Issue 10

Photo: BurnAway @Flickr

Inside Culture: 15

Suspiria Review: 20 Isaiah Hull Interview: 23

In Conversation with Martin Parr: 25

FRE

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26th November 2018 / Issue 10

WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Investing in destruction

The Mancunion investigates the University’s fossil fuel investments Page 7

Headlines From clap-gate cap-gate this week to Page 2

Shorter degrees UoM ranked 5th for could see reduced graduate emplyability in the UK tuition fees Page 3

Page 5

New crossword!

Page 14

2 News Inside Issue 10

From Clap-gate to Cap-gate The policy comes after the University of Manchester Students’ Union encouraged jazz hands over audible clapping in September Nicole Wootton-Cane Head News Editor

UK universities’ history depts “overwhelmingly white” Investigations, page 7

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Lecturers at Leeds Trinity University have recently been asked to stop using capital letters in assignments to avoid ups etting students.

A memo sent to staff suggested that using uppercase letters could “scare them into failure” and “ge n e ra t e a n x i e t y ” . I n s t e a d , c o u r s e leaders were encouraged to “write in a helpful, warm tone, avoiding officious language and negative instructions.”

Lecturers were warned against capit a l i s i ng word s such a s ‘ D o’ or ‘Don’t’, and e specially against writing the whole word in uppercase letters.

The university tweeted a st ate me nt f rom P rofe s s or M a rga re t A . H o u s e O B E , t h e V i c e - C h a n c e l l o r, with the caption: “In response to t o d ay ’s c o m m e n t s i n t h e m e d i a which allege we have banned capital letters (we haven’t!), we’re really proud of our approach to teaching a n d l e a r n i n g a t L e e d s T r i n i t y. ” In the statement, Professor H o u s e w r o t e : “ We f o l l o w n a t i o n a l best practice teaching guidelines and the memo cited in the press is guidance from a course leader to academic staff, sharing best practice from the latest teaching research to inform their teaching.”

“It is also about good communication and consistent s t yl e . Fo r e x a m p l e , i t i s b e s t p r a c t i c e not to write in all capital letters

r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e s e c t o r. ” H o w e v e r, t h e p o l i c y h a s b e e n b ra n d e d a s a ‘c a p it a l l e t t e r b a n’ across media outlets, generating discussion over whether the ban is helpful for students or not.

The news follows the announcement of ‘Clapgate’ at the University of Manchester in S e p t e m b e r, when the Students’ Union passed a motion encouraging the use of British Sign Language clapping, or jazz hands, at SU events in order to make them “more accessible”.

Some suggest that policies such as these are pandering to the ‘snowf lake generation’, but others see them as positive steps towards i n c l u s i v i t y.

Photo: jjpacres @Flickr

Young people and ethnic minorities positive about UK Universities The hangover hustle: you’re losing more of your life than you think Science, page 8

Josh Sandiford News reporter

Sports iniations: humiliating, degrading, dangerous Opinion, page 11

Follow us on Contact us Editor-in-Chief: Ethan Davies editor@mancunion.com Deputy Editor: Amy Wei deputyed@mancunion.com Online Editor: Jeremy Bijl online@mancunion.com Design Editor: Kizzy Bray design@mancunion.com

Universities UK found that 70% of people agree that the UK has some of the best universities in the world

Head News Editor: Nicole Wootton-Cane Deputy Editors: Sam Honey and Shivani Kaura news@mancunion.com Science & Technology Editor: Jacklin Kwan science@mancunion.com Investigations Editor: Felix Hanif-Banks investigations@mancunion.com

New research by Universities UK has shown that the British public i s “ p ro u d ” o f t h e U K ’s u n ive r s i t i e s , with younger people and ethnic minorities particularly positive about higher education.

Just over 2000 people were polled and the research found that the majority believed that universitie s have a positive impact on the UK. People also appear to believe that those who go to university can get better jobs than people who decide not to.

Universities UK also found that 70% of people agree that the UK has some of the best universities in the world.

2 ,0 6 3 adu lt s we re p ol le d , a nd 4 8% said they had a positive perception of higher education in the UK. 31% said they were neutral and 13% were not sure.

66% of people surveyed agreed with the statement that they would “e n co u ra ge t h e i r c h i l d re n t o at t e n d u n i v e r s i t y. ” According to the re s earch, just 9% of the public felt negative about Features Editor: Liv Clarke features@mancunion.com Opinion Editor: Sophie Marriott Deputy Editor: Cachella Smith opinion@mancunion.com Societies Editor: Chloe Hatton societies@mancunion.com Music Editor: Olivia White Deputy Editor: Jake Oliver music@mancunion.com

universities, with older people tending to be more negative about higher education than younger people.

Only 35% of those aged 65 and over believed that universities h a d b e n e f i t e d t h e m p e r s o n a l l y, compared with 55% of 18-24-yearolds.

The polling also showed that black and minority ethnic adults tend to feel more positively regarding UK universities than white adults.

BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) adults are much more likely to say that universitie s have had a positive impact on the UK. 60% of BAME adults say that universitie s have a positive impact on their f a m i l y, a n d 6 8 % s a y t h a t u n i v e r s i t i e s have a positive impact on the UK as a whole.

H o w e v e r, d e s p i t e t h e p u b l i c b e i n g ostensibly proud of UK universities, the research by Universities UK also found that ‘perceptions of cost’ can affect thinking. 46% of those surveyed found that the expense of going to university outweighs the bene fits of doing s o. In addition to this, 58% of people thought that ‘universities do not equip graduates

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with the skills they need to be successful in the workplace’.

There also appeared to be a lack of understanding of how universities actually impacted the lives of the survey participants. 40% of people said they didn’t feel informed of at all about how universities i m p a c t e d t h e i r l o c a l c o m m u n i t y.

In addition, only one in ten, 11% of people, strongly agree with the fact that universitie s play a significant role in supporting businesses and e m p l o y e r s l o c a l l y.

Professor Dame Janet B e e r, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said: “ There is a myth that the public are sceptical about the merits of universities — and t h at a n i nc re a s i ng ly l a rge nu m b e r of young people think higher education is a waste of time. In fact, as this research shows, the opposite is true.

“Politicians need to work with the higher education sector to extend the number of people accessing universities and to give more support for f lexible learning, promoting pride in what is a worldc l a s s s e c t o r, r a t h e r t h a n c r e a t i n g new obstacles.”

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ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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Less than half of university tuition fee is spent on teaching

Just 40-45% of the annual tuition fee of £9,250 is spent on teaching, with the rest going to resources such as libraries and technology support Nicole Wootton-Cane Head News Editor Research by an inf luential think tank has found that less than half of st ude nt s’ £ 9, 2 5 0 a n nu a l t u it ion fe e i s spent on teaching at universities in England.

The report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) showed that around 60% of the annual fee is spent on resources such as libraries and technology support, leaving just 40%-45% being spent on teaching for u nde rg radu ate s.

HEPI is calling for universities to be more transparent about how they s p e n d t h e i r s t u d e n t s ’ m o n e y, w i t h t h e re p o r t ’s a u t h o r s s t a t i n g , “ i t i s

easier to discover where the money goes when buying an iPhone than it is for a degree”.

They add: “Students and their unions have been clamouring for information about where their fees go for years… Regardless of the balance between the state and student in funding higher education, students want and deserve to know where the money goes.”

A survey also conducted by HEPI s h o w e d t h a t 74 % o f s t u d e n t s w a n t more information about where their fees are going, with money spent on advertising and recruitment being particularly unpopular among students.

The think tank suggests relabelling tuition fees as ‘student

fees’ to try and clear up confusion a b o u t w h a t t h e m o n e y p a y s f o r.

H o w e v e r, t h e r e p o r t w a r n e d t h a t recent proposals to cut the cost of some degrees to £6,500 would have a negative impact on student resources.

“It is clear that any reduction in the amount of funding that institutions receive for each student is likely to lead to cuts in areas that directly benefit students and activities that help to define our world-class higher e d u c a t i o n s e c t o r. ” A spokeperson from the University o f M a n c h e s t e r s t a t e d : “A s w e l l a s teaching, the University also spends money on essential services for students such as careers advice, the library and mental health services.

Next week on our website we will publish a full breakdown of how fees are spent as part of our annual financial statements.”

Yv o n n e H a w k i n s , a d i r e c t o r o f t h e Office for Students which regulates higher education, said: “Ensuring transparency and accountability for how student fees are spent is important and we will work with students to determine what information they would find most meaningful.”

The report follows an ongoing conversation regarding student debt, tuition fees and finance, with cheaper two-year degree s recently being proposed by the government.

Accelerated degrees could see students save on tuition fees Photo: Albert Herring @ Wikimedia Commons

A two-year degree plan has been promised to cut the cost of tuition fees Shivani Kaura Deputy News Editor Students in England could soon choose to undertake an “accelerated” two-year degree course in the future, with a 20% yearly increase in tuition fees.

The shorter course, condensing three-year degrees with 30 weeks of teaching into two-years and 4 5 weeks of teaching will be subject to parliamentary approval in the next coming months.

Although the current annual t u it ion fe e st a nd s at £ 9, 2 5 0, t he cost of the “accelerated” programme will c o s t a r o u n d £ 1 1 , 0 0 0 p e r y e a r, a l m o s t a fifth less than the long-term course.

T he gove r n me nt h a s a rg ue d t h at t h i s w i l l “e n co u ra ge m o re f le x i b le ways of studying”, giving more mature students the opportunity to undertake a degree.

In an attempt to reduce the number of mental health-related problems amongst students, it has

also been suggested that this more cost-effective route for higher education will allow students to worry less about their finances.

Recent research has shown that 31 percent of students in the North We s t a r e c o n c e r n e d a b o u t m o n e y w h i l s t s t u d y i n g a t u n i v e r s i t y.

H o w e v e r, s o m e c a n a r g u e t h a t the more time-limited and intensive course can spur mental health problems, as students will be given fewer holidays and shorter deadlines.

Universities M i n i s t e r, Sam G y i m a h s a i d : “A c c e l e r a t e d d e g r e e s not only make it possible for the next generation of students to access higher education and the undeniable financial, academic and personal benefits it has to offer but drives the sector to offer dynamic choices that serve students’ needs.

“Providers will be able to tap into a new market of students, particularly mature students and those who commute, who were previously locked out of higher education.

“This provision creates a new arena of competition that delivers for students, taxpayers, and employers.”

Despite the proposals for the scheme sounding positive, concerns have risen about problems related to extending staff contracts and the interference of research projects.

Chief executive of the Russell Group, which includes the University o f M a n c h e s t e r, D r. T i m B r a d s h a w said: “Greater choice for students is always good but I would caution m i n i ste rs a ga i n st ‘ove r p ro m i s i n g ’ . ” Fo l l ow i n g the Accelerated Degrees Government consultation in F e b r u a r y, D r . B r a d s h a w a d d e d : “ T h e G ove r n m e n t ’s ow n p ro j e c t i o n fo r the likely take-up of these degrees is modest and we actually hear many students calling for four-year degrees, for example, to spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad.

“I wouldn’t want disadvantaged students to rule out a traditional three-year course because they didn’t believe they could afford it.

Upfront support with living costs is available and graduates repay their student loans based on their earnings.

“Doing a more compressed degree also reduces the opportunity for part-time work, potentially increasing short-term financial pressure.

“Instead of gimmicks which risk undermining the international reputation of our higher education s e c t o r, the Government should focus on fixing the underlying problems with our current student finance system, which piles debts on students.”

This new plan promises to leave st ude nt s u p to £ 2 5,0 0 0 b e t te r of f, although the quality and standard of the degree, backed by education heads, is still questionable compared to the three-year course.

The University of Manchester have declined to comment on the future of short-courses at UoM.

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ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Piccadilly Gardens one of the worst crime hot-spots in the country

Street-level data shows that 1,746 crimes have been reported on or near the city’s main

Photo: Gerald England @Geograph

Shivani Kaura Deputy News Editor New data shows that Manchester Piccadilly Gardens is one of the worst hot-spots for crime in England and Wales, falling just behind Meridian Square in Newham, London.

The figures show 1,746 crimes reported in or around the area within the last year.

374 of those crimes were violent and sexual offences, 171 were thefts, 170 were robberies, and 250 were for anti-social behaviour.

Piccadilly Gardens, located between Market Street and the edge of the Northern Quarter, is a green space which has been recently reconfigured to adapt to its service as a major public transport

interchange, where buses and trams can be boarded. It is also closely located to many train stations, such as Manchester Oxford Road, Piccadilly, and Victoria.

In recent years, Piccadilly Gardens has become a common space for drug users, following the introduction of ‘Spice’ — a form of cannabis, also known as ‘Black Mamba’, which is a mixture of herbs and manmade toxic chemicals. A cheap alternative to making more processed drugs, spice is commonly used among Manchester’s vulnerable people.

Symptoms of the drug include violent behaviour and feeling anxious and nervous. Although criminalised in 2016 under the Psychoactive Substances Bill, those who take the drug have been a contributing factor to the rise in crime

reports around the city centre.

A series of reports ran by the Manchester Evening News stated that a “new and stronger strain of the drug was being pedaled”, with Greater Manchester Police being forced to carry out a “series of operations to lock up the dealers.”

The council’s city centre spokesman, Patrick Karney, said in response to the data: “I’m very disappointed to hear these police figures. We’re not going to run away from this news. We’ve got a real problem with that area, particularly drug dealers dealing in spice and cannabis.

“GMP have made a huge number of arrests but it seems there’s a demand particularly for cannabis. It takes two to make a crime so dealers are around.

“I’m very disappointed, but we are

going to get more bad news while 2,000 cops have gone from Greater Manchester Police.”

Chief Inspector Cherie Buttle added that although Piccadilly Gardens is at the “heart of the city centre”, it is an extremely busy place, thus crime rates are expected to be higher in the area.

Buttle said: “We are challenging anti-social behaviour in the city centre, which includes open drug and alcohol misuse and any threats of violence with enforcement action such as warnings and injunctions and are making arrests in the more serious cases.

“It’s important that people who live, work, socialise and travel in and around the city centre feel safe and that vulnerable people are protected.”

UoM ranks top 5 in the UK for graduate employability Graduates from the University of Manchester were also ranked 35th most sought after globally Josh Sandiford News Reporter The University of Manchester has been ranked fifth in the UK for graduate employability by The Times.

Graduates from the University of Manchester were ranked 35th most sought-after globally in The Times Higher Education 2018 Global University Employability Rankings.

This new ranking continues a spate of good results after the University of Manchester was ranked 19th best in the country by the G ood University Guide 2 0 19. It wa s a l s o re ce nt ly n a me d b y Re u t e r s a s o n e o f t h e wo rl d ’s most innovative universities.

This is despite the university currently holding a silver Te a c h i n g E x c e l l e n c e F r a m e w o r k (TEF) award rather than the highe st award of gold.

According to the University

of M a n c h e s t e r, The Global University Employability Ranking is one of the most “robust and respected measures for employability across the higher e d u c a t i o n s e c t o r. ” The rankings were compiled f r o m a p o l l o f 7, 0 0 0 r e s p o n d e n t s , representing employers who have recruited more than 2 5 0,0 0 0 you ng g radu ate s i n t he past 12 months.

15 UK universities appeared in the Global University Employability Ranking this y e a r, w i t h t h e t o p 5 s i t u a t e d i n London — but the University of Cambridge was the only UK university to make it into the g lo b a l top 1 0, ra n k i ng 4 t h .

41 countries around the world are represented in the top 2 50 most employable universities.

The most represented countries alongside the United Kingdom and the United States include France, G ermany and China.

Photo: The Mancunion

News

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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British academic jailed for life in UAE

Matthew Hedges, 31, has been jailed for life in the UAE on the charges of spying for the British government, and is descibed by his wife as “terrified” Nicole Wootton-Cane Head News Editor A British academic has been jailed for life in the United Arab Emirates ( UA E ) o n c h a rge s o f s p y i n g fo r t h e British government.

Matthew Hedges, 31, is currently a P h D c a n d i d a t e a t D u r h a m U n i v e r s i t y, a n d s a i d h e h a d b e e n i n t h e UA E t o undertake research. Prosecutors said t h at he con fe s s e d to t he ch a rge s.

H i s w i f e , D a n i e l a Te j a d a , h a s described him as being “absolutely terrified” and “not well”.

T h e UA E i s c u r re n t ly l o o k i n g a t a request for clemency made by his f a m i l y. T h e U A E ’ s U K a m b a s s a d o r said that he had been tried by an “independent judiciary” like in the UK, and that there was a possibility for an “amicable solution.”

H o w e v e r, a m b a s s a d o r S u l a i m a n Hamid Almazroui also cited “co mp e l l i n g ev ide n ce ” lo o ke d at by three judges over several months, s a y i n g : “ We l i v e i n a d a n g e r o u s neighbourhood and national security m u s t b e a t o p p r i o r i t y. ” M s . Te j a d a wa s i n c o u r t w i t h h e r husband when he was sentenced,

and said he is “terrified at the idea of having to spend the re st of his life behind bars for an offence he hasn’t committed.”

O n T h u r s d a y, U K S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r Fo re i g n A f f a i r s J e re my Hunt tweeted that he had had a “c o n s t r u c t ive c o nve r s a t i o n” w i t h UA E Fo re i g n M i n i s t e r S h e i k h A b d u l l a h Bin Z ayed, and that he believed Z ayed was “working hard to re s olve the situation asap.” “ We ’ v e a c l o s e p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h UA E wh i c h w i l l h e l p u s t a ke t h i n g s forward.”

H o w e v e r, M s . T e j a d a h a s c r i t i c i s e d

M r. H u n t f o r f a i l i n g t o t a k e a f i r m e n o u g h a p p ro a c h w i t h t h e UA E .

She confirmed that the request for c l e m e n c y h a d b e e n m a d e , s a y i n g “ We will wait and see what happens.”

More t h a n 16 0,0 0 0 p e ople h ave signed a petition set up by Ms. Te j a d a .

T h e UA E h a s s a i d t h a t “d e t e r m i n e d to protect its important strategic relationship with a key ally”, a n d Fo re i g n O f f i c e s o u rc e s h ave suggested to the BBC that there has b e e n a n “o l ive b ra n c h” f ro m t h e UA E a m b a s s a d o r.

The UK only has one black, female, history professor Shivani Kaura Deputy News Editor Dr. Olivette Otele, who was awarded a professorship and a chair in History from Bath Spa University last month, is currently the only black, female, history professor in the UK. It was also reported by the Royal Historical Society that fewer than 100 History professors working in the UK today are from a black background. 94% are from a white background, with the survey suggesting that almost one in three black and minority ethnic historians working for

universities have experienced “direct racial discrimination and abuse.”

Professor Otele, speaking to the BBC, said: “I think structural barriers prevent people who look like me and from other ethnic backgrounds from reaching the ladder and achieving certain things.

“You have to work harder, much harder.”

She added: “I’ve worked very hard and kept pushing and had a family, it’s hard. I’m tired. It’s bleak. Men go faster than us [in terms of professional progress]. “[Women] have the brains, the capability and the power to do it. Students — follow your dreams. Be realistic but follow your

dreams. It can happen.

“I want to show women who look like me it can be done. I’m not superhuman.”

Professor Otele, born in Cameroon, specialises in collective memory and geopolitics and holds a PhD in history from Sorbonne University in Paris. Otele, focusing many of her papers about the colonial history of Britain and France, has also written about politics, slavery, and feminism.

The Royal Historical Society has imposed that a lack of diversity may be to blame for the impact on the “quality of teaching, learning, and research in history

in the UK,” and has given suggestions on how to improve the system.

The research conducted states that the “histories of migration and ethnicity, and histories of race, imperialism, and decolonisation has transformed our knowledge and understanding of the British, European, and global past.” The Society believes working to tackle this issue is a main priority.

The Young Historians Project, a scheme set up by young people, aims to support young historians of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK.

Photo: GMCA

Paper bee straws launched around Greater Manchester

A new paper straw with bee decoration has been launched in bars and restaurants across Greater Manchester to help eradicate the use of single-use plastics Nicole Wootton-Cane Head News Editor A new paper straw has been launched in bars across Greater Manchester with a distinctly Mancunian twist.

The straws, which are part of the c i t y ’s a p p ro a c h t o e ra d i c a t i n g s i n g l e -

use plastics, feature yellow and white stripes and a bee design inspired by the worker bee, which is the symbol o f M a n c h e s t e r.

Many popular Manche ster venue s h a v e p l a c e d o r d e r s , s u c h a s t h e To w n House Hotel, Manchester Airport, A l b e r t ’ s S c h l o s s , H y d e s B r e w e r y, a n d The Lowry Centre.

Greater Manche ster Mayor Andy Burnham said: “This is just the first step towards meeting our ambitious t a rge t aga i n st s i ng le -u s e pl a st ics a nd I u rge a l l b a rs, re st au ra nt s, a nd hote l s to get on board with the campaign.

Yo u r i n v o l v e m e n t w i l l m a k e a r e a l difference to the fight against plastic pollution.”

More than 130 hospitality and catering busine ss e s have signed up to the ‘Plastic Free Greater Manchester Pledge’ that aims to eradicate any avoidable, single-us e plastics in the i n d u s t r y.

T h e s t raw s a re p a r t o f t h e M ayo r ’s aim for Greater Manchester to be pl a st ic- f re e by 2 02 0.

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ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Mayday: should Theresa resign?

Following a week of cabinet exits and in-fighting, The Mancunion asks students if it’s time for the PM to go

Nine ‘rogue’ taxi drivers caught in city centre An operation by Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Polive has found nine taxi drivers have been collecting shoppers illegally in the city centre Photo: Paul Walker @Flickr

Josh Sandiford News Reporter Nine taxi drivers have been caught picking up shoppers illegally in Manchester city centre.

The operation — called Operation Aztec — was carried out by Manchester City Council’s Licensing Team alongside Greater Manchester Police.

Plain clothed officers posing as shoppers approached parked taxis and asked them for a ride they had not booked in advance.

It is illegal for private hire taxis to accept fares which are not booked in advance. Only Hackney Carriages ( black cabs) with the correct license are permitted to undertake such journeys.

The taxi drivers were intercepted by marked police cars upon acceptance of payment and their cars were inspected.

The drivers were also interviewed and warned that they could be liable for prosecution.

During the operation, a driver was found to have been driving without insurance. Their vehicle was seized and impounded by Greater Manchester police.

Drivers found guilty of operating illegally can face having their taxi licenses revoked by their licensing authority, and a hefty fine of up £7,500. They can also have

between six to eight penalty points added to their driving license.

In the past two years, 66 cases have been pursued after a private hire driver was found to have illegally picked up passengers.

Sergeant Paul Lenarcic from GMP’s Safer Roads Targeting Team said: “Intercepting nine vehicles during Operation Aztec is a positive result for the partnership alongside Manchester City Council and we hope to see this continue as we carry on the operation in our joint bid to crack down on unlicensed and uninsured taxis.”

Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, who went out with officers during Operation Aztec, warned that passengers put themselves at risk if they use unbooked vehicles.

Akbar said: “I saw many people putting themselves at risk by getting into an un-booked vehicle. When they do that they are not insured in the event of an accident, there will be no record of a journey having taken place and the driver cannot be tracked.

“The number of drivers caught during just one night of action should serve as a warning to others who think they can get away with illegally activity. They should be in no doubt that if they are caught, the council will take them to court.”

“No, I think we should get Brexit finished, and then we should move on. There’s too much of a big thing about it, we decided as a country to leave, might as well just get on with it.”

Nathan Haggerty, Planning and Real Estate.

“People screaming about Brexit don’t know what they’re talking about. Hold on a minute, we’d have almost the same outcome [if Corbyn was PM], maybe a little bit better. She’s doing the best job she can at the

end of the day. She’s been given a very difficult job that most people put in the same position would not be able to deal with any better.”

Hannah Stewart, Politics and History.

“She’s been given a very difficult job that most people put in the same position would not be able to deal with any better” “No. Not until her Brexit plan is made clear, on how exactly she wants to go about doing it. Only then, should the public vote on if she’s fit to lead us into Brexit.”

Jonny Wilkinson, Humanitarianism and Conflict response.

“I really don’t like her at all. She should just accept that she hasn’t quite done the job that she wanted to do. I think there should be a people’s vote” Lily Wright, Biomedicine “I think she should resign, because she’s undermining our democracy and our whole country’s leadership. I feel sorry for her too, because I think she’s taken the front of this campaign, and really it’s her party behind her that are attacking her”.

Lucy Kirk, International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response.

Open letter calls for increase in Mental Health support

Business leaders ask Prime Minister to change how mental health is dealt with professionally Ayazoe Atallah News Reporter Fifty leaders from some of the biggest employers in the United Kingdom have signed an open letter to Theresa May calling for amendments in how mental health is dealt with professionally.

The signatures came from important names in business, education, and mental health organisations such as Royal Mail, WHSmith, and Ford. Sent on November 18th, the letter asked the government to act

on the manifesto pledge to make relevant changes to the health and safety regulations in the workplace.

The letter was originally written by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, who aim to prioritise mental health support amongst employees. It argued that when bad mental health is neglected, there are both economic and human consequences: “Each year, workplace mental health issues cost the UK economy almost £35 billion, with £15.4 million working days lost to work-related stress, depression or

anxiety. But the cost is not just financial, because left untreated, mental ill health impacts people’s relationships with friends and family and ultimately their quality of life.”

They claim that ensuring employers have access to the support they require will ultimately reduce these effects and that mental and physical first aid should be equally practiced.

The letter was inspired by the petition set up by Bauer Media on change.org, which received over 200,000 signatures from the

public. The petition demanded that mental health support be made mandatory.

Chief Operating Officer at MHFA, Fionuala Bonnar, said: “Today’s open letter shows that business leaders clearly recognise the need to support their employees’ mental health in the same way they do their physical health.”

She added that, although it is a significant improvement, this would simply be the first step in erasing the stigma surrounding mental health.

Investigations 7

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Investing in destruction: how much does the University of Manchester invest in fossil fuels?

A Freedom of Information request by The Mancunion has revealed that the University invested £9.9m this year in fossil fuel and oil companies Photo: The Mancunion

Mia Gair Sub-Editor The Un iversity of M a nche ste r has nearly £1 0m inve sted in fos s il fue l compa nie s, de spite prid ing its elf on be ing the first E ng l i s h Russ ell Grou p u nive rs ity to j oin the Unite d Nation’s P rinciple s for Re spon s ible I nve stme nt ( PR I) .

Freedom of In for m ation ( FOI ) re q ue sts su bm it te d

by The Mancu n ion reve a l the Un ive rs ity h ad £ 9.9m i nve sted in sh are s in fos s il fue l compa n ie s in the ye ar to Apr il 2018.

The p ortfolio include d s h a re s in BG G roup, BP, Roya l Dutch She ll, I mpe r i al Oil, RE PSOL , Rio T into, a nd Exxon Mo bi l .

Whilst the investment may be impacted by f luctuations i n sh are price s, the tota l va lue h a s neve r the le s s ne a rly dou bled f rom j u st ove r £ 5 m in Apr il 2 017.

The Un iversity pu blicly com m its to inve st i ng only in comp an ie s wh ich h ave “acce pta ble st a ndards of eth ical or e nviron me nta l prac tice s”.

De spite h av ing such a com m itme nt in place for ove r a ye a r now, according to the Un ive rs ity’s inve stme nt port folio, it h as not ye t inve ste d in a ny compa n ie s t h at focus s olely on renewa ble e ne rg y, or e nviron me nt al ly sust a in able practice s.

L a st month , lead ing clim ate s c ie ntists wa r ne d t hat there was ju st twe lve ye a rs le ft to s ave the world

f rom a cl i m ate cat ast rophe.

A Un ive rs ity of M anche ste r sp oke sp e rs on s a id: “As a re su lt [of t he PR I] , t he Un ive rs ity’s i nve st ment m an age rs h ave i ncor p orate d e nv i ron me nt al , s o c i a l, and gove r n ance fac tors i nto t he i r de c i s ion- m ak i ng.

“The changes to the policy allow the university to pursue an e t h ical i nve st me nt appro ach , wh i l st al s o m i n i m i s ing any p ote nt i al negat ive i mp ac t on i nve st me nt re t u r ns.

T he p ol icy i nclude s a com m it me nt to ide nt i f y i ng and promot i ng low or ze ro - car b on i nve st me nt s.”

T he value of t he s e i nve st me nt s re pre s e nte d 1% of tot al Un ive rs ity i ncome i n 2 016/17, w it h t he £ 4 2 3.9 m e ar ne d f rom t u it ion fe e s m ak i ng u p 4 5 % of tot al i ncome.

Camp aig n g rou p Pe ople and Pl ane t ran ks B r it i s h u n ive rs it ie s on t he i r at te mpt s to move away f rom fos sil f ue l s. It s ays t he Un ive rs ity h as m ade no e f for t s to d ive st wh i le i n st it ut ion s l i ke D u rh am , L e e d s, and B at h, h ave al l move d i nve st me nt s away f rom fos s i l f ue l s.

Pe ople and Pl ane t he ld a de mon st rat ion on Nove m b e r 2 1 , cal l i ng on t he Un ive rs ity to, “ac t u ally fol low it s pl an s su r rou nd i ng s o c i al re sp on s i bi l ity” and stop “ac t ive ly f u nd i ng t he de st r uc t ion of t he pl anet ”.

E ng l i s h L ite rat u re and t he H i stor y of S c ie nce, Te ch nolog y and Me d ic i ne st ude nt H an a Jafa r b e l ieve d t he Un ive rs ity s hou ld not b e m ak i ng i nve st me nt s in such firms “ b e cau s e t he Un ive rs ity cl ai m s to b e s o c i al ly re sp on s i ble”.

S he s aid : “It i s i ron ic t h at a Un ive rs ity t h at h as i nve sted

in world cla s s re s ea rch on s cience, technology, a nd innovat ion fa ils to s ee a f unda ment a l error in j udgement in t heir unet hica l a nd unj ust if ia ble inve st ment s. If I had know n how unet hica l our Univers ity’s inve st ment s a re, I wouldn’t have chos en to st udy here a nd put £15, 50 0 into t his inst it ut ion every yea r”.

E conom ics undergraduate P rit hwa raj Ghos h sa id: “I t hink t hat it ’s hy p o crit ica l. For t he Univers ity to pre s ent it s elf a s such a green university, by inve st ing in green sp ace s, a nd dedicat ing to ca rb on reduct ion, it ’s hy p o crit ica l.”

L ily Shep a rd, P re s ident of t he Ma nche ster E nergy a nd E nv ironment S o ciety, s a id: “L a st yea r, t he C a rb on Maj ors Rep ort by t he C a rb on D is closure P roj ect st ated t hat j ust 10 0 comp a nie s a re re sp onsible for 7 1% of glo b a l em iss ions.

“While reducing p ers ona l em iss ions is st ill very imp ort a nt , it w ill b e imp os sible to meet t he 1. 5 degree wa rning t a rget s et by t he Pa ris C lim ate Accord w it hout a s ignif ica nt reduct ion in corp orate em iss ions. G et t ing big inst it ut ions like univers it ie s to divert f rom foss il f uels is a huge p a rt of t his.”

The Ma nche ster C ity C ouncil E xecut ive recent ly a imed for t he city to b ecome zero ca rb on by 203 8 — one of t he most a m bit ious t a rget s s een in Europ e a nd a round t he world. The t a rget wa s m ade in line w it h re s ea rch f rom t he Ty nda ll C ent re, which is b a s ed at t he Univers ity of Ma nche ster.

History departments branded ‘overwhelmingly white’

A Freedom of Information request by The Mancunion has revealed that the University invested £9.9m this year in fossil fuel and oil companies Sophie Marriott Head Opinion Edior The study of h istor y at UK u n ive rs it ie s re ma i n s “overwhelm ing ly wh ite” , due to t he l ack of repre s entation from BA M E backg rou nd s, accord ing to the Roya l H istor ica l S oc ie ty ( R H S ) .

It’s looked into rac ia l d ive rs ity in h istor y de pa rtments claimi ng the re a re, “su bsta nt i al leve l s of bia s a nd d is c rim in ation s expe rienced by h istor ia n s in U K u n ive rs itie s”.

The rep ort fou nd th at 11% of stude nts on h istorical a nd ph ilos oph ical cou rs e s we re from BA M E backgrou nd s, comp a re d to 24% for the overal l underg radu ate p opulation . Th is include s h istor y, a rchaeology, heritage stud ie s, ph ilos ophy a nd the olog y.

Thi s prop ortion shr in ks eve n fu rthe r to 8.6% at postgradu ate level, compa re d to a n ave rage of 17 % for a l l ot her su bjects. The R H S s ays 9 4% of te ach ing st af f a re wh ite, and ju st 0. 5 % a re from a black backg round .

There is greater d ive rs ity at the Un ive rs ity of Ma nche ster’s h istory de pa rtme nt whe re s ix of t he 50 sta ff - or 12% - are from BA M E backg rou nd s. But de pa rtment head D r C h a rle s I n s ley de s c r ibe d th is as “fa r from ideal”, and sa id the de pa r tme nt wa s “ work i ng ha rd to implement the re com me nd ation s of the re por t ”.

It has als o introduce d a nu m be r of me a su re s to i mprove repre s entat ion of BA M E stude nts, a nd it wa s prais ed in the re por t for its ‘ Race, Ro ot s

and Re s i st ance’ i n it i at ive wh ich s h are s re s e arch and te ach i ng prac t ice s, as we l l as organ i s i ng eve nt s and f i l m s c re e n i ng s, on t he t he me s of race.

D r E lo i s e Mos s, a le c t u re r i n Mo de r n B r it i sh H i stor y at M anche ste r, i s work i ng w it h Dan ie l le Ch av r i mo ot to o and ot he r te ach i ng st af f f rom t he S cho ol of A r t s L ang u age s and Cu lt u re s, to e st abl i sh t he E q u al ity and D ive rs ity Te am wh ich w i l l s e ek to ide nt i f y any are as of rac i al d i s c r i m i n at ion.

In a st ate me nt D r Mos s e mph as i s e d t heir de te r m i n at ion to “not le t t he i s sue re st or to b e d i s m i s s e d w it h a few toke n ge st u re s”.

T he fore most of t he s e re com me nd at ion s by t he R H S was add re s s i ng t he n at u re of t he c u r r ic u lu m s for h i stor y cou rs e s. T he Un ive rs ity of M anche ste r E q u al ity and D ive rs ity te am are c u r re nt ly “col le c t ive ly aud it i ng” t he conte nt of t he i r cou rs e s, t h roug h su r veys and fo c us g rou p s, i n orde r to re for m t he c u r r ic u lu m for f ut ure ye ars.

According to Dr Moss, this initiative will aim to ensure the “ historie s of BAME historical actors, is repre s ented in te ach i ng and re s e arch m ate r i al s – and not exclu s ive ly in the context of historie s of enslavement and victimhood”.

As we l l as i mprov i ng re pre s e nt at ion i n c u r r ic u l a, t he report criticises the national prevalence of explicit racism t h at h i stor y st ude nt s and st af f fe e l t hey ex p e r ie nce.

Acc u s at ion s of exclu s ion ar y b e h av iou r by wh ite st af f i n me e t i ng s and s e m i n ars as we l l as ste re oty pi ng of te ach i ng st af f f rom BA M E b ackg rou nd s ; as su m i ng t hat t he i r sp e c i al i s m i s re l ate d to t he i r race and e t h n ic ity.

In a s it uat ion whereby academ ic st a f f in history dep a rt ment s in t he UK a re 93.7 % white, a lt hough t he prop ort ion in Ma nche ster is lower at 8 8%, D r Mos s is a im ing to create a n env ironment whereby a ll “BAME st a f f a nd st udent s have eq ua l opp ort unit ie s” in t he academ ic profe s sion.

D r Insley ha s s a id t hat a s well a s t he e f fort s to diversif y t he cours e of st udy ava ila ble to st udent s, t he history dep a rt ment a im s to “ra is e t he prof ile of BAME st udent s” t hrough “developing a st rategy to engage w it h lo ca l high s cho ols to encourage teenagers to t a ke a rt s a nd hum a nit ie s cours e s a f ter t he age of 16”.

The RHS rep ort , however, a ls o highlight s t he lack of divers ity in t he p ost graduate levels of historica l a nd philos ophica l st udy. C a lling for history teaching st a f f to b et ter “facilit ate st udent progre s sion into p ost graduate st udy”.

O ut of a tot a l of 4 ,670 st udent s undert a king p ost graduate re s ea rch in historica l a nd philos ophica l a rea s in t he UK, only 4 02 a re f rom a ll BAME b ackgrounds, a nd j ust 10 of t he history PhD st udent s a re black.

D r Moss ha s st ated t hat Ma nche ster a re t ry ing to create a more “at t ract ive re s ea rch env ironment ” for BAME p ost graduate s. As well a s hoping t hat t he cha nge s to t he undergraduate curricula w ill re sult in more recruit ment into m a sters a nd PhD cours e s, t he tea m a re engaging in more “op en convers at ions” w it h current MA a nd PhD st udent s a b out t he f indings of t he Rep ort in order to “encourage a n op en cult ure of dis cuss ing ex p erience s of dis crim inat ion”.

8 Science & Tech

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The hangover hustle: you’re losing more of your life to it than you think A new study has revealed how much productivity is lost from British people’s lives thanks to the mornings after the nights before Rona McCann Sub-editor A study has found that the average Briton loses 252 hours, the equivalent of ten and a half days, each year to hangovers. Over a typical British lifespan of 80, the figure amounts to nearly two whole years lost.

As many students will be all too familiar with, suffering from alcohol-induced hangovers can take the form of headaches, drowsiness, fatigue, and nausea, along with a host of other symptoms that lead to productivity loss. Worryingly, losses in intelligence can even be pinpointed to drinking excessively.

Research is still largely indefinite on the science behind hangovers, but there are some processes that can be identified.

When too much alcohol is consumed, a highly toxic chemical named acetaldehyde is produced as it reaches the liver.

Of course, our bodies are not completely defenceless in the face of toxins. Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, a naturally-occurring enzyme, is released to combat the chemical.

Hangovers occur when so much alcohol has been consumed that these protective enzymes become overwhelmed. The resulting build-up of acetaldehyde then leads to the symptoms we perceive as a dreaded hangover.

2,362 respondents took part in the survey carried out by the team behind AfterDrink, a supplement designed to alleviate hangovers.

Photo: pologi @ Pixabay

The survey began by asking how many hangovers participants experience each month. The average came out as three, with the highest response being a staggering nine.

It found that Britons will spend an average of £306 per year on takeaway food when hungover — that’s £8.50 each time. 88% of respondents admitted to purchasing a hangover takeaway even when they already have food available.

Participants were also asked how they spend their hungover days. As expected, watching films and TV came out on top, with 78% saying binging on these is one of their recovery tactics. Succumbing to our bodies’ desire to sleep followed closely behind with 72%.

Slightly more social activities made up the next favourites among respondents: going for a coffee and venturing on a walk were a hangover cure for 65% and 53% of respondents respectively, and rounding up the top five with 45%, was having sex.

Whilst it seems that the majority of hungover Brits opt for a lazy day, a motivated 8% revealed they exercise. 14%, however, disclosed that they start drinking again.

Although exercising with a hangover may seem like a good idea to feel refreshed once more — and to those still is bed, it is nothing but impressive — individuals should be careful. Alcohol, a diuretic, can dehydrate the body significantly. Engaging in physical activity before the body has fully recovered will further add to the loss in vital fluids, making you feel worse and putting organs at even more risk of damage.

“There is definitely a massive drinking culture in the UK, one of the biggest in the world, and it looks like we certainly pay for it in terms of productivity,” said AfterDrink founder Pedram Kordrostami following the study. “It’s quite shocking to think that you potentially lose 10 whole days a year to hangovers, and one of the main reasons I came up with AfterDrink was to try and recapture some of that lost productivity.”

Physics Without Frontiers

Dr Kate Shaw visits the University to talk about Physics Without Frontiers, an international effort to develop research in disenfranchised countries.

Photo: Max Pixel.net

Joshua Winter Contributor Ethiopia, Nepal, Yemen, and South Sudan are not countries generally associated with research in physics. However, the work of Dr. Kate Shaw, a particle physicist at the University of Sussex and founder of the international collaboration, Physics Without Frontiers (PWF), is helping a few passionate physicists develop the next generation of researchers from the developing world.

An outreach program of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), PWF is establishing bespoke models for sustainable research in physics and mathematics in impoverished and warridden countries with the aim of improving their scientific capacity.

On the 14th of November, Dr Shaw spoke at our University about the struggles and successes of PWF, their aspirations of sustainability, and the work that can be done to fully release the scientific potential of poorer nations.

PWF was founded by a group of ICTP researchers following a proposal to run a series of particle and accelerator physics masterclasses at universities in Palestine. Funded by ICTP and sponsored by the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics and CERN, students enjoyed lectures on the physics of the Large Hadron Collider. They were able to access real LHC data, as well as informative talks on areas of active research and funding opportunities.

Working with departments of three Palestinian universities,

the project was encouragingly fruitful. Some students achieved places at the CERN summer school, and many went on to complete postgraduate degrees. The few who had remained in contact with Dr Shaw and her colleagues continued in research, pursuing their PhDs with the ATLAS group at CERN. Palestine is a prime candidate for PWF’s support. With extremely poor access to funding for research, physics is not seen as a prestigious subject. However, as a consequence, physics degrees are often comprised of extremely passionate students who lack the opportunities to further their studies and establish a career. Those that do obtain scholarships and visas often miss the deadline for their offers, due to conflict-related travel restrictions. The few that manage to follow a career in research cannot find funding in Palestine, forcing them to leave the country. The resulting “brain drain” only perpetuates the difficulties faced by physics in the Palestinian territories.

PWF, and many similar international organisations, were conceived to enable research within developing countries by connecting a global network of volunteer researchers and postgraduates with potential physicists in isolated areas. PWFs methods look to “inspire and motivate” and “train and educate” physics enthusiasts of all levels. Through supporting open day events, teaching lecture courses, organising workshops, and providing mentoring for postgraduates, the program aims to raise the appeal for physics and mathematics degrees, opening doors for graduates.

The successes of Dr Shaw’s team have been notable. PWF has run condensed matter and particle physics courses in Nepal since

2014. In that time, it has sparked interest for physics in local schools, introduced CERN computers at Kathmandu University, and seen students successfully apply for internships and doctorate positions at CERN.However, in some regions, PWF models have failed to take root. Work in areas of conflict proves to be complicated, with many scientists forced to flee their home countries. An estimated 1600 refugee scientists have left Iraq since 2003 and consequently, its relatively strong science sector has lost a generation of academics.

Unfortunately, there are few mechanisms in place within the scientific community to support academics that wish to return to their home countries, starving conflict-afflicted areas of the chance to recover.

As part of their attempts to maximise sustainability at weaklyfunded institutions, PWF creates specific support systems for women pursuing physics careers. Although a significant proportion of undergraduates in developing countries are women (around 80% in North Africa and the Middle East), research is still performed predominantly by men. This is because many women prefer teaching jobs compared to the male-dominated world of physics research.

They are also subject to travel restrictions that impede them from continuing their studies abroad.

PWF believes that by funding more women researchers, institutions will be able to tap into a much larger pool of potential physicists and raise the profile of research in their home countries.

If you are a PhD student, postdoc or lecturer in the physical sciences, computer science, or mathematics and would like to volunteer with PWF, you can find them on the website.

Features 9

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The Creative Space: illustrator Tasha Wetton Liv Clarke interviews University of Manchester graduate Tasha Wetton about the illustrations she creates, how she balanced her degree with her creative interests and the importance of having hobbies while at university Liv Clarke Features Editor A lot of students at university devote all their time to the subject they’re studying, squeeze in some socialising, and then the rest of the day is designated for Netflix. But its important to set aside time for the things that you enjoy, which is what Tasha Wetton did while at university, and still does as a graduate today.

Tasha graduated from her Speech and Language degree this summer and now works as a speech and language therapist in the NHS, helping children who have difficulty communicating.

Despite being creative from a young age: “When I was about 3 my Mum says that one day I just sat down and started drawing the conservatory!” she decided to choose a career path that would enable her to help others. However, Tasha saw no reason to give up on her artwork: “It’s the one thing that’s been a constant my whole life, I love anything creative, it gives me such a buzz!”

Photo: Tasha Wetton

Just a glance at her portfolio reveals how talented she is; her drawings are playful and imaginative, but still capture the essence of the subject.

Tasha creates stylised portraits of figures from pop culture, in both ink and in digital mediums; she’s branched out into architectural drawings and inspirational quotes as well.

“Your degree is important of course, but it’s also important to do the things you love” “My work is quite illustrative and detailed, and I often draw people as I find faces so interesting, but I also love to draw plants, animals, and buildings too,” Tasha explains. She tries to develop her style while keeping it consistent: “For a long time I just worked in black and white but recently I rediscovered colour and I love how it adds such a vibrancy and magic to my drawings.” What’s impressive is the professional quality of her work, even more surprising considering she does not study art.

An upside of continuing her illustrations at university was that she had something to turn to when her degree became too stressful: “At times balancing art and my degree was really easy as it was a great way to de-stress and being creative makes me feel so content and happy.” Tasha’s creative skills also came into use when she volunteered with The Closet (a clothing shop run by University of Manchester students in collaboration with Manchester Mind and Missguided). The Closet allowed her to share her work with others, alongside her own online store Bluboca, which she launched while at college. “I

set it up on Redbubble, which I would highly recommend, it’s a great website…it was easy to balance it with uni work as I could just upload new designs whenever I wanted to.”

It was not always easy keeping up the illustrations and studying at the same time, as anyone with extra-curricular activities knows.

“At times it was hard, especially when I had more work to do,” Tasha tells me, “in my final years of uni I just wanted to live and make memories, so art took a back seat.”

However, it was still important for her to fit in art when she could, as that balance helped her stay in a happy mindset, and ultimately made her time at university more enrichening.

“Your degree is important of course, but it’s also so important to do the things you love, whether that be art, sport, cooking, music; make memories, meet new people and take all the opportunities that come your way,” Tasha smiles. “At uni you learn on your degree, but you also have all these chances to grow and learn in so many other ways too. I took every opportunity and did anything and everything that made me happy and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

Tasha continues to produce illustrations, even though she’s graduated, and finds sources

Photo: Tasha Wetton

of inspiration everywhere: “these days it’s not so much artists that inspire me. It’s a mixture of seeing things that inspire me, like photos on Instagram or amazing art exhibits, which then give me that urge to draw and create,” Tasha explains. “I also get inspired by seeing people who take the time to create, because that inspires me to keep on creating too and to always make time for it, no matter how crazy life gets.”

What advice does she have for students who want to maintain their creative interests? “Do it!

I always thought I’d do something creative as a career, but life had other plans and I somehow ended up as a bachelor of science!” Tasha laughs.

“So to hold onto my creative streak at uni, I made an Instagram account to give me motivation to create new art. I volunteered my art skills. I did illustrations for people. Started a radio show. I made presents and cards for people’s birthdays. These days, anything is possible! If you really love something, or you really want to give something new a try, you’ll always find time for it. Always!”

You can see more of Tasha’s work on her Instagram page @tashawettonart.

Photo: Tasha Wetton

Falling out of favour with fast fashion Emily Broncz questions the sustainability of fast fashion companies favoured by students for their stylish and affordable clothes, but more environmentally friendly solutions are available if you know where to look Emily Broncz Contributor From a student’s perspective, shops like Primark, Zara, and H&M are the saviours of the high-street. It can be hard to envisage where you could possibly find on-trend clothes and accessories for a better price. The dark truth of sweat-shop production and sourcing unsustainable materials is no secret to the masses but with those on a tighter budget seeing no real alternative, students often become dedicated followers of these fast fashion institutions.

Final year Politics and German student, Madeleine Lynch, has recently returned from a Berlin-based internship at a conscious fashion company named Fine Yellow and was ready to share her expertise as to how students can become a savvier shopper, and whether it is possible to escape from the trap.

‘Fast fashion’ is the term applied to the rapid and low-cost production of garments, often pursued to meet high consumer demands for the latest styles. Citing popular shops like Urban Outfitters, River Island, and boohoo, Madeleine explains that “brands often observe the latest trends from fashion weeks and then make thousands of garments as quickly as possible.”

Deviating from the traditional biannual fashion seasons, these being Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter, these retailers have allowed for up to 52 micro-seasons to evolve per year, each showcasing their own mini-trends. In 2013, the effects of being part of such a high-paced market reached their peak, with the Rhana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh seeing the collapse of a five-storey

factory, resulting in 1,135 fatalities. The factory was home to the production of clothes for labels such as Mango, Monsoon, and Primark.

You would be wrong to think that students are entirely powerless, as the way we consume has the ability to trigger huge changes and, luckily, an accessible alternative does exist, as Madeleine describes: “Slow fashion is the opposite of this. The brands don’t rely on trends — they create garments consciously and stick to seasons or are even ‘seasonless’! The clothes are designed to be kept for life, the employees are treated fairly, and the materials used are environmentally sound.”

“Slow fashion ... brands don’t rely on trends they create garments consciously” The attraction to fast-fashion companies to most is the pricing. Many would view the converse of this as being expensive items, often out of reach of the hands of a student budget. This is not always a correct assumption: “Higher prices are not indicative of sustainability. Of course, slow fashion brands are going to be more expensive, but this is only natural when they are using quality materials and manufacturing in the UK or Europe.”

A common misconception is that a higher price on the ticket is an honest reflection

of exceptional materials and good practice.

Websites like rankabrand.org help those willing to become more conscious, be more discerning about their favourite brands, or up-and-coming labels receiving a lot of attention. Names which are featured receive a lettered grade from A-E to illustrate how sustainable they are, often based on how transparent their manufacturing policy is. Some of the results are shocking, with pricey student favourites like Carhartt, Vans and Ralph Lauren all credited with an ‘E’ — the worst possible rating.

The revelation of big-name brands not being pioneers of responsible and conscious production methods muddies the waters. If both the cheaper and more expensive ends of the scale are to be avoided, where should students be shopping? As it transpires, a transition away from fast fashion is more attainable than we think, with some surprising names committing fewer sins: “G-Star RAW in the Arndale is one of the more sustainable high street brands out there, as they use organic materials and recycled cotton. & Other Stories, although owned by H&M, use a lot of eco-friendly materials in their clothes, too.”

Missing the ‘MCR Student Social’, an evening bursting with tempting discounts, offers and prizes, all targeted towards Manchester’s student population, may not have been a terrible idea after all. An evening devoted to incentivising students into falling into the fast-fashion trap often overshadows the opportunities to find slow-fashion treasures, often located just next door. “Check out the second hand and vintage shops around the Northern Quarter as well as the vintage sales that pop up everywhere, as they offer really good deals!

Photo: Gerald England @ geograph.org.uk

These stores can have really high-quality clothes that are great to have in your wardrobe.”

Excellent bargains aren’t just limited to vintage shops, either, as Madeleine also commented on a fantastic charity shop experience: “I found a YSL top in one for £3 which is high quality and looks good.” Pre-loved gems can be sourced on Depop and Ebay and in shops like Oxfam Originals in Manchester, with unique garments also being sold on arty platforms such as Etsy.

Taking the time to be more selective, whether that’s spending an extra £10 at the Arndale or having three more minutes scrolling through Depop, may not just be the key to finding your new favourite top, but also in helping to clean up fast fashion’s poor act.

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

10 Opinion

Is it time to move on from the rom-com?

Sophie Marriott argues against the problematic tropes in Hollywood Rom-Coms which rely on outdated gender and racial stereotypes Photo: Nicholas R. Andrew @ Flickr

Sophie Marriott Head Opinion Editor There is a particular mood which creeps up at the end of a day spent bouncing between lectures, the library and the Morrisons meal deal queue. It seems to require that you do nothing w i t h a ny o f yo u r l i m b s o r b ra i n . I t ’s a t t h e e n d of these kind of days that we get the messages asking for a movie night, to watch something l i g h t a n d f l u f f y. Ye t q u i t e o f t e n ‘ l i g h t a n d f l u f f y ’ actually has a pretty problematic set of values; making the relaxing night in a little bit less wholesome.

Easy access to light entertainment is one of the joys of the modern world, way up there with air travel and central heating. However at times it seems we’ve become too reliant on so-called ‘e a sy-watch i ng’ a nd we a re u n a ble to de m a nd the same standards of morality that we would for something deemed more intellectual.

A t t h e r i s k o f s o u n d i n g l i k e a k i l l - j o y, o r perhaps in full intention of it, when I am asked

if I want to stick on a rom-com, I’m filled with dread. This is not because cynically I don’t care to watch other people find happiness, although p e r h a p s t h i s f a c t o r s i n s l i g h t l y. F o r t h e m a i n p a r t , h o w e v e r, i t ’s b e c a u s e s o m a n y o f o u r m o s t loved love stories make me squirm where they should be melting my heart.

The slim, beautiful, polished women has deep-rooted complexes that are somehow immediately solved by the foppish but charming, a l m o s t a l w a y s w h i t e a n d w e a l t h y, P r i n c e C h a r m ing. A figure who will strut his way into her life, i n v a r i a b l y m e s s e v e r y t h i n g u p s o m e h o w, b u t b e forgiven for it becaus e love overcome s.

Hetero-normative love overcomes the fact that the love story started with Richard Gear p i c k i n g u p a p r o s t i t u t e i n P r e t t y Wo m a n . I t s u b sequently ends with this lucky lady being rescued from her life of sin and whisked away to a far comfier [sic. wealthier] existence where she can have all the pretty clothes she wants.

S te re oty p e s of ide a l wome n a re ‘ch a l le nge d’ with less than perfect female leads like the

bumbling Bridget Jones or the sharp and cold M a r g a r e t T a t e i n T h e P r o p o s a l . Ye t n e i t h e r w o m en get to exist in any storyline other than the one which shows how far they deviate from the ideal. Bridget Jones’ story is a back-to-back caricature of why she is so completely unsuitable.

T h a n k f u l l y, h o w e v e r , s h e g e t s t h e m a n a n d t h e n it doesn’t matter anymore. People will no longer j u d g e h e r, b e c a u s e s o m e b o d y l o v e s h e r.

There is a Hollywood toothpaste tube which has narrowed the values which cinema can propagate. There is no reason why films and TV which are designed to tailor our more vegetative states cannot extol positive gender and race relationships.

Even on the days when you want something which has absolutely nothing to do with your degree programme, it should be possible to find something to satisfy a craving for light entertainment which doesn’t stroke a global implicit bias towards gender stereotypes in relationships.

Save money, scrimp on education

Cachella Smith speaks about the government’s latest propostion of shortened two-year degree courses and how this could have a negative effect on the student experience.

Cachella Smith Deputy Opinion Editor Future students could be given the option of two-year degree courses allowing them to make a saving of 20% compared to current tuition fees.

In an attempt to cut down on debt, the government is proposing intense 4 5-week long academic years to prospective university students.

Meanwhile, the institutions themselves would b e ne f it by ch a rg i ng a h ig he r a n nu a l fe e. Pa rl i ament has not yet consented to the proposal but, if there is an agreement, accelerated courses c o u l d b e o n o f f e r f r o m a s e a r l y a s n e x t y e a r.

It is true that as students we are all eager to scrimp and save where we can, but would we really be prepared to jeopardise the university experience to shave a meagre £ 5, 500 off of a debt the size of which most of us could not fathom anyway?

We a l l e n t e r w i l l i n g l y i n t o a n a g r e e m e n t t h a t for the price of a slightly reduced salary for the next 30 years, we will have the opportunity to further our knowledge in an area that interests us.

The majority of students do not have the funds available to them to pay tuition fees outr i g h t , a n d s o e n t e r re a d i ly i n t o a l o a n t h a t , l e t ’s be honest, the consequences of which are pretty invisible.

The average 17-year-old could not grasp the c o n c e p t o f s u c h a s u m o f m o n e y a s £ 2 7, 0 0 0 .

Besides convincing them that cutting down ‘the

best years of your life’ to two for a £ 5, 500 saving is worthwhile in the long run is not the kind of message we should be sending them.

Added to this, ask any student around campus

Photo: CharlCater@Flickr

today how they are feeling and I guarantee nine out of 10 answers will be ‘stressed’.

Students have a tendency to power through semesters, combining nights-out with sport matches, society meetings, 9ams and deadlines.

A s i x - w e e k s t i n t i n b e t w e e n R e a d i n g We e k a n d

Christmas is normally sufficient to render any student incapable of achieving anything meaningful during the Winter break.

Try stretching this out over a 4 5-week acade m ic ye a r a nd wh at do you e nd u p w it h? A l i ne of bleary-eyed, run-down, bloodstream-turnedto-caffeine students blinking up at you over exam papers.

University demands an incredibly intense lifestyle. Whether you do not end up taking a break because you want to profit from every o p p o r t u n i t y, o r s i m p l y b e c a u s e t h e r e i s n o T V in your first-year halls, those longed-for holidays at home are definitely essential for student well-being.

The proposition of a fast-track path towards a 2:1 at first glance seems like a step in the right direction. When most of us stop and consider h o w e v e r, f o r h o w m a n y o f u s d o e s t h e u n i v e r sity experience solely boil down to the number stamped on you at the end of it?

When remembering the good old days, do we really want to sit there and tell our grandchildren about the 4 5 weeks we slaved away in the library? Surely the stories are instead going to come from the Christmas dinners with f latmates, sports initiations suffered, and spontaneous nights out; all those things we have time for because the degree spans three years.

A t t h e e n d o f t h e d a y, i t b o i l s d o w n t o t h e simple question of whether studying sums up a student, or whether you are allowed to have a life at the same time.

Opinion 11

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Sports initiations:

humiliating, degrading, dangerous Olivia Stringer speaks on horrific stories concerning sports initiations and how we need to rethink the derogatory system in which they thrive.

Photo: timquijano @ Flickr

Olivia Stringer Contributor Last month a coroner ruled a Newcastle University student died after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol on an initiation-style bar crawl. Ed Farmer was on a night out with the Agricultural Society two years ago.

This prompted me to consider the culture of university sports initiations.

When asking friends for tales of their own initiation experiences, I was horrified by some of their anecdotes. Stories ranged from being made to vomit, defecate and urinate on a tarpaulin mat and then roll around on it, to apple bobbing with dead rats.

Not only are these activities incredibly unsanitary and could lead to serious illnesses, they are humiliating, degrading and outright cruel.

There seems to be an overriding attitude of, ‘I had to go

through it, so they have to too’, amongst second and third years.

This is masked with an excuse that being forced to eat pigs trotters or down a bottle of port is in some way ‘character building’. This revenge attitude is, I believe, extremely unhealthy and leads to a vicious cycle of cruelty. Surely, such situations would cause you to feel sympathy for freshers, not wanting anyone to suffer the same humiliation that you had to go through?

Unfortunately, these initiations deter a great number of people from joining sports teams. Captains may say that it’s just a bit of fun and, yes, maybe there is nothing wrong with making people eat raw onions or with cracking eggs on freshers’ heads. I might even say that that is pretty amusing. But there comes a point where you have to admit that the fun stops.

The mere fact that initiations are banned by universities and have to be done in secret with ridiculous code names like ‘Extraordinary General Meeting’ should be a red flag.

It’s not just the disgusting activities, I also have a problem with forcing people to drink excessive amounts of alcohol. My own

drinking habits have in the past led to people labelling me ‘boring’.

It is not because I don’t want to have fun - I’d just like to drink on my own terms so that I don’t end the night crying into a bowl of sick. Sports teams controlling how much you drink is incredibly unfair especially given that everyone has varying tolerances.

Admittedly, a number of the people I spoke to regarding initiations have said that this year, sports captains have been a lot nicer to their freshers, not forcing them to do anything they absolutely don’t want to. Whether or not this is as a direct consequence of what happened to Ed Farmer I couldn’t say. If so, however, it should not have taken a death for people to change their attitudes towards initiations.

Attitudes need to change, and people need to realise that what they are doing isn’t just a bit of fun. Let us hope that the tragedy that has recently taken place opens people’s eyes and makes them enter into the true spirit of university - that of inclusion and fun, not an environment of fear.

Are emojis really expression?

Cachella Smith argues that the prevalence of emojis in our everyday speech is changing our ability to use and appreciate the English language.

Cachella Smith Deputy Opinion Editor I was scrolling back through my messages the other day and I noticed that at least 40% of the words I use are not words at all, but round little yellow faces, otherwise known as emojis. As a languages student with a tendency to sit, dwell on and over-analyse the messages I receive, I found myself considering whether choosing these tiny circles over actual words from the English language was improving the clarity of my message or limiting it.

Every language has a finite number of word choices at any respective moment in time. This would suggest that the number of situations we could accurately describe is also finite. In other words, there is a potential for certain situations to exist that that could not be described with a single word but instead require a combination of words to effectively denote them. Perhaps there are even circumstances that the English language fails entirely to describe.

By increasing the options we have to describe a situa-

tion (be it through adding words or pictures to a message), we should be able to enrich the possibilities of expression and therefore improve our ability to effectively communicate.

Photo: GDJ @ Pixabay would I go about expressing my emotion?

This argument would stand in a situation It is not all technology that is inhibiting our proper use where emojis were used as an addition to words. When we of, and enjoyment of the English language, there are many begin to replace words with pictures however, this takes ways in which it has enriched our literary heritage. Argua slightly more sinister tone for the well-being of our lanably, computers and the internet facilitate more modern guage. Without even entering into the debate on misinterapproaches to writing; the poem is now far less constrained pretation, I believe replacing words with pictures can be to stanzas in a poetry book but can play around more with incredibly limiting. structures and typefaces. It is the phenomena of emojis, the Given that numerous situations might be described by actual act of replacing words with something more conventhe same emoji. For example all the myriad uses for the ient, which is restricting our language. monkey with his hands over his eyes; from the retelling of Whatever your qualms about text language, I am certain an embarrassing picture to trying to revoke a poorly judged that the increasing popularity of emojis will end up having comment. Actively choosing not to use language to express a negative impact upon our use of the English language. ourselves works fine when we are sitting behind a screen.

Think just for a minute of the emoji you use the most and In real life however, when turning myself into a monkey then try to put that emoji in words... and putting my hands over my eyes is not an option, how

12 Societies

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Unpaid on purpose: Volunteering Ellie Martin talks you through the ways that students can get involved with volunteering on campus, including Nightline and Manchester Mind.

Photo: Greater Manchester Nightline

Ellie Martin Contributor Students today have a lot of pulls on their time. After taking into account lectures and hours of study, a CV without years of experience in the desired field feels almost like a waste of time.

The unpaid internship has a tighter grip around our time than we want it to, with paid experience similar to a golden snitch; difficult to find and nigh impossible to actually get considering the amount of applicants. Productivity culture would have us chalk up every hour of the day as contributing towards a certain goal, and after a while this can be very overwhelming. Having the mentality, whether consciously adopted or sub consciously absorbed, that every second needs to add value to our lives is fatiguing.

With such strains on each precious minute of our time, sometimes it feels good to just give it to somebody else. A shocking statement in this climate of productivity, but making every second count for a goal big or small is exhausting, and the relief, I would advise, is simply giving away a couple of your hours to someone else. Sticking it to those productivity gurus and allowing some of your time be completely unproductive (in terms of yourself and your personal goals) and using it to add value to somebody else’s life.

I don’t enjoy reading articles stating the benefits of volunteering for the volunteer, as I feel that they miss the point somewhat.

I do not deny that those personal benefits are real, and can be advantageous towards your career, however giving your time to volunteering purely for those sweet CV points misses the value in volunteering solely for the good of the other person. Doing good

for someone else’s benefit in a proper and helpful setting is simple and good, and adding a productivity mindset into the mixture takes away that simplicity. Life as a student is complex enough, and with constant demand on our time an energies, take a break by giving away your time, and do it freely, without expectation of reward or personal benefit. With that in mind, here are three organisations in and around campus that are open to volunteers Nightline is a well-known organisation on campus. It’s a student listening service which is open at night and run by students, for students. Every night of term, trained student volunteers answer calls, emails, instant messages, texts and talk in person to their fellow university students about anything that’s troubling them.

The interesting thing about Nightline, and what makes it accessible for volunteers, is that it is a listening service. Volunteers do not offer advice but support, and allow the caller to come to their own decision. A listening ear is what you’ll be providing, not guidance. Whilst the first Nightline was set up to reduce student suicides, Nightlines today receive calls from students troubled by a variety of issues: from academic stress, bullying, or debt to loneliness, depression, or bereavement; from arguments with flatmates or worries about a friend to addictions, eating disorders, or self-harm; from relationship or family problems to sexuality, sexual abuse, or abortion. Nothing is too big or small to contact Nightline about – whatever’s troubling a caller, Nightline is there to listen.

Mind is a Manchester-based charity that focus on improving access to mental health services. It has a particular program named YASP that is designed for young people aged 15-25, and

Get involved: Langar on Campus Find out how you can get involved with the Sikh Society’s latest event: Langar on Campus, on the 3rd of December in Manchester Academy.

This is a guest submission by the Sikh Society

that also has a focus on homelessness in young people in the Manchester area. They provide volunteering opportunities for those in the same age group, perfect for students. What is particularly interesting is its YASP Internet Cafe which provides a chilled space for young people to use. It’s open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am-4pm. You can volunteer your talents in the kitchen making food and treats, or as a mentor.

It helpfully is located on Stockport Road with a bus stop just outside, so very accessible to all.

The Gaskell Garden Project is based in Manchester, and started out in 2014 as a growing group of friends. This included refugees and asylum seekers as well as UK citizens, who gardened together in the tradition of permaculture, sold surplus produce, and used the money raised to further the welfare of our refugee & asylum seeker friends. They do incredibly important work in their community, providing a place for people to come together to grow food, cook together and share meals and experiences.

Having volunteered here myself I can really vouch for the value of this organisation. What I love about the project is that there is a strong focus on friendship; those who come to the project are seen as friends, not service users. The project has expanded to running their own festivals, workshops and events. They also provide vital access to those in need by fixing and providing bikes. A whole world of opportunity opens up when transport is available without a financial burden, which is what makes this element so valuable.

You can register your interest with these organisations by visiting their respective websites and filling in the online forms.

The Manchester Sikh Society is excited to welcome Mancunians to our annual Langar on Campus on the 3rd of December 2018 from 10am-4pm in Manchester Academy.

Langar is an institution unique to the Sikh faith. Forming the core of Sikh practice, Langar was a revolutionary concept developed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first spiritual leader of the Sikhs during the latter portion of the 15th century. Langar, or the ‘free kitchen’, was created amidst the incredible sectarian, caste, race, and religious discrimination found in the 15th century.

The practice of Langar was incredibly revolutionary in that it epitomised and put into practice the Sikh concept of absolute equality amongst all of humanity. It is for this reason that all participants sit together on the same level and partake in the same meal of vegetarian Punjabi cuisine. Therefore, everybody experiences equality in actual practice because kings, paupers, high and low castes, and all humanity are sitting at the same level regardless of race, caste, class, or creed. What is even better still is that Langar is

run entirely by volunteers, and the meals are free to all those who need them as well as being found in every Gurdwara across the world.

It is with this concept in mind that the Manchester Sikh Society is bringing Langar to the University of Manchester campus. In addition to bringing awareness to the world’s fifth largest religion, Sikhism, free hot and delicious food will be distributed on campus to promote unity, love, and compassion. Everyone is welcome, regardless of their religion, caste, gender, economic status or ethnicity. The aim of the event is to bring people together despite their differences, and what better way to do that than with a shared meal? So, we hope to see you in Manchester Academy on Monday, the 3rd of December!

If you want to get involved with the Sikh Society, either have a look at their Facebook page or drop them an email at manchestersikhsociety@hotmail.co.uk.

Photo: Manchester Sikh Society

What do we want? Divestment! When do we want it? Now! Chloe Hatton went down to People and Planet’s protest for the divestment of fossil fuels to see what it was all about Chloe Hatton Societies Editor

PPhoto: Sophie Marriott

For those of you that read this section regularly, you may remember our interview with People and Planet’s Sophie Marriott. For those of you that don’t, they’re a society that focus on all things earth-friendly, and one of the campaigns they’ve been running recently is trying to get the University to divest from fossil fuels.

Currently, the University has over £7.5 million invested in fossil fuel companies, and People and Planet’s latest focus has been trying to encourage them to move away from companies like these, and instead invest in cleaner, greener energy sources.

You certainly can’t fault the society’s dedication to the cause. The team from People and Planet decided to brave the bitter cold and grey skies for a full five hours - all in the name of divestment. Taking to the streets on Wednesday, 21st of November, for their Fossil Free Shindig (FFS), they set out on a mission: to show the University that students don’t want their money invested in fossil fuels. Joao, one of People and Planet’s members, spoke to me about his enthusiasm for the campaign.

Coming from Portugal, a country that is actively trying to generate all its energy consumption from renewable sources (and in March 2018 managed this) means that there is absolutely no

excuse for the UK, and therefore Manchester, to still be reliant on fossil fuels.

Armed with the very effective weaponry that is free food and musical performances, flyers in hand, they set up shop outside the Whitworth building, right underneath where the governors were meeting. As well chanting some very catchy slogans like “O-I-L-Y you ain’t got no alibi, you oily”, the protest also featured artistic interludes from the likes of Mathew Kerry (you may remember him from our review of Fuse x ComSoc: A CALM Time), performing some of his own songs, in addition to spoken word from Zoë Kempe Stanners.

Sophie, People and Planet’s Press Officer, said “I am so pleased with the positive reaction we got from students.

Throughout the day people came and joined us outside the arch to chat to us and listen to the various musicians and speakers we had. I hope that the Board of Governors recognise that the student body are eager for them to take their money out of fossil fuels.” Nick, their Treasurer, adds “the support from students and other passers-by just shows how much support there is for action on climate change”.

If you want to get involved with People and Planet’s campaign for divestment, join their Facebook group or sign the petition that will be circulating in the very near future to show your support.

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THE

Live Reviews.

16

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Music

Sports Team

Photo: Press Shot

Jasmine Bennett reviews the infectiously energetic and electric performance of Sports Team at Academy 3 Sports Team Jasmine Bennett

Swimming through a sea of bopping bodies I bustled myself to the front of stage, met with rapturous applause as Canadian-born DJ Joel Zimmerman, more formally known as Deadmau5, took situ behind the illuminated deck.

The vast expanse of Store Street made for a fi tting venue, charming and derelict I could immediately see why it is considered the spiritual home of The Warehouse Project. Sound echoing around the cavernous walls dampened and absorbed by the mass of bodies, suited Deadmau5 to a tee as he traversed through a neat balance of well-crafted tracks, ambient, upbeat, and aggressive.

Mixing new tunes with crowd-pleasing favourites made for a musical journey that clearly pleased his legions of fans; ethereal trance tracks such as ‘4ware’ lullabyed them into a relaxed-state before progressive, melodious tunes like ‘Monophobia’ sent them into a frenzy. A highlight of this, as anticipated, was his heavyweight song ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff’; hands raised high, each soul energetically jumped, swayed, and sang as broad electronic wails warped down into hard thumping drum beats.

Streaking beams of light glimmered on transfi xed faces with joyous gleam as the Grammy-nominated electronic star fi nally put on that legendary mouse head, the spectacle triggering a vibe through the audience that shit was about to get serious.

Synth-heavy melodies and pounding beats impulsively shivered through rattling air vents above, surrounding the crowd as vibrations seamed through the quaking fl oor.

Shuffl ing side-to-side and shoul-

9/10

On the 13th November I ventured up into the heart of the Student Union to Academy 3 to wait for Sports Team to perform. As the band kicked off, it was easy to see why the band have been cited as one to watch.

The six-piece thrived off each other, performing with eager energy and fuelling the room with an electrifying sound. Particular attention ought to be paid to their drummer, Alex, who tied the band together with her cohesive beats and rhythms that allow the guitars and vocals to shine. It was also particularly nice to enjoy the representation of a female drummer in such a male-dominated position. Launching themselves into action with ‘Camel Crew’, the band allowed the audience an opportunity to relish in their guitar-led sounds.

When I interviewed Rice last month, he told me that friendship was key to the band. This came across as one of the most important parts of their performance; they shared in-jokes, nattered and giggled between tunes and all seemed willing enough to put up with Rice’s ostentatious but enjoyable persona as lead singer.

He performed pitch-perfectly as he strode around the stage, lit in neon and regularly mouthing the words to his own songs as he stepped away from the microphone.

der-to-shoulder I found myself impetuously clapping along to that which I didn’t even realise should be clapped to, unexpected as that, much like the structure of his musical style transitioning between sound-worlds swiftly in his unique iconic genre.

Visually striking, electronic backgrounds and lighting cinematically accompanied the slew of infectious beats and drops, suitably layering on top of favourites such as ‘Strobe’ to forge a magnetising texture. This track in particular was greeted with refl ective attention, slowing down with hypnotic ostinato and prolonging build-up to bring about some feeling of melancholy and acceptance, harmoniously connecting each friendly face in the audience.

I was not the only person to enjoy the eventual drop in this one that’s for sure!

With expectations high, the hitmaker certainly did not disappoint harboured feelings of the excited 12-year-old me or even my more fi ne-tuned current self, treating the eruptive audience to a high octane and eclectic set. WHP proved a propitious event to showcase this unremitting talent with the abundance of space quickly shrinking scarce (tho somewhat too scarce at points!) as the underground ravers, heads bopping and hands waving, proved ripe and ready to party hard.

Bringing a range of sounds and emotions it was a pleasure to witness and experience fi rst-hand why exactly Deadmau5 has such a golden reputation, making for an energetic and absorbing night that I will not be forgetting in a long time.

As he owned the stage, dressed in a glimmering chain necklace, jumper and white trousers, it was impossible to tear your eyes off him. He danced around, fl inging his limbs to his own music and trying his best to amp up the audience for headliner Hinds as much as possible.

Rice hung over the edge of the barrier as he sang into the crowd for fan-favourite fi nisher ‘Kutcher’, and the audience was hanging onto every word. The guitar solos were strong and electrifying behind him, and it’s easy to see just how much the six-piece adore the opportunity just to play together.

Sports Team were fun, vibrant and undeniably talented. Each member was incredibly tight in their music counterparts and appeared utterly enthused about being on stage. They had turned a room that was half-full at their start into one pulsating with an evident energy and enjoyment regardless of whether their audience was particularly familiar with them or not.

When they fi nished, leaving ears ringing with their sound, the girl next to me turned with an open mouth and asked for their name.

I am sure there will be more asking the same question – and people should relish in giving the answer before they shoot to fame.

WHP: Deadmau5

Working through twinkling flotation tank ambience, wonky lo-fi techno, and glistening big room dubstep Deadmau5 took Manchester’s WHP stage by storm, writes Alex Stagg Deadmau5 @ WHP Alex Stagg

9/10

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

17

Music

EP review: Extended Play

by I Don’t Know How But They Found Me Extended Play Eleanor Roberts

9/10

New band on the scene I Don’t Know How But They Found Me have released their first EP, which does not disappoint, writes Eleanor Roberts

Preview:

Kojaque

Jasmine Bennett previews Kojaque’s arrival in Manchester, set to bless our ears with smooth Irish-accented hip-hop

Kojaque

27th Nov - Crofters rights, Bristol 28th Nov - Corsica Studios, London 29th Nov - YES Basement, Manchester 5th Dec- Cyprus Avenueface, Cork, Ireland 6th Dec- The Academy, Dublin, Ireland

on the EP, which was indeed one of the first songs to be released as a single by iDKHow – ‘Choke’. As the title may be taken to imply, the lyrics discuss their addressee’s death by choking, which Weekes sings that he would be happy to observe. Indeed, ‘Bleed Magic’ has been stated to have been based on a fictional narrative based solely around Weekes’ desire to write a “happy sounding dark song”.

However, perhaps due in part to its biting sarcasm and much more realistic nature than, for example, ‘Choke’, the closing track ‘Do It All The Time’ truly shows a cynical yet entertaining dig at others. Its theme of mocking those who do as they please is vindictively pleasing, but the character and energy within the song gives it its shine.

Part of this energy is reflected in the unusual flourishes added within the tracks; for example, ‘Bleed Magic’ features a small “oops” which Weekes left in after he knocked over a glass. Similarly, the same song has a sound strongly reliant on heavy breathing to create its effects.

I Don’t Know How But They Found Me have achieved a remarkable level of success given that this is their first release of anything other than singles. Both Dallon Weekes and Ryan Seaman have placed time and effort into this project, and this definitely shines through on this EP. Now, all that is left to do is to wait with anticipation for the fulllength album…

Everyone’s favourite, Irish, self-referred ‘soft boy’, Kojaque, is coming to the UK for three dates of his tour, bringing with him a selection of soft-sounding rap tunes and hazy melodic beats — the hip-hop artist’s first visit to Manchester is sure to be one to watch.

Hailing from Dublin, the rapper released his first album, Deli Daydreams, back in February. A man of many talents, Kojaque is also a trained visual artist, poet, and writer, alongside his career as a hip-hop artist.

Half-produced by him and half by his friend, and SoundCloud favourite, Jar Jar Jr, the 27-minute release is a blend of jazz influences and rap.

The album rings of pianos, lo-fi vocal samples, and low beats mixed in with rap, creating a truly unique sound that will appeal to fans of Rex Orange County and Lil Peep alike. With a recent shoot in his popularity, the artist has featured in the likes of i-D and District magazine and is certainly on the precipice of blowing up.

In previous performances, the rapper brings all the energy and often features from other members of the Soft Boy crew such as Luka Palm. Rap verses are performed loud under pulsating neon lights before he kicks in with the soft-sounding melodies that make him stand out from the crowd. A fan of crowd-surfing and heavy jumping, don’t underestimate the artist simply because he also knows how to slow it down.

Taking place at one of Manchester’s newest establishments, Kojaque is set to take the YES basement by storm. Combining the fresh new venue with a newcomer to Manchester, the arrival is sure to bring plenty of fun to a dreary November night. With tickets already running low, snap yours up now in order not to miss out on one of the most exciting, up-and-coming artists of the moment.

Photo: Press Shot

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The two-man band I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, self-styled as iDKHow, have released their debut EP - wittily titled Extended Play — and it has definitely not disappointed. Whilst the majority of the tracks had been heard previously, either as singles or live, the long-awaited studio version of ‘Social Climb’ is a pleasing addition to those who have been fans since the days early in 2017 when the band denied even its own existence.

The jaunty, 1980s-esque nature of Extended Play adds to the mysterious nature of what has been called ‘the band out of time’ as part of its concept as an obscure group from that era. ‘Bleed Magic’ and ‘Do It All The Time’ are particularly striking at fitting this aesthetic, and the brief ‘Introduction’ features a bizarre (and somewhat unsettling) voice which briefly transitions from an album introduction to what appears to be the start of a children’s read-along book.

The only previously-unheard track other than ‘Introduction’ on the EP is ‘Absinthe’.

The witty wordplay in which Dallon Weekes, the bassist and lead singer, declares that “absinthe makes the heart grow fonder”, adds to the song’s charm. Additionally, the darker undertones of “burning all the witches” reflects the continuing theme within the band’s tracks of more morally questionable lyrics and an upbeat tune; this is particularly noticeable in the first proper track

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ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Music

33 Oldham Street is now open for business Mallrat

Photo: Youtube @ Mallrat ‘Uninvited’

This week’s Hot Right Now artist is Australian prodigy Mallrat, who delivers a whirlwind of synth-pop glory and angsty lyrics, writes deputy editor Jake Oliver

Photo: Press @ Jody Hartley

The Big Feature.

Ellis Coopey heads down to see the highly anticipated 33 Oldham Street as it opens its doors to the public for the first time Andy Smith, Kendal Calling founder, and Jason McGuire of Manchester Coffee have finally opened their highly anticipated doors to 33 Oldham Street. Following in the wake of new Mancunian gem ‘YES’, 33 Oldham Street is three stories of rooftop views, coffee, alcoholic beverages, and music.

33 Oldham Street is perhaps Manchester’s first audiophile bar and we got an exclusive look at the venue the night before, where Rob Bright and Coleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy shook the walls and warmed the decks.

Audiophile — “What does that mean?” I hear you say. It’s a person who is enthusiastic about the reproduction of high-fidelity sound. Back in the ’90s, way before computers were powerful enough to also be your home entertainment system, homes had a landline, television, and yes a HiFi (High Fidelity) Sound System. I recall evenings where my dad would have friends round, bringing stacks of CD’s underarm to be heard on our HiFi system. They’d revel in the sound, exchanging tunes, drinking liquor of some sort … and the music swallowed them up. Gone.

This is the recollection that came to mind when I arrived at 33 Oldham Street. The ground floor is a café by day and cocktail bar by night; enter the first floor and you’re in a listening lounge dedicated to precisely that, listening. It’s unlike any bar I’ve

ever been to.

Usually, the music is incidental, just there to set the tone for your chatter. You occasionally tune in to take in your favourite banger being piped through the speakers, which bythe-way are often hidden. At this bar, the music is the focus and you could not ignore the speakers if you tried, two five-foot high PMC MB2SE speakers with two MasterSounds SL silver turntables at the centre.

The room itself is warm and welcoming, with comfortable seats for you to recline in with a drink in hand. It also doubles up as a workspace for DJ’s during the day and “is as acoustically perfect as a state-of-the-art recording studio”, according to Manchester’s Finest.

In the coming months, there’s a generous offering of ‘selectors’ taking over the decks. Rob Bright and Coleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy led us through the opening night, masterfully choosing records to match the tone of the room. At one point I left for the gentlemen’s room (hi-fi speakers accompanied me there too) and came back to what seemed a different room due to the change in music.

These guys are paying incredible attention to the details of sound reproduction, from the sound system to their selectors, and frankly, it’s hard to match.

If these initial impressions are anything to go by, I can’t wait to go back.

20-year-old Grace Shaw, better known as Mallrat, has been slowly making movements in the industry with her bright and synthy bubblegum pop, tinged with melancholy and irrefutable teenage angst. Originating from Brisbane, Australia, Mallrat has been producing music since she was just 16 years old, but demonstrates an ability that far surpasses that of her years.

Her debut 2016 EP, Uninvited seemingly filled the void left by fellow Southern Hemisphere queen of pop Lorde. It’s an EP packed full of surprisingly effective production, a soundscape peppered with electro-pop influences, powerful bass and fuzzy distortion. There’s also a notable RnB and Hip-Hop thread that runs throughout, complimented brilliantly with sharp lyricisms that pertain to the rocky road of love, life and adolescent frustration. Despite having just two EPs to her name, Mallrat has already demonstrated artistic growth and experimentation. Her second release In the Sky adopts acoustic elements blended in to extremely catchy melodies.

Mallrat perfectly embodies a blend between the wisdom of Lorde and the musical diversity of Billie Eilish, and is most definitely a superstar in the making. Check out tracks ‘Uninvited’, ‘Tokyo Drift’, and ‘Texas’ to get a full flavour of her talent, and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming tours – she truly is not one to be missed.

Hot Right Now

Listen to our Spotify Playlist Scan the code and follow ‘The Mancunion’ for more!

ISSUE 9 / 19th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Games

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Why is Fallout 76 getting such a bad rap?

David Uncle explores the faults found in the latest of the Fallout series - a “low effort money grab” on Bethesda Softworks’ part there are almost no awards for killing someone in PvP. It’s weird.

Another issue is the base building. It was a good, significant addition to Fallout 4, but in Fallout 76 if you spend hours gathering resources and building a great base, then log off, all your work vanishes. This means there is basically no point building, other than perhaps some Fortnite -style fortifications during a firefight. This makes the game essentially a dumbed-down version of Rust (which at least has persistent bases) and begs the question… why?

My biggest gripe with Fallout 76 is Bethesda’s retconning and manipulation of long-established lore, particularly regarding the creation of super mutants and the Brotherhood of Steel. This shows clear disregard for the source material and just seems like a convenient way for these iconic factions to find their way into the game, even if that means bending the lore.

There’s also the almost complete ab-

Fallout 76 ’s release and reception have certainly been turbulent. While the game has certainly seen its of both die-hard fans and critics, nobody can deny the plethora of bugs and glitches in the title. Bethesda certainly has a reputation for a lack of polish in its titles, but it has never been so much an issue as it is with Fallout 76 . In fact, people have often looked fondly upon the ability to ‘break’ those games.

There’s a lot of poorly put together games out there, yet some of those end up being cult classics. Much like the B-movie, unpolished video games can have a pull we couldn’t get anywhere else. Does polishing up a game, giving a professional quality, really take something away? Can bugs make a video game?

Well, taking us back to 2014 the answer to the latter would seemingly be a ‘yes’.

Goat Simulator by Coffee Stain Studios was ultimately a parody of the wonky engines that had been prevalent in open world games. The internet fame it received was right in line with the popular hilarity of seeing awkward physics in games a la QWOP .

It used bog-standard assets in a sandbox game with an unpredictable physics engine.

These games, however, are a form of high comedy, and their great postmodern musings require exquisite taste alongside considered analysis - not to mention the goat flew really far with a funny hat. As these are intentional parodies that construct their entire identity around being hilariously dysfunctional, it doesn’t feel apt to use them as a parallel to a B-movie.

Perhaps a better example can be found in someone who has a habit of making ‘hidden gems’ or ‘flawed masterpieces’.

Games that, despite their flaws, continue to draw in dedicated fans with their unique gameplay elements, stylistic aesthetic, and abstract storylines. Hidetaka ‘SWERY’ Suehiro has gained himself a rep-

utation for putting out polarising titles, and in particular Deadly Premonition comes to mind. With gameplay and pacing that was relatively dull and unpolished by comparison, the title gained a cult following.

The uneasy horror vibe is balanced with an awkward, yet endearing, sense of humour.

If you were to ask the fans what draws them to Deadly Premonition , you wouldn’t find much importance placed on the gameplay itself.

Likewise, Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines was, for its time, an experimental first-person role-playing game.

Running over its budget, and suffering a lack of direction and myriad development issues, the game released in a fairly unpolished state. The unfinished content was cut, and the game later relied on community efforts restore its direction. Diehard fans were opposed to community fixes, and in some way claimed that fixing bugs seemed to no longer be true to what VTMB ’s appeal is. For them, polishing the game would seem to remove its appealing aesthetic. Though the majority of fans would likely enjoy additional features and bug-fixing; the game for them is rather appealing because of its experimental style and lovingly-crafted story.

Both of those titles are not cult classics because of their poorly put-togetherness, but rather people clutch to the elements that are truly subversive, experimental, or unique. Much like the B-movie, it provides a space to escape typical institutional culture to experience the new, the weird, and the bizarre. Fallout 76 likely creates such a negative response because it lacks any of the redeeming qualities we can latch on to. Some of those bugs are so severe that they hinder the potential development of those positive qualities. In other Bethesda titles, bugs offered a style of comedic relief in an otherwise engaging story. Using the

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Fallout 76 was unveiled at the end of May following a 24-hour hype stream on Twitch. Many fans dreamed of a Fallout New Vegas 2 produced by Obsidian Entertainment. Others anticipated a Fallout 3 remaster or Nintendo Switch port. Instead, we got a whole new entry in the series, set soon after the Great War… with multiplayer.

Having multiplayer isn’t a bad thing.

I’d be lying if my friends and I had never envisioned ourselves exploring the nuclear wasteland in co-op. The game is apparently good fun in a group of friends messing around, and it’s cool to finally be together in Fallout . Sadly, Bethesda have made some big mistakes in the gameplay of their first online endeavour. Not only is it buggy and unpolished as detailed here, there are also some bizarre design decisions.

In PvP for instance, you cannot easily kill another player unless you challenge them by shooting them and dealing miniscule damage, and once they accept by shooting back, you deal full damage. I appreciate the effort to avert griefing, however this gives the person getting attacked a distinctly unfair advantage. If shot at first and challenged, they can put on their power armour, take some damage increasing drugs, close the distance and then accept the challenge, meanwhile receiving negligible damage. Furthermore,

sence of any NPC characters in what is meant to be an RPG. Most quests are acquired from terminals and notes left on corpses or discovered in the world, creating a rather empty and soulless experience. Perhaps this is what they were going for, given it’s set in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse, but it does take away from the RPG experience. Fallout 4 was a fun albeit shallow RPG, and it seems like Fallout 76 has taken that shallowness even further.

In summary, it seems Fallout 76 had reasonable ambitions but has resulted in a halfbaked RPG-lite with some questionable design choices.

Frankly, it reeks of low effort money grab, if I’m being honest.

I’m interested to see how Bethesda responds to the slew of criticism for this game. A second bug-fixing patch of another 48GB has just rolled out, so it seems like they have a lot of work on their hands. Hopefully Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI are a return to form for Bethesda.

Bugs and B-movies: can polish spoil a game?

Bugs can make a game a classic, and can even be their own participatory entity of gameplay, writes Rob Pate ability to interact with objects in Skyrim and place a pot on someone’s head was hilarious, yet didn’t hinder your overall experience (especially seeing as it was easy to reload).

Those bugs could then be described as somewhat participatory. For them to really get in the way of your gameplay, you need to seek them out. In the case of speedrunning, poking holes and exposing bugs is essential to the format. It’s only in this instance that the various glitches or so tend to supplement the game, by providing additional engagement for players. Unless this is the main objective, as it is in parody games, participatory technical issues do not make or break a game. Fallout 76 seems to be at the worst of both ends.

Obstructive technical issues are hardly worth the bother in a game that lacks truly redeeming elements. As ever, annoying bugs tend to be attracted to shit - but they never seem to polish it.

Image of bee: B0red @ PixaBay

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ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Film

Suspiria

Photo: Tibetan Prayer@WikimediaCommons

4.5/5

Alfie Clark Contributor

An excellently performed, visually stunning art-house horror, Suspiria is another success for its acclaimed director, despite it’s lengthy run-time An excellently performed, visually stunning art-house horror, Suspiria is another success for its acclaimed director, even if it goes a bit over-the-top towards the end of its lengthy run-time.

Suspiria is a supernatural horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino, known for last year’s romance, Call Me By Your Name. The film is a remake of the 1977, Italian, horror film of the same name by horror legend Dario Argento, a film considered a horror classic, meaning that from the outset this film had high expectations to meet. This version tells the same basic story, following an American woman, who joins a prestigious dance school secretly run by a coven of witches, including Tilda Swinton as Madame Blanc. However, this film adds various new elements to the story, focusing far more on the politics of the coven and setting the action in the political backdrop of 1977’s divided Berlin, as well as themes of female empowerment and sisterhood. As emphasised by Guadagnino himself, it is less a remake and more a homage, allowing it to stand on its own whilst still showing respect to its source material.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is its cast. Dakota Johnson is a fantastic

lead, and between this and Bad Times At The El Royale, I’m glad to see that starring in the Fifty Shades trilogy hasn’t harmed her career. Tilda Swinton is, of course, great and for this film she deserves extra credit for playing three different roles, one of which is that of an 82 year old man (a role that is credited to a pseudonym in the credits, which I did not notice was her during the film) and her third role... which is something to behold and I won’t give anything away here. Of course, most of the characters are part of the dance troupe, and the dance sequences are performed beautifully, with one in particular, which leads to a nightmarish conclusion, being the highlight of the film for me.

In Suspiria, Guadagnino creates images that will stay with you long after leaving the theatre, albeit for vastly different reasons. Whereas in Call Me By Your Name it was the sheer gorgeousness of the landscapes that gripped you, here it is horrific shots of body-horror, eerie quick-cuts to violent or creepy imagery, and gritty shots of occupied Berlin in the winter, that all combine to have your spine-tingling throughout. It’s been a long time since I felt this on edge and filled with

dread in the cinema. This is assisted by a haunting soundtrack by Thom Yorke, basing his work on Krautrock of the 1970s.

However, it is 152 minutes long, and I did not find this necessary. Whilst I did not mind the addition of some political elements, some scenes focused on this certainly could have been cut to accommodate the pacing. The most significant issue holding me back from giving this a perfect score, however, was the climax. Without giving too much away, I was disappointed that it resorted to little more than extreme violence that I’d expect to see in a Blade movie rather than an art-house picture such as this.

Though I feel it lost its way towards the end, I was still highly satisfied with Suspiria. It is an engaging and haunting arthouse horror picture that creates a terrifying world that I absolutely intend to revisit one day — if I’m feeling brave enough.

Where to watch:

Home and Odeon Manchester Great Northern

Manchester Animation Festival: Ce Magnifique Gâteau!

Reviews.

Josh Sandy reflects upon the unique stroytelling that aids the film in being a true highlight of Manchester Animation Festival

Following on from the popularity of their previous short film, Oh Willy..., Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels return to the Manchester Animation Festival. This time with the similarly bizarre but thoroughly enjoyable Ce Magnifique Gâteau! (This Magnificent Cake!).

Comprised of five slightly interconnected stories, the film explores the European colonisation of Africa in the late 19th century. It is shown through the eyes of a variety of misfortune-laden characters, including a troubled king, an indigenous pygmy working in a luxury hotel, a failed businessman, a lost porter and an army deserter. Of course with this subject matter comes scenes which force reflection on what is a shameful part of European history. In particular one scene stands out as a shocking demonstration of ignorance behaviour by the colonisers towards the indigenous people.

However, peppered throughout the often fairly bleak film, there are a surprising number of humorous moments. They range from

the truly childish to the so-shocking-youhave-to-laugh which helps to lighten the film.

One of the film’s most stand-out aspects is its animation style which, similarly to Oh Willy..., is stop-motion featuring handmade needle-felt puppets as the characters. The puppets themselves are incredibly detailed and bring with them an odd kind of inherent sympathy which, given some of their actions, creates an interesting juxtaposition between the innocent looking and the unimaginably cruel. In addition to the puppets, the sets are equally beautifully designed with co-director Marc James Roels confirming in a post-screening Q&A that no CGI was involved, making it clear how the film took over 6 years to make.

In terms of overall plot, despite the fact it’s been a few days since watching, it is still very difficult to make any kind of sense of the events that unfolded during the film’s frankly very modest 45-minute run time. Even the post-screening Q&A shed no further light on this aspect of the

Photo: Clker-Free-Vector-Images@Pixabay

Josh Sandy Contributor

4/5

film, with Roels responding to a particularly facetious question about the film’s meaning by simply stating “it means whatever you want it to”. At first this answer may perhaps seem like a cop out. However, in a world of superhero films with the same exhausted narrative and middle-of-theroad comedies following a tired formula, it was wonderfully refreshing to be able to disengage and just focus on the sheer insanity a film and get totally lost inside De Swarf and Roel’s dream-like world.

In addition to the film’s peculiar visuals, the soundtrack, largely classical music, forms a crucial part of its appeal. It bridges the gap between the seemingly normal characters and their surreal surroundings.

Overall, Ce Magnifique Gâteau! was a true highlight of this year’s festival line-up.

It’s certainly worth a watch for anyone looking for a truly unique piece of storytelling about a subject that’s an often forgotten part of European history.

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

AniJam Manchester’s

Film

Animation Festival

The Manchester Animation Festival 2018 shared animations created in AniJam; a 48-hour animation challenge, based on the theme ‘Together.’

AniJam is an annual creative challenge set by WONKY Animation in collaboration with Encounters Film Festival. Participants from across the UK are tasked to create an animated short film in the space of 48 hours. My initial reservations transformed to awe upon seeing what this year’s shortlist have created.

This year’s theme was ‘Together’ and it was fascinating to see the different interpretations taken by the filmmakers. Touching similarities could be seen within each region’s contributions; most notably many Manchester entries featured the worker bee, an unequivocal emblem of togetherness.

Personal favourites included entries from Leicester’s Kino Bino who showed us both the heart-breaking separation and heart-warming reunion between a Zombie and his arm. The relationship between two elderly strangers from Button Eyes, a collective in London, genuinely brought a tear to my eye; the subtly inspiring unity between a penguin and two flamingos in Rise, by the Glasgow based Pirouette group, was nothing short of uplifting. Whilst I enjoyed these

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entries, within the whole concept of AniJam, comparison feels somewhat counterproductive; all the efforts were entertaining and impressive with genuine artistic promise.

“Animation is a powerful storytelling tool and is a fantastic medium for displaying how limitless the human imagination is” The bitesize instalments also make the showcase a great introduction for newcomers to the world of animation. Including AniJam 2018 in the final day of Manchester Animation Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the UK, was ideal. Festivals and conventions tend to be geared at hardcore fans. This demographic specificity does have its merits, but this awareness of newcomers is something quite special and you can sense that the entire festival is more than open to this. In the words of festival director, Steve Henderson, MAF is an opportunity “to see other people sharing the same

Madeleine Peden Contributor

5/5

passion for animation and helping share that passion with others.”

AniJam exemplifies the broad scope of animation and with this, its invaluable presence in the world of filmmaking. It is pure escapism and in a world of increasing political unease and general uncertainty, artistic contributions like these are becoming ever more essential. AniJam showcased some truly promising talent and it is exciting to think what these animators might be producing in the future. If this is what can be achieved in 48 hours, the world is their oyster, whether that oyster is computer generated animation or fashioned out of plasticine.

There is something both exciting and enriching about seeing the work of creators who may not have the most experience or the biggest budgets. They are creating out of a sheer desire to create. Whilst there is obviously a competitive element in AniJam, that becomes irrelevant in the grand scheme of the creative output on offer.

You can take a look at this year’s shortlisted entries online.

Feature:The Princess Diaries Empowering or inspiring self-consciousness amongst women?

Countless films involve women receiving a make-over in order to be deemed attractive, but does this effect women’s self-consiousness? the theme ‘Together.’

As a child, I adored watching The Princess Diaries as well as reading the series by Meg Cabot, upon which the film was based. It was a glamorous fairy tale story of discovering that Mia was in fact a princess, and the romance with her high school friend all appealed to me. It proved how a struggling teenager’s luck could suddenly change for the better and that with perseverance a girl can achieve anything she desires. These values empowered myself and many others young girls to dream big.

However, upon reflection, one could immediately demise that The Princess Diaries in fact promotes opposing values. For Mia to become Princess of the fictional country Genovia, she had to undergo changes to her physical appearance. In the comedic scene involving the beloved hairdresser Paolo, Mia is subjected to many hideous hair styles before Paulo finally achieves the appropriate look. He tames her out-of-control, frizzy hair and turns it into a stylish and elegant style – a perfect look for a Princess.

Was this a reasonable and necessary act? Mia would indeed represent the country of Genovia and would need to appear ‘presentable’, but why couldn’t the ‘less attractive’ teenager with unruly hair also represent her country with pride?

This film appears to accept the injustice in society, whereby women are judged solely by their looks. Mia didn’t change her personality, just her appearance. She promoted the same values and opinions both whilst having frizzy hair and sleek hair.

And yet, Mia had to change herself physically to be seen as attractive and admired, and only then was she allowed to promote her now valid opinions.

In a similar way, Mia only achieves her desire of becoming popular and worthy of having a boyfriend once she changed her appearance. Parallels here can be drawn with the classic film Grease. In order for Sandy to be seen as attractive to the other characters, she also changed her hairstyle,

Photo: Tibetan Prayer@WikimediaCommons

which had the desired effect of gaining her friendships and a boyfriend. What message are films such as these promoting to young, impressionable girls in society?

Alongside the many magazines promoting being a size zero as an ideal to strive for, young girls are subjected to this opinion that to be popular, or Princess-like, one has to be attractive. It promotes none of the internal values that many men also desire, such as humour, kindness, and honesty.

Despite these concerns, The Princess Diaries does ultimately to promote confidence amongst young girls. The scene involving Mia’s make-over was a short scene in the film, and small part of the story. The rest of The Princess Diaries is encouraging and inspires positive aspirations amongst young girls in society.

Pick of the week:

Slurred Lines You may never miss an opportunity for free alcohol, but would you still accept it if it was gifted on the condition that your following drunken state be filmed and shared for world to enjoy? Slurred Lines has taken it upon itself to scout the brave souls to whom these terms are absolutely fine.

Each episode will feature two pairs battle it out over a particular topic. Coming to your screens soon will be intoxicated ramblings on everything from meat-eating versus veganism to what wears the crown for being the best-ever Christmas song.

Watch the first episode at 7pm, Monday, 26th November at ‘Fuse TV Manchester’ on Facebook, and catch The Mancunion’s review in next week’s issue.

Scan me to watch!

Photo: FuseTV

Christmas Menu Book Now 2 Courses £18.00 / 3 courses £20.00 To book your party please email bars.su@manchester.ac.uk to enquire about availability ALL PRICES AND OFFERS APPLICABLE TO NUS CARD HOLDERS ONLY

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ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Since 2004, Oxford Dictionaries have been attempting to distil public sentiment on national and international affairs into one word.

On the surface, these words aren’t always serious or even thought-provoking. In 2009, the UK Word of the Year was ‘simples’, as in Aleksandr Orlov’s catchphrase from the Compare the Market adverts. The 2009 US Word of the Year was ‘unfriend’, highlighting Facebook’s growing global influence and popularity. In 2015, the word of the year wasn’t even a word, but the laughing emoji, suggesting that we had moved into a postword era. The following year, Oxford announced that the Word of the Year was ‘post-truth’ which signalled the beginnings of an altogether different era.

Yet behind the apparent frivolity of Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year, there are patterns to be examined. Truths that would otherwise be overlooked are made clear.

‘Simples’ marked a shift in advertising and marketing becoming more invasive and all-encompassing.

‘Unfriend’ hinted at the dramatic rise of social media in all aspects of our lives. 2016’s ‘post-truth’ forced us to question deep-seat-

The year of toxicity: Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year Photo: PactoVisual @ Pixabay

Esmee Samsworth takes a look at the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year: Toxic, and what the choice says about 2018 ed beliefs about our freedoms and our roles in maintaining them.

The Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year for 2018 is ‘toxic’. Toxic as in toxic masculinity, as in toxic waste, toxic algae, toxic environment. It seems that 2018 is the year of poison.

It’s easy to see why the public has been so preoccupied with toxicity this year. The news has been dominated by stories of a world that is not just shifting but hurling itself further and further to the far-right; of the tampering and hacking of American and Brit-

ish democracy; from hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters becoming more dangerous and more frequent, to the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which flew in the face of women demanding that their stories of sexism and sexual abuse be heard and their voices not be silenced.

It’s clear that the toxicity we’re facing has seeped into many different aspects of our lives.

Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Dictionaries, said in a statement, “Reviewing this year in language we repeatedly encoun-

Books

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tered the word ‘toxic’ being used to describe an increasing set of conditions that we’re all facing… ‘toxic’ seems to reflect a growing sense of how extreme, and at times radioactive, we feel aspects of modern life have become.”

And yet, I don’t believe that the Oxford Dictionaries’ decision to pick ‘toxic’ should be cause for any more despair. If anything, it should be seen a call to action and a positive one at that.

Because the thing is, it is only once we identify something as toxic that we can work to find a cure.

The appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court despite allegations of sexual misconduct divided millions of Americans. In response, the population voted a record number of women into office at all levels in the November midterms. Grassroots activists fighting for environmental protections have gained in numbers and in prominence making it impossible to ignore the damage that big business has done. People are angry and they are actively fighting for a cure to the poison in our lives.

2018 may be the year of ‘toxic’, but that does not mean that 2019 will be the year of ‘hopelessness’.

INTERVIEW:

Isaiah Hull

Photo: Isaiah Hull

Sade Omeje interviews Isaiah Hull, a Manchester-based poet and performer, whose debut collection of poetry, ‘Nosebleeds’, is out now The first time I saw Isaiah Hull, I was sat alone in the audience at Contact theatre, thinking about my uncle. My uncle was a great poet, and as I’d later find out, a source of inspiration for Isaiah too. It was the first solo spoken word event I’d been too and the poetry was moving, the performances raw. From that day, two, maybe three, years ago, I’d see Isaiah often. From small spoken words events in the basement of Solomons café, Withington, to more recent shows in Chorlton’s Morley Cheeks on a Tuesday night. Now, though, Isaiah is doing much more than the odd local show here and there.

Now he performs far and wide, from Ted talks, to the BBC to opening for Skepta. He often travels down to London to recite his poems, to bask in the brilliance of the capital’s many wordsmiths. When we met, in Manchester, we talked about how fast everything moves in London, how quickly you can get swept up with the masses. He shook his head and laughed. “Aw, London man.

London is like Manchester on ster-

oids, like Manchester times two.”

I had a copy of one of my uncle’s collections of poetry with me when Isaiah arrived, shuffling in from the darkness outside, straightening up in the warm glow of Grindsmith coffee shop.

He was wearing a long black overcoat and ordered a hot chocolate.

We sat in the corner, settled into low-built sofas. The waitress brought him a cappuccino.

If you ever meet Isaiah, you’ll notice the way his creativity consumes him. The way it overflows, in his speech, his gestures, his movements. Spilling over the way his cappuccino continually spilt and splashed onto his long black coat – he hardly even noticed. “When I’m not being creative, I’m lost.”

He said with a shrug, his eyes focused ahead, before telling me about his most recent film project.

“Well, I’ve got this DSLR camera and every weekend I wanna film stuff. Shoot things as they happen, like visual images, natural filming and stuff.” I ask him what he means by natural filming and he

goes into some detail about a group of squirrels in Alexandra Park, the way they move and the things they do; there is a poetry to his words even when he is just chatting.

This year he published his first collection of poetry, Nosebleeds.

The poems are intense and, at times, uncomfortable; they are volatile yet calculated, stunning and transportive. They are synonymous with Isaiah. He handed me a copy of Nosebleeds to keep and I scanned through the poems with awe, fascinated by the explicit artwork throughout the collection.

We decided to swap books.

I handed him my copy of my uncle’s collection and he hunched over it, inhaling the words like smoke. Smoking being something he hopes to give up in 2019. He muttered the titles of the poems, smiling. I asked him how he feels about poetry now, now that he’s moved on to film-making, as well as releasing a musical EP this July, as a prelude to Nosebleeds.

It’s as if he’s trying to master as much as he can, I said. He

rocked back and forth, laughing, baring his teeth. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do!” We both laugh. “But nah really, not that I’ve mastered poetry, but like, I don’t really read poetry anymore – at all.” The seriousness in his tone turns his body toward me as he says it, something he does often. “Poetry is like a separate muscle to me.” It’s something he can exercise whenever he wants, but clearly something that is flesh and bone to him, tangible.

Our drinks had gone cold but the sofa stayed warm, the conversation spilling over a little longer than I thought it would. We left Grindsmith as they started to lock up for the night, both of us turning left toward HOME, where Isaiah used to work as an usher. We talk as we walk, sharing stories about pets and siblings before he turns right under the archway, his silhouette highlighted by the fairy-lights scattered in the trees. I carried on towards my bus stop, eager to read the rest of Nosebleeds on my journey home.

24

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Theatre

One Minute

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Reviews.

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Photo: Sam Whitehouse

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Photo: Sam Whitehouse

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Patience Kanjira reviews ‘One Minute’, the next installment in the UoM Drama Society’s Autumn Showcase ‘One Minute’ was the tragic story of a chaotic world in which Daisy, played by Jojo Rogers, has gone missing and the tumultuous consequences that then follow as we see how the people involved in her search have been thoroughly changed by the event.

Co-directors Kat Humphrey and Florence Dixon did an amazing job in building the relationship between Daisy and her mother Anne (Georgia Brown) by choreographing a moving motif between the two characters for the audience to see as we came in to take our seats. The movements showed fluidity and grace. The embraces between the two characters, coupled with the piano ballad played throughout the play, was heart-warming and even sad considering the context of the play.

A huge congratulations to the success of the show has to go to Sam Whitehouse, the designer of the production. The use of the projection counting the days Daisy was missing, kept reminding the audience of the aching theme of the play. There was a beautiful image created on stage to highlight the change of season to Autumn, where leaves were poured on Daisy as she stood centre stage.

Grainne Flynn shone in her role as Mary-Louise, effectively showcasing her skills in creating a believably disturbed and anxious woman. Mary-Louise was clearly obsessed

with the tragedy of a young girl and her inability to move past it perhaps due to her own tragic past.

Mary-Louise’s relationship with Catherine played by Rosie Randall highlighted the necessity for support and friendship through difficult times.

Another notable relationship was between Gary (Kenan Vurgun) and Robert (Asan Iqbal). They were two members of law enforcement trying to save Daisy and then deal with her death, but they both fail to see themselves coming undone. Both performers effectively showed the emotional strain felt by law enforcement during tragic cases. It was to the actors’ and directors’ credit that they highlighted the humanity we often lose sight of regarding for those in law enforcement.

The anguish and pain shown by Georgia Brown, as her character Anne was told the news that the police were going to stop the full investigation into her daughter’s death, was heartbreaking portrayal of a mother’s grief. An honourable mention to Jojo Rogers, who may not have had a speaking role as Daisy but perfectly displayed all the emotions of fear and sadness through her facial expressions and body language.

Overall, One Minute was a good performance which highlighted a current and saddening issue.

ing and

precat self-de

“

Photo: Luca Bolton

Foolproof

Anuli Changa reviews the Manchester Musical Revue’s ‘Foolproof’

Photo: Luca Bolton

‘Foolproof’ is the first Manchester Musical Revue (MMR) show with its new creative team, led by director James Ward-Mallinson, musical director Daniele Paolo Anderle and producer Mary Morris. It was an absolute success.

‘Foolproof’ follows a group disgruntled villains, playing cards in their hideout, planning to take down enemies, the agents (played

by Ward-Mallinson and assistant director/writer Ben Pointon).

This show was self-deprecating and hilarious, made more so by occasional rewrites made by the voices of Ward-Mallinson and Pointon.

True to UMMTS style, the ensemble vocals were excellent, featuring in songs like Kill the Beast (from Beauty and the Beast).

”

us

hilario

Megan Shone shone as a standout performer as the deranged dentist criminal, Smiler, she was constantly enjoyable to watch, whether centre stage or not. The play on Suddenly Seymour (Little Shop of Horrors) with Suddenly Smiler, was a captivating moment between Shone and devious school girl criminal Scarlett Gorman.

Carol-Anne McConnellogue was also excellent, managing to play villain with split personality between hardened Irish criminal and a sweet American girl.

‘Foolproof’ managed to cram in songs from like Heathers, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Sound of Music – any musical theatre fan’s dream. And for those who wouldn’t be so quick to recog-

nise the songs, the cast made them their own and the comedic value was still relatable. Every cringey awkward stereotype worked and the show was also Manchester-centric, so further felt like it was catered to its audience.

The Bond jokes were deliberately obvious, with no effort made to hide, at one point the French Villainess (Keira Battersby) seemed to excruciatingly squish multiple references into one sentence, then give up, huffing “Skyfall” at a giggling audience. It was also a funny, and worryingly accurate, that the Bond agents didn’t feature much in the show and were simply old men interested in sex, who were out of a job due to lack of crime.

Special mention must go the horrendously cringey and strangely enjoyable German caricature portrayed by Harry Newman-Walley, especially when a bizarre rendition of ‘Edelweiss’ (The Sound of Music) led to the audience singing along.

A genius and powerful departure from the comedy was Hugh Summers’ rendition of ‘Being Alive’ (Company). The switch from his husky cockney villainous persona into this emotional song, was extremely impressive.

‘Foolproof’ was great fun, so self-aware that is created an atmosphere similar to ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’. MMR has yet again produced a great show in record time I can’t wait to see more!

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Arts

25

In conversation with Martin Parr Photographer Martin Parr makes his return to Manchester with his newest exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery; Theo Bennett met him to talk about his work, the city of Manchester, Instagram, and a little bit of politics

Martin Parr’s new exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery is titled Return to Manchester, and a return it certainly is, as it’s the city in which he produced his first work as a photographer in the early 1970s.

Born and raised in Surrey, Martin moved to Manchester for university in 1970. Of course, it’s a move that I’m sure most of the readers of this article will have experienced themselves. “It felt raw and exciting… I thrived on it,” he recalls fondly.

It’s charming to see the way Martin embraced the city, which shines through in his early work which is on display as part of the exhibition, and also the way the city embraced Martin, as clearly evidenced by the warmth of his welcome back here at the gallery. Without a doubt, the mutual affection between Martin and Manchester remains.

By putting a collection of pictures taken of Manchester in the 1970s and ‘80s side by side with a collection taken in 2018, this exhibition highlights simultaneously the changes and the continuity across these periods.

Given the perspective he has, I was interested in finding out what Martin felt the most significant changes had been over the past fifty years. “Two of the main things I photographed for this exhibition didn’t exist before: Salford’s MediaCity and the Northern Quarter.” And have the people changed? Yes and no, according to

Martin. “Since the gentrification, there are more people like those you see elsewhere in the country, like in London and Bristol,” he says. But in the predominantly working-class towns surrounding Manchester there are still many people Martin would consider “more classically Mancunian”.

Photo: BurnAway @Flickr

Martin’s response to this question hints at something I’d been itching to ask him, considering his decades of experience exploring the British and their culture.

Deep divisions within British society have become impossible to ignore – is art like Martin’s capable of bridging these divisions? “Probably not,” he answers frankly and honestly. I’m interested by this response. It’s a testament to Martin’s view of his art, not as a force of change, but simply as a document of it.

I ask him about the Brexit vote. “It

heightened the ambiguity,” he says. “It’s an expression of contradiction.” At first, I’m not quite sure what he means by this, but as he elaborates I see that Martin sees contradiction and difference as essentially one and the same. Good and bad, old and new, familiar and foreign, these ideas exist in the same place at the same time but mean entirely different things to different people. Perhaps ‘contradiction’ is the best way of putting it.

As the conversation draws to a close, I pose the final question I was interested in hearing Martin’s take on. Since the arrival of smartphones, everyone’s become a photographer. Has this had an impact on the art form of photography? “I welcome it,” he answers without a moment’s hesitation. “Photography is the ultimate democratic art form, and now there’s more people interested in it than ever before. I think Instagram is a great platform.” I shouldn’t be surprised at Martin’s willingness to keep up with the times. It’s this that has allowed him to maintain the ability to capture so brilliantly people and places at a particular moment without losing his touch over the years.

I leave the gallery with the feeling that I’ve gained a little bit of an insight into the mind of someone with an exceptional knack for showing us the fascinating way in which he sees the world. It was a pleasure.

MACFEST: The Art, Culture, and Science of Islamic Civilisations Saoirse Akhtar-Farren visits the British Muslim Heritage Centre to observe a talk on the celebration of ‘Art, Culture and Science of Islamic Civilizations’ hosted by the festival ‘MACFEST’ In solidarity against the Manchester Arena bombings, scholars within the Islamic community have come together to retrace the trajectory of Islamic heritage by educating people on the rich, diverse culture of Islam.

Art, Culture & Science of Islamic Civilizations was a talk carried out by an expert scholarly panel, outlining key Islamic individuals that enabled the development of society as we know it.

The panel, intentionally or not, would describe ‘Islam’ as the reason for development in disciplines such as astrology and science, with Dr. Ibrahim asking the audience, “do we have a bad heritage or a good one?”

This highlighted in my mind that the term ‘Islam’ has come to define a group of people rather than a faith practiced by individuals. By revising and teaching the forgotten history of Islam, as central proponents of global social development, it also highlighted the conflict that Muslims face in fighting a daily battle against negative stereotypes of their faith.

Indeed, living in a context where Islam is often associated within a negative framework, it felt refreshing to gain knowledge of such a plentiful history,

which, I’d argue, most people are unaware of.

The hour and a half talk felt lecture-like, frequently communicating with the audience in an informal fashion; and assisted by a British Sign Language translator to the left of the stage.

Dr. Ibrahim opened with the pivotal role the Muslim world played in the Silk Route as makers and traders of silk to the Western world. With a fond admiration of eleventh century thinkers, Dr. Ibrahim also explored the diversity in scientists and astrologists, such as Al-Biruni, who through detailed writings and drawings, was the first man to discover what created a solar eclipse.

Dr. Zohor Idrisi began her journey in Morocco tracing the influence Muslims had in agriculture and astronomy as pioneers of crop cultivation in rice, sugar cane, and citrus fruits (to name a few). As the Middle East were central traders globally, Idrisi’s concluding line remarked the irony of the American citrus industry as the largest and wealthiest in the world.

Aiming to ‘spread honey, not hate‘, Amir Arshad, the event organizer was also thrilled by the diversity in Islamic cultures showcased at MACFEST. Along the inside of the venue, vibrant tables

displaying goods from Bosnian, Pakistani, North African and Syrian cultures, oozed a unique character and identity, whilst all sharing a strong Islamic heritage.

As informative as the panel was, I was unsure whether the venue was suitable for such a talk. The vibrancy of the tables felt to deter the audience’s attention away from the panelists. It was a struggle, at times, to get complete silence in the room which was unfortunate.

While the manpower behind MACFEST is undoubtedly strong, I wonder whether the festival can really serve its purpose in a venue that is used largely for Islamic functions. As a talk that came from professors, I’d like to see this showcased in a university setting to attract a diverse range of individuals to become informed on wider Islamic history and culture, which subsequently influences endless disciplines.

Dr. Salim Ayduz’s closed the talk with a quote from Prince Charles, who remarked “the debt our own culture and civilisation owe to the Islamic world“. Indeed, all individuals would benefit from such a talk in order to deepen an understanding of today’s civilisation that is owed, in many ways, to Islamic culture.

26

Fashion & Beauty

Let’s Talk Surgery With lip fillers being marketed as cheap as a haircut, we examine the unregulated terrain that is the booming UK aesthetic surgery industry

Photos: Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson @ Pixabay

Formed in the city brimming with young talent, The Mason Collective is made up of three friends from south Manchester, Blair Suarez, Mase Milo and Omar Gueda.

Since founding in 2014, the trio have been pioneering all angles of Manchester’s creative scene, and if you’ve partied in Manchester you should know about The Mason Collective.

From their own trademark sellout MVSON events to frequenting fellow Manchester parties Kaluki, WHP and Parklife alike, their energy is unstoppable.

Young and ambitious, the trio aren’t just pioneering their sounds in house and techno but also their signature style.

After a landmark summer, I spoke to the guys to hear more about their upcoming releases and their continual involvement in the city’s homegrown fashion scene.

Asking how Manchester

has influenced their sound and style, Blair tells me ‘There’s always been a strong connection, between the music and fashion scenes within Manchester, but there’s a lot of young creatives that are coming through that are trying to step away from the old 90s Mancunian style.

We’re definitely not trying to follow anything, either in our sound or the way we dress, obviously we take references from here and there, but at the end of the day we’re just doing us.’

Clearly staying true to themselves is what is working so well for the trio.

Their most recent achievements include playing amongst some serious line-ups in summer, both in Ibiza and across the festival circuit, in addition to their more recent sellout Halloween MVSON events. Milo tells me that ‘Our last MVSON event sold out in about

3 hours and I think that’s the quickest we’ve ever sold out one of our parties, so that was definitely something to be proud of.’ Yet the trio are making waves much further afield than from just their loyal Manchester following.

Blair says ‘Personally I think I’m most proud seeing the guys we’ve always looked up to like Loco Dice, The Martinez Bros, Jamie Jones actually play our stuff at the clubs and events we’ve always gone to like DC10, Paradise and CircoLoco, it’s unreal.’ Their success pays into numbers as their newest release ‘Feelin’ Ugly’, is working its way up the release charts on beatport, being released on Jamie Jones’ own label Hot Trax, which Blair deems to be ‘something we have always aimed for’.

To see the full article, visit mancunion.com

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM In 2013, an official Government review warned the growth of unregulated filler treatments was “a crisis waiting to happen”. It called for a change in the law to protect vulnerable young women – but this has not happened.

It comes as a government petition is taking off for aesthetic medical treatment to only be performed by medical professionals, and it’s alarming of how many young people are unaware of the dangers posed by this unregulated surgery.

Personally, I am writing after going under the knife whilst at uni. After years of being very subconscious of the nasal bump on the bridge of my nose, I decide to have a rhinoplasty corrective surgery.

This is not a decision I took lightly, but something I felt would thoroughly boost my confidence, which I consider to be priceless.

Of course, if you’re comfortable in your own skin then there

is no need to consider any kind of procedure.

However, if you are considering having something done, which is something I hear so regularly, I have compiled a list of my top tips based on my own experience which will hopefully be helpful and most importantly make people think twice about the seriousness of aesthetic treatments.

1. Be realistic with your expectations.

If you have an insecurity that you think could be improved by a procedure, it’s imperative that you know there is a limit to what can be achieved. Your surgeon or practitioner should also be very conscious of this and if you sense that they are perhaps offering an unrealistic result that is too good to be true, or too pushy, then this should be a major red flag!

2. Do your research.

Make sure you know exactly what the procedure entails and if there is any recovery time.

As well as doing research

on the procedure, it is also essential you do background searches on any potential surgeon or practitioner. You can access their medical history and check they have reputable qualifications and appropriate e x p e r i e n c e .

3.

Shop around.

Meet with different surgeons to ensure you are 100% confident that they are right for you.

4.

Be aware of the risks.

Usually a practitioner or surgeon will provide you with information on these, and it is really vital to read them thoroughly.

5. Use the online community for support.

This made a huge impact.

I made a community of friends who could offer me advice and who I could air out any concerns with.

Often having cosmetic work can be quite an isolating experience, especially as certain members of your family or friends may not fully understand. Therefore, I found this network a real comfort.

Talking To The Mason Collective

Ella Searle talks to music and fashion group The Mason Collective

Photos: The Mason Collective

Food & Drink 27

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Turtle Bay’s Secret Menu Christmas Cocktails

Elena Bradley tries Turtle Bay’s secret Christmas cocktails and explores their new festive menu to see if a Caribbean Christmas is the present you didn’t know you needed...

Photo:clker-Free-Vector-Images/29595 images

On Wednesday the 14th of November I went along to the their best jerk offerings, crispy seafood Oxford Road Turtle bay. I visited it to try their new platters and fresh accompaniments Christmas food and drink menu before it’s release. such as pineapple salads, corn breads and fritters.

Three new secret cocktails and a myriad of food The puddings: salted caramel brownie, banana and options, the Caribbean jaunt has everything toffee cheesecake, sticky toffee pudding, Caribyou’ll need for a Christmas night out with a bean rum cake and passion pie (sweet pastry with tropical twist! passion fruit curd and baked meringue), though Their Christmas menu sees Caribbesounding absolutely amazing don’t seem to be an festive food in full force. There’s taking advantage of the Christmas spirit... a set menu for under £20 a head for two One part of Turtle Bay’s Christmas Menu courses (for a pre-booked minimum of 6 that is undoubtedly festive are their three people). To start; 24-hour spiced jerk new Christmas cocktails. These cocktails are wings, roasted duck rolls with sour unofficially official. A secret menu feature orange chutney or sweetcorn and scotch that demands bravery and possible humiliabonnet fritters (I had the pleasure of tion when asking the attractive waiter for trying these and they were delicious). a ‘Merry Berry’. But don’t worry, you should The chili, garlic roasted shell-on king be greeted with a creamy amaretto and baiprawns and mango mole, lime calamari also leys cocktail and not public embarrassment. If sounded delicious. Moving to some mains you you’re like me and hate anything dairy (except can choose from jerk-glazed, slow roasted pork cheese: cheese is a bipartisan product) the ‘Three belly with coconut rice and chili pineapple salKings’ may be more to your liking: apple, rum and cinnamon (complete with cinnamon stick). This second sead, Curried goat with sweet onion chutney, plantain cret cocktail was my firm favourite and was extremely reminisand dumplings or a crispy-skin jerk salmon with the same Photo: Elena Bradley @saltshellsandbechamel cent of the mulled drinks at a Christmas market. Lastly, the rice and plantain combo. There were also a few other jerk most alcoholic was the ‘Sleigh Slipper’. Whilst being almost chicken, steak and aubergine curry options. criminally rum-packed, the blackberry liqueur and citrus base makes Admittedly, I don’t see a large departure from their current menu to this Christmas menu. However, I’d be excited to see whethit refreshing and warming.

If you want a Christmas party meal at somewhere fun and differer these dishes pack the banquet-style Christmas vibes that the ent from the norm, Turtle Bay is the place! And don’t be shy about festive time begs for. Equally, booking for 8 people online (£9 asking for the under-the-counter secret tipple... a head) allows you to try their festive platters: a selection of

Photo: 13smok/387images

You may think you

a vintage clothing store;

Electrik Box or ÖL Nano

know Hatch: Oxford Road’s

Betty and Butch, a gift

Brewery — two craft beer

pop-up-shop hipster ha-

shop for dogs and owners;

traders who also sell

ven, built from brightly

and Laura Jordan, a London

wine, cocktails, and even

painted recycled storage

based cityscape artist’s

a warming mulled cider.

containers. Well, think

gallery.

Electrik Box, especially,

again. In time for the

These sat among the

has cosy indoor seating

festive season, Hatch have

new food and drink shops

to shelter from Manches-

expanded — and not just in

that showcase the best

ter’s winter weather, and

size.

of Manchester’s eclectic

an upstairs balcony that

cuisines and tastes. Among

looks out onto Oxford

now tucked away in a cor-

these were Japanese Junk,

Road. Not the most scenic

ner. Whilst still cosy and

a junk food truck from

or peaceful balcony per-

inviting, its spotlight

the creators of high-end

haps, but it is entertain-

is somewhat stolen by a

Japanese cocktail bar and

ing to remind yourself of

huge, outdoor courtyard

restaurant, Cottonopolis

the novelty of Hatch: the

surrounded by even more

– they sold burgers, bao

perfectly crafted hangout

pop-up shops and a stage

buns, and Japanese inspired

situated right on the edge

for live music performanc-

snacks. Personally, howev-

of a main road!

es. Urban Narnia featured

er, my highlights were the

Up until the 20th De-

performances from ‘Jen-

indulgent, garlic mushroom

cember, Hatch is hosting

na and the G’s’, playing

topped, mac and cheese

multiple events for all

some revamped old-school

from The Mac Shac and the

ages with plenty of live

Christmas classics, and

fresh cod tacos from Cayu-

music, DJs, and perfor-

the ‘AV Ice Queen with Mr

co which were accompanied

mances; there’s even a

Tumnus and the Fabulous

with pickled cabbage and a

‘Festive Family Rave’ for

Fauns’, who injected a bit

delicious mango salsa that

the kids and ‘Santa Paws’

of magic into the evening.

made for a beautifully

— a night for your furry

multi-coloured meal.

friends hosted by Betty

The small food court is

Photo: Scott Salt

Hatch’s urban Narnia: A festive fantasy In time for the festive season, Catrin Stewart looks at Hatch’s expanded, independent shops and many new delicious food and drink vendors

11 new traders launched at the opening event, in-

A tipple to go with

cluding Suzie loves Mylo,

your food can be found at

and Butch.

2018 Gen Sec at the Students’ Union, Fatima Abid, has questions… and you have the answers.

What is the best and worst aspect of your student experience?

What do you want to change about the University and Students’ Union?

Do you think we need a Postgraduate Officer at the Students' Union?

GEN SEC ON TOUR…

…coming to a campus location near you throughout November and December.

08 November - 13:00 - 15:00 Main Library 22 November - 12:00 - 14:00 North Campus 06 December - 12:00 - 14:00 Ali G

Lifestyle 29

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The women who shaped our city The John Rylands Library, situated on Deansgate is running a free exhibition until 19 March: ‘ Women Who Shaped Manchester’ Victoria Evans Contributor The exhibition Women Who Shaped Manchester captures the spirit and courage of women who helped shape the city as we know it today. Running until 10th March at the John Rylands Library, the exhibition features exceptional female figures from the early 1900s.

The sepia-tinted correspondences, documents, and photographs on display from the library’s archives emphasise the dedication these women had to their causes.

Follow the stories of the library founders, the mill workers, the pioneers of education and health.

Similarly, you can join the protestors campaigning for women’s suffrage. The exhibition allows you to immerse yourself in the world and struggles of many astounding female figures.

Enriqueta Augustina Rylands founded the John Rylands Library in memory of her husband, John.

Originally intended to be a theological library, it opened to the public in 1900 as a gift to the city. This provided the people of Manchester with a world-class literary resource. The Victorian neo-Gothic library situated on Deansgate was a unique space in the heart of a bustling industrial city, and remains a landmark today. As a result, The Manchester Corporation recognised it as an extraordinary as-

set to the cultural wealth of the city, with Enriqueta’s impact on the betterment of the city also recognised by being awarded the Freedom of the City scroll. The scroll, on display at the exhibition, symbolically depicts the Manchester worker bee and the lamp of enlightenment, stressing the importance of her legacy.

Manchester is home to the suffragettes. Although women had been campaigning for the right to vote for many years before, Emmeline Pankhurst, along with her daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, demonstrated their activism through deeds. In 1903, they established the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and were repeatedly imprisoned for their political protests. Emmeline Pankhurst’s passionate letter from 1910 is on display, in which she calls on women to make the ultimate sacrifice for equality. She writes about the death of her young sister, who had been force-fed in Holloway Prison. The WSPU used hunger striking, in addition to stone-throwing, window-smashing, and arson as political tactics. Manchester is a city with a radical political history and the Pankhursts weren’t the only active women in the city; they inspired University students to march through Manchester in October 1908, engaging with the suffrage debate.

With regards to education, Mabel Tylecote studied and later lectured in the University of Manchester’s

History Department. She wrote The Education of Women at Manchester University 1883-1933 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the University accepting female students.

Tylecote worked for social reform and was a leading figure in Manchester’s political and civic life for years. Her main passion was adult education. Consequently, she fought to provide educational opportunities for people who would otherwise be denied them.

Furthermore, Madeline Linford launched the Manchester Guardian’s women’s page in 1922. Regarded as one of the most remarkable newspaperwomen of her time, her successful journalistic career has inspired female journalists today. Despite her personal success, Linford remained the only female editor for 25 years.

Her story displays the strength of opposition to female ambition. Various articles from the newspaper are on display, as well as a photograph of the editorial team dated 1921.

Gaining an invaluable insight through original artefacts into a black and white world is key to understanding the impact of these women had on the wave of progress.

Visit the exhibition to discover more influential figures, including those who worked tirelessly to construct a Manchester for women of the 21st century.

What will the extraordinary women of Manchester’s past inspire you to do?

Photo @ The Mancunion

In conversation with: SHAG Sophia Ashby speaks with Ellie Softley about her project, SHAG - a pro-sex platform aiming to promote open conversations about sex.

Sophia Ashby Lifestyle Editor SHAG or ‘Sexual Health and Guidance’ is a project run by Ellie Softley. The project aims to “educate, entertain, and help our generation to express and explore their own sexuality.” It features photography, videography, essays, and poetry, pushing sexual expression into the realm of art. I spoke to Ellie about her reasons for starting SHAG, and the need “to stop being so bloody British about sex.”

The idea for starting SHAG came when Ellie “was shocked to find no platform for young adults that engaged in sexual health existed at university.” She expresses that she “was lucky to grow up in a liberal environment where sex was spoken about openly between friends and family,” but soon found that other girls she met at university were embarrassed to speak about their sexuality Ellie blames the narrowness of the sex education curriculum in schools as one reason for people’s discomfort surrounding sex.

“We should be speaking about relationships, emotions, consent, and non-hetero-normative relationships.” The benefits of widening conversations are simple: better, safer sex, Photo @ Ellie Softley: SHAG

and the ability to make informed decisions.

As with all education, knowledge is empowerment which can prevent crises.

“We need to explore and understand our own sexuality before giving it away. We need to respect, take care of one another and learn to accept that sexuality is not a choice. The younger we ingrain that into children’s minds, the healthier we can be.”

Expressing a moment of self-doubt, Ellie said “sometimes I question what I do. I know that sex is private and that secrecy can be imperative. However, there are a lot of people struggling, who don’t feel accepted, who feel scared and lonely. They need a platform to create and express, and also to ask questions and better understand.”

SHAG is highly concerned with integrating art and sex. The website is aesthetically bold and beautiful, but also stresses the importance of unfiltered imagery. “Sexual expression is art. They bleed into one another in every single aspect. When you produce art, you open yourself up to a certain type of vulnerability; you let somebody see a private side to you, an intimate side, the honest side, just as you do when having sex.” Sexualized bodies have been the muse of artists since time immemorial. Yet the imbalance of power between artist and subject

has led to an understanding of sexuality as inherently unequal.

Speaking about the overwhelming amount of pornographic imagery we encounter daily, Ellie said “we are not able to get rid of pornography and to be honest, I don’t think we should get rid of it. What is needed is a change in its production.”

The trend in ‘ethical porn’ focuses on equal representation within the porn industry. It aims to encourage more female directors so that both “the male and female gaze are represented.”

All submissions to SHAG are anonymous. It helps protect people, and according to Ellie, is “a good way to start conversations.” However, the anonymity of the contributors acknowledges the existence of intense fear still surrounding conversations about sex. “That is what we need to change.

I wanted to create a place where people do not feel ashamed of how many people that they have slept with or how many mistakes they have made. I want people to know that they have a voice, and they can use it.” SHAG’s ability to open up conversations surrounding sexuality in a safe and creative manner is integral to its success.

You can visit the website here: www. iwanttoshag.com.

30 Sport

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Raymond van Barneveld to retire from darts after the 2020 World Championship The Dutchman has won five world championships in a glittering career James Gill Really putting a shift in F ive-time world d a r ts champion Ray mond van B a rneveld h as said t h at he w i l l retire af ter the 2020 PDC World Ch ampion s h ip.

The Dutch man won fou r of hi s world title s in the B riti sh Darts Organ is ation (BDO) in 19 9 8, 19 9 9, 20 03, a nd 2005 b e fore moving to the P rofe ssion al Da rts C orporation ( PDC) a nd w i nni ng h is fif th title in 2 0 07 again st Ph il Taylor in a n i ncred ibly d ramatic fin a l which went to a tie-bre a ke r. va n Barneveld twe e te d a short statement an nou nc ing hi s re tirement: “For ove r 35 yea rs I h ave b een compe ting at the top of d arts. With h ig h pe a ks and deep lows. With 5 beautif u l World T itle s a nd many other troph ie s I have won . I h ave s een m a ny countrie s and met a lot of pe ople.” “ Th is sp ort broug ht me eve ryth ing I cou ld hope for a nd I will always be g rate fu l for t hat. But I h ave de c ide d that 2 019 will be my fin a l

ye a r a s a profe s s ion al d ar t s playe r. I hope to s e e al l my fa n s aga in next ye ar to b e a ble to s ay good bye and t he n put my d a rts down . ” Since h is move to t he PDC , va n B a rneve ld h as won m a ny title s includi ng fou r World C u p of Da rts w it h h i s te a m m ate a nd world nu m b e r one M ich ae l va n G e r we n .

Howeve r, he h a s fai le d to win a m aj or s ing le s t it le i n fou r ye a rs, los ing in mu lt iple s e m i-fin a ls a nd f i n al s, u su a lly to G e rwe n .

“I’m not w i n n i ng tou rn a me nts a ny more. I don’ t k now why but a lot of th ing s h ave h app e ne d i n my pr ivate life a nd I’ve al s o notice d th at my bo dy i s n’ t fe e ling 10 0% a ny more. I don’ t h ave the d r ive, motivat ion or fitne s s to ca r r y on . “ I ’ m a win ne r, th at ’s wh at I do, I lift troph ie s but I can’ t do it a ny more. M ay b e t he re a re still a cou ple of t it le s le ft in me a nd th at wou ld be a m a z ing , but I can’ t do th is eve r y we e k . Th i s sp or t broug ht me eve r y t h i ng I cou ld hope for a nd I w i l l a lways be g rate fu l for t h at . ”

What is the UEFA Nations League?

England are in a semi-final, again, but what exactly in? Harry Deacon answers the question ‘what actually is the UEFA Nations League?’

Harry Deacon Sport Contributor T h i s we e ke nd E ng l and got s ome p ay b ack for t he s e m i - f i n al los s to Cro at i a b ack i n Ju ly t h at i s st ill s o f re s h on eve r yone’s me mor ie s. T he host s looked de st i ne d for re legat ion af te r fal l i ng b e h i nd on S u nd ay but an e q u al i s e r f rom M anche ste r Un ited’s Je s s e L i ngard b e fore a d ram at ic w i n ne r f rom Ha rry Kane s aw E ng l and top t he g rou p.

T he 2-1 w i n s e nd s E ng l and t h roug h to t he UE FA Nat ion s L e ag ue s e m i - f i n al s along s ide t he Ne t he rl and s, Sw it ze rl and , and Por t ugal who al l ca me t h roug h as L e ag ue A g rou p w i n ne rs. M ake su re to ke e p an eye out for who G are t h S out hgate’s me n w ill d raw on t he 3 rd of D e ce m b e r, w it h t he s e m i s and f ina l t ak i ng pl ace on t he we e k com me nc i ng t he 3 rd June.

T h i s m ay al l s ou nd g re at , E ng l and are in a s e m i - f i n al , but wh at do e s t h i s ac t u al ly me an? The for m at ion of t he new Eu rop e an tou r n ame nt m ay t a ke s ome ex pl ai n i ng for t hos e who are n’ t fam i l i ar…

5 5 Eu rop e an n at ion s h ave b e e n spl it i nto 4 d iv i s ion s ( A , B, C and D) , w it h e ach d iv i s ion split f u r t he r i nto 4 g rou p s cont ai n i ng e it he r 3 or 4 tea m s.

T he tou r n ame nt w i l l r u n at t he s ame t i me as maj or q u al i f icat ion s but w i l l b e put i n pl ace i n ste ad of de ad- r u b b e r f r ie nd l ie s, u ndou bte d ly add i ng s ome exc ite me nt to t he i nte r n at ion al bre ak … al ready s howcas e d i n b ot h E ng l and and S cot l and’s t h r illing g rou p w i n n i ng m atche s.

T he w i n ne rs of e ach g rou p i n d iv i s ion s B, C, and D w i l l b e promote d to t he t ie r ab ove. T h i s g ive s Uk ra ine, Swe de n , B os n i a and He rzegov i n a and D e n m ark a ll a ch ance at w i n n i ng t he UE FA Nat ion s L e ag ue at t he

next opp ort unity. While t he like s of F inla nd, Norway, S erbia , a nd a s ment ioned, S cot la nd, a ll enter div is ion B. To round t hings of f, G eorgia , B ela rus, Kos ovo a nd Macedonia were a ll group w inners, not a usua l sight for internat iona l fo ot b a ll, right?

Wit h nat ions like Kos ovo f ina lly t a st ing internat iona l v ictory t here is b ound to b e s ome surpris e relegat ions. The bigge st na me s included C ro at ia , Pola nd a nd G erm a ny, a s well a s Nort hern Irela nd a nd Irela nd, a mong ot hers, f rom t he lower div is ions.

Thos e t hinking t his new form at to b e j ust glorif ied f riendlie s couldn’t b e more w rong a s t here a re a ls o four Euro 2020 sp ot s up for gra b s ! E ach group w inner, ye s t hat include s E ngla nd a nd S cot la nd, a re put into a q ua lif icat ion p o ol. If t he group w inner q ua lif ie s for Euro 2020 t hen t heir sp ot w ill p a s s on to t he next b e st unq ua lif ied tea m .

This is where it get s complicated… if it wa s n’t a lready. The 16 tea m s a re ra nked f rom t heir Nat ions L eague f inishing p osit ions a nd placed into four group s. E ach four tea m s w ill b e draw n into two s em if ina ls, re sult ing in a f ina l. The w inner of each f ina l w ill w in a place in t he Euros.

E ss ent ia lly, t his mea ns nat ions such a s Macedonia , G eorgia , Kos ovo a nd B ela rus a re a ll in w it h a cha nce of q ua lif icat ion t hat wa s but a drea m in prev ious yea rs. It a ls o mea ns S cot la nd st ill have a cha nce a f ter Forre st ’s sublime hat-t rick aga inst Is rael.

For t hos e not f uss ed a b out t he ins a nd out s of t he tourna ment , it rea lly j ust mea ns more comp et it ive internat iona l f ixt ure s for a ll Europ ea n nat ions a nd a s hot at silverwa re for E ngla nd, a s well a s p erhap s a s econd cha nce at Euro q ua lif icat ion if t he q ua lif iers don’t go q uite to pla n.

England rescue a win against an improving Japanese side in their third Autumn International

Three tries in the final 20 minutes were needed for Eddie Jones’ side to avoid an upset in front of a home crowd against a talented Japanese side James Gill Sport Editor England scored three tries in the final 20 minutes at Twickenham to beat a Japanese side that is getting better with every passing fixture.

The 35-15 s coreline may deceive fans into thinking that this was a routine v i c t o r y, b u t t h e r e a l i t y was very different with Eddie Jones’ team going into halftime 15-10 down.

Te n m o n t h s o u t f r o m t h e Wo r l d C u p , h o s t e d in Japan, the Cherry Blossoms showed that they are not far from the q u a l i t y o f t h e wo rl d ’s b e s t by playing s ome fantastic attacking r u g b y.

Ryo t o Nakamura scored the g a m e ’s o p e n i n g t r y i n t h e 22nd minute with captain Michael Leitch extending their lead nine minutes l a t e r.

With England struggling to find a way through the Japanese defence in the first half Jones needed to shake up his side if they wanted to avoid an ups et. It took until the 56th minute for a G e o r g e Fo r d p e n a l t y to really get the English firing on all cylinders.

Debut international tries came for Mark

Wilson and Joe Cokansiga as well as another penalty f o r Fo r d a n d s u d d e n l y England were 30-15 up. A collective sigh of relief was let out around the 81,151 Twickenham crowd.

Substitute Dylan Hartley sealed the victory four minutes from full time but the game exposed f laws that will need to be corrected before the team head to Japan next S e p t e m b e r.

A f t e r t h e g a m e , Ja p a n’s head coach Jamie Joseph said “ We gave sloppy penalties away and allowed England back in which was a little bit disappointing, but I’m proud of the players all the same. Our mentality is slowly changing, we’re starting to believe that we can take these bigger t e a m s o n a n d t h a t ’s go i n g t o h e l p u s n e x t y e a r. ” E n g l a n d ’s f i n a l Au t u m n International is against Australia on Saturday 2 4 t h N o v e m b e r. A u s t r a l i a has had a difficult set of fixtures with losses to both N e w Z e a l a n d a n d Wa l e s before a comfortable win a g a i n s t I t a l y. T h e l a s t f i v e meetings between the two side s have been E ngland victories and England will be hoping to extend that unbeaten run.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons @Airwolfhound

England seal Sri Lanka series with a win in the second Test James Gill Sport Editor E ng l and won t he i r f i rst s e r ie s away f rom home s i nce b e at i ng S out h A f r ica i n Janu ar y 2 016 by s e a ling a v ic tor y i n t he s e cond Te st agai n st S r i L an ka. Jo e Ro ot capt ai ne d t he s ide to a 2- 0 le ad w it h t he t hird and f i n al Te st st ar t i ng on F r id ay 2 3 rd Nove m b e r.

G o i ng i nto d ay 5 t he re su lt was ve r y much i n t he b al ance w it h S r i L an ka s it t i ng on 2 2 6-7, ne e d i ng j ust 7 5 r u n s to leve l t he s e r ie s. T he home s ide st arted we l l but su f fe re d two w icke t s i n t h re e b al l s from Mo e e n A l i t h at al l but e nde d any hop e s of a v ic tory.

F i rst , Ni ros h an D ickwe l l a fe l l for 3 5 af te r e dg i ng to f i rst s l ip whe re B e n S toke s m ade a com for t able catch and t he n two b al l s l ate r S u ranga L ak m al was b owled for a duck .

T he f i n al w icke t fe l l as Jack L e ach ach ieve d his f i rst Te st f ive -w icke t h au l . L e ach caug ht and b owled M al i nd a P u s hp ak mu ra and t he ce le brat ion s f rom t he E ng l i s h s ide q u ick ly fol lowe d . T h i s was t he i r f irst s e r ie s w i n i n S r i L an ka s i nce M arch 2 001 and only t he i r s e cond eve r. S r i L an ka f i n i s he d on 24 3 r u n s, 57 s hor t of v ic tor y.

Ta lking a f ter t he Te st capt a in Jo e Ro ot s a id: “ The guys have worked ext remely ha rd here. We sa id we’re go ing to play in a cert a in m a nner a nd we’ve b acked t hat up completely t hroughout t he two ga me s. That ’s pro b a bly t he most plea sing t hing.”

“We’ve st uck to our guns, b een rut hle ss when we’ve had our opp ort unit ie s to get a head in t he ga me s a nd we’ve s o a ked up pre ssure well. This tea m is grow ing a ll t he t ime, lo oking to improve in pract ice a nd driv ing t hat st a nda rd up which is a great p os it ion to b e in.”

Ro ot stepp ed up in t he s econd innings m a king a fa nt a st ic 124 , his 15t h Te st cent ury. The Yorkshirem a n sa id t hat he “wa nt s to get to num b er one in t he world” a nd rega rdle ss of t he outcome in t he t hird Te st E ngla nd w ill overt a ke S out h Af rica to t a ke s econd place in t he world ra nkings. O nly India st a nds in t he way.

Wit h t he C ricket World C up t a king place next May in E ngla nd a nd Wa le s, Ro ot a nd his tea m w ill b e lo oking to m a ke t he most of t he clos ing Te st of t his s erie s a s well a s t he tour of t he We st Indie s in t he new yea r. The f ina l Te st aga inst Sri L a nka w ill t a ke place in C olom b o a nd st a rt s at 0 4 : 30 on F riday 23rd Novem b er.

ISSUE 10 / 26th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Sport 31

Changing Rugby at UoM Mia Gair sits down with Rugby Development Intern, Lucy Simper, to find out more about her role in changing female rugby participation at the University Mia Gair Sub-Editor Rug by h as h istorica lly be e n s e e n a s a ‘ m a le’ spor t .

But t he RFU, along w ith UoM ’s Rug by Deve lopme nt I nte rn, Lucy Simp er, a re trying to ch a nge th at.

I sat down with Lucy, to find out wh at he r role e nt a i l s, and how rugby is ch a ng ing at the Un ive rs ity.

Havi ng b eing an active te n n is playe r g rowing u p, a nd capt a i n ing the Un ivers ity’s te a m , Lucy h a s a lways been i nvolved in sp or t, e a rn ing he r a place in the University’s exclu sive X X I C lu b th is ye a r.

She enjoyed play ing s o much wh ile at Un ive rs ity, t hat she decided to ta ke a pos ition in the Ath le tics Union af ter gradu ating a s the Rug by Deve lopme nt I nte rn.

Her role covers b oth the Un ive rs ity of M a nche ster a nd Manche ster Metropolita n Un ive rs ity, a nd i s de signed to help grow r ug by at both in stitution s.

But much of Lucy’s role is to inc re a s e fe m a le pa rt icip ation in the sport, stating th at the goa l wa s a si mple que stion of “ how big ca n we ge t th is” Al ready, succe ss e s h ave be e n s e e n . Th is ye a r, a s econd team h as bee n adde d to the UoM Wome n’s Rugby Clu b – mean ing th at the re a re now two te a ms comp eting in BUC S. Th is h a s be e n m atche d

by p ar t ic ip at ion , w it h 8 0 wome n now p ay i ng f u l l me m b e rs h ip.

Lucy s aid t h at u n for t u n ate ly “arou nd 2 0 g i rl s don’ t ge t i nto t he m atche s e ach we e k ”. S o t he re are pl an s to s e t u p a t h i rd te am to al low more pl aye rs to ge t t i me comp e t i ng . In t he me ant i me, s he h as s e t u p a deve lopme nt te am to put on “add it ion al eve nt s for g i rl s who don’ t ge t i nto t he te am s”.

S ome of t he s e eve nt s are forg i ng p ar t of t he At h le t ics’ Un ion T h i s G i rl Can camp aig n – wh ich ai m s to ge t more g i rl s reg u l arly p ar t ic ip at i ng i n sp or t .

W he n as ke d why t he re i s a lowe r p ar t ic ip at ion rate for wome n’s r ug by comp are d to me n’s, Lucy s aid t h at g i rl s “te nd to t h i n k t hey ne e d a ce r t ai n phys iq ue to pl ay r ug by; m any t h i n k t hey’ re to o s k i n ny, or not st rong e noug h” .

But t h i s ce r t ai n ly i s n’ t t he cas e, and g i rl s of al l s h ap e s and s i ze s h ave t he p ote nt i al to b e g re at pl aye rs, and h ave a g re at t i me wh i le t hey’ re at it .

Lucy adde d t h at t he one t h i ng t h at re al ly st r uck he r was “t he e t hos of t he clu b”. E x pl ai n i ng t h at “t he g i rl s are s o su pp or t ive of one anot he r ” wh ich c re ate s an am az i ng at mosphe re for new me m b e rs.

If you’ re i nte re ste d i n ge t t i ng i nvolve d i n wome n’s r ug by t he n che ck out t he i r Face b o ok p age to f i nd out more.

Photo: Barnos @Wikimedia Commons

Formula 3 driver Sophia Flörsch suffers horrific crash at Macau Grand Prix Flörsch suffered only a spinal fracture and has successfully completed an 11-hour surgery to repair one of her vertebrae James Gill Sport Editor Formula 3 driver S ophie Flörs ch wa s lucky to surv ive i n a horrif ic high-sp eed cra sh at t he Macau G ra nd P rix .

T he G erm a n, who drive s for Va n Amers fo ort Racing, lost cont rol of her ca r a nd went airb orne b e fore sm a shing i nto a fence a nd st ruct ure that wa s b eing us ed by photog raphers.

The cra sh o ccurred on lap four of t he race on the t urn into L is b o a when Flörs ch hit t he b ack of C a rlin Motorsp ort ’s Jeha n Da ruva la go ing at 17 1.6 mph (2 76. 2 k ph). The collis ion caus ed her vehicle over t he ins ide kerb into a not her driver, S ho Tsub o i, b e fore b eing l aunched up into t he a ir, over t he b a rrier, a nd into t he area b ehind.

Af ter t he incident , bot h Tsub o i a nd F lörs ch were t a ken to t he hospit a l as well a s a m a rs ha l a nd two photographers who were b ehind t he b a rrier the vehicle ca me over.

Flörs ch, 17, ‘only’ sust a ined a spina l f ract ure a nd ha s succe ss f ully completed a n 1 1-hour surgery to rep a ir one

of her vertebrae.

Her tea m , Va n Amersfo ort Racing tweeted a re sp ons e to t he cra s h s ay ing: “ To day wa s a very dif f icult day for our tea m at t he #MacauG P. The whole world s aw what happ ened a nd we ca n only t ha nk G o d t hat @ S ophia F lo ers ch e s cap ed w it h relat ively light inj urie s.

O ur t hought s go a ls o to t he ot her p eople involved a nd we w ish t hem a sp eedy recovery.”

The ow ner of t he tea m , F rit s va n Amersfo ort , ca lled t he cra sh “one of t he worst of my life”. “We got s ome inform at ion f rom s o cia l media while we were wa it ing at t he do or of race cont rol, but when you lo ok at t hos e im age s it is hea rt brea king s o we were t hinking t he worst ,” Amersfo ort sa id in a n interv iew w it h BBC Radio 5 L ive.

“It to ok q uite a long t ime b e fore t he race cont rol could s ay a ny t hing a b out t he hea lt h of S ophia , everyone ca n im agine t hat ’s not a nice t hing to have. We were lucky t hat she wa s f ly ing b ecaus e she went over a b a rrier. If she had hit t he b a rrier it would have gone a lot wors e.”

10 draws in a row! Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana deadlocked at the Chess World Championships

There are now just two games left for either player to find a win or the series will go to a best of four tiebreaker series James Gill Sport Editor After n ine con s ec utive d raws, Fa bia no C a r u a n a a nd Magnu s Carls en h ave d rawn ye t aga in in the Che ss World Ch ampion s h ip in L ondon . T he re a re now j u st two game s le ft for e ithe r playe r to find a w i n or the s erie s will go to a be st of fou r tie bre a ke r s erie s.

World nu mber one C a rls e n ca me clos e to win n ing G a me 9 on Wedne sd ay but lost h is adva ntage fol low ing a ru shed de c is ion to offe r u p a pawn on hi s 2 5th move. Grandm a ste r (GM ) H ira k u Na ka mu ra ca l le d the move “a little pre m atu re to me” , a s ent i ment wh ich was e choe d by C a rls e n a fte r the game concluded .

“I felt like I h ad a com for ta ble adva ntage a nd t he n I ju st blew it, I wa s poor, ” s a id C a rls e n , vis ibly di sapp ointed by the way the ga me e nde d . T h at n inth draw s et the record for the longe st stre a k of ga me s w it hout a win in the 132-ye a r h istory of the C he s s World Ch ampion sh ip.

F i n ally though , in Ga me 10, C a rls e n we nt a ll in .

Afte r sp end ing 15 minute s conte mplating h is 21st move he su rpris ed ever yone by s ac r ific ing a pawn in order to remove a rook h inde ring h is attacks. Once he made the move he j u mpe d u p from h is ch a ir a nd he aded to the re f re sh me nt a re a .

The pre ssu re rampe d u p on world nu m be r two Ca rua na. As the move s prog re s s e d the pa ir trade d bi shop s and then q ue e n s be fore re ach ing time control on move 40. For C a rls e n to win , he ne e de d to do it with ju st h is rooks a nd pawn s.

Russian GM Peter Svid le r s a id C a ru a n a wa s in a di fficult p osition . “My h a nd s wou ld be ve ry s h a ky w it h wh ite in th is p osition . It’s ve ry, ve r y s ca ry. ” With t he ga me in such a fine ba la nce, one m ista ke cou ld

prove fat al .

A n ove r- exte n s ion of t he k i ng by Carl s e n p ote nt i al ly op e ne d t he do or for Car u an a to t ake s ome t h i ng f rom t he game but Carl s e n m an age d to re t re at ju st i n t i me. T he game t he n f i z zle d out to a d raw a few move s l ate r as ne it he r s ide h ad a ch ance of w i n n i ng .

T he re are st i l l two game s le f t i n t he s e r ie s, organ i s e d by t he World Che s s Fe de rat ion ( F IDE ) , w it h a pr i ze f u nd of one m i l l ion e u ros on t he l i ne. If t he s core i s leve l af te r t he s e l ast two game s t he n t he s e r ie s w i l l go to t he t ie bre ake rs. In t he s e ext ra game s e ach pl aye r w i l l st ar t w it h 2 5 m i nute s on t he clo ck w it h an i nc re me nt of 1 0 s e cond s af te r e ach move.

S hou ld t he s e r ie s re ach t h i s p o i nt , Carl s e n w i l l b e t he favou r ite to w i n g ive n he i s al s o t he world nu m b e r one B l it z Che s s pl aye r.

O f f t he b o ard , t he re was m ajor cont rove rsy e arly on i n t he s e r ie s as a two - m i nute v ide o was u plo ade d to t he S ai nt L ou i s Che s s Clu b Yout u b e ch an ne l b e fore b e i ng re move d s hor t ly af te r. T he v ide o s howe d de t ai l s of Car u an a’s pre p arat ion for t he ch ampion s h ip.

W h i le t he v ide o was on l i ne s eve ral s c re e n s hot s we re t ake n and s h are d on l i ne. Che s s fan s we re q u ick to an alys e t he photos, i nclud i ng one of a l aptop s c re e n s how i ng op e n i ng s p ote nt i al ly b e i ng re s e arch

by Car u an a. T he n ame s of t h re e g rand m aste rs we re al s o cont ai ne d i n t he v ide o – L e i n ie r D om í ng ue z , A le jand ro Ram í re z and Io an- Cr i st i an Ch i r i l a – who are work i ng as s e cond’s to he lp t he A me r ican pre p are T he f i n al game s of t he s e r ie s are pl aye d on S at u rd ay 24 t h and Mond ay 2 6t h and are s how n for f re e on t he F IDE we b s ite. T hey are al s o st re ame d on Tw itch .tv by Che s s.com hoste d by IM Dan ie l Re n s ch and G M Ro b e r t He s s w it h reg u l ar app e arance s by g ue st s such as G M ’s H i rak u Nakamu ra and Yi fan Hou .

Photo: Wikimedia Commons @Steven Pisano

Alexander Zverev beats Novak Djokovic in London ATP Finals

The German won in straight sets in the final event of the season James Gill Sport Editor Alexa nder Zverev b eat world num b er one, Nova k Dj okov ic in st ra ight s et s to w in t he f ina l ATP F ina ls event of t he s ea s on. The G erm a n, who wa s ra nked f if t h com ing into t he event , t ake s home a round £2 million in prize money.

Ta lking a b out t he v ictory Zverev s a id: “I’m u nb elieva bly happy. How I played to day, how I won it , for me, it ’s j ust a m a zing.”

The w in ca me j ust 24 hours a f ter he b eat Roger Federer in st ra ight s et s in t he s em i-f ina ls. The physica l a nd ment a l re silience to come b ack f rom t hat ga me at j ust 2 1 yea rs of age is rem a rka ble.

This is p erhap s more surprising when you cons ider t he horrible t reat ment he received f rom t he pro -Federer crowd who b o o ed him during his v ictory, rem inis cent of Naom i O s a ka’s US O p en w in

ea rlier in t he s ea s on.

D j okov ic him s elf ha s had a rem a rka ble s ea s on, com ing f rom 22nd in t he world recovering f rom a n inj ury to topping t he ra nkings, w inning two G ra nd Sla m s a long t he way.

D e spite his de feat , t he S erbia n rem a ined cha racterist ica lly hum ble, pra ising Zverev’s w in a f ter t he m atch. “You a re st ill q uite young a nd a lready had a n a m a zing ca reer but t here’s no doubt you w ill b e one of t he favourite s in every sla m .”

The re sp ect b etween t he two wa s clea r a nd Zverev wa s v is ibly touched by t hos e words, sm iling f rom ea r to ea r on t he very sa me sp ot where he lo oked s o forlorn at his t reat ment a day prior.

“It wa s tough for me ye sterday b ecaus e I didn’t t hink I had done a ny t hing w rong,” Zverev sa id. “ To day I had to b e aggre s sive but p at ient to o. Right now I ca n’t de s crib e it . It is t he bigge st t rophy I’ve ever won.”

Photo: Anton Gidionovitsj Zaytsev @Wikimedia Commons

England win UEFA Nations League group in a thrilling game against Croatia

Two late goals from Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane meant that England topped their group and sent Croatia down to Division B James Gill Sport Editor England came from behind against Croatia to win both the match and their group in the thrilling f i n a l g a m e o f t h e U E FA N a t i o n s L e a g u e G r o u p Stage. The victory sends the Three Lions through to the Semi-Finals of the competition which take place next June.

Croatia, the side which sent England home from t h e Wo r l d C u p t h i s s u m m e r, l o o k e d a s t h o u g h t h e y would win yet again after Andrej Kramaric scored for the visitor in the 57th minute. Kramaric, who plays his club football with Hoffenheim in the Bunde sliga, s eemed to have an eternity to shoot.

When he finally picked his spot his attempt was d e f l e c t e d o f f E r i c D i e r ’s t h i g h p a s t a d iv i n g Jo rd a n Pickford.

The s coreline didn’t re f lect the football being played as E ngland were dominating in terms of chance s but couldn’t s eem to convert them into goals. Croatia, on the other hand, managed to find t he b ack of t he ne t w it h t he i r f i rst e f for t on t a rge t .

If the re sult stayed the same E ngland would have been relegated to Group B of the Nations League.

Gareth Southgate was determined to make sure his side wouldn’t be lumped together with other p o o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l s i d e s s u c h a s G e r m a n y, f a l l i n g from the upper echelon of European football that is the Nations League Division A. He brought on Dele Alli early on in the second half before making a double substitution ten minutes later with inform Jadon Sancho and Jesse Lingard coming on.

These substitutions proved pivotal in the England comeback. Jesse Lingard tapped home an equaliser with 12 minutes of ordinary time

left before Harry Kane scored from a Ben Chilwell free kick. The Croatian side was stunned. In seven minutes they had gone from topping the group to being relegated.

T h e a t m o s p h e r e a r o u n d We m b l e y w a s e l e c t r i c .

Every one of the 78,221 knew exactly what those two late goals meant. Not only did we save ourselves from embarrassing relegation, not only did we top our group and progress to the SemiFinals next June, but we too revenge on a Croatian s i d e t h a t e n d e d o u r Wo r l d C u p d r e a m s , r e l e g a t i n g them in the proce ss. It doe sn’t stop the hurt, but it certainly helps.

To a d d i n s u l t t o i n j u r y f o r C r o a t i a , t h e n o w i c o n i c ‘ 3 L i o n s ( Fo o t b a l l ’s C o m i n g H o m e ) ’ a n t h e m r a n g a r o u n d t h e g r o u n d a s t h e f i n a l w h i s t l e b l e w.

We m a y n o t h a v e w o n t h e w o r l d c u p b e w e s t i l l h a v e a c h a n c e o f w i n n i n g t h e i n a u g u r a l U E FA N a t i o n s L e ag ue. T he newe st , a nd s ome wou ld a rg ue most elite, international competition there is.

Talking about the victory after the game, Southgate said “I think the most pleasing thing of the year has been the connection with the fans and being able to share brilliant experiences with t h e m . To d a y w a s b r i l l i a n t , I c a n ’ t r e m e m b e r t h e n e w We m b l e y l i k e t h a t . We h a v e e x c i t i n g p l a y e r s that give them excitement.” “ We w e r e b y f a r t h e b e t t e r t e a m i n t h e f i r s t h a l f and we came back from a soft goal. If you’re going t o w i n a g a m e t h a t ’ s t h e w a y y o u w a n t t o w i n . We w e r e p l a y i n g a g a i n s t a v e r y, v e r y g o o d s i d e . To keep the ball, use the ball and create chances was very pleasing. And you have to keep calm, when you think the chance s have gone then you have to keep believing.”

G oalkeeper Jordan Pickford echoed his m a n a ge r ’s s e n t i m e n t s s ay i n g “ t h e a t m o s p h e re i s p r o b a b l y t h e b e s t w e ’ v e h a d a t We m b l e y. T h i s

Nations League makes you want to beat the best.

We ’ v e b e a t e n t w o o f t h e t o p 1 0 s i d e s i n t h e w o r l d .

Now we have another s emi-final, it’ ll be a good s u m m e r. ” Elsewhere in Division A of the Nations League, three more teams joined England in the SemiFinals and three more joined Croatia in Division B. Netherlands stunned everyone by taking 7 points from a possible 12 and topping a group which i n c l u d e d F r a n c e a n d G e r m a n y. A s p r e v i o u s l y mentioned G e r m a n y, who underperformed massively at the world cup, continued their run of poor form winning none of their four games.

Switzerland took the third spot in the SemiFinals topping their group on goal difference, Iceland finished rock bottom there on 0 points.

F i n a l l y, t h e f o u r t h s p o t w e n t t o P o r t u g a l w h o w e n t undefeated in their group, while Poland also failed to register a win.

S o, E ngland knows their opponents: Portugal, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. All eyes now turn to the draw that take s place in Dublin on December 3rd. There the match times, venues and fixtures will be announced. If England wants to win their first major trophy since 1966, they will need to win two more games.

S outhgate and his players will be confident that they have a good chance of lifting the inaugural N a t i o n s L e a g u e t r o p h y, a n a c h i e v e m e n t t h a t w i l l surely cement Southgate as one of the greatest managers ever to grace the beautiful game.

Joking aside, there is no doubt that this England s i d e i s t h e m o s t p r o m i s i n g w e h a v e s e e n i n m a n y, m a n y y e a r s . We h a v e y o u n g p l a y e r s , t a l e n t e d players, playing as a team, not as individuals.

P l a y e r s w h o w a n t t o r e p r e s e n t t h e i r c o u n t r y, w h o are proud of what that means.

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