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2016 Exec Candidates
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Investigation: Racism in Young Labour Jennifer Sterne, Joe C. Evans, Liam Kelly, & Marcus Johns Head News Editor, Current Affairs Editor, Features Editor, & Deputy Editor-in-Chief
The Mancunion contacted 17 Labour MPs
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he youth wings of the Labour Party have been rocked by further allegations of “institutional racism” and infighting in the aftermath of the Young Labour and Labour Students Conferences in Scarborough over the weekend of 26th – 28th February. Huda Elmi (pictured), who is the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Officer of Labour Students, told The Mancunion that she and other BAME Young Labour members “felt invisible within the structures of the organisation.”
“We were not heard unless we were spoken for.” Elmi cited the fact that, at conference, a Labour Students vote was held whilst BAME members of the party were holding a separate caucus outside the conference hall. She described the situation as “almost a joke… It was as if they were trying to prove that the major grievance of being invisible is true. “How could they not notice that every BAME person was missing?” Elmi also highlighted the fact that the position of BAME Officer at Young Labour is currently vacant, and has been for the last six months, after the incumbent stepped down for personal reasons. She added: “Ever since being elected [as Labour Students BAME Officer], I have been left out of important discussions concerning the committee, refused the tools to act in any kind of autonomous way and made to feel essentially like a token. “It is blatantly obvious that we were not present bar in pictures used in brochures… We were not heard unless we were spoken for.” A senior source from Nottingham Labour Students, who was also at the conference, told The Mancunion that he believed the caucus issue was the result of “human error” and was not an intentional slight, but it highlighted the issues BAME members face in the Labour youth movement.
Mo Ahmed was “one of the only BAME Labour Students CoChairs in the country.”
Photo: Screenshot
He went on to state his belief that “BAME members were particularly vulnerable to some of the negative aspects of factionalism and inter-camp bullying and intimidation that was noticeably prevalent at conference.” Two separate conferences were held over the weekend in Scarborough, North Yorkshire: A Labour Students conference met over the Friday and Saturday, with delegates from Labour Students clubs across the country electing their national officers and deciding policy for the coming year. Young Labour, which consists of delegates representing all members under the age of 26, met on the Saturday and Sunday to elect their officers and debate policy. Mo Ahmed, the Co-Chair of Manchester Labour Students, resigned his position on the Saturday night of the conference. In his resignation statement, lambasted the treatment of BAME students within the youth wings of the Labour Party, saying: “We don’t feel welcome. We are totally invisible.” Ahmed was, according to Elmi, “one of the only Labour Students BAME chairs in the country” and the fact that he felt his resignation was necessary demonstrated “something is wrong with the system”.
Ahmed and Elmi received a standing ovation for their speech on institutional racism Elmi and Ahmed both gave speeches at the Young Labour conference the day after the latter’s resignation. Their speeches received standing ovations. In her speech, Elmi expressed her disappointment at Labour failing to live up to its reputation as the “party that promises to be at the frontline, fighting for marginalized groups.” She also stated her belief that there is “no suitable infrastructure to make sure ethnic minority people are represented in internal politics.” Following the speech, and as a further response to the racism allegations, BAME members of Young Labour took to Twitter and started the hashtag: #IAMNOTATOKEN. The allegations of institutional racism compound the issues engulfing Labour’s youth wing, following the resignation of the co-chair of Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) after the club’s decision to endorse Israeli Apartheid Week, and accusations of bullying and voting irregularities during the election of the National Executive Committee (NEC) Youth Representative. Elmi drew a distinction between Labour’s national leadership under Jeremy Corbyn—whose summer leadership campaign she cites as her reason for getting involved in the party—and the “mess that is Young Labour”.
Despite these issues, Elmi hinted she was hopeful about the future, though warned: “Representation without structural change is simply tokenism.” She said: “The incoming Young Labour committee has to listen to the voices of their BAME members so that we can succeed in our collective fight.” A report into the bullying allegations is being led by Labour peer Baroness Janet Royall, whilst Elmi is also writing her own report into the events of the conference, where she is “collating personal testimonies and creating recommendations for Labour Students so as to help further integrate BAME members into the organisation.” In a statement, Manchester Labour Students said: “This conference has raised important issues within our movement. We will support all four of our liberation campaigns—respecting their autonomy—in order to ensure that the diversity of our movement is fully and meaningfully represented. “We would like to thank Mo for all of his hard work and dedication in what has been a difficult few months for Manchester Labour Students. He has been an invaluable member of MLS.”
“Representation without structural change is simply tokenism.” A Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all allegations of anti-Semitism, racism, bullying, intimidation and candidate misconduct very seriously.“Investigations are currently underway into the conduct of individual Young Labour Party members. All relevant evidence will be considered.” The Mancunion contacted 17 Labour MPs for comment on this story. None were available for comment. Updates to this story will be published throughout the week on our website:
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Preview: India Week Swastika defaces Nicole Tamer Film Editor
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The third annual India Week, a week that celebrates the essence of being Indian, is back from the 7th to the 13th March. With a wide variety of events, The Indian Society of Manchester hopes to spread Indian culture to anyone who wishes to connect or re-connect with the cultural riches of the subcontinent. This year, the society will be raising funds for the charity organisation Pratham, an organisation whose mission is to improve the quality of education in India and to ensure that all children in India are not only attending school but thriving. Pratham UK has already raised more than £5 million since 2003. The week will kick off with an free and incredible India Inaugural Night, taking place on 7th March from 6pm onwards in Academy 1. The evening will be
charged with energy, dancing, music, and loads of exciting performances, as well as a mystery guest! There will also be a quiz night in St. Peter’s Chaplaincy at 6:30pm. One of the most exciting events will be the celebration of Holi, the festival of colours, at the Gita Bhavan Hindu Temple from 1:30pm until 5pm on the 9th of March. Coloured powders will be provided at student prices, and this celebration will be accompanied by a DJ playing Bollywood hits. The next two days will concentrate on fundraising, with a surprise event and a games night on 11th March from 5pm on at Al Qaza. If you had not had enough of games, the Carnival of Sports at Armitage at 11pm will bring the child out of you with games such as bubble football, three-legged race, and the lemon race. The week closes will close with a spectacular Grand Indian Ball at Sheridan Suite on 13th March from 6pm onwards.
Manchester Exec candidate’s banner Marcus Johns Deputy Editor-in-chief
Photo: Facebook
A candidate in the University of Manchester Students’ Union Exec Officer elections has had campaign materials defaced with a swastika. The candidate previously found one of their posters spoiled with “Shut Up” writ-
ten on it, whilst others have been torn down. Two further banners were torn down and have also gone missing, with the candidate unable to find or recover them. The swastika drawn in green ink appeared over the weekend. It was drawn onto a banner hanging on the outside of the Students’ Union’s Steve Biko building facing Oxford Road and the Manchester Universities and RNCM Catholic Chaplaincy building. The banner was removed on Sunday night by Students’ Union staff. The candidate told The Mancunion: “Students have resorted to vandalism and sabotage to express their dissent, which is completely wrong. “I find it very unsettling that someone would feel it is acceptable to graffiti the Nazi swastika on a candidate’s campaign material. Ultimately, it’s an act of vandalism and libellous.”
First Transgender Woman Running for NUS Women’s Officer
During her campaign, she has faced a great amount of opposition, but remains true to her objectives outlined in her ‘annafesto’
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Anna Lee, a Maths student from Lancaster University, is the first ever transgender woman in the running to become the NUS National Women’s Officer. The current women’s officer, Susuana Amoah, was elected last April to represent female students from across the UK for the year. Lee, as this year’s nominee, has a history of campaigning for women’s issues including sexual harassment, tampon tax, and has worked on increasing gender diversity within the national curriculum. She defines herself as a “queer trans disabled lesbian woman” whose mission statement involves making “voices that are so often silenced and pushed aside heard.” In her past, Lee has pursued this mission in her role as Vice President of Welfare and Community at the Lancaster Students’ Union. Lee has received a great deal of abuse during her election campaign for women’s officer, mainly from the “middle aged White men” demographic. She claims that they are “very angry” about the possibility of her winning. Hundreds of trolls have sent her thousands of abusive messages online because she is a trans woman. She claims that this has greatly impacted her mental health, but remains positive, with an “unstoppable passion” for women’s causes. However, some people feel that whilst they do not have a problem with Anna Lee being transgender, they do have a problem with her representing
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en… I fully support her right to be able to run for the position.” She added that she will be “deciding who to vote for purely based on their ideas and passion for the job.” Fervent support has also come from Jo Gowers from the Union of Students in Ireland, who praises Lee’s understanding of key issues and states that she is “proudly backing Anna for the NUS UK Women’s Officer.” The elections will take place in Brighton from the 19th to the 21st of April, where over 1,000 student representatives will gather to vote for the next year’s NUS leadership team.
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the female student body. Many of these critics are feminist activists, who believe that “a biological man” cannot understand female issues fully and so should not have the opportunity to represent women. Others have questioned whether the election will be fair. They are concerned that if Lee were to lose her spot at the election, it could be “an excuse to raise the discrimination flag.” Another commentator asked: “Will she be elected automatically as long as she labels all critics abusers?” Whilst critique has been plentiful, there has also been a lot of support. Jess Lishak, the Women’s Officer for the University of Manchester Students’ Union, stated plainly that: “trans women are wom-
Head News Editor: Jenny Sterne News Editors: William Brown, Merle Streck Science Editor: Andy van den Bent-Kelly news@mancunion.com science@mancunion.com Features Editor: Liam Kelly features@mancunion.com Opinion Editor: Isaac Atwal opinion@mancunion.com Head Fashion Editor: Kassi Allcock Deputy Fashion Editor: Kathryn Murray Deputy Fashion Editor (Beauty): Millie Kershaw fashion@mancunion.com Head Food & Drink Editor: Ellie Gibbs Deputy Food & Drink Editor: Helena Maxwell-Jackson foodanddrink@mancunion.com Head Film Editor: James Moules Deputy Film Editor: Nicole Tamer film@mancunion.com
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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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Over 500 sign up for rent strike action According to the campaigners, UCL management has responded to the strikes by patronising and threatening students. The university is currently formulating plans to issue the first set of evictions against student strikers
UCL, Cut the Rent Activists drop “Cut the Rent Join thr Strike” Banner from UCL Portico Roof
Photo: Arthur Michaels
Merle Streck News Editor The University College London (UCL) campaign, Cut the Rent (CTR) has been reinvigorated by a substantial rise in the number of student strikers—from 150 in January to 500 students in late February. The campaign, supported by the Radical Housing Network, seeks to tackle UCL’s soaring accommodation fees by withholding rent payments until the aim of a 40 per cent rent cut is achieved. As a consequence of the rising number of students participating in the strike, the amount of money withheld has increased to over £1 million. Anabel Bennett, one of the leading campaigners, says: “The response from residents in UCL has been overwhelming. First year students are now organising themselves on an unprecedented scale—the strike is expanding exponentially as more and more students see that the only solution is to take action.” In a recent press release, the campaigners expressed their resentment towards UCL management, whose reaction to the strike has been to “patronise and threaten students.” Furthermore, recent reports reveal that UCL plan
to evict those students withholding their rent payments and intend to limit spaces for strike action by withdrawing licenses from halls of residences. In her statement to The Mancunion, Harriet Pugh, the Community Officer at University of Manchester’s Students’ Union, asserts that there is a wider issue where the standard of housing is concerned. Pugh notes that the matter is not solely limited to student accommodation, but private housing as well. She states that “its clear from speaking to student tenants that most of us have such low expectations of housing standards.” “We don’t think to question the exploitation we’re subjected to via our landlords, who poorly manage squalid properties for jacked up rents that far exceed their value.” Pugh relates the experiences of rising accommodation costs at UCL to circumstances in Manchester. She states that “we’ve been told that the lowest accommodation prices in the Fallowfield redevelopment will be ‘competitive,’” meaning that prices are “based on market rates, not relevant to students and their finances.” In the past six months, UCL has continuously been subjected to allegations of “social cleansing”. The campaigners claim that the university show a “flagrant disregard for socially accessible education,” whilst running on a 45 per cent profit of over
£15,779,000 from accommodations fees alone. Since 2009, the university has increased the median rent by 56 per cent. The recent decision to cut maintenance grants, as well as the negative implications of stagnant student incomes, have further contributed to the contention that access to higher education particularly in London—is becoming increasingly harder to achieve for low income families. According to the campaigners, these allegations were further confirmed by UCL’s Director of Estates, Andrew Grainger, who was recently quoted as saying that “we don’t set our rents on the basis of the least well-off students” and that “some people just simply cannot afford to live in London.” In a recent study by Shelter, they found that 53 per cent of private tenants struggle to pay rent; in London 72 per cent of tenants’ total income goes on rent alone. CTR’s statement concludes that “rent is everyone’s problem” and that “CTR wish to be clear they stand in full support with wider campaigns for housing justice.” In recent conversation with The Mancunion, one of the founders of the campaign, Angus O’Brien, a 20-year-old second year Social and Political Studies student, stated that he wished to engage in a dialogue with UCL management, but that their
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response to strike action has been inadequate and disappointing. The recent press release revealed no progress where this issue was concerned, stating that an appropriate response by the university has yet to be provided. “CTR continues to call upon UCL management to end the exploitation of tenants and enter negotiations on an immediate 40 per cent rent cut as the first step towards a social rent-setting policy. CTR fully intend to extend and escalate this despite until its reasonable and proportionate demands are met.” The campaigners are confident that collective action will continue to grow. CTR state that they “will not be intimidated” and will withstand any pressure put upon striking students by the UCL management. For more information on further developments on the campaign, visit www.facebook.com/uclcuttherentor follow @rentcutUCL on Twitter. UCL in a statement said “UCL fully appreciates that affordability in London is an issue and does everything it can to keep rents affordable. This is a challenge not just for UCL but all universities in central London. UCL is a not for profit organisation and does not make any profit on rent, any surplus each year is ploughed back into residences”.
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University of Manchester staff oppose “dangerously vague” Prevent policies University lecturers are particularly worried about the prospect of jeopardising their academic integrity and do not see it as their responsibility to surveil the behaviour of their own students Rossy Natale Reporter Lecturers at the University of Manchester have issued a statement warning that the Prevent programme threatens “the sanctity of academic freedoms and intellectual curiosity, as well as the ability of the University to provide an inclusive and locally relevant recruitment agenda.” The Prevent programme requires ‘specified authorities’ including the university staff to report any student activity they deem to be radical. “The Prevent agenda sets a unique precedence insofar,” the statement explains, “as it asks staff to identify indicators which might merely suggest a propensity to criminal [‘terrorist’] activity” as opposed to reporting actual criminal activity. Objections to the programme have come from a range of university departments and the staff members themselves come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. University staff have criticised the programme for being “dangerously vague.” They raised concerns that lecturers will see it as their duty to“police moral and/or religious beliefs [like conservatism] as well as critique of current foreign policy as practised by Western governments.” The statement released last Thursday explains how the Prevent legislation compromises the role they serve as teachers. They deem the programme impractical as it suggests that academic staff will need to perform surveillance roles. As a whole, they feel the legisla-
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tion is jeopardising the integrity of academic institutions. One of the biggest issues raised within this debate was the effect this programme could have on Muslim students. Lecturers expressed concern that the policies run a high risk of criminalising all students perceived to be Muslim. As a result, many fear that the recruitment of Muslim students to the university will be threatened. Dr Bethan Harries of the University of Manchester’s Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity and Sociology told The Mancunion: “We are concerned that the sense of trust between staff and students will be compromised and Muslim students will be placed under greater scrutiny when they are already in a marginalised position.” A BBC investigation has found the number of referrals to the antiradicalisation programme to have doubled over the past year. This has been paralleled by an increasing concern over the policies from academics, other universities and teaching staff throughout the country. The statement issued by the University of Manchester staff concludes that: “we are being asked to subjectively judge our students based on how they participate [what they say, but perhaps also what they wear and how they interact with other students] and determine from this whether we think they have a propensity towards criminality.” As a result of their concerns, University of Manchester staff have urged others who feel similarly to join their campaign by emailing: communications.su@manchester.ac.uk
Gap year students appointed to decide asylum claims The Home Office says that recruiting students is an efficient way to handle the large workload Merle Streck News Editor The Home Office has recently come under scrutiny from immigration lawyers who condemn the new practice of recruiting gap year students to decide on asylum claims. The Home Office responded to criticism, stating that this recruitment policy has been practised for a while, and that students are only put on temporary contracts in particularly busy periods. A Home Office source said that, “students are seen as quite an effective demographic.” According to the statement, the Home Office only recruits high-performing students and view this policy as an “effective way to manage the case load when things get busy.” The source argues that anyone who is recruited is provided with the same amount of training and that decisions made by students are always revised by a senior member of staff. However, one of the biggest issues raised by immigration lawyers was the fact that students only receive five weeks training before they are officially permitted to start interviewing asylum seekers to
decide whether they are allowed to remain in the UK. According to the Home Office, five weeks of training is seen as a standard training period for all legal advisers deciding on asylum claims. During this period, students are encouraged to analyse case studies, engage in role play and are also given instructions on specialist cases such as LGBT claims, human trafficking and child claims. Subsequently, the student is contracted to work for a minimum of 11 months. It has been reported that some students working for the Home Office have worked for the government before, when its “fast-track detention” policy was still intact. The Home Office has already been the subject of scrutiny back in the summer of 2015 on account of their treatment of asylum claims, which a high court ruling deemed as “structurally unfair.” Under the detained fast-track policy, the system only allowed seven working days to prepare for an appeal in the event of an asylum claim being rejected. As a result of this unlawful practice, which was suspended in 2015, thousands of people were deported back to their home countries. Immigration lawyers have made allegations against the Home Office, claiming they are playing with the lives of innocent people.
Toufique Hossain, director of public law at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, said: “Asylum decisions are very much life or death matters. Complex areas of law are involved relating to EU charters, conventions and directives. It is very concerning that the Home Office is bringing in students to make these decisions and that all of the decision-makers are given just five weeks training.” Mr. Hossain further contends that if a student were to wrongly refuse a claim, it would make it “harder for an asylum seeker to come back from the initial negative decision when their appeal is heard.” Other commentators recognize the difficulty the Home Office must face in busy periods, noting that this might be a chance for students to prove themselves as able and dedicated legal advisers. Lauren Rosegreen, a third-year law student at the University of Manchester and President of the Pro Bono Legal Advice Centre Society, told The Mancunion: “Now it has come to public attention, it is easy for people to criticise the Home Office for recruiting gap-year students on these temporary contracts. However, this long standing approach appears to be the only thing in place to help process asylum claims during busy periods and with more cuts to legal aid every day, students may be the only people to turn to in this time of crisis.”
Private schools give students “two year boost” over comprehensive schools A recent study funded by the Independent Schools Trust reveals substantially better achievements among privately educated children at GCSE level examinations Paul Scott Senior Reporter A recent study conducted by Durham University revealed that students attending private or independent schools gain a two year advantage compared to their comprehensive school counterparts. According to researchers, by the time privately schooled children have turned 16, they achieve two-thirds of a GCSE grade higher—equivalent to an extra two years of education. Critics of private school elitism claim the study as evidence of unfair educational disparity. The Headmaster of Brighton College referred to the results of the research as “profoundly depressing.” Whether the findings correlate to the balance of private and state school students at leading universities, and in top professions, remains unclear. However, elite universities, and Oxbridge in particular, have continually been under pressure to increase their state to private school student ratio. According to internal statistics, Oxford currently has 56.3 per cent state and 43.7 per cent independent undergraduates. This represents one of the lowest ratios of comprehensive school students in Britain. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the University of Manchester has 18.6 per cent private or independently educated undergraduates enrolled, while Manchester Metropolitan has 3.9 per cent.. The Durham researchers have asked that the results of their
Photo: ArthurH2010 @Flickr
study be “interpreted with caution” but despite this, the study has come under scrutiny for misrepresenting and overly exaggerating the benefit of a private education. It has been stated that exam results are not solely dependent on teaching quality, but can be easily influenced by outside factors—such as students’ family environments. A second year student at Manchester Metropolitan University said: “I think that parents who send their children to private school have usually been to university and had quite a lot of education themselves. “Their children will likely grow up with the expectation that they will achieve academically and go to university after school because that is just ‘what people do’. Kids from working class backgrounds won’t necessarily have those expectations about education because their parents might not [place] as much emphasis on it.” Another student criticised limitations of the study, saying: “there’s lots of research that shows state pupils outperform private pupils at university so any superior grades at GCSE are short term and don’t carry over into higher education.” He went on to say that: “The source is the Independent Schools Council, so this study could potentially be them promoting their own interests”, implying that independent education is more desirable. Last year, figures showed that the number of students attending independent schools were at a record high, totalling 517,113 as whole.
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Brexit would create ‘a huge problem’ for HE in Europe, warn academics Leading academics have expressed their fears about what the UK potentially leaving the European Union will mean for research and collaboration between European universities. Katie Burns Reporter The UK leaving the European Union will damage both European and UK universities’ research capabilities, according to senior figures in higher education on the continent. Horst Hippler, the president of the German higher education association Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (HRK), has come out in support of the advocacy body Universities UK, who are promoting a vote to stay in Europe. Hippler, whose organisation represents over 96 per cent of the students in the EU’s most populous nation, has told Times Higher Education: “To have Britain no longer belonging to the EU would be a disaster for international research in Europe.” Hippler went on to say, “we have this problem already with Switzerland,” referring to the country’s difficulties after a 2014 referendum against mass migration challenged previous freedom-of-movement agreements with the EU. This in turn harmed scientific collaboration possibilities with member coun-
tries and affected the availability of research funding received from European bodies. Student mobility was also affected, with Switzerland being officially removed from the Erasmus+ program. Dr Mike Galsworthy, the Programme Director of the campaign group Scientists for EU, called Switzerland “a clear precedent that should serve as an antidote to over-complacency and sense of entitlement.” He disagrees with the idea that the UK would definitely still have the same amount of access and financial benefits from outside of the European Union. Hippler agrees, saying that the split would be “a huge problem, because research and science is always international.” Many are arguing that a Brexit would put unnecessary obstacles in the way of research progress, both in terms of funds and collaboration. George Walkden, a lecturer whose research into the history of Germanic Languages requires collaboration with universities on the continent, says a Brexit would have “dangerous implications for collaboration.” He also worries about the availability of
research funds for linguistic research, much of which currently comes from the EU or bodies linked to the EU. The UK currently receives £1.2 billion a year from European research funding. Another problem that may be more pressing for students is the possible loss of the Erasmus+ program, which allows students to study at some of Europe’s best universities as part of their education here in the UK. Sam Muldoon, a third year Linguistics student, stressed that without the financial support of the European Union and Erasmus grants she would not have been able to take the opportunity to study in Germany for 6 months. She told The Mancunion that “it’s sad that other people might not get the chance because they can’t afford it.” Not everyone is pleased that universities are taking part in the debate over the referendum, which will take place on the 23rd of June. Paul Nuttall, a former lecturer at Liverpool Hope University and member of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), has stated that the education sector should not “embroil itself” in the debate at all.
Students vote against fossil fuel divestment As part of JustFest 2016, the Manchester Debating Union asked the question: Should the University of Manchester divest from fossil fuels? The House voted against the motion after a thought-provoking and, at times, heated debate. Georgie Hines Senior Reporter An initial straw poll showed that most present were undecided or felt they did not know enough about it to form an educated opinion. However, at the end of the debate, it appeared most of the audience were against the idea of divestment, the opposition having won with a 16 per cent swing in their favour. Speakers for the proposition were Professor Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change and Dr Carl Death, a Senior Lecturer in Political Economy at the University of Manchester. The opposition included Professor Johnathon Redfern and Dr Peter Backus, Chair of Petroleum Geoscience and Lecturer in Economics at University of Manchester respectively. Professor Anderson was the first to speak for the proposition, and focussed on how climate change may not seem like much of a change to the Northern Hemisphere (the primary users of fossils fuels) but to poorer countries, climate change could soon equal death. He said: “We are more concerned about our powerful cars, our large overheated homes, our frequent flyer miles and double
door refrigerators than we are about poor people in those climatically troubled parts of the world that are already struggling to eat.” For the opposition, the first speaker was Professor Redfern, who declared that he thought “that this issue is too serious… to be hijacked by emotive words.” His argument came from a predominantly financial perspective and told the crowd that “we will have no money to tackle climate change without a stable economy” that fossil fuel giants help support. Next up for the opposition was Dr Death, who argued that it was not about bankrupting oil and gas companies, but about the message that the university wants to send. He pointed out that “most progressive gains in world history have been achieved by social movements.” Mr. Backus spoke last, bringing a humorous voice to the debate. He suggested that disapproving University of Manchester’s investment in fossil fuels was like “blaming Greggs because your husband is fat.” As an economist, he joked that he of course thought the solution to this problem was tax, but he also touched on the stigma that fossil fuel companies face.
This topical debate was a fringe event for JustFest 2016, the University of Manchester’s Social Justice Festival that will be taking place from Wednesday 9th March. The festival aims to encourage students to challenge today’s injustices, ranging from humanitarian relief and refugee support to mental health stigmas. A spokesperson for the MDU pointed out that the event was important for providing a public forum for student’s voices to be heard on an issue that the University of Manchester is currently debating. The University of Manchester’s ties to the oil and gas industry have remained a highly controversial topic for several years now. Just last year, an investigation by the Manchester Fossil Free Campaign revealed that the university invests almost £40 million in fossil fuels through pension funds and shares. In a further surprise to activists of social responsibility at the University of Manchester, a giant of climate change campaigning, Greenpeace, found that the university has taken nearly as much money from fossil fuel companies as they invest. £28 million in funding has been received since 2010.
Photo: Jeff Djevdet @Flickr
Homophobic Facebook post leads Sheffield University to expel student Christian social work student expelled from The University of Sheffield after he posted his views on same sex marriage on his personal Facebook account Emily Hulme Senior Reporter A mature student at The University of Sheffield has been expelled from the institution after posting homophobic content on his Facebook page. Masters student and father of four, Felix Ngole, quoted a verse of the bible that states that homosexuality is an “abomination”. The 38-yearold also publicly announced his support for Kim Davis, an American County Clerk from Kentucky who was jailed for purposefully declining licences for same-sex marriages. These posts provoked the university to invite Ngloe to a ‘fitness to practice’ hearing: a university committee that regulates teaching to be in accordance with the professional body. The committee decided that the student should be removed from the course, demanding his student card be handed in. The committee said the posts were offensive to certain individuals and Mr Ngloe’s views were “not deemed appropriate of some-
one entering the social work profession.” According to The Independent, Mr Ngloe’s rejected the university’s decision, stating that he was being discriminated against. He was quoted as saying: “My beliefs about marriage and sexual ethics reflect mainstream, biblical understanding, shared by millions around the world.” The student has appealed against the university’s decision to remove him, saying: “I wonder whether the university would have taken any action if a Muslim student who believes in Sharia law, with its teaching about women and homosexuality, had made moderate comments on his Facebook page. I don’t think so.” Mr Ngloe also claims the university were vague in explaining the reasons for his dismissal at first, with their only explanation being that his behaviour involved breaching social work guidelines on “personal conduct” and “bringing the profession into disrepute.” He disputes the university’s decision, arguing: “I am not against people who
are in same-sex relationships, that is their choice, but I am a Christian and if asked for my views I should be free to express that. I didn’t intimidate anyone and I didn’t treat them in a discriminatory manner.” The Christian Legal Centre, a group that supports court cases where Christians have purportedly been discriminated against for their views, have publicly supported Mr Ngloes. The Chief Executive, Andrea Williams announced: “sadly, this is yet another case of Christians being ‘neutered’ in the public arena, and of censorship of their views.” The Telegraph felt the story unnerved them, stating: “There’s something icky about derailing someone’s career based on a Facebook post. It’s a little too 1984 for our tastes.” Sheffield University will not comment on the issue as a result of the ongoing appeal.
News
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ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
University campaigning to save endangered amphibian
In support of World Wildlife Day 2016, The Mancunion is recognising the conservation efforts that The University of Manchester is investing into saving an endangered species of frog, inspired by a young schoolgirl Alina Shrourou Science Reporter Thursday 3rd March marked World Wildlife Day 2016. This was a day of celebrating wild animals and plants, and also aimed at raising awareness of endangered species. With some help, the University of Manchester have commenced a campaign to help save one of the world’s rarest and most unusual frogs from extinction. Last year, a tiny frog had a big impact on 9-year-old Lucy Marland when she visited the Manchester Museum. After seeing a Lemur Leaf Frog ( Agalychnis Lemur ) in the museum’s vivarium, and discovering that there are only a few hundred of them left in the world, Lucy decided that she wanted to help to save them from extinction. Backed by the University of Manchester, the global campaign has now been launched, with an aim to educate primary school children about the endangered amphibian and its threats to extinction in its natural rainforest habitat. The efforts are focused in
the UK, Sweden (where Nordens Ark, Europe’s largest conservation organisation exists, Nordens Ark) and the Guayacan region of Costa Rica (where the frog still survives in the wild). The materials for the education part of the Lemur Leaf frog project have been called ‘Learning with Lucy’. At present, three short videos featuring Lucy have been produced—as well as worksheets designed for classroom lessons to be incorporated into primary school education. By teaching children of the threats to this species and making people more aware of the conservation status of these animals, it is hoped that people—particularly those in the Guayacan region—will take more care of their natural surroundings and spare more thought into how their actions will impact the wildlife around them. Alongside the Manchester Museum and the University of Manchester, Sir David Attenborough and the Ambassador of Costa Rica also back the campaign. Earlier this year, His Excellency Enrique Cas-
tillo Barrantes, the Costa Rican ambassador to the United Kingdom, visited the University of Manchester’s Faculty of Life Sciences to celebrate the project. Although the faculty and Costa Rica already have a good relationship, as the second year Tropical Ecosystems field course runs there every year, this visit was incredibly important for enhancing this relationship. By strengthening the connection that the university has with Costa Rica, this will in turn strengthen the campaign to save the Lemur Leaf frog, therefore making the conservation of the endangered amphibian all the more likely. Professor Richard Preziosi, head of the Environmental Research Group in the Faculty of Life Sciences, conducts research on saving endangered frogs and commented on the importance of such campaigns. He told The Mancunion : “Apart from the fact that frogs are fascinating creatures, they provide important benefits to humans and to ecosystems. Frogs have been the source of important chem-
Sir David Attenborough, shown here holding a lemur leaf frog, is backing the campaign. Photo: Andrew Gray/lemurfrog.org/Manchester Museum
icals used in medicine and some consume disease carrying pests like mosquitoes. “Frogs are also very important in ecosystems because of the central role they play in food chains as both a predator
and as prey. Plus, they are one of the few animals that work against the flow of nutrients constantly being washed into rivers and ponds. Tadpoles develop on those nutrients in ponds and then come out to
live on the land.” For more information about the project, visit: www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/ communityresources/ schools/learningwithlucy/
Manchester scientists discuss the possibility of alien life From supposed UFO sightings to rumours of abduction: one of science’s greatest unknowns - is there really alien life out there? Staff from The University of Manchester got together to discuss their views
Alina Shrourou Science Reporter A 60-minute conversation between staff from the University of Manchester—including Dr David Kirby (Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine), Professor Matthew Cobb and Dr Sheena Cruikshank (Faculty of Life Sciences), Professor Danielle George (Engineering) and Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan (Materials), and science fiction writer and physicist Alastair Reynolds—has been uploaded onto YouTube as a 4-part episode discussing the possibility of alien life. The aim of this discussion was for public engagement of an interesting and speculative subject that science has not yet been able to provide a definitive conclusion for. The videos demonstrate that not one perspective can answer such a question, and thus requires evidence and opinion from a number of expertise. The topics discussed included the practicalities of alien communication and contact, the origin of life, and possible alien life forms. At the start of the discussion, all experts agreed that simple alien life is possible, but in-
telligent life form is unlikely. Spoiler: sadly these opinions don’t change by the end of the discussion, but it’s a fun and interesting watch nonetheless, with good science conversation and some friendly ‘battle-of-the-sciences’ banter. This is particularly obvious between materials expert
don’t understand 90 per cent of the universe and the 10 per cent we think we understand we kind of understand a little bit—so how can we know how aliens would communicate with us? They probably have [found us], they’re probably walking amongst us”, to which Prof. Matthew Cobb replies,
in part 2 of the programme, when Cobb states that, “The joining of two cells that produced our eukaryotic cells only happened once in 3.5 billion years.” Vijayaraghavan responds by asking, “How can you be so sure that it only happened once in one location?” From mentions of space
“What’s the probability of probably? Probably very tiny”. Dr Vijayaraghavan then questions Professor Cobb
graffiti to alien taxonomy, the discussion was entertaining, informative, and easy to understand for a general
Photo: Is The Truth Out There? @YouTube
Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan and biologist Professor Matthew Cobb. For example, Dr Vijayaraghavan states, “We
public audience. Dr Sheena Cruickshank, Academic Lead for Public Engagement with Research, commented on her involvement in the show, saying, “I very much enjoyed making this—it was fascinating to research the topic and discuss with scientists from such diverse backgrounds as we all had different views and ideas.” Professor Matthew Cobb, who led the show, spoke to The Mancunion about the importance of science communication and public engagement efforts like this. He said: “I think that scientists—and academics in general—have a responsibility to explain their work to the general public. Directly or indirectly, the public pay for our work, so they have a right to know. “Equally importantly, if we care about our subject, if we think it is important or interesting, then surely we should want to explain it to as many people as possible. “The world is changing in remarkable and alarming ways, and new technology is enabling us to manipulate the natural world with an unprecedented degree of accuracy.” He continues, saying: “I think deciding how to respond to
climate change and threats to biodiversity will require us all to be able to understand what is at stake - the potential advantages and the potential risks. In various areas of science we are at the threshold of some astonishing discoveries. “For example, physicists have realised that they do not know what 85 per cent of the universe is made of, while biologists have been able to reconstruct humanity’s astonishing evolutionary history, making discoveries that that would have been dismissed as science fiction only a decade ago. “At these two very different scales, science is about to change how we view our place in the universe, what it is to be human, and indeed the very nature of reality. Everyone should know about this stuff!” The discussion was uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘ Is The Truth Out There? ’ in four separate videos. The experts have recorded a second programme answering the question ‘Will machines rule the world?’, which will be uploaded onto the same channel.
Feature 7
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2016 Union Elections: The Candidates General Secretary
MB
PZ
Pin Zeng
“I am a responsible, passion, hard working person.”
Mia Bian
1. Diversity officer. 2. Activites offcier 3. General secretary
VB
NA
Naif Alotaibi
JE
James Eyke
1. Cheaper Night Bus. 2. Cheaper University Coffee. 3. More efficient queuing system at Uni Place Cafe.
WQ
Coby Tunnicliffe 1. Assuring students are properly consulted by university in all decisions that effect them. 2. Getting more green around campus. It can be a bit grey at times. Bee-friendly flower areas would help. 3. Listen to students helping make their ideas to things.
Activities and Development Officer
HM
Hugh Mclean 1. Pole amongst students for theme of Pangea
Wu Qian
1. Gen Sec Surgeries and North Campus integration. 2. Student finances and part time jobs. 3. Integrate the union into the city of Manchester and Embed Union strategic plan.
Tamara O’Neill 1. Affordability for students. 2. Boosting the student experience through enhanced society involvement and more nightclub events exclusive to students. 3. A sustainable and energy-efficient University.
James ‘Alien’ Allen 1. Ensure the SU redevelopment is focused on what students want and need. 2. Engage more students with society activities. 3. Launch a monthly club night to bring world-class acts to our SU.
KJ
1. Library Services. 2. Careers Service. 3. Graduate Jobs Guidance.
Anna Terentjeva 1. Greater involvement with the University Society. 2. Personal development. 3. Maximising and opening up student potential.
YW
Yunyun Wang
Meg Taylor 1. A United Exec Team that works together to bring the union to you! 2. Get App-y! Introducing new ways to connect students together. 3. Happy Homes Project – Providing support groups for students who have housing troubles while at university.
Naa Acquah 1. Gen Sec Surgeries and North Campus integration. 2. Student finances and part time jobs. 3. Integrate the union into the city of Manchester and Embed Union strategic plan.
Siyi Guo
“Justice the basis of governance”
1. Greater student involvement in Pangaea. 2. More support for societies from the SU. 3. Changes to welcome week in-line with what students want.
Campaigns & Citizenship Officer
IS
Ibrahim Shaba
“Impossible is nothing but two letter to long”
Emmanuel Idogen
Heather Jackson 1. Increase the range of activities available and the level of student involvement in them. 2. Improve quality of Pangaea/Grad Ball. 3. Lobby to make the University more environmentally friendly
1. Creating new events. 2. Making all societies flexible. 3. Accepting ideas from students.
Laura Mills
Beth Armstrong 1. Add volunteering opportunities to help students get careers. 2. Make Pangaea bigger and cheaper. 3. Unite RAG, Access All Areas and Student Action to create great fundraisers that will be fun for students and beneficial for the community.
1. Optimism. 2. Persistent. 3. Enthusiastic.
Ali Aubad
Francesca ‘Fran’ Simcox
Ke Jiang
“I am an outgoing girl and good at organizing activities.”
Amna Khan
AA
1. Making the SU Rebuild the best it can be for societies. 2. Improving society systems. 3. More activities/space on North Campus and in Fallowfield.
Varang Bombaywala
“General Secretary is a person who has a great amount of power in an organisation.”
SG
Neale Franklin
Xiaoqin “Lydia” Niu 1. Promote more communication between students from different countries. 2. Encourage students to create and organise societies and activities. 3. Increase and diversify the promotion of societies and activities.
TA
Tom Archer
1. Promote more communication between students from different countries. 2. Encourage students to create and organise societies and activities. 3. Increase and diversify the promotion of societies and activities.
1. Include a greater proportion of students in changes that occur within the SU by making it easier to get ideas heard. 2. Involve more students in the running of Pangaea. 3. Run creative careers events to showcase the variety of different jobs available
Sorcha ‘Think’ Floyd 1. GO GREEN -campaigning for a fossil free University, tackle food waste, encourage cycling 2. HOMELESSNESS - our union has a commitment to social responsibility that needs to be exercised 3. FEES/ BURSARIES/ LOANS - protect access to education for all
JH
Jack Hilder
1. Social/ Cultural Inequalities. 2. Discussing and having an impact on important topics. 3. Having the quality of Manchester Campaigns recognised.
Omar Matovu 1. Incorporating qualifications into Union activities and Societies. 2. Inter-Education collaboration with local institutions maximising Society capacity for activities. 3. The ‘Share and Learning’ Initiative as a professional format of skill exchange.
CO
RZ
Ruiyan Zhuang 1) Truth. 2) Fairness. 3) Passion..
Claudia Ormrod
1. Make sure students well being is priority. 2. Social activities are very important to keep a well balanced well being. 3. Activities are important to keep stress levels down.
Chris James 1. Living Wage. 2. Fairer Funding For Students. 3. Widening Participation and Facilitating Your Campaign!
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Feature Deej ‘DJ Deej’ Johnson 1. Accessibility- Make the university and the union work for all students. 2. Education- Liberated, affordable and supported. 3. Empowerment- Support student led campaigns.
ISSUE 17/ 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Saffa Mir 1. Setting up a system of contract checking when students are applying to rent houses whilst studying, to prevent exploitation from landlords. 2. Create a more inclusive freshers week. 3. Make the SU executive more accessible, with drop in sessions.
Jack Lofthouse
Community Officer
1. Re-launch Student Safe Zones. 2. Develop workshops to highlight the information available to students when moving from Halls to Homes. 3. Make volunteering opportunities more widely available through an increase in community events.
Jordan Paterson 1. Improve the experience of students living in halls. 2. Set up community projects to highlight the worth of students in communities. 3. Continued development of existing campaigns such as ‘Don’t Let Yet! Rent Right’.
Xiaona Yu 1. Do a survey and get students’ views on identity and social responsibility in a community. 2. Organize events to help students look for suitable accommodation. 3. Work with halls to promote awareness of crime and safety.
AA
Alina Agha
“Angel”
QC
Idris Osman
1. Reduce crime in city parks. 2. Establish good working relationship between the student, community, and community police officer. 3. Find out what the cireme level are.
DL
Dima Liashev
1. Quality of work done. 2. Efficiency 3. Teamworking
SH
EM
1. Equality. 2. Progress. 3. Diversity
Natasha HirataSmith
1. Improve accessibility to societies and events for mature students, postgraduate students and students with families. 2. Increase communication between diverse groups to spread awareness and create ‘solidarity through diversity’. 3. Encourage students to take on opportunities such as
Henry Eleonu 1. Review and monitoring of existing equality policy and action plan. 2. Ensuring equal access to opportunities for all students. 3. Enabling all students to develop to their full potential.
SHM
1. Safety. 2. Increasing Diversity. 3. Equal Access for all students.
TW
“Dealing with diversity is one of my best skills.”
IA
Siddh H. Maru
1. Promote diversity throughout departments and the Student’s Union. 2. Create events where cultures are explored and embraced. 3. Break down barriers so the many cultures are brought together.
Iuliia Ipatova 1. Personal development. 2. Contribution to society. 3. Freedom in life, work & love.
Tan Wanichprase
Emma Atkins 1. Life Skill Workshops. 2. Improving availability of resources and dialogue between departments. 3. Support for extra-curricular education schemes at the university and in the community.
Ishmael Ayanoore
1. Creating a shared institutional mindset. 2. Improving partnerships and collaboration among students through consultative relationships. 3. Promoting respect and co-existence among students.
Eugene Mwika
NHS
Qian Cheng
“I’d like to serve for all students in University of Manchester.”
IO
Diversity Officer
SP
Shoshana Paget
Education Officer
KS
“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” Confucius
CG
Elrica Degirmen 1. Put on workshops so students can develop their confidence in asserting opinions. 2. Set up an independent association to hold debates where students can challenge their views in an open environment. 3. Do all I can to get rid of the safe space policy.
Michael Spence
Zhe Zhang
1. End Additional Course Costs. 2. Campaign for Free Education. 3. Improve study space.
1. Patience. 2. Coropertion. 3. Easygoing.
Adarsh Ranjan 1. Compassion. 2. Stands for Equality. 3. Stands for Student Rights.
Chenxi Gong
“There are many international students in University of Manchester.”
Kiana Soleimani
“I am a responsible student and i would like to help other student as much as I can at any situation .”
ZZ
Maria Lyasheva
GS
Gabriel Schiopu
1. Facilitate communication between students and staff. 2. Organise and direct academic matters for Students’ Union. 3. Make suggestions for improvement regarding course units and other academic facilities based on student’s feedback.
Liya Walsh Ilyas ‘Back The Beard’ Nagdee 1. Diversify the Union so it is representative 2. Specific Welcome Packs for Students (Students Living at Home, Student Parents, International Students etc) so that the start of year is easier. 3. Lobby for Refugee Scholarships and support Refugees in Mcr
Jack Metcalf 1. Free Education! Grants not loans. 2. Fight against the government’s racist Prevent legislation. 3. Cut course costs and fight for rent controls.
1) Education. 2) Involvement. 3) Representation.
Ceren Ozbek Sonia Hussain
1) Safety of students. 2) Accessibility to the union/university. 3) Easing and worries and problems.
Jonathan ‘Lajhouse’ Ajah 1. Strengthen the relations of international. 2. Look for more part time job opportunities
Leyla Gurbanova 1. Paying off the tuition fee through Edu Bee. 2. Learning more ‘capitalizable’ knowledge. 3. Standing for Education for All, together!
1. Improve student experience. 2. Relieve financial burdens. 3. Strengthen student representation.
for students. 3. Propose and help organize a semester diversity student festival.
Please note: The order of candidates presented in our list was provided by the randomised pages on the University of Manchester Students’ Union website. The colours assigned to each candidate are intended to be without meaning and were also assigned at random. We used candidates’ three priorities in their boxes where they were provided. Where they were not we printed instead their slogan, and where this was not present, we used the first sentence of their ‘Why should you vote for me?’ entry. All entries were copied verbatim and incorrect spellings were retained.
Feature 9
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SZC
Oliver Lloyd
Sia Zheng Cheng
1. Tackle mental health issues and stigma with innovative techniques, such as a MyManchester app. 2. Champion the student voice in consultation on the £1bn University master plan. 3. Reduce crime and the impacts of crime on students.
1) Free textbooks. 2) More learning spaces. 3) More course selection choices.
Eman Almoalim
“I usually try to improve everything around me, starting with improving myself.”
SA
Siddharth Agarwal
Nicola ‘PickNic’ Carter 1. Decrease waiting times to access mental health services. 2. Kitchen facilities on campus. 3. Enabling student safety on and off campus.
YF
Yuan Fang 1. Responsible. 2. Diligent. 3. Reliable.
“Have a vision? Make the right decision! Vote!”
LL
SF
Sajia Ferdous
“I am committed to working for gender equality on and off campus and also for women’s well-being.”
YZ
Yusu Zhang
“women should be loved and cherished”
Linda Liang
1. Ensure learning experience at University of Manchester is student focused and student friendly. 2. Bring in more practical and real life experience to students. 3. Ensure students get the most from their education as well as their life here !
LY
Liu Yuxian
Ali Amiri 1. How to guarantee People&Planet health. 2. Having fun. 3. Doing sport.
LT
Laven Tong
“Sincerity, diligence and obliging”
Wellbeing Officer Joe Clough
Hanxiao Li
1. Feel of student 2. More participants 3. Feasibility.
1. Better mental health support. Improve counselling. 2. Supporting student safety – expand important schemes such as self-defence classes and the student safety bus. Better police priorities. 3. Stop the cuts to financial and health care support.
Srood Rashid
RH
Rebecca Huang
1. Well-organized. 2. Love to chat to people and give advice. 3. Good leadership performance.
1. Maximum welfare services to the students by making strong interaction between old and new students. Sharing information between different cultures. 2. Making healthy environment for students with their surroundings.
“YOLO.”
AA
Adam Ahmed
1. Develop administration and other relevant systems to support effective information and contact management.
AM
Xuening Qu 1. Knowledge. 2. Passion. 3. Confidence.
Augustino Msanga 1. Providing support to disabilities
Fidan Bakirova 1. Personal development/ fulfillment. 2. Creativity. 3. Good rapport with co-workers.
Annie Vasiutina Naz ‘Take You HIgher’ Nahar 1) Improving available resources for mental health. 2) Regular exercise classes. 3) Improve sexual health knowledge.
RZ
Ruishan Zhang
1. Improving the University’s counselling services and, providing an alternative route for students who need help. 2. Campaigning for a higher police presence in Fallowfield 3. Improving links with local businesses in the interest of student wellbeing.
FM
Fadzai Muzenda
1. Improve. 2. Response. 3. Time
Women’s Officer Maddy Lewis 1. Celebrating and promoting diversity. 2. Personal safety against sexual harassment. 3. Educating about services and making them accessible
“As there are growing number of students especially the Chinese students in the university, I would like to do my best to help them in wellbeing issues.”
Izzy Gurbuz 1. Diversify the Counselling Service by employing LGBTQ+ and BME counsellors. 2. Address the overpricing of FoodOnCampus and increase vegan and vegetarian options 3. Rationalise mitigating circumstances rules for ongoing illness and mental health issues
Sarah ‘Crown Brown’ Brown 1. Improving counselling services. 2. Workshops for students managing voluntary roles alongside their degree. 3. Considering all viewpoints and opinions within the Union (within reason), without judgement on bias.
Jenni ‘from the block’ Smyth 1. IMPROVE: I will ensure that safety on and off campus is improved. 2. PREVENT: I will prevent sexual violence/harassment and relationship abuse within the student population. 3. SUPPORT: I will ensure that there is adequate and accessible support for ALL women.
Roisean Joy Metcalfe 1. Representation. 2. Stopping harassment. 3. Intersectionality.
DAR
Dunya AL-Rawdhan
“I realy want to help you in any thing i can help with.”
Voting is open until 5pm on Thursday the 10th of March. All registered students can vote using MyManchester or at a station in and around the Union building where you can claim a free cup of tea or coffee for casting your vote.
Opinion
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Get in touch. Facebook - /mancunionop Twitter - @MancunionOp Email - opinion@mancunion. com
Meetings Mondays, 5pm, First Floor of the Students’ Union
First our toilet paper, whatever next? Will Baldwin-Pask If there is one thing that should not be compromised beyond what is necessary, it is the toilet-going experience. As an Oak House resident, this is even more important, the toilet being one of the few locations of individual and meditative escape available. But I’m afraid to say that there is something preventing my number twos from feeling first class. The plight of the centrefeed toilet roll dispenser is ruining my second favourite past-time involving bodily functions, and subtly making life that little bit harder for students. This lifeless plastic shell (pictured) that stores my soft white hopes and dreams is haunting the university toilets and restricting our ability to tend to our ‘business’ freely. I’m a big fan of toilet paper. When life gets messy, you can always rely on a strong, compassionate roll of toilet paper to help you out. However, with the current situation, I feel I’m being robbed of the rights to the roll that I and everyone else deserve. When it comes to number twos, I’m a twopiece man—a simple fold and wipe is generally all I need. The dispensers don’t like this. It is impossible to withdraw any more than one piece of paper at a time from these things; if you’re lucky you might get two, but if you’re grappling with the consequences of a particularly boozy curry night, three or more pieces—maybe even a makeshift toilet paper glove— are completely justified. The harsh nature of this One Piece Policy has left many people searching for alternative methods, such as the rope-like tugging from the dispenser base to build a stable bed of paper for use. However, I would argue this is not a practical alternative to the classic horizontal roll holder, and completely kills the relaxed mood required for perfect performances. Why have we been given such limitations on our freedom? What are the university worried about exactly?
This an excerpt from Will’s article, read the rest at mancunion.com/ opinion
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Is the Oscars boycott really a route to diversity? Are an elite group of film stars boycotting the Oscars as part of the ‘Oscars so white’ Tristan Parsons Opinion writer campaign really a challenge to racist structures? How I wish that Ricky Gervais were to be the host of the Oscars. Whilst Chris Rock is an accomplished professional, the award show is in desperate need for a reality check. In a show riddled with calls for boycott and ‘whitewashing’, Gervais might have been one to point something out: there is no difference between white and black ‘disgusting, pill-popping, sexual-deviant scum’. Yes, each of the glamorous elite may have had different upbringings, but the status of the black celebrity is one that is one of a great exception to the struggle of the black working class. Ta-Nehasi Coates’ recent book, Between the World and Me, offers a fantasist insight into the plight of the black body, and how social, political, and economic structures landed so many black bodies in poverty traps and ghettos. These areas persist today: West Baltimore, Woodland in Washington DC, and South-side in Chicago, to name a few. It is a documentation of his journey in his black body from learning the ways of the street in West Baltimore, to academic revelations at Howard University, to his alienation in New York, where even in the original multicultural city he felt out of place in a black body. This widely praised book is an example of diverting attention away from trivialities and closer to a frightening reality. One of the most important things to draw from the book was this: race comes from racism. The very concept of race that still somehow lingers in the modern world is the result of a desire to understand the world in its totality. So when we say white we mean the European majority in the home continent and much of the conquered lands. When we say black we mean the sub-Saharan African minority— or the effective political minority, as
was the case in South Africa—within a white society. Race is such an outdated and problematic term, but it remains so commonly used. Ethnicity is far more accurate: a description of a smaller society and their cultural practices. The construction of ‘race’ ignores the intricacies of ethnicity. Understand that when I discuss race, I do so in this knowledge. It is telling of the history of the use of ‘race’ as a term that if I were to discuss ethnicity (instead of race) in this article, it would become clumsy to read and write, due to the difficult distinctions I would attempt to make between ethnicities. The concept of race thrives off the simplicity of everyday human thinking. Coates reinterprets the “American Dream” (persist through the initial cringe of nostalgia for GCSE English) as something that the black body cannot truly achieve. ‘The Dreamers’ are the white suburban class that keeps quiet in the safe knowledge that they are not black—to the detriment of the cause. That idea was very relevant to a previous era. But today, when there is a black president and black celebrities everywhere, that notion no longer carries as strongly. Instead, I would argue, those few high-achievers are used to create the illusion that black America has adequate social mobility. The policies of racial equality have, rightly, become norms in the modern world. Whether it is through literature or through movements such Black Lives Matter, there are strong challenges to racial inequalities and questions of racism to be found everywhere. However, it is incredibly painful to watch many on the left jump on the bandwagon of the Oscars. The Economist thankfully published a useful article that showed how over the last century, representation of blacks at the Oscars has been
roughly in line with the American black population as a whole. For the most part, a modern Oscar nominee is wealthy and living in a circle of wealthy people. For such individuals to call for a boycott is an insult to rest of black America, many of whom face the daily struggles of simply living in a black body. This is quite simply a dispute over how to best propagate the notion that blacks have adequate social mobility. And what is a black body in film? Are we assuming that a whole long and messy history is observable because of the colour of the skin presented through film? No. What matters are the stories that the industry presents, not the actors and actresses that are used. In the last few years we have had blatant pro-military propaganda in the form of films such as American Sniper, but we have also seen great attempts to uncover history and bring moral justice in many fields, such a: 12 Years a Slave, the Danish Girl, or Selma. Progress will not be won for social justice by cramming black bodies in front of the camera. These insulting elites are an embarrassment to the causes of justice and equality. They seem to forget that they are actors and actresses, not writers. For the most part, their job is one of presenting art, not creating it. This whole saga is a good example of how the success of those at the top can be used to generate propaganda to hinder the causes of others that are struggling, whether because of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, or class. On the grandest of levels, we may look back on the history books of our times and, disgustingly, be content with the years 2008 and 2016 simply for the election of a black man and then a woman to the American Presidency.
Photo: wilco737 @Flickr
Brexit will be better for Great Britain
Francis Edge argues that Britain will be just fine outside of the European Union.
June 23rd is the date in which we will finally be rid of the clumsy combination of “Britain” and “exit” that serves as the name for the collective campaigns for us to leave the EU. This alone, due to fear of once again having to deal with this word, should be adequate inspiration for our leaving of the European Union. One of the first serious considerations we have to account for when approaching this discourse is trade, and whether or not they are adequate alternatives or additions. Close to the River Clyde, near Glasgow, stands the 150ft Titan Crane, surrounded by the abandoned memories of what once was a thriving local industrial ecosystem with worldwide trade implications. Indeed, the remarkable imperial nature of Glasgow’s past still maintains a legacy in street names such as Jamaica street, Plantation Square and India Quay. And so, we have previously sat at the centre of the “kith and kin” commonwealth trading ecosystem, rather than seek a similar status at the centre of the European trading community, in a system named the “Imperial Preference.” In return, we exported the produce of what once was a great British industrial complex. Coupled with the Titan crane is the site of the Singer sewing machine factory, which once incorporated over 17,000 people on its pay roll, along with the epicentre of John Brown Engineering at Clydebank leading to shipyards that launched ocean liners such as the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and the QE2. Now, however, the Titan Crane stands
as one of the only memories of another overlooked age of Imperial preference. What this age represented was a system of trade, in which its security was guaranteed by import tariffs and preferential trade agreements, casting a reflection of anti-European alliances and further commitments. Churchill himself made his view adequately clear when considering “If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, then she must always choose the open sea”. Nowadays the open sea should be interpreted as the BRIC economies. After our interventions in the early 1940s , this trade system began to fall apart at a similar rate as the decline of the British Empire and, therefore, so did the city ports. As we approached the 1970s, Liverpool was the second largest industrial port in the country, after London. Similar to the Clyde, the Mersey connected Britain to the wealth of the entire world and mostly did business with the current and former countries of the British empire. However, as a result of Edward Heath’s signing of the treaty of ascension (coming into force on New Year’s Day in 1973)—confirming Britain’s membership of the European Economic Community, Liverpool found that its geographical location lacked pragmatism when it came to European trade. Many of the old “kith and kin” companions did not appreciate the new expressions of pro-European amicability as the trade produce of Commonwealth countries faced import tariffs—a result of the new friendship with Europe. The evolution of trade from the
Empire to Europe changed the centre of the gravitational pull of British trade from the city ports of the west to the new fine trade ports of the south and east. A further implication of our new European membership was the acceleration of the decline of traditional British manufacturing and the incline of, what is now, arguably, our strongest export—the service based economy. The manufacturing that survived, though severely diminished, is now more closely integrated with European economies more than ever before. Gestamp Tallent, a Spanish-owned company, with plants in the north east and the midlands, has factories in 10 EU countries and a further 10 in non-EU countries. At the plant in county Durham, specialised parts for cars are made. It is fair to say that this plant is a good indictment of the 40 years of the EU membership. In 1980, seven years after our entry into the European Economic Community, it sported a turnover of around £3m a year only for this to increase tenfold, to £30m a year by 1990. Today, the sales of this particular plant exceed £200m a year. Now, where is the market for the products produced by the county Durham plant? Two thirds go abroad to plants that are mostly within the EU where the cars are assembled. Only a third of what is made is sold to car plants in the UK. Would a vote to leave the EU threaten economic activity like this? I think it is unrealistic to say that such trade will be negatively affected by Brexit. It will be in the interests of the other EU countries
to go on trading with the UK—and in their interest that other nations can, and do, trade freely with Europe from outside the EU. Having assessed the European implications of on our economy, and more specifically trade, the second largest issue associated with this debate is security. The UK’s threat level is currently at “severe,” and the government sees a terrorist attack as “highly likely,” We are quite prominent in the Neanderthal mindset of IS with, it is predicted, over 2,000 individuals with Islamic state sympathies or terrorist connections living in this country. We have prevented a Parisian style attack in this country because of the nature of our intelligence and the nature of our borders. Britain has something that is unique to continental European countries—a single coastline. Because we have not have not signed up to the Schengen open borders agreement, it is difficult for organised criminals to obtain the sort of armoury used in the Paris attacks. It has been admitted by senior EU counter terrorism officials, prior to the migrant crisis, that, despite the strengthening of the EU’s external borders, once weapons of this kind have crossed over from the Balkans, there was very little that can be done to prevent them crusading across Europe. Despite its aesthetically unpleasant sound, ‘Brexit’ represents our ability to recapture our sovereignty. We have defeated far greater threats, from European countries, to our sovereignty. Haven’t we had enough?
Opinion11
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
If the FBI wins against Apple we all lose
If a precedent is set for state authorities gaining access to encrypted data, we don’t know where it will end Harry Bithell Contributor Tech companies being at loggerheads with government seems to be a recurring theme of the last year or so. However, this time it is not for the usual tax issues, it is down to Apple’s refusal to break into the phone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, Syed Farook. Apple’s, and more generally, the technology sector’s reticence to be complicit in law enforcement’s intrusion of our privacy should be commended. Firstly, however, some background: since September 2014 and the iOS 8 update, Apple has been uncooperative with law enforcement agencies because an iPhone’s data is encrypted and even Apple cannot decrypt it. This whole fiasco is happening whilst the government is trying to garner support for its Draft Investigatory Powers Bill (more commonly known as ‘The Snoopers’ Charter’) and the whole FBI vs. Apple debacle could have a direct impact on what the Home Secretary wants the power to be able to do. This is because if the FBI is successful, then Apple will be at a considerable disadvantage if it tries to fight against the Snoopers’ Charter; it cannot say that it does not have the means to encrypt the devices if it has already done it in the US. What the FBI is calling for is worrying for two further reasons: once a back door has been created, then who
“The Wall Street Journal have uncovered that the US Department of Justice are seeking court orders to extract data from 12 other iPhones” is to say it will not be used maliciously, and if Apple were to submit to the FBI’s demands they would set a legal precedent which could be abused. With the development of a back door it would only be a matter of time before this back-door is forced open by hackers whether doing so for financial or political gain. The notion that Apple could
Jessica Chow-Lau Opinion Writer Mr Shrekli is what Mr Monopoly would look like if the board game were re-released to reach the hip, younger crowd. The signature jig replaced by an enthusiastically unperturbed shrug. Perhaps the most ridiculed part of his face, his hair, is consistently coiffed to a firm yet natural side swoop, standing in dichotomy with his childlike countenance. His most fascinating feature though, is his eyes, which are all at once virtuous and malefic, depending on the lighting. When we first meet someone, we judge them by the impression their eyes give. Likewise, understanding Martin Shkreli’s price increase of Daraprim should start from his eyes. Late last year, Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the price of a 60-year-old drug from £9.47 to £525 a pill after acquiring the marketing rights from Impax Laboratories. Daraprim is used to treat parasitic infections like toxoplasmosis and malaria, extending to AIDS patients whose stifled immune system enable frequent infections. Because it has a low prescription rate—12,700 written in the United States in 2010—it would be considered a speciality drug. Daraprim was and is not a “cancer drug”. Meaning that it is vital only in the sense that it is a drug and not because many people need it. Turing, founded and formerly chaired by Shkreli, focuses on unique drug categories that have small markets. Before selling it, Impax changed the distribution system from wholesale to tightly controlled. It is now distributed through a single speciality distributor, Turing Pharmaceuticals. The 5500% price increase is just in the United States; Daraprim still costs 43 pence a pill in the United Kingdom. Low pricing is found in other EU countries due to the high degree of regulation that does not exist in the US. Because malaria is virtually non-existent in developed countries, it would just be people afflicted by toxoplasmosis in the US (which has already been established as not many) that would be affected by this. The few patients who do need Daraprim will not pay the £525 because the United States Federal government protects its people against spikes in prices through the health care programs Medicare and
make a one-off piece of software that could be used on Farook’s iPhone and then never used again is laughable. Once there are people who know how to break through an iPhone’s encryption it is extremely disconcerting because it takes hackers one step closer to having access to any one of the 700
panies to not only dencrypt devices but create a way to do such a thing. I am not usually the sort to subscribe to the idea that something like this could ‘open the floodgates’ but there is a great possibility that it would. If Apple can be compelled for terrorism, who is to say it cannot be compelled in the
smartphone will prevent another terrorist attack then surely law enforcement agencies should be able to do everything in their power to have this access. However, I submit that this is not the greatest concern. As already discussed above the legal precedent would be set, which could be diluted down until law enforcement, and by association the state, has easy access to your personal data. There is, however, definitely no merit to be found in the cynical claim that Apple is merely using this as a marketing stunt.
“It would only be a matter of time before this back-door is forced open by hackers”
Photo: intelfreepress @Flickr
million iPhones which have been sold. Indeed, Senator Ron Wyden wrote on Medium that “security experts have shown again and again that weakening encryption will make it easier for foreign hackers, criminals and spies to break into Americans’ bank accounts, health records and phones, without preventing terrorists from ‘going dark’.” This is not only a threat to Americans but to all iPhone users around the world. Secondly, the somewhat more worrying thing is the legal precedent that will be set. Whilst the FBI can argue that it only applies to this particular iPhone 5C, it opens a door to the possibility that it could be used in the future to give law enforcement agencies the power to compel technology com-
future to decrypt a device in order to catch a murderer or a rapist and then you start on a downwards trajectory which could only lead to encryption being essentially pointless because law enforcement would have a wide ranging power to break it. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal have uncovered that the US Department of Justice are seeking court orders to extract data from 12 other iPhones. This just goes to show that it will not be one case, it will be the start of many. I see some merit in the arguments for Apple creating a back door the FBI access to Farook’s iPhone. In situations involving terrorism, the privacy of a suspected terrorist is something that people rarely give thought to. After all, if the access to their
In defence of pharma-bro Martin Shkreli
Medicaid. Additionally, Turing Pharmaceuticals participates in the US 340B Drug Discount Program. Created in 1992 by Congress as part of the Public Health Service Act, it protects specified clinics and hospitals from drug price increases by giving them access to price reductions. By taking part in 340B Turing enters into the pharmaceutical pricing agreement, which is a second agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide statutorily defined discounts on “covered outpatient drugs”. Expensive drugs are purchased by government-supported facilities to serve those unable to pay. 340B is one of the most powerful contractual
Photo: nordique @Flickr
pharmaceutical pricing systems in the world. People who need Daraprim will get Daraprim. Turing Pharmaceuticals wasn’t taking advantage of a drug made in the 1950s. The patent ran out, its price fell, the market was small, and it still had to comply with FDA regulation. There was no incentive to produce it, but people still needed the drug. From a return on investment standpoint, £9.47 is too low to break even. Shkreli claims that £525 is exactly what was needed to turn a profit and invest in research. The people who need it, or at least the insurers that allow those people to acquire it, have to support the production line. The reason why
You may be wondering why all of this should be of concern to you; it is not like you have anything that the police would want on your phone. You are not a terrorist, murderer, or rapist. However, it is worrying when you consider the implications of such software being in the wrong hands. Personally, me and my iPhone are virtually inseparable. The amount of personal data I have stored on there is crazy to think of: my transaction details in Apple Pay, my bank account détails, and all of my passwords are saved on it. However, as I start to think deeper I think of the more personal things I have stored on it such as pictures and messages. In the wrong hands, these could enable a criminal to attempt to blackmail me into handing over money to avoid my secrets being plastered over the internet. I am not being a worrier here; if the 2014 iCloud leaks of celebrity photos proved anything, it proved that our personal pictures can be extremely damaging to our reputation if placed in the wrong hands. In this day and age where people post virtually every aspect of their life online, privacy should be something we all demand. I am not the sort of person who would advocate that you ‘go dark’ to get rid of the risk of this happening in the first place. The main issue is that the state should not be given the tools to have unfettered access to our iPhones. Our privacy should be protected.
Daraprim is so expensive is the same reason why there is no company jumping to produce a generic version: Not many people need it. A company would have to invest in research and development of a new generic drug, have it go through FDA regulatory approval, manufacturing design and development, regulatory approval of manufacturing, production, and packaging. It would be too expensive to enter the market and the generic pricing will be not much more competitive than Turing’s. Martin Shkreli would like to improve on Daraprim so that patients just need to take one pill. It has only been a couple months since the acquisition, too early to tell whether he will follow through with funding research. Healthcare costs will not rise because of Mr. Shkreli’s decision. Since the total market is so small, the net effect of this price increase is close to negligible. The US government does have to pay more but pharmaceuticals do not make up the largest part of healthcare, nor are they the fastest growing. Between 2010 and 2013, drugs have had sharp reductions in growth, shrinking in real per capital terms at a 1.6 per cent annual rate. Shrinking as in negative, less than zero. Again, this is because not many people are prescribed Daraprim. The gargantuan industry that is pharmaceuticals will be able to absorb this type of shock, as opposed to a drug that treated diabetes. Mr. Shkreli is acting as the scapegoat for a heavily disdained industry and at least informed people of menacing pharmaceutical practices. As a by-product of his very public persecution, hopefully we will understand that some pharmaceutical companies negotiate with countries and insurance systems so that certain medicine is covered for as many patients as possible. The cruel reality of rare diseases like cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy is that unless treatment costs are exorbitantly high, patients will likely get no help at all. As an impatiently patient Martin Shkreli sat in his congressional hearing, he piously recited: “On the advice of council, I invoke my 5th Amendment privilege and respectfully decline to answer your question”, to each question he was asked. Perhaps he is arrogant, but when you have a clear moral compass and an intimidatingly difficult agenda, you too would be irritated at trivial obstacles.
Music
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ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Live
Album
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Kendrick Lamar: Untitled Unmastered
15th February @ Gorilla
Released 3rd March via Aftermath
For those wanting something that sounds a bit like Tame Impala on steroids, these are your guys Matthew Staite Music Editor
7/10
Read that name over again. One more time. If that isn’t one of the best names for a band that you’ve ever read, I don’t know what is. Thankfully, alongside their tongue twisting name King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are also a brilliant live music force. In the genre of psychedelic rock, the band have a prolific record release rate, having released two albums a year— including the excellent Quarters! And Paper Mache Dream Balloon which was released in 2015. In what feels like a dangerous accusation to make, a lot of their songs do sound the same. But then again, this is not a bad thing; their frequently 10 minute long tracks filled with hookfilled guitar loops and jazzy breakdowns are infectious as hell. Playing to a packed-out venue, Gorilla, on a Monday night, it seemed like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have certainly captured the hearts of many Mancunian music fans, too. The
Photo: Paul Hudson @ Flickr
set was raucous (to say the least) from start to finish. Unrelenting psychedelic tracks like ‘I’m in Your Mind’ and the correspondingly named song, ‘I’m Not in Your Mind’, provided the sonic backdrop to near-continual stage invasions that saw teenagers invade the stage before launching themselves into the crowd throughout the entire gig. Strangely enough, security didn’t seem to mind—letting the debauchery continue. Without a moments pause, the band launched straight off from those tracks into the equally intense ‘Cellophane’. And that’s exactly how it continued: relentless. I hate to say it, but a lot of the set did sound the same. Normally this would be a bad thing, but strangely with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, it wasn’t. The band members were simply such brilliant musicians, that you couldn’t help but be engrossed. The drummer and bassist kept the rhythm section going like clockwork, whilst the utterly brilliant psychedelic mess continued on top. At times, it would verge onto heavy metal territory when vocalist Stu Mackenzie would utter a scream, but then he got out a flute. A flute. Whether he just had his flute left over from his schoolboy days and didn’t want it to go to waste, I will never know—but somehow it worked! I couldn’t bring myself to stay for a 10 minute psychedelic blast of an encore, but I didn’t feel that I needed to. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard had proved their point.
Kendrick’s surprise release consolidates the scat-like techniques we loved on TPAB, and then some Will Whiting Contributor
8/10
What a time to be alive. In February alone, hip hop fans were listening to the likes of Future’s EVOL, Khalifa and Kanye’s long awaited ‘The Life of Pablo; none of which failed to capture our hearts. And now, within the first week of March, we find ourselves with a Kendrick project being dropped out of nowhere. Its minimalist, shady cover rather fits the little we heard about it, as well as its title: Untitled Unmastered. We were only graced with the 5 Grammy award-winning To Pimp a Butterfly in March last year, so it’s safe to say that rumours of another Kendrick drop were few and far between. Untitled Unmastered consists of 8 tracks, each simply numbered and dated. And if you liked TPAB, you’ll surely love the free jazz vibes that Kendrick has made his own on this album, too. ‘Untitled 01’ opens the album, defined by its vibrant double bass and untempo drums, along with the now unmistakeable flow of Mr Lamar. This album truly makes you appreciate not only the unique lyrical styles of Kendrick Lamar but also the talent of the mainly acoustic instrumentalists who accompany him. Anna Wise’s accompanying vocals on ‘Untitled 05’ place the listener in a dark, jazz club environment, complemented by Punch and Jay Rock’s relaxed bars and a heavy combination of bass drum, snare and crash cymbal. Kendrick then takes it to the next level on ‘Untitled 06’, making himself (along with a featured Cee-Lo Green) surely one of the only rappers in this day and age to effectively spit over a bossa-nova style beat, forcing his audience to lean back and enjoy his verses, with lyrics narrating his encounters with a ‘goddess of the eye’. Finally, ‘Untitled 08’ sees a return of a more
traditional hip-hop beat, with a slight funk influence, reminding the listener of Kendrick’s west coast roots. Its chilled synthesizer and consistent beat will leave you replaying and playlisting, ready for what more he has to offer. The release, in a similar fashion to To Pimp a Butterfly, showcases the skill and diversity of Kendrick, and of course references to his home city of Compton do not go amiss. It includes instrumentals of genres ranging from cool jazz to mild trap, and only adds more impetus to the argument of those who label Kendrick as one of the best ever. On his current form, it’s very hard to disagree. Only Kendrick could release an album with no name, all tracks unnamed, without telling anyone, and STILL have one of, if not THE best album of 2016 so far.
Photo: Album Artwork
Album
Wild Nothing - Life of Pause Released 19th February via Captured Records
Joe Casson Music Critic
7/10
Jack Tatum is by no means the only artist recording in the early 2010s to look back to late-1980s alternative music for inspiration, but he is one of the best. On his first two records as Wild Nothing, his ability to marry that scene’s lo-fi, reverb-soaked aesthetic with real substance and melody saw him recognised as an artist to watch. But on new LP Life of Pause, Tatum seems keen to move forward into new waters, claiming in the album’s press release “I’m terrified of the idea of being any one thing”. His creative restlessness has been suggested in the past: having coherently fleshed out his dream-pop vision in 2012’s excellent Nocturne, Tatum swiftly followed up with the brighter, bolder and weirder Empty Estate EP. Though gaudy and awkward at times, the EP demonstrated an eagerness to pursue new musical genres, instrumental textures and song structures. In comparison, Life of Pause seems like a step back. Tatum seeks progression but appears unsure of which direction to go, throwing several ideas at the wall with only a few of them sticking. Tatum is a gifted songwriter, and has yet to write an outright bad song - indeed, a handful of tracks from Life of Pause are amongst his best. However, the remainder of the album sits some way below that mark, competent yet unremarkable. At its best, Life of Pause is a smart progression that develops on ideas from previous albums in a way that feels like the obvious
Tracks of the
Week Rob, Matt, Henry Music Editors
On his third album as Wild Nothing, Jack Tatum is “terrified of being any one thing”. Therein lies the problem next step. Opener ‘Reichpop’ is Tatum’s boldest experiment: the song incorporates marimbas, abstract synth noise, background chants and polyrhythms but feels bright and welcoming. ‘To Know You’ takes a harsher, more aggressive approach, adopting a krautrock pule and buzzing keyboards to push the album into its second half. ‘Whenever I’ miraculously pulls off a foray into groovy, sax-heavy soft rock. Who listened to 2010 debut Gemini and saw that coming? In between these highlights punctuating the album, Life of Pause sags, nodding in new directions without the resolve to pursue them fully. Tatum’s reluctance to totally abandon the stylistic hallmarks of his previous work dampens the impact of ‘TV Queen’, and leaves synths queasily smeared over ‘Lady Blue’ rather than holistically integrated. Elsewhere, the Slowdiveesque psychedelia of ‘Adore’ aimlessly drifts in one ear and out the other for five minutes. Life of Pause is most convincing when Tatum runs with his instincts to experiment, and it is testament to his skill and flexibility as a songwriter that these moments feel both natural and exciting - the album only falters when he tentatively dips his toes in new waters rather than jumping in. Therefore, while uneven and unfocused, Life of Pause contains promising hints of a future direction that Tatum mustn’t hesitate to indulge.
5/10
Photo: Album
Photo: Album Artwork
Anna Merideth: ‘Taken’ From Varmints, released 4th March via Moshi Moshi Records
M83: ‘Do, Try It’ From Junk, released 8th March.
Iggy Pop: ‘Sunday’ Released 26th February, via Loma Vista Recordings
Anna Meredith is a classical composer who’s turned her considerable talents in sonic arrangements to twitchy electronics, scratchy guitars and whatever else she can get here hands on. The question ‘what kind of music do you play?’ Has never been so irritating. ‘Taken’ reminds me of Battles with its looped live instrumentation and clattering, rudimentary drums, yet it has a twee vocal refrain which sound like it’s been lifted from a folk song. It reminds me of everything in its use of bright melodies despite an impending sense of doom, yet it never settles into a solid structure and sits more with IDM than indie rock. It’s one of the most unique songs I’ve heard in a while and it’s fucking infectious.
Wow. I’m not sure anyone quite expected the first single from M83’s upcoming album Junk to sound anything quite a goofy and loveable as this. Beginning as a stripped backed glitchy vocal, the song is hit with M83’s characteristic surge of electro at the 30 second mark, before being pumped with an unexpected house infused piano layer. The song is a classic demonstration of the willingness of M83 to experiment with new sounds. Junk promises to be a comment on the throwaway culture of art and music nowadays, and we can’t wait to give it a spin.
On this taster of what could be his last album, Iggy sounds like he’s dragging himself to the finish line over a lumbering floor tom pattern and skittish riffs. That’s not to say the song is lacklustre; The Idiot’s lethargic quality is one of the things that made it so great, and ‘Sunday’ could have slotted into that album nicely. “I crawl for Sunday”, he laments, “when I don’t have to move”. It’s more lust for retirement than lust for life, but by god if he hasn’t earned his rest.
Music 13
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Interview
Cage The Elephant In a dingy backroom of the O2 Ritz, Kentucky born Matt Shultz sits across from me playing with his thumbs. Dressed in a knitted turtle neck and a deep navy pea coat, he seems a world away from his ecstatic Iggy Pop-like stage performances. He’s quiet, reserved, contemplative and effortlessly suave. With his slicked back hair and hooped golden earrings you could almost imagine him as a sailor somewhere off the Ivory Coast. Shultz is the front man for the ten year old American indie rock band, Cage the Elephant. After a long wait they’ve been touring this side of the pond with their new album Tell Me I’m Pretty. When I ask Shultz what his favourite song is, he starts off with one --‘Cry Baby’ -- then seemingly without realising, he lists near every song on the album as his “highlights”. While their latest album, produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, has got a bit of stick for straying away from what some critics see as the band’s distinctive sound, truth be told the album’s still brilliant - more mature and perhaps more heartfelt than their past work. I ask Shultz if Dan Auerbach was a tough task master or not: “You know, I learned a lot from him about stripping things back and simplifying things. He has a wonderful concept of the timeless. I’ve had a great time. I mean I’ve always had a terrible recording experience, mainly because you’re always fighting to make sure the album stays honest and true. And that’s tough to
Top 5
William Brown chats to Matt Schulz, the Cage The Elephant frontman who can’t be tamed
do. At least for me.” “There’s always the urge to hide yourself. The rest of the guys would say the recording time was brilliant. But for me writing the lyrics was a struggle. You’re constantly second guessing yourself. Or maybe you hide yourself, then you peel back another layer and you hide yourself again. I didn’t really know how much I learned, and how much I was connected to the material until after the process.” Hoping he might expand on this a bit, I suggest that although he’s barely hit thirty, his band’s been together for a while now... so does he see himself and his music as getting more mature, addressing more difficult themes? “For sure. When I was younger I put a lot of stock in persona. And just trying to live up to a lot of those clichés that have been lionised and had proven to be successful before. Not necessarily in the albums. But more the persona. The rock ‘n’ roll persona. Or any cliché like that. I think that hinders your music’s honesty. I think at the time I was being honest to my convictions, it’s just my convictions were a little off centre! Yeah, so I think we’ve matured. We’ve tried to strip back and lose characters or any safeguards.” Cage The Elephant have toured with everyone from Foo Fighters to the Foals, The Black Keys, Muse, and The Queens of the Stone Age. Dave Grohl was even in the band for a bit. So who’s been their favourite col-
laborators? “The Queens of the Stone Age were awesome,” replies Matt. “We were touring with them when we didn’t even have a record label, and they just treated us so kindly. I’ve never forgotten it. But all the others were cool as well, the Foals are really good friends of ours as well.” “I’m so glad to be back on the road,” Matt continues. “I find it so difficult staying in the same place.” I reply that I’d scrolled through their tour list in amazement at the list of places they’ve been to. I wonder what their travelling recommendations would be. Matt replies emphatically: “Japan’s pretty crazy dude! I don’t know if we have much of a fan base there, but we’ve done festivals there. But when we were in Tokyo - it was a massive culture shock, like they’re on a whole different plain. It’s so futuristic. Have you ever seen the movie Bill and Ted’s Bogus Adventure? It feels like that. They’re very ahead of their time. Or, Brazil, Argentina and Chile - they were all great!” Noticing a silver ring on his wedding finger, I push the boat out a little and pry about Matt’s marriage. Isn’t it difficult to keep a relationship going while on tour? “I mean…” Matt looks down for a moment, then looks back up at me, “I mean man…you just do it however you have to.” Photo: Cage The Elephant
Songs About Mothers SHIT! IT WAS MOTHER’S DAY THIS WEEKEND! No wonder you have 8 missed calls from your Dad. Maybe you should send her one of these songs.
5 My Mummy’s Dead
John Lennon Not the most upbeat of songs about Lennon’s mum (hint: they never were), but this crestfallen acoustic nursery rhyme has a peculiar, vulnerable beauty. Photo: NeilFraudstrong@ Flickr
4
Swan Lake PiL
Another John (Lydon this time), another dead mum. PiL’s cacophonous, fractured post-punk disco elegy is as sad as it is danceable. Highly subversive.
3
You’d need a heart of stone not to be moved by this. Incredibly heartfelt, touching and almost sentimental to a fault. Have the Kleenex nearby.
Photo: James’s facebook
Feature
2
Fish Out Of Water: Persian music An experience in Persian music at the the RNCM’s Persian Society-hosted event brought Joe Connell to consider the limits and weaknesses in the western music most of us have grown up on On Thursday 25th of February, the University of Manchester’s Persian society hosted an event of live music at the RNCM showcasing improvised and traditional Persian and Kurdish music. Supported by the Paula Darwish Trio, Tara Jaff, Hossein Alishapour, Mehdi Rostami and Adib Rostami collaborated for a set of captivating traditional pieces. As someone whose exposure to non-western music has always been within the paradoxically narrow label of “World Music”, I was intrigued and excited to see world-class musicians perform in a style completely new to me. Fondly remembering the RNCM’s acoustics and looking up the rapturous response garnered for the event’s London and Birmingham performances, my appetite was sufficiently whetted. The Paula Darwish Trio’s performance immediately made me realise just how little I knew about Middle Eastern music generally, and just how much I had been missing out on. The silent audience and astounding sound quality of the venue allowed for a thorough and worthwhile first exploration. By the time Alishapour and the Rostami brothers took to the stage for their improvised set, I was hooked. Having encountered improvisation previously through jazz and Indian classical music, I was excited to see its implementation in Persian and Kurdish contexts. Mehdi Rostami’s setar and shouragiz playing revealed years and years of study and practice, accenting Alishapour’s indescribably powerful vocal improvisation. I remember wondering if I had ever seen such virtuosity before.
Dear Mama 2Pac
After the interval, the trio were joined by Tara Jaff and engaged in contemporary interpretations of traditional pieces. Jaff’s harp playing and singing added a bright, rich depth to the already considerable musical talents of the three men. For this set, Adib Rostami switched to kamancheh from the tombak and Mehdi Rostami contributed vocals for some pieces. On top of these renditions, Alishapour continued to provide singular, haunting vocal improvisations. Though a nagging sound issue briefly halted the set, somewhat jarringly bringing the audience back to reality, the musicians nonetheless seemed to dilate time and space around them. The entire night brought to light several musical considerations that I had been mulling over for some time. The loose, improvisational style altogether produced musical spaces and ideas simply absent from the music and gigs typically covered
“As someone whose exposure to non-western music has always been within the paradoxically narrow label of “World Music”...”
Photo: Youtube user ‘Agrin Ensemble’
I Prefer Your Love St Vincent St. Vincent’s heavenly, tender and stately synth-driven ballad announces itself with an opening that’ll surpass any Mother’s Day card message: “I prefer your love to Jesus.” Photo: Album Artwork
in this newspaper. It revealed limits and weaknesses not just in the formulaic pop music I grew up on but in the western and western-derivative forms of music I generally listen to today. Even in the relation to western classical music, the style of playing and singing on display seemed far less bound by convention and far more emotionally authentic. Far be it from me to diss rock, classical and opera music all in one paragraph but I hope that it conveys the sense of musical realignment that this event inspired. Kudos to the musicians involved and the UoM Persian society for hosting such a wonderful night.
Ms. Jackson Outkast A tangential choice as this one actually addresses the aggrieved mother-in-law. It is bitterly funny and funky, and who can resist that goddamn chorus?
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Jacob Bernard-Banton Music Critic
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Music
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Rec rd Reappraisal
Virgo Four: Virgo
Released 1988 via Strange and Beautiful Music
Virgo Four’s version of Chicago house was always a little more offbeat and introverted than their peers, but it Jacob Bernard Banton thinks it was just as futuristic and innovative
Of all the genre reappraisals in music nowadays, the supposed reemergence of house music is the strangest. It isn’t that it has simply taken mainstream pop music more than two decades to acknowledge its influence (and, inevitably, bastardise it). The strangest thing about house music’s revival is that it isn’t really a revival at all. House has always been at the cutting-edge of electronic and dance music, blithely doing its own thing and doing it remarkably well. The radio-friendly pop-infused crap that many people mistake for house music couldn’t be further from the real thing. However, around the time of house music’s distinctly non-commercial ascendancy in the late 1980s, Virgo Four—the mysterious duo of Merwyn Sanders and Eric Lewis—weren’t necessarily anyone else’s idea of what house was either. Their idiosyncratic 1989 album Virgo—less an album than the pairing of two EPs—one of which originally released under their former, more prosaic name M.E., demonstrates why. Amongst all the Chicago house and acid staples—the hissing, synthetic hi-hats, the thudding 4/4 beat, chattering TB-909 percussion—are some peculiar and unlikely textures that separate Virgo Four from the usual Chicago house pack. Textures like the ghostly keyboard stabs and spacey, isolated guitar on ‘Do You Know Who You Are?’, while ‘All the Time’ features strikingly unbridled slap bass. It is house music that breathes and pulsates with a human intensity. Unlike much contemporaneous house, there’s nobody chanting “h-h-h-house nation”. Some typically lively house piano turns up on ‘Going Thru Life’, but everything else about it is surprisingly and pleasantly off-kilter. Chicago house tended to be euphoric and com-
munal, but Virgo Four’s model is chilly, lonely and deeply atmospheric. That doesn’t mean you can’t dance to it. There’s still a pumping urgency, a nagging pulse. ‘In a Vision’ offers acid house that sounds haunted and pensive, the signature, piercing squelch sound achieved by sending a TB-303 into overdrive perversely dialled down low in the mix. House aficionados might assume that the duo were using the same equipment that their peers were using extensively. This is not so: Lewis has since admitted that they couldn’t afford the 808s and 909s customary to Chicago house and instead got by on a TR-505 drum machine and a Roland Juno 2 synth, rather than the pricier Juno 60 or 106. Perhaps that explains their fairly lo-fi, grainy sound. Still, they often sounded like snappy 808s. They certainly had this writer fooled, not least on the seductive ‘School Hall’—an outstanding, and perfectly crafted example of deep house that also worked as an unlikely floorfiller; the soundtrack of a club night just starting or coming to a meditative close. ‘Take Me Higher’ is spectral and absorbing. Instead of evoking the sweaty transcendence and dry ice of a nightclub, you feel a tingling shiver, approaching the brooding, minimal deep house of early Mr. Fingers, or Gene Hunt & Ron Hardy’s ‘16 & Indiana’.The whispering, drowsy vocals on ‘Ride’ sound less elated and ecstatic than their peers, more like the gloomy older brother to Frankie Knuckles’ ‘Baby Wants to Ride’. Moreover, a handful of great house records contained such an impressive pop sensibility like Virgo Four. ‘Never Want to Lose You’ is such an example—its female vocal coolly intoning to “get ready to move”, possibly the only
campus confidential NUDE
Jay Plent finds funky student band NUDE making ripples in Manchester’s Northern Quarter What do you get when you cross David Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Led Zeppelin? NUDE. I can assure you this is no joke. An excellent quartet studying at Manchester’s Royal Northern College Of Music, NUDE boast a set of instantly memorable and highly entertaining songs. Though their lyrics are simple and easily accessible, their music is underpinned by instrumentals which dart and jump from rhythm to rhythm, melody to melody, and new idea to new idea. Their musical prowess—combined with a tongue-in-cheek stage presence personified by hip thrusting and morsels of witty humour—make them an extremely likeable live act, and one which has been winning over audiences wherever they play. A blend of rock, disco and funk influences pervade much of their material; all of which has tended to be upbeat and danceable. Think of a younger, more aggressive Chic. And NUDE certainly have an old school quality about them; they’re not a band looking to get all up in your face or make you feel as if you’re witnessing some sort of Second Coming. They may—in the eyes of some—lack an edginess in this respect, but that’s missing the point. What they are, is a band that puts on a fantastic live show, dishing out some great songs that immediately put a smile on your face. It’s refreshing to see a band remember that music is entertainment, that it can be a feel-good force for enjoyment rather than self-indulgent typecasting. NUDE seem to fully understand this, and they just want you to dance. Even in these early stages, NUDE are carving out a distinct sound for themselves, using their full arsenal to good effect, and writing some damn good music, so go and see them live. Get on board and expose yourself.
Find the band at their Facebook page: Nude (Musician/Band)
Photo: NUDE @ Facebook
Photo: Album Artwork
track that makes explicit its invitation to dance. “You’re my inspiration, you get me through my trials and tribulations,” sings a sincere, mumbled male vocal—as if singing not to some attractive, saucer-eyed clubber on the dance floor, but to his long-suffering wife. It’s those quirky details that make Virgo Four such a compelling listen that’s well worth investigating (their thirty-track compilation of unreleased material, 2011’s Resurrection, is also a must-listen), and proof that house music, just as it is today, was truly ahead of its time.
Floating Points: A Tale of Two Sets
Will Baldwin Pask witnessed Manchester-born Floating Points take on the challenge of a live set followed by four hours at Hidden in the space of one night. But who prevailed: the producer, or the DJ? Like a descending prophet, Floating Points (real name Sam Sheppard) brought the ambient genius of his new LP, Elaenia, to Manchester’s The Ritz last month—one of only a handful of UK dates the universally praised electronic composer offered. As if the people of Manchester weren’t lucky enough, he went and played a 4 hour DJ set at Hidden straight after—a gentle reminder of his masterful talent as producer and mixer. His marathon sessions behind decks have been described as “brainy but banging” whilst Elaenia’s critical acclaim includes a number one spot in Resident Advisor’s album of the year list. It’s fair to say then that both the DJ and live set possessed equal promise. And it had me thinking about a somewhat generational conundrum. Given the growing populism of electronic music and the proliferation of festival culture when it comes to promotion through touring, certain producers have been dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the depths of the basement club and into the neon painted sunlight. The appearance of the name ‘live’ next to the name of artists who make a great deal of their work sat behind a computer has become extremely common and some have managed to make a better show out of their work than others. So which is better? The somewhat contrived spectacle or the all together less showy and yet more truthful DJ set? After various confusions with multiple people about tickets and timings and that, I ended up with the chance to decide in the case of IDM’s new golden boy Sam Shepard. Here’s how they stacked up: Set Structure Despite a reputation for hauling an 11-piece orchestra around, there were only three others on stage with Floating Points when he emerged onstage. You wouldn’t know it though, as heaps of effects accompanying each instrument expanded the sounds way beyond classical capabilities. The band glided and thrashed through the album in its entirety without rest, nailing the soft bits just as well as the hard. Such strict adherence to the dynamics of the record was however, lost on an audience that swallowed up the quieter musical moments in a tide of conversation; which frankly felt a bit embarrassing. Ending on a blistering ‘Peroration Six’, the just-under-an-hour set also fell short of satisfying those who were expecting a night’s worth of entertainment. The same can’t be said for the DJ set however. He stormed through 4 hours of relentless funk house, setting the crowd free whilst trapping them in kick-drums and handclaps. The pulse built brilliantly and although he ended at 3am, the crowd this time seemed happily danced to shit. Winner: DJ set Visuals Several times at The Ritz, I am told—and consequently tell others, too, through small talk—that the technical visuals for Floating Points’ sets are arranged by Sheppard himself. True or not, this is easy to believe. The band performed in front of a shape-shifting display of sizzling green lines, as if one of those festival pricks with the laser pens finally took a degree in fine art. Though the strobes started out at a comfortable level of epilepsy, they did start to feel over-used. This didn’t stop The Ritz feeling like some space-based technicolour orgy in complete sync with the sounds filling it, however. The quality of visuals at The Ritz was a tough act for Hidden to follow and, unfortunately, it became a sort of underwhelming sci-fi sequel, as the lone Sheppard was washed in red and fog whilst everyone else bounced around in mostly darkness. This is not necessarily bad—the music drove the evening suitably without the need of extensive lighting and managed to show everyone the going-ons behind the decks—but nothing can compare to the burning laser tattoo guns at The Ritz. Winner: Live set Tunes If you listen out for a single corner being cut in the live set, you won’t find it.
Each musician is clinical enough to be a genius in their own right. ‘Argente’ and ‘Silhouettes (I, II & III)’ in particular stood out for their identifiable melodies and overflowing build-ups, swelling and pressing against each of the four walls and everything within them. This music is a perfectionist’s dream, with a degree of detail that would have Michelangelo in front of crowd, gurning his face off. You could hear the micro-rhythms, the tremors of instruments that weren’t even onstage. You could hear every artist influencing the young man’s incomprehensible music taste. It’s Brahms. It’s Miles Davis. Above all, it’s something that hasn’t come before. This contrasts dramatically with the Hidden soundtrack, pumping the sound of the ‘70s down young throats via disco, funk, fast jazz and house. Not a single song was recognised and not a single song went un-danced to; as sole-burning as it was soulful. At times it did feel slightly safe though, whereas the deep end performance of the live set succeeded for its audacity. As hard as the DJ set tried, there is something truly special about the music at the live performance that elevated Floating Points as a composer onto a level above the rest. Winner: Live set The Man Himself This is a tricky one. There is something sweet about Sheppard’s minimal crowd interaction in the live set (he says “thank you” an impressive two times in the whole thing), resembling a school child who’s won a prize for their Year 6 science display; proud yet shy, he doesn’t need to get distracted from his work’s quality by giving us personality. The man at Hidden, however, was something else. Anyone who has seen Floating Points DJ knows how into it he gets, and he pulled as many of the stops out that night as ever. His gyrating ginger head enjoyed itself in a way that it didn’t at the live set: without the nerves of facing a full-capacity audience and no longer limited by his music’s own ambience, Floating Points went as mad as his reserved demeanour would allow. The difference was that the crowd followed suit. Everyone felt how good a time he was having. In the end it went down to who you’d rather have at a party, the mad scientist or the square. At one point I caught full sight of him grinning and squinting as he dropped the filter; from then on, I know who I’d invite. Winner: DJ set So, what have you got. The meticulous beauty of Elaenia, transposed without flaw to a live set up, and a roaring session at Hidden that left everyone smiling—even Sheppard himself. But what you really got was an insight into the two sides of the neuroscience Phd student: the live performance—the masterpiece, the grand unveiling of his life’s work—and the DJ stint, which was the fun on the side, the late night experiment of creating a light show using optogenetic brain patterns. It was unclear which one Floating Points himself loves more, but I have a sneaking suspicion that, when he strolled off that stage to the cheers of 1,500 people, he thought: “Get me the fuck on those decks.”
Photo: Rene Passet @ Flickr
Games 15
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature
King of the North The ESport Society of UoM has successfully brought us another King of the North finals tournament, held this year on March 2nd in Academy 1. As with previous years, university teams travelled from across the nation in order to compete in their chosen tournament with the hope of walking away as victor and earning the prestigious title, King of the North (and yes, that is a GoT reference!) The tournaments and teams this year were as followed: - CS:GO: UoM vs Lancaster - League of Legends: Birmingham vs Exeter - Dota 2: Warwick vs Bath As the spectators waited patiently for the teams to arrive, there were plenty of other gaming activities set up on stalls that kept the whole venue entertained. The first stall (or should I say beanie bag set up!) was set up by our neighbours and friends, MMU Gaming Society. They had decided to use a projector screen and Xbox 360 as their choice of console and
were playing an indie multiplayer. The reps stated that they had particularly chosen indie games as they were the favourite amongst MMU gamers and the most regularly played at their weekly get together. And just as it is worth mentioning, let it be known that MMU Gaming Society is the biggest society at MMU! Keep up the good work! Next to MMU were the wonderful team at Bitlord—Manchester’s own gaming, film and music company. They had a stall set up with competitive multiplayers such as Mario Kart, Pacman, and Halo. I spoke to Jim, who was in charge of the set up, about what Bitlord are and what they do within their gaming sector. He described the company as being one that brings together gamers into casual and informal environments to compete with friends or rivals and to just have fun—simple and sweet. He went on to say that Bitlord hosts regular events in Bolton called “Games Hub” at the Blind Tiger, the next one being on March 20th. Another highlight of their events is that they call together local DJs and producers to
Photo: University of Manchester Esports
The north’s largest student gaming festival was back again and better than ever! Jasmin Kaur Tiyur gives her impresssions of the event below
perform and heighten the atmosphere and experience of the competitions. Their Facebook page can be found under “bitlordgaming”: Definitely worth checking out and keeping up to date with! Another Manchester based company, as well as London, that were present and causing quite a buzz were LanZZZ—a company that describes itself as hosting competitive “lan parties.” Unlike Bitlord, who were hosting a casual gaming stall, LanZZZ had set up a League of Legends 1v1 tournament in which players had to be signed up in advance, and the queues to play were quite something. There were also prizes to be won including T-shirts and bags. Alongside LanZZZ were two stalls generating just as much interest that were set up by ESport’s sponsors, MSI Gaming, and Computer Planet. MSI Gaming and Computer Planet are both manufacturing companies that provide high end gaming gear and sponsorships to gaming societies and events across the nation. Having spoken to their reps it was clear that their objectives for the day was to provide the opportunity for avid gamers to experience high quality gaming machinery in a competitive setting if they were otherwise unable to. Initially, I had mistaken MSI Gaming’s laptops for Alienwares, however upon closer inspection I noticed the beautiful dragon logo that made me love their set up even more! They may not be Alienwares, but they are definitely a worthy rival. Now, for my highlight of the day. My favourite stall present was set up by none other than UoM’s Yu-Gi-Oh Society! My first reaction was a mixture of shock and disappointment in myself. Why? Because I had no idea they existed! I was so upset
that after 3 years at university, graduating this summer, I never knew about them and never had the chance to go crazy with them! You can bet I’ll be making the most out of my last few months, though! I immediately got into a conversation of all things fangirl with the president, Solomon Ofosu, and apparently we both love Dark Magician (yay!) The stall had hundreds of cards available for players to duel with each other, either with their own decks or with the ones provided. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to have a game but I was told that the society meets up every Wednesday at the Students’ Union from 2pm until 5pm and also have a Facebook page, UoM Yu-Gi-Oh Society. UoM’s own Gaming Society were, of course, present as well. Although they were set up in the corner of the academy, they were hard to miss—especially when the competition on Guitar Hero started getting heated! They had 4 consoles set up so as to provide something for everyone; Wii U, Xbox 360, and the classics PS1 and Nintendo 64 with a great variety of games that were available for both casual and competitive play. Finally, I stopped to speak to a very unique stall that was present and not one I expected to find—Manchester University Comic Collective (MUCC). They caught my eye as I noticed a group of people sitting around drawing pictures and I wondered what they were up to. I spoke with the president, Jack Evans, and Secretary, Ivan Fernando, who told me MUCC had set up a sketch competition with the winning prize being a lovely box of chocolates. MUCC stood out to me particularly by the end of the day because of their absolute passion and dedication in what they do. I made a passing comment to Jack saying that
I was hopeless at drawing and he was adamant that I shouldn’t think that way. “Art is very subjective,” he told me. He was very assuring that MUCC was open to everyone, whether you love manga or Marvel or anything in between, and what was important was passion, not ability. It honestly was a pleasure to speak to him. Upon asking what MUCC was all about and what they do, I was told that they meet up once a week on Mondays at 7pm and, of course, they have a Facebook page that can be followed for updates. Jack went on to tell me that during these meetings everyone gets together to create something, anything that they feel like, with individual tasks associated with drawing, panelling, inking, writing, dialogue, you name it. There was something for everyone! The end goal is to support each other in order to publish their works, he said, but never forgetting to have fun during the process. After asking if Jack himself was published he replied simply with “Not yet”, but did mention he had a Redbubble page under the name “Jakkuebansu” (and yes, that is Japanese for Jack Evans) where you can find merchandise relating to his own original characters, so check him out! Although I didn’t stay for the entire day so missed the LoL and Dota 2 tournaments, I can justifiably say that ESport Society had done the University and the North proud with another fantastic event. Be sure to like ESport Facebook page to find out the winners of the events if you didn’t get chance to go, as well as to stay updated with their regular and future events. As for now, the bar has been set very high, so let’s see what ESport brings next year!
Feature
Xbox and the PC: A perfect match? Stephen Lewis Contributor At a recent event, Phil Spencer of Xbox announced that numerous titles previously exclusive to Xbox One would be making their way to PC; namely Gears of War Ultimate Edition, Forza Motorsport 6 Apex and, a few weeks ago, Quantum Break. This is not entirely out of the ordinary as in the past some Xbox games have eventually made their way to PC, such as the original Gears of War and the first two Halo games. Yet Spencer also hinted at the fact that the Xbox One may soon become an
upgradable piece of technology, not dissimilar to PCs where the titles above are soon to make their debut. This raises two questions: Is releasing games on PC that were originally Xbox exclusive a good idea? And will an upgradable Xbox One be worth it when you could do the same on PC? The first of these depends on the games: Forza 6 has already been available for a long time on XB so the die hard fans will most likely have it already, as will most others who enjoy racing games and own the console. Quantum Break however is more interesting as it is a brand new IP, and free copies for PC come with a pre-order on XB, so
is it worth buying the standalone PC version when you could possibly get both for the price of one. Yet just this January the buying power of the PC was proven when Rise of the Tomb Raider was released as it sold over three times as many copies as the XB version in its launch month. The upgradable Xbox is the more confusing issue. There have been rumours for years that one day consoles will go away, perhaps to be replaced by streaming services built into TVs, much in the same way that many people moved from DVD to Blu-Ray and then ending up with Netflix built into a smart TV or box connected to
it. An upgradable Xbox would mean that instead of spending a few hundred pounds every couple of year for the next console, it could instead be spread out over a longer period in smaller amounts. But what is the point of a console doing this when upgrading and modifying has been part of the PC mentality for so long? A PC can do more than a console— that much is obvious—but with Xbox exclusives becoming available on PC, is Microsoft shooting itself in the foot in the console market and slowly leaning toward a 50/50 split, or more, with the PC, where it is a major force in the business market? Perhaps we will get more news on this at E3 in June.
Photo: Phil Spencer, Microsoft Corporation, Inc.
News
Nintendo Direct 3/3/2016 round-up Last week Nintendo surprised the world again with a sudden Nintendo Direct announcement. Since the death of the companies CEO, Satoru Iwata, last year the company has gone through internal changes and the usual frequency of the previous directs disappeared, leaving gamers starved for information. Now Nintendo came back and delivered infiormation on a whole spew of games and we cover the major reveals here. Nintendo began by showing of the long awaited Star Fox Zero with Europe finally getting a release date of April 22nd 2016. Alongside this will be a new, smaller, title known as Star Fox Guard
that can be downloaded on the same day. The other big Wii U title of the event was a brand new game: Paper Mario Colour Splash. The game looks like it is based more on the 3DS title Sticker Star rather than previous console iterations of Paper Mario, much to the upset of some fans. The game is scheduled for late summer-early autumn. The final Wii U title shown was Tokyo MirageSessions #FE, an RPG by the folks over at Atlus that will be launching on June 24th 2016. Moving onto the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo revealed that the 6 year old system still has a lot of life in it with Fire Emblem Fates, Metroid Prime Federation Force and Rhythm Heaven
Megamix all getting release windows from May 20th 2016 for the former and summer for the latter two. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the whole direct was the unveiling of a brand new 3DS Kirby game along with it’s own line of amiibo figures. Kirby: Planet Robobot sees the pink puffball piloting giant robots in an attempt to save Dream Star. The game and amiibo have both been giving a June 10th 2016 release date. That was all the big news from the direct but there was a lot more I could not fit in so make sure you go online for even more on Nintendo’s 2016 line-up.
Want to meet fellow gamers in Manchester? Two weeks ago was Pokemon Day to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon series. To celebrate this, the University of Manchester’s Gaming Society will be hosting a film screening of the 12th Pokemon movie: Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life. If you love Pokemon or just love movies then come down to Whitworth Hall’s The Grove Bar on Wednesday 9th of March. Make sure to also pay attention to our Facebook page as we will be providing more details about our annual charity event very soon. /GamingSociety
Fashion & Beauty
16
Strobe your way to spring skin
ately locate your seemingly non-existent cheekbones, strobing isn’t about changing the look of your face, it is about enhancing the fabulous facial features you have already. Beware of getting too slap-happy with the highlighter though, because you can run the risk of going from glowy to greasy with a misapplication. Every skin tone suits a different shade of highlighter. For girls with fair to medium skin, champagne and slightly pink tones are best for achievTalia Lee-Skudder reveals the ul- ing the dewy and shimmering look. Whilst for timate makeup product and tech- those who have an olive to dark skin tone, golden nique that will transform your dull and terracotta based highlighters will create the winter skin into luminous loveliness look. Benefit cosmetics do a great range of highlighters that suit all different skin tones. HighWith spring fast approaching, it’s time to say Beam (£19.50) is a gorgeous pink-champagne goodbye to the caked-on face of foundation to toned highlighter, while Sun-Beam (£19.50) is a conceal winter’s red nose and embrace the dewy, golden cream-based luminator that is perfect for glowy, fresh face to transition into the warmer people with a darker skin tone or for those who months. If you found yourself panicking over the are still rocking their summer tan. Another falengthy process of achieving a killer contour dur- vourite from Benefit is the glitzy, shimmer highing the Christmas period then spring just might be lighter stick Watt’s up (£24.50) that is fabulous the season for you. Thanks applied either before or after to the technique of strobfoundation. For those of you ing, the spring makeup rewho prefer a powder, then Topgime is faster, with a lightshop does two different power coverage and luscious ders in their range: Chameleon luminosity accentuating highlighter in Mother of Pearl your features. This look (£12.50) and Highlighter in Holeaves you feeling fresh rizon (£10.00). However, the with a glow that would put most sought after highlighter Kendall to shame. product on the market is the So, what is strobing? Mary-Lou Manizer from The Strobing is basically just a Balm cosmetics. This gorgeous fancy term for highlighting. product is priced at £17.50 and Instead of using the thick will transform your face, leavPhotos (clockwise from left): ing you with an enviable freshand heavy cream-based The Balm, Benefit Cosmetics products that are used faced glow. for highlighting when you contour, with strobTo achieve the ultimate natural spring beauty ing the products are lighter and contain lots of look, pair your chosen highlighter with a light shimmer. The trick of the trade is to only apply wear foundation, bronzer, lashings of mascara the highlighter in the places that catch the light: and a pink-toned lippie. Strobing will reinvigorate the cheekbones, the top of your brows, below the your makeup routine and leave you wondering brow bone, down the bridge of your nose, the cor- how you ever coped without it. Some lasting adners of your eyes and finally above the cupid’s vice: embrace your newfound makeup look, go bow. Unlike contouring, where you try to desper- out and shine bright like a diamond.
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Fashion & Beauty 17
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
All that glitters... Kawaii Culture: The
Psychology of Sweetness Kyle Zabawa takes on Kawaii Culture, discussing psychology, Gwen Stefani and feminism in the process
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
... is gold. Sophie Soar gives her verdict on the best of this season’s London Fashion Week, noting a common magpie-like penchant for glitter, that we can expect for the season to come... Another LFW has flown by, with the trends set in place for Autumn/Winter 2016. Designers showcased their finest cuts, colours and materials across the five days; but while thousands of outfits were shown, the buyers, journalists and dedicated followers were interested in one thing: what works, what sells and what the wearer wants. As a self-confessed magpie, my weakness is glitter, jewels and sparkling sequins. The details mesmerise and designers are no fools to their enchanting quality. Like an entrancing rash across the catwalks, designers from Burberry to Erdem caught the infection. SIBLING provided an athletic knitwear interpretation, using glitter wool in hooded tops alongside shimmering accessories from earmuffs to helmets. Alternatively, David Koma’s bedazzling was less subtle than that of SIBLING, revealing a
netted top with a jewelled chest. This chainmail resemblance further extended into the skirts of dresses, complemented with sheer material; strength and delicacy combined into one. However, this season, all eyes were on Sarah Burton’s return to London with Alexander McQueen’s dazzling new collection. The show started with flowing dresses that scatter butterflies across the body and hard-edged tailoring styled with body chains. The latter looks developed into sheer material with intricate detailing of jewels sparsely covering the body. The dresses seem barely there, until the shimmer of jewels showcase Burton’s brilliance. The trend reached overseas, too: Dolce and Gabbana’s grand finale at MFW displayed the label’s elegant decadence as the models sauntered down the catwalk in glittering silver, baby-and hot- pink dresses; the collars brandished the designers’ iconic jewellery, with a gentle netting at the base of the neck. Undoubtedly, my personal favourite would be Eudon Choi’s silver boots, with striking merlot red suede down the heel counter. Metallic footwear extended across many of the runway shows and as a result has firmly placed their shining foot in the door: this is a trend to stay.
y r a i D e l My Sty Sarah Kilcourse University is an environment where there are no rules or limitations about what you wear. We have the opportunity to be as creative or as lazy as we like on a daily basis, so here is a run down of my outfits for the week.
Cuteness has, even in recent years, become synonymous with Japanese fashion and culture. Growing up in England, where, for instance, our most celebrated fashion icons are often conservatively dressed and our advertisements are professional, glossy and airbrushed to the last detail, the idea of dressing and behaving in a childish manner above the age of sixteen is severely frowned upon and almost taboo. Drawing primarily from Sharon Kinsella’s fascinating essay on Kawaii culture, entitled ‘Cuties in Japan’, I’m going to take you on a journey to East Asia, exploring the psychology of cuteness, reviewing the origins of the kawaii lifestyle and wrangling with how this all ties in to current conversations regarding expressions of femininity, feminism, fashion and beyond. 2004 was a simpler time. 12 years ago, pop culture icon, Gwen Stefani, introduced the world to the ‘Harajuku Girls’. This backup-dancing quartet of young Japanese women accompanied Gwen for all promotional appearances, be that in her music videos (for example the Alice In Wonderland themed “What You Waiting For?” which this writer adores), red carpet events or chat show appearances. This presence of the Harajuku Girls, however, has been criticized as a reinforcement of negative stereotypes of Asian women within the media. The women, critics feel, were employed to be ‘props’ - rumours circulate online to this day that they were ‘contractually obliged’ to speak only Japanese in public. A fine line does indeed exist between appreciation and appropriation. Was Gwen, a white American woman, using her entourage’s race for her own personal gain? Gwen herself has always denied these claims, arguing in 2014 to TIME magazine that the girls were her friends in real life outside of the performance world and that she wished only to celebrate a culture different from her own, of which she had always been a fan. Gwen’s fans in Asia have also been complimentary of what they believe to be her inclusiveness, bringing kawaii culture to the mainstream western world through her highly successful Harajuku Lovers perfume range and fashion lines, for instance. Nevertheless, potentially problematic pop stars aside, what exactly is it that constitutes a kawaii aesthetic? I wouldn’t be appropriately honouring my Linguistics degree without first conducting a little etymological research. Derived from a term with principle meanings along the lines of ‘shy’ and ‘embarrassed’ alongside secondary meanings such as ‘pathetic’ and ‘vulnerable’, ‘kawaii’ has not always had the connotations with which it is associated today. Heavily influenced by American and European style, kawaii in its noun and adjective forms refers to anything small, pastel and fluffy. Buildings, public transport and even construction equipment are personified and re-personalised through the use of quirky googly-eye stickers. Although a very wry humour seems to underlie the style, it is claimed that in Japan, there are no boundaries to the notion of camp (or even a concept of it), as the delightful sign pictured below demonstrates. Kawaii, it is claimed, originates in a handwriting craze of 1970s Japan (please bear with me on this one). Rebellious teenage girls, desperate to express a young, feminine identity of their own in a society that represses such a demographic, took to using highly stylized, rounded,
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Monday As an English Literature student, I only have nine contact hours a week (I can hear you groaning). Annoyingly, this year, six of those are consecutive on a Monday, 12pm-6pm, making Monday the day that I put the most effort into what I wear, because I see the most people—how shallow, I know! This week I went for a polo neck jumper and some patterned trousers, warm and comfortable for cold lecture theatres.
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Tuesday My Tuesday starts at 10am and although it’s not horrifically early, it does impact upon how much effort I can be bothered to put in. So, jeans and a jumper it is, keeping it casual. However, I was going to see my boyfriend in the evening, so I didn’t want to be too scruffy.
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Wednesday Luckily I have a nice mid-week break on Wednesday, which I spent with my boyfriend visiting some art galleries, meaning I actually made an effort to look nice. I even brought out the lipstick! Thursday I had a full library day planned, so it was pure comfort, a big loose t-shirt dress, with an even bigger jumper and my comfiest shoes. I find the library can be impossibly cold, so my scarf also doubled up as a blanket. Friday The majority of my clothes were in the wash and I was absolutely freezing, so a big pink jumper finished off my week. In the evening I went to see Husbands and Sons at the Royal Exchange (which I thoroughly recommend), so I changed into a black jumpsuit/culottes creation. Phtoos: The Mancunion
We have weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 12pm. Find us on the first floor of the SU.
fine pencil strokes, adorning their characters with hearts, stars, fruits and faces. The distinctive and difficult-to-decipher nature of this so called ‘kitten writing’ caused major discipline problems in Japan; in some schools it was eventually banned and test papers submitted in this style were not marked. If anything, this disciplinary action in fact spurred the style on further—it later developed into an underground, anarchic literary trend, proving that, for young Japanese girls at least, the pen really is mightier than the sword. Advertising agencies and businesses alike soon cottoned on to how lucrative kawaii style products could prove, especially for a demographic as identity- and fashion-conscious as young women. Almost overnight, starting with products as simple as crockery, notebooks and purses, the seemingly attractive and rebellious kawaii culture was embraced and celebrated throughout commercial Japan. This new generation of rebellious women rejected the previous traditional values of condemnation of materialism or displays of
Photo: Gwen Stefani
wealth. Perfect childlikeness is an unattainable ideal that becomes even less attainable over time. This very concept generated a market that demanded an endless stream of ephemeral products, increasingly designed to meet the demands of looking and acting as childlike as is humanly possible. It would seem that this underlying drive is also what contributes further to the highly consumerist, Instagram culture within which we live today. Furthermore, lifestyle magazines praised childlike fashion. An emphasis was placed on demure, youthful styles that incorporated pastel colours, fluffy frills and puffed sleeves. Influences from French, punk and preppy styles to this day remain highly prevalent. Most importantly, clothing was to be slim-fitted. Plastic accessories were lauded, as were colourful socks, small
sandals and novelty hairpins. The photography featured in these magazines juxtaposed sweetness with grown up settings, portraying young models clad in kawaii clothing in metropolitan nightclubs and streets. Is this saccharine styling conducive to the feminist movement, however? Embracing the kawaii lifestyle to the extreme essentially involves ‘becoming’ a cute object. From purchasing cute products to surrounding oneself with sweetness, these choices have the potential to transform someone’s identity. To be out of touch with reality, living in a pastel daydream, encourages hedonism and the pursuit of only the simplest of pleasures. It could even be claimed that behaving as a child is even an act of self-mutilation, as is depicted by the pigeon-toed stances and postures portrayed in images of women promoting kawaii fashion. Glossy eyed expressions, aspiring to an infantile ideal and feigning stupidity and naivety are all a compromise. To display as a child an adult is, critics of the style argue, to deny the qualities of insight and introspection associated with maturity. In its extreme form, kawaii is a subservient behaviour rooted in becoming dependent on others as opposed to becoming empowered by one’s own identity (this latter being a core value of feminism). This lack of responsibility further reinforces the hegemonic status of masculinity. The physical frailty depicted through the fetishized imagery of a sweet, little girl contributes in a damaging way to perceptions of women and femininity. Dedicated followers of the kawaii lifestyle argue to the contrary, however, claiming that a woman who embraces her cuteness is far more elusive than first sight would suggest. Opposition is taken in particular to the construction of the style as designed exclusively for the male gaze. Could it be that this birth of a whole new culture, so different from traditional Japanese values, was an indirect response to sexist stereotypes through ‘conscious taunting’ of societal expectations? Women with a penchant for the saccharine are those who are no longer obligated to please a man. They embrace their freedom; they are young and successful, spend a large amount of money on their self and enjoy time with like-minded friends. They view their lives as privileged, with ‘maturity’ being perceived as a threat to this lifestyle. Some Japanese feminists argue that is, in reality, anarchic, to idolize a romanticised childhood. The kawaii lifestyle challenges values central to societal structure in Japanese culture. Women are happy to experiment with their femininity and are conscious of doing so in what they perceive to be a refusal to conform to traditional female roles through dressing and acting in a youthful manner. In a similar way to the rise of raunch culture in the western world (which sees women acting in a sexually charged manner to emphasise independence and maturity), Japanese youth equally infuriated their elders with uncooperative handwriting, child-like behaviour and pastel clothing. Emphasising immaturity and inability to fulfil societal responsibilities can be envisaged as a counter mainstream movement, condemning the bleak severity of an impending and inevitable adulthood. Ultimately, the jury remains out for whether our human appreciation of cuteness is maternal and solicitous, or the result of a transformative, prying gaze. Are we appeasing a hunger for expressing pity, or honing in on an instinctive good-heartedness? Either way, kawaii offers an escape from the often-cold reality of the twenty-first century. Consumption of culture will always be a way for humans to fulfil our underlying needs and desires. There is a salient simplicity and emotional warmth that comes with the innocence of nostalgia. Childhood is a time when (if fortunate) we can be free. With its cheap, pastel plastic heart, the kawaii lifestyle further reinforces how complex real life itself can be. Adulthood can be brutal and harsh, false and shallow: It almost seems somewhat natural to wish to revert to a simpler time in one’s life, even if that means embracing all things cute.
An ode to my winter wardrobe With spring on the horizon, Head Fashion Editor Kassi Allcock waves a bittersweet farewell to her beloved winter wardrobe
Winter has never been my favourite time of the year; the temperatures are sub-zero, the gale force winds are ferocious, and the rain never stops falling from the dimly lit sky. Despite this, my winter wardrobe has always been my most treasured, full to the brim with oversized jumpers and blanket-sized scarves. You know what they say—sweater weather is better weather, and I live by this mantra for the first three months of the year. Now that winter is finally drawing to a close, with March 20th being the official first day of spring, I am left with mixed feelings. On the one hand, summer is but a mere leap, skip, and bound away, meaning beautiful flowery dresses and sunglasses galore. On the other hand, however, I’m not ready to be torn away from my beloved winter wardrobe just yet. I’m not willing to be dressed in spring pastels; I would much rather remain in my constant state of black, with the occasional pop of colour in the shape of my favourite red plaid scarf. As the inevitable will shortly ensue, I will wave off my esteemed attire with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat, longing for our next hello. To the fluffy socks that have hugged my feet all winter long and to the black Chelsea boots that have hidden away my fashion faux pas: Thank you for supporting me through all of the atrocious weather that the last three months have thrown at us. To the crimson scarf that has been constantly wrapped around my neck: thank you for being my safety blanket and for shielding me from Manchester’s wind. To the
Photo: The Mancunion
earmuffs that have been permanently attached to my head: Thank you for preventing my ears from sporting a (not so) dashing shade of rosy red. To all of the jumpers that have been hidden beneath layer upon layer: Thank you for keeping me warm and snuggly when forced to remove my coat. Thank you to the gloves, thank you to the coats, and thank you to the array of beautiful winter colours that have encompassed my wardrobe. As I bid you all farewell, you will be sorely missed. But fret not—we will be reunited soon. Spring may be within sight but, with the constant arctic weather that accompanies living in England, I will always have an excuse to dive back into my cherished winter fashion.
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TV Binge
Feature
American Crime Story Photo: 20th Television
Bollywood vs Indian Independent Cinema Bollywood is not as superficial as it seems... Nicole Tamer Film Editor
Tristan Goldsmid Film Critic 22 years after O. J. Simpson’s charge with the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and friend Ronald Goldman, FX revives the “trial of the century” in this 10-part recreation with an excellent cast, featuring Cuba Gooding Jr as O. J. Simpson, and John Travolta and David Schwimmer as Simpson’s defence lawyers. Occurring two years before the trial and forming the backdrop to the case, the 1992 Los Angeles riots thrust the issues of police brutality and racism into the spotlight. The rioters took to the streets for 6 days, immediately after the acquittal of the four police officers from the LAPD were charged with the violent arrest and beating of Rodney King. Feelings of injustice and mistrust in the police engulfed the African-American community and explains why the opinions were so divided when American football star O. J. Simpson was charged with murder. This complex backdrop is cleverly woven into the opening episodes of the American Crime Story’s first season, which doesn’t shy away from tackling racism head-on. The programme opens with footage from the riots, the infamous footage of Rodney King’s arrest, and in-backroom scenes where members of Simpson’s defence utilise and manipulate racial tensions by selecting a jury made up of mainly African- Americans. The show handles these issues superbly, and is best evidenced by the conflict within the characters themselves. Simpson, for instance, first refused to play the “race card” by appealing to the AfricanAmerican community, believing that his celebrity status is enough to convince people of his innocence. Photo: 20th Television
This celebrity status is explored in the second episode, depicting the famous Bronco car chase; which, cleverly cut between real footage and cheering spectators, whilst Simpson is pursued by police. Celebrity culture arguably plays a more prominent role in society today, and thus the portrayal of Simpson’s special treatment in the media raises some intriguing questions about how we treat celebrities. But not all the references to celebrity culture work—the inside jokes and references to the Kardashian name in particular—stemming from Robert Kardashian’s backstory, felt like cheap and unnecessary nods to today’s well-known reality TV stars. Despite this, American Crime Story is an incredibly clever and exciting recreation, giving a factually based insight into one of the most controversial and dividing trails in history. What makes watching the case as a recreation particularly fascinating is how many of these racial issues such as police treatment of African-Americans remains the same 21 years later. In recent years the number of high profile acts of police misconduct has been increasing. As a result, whether or not you agree with the verdict, the recreation of the O. J. trail gives audiences an opportunity to be reminded of race’s prominence once again in contemporary society, as well as its role in recent history.
The Indian film industry is the biggest film industry in the world, producing over 1,000 films a year and selling up to 6 billion tickets annually. Although the name relates to Hollywood, Bollywood films contain characteristics which are far from the typical Western blockbuster. With a length of over 3 hours and features at least 5 song and dance sequences, they are a feast for the eyes and ears. Big stars, elaborate costumes, and scenes in exotic locations transport viewers into a world of aspiration and glamour, far from the mundane everyday life. Initially only viewed by an impressively big Asian audience or by NRIs (Non-Residential Indians), the marketing machine behind those films has made them more popular in the West in recent years. As a result, the films have become shorter and generally try to appeal more to a Western audience, losing their original charm and authenticity. Furthermore, Western audiences might get a wrong impression of what life in India is really like. Bollywood portrays a very selective amount of Indian people who are mostly privileged upper middle class and Hindu despite India being a country with a big wealth disparity and a melting pot of languages, ethnicities and religions.
As someone who has only seen a handful of popular Bollywood films; I was surprised to learn that Indian cinema has a very fascinating and old heritage. Therefore, Bollywood films should not be dismissed as light entertainment unless one is aware of the symbolism and origin of this particular film industry. Originally based on traditional theatre, the first silent feature films were produced in the 1910s in India. Early films mostly thematised mythological and traditional tales. The amount of special effects and storytelling devices used in those early films were impressive for that time period especially. Even the most superficial Bollywood films contain dance sequences which are based on and are a mix of traditional Indian worship dances from South Indian and Punjabi folk dances. On top of that, the films often subtly or openly re-tell Indian mythology, especially tales from Ramayana and Mahabharata, the most important religious epics. Despite their perceived superficiality and many flaws, Bollywood films entertain the masses and their influence on culture should not be dismissed. Especially because the stories and heritage of those films that move billions of people often go deeper than most people anticipate. But it should not be forgotten that Bollywood mainly wants to most of all, entertain.
Photo: Yash Raj Films
Photo: The Film Cafe
... But Indian independent films portray the real India Mritunjay Sharma Contributor When I was at a party, a lot of people were discussing Indian cinema. Having seen the improvement of Indian cinema in the last five years, I asked everyone, “So, do you guys know about Indian cinema?” I received a lot of answers, a lot of hand movements, head movements, and an insane amount of reference to the drivel of Bollywood films. Those films which feature mindless screenplays, a really powerful male actor, a really pretty female actor, a happy ending, and box office money generated by people starved of happiness in their life who crave escapism. These films reach the West because of the
backing of big distribution companies and because of the craving of the NRI community to relive the Indian experience. Before commencing further, one more fact: India has 14 official regional languages, it has 9 film industries of different languages, and Bollywood is the third largest of the industries in terms of a total number of films. Moreover, the most expensive films are not a Hindi films but Tamil ones: 2.0, and Baahubali: The Conclusion. When I say Indian cinema has improved over the years, I refer to the acceptance of Indian independent films into the biggest film festivals around the world. In the last 5 years, major film festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Toronto, and BFI London have not only screened,
but also honoured films such as Dhanak, Court, Killa, Massan, Miss Lovely, Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Patang, Chauthi Koot, Liar’s Dice, and many more. These films, unlike the quintessential Bollywood films, talk about the India that miles away from Mumbai or New Delhi. They have the earthiness of the working class, and these films are filmed at real locations. They reject the popular dance and fight sequences. These films are more real and they ask questions to the audience about India’s social structure. The audiences do not only get informed but they also leave the cinema with something to think about in their mindless affairs of life.
Review
The Forest
The Forest sets up an intriguing premise, but wastes it on tired old horror tropes
Joe Hunt Contributor
Irons in Dead Ringers, they chose to dress one twin like an Amanda Seyfried character and the other as Wednesday Adams in order to distinguish them, but it was an aspect of the film that I enjoyed watching. You can’t say the same for Dormer’s co-star Nick Antosca who plays Aiden, a fellow American who acts as Sarah’s companion through the forest and does absolutely nothing in this role; answering the age old question: “if a character gets lost in a forest and there’s no audience to care what happens to them, will it make an impact in any way at all?” to which the answer is apparently no. The rest of the characters in this film consist almost solely of Japanese stereotypes. The whole film is just a disappointment. Mainly because it contained elements which could have made a good horror film, which recently, the film industry has been lacking; with a few exceptions in the last few years. A good actor, an interesting setting and the directing do not seem too bad. If you excuse the occasional moment where the camera pans around the character whilst they desperately search for something or someone, then the film isn’t too bad look-wise. But while it appears to be trying to enlist the art of spectral Japanese horror, it falls back on lacklustre and formulaic American horror. The makers of this film were messing with forces they clearly did not understand. In short the film’s tagline to not “stray from the path” does not ring true at all. In fact, if you were to ever visit Aokigahara forest, I would recommend going off the path; the surrounding area looks like a beautiful and relaxing space. The scariest thing that’s going to happen is someone stumbling into your tent while you’re asleep. But don’t worry, after that, nothing really happens.
The Forest built what could be an interesting premise, but unfortunately, it chooses to take this interesting premise of a gentle woodland stroll and then leaves it there to die. When Sarah (Natalie Dormer) goes in search for her twin sister Jess (also played by Natalie Dormer) who disappeared from her teaching job in Japan, many fear the worst as she was last seen walking into Aokigahara, a real place in Japan that is also known as the suicide forest. Based on a genuinely haunting place, this film had the potential to create something truly unnerving—and also possibly quite beautiful, but it instead relies on tired old tropes which it adheres to without much enthusiasm or success. It seems like quite an easily workable premise: being lost in the woods alone, surrounded by the hanging bodies of tortured souls. This is something which should at least be a little scary, but somehow it isn’t. And that’s the main issue with this film, it simply isn’t scary at all. In fact, it’s quite boring. There is no sense of suspense throughout the film, with only a few jump scares offered as what we’ve come to accept as the traditional substitute for any substance in most modern day horrors; however, in the advent of snapchat filters, even these have lost any bite they once had. To her credit, Natalie Dormer does her best in this film. She gives a genuinely believable performance, and somehow manages to whittle two characters out of a film that honestly, barely gives her enough material for one. In fact, this is another premise that the film could have worked better with—you barely see the twin sister Jess at any point in this movie, which is a shame because as I say, it seems that Natalie Dormer could really pull off the dual role. It’s not exactly Jeremy
Photo: Gramercy Pictures
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HOME Pick
King Jack Jake Sanders Film Critic King Jack, the story of a bullied delinquent learning some big life-lessons after his young cousin comes to visit is a solid addition to the coming-of-age-genre, but it isn’t exactly groundbreaking. At its best, King Jack recalls the work of David Gordon Green (excluding his forays into stoner comedy), with naturalistic dialogue and dreamy cinematography that work together to ground viewers in the summertime melancholy of its protagonist’s headspace. It’s difficult to talk about King Jack without referring to other directors seeing as director Felix Thompson (making his feature debut) wears his influences entirely on his sleeve. Besides Gordon-Green, anyone familiar with the work of Jeff Nichols or even our very own Shane Meadows will find King Jack to be more than a little derivative.
Despite being flawed and cliched at times, the small-town drama is a charming film with a sincere and tender approach to familiar subject matter But derivative does not always equal bad and King Jack is ultimately a very charming, if slight, film. This is in large part due to a fantastic lead performance from Charlie Plummer, whose depiction of adolescent malaise is note-perfect, with exactly the right blend of insecurity, vulnerability and awkwardness that only ever seems false when the script lets him down. The script is arguably King Jacks weakest part, prone to veering into cliches or jarring tonal shifts. The film as it its strongest in its early scenes, where it focuses on how Jack deals with the humiliation and cruelty of his everyday life. A third-act decision to examine the cyclical nature of violence and bullying has the potential to be interesting and the intensity of the brutality is appropriately difficult to watch. But it unfortunately lacks the gut-wrenching emotional impact of a film like This is England, in part because any sense of character development is only given to Jack’s tormentor too late in the film.
It would be easy to criticise King Jack for being naive in its presentation of poverty or for not fully exploring some of the darker themes at its centre, but optimism is an important part of coming-of-age stories. Though the film is checkered with troubling moments, it’s clear that Thompson is more interested in examining the healing powers of companionship and the importance of responsibility than forcing the audience to endure 90 minutes of unrelenting emotional distress. Though King Jack is undoubtedly a flawed film, audiences should find plenty to enjoy in its sincere and tender approach to familiar subject matter. Thompson’s decision to draw so heavily from the canon of small-town dramas could be read as a lack of confidence from a first time director but there’s enough good stuff in King Jack that a second feature would be something worth anticipating.
Top 5 Films with a Limited Colour Palette Films with a limited colour palette often employ colours to portray a certain mood or to distinguish different worlds . These films excel at this craft. 5
Three Color sTrilogy
The three films were named after the colours of the French flag (blue, white, red) and each one was loosely based on the three political ideals in the motto of the French republic: liberty, equality, and fraternity. The highly lauded films do not only employ unusual storytelling, yet the colour scheme of which each film was based on also dominated every scene of the film.
Photos: Miramax
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Photo:Whitewater Films
Classic Review
Pather Panchali Mritunjay Sharma Contributor The film is like visiting an art gallery and then getting mesmerised by the brilliant paintings. After the tour ends, you cannot decide which painting you liked the most, and hence, you have to go back to take the tour again. At first, Pather Panchali can be tagged as a film which sells poverty to the west. But on a deeper level, it is the story of an extended family, it is the story of aspirations and hopes of different characters. Be it the father, Harihar who works as a priest but wants to be a playwright or a poet and earn a decent income to provide comfort to the family. The mother, Sarabjaya, who wants Harihar to make some money so that the neighbours stop taunting her and the family condition. Her wish is to walk into the village with her head high one day. The old lady, Indir, who tries hard to be a part of the family despite living in the same place and wanting to hear something good from Sarabjaya. The kids Durga and Apu who want to follow the sound of the train which they hear every evening and want to find out how it looks like. Although both the children keep teasing each other all the time but still they want to enjoy the simple things Although both the children keep teasing each other, they want to enjoy the simple things in life together. be it the chutney that Durga makes, sharing the fruits that Durga steals from the neighbour’s place, running wildly in the fields, following the sweet vendor or enjoying the dramas performed by the actors. Moreover, in this film we can also see three different generations of women portraying three different way of life, Durga the child is fearless, she is a free spirit, she is not bothered about anyone saying anything to her. Although she is loved by the parents, she is still treated inferiorly to Apu, but then her love for Apu never diminishes which is evident throughout the film in how she takes care of him by protecting him from the world.
This slow-paced masterpiece tells the story of an extended family which craves for aspirations and hope despite their hard lives
The mother is worried not just about the state of the family but also the way neighbours and the others in the village treat them because of their financial condition. She tries to live life with some dignity but her life changes when Durga is accused of stealing. As it has a direct impact on her dignity, it results in throwing Durga out of the house. Indir, the old lady lives alone but she is still self-sufficient and self-respecting and she shows that when she is taunted by Sarabjaya, she leaves the house and takes refuge at other relatives house, she leaves the house permanently to show Sarabjaya that she is not going to take the tantrums. Furthermore, the film also takes on the different kinds of death, the death of the old lady which only impacts Durga because of her closeness and then the death of Durga which affects the whole family including
Furthermore, the film also takes on the different kinds of deaths, the death of the old lady which only impacts Durga because of her closeness and then the death of Durga which affects the whole family, including Apu, which can be seen when, in the end, Apu drinks the milk himself and comb his hair himself. This death leads the family to migrate to a distant place. The beauty of this film is enhanced by the beautiful shots of the countryside along with the unstoppable nature that takes place around the village. These shots are complemented by the Sitar music played by Ravi Shankar. A lot of people can say that the film is slow, which is true, but that is how life takes place in a village and at the end of the day, it is the portrayal of life which the director tried to mimic and he succeeded in it. Photo: Sony Pictures Classics Photo: 20th Century Fox
Pan’s Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro’s dark fantasy masterpiece distinguishes different worlds by three colours which dominate the film. The bluetinted night scenes in the real world, set in Franco’s post-civil war Spain, mirror Ofelia’s despair. To escape reality, she imagines a faun who gives her three tasks with the promise to return her to her real form as a princess of the underworld. Leaving the mossy-green labyrinth of the faun, Ofelia masters the excruciating tasks, which all nearly get her killed, in a fantasy world dominated by golden colours until she can get back to her life as a princess.
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Sweeney Todd
The horror musical, directed by Tim Burton and surprisingly, starred Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, mainly featured charcoal blue and dusty brown colours to evoke the grimy atmosphere of Victorian city of London. Only blood splatters, daydreams, and flashbacks were shown in vivid colours to contrast the miserable livelihood of these real life characters who sliced people’s throats and served them up as pies.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
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The Matrix
A teal tinge of green dominated most of the scenes in the real word which Neo enters after choosing the red pill and leaving the Matrix. The green also resembles the Matrix digital rain which was the computer code representing the activity of the virtual reality world. This code reminds us of the early monochrome cathode monitors, creating a retro mood. Would Neo have chosen the blue pill if he had known about the colour scheme?
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Raise The Red Lantern
This Chinese film set in the 1920s during The Warlord Era is bathed in rich orange-red colours and features countless red lanterns. It follows the story of the nineteen-year-old Songlian who unwillingly works as a concubine in a rich household. Each night, the concubines have to compete for the attention of the master who gives the chosen one a luxurious treatment and lights her red lantern.
Nicole Tamer Film Editor
Books
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Interview
In conversation with Qaisra Shahraz
Books Editor Yasmin Mannan talks to the highly accalimed author, activist, educationist, and University of Manchester alumnus Qaisra Shahraz about writing, feminism, radicalisation, Muslim-Jewish relations, Prevent, and the struggle of identity I am first struck by Qaisra Shahraz’s undeniable warmth. She smiles at me as if we have known each other our whole lives. Shahraz is wildly successful as an author, an education specialist, and stands firmly as an activist for community cohesion and women’s rights. This Friday, she is speaking at the People’s History Museum on a panel which is part of the ‘Wonder Women’ answering the question: ‘What are you chaining yourself to the railings for? A discussion on Modern Feminism’, and she will be talking about violence against women. She seems to carry an air of social responsibility in everything she does. Shahraz currently is published in almost every literary field: she has published several novels, ‘The Holy Woman’, ‘Typhoon’, ‘Revolt’; an abundance of short stories, ‘A Pair of Jeans & other stories’; essays, articles, and scripts. One of her published books ‘A Pair of Jeans’ is currently being taught in German schools. Over the last twenty years, they have accumulated a variety of awards and critical acclaim. She has worked in the field of education as a quality manager, teacher trainer and inspector for Ofsted. She is currently a trustee of the Manchester MultiFaith Centre, the Vice-Chair of Faith Network for Manchester, and an Executive Member of the Muslim-Jewish Forum. She migrated to England from Pakistan at the age of 9 and is an alumunus of The University of Manchester. Have you always felt the urge to write? Absolutely, from the age of 14—I don’t know where the urge to write came from. I was a migrant child trying to master the English language. By the age of 19 I was published in ‘She’ magazine and took up creative writing. Writing has always been in the background for me though, due to my career in education. Half the time I used to forget that I write. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve seen myself as a ‘proper’ writer. Now I’m more focused and tuned into the writing world. There wasn’t much money in writing so I earnt my money from my education work. Something I think you do expertly is to rapidly humanise your characters, which is particularly poignant in the current social climate towards Muslims and even particularly towards Pakistan. What has been the reaction? Many people commented on my first novel ‘The Holy Woman’, set in five countries, that I had opened up a new world to them. Funnily, I even had one person marvel and say to me, ‘Do you really have so much marble in Pakistan? I didn’t realise that some people are so rich in Pakistan.’ It’s an eye-opener, to show Pakistan as a country of contrast—through my wealthy and humbler characters. For me, all my characters are of equal importance, no matter what class they belong to and I have deep affection for them, especially some of the servants like Begum and Massi Fiza in ‘Revolt’. As a British writer living in the UK I’m very much into equality! I don’t think any writers living in Pakistan would write like this because my viewpoint regarding servants is so different. I discuss a lot of controversial topics and issues, including rape in ‘Typhoon’ and domestic violence in my TV drama serial. In ‘The Holy Woman’ I want to reach out to a non-Muslim audience to raise awareness about the Muslim world, including about the veil, ‘hijab’. I wanted to debunk the myth that Muslim women are oppressed and forced to wear the ‘hijab’. In fact as my heroine says she’s been freed from female vanity by covering up. For me it’s an equality issue too. Women have a right to wear what they want. One can’t impose one’s ideas on others. Do you value literature as a vessel for social change? Absolutely. I use literature, from short stories, novels and drama serials to raise awareness about different social and cultural issues especially relating to gender issues, for example. I am actively and strongly against the epidemic of violence against women, which I am speaking about at the People’s History Museum this Friday. Currently I’m using my story ‘A Pair of Jeans’ taught in German schools for A Level literature text as a platform to reach out to thousands of students and teachers and build cultural bridges. I openly discuss issues like migration, Islamophobia, integration and my multiple identities, as a British, Muslim woman of Pakistani originWith so much negativity and hatred channelled towards Muslims it’s my opportunity to raise awareness of Islamophobia and show that Islam stands for peace, and
Muslims are law-abiding citizens. Daesh, are criminals, with an evil ideology, that millions of Muslims do not relate or adhere to. I recognise that there is a problem with radicalisation and we need to all collectively deal with it, without demonising the whole Muslim community at large. It is everyone’s responsibility in a socially developed country like Britain to challenge radicalisation. Similarly not to ignore the fact that there has been a rise in hate-crime, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism. In my writing I also draw on injustice which I have seen and things I feel strongly about—I have been to Auschwitz and written about the horror of the Holocaust in a story called ‘ Train to Krakow’. I have also been to Palestine and seen firsthand the plight of the Palestinians. I have just come back from Bosnia, as part of a women delegation ‘Remembering Srebrenica’. I am still traumatised by the experience. I have learnt about the horrors of the genocide of over 8000 men and young boys killed and women raped. I hope to write a story about this. In Britain we have freedom, so many opportunities and above all access to good education. I am aware, however, that there are women around the world who cannot even write their name. Education is very important for me. For it’s a passport to a better life. I say to people, that one woman’s ability to write her name for the first time is equivalent to another woman’s PhD. Does this link to your inter-faith work? QS: As a trustee of the Manchester Multi-Faith Centre, the ViceChair of Faith Network 4 Manchester (FN4M), also an executive member of the Muslim-Jewish Forum, inter-faith work is very important to me to promote peace, particularly in these troubled times. I’m committed to promoting community cohesion and getting rid of divisions, celebrating our commonality and universal values. We do this also through a police community initiative, ‘We Stand Together’, that I am involved in. We want people to learn about each other’s cultures and religious beliefs. As advocates of peace and harmony we want to challenge any religion or politic-based conflict. I am committed to promoting better relationships between the Jewish and Muslim community in Manchester, for example through our work in schools. I visited several schools for the ‘Twinning’ sessions where Muslim and Jewish pupils celebrated peace by holding banners saying ‘We Refuse to Be Enemies’ & ‘Spread Hummus Not Hate’ . The Faith Network 4 Manchester brings together Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Bahais, Humanists. We want to be as inclusive as possible and would welcome whoever else wants to join us, including students. In November we had an event at The University of Manchester and at MMU held at the chaplaincy, Peter House, where eight students representing different faiths promoted messages of peace and tolerance. My personal view is this: Yes, we are comfortable in our world, our own faith and have individual beliefs but we need to step out of our own boxes and learn to respect other faiths and the views of those who have none. We are planning to hold a similar event this year, to be held hopefully in the Students’ Union. We would love to welcome as many students of all backgrounds to our function. Yes, that’s what the extremists want—they want British society to fail don’t they? Exactly! That’s why community cohesion is so important. We have to show those bent on dividing us that they’re wrong. One thing I am so afraid of is intolerance and people with tunnel vision. These extremist groups are intolerant. We need to be not just tolerant of others, but to celebrate our diversity in society. I always say, ‘We have a right to be different but absolutely must integrate’. We have to retain our diversity and values but that doesn’t mean that we all can’t live together peacefully and follow the rules and customs of the host country.
Photo: Qaisra Shahraz
Zadie Smith said that finding an identity is the easy way out. A lot of young people in Britain who are prone to radicalisation are said to suffer ‘crises’. What do you think about identity? Regarding radicalisation, it has been shown at all the training I’ve been to recently with different examples of people who get radicalised and manifest extremist ideologies, a member of the IRA in Ireland, a white supremacist in America, and a member of Al-Muhajiroun, all of them have suffered crises of some sort in their lives. Moreover, young girls who have joined ISIS are mere school girls and the most vulnerable because of their age! They are lured by being presented with glorified life. The process of brainwashing and grooming to join the extremist groups has been made easier partly, I believe, by modern technology. The unsupervised use of social media through laptops and smartphones have enabled easy access to vulnerable people being easily targeted. I grew up with multiple identities and I was fascinated by it. Outside I would wear jeans, inside I was wearing Salwar Kamees. Outside I’d eat fish and chips and sandwiches and at home I’d eat salan and roti. Outside I’d speak English and at home I’d speak Urdu or Punjabi. It was wonderful! It was seamless for me. I didn’t even think about it. For some other young people, I saw they struggled at times, trying to straddle two worlds and identities. I knew the boundaries of each of my identities but I was also free in every way I wanted to be. I value my Pakistani heritage; it has enriched me in every way as a person. I know my Muslim identity will always be strong but above all I am British and a Mancunian—for I have lived here for almost all my life. I am sitting here in my former university! Lastly, do you have any advice for young writers? Write all the time! Keep writing. Join a writing group because it really helps and don’t be too sensitive to criticism. You are still perfecting your craft. I’d also say consider having another career apart from writing which you can draw influence from and also make money. I love working in education. You can make a lot of money as a journalist but often you don’t have time to be anything else but a journalist. You must also write about themes you know and care about—you will always do these better. Research your material well, as I am having to do for a novel set in Morocco.
Qaisra Shahraz will be doing a reading and question panel at the University of Manchester Creative Writing Society this Friday at 6pm in Room 11 of the Students’ Union. You can read the full interview online at mancunion.com/books along with a review of ‘Revolt’
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. So if you’ve ever wondered why we talk so much about elections, that’s why. 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!
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Food & Drink
22
ISSUE 17/ 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature
Feeding the streets Albert’s Schloss for a fiver Felix Sanders Food Critic
Food Editor Ellie Gibbs addresses the political power of food and the real difference it can make to lives, something we may take for granted when tucking into our luxury restaurant dinners
Having lived and walked in Manchester for three years now, it has been impossible to ignore the presence of the many rough sleepers paving the streets from Oxford Road to Piccadilly Gardens. It’s a problem that seems to be only getting worse, with the anarchist street-squat known as ‘the Ark’ cruelly closed off as commissioned by MMU. Dwellers were physically forced off the area by use of large metal fences, increasingly expanding to ensure that barely a corridor of commuters can even walk under the bridge.
The Ark opened not as a protest, but as a display of the homeless taking control of a situation that wasn’t being responsibly handled.
Things were desperate, and due to the lack of adequate care and support, the people of Manchester’s streets—quite admirably—took matters into their own hands. The response was unpragmatic and ignorant. The makeshift home to many was barricaded with little offer of an alternative solution. It was simply closed down, relying on weak reasoning such as “it looked bad.” The Ark was actually the beginning of a valuable revolutionary feat, an example of the suffering people taking responsibility for their own lives. The animalistic caging-off of these people demonstrates the lack of the ability for those in power to empathise with those in poverty as fellow human beings. Everyone should have a right to basic food, shelter and water. These are the essentials of life. It feels ironic that the homeless are leaning with their backs against the solution: empty buildings. A friend and I discussed how aliens would look down on our city from an aerial view and laugh in astonishment at the ridiculousness of the problem. We are not in the desert, with no real access to necessities. Instead we are in a dystopic state run by power systems that can’t see further than the boundaries set up by ‘rules’, ‘systems’ and governmental ‘structures’. People are suffering in the cold when the materials for the solution are empty and unoccupied. Many of the characters are ex-cons, on the run, or perceived as criminals. However, this shouldn’t mean that they don’t have a fair chance at life. The solution to crime is not punishment, but education. Many of these people have come from difficult and abusive backgrounds, have problems with disability, and have struggled with discrimination or lack of help. But as well as this, some of the people on the street are there as simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, crime-free. It’s all down to unfortunate circumstances. Understandably, living on the street can lead to more issues, which makes the problem worse and worse with the vision of recovery fading further away. Sleeping in cold, damp
conditions with little access to hot food, shelter and hygiene facilities can often lead those who arrive to the streets in relative health to quickly deteriorate, and often resort to drug and alcohol abuse. While it is a myth that all homeless people have problems with drug and alcohol abuse, the problem is still very real and apparent, which is why the act of giving money and walking on feels like a disposable, and even detrimental, form of help. It’s difficult to know where to begin when taking action on a personal level. But something that can be done directly is to help out with Student Action outreach projects that run every night of the week. Volunteers prepare and hand out food to those in Manchester without a bed to sleep in, walking down Oxford Road up to Piccadilly until supplies run out.
Offering help and advice is the main priority, but handing over food is a gateway to that conversation. Depression, bitterness and feelings of hatred also feature, with rea-
Life by chocolate. Photo: The Mancunion
son, in the minds of many. However, it must be said that 99 per cent of the people Student Action speak to are wholeheartedly grateful for the help that we provide, and many have said that our help is the reason they keep on going. We need to promote equality and teach people that life can be lived in a positive way, and give everybody reasons to be grateful for it and respect it. If money doesn’t work, kindness definitely does. To make things as ethical as possible, I came up with two variations on a vegan sandwich. Food may be fuel but with keeping humanisation and levelling in mind, I would prefer to feed someone else the same quality of food that I’d hope to nourish myself with. 1. Peanut butter £1.30 Fairtrade bananas £1.00 Seeded bread £1.25 Dark chocolate £1.00 In a bowl, melt ½ a tub of peanut butter with a few squares of dark
Let’s reciprocate the interest. Photo: The Mancunion
chocolate, microwaving in intermittent bursts of 20 seconds until runny and spoonable. Half the sliced loaf into two adjacent stacks and spread one pile with the chocolate PB on one side. Slice bananas and place atop the nutty goodness. Finish with the remaining bread and marvel that you have made a cheap, healthy, ethical, nutritious and delicious sandwich. Info: seeded bread is a slow carbohydrate, taking longer to burn energy and thus keeping the body going for longer, the natural sugar in banana also creates a healthy energy spurt and is a good source of potassium, nuts are a great source of fat which helps to balance the meal and dark chocolate releases endorphins and serotonin, making this the perfect food-energy boost 2. Seeded bread £1.25 Hummus £1 Mango chutney £1 Carrots £0.39 Mixed leaves £1 Spread one side of one half of the loaf generously with hummus, and the other side of the other half with mango chutney. Grate the carrots into a large pile and top the hummus bread. Finish with a gathering of mixed leaves and squash down. Variations on this include sliced mixed peppers, sundried tomatoes or smashed whole chickpeas with some oil and spices. Info: good bread again, hummus good protein source from chickpeas, carrots 1 of 5 a day, mango for umami flavour enhancing goodness. Which is definitely healthy and VITAL. So if you got anything from this article, whether it be an alternative perspective on the homeless in Manchester, or a surprising revelation on the inexpense of vegan life, please think twice about the personal choices you make that contribute to a wider social expanse.
The Schloss is opposite the AMC cinema on Peter St, in what can be referred to as downtown Manchester. I’d seen the place, at a distance, a couple of times and watched crowds of people outside, doormen with Kangol-esque hats dipped over one eye, young professionals with jawlines in blue suits and dresses toying with notions of modesty. Before I knew anything about the place, I felt drawn to it. When you talk about places to go out at night, to eat or drink, certain adjectives specific to the nature of the outing crop up. You hear ‘studenty’ a lot, as in, ‘it’s pretty good, quite cheap, really studenty.’ The ‘after-work’ descriptive is how I would begin to talk about Albert’s Schloss. I very rarely think about what to wear when I go to review a place however in this circumstance, I specifically chose a shirt, a nice shirt, white, second hand Paul Smith. I don’t know why I felt the need to conform to the idea of the kind of clientele the Schloss entertains, I just knew I want-
Photo: Albert’s Schloss
ed to arrive in a shirt. The way diners interact with the greeters and maître d’hôtels is fascinating. You know you’re judged and classified the moment they set eyes on you. The shirt in question pulled a wonderful wool over the eyes of the woman who showed us to our table. There was something egotistically comforting about feeling that, because a single item of clothing, I belonged in the sleek yet gemütlich atmosphere of the two million pound brainchild of, what has been humbly dubbed, Mission Mars Ltd. Mission Mars Ltd is a combination of two restaurant/bar groups. One half being the owners Trof, The Deaf Institute, Gorilla and The Albert Hall. The other, Inventive Leisure plc, the owner and operator of Revolution Vodka. So these two titans in Mancunian hospitality pooled their resources, with the aid of a £2 million Growth Capital Loan from Santander Corporate & Commercial, and set about transforming a beautiful GradeII listed building into a beautiful beer hall
still, its like Austro-German pub food. The chicken liver paté (£6.50) had the unsettling consistency of whipped cream, but the house baked bread it came with was good. To give credit where it’s due my house smoked wurst (£5.00) was deliciously moreish but the pickled cabbage it came with had a dust like impact on my mouth, and the kraut was not a great deal better. For mains I stayed traditional with a chicken schnitzel (£9.50) which was overwhelmingly average and my partner chose fish frites (£12.00). A sincerely ridiculous name for battered hake with chips. He seemed happy enough though. Go to Albert’s Schloss. The atmosphere is incredible. I’ve heard great things about their Friday and Saturday nights with live bands, roving saxophonists and spinning wax. So go, eat before you go, but go none the less. Price £££ • Food 2/5 • Drinks 5/5 • Service 4/5 • Atmosphere 5/5 • Value 3/5 27 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR
Matcha Latte
Check out Perisha Kudhail’s review of Matcha on page 23 to find out more about the healing properties of this delicious ingredient
Ingredients Serves one ¾ cup milk (soy or almond would also work) 1 teaspoon matcha ¼ cup of boiling water Honey or sugar to sweeten.
A new veggie convert. Photo: The Mancunion
and cook haus. My dining companion, a guitarist from the post-punk group ‘Weird Will,’ and I were shown to are window table at 7:30 on a Wednesday night. The whole place was full. In what must be 150+ covers venue this is saying something. Our waiter was lovely, and I’m not often hyper complimentary of waiters but this one deserves special accolades as, towards the later part of our meal he came over with two very golden, very free beers. They had been poured by accident and he was wondering if we wanted them, ‘you are probably my soundest table’ he shrugged. Win. The beer game at Albert Schloss is serious. There are eleven umlaut infested tap beers, from various Czech and German breweries and myriad of different bottled options. We opted for Pilsner Urquell and Dortmunder Vier, at £5.00 and £4.60 respectively it’s not a cheep pint but remember about two of those five pounds goes towards the atmosphere. As for the food. Don’t go to The Albert’s Schloss for the food. If you do find yourself eating there you won’t suffer too badly but
Preparation Bring the milk to simmer in a small pot. Put the matcha in a mug and whisk with the water.
Pour in the milk, whilst tipping the glass to create a foam. Finally sweeten with honey or sugar to taste.
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Photo: Williamson Tea
a
Food & Drink 23
ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Reviews
Perisha Kudhail
Sophie Wyburd
By some miracle, on a blustery winters evening I found myself transported to a Middle Eastern paradise. Pasha is a delightful little restaurant in Withington, within easy reach of the main student area. Having been only open for 9 months, Pasha is ranked as the #10 restaurant on Tripadvisor in Manchester, so I felt it would be foolish not to go and sample what it has to offer when it lies a stone’s throw from my doorstep.
Photo:Pasha
We were greeted by kind and attentive staff on arrival, and ushered to a table laid with some of the prettiest crockery I have ever seen. The room was impeccably decorated with wall hangings, candles and beautiful lampshades; heavenly smells wafted through the room, making us confident that we had come to quite a special place. As we were only two, we only ordered a few bits from the extensive mezze menu. While we eagerly anticipated the arrival of our food, we were brought olives and pickles to whet our appetite. Then came the glorious dishes we had ordered. The houmous was the silkiest one could imagine, dressed with olive oil and spices, and served with flatbreads warm from the oven to scoop it up.
Nick Hine
Trying to write a restaurant review in Manchester is a bit like trying to write a review on spring water if you live in a desert. I spend a fair portion of my paltry student income on restaurants, but I’ve never been compelled to write one up before because there are only so many ways you can say ‘it’s alright’ in 500 words before you start to repeat yourself. I thought I was condemned to wander, full but underwhelmed, until I could escape to greener pastures. Then last night I went to Ziya. First, some context. I’m sceptical about the emergence of some slick, up-market restaurants on the Curry Mile. I heard a lot of good things about Mughli last year, whose intrepid menu seems to wander to all of the oft-neglected corners of India and its neighbouring countries, but the dishes themselves were pretty lacking and the service a bit impersonal. It felt like the hype had gone to their heads a bit. And their facade is rubbish – only restaurants that are actually underground are allowed to be this short on natural light. Ziya sits across from another relative newcomer, myLahore – the Curry Mile’s biggest and frankly most depressing restaurant, whose offer of curries, burgers, lasagne, shepherd’s pie, chips, ice cream all brought to you by proper waiters with ties who pour your wine for you still mystifyingly packs the place to the rafters every night. The frontage, an uninterrupted wall of glass, reveals a soft wood colour scheme with ample warm lighting that is almost relentlessly comforting. This is a place that has clearly had a lot of money spent on it, and to great effect. It’s an atmospheric , reassuringly expensive looking restaurant – from the underlit stairs to the mosaic-tiled tandoori ovens. Later, I found they’d even bought some shiny silver fire extinguishers, because naturally red would clash with the colour scheme. You’d be forgiven, after noting the decor and proximity to the Curry Mile’s biggest travesty, for wondering if this place might be a bit all fur coat and no knickers. But you’d be so, so wrong. I kicked off with the Salmon Tikka – big healthy hunks of wobblingly tender salmon with a tumeric-yellow exterior crusted with a lot of lemon peel and pepper. The exterior was beautifully spiced, and balanced taste of salmon, citrus and coriander. The Tandoori Chicken too was alive with flavour, with chicken firm yet juicy. The accompanying spinach sauce was a beautiful palate cleanser, too. As an aside, I challenge you to find me a better onion bhaji than the ones at Ziya. I love bhajis, but I’ve been burned too many times by flavourless, mealy ones. Here, they shine. A dark golden exterior gives way, with a promising billow of steam,
An old friend of mine named halloumi made an appearance, served in fat, salty slices, lightly grilled and delicious as ever. Spinach bourek were beautifully crisp and plump filo cigars filled with spinach and heady with sweet and spicy cardamom – I’m not sure if the spicing was entirely to my tastes but the textures were gorgeous. Chicken skewers from the charcoal pit were fat and juicy; flavoursome yet mildly spiced, and given a good kick by the accompanying chilli sauce which really brought them to life. The star of the show was undoubtedly the mousakah, consisting of meaty aubergines cooked in a richly spiced tomatoes, chickpeas and onions which really complimented everything else that we ate. A wonderful pro of this restaurant is the fact that it is BYOB and doesn’t charge corkage, making it a perfect place to eat out on the cheap with your tipple of choice. My advice would be to come here with a large group of friends and order a wide breadth of items from the menu so that you can sample as much as possible for an even cheaper price. We left stuffed, but were sad to have only tried a small portion of what they had to offer. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. The top class staff serve up some spectacular food, and they thoroughly deserve the high Tripadvisor standing that they have gained. Price ££ Food 4/5 Drinks 5/5 Service 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Value 4/5
With the era of the superfoods slowly taking over, it’s no wonder that we in the west are trying weird and wonderful things to help give us a health boost. With herbal remedies and detoxes being at the forefront of a healthy lifestyle, it’s no wonder that matcha has hit the industry by storm. Matcha is a refined ground powder made from green tea leaves and is a great way to add a dose of flavour to your drinks. With Uji, Japan being the capital of matcha production, the taste of freshness and quality will be a result of importing from there. The delicate storage of matcha means that the colour is retained, making the gorgeous green and purple colour pop. Matcha is a great way to get a boost of vitamins and minerals in your diet and give your skin a glow at the same time. The health benefits of matcha are too many to ignore and it should be given a chance. From being a tasty refreshment to being used as a cake filling, matcha is more versatile than you may think. From the refreshing taste of green matcha to the nutty taste of purple matcha, there are different flavours that can be tried and enjoyed. The simplest way to consume matcha is to simply mix it with warm water and drink it like tea. With this in mind, think about replacing your morning coffee with a refreshing boost of matcha and give your metabolism a boost. One cup
of green matcha tea has as many antioxidants as ten cups of brewed green tea, so it’s definitely worth your time. Starting your day with matcha is an effective way to burn calories and get the same jumpstart to your day as caffeine. Not only does it taste great, but it can help you lose weight. Alongside this fat fighting gem, matcha is a great way to enhance concentration. Vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium are just some of the nutrients you find in matcha tea. In turn matcha does not only help your concentration, but enhances your mood. Whether you decide on purple or green matcha you can always find ways to experiment with the flavours. Your digestive system will thank you for the new addition in your diet, as the fibre found in matcha will keep your body running smoothly. Although, drinking matcha is quick and easy way to consume matcha, don’t feel like it won’t work in other things too. Replacing cocoa with matcha is a sure fire way to get some fibre into your system and get a good night’s rest at the same time. Want to get your hands on some matcha? Check out Williamson Tea for fabulous matcha direct from their farms and start experimenting. Search ‘matcha’ at williamsontea. com
Pasha Matcha Ziya Iberica
Photo:Williamson Tea
Aj Mal
to an exquisite doughy consistency shot through with tender whole pieces of onion and delicious herbs. If you, like me, feel an Indian meal is not truly complete if not preceded by a plate of soft, steaming bhajis, come here. My main, with ground and whole pieces of lamb, was thick as good bolognese, rich with rivulets of red-coloured ghee. It was gloriously meaty, with a moreish tartness and sweetness that kept you coming back. I could have drunk a litre of this stuff straight from the pan. It really was that good. Too many places wuss out on the egg fried rice, but not here: it was full of fat clumps of white and slivers of yolk, with spring onion and star anise helping the savour. My companion’s fish curry was really something. A thick, korma-esque sauce with a good deal of fresh herbs and a gentle, warming spiciness. The taste of coconut had been well judged, just creamy enough to be rich without being so cloying as to require a nap straight afterwards. The heat was consistently present, but never threatening. Everything was familiar, and yet everything seemed brand new – the sauces more thickly packed with savour, the rice plumper and fluffier, the presentation sharper. By this point, I was drowsy with half a bottle of wine and the best curry of my life. Then, when we were the only customers left in the restaurant, a reassuringly rotund chef in immaculate whites perched himself on a bar stool next, visibly winding down, and drank a glass of water. I think this one gesture really sums up what I like about this place – everything has been given the maximum amount of care and attention, yet the final product is somewhere that is relaxed and informal. What can I say wrong about Ziya? Well, the poppadoms weren’t anything special, although the accompanying dips were excellent. The wine list, too, is perplexing: reds and whites sorted together under mysterious categories like [X], and only five beers. This isn’t too insulting, but the place has one of the biggest bars on the Curry Mile and the cocktail menu spans almost two pages, so it would be have been nice to have more choice. Ziya is clearly the product of a lot of thought (and money), yet it doesn’t come across as overwrought at any point. The food is a cut above anything I’ve ever eaten on the curry mile, or in general for that matter. Miss this at your own peril. 65-67 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M14 5TB
Taking place in Spinningfields’ sophisticated Spanish venue, the recently opened authentic Iberica restaurant held a Beer and Tapas evening, which allowed an escape from an icy February evening, and immersion into the world and flavours of renowned Spanish beer master, Casimiro Mahou. The evening kicked off with an introduction to the history and development of artisan Spanish beer in the atmospheric upstairs dining area of Iberica which contrasts with the expansive and lively bar area. Three gourmet beers where enjoyed, each inspired by Casimiro Mahou, a pioneer who dreamed of creating outstanding beer in winedominated Spain. These beers are currently unique to Iberica, and not available anywhere else, which is a pity given their lush, palate pleasing flavours. The golden foamy wheat Beer, Marcenado, had a malty honeyed flavour. We were advised on a method to enjoy the intense flavours and scents. This involved swirling the beer with your hand over the glass, in order to allow scents to build, and then inhaling. However, this has left me now unable to drink without automatically cupping , swirling and sniffing my drinks (not to be attempted with hot coffee) Recommended accompanying tapas avoided the confusion in selecting the right combinations when faced with a huge menu full of choice and variety. Shunning the ever popular and well known tapas dishes, we were instead treated to Iberica’s signature Serrano ham croquettes, with a delicate moreish flavour that complemented the beer perfectly. The Maravillas lager was described as representing the entrepreneurial spirit of Casimiro Mahou, and had a stronger more citrus flavour, with a hint of caramel. This was accompanied by the fantastic asparagus, manchego, and onion confit on a rich, truffle oil toast. This was a stark contrast to many of the tapas dishes we have come to know, and had a strong and multi-layered flavour that would make it the perfect accompaniment to any beer. Definitely one I would like to try again and plates were rapidly cleared.
The final beer of the evening was the vibrant red coloured Jacometrezo. Dedicated to originality, it certainly achieved this with its sweet yet spicy flavour and rich beige foam. The beers were all served with specific glasses suited to allow full experience of their
Photo: Iberica
rich flavours, and were all served at their ideal temperatures. A warm beer is perhaps a good beer, and we were warned that beers which are advised to be only drunk at very cold temperatures do so in order to disguise poor quality! Not wanting to finish there and with our appetites stirred, Ibericas bar menu was perused for more tasty treats. Served in the high ceilinged and wildly decorated bar area, the punchy flavour of Padron peppers, and the lingering, garlic aroma of fried chorizo lollipops in pear alioli, were washed down with the best Sangria I have ever tasted, made with cucumber and mint, and one of four varieties available. This relative newcomer to the city is already massively popular in London as a venue for top end, authentic and high quality Spanish food, and it was a rare treat to enjoy such an authentic and varied feast of food and drink. Delicately crafted food and drinks, rich with complex flavours left everyone wanting more. 14-15 The Avenue, Manchester M3 3HF
M A 3 M P 9 E M I T M R E T N I T H G I EVERY N
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O I N U S T N E D U T S R E T S E H C N MA
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Review
Review
Review: Battle of Review: Endgame the Societies
The Cancer Awareness in Teenagers and Young People Society (CATS) host the talent Manchester University has on offer with their ‘Battle of the Societies’ Hannah Foy Reviewer CATS put on a showcase of Manchester’s talent in their battle of the societies on Monday evening. Lighting up Academy Two, we saw a range of acts from Irish dancing to poetry reading, the Indian society and the medics panto covering a range of cultures, disciplines, and entertainment. The Cancer Awareness in Teenagers and Young People Society (CATS) aims to use such events to bring awareness of common cancer signs and promote continuous checks and awareness. It’s all done with a little tongue in cheek, regularly telling the audience to check their balls and the like, aiming that any possible signs can be diagnosed as soon as possible. Using the cat to symbolise the five key signs and symptoms of cancer; fatigue, weight loss, lumps, unexplained pains, and any changes in mood makes the process simple and easy, approachable for all ages. Hosted by Tom Beaumont,
who brought some light humour between acts and attempted to get some decent feedback from the quiet judges, the evening began with La Lunette, a band from the Live Music Society who set the tone for the evening’s talent. The Medics Revue brought about the many stereotypes of the UK’s countries, with some harsh and daring jokes. A more skilful performance came from the Indian Dance Society with a well-choreographed dance; equally the Dance Society came to their own with a robotic tap dance, followed by Irish dancing, two similar yet very separate skill sets brought together. I’m sorry to say the Comedy Society didn’t make me laugh, but I enjoyed the charades that brought the audience together at the beginning of the act. Being a theatre fan, there were some wonderful musical reference in the Medics Panto; anything that can keep to the tune of Wicked’s Popular and Defying Gravity with a medical twist is certainly a fine craft to hold. The Indian Society beautifully incorporated
traditional and modern music, both Indian and current UK hits, into an incredible melody of talent between the three performers. Finally, the A Capella group stole the stage in the last act of the night with two compositions, splitting harmonies across the group while keeping to the beat boxer’s tempo. My only disappointment of the night were the judges—they had little to say about the acts, and solely attempting to be funny took the limelight away from them, a little childish and pointless at times. Their comments brought very little insight to the performance and held little critical impact. Congratulations to the Indian Society who walked away with a £250 cash award, after first having to pick the notes up off the floor. The event promoted the work and talent of various societies across campus and all for a wonderful cause. If you’re interested in finding out more check the CATS Manchester Facebook page for all upcoming events and details on how to get involved.
Editor’s Picks
What’s on this week? Monday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM Cirque Berserk 2016 Palace Theatre, 7:30PM King Charles III – Manchester Opera House, 7:30PM Tuesday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theate, 1:30PM Cirque Berserk 2016 – Palace Theatre, 5 & 8PM King Charles III – Manchester Opera House, 7:30PM Wednesday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM Cirque Berserk 2016 – Palace Theatre, 2:30PM King Charles III – Manchester Opera House, 7:30PM Thursday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 1:30 &
Photo: garryknight @Flickr
7PM An Invitation… - Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM Mercury: The Ultimate Queen Tribute – Palace Theatre, 7:30PM Friday SFX: Emma Sweeney and Jack Rutter – Royal Exchange Theatre, 5:30PM Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM An Invitation… - Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM National Treasures 2016 – Palace Theatre, 7:30PM King Charles III – Manchester Opera House, 7:30PM Saturday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 1:30 & 7PM An Invitation… - Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM The Chicago Blues Brothers – Palace Theatre, 7:30PM
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.
Georgia Peyser Reviewer
A classically British beach scene—with children playing and pensioners lounging in deck chairs—lifts up and reveals a harsh industrial box that appeared to be at the bottom of a dark cavernous pit. This is the setting for HOME and Citizens Theatre’s production of End Game by Samuel Beckett. Endgame is centred around the demanding and wheelchair-bound Hamm (David Nielson) and his begrudging carer Clov (Chris Gascoyne), as they go through the motions of living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, watching their food slowly dwindle, and waiting to die. Nielson and Gascoyne, both of Coronation Street fame, play well off of each other. With their bickering exchanges being highlights of the play, along with their use of physical comedy, they really elevated the lighter moments in Beckett’s often morbid script. Other moments of light relief came from the humorous appearances of Hamm’s parents, Nagg and Nell, played wonderfully by Peter Kelly and Barbara Rafferty respectively. They reminisce about their past travels, whilst being reduced to living in dustbins. Their sweet and loving relationship provide a nice contrast to that of Hamm and Clov’s. Clov’s use of physical motifs was effective in bringing the audience a sense of the repetition and mundanity of their lives in the short time we spent with the characters. Gascoyne gave a strong performance as Clov, bringing vulnerability to a character that could have easily been interpreted as simply bitter. This really helped the audience to understand why Clov hadn’t left the unpleasant Hamm, or just killed him off as he requested. Some of the most moving parts of the play were when Clov treated Nagg and Nell’s bins with such a tenderness that we saw the characters longing for love and family. Where I felt the play fell short was in some
Photo:Press shot
of Hamm’s longer speeches, where it was sometimes unclear what was supposed to be an aside and what the other characters were aware of. This made these moments the least engaging, which is unfortunate, as they contained some of the more profound ideas in the play. Also, the fleeting moments in the dialogue where Hamm is affectionate towards Clov didn’t really hit home, making the conclusion of the play less moving than it had the potential to be. That being said, the excellent use of a ticking clock in the encroaching darkness made it a poignant ending all the same, and perhaps Nielson and Gascoyne’s Coronation Street following will introduce a new audience to Beckett’s work.
Review
Review: Let it Be Jack Carmichael enters a world of ‘Beatlemania’ to review this show which follow the band’s musical journey
Jack Carmichael Reviewer
Described by some as one of the most influential bands of all time, and adored by a legion of fans, the musical Let it Be is set some high expectations. Let it Be is a tribute performance to The Beatles, and includes some of their most famous songs. The first production of Let it Be opened on the West End in 2012 to positive reviews, with the success sparking both a UK and European tour. The current tour is taking the Beatles’ music across the country. The production at the Opera House in Manchester runs for a week from 29th February to 5th March. The production is an inventive combination of a theatre show, musical and gig, mixing the three elements to maximise audience engagement and enjoyment. The production stretches over seven key eras in The Beatles’ musical careers, and includes different scenery
and outfits for each time period. The scene is first set in a faux Cavern Club with early rock n roll songs taken from Please Please Me, The Beatles debut album, including an excellent rendition of I Saw her Standing There. The scene then moves through The Beatles breaking into the American music scene with a performance of fan favourite She Loves You on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965. The performance then takes a more colourful turn, with the cast donning full Sgt Pepper outfits for performances of With a Little Help from my Friends and When I’m Sixty-Four. The production’s penultimate theme is “Peace and Love”, finishing with an Abbey Road scene, complete with a shoeless Paul McCartney. The songs were all performed excellently by the cast. Two solo performances by Paul McCartney (Emanuelle Angeletti) of Yesterday and Blackbird could have been mistaken for the original
recordings. John Lennon (Reuven Gershon) had a rocky start, with his early performance of Twist and Shout missing several high notes. However he redeemed himself after the interval, coming back strong with Strawberry Fields Forever (and he also looks remarkably like Lennon). While the songs were, on the whole, performed well by the cast, the production was made much more interesting by the continued crowd engagement with the production. During the songs, the cast encouraged the audience to sing and dance along, and in the pauses the cast joked with the audience. This turned the production from what could have been just a set list of songs into an interactive and engaging evening. Let it Be is highly recommended for fans of The Beatles looking for a night of 60’s rocking and reminiscing, but high theatre prices may put off students who only have a passing interest.
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Foreign manners for you journey planners What are the no no’s of social etiquette around the world? Louisa Hall introduces a few for the travellers We’re monitored before we even utter our first stumbling phrasebook words in a foreign land. Although in England, we are by no means forthcoming in our friendliness towards others, it is actually rude and considered ‘too intimate’ to smile at strangers in Russia. Moreover, in Vietnam a friendly or jokey crossing of the fingers would have quite the opposite effect; far from a good luck symbol, they say it resembles a ‘feature’ of the female body (now WHAT could that be..?) And, it is therefore the equivalent of flipping the bird. So watch out, Lotto, you’re not going to sell many tickets with that obscenity! Of all things, an unexpected sneeze is-snot okay in Japan, and would warrant a glare of disgust rather than an (admit-
tedly half-hearted) “bless-you”. Even when you’ve finally found someone to chat to or something to do, you’re still not out of hot water. In Germany, standing with your hands in your pockets whilst talking to someone is very rude, as is chewing gum during a conversation in Italy. Tipping is considered an insult in Japan, and would therefore not be met with the gratitude that you may have expected. Alas, forget everything your mother told you! Burping after a meal in China is encouraged and is the sign of a good meal. Meanwhile, in The Netherlands you are expected to sit in the front seat of a taxi; the driver is your chum, not your chauffeur. *Deep breath*. Kissing is a whole other kettle of fish: two in Spain and
Italy; three in The Netherlands; one for someone the same age in Belgium, or three for an elder; and between one and four in France depending on the region (…maybe avoid here). The Flemish don’t make contact, the Spanish touch cheeks with a kissing noise, and Italians make no noise… The Germans just shake hands. Understanding the social norms of every country is worthy of a degree, and a few slip-ups are guaranteed. But what better practice is there than being British? With our over-using of the word “sorry”, compulsive need to queue for everything, and extensive range of context-dependent laughs, if you can survive the English public, then you can survive anywhere.
Photo: Nick Holliday @Flickr
Photo: Anthony White @Flickr
Photo: E shaughn @Flickr
International Alcohol Etiquette: Breaking down the barriers of communication A brief guide on the essential phrases you will need when travelling to order some booze and drinking with anyone, anywhere. Aj Mal Top Lifestyle Contributor Learning a new language can be time consuming, and communicating with the locals when travelling is often difficult to master. For this reason, we have constructed a brief international guide to the most essential phrases you will need to get served anywhere on the planet! First: How to order a beer. To enjoy a pint in Germany, ask for “Ein Bier, bitte!” The French request is, “Une bière, s’il vous plait”, whilst Italians stylishly utter “Una birra, per favore!” In Spanish, “Una cerveza por favor” will get you a beer. However, if you’re up for the challenge, it’s recommended
that you take the time to learn some of the many regional adjustments. For example, in Catalan: “Una cervesa, si us plau!” And in the Basque region of Bilbao and San Sebastián, you will need to ask for a “Garagardo bat, mesedez!” For a cold one in Sweden, “En öl, tack”. In Prague, “Pivo, Prosim”. In China, you can only try to pronounce “Ching gay woh ee bay pee joh!” And for Beers in Brazil and Portugal, try “Uma cerveja, por favor!” To say cheers, running through the following phrases should eventually see you stumble upon the right words: Poland and Russia: ”Nazdrovya” Sweden: “Skol”
Germany: “Prost” Spain: “Salud” Italy: “Salute” France: “à votre santé”. Whilst commonly known as simply just beer, or similar words such as “Bier” (Germany), “Biere” (France), or “Birra” (Italy), more unusual names include: “Cerveza” in Spain, but “Garagardoa” in the Basque region. “Cervesa” in Catalan, and “Cervexa” in Galicia. “Una Pinta” can also be requested. “Une Mousse” or “Une binouze” in France. “Bironga” in Mexico and “Pi Jiu” in Mandarin. In Eastern Europe, the Baltics and Russia, it is called “Pivo” or “Piva”, and in Scandinavia, ask for an “öl.” Enjoy! Photo: Patrick Kristian@Flickr
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Overheard University of Manchester
Abuse: It’s time to re-evaluate
“Sometimes, when my degree is going badly, I just have to remind myself that I’m merely a big blob with arms and legs and nobody really cares how I do in my degree.” Overheard in the Ali G
“She wants to get a bloody cat together. I’m scared, what if she finds out I’m still on Tinder?” Overheard on a 143
“If I eat nothing between now and the beginning of April, then maybe I’ll be able to fit into that catsuit thingie.” — “You’ll also be dead you moron.” Overheard outside of New Zealand Wines, Fallowfield.
“You know that poo sheet bit in Trainspotting? It was nearly as bad as that. I’m telling you, I’ll never un-see it.” Overheard on a 142.
“My mum rang me and told me that I’d have to choose between my Netflix or my Now TV account. These are dark times we live in.” Overheard in the SU.
“I’ve got my finger stuck in the champagne bottle.” Overheard in town.
Photo: Jimpop@Flickr
Following Kesha’s court battle with producer Dr Luke, Hannah McGrory calls for a re-evaluation on the attitudes towards abuse
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s a generation, we like to believe that we are progressive. We look back to the bad things that happened historically with pursed lips and frowning foreheads, comfortable in the knowledge that nowadays, we are firm supporters of tolerance and humanity. But how can we justify that belief when human beings are still being subjected to abuse at the hands of other human beings, getting away with it, every single day? The media has been set alight this week with reports of the legal battle between Kesha and music producer Dr Luke, who is accused of sexual and physical assault against the 29-year-old ‘Tik Tok’ singer. On February 19th 2016, Judge Shirley Kornreich denied Kesha’s request for a preliminary injunction (which would have allowed a temporary break from her contract with the Sony label Kemosabe Records) prompting the young artist to break down into tears in the courtroom. Unsurprisingly, the reaction of the singer and the court’s decision have sparked mass debate amongst Kesha fans and critics alike. Back in October of 2014, a lawsuit was filed against Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (Dr Luke) claiming that he subjected Kesha to several instances of sexual, physical, emotional and
substance abuse which began back in 2005, when the singer was just 18. Although the producer forcibly denied the accusations, claiming that they are part of a smear campaign to disrepute him, Kesha sought to legally break free of the contract that tethers her to his record label. However, in court Judge Kornreich reportedly stated that she saw no reason to “take the extraordinary measure of granting an injunction” and branded the contract as “typical for the industry”. It was also brought into question that music giant Sony had offered Kesha the opportunity to work with a different producer if she was unhappy, however her lawyers quickly voiced the singer’s concern that her music would not be promoted as heavily if she refused to work with Dr Luke, one of their biggest moneymakers. Judge Kornreich justified her decision by asserting that “[her] instinct [was] to do the commercially reasonable thing”. But since when did being “commercially reasonable” gain the power to trump basic human rights? Yes, contract law is extremely binding and carries a lot of legal weight, but this obvious dismissal to a young woman’s claim of serious physical assault stands as a prime example of one of the major societal problems of today. We just
Ask Us
don’t take abuse seriously. Why on earth are we living in a world where business contracts are given precedent over the right for people to feel safe in their own environment? Nobody deserves to be abused. Nobody has the right to be an abuser, no matter how high up the business ladder they are. What Kesha is going through is a very public example of why 75 per cent of people in the UK (and 68 percent in the United States) choose to not inform the authorities following an experience of sexual assault. It’s heartbreaking to fully comprehend just how many women (and of course, men) are out there struggling with the belief that nobody would take them seriously if they tried to report the crimes they had been subjected to. It took 50 separate accusations before Bill Cosby faced any criminal charges, so imagine how it feels to be just one person. In that position, why even consider opening up such emotional wounds when there’s little hope that you will get any justice? In the days subsequent to the court case, it has become increasingly clear just how deeply these issues have resonated amongst the public, with thousands of people taking to Twitter to show their support for Kesha by retweeting the hashtag #FreeKesha. This included
celebrities such as fellow musician Demi Lovato, who tweted that it was “frustrating to see women come forward with their past only to be shot down, not believed and disrespected for their bravery in taking action”. Kesha herself also chose to speak out, tweeting a picture, professing: “HOPE is the only thing stronger than FEAR”, along with a caption expressing a dignified thanks to all of those who had shown their support. We as women are encouraged to stand up against abuse, but this is a clear illustration of what happens to so many of those who do. Okay, so Kesha is a celebrity and chooses to live life in the public eye, and yes, she sometimes wears outlandish outfits and dances provocatively in her music videos. But does that make her any less of a woman? Of a human being? The answer is a definitive no. If one thing has become clear in the midst of this situation it’s that we as a people need to reevaluate how we deal with cases of abuse, because the way things are at the moment is simply unacceptable. And in the ongoing case of Kesha and Dr Luke? Well, all we can hope for is that the humanity of America’s judicial system isn’t completely dead.
?! ?!
I can’t seem to stop boring people at parties. Halfway into the conversation I’ll realise that whoever I’m talking to is no longer listening, and that their eyes have started to wander towards whoever might be coming through the door. I just don’t understand; my conversations vary from an exact breakdown of my module exam marks to just how different the water in Manchester tastes from the water back home. Just what am I doing wrong?
talk about, flip through the latest V&A brochure or talk about your latest trip to Thailand.
First Housemate How have you not sorted out your social skills by now?! By this point you should have had multiple dinner parties hosted by your parents—during which, you could have honed your small talk. If you real-
Third Housemate Why are you even bothering going to these parties? You should really be working. After all, isn’t that what you came to university to do? It doesn’t matter if you finish with no friends, as long as you have that coveted degree. After all, that’s all that employers need, isn’t it?
Second Housemate Clearly you haven’t drunk enough before you’ve decided to talk to people. Get at least six pints in you and your conversation will be flow freely. Even if it won’t, you’re definitely not going to be noticing if someone’s eyes are wandering towards the door.
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/TheMancunionSport Photo: Harry Newton
as much as everybody else involved. One Pell of a Match Those who bought tickets to the match certainly got their money’s worth, as they got a whole thirty minutes more and penalties to enjoy. And by enjoy, I mean sit in excruciating pain hiding behind their fingertips, not being able to withstand the tension. City were certainly making it difficult for themselves, squandering some golden opportunities, and had chances in the final minutes of regulated time, and extra time to put this to bed. But, City did what City do best— make it extremely difficult, make you go through every emotion under the sun, and then pull the bunny out the hat at the last minute. This win will make sure that Manuel Pellegrini finishes his career at City with another trophy to his name, after having one of the most fruitful managerial spells that any manager has had in charge of the Blues! What a way to go out with a bang too, in typical City fashion.
Willy Caballero
Capital One Cup Final: Willy up to the job! Harry Newton Sport Editor Wembley beckoned for City and Liverpool this weekend, for their chance to grab the first piece of silverware in English football this season! Both teams came out raring to go, with City having some fantastic chances, including two for Raheem Sterling that he narrowly missed, and Sergio Agüero will be kicking himself after missing a volley from a Kolo Touré pass back. It all worked out well for the Blues in the end though, as they took it all the way to penalties and Willy Caballero pulled off three spectacular saves to light the Wembley arch up in blue, and give Manuel Pellegrini a season to remember in his final year with the Blues! If this game was a film: Three Willy
A film about a plucky whale with a dream may not seem to have parallels with this game, but after a torrid week from the press, Willy Caballero came up trumps and became City’s hero! Big Moments POST – The first half saw Sergio Agüero do what he does best, dancing through the Liverpool defense and coming face to face with the keeper! Fingertips on the ball saw it just stroke the post and stop the Argentinian from a dream start. GOAL – Fernandinho! The ball was played to Agüero who played in an onrunning Fernandinho who smashed it at Simon Mignolet! The Brazilian liked that one, running off to celebrate with his team. GOAL – Daniel Sturridge plays a menacing ball across the box for Adam Lallana to tap in, but he hits the post. Luckily enough for Liverpool, Coutinho gets the rebound past Caballero. Jesús Navas’ PENALTY – in the penalty shoot-out, it was Jesús Navas who gave City the mental edge after tucking away his penalty and then jumping up and down to the fans cheering with them! He willed the City fans behind the goal to get behind the blues in this nervy shoot-out and it worked wonders. Stat of the Game Liverpool had 8 offsides to City’s 0, highlighting how impressive the City back four were. Big Willy’s big performance
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
When Manuel Pellegrini took charge of Manchester City three years ago, he came at a time where City’s play-
ers were low in morale, but his squad management has been superb to create a very happy camp where all the players love him. This can be put down to his charming personality, but more so to his squad rotation which sees every player happy. After all, it’s never the starting eleven that cause problems in the dressing room—it’s those that aren’t playing. This is evident from Sunday’s performance from Willy Caballero. The fairytale of Willy Caballero came to a beautiful end in what may be his final game for City this season, as he became the hero for the day! It’s like when everyone tells you that your boyfriend/girlfriend is no good for you and then they turn up with a holiday to Spain for two weeks—except this time it was Caballero winning the cup for a loyal Pellegrini. After a difficult time against Chelsea in the FA Cup conceding five, Willy Caballero had to endure a tough week of the press constantly questioning if he would play in the Capital One Cup Final, despite having played every game in the competition this season already. Pellegrini stuck with his man, and he repaid his faith with a worldclass performance in the penalty shoot-out, saving three in a row. It’s almost unheard of to save three in a row in a shoot-out, and you could tell just how much it meant to the Argentinian on the final whistle as he ran to the fans to celebrate, and even jumped up on the shoulders of Wilfried Bony with his arms in the air. Caballero was even moved to tears on Sky Sports, after previously telling The Mancunion on Friday that winning the cup would have been his career highlight. When asked upon, Willy stood up and put in a strong performance that saw a climactic end, that he visibly loved just
“I feel great, it is incredible… It is fantastic for me and all my family.” Penalties Can – GOAL. Cheeky little dink sent Caballero the wrong way, but he set the tone for Liverpool’s lethargic penalties. Fernandinho – POST. Lucas – SAVE. Poor penalty. Navas – GOAL. Smuggles it right into the corner, perfectly executed. Coutinho – SAVE. His little stutter didn’t deceive the experienced Caballero, who was quick to save. Agüero – GOAL. Never in doubt. Lallana – SAVE. Fantastic save to Caballero’s bottom right bottom corner completes his hat-trick of saves—and what a save it was! Touré – GOAL! City win it with Yaya Touré!
@Mancunion_Sport
Fan Watch When Kolo Touré went to warm up near the City fans, a chorus of Yaya/ Kolo burst out from the stands and the whole stadium was bouncing for the Ivoirians! Kolo seemed ecstatic about this—he was substituted on minutes later though, so City fans stopped singing his name as he quickly became the enemy again. This was definitely the day of Willy Caballero, as the City fans stayed after the final whistle to sing his new song to him. I bet not many pundits thought that would ever happen. As both sets of fans tried to escape from the ground, they were brought to a halt by the terrible Wembley oneway system. In order to calm the mob, stewards played the YMCA through the megaphone, which brought the two sets of Northern fans together to forget the score and celebrate in a camp dance number and song! City fans may be excited about the news of Pep Guardiola joining the Blues this summer, but that didn’t stop them showing their admiration for the departing Manuel Pellegrini, as they belted his song out during the game and most notably as he lifted the Cup at the end. Man of the Match
Vincent Kompany City had been without their captain for a long period which saw them struggle and every pundit in the country declare that City miss Kompany, and aren’t the same without him. It’s hard to disagree with these pundits at the moment, as the Belgian is pulling out some fantastic performances. He was a rock at the back this game, pulling blocks out everywhere, but most importantly organizing the back four to have a strong back line, catching Liverpool offside a few times. When he plays well defensively, so does the whole defence: it’s not just his footballing ability that gets him in the side, it’s his knowledge and leadership that makes everyone step up. Nicolás Otamendi had yet another great game alongside his centre-back partner, and Fernando just in front of the two had one of his best games in a City shirt. Although it would be unfair to credit the performances of Fernando and Otamendi to Kompany’s involvement, it was a solid performance at the back, and it was the captain that had a big part in this. You get the sense that if Kompany can stay fit, then City’s defence may bring about a solid end to the season and a title push after all.
Photo: Mike Serigrapher @Flickr
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SPORTLIGHT Photo: Manchester Business School
Alliance Manchester Business School Football team means business Davide Cappelli Sport Reporter Ranked 7th in UK and 35th in the world by the Financial Times for its MBA programme, Alliance Manchester Business School secured a third place at the International Football Challenge. The tournament, which has been organised by the AMBS sports’ committee, saw students from the best business schools across Europe taking off their suits and putting on their football boots to compete in an 11-aside competition at Salford Sports Village. The two MBA teams from Alliance Manchester Business School managed to get through the group stage after beating Warwick (4-1) and Edinburgh (1-0). However, both the MBA class of 2016 and the MBA class of 2017 failed to get into the final, after two tight games against University of Oxford Business School and IE University. With a 4-2 against Oxford (winner of
two editions of the trophy), the Spanish university put its name on the 5th edition of the International Football Challenge. AMBS Vice-president of sport David Valdivia, who organised the event with MBA students Stefania Miravalle, Francisco Ponce, Willis Arum, and Rupsha Das said:
“This is another proof of the power of football to connect people, nations, and even the business leaders of tomorrow.” “We’ve been a bit unlucky, especially in the semi-final against Oxford, where we didn’t deserve to lose. We played really well and we created many chanc-
es. Unfortunately, we also missed a penalty when the game was 0-0. “However, this was the first tournament for our team, but I’ve noticed some good improvements from the group stage to the semi-final. It’s been a good preparation for the MBA Olympic Games that will take place in Paris this May. I think that with some more twists, and if we arrange the team a little bit better, we can try to win that competition.” Therefore, manager Gonzalo Vargas has already started the preparation to take captain Chris Matthews and his teammates on the top of the MBA football rankings. It would be the first time for our business school, as in the past it has been always complicated to compete with other European schools such as HEC Paris or IE whose MBA class is four times bigger than the AMBS one. However, MBS International football challenge has also been an opportunity to promote Manchester as a leading football capital in the world. Indeed, the welcome event took place at the National Football Museum with a speech from speaker of the year in 2014 Andrew Thorp, and the participant teams had also the chance to visit “the theatre of dreams”, Old Trafford. Not only football though, as during the weekend, there was also room for some more business-related talks. Speaking to The Mancunion, David Valdivia said: “The event has also been a great opportunity for networking with alumni and students from other countries and universities. It’s been a unique chance to share ideas on business competitions and to create business opportunities for the future”. This is further proof of the power of football to connect people, nations, and even the business leaders of tomorrow.
Photo: Manchester Business School
Interested in writing for The Mancunion Sport? Meetings are every Monday at 5pm on the first floor of the Students’ Union! Or, email us at sports@mancunion.com
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Louis van Gaal’s Trips Cometh the man, cometh the hourLouis Van Gaal. How the Stretford End roared as LVG soared from his seat to the touchline and dived in
front of the fourth official. “Louis Van Gaal’s Red and White Army” echoed around the stadium, a chant that certainly has not been heard around
the ground for a few weeks now after the dismal displays by United. Since then, the internet has exploded and here are some of our favo
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ISSUE 17 / 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Photo: Waldopepper @Flickr
Toby Webb Sport Reporter The week ahead will prove decisive to the outcome of this year’s Six Nations. There are three teams that could conceivably win the championship: England, Wales and France. For England and Wales, victories in the last two games will secure them the championship. For England, it is clear. They must defeat the two other challengers (their next two games) and in doing so, they will win the tournament, securing their first Grand Slam since 2003, and the tournament’s first since 2012. The extent of the challenge should not be overlooked. Wales are the strongest side this remodelled England team will face. Moreover, the prospect of a closing weekend match in Paris will bring back painful memories of the last time they were there (2014), when they conceded a last-minute try to lose the game. For the rest of the teams, pride is at stake, as well as the opportunity to secure bragging rights for the year ahead. No game in the Six Nations is without meaning or significance. As a result, the tournament is escalating year on year. However, in my opinion, the Six Nations is suffering from a lack of quality across the board. I say this in light of the calibre of rugby exhibited during last year’s World Cup. The problem is that, given the rivalries that feature in almost every game, results are given precedence, often paving over deficiencies in quality and style. Yes, there have been moments of brilliance. England’s final try against Italy, the sumptuous offload from Jamie George to send Owen Farrell over the whitewash, was reminiscent of All Black rugby. Quick offloading is something
6 Nations
National rivalry overshadows lack of quality
Eddie Jones will hope to see more of as he begins to implement his philosophy further. Similarly, George North’s solo effort against Scotland was a harking back to when he first came on the scene, as well as the blistering try he scored for the Lions. Similarly, Scotland’s tries against Italy were demonstration of quality back line play. Northern hemisphere rugby still largely revolves around tactics of attrition. There is a heavy focus on the set-piece; the scrum battle often decides games. As well as this, forcing the opposition to concede penalties is a crucial tactic. Penalties give the team in question the opportunity to kick for goal or kick
for territory (attaining another set-piece). Indeed, building a score through goal-kicking is as much desired as building a score through tries. As a newcomer to rugby, and one who lacks any national allegiance, you would be forgiven for thinking Six Nations rugby is pretty mundane, especially in comparison to the southern hemisphere. Take the southern hemisphere equivalent, the Rugby Championship. This is characterised by expansive rugby where the emphasis is on try-scoring. This is not only more exciting for the spectator, but can produce more shock results. In the 2015 tournament, Australia beat New Zealand, Photo: Kenya Allmond @Flickr
WWE – Road to Wrestlemania Joe Murphy Sport Reporter The Roman Empire to play The Game After winning a triple threat match at the recent pay-perview Fastlane, it was confirmed that Roman Reigns will face Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event at Wrestlemania. Although it wasn’t the most popular choice with fans, Reigns defeated his ‘brother’ Dean Ambrose and ‘The Beast Incarnate’, Brock Lesnar, meaning he will headline the biggest show of the year for the second successive year. Recently on Monday Night Raw, Triple H attacked
the former shield member, cutting his head open with the timekeeper’s bell before slamming him onto the announcers table. There is little doubt that, in the weeks to follow, Roman will get revenge on the COO of the company, more than likely involving a spear or two. I predict that Reigns will emerge victorious when all said and done, with 14-time champion Triple H putting over the future face of the company.
Shane O Mac is Shane O Back! Whereas the Reigns victory was easily predictable, the return of Shane McMahon after 7 years away from the company was a surreal moment. Nobody could have predicted
his return during a segment where his father Vince McMahon was giving out an award to daughter, and wife of Triple H, Stephanie. What followed was equally shocking, with Shane demanding control of Monday night Raw from The Authority (Triple H and Stephanie). It was stated that Shane is holding an unknown power over his father so Vince agreed to give him control of WWE’s flagship show if he can win one match, one time. Unfortunately for Shane, this was revealed to be against The Undertaker, at Wrestlemania, inside Hell in a Cell, setting up one of the most interesting angles in recent WWE history. I personally can’t see the Undertaker losing cleanly, so I predict that Shane
loses and The Authority retain power, leaving Undertaker to have one final match next year before retiring, probably against John Cena. The Lunatic Fringe heading for a street fight in Suplex City ‘Thou shall not intentionally provoke Brock Lesnar’ is the 11th commandment according to The Beasts advocate Paul Heyman. This commandment fell on deaf ears when it came to Dean Ambrose. During the main event of Fastlane, Ambrose used a low blow, then a chair to down Lesnar. The next night before Raw even started, Lesnar attacked the lunatic fringe, suplexing him into a car windscreen, forcing him to
and Argentina recorded a victory against South Africa. In contrast, the Six Nations is very predictable, with home advantage often being the main variable for predicting results. Scotland vs Italy is perhaps the only game that is difficult to predict. However, if I was to place a bet, I would always side with Scotland. Comparisons between northern and southern hemisphere rugby ultimately come down to culture. The supremacy of the southern hemisphere style lies in its versatility. The teams are able to play with flair and speed, but also have the ability to play using attrition as a tactic if needs be. On the contrary, Six Nations teams are often one-dimensional, subsequently lacking ideas. Think Wales. They are solely reliant on the ‘warren-ball’ tactic, utilising their weight advantage across the team to batter the opposition into submission. However, a belligerent defensive display against them will cause them problems. Similarly, Ireland are painfully reliant on Jonny Sexton’s game control, his kicking and distribution. If he is neutralised, Ireland often lose. I am not expecting a level of rugby comparable to the likes of New Zealand (they are several echelons above the entire northern hemisphere). However, I do think that every team has the capability of playing a lot better than they currently are. A mixture of injuries and new coaching regimes go some way to explaining the quality shortage. As a fan, I can ignore the level of quality on display: the intense rivalry between many of the Six Nations teams makes every game engaging. However, if they want to sustain a better challenge against southern hemisphere teams, Six Nations teams need to focus on improving the style and quality of play, rather than simply wanting to win against each other.
go to hospital. Later that night, a clearly wounded Ambrose drove this same ambulance back into the arena. Lesnar again attacked him, but Dean wouldn’t stay down, despite receiving an F-5 on the floor. Dean managed to request a street fight for the show of shows in April, an offer that the former UFC fighter couldn’t refuse. I predict that Lesnar wins with relative ease, but Ambrose puts up a valiant effort, coming out of Wrestlemania looking strong. Tag Team Turmoil The current tag team champions, ‘The New Day’, as we all know, are brilliant. With their bumbling humour and loveable personalities, they have made 3 very ordinary superstars, extraordinary! Yet, there still seems to be a problem for WWE, when is there not? The WWE struggles to book the ‘The New Day’, which could be problematic, especially with Wrestlemania right around the corner. Looking at the roster, there are no current tag teams that can keep up with the energy and spark that ‘The New Day’ has. The ‘Usos’ have been done one too many times, The Dudley boys have one, and one only exciting move, and the ‘League of Nations’ are as much fun as your great-auntie’s birthday. So what does the WWE do with the current tag team champions? Well, personally I think the WWE has never been in such need of a tag team return in a while. With fast lane been and gone, it only leaves it to one of the remaining RAW episode to bring back The New Day’s Wrestle mania opponents. But who I hear you ask? Well, there are many options. The first names that spring to mind or the amazing Jeff and Matt Hardy. Very much the ‘Usos’ of their day, but as a kind of upgrade. With their high flying, and I-will-doanything-literally style, they are guaranteed to create some volume in the AT&T Stadium. Even though both Matt and Jeff Hardy were not known for their mic skills, there in-
ring ability does all the talking for them, and The Hardy Boys vs The New Day would be a match that every WWE fan would like to see. Injury Crisis John Cena, Seth Rollins, Sting, Cesaro, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Tyson Kidd and many more are all currently on the sidelines. This crisis is one of the worst to hit the WWE, with all these big names (who sell tickets and therefore make money) out, storylines have had to be changed to put together a show for Texas. Even the recent retirement of fan favourite Daniel Bryan is a huge loss for the company. It can’t be helped, injuries happen, but it is all about what WWE can do without many of its top stars. I believe there are only 2 solutions, one such is to promote people from NXT (WWE’s developmental group) such as Finn Balor, Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, Bayley and Enzo & Big Cass. These names are respected throughout much of the WWE Universe and many feel as if they are ready for the main roster. Alternatively, bring back big names. Although The Rock is known to be appearing at Wrestlemania, it is not thought to be in a wrestling capacity. WWE needs to get some big names returning, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, or even Batista. Divas Revolution? It is no secret that women’s wrestling was in a bad place this time last year and has since become much more of a focus, meaning it has become more respected by fans. The quality of performance shown by Superstars such as Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Divas Champion Charlotte means that Women have now a real place in WWE. I feel that the potential triple threat between these 3 women at Wrestlemania could be a show stealer, and Banks should be winning her first main roster title.
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United and Liverpool to Meet in Europe for First Time Dan Austin Sport Reporter Alexander Frei, Swiss ex-pro and ambassador for this season’s final in his native Basel, allowed himself a wry smile as he unscrewed the balls and pulled out the names of English football’s two most successful sides to face one another during for the Europa League round-of-16 a fortnight ago. Despite having played regularly in Europe since the 1960s, the Red Devils have never met the Reds in continental competition, avoiding each other but playing against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal on various occasions. They nearly crossed paths when they were at the pinnacles of their footballing power in the late 2000s; United failed to join the Reds in the 2007 Champions League final, losing to AC Milan in the previous round, and Liverpool missed out on making it to Moscow in 2008 by suffering defeat against Chelsea, who went on to lose against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. That elusive final between the two never took place; a terrible shame, despite the spike in heart-attack admissions the NHS would surely have seen in the North-West at the time. Though defeat against the most bitter of rivals would have meant crushing disappointment for those on the losing side, victory would have paved the way for a life-time of celebration and gloating that no other game between them could
hope to replicate. When asked about the tie, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp asserted that it was the “logical final.” The two North-West sides are certainly the most reputable pair left in the competition, but they lack quality in comparison with some of the continent’s other teams. Klopp’s old side Borussia Dortmund and holders Sevilla are two of a number of clubs who possess far more talented squads at present, and have a more successful recent record in Europe. Indeed, Frei could easily have paired up FC Midtjylland and FC Augsburg during the draw ceremony; the former looked all but set to knock out United in the previous round until debutant Marcus Rashford’s late goals spared his team’s embarrassment, while Liverpool managed a solitary goal from a penalty against the German side and were forced to defend resolutely late on. The fact that the pair are meeting at a relatively early stage in UEFA’s secondary club competition is a damning indictment of the expeditious slide from Europe’s summit both have seen in recent years. Since Rafael Benitez’s departure, Liverpool have been regularly knocked-out in the Europa League’s earlier rounds, while the Red Devils have struggled badly under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. This matchup could once have produced an all-time European classic, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez seeking to out-wit Jamie Carragher, and Fer-
Are celebrities ruining Sport Relief? Harry Newton Sport Editor Don’t worry, you are not about to read a scathing attack of Sport Relief and the fantastic work that they do for charity. Last year Sport Relief made around £52 million, with 50 per cent of the money raised by the public for Sport Relief going towards transforming lives in the UK. The formation of Sport Relief was a fantastic idea, using something that almost everyone in the country likes in
nando Torres and Steven Gerrard running around Nemanja Vidic. In 2016, though, supporters will be subjected to Phil Jones kicking lumps out of Divock Origi, and 35-year-old Kolo Touré marking 18-yearold Rashford. Where once they challenged for and succeeded in winning UEFA’s top competition, they now squabble over a second-rate tournament often treated with a lethargy that stems from its lowly stature in England. Taking a couple of encounters between two of the planet’s most famous teams and playing it at this stage of the Europa League is akin to performing one of Shakespeare’s works at your local Royal British Legion pub. The English public and media’s disdain for the Europa League is well documented and based upon solid arguments—the quality of football on display is weaker than in the Champions League, the matches unpopularly take place on Thursday nights, sometimes as early as 18:00, and it can take up to an energy-zapping 17 games to finally lift the trophy. Alas, this is the tournament in which both clubs find themselves languishing in 2016, and despite its humdrum reputation, they can use the matches to reinvigorate themselves. Primarily, winning the tournament offers entry into next season’s Champions League, an opportunity that might elude both clubs based on current
some capacity, for a good cause— similar to the fantastic work that Comic Relief and Children in Need do. These kind of fundraisers use celebrities in order to gain more exposure: people are more interested in Simon from Blue doing a hopscotch than Simon from the Co-op, as sad as that may sound. Everyone gets a nice Friday night watching the show, Sport Relief make a ton of money for a great cause, and these celebrities get a little bit more exposure—what could be better? Well, the problem with this is that it is slowly crossing the boundary of glorifying certain celebrities instead of the fundraiser itself. Last year saw Eddie Izzard run 43 marathons in 52 days for the charity. You’d be heartless to not to respect what Izzard did, and it will have definitely inspired people up and down the country to get involved with Sport Relief in some capacity and donate to save lives. Fantastic. Rosy. Joyful. However, it cannot be escaped that Eddie Izzard’s career, just before doing these marathons for Sport Relief, was in a trough. Izzard had been big in comedy for decades, however he’s fallen behind new comedians in the last five years—Eddie Izzard needed Sport Relief just as much as Sport Relief needed him. Izzard was on every news channel for two weeks, had his own show on BBC following his exploits up and down the coun-
Photo: Duncan Hull @Flickr
league positioning. Triumphing over the course of these games, and advancing to the latter stages, will give the victor a realistic shot at securing European silverware, and in doing so leave an old enemy’s season in tatters. Furthermore, the tie represents a chance to improve negative moods around both clubs. Liverpool’s league season looks over with them in midtable and they will be disappointed with last week’s League Cup final loss to Manchester City, while the undercurrent of disaffection surrounding supporters at Old Trafford has been evident all season long. The atmosphere in both legs should be a significant step up from the mundane meetings with minnows from obscure leagues, which have preceded this round. Games between United and Liverpool always see both sets of supporters at their most passionate, and the prospect of a historic first European meeting, with its added tension, dark skies, and novelty, will surely raise the noise levels even further. A two-legged Europa League affair between Manchester United and Liverpool might not be of the same prestige or calibre as the prospective Champions League final that the continent craved in 2007 or 2008, but the winner has the opportunity to make history, secure bragging rights over a detested rival, and will attempt to re-assert themselves as a dominant force in European football.
try, and since then has been stapled on the TV yet again like it’s the 1990s all over again. It must be said that at this point, I’m actually quite a fan of Eddie Izzard. Of course, Izzard could have got his name back into the limelight by doing some outrageous stunt, whereas this was beneficial for everybody involved. It’s not with Izzard where the problem lies, it’s with how these events are becoming more focused on the promotion of the individual instead of the fundraising. All this month we’ve seen in the press C-list celebrities doing great things for charity, and it has become more about boosting the careers of minor celebrities instead of the larger celebrities actually doing something important for charity. This is a plea to other celebrities to get involved while Sport Relief needs them, instead of their career needing Sport Relief. Photo: UK in Spain @Flickr