decorative façade. However, it only begins to hint at the further covert thrills hidden above the raucous bar below. From the panelled walls, which seem as if they could open to reveal yet another surprise at any moment; to the windowed bar, shelved with minuscule bottles of unknown concoctions, the room seethes enough suspense to leave you dining with goosebumps. However this joint hasn’t chosen to situate itself just anywhere in Prohibition Ameri-
Yang Sing With Chinese New Year just passed, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to see what Chinatown had to offer. 2016 marks the year of the fire monkey, supposedly meaning that this is the year where one should seize the opportunity to be ambitious and adventurous. With this in mind, on a rainy and windy Saturday (thanks Storm Imogen), I braved the elements to delve into the dim sum menu at Yang Sing. The restaurant is located in a grand building in Manchester’s bustling Chinatown, still buzzing on this momentous weekend despite the weather. We were lucky to have had the foresight to book a table, since on arrival it became immediately apparent that the restaurant was at full capacity, filled with people of all ages. Despite the incredibly busy shift that the staff were experiencing, they were cool and accommodating, leaving us secure in the knowledge that this meal would be a relaxing treat.
“The large, wrinkly beancurd wraps were a challenging texture to cut through, but boy was it worth it once you broke through the tough exterior.” Channeling the adventurous nature of the monkey, we tried to go off piste in our menu choices in order to sample some of the more unusual delights on offer alongside familiar favourites. Sui mai, small steamed balls of pork and prawn, were bursting with flavour and beautifully textured without the thick stickiness that dim sum so often has—the safest option of
ca, but instead it channels numerous elements of the South through nothing more so than the delicacies it has to offer. Ribs are their speciality, and by God are they special. Don’t be fooled if you’ve been unfortunate enough to sample ribs at a second-rate establishment prioritising quantity over quality, your taste buds will be duly unprepared for what’s to come. Make no mistake, quantity can be found here too; look no further than the Meat Fest for a meal to give you meat sweats and sticky fingers galore. But the quality is second to none. With multiple marinades to choose from,
it simply boils down to your preference of sweet, savoury or spicy. The Louisiana will have you appreciating why Yoncé carries hot sauce in her bag as a homage to the fine food of her home state, just as the Rum marinade will simultaneously sweeten and smoke your taste buds. Accompanied by an array of pimped fries topped with a concoction of your choice, they leave little else to be desired than an exquisite cocktail to cleanse your palate for that next bite. Fortunately for you, Cane and Grain can provide that too. Drinks a plenty, no palates are left neglected here. Whether you’re after sophistication, strength or subtlety, their experienced mixologist can provide a beverage to meet your heart’s, or rather your lips’, desires. The service here only enhances the experience. Attentive but not overbearing, helpful but not forceful; overall, you’re free to slip into the fantasy that you’re no longer in Manchester but in a Louisianna speakeasy enjoying the finest forbidden fruits the Southern state has to offer.
The Coffee Column: Teacup at Manchester Museum Teacup’s got it all wrapped up for winter, but Hope Rapp wonders whether it’s all fur coats and no knickers... February; a betwixt and between month that faces the unenviable task of shaking off the remnants of jaded January. With days that don’t seem to ever get light and raging rainstorms that see furrowed brows and faces turned firmly down, its safe to say spirits can feel slightly dampened at this time of year. Resolutions may be slipping and the reality of the next set of deadlines already appear to be looming. But fear not! Warmth, comfort and cheer is much closer than you think. In fact, it is just around the corner. Next time you are making your way through the dingy drizzle, be sure to turn your tired eyes and cold toes into the Manchester Museum and its newly refurbished cafe. Covered by the scaffolded walkway opposite University Place, it can easily be missed, but right on campus, the tempting ‘Teacup’ awaits. Sister to the popular Northern Quarter haunt, ‘Teacup’ has popped up in the Museum to satisfy cake and caffeine cravings. Although not quite the same quirky and cozy atmosphere that Northern Quarter provides, the Museum offers the perfect destination for a quick afternoon tea break or a soup/salad lunch. Mouth-watering pastries and scones are on offer, but, seeing the famous, proudly displayed, decadent cakes meant the flourless chocolate cake and carrot cake at £4 – £5 each, had to be ordered. As for hot drinks, the extensive list of loose leaf teas posed a trickier decision with so many on offer. But recommended by the friendly waitress, we went for the cheering label of ‘Sunshine Earl’ and ‘Tippy Earl’ which, with names like that, were simply begging to be tried.
Cane & Grain 49 - 51 Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1NA
Sophie Wyburd samples a Chinatown delight to celebrate the dawn of the Year of the Monkey
the day. Much to our dismay the cheung fan steamer was broken, meaning that the glutinous parcels of joy we were so much looking forward to were off the menu, and forcing us to retreat further out of our comfort zone. My dining companion, a vegetarian, could often prove a risk in dim sum restaurants, however, the extensive menu at Yang Sing meant that he had plenty of exciting options to choose from. First came the pan fried pokchoi and root vegetable dumplings, incredibly fresh and light, not at all soggy despite being filled with the famously watery leaf. However, we thought that it would have been nice for this course to arrive between the other plates to serve as a palate cleanser. The steamed root vegetables and water chestnuts in a beancurd wrap were surprising in appearance—the dark, large, wrinkly beancurd wraps were a challenging texture to cut through, but boy was it worth it once you broke through the tough exterior. The filling burst with creamy nutty flavour, a nice soft surprise following the challenge we had faced in initially carving into it! Next were steamed flower dumplings with mixed fungi and root vegetable filling, the earthiest of the lot and almost meaty in its pungency. These steamed dumplings were sitting alongside the contrasting textures of the paper-wrapped prawns, with water chestnuts and coriander; these were delightful, crisp yet light and filled with large meaty prawns that had kept their softness despite being fried. Each of the plates sung with their own individual voices, and came together in a sweet choir of flavours that did nothing but complement each other—
they were all equal stars of the show, with no one letting the side down. A very reasonably priced meal too: At £28 including bottomless jasmine tea and the service charge, we left feeling very full and optimistic that, despite the gloomy weather, the year of the monkey was off to a glorious start. I can’t wait to further harness the adventurous spirit of the year by returning to sample the other wonderful-looking things that I sadly had no room for in my belly, such as the mock shark’s fin soup dumpling and the steamed buns of mini belly ribs in garlic and black bean sauce.
Photo: The Mancunion
Arriving with a triple tea timer, your tea is brewed to the strength of your choice; Price ££ • Food 4/5 • Drinks 4/5 • Service weak, medium or strong; a simple yet excellent touch for the art of perfect tea which 4/5 • Atmosphere 4/5 • Value 3/5 made all the difference. Whilst the ‘Tippy’ and ‘Sunshine’ infused, we devoted our attention to the sweet delights. A huge helping of carroty sponge and a dark gooey chocolatey slice accompanied by a scoop of clotted cream, lay before us on pretty afternoon tea plates. True to its description ‘the chocolate cake beat all chocolate cakes’, a melt-in-your-mouth moment was experienced at every bite. It’s thick, indulgent texture was dangerously good; for any chocoholic this is the one for you, for anyone indifferent, this chocolate cake will convert you. Gluten free too, it is one for everyone. The carrot cake on the other hand, although it looked deliciously moist from afar, was surprisingly gritty and a little dry to taste. The thick layer of cream cheese frosting scattered with coconut flakes slightly made up for this disappointment, but even so, it appears that Teacup’s display of deliciousness definitely pleases the eye more than the tastebuds. The display definitely runs the danger of being deceptive. However, you cannot fault the friendly service, generous helpings and free hot water top ups, there was no stinginess in sight. I would definitely recommend a visit for any tea lovers with the Sunshine Earl beaming with hints of perfumed and citrus fragrance, whilst the Tippy had a stronger edge and fuller body to it with the famous Earl Grey blend of bergamot If you are passing by, definitely pop your head into Teacup. A lovely alternative to the usual cafes on campus and an afternoon tea experience that will lift the spirits on a damp February day. Although, if you are looking for the proper deal, be sure to head to Teacup in Northern Quarter where the chirpy and cozy cafe atmosphere is certainly the icing on the cake. Price £££ • Food 3/5 • Drinks 4/5 • Service 4/5 • Atmosphere 3/5 • Value 3/5 Photos: The Mancunion
Food & Drink 23
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM Feature
I am a vegan on a mission In collaboration with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), Matthew Perry gives advice on the best vegan food in town
An impressive one in five young people now identify as vegetarian or vegan, proving that plant-based eating has thoroughly infiltrated the mainstream—and couldn’t be easier as well! Since the benefits include better skin, a reduced risk of developing cancer and a clearer conscience knowing that you’re sparing animals the terror of the abattoir, it’s no wonder that notable celebs—including David Haye and Ellie Goulding—are thriving on a vegan diet. If you still haven’t tried one of Manchester’s many vegan-friendly spots, get yourself over to one of these top picks: – V Revolution is vegan junk-food heaven. Located in the Northern Quarter, this 100 per cent cruelty-free retro American-style diner serves up juicy burgers, “cheesy” hot dogs and mouth-watering cakes at decent rates. It’s almost too good to be true – which means it’s certainly not to be missed. – Not only is Teatime Collective an all-vegan icecream parlour (as if that weren’t enough), it also offers a mean vegan breakfast and savoury treats like “steak” and chips. – Healthy, tasty and inexpensive can be difficult to find, but Go Falafel in Piccadilly and Rusholme has you covered. Wash down a falafel wrap with a Blueberry Blush smoothie. – Easy-peasy vegan-cheesy! Dough Pizza Kitchen is an artisan pizza restaurant in the Northern Quarter offering mouth-watering dairy-free cheese pizzas. They even do take-away orders for those nights in. – If you’re in Withington, have a relaxed evening or refill your batteries at Fuel Café Bar. This vegetarian café–cum–music venue is a treat for your taste buds. Highlights include the chilli burrito and the chocolate and hazelnut brownie. – The 8th Day is a vegetarian café and food co-op on Oxford Road, near to MMU. Stock up on ethical
groceries and cleaning products, while you feast on delicious soups, stews, smoothies and cakes— not forgetting to get a treat or two from their instore bakery (offering bread, wraps, sweet snacks and pies) on your way out! Of course, you don’t even need to seek out speciality cafés to get something good to eat whilst out and about. Increased demand for vegan options means that you can eat vegan just about anywhere. Wetherspoons’ sweet potato and chickpea curry, Pizza Express’s Pianta pizza, and Giraffe’s tapenade and meze—as well as several dishes in various restaurant/bars in the Northern Quarter— are just the tip of the iceberg. The next step can often just involve a simple case of asking if the café or restaurant can whip up or alter a dish for you! If you’re interested in giving vegan eating a go, check out the guidelines for a vegan Tradition English Breakfast below to see how easy it is to cook vegan at home. You can also order PETA’s free vegan starter kit at peta.org.uk/vsk which provides you with recipes, advice and so much, or even take the Vegan Society’s 30-day pledge!
The Vegan’s Traditional English Breakfast Serves 3 Cost: £2-£2.50 per person 1 Can of Baked Beans To cook using a microwave or stove for a few minutes 1 Pack of Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Sausages To cook for 10-15 minutes using a preheated oven, grill or even in a frying pan 300g of Closed Cup Mushrooms Chop and fry in a large saucepan whilst cooking the ‘Scrambled Egg’ 3 large tomatoes Chop in half and grill
Who said compromise? Vegan cake. Photo: V Revolution
1 pack of Hash browns To cook using an oven or grill Toast with vegan margarine (purchasable at any major supermarket) For the ‘Scrambled Egg’ -Firm Tofu (200g) -1 or 2 teaspoons of English Mustard -1/2 teaspoon of salt -1/2 teaspoon of black pepper -1/2 teaspoon of parsley, tarragon or dill -1 or 2 tablespoons of water Prepare the ‘Scrambled Egg’ by pressing the water from the tofu and draining it before placing the
Veganism: just an udder first world problem?
With the increasing popularity of Vegan diets, and more and more students abstaining from dairy products, Helena Maxwell-Jackson chats to a local dairy farmer to find out if we should be concerned about dairy, or if the whole conversation is just udderly ridiculous? If you are fan of first word problems, you’ve probably ordered an almond milk latte from one Northern Quarter coffee establishment or another. You may have sighed, with resigned indignation, as the single-origin espresso curdles unpleasantly with the tree-nut maltodextrin solution; and watched as each coagulated clot plunges into the depths of your now black coffee. At about this time you might be thinking to yourself; wouldn’t a regular cup of joe with a splash of full fat just have been simpler? You may have even wondered it out loud to your friend. That would be a mistake. Let’s face it, you’re only at the organic café because it’s one of the only places in town that offer dairy free brownies. Now, that’s important to your friend. She is a vegan. She has watched Cowspiracy. She’s made you watch it too, and that’s why you’re here, sipping your congealed almond milk latte and trying not to look at that man eating cheese on toast. The scent of molten savoury goodness is wafting over, filling your nostrils. Your eyes drift toward the cheese. God, that looks good. Quickly you tear your gaze away. It’s too late. She’s seen you looking, she’s on to you. Quick, find an excuse. You mumble something about liking his flannel
shirt. Will she believe you? There are many reasons that people abstain from dairy products, but for your average nonlactose intolerant student living in the UK, is dairy really something to be worried about? Documentaries such as Cowspiracy, and organisations like PETA, certainly make it seem like it is, and they certainly offer a compelling argument too. However, with the most anti-dairy activists based in the US, is their message really relevant to those of us who live in the UK? Surely we can enjoy our cheese and onion pasties in peace? At least until TTIP? I decided to contact a local Lancashire farmer to find out just what was really going on on a dairy farm. I wanted to know the answers to five issues surrounding dairy farming which really concerned me. Cows need to be impregnated annually in order to continue to lactate. Animal activists often compare the artificial insemination of the dairy cows to rape. As a feminist, I couldn’t help but find this comparison more than a little offensive. Although, in all honesty, I am not quite sure if I was outraged by such
an extreme example of anthropomorphism, or because I was eating cheesy pasta when I found out. I wondered if our local farmer could clear some things up for me. What was the reality of artificial insemination? “It’s just like a bull, but a man with a straw instead of a bull with a penis.” He went on to explain that the process occurred when the cow was in heat. “Our cows have a collar with a microphone on that listens to the cow and also measures how far the cow walks everyday, when the cow walks a long way and stops eating for a day it means she’s looking for a bull. We then call the Artificial Insemination Technician 24 hours later... Hopefully one insemination and it’s all over….” From his answer it seemed like the cow might, at least slightly, mind being artificially inseminated. I wondered why the farmer said he hoped it would all be over in one insemination. Was that because it was a disturbing process for the technician, or an expensive one for the farmer, or was it because, although in heat, the cow didn’t enjoy being penetrated by a man brandishing a straw? The farmer didn’t say much about the process after the pregnancy. I had read that the cow mourned for her calf when they were separated from one another, when I asked the farmer about this, he admitted he disliked that part of the job. I asked him how he felt about grass fed methods of feeding cattle. One of the concerns that many people have about dairy is that using grain to feed cattle is environmentally unsustainable. “As a farm that measures and tries to use as much grass as possible I’m biased toward grass fed systems! I do feel cows are generally happier
tofu in a bowl to mash. Once mashed into small pieces place into a preheated non-stick saucepan with a little oil in and cook. Leave the tofu to brown for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, while you mix the rest of the ingredients together in a jug and stir to form a liquid sauce. Taste and adjust to preference. Once the tofu has cooked, dribble the sauce over the top and mix it in, ensuring it spreads over all the tofu. Leave to cook for several more minutes and serve with the rest of your breakfast. Bon appetit!
when out at grass... I do use small amounts of grains to supplement when grass quality is poor and cow’s health would suffer, but dairy farms using vast amounts of grain to substitute grass seems ridiculous both at current milk prices & unless the farm actually grows all the grains it uses itself and can convert them efficiently to milk, the carbon footprint is greatly affected. Obviously growing grains to use for the cows on farm is great as it sets up a crop rotation that kills weeds without pesticides, etc., which to me makes sense as a holistic approach to farming.” I liked the idea of taking a holistic approach to farming, and the idea of a closed circuit method of farming. I asked our farmer how the low buying price of milk affected dairy farmers in the UK. “A low price may make some UK farmers think more about moving to a grass based system, and it may force producers out, that simply cannot afford to reinvest—whilst this is a bad situation it’s maybe better to exit than compromise on long term welfare & environmental investment.” I was concerned that the low buying prices might turn more farmers to mega dairy farming, I asked our farmer what he thought about dairy farming on such a mass scale. “If it’s done well, it can have higher welfare standards over and above what anyone would expect, but it’s based on people wanting cheap food & who possibly don’t care where their food comes from—these systems try and produce as cheaply as possible. Ultimately it’s the consumer’s choice—I feel it’s wrong we are more bothered about new types of phones and televisions... and want to spend so little on food!” It seemed that, for our dairy farmer, the future of the industry rested largely with the consumers. The farmer seemed very aware of the potential environmental implications of dairy farming, and sympathetic to animal welfare concerns. Speaking to this local farmer didn’t completely put my mind at rest, and whilst I can’t say that I will be indulging in dairy with a completely clear conscious, I do want to learn more about the industry, whilst maintaining an open mind. Photo:Gerry Dincher
Arts
24
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Exhibition
Review: The Face of Change Review
What’s on
David Coggins’ nine paintings about the history of Manchester Victoria are secretly tucked away in the station Neil Greenhalgh Contributor As Victoria Station enters it’s new era, to what extent could we see art exhibitions as a standard facility for passengers? Opposite the entrance to the Metrolink and right next door to the toilets at Victoria Station you can find an exhibition space. Even with the A-board outside and the posters in the window, you’d be forgiven for walking past without acknowledging its existence. The main problem is that to access this space you need to walk through an un-labelled closed door. This isn’t a normal thing to do at a train station; you’d have thought that a closed door would mean no access, unless it was clearly labelled, which is made even more confusing being next door to the toilets. I think the first time I saw it I assumed it was probably a cleaning cupboard. Once you’ve decided to venture into the space, you’ll then need to come to terms that you’re on your own, with no welcomers and no guardians of the artwork – unless you count CCTV and the odd crowd barrier. I wonder how many people make it this far. The current exhibition is composed of paintings by David Coggins depicting various stages of Victoria’s history and re-development. The main focus of the display is a group of 9 paintings hung in a 3 x 3 formation to make a single grid of images that are coherent in form, textural in style and full of Mancunian character. Sitespecific exhibitions always have a lot to offer and there’s a really interesting inside/outside idea at play here. Operating in the same field of vision as these paintings is a huge window, broken up into 6 panels and looking out into the station, where we can see the daily hustle and bustle of station life being played out for real, whilst we stand in this solitary semi-closed sanctuary.
Along with the art, there’s some odd pieces of furniture in this space; a two seater settee, an empty book case, and a rectangular school table. The furniture gives a welcoming impression and invites a certain use of the space, which is an odd relation to the closed door at the entrance. But what is much more interesting is the concept for the use of this space; it is at present totally devoted as a temporary exhibition venue, which has delivered a few different shows now, including an
Photo: Neil Greenhalgh
excellent ceramics exhibition a couple of months ago. This may well be because the station’s management has no other use for the space, or that they are waiting for a new shop to take residence, or it may well be because they believe in an exhibition space as a facility for customers. I would hope that the latter is true, although it is a positive thing either way. Making art more accessible to the public, in whatever form and in whatever way can only be a good thing and there are definitely
Top 5
Early Conceptual Art In light of Tate Britain’s upcoming show on British conceptual art, we take a look at some iconic thought-driven pieces Ashley McGovern Arts Editor 5) Piero Manzoni, Merda d’artista (1961) A small 30-gram tin with a yellow multilingual label reads “Artist’s shit – freshly preserved, produced and tinned.” Apparently Manzoni was told by his father that his early work was shit and he took the insult as literally as possible: tinning his turds and selling them at the corresponding price of gold. Tate’s catalogue entry reads the work as a capitalist satire, focused on the constraints of the gold standard, and ending in financial irony that when one of the 90 signed works was sold in 1991 the gold price by the ounce was $395.77 – Manzoni’s tin sold for $67,000. Regardless of its trumping of the market, the work is really about shock and introduced a dolce stool novo into late-twentieth century art. 4) Bruce Mclean, King for a Day (1969/1972) Conceptual art uses the power of the formless idea. Bruce Mclean’s one-day Tate retrospective in 1972 consisted of a room full of black notebooks and labels inscribed with 1000 ideas for potential artworks. His once sentence ideas included ‘Guy Fawkes piece (smoke bang)’, ‘Touch piece grip, grab, grope piece’, and ‘Phone your mother piece’. There’s a photograph of an earlier incarnation of the piece with a suited museum attendant scratching his head in bemusement. The work gains a level of meaning when we consider the puzzled guard: what is there to protect from theft? 3) Sol LeWitt, A Wall Divided Vertically into Fifteen Equal Parts (1970) Sol LeWitt was a philosopher-draughtsman. He didn’t need to really draw or paint, only formulate contracts or instructions for other people to carry it out. The literal titles of this work describe certificates that give coloured formal diagrams on how to execute a series of strokes on a wall. LeWitt’s ‘Paragraphs on Conceptual Art’ is one of founding texts of the genre and argues that
‘the idea of concept is the most important aspect of the work’. It was re-published in inaugural edition of the Art-Language journal, a magazine of philosophical experiments about how we can visualise works with only written evidence. 2) Joseph Kosuth, Clock (One and Five), English/ Latin Version (Exhibition Version) (1965/1997) Machina, machinatio, machinamentium – the sounds are familiar and suggestive but the language is long dead. Do these Latin conjugations relate to the workings of a machine-object or the semantic of cunning and deception? Both in Kosuth’s work. This piece is one of his Proto-Investigations series and we get multiple versions of time: excerpts from dictionary entries on the words ‘time’, ‘machination’ and ‘object’; a real ticking clock; and a frozen photographic still of the same clock. It’s an investigation with no results; the clock’s functions and signage are explored as well as given a chain of potential meanings. 1) Marcel Broodthaers, Department of Eagles (19681972) Many conceptualists have created anti-institutional works designed to criticise how museums package meaning or how they avoid real politics. Hans Haake’s MoMA Poll (1970) asked visitors to cast a vote on whether they though Governor Rockefeller’s silence regarding Nixon’s Indochinese foreign policy was reason enough to vote against him. Haake came up with the question on the first morning of the show and knew full well that Rockefeller was one of MoMA’s board members. Over four years Broodthaers created a travelling museum of fakes, empty crates and confusing museum tags that refused to give any context. Once more, conceptual art profits from posthumous irony. MoMA now contains a large collection of the disparate items that formed the original defamiliarising museum.
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Theatre 25
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature
Calais’ Jungle Theatre Elise Gallagher Magazine Editor
Photo:The Mancunion
Two young volunteers, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, have set up Good Chance Theatre in the heart of the Calais camp. Aptly named after the seemingly endless optimism that exudes from the camps residents, it has been reported that residents of the camp measure their luck for each day. Either they have “no chance” or a “good chance” of getting across the border on any given day. It would seem that despite being divided by a combination of history, geography, and language the plethora of nationalities— including Sudanese, Ethiopians, and Kuwaitis as well as many more—all share a love for the new addition to the camp. As well as the theatre, an entire high street has sprung up in the middle of the camp— components to the street include mosques, churches, restaurants, shops and even a hairdressers. Murphy and Robertson’s aim for the Good Chance Theatre is to create “a safe, warm and welcoming space for the people of Calais to express themselves and their situations within the ‘jungle’.” Running since the 29th of October, the theatre intends to stay for as long as the space is needed by the people situated there. Backers for the Good Chance Theatre include the likes of Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry and British West End and Broadway theatre producer Sonia Friedman. Support is also given by the Young Vic and Royal Court. Despite the wealth of its sponsors, the theatre itself has been described to be a simple affair. Christopher Haydon writes, “a large geodesic dome with a wooden floor, decorated with paintings and drawings that have been made by the inhabitants of the camp.” The theatre hosts a range of activities for the camp residents from karate classes, writing
What’s on this week?
Tuesday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange, 7PM 20 Stories High and Theatre-Rites: The Broke ‘n’ Beat Collective – Contact Theatre, 7:30PM Mary Poppins – Palace Theatre, 7:30PM Goodnight Mister Tom – Manchester Opera House, 7PM Two 2 – Octagon Theatre, 7:30PM Wednesday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange, 7PM 20 Stories High and Theatre-Rites: The Broke ‘n’ Beat Collective – Contact Theatre, 7:30PM Mary Poppins – Palace
Photo: garryknight @Flickr
New Fringe Theatre opens in Manchester Charlie Spargo Editor-in-chief
Two former actors have set up a new 120- to 200seat theatre in Ancoats with a focus on staging small-scale musicals. The Hope Mill Theatre in Ancoats, a former cotton mill, was set up and funded by former actors William Whelton and Joseph Houston will produce some shows in-house as well as hosting touring companies.
Photo: Hope Mill Theatre
They hope they can bring more musical theatre to Manchester, developing the careers of young writers and reviving works that have perhaps been forgotten. They already plan to stage two musicals this year in collaboration with producer Katy Lipson from Aria Entertainment. At the beginning of March they will host the University of Manchester Drama Society’s production of Lion Man. As well as a 120-seat theatre that can be expanded to fit 200, it has a café for the daytime and bar for the They will be launching a volunteering page evening.
on their website shortly. To find out more about the cause please visit: http://goodchance.org.uk/
Hope Mill 113 Porlland Street M4 7JA
Review
Editor’s Picks
Monday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange, 7PM Two 2 – Octagon Theatre, 7:30PM How the Cabinet Maker Crossed the Road – Octagon Theatre, 7:30PM
and acting workshops; and most recently, volleyball games. Performances are held on most nights and would have been created and rehearsed throughout the week. Their audiences are made up of a combination of the theatre’s regular members and curious newcomers who have encountered the dome for the first time. A recent development for the theatre is the Shakespeare’s Globe—which took it’s world touring production of Hamlet to Calais’ refugee camp. The Globe to Globe tour aims to perform their production of Hamlet to every country in the world by the 23rd of April. Last year, the company performed for 200 Syrian refugees in the Zaatari camp in Jordan, near the Syrian border. Good Chance Theatre hosted Hamlet to the camp on the 3rd of February. The performance was staged in partnership with the Good Chance Theatre and the performance project was created in the camp by the creators and playwrights, of Joe Murphy and Joe Roberston, of Good Chance Theatre. The Good Chance Theatre relies solely on the help and support of its volunteers and is currently on the lookout for volunteers to help support the people of the Calais Jungle. However, differing slightly from most projects that are co-ordinated by volunteers, the donations of clothes, food, or other essential living items are not accepted. Instead, donations of particular items or musical instruments which will be used within their productions are always appreciated. Specific shout outs are usually posted on Facebook and Twitter.
Feature
Theatre, 2:30 & 7:30PM Goodnight Mister Tom – Manchester Opera House, 1:30 & 7PM Two 2 – Octagon Theatre, 2 & 7:30PM Mr. & Mrs Khan – Octagon Theatre, 7:30PM Thursday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange, 1:30 & 7PM Mary Poppins – Palace Theatre, 7:30PM Two 2 – Octagon Theatre, 7:30PM The Broke ‘n’ Beat Collective – Octagon Theatre, 7:30PM Goodnight Mister Tom – Manchester Opera House, 1:30 & 7PM Friday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange, 7PM Mary Poppins – Palace Theatre, 7:30PM Goodnight Mister Tom – Manchester Opera House, 7PM
A few picks throughout the week in Manchester Fancy getting involved? We’re always looking for new contributors who have a passion for all things theatre. Whether it be reviewing a show straight off the West End or an article discussing the ins and outs of theatre. No experience is requried. Simply email us at: theatre@mancunion.com Or join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/388450984644679/ to find out more about joining The Mancunion team.
University of Manchester Dance Competition 2016 Featuring 22 UK universities, the largest Northern university dance competition comes to Manchester this weekend!
Tori Blakeman Senior Reporter With almost 3,000 likes on Facebook, over 400 members, and as previous winner of Arts and Media Society of the Year, it is evident that UoM Dance Society is one of the most popular societies at The University of Manchester. On Saturday 27th February, the society’s 5th annual dance competition will take place in the Exchange Auditorium at Manchester Central Convention Complex. The day will consist of intense dance competition of various styles, between over 800 dancers from 22 university societies from across the UK. The competitive dance categories include Advanced and Intermediate levels of Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Street and Contemporary, and also the exciting Wildcard category, where the universities can enter any dance routine they wish. The competition is believed to be the second largest dance competition in the UK, falling only behind Loughborough University, which has a typical attendance of 30 universities. The University of Manchester Dance Competition 2016,
Universities in Attendance # UoMDanceComp16
University of Birmingham Buckinghamshire New University Cardiff University University of Derby Durham University University of East Anglia Heriot-Watt University University of Hull Imperial College London Leeds Beckett University University of Lincoln University of Liverpool Liverpool John Moores University University of Manchester Manchester Metropolitan University Northumbria University University of Nottingham Nottingham Trent University University of St Andrews University of Warwick York St John University
known colloquially via its hashtag #UoMDanceComp16, is easily the largest competition
in the North, and due to its location, has attracted Universities from England, Scotland, and Wales. After bringing home 8 trophies from The University of Liverpool competition earlier in the semester, including four 1st place, best choreography, best dancer, and best costume, The University of Manchester dance team has never been stronger. The competition kicks off at 8:15am, and ends at approximately 7:30pm. Details regarding timings of dance categories will be posted on the UoM Dance Society Facebook page a few days prior to the event. If you would like to support your university at the competition, tickets are available on the door throughout the day, for £5. Alternatively, you can join the universities in their celebrations after the competition, at the official after party at Revolution Fallowfield from 10pm. For more information regarding the competition and the official after party, follow UoM Dance on Twitter and Instagram, @UoMDance, or like them on Facebook: w w w. fa c e b o o k .c o m / UoMDanceSociety
26
Lifestyle
ISSUE 15 / 22nd FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
What does your piercing say about you?
Because let’s face it, every piercing tells a story Evangeline Katz HeadLifestyle Editor Nowadays, adorning one’s body with the likes of ink patterns or permanent jewellery is arguably the norm. Tattoos, although not completely accepted have become less taboo than their previous tramp stamp reputation. But their less permanent form of piercings, in particular, have become more popular than ever. You can now get near anywhere pierced, but the question is what does your piercing say about you? Tongue Possibly the most promiscuous of piercings not involving your genitals, the tongue piercing is definitely a sign that you’re still in the free and forgiving world of education and not in the big bad uniform world of serious employment. Careful though, although you may be proud of your new accessory, there’s nothing more grating than the sound of someone running that titanium bar over their teeth. Earlobe Let’s be honest, earlobe piercings (whether you have one or three) are pretty vanilla. You probably got them done for free at Claire’s when you were 15 to rebel against your piercing-hating mother. On guys they can have a certain hipster vibe (provided only one ear has been pierced), having both pierced, however, can be a little flamboyant. Nose The classic adornment for any well-travelled individual, the nose piercing screams “I’ve been places”. What the wearer won’t tell you, however, is what an awful idea it was to get said piercing in a dingy parlour somewhere downtown in Mexico, Bangkok, or Rio de Janeiro. Lip Positioning here is key. Don’t be foolish enough to believe that there isn’t a vast difference from one to another. Upper lip Let’s face it, this piercing does NOT resemble a beauty spot in any way shape or form. Sugababes’ Muyta Buena gave it a good try, but that was an era ago now. It’s well and truly, time to accept that you are not successfully channelling the likes of cake queen, Marie Antoinette, instead, you just look like you’ve got something stuck on your face.
Central, below the lip A little more emo than the upper lip and slightly more discrete at that, a central piercing is rather inoffensive in all honesty. However, you’re only asking for trouble when combining it with a tongue piercing—expect to be, quite literally, lip-locked. Bottom lip, to the side It’s like a performance of ‘The Cha-Cha Slide’, to the left or to the right, there’s no world in which this piercing is a good idea. Unless you’re a body modification enthusiast on a mission to embellish each and every inch of skin, then this is undoubtedly one to avoid or rapidly remove if you’ve already made this fatal error. Eyebrow Only the super edgy can pull this wonder off. There is a high risk of air-de-chav here so you’ve really got to look the part if you don’t want to end up resembling Little Britain’s chavette, Vicky. To truly rock this accessory, you’ll need to adopt a hardcore persona to boot. Don’t expect your mother to be won over easily with this one. Cartilage A staple piercing for just about every hip Fallowfielder, this piercing suggests you’re a little on the edgy side, but not overly so. Belly button A little reminiscent of the 90s perhaps, the belly button piercing is a teen favourite. Adding a little bling to your belly may even draw attention away from rather unloved love handles. Commonly seen on the blondes of the female species, this adornment is commonly associated with a certain level of air-headedness—think Britney Spears wannabe. Nipple The tongue’s least overtly promiscuous cousin, the nipple piercing is for dark horses everywhere. There’s much debate over whether it looks better on those with smaller or larger breasts, but this is one of the few piercings that can be pulled off by male or female alike.
Illustration:n Evangeline Katz
Prince Albert For those curious to the whereabouts of this particular piercing, I strongly advise against searching it whilst in the library, or in any public domain for that matter. A considerably painful looking piercing, it’s one that definitely begs the question: does this give you more pleasure than pain?!
The Prince Albert piercing. Photo: songzhen@Flickr
Clitoris #TheOnlyWayIsEssexToTheExtreme. This piercing has now been deemed illegal according to the World Health Organisation. If you already have one then you’re without a doubt a gambler; below the belt at least. None A complete lack of piercings begs the question of how you managed to shun this trend that has swept not only Manchester’s, but the nation’s youths in recent years. Perhaps you deserve a round of applause for your resistance against the masses. Perhaps you quite simply, have an intense phobia of needles. Either way we’re sure you’ll end up middleaged with a cheeky nipple piercing you got on your hen or stag party.
Are you the next Star in a Bra? Evangeline Katz Head Lifestyle Editor Boobs, you either love ‘em or hate ‘em. But for those with a slightly more ample bosom they can be more of a burden than a blessing. Merely finding comfortable lingerie that doesn’t resemble that of your grandma, can prove a chore. More often than not, brands seem to ignore this market niche, leaving females all over the country with little options when it comes to adorning their assets. What’s more, many ladies don’t take as good care of them as they should: for instance, when was the last time you checked for lumps? To spread the word and a bit of big breast loving, Breast cancer awareness charity, Coppafeel! have partnered up with lingerie brand, Curvy Kate’s to bring you their Star in a Bra lingerie party. Catering for breasts from D-K cup,
Would you like to write for Lifestyle? We’re always open to new ideas. Whether you want to write on Student Life, Travel, Careers, Health, Sex, Relationships or anything in between.
the brand champions the use of customer role models and a positive approach to body image which women can relate to. Every year they launch a fresh competition to find their next ‘Star in a bra’. All sizes, ages, shapes and heights are encouraged to enter as the brand continues to celebrate every body. The entry stage launches 1st March on www.starinabra.com, where girls interested can find further details and upload their photos plus the reasons why they want to be the next ‘Star in a Bra’. The CoppaFeel! University boob teams will be backing the curve-search across the country; participating universities include Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham, Cardiff, Newcastle, Sheffield and Plymouth. The university’s very own Star in a Bra party will take place on 2nd March at Revolution Fallowfield from 7PM until late.
No experience required! To get involved email us at: mancunion.life@gmail.com Or join our Facebook group: Mancunion Lifestyle
Photo: philippeleroyer@Flickr
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Overheard University of Manchester “Couscous goes with apricots you fool!” Overheard in West Didsbury
“You’re a mooncup kind of gal.” Overheard in Withington
“I wouldn’t rub my clitoris with my foot in front of you, that’s just disrespectful.” Overheard in Fallowfield
“Maybe that’s my secret life. Heroin and Tinder.” Overheard in Didsbury
“If Lord Of The Rings had sex in it I’d never leave my room.” Overheard on a 143
“Have you seen her new hair? Yeah, my dog’s arse looks like that when we have to bath her.” Overheard in the Library
“His performance was so passionate; I didn’t know whether to cry or wank. Or both.” Overheard in Didsbury
“Is it acceptable to eat this garlic cheese in the library? I’m thinking no...” Overheard in the Library
Operation Masturbation
Ellie Gibbs shares some soul soothing advice on remedying writer’s block. But is that all she’s talking about? Having been asked to write a piece for feminism week in the lifestyle section, I found myself in that state dreaded by journalists and authors alike: writer’s block. Being blocked is frustrating. You know there’s something you need to do, you know there’s something you can do, but for whatever reason, it just ain’t happening. Why was I blocked? A lack of motivation perhaps, a lack of inspiration, food for thought. Maybe I doubted my ability to produce anything. What I needed to do was to calm down, forget about the end point of finishing the article itself, and take baby steps. Play around with it, slowly undress my ideas onto a blank page without the urgency to come to the climax. I thought about the deadline, issued on Monday and I had until Thursday. What was the rush? I had loads of time. I could write a little bit every day if I wanted, write it all in one go, or simply let the mood take me away without any kind of plan. The latter was my favourite. Besides, the act of writing wasn’t going to go away, it wasn’t like this was my only chance. As with anything, practice makes perfect. The first time may not be successful, but to succeed we can keep trying and only get better.
There’s nothing embarrassing about feeling pent up; nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to everyone, and some may be more open about it than others. One thing is for sure: we shouldn’t shame those who have something to release, we should encourage and help them to channel their inner-spirit out, bring them to life by giving hope, empowerment and sisterly advice. This empowerment is for everyone. Whether you feel like trying is like hitting a brick wall, and you have come to a stage of acceptance and that it’s not for you, or whether you feel that you have no problem with this issue and you don’t need the help—it’s important to be aware that everyone is different and the conversation is worth having between trusted friends. Make time for yourself, for your personal creativity. Try to connect the ideas of your brain with your fingers. This output is an important part of human nature and a valuable form of meditation. If you find yourself over-thinking whilst trying to remain in the moment, you could always try chanting ॐ, or “Om”. Spirituality is an ancient thing, the body is designed to facilitate its own pleasure through the power of the mind and the fingertips. This
Photo: joyruH7@flickr
past time is as valuable to your happiness and wellbeing as sleeping, eating and keeping clean. Take it slow, take it easy. Light some candles if you like, have a bath. Let the mind relax and forget about the impending objective of the activity. Do some stretches, loosen up and let your hands do
the magic. Everyone can do it. Everyone can let their creativity rush. Don’t give up, you have it in you. Just release the pressure, take it slow and make the experience an enjoyable one. Oh look, it’s the end of the article. I made time, I did it, there was no pressure. And oh, does it feel good.
Dispelling the myths of feminism
Alice Williams looks at some of common misconceptions about feminism Whilst the acceptance of feminism is now widespread across every university campus in Britain, you do still come across the occasional misguided individual in the Friendship Inn, convinced that feminists are out to cut their dick off. Here are some common misconceptions about feminism, debunked. Feminists hate men The theory here being that because feminists are so invested in fighting for equality for the female sex, that this obviously involves crushing their male counterparts to dust in the process. This is quite clearly not true, since the point of feminism is to have equality for both genders. Feminists in fact don’t hate me, they hate sexism, misogyny and the patriarchy. In Feminism is For Everybody, bell hooks rightly stated: “Masses of people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men. And a huge majority of these folks think feminism is anti-male. Their misunderstanding of feminist politics reflects the reality that most folks learn about feminism from patriarchal mass media.”
rare passionate feminist who doesn’t have solid evidence to back up her emotional protestations, and facts don’t mean hysteria.
Photo: LeHook@Flickr
Feminists are hysterical It’s centuries old, but the stereotype of women with a point to prove being hysterical refuses to die. By this logic, feminists are left with no leg to stand on when all of their highly valid points are shot down as overly
Ask Us
I’ve recently started trying to invest more time in doing some exercise. Unfortunately, the rest of my friends aren’t very sporty and they never want to join me and have started doing things without me when I’m going for runs or doing exercise classes. I don’t want to end up missing out on everything but I really do think it’s important for me to exercise more.
dramatic. But you quite simply can’t argue with the facts that feminists have to offer. Returning to what bell hooks says: “As all advocates of feminist politics know most people do not understand sexism or if they do they think it is not a problem.” It is a
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Feminism is only beneficial for women Feminism helps both men and women as it works to achieve a more realistic version of masculinity for men. There is a strong feminist focus on ending cycles of abuse in the marital home that are thought to stem from supressed male emotions. A study in 1981 called The Unintended Victims of Marital Violence, found that “Male children who witness the abuse of mothers by fathers are more likely to become men who batter in adulthood than those male children from homes free of violence.” By embracing a more equal society, the hyperbolized figure of masculinity is defunct. While not exhaustive, these are some of the most general misconceptions about feminism. Next time you get irritated at Lena Dunham or Caitlin Moran’s latest tweet and are about to try and take down feminism in one fell swoop, bear these in mind.
This is one of those situations where you’re just going to have to choose what matters more to you. Your friends surely can’t be fickle enough that they’ll forget about you if you’re not around them 24/7. Since you’ve decided that exercising is something important that you want to do for yourself, you should stick to doing it. Don’t isolate yourself by spending all your time at the gym and missing out on everything your friends do, but missing out on a few nights spent in front of the TV is surely something you’re not going to look back on and regret.
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Photo: @DaBear Media @Flickr
The Wembley Way Daniel Austin Sport Reporter Supporters of Manchester City and Liverpool will flock to North-West London this weekend in the hope of seeing their side lift the first meaningful trophy of the season in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Both sides are no strangers to the ‘home of English football’; City have appeared eight times at the new Wembley since its completion in 2007, while Sunday will mark the Reds’ fifth visit. The two have endured success and failure—the Citizens beat Stoke City in 2011 to win their first FA Cup in over 40 years, but lost in the same competition to minnows Wigan Athletic in 2013, while
Liverpool lifted the League Cup against Cardiff City in 2012 but lost to Aston Villa in last season’s FA Cup semi-finals. Having been demolished in 2002 and rebuilt five years later, Wembley Stadium remains synonymous with the game of football as the most famous and prestigious arena in the world. Pelé, the world’s all-time leading goal scorer and erectile disfunction spokesperson, declared Wembley to be “the cathedral of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football.” At a cost which spiralled to £798m, being cited as the “heart of football” is probably the least the Football Association (FA) should expect for their money. For that amount the entire ground should be plated with gold and be able to shift Transformers style into a new design
every season to keep things interesting. Alas, the FA took a different approach. They ended up constructing a 90,000 seater circular stadium with a great big 1,033 ft arch connecting one side to the other. That all seems perfect, right? The biggest stadium in the country? Check. A new home for the England national team? Check. A piece of architecture that can be seen across much of London? Check. But Wembley Stadium is not the perfectly put together footballing behemoth that some would have you believe. A series of flaws mean that those travelling to support their team this Sunday may not have the ultimate day out. Firstly, the approach to the ground is uninspiring. The fabled Wembley Way links the tube station to the stadium but it remains remarkably ordinary—a concrete walkway filled with throngs of people punctuated sporadically by the odd food stand or half-and-half scarf stall. Aside from that the area is a veritable wasteland of empty spaces and carparks. It’s a shame that such a ludicrous amount of money was spent on the structure itself while the surrounding area was left so mundane. Wembley is far less impressive than some of Europe’s other major stadiums. It lacks the sense of grandeur that takes the breath away as you climb the concourse stairs and get your first glimpse of Old Trafford. It doesn’t have the character and atmosphere of Anfield. It can’t compete with the bold architecture which bestows the air of a coliseum on the Bernabéu, nor can it match the sheer
enormity of Barcelona’s Camp Nou. In fact, its circular design and industrial estate aesthetic bear a stronger resemblance to a steroid-injected version of Bolton Wanderers’ Macron Stadium and the other assorted soulless bowls that were churned out regularly by mediocre football clubs in the early 2000s. Once inside, the FA do their best to strangle any possible atmosphere out of the occasion with ‘entertainment’ that renders cup finals more similar to an episode of the X Factor than a football game. Fireworks explode as the players enter the pitch, and EDM blares out of the PA system at every interval. Supporters can’t generate much noise when the likes of Avicii’s ‘Levels’ are drowning them out, as if they’re at a town centre Baa Bar instead of one of the supposed pinnacles of sport. For the 2012 FA Cup final the FA even had a go at creating a pseudo-Superbowl half-time show, albeit before kickoff, with a musical act brought onto the pitch to ‘entertain’ the crowd in attendance and those watching at home. But whereas the Americans get the likes of Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, the best booking the FA could manage was, erm, Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi, with their inoffensive, nondescript rock and roll. Hard-Fi, with that one song that came out in about 2005 that you vaguely remember but never actually liked. Hard-Fi, with 90,000 people stood around them asking: “Who the bloody hell are they?” Furthermore, between a third and a half of tickets are withheld by the FA for non-team-specific supporters, depend-
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ing on the occasion. The majority of these are swallowed up by Club Wembley members, who pay a premium for increased hospitality, the kind of people that Roy Keane famously christened “the prawn sandwich brigade”. They sit in the second tier, with supporters of the competing teams above and below them, meaning the atmosphere struggles to travel across the whole of the stadium. That’s not to say you can’t still have a great time at Wembley. One of the best goal celebrations I’ve been involved in came after Andy Carroll met Craig Bellamy’s cross with £35m worth of sweaty Geordie forehead to give Liverpool a victory against Everton that put them into the FA Cup final. The stranger next to me was so overcome with adrenaline that he bit me on the arm, leaving a mark that lasted for a few days. It’s just a shame that such euphoria comes after much frustration with the FA’s attempts to make enjoying yourself as difficult as possible. Manchester City and Liverpool fans should most certainly be looking forward to their trip to the capital this weekend, but the myths which surround Wembley Stadium mean that it suffers from overhype and ends up rather underwhelming. It may well be the most famous football ground in the world but it is by no means the best, and the FA’s insistence upon turning the game into a television show does its best to kill any atmosphere.
Title Race 2016: Who is best-suited to the challenge? Toby Webb Sport Reporter We are observing the most competitive title race in many years: there are 4 teams in the hunt. The teams can be divided into two categories, the more experienced title-challengers, Arsenal and Manchester City; and this season’s surprise packages, Tottenham and Leicester. Leicester’s rise from relegation certainties to title contenders has been nothing short of remarkable. The four teams in question illustrate differing methods in mounting a title challenge, namely whether it is more effective to have several high-performing individuals driving the team towards the summit of the table, or whether a well-balanced and united team is a more effective machine. It would be naïve to suggest that this classifying, is black and white; an element of each team’s success will be down to individual performance and team cohesion. However, an analysis of each team will demonstrate whether emphasis is placed more on the individual or the team. Leicester The rise of Leicester has been refreshing for the Premier League, illustrating that big spending on flash players is not the only model for success, which is down to several factors. Firstly, they have several high-performing individuals. In central midfield, N’Golo Kanté is having a magnificent season, plaudits likening him to Claude Makélélé in his ability to nullify and break-up opposition play. This is reflected in the stats: he has the most interceptions (109) and tackles won (79) in the league. Additionally, the team contains two out of the top five scorers (Vardy with 19 and Mahrez with 14) in the league. Despite the addition of Mahrez, with his immense skill and eye for a pass, Leicester have remained a direct and straightforward team. Over the season so far, they have the 2nd worst average possession (45%) and the worst passing accuracy (70%). Low possession and high-scoring point to an efficient team: there is an emphasis on scoring over ball-retention. A resist-
ant defence and a ready-supply of goals has inevitably resulted in success. Despite the high performance of players like Kante, Vardy and Mahrez, I would argue that Leicester have a balance between team and individual. Over the season, 8 players have accumulated over 2000 minutes playing time and 4 over 1000 minutes. This is illustrative of a tight-knit and united group that remains effective - Leicester is a cohesive team spurred on by several high-performing individuals. The existence of both elements means that, if their star players are having an off-day, the unity and spirit in the team often means they can grind out a result. They are an effective blend of team and individual.
tising for the injured Vertonghen, while Erik Lamela came off the bench and provided the incisive pass to Eriksen for the
Arsenal
Tottenham Spurs have been a joy to watch this season. Harry Kane has continued where he left off, with 16 goals already this campaign, while Dele Alli will surely be named young player of the year. Spurs are the ultimate team, their success cannot be attributed to one single aspect or individual. In terms of goals, Kane has provided an impetus, and yet, with 31 goals coming from elsewhere in the team, scoring has definitely been spread among everyone. Spurs boast the meanest defence in the league, conceding only 20 goals this season. Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have formed a domineering bond at centre back. Spurs are both prolific in attack and imperious in defence. This has resulted in their formidable goal difference (+27), again, the best in the league. Moreover, they have an impressive squad depth, using 24 players in the campaign so far. As proven in the victory over Manchester City, they have the depth to replace injured players and have substitutes that impact the game; Kevin Wimmer was impressive in depu-
per match. This is the second best in the Premier League (Leicester’s average is 110.7km and Arsenal’s 110.5km). Squad depth combined with work ethic makes the Spurs side a formidable opposition, and goes a long way to explaining their success this season.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
match-winning goal. Additionally, the Spurs side has an incredible worth ethic. As stated by The Telegraph, the team runs 115.3km on average collectively
This season is Arsenal’s best chance to win the league since ‘the invincibles’ year. Given the inexperience (Spurs and Leicester) and the wayward form (Manchester City) of their rivals, critics would say it is Arsenal’s to lose. The experience of Wenger and Petr Cech, 4 time league winner with Chelsea, should provide the necessary impetus for a successful title pursuit. Arsenal are similar to Leicester; they have benefited from several high-performing individuals. Mesut Özil has finally regained the form he showed in his younger years, with 17 assists and 105 goal-scoring chances created already this season (7 more assists than any other player). Moreover, Cech has kept 12 clean sheets, a clean sheet in nearly half of the games played so far. Like Tottenham, Arsenal benefit from a strong squad. Against Leicester, they brought Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck off the bench; they both scored and Arsenal were subsequently triumphant against a title rival. Typical of Wenger’s Arsenal, they have the league’s highest possession average (54%) and the highest passing accuracy (85%). While Özil and Cech’s form has helped, Wenger’s passing philosophy requires every player to contribute. Thus, the team as a whole must be credited for Arsenal’s successful so far this season. Manchester City This season has been poor by City’s standard, and yet, they find themselves
just about still in the title race. Recent losses to title rivals Leicester and Tottenham have severely damaged their challenge. City have been plagued by inconsistency, top players like David Silva and Yaya Toure have been average, key men Sergio Aguero and Vinny Kompany have had an injury-blighted campaigns and big money signing Raheem Sterling has struggled to find form. The defence of Eliaquim Mangala and Nicholas Otamendi, assembled for the combined price of £70.5million, has looked very dubious. City are heavily reliant on their individual to perform. At the beginning of the season, City were a team to be feared, acquiring 21 of a possible 27 points (first 9 games). However, since then, with individuals either getting injured or losing form, they have gained 25 of a possible 51 points (next 17 games). City have had too many off-days this season. The stats that illustrated the fantastic work-rate of the Spurs team illustrate the laziness of the City team. According to The Telegraph, on average they cover 107.3km per match, the 3rd worst in the league. Criticism of the team’s work-rate is completely justified. When their players are on it, City can be unplayable. It must be said that injuries to key players has reduced the cohesion in the City side this year. However, their inability to grind out results when their star players are having bad days is undeniable; their reliance on certain individuals has meant they are behind in the title race. Arsenal and Leicester are comparable. They have high-performing individuals as well as a cohesive team/squad, meaning they have something to fall back on if players are having off-days. Tottenham are the complete team, a fantastic combination of attack and defence. Finally, City illustrate the issues of relying solely on individuals. The conclusion to be drawn is that, while individual players will inevitably win matches, a cohesive team will be successful more often on average. For this reason, I predict that Spurs will win the league this season.
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Photo: Antonio Cinotti @Flickr
Jonathon Cooper Sport Reporter
After two matches, England claim top spot due to their late points surge against Italy. France join them after narrow wins over Italy and Ireland, whilst Wales look to be getting into their stride after a clinical final quarter against Scotland. For the twice-vanquished men in blue, aspirations of a golden post-World Cup era have faltered. Ireland’s creaking post-O’Connell cohort are also struggling to replicate the form of seasons’ past. Finally, we have Italy, who despite glimmers of promise look set for their annual scrap Wooden Spoon showdown. Though not perfect, Eddie Jones’ men will be pleased with the development of an effective kickchase-defend strategy that came to fruition in the final quarter against Italy. Their bench has proved pivotal in both encounters. Against Scotland, Mako Vunipola and Courtney Lawes had significant impact; in Rome, it was Joe’s Marler and Launchbury alongside Danny Care, bolstered by new-boys Maro Itoje and Jack Clifford. In the latter two, England’s future is bright. The ex-England U20 captains added pace and energy on debut. Though unlikely to start against Ireland, it will be hard not to sacrifice a backs replacement to accommodate the two, as was done against Italy. Elsewhere, Jamie George is showing promise at hooker and is pushing Hartley for the starting spot. A somewhat patchy set piece has nonetheless been encouraging. The scrum gained strength as both games progressed, and George Kruis will look to replicate the fine lineout he orchestrated against Scotland. Billy Vunipola has been repeatedly destructive in attack, as has James Haskell in defense. Behind the scrum, Care should return to the start-
The Story So Far: Six Nations ing lineup. Ben Youngs failed to dictate the game against Italy early on, and Ireland will come out with even greater intensity at Twickenham. England will look to Jonathan Joseph to replicate his devastating performance against Italy with ball in hand. Ford and Farrell look increasingly comfortable shaping England’s aggressive territorial game: England have put boot to ball 69 times over the first two games. Whilst Jones may be tempted to consider Alex Goode at fullback to compound this strategy, Mike Brown’s security under the high ball will be needed to combat Ireland’s own aerial bombardment. The men in green will be immensely grateful for the weekend of rest. In a bruising opening fortnight that included a six-day turnaround and an away fixture, Ireland were forced to make 314 tackles, an ordeal that has added key names to the injury list. The influential Sean O’Brien and Dave Kearney are out, the latter for the tournament, whilst Mike
McCarthy and Jared Payne remain under observation. Jonny Sexton was targeted heavily by Wales and France—in dubious fashion by the latter—and is not at his best. Coach Joe Schmidt will be frustrated with his side’s inability to find their rhythm thus far. They lack confidence and seem to be in transition to, well, somewhere not here. The normally prominent Jamie Heaslip has struggled to impose himself in the loose, as has Rob Kearney from fullback. Ireland would not have enjoyed the trip to Paris and will find little respite against a tenacious English kicking game that will look to pressurize them in their own half. For Scottish fans, the time has come to acknowledge the dire truth: their near miss in the World Cup quarter finals, losing out to Australia by virtue of a last-minute penalty, was a one-off. The emphasis on that result has unfairly inflated expectations above and beyond this Scotland team, whose Six Nations’ win rate stands at less than 25%. Salt into wound? Eleven of Scotland’s matchday
squad against Wales had never won a Six Nations match. Eleven. Standoff Ruaridh Jackson said that they ‘had not become a bad team overnight’. That’s true: Scotland have been a bad team for a while. Most maddening about Scotland is that they are capable of some real gems. Finn Russell’s deft chip for Jonny Seymour’s try against Wales was outstanding, and in Stuart Hogg, Jonny Barclay and the Gray brothers, there is real class in this outfit. They will hope that their trip to Rome ends a miserable 13-match losing streak in the Six Nations. A win there would give the players a huge confidence boost, and could be the spark needed to produce meaningful results further afield. This team needs to learn how it feels to win and hold onto that feeling. Contrastingly, the victors of Cardiff’s latest showdown will be confident entering the second half of the tournament. Wales look increasingly in form, and like England are looking to utilise their strike runners. Warren Gatland faces a dilemma in his back row selection. Accommodating two opensides in Justin Tipuric and captain Sam Warbuton has previously enabled Wales to play an expansive style, but the two have struggled to establish the same presence as in previous years. All eyes will be on Dan Lydiate as he turns out for the Ospreys this weekend. Jamie Roberts, talismanic so far in both attack and defense, typifies the direct style of play known as ‘Warrenball’. However, this has previously been found wanting by more street-wise sides and Wales lack a viable alternative. Expect a test of tectonic proportions when Wales take on the French next Friday. As it stands, unless other results go their way, Ireland are out of the race. They join Scotland and Italy in the scrap for pride. England and Wales should beat France, meaning that the title showdown will come in the penultimate round when the two sides meet at Twickenham—though England’s final round game in Paris is just begging for an upset…
Sport in the City There’s more to sport in Manchester than City and United: this week we highlight Altrincham Football Club
Adam Selby Sport Reporter
Whether it’s a new sport, a team about whom you did not know, or just an event that interests us, we hope that we will be able to entice you to explore the wide sporting variety that the city has to offer during your time studying at the University of Manchester. In the spotlight this week: Altrincham Football Club Well… what is it? We’ve brought you information on both Hyde United and Salford City in previous editions of Sport in the City last semester, and due to the abundance of non-league football across the city, it is perhaps worth exploring the other options for semi-professional football available starting Semester 2 with Altrincham FC. Nicknamed The Robins, Altrincham FC are currently managed by former English professional footballer Lee Sinnott and at this time sit just above the relegation zone in the National League one tier below League 2. After several years of pushing for promotion from the Conference North, Altrincham finally made it to the National League in the 2013/14 season beating Guiseley FC in a play-off final 2-1
after extra time. Their first taste of top flight football therefore followed a season later and despite finishing slightly above the relegation places in 17th place, Lee Sinnott’s side have once again struggled to avoid a relegation battle and at this time of writing currently sit a mere four points above the dreaded drop-zone. This weekend however presents a valuable opportunity for Altrincham to move up towards mid-table in what could prove to be a crucial month in their quest for survival as they gear up to face Guiseley, in what will also be a re-run of the 13/14 Conference North play-off final, who also find themselves in a battle for survival one place above The Robins. How do I get there? Altrincham FC play their home games at the J. Davidson Stadium, situated on the corner of Moss Lane and Golf Road and only a ten minute walk from Altrincham town centre. Unlike many of the non-league grounds across the city which are perhaps more difficult to get to as they are often situated on the outskirts, you will pleased to know that National League football is only a public transport journey away. If you would like to catch the bus to Altrincham’s stadium, the Arriva service 263 and Stagecoach’s X41 both leave from Manchester Piccadilly bus station and go as far as the Altrincham Interchange in the town centre
leaving only a short walk to the ground. However despite the bus being a much cheaper option, Altrincham’s official website does recommend travelling via the Metrolink tram service which leaves from Manchester City Centre. Compared to bus travel, the Metrolink takes around 30 minutes and users wishing to use this form of public transport must make sure to depart the tram at Altrincham tram station as several other routes operate to other towns. Altrincham train station offers another method of transportation but from previous experience travelling to the ground myself, I would perhaps recommend the Metrolink for both comfort and ease. But how much does it cost to get in? For the level of competition you will be experiencing in front of you, I feel that ticket prices have been set adequately, remaining affordable for fans whilst also reflecting the true reality of the increasing level and importance of finances to compete at each level of the modern game. Although many clubs do offer a student concessionary rate, it appears that Altrincham unfortunately do not include a student ticket in their concessionary pricing, which according to their website is only for females 60 years and over and also males aged 65 years and over. Therefore entry to Altrincham’s upcoming match against Guiseley will cost £14 should you wish to stand or £15 for a seated ticket.
What are the facilities like? At full capacity, The J.Davidson Stadium can hold up to 6085 people and is split into four different stands: The Hale End terrace, Golf road terrace, Popular Side terrace and Main Stand. Stand segregation is also in force at Altrincham and traditionally the Hale End terrace is the home of the away support holding up to 1434 spectators with Golf Road terrace assigned for the home support. The ground also can seat up to 1154 fans in their seated terracing section. Additionally during the 2014-15 football season a new Community Sports Hall was constructed and remains open to all fans on most occasions and is equipped with several HD television screens and also broadcasts the respective Premier League match that is being shown on match days too. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are also available at every home game meaning there is something for everyone during your day out in Altrincham. Tell me something I didn’t already know… Altrincham are one of very many sides with a history of giant-killing in the FA Cup and in fact hold the record for knocking out more league sides than any other team that has largely spent their time competing in non-league football. Memorable victories in 1979 and 1982 saw Altrincham reach the third round of the FA Cup only to be knocked in two replay matches against
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Everton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. Meanwhile Altrincham’s 1992 victory over Chester City at Moss Lane is fondly remembered by many football fans because of a wonderful strike scored by Clive Freeman, a goal which was shortlisted by Match of the Day for goal of the season during the 1992/93 season. Moreover, it is like father like son at Altrincham with former Huddersfield Town midfielder Jordan Sinnott joining manager and dad Lee Sinnott at the club.
Finally, when can I see this in action? In what will be a fourth successive home game for Altrincham, The Robins take on fellow relegation battlers Guiseley on Saturday 20th February at 3PM. Please take note that adverse weather conditions could the force to game to be postponed and for any further information, please consult altrinchamfc. co.uk.
22nd FEBRUARY 2016/ ISSUE 15 FREE
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Photo: Global Panorama @Flickr
The Six Nations
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Sport in the City
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The Title Race
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Wembley Calls
P30
A 146 break, £10,000 lost and a gallon of Rocket Fuel Adam Selby Sport Reporter History tells us that this year marks 140 years since a young officer serving in the British Army began to experiment on a billiard table and soon came up with the game known globally as Snooker. Named after the rookie cadets from the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich who were known as ‘snookers’, the British army based in Jabalpur, India, were said to have invented the game after a young lieutenant experimented with an increased number of red balls and a variety of other colours. Lo and behold, the sport was born. Yet it took until 1969 for the sport to really break into the limelight, despite the prestigious World Snooker Championship being held since 1927. The television recording of the Pot Black Tournament held at the BBC Studios, later joined by coverage of the showpiece World Championship Finals allowed the broadcaster to exploit the new technology of colour television by broadcasting in colour. Whilst these televised tournaments helped the sport grow enormously in the public eye, its leading characters also played a big part in both popularising and transforming a sport which lacked significant popularity during the 1950’s. But whilst World Championship winners Ray Reardon and Joe Spencer made headlines on the table with dazzling title-winning displays, it was Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins who, with hindsight, still stands out as the main attraction. His mixture of bravado, charisma and eccentricity on and off the baize propelled Snooker to even dizzier heights, none greater so than the 1985 World Championship Final which watched in the UK by a recordbreaking 18.5 million television viewers. Given the sports extensive, rich history along with such staggering viewing figures, why does Snooker fail to make headlines in 2016? Clearly the dominance from the likes of Stephen Hendry and John Higgins dispel any suggestion that this is due a drop in a quality, which simply isn’t true. Meanwhile the growth of the sport overseas and the emergence of several exciting and enthusiastic hot prospects would further reflect the high quality running throughout the sport from all ages. If anything, as a sporting spectacle Snooker has arguably never been as competitive as it is at present.
Albeit admittedly I can be quite a slow writer at the best of times but in the time it has taken me to plan and write this article so far, former World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan had last week made three century breaks and sealed a resounding 4-0 frame victory over Jamie Robertson in the third round of the Welsh Open ranking event in a mere 37 minutes. To put this into perspective of just how incredible both the individual result and the time that the full match took, the longest single professional frame lasted 100 minutes and 24 seconds between Alan McManus and Barry Pinches in the Ruhr Open, October 2015. In my eyes, a performance of such unquestionable skill and speed is always worthy of making the back-page headlines on any given day but it was Ronnie’s actions during his first round match against Barry Pinches which has once again sent everybody snooker loopy. When ‘The Rocket’ takes to the table, simply nobody knows what to expect. Combining the eccentricity and unpredictably of Alex Higgins with the authority and the snooker prowess of every world title winner past and present, his first round Welsh Open tie certainly did not disappoint. For the spectators inside the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, watching O’Sullivan rocket through the first ten reds and ten blacks will inevitably have had everybody thinking the same thing; 147, and a 147 which takes his total career maximum breaks to 14. But as the crowd hoped for one thing, O’Sullivan had other ideas and it certainly was not rocket science to what was going to happen after asking both the commentators and the match referee what the reward was for achieving such a significant and special score-line. For those unaware just how rare a 147 break is in Snooker, it is perhaps worth noting that it is only obtained through potting the maximum number of points on the table: 15 reds, 15 blacks and all the colours without missing a single shot and eventually totalling 147 points. Historically a maximum break has been a great rarity in the sport with only 8 maximums achieved in the 1980s and 26 attained in the 1990s. Yet the increase in competition on offer combined with the widespread talent across the sport has saw the number of maximum breaks increase dramatically in the past two decades; 35 in the 2000s and so far in the 2010s, a total of 47 maximums have been achieved. Additionally, in ranking events throughout the snooker
calendar, prize money is always awarded should a player make a 147 break. Therefore as Ronnie O’Sullivan (the current record holder for the fastest ever competitive maximum break in a time of 5 minutes and 20 seconds during the 1997 World Championship) marched towards a comfortable frame win with a 147 in sight, upon hearing the news that a combined £12,000 was on offer as a prize for both achieving a maximum and recording the highest break, it was his consequent actions that have caused controversy and outrage in a sport known traditionally as a “gentleman’s game.” Instead of continuing in the same vein whilst on track for his first competitive maximum break since 2014, O’Sullivan opted for an easier pink, making only a 146 break to the surprise and bewilderment of everybody inside the arena. In the aftermath of Ronnie’s decision to turn down the opportunity of a 147 because the prize money in his words was ‘too cheap’, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn branded O’Sullivan’s actions ‘unacceptable and disrespectful.’ Yet although for many people - including myself, to a degree - the thought of turning down £10,000 so spontaneously mirrors Hearn’s thoughts entirely; but the media and sports fans alike cannot deny is that it was entertaining. Arguably, without such maverick behaviour, it is highly unlikely that an event such as the Welsh Open would be trending on Twitter or even featuring in newspapers or television reports as prominently as it has done recently. For a player of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s calibre, who has in the past earned £147,000 for his 147 in the 1997 World Championship, not only do his actions generate interest and viewing figures in the sport but in the process also replenishes Snooker with the eccentricity, unpredictability and bizarre behaviour on the baize of yesteryear. In his own words, “It’s like going into a Mercedes garage and when they say that you can have the car for £3,000, you reply, ‘No way, that’s too cheap. I’m not buying it for that’. In my eyes, it was a priceless piece of snooker history which along with his many memorable moments will be remembered for years to come. If Barry Hearn argues that snooker players have a duty its fans to deliver the best standard of snooker and entertainment possible, then let us just be thankful for somebody as unconventional and unbeatable as Ronnie O’Sullivan in the modern game.