02 : NEWS
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Highlights P12
Music – Interview: Axel Boman
Approximately 26000 students attended the Welcome Fair last week. The Union’s new giant inflatable letters were used for Pangaea too. They will be used for Why Not Wednesdays this year. Photo: Manchester SU
P17
Fashion – Freshers’ streetstyle
P24 Arts – Manchester’s top Arts secrets
P26
Picture of the week – “Back in the university bubble.”
continued from page one... legitimacy. Siobhan Bourke, Chair of The Riveters, UMSU Women’s Rights Collective, in a statement to The Mancunion, said, “I have recently been made aware of the fact that the escort agency, “Gold’s Girlies” has been advertising both their services and jobs with the agency on Facebook pages primarily associated with students. Many of these posts do not mention the nature of the work nor what students will be expected to do. “Whilst escorts and other forms of sex work should not be stigmatised, it is also important to note that with a 2004 Home Office study revealing that more than 50 per cent of sex workers have been sexually assaulted by clients; abuse and sexual assault are shockingly common in these lines of work. By deliberately targeting first year students, Gold’s Girlies are both exploiting the naïveté of those who are living independently for what is most likely the first time in their lives, and the financial instability of many students. With these factors in play, it is far more likely that the students working for this agency will be coerced and sexually abused when with clients”. She added further, “I advise people to thoroughly check the job descriptions (and the company offering the jobs) before signing up from any links posted to Facebook or other social media sites. If you are having financial problems, the Students’ Union has a financial advice service or contact the Money Advice Service on 0300 500 5000.” The activities of the agency sparked mixed reac-
Lifestyle – what do we do about sexual harassment?
Visit Our Website www.mancunion.com Facebook: The Mancunion Twitter: @THEMANCUNION Editor-in-chief : Aidan Gregory editor@mancunion.com Deputy Editor-in-chief : Charlie Spargo Postal address: Univerity of Manchester Students’ Union, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PR Phone (0161) 275 2933
tions from the Students’ Union executive and society leaders. Harriet Pugh, Education Officer said, “I would like to stress that for me, whether or not women students choose to become escorts is not, in itself, an issue, neither is it an issue that the organisation is for escorts. “I would, however, take issue with Gold Girlies if it were exploitative of or abusive towards its workers”. Charlotte Cook, General Secretary, said, “There are issues around escort services which emerge every year targeting vulnerable students who struggle with the living costs of university life and seek short term methods to make ends meet”. Escort companies targeting students is not unheard of. Back in 2012, Concrete, the University of East Anglia’s official student newspaper, ran an exposé on the targeting of students on twitter by the escort agency Anglian Escorts. The Huffington Post UK recently reported that according to the charity English Collective of Prostitutes, not enough is being done to help student sex workers. The NUS, according to the article, recently launched a joint research project with Swansea University. The project aims to discover how many students turned to the sex trade and how Universities and Students’ Unions can aid those who turned to the trade. However the NUS said that “until they have the bigger picture,” they are reluctant to take any action.
Nando’s Napkin Gets Dealer Nicked Anna Phillips News Editor
A drug dealer has been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to two years and four months imprisonment after his fingerprints were found on a Nando’s napkin. Manchester based Ajaz Raja had left his fingerprints on the napkin he used to partially wrap around his cocaine. When officers from North Manchester’s Organised Crime Unit (Operation Cairo) conducted a drugs warrant on a house in Cheetham Hill, they found cocaine with a street value of £6960, amongst dozens of snap bags and a set of digital scales. During the subsequent investigation, the Nando’s napkin was found which revealed his fingerprints. Ajaz pleaded guilty at an earlier stage to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last week. PC Darren Wayman, of Operation Cairo, said: “No matter how well drug dealers think they cover their tracks they will always slip up, as in this case. Once we presented the prints evidence to him he had little option but to admit to the offence. “He’s now been jailed for more than two years so he won’t be enjoying a meal out at Nando’s, or anywhere else for that matter, for some time.”
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ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 03
Sexual harassment rife on campuses, say NUS - A recent study by the NUS shows the shocking extent of sexual harassment around universities Anna Phillips News Editor NUS president Toni Pierce has called on university authorities to tackle ‘lad culture’ at universities following a recent NUS survey. The survey revealed that one in four UK students have experienced unwanted sexual advances at university. One in three women surveyed reported they had experienced harassment in the form of inappropriate groping and touching. More than a third of women and 16 per cent of men also said they had experienced unwanted sexual comments about their bodies. More than a third of respondents were also aware of promotional material around university depicting sexualised images of women. As well as this, 37 per cent said they had seen students put up with unwanted sexual comments. Lad Culture National Strategy Team Ambassador Laura Bates said: “Students are experiencing sexism, sexual harassment and assault within the university environment. It is worth mentioning that one category of such experiences; “inappropriate touching and
groping” actually constitutes sexual assault under UK law.” She said: “Though many students would not label it as such, this normalisation and lack of awareness is a major part of the problem.” The study also revealed a lack of awareness or provisions in place for students, with 60% of respondents admitting they were unaware of codes of conduct implemented by their universities regarding reporting of incidents. 75% of students said they were familiar with online communities such as “The Lad Bible” and “Uni Lad”, however 63 per cent of women and 43 per cen of men agreed they show an unfair representation of women. Lad culture is defined by the NUS as a set of widespread attitudes and behaviours that “belittle, dismiss, joke about or even seem to condone rape and sexual assault”. NUS president Toni Pierce said: “Sadly, all of these elements exist in campus life, we know because we hear it from students. They told us in the Hidden Marks report in 2010, they revealed the depths of lad culture in ‘That’s what she said’ last year, and they’ve spoken again”. She said: “These stats show
The We Get It campaign is a project to rid Manchester of sexual harassment. Photo: Streunna4 @Flickr that harassment is rife on is an accredited zero tolerance campus, but we still we keep union. Staff and students hearing from universities are asked to take the We Get that there is no fear, no It pledge, to demonstrate intimidation, no problem— the commitment to create well this new research says a welcoming and inclusive otherwise.” university community. As a result of the results Women’s Officer Jess Lishak the NUS is launching a pilot said: “We want to ensure that scheme for five to ten UK all staff and students are aware students’ unions to investigate of the campaign and their what lad culture is like on responsibility as members of their campuses and assess the our University community to measures in place to tackle it. not participate in ‘lad culture’ The University of and to call it out when they Manchester’s Students’ Union see it.”
Nominations open for 2014 Student Officer Elections Lauren Gorton News Editor Student Officer elections for this academic year opened on the 8th September, including the positions of Faculty Officers, Liberation Officers and Action Group Officers. On commenting on the importance of the elections General Secretary Charlotte Cook stated, “students need to know that they have a voice and an opinion worth hearing; that it should be these voices leading the work of their Union and directing the way the university engages with them. “That is what the elections offer the opportunity to do. You can run to represent your course but you can also be a faculty rep and represent all students across disciplines. “We also believe strongly in autonomy and equality which is why we have liberation representatives who
specifically represent Black Minority and Ethnic, LGBTQ, Women and Disabled student groups.” This year however the entirely new position of Student Community Officers has also been introduced. The Mancunion asked Community Officer Ellen McLaughlin as to why the Exec team believed the new role to be necessary. “Primarily this role has been introduced to represent students living outside of halls. As the majority of students live in the private rented sector it seemed imperative to me that those students had a representative voice at the Students’ Union, the university and the council. “The Student Community Officers will have the responsibility to gather student opinion in their areas and voice it to the university, Students’ Union and local MPs.
“However, Student Community Officers will hopefully also help foster positive relationships between students and local residents – who are currently more exposed to the negative actions of a tiny minority of students. The Student Community Officers will have the important responsibility to challenge this perception and ensure the hugely positive impact students make is celebrated.” McLaughlin further expressed the hope that the new role will challenge the potential exploitation of students within the private rented sector. Standing for the positions closes on Thursday 9th October at 5pm and voting will commence on Friday 17th October, with the successful candidates due to be announced in late October. Applications can be found on the Students’ Union website.
“The campaign will also be improving the way that students access support by creating an easy and accessible online reporting system on the homepage of the online portal which will be launched as part of a wider We Get It campaign against all forms of bullying and harassment in November.” Any student who experiences verbal or physical sexual assault on the premises are encouraged to alert any member of staff, who will refer
you to a specially trained duty manager immediately for the relevant support. The university also has several harassment advisers trained to help if students need someone to talk to, whose contact details can be found on the Students’ Union website.
Freshers spend £200 on alcohol in first week alone Charlie Spargo Deputy Editor-in-cheif New research has found that incoming first year students at universities across the country will spend well over £200 each on alcohol in their first week alone. The study, carried out by the discount website vouchercodes. com, also states that freshers will on average already have spent well over £1000 on new belongings such as laptops, tablets and a new wardrobe. Compared with an average of £150 in 2013, students this year are forecast to spend £215.83 on beer, wine and spirits in clubs, pubs and supermarkets in their first week at university. They will then continue to spend their money on further going out, joining societies and buying academic equipment in
the early months of their first year. It is also estimated that 69 per cent of first years rely on money from their parents and other family members to cover the costs of university and socialising in the first week. This significant rise in expenditure on social experiences seems to defy what would be expected after the substantial rise in tuition fees to £9000 in 2012. Amongst other luxuries, the study found that sizable contributors to the huge amount spent in first year includes takeaways, beauty treatments such as tanning and cinema tickets. Only six per cent of students’ Freshers’ Week budget was spent on food at home last year. Students in London, normally regarded as significantly more
expensive than any other British city, were in fact ranked tenth on the list of the amount the average student spends in their first week, with data coming in at £1499. In fact, first years at Colchester University spend the most on Freshers’ Week, with average expenditure coming in at £2879, closely followed by Brighton University with £2873. As well as this, the gap between the sexes was notable. Male students spend almost £600 more than female students, with their average expenditure sitting at £2308. Anita Naik, consumer editor at vouchercodes, said, “while it’s understandable that students can forget about budgeting… in the long run the huge outlay just isn’t sustainable.”
04 : News
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
2014 Welcome Week Completely Sold Out - Marcus Johns speaks to the Activities and Developments officer Joel Smith and Head of Residences, Catering and Bars, Emma Barlow about the runaway success of Welcome Week. Marcus Johns News Editor For the first time ever at the University of Manchester, every event in this year’s Welcome Week completely sold out. According to a Students’ Union representative, 4200 first years attended the opening event, called Facehall, at Deansgate Locks last Sunday. Facehall was the opening event for which each guest was given a t-shirt on which they write their name, course, relationship status, and hall of residence. It is expected that 6500 students attended Welcome Week’s Pangaea event, which contrasts with the cancellation of 2012’s M13 event due to lack of interest. Joel Smith, the Students’ Union Activities and Development officer said, “It’s absolutely amazing that this year’s Welcome Week events have sold out. “It is testament to the hard work of the Residents’ Association (RAs), Junior Common Rooms (JCRs) and staff team in the Union. It is the first time that the Students’ Union has had direct control over the Welcome Week events, as in previous years it had been outsourced to a private events management company. “This year, any money raised during the events will be reinvested into the Students’ Union.” A representative of the Students’ Union predicted that the week was set to break even, although full details of any profit made during Welcome Week will not be available until midOctober. Based on the runaway success of this year’s events Joel said, “We are hoping that welcome week can become more and more student focused. The Welcome Week package was designed to have bigger, more fun nights rather than smaller nightly events as in the past with the off-nights organised by the halls. Due to the sheer number of first years and the popularity of the pack it limits the venues we can use around
the city, but there are already some great plans for next year’s pack under way. Speaking to The Mancunion, Emma Barlow, Head of Residences, Catering, and Bars, said that 5000 Welcome Week packs were released and all were sold. “We used data from last year to work out how to split it; we knew how many people were coming and roughly how many people would be interested. “This year we sold packs online for arrival, which contributed to the success of the events. The packs and wristbands were then delivered to the students upon arrival in Manchester.” In order to manage the large number of packs ticketing was divided between the Fallowfield campus and other campuses. This was done in order to split some events as roughly half of this year’s first years live in Fallowfield. To fit all of the party-goers into venues, nights such as the Albert Hall event were split with 2300 students attending Albert Hall on Tuesday and Thursday respectively. Barlow added, “There was an excellent turnout throughout the week; there was a bit of a drop off on Thursday. This was because societies such as MedSoc held their first socials; next year we hope to avoid this. “The clash between events led to a problematic choice for students. “All other events were fabulously attended. The level of collaboration between the university, RAs, bars and the Students’ Union was unprecedented. Between all the events organised, it has given new students a welcome week to remember. “Previous years had been much of a muchness. The focus on collaboration among organisers allowed for very smooth running.” Joel added, furthermore, “The events this year have been much better and it is the first time the Students’ Union has ever had direct control over events.” Regarding the splitting between campuses Joel continued,
The Circle of Life was 2013’s Welcome Week Pangaea Event. This years theme was Rumble in the Jungle. Photo: Manchester Students’ Union
“It would be nice if we didn’t have to split the nights between venues to allow a better mix of students, however the splitting worked very well. “We tried to keep the division of wristbands more planned this year. Previously the tickets for events were divided inconsistently with some freshers in the same flat being forced to go to different events because the ticketing was not properly organised. “We were never expecting that the Welcome Week events would completely sell out, it is a huge success [for us]. And I hope next year that we can get even more students involved”. Commenting on the behaviour of the incoming students, Barlow said, “The freshers were extremely well behaved, we really focus on welfare during these events.” Barlow stayed at the events from start to finish in her management role. Staying at the events in their entirety allowed her to keep an eye on party-goer welfare. “Of the 5000 students on the package, less than the number of fingers on my hand were sent home because of their welfare.” She added further, “Welfare has been impeccable this year. I am really, really, happy with how it has all gone.”
Students’ Union launches workshops Fallowfield gets Creative with the Fallow Street Fair and Oxjam to teach the Skills for Change Helen Chapman News Editor Last week, Fallowfield revealed itself as a creative hub for three days when Oxjam Manchester Takeover merged with the Fallow Street Fair to host a boutique market for the local community. Alexandra Violet-Saunders and Mark Fletch Henderson together organised the Fallow Street Fair, a market selling vintage clothing, jewellery and food all from local produce. Violet-Saunders, who worked on the social media and marketing for the fair, said it aimed to “bring the Fallowfield community together”. Susie Witham, business owner of Hot Mess Vintage,
hosted a stall at the fair selling her brand’s clothing and described the event as “a platform for small businesses “. Speaking to The Mancunion, Witham explained that most enterprises need to start small and find suitable places to launch their products, highlighting the fair as an apt opportunity for marketing and promotion. The Oxjam Manchester Takeover provided DJs and music at the fair throughout the day and hosted music events in the evenings at Fallow Café. Alexandra Violet-Saunders said that Oxjam promotes up and coming artists by giving them a platform to perform, donating the profits to Oxfam. The manager of Oxjam
Manchester Takeover, Lisa Murgatroyd, a former Mancunion editor, said “Oxjam is the annual national initiative where volunteers run gigs and festivals as part of a fundraising drive for Oxfam”. Oxjam Takeover Manchester will host an event on the first weekend of October, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th, which Murgatoyd says will “be taking over 10 venues in the Northern Quarter for a weekend of music ranging from indie to pop to hip hop and everything in between”. This year, the event is said to be “teaming up with TOMS and local artists that are part of Generic Greeting Collective to celebrate multicultural Manchester”.
Jenny Sterne News Editor A series of workshops coordinated by the Students’ Union - ‘Skills for Change’ launches on Tuesday 30th September 2014, 6.00 pm, Club Academy at the University of Manchester Students’ Union. The training programme is a rework of last year’s ‘Activist Academy Workshops’. There are many sessions already planned including; An introduction to campaigning, Creative campaigning, Graphic design, Direct Action and the Women’s Campaign training event. The Campaigns and Citizenship Officer, Conor McGurran hopes the event will be “the beginning of a more collaborative atmosphere for campaign
groups. The aim is to equip students to campaign for change whether that is to lobby the University on an issue or raise awareness of global problems”. The workshops present the chance to meet the whole range of Manchester Students’ Union’s campaigning societies, hear from passionate speakers and get involved. The launch welcomes speakers from numerous successful campaigns around the country, including Shelia Coleman, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. Many more high profile speakers are due to be announced in the run up to the event. The event will also hear from campaigners who were involved in Manchester student campaign groups last
year. In a final comment McGurran said “Whether you’re involved in a campaigning group or not, come along to find out more or pick up useful skills. Many of the events will be helpful to show students how to plan successful events, manage projects, campaign effectively and more”. If there are any students who wish to start a campaign there is funding available from the Students’ Union. Please see the Students’ Union website for more information, a link to which can be found on the online version of this article. More information about the ‘Skiils for Change’ launch can also be found on the Students’ Union website
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
GMP to launch new anti buglary campaign in Fallowfield - Greater Manchester Police attempt to send a clear message towards offenders who target students that they will be “relentless” in their efforts to bring them to justice as a new Student Safe initiative is launched. Lauren Gorton News Editor Greater Manchester Police have launched their Student Safe operation as more than 80,000 students return to Greater Manchester in time for the new term. The Student Safe initiative for this year coincides with Project Ark, targeted at reducing burglaries in the Fallowfield, Ladybarn, Withington and Didsbury areas. The initiative was launched in anticipation of an increase in crime towards students within the traditional student areas of South Manchester, with statistics showing that, last year, one in ten crimes reported in Manchester were committed against students. Police warn of one of the most commonly committed crimes against students being burglary, one in three of which occur as a
result of an insecure window or door. In a GMP press release Chief Inspector Arif Nawaz said: “Students bring with them between £5,000 and £10,000 of high-tech gadgets and technology per five student household. This includes a smartphone, laptop and TV, all of which are items craved by thieves. “Many of these items hold more than a financial value, in fact your laptop alone contains music collections, photos and for those second and third year students lecture notes and work which contribute to your final grade. “But unfortunately with the excitement of being away from home and their new environment, some students can become complacent with their home and personal security.
Simple steps can prevent them from being a victim of crime.” As part of the initiative, GMP will be increasing patrols in student areas including mounted and tactical aid units, with intercept teams targeting travelling criminals such as thieves who last year used bicycles to steal mobile phones in the streets. In addition to increasing patrols, GMP are also delivering a series of talks to students via the university and have uploaded a selection of short videos to their YouTube account urging students to remain safe whilst out and about. Furthermore, GMP are advising students to download their mobile app which features a GPS navigation system to Student Safe Zones which can be used if students are feeling unsafe.
NEWS : 05
Endsleigh ask, what do we worry about?
- 89 per cent of University of Manchester students worry most about achieving academic success. - Making friends at university much less of a concern Lauren Gorton News Editor University of Manchester students find achieving academic success to be their number one cause of stress, according to a recent study released by Endsleigh. Endsleigh, an insurance company targeted at students and young entrepreneurs, have released statistics from their 2014 Student Survey conducted throughout April this year. The study asked over 2000 students to rank their fears out of 10. For Manchester students the top three greatest fears were found to be keeping up with exams and academic deadlines (89 per cent), applying for jobs (77 per cent) and managing their money (68 per cent). Making friends at university was a much lower concern for Manchester students than the national average of 52 per cent, with only 42 per cent of those surveyed ranking it as a concern, no doubt connected to recent news that this year the University of Manchester has more societies than ever before, including even a newly established society for students living at home. However the survey also revealed that mental health and
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wellbeing has become a greater concern to students with 59 per cent ranking it as a worry. This ranks higher than physical health and fitness which ranked slightly lower as a concern for 58 per cent of the students surveyed. Yet only 34 per cent of those surveyed in Manchester would consider using the university counselling services if suffering from stress. In commenting on the statistics the Education Sector Manager for Endsleigh Kim McGuinness said “the stereotypical picture of the carefree student appears to be long gone, given the pressures modern-day undergraduates face and feel. “Students are incredibly conscientious when it comes to performing well academically… not to mention the worry many face when it comes to thinking about life after graduation and, in particular, given the competitive market, securing a job in the career of their choice. “These are real issues that students face and it is of vital importance that they are not only brought to light but talked about and, where necessary, addressed. Knowing where to go to get the right advice when suffering from anxiety can be lifechanging for those students who
have, until now, felt they were alone in what they were going through.” The Mancunion reached out to the University Counselling Service and Nightline in regards to the newly released statistics, but they were unavailable to comment. However Melanie Withers, a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, expressed relief for the increased concern towards mental wellbeing amongst students and encouraged the continuing use of University services for such matters. “An increasing percentage of students are seeking help through their college or university counselling service every year. Student life can be stressful, and students may feel under a lot of pressure at times, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone, and that there are services on hand to support you when things are difficult. “Almost all universities and 75 per cent of further education colleges offer counselling to their students. This service is provided free and waiting times are considerably shorter than if you were to access therapy through your GP.”
PALL MALL MEDICAL
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06 : News
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Is There Life on Mars?
The discovery of a Martian meteorite known to have contained water in the past gives more weight to claims that the Red Planet may once have supported life. Andy van den Bent-Kelly Science & Technology Editor
A tiny fragment of a meteorite could move us a step closer to proving the existence of life on Mars, according to scientists. The 1.3 billion-year-old Martian meteorite Nakhla, has been found to contain a celllike structure, which scientists can now confidently say once held water. The finding came about after Professor Ian Lyon of the University of Manchester teamed up with the Greek scientist Dr Elias Chatzitheodoridis, based at the National Technical University of Athens. Dr Chatzitheodoridis had been investigating the rock when he found an unusual feature embedded deep within it. His first port of call was his long-time friend Professor Lyon, who helped him to identify the structure. Ian Lyon, a Professor of Cosmochemistry in Manchester’s School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, said: “In many ways it resembled a fossilised biological cell from Earth but it was intriguing because it was undoubtedly from Mars. “Our research found that it probably wasn’t a cell but that it did once hold water —water that had been heated, probably as a result of an asteroid impact.” Despite its barren appearance, it has long been believed that Mars is capable of sup-
porting life, or at least has been capable in the past. There is increasing evidence that beneath the surface, the planet provides all the conditions necessary to form and develop life. This latest finding also suggests that the Red Planet was heavily bombarded by large asteroids in the past, potentially producing long-lasting hydrothermal fields. These fields, commonly found on Earth in volcanic areas where magma meets hot water, could have sustained life on the planet. Professor Lyon added: “We have been able to show the setting is there to provide life. It’s not too cold, it’s not too harsh. Life as we know it, in the form of bacteria, for example, could be there, although we haven’t found it yet. It’s about piecing together the case for life on Mars – it may have existed and in some form could exist still.” The water-bearing feature was imaged in unprecedented detail by Dr Sarah Haigh, a lecturer in the School of Materials at the University of Manchester. A graphenebased method was used, revealing the atomic layers inside the meteorite. This combined approach will now be used to examine secondary materials within the rock. Professor Lyon concluded: “Before we return samples from Mars, we must examine them further, but in more delicate ways. We must carefully search for further evidence.”
People have speculated about the possibility of life on Mars for hundreds of years. Photo: Lapis Ruber @ Flickr.
In Partnership with the Students’ Union
NO MONEY TO GET HOME? The Students’ Union has an exclusive partnership with Street Cars which means you can get home, even if you don’t have any money!
Download the booking app or call:
Even if you don’t need the SafeTaxi scheme, you still get 10% student discount off your fare. StreetCars are the Union’s approved supplier
For more information on how to use the Safe Taxi Scheme visit manchesterstudentsunion.com/safetaxi or pick up a business card from the Union helpdesk.
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ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 07
Funding boost for Manchester Alzheimers researcher - Dr Richard Unwin, who is based at both the University of Manchester and Central Manchester University Hospitals, has been awarded £30,000 by Alzheimer’s Research UK - The award will be used to fund a project that could greatly enhance our understanding of dementia Andy van den Bent-Kelly Science and Technology Editor
A dementia researcher in Manchester has been awarded a £30,000 sum from Alzheimer’s Research UK for a groundbreaking research project due to commence later this month. Dr Richard Unwin, who is based at both the University of Manchester and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will begin a study into thousands of proteins in the brain with the hope of producing a detailed map of what happens in the brain of an Alzheimer’s sufferer. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting roughly half a million people in the United Kingdom alone. There is no cure for the disease and current treatments merely help with symptoms. The country’s leading dementia research charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, is dedicated to funding sci-
entific studies to prevent, treat, or cure the disease. Since its formation in 1992, the charity has committed nearly £40 million to dementia research. September is World Alzheimer’s Month and it is hoped that this award will raise awareness of the disease. Dr Unwin’s project will involve looking at how Alzheimer’s disease changes the biology of different parts of the brain. He will map the relative amounts of over 3000 proteins in the brain with the aim of studying the biology of these areas in detail. Tissue donated by both Alzheimer’s sufferers and people without the disease will be used in the study. The project will enable doctors to study how the brain works on a more detailed molecular level. Dr Unwin said: “I’m really pleased to have won this award, which will support an important new project in my laboratory. We’ve already started to study the metabolism of seven different areas of the brain in Alzheimer’s – that is the chemical reactions that generate the energy brain
cells need to work – and we see some important changes associated with the development of the disease. “This new funding will help us to expand our research by looking at thousands of proteins in the brain to get even more detailed information about how these changes are controlled, and how the brain is working. We can ultimately use these data to build detailed maps of how Alzheimer’s affects the human brain. “By comparing our information about the brain in Alzheimer’s to previous research measuring these changes in other conditions, we will be able to see if there is overlap between Alzheimer’s and conditions such as diabetes. Understanding what’s going wrong in the brain in Alzheimer’s at a molecular level will open up major opportunities for finding new treatments that are so urgently needed.” Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This innovative Pilot Project has the potential to give us large amounts of detailed informa-
tion about the brain and how it is affected in Alzheimer’s. The closer we can get to understanding what’s driving this disease, the better chance we have of designing effective treatments to help the thousands of people affected by it. “While awareness of dementia has grown over recent years, funding for research still lags behind other common conditions. To deliver real improvements for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias we must see increases in funding for research. As a fundraising charity, we don’t receive any government support so we’re very grateful for our supporters who have made this research possible.” All data from this upcoming project will be made available to other dementia researchers across the globe in a bid to speed up progress.
08 : Feature
ISSUE 02/ 22th SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
How accurate is Fresh Meat’s portrayal of student life?
Photo: channel4.com
2011 brought us a comedy-drama focusing on a group of people entering their first year of university. But how close does Fresh Meat play to the true student experience? Roberta Rofman Features Editor
I
had a teacher once that described the Channel 4 comedy Fresh Meat as an uncanny representation of student life. Set around a group of people entering their first year of university, I took to watching the show a little while ago and seeing if the portrayal of student life is something more than outdated and completely off ideas by people who haven’t got a clue. I found myself laughing at the scene where the group were sat around, slurping tea to fill the sound of awkward silence, and saying just about anything to find a conversation topic. There’s no denying it, there are going to be awkward moments with the people you live with, especially in the very
beginning. Embarrassing things are bound to be said and I think Fresh Meat accurately depicted the early stages of student life. I also loved the range of characters that were introduced on the show. Privileged students like JP who say ‘bants’ and ‘totes’ do exist, especially in Manchester, where 22.1 per cent of students come from independent schools. Eventually though, it becomes less alien to you. People’s housing situations don’t always work out at university and it isn’t uncommon to be a tad regretful of who you live with and by the end of the year to be almost terrified at the thought that you were debating moving out. With strange Howards and Oregons, dorky Kingsleys, annoying JPs, sweet Josies and Scary Vods all over the place, you’ll learn to get on with people who are polar opposites to you.
A range of deep-set issues were covered on the show, some that are quite common. Josie turning to alcohol to deal with the down spiral of her life is not far-fetched at all and while I don’t know anyone who has reached that level of dependency as a coping mechanism, alcohol predictably became a bigger part of mine and many other students’ lives. When doing things where drinks weren’t the end result, I was left a little confused and disorientated. Not suprising really, considering that last year, a Studentbeans survey found that the average University of Manchester student consumes an excess of 22 units of alcohol a week. It’s easy to turn to alcohol when something that is less than desirable is happening and it can be hard to see how much of a problem it can be, espcially giving the intense drinking culture of student life.
Depression is a serious issue that a lot of students face, but is unfortunately not talked about enough. The Guardian estimated that suicide among students increased by 50 per cent between 2007 and 2011. Triggered by many things, it can be a hard thing to deal with and being around people who seem constantly happy can only make it worse. In the show, JP’s dad died which led to his stability falling. Feeling insecure in your new living situation can also ruin a good portion of university if it’s not dealt with so it’s good to familiarise yourself with different types of support. Also, while drugs are common as a student, they’re not as common as some would think and I respected the shows balance of not normalising drugs but also not making them that edgy and alternative. A report by The Guardian in 2012 said that while a lot of students believe that 90 per cent of their peers have tried illegal drugs the actual amount who have is closer to 45 per cent. You will most likely know multiple Vods and it’s not surprising that drug use is still very typical among university students. Unavoidably, course issues were discussed on the show. The University of Manchester reached a drop-out rate of around six percent in 2012, and while that’s not ideal, it definitely could be worse. I feel somewhat blessed, yet a tad disappointed that I haven’t met a teacher like Dan, played by
Robert Webb. His creepy desire to be accepted by his students teamed up with his inability to teach would provide an interesting story to tell. Shoddy teaching obviously happens and when you’re paying £9000 a year, complaining is encouraged. You’d be doing yourself and others a huge favour. People change constantly, especially as a student, and I appreciated the character development on the show fitted with the not always so happy endings. Fights between friends and heartbreaks happen but it’s all about the self-development at univeristy that everyone talks about. As patronising as it sounds, they’re experiences that everyone should go through in life. While Josies reason for being kicked off dentistry was a little more comedic and unusual (drilling a hole in someone’s cheek isn’t common, I swear), it showed c’est la vie moments that every student faces and that while student life is pretty much amazing (depending on what you make of it), there are times where it can seem anything but and it’s useful to remember that hindsight will be your friend. I have yet to experience every second shown to me by Fresh Meat but I see it as one of the most accurate and relatable shows about student life, nicely capturing the hilarity and problems that everyone faces. It makes a nice change from our sister American college shows.
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature : 09
Photo: Ross Pollack @Flickr
Is politics a declining interest in the lives of modern students? Student life has changed drastically over the years, does this reflect the possible decline of interest in politics among students? Roberta Rofman Features Editor
A
point was raised in a book I was reading, a nonchalant point that was quickly passed over but nevertheless made me think a little about its validity—is politics less important to students of today? We’ve seen the traditional relationship between students and politics through history. The Vietnam war inspired thousands of students to condemn and oppose America’s involvement in the war but why are Manchester streets lacking this type of action when serious evens are happening around the world such as the Gaza and Israel conflict.
Is this because of a general lack of interest in world issues or is it that people are getting their messages across through different ways so an old fashioned protest is pretty much a wasted effort? If you’ve been on the internet for long enough, it’s definitely not hard to find someone ranting about something and this sparking debates and arguments. Maybe the reason that students are not as much out there as inside is that modern creations such as social media have become a very useful tool for getting thoughts across, something that was missing in the 70s. A status update on Facebook is easily done
websites such as Twitter, hashtags can be used to promote focus on certain topics. Just because interest in politics may be more onlinebased, it doesn’t mean that it lacks influence. There can also be the point that students are, arguably, a lot more cared for than our parents were as students. Living as a student and not having a necessarily easy time can increase empathy and desire to change a situation. Student Life said that universities now are focussing more on the quality of student living therefore the relatedness to tough situations may be decreased. Then again, there may be a lack
interests, and things they feel passionate about. Also, with many different degree programmes being introduced, a student’s focus tends to be restricted to that area so politics may not be such a dominating thought. The Huffington Post found that the majority of students spend 30 minutes or less following political news over a three-day span and that while students do read about politics, they don’t really engage with or discuss what they’re reading. I’m not sure how I would have approached politics in the 1950s. I’m not someone to bring up a political topic just for the sake of debating
and the ability to comment on that status means that people exchange their opinions in a simpler and easier way. Furthermore, with
of interest. Universities have became open to a more diverse group of people of the years which means that people have different
about it, but I think that’s just he type of person I am and nothing to do with the time I’m in. There may be just more people like that
nowadays. Is it an issue though? I don’t think so, people aren’t keeping quiet about what they stand for or what is happening in the world, the development of the internet has simply improved the ability to share opinions. It may even be a good thing since it can allow people who are more shy and reserved to get their point across in a less confrontational way. A debate is healthy, but it can easily escalate to something personal and by removing that face to face confrontation.
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Opinion
Editors’ Foreword This week our main debate is about religion’s effects on society, and both sides have been argued well. Let us know what you think by tweeting us @MancunionOp. If you would like to contribute tweet us or like our page on Facebook at facebook.com/MancunionOp and drop us a post. Next week we will be featuring articles about the Internet and Social Media.
Religion and LGBT: Friends or Foes?
David Brierley outlines his beliefs regarding the compatibility of LGBT and religion. At the age of thirteen I recall being a die-hard atheist, dismissing thousands of years of religious belief in overly generalised statements. I’d like to say five years of maturation has quenched that somewhat. I used to think that people who fell into the LGBT spectrum were, by birth, at odds with the mainstream religions of the world— that homophobia was a product of religious fundamentalism. And yet, I have met gay Christians and homophobic atheists. But, we must accept that no matter the personal faiths of those we meet, the doctrine of many world religions—especially those of the Abrahamic faiths, have little good to say of LGBT people. I have known fundamentalist Christians who are accepting of minority sexual groups—but even they seemed constantly concerned for the wellbeing of those who fell outside the heteronormative majority. Is it therefore possible to balance an adherence to scripture and an acceptance of LGBT people? I am not a religious person, and my study of the Abrahamic texts is biased at best, but I believe it is possible to balance these. It is entirely possible to be a devout person of faith, and a tolerant and open-minded person; to say the two are mutually exclusive is itself close-minded. Fundamentalism and extremism are not the same thing—and the news reports of the actions of Islamic State should not be seen as anything but individuals twisting doctrine. I, for example, do not think you have to become close to hospitalization to have a good time—but I’m not going to go preaching about that because, quite simply, it doesn’t bother me. This is the distinction between disagreement and intolerance. We are all fundamentalist about something. It could be as trivial as the best Pringle flavour, or as comprehensive as animal rights. Even if you believe something is ungodly, that doesn’t force you to be an enemy of its people, or treat them with disdain. Similarly, just because someone has disagreed with something that defines you, doesn’t automatically make them your enemy. Intolerant attitudes towards a part of a human being, a part that makes up a tiny proportion of a multifaceted human being is wrong. Intolerant beliefs and hatred towards a person because they disagreed or act otherwise should never be seen as the same.
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
@MancunionOp
Religion: Force of Evil or Force for Good? Contributors Ben Farren and Samuel Gilmore answer the controversial question: Is Religion detrimental to society? be proved right. This attitude is the opposite of the scientists’ humility, who, at their best, look for every possible way in which they could be wrong. No worse is the religious community, where science is sometimes discarded and children are brought up to believe things which are morally repulsive. This is child abuse and, along with narratives of hell, apostasy and salvation, religion raises children to be fearful and unable to think for themselves in such an important period of their lives.
tivity; creating an us versus them mentality has been generally successful evolutionarily. Religion is inherently conservative. This conservatism is counterintuitive, for example, when you consider the nature of Jesus’ mission: to come and change the way things are done and to give hope to people who, for generations, had been immobile in society’s ranks. This was a chance to enter the Kingdom of God as an equal. Laws were generated around this system and they were followed closely.
venile arguments about proving someone’s idea of God wrong. It is lazy and it results in the sort of echo chambers you see online, if you try to find this out for yourself. The hard line atheist community, which claims humility in the scientific method, wants nothing less than to
When times are hard, in recessions, depressions and wars, people curl up in a ball and do what they know. This sort of conservatism is what I will continue with, not the political aspect. This is precisely what has helped humans survive for as long as we have been humans, this tribal ac-
The supreme nature of God’s word is the origin of religious conservatism; it simply cannot be changed. To be changed would be a religious perversion, a redacting of purity; it would cease to be God’s word in the eyes of the religious. That is it. This creates a status quo, and as a progressive, the status quo isn’t desirable. It is not desirable because there is a lot of suffering in the world that can easily be prevented or relieved. Of course, this conservatism can change into progressivism as it has done in many religious organisations; charities inspired by their beliefs are fantastic and so long as they do not package up their religion with their aid, then all is well. However, religious con-
No
curate debate. To throw in compassionate Christian practices with extremist Islamic terrorism with relatively unknown eastern religions as one conglomerate of religion, all responsible for another’s actions is far too basic an analysis for critique. Additionally, to claim something as either good or bad for society, whatever that may be, is somewhat ambiguous. This is not to end the debate before it has begun, but to simply remind oneself that when dealing with religion, it can get very complicated very early on. Firstly, I’m going to argue that religions aren’t actually bad, people are. Religions don’t kill, people do. Religions don’t start wars, people do. And so on. The point I am making is that as much as religions can be perceived to be horrendous agents of commit-
ting acts of atrocities, ultimately religion cannot be held responsible. People will always do bad things, yet they will seek some form of justification to try to legitimise what they do. Religions, mostly being ancient forms of power structures, will regrettably include people who will do terrible things and I believe that these people would still have done terrible things had they no religion as a cloak to distort and misinterpret their preaching. I firmly believe that ISIS in the Middle East is strongly out of line with the vast majority of Muslims’ beliefs from around the world. Similarly, Catholic priests who have sexually abused children are extreme and extremely misrepresentative of the Catholic Church’s preaching. By criticizing these horrendous freak
Yes
Ben Farren
This piece could easily be filled with complaints of the divine, lack of sufficient evidence and a lot of rambling on about how religion poisons everything. It is lazy to just stick to these fairly ju-
Photo: Atheism-reason @Flickr
Samuel Gilmore Whilst not being religious myself, I do think a compelling case can be made to argue that religion can have a positive role in society.
“I will continue to support the good deeds that religious organizations do for society, and I feel no contradictions in thought in criticizing religious people who abuse their authority.” Having grown up in a Christian family, yet later deciding that I do not have faith, I do strongly believe that religion can have an extremely positive influence on its followers. This is not say that all religious practices are good, as I shall later discuss, but that overall religion is good to have, and to condemn it for marginal extremist practices is damaging. Whilst it’s cool and popular to bash religion, I ask people to contemplate why they do so. Before any arguments are made, let me first frame the debate as to how I define the terms given. Religion, as I see it, is a huge scope of different faiths and practices. I believe it to be simply too crude to simply refer to religion in general. Referring to such a broad body of beliefs in one fell swoop, I feel, is not constructive at all and does not allow ac-
“We went from swinging in trees to discussing the right to die; it was always going to be a difficult journey.”
Photo: Martainn @Flickr
Photo: jaetographer @ Flickr
servatives exist and they exist in large numbers. To suggest that religion is the root of these attitudes’ existence would be dishonest of me, and I do not think it is true. There is something fundamental in human nature which the beliefs of religion can hook on to and propagate. This is the crux of Yes, although I could easily turn this argument into a No. Looking at Soviet Russia, for example, we see Communism effectively preached as a state religion. Evil leaked through the streets and gulags without a God or a Holy Text. This was a belief far more damaging than some religions. My point is that you cannot argue that if the same damage can be done another way, then religion is not damaging. Religion is damaging, it is just not uniquely damaging. Ultimately, if you are to make the argument that religion can lead to good, then you must be able to accept that it can lead to bad things too. It seems self-evident. If you are to make the converse argument that it is people who do bad things and religion alone can lead to good things, you must see then that the secular charitable organisations do as much good in their work as those religiously affiliated. Religious affiliation and the dogmatic following of religious rules never implies, other than in their own beliefs, that those without belief are in any way lesser. I am not an extremist, and there are two sides to every coin, but
unlike my colleagues from various positions of the spectrum, I cannot claim a whitewash; sometimes the coin is weighted to one side and religion is detrimental. The bureaucratic church, which has its fingers in lobbying and politics, and those who pay more attention to Leviticus than the Gospels are the most troubling side of religion.
examples as demonstrations of what all religion is like is a lazy straw man fallacy, when better analysis would evidently show that bad things have always been committed by people, regardless of religion. I have argued that religions don’t commit bad actions but people do. This is not to say that people are bad per se but that they distort religious teachings to be bad. I shall now argue that religions are good and inspire their followers to be so too. I must stress that not only religions can do this; atheists can be perfectly moral people, of course! What I am saying is exactly this: religions, when practiced without distortion and with careful consideration can do an awful lot of good for society. In a time of increasing neo-liberalization, I believe the compassionate conservative spirit that religion has to offer, in a world in which everything has a price, to be refreshing. For example, since the Tory/Lib Dem government in 2010, there has been an acceleration in the project of neo-liberalism; privatization of the NHS, condemnation of the poor for being lazy by destroying the benefits system and the further aggregation of wealth by the already wealthy. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was extremely vocal in his criticism of payday loan companies exploiting the poor. Food banks have been set up by churches to help the poor. Internationally, charities such as Tearfund and Islamic Relief make hugely beneficial changes in places where devastation is widespread.
These charitable deeds are not driven by the sense to one’s own religion, but by the strong beliefs in their respective religious teachings, typified in the case of the Good Samaritan. This is not to say, of course, that the secular community doesn’t do this, but the benefit that religious organisations have is a coherent movement to combat the bad in society.
“Religion is damaging, it is just not uniquely damaging” The slow erosion of the kindness, compassion and revolutionary thought of people like Jesus and the Buddha is a crushing indictment of the human tendency to catalogue and organise and as a result to stop thinking and reflecting. The word of God became so solid in the eyes of believers that it could no longer be reflected upon or questioned; the overarching messages of religious figures like Jesus became lists of rules that appear counterintuitive to original messages of love and tolerance. We went from swinging in trees to discussing the right to die; it was always going to be a difficult journey. This is why I must say Yes: religion is one phenomena that unlike Soviet fascism is going to take centuries to remedy. Having it slowly removed from more and more aspects of life will let us sow wholesome seeds and create a more compassionate society.
“Bad things have always been committed by people, regardless of religion.” Religion can be a good thing for society. I do believe that so many rich traditions offer a strong critical alternative to how society progresses. This is not to say that limiting people’s freedom of action, generally due to a religious minority, is good (for I return to my point that this is essentially people distorting religious teachings, not religion itself), but it is extremely healthy to have checks and balances in society that help frame discussion and ask: “Is this a good thing to do?” I will continue to support the good deeds that religious organisations do for society and I feel no contradictions in thought in criticizing religious people who abuse their authority.
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Opinion
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
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Intervention causes more harm than good Joe Evans argues that the price of intervention in Syria and Iraq is too high. With the increasing presence of fundamental Islamist groups occupying British and world media, pressure for a western intervention is mounting. News reports documenting the abhorrent cruelty of radical factions such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are leading to calls for direct military involvement in suppressing the rise of violence.
“British politics remains obsessed with civilising rogue states only to further alienate a people seeking autonomy from western politics.” While such acts are inexcusable, intervention in the Middle East carries the threat of radicalising a larger percentage of western Muslims. As of yet there is no direct threat to either the United Kingdom or the United States, a statement supported by US Homeland Security, and displaying a neoimperialistic approach to suppressing the rise of fundamentalism is a dangerous solution. Arrests linked to ISIL and fundamental Islamist activity have already taken place in Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. This, coupled with the rise of the insensitively nicknamed Jihadi John, infamous for the beheading of James Foley and his possible British nationality, raises uncomfortable questions regarding the rise of extremism in the West. Interventionism then can be interpreted as an advancement of western hegemony, a move
which may threaten the faith of younger Muslims, prompting further radicalisation. Secondary to the threat of further radicalisation of Islam is the lack of support for an intervention in Middle Eastern affairs. Following two costly occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, which cost the United Kingdom £65 billion, becoming embroiled in further interference is simply not supported. Only last year David Cameron became the first Prime Minister in 100 years to lose a vote on foreign policy after a proposed bombing campaign against Bashar al-Assad. Now, having performed a complete U-turn in policy, he will polarise his support further through intervention—intervention has become untenable. The findings of a Reuters poll this week show that just nine per cent of Americans support US involvement. This makes Barack Obama’s calls for a systematic bombing campaign seem antidemocratic and unrepresentative. It calls in to question the claims by the West that the West, and particularly the US, are bastions of democracy. Lack of public support speaks volumes about whether we should once again be wrapped up in Middle Eastern affairs, which as of yet pose no threat. No democratic country should directly oppose public opinion, especially not when it could threaten the lives of British servicemen. The military implications of intervention in the Middle East are staggeringly damaging. Since the occupation of Iraq in 2003 there have been over
133,000 officially recorded civilian casualties directly caused by war related violence. A similar statistic following a potential occupation of Syria in order to suppress the danger of ISIL would be disastrous for the UK as we struggle to deal with the legality of our foray into Iraq. The legality of bombing in Syria is an issue currently occupying tenuous grounding. A briefing note to MPs from the House of Commons Library this week stated that “action in Syria will be difficult to justify legally without a request for assistance from the Assad government.”
Photo: Stephen Melkisethian @Flickr
Illegal attacks from the West in the Middle East will smack of lessons not learnt, while responding directly in support of al-Assad will be disastrous in terms of undermining Cameron’s rhetoric last year. Morality is a double-edged sword on which Cameron can now only impale himself. It is nonsensical to weaken the functionality of our government, and risk a Prime Minister losing support in Parliament, in order to enter into a conflict that the
British public has no interest in fighting. Regime change is, according the official discourse of Westminster and the White House, not the aim in Syria. The goal that remains to be justified is the aim of intervention.. Rather than acting as a world police force, the UK and US would be better served allowing a state such as Syria to govern itself through this crisis. Becoming embroiled in a complex chain of international turmoil simply does nothing to promote any sense of peace between East and West. While there is no clear panacea for the issue of rising Islamic fundamentalism, intervention is certainly not the remedy. Tension between East and West stems mainly from the West’s continued insistence with meddling and seeking to govern the lives of those living thousands of miles away. Like British settlers in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, British politics remains obsessed with civilising rogue states only to further alienate a people seeking autonomy from western politics. Illegality seeps from the very pores of intervention in Syria and public disapproval of an intervention is clear. To enter the Middle East again, just ten years after our occupation of Iraq, would cause cataclysmic damage to the relationship between the British people and their politicians.
The Criminal Negligence of Non-Intervention Bruce Tang explains why it is of the utmost importance both for people in Syria and Iraq and those at home that the West commits to intervention. It is clear that humanitarian aid is needed to counter the Islamic State (IS). It is of the utmost importance that aid is given in order to, or at the very least, allow for the restoration of the Iraqi and Syrian governments, and to pacify escalating conflict.
be difficult. It is much easier to sit on the fence rather than actively contribute. After all, we are all fully aware of the consequences of intervention. Nonetheless, there is one purely fundamental reason to help out in Northern Iraq and Syria; there are lives at risk and people are suffering through no fault of their own. Families, children and defence forces are being tortured, murdered, mutilated and torn apart. If this were happening in our own nation, we would then all intervene.
“We cannot ignore the basic rights that we as humans possess” IS is a prominent extremist jihadist group in Syria and Iraq that is currently fighting government forces and opposing rebel groups alike. In essence, this is a conflict between two sects of Islam: Shia and Sunni, the former with which IS is aligned. Even so, IS represent a very extremist view of their religion, so far removed from it that I would claim it as no longer representative of Islamic teaching. It seeks territory between the two aforementioned countries, hoping to conquer Mediterranean states as far as Spain, in order to force their sect of Islam upon citizens of these nations, which in its nature harms the livelihood of those around them.. Whilst unlikely that they would ever reach as far west as Greece, let alone Spain, there is every risk that they continue expanding in Iraq, Syria and countries currently uninvolved such as Turkey. This cannot be allowed to take place. I would argue that this is just stating the obvious; these are human beings who need urgent assistance from those who can give help. Statements such as “IS do not concern us” or “nothing would have happened to us if we minded our own business” are wrong—no more, no less. The Western world is already involved, purely from living in a globalised world where blurred borders are the norm, and it is no longer the case that we so easily brush aside the issues of those from the other side of the world. It is evident that the danger of the situation to both Arab and Western civilians is great. Islamic State is very much a global threat, no longer exclusive to Iraq and Syria, and is torturing and murdering huge swathes of these nations’ populations. Humanitarian aid is necessary to protect the safety of not only Iraqi and Syrian citizens, but also the rest of the world.
“It is never permissible to allow the suffering of the innocent.”
Photo: United Nations @Flickr
British and American citizens are, wrongly or rightly, already fighting for or against IS in the Middle East. The all-pervasive internet and social media hosted by western servers are being used to further the aims of IS. The convoluted and confusing nature of the global economy means that we are indirectly funding IS bit by bit, no matter how hard we try to avoid it and no matter the sanctions we impose. In 2012, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development reported that the UK donates £8.57 billion to humanitarian aid. While this may sound like a lot, this constitutes only 0.56% of our nation’s GDP. We owe more to the global society. British and American reporters have already given their lives to broadcasting the cruel nature of fundamentalism and of IS; if humanitarian intervention is not seen as necessary for Iraqi and Syrian citizens, then it must at least be seen as necessary for our own. It is understandable how further intervention could be counter-productive; anything more from America may fuel further anger from IS and beget anger and increased violence. Some would go so far as to say that there has been enough violence already.
Humanitarian intervention also has the potential to ease existing and potential tensions between Western and Middle Eastern states. The Secretary of State of the US John Kerry also advocates humanitarian intervention and stated that IS was the “single greatest threat” that the people of Iraq and Syria now face. It was recently announced in the news that Mr. Kerry was in talks with various Middle Eastern nations in order to co-ordinate relief for the humanitarian crisis in Northern Iraq. There are ten nations that have offered their help: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Within this hitherto alliance, there are nations that have had for themselves a difficult history. The obvious one to note is Iraq, whose occupation by America has only subsided fairly recently. An alliance however allows for peace between Western and Arab nations. Cooperation and negotiation allows for a greater understanding and this will hopefully bring light to the fact that this war is as much a problem for the Arabian Peninsula as it is for America. The discussion on humanitarian aid will always
Mondays at 5pm at the Mancunion Desk on the first floor of the Students’ Union for our Opinion Team meetings.
It is never permissible to allow the suffering of the innocent. George Santayana’s famous quote, “Those who do not know history’s mistakes are doomed to repeat them,” should be enough; for we have stood by and watched before in Rwanda, Cambodia, and Bosnia. There are countless more examples where the idleness of the international community and the undue hesitance towards intervention led to the slaughter of innocents; repercussions of which are still felt today by the people of these places. If we want to build a better world, a world of peace and tolerance, then we cannot allow criminal extremism to take hold, let alone allow a fundamentalist and destructive force such as IS rise unopposed. Ignoring this would only encourage terrorism, encourage hatred and destroy the foundations of the peaceful world we are trying to build as an international society. Non-interventionism may be popular—governments don’t want to lose votes— however, it is criminally negligent to use nonintervention as a political tool. We cannot ignore the basic rights that we as humans possess and we cannot ignore the plight of those suffering around us. We may not be able to see them, to hear them, or even to understand the horror of their suffering but it is happening, and we can never permit it.
Music
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ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editors:Patrick Hinton, Lowell Clarke Samuel Ward, Dan Whiteley Interview
Opinion
theOpinion Bands... or Brands? Sam Ward Music Editor Has anyone else noticed The Horrors’ new logo? For a band that submerses itself in a dark garage punk image, it seems extremely corporate. I’m pretty sure it’s wasn’t intentionally trying to reflect their new slightly-more-vanilla album, so what’s the deal? Since the dawn of popular musical time, bands have always had “the look”. The first who spring to mind are of course the Beatles, whose early appearance is one of sharp suits and incredible hairstyles. There’s no doubt that their heartthrob image and functional music contributed to the fact that they are still the best selling musicians in the States. However The Horrors aren’t heartthrobs and aren’t musicians who make functional music, so why try and label them that way as if they’re the new iPhone 6? It’s always been the case that, to create a popular product, you have to have an entity people can identify with. This goes for many musicians and modern acts in particular, who need to scream and shout in order to get out there amongst the countless musicians who can now make themselves
known using the internet. But to adopt this carpet bomb method of marketing, where a label simply thrusts away with their distorted image of how a band should be interpreted is just stupid. Arcade Fire’s death disco video for ‘Reflektor’ and the ensuing formal gigs aren’t some stupid media stunt, it’s an artistic interpretation and a generation of an atmosphere which naturally echoes their music; an extension of themselves (or even a reflection of a reflection of a...) In short it’s creative, it’s interesting and it’s what music and its branches should be—an art form. What it shouldn’t be is a flyer or a billboard. An interesting thing to see would be a popular band with no logos or names or anything; just music which people can put their own spin on. Who knows, maybe if labels used their imagination and thought of things like this then maybe they might actually sell some records.
Photo: Press shot
the MUSIC INTERVIEW
Axel Boman
Patrick Hinton catches up with Axel Boman to discuss Bez’s piss, Papa K and dinosaurs Patrick Hinton Music Editor After garnering international recognition with the release of ‘Purple Drank’ on Pampa Records in 2010, Axel Boman has established himself as a leading figure at the forefront of the European house music scene. The ebullient Swede co-founded label Studio Barnhus, is one half of superduo Talaboman alongside John Talabot, and has a wicked sense of humour to boot. “I’ve only been in Manchester one time before, and I really loved it!” begins Boman excitedly, sharing some of his downtime activities he continues “I’m such a super tourist, I went to check out Old Trafford and smelled the street corners for Bez’s piss and stuff like that.” As a touring DJ on the European circuit, Boman has played to his fair share of countries. “Sometimes when you play in the UK the crowd is a bit more intense, expecting more bang for the buck than a Swedish crowd,” he reveals, contemplating the difference between UK clubbing experiences to that of his home country. “I guess it’s because club culture is younger over here.” Boman’s career as a producer and DJ was launched after the success of ‘Purple Drank’ on DJ Koze’s Pampa Records imprint. “We met in Stockholm in 2008, I warmed up for him in a half empty club, and I passed him a CD with some songs, one being ‘Purple
I’m such a tourist… I smelled the street corners for Bez’s piss Drank’. It was the most important meeting in my “career,” as since that release I can survive on my music. Thank you Papa K!!!” Boman has been involved in a number of collaborative projects with varied styles. There’s Talaboman of course, but also the likes of 2011’s bizarre Radioactive Orchestra album in which he worked with nuclear physicists to create music using radioactive isotopes. I question how his approach to such projects alters to when he’s sitting alone making tracks as Axel Boman: “Honestly, it doesn’t differ too much. I’m quite open and intuitive in my own process as well as in collaborations, I enjoy them both. But that said, I hate being alone. So maybe that’s why I do a lot of collaborations - to escape from myself!” Speaking about Taloboman, the Swedish half reveals there is more material on the
way: “Yes, Uri [Riverola, aka John Talabot] and I have some studio time to kill together, preferably in the winter in Barcelona.” Boman also has plans for his label Studio Barnhus: “I want to release an EP, maybe around springtime.” I ask what his motivation was in starting Studio Barnhus: “We’re blessed with having a lot of genius musician around us in Stockholm, musicians that trusted us to give their songs a good home. The initial motivation was just to release some great songs and now it’s growing by itself it seems.” With the label growing and Boman becoming increasingly busy with his numerous projects, he reflects on his past at art school and how it helped him reach where he is today: “It gave me 5 years of experimentation, not a lot of people get that! I could make, perform and record all day long, in the name of artistic research. It’s crazy when you think of it. I miss those care free days.” His interest in art is particularly evident from the tattoos that decorate his body. “I have an idea about a new tattoo that could very well be my favourite: a dinosaur on my arm! But what kind?! Not a T-Rex, maybe that huge one with the smallest brain?” Stegosaurus? We suggest he go for it.
Axel is one of many fine djs to perform at Tribal Sessions this season, see sankeys.info for further details
Pangaea Special: What’s on
TOP 5
New Songs
from upcoming albums Lowell Clarke Music Editor
1. Flying Lotus - Never Catch ft. Kendrick Lamar
2. Alt-J - Every Other Freckle
3. SBTRKT - New York, New Dorp ft. Ezra Coening
Psychadelic hip-hop at its very best: Kendrick explores the moments after his own death over FlyLo’s new hardcore jazz fusion sound.
We’ve got a review of Alt-J’s new album on the next page, but this track deserves mention just for the lyrics “Turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet”.
The list of contributors to SBTRKT’s new album is nothing to sneeze at, but this clattering percussive chaos that surrounds the Vampire Weekend singer is a sure highlight.
4. NehruvianDOOM - OM Ask any true hip-hop head about MF Doom and you’ll simply be met with an approving nod. This time round he’s releasing an album with Bishop Nehru.
5. Aphex Twin - minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix] Aphex Twin’s first (official) album in 13 years drops next week. In the meantime, bath in the complex sonic landscapes of the aptly named minipops 67.
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
: @MancunionMusic : / TheMancunionMusicSection
Reviews Live:
Music
13
Sohn
Gorilla - 17th September 2014 Lowell Clarke Music Editor There’s something very humble about Sohn, which is impressive for someone with 1.6 million followers on Soundcloud (for comparison, Tiësto barely has one million). He makes a quiet entrance onto the stage. His opening track, ‘Ransom Notes’ isn’t a lead single—it probably falls into filler category—but it still draws the audience in. Sohn’s voice dips and soars but manages to hold every note with unwavering, wavering falsetto perfection. The slow ballads at the start of the show are clearly no mistake. The change in energy as the show goes on slowly winds up the audience—not with raw energy but with tension and suspense. As he plays the title track of his
debut album, ‘Tremors’, Sohn samples his own voice and plays it back in response. The on-thefly manipulation of the hook “If you’re thinking of letting me go then it’s time that you do” is pitch-shifted with an amazing precision. The lighting is minimal, but effective. An array of seven small vertical beams change colour and flicker. During single ‘Bloodflows’ the red lights are all that are visible behind a thick fog and the band’s silhouettes, effectively transporting the audience to a futurist reinterpretation of Macbeth’s first act. Next, the audience is treated to an alternative version of ‘Tempest’ with an entirely a cappella verse. The audience is silent in awe until the music is slowly added back piece by piece, building the track to a new and exciting crescendo. A
7/10
simple idea rarely attempted and even less so done well, it’s a bold move that proves to be one of the evening’s highlights. As an electronic artist, Sohn works hard to prove this isn’t just a recreation of his recorded music. As a venue Gorilla seems to work best for Sohn’s punchier, bassier tracks. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the softer, drawn out songs, but when the long notes start bouncing off the walls before they’ve even finished playing, it tends to create a weaker, mushy sound. This is evident when the pace slows down for new song ‘The Chase’, which doesn’t have the benefit of being well known by the audience. Conversely, the machine gun drums of ‘Warnings’ have never sounded better. Sohn banters with the crowd
Photo: villunderlondon @Flickr and introduces his bassist and keyboardist before exclaiming “fuck it, let’s party” and launches into a beefed up ‘Artiface’. Fresh off the momentum of the audience’s dancing, the bass heavy ‘Fool’ gets the audience moving with every wave of low
frequencies. The set closes with ‘The Wheel’. From the opening lines of ‘I died a week ago’ the audience croons along to what is evidently Sohn’s biggest track. The vocoded “ohs” and “ahs” that make up the backbone of the song echo
and pop with perfection, but it does feel a little bit too preprogrammed at times. After an extended and alternate outro to finsh off, Sohn thanks the audience and quietly makes his exit.
Want to Write for us? Free Tickets Thursday 25th Sept, 5:30 Interviews & Albums Student Activities Office, 1st Floor Students Union Live
Album
Luke Sital-Singh Gorilla - 13th September 2014 Joe Evans Following low-key support slots from Gynmast and Karima Francis, the latter baring an uncannily familiar appearance evoking Pattie Smith and any of the Ramones, Luke SitalSingh enters to an audience apparently in a state of reverie. Wading through the purple light that illuminates the smoky Gorilla stage, Sital-Singh delivers not a word to his audience, launching instead straight into set opener ‘I Have Been A Fire’. The power of Sital-Singh’s voice is immediately evident, far exceeding anything that could be expected from his tame recordings. His originally dour demeanour quickly fades away. Following third song ‘21st Century Heartbeat’, Sital-Singh tells his energetic audience “this is quite depressing music don’t forget”. Later he will invite them to join him in celebrating ‘deprestival’, his response to ‘too many fucking festivals.’ Parallels could be drawn to Jeff Buckley in Sital-Singh’s performance. Soaring, often biting, vocals accompany guitar playing that set him ahead of rival heartbroken singersongwriters. His stage persona? Sarcastic—he’s unimpressed.
The only stumble in an otherwise flawless set comes when Sital-Singh botches the opening of ‘Honest Man’ from his debut EP Fail For You. Even this is passed off, “it’s a shit song anyway,” declares the singersongwriter visibly feeding off an audience he brands ‘the best on the tour.’ For a young performer, SitalSingh evidences both his confidence and his inherent ability to craft songs of genuine sensitivity. Set closers ‘Nothing
Photo: pahudson @ Flickr
Motionless in White Reincarnate 8/10
Stays the Same’ and ‘Fail for You’ hold the crowd at total attention, the first rousing a massive sing-along in the small, full-to-capacity venue. “If you want another hour, pay another tenner,” he tells his audience as he leaves the stage. His coolness, however, is undermined by the beaming smile that accompanies him as he scampers backstage, away from his plaudits.
Fearless Records; 15th September 2014 Donald Spencer Motionless In White seem to have become one of the US’s biggest exports in heavy music over the last few years, totting up huge record sales with their last two releases Creatures (2010) and Infamous (2012). Needless to say, there were some considerable expectations from Motionless this time around, expectations which have fallen flat on their faces. Prior to the release of the record, frontman Chris Cerulli (stage name Chris Motionless) promised a rollercoaster record encompassing the raw brutality of Creatures coupled with the more experimental components of Infamous. Instead, the listener is treated to just under an hour of industrial barminess and Wednesday 13-esque disarray, a direction that doesn’t do justice to the potential of Scranton’s finest. The record commences with ‘Death March’ and a foreboding bassdrum that drones on quite well, creating an atmosphere Motionless champion brilliantly. Unfortunately Chris Cerulli’s new vocal range comes in... “This is a new world order and
it’s changing the game, so step right up to go down in flames, I want your sons, want your daughters, all creatures of the night so wave your flag if you’re ready to fight.” Sounds like hip hop to me. The song then starts to sound like a creepy nursery rhyme— you get the picture. Let’s move on. We will forgive Motionless for their initial discrepancy, and rightfully so because Track 2— title track and lead single—is the best piece of music they have ever churned out. It’s not world changing, nor does it bring anything new to the table but it does scare the crap out of you and is catchy as hell. The listener is in for a genuine treat here, breakdowns and guttural vocals galore, this is the Motionless we need to see more of. A music video has just been released on Fearless records, a fine choice for a lead single. Track 3 is going to be of great interest to any hardcore Motionless fans, the final part of the three part ‘Puppets’ series about someone the band
4/10
clearly despise. Another track reminiscent of Creatures, it isn’t half bad, although the inclusion of Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth was a questionable choice. Just as the record begins to gain momentum it seems to fall flat on its face and never really recovers, we hear a few monster breakdowns and heavy guitars that are testament Chris’s promise, but on the whole Reincarnate is a boring record which just lacks any real substance and a is strange direction for the band. We hope to see their energetic and theatrical live shows will be maintained in the months to come.
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Music
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Festival: Sziget
Mancunion Recommends
Alt-J - This is all Yours Infectious; 22nd September
Rachel Connolly visits Hungary’s largest and festival 8/10
Alex Daniel Alt-J’s sophomore album was always going to be a challenge. The departure of member Gwil Sainsbury cast their future into doubt at the start of the year, and their hugely popular award winning debut, An Awesome Wave, was hailed as one of the albums of the decade. How could they possibly live up to it, especially one man down? Their defiant response of a second album, This Is All Yours, does enough to silence the doubters, but perhaps won’t induce quite the level of delight as the first. However, this conceivably owes to a slight maturation in sound, so it’s not all bad. They haven’t quite let go of their pots ’n’ pans vibe, but neither are they living in the shadow of tracks such as ‘Breezeblocks’ and ‘Tessellate’, forging on and sounding more organic. ‘Intro’ begins a capella, lyrically nonsensical and minimalistic, before the layers build up to a sitarlaced, hypnotic banger of an instrumental. Then, as soon as they’ve got you going, they slow you right down again with ‘Arrival In Nara’, the first of a trilogy concerning the Japanese city. The bare first two minutes of a single soft guitar and piano is again sonically uncharacteristic, before the more energised but melancholy ‘Nara’. The song energises the album once again, but make what you will of the lyric “love is a pharaoh and he’s boning me”. The trip continues with the more well-known ‘Every Other Freckle’ and the blues rock pastiche, ‘Left Hand Free’, before breaking back into geography with ‘Garden Of England’, ‘Choice Kingdom’ and ‘Warm Foothills’. These provide calming interludes either side of the first single,
‘Hunger Of The Pine’, controversially (yet ironically) sampling Miley Cyrus singing “I’m a female rebel”. While this lacks the idiosyncratic intensity of previous singles, misty electronica has a relaxing effect. Conversely, in ‘Bloodflood pt. II’, the lyrical themes of confrontation and aggression, matched by the instrumental, have impetus - if anything the vocal is more sinister for its melodic tenderness. This Is All Yours is less overtly brash than its predecessor, reflected in the bittersweet final track, ‘Leaving Nara’, which rounds off the trilogy. It is arguably less distinctive than An Awesome Wave, and perhaps it won’t live as long in immediate memories, but this album still stands alone as an impressive piece.
U2 - Songs of Innocence Island Records; 9th/13th September (digital/physical)
7/10
Dan Whiteley Music Editor In a move that is either a kind gesture, a gimmicky marketing ploy or an oppressive invasion of privacy depending on the level of hatred you personally harbour for Bono, U2’s thirteenth studio album Songs of Innocence was released for free download earlier this month, immediately following its announcement at the Apple iWatch unveiling. While this practice has become less uncommon over the past couple of years, this particular album launch raised eyebrows due to the fact that, thanks to Apple’s all-powerful reach over its technological kingdom, the album wasn’t just made available for access; it was automatically downloaded onto every iTunes account on the planet—including yours—without your say. If you were to able to excuse this fairly Orwellian abuse of power and actually give it a listen, though, you’d be pleasantly surprised; Songs of Innocence is the album U2 have been trying to make for over a decade, containing nods to every phase of their long and winding career whilst still managing to sound fresh. The record opens with lead single ‘The Miracle’, picking up where 2009’s No Line on the Horizon left off, with the fuzzy guitars and familiar ‘woah-oh’ chants recalling earlier single ‘Get On Your Boots’. Early highlight ‘Every Breaking Wave’ is the record’s standout track, with its wistful lyrics – featuring such Bono-isms as “every sailor knows that the sea/is a friend made enemy” - signature Edge chime and soaring chorus rivalling their best loved 80s ballads. The rest of the album, for the most part, manages to maintain the standard set earlier
on; Bono’s affecting ode to his late mother, ‘Iris (Hold Me Close)’, is lovely, and the sunny Beach Boys homage ‘California (There Is No End To Love)’ is the most fun the band have sounded in years. ‘Volcano’ is the album’s only real weak point, with its infectious bassline essentially wasted on its lazy “Volcan-o/you don’t wanna know” chorus. ‘Sleep Like A Baby Tonight’, meanwhile, harks back to the gentle yet menacing sound of the band’s Pop era, and closer ‘The Troubles’ is a brooding, string-laden duet with Swedish pop singer Lykke Li that works better than it sounds on paper. Though it’s unlikely to become anyone’s favourite U2 album – the competition is just too stiff for that - Songs of Innocence is a welcome return from one of the world’s biggest acts, and a worthy addition to the U2 back catalogue. And to reiterate, it’s free. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
11th – 18th August Budapest It is hard to imagine a better location for Sziget than the island in the centre of the Danube, the river that splits Buda and Pest. In the heart of the city, it is easily accessed but the river acts as natural sound-proofing to avoid the late night noise issues that plague other city festivals. Walking across the bridge to the “Island of Freedom” into a forest of trees with multicoloured trunks, strung with fairy lights and jewel coloured umbrellas was the perfect start to Sziget. Music isn’t the only thing on the festival bill, art and culture also play a big part of the experience and the island was decorated accordingly with clever, offbeat sculptures from watering cans pouring light (by means of fibre optic “water”) to a giant table with enormous chairs straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Festival highlights obviously included Darkside’s closing night show on the A38 stage. A heavy touring schedule this summer has built such a formidable live reputation that towards the end of forerunner La Roux’s set, a sizeable crowd had already started to gather (which I’m sure had little to do with “Bulletproof”). Opening with “Freak Go Home” was a riskier choice than the more recognisable “Metatron” or “Paper Trails” but it was perfectly executed to drive the already excited crowd into a near frenzy. Harrington and Jaar expertly built excitement through the set to culminate in a prolonged version of “Golden Arrow”. While Darkside fuses rock and electronic elements, silence throughout the performance which blends each song into the next cements this as an electronic show. Unfortunately Mount Kimbie’s show earlier on Sunday was disappointingly ruined by overzealous bass that drowned out musical definition, so the songs were indistinguishable. However this thankfully didn’t seem to affect the rest of the performances and the sound quality on the main stage was impressively clear. Fridays highlight was Cee Lo Green’s brilliant performance on the Mainstage. Wearing what resembled a black floor length dress and diamond necklace, his phenomenal voice sailing over classics “Crazy” and “Fuck You”, he was at
once sublime and ridiculous. The performance managed to exist in both the realm of the absurd and the extremely entertaining, a complete class act. The rest of Friday was a brilliant nostalgia trip with the Palma Violets on A38 playing the perfect afternoon set. “Best of Friends” was the standout number, with songs from their album Invasion of the Tribbles sounding like a beautifully executed reimagining of music I used to listen to and music they used to listen to. The Klaxons were the logical next step down memory lane and a surprisingly good show. Bombay Bicycle Club played a brilliantly judged Saturday afternoon set on the mainstage with beautiful versions of “Luna” and “Always Like This”. This acted as a natural prelude to The Wild Beast’s stunning performance on A38. The stars of the mainstage, though unexpected given the famously disappointing Coachella show of earlier this summer, were Outkast, who took the stage for the penultimate mainstage show. The hotbed of charisma and charm that is Andre 3000 worked the crowd perfectly for old favourites “Roses” and “So Fresh, So Clean”. The Speakerboxxx and Love Below dynamic mostly worked well, although occasionally felt like two acts sharing a stage. Live rap with a large crowd rarely works well and the audience lost interest with the early album material that closed the show but, on the whole, a great performance. The first few days have a sparser line-up which provides a great opportunity to explore the Art Zone, the Hungarian museum or venture out into Budapest. Without the stress of frantically pitching a tent on the first day and inevitably missing half the people you went to see, the opening day of Sziget is a lot less chaotic than an English festival. This lack of chaos pervades the festival thanks to the organisational prowess of the team behind Sziget. Everything is executed with fluid precision, from the gate system to prevent crowding in tents, to the festival card to save faffing around with change or tokens. I even found myself in a state of shock when I didn’t have to queue for a bathroom, and then further shock when it wasn’t revolting. In fact, the lack of mud, grottiness and disorganisation, combined with cheap drinks, food and friendly staff might even make Sziget the perfect festival.
Darkside. Photo: Alex Fenton
Games
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
15
Editor: James Thursfield, Matthew Cole Feature
feature
Minecraft: The $2.5 Billion Cultural Phenomenon
With the departure of its creator Markus “Notch” Persson, Games Editor James Thursfield looks at the nature of the cultural phenomenon and what the future holds for the franchise. When Markus “Notch” Persson started Minecraft in 2009 he was on his own. Minecraft began as a small and relatively unknown indie-game, developed by one man and inspired by a combination of other obscure games such Dwarf Fortress and Infiniminer. The game became known when Notch wrote the basic game code and casually mentioned it on a site for independent game players and creators. A month later he was charging people $10 to download the game, selling 40 copies in the first week. Notch has now sold his company to US tech giant Microsoft for a mammoth $2.5 billion. Prior to its sale on September 15th, Minecraft has sold nearly 54 million copies, becoming a cultural phenomenon in the process. At its core, Minecraft is a sandbox construction game that has also been dubbed ‘digital Lego’. However, to categorise Minecraft into a game genre does a disservice to its spirit. The game drops the player into a randomly generated world made from blocks, allowing the player to either explore the expansive map or become creative. Every block in the world can be harvested and “crafted” onto something else. All the while there is a looming threat that, once the sun goes down, the creepers come out and it becomes a survival game. Minecraft is an immersive experience that is entirely player-driven and the players’ enjoyment of the game is dictated by their own imagination and sense of adventure. Game designers such as Peter Molyneux have called Minecraft “the best game of the last ten years”. That Minecraft has become globally
Photo: Minecraft BagoGames @Flickr iconic is in part due to its unique “blocky” art style. By May 2012 over $1 million had been made from the sale of merchandise alone, with creepers and grass blocks adorning everything from shirts to socks. Much of Minecraft’s initial popularization revolved around its spreading through social media. YouTubers such as Pewdiepie and Yogscast promoted the game with Let’s Play commentaries and sites such as Reddit and 4chan also helped the growth of the game’s popularity. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement, “Minecraft is more than a great game franchise – it is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about.” This highlights how Microsoft sees much of their $2.5 billion valuation of Minecraft. Not just in the game itself but through the ‘cult’ and social media surrounding it. However, this is the same ‘cult’ that Notch wanted to escape. In a recent statement he said, “it’s not about the money. It’s about my sanity… I’m not
an entrepreneur. I’m not a CEO. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter.” This helps to emphasise an increasingly worrying trend in the gaming industry. Namely, that game developers and YouTube stars alike have become sick and tired of enduring criticism and abuse from the internet. YouTube sensations such as TotalBiscuit and Pewdiepie have both removed their comment sections, claiming that they felt they were unable to connect anymore with their fans in a meaningful way. Boogie2988, famous for his viral video of a nerd raging about having had his World of Warcraft account hacked, also states that, “Notch learnt the hard way, that being an internet persona – you get a lot of hate – you get a lot of harassment and you have to deal with a lot of bullshit.” Whilst there is unquestionably an unsavoury exposure that comes with the creation of a cultural phenomenon such as Minecraft, there is also a youthful appeal to the franchise
that Microsoft sees a lot of value in. Amongst Minecraft’s huge fan base lies a young demographic of largely 8-15 years olds that could emerge as a hugely valuable consumer base for the company. The future of Microsoft also revolves around mobile and cross-platform applications. Such an enthusiasm for cross-platform IPs was reflected in their recent acquisition of Skype for $8.5 billion. Minecraft similarly gives Microsoft a property that plays well on a desktop, iOS and Android. There is a fair chance that Minecraft could be the next Lego-like franchise, with the potential to spark the imagination of a generation and deliver the huge monetary profits which would accompany this. With Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft many fans have become worried that their beloved franchise may be over-monetised by a company that is renowned for its profit first approach to business. Such fears are justified but it is likely that little will change. Microsoft has kept much of the same staff in Mojang employed on the game and it is likely that Microsoft knows the Minecraft community well enough to keep its intervention to a minimum. What comes next for Minecraft is largely unknown, but one thing we do know is that it will not involve its creator. For a game that claims its only limit is your own imagination, it has become such a cultural phenomenon that it has even outgrown Notch himself.
Review
Hohokum—Review
Hohokum is a 2D exploration game which puts you in control of a psychedelic sperm that harbours visions of cosmic worlds and alien monkey playmates, allowing you to meander playfully through a timeless and effulgent dimension presided over by nothing. Ostensibly an artyfarty indie offering with plinkyplonky music, the designers at Honeyslug have nevertheless managed to distinguish their game by keeping their noses out of the player’s business; no context is given in the opening, no instructions are plastered over the screen to tell you what to do and there are no voiceovers to guide you through the experience. Instead, you spawn in an abstract level hub and travel through portals into mystical environments, interacting with background scenery, oddball characters and various little mechanisms and contraptions as you go with no overruling objective in mind. The game employs a free-form, experimental structure, from the very fluidity of the spermy snake’s movement (imagine Snake but without the dodgems-esque
rigidity) right down to the level design which encourages selfgoverned exploration and trial and error. The game gleefully trades in minimalism and catharsis,
Games editor Matthew Cole reviews indie video game Hohokum and a twee plot will come away from Hohokum in a bewildered grump. If, however, you’re of an altogether calmer disposition and you can entertain the idea of a game whereby the very
Photo: Global Panorama @Flickr qualities which won’t appeal to all gamers in equal measures. Those looking for a puzzledriven adventure replete with intricate platforming elements
act of playing is considered an object in and of itself, then this might just interest you. There’s no denying the marriage between soundtrack and
art style is spot on here. The simple and cutesy character sprites are complemented perfectly by jingling bells and chirrupy whistles, and what’s more the music functions dynamically in tandem with the player’s actions, acting as a feedback mechanism whilst layering on the dreamy vibes. Occasionally you will marvel at the overall effect the game produces when firing on all cylinders, spitting out vibrant explosions and pulsating rhythms as you glide from foreground and background. Unfortunately for Hohokum the effect does wear off. Level progression becomes tedious when the next environmental trigger cannot be located, and this is bound to happen a handful of times in a single play through because the player cannot always rely on their logic alone to reach the next cue, with some puzzles bordering on the opaque. Sometimes the player must exhaust the entire layout of a level in the hope of connecting with the next vital switch or character, and if this takes more than five minutes or so, the magical spell is broken.
I also wish to warn you if your parents supervise your playtime. My Dad walked in on me when I sat down to play the game in the living room. Being an ex-gamer who only deigns to enjoy the hobby when slipping into a Tomb Raiderfuelled relapse, he observed me colouring in circles with the pink snake as if I was a peasant chewing at a pair of genital buboes. It was much worse than cast-iron scepticism -it was sheer disgust. Unless you have artistically-minded parents who are capable of suppressing their reactions, make sure you play Hohokum in private, for if they catch you in the act, they’ll take the mick and get you on the defensive. But far more unbearable is the niggling feeling that they might just have a point. Hohokum is now available for download on PS3, PS4 and PS Vita.
Moments column: Favourite multiplayer moments By James Thursfield My favourite multiplayer moment was when I was playing a mini-game within Warcraft 3 called 100 Rounds. The objective of the game was to survive 100 rounds of incoming missiles and units by dodging them. The addictiveness of the game lay in the precision movement needed to get through the increasingly difficult levels as well as the stellar electronic soundtrack that accompanied them. Every 10 levels there would be a boss fight that would push you and your friends to the limit. My favourite moment occurred when we reached round 20 and encountered a boss that shot multicoloured spheres whilst enemy units were charging at us. The way to defeat the boss was to grab a special blue sphere fired amongst a flood of damaging red spheres and send it back as damage. However, if you and your three friends perished during this battle, you went straight back to level one. Slowly but surely we managed to deal damage to the boss, but this came at a cost. One by one we were killed off until only I was remaining. It is easy to predict what happens next, as this is my favourite multiplayer moment. As the battle raged on, the pounding of the electronic music intensified along with the rate of damaging spheres. Just as the red spheres appeared endless, a blue one appeared. Then, amassing all the courage possible from a video gamer, I charged towards the blue beacon of hope, leaving the red spheres in my wake. Whilst defeating a round 20 boss may not seem like such a great achievement when the game has 100 rounds, it says something that the furthest we ever got was round 21. It was either a hard game or we were terrible gamers. By Matthew Cole The Last of Us online multiplayer. Reinforcements for both sides have been depleted and I’m left as the last man standing on my team. I am tasked with the elimination of two enemy players before a 30 second countdown expires. One player shuffles towards me on the first floor, the second waits in his ambuscade on ground level. I’m sandwiched. Bearing in mind the slow paced, tense and visceral nature of the game, this critical moment has me touching cloth. In a panic, I thunder down the stairs and narrowly avoid a bullet as I take cover. Creeping around the edge of the room I break into a sprint, aim at the now exposed villain and crack two rounds at him. The first hits him in the torso and the second tears through his head before he has a chance to move. He crumples. His buddy appears at the foot of the stairs and we exchange a few shots, each of us connecting once or twice, but mostly misfiring. Health is low. We’re both in cover behind sofas situated a few metres apart, with a little floor space acting as a modern day no man’s land. Nothing happens for a brief eternity and then I realise that he’s playing for time because neither of us have ammo. There are ten seconds for me to save the round. I open up my inventory and craft a weapon by attaching a pair of scissors to a long piece of wood that I picked up earlier. Making a charge at him, I vault over my sofa and as I touch the ground, a Molotov cocktail arcs just over my head, shattering and exploding against the wall behind me. I take this chance to vault over the second sofa, whipping out my bat and swinging it into the side of his skull. The clock stops with one second remaining. A notification pops up from my teammate. It reads, “that was sick, bro.”
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
/TheMancunion: Lifestyle
Editors: Aimée Grant Cumberbatch, Gráinne Morrison, Nikki Patel (Beauty) We ask, You answer
@MancunionLife
Feature
Feature
As seen on my ASK You bank statement ” ANSWER
“
We
Gráinne Morrison tells us why online shopping has her hooked.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in the name of fashion? “I paid £220 for my waxed Barbour coat, but I bloody love that coat.” - Aidan Gregory “Ryanair are £160 richer all because of my horrendously overweight baggage flying from Ireland to Manchester, my wardrobe is just too important to me.”
You know that friend who
changed me forever. It’s pretty
inar, to stay warm in my student
shopping offers a non toxic
always takes things too far?
shallow as far as addictions go
house or to cheer myself up af-
escape. So yes, I sacrifice gro-
Well that’s me. A housemate re-
but it’s hard to beat the exhilara-
ter a particularly gruelling day.
ceries, I buy new loafers instead
cently labelled me dangerous
tion that comes from waking up
Seriously, that’s a good friend
of books for my course but I’m
to go shopping with, I never
to a present your past self was
right there.
happy. Isn’t that the key to life?
leave empty handed and en-
considerate enough to send
Online outlets always have
Well I’m happy for the day or
courage the same attitude in
you. If a greater felicity exists,
your size in stock, which is usu-
two after I open that beautiful
those
ally a sign
silver parcel of dreams. Then I
me. Even sober,
around
that
you
start to feel just as un-chic as I
my levels of self
should
did previously so I have to buy
control are dire.
definitely
something else to fill the void
Sooner or later
buy
buy
and so it goes on.
though, some-
buy.
But
There is no rehab for shop-
thing
the major
ping addicts; there are only ad-
give. In my case
draw
is
vertisements left, right and cen-
it’s always my
the
fact
tre promising you a better life.
bank
balance
that online
And of course, it doesn’t help
and standard of
shops like
that ASOS sends me beautiful
living that take
Missguid-
love notes everyday. How can
ed, Nasty
I break it off when they haven’t
Gal,
has
to
the hit.
Photo: dramastyle.com
I’ve always adored shopping but the boom
- Gráinne Morrison “Living off Sainsbury’s Basics for a semester to save for a Mulberry, never has a handbag been more worth it.” - Gemma Boyle “I put up with my brother referring to my favourite jacket as ‘the green rag’, but I don’t care because I look boss.”
I’m yet to experience it.
Boo-
even done anything wrong? I’d
hoo and ASOS have a greater va-
tell you I’m working on it, that
of online shops in recent years
So what is it about online
riety and much faster overturn
I’m battling this addiction each
has meant said adoration has
shopping that is so irresistible?
of stock. The ‘New In’ section is
day at a time but that would be
developed
something
Well real life shops close in the
basically a daily doorway to a
a lie. It’s a problem I’m willing to
more sinister. In truth, my life is
evening, and that’s just cru-
better you.
live with.
shadowed by my addiction to
el. ASOS is there for me 24/7:
In this world of damp hous-
online shopping.
whether it’s to look hot on a
es, dodgy oven food and Sains-
night out, to look smart in a sem-
bury’s basics vodka, online
into
ASOS came into my life and
Charity shop challenge We send fashion editor Aimée Grant Cumberbatch to the charity shops of south Manchester on a quest to find an outfit for less than a bottle of Sainsbury’s Basics vodka. Your overdraft is threatening to eat you up and your loan has long since been kindly donated to Manchester’s neediest clubs, bars and chicken shops. A bit like central heating and booze that isn’t own brand, new threads seem but a distant dream. However, I’ll let you in on a little secret that only the savviest of shoppers know. Clothes that are as cheap as chips and indeed chicken strips are sitting waiting for a kindly second owner to give them a loving home. Look no further than your local high street charity shops. Last week’s issue gave you our guide to all things shopping in Manchester, singing the praises of the
Well, at least it’s not heroin.
city’s well-stocked charity shops. So this week we’ve put our money where our mouth is, scouring the second hand stores of Fallowfield, Withington and Didsbury to find an amazing outfit for under a tenner: Entirely sourced from Mind, Cancer Research and Oxfam, not only would this outfit look at home on a rail in Topshop, it’s also a little how to guide on wearing those fancy dress purchases in real life (yes I did wear that skirt to Pangaea). Bought for only £3, this A-line gem is the perfect way to get your claws into this season’s trend for all things leopard. Teamed with a sleek black polo neck (£2), you can keep the northern chill at bay in sweet 60s style. Key to any showstopping look is of course accessories and this black faux leather satchel (£5) takes this outfit from cheap to chic, with plenty of space to stash your stuff. Outfit = £10 That smug look on your face when your friends ask you where you got that corker of an ensemble and you respond “What, this? Oh just a little something I picked up down the chazza shop.” = Priceless.
Photo: Aimee Grant Cumberbatch
Beauty starts
Craving & Saving
Craving Good Genes Treatment, Sunday Riley Although many lotions and potions can be downright extortionate, in certain cases you really do get what you pay for. This week I am making the case for Good Genes Treatment night serum by super cool US brand Sunday Riley, £85. Now you spring chickens may be tutting at the sheer frivolousness of investing in an anti-aging cream but believe me when I say that this has been one of my favourite beauty finds. Containing a lactic acid base and liquorice, the formula exfoliates, smooths and brightens the skin, as well as fading hyperpigmentation. It can also be used as a face mask pre-night out, to get that all too elusive glow.
- Marie-Louise Brown “ Wearing jeans so tight I get cystitis, meaning I have my cranberry supplements at the ready. My mom jeans pinch so bad.”
However, I am aware that this hefty price tag could easily bag you 3 weeks’ worth of groceries, two Warehouse Project tickets or your electricity bill, and this is why I have found a smashing yet cheap alternative.
- Rajan Sidhu
Photo: Sunday Riley
Beauty Editor Nikki Patel advises on how to look good without spending too much.
Egg and Olive Oil Hair Mask If your hair is damaged and frazzled from years of straightening and brushing, extortionate Kerastase treatments aren’t necessarily the only option. Simply whisk two egg whites with four tablespoons of olive oil and apply to dry hair, leaving to soak in a shower cap. After 30 minutes, rinse out with warm water. Use this treatment a few times a month to restore damaged hair to its original glossy state, leaving it feeling soft and hydrated.
Photo: annehelenpetersen.com Berry-Yoghurt Sun Repair Mask
Photo: Aimee Grant Cumberbatch
For those of you lucky enough to have had a summer of sun, sea and sangria, chances are your skin is feeling a little sun-stricken. Instead of investing in expensive and unreliable sun rescue treatments, just mash 10 blueberries and mix with a tablespoon of natural yoghurt before applying to your face for 15 minutes. The vitamin-rich berries help to fight fine lines and dryness caused by sun exposure and the lactic acid of the yoghurt exfoliates the upper layers of the skin, repairing UV damage. @Flickr
Fresher’s street style
Nikki Patel recomends two equally delectable beauty products of contrasting price
“ £210 for the best boots in the world.”
17
in the kitchen
Photo: geishabot
- Matthew Lester
Calling all established Manchester fashionistas, we want to know how your style has evolved since moving to the rainy city. Tweet us @mancunionfash.
Fashion
Glycolic Fix Serum, Nip + Fab
Saving
Freshers’ street-style
The small yet mighty Glycolic Fix Serum by Nip + Fab, £14.95, has proven to be my very own beauty godsend this summer. After just two weeks of nightly use, my skin has a lot to thank me for as it feels smoother, more hydrated and my pesky acne scars have even begun to fade. Easily absorbed and mattfiying, you only need a tiny amount in order for this Nip + Fab gem to work its magic as you sleep. It can also be used as a primer under foundation before a night on the town to create a dewy effect. At just under £15.00 I highly recommend this and all of the brand’s amazing skin products if you want to wave goodbye to crusty Winter skin once and for all.
DIY Salt Spray Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice your mermaid-esque locks. Bring a bit of the beach to Manchester by mixing two cups of warm water, two tbsp of sea salt, two tbsp of vodka and a blob of hair gel and pour into an empty spray bottle. Next spray onto damp hair, scrunch and let it dry naturally for perfectly textured tresses this semester. Green Tea and Grapefruit Toner This toner, which works wonders for oily/combination skin helps to tighten pores, stunt sebum production and calm enflamed acne. All you need is two green tea bags steeped in water, the juice of half a grapefruit and a ¼ cup of witch hazel. Bottle up and refrigerate for daily use. Photo: Aimee Grant CumberbPhoto: Nip + Fab
Photo: Aimee Grant Cumberbatch Juliet Newbold, 18, Chemistry.
Photo: Aimee Grant Cumberbatch Iona Wills, 21, History of Art. Mattie Roberts, 21, History of Art.
Photo: Nikki Patel Naomi Cooper, 19, Psychology.
Thanks very much to this week’s savvy street stylers. If you’ve got any of your own stylish snaps, tweet us @mancunionfash. Our photograpers are all over Manchester, so make the campus your very own runway.
Know of any other money saving beauty treatments? If so, email us at fashion.mancunion@gmail.com. We love anything that makes us beautiful whilst leaving money for new lipstick and other equally important necessities.
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
18
Editors: Tom Bruce, Andriana Hambi, James Moules, Martin Solibakke Top Five
Feature
Top Five:
Winter Is Coming...
Single Location Films
...to a cinema near you
From James Franco having a rocky few days to Ryan Reynolds lying six feet under, here are Martin Solibakke’s picks for the best movies in this niche genre. 5) Phone Booth (2002) Hell breaks lose for Stu (Colin Farrell) when he answers the phone in a phone booth in New York and realises a sniper wants him dead. The next hour of the film shows his attempt to keep the sniper on the other end, who seems to know a lot about Stu, from pulling the trigger.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
4) 127 Hours (2010) Based on a true story, the film follows a canyoneer and his worst nightmare as he gets his arm stuck under a boulder. The eccentric James Franco plays the lead role brilliantly, and makes sure the film hits your nerves. 3) Lebanon (2009) This powerful, Israeli anti-war film is likely to be one of the best you have never seen. This fictional masterpiece exclusively filmed inside a military tank with its crew during the 1982 Lebanon war, and is as brutal as it is realistic. 2) Lifeboat (1944)
Our Film Editors Discuss the Movies They Can’t Wait for This Rainy Season James Moules Interstellar - 07/11/2014 : It would be impossible for me to talk about the biggest movies of the year without giving a nod to the man who many are hailing as the Steven Spielberg of our age – Christopher Nolan. He directed the well-loved (albeit slightly overrated) comic book saga that is The Dark Knight Trilogy and the mindmeltingly genius heist-thriller Inception, and now he’s making his own space odyssey movie. Nolans’s rabidly fanatical fanbase are going to go wild. Not only do we have a great premise on our hands, but we’ve also got one of the best ensemble casts in recent years to look forward to – even the most ardent sceptic of Nolan cannot help but be excited at the prospect of seeing Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon all in the same movie. I guess it’s true when they say that every actor wants to work with Mr Nolan. I cannot deny that this movie has a hell of a lot of promise – my only concerns about the film come from its most recent trailer. Is the film going to go down the route of being a preachy cautionary message about the future alongside an overplayed melodrama in the vein of James Cameron’s Avatar? I hope not. Let’s just say for now that I’m remaining optimistic about Interstellar. But it’s Nolan we’re talking about – it’s got to be great, right? Tom Bruce The Hobbit..... Five? - 12/12/2014: Continuing his relentless conquest against the life, times and works of fantasy novelist J.R.R Tolkien, New Zealand’s only famous person will release the sixth (and dear Illúvatar may it be the last) of his Middle
1) Buried (2010) What does a director need to make one of the most claustrophobic and nail-biting films of all time? A Zippo lighter, a BlackBerry and a Ryan Reynolds buried alive in Iraq, desperately trying to find a way out. Watch and learn, Michael Bay.
Photo: The Safran Company
Earth Saga, which is being sold as ‘The Defining Chapter’. Peter Jackson stole the heart and mind of your correspondent with his magisterial three-part adaptation of The Lord of the Rings book, but, much as one may try to forgive and forget, his Hobbit films have proved overlong, overly successful, overproduced fusterclucks of green screened confusion. With luck, The Battle of the Five Armies – a three plus hour long film hewn from the final thirty pages of The Hobbit, which by the way has quite large font – won’t be as chaotically disordered in its storytelling or action sequences as were the first two films. The trailer for Five Armies, however, suggests otherwise; it’s a bagatelle mix of sombre full-screen close ups, pompous titling and jokey set-pieces featuring goats, overlaid with Pippin’s song ‘All Shall Fade’ from The Return of the King. All shall fade, indeed. Andriana Hambi Into the Woods - 09/01/2015: They’re telling us to be careful what we wish for, but I’ve sure been wishing for this for a long time. As the first Disney adapted Broadway musical, Into the Woods is looking like this Christmas’ must see. This classic Sondheim musical intertwines the stories of many of the Grimm fairy tales such as Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel in what can affectionately be descried as a hot mess. This film has some interesting credit s with a real mix of seasoned actors and newer talent. This might be one of the few roles where Meryl Streep’s overacting might work in her favour as The Witch. This will be James Cordens’ breakout role in the US as The Baker, and his agent must have been working hard this year as this release follows the announcement of him replacing
Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show. It will be interesting to see how Johnny Depp approaches his role as The Wolf without Tim Burton there to inform his caricature. Director Rob Marshall know for other musical films such as Nine and Chicago will surely bring his usual flare to the film. I have no doubt it will be a magical adventure for all. Martin Solibakke The Interview - 06/02/2015: One of the more charismatic films of this winter will definitely be The Interview, an actioncomedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. They are running a celebrity tabloid TV show, and manage to land an interview with the North Korean dictator, supreme leader and self-proclaimed fashion icon Kim Jong-un as he is a big fan of the show. The plot thickens around the tabloid journalists when the CIA ends up recruiting them to assassinate the eccentric leader of the most isolated country in the world. The Korean Central News Agency has already voiced its disgust for the film, and called it the most blatant act of terrorism on the country, and threatened with merciless retaliation if the film is actually released. That is great banter, it really is. The Interview will be Rogen and Franco’s first film since they played semi-fictional versions of themselves in last year’s This Is the End, and a satirical comedy about assassinations and slightly overweight dictators should fit especially James Franco perfectly well. It is surprising how North Korea is against this film, as it is common knowledge in the country how Kim Jong-Il, Jong-un’s father, invented the multi camera shot technique in the 1960s.
Classic Review
Withnail and I Tom Bruce
Writing about single location movies without mentioning Alfred Hitchcock would be like talking about overrated bands without mentioning Green Day. Several of his films could have made this list, but in this lesserknown Hitchcock-film survivals are stuck on a lifeboat after their ships are sunk in combat.
Photo: Warner Bros
No write up of Bruce Robinson’s pitch perfect tragicomedy, the iconic Withnail and I, can miss mention of the infamous drinking game which can be played while watching the film. Why infamous? Because if you were to match the character of Withnail (a manic Richard E. Grant) beverage for beverage, consuming exactly what he has when he has it – a list which includes ale, cider, sherry and lighter fluid - then you would be brain-dead long before his majestic closing soliloquy at the films end. Withnail and I is a classic film because everyone can relate to it, if not immediately then certainly eventually. Living in squalor; waking up without memory or a sense of smell; coming home to find strange people rolling ten-inch joints in your living room; being called a ‘perfumed ponce’ by weather-beaten locals – these things are part of everyday life for many students, and Paul
Director: Bruce Robinson • Starring: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths Released: 1987
McGann (the fellow who plays the ‘I’ of the title) represents us all. Richard E. Grant, on the other hand, is that friend you have that you only enjoy after they’ve gone, the boozecrazed, stick thin maverick that constantly treads the murky depths of self-annihilation
Inferno, Hamlet and Heart of Darkness all had a hand in informing Bruce Robinson’s towering screenplay for the film. Times were tough in 1980s Camden Town; through the traumas of starvation, miserable rejections as a flagging actor and weeklong binges on multi-coloured capsules came the inspiration for something huge yet real, profound yet everyday. Robinson’s story of two unsuccessful thirty year old thespians flat sharing in order to scrape by is as melancholic as can be, yet Withnail and I is one of the most triumphantly funny, ceaselessly referenceable films ever made. Once I and Withnail leave for a bit of rest and recovery in the great English countryside, events approach the territory of a farcical hallucination, the kind of reality that can only be sustained through a total 24/7 state of inebriation, exacerbated by a lack of food or the ability to start a fire. Uncle Monty, whose host was the now sadly departed Richard Griffiths, is perhaps the most haunting character of British Photo: Handmade Films cult cinema, his carrot fondling tendencies and wiggling eyebrows the stuff of nightmares. He means to while somehow keeping their head above the have you. Even if it must be burglary. waterline of charismatic dignity. Literature like Waiting for Godot, Dante’s
/MancunionFilm
Film 19
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
@mancunionfilm
Review
TV Guide
A Most Wanted Man Editor James Moules gives glowing praise to the latest John le Carré film adaptation. It would be near impossible – or at least a shade insensitive – for me to open this review without noting that A Most Wanted Man features Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last lead performance before his untimely death earlier this year. He was one of the greatest character actors of our time, and his presence on the silver screen will be sorely missed. Despite this sadness at his departure, I was delighted to discover that A Most Wanted Man features one of Hoffman’s greatest performances – he truly did go out on a high note. Based on the novel by spymaster John le Carré, A Most Wanted Man gives us a wise and thrilling parable about the hunt for Islamic extremists in post-9/11 Germany. When a potential terrorist enters Hamburg illegally, German special agent Günther Bachmann (Hoffman) seeks to use him as a tool to get at valuable financiers of Islamic terrorism. Both the German authorities and the omnipresent American observers are on Bachmann’s back, watching his every move carefully – they are just as eager to use him as he is eager to use the immigrant Islamist, creating a web of paranoia and treachery around this apparently simple manhunt. When a young lawyer (Rachael McAdams) and a corrupt banker (Willem Dafoe) become potential obstacles for Bachmann, he is forced to battle against both the clock and German law to get what he needs. Film adaptations of le Carré novels often end up
being very strong pieces of cinema (see the 2011 masterpiece Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), and A Most Wanted Man is no exception. As well us giving us a richly intelligent and entertaining spy thriller, the
note bombardment of socio-political allegory – it’s a deeply compelling study in how the War on Terror has either harmed or completely destroyed the lives of what would be perfectly ordinary people in other circumstances. When such a shining example of cosmopolitanism as Hamburg becomes a place when people don’t trust you because of your skin colour or religious beliefs, you know that something’s gone very wrong in the world. And it is this world that our host of characters have to live and work. It’s far too subtle for it to be called a nightmare – I think ‘bad dream’ would be far more fitting, or perhaps ‘good dream gone sinister.’ I think you get the idea. This complex and sinister world would not have been made possible without fantastic direction from Anton Corbijn and an array of stellar performances from the cast. As you probably guessed already, it’s Photo: Film4 Productions the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who gives us the film’s greatest piece of acting. He gives us a phenomfilm also gives us an all too relevant look at how the enally nuanced character that is cunning, manipulaso-called ‘War on Terror’ has warped human society. tive and driven in his goal to protect Germany from A Most Wanted Man makes the point of noting how terror. I think that Oscar voters should keep his work much of a cosmopolitan jewel Hamburg was in the in this film at the forefront of their minds. days before 9/11 – the Hamburg we see in the film, on Although I’d argue it doesn’t quite reach the same the other hand, is a sinister place that is ridden with titanic levels that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy did three xenophobia and widespread mistrust. Nobody cares years ago, A Most Wanted Man is still an outstanding that the aforementioned immigrant was tortured addition to the spy film canon that proves once again and imprisoned in Russia and Turkey – the only the le Carré is a master of his game. It’s an atmospherimportant question is if he is going to set off a bomb. ic and entertaining tale that not only gives us a great To anyone living in what we call the Western World spy movie, but also serves as a fine swansong for the in the shadow of 9/11, this attitude must seem eerily great Philip Seymour Hoffman. familiar. But A Most Wanted Man is far from being a one5/5
Cornerhouse Pick of the Week
You Can’t Handle the Truth!
In Order of Disappearance
Books to Films
Tom Bruce went in blind. He came out snowblind.
Andriana Hambi thinks novels should stay on the page.
Photo: Paradox Film 2
Ever since Fargo (the film, not the Tim From The Office one) splashed its crimson brand of black humour all over snow-swept cinema screens in 1996, the world has been waiting for another gangster-action flick even half as funny or well-directed as the Coen Bro’s classic. This film is not that film, but apart from one cheeky homage – and who can begrudge them that? – to the aforementioned crimecaper, In Order of Disappearance follows its own mischievously dark, unpredictable trajectory. Nils Dickman (Stellan Skarsgård) is a Swedish immigrant beloved of his family and adoptive people. He is, as even Homer would concede, the ultimate Mr Plough, driving his 6 tonne battle ram through blizzards day in, day out, so that the townsfolk may pass freely through the valleys without crashing into snowbanks or freezing to death. Dickman is a good man: then his son gets killed. Dickman is now an angry man. His transformation from the Gentle Giant to Rambo ‘I Will Find
You’ McLane is just painful enough and desperate enough so as to be believable; when he begins shovelling through local drug runners to find his boy’s murderer, there’s no questioning his ability to do so. Each kill scene is neatly spaced, marked by a blank screen bearing the name of the latest ‘disappeared’ victim, accompanied with their corresponding religious symbol. Nils doesn’t discriminate; he takes out Catholics, Protestants, Jews… and whatever they are in Serbia. In Order of Disappearance (or Kraftidioten, to use the Nynorsk name) isn’t anywhere near as gleeful as a Coen brothers hit or a bit of Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths), but it is nevertheless a witty, impacting and slickly made slice of dark humour. It also contains a man falling into a wood-chipper type device, so if that’s all you recall from Fargo then this is definitely for you. 4/5
Hollywood’s finest has to offer. It’s not that these films are always bad; it’s that they’ll never stand up to the book, so they’ve already lost the creative battle. The success of these movies is only ever going to be measured in ticket sales. Not only is this bad Photo: Warner Bros for the film industry, it’s bad for the book Take a look at the biggest movie industry as well, as it releases of the last 5 years and count takes pretty much all the magic away how many of those films were not a) from reading. When you’re reading a a se/prequel b) a book adaptation c) a book, you’re going on a long journey depiction of real events d) a remake. with some characters, and they exist Have you counted? Yes, you’re correct, in your head in a completely different about 2. This trend aggravates and way to someone else. And then you talk terrifies me. It truly is the sign of a to someone who’s read the same book, decaying society that for a movie to be and you’ve had a shared experience funded it has to already have a line of where you both sat down for more than people waiting to see it. Not to sound 90 minutes and invested yourselves hyperbolic, but it’s obliterating creativity in a fictional world. And it’s long, and and is rotting the minds of our children. tumultuous, and you laughed, and wept, I really feel like it’s an issue in the and were sad when you finished it. But film industry right now, because the then the film comes out and everyone implication is, unless you write a claims they love it just as much, and you bestselling novel with the potential just know they’ll never truly understand for a sequel, you’re going to struggle it like you do, they’ll never know the to get a film made that’s targeted at a minutia or the side plots that were cut younger audience. That means that for time, and these people are sharing today’s children will grow up on series in a zeitgeist that they don’t belong. And of movies that are engineered purely then it’s nineteen years later, and you’re for ticket sales and to the advertising standing at a train station with your agendas of some higher power. Where’s future children, and you shed a tear for the originality? Where’s the creativity? their lack of literacy. This doesn’t just go for children’s movies, just have a gander at what
TV
GUIDE Fans of The Hunger Games movies are going to be delighted to discover that Catching Fire will be hitting Netflix this week. With only a couple of months until the first part of the unnecessarily split Mockingjay is released, this will be a good time to refresh yourselves or – if you haven’t seen it yet – catch up with the series. Other films hitting Netflix this week include Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, the abominably misguided biopic Diana and yet another Paranormal Activity movie (the fourth one, to be precise). So there’s plenty to keep you busy online if you don’t own a TV.
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures
For those of you who do have a small screen in your dwelling (and are also fortunate enough to have Sky), you’ll be able to catch the fifth and final season of Terence Winter’s awesome period drama Boardwalk Empire on Saturday evenings. With the question of whether or not Nucky Thompson is going to survive the show on every fan’s lips, you’d be doing yourself quite a favour if you caught up and watched it. I promise you it’ll be worth it.
Photo: BBC One
If you’re not subscribed to Sky (I am addressing students, after all), then Saturday TV will no doubt be dominated by that most British of shows that is Doctor Who. With Peter ‘Malcolm Tucker’ Capaldi already making a solid impression as the latest incarnation of The Doctor, the show looks like it’s popularity is in no danger of waning. And we have a delightfully Scottish Doctor gracing our small screens now – what’s not to like? James Moules
20
Books
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
/TheMancunion: Books @MancunionBooks
Editors: Leonie Dunn, Ali Pearson
Comment
Is the Use of Ghostwriters a Problem? After discovering that “My Booky Wook” was written by someone other than Russell Brand, Alister Pearson asks whether ghostwriting is a bad thing or not. This summer I read Russell Brand’s first autobiography, the childishly but humorously named My Booky Wook. It was great—it was laugh-out-loud hilarious, as outrageous as one would imagine an autobiography would be by a man who dressed as Osama Bin Laden the day after 9/11, heartening at times but most of all it was a deeply personal account from one of Britain’s most notorious comedians. It went into detail about his drug addiction and sex addiction as well as some disastrous relationship stories and his fragmented childhood. It was roughly twenty pages before I finished the book when my mum caught me reading it and informed me that the Guardian had published an article that week about ghostwriting and that My Booky Wook was actually written by someone else. A ghostwriter is essentially someone who writes for someone else and allows him or her the credit. This amazed me as My Booky Wook seemed so typically Brand to the extent that if I were to read you any page without telling you who it was written by, you would almost definitely tell it is Brand’s writing.
Two obvious dilemmas sprung into my mind upon finishing the article. The first was how sales and royalties were divided between the two parties. Robert McCrum reports that the standard used to be one third of the advance for the ghost plus royalties but due to recession and I expect the rising number of ghostwriters leading to a more competitive market that figure has dropped to as low as ten per cent. At first I didn’t think these numbers were justified, as surely it should be a fifty-fifty split as the success of the autobiography is contingent on both parties. But then I decided to abstract parts of the process of how the book is made and thought that both the stories and style of writing is done in the manner of the celebrity and the ghost only does the writing so it appears fair that the celebrity receives more as they are the more quintessential members of the agreement. The second problem I had was whether the autobiography would lack honesty and realness due to it being written by a third-party, despite the fact that it is the ghost’s job to get inside their subjects’ lives to such an extent that the reader
doesn’t realise the book isn’t autobiographical. But there are things that you cannot just discover from just following people around for a while. Still, the ghost has to find out about the childhood of their specimen, things that have occurred away from the public eye and some innermost feelings to make the autobiography a success. The ghost has to earn trust from their subject in order to acquire these things and thus, as the reader, we can never be sure of whether this trust and honesty was formed or if the celebrity was taking the ghost for a comical ride. However, I think that as the reader we have this problem for any autobiography ghostwritten or not. Till this day I have no idea whether Bob Dylan’s Chronicles is just another piece by him that has a meaning none of us can ever grasp correctly or is genuinely honest. Ultimately the autobiography is going to be released to the public so there is no reason why it is going to be any more honest if it is ghostwritten or not. As far as I can see there are no fundamental problems with ghostwriting. As long as the ghostwriter is rewarded suitably for his or
Review
Photo: munhitsu @Flickr
Comment
Zadie Smith’s White Teeth “Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.”
Zadie Smith’s debut novel, White Teeth, is both epic and intimate. A completely compelling piece of literature that is rid of the qualms and introversions of any other debut novel. It is Smith’s unafraid approach to her debut and her evident ambition that caused White Teeth to receive unprecedented approval from both critics and readers alike. It is both the winner of the Guardian First Book Award and one of Time magazine’s 100 best English- language Novels from 1923 to 2005. White Teeth’s quirky take on the lives and histories of two North London families addresses big themes for a debut, considering gender, faith, race, history and culture and she triumphs. It follows the lives of both Archie - a cockney - and his best friend Samad Iqbal - a Bengali Muslim. This is a pairing that is both rare and poignant, and it is Smith’s breadth of vision that allows us as readers to follow the two histories of these intertwined families, from the battlefields of WWII to the
her efforts and tries their best to produce the most honest and true-to-life piece about their subjects’ life, I have no problem with reading the autobiography.
Photo: Zadie Smith’s White Teeth @Flickr streets of North London. However it is her mockery of the ideas of roots and heritage that allow this depiction of the multicultural Britain to be so comical. Smith uses a plethora of different characters to depict the multiple different cultural viewpoints of society today, it is a wicked play of characters and plot that takes us from the opinions of a Jehovah’s Witness to a Eugenicist. Her confident accuracy and portrayal of the diaspora of multicultural Britain allows for us as the reader to become immediately attached to each character, as we sympathise with their need to find just exactly who they are. She hits the nail on the head with this book of self-discovery as Smith jests at the idea that we are who we are simply because of our genetic background. Although it could be expected that from a debut of such epic proportions it would only skim over the surface of each of the characters, whilst Smith’s novel does cover a vast array of themes, we as readers have an unprecedented amount of omniscience for each
character. We know every detail of their family history and their pre-set archetypal family traits and this allows us to truly connect with each and every character. While it is evident that Smith as the author connects more so with some of her characters, namely Irie Jones, the half Jamaican half British teenage girl, which allows for an essence of autobiographical flourish that creates an authenticity in her depiction of each plot point. It is the odd mix of characters that enables Smith to square up to the big question at the forefront of many minds. Who am I and why am I here? Smith’s wit and rich plot allow her to set up some interesting takes on the modern day Britain. Something that has multiple layers of meaning throughout the duration of the novel is the trials and tribulations of ‘Future Mouse’. This is a question of a genetically altered mouse whose role is to prove that the power of science and intellect can triumph over the randomness of genes and DNA. But ‘Future Mouse’ himself has a bit of attitude like many of Smith’s characters as he gladly seizes his freedom and runs with it. This occurs before his impending genetic programming. This is Smith’s way of pulling all the characters back together at the end and showing that this small brown laboratory mouse cannot be genetically programmed to be albino-white. It is Smith’s endearing take of symbolism on issues like this that link to her view on the big themes in this novel, namely racism. Smith’s warm hearted novel takes on big questions and makes them appear ludicrously old-fashioned and it this that makes this Dickensian epic about modern Britain able to make every reader laugh from cover to cover. Leonie Dunn
The Kindle - to buy, or not to buy?
Photo: Book vs Kindle @Flickr
Books Editor Leonie Dunn discusses whether to go over to the dark side and buy a kindle. The popularity of Amazon’s Kindle is ever growing in size and the temptation for students to purchase this pocket sized gadget has never been greater. But there exists something of a conflict between the people of the book vs. the people of the Kindle. The Kindle has been designed with the new modern reader in mind, and with the lowest price being just £69 for one of the older models, there is a mass temptation to trade all of your course readers and novels for this one small handy Kindle. I, however will be holding onto the old-fashioned route and maintaining my visits to the local charity bookshops and libraries alike. As with the Kindle, and the new modern reader comes the loss of the social side of reading. Books are no longer passed onto friends and family members, as we simply purchase from the suggested novels page after reading our recommended bestseller from our Kindle app. While I may sound very cynical
here, it is much more to do with the loss of the lifestyle of reading and lifestyle of books rather than the books themselves that irritates me. With this new reader comes the loss of the attachment to the book and its author. For most of those who choose the Kindle , the decision it is to do with both the reduction of price and of course saving room space. As I know very well books can take up a whole lot of space. This is understandable and it is the biggest selling point of the Kindle itself. However it is the attitude towards reading that comes with the simplified aisles of the Kindle’s store that upsets book readers like myself. The truth is that books are simply not something we covet anymore, and the dusty shelves of the library are being obliterated by the clean and simple online aisles of Amazon’s book shop. So who are you going to be siding with this September: The people of the book or the people of the Kindle?
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editor: Evie Hull
Get Psyched
Societies
Manchester Psychology Society are ready for a new year with a packed programme of events, open to students of all disciplines. Manchester PsychSoc doesn’t rest for a moment. Whether it’s their monthly socials (not to mention the annual ball), their very own newspaper or keeping up to date with cutting-edge research, this is definitely a society keen to stay engaged with their members. Made up of a diverse mix of psychology and neuroscience students and others from a multitude of disciplines, PsychSoc are active both in their online spaces, in the university itself and on their trips—last year, they even went to Alton Towers! Society president Nikita Balfour is keen to engage new members with the society, telling us of her plans to “bridge the gap between lecturers and students,” making it a hugely inclusive and accessible society to join. She is also particularly keen to make links with UoM alumni;
dichotomy between Brains and Beauty, study The Psychology of Women, wonder Where Are All The Men? in the psychology classroom and introduce the Manchester-bred Dr. Brenda Milner in their Psychologist Of The Month feature. PSYCH is available online and from the Zochonis Building. If writing is your calling, email them at uompsych@ outlook.com with NMPsych and the position applied for in the Subject field.
21
Spotlight on
Manchester Medical Orchestra and Choir No, they don’t play the bones. Article provided by the Manchester Medical Orchestra and Choir Play an instrument? Want to get it out of its case again? The Manchester Medical Orchestra and Choir is your salvation! We hold rehearsals on Monday evenings during term time and play and/or sing a wide range of music, including classical and contemporary. Concerts are performed three times a year across South Manchester, as well as going on tour, all while fitting around the work and exam schedule of a medical student. There is a great social aspect to Manchester Medical Orchestra and Choir. MMOC includes members across all years of medicine, as well as nursing, midwifery, dentistry
Photo: Manchester Psychology Society
possibly including Kimberley Wilson from the Great British Bake Off, who graduated from Manchester in 2004 with a BA in Psychology. PsychSoc are especially proud of their newspaper, PSYCH. New for 2014, their
and other health-related degrees. In addition, healthcare
chief editor Nadine Mirza has big plans, hoping to establish a permanent spot in the university presses for the monthly issue. Their first issue focuses on the theme of women in psychology, a cause close to the committee’s hearts. Articles focus on the perceived
professionals are also involved. This gives a fantastic opportunity to network across different years and specialities while sharing a common interest. However, this cannot be done without singers or string, woodwind, brass and percussion players! We don’t audition, which means everyone is more than welcome! The highlight of 2014 has to be the inaugural MMOC tour to Liverpool. Combining the talents from Manchester with the past culture capital made for an exciting weekend of
Asthma Research Study Seeks Patients
Dr. Imran Satia, chair of the Manchester Lung and Allergy Research Society, invites students to get involved with his clinical research. reported by Evie Hull Societies Editor
I don’t need to tell you that the lung plays an important part in the human body. But what happens when something goes wrong? Living with asthma, or other respiratory issues and allergies, can make life difficult, causing sufferers to think twice about things their peers will do on a whim. The Manchester Lung and Allergy Research Society understands this and wants to help. The society aims to advance knowledge and research in respiratory and allergy medicine by encouraging basic science and transitional clinical research. It encourages participation in clinical trials recommended by a Research and Ethics Committee, provides mentoring for careers and gives advice to any students who are applying for research fellowships and grants. So if you’re the medical researcher of tomorrow, their experience and knowledge should prove invalu-
able. Perhaps even more importantly, the society seeks to promote healthy living and the prevention of respiratory disease. The chair of the Manchester Lung and Allergy Research Society is Dr. Imran Satia, who’s giving you a chance to get involved. Dr. Satia is recruiting students to take part in an asthma research programme which has been approved by the University Ethics Committee and the Local Research Ethics Committee. After starting this programme last year, Dr. Satia has managed to find 71 patients but requires a further 30 to complete the research. So if you have asthma and are interested in the prevention of the condition or helping others with it, Dr. Satia wants to hear from you. All participants will be paid £60 for 3 short sessions, all based at the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility just off Oxford Road.
Photo: Dr. Imran Satia
music and tourism, with busking and exploring the town culminating in a final concert on the Sunday afternoon in the famous bombed out church. For orchestra, the Christmas concert repertoire will include the incredible Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, and the Roman Carnival Overture by Berlioz. Choir will be singing Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Vaughn-Williams, The Snow by Elgar and highlights from Disney’s ‘Frozen’.
Photo: Manchester Medical Student’s Orchestra
To write in PSYCH, PsychSoc’s online newsletter, email uompsych@outlook.com
If you would like to be a part of MMOC please email mmoc. chair@gmail.com or mmoc.secretary@gmail.com, or join to Facebook group Manchester Medical Orchestra and Choir (MMOC). We look forward to hearing from you!
For more information on the Asthma Research study contact Dr. Imran Satia on 0161 291 5846 or email imran.satia@manchester.ac.uk.
Write for us or promote your society by emailing societies@mancunion.com
22
Food & Drink
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editors: Elena Gibbs, Adam Fearn
Review: Black Dog Ballrooom
Adam Fearn and Matthew Whitworth kick back with a few beers at The Northern Quarter’s popular Black Dog Ballroom, Manchester’s answer to the American speakeasy.
from 100% local Cheshire beef and served on a toasted bun, with fries and garnish. For only £4.95, it was perfect! Your usual array of extra toppings to customize your meal further can be added for an extra price of 75p, including Lancashire cheese, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, and jalapeños. The service was quick, and Georgia was quick to replenish our drinks with a selection of the other real ales that were on offer. Our visit to The Northern Quarter’s Black Dog Ballroom confirmed the bar’s reputation as a relaxing and calm space to relax with friends after a grueling day of lectures and seminars. All of the prices were reasonable and the food was well portioned and delicious. My friend and I stayed around for a few more drinks even after we had finished our meals for a few games of pool on one of the four pool tables that were open for hire. The venue hosts various club nights throughout the week and always offers discounts to students, so make sure you bring your student card when you visit! More information about Black Dog can be found on their website and Twitter pages: Website: http://www.blackdogballroom.co.uk/nq/ Twitter : @BlackDogNQ
Photo: The Mancunion
Black Dog Ballroom has long been a popular choice amongst students across Manchester. Boasting a wide range of beers, filling pub grub, and a number of quality pool tables, it has gained a reputation within the student sphere as a fantastic place to spend a Saturday afternoon unwinding with friends. We decided to visit earlier this month to experience Black Dog’s speakeasy atmosphere ourselves. Upon entering, we were greeted by Georgia, a friendly, chatty member of the establishment’s staff. After being seated, our waitress
recommended a selection of their most popular beers and dishes. The comprehensive menu, served from 10am until 1am daily, takes advantage of locally sourced ingredients in its dishes. All of the pub grub favourites are here, such as the New York styled burgers, fresh pizzas and gourmet hotdogs, as well as healthier options of salads, catering for every type of student audience. I chose to sample the mozzarella sticks for my starter, followed by The Classic Northern Quarter Pounder; a succulent beef burger made
Review: Sweet Mandarin Sweet Mandarin is one of the greatest Chinese restaurants in the U.K. (…and don’t just take our word for it!) Adam Fearn Food Editor Chinese cuisine lays focus on the colour, aroma, flavour and shape of its food, as well the harmony between its five main flavours; salty, sour, spicy, bitter, and sweet. According to traditional Chinese medicine, each of these flavours delivers regulative functions to the human body, promoting wellbeing and good health. The strong spicy taste, for example, can diffuse the body of evil influences and promote blood circulation, whilst sweet flavours can help to improve mood and relieve pain. I’m definitely not an expert in medicine, but I can confidently say that, when successful, this arrangement of flavours can create some of the most delicious gustatory experiences available. My experience at the Northern Quarter’s Sweet Mandarin restaurant convinced me of this, and proved that unrivalled culinary perfection is found when different tastes are masterfully combined together. Sweet Mandarin is a family restaurant that culminates three generations of Chinese recipes under one roof. Sitting in the Northern Quarter close to Walrus and The Blue Pig, the establishment offers food of the finest quality at affordable, student-friendly prices. Portion sizes are perfect, the food’s presentation is flawless, and its staff are exceptionally hospitable. You shouldn’t just take our word for it. Sweet Mandarin has won a
plethora of awards, ranging from Gordon Ramsay’s F-Word Best Chinese Restaurant in the UK (after beating over 10,000 other restaurants), to being awarded the 1 AA Rosette, making them the only Chinese restaurant in the North West to receive this honour. Its owners, Lise and Helen Tse, have both received MBEs for their dedication to food and drink, and have launched a series of gluten-free, vegan sauces that secured investment from Duncan Bannatyne and Hilary Devey, two businesspeople from BBC’s TV programme, Dragons’ Den. You name it, Sweet Mandarin delivers tenfold. A range of genuinely unique and exotic cocktails offered in a stylish and ultra-modern dining setting? Check. A catalogue of famous followers? Check. Food to die for? Definitely. When we visited, we decided to sample Mabel’s Claypot Chicken, a dish that the restaurant’s owners made for David Cameron and Premier Li of China at Downing Street in 2014, and the salt and chilli squid, one of the courses that helped Sweet Mandarin to obtain Gordon Ramsay’s F-Word trophy. These signature dishes are given brief descriptions and backstories on the menu, turning it into a colourful and interesting chronicle of the owners’ histories and pasts; a trait that we found incredibly original and innovative. The combination of flavours on the squid and in its accompanying dip was divine, and its coating was succulent and tender. Needless to say, we left nothing. Mabel’s Claypot Chicken was phenomenal; the chicken was
Photo: Sweet Mandarin
cooked to perfection and, like the squid, was immensely flavourful. Sweet Mandarin is, by a considerable degree, the best restaurant that I have visited so far. Everything about the restaurant exhibits quality, from its pleasant interior to its delightful food, reasonable prices, and attentive hosts. It just works. To watch how The Twins fared against The Dragons and for further information on their restaurant and products, visit their website and Twitter page: http://www.sweetmandarin.com/ Twitter - @SweetMandarin
Review: Pie and Ale
Adam Fearn and Matthew Whitworth visit Pie and Ale, one of the Northern Quarter’s hidden gems. until the last forkful. Each of our puddings were decorated with a pastry Adam Fearn Food Editor Hidden away in the depths of the Northern Quarter, Pie and Ale offers its clients a unique dining experience. The restaurant offers two of the things that The Mancunion loves most; huge, tasty pies that are expertly coupled with rare, unusual real ales. Unlike most restaurants and bars in Manchester that specialise in pies, Pie and Ale offers its guests exotic and unusual meats and flavours. On our visit, the comprehensive menu offered a range of delicacies from around the world, including elk, horse, kangaroo and wild boar. My friend and I opted to share two different pies, - one elk, and the other horse - both of which were superb. The pies were topped with a delicious potato mash that burst with flavour whilst offering an extra layer of depth to the meal. Although they were bursting with meat and filling (as any good pie should be!), neither was overly starchy or stodgy; they remained fully satisfying
cut-out of the animal that the selected pie’s meat is from; a nice touch that helped to personalise and give character to the dishes, whilst helping the waiting staff to differentiate them from each other. Our waitress, Amy, was fantastic and attentive to our needs. She was knowledgeable about the products that were used within the dishes, as well as the locations of the breweries of the ales that we were drinking. We opted to try DNA, an Indian pale ale with a rich biscuit malt aroma. Before deciding on this beer, however, Amy offered us samples of the most popular real ales that were on offer, allowing us to choose the ale that was most to our taste. Overall, our experience of Pie and Ale was fantastic. Both the restaurant and bar sections of the establishment had a relaxed atmosphere, even though we visited on a Friday night. Each individual sitting booth had a lot of space, helping Pie and Ale to stand out as a warm and friendly place to enjoy quality food and a drink or two after a hard week of studying.
Photo: The Mancunion
For more information on Pie and Ale and its products, please see their website and Twitter page: Website – http://bakerie.co.uk/pie-ale Twitter - @PieandAleMcr
If you fancy your hand at food and drink journalism, whether it be interviews, recipes, reviews, or some interesting culinary anecdotes, email us at foodanddrink@mancunion.com or get in touch via Facebook.
Food & Drink 23 Review: The Botanist ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
/TheMancunion: Food & Drink @MancunionFood
Jennifer Leung and Dorin Cucoș sample deli cuisine and delights at The Botanist, Deansgate. The Botanist, on Deansgate, is a surprisingly stunning party place regularly sought out by those craving after work tipples or a bite to eat before a big night out. From the outside, The Botanist looks rather sweet and quaint with really pretty green leaf decor hugging the front gate, the first sign of nature’s influence at this classy floral restaurant. Given first impressions, you’d think The Botanist to be a quiet and tame city centre eatery. Yet looks can be deceiving. With proximity to the classiest bars and clubs, it was almost like we were entering a party as we were immediately greeted with pumping music filtering in through from the bar. Many smiling and laughing faces mingled around the restaurant, generating that TGIF feeling on a Wednesday night. This beehive of activity was not what we were expecting at all. In no time, we were escorted to a quieter region of the restaurant that allowed us to admire the open kitchen and gorgeously girly decor, bordering the boundaries of modern and antique: floral lattices, logs and wall hangings with lots of soft blue lighting. In all, The Botanist has a very exciting Bohemian feel. We never had to wait long to be served and there were short intervals between courses, a welcome change from the usual waiting times in restaurants. To start, we opted for two of The
Botanist’s speciality drinks: The Botanist and a Grape, Raspberry and Elderflower cooler, both inoffensively sweet and refreshing drinks. Within minutes, our starters were laid lovingly down on our table: olives and pork cracklings. My date was in food heaven, celebrating them as the best starters he’d ever tasted. I was especially charmed by the delicious chilli, spring onion and sweet apple sauce that accompanied the pork cracklings and was served in a miniature wheelbarrow! We quickly realised that the dining experience would be one that would linger long on our taste buds. Tempting main courses arrived at our table as soon as our starters had been cleared away: Lamb Tagine and The Botanist’s signature deli board: Turkish flatbread with a choice of four (or more) accompaniments. My date chose Lancashire Cheese, Greek Salad, Couscous and Roast Ham. In three words? Delicious, sweet and filling. “Enjoying your food then?” our waitress beamed as she passed our table with a proud smile. Oh yes, oh yes we were. Desserts were paired with a live acoustic set that filtered in from the bar. I tucked into a yummy strawberry and marshmallow kebab with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream whilst my date enjoyed a banana and coconut kebab with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream. “This
was the best meal ever!” my date exclaimed once it was all (sadly) over. We will definitely be visiting again. Join the party at thebotanist.uk.com/
The Botanist, 78 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2FW
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Photo: The Mancunion
Review: The Big Feastival
James Jackman visits The Big Feastival, an Alex James and Jamie Oliver mashup, to sample the event’s food and drink. Combining both food and music together into a festival is a tricky task. Focus too much on one and you risk losing the audience for the other. I doubt that this was lost on Alex James, Blur-bassist turned cheese maker, but if anyone was going to do it, it was going to be him. Enlisting the help of school dinner revolutionary Jamie Oliver, the aim was to bring some well-known musical acts and a legion of skilled chefs together for a weekend that both delighted both the mouth and the ears. Alex James is well known for his turn as a cheese maker, which was in no way ignored at his festival. In the self-indulgent “Alex James Cheese Tent”, festival-goers could try four of his award winning cheeses. Upon first tastes you could tell that the awards were justified, with his goat cheeses being deliciously creamy and his “No.7 Blue Monday” (blue cheese) being sufficiently pungent and sweet. The complex flavours were enough to distract me from the man himself standing only six feet behind me, which many cheeses would fail to do. Yet with the Feastival being partly Jamie Oliver’s brainchild as well, his presence was felt all over the site. With cooking demonstrations from top chefs and many, many market stalls, there was something for everyone. The traditional festival food had also been elevated to new heights, with seemingly every nationality of food being available. Fancy dumplings? Right next to the paella van. How about a berry and clotted cream ice cream? One scoop or two? Whatever you fancied, it was there. An entire section was dedicated to Jamie Oliver’s various food ventures. I took an interest in the upgraded version of the traditional festival burger, so I in-
Photo: The Mancunion
dulged in a “short rib” burger the Barbecoa stand. Pieces of pork rib meat, with a fried egg and salsa (tomato and pepper chunks, not the dip) in a thick sesame seed bread bun was the meal. The rib was well cooked and moist, the egg held itself together and the salsa was freshly made. Overall it was delicious, however in my opinion some sticky sweet
chilli sauce would have helped bind it all and given it a little kick. If all festival burgers went this way, it would be no shame indeed. The musical side was well catered for, with performances from acts such as Fatboy Slim, Jamie Cullum and De La Soul. These acts delighted the Oxfordshire audience, with electric performances all
around. The Big Feastival managed to bring together brilliant food and great music in a way that many other events would fail to, all in the Oxfordshire sunshine. The Big Feastival, based on Alex James’ farm in Oxfordshire, took place on the 29th-31st August and will run again next year.
24
Arts & Culture
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM /TheMancunionArtsCulture @ArtsMancunion
Editors: Holly Smith Exhibition
Manchester's top art secrets
Arts editor Holly Smith explors a new place each week in Manchester to find the city’s top art secrets. This week she visited the Centre For Chinese Contemporary Art in the bustling streets in the arty Northern Quarter. China is undoubtedly a breath-taking country with years of traditions and rituals which form a truly unique identity for the people who live there. However within our modern world, China is in danger of losing all of this as international travel and immigration becomes easier. Manchester has the largest Chinese community in the UK and one of the largest China Towns in Europe which makes it the perfect place to explore this traditional and unrivalled culture through art and transcultural debates which affect the country’s future. The Centre for Chinese Contemporary Arts is like a secret haven. Down some back streets in the Northern Quarter it sits quietly and undisturbed by students. This is what makes this place so unique. When walking through the front door, you are
Photo: Chinese Art @Flickr
suddenly hit by the exoticness of China and you are able to get a real sense of the dynamic and ever- changing Chinese culture from the galleries of art displayed. The Centre, which has been a starting point for many exceptional artists who go on to receive international acclaim, has been displaying various works of art for almost 30 years. Not only does this centre act as a gallery, but also holds many projects for visitors to take part in and is a venue for many festivals throughout the year. Next week, the Asia Triennial Manchester festival opens and the Chinese Centre for Contemporary Arts will be one of the six major venues across the city to host this new festival. The theme this year is ‘Conflict and Compassion’ and the Centre will host an exhibition entitled
‘Harmonious Society’. In the past three decades, China has seen unprecedented change. Gross domestic product has risen by 536 per cent triggering huge changes in society and rapid urbanization has produced an ever growing gap between rich and poor. Political reform and instability adds to the struggles of everyday life in the country. This is the message that the exhibition will target with the inspiring work of 30 Chinese artists. Manchester holds many art secrets and the Chinese Centre is worth a visit for anyone who has a Chinese heritage or even just an interest in the dynamically diverse culture of the country. Learning through native artists provides a further insight than any textbook or history essay ever will.
What’s on
Exhibition
What’s on
Your guide to all the upcoming art events in the city Behind The Mask @ The Lowry. Salford. 20th September–11th January The biggest collection of BAFTA-winning actor portraitures comes to Manchester in a new exhibition. Featuring photographs of over 100 international stars, the Lowry will be the first to host the collection outside of London. Buy Art Fair & The Manchester Contemporary @ Old Granada Studios, Manchester. 26th–28th September, 10am–7pm The largest and most prestigious art fairs in the North, returns to Manchester this September. Over £1m worth of art will be up for sale from over 80 national and international galleries. Asia Triennial Manchester 2014 @ various locations across the city. 27th September–23rd November Established in 2008, the ATM festival showcases a range of contemporary arts and crafts from Asia, UK and the Asian Diaspora. It includes over 50 artists from 12 different countries and focuses on three main clusters in IWM North at The Quays, Manchester city centre, Bury and Rochdale.
FREE EYE TEST
Valid for one test booked on or before 27 December 2014. Cannot be exchanged for cash, used with other vouchers or redeemed by customers already entitled to a free NHS eye test. One per person, at named Specsavers stores only.
Manchester Halle Mall, The Arndale Ctr. Tel 0161 834 6665
Digital retinal photography: For over 40s, or when your optician recommends it. ©2014 Specsavers. All rights reserved.
The Lowry, Salford. Photo: stopherjones @Flickr
Interested in writing for us? Email mancunion.arts@gmail. com or find us on Facebook!
Theatre 25
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Review
Nicole Tamer, Theatre Editor
What’s On Romeo and Juliet 30 Sept – 11 Oct
Victoria Baths, a HOME Production • Runs from 10th September - 4th October
“A story of more woe.”
Eric and Little Ern 30 September at Manchester Opera House £16.90 – £27.90 The Olivier-nominated performance of Morecambe and Wise recreates some of the best moments of Eric and Ernie’s television and stage performances through the use of classic sketches alongside new material devised by the show’s performers. Following two runs at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, two National tours and a West End season, you will certainly have a good night full of laughter.
Amsterdam 3, 4 October at Contact Theatre £9 Fitting into the theme of Black History Month, Amsterdam is a theatre show that was adapted from Chanje Kunda’s own collection of poetry of the same name and mainly features black artists. Part autobiography, part travelogue, part lyrical drama - this solo performance explores what happens when you abandon your responsibilities to pursue your dreams.
Iris 9, 10, 11 October at Three Minute Theatre £7 A drama based on real events, it is about love, life, relationships and conversations of two women named Iris and Sarah in a pub. The play has themes of betrayal, manipulation and physical abuse, but also love and friendship. There is a real roller coaster of a journey for many of the characters in the play and although dark themes are explored, there are elements of comic relief to depict real life.
Photo: HOME
Get on Board
University of Manchester
Drama Society
Nicole Tamer
Photo: Oliver Walton Fancy a bit of drama? The Students’ Union offers a variety of performance societies, stay tuned every week to find out more about the people in front and behind the scenes. Acting has a number of benefits such as boosting your confidence, unleashing your creativity and getting better at public speaking and teamwork; your course mates will be thankful at the next group work project. If those facts
didn’t convince you yet, you will at least make great friends at socials and might forget your exam and deadline stress. I spoke to Emily Gatehouse, the chair of The Manchester University Drama Society (UMDS) to find out more about the society and its activities. The society is popular with over 1000 members on Facebook and with around 290 active members last year. A number of plays are
rehearsed, written and performed in a fun and mock-professional environment. In the first semester, the society showcases a Freshers’ Play, performed and organised by only Freshers and in November, three selected plays will be performed which were submitted by society members. The focus in the second semester is on the quickly sold out Manchester’s InFringe Theatre Awards
(MIFTAs). They include seven plays which are judged by a selected panel with a chance to win awards. It already sounds like a lot of drama, but there’s more in stall with monologue and duologue showcases, writing competitions and the chance to perform in the Contact Theatre. The society also fulfils your social needs with regular socials, fundraisers, a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and a Drama Society ball.
As I left HOME’s production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ I was complaining to my friend Ellie, who accompanied me, that I did not know how to feel. We all know the classic Shakespeare story, and we all know the characters, on which so many of our modern love stories are based. However, I was still in dismay and, if you like, in complete and utter woe. I had completely adored director Walter Meierjohann’s production, staged in promenade at Manchester’s historic, and beautiful, Victorian Baths and every element of the interpretation seem to fit, like an exquisite, star-crossed, puzzle that was designed to entice the audience and forget the pains of standing for the majority of three hours. The production was staged in 90s EasternEurope, with nonchalant musicians narrating, cigarettes hanging from their lips, an interesting choice some may say as we discover our feuding families, The Capulets and The Montagues, bringing certain ‘Godfather’ and ‘This is England’ vibes, respectively. The bath houses themselves are already beautifully designed and there was little need for spectacular scenery and designer Ti Green achieved just the right level of interruption of the space, without overwhelming the action or the gorgeous glass and tile-work already in place. The highlight, without question, was the final performance room, as Juliet lays in her death-like state, on a bronze-coloured cross covering the entirety of a pool, with candles and roses floating on the water around her, reflecting onto the glass ceiling above. As the audience made their way into this final space, the gasps of delight and
Richard Smith
astonishment said more than enough for Green’s achievements. As with any show, it is truly the cast that makes, or breaks, a production and the cast assembled by Meierjohann were the true crowning glory. Stand out performances came from Rachel Atkins as Juliets ‘mammaitalia’ nurse, Ncuti Gatwa as an outlandish and flamboyant Mercutio and Juliet herself, played by Sara Vickers, who managed to overcome the challenging task of giving Juliet a soul. Perhaps due to the character herself, it is common for many a Juliet to become overwhelmed with her innocence and un-questionable love for her Romeo, however Vickers’ interpretation created true meaning to her desire for love, and her anger toward her family, and desire to die, were most definitely legitimate and believable. So despite my love for the production, why my woes? After much thought and deliberation I have decided that it was our Romeo who caused me such confusion. “I hate him”, is all I could say to Ellie as we talked during the interval and I was, and still am, unsure if I do. Played by Alex Felton, the interpretation was that of a coke-addicted hipster, obsessed with singing in falsetto, who is going off the rails without any meaning in his life. I found Felton to be hugely self-indulgent as both character and actor, and was hoping it would pass as his love for Juliet blossomed, but it didn’t. Ideally, I would like to meet Felton to truly see how close to this Romeo he is, or not. If so, it is sad that our ‘hero’ would be played by someone so cocky with a desire only to show-off, if not, his capability as an actor is truly immense. I’m going to hope for the latter, as it would be a shame for there to be only one weak link in the production, which has given HOME a very exciting start on the Manchester arts scene.
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Lifestyle
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editor: Robert Firth
Opinion
No one is sure how to solve the problem of sexual harassment With the release of the NUS Statistics that more than a third of students have suffered sexual harassment, Lifestyle editor Robert Firth takes a look at the problems surrounding the issue.
Feature
supermarket
SWEEP Robert Firth Lifestyle Editor
People hold the supermarket they shop in as close to their heart as their favorite band. A reasoned discussion about the pros and cons of different supermarkets is impossible and will undoubtedly turn into an exchange of vicious personal insults. We decided to save you the hassle and compare three commonly visited supermarkets by students: Sainsbury’s in Fallowfield, Lidl on Oxford Road and Worldwide Foods on the Curry Mile.
Price Winner: Lidl You often find yourself spending more money than in any other supermarket when you go to Lidl because you have to buy everything as it’s so cheap. You can pick up a bottle of wine that doesn’t clean coffee stains from mugs for as little as £4 and they have a just as tasty rip off of every branded product you can think of. Worldwide might just inch it for price of fruit and veg, but you make up for it on branded stuff. Sainsbury’s is cheap if you shop solely in the reduced to clear racks.
Service Winner: Sainsbury’s
Photo: helloturkeytoe @Flickr Last week the NUS released statistics showing that more than one third of women have faced sexual harassment at university. The NUS seems to blame the prevalence of sexual harassment at university on what it calls “Lad Culture” which it defines as “behaviors and attitudes that belittle, dismiss, joke about or even seem to condone rape and sexual harassment.” Yet these are so widespread that it is impossible to pinpoint a specific place where lad culture asserts itself. And then how do you explain the 12 per cent of male students who also reported being sexually harassed? A female student I spoke to said that sexual harassment is everywhere: “All of my girl friends have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their university life.” Yet she finds that this harassment has been normalized: “It is often brushed off as banter. I was cat called five times last night walking back home.” After speaking to female students, the NUS statistics seem shocking only in how few girls they found to have experienced sexual harassment at university. Nearly every female I spoke to had a story: from the club bouncer who put his hand up a student’s skirt because he knew that “you all like it really,” to a guy who asked a friend of mine “how drunk are you?” before groping her in a club. What separates these two examples is how seriously they are viewed. In the words of one friend, “when it happens from older men people realise it is sexual harassment, but if it happens from guys our age it is brushed off as banter.” This ‘banter’ is what the NUS is keen to expose as unacceptable. Yet so far, the rhetoric from those campaigning against
sexual harassment at universities has too often been confusing, contradictory and condescending. A national newspaper made the enlightening revelation that “you don’t have to be laddish,” whilst one commentator came out with the killer line, “we are the lads and we must take responsibility.” When the campaign against sexual harassment sounds so feeble it is not suprising “banter” prevails. There are some better examples of what those campaigning against sexual harassment have done, in so far as making it easier to report incidents. The ‘WE GET IT!’ campaign launched in conjunction with the University of Manchester and the Students’ Union has established two dedicated Sexual Harassment Advisors in the Equality and Diversity Team. Also, a reporting system for sexual harassment is launching on the homepage of an online portal for the issue in November. If we can establish anything from the statistics released by the NUS it is that sexual harassment at university is a problem far more complex than the buzzwords thrown around, such as ‘Lad Culture’ and ‘Zero Tolerance’. Sexual harassment is normalized—it is happening every day; it is not confined to the habitat of the sports team and heavy drinking where the NUS in its ‘That’s What She Said Report’ have said it exists. It is happening to both male and female students but a lot more to the latter. The “we are the students and we must take responsibility” approach seems to be the only way forward, it just need something catchier.
Sexual harassment help at University of Manchester: - WE GET IT! Campaign Website http://wegetit.nationbuilder.com/ Campaign set up by University of Manchester and Students’ Union. Get support, get informed and join the campaign against sexual harassment. - Information about the University Harassment Advisors and how to contact them. http://www.studentnet.manchester. ac.uk/equality-and-diversity/policies-andguidance/dignity-at-study/contacts/ - Students’ Union advice service. Free, confidential advice service on the ground floor of the S.U. Open Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm. Drop in or appointments service. More info: http://manchesterstudentsunion.com/ adviceservice - University of Manchester Counselling Service Free, confidential support for all students at the university. Make an appointment online at manchester.ac.uk/counselling Floor 5, Crawford House, Oxford Road 0161 275 2864
The staff at Sainsbury’s make you feel so good that it should be recommended as a budget alternative to therapy. If you think that’s an exaggeration, it is a bit, but in Lidl you get shouted at if you take your basket past the till point so when someone asks if you need help packing it feels like you’ve got a personal shopper.
Range of Products Winner: Sainsbury’s Sainsbury’s is by far the biggest and nowhere else can you pick up some eggs, a toaster, your prescription and your friend’s birthday card in a single trip. That said the fruit and veg section of Worldwide has the funkiest looking and sounding edible things that you’ve never tasted, such as Dudhi: a slender butternut squash shaped green vegetable which is great in curries. Lidl has the most expansive changing weekly offers on everything from kilts to musical instruments.
Quality Winner: Lidl Lidl edges into first place in this despite the fact that if you stop by in the evening it usually looks like an episode of Supermarket Sweep has just taken place. Most of the time the rip off brands taste better than the real thing and the fruit and veg doesn’t look like it has just come off a factory’s production line. Worldwide’s stuff probably tastes the best, yet you’ve got to delegate around the occasional rotting piece of fruit.
Conclusion It’s a tie between Lidl and Sainsbury’s. If you want good quality at an affordable price it’s Lidl, but be prepared for a less than welcoming experience and a limited choice of your favourite products. If you need something desperately or you’re just in need of a pick-me-up then Sainsbury’s is the place to be. Worldwide is great if you’re feeling adventurous, but probably not for your weekly shop.
Do you have a story that you’d like to share? E-mail lifestyle@mancunion.com
ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
/TheMancunion: Lifestyle @MancunionLife
Lifestyle
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Travel
Is your best friend keeping you single? Contributor Charlotte Wheatcroft has a cautionary tale to you if you’ve been spending a lot of time with your best friend recently. On first arrival at university you feel the same as everyone else; lost, moderately disowned by your parents and pretty damn scared of what the next three years or more has in hold for you. Cue the best friend slot. The new friends you make will be your adopted family, the family you got to choose, your best friends and partners in crime. Most likely you’ll form the strongest and most important bond at university with one of these, that inevitable and dangerous ‘best friendship.’ This best friend seems great at first. You can expose all your secrets to them, you can trust them, you can share all your hopes and dreams with them. They’re the person you love, laugh and cry with, and the one person you feel you can completely rely on, who will always be there. However, there’s another lonelier side effect of this best friendship. This side effect usually reveals itself when you meet someone new and attractive at a party and immediately begin
to click. It’s going well, you spend more time together and the beginnings of a relationship start to develop. You can’t wait to show this person off to your best friend. To help judge them, to envy your luck and to share in your happiness. However, something is wrong, the person whose opinion matters most to you is the wrong one. They say: “They’re not right for you,” “I don’t think you click,” “I just don’t trust him,” “I’ve heard stories,” “I just don’t see it,” And suddenly a tiny seed of doubt forms in your mind. After all, your best friend wants the best for you. Surely they are just a reflection of a more sensible, rational, less emotional you; their opinions must be taken on board. Together you analyse every moment, and an “I’m busy tonight,” translates into images of your one true love sleeping with someone else. A day without a message? They’re
Surely they are just a reflection of a more sensible, rational, less emotional you... spending time with someone else. Together you rip your own relationship to shreds. And what started out as something really great filters out to nothing. When you’re upset about being alone, your best friend is around to cheer you up. You don’t need anyone else as you’re happy just the two of you together, your best friend! So don’t screw the guy, ditch the girl and stick with your best bud! After all, why would you need anyone else with a best friend like this?
La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona photo: Ulf Liljankoski @Flickr
Photo: Susan Sermoneta @Flickr
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ISSUE 02/ 22nd SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Continued from back page... Liam Kelly Sport Editor She credited her lifestyle advisor at University Imogen Williams for helping to create an action plan, mitigating the impact of the theft. After Eleni reported the crime, it was picked up by both the press and social media. Then, she was “completely overwhelmed” when she was contacted by Scott, the makers of her £1,500 bike. She said, “they told me they had heard the story and wanted to replace my bike with the brand new 2015 model and that they were
going to modify it for my disabilities as well so I didn’t have to pay a single penny, which as an unfunded athlete meant the world to me.” Papadopoulos estimates that having the new bike will mean that she saves about three hours per day walking, when she would already spend seven hours training. The University of Manchester Crime Reduction team have provided her with a “gold standard” D-lock for her next bike, which will hopefully keep the new bike safe and prevent a repeat of this crime. “I even had emails from members
of staff who I didn’t know offering me money towards the purchase of a new bike, which obviously I didn’t accept as Scott told me the brilliant news.” Swimmer and triathlete Papadopoulos had won the British Championships and qualified for World Championships on the stolen bike, so there was a lot of sentimental value attached to it. She hopes to go to the Paralympic Games in Rio di Janeiro in two years’ time, and has already won elite medals, including European and World Championship silvers.
“I’m really grateful to the public and university staff who helped raise my profile and the story, as without them Scott would never have found out, and I wouldn’t be receiving a brand new modified bike.” Greater Manchester Police have made no arrests in connection with the theft, and have been sifting through CCTV footage in an attempt to apprehend the thieves.
Comment: UEFA must act soon With racism rife in the European game, UEFA and FIFA must make a stand Andrew Georgeson Sport Editor Two years ago England played Serbia in an England U21 in which Danny Rose was sent off after becoming increasingly frustrated with blatant racism not only from the Serbian crowd in the form of monkey jeering, but also from Serbian midfielder Nikola Ninkovic. The powers that be at UEFA decided a measly £65,000 fine for the Serbian FA and a one year international ban for Ninkovic would suffice. Two years later and we’re back in Serbia where Tottenham’s otherwise dull match against Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night was tainted by one moment. A banner, unfurled amongst the home supporters of the Serbian club read ‘Only Jews and Pussies’ styled on the TV show ‘Only Fools and Horses’ logo. The banner remained for the entire duration of the match, without officials of the club, security within the ground or UEFA match officials challenging it. The banner was made in reference to the historically high proportion of Jewish fans that support Tottenham after the high influx of Jewish immigrants to the East-end of London at the turn of the 20th century. The club has since been associated with the controversial ‘Yid army’ tag, with some supporters using it as a battle against racism in the English game, many including David Cameron, however, have condemned the phrase. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has taken clear issue with it saying after the match, ‘it is an
unacceptable thing. It is very disrespectful. This is a shame, very disrespectful and unacceptable.’ Contrast this with the Partizan manager who praised the crowd and
differences within Europe being the problem, with European football being such a melting pot of nationalities and beliefs. It is not enough to cite ignorance like was
Prejudice is a cancer within society, and certainly has no place on the field of play in any sport. In the 18 months we have had several instances of racism
It is time for UEFA President Michel Platini to step up to racism. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
the intimidating atmosphere they created. One can only hope that he didn’t see the banner. Pochettino also made some admissions from his squad including Danny Rose, Emmanuel Adebayor, Younès Kaboul, Mousa Dembélé and Nacer Chadli. Pocchatino argues footballing reasons, but the simple facts are all were black first team players whose absence severely effected Spurs in a competition they historically take very seriously. After having the banner pointed out to them by Tottenham officials, UEFA s have said that they have taken photos of the incident, and will in due time be investigating it. But the one question remains—what will they do? Without sounding like a skeptic, I imagine very, very little. Continental Europe has a far deeper problem with prejudice than I think UEFA would care to admit. It is not enough to cite cultural
so often the excuse during the 1970s and 80s in English football. Contrast European football with the modern English game, which is by no means perfect. Howver, the FA are trying implementing the Respect campaign which has eradicated a generation of racists, homophobes and fascists that burdened the English game from the Stadium of Light to Brighton Town and back up via Elland Road again. Indeed, the only outstanding troubles that can be found within the British game are the religious disunity found within the Old Firm clashes. Even the eye-wateringly inappropriately named ‘Right behind gay footballers’ campaign launched by Stonewall and Paddy Power, fronted by the controversial ‘Rainbow Lace’ campaign, has good intentions, even though I personally don’t see it as a particularly effective way to combat homophobia within the English game.
in the European game. The first was Kevin Price-Boateng walking off the pitch after consistent abuse during a Seria A match, the rest of his team followed him which lead to an unprecedented abandoning of the match. A year later we had Danny Alves having a banana chucked at him whilst playing at Villarreal. Alves reacted by grabbing the banana, eating it, then taking a corner which resulted in a goal. Alves himself set up two goals and scored one, crediting the banana for giving him the energy to do so. The action prompted an international storm with players taking pictures eating bananas with the caption ‘I am not a monkey.’ Despite the twitter campaign Villarreal were simply fined 12,000 Euros, prompting Alves described the attitude towards racism in Spain as ‘very backwards.’ A week later in the same league Levante’s Senegal midfielder Papakouly Diop complained of racist abuse by visiting
Atlético Madrid supporters. UEFA and FIFA can make examples out of easy situations. Match fixing? Simple, relegation and lifetime bans. Administration? Points deduction. Criticising referees? Touch line ban. But the decisions you earn your money on are issues of equality and sportsmanship. So far UEFA and FIFA have failed to offer comprehensive answers on third party ownership, slavery allegations and social problems surrounding the Qatar World Cup, or racism. FIFA were quick to jump on Suarez after biting because it made them look very foolish on the world stage, in a World Cup that was already shrouded in controversy. But issues such as racism in football, although receiving a lot of media coverage initially seem to be simmer after UEFA launch pointless investigations that come to pointless results. There is a difference between feisty atmospheres that one would find at Bekistas in Turkey, than racism. There is a difference between someone shouting ‘you useless c***’ at a player and homophobia. It is a line which is very clear, and a line most reasonable people can distinguish. So as FIFA hide away in their Swiss base, like the most inane Supervillains you can imagine, only crawling out the woodwork to hand out trophies or take bribes, let’s just hope that they for once take some sort of action and ensure that teams like Partizan Belgrade are not allowed to play in Europe for a long, long time.
Sport in brief - Manchester and Portsmouth lost out to Nottingham in the bid to be named the UK’s first City of Football.
- Gary Lineker has been publicly debating shaving off his much talked about goatee. Fellow hair enthusiast Robbie Savage expressed his wish that it stay via Twitter, and it looks like Lineker will be keeping the facial hair.
- English golfer Andy Sullivan won a trip to outer space by making a hole-in-one at the KLM Open in the Netherlands.
- Jerome Champagne has announced that he will challenge Sepp Blatter for the presidency of world football governing body FIFA. Lovely bubbly!
- Rio Ferdinand has bitterly criticised former Manchester United manager David Moyes. In Ferdinand’s autobiography, #2Sides, the QPR defender described the Scot’s tactics as “embarrassing” and accused him of confusing the players.
- Former Germany goalkeeper Tim Wiese has moved from jumping between the posts to jumping from the top rope. The 32-year-old has just been offered a contract by the WWE.
Let’s get ready to rumble. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Competition Time
Win tickets to Manchester City vs Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday 24th September Q. What was the result the last time Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday played each other?
To enter simply follow and tweet the answer to @mancunion_sport or e-mail sports.mancunion@googlemail.com by 12pm on Monday 22nd September There are still a limited number of tickets available for the fixture. Manchester City fans can purchase tickets by visiting mcfc.co.uk/tickets, the Stadium Box Office or call 0161 444 1894 (24 hour, booking fee payable).
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ISSUE 05/ 13th October 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM Continued from back page...
A concern that has been aired about this England side is that there are not enough characters to support the younger players in this England, but this is something that does not concern Catt. “Well, they’re all young, but you want them to be young. They’re playing for England, it means a hell of a lot to them and they need to put their bodies on the line, which all the guys do. It’s a physical game, it’s a brutal game at international level, and you saw that with Sam Burgess in the NRL Final.” Burgess, who has just switched codes and signed for Bath, broke his cheekbone in the first couple of minutes of the NRL Final last week, but continued playing and was named man-of-the-match. “You want warriors like him, guys that will do it; and we’ve got a fair few. But in the same breath, you want guys who are adept at making the right decision at the right time and that are able to win it. It’s not just about the physicality, but it does help.” [Laughs] Lewis Moody has been described as the ‘mad dog’ of the 2003 England side, a player who hassled the opposition sides with an unmatched intensity. Does this English side need ‘a Moody’? “I think we do that with our energy and defensive line speed. I think a lot of teams will play against us without having encountered that sort of defensive line speed that we put on them. We continually put them under pressure. “You need guys who are going to make the right decisions at the right time. Richie McCaw is the best at it, and he’s been around for a long time. His decision making is second to none. He doesn’t dive into every breakdown, he waits and waits and waits, and then he goes. That comes with experience. There’s no need to have somebody like Moody. What a bloody headcase he was.” [Laughs]
Mancunion Sport’s Liam Kelly with Mike Catt. Photo: Mancunion Sport
Arguably the most contested position on the pitch amongst the current crop of England players is fly half, a vital position that dictates how the team plays, both offensively and defensively. Catt knows what he wants in a fly half, a position that he was no stranger to in his career. “If you look back at previous World Cups, the team that had the best defence and best goal-kicking record were the ones that won. It’s not the number of points you score along the way, it’s the best defence and that’s what you have to look at, especially in those competitions. It’s not about the flair, you know, Clive Woodward will go on about flair: ‘You need to pick Cipriani, this guy, this guy, this guy’. Believe me, winning in 2003 was very much a direct route, with Jonny kicking goals and drop goals. “The competition is good. George Ford has played exceptionally well at Bath at
the moment, Cip’s doing alright at Sale, and Stephen Meyler has statistics of 8085% goal kicking, and you need to trust the players you’ve got out on the pitch to get you points. Not many teams get you tries anymore.” [Laughs] “It’s character over talent, in our eyes.” During the 1995 Rugby World Cup, in one of his first appearances for England, Catt was famously poleaxed by New Zealand’s Jonah Lomu as he ran in to score one of his four tries in the semi-final. So, what was going through his head when that famous incident happened? “Well, my arse I think.” [Laughs] “He was a freak of nature at the time. When you look at guys like George North and Savea now, they’re all the same size. It was brilliant, because everyone knew who Mike Catt was at the end of that tournament, for all the wrong reasons.” I close the interview by asking what
the greatest achievement of Catt’s illustrious career was. Was it the World Cup win? The Heineken Cup victory? Grand Slams? In fact, it was none of them. “I think it’s the longevity of my career. For me to finish at the age of 39 was brilliant, and I think that because I love the game so much it meant that I had the ability to bounce back from all the failures that I went through – or lessons I learnt, whichever way you want to put it. From being booed at Twickenham by 70,000 fans to being dropped by England 16 times; that resilience really taught me a lot about myself and how you get up and do things, and carry on doing it if you’re passionate about it. That sort of stuff means a lot more to me than the trophies. “Trophies are brilliant at the end of a journey, but it’s the actual journey that’s the best part.”
Lifting the Lid on Rugby League #1 Tom Marsden talks winning leagues, celebrity status and why everyone needs Rubgy Tom Marsden UMRFC Chair
With returning to University and preparing for a typical Manchester drizzly and cold winter, times like this mean a new competitive BUCS season for the University of Manchester Rugby League Club (or UMRLFC). Last season saw the club go from strength to strength off the back of the Rugby League World Cup, winning their respective league completely unbeaten, seeing off teams such as Salford and UCLAN to gain promotion for this coming season. This outstanding display has led to claims that UMRLFC’s promotion overshadowed Real Madrid’s “La Decima” in the Champions League, with the believable theory now in place that underneath every Madridista’s gleaming white jersey beats a proud and purple heart. This massive victory for the students of Manchester has led to an increase in the social status of all of our members, some even becoming on-campus celebrities. UMRLFC’s own Brad Pitt-
UMRLFC were one of the most successful teams in the AU last season. Photo: MancunionSport
style poster boy Ben Salisbury days ago was asked by other students on the street if he was the real deal. After signing a few autographs and taking a few selfies to keep the avid youngsters happy, Ben was back on his way to lectures to keep his “sound body, sound mind” mentality intact. But, of course, all good things must come to an end, and after clinching the league title with both hands, the club had to sadly say goodbye to some of its most valuable assets. Perhaps the most
saddening being the departure of long standing captain and loose forward Chris Bates, who trained alongside such sporting greats as Michael Korkidas, Evander Holyfield and Claude Makelele among others in his prime, eventually retiring from a glittering heavyweight UFC career and settling down to play University level rugby league during his 5 years at Manchester. As September rolled around, so came the time to replace those lost, with the fresher’s fair being ideal for
new recruitment. It was here UMRLFC managed to secure more signatures than ever before (certainly in existing memory), with over 90 names on the clipboard. Of course the free sunglasses offering genuine UV400 protection had nothing to do with the popularity the club received in that time. The amount of students that attended the trials led to the club forming a “development squad” in order to nurture and cater for the less experienced, but still eager attendees, with friendlies against neighbouring universities now in the works. Meanwhile the new league will see UMRLFC have to step up their game and wake the rugby league giant once more, getting ready to play such universities as Leeds, Man Met and Northumbria. The season starts on the 15th October, where chairman Nathan Scott and newly elected captain Jonny Cottom will lead out the team- hopefully to victory. As a warmup to the season, this coming week sees UMRLFC pit two 9’s teams (rugby league’s version of 7’s for the less enlightened amongst you) in a tournament at Edge Hill University, with
an update to come in future Mancunion issues. Onto a less professional side of things, last season’s promotion saw UMRLFC develop a new partnership with Adidas ambassadors. This new arrangement has given the rumour mill a head of steam to predict that in 2015 Manchester Rugby League are set to replace Lionel Messi as the brand’s hottest selling point. Many members of the club are now willing to potentially make the leap to Predator boots in order to gain that extra yard of speed so many professional athletes dream of, and produce plays with a finesse smoother and silkier than any of Lindt’s master chocolatiers could dare to imagine. With joint ventures planned for the months ahead, it would be worth keeping an eye open on your local student paper for exclusive coverage. If you have a void in your life that only Rugby League can fill be sure to come down to training on a Tuesday from 7:00pm until 8:30 and follow our twitter @UMRLFC
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Paralympic hopeful has bike stolen while training for Rio
Eleni on her way to bronze in the European Championships Photo: Eleni Papadopoulos
Liam Kelly Sport Editor
University of Manchester student and British Paralympics hopeful Eleni Papadopoulos is to have her adapted bike replaced after thieves stole it from outside the Manchester Aquatics Centre last week. The 22-year-old law student
from Sunderland has credited the public and university staff for bringing her story to the attention of the manufacturers, who have now decided to give her a brand new model. Paraswimmer and paratriathlete Papadopoulos has mild cerebral palsy and epilepsy, meaning that she is unable to
drive and finds walking difficult. Her bike had been modified to accommodate her disabilities, primarily to help with those in her left arm. She described her bike as her “lifeline.” It is her primary mode of transport as her early morning practice schedule— which often starts at 5am—
means that getting to and from the Aquatics Centre is a struggle. Cycling also doubles up as part of Papadopoulos’ 30 hours of training per week, which she does alongside her studies. Eleni locked the bike up outside the Aquatics Centre on Wednesday night, and did
not cycle home as she felt ill. When she returned early on Thursday morning she was “devastated” to discover that her bike had been taken
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