Issue 4B

Inside Culture: 15

Our Forgotten Authors Books: 23

Manchester Food & Drink Review: A Database of Beautiful People Festival Film: 21 Food and Drink: 27

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10th October 2018 / Issue 4B

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“Britain’s losing its mind” Clap-gate takes world by storm

Ethan Davies and Amy Wei Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor A global media storm has followed the Senate motion to “swap audible clapping out for British Sign Language (BSL) clapping at SU events”. First shared by BBC North West’s Twitter account, The Mancunion’s story went on to the front pages of national UK newspapers, prime-time television, and even international news The University of Manchester Students’ Union’s (SU) policy caught the eye of national UK newspapers such as The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The i, The Sun, The Daily Star, The Daily Express, Metro, and The Times. Internationally, ABC News picked up the story after one-time Presidential candidate Jeb Bush tweeted the story, writing: “Not cool, University of Manchester.

Not cool.” It was also covered by Russia’s Sputnik International, and Australian radio station 3AWRadio.

Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan tweeted eight times about the SU policy and its fallout. His seminal tweet, on Tuesday 2nd October, screenshotted The Mancunion’s original story with the caption: “Britain’s losing its mind.” The tweet gained over 18,000 likes and over 4,000 retweets in two days.

Piers Morgan debated SU Exec International Students Officer Riddi Viswanathan on the show on Tuesday morning. In the same show, he asked celebrity businessman Lord Alan Sugar what he thought about the SU’s move, to which The Apprentice host retorted: “Well you have always attracted the clap haven’t you.”

Morgan was forced to apologise on air to “anyone offended” by Lord Sugar’s lewd joke.

The original policy, proposed to Senate by Liberation & Access Exec Officer Sara Khan, resolved: “to swap audible clapping out for BSL clapping at SU events in order to make them more accessible”, and secondly, “to encourage student groups and societies to do the same, and to include BSL clapping as a part of inclusion training.”

However, the SU have since released an official statement that they “are not banning audible clapping” and that the policy resolves to “encourage British Sign Language (BSL) clapping during our democratic events only.”

Sara Khan commented on the media storm by saying: “The thing about this position is that intellectually I think that we know that things will get covered, but until a few months ago when we had the media explosion over the poetry — I think that was the first time I realised that people outside of the University and Manchester would care about what we were doing. I’ve been bombarded with media requests, emails, and tweets constantly.

“We’ve had quite a few students email us personally, or tweet at us, or comment on things, saying that they have issues like autism or sensory issues and they’re really happy to see this in place. It makes them feel like they want to take part because their concerns are being taken into account. One person told me, ‘I’ve never taken part in SU democracy before but now I want to’, which is really cool.

“Something I’ve found really bizarre is that... most of the abuse I received wasn’t [racially charged], but some of them were. They commented on the fact that I was gay or Pakistani. “ Riddi Viswanathan remarked that “this week has been an extremely busy, but a fun-filled and thought-provoking one. One big lesson learnt is how the media blow very small issues up in order to

match their narrative and get across the points they believe in and label us as snowflakes.

“What has been heartwarming is students who have never spoken up, to speak up and recognise their disabilities and see the SU as a place for them. Also it’s extremely encouraging to see many other Unions to so want to experiment with BSL clapping in their democratic events – the University of Bedfordshire equality team have been supportive of using BSL and making democratic events more accessible.”

Student supporters of the motion include Jasmine, a second year French and Spanish undergrad said: “I might have thought it was a joke initially, but [I am] someone with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and anxiety. When we get stressed, the hypersensitivity that people with ASD experience means that unexpected, loud or unpleasant sounds can become magnified and trigger intense reactions like panic attacks, ticks and, in cases such as mine, dissociation and seizures.

“Once people adapt to the idea, I don’t think not clapping is a massive sacrifice to pay for increased accessibility and sensitivity to those who would benefit from it.”

Students remain divided on the issue however, with Sarah commenting: “there are so many other issues pertaining to inclusion of people with disabilities and minorities that the SU can address.“’Suggestions’ such as these just further seek to isolate people by calling things out that many people of their targeted demographic don’t have an issue with. This is a classic example of people creating issues of ‘broken things’ instead of actively seeking out and fixing things that are truly wrong.”

Clap-gate: The Mancunion’s SU International University calls for ban on essay view Officer abused online mills Page 2

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2 News

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Due to an inaccuracy in Issue 4, The Mancunion has chosen to recall the full print run. We have reprinted the issues with the corrections made as Issue 4B.

Clap-gate: The Mancunion’s view

Inside Issue 4B

Feelings have naturally run high in a tumultuous week at university, and we believe this further underlines the need for a healthy student democracy Put Your Jazz Hands In The Air Opinion, Page 11

It was t he stor y t h at to ok t he news world by stor m t h i s we e k . T he Un ive rs ity of M anche ste r S t ude nt s’ Un ion’s ( S U) mot ion to “swap out ” cl appi ng at “S U eve nt s” ( s i nce re - de f i ne d a s “S U de mo c rat ic eve nt s”) to ok on a l i fe of it s ow n af te r The Mancunion broke t he news on F r id ay 2 8 t h S e pte m b e r.

Nat ion al UK newsp ap e rs exte n s ive ly cove re d t he stor y, wit h The Daily Star u s i ng it as it s le ad stor y on We d ne s d ay, a nd bro ad s he e t The Daily Telegraph al s o fe at u r i ng t he pol icy on it s f ront p age. Ove rs e as news out le t s, such as t he A me r ican ABC News and t he Ru s s i an Sputnik International, a ls o ju mp e d onto t he stor y. G ood Morning Britain co - host P ie rs Morgan twe e te d no le s s t h an e ig ht t i me s ab out t he stor y, w it h t he i n it i al “B r it ai n’s los i ng it s m i nd” twe e t e ar n i ng 18,000 l i ke s at t he t i me of w r it i ng .

In t he e n su i ng me d i a f re n z y, we at The Mancunion h ave

s een ha rd-working E xec O f f icers f ield count le s s interv iew app ea ra nce s, phone ca lls, a nd #j ournoreq ue st s in order to cla rif y t he SU’s p osit ion on t he p olicy.

The Mancunion do e s not w ish to add f uel to t he f ire of t he deb ate over whet her it wa s t he correct decis ion to p a ss t his mot ion. The Mancunion simply encourage s a ny st udent s w it h a n opinion a b out clap -gate to get involved in st udent demo cracy s o t hat next t ime, your vo ice is hea rd. St udent s ca n st a nd in t he up com ing Pa rt-Time O f f icer elect ions, which a ny mem b er of t he SU ca n do by v isit ing t heir web s ite. Pa rt-Time O f f icers a re a v it a l line of st udent demo cracy, a nd st a nding in t he s e elect ions is t he p erfect way to addre s s a va riety of ot her issue s facing st udent s in Ma nche ster — including your right to clap.

Right-wing attacks SU International officer Riddi Viswanathan has faced a torrid social media backlash after university opposition to Generation Identity’s sticker campaign Shivani Kaura Deputy News Editor

Manchester RAG Societies, Page 12

Zero Greenhouse Gases?

Science, page 8 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

News Editor: Nicole Wootton-Cane Deputy Editors: Sam Honey and Shivani Kaura news@mancunion.com

T he Un ive rs ity of M anche ste r S t ude nt s’ Un ion ( S U) I nte r n at ion al S t ude nt s of f ice r, R idd i Vi swan at h an , h as face d s o c i al me d i a b ack l as h and at t acks af te r s he re sp onde d to the text on t he st icke rs by p e n n i ng a Face b o ok p ost .

L ast we e k it was reve ale d t h at ant i - i m m ig rat ion st icke rs, m a rke d w it h t he word s ‘Jo i n t he p at r iot ic revolut ion’ h ad be e n pl aste re d ac ros s campu s by far- r ig ht g rou p G e ne rat ion Ide ntity.

T he st icke rs i nclude d q ue st ion s such as, ‘ Want to prote c t fre e sp e e ch?’ and ‘Agai n st m as s- i m m ig rat ion?’ . He ad s t u r ne d at t he text t h at re ad ‘ S top g ro om i ng gang s, B r it i s h g i rl m at te r ’ , wh i l st i m age s of a g rou p of Mu s l i m g i rl s i n bu rkas we re pl aste re d b e h i nd t he word s.

Vi swan at h an h ad i n it i al ly p oste d to cl ar i f y to st ude nt s that t he S U st and s for d ive rs ity, e q u al ity and i nclu s ion and more sp e c i f ical ly, t he fac t t h at it do e s not hold an ant i im m ig rat ion st ance.

S he t he n we nt on to st ate t h at ‘ ‘eve r yone i s proud of the i r ide nt it ie s but more s o, of pre s e r v i ng t he i r ide nt it ie s wh i l st che r i s h i ng d ive rs ity and co - ex i st i ng p e ace f u l ly u n l i ke (G e ne rat ion Ide nt ity) i nte nt ion s to e st abl i s h su pre m acy.’ ’ T he s e re m arks l ate r face d b ack l as h whe n com me nt s i n re sp on s e to t he p ost b egan to f lo o d i n , w it h one u s e r st at i ng : “ Ridd i Vi su t he re al c r i me i s wh at you are do i ng ; de fam i ng a pat r iot ic move me nt i s d i sg u st i ng , you are s o n ar row- m i nde d to t h i n k u phold i ng you r c u lt u re i s b e i ng su pre m ac i st … i f you re al ly che r i s h d ive rs ity, you s hou ld not de ny t he r ig ht of pat r iot ic E ng l i s h p e ople.”

A not he r s aid , “R idd i want s to ce le brate he r ide nt ity and de st roy t he ide nt ity of B r it ai n # W h ite G e no c ide. ” W h ich was re pl ie d to by anot he r u s e r w it h , “It ’s d ishe ar te n i ng to s e e p e ople l i ke you al lowe d i nto my Features Editor: Liv Clarke features@mancunion.com Opinion Editor: Sophie Marriott Deputy Editor: Cachella Smith opinion@mancunion.com

Science & Technology Editor: Jacklin Kwan science@mancunion.com

Societies Editor: Chloe Hatton societies@mancunion.com

Investigations Editor: Felix Hanif-Banks investigations@mancunion.com

Music Editor: Olivia White Deputy Editor: Jake Oliver music@mancunion.com

count ry only to wa nt to ruin it .” And, “It ’s our ident ity, you t hick inbred b* tch.”

Sp ea king to The Mancunion, Viswa nat ha n s a id: “S ome of t he re sp ons e s received follow ing my s o cia l media p ost a b out t he hate f ul p osters ins ide t he SU a re a b s olutely unaccept a ble. I w ill not dignif y t hos e disgrace f ul com ment s w it h a ny re sp ons e.

“Instead, I would like to t a ke t his opp ort unity to re-iterate t hat t he SU b elieve s in eq ua lity, diversity, a nd inclus ion.

“We a re a s a fe sp ace a nd do not a nd w ill not tolerate a ny kind of b ehav iour which t hreatens t he s a fe a nd tolera nt env ironment t hat we work ha rd to create at t he SU.” In ret a liat ion to t he st ickers, St a nd Up to Racis m Ma nche ster, hosted a st udent-led prote st la st week, ca lling out aga inst racis m a nd fa s cism .

St a nd Up to Racism , who have st a rted a ‘Kick Racis m of f ca mpus’ ca mp a ign, a re s et to host a s erie s of meet ings a round university ca mpus e s.

A sp oke sp ers on for t he ca mp a ign sa id: “Racis m is felt p a rt icula rly sha rply in our educat iona l inst it ut ions. Fa r right group s like G enerat ion Ident ity a re t ry ing to build on university ca mpus e s, w it h p s eudo -s cient if ic a rgument s a round ‘cult ure’ a nd ‘ident ity’.

“Mus lim st udent s a re t a rgeted by PREV E N T, BAME st udent s a nd lect urers face inst it ut iona l racis m a nd EU nat iona ls a re hav ing t heir right to work a nd st udy us ed a s a b a rga ining chip over Brex it ”.

St a nd Up to Racism is a n orga nis at ion t hat works w it h t he University lect urers a nd St udent s’ Union to ra is e issue s surrounding racism a nd dis crim inat ion a s well a s teaching ot hers how to orga nis e aga inst hate f ul t hreat s.

The meet ing w ill b e held in Academy 3 on t he 11t h O cto b er, w it h t a lks f rom MP Afza l Kha n, Nit a Sa nghera , UC U Vice P re s ident a nd Shirin Hirs ch, UC U mem b er a nd Ma nche ster St a nd Up To Racism .

games@mancunion.com

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Clarke.

Food & Drink Editor: Catrin Stewart foodanddrink@mancunion.com

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Chief Sub-editor: Alex Cresswell Sub-editors: Rona McCann, Mia Gair, Jacob Thompson, Georgia Hickey

Film Editor: Tobias Soar Deputy Editor: Aisha Al-Janabi film@mancunion.com

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News

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

University bosses call for ban on essay mills Photo: Steve McFarland @flickr

UK university bosses call for the criminalisation of essay mills after research suggests as many as one in seven students are using them Nicole Wootton-Cane Head News Editor Over 40 prominent figures in UK universities wrote to the education secretary last week outlining their concerns about the highly used ‘essay mills’.

The University bosses have argued that essay writing services themselves should be penalised, rather than just their

users. Calling for the service to be deemed illegal as it is in the US and New Zealand, as it is “unfair to honest students.”

The call follows a recent study suggested as many as one in seven students are paying for someone else to write their essays either at school or at university through the online essay mills.

The research, conducted by Swansea University, asked more than 50,000 students about their contract cheating

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habits. 15.7% of respondents admitted to cheating since 2014 – a dramatic increase on the average of 3.5% over the last 40 years.

Universities minister, Sam Gyimah, said the government was working to “bear down” on the problem, making it clear that “legislative options are not off the table.”

Contract cheating is not limited to essay mills – submission of any essay that is not your own comes under this branch of plagiarism. However, the large increase in contract cheating could be down to its increased ease through online essay mills. The services often advertise on social media or around university campuses, making it widely available for students.

A University of Manchester spokesperson told The Mancunion : “We are working with students to tackle all forms of cheating, but have concerns that a solely legislative approach could lead to the criminalisation of some students without due regard for any extenuating circumstances or their wellbeing.

“We welcome a broader package of measures to deal with academic malpractice amongst students, which should take account existing university processes that address cheating.”

In an anonymous survey conducted by The Mancunion, students at the University of Manchester appeared to have mixed views on the usefulness and morality of essay mills.

“They’re cheating,” one student responded. Another replied “I can understand why people use them but it makes a mockery of the education system.”

“I think they’re wrong, but at university where our grades aren’t based on an average of other people’s grades it’s none of my business if someone else uses one.”

Professor Phil Newton, who led the research at Swansea University, warned that cheating numbers could be much higher than the research shows as those who have paid for essays are less likely to volunteer to take part in surveys on cheating.

The quality of work produced by essay mills is varied; one respondent told us: “My mate spent £600 getting his dissertation done, and it was so bad quality he had to write it himself after all anyway.”

Study shows stateschool students are underrepresented in top graduate schemes The ISE (Institute of Student Employers) reports students who were educated in state schools are less represented in Britain’s top graduate schemes Sam Brougham News reporter The Institute of Student Employers (ISE) has reported that students who were educated in state schools are less represented in Britain’s top graduate schemes.

The study showed that from a recent survey of 138 employers, only 57% of graduates hired by companies had a state-school education in comparison to 91% across the student population.

Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) suggest that top-tier universities are taking a lower proportion of state-school pupils than other institutions across the country.

Additionally, it was revealed in the ISE survey that 12% of companies focused on Russell Group universities for recruitment.

The ISE report states: “Many of the differences in career outcomes between different groups of students can be explained by the overrepresentation of privately educated and other advantaged students at high-status institutions”.

Privately educated graduates are more represented by employers in key lucrative sectors: law, banking, professional, and financial services. 58% of employers said that they tailored their recruitment to institutions which their company had historic links with, and 17% focused on university rankings.

Despite this, improvements have been made to increase diversity amongst Britain’s top graduate schemes, but the ISE states that there is still more to be done.

Most employers in many sectors within the survey recognised that there is a big diversity problem and are taking corrective action to increase representations graduates from varying academic and social backgrounds.

Some companies have also started using nameblind or university-blind recruitment techniques and made conscious choices to advertise more at different universities across the country.

Photo: Albert Bridge @ Geograph

New housing rules could increase rents and evict students

Students are facing another unwelcome development in the housing market as landlords are hit with extra charges and inspections from new goverment rules Sam Honey Deputy News Editor Changes to government rules could see substantial rent increases for those living in shared houses - and even the issuing of eviction notices.

The warning was issued by the National Landlords Association (NLA), who labelled the regulations as a burden on landlords in the private sector.

The new measures will affect homes in multiple occupations (HMOs). They are defined as properties that house people that are not related, and sleep in different rooms.

The new rules will mean that another 160,000 such homes will need to be registered with councils. It is believed that around 64,000 of these currently require licensed to be officially legal.

That process could cost £1,200 per landlord, as an average estimate, based on research conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

The new regulations mean that licensing requirements, that include inspection by local council teams, will be applied to many more HMOs across the UK. This is compared

to previous inspections, that often only took place at addresses with five or more residents.

Students are among the top consumers in the HMO market, and while assurances of higher standards for rentals, there will likely be disappointment at the kind of price raises that landlords may need to implement to meet recommendations from inspectors.

One penalty could be the forced reduction of numbers of rooms - eviction being a natural consequence. However, the changes could also mean an increase in the quality of student accommodation, with inspections becoming mandatory for more properties.

The Valuation Office Agency has released information that shows median rents per room in England are increasing twice as fast as median wages - the average monthly price now standing at £385. These increases in rent would be unfair on students though - according to Tenants Union UK. The issue could be far from concluded, however, with the possibility of mid-term increases likely to cause havoc in the student housing market. The controversy of student renting is already a serious issue - especially the unaffordability of property, in addition to controversy over varying costs, such as summer rent charges, and various admin fees.

4 News

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Japan overtakes UK as second-most represented nation in world university rankings Josh Sandiford News Reporter T h e U K h a s b e e n s u r p a s s e d fo r t h e f i r s t t i m e e ve r a s t h e s e co n d - m o s t re p re s e n t e d c o u n t r y i n t h e 2 0 1 9 wo rl d u n ive r s i t y ra n k i n g s p u b l i s h e d b y T i m e s H i g h e r Education.

O x fo rd a n d C a m b r i d ge re t a i n e d t h e 1 s t a n d 2 n d p l a c e s re s p e c t ive ly, h owe ve r, t h e U K ove ra l l h a s s e e n i t s re p u t a t i o n d i m i n i s h .

Ja p a n c l a i m e d 1 03 p o s i t i o n s o n t h e wo rl d ra n k i n g s i n c o m p a r i s o n t o t h e U K ’s 9 8 , m a k i n g i t t h e n e w, s e c o n d - m o s t re p re s e n t e d c o u n t r y o n t h e t a b l e o f a ro u n d 1 2 5 0 u n ive r s i t i e s g l o b a l ly.

H owe ve r, t h e re h ave b e e n s o m e s t a n d - a l o n e s u c c e s s e s fo r t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m . U n ive r s i t y C o l l e ge L o n d o n h a s m a d e i t i n t o t h e t o p 1 5 , w i t h T h e U n ive r s i t y o f B i r m i n g h a m j u m p i n g 2 5 p l a c e s , a n d T h e U n ive r s i t y o f Wa r w i c k m ov i n g u p 1 2 t o j o i n t 7 9 t h .

T h e U n ive r s i t y o f M a n c h e s t e r wa s ra n ke d 5 7 t h b e s t i n t h e wo rl d b y T i m e s H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n , d ow n f ro m j o i n t 5 4 t h l a s t ye a r.

P h i l B a t y, E d i t o r i a l D i re c t o r o f G l o b a l R a n k i n g s fo r T i m e s H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n s a i d a ny c o n n e c t i o n b e t we e n t h e 2 0 1 9 wo rl d u n ive r s i t y ra n k i n g s a n d B r i t a i n’s p e n d i n g w i t h d rawa l f ro m t h e E u ro p e a n U n i o n c a n o n ly b e s e e n a s s p e c u l a t i o n a t t h i s p o i n t . “ We s e e s o m e i n d iv i d u a l s t a r s i n t h e U K t h i s ye a r, b u t t h e b ro a d e r n a t i o n a l d a t a s t o r y i s re a l ly o n e o f

stagnation and modest decline, with the UK taking a m i n o r h i t t o i t s re s e a rc h re p u t a t i o n . “ We c a n o n ly s p e c u l a t e a t t h i s s t a ge a s t o a ny co n n e c t i o n w i t h B re x i t — t h e r i s k , h owe ve r, t o t h e U K ’s re p u t a t i o n a n d re s e a rc h c a p a b i l i t i e s f ro m i t s s e p a ra t i o n w i t h E u ro p e i s ve r y re a l . ” Phil added that: “Maintaining wo rl d - c l a s s e xce l l e n c e a m i d c u t s a n d c re e p i n g i s o l a t i o n i s m i s s i m p ly u n s u s t a i n a b l e , e s p e c i a l ly a m i d i n t e n s i f y i n g g l o b a l co m p e t i t i o n . M a ny e m e rg i n g n a t i o n s [ a re ] c u r re n t ly p l a c i n g t h e i r ow n u n ive r s i t i e s a t t h e h e a r t o f n a t i o n a l e c o n o m i c g row t h s t ra t e g i e s . ” B a t y co n c l u d e d t h a t p o s i t ive i m m i g ra t i o n a n d i nve s t m e n t p o l i c i e s a re c r u c i a l i f U K u n ive r s i t i e s a re t o co n t i n u e t o t h r ive o n t h e wo rl d s t a ge .

A s i a’s re p re s e n t a t i o n i n t h e wo rl d ra n k i n g s h a s b e e n g row i n g s t e a d i ly. Ts i n g h u a U n ive r s i t y i n C h i n a , t h e t o p A s i a n u n ive r s i t y, h a s ove r t a ke n t h e L o n d o n S c h o o l o f E c o n o m i c s fo r 2 5 t h p l a c e .

The United States claimed the most positions o n t h e t a b l e , w i t h S t a n fo rd U n ive r s i t y l i s t e d a s t h e m o s t p re s t i g i o u s A m e r i c a n i n s t i t u t i o n a n d t h i rd b e s t g l o b a l ly.

Times Higher Education assesses teaching, re s e a rc h , a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l o u t l o o k .

T h e T i m e s a n d T h e S u n d ay T i m e s 2 0 1 9 G o o d U n ive r s i t y G u i d e wa s a l s o re l e a s e d re ce n t ly. I t ra n ke d t h e U n ive r s i t y o f M a n c h e s t e r 1 9 t h b e s t i n t h e U K a n d 2 n d b e s t i n t h e No r t h We s t o f E n g l a n d .

Photo: Bradshaw79 @Wikimedia Commons

UoM academic appeals for greater BAME representation in Northern Powerhouse

Geography lecturer Dr Sarah Hall made the appeal at the Labour Party conference last week Georgia Wiltshire News Reporter Dr Sarah Hall has called for increased representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women within the Northern Powerhouse at last week’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

As a lecturer in Human Geography at The University of Manchester, Dr Hall participated in discussions throughout the party conference. Receiving interest from MPs, civil servants and policy-makers regarding the issues of representation of minority groups in northern politics and devolution discussions.

Holding conversations with notable Labour figureheads such as Yvette Cooper, the Chair of Home Affairs Select Committee. Dr Hall brought forward her work with the women’s budget group involving BAME women and the impact of austerity.

In alliance with Policy@Manchester, Dr Hall also shared her research with shadow cabinet ministers and attended sessions on both inclusive growth and social care.

When asked by The Mancunion how effective she felt these discussions were to the fight for increased representation of BAME women and the underprivileged, Dr Hall said:

“Whenever raised, issues around gender, race, disability, age and (at times) class were readily discussed and pondered, although I found that I was having to provoke a conversation about these topics rather than it being at the heart of debate.

“We also have to question whether this type of platform - of placing older, professional, often white, often male decision-makers on a stage - is really a space for dialogue or just polite performance.

The proof will be in the pudding.”

As well as discussions on representation, Dr Hall evaluated her research on the engagement of young people and its importance to the processes

of devolution as a means of achieving social change.

Speaking to other MPs, Dr Hall invited agreement from Joe McMahon and Lisa Nandy, who both recognised the need for greater representation of the underprivileged and the importance of promoting devolution at a community level.

Dr Hall was recently awarded the Making a Difference Award 2018 for ‘Outstanding Benefit to Society through Research’, alongside receiving the Jo Cox Prize for Public Service and Active Citizenship in 2017.

NUS study reveals a changing student drinking culture New figures from the NUS show rising numbers of students choosing not to drink at university Mia Gair Sub-editor A re ce n t s u r ve y by t h e Na t i o n a l U n i o n o f S t u d e n t s ( N U S ) h a s re ve a l e d t h e e x t e n t t o wh i c h s t u d e n t s a re drinking in 2018.

T h e s t u dy s h owe d t h a t a ro u n d 2 0 % d r i n k i n o rd e r t o ge t d r u n k a b o u t o n c e a we e k , w i t h a f u r t h e r 2 1 % s ay i n g t h e y h ave e i t h e r s t o p p e d , o r n e ve r s t a r t e d drinking.

Wi t h f re s h e r s ’ we e k c u l t u re b e i n g c r i t i c i s e d by s o m e fo r p ro m o t i n g a certain ‘type’ of student, it is u n s u r p r i s i n g t h a t t h e s t u dy re ve a l e d 76 % t o s ay t h e y fe l t t h e re i s a n e x p e c t a t i o n fo r s t u d e n t s t o ge t d r u n k .

7 9 % a g re e d t h a t ge t t i n g d r u n k i s p a r t o f u n ive r s i t y c u l t u re .

This expectation poses the idea that

m a ny s t u d e n t s o n ly d r i n k i n o rd e r t o f i t i n a n d fe e l p a r t o f a c u l t u re a t u n ive r s i t y, ra t h e r t h a n d o i n g i t b e c a u s e t h e y wa n t t o. Ye t , t h e N U S h i g h l i g h t t h e s u cce s s o f c a m p a i g n s t o d e c re a s e d r i n k i n g c u l t u re o n c a m p u s e s i n re ce n t ye a r s .

The Union has attributed this d e c re a s e p a r t ly t o s t u d e n t s a cc r u i n g ‘s o m u c h d e b t ’ – re fe r r i n g t o t h e m e a n s t e s t e d l o a n t h a t s t u d e n t s re p ay wh e n t h e y g ra d u a t e . T h e N U S Vi ce P re s i d e n t ( We l fa re ) E va C ro s s a n Jo r y s a i d t h a t “ t h e c o s t o f l iv i n g c r i s i s f a c i n g s t u d e n t s n ow a l s o m e a n s a f t e r b i l l s a n d fo o d i t m ay n o t b e p o s s i b l e fo r s t u d e n t s t o spend on others things such as nights out or drinks.”

T h e s t u dy wa s p u b l i s h e d i n l i n e w i t h a w i d e r s u r ve y l o o k i n g i n t o yo u n g p e o p l e ’s d r i n k i n g m o re ge n e ra l ly. I t re ve a l e d t h a t yo u n g p e o p l e a re n ow

t h e m o s t l i ke ly a ge g ro u p t o n o t d r i n k a t a l l ; w i t h 2 7 % o f 1 6 -2 4 ye a r s b e i n g t e e t o t a l l e r s co m p a re d t o 2 1 % o f t h e wider adult population.

T h i s a l s o co m p a re s f avo u ra b ly t o p re v i o u s ye a r s . T h e p e rc e n t a ge o f yo u n g p e o p l e n o t d r i n k i n g a t a l l h a s i n c re a s e d 8 % i n t h e l a s t ye a r, wh i l e t h e f i g u re fe l l b y 5 % fo r t h o s e a ge d 6 5 a n d ove r.

H owe ve r, t h e f i g u re s re ve a l e d t h a t yo u n g p e o p l e wh o d o d r i n k , a re m o re l i ke ly t o b i n ge d r i n k , ra t h e r t h a n d r i n k l i t t l e a n d o f t e n l i ke o l d e r ge n e ra t i o n s .

T h e s t a t i s t i c s f ro m t h e O f f i c e o f Na t i o n a l S t a t i s t i c s a l s o re ve a l e d t h a t i n t h e l a s t t wo ye a r s , a h i g h e r p e rc e n t a ge o f wo m e n a ge d 1 6 -2 4 h ave e xc e e d e d their re co m m e n d e d d a i ly i n t a ke o n t h e i r h e av i e s t d r i n k i n g d ay ( 14 % co m p a re d t o 1 3 % o f m e n ) . T h e c h a n ge ove r t h e l a s t t we lve ye a r s h a s a l s o b e e n

l e s s d ra m a t i c fo r wo m e n t h a n fo r m e n , d e c re a s i n g b y 4 % a n d 9 % re s p e c t ive ly.

When re g i o n s we re c o m p a re d , t h e N o r t h We s t wa s b e a t e n o n ly b y Yo rk s h i re a n d T h e H u m b e r a s h av i n g t h e h i g h e s t p e rc e n t a ge o f d r i n ke r s wh o e xc e e d t h e i r d a i ly re c o m m e n d e d l i m i t s . T h e re g i o n i n c l u d e s s o m e o f t h e U K ’s b i g ge s t U n ive r s i t i e s ( fo r e x a m p l e t h e U n ive r s i t i e s o f M a n c h e s t e r a n d L ive r p o o l ) , wh i c h m ay c o n t r i b u t e t o 1 0 % o f i t s a d u l t p o p u l a t i o n e xc e e d i n g 1 2 u n i t s fo r m e n , a n d 9 u n i t s fo r wo m e n , a t l e a s t o n c e a we e k .

T h e N o r t h We s t re g i o n a l s o h a s a h i g h e r t h a n ave ra ge p e rc e n t a ge o f adults not drinking at all (sitting at 20%).

T h i s s u g ge s t s t h a t a c ro s s t h e c o u n t r y, drinking is becoming a polarised habit, w i t h p e o p l e e i t h e r c h o o s i n g t o re g u l a rly b i n ge d r i n k , o r avo i d a l c o h o l a t a l l c o s t s .

News

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

5

Photo: Ardfern @ Wikimedia Commons

Greater Manchester celebrates Black History Month 2018

Photo: Bradshaw79 @ Wikipedia Commons

October marks Black History Month in the UK, an annual celebration of the history and culture of black people in the UK and of the contribution that they have made Josh Sandiford News reporter October marks Black History Month in the UK, an annual celebration of the history and culture of black people in the UK and of the contribution that they have made.

Black History Month events are taking place across Greater Manchester featuring theatre, film and poetry. A launch event for Black History Month Greater Manchester was held at Manchester Cathedral last week.

The University of Manchester is a partner of Black History Month Greater Manchester 2018.

Some of the key events taking place in Greater Manchester this month include: Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible - 12th October Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené will be at Manchester Central Library, hosted

by Gemma Cairney to “empower and inspire” during the Manchester Literature Festival.

Black Writers Conference - 13th October.

Hosted by Cultureworld, the 9th national Black Writers Conference will be held in multiple venues across Manchester on the 13th of October for writers of colour in a conference covering “digital literature, Afrofuturism, mental health, crime, developing

audiences, self-publishing and the Black Cultural Economy.”

Generation Revolution - 22nd October .

Generation Revolution is a documentary that tells the story of BAME activists attempting to change the “social and political landscape in the capital and beyond.” There will be a screening in Manchester Central Library and tickets can be found on Eventbrite for free.

Ghana and its Contemporary Global Relations with Professor Adams Bodomo 25th October Professor Adams Bodomo, a professor of African Studies at the University of Vienna, will be discussing “Ghana’s contemporary

position in global politics and international relations” in a public lecture at Manchester Central Libary.

Women in the Law UK Celebrate Black History month - 30th October.

In Manchester St James’ Building Black professionals will be celebrating Black History Month and asking questions about the obstacles faced by women, confidence and overcoming failure.

There are many more events going on in Greater Manchester this October to celebrate Black History Month, you can find a full calendar of events on the Black History Month Greater Manchester website.

Nearly half of students in the UK rate their stress level to be at 8/10 New research sees half of UK students scoring their stress as an 8/10 or higher, with Manchester coming in as the 29th most affordable city to study in Maurits Bekkers News Reporter Studies show that more and more students are experiencing university-related stress, either to do with their degree or the managing of their finances.

Annually, NatWest’s Student Living Index examines which university cities are most affordable to live in and what students are spending most of their money on. They conducted research in June on 3,419 University students living in the UK’s 35 most popular Universities. Remarkably, Manchester earned 29th most affordable city to live in, followed by Cambridge at 30th and London in 34th.

The research shows that 43% of students in the UK rated the stress they had with their degree to be an 8/10 or higher (with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest amount of stress). Surprisingly, although 15% of Cambridge students and 13.7% of Oxford students rated their degree-related stress to be at 10/10, neither had a percentage of students who were stressed as high as that of Stirling.

Nearly one fifth (18.4% and 19%

UP TO YOU.

respectively) of Stirling students rated their degree-related stress to be at 10/10 and their money-related stress to be at 8/10, making Stirling have the most money-related stressed students. At the same time, 39.5% of Stirling students who were most stressed felt virtually unsupported by their University.

Dr. Michael Smith, a psychology professor of Northumbria University, commented on these results: “The student lifestyle also means that university students also tend to have a poorer diet and maintain poorer sleep patterns. Then, of course, there is the stress associated with meeting deadlines and keeping up with university work, while at the same time maintaining a social life and possibly working to help manage a tight budget.”

At the same time, the study also showed that those who spend more time socialising tend to enjoy spending time on their degree more than those who don’t.

If you are struggling with stress, reach out to the University of Manchester’s Counselling Service or the Students’ Union Advice Service for free, impartial help with your university life. You can find out more on their websites.

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Photo: Stocksnap @Pixabay

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6 News

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Two men found dead at Manchester’s Britannia Hotel The deaths have been now been linked by police who are appealing for anyone with information to come forward — as the incident remains unsolved Inga Piotrowska News Reporter A murder investigation has been launched after two men were found dead at the Britannia Hotel in Manchester city centre.

The men have been named as Hayden Fitzpatrick, 21, and Thomas Noakes, 29.

Fitzpatrick was killed after apparently falling five stories from a communal hallway at the hotel in Portland Street on September 26.

Police later discovered Noakes in a firstfloor room which was booked earlier that morning. A post-mortem has been carried out, but further tests are needed for conclusive results, which could take weeks.

Detectives have connected the deaths of the two individuals, but are not treating Fitzpatrick’s death as suspicious nor looking for anyone else in association with the incident.

The two men are thought to have known each other from their jobs at an insurance

firm, according to Manchester Evening News .

Thomas Noakes was described by his family as a ‘’much-loved son, brother, brotherin-law, uncle, cousin and friend.’’ ‘’It is with great difficulty that his friends and family have to say goodbye to someone who touched so many lives, and was loved by everyone he met. He will be missed so much but never forgotten for the fun, loving and caring person that he was.’’

Detective Inspector Andy Butterworth of Greater Manchester Police said: “This

is a complex incident that has sadly led to the death of two men. My thoughts and sympathies are with the friends and family of the men.” ‘’Although the investigation remains in its early stages and we are keeping an open mind into the full circumstances, we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this incident. I would appeal to anyone who might have seen something, or those with information that might help this investigation, to please get in touch with police.’’

University of Manchester attends Conservative Party Conference

University of Manchester academics attended the Conservative Party Conference to discuss a variety of topics including panels on immigration, devolution in a post-Brexit Britain, and the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, focusing on the challenge posed by artificial intelligence to the changing nature of work Hannah Vallance News Reporter Academics from The University of Manchester’s public policy research network, Policy@Manchester, have attended this year’s Conservative Party Conference.

The four day forum, which took place at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, included a number of fringe events and speeches that outlined the party’s ideas, plans and policies for the forthcoming year.

The Policy@Manchester initiative is designed to connect academics with those working on the construction of public policy, aiming to both ‘support and smooth’ the process of knowledge exchange, and act as a platform to ‘find and share ideas’ on the big issues facing the world today.

This year, these issues covered a wide range of topics, including panels on immigration, devolution in a post-Brexit Britain, and the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, focusing on the challenge posed by artificial intelligence to the changing nature of work.

Speakers from the CBI, Centre for Cities,

Social Market Foundation and Train Union Congress accompanied the university academics in delivering these talks.

Speaking to The Mancunion, a spokesperson from The University of Manchester said: “Policy@Manchester has had a presence at the Labour and Conservative party Conferences this year, as in previous years.

“This engagement is part of the University’s commitment to enduring wider public access to our world-leading research, and improving society through dissemination of evidence-based policy inputs – in line with our Social Responsibility goals.”

Unsurprisingly, amid deep divisions in the party, Brexit dominated discussion at this years event.

This is following controversy regarding Theresa May’s Chequers plan, in which she insisted future relations with the EU were not dead on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show last Sunday.

This is despite the ex-Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, labelling the plan “deranged” in his latest attack on May’s Brexit proposals.

Photo: Conservatives @ Flickr

Andy Answers: Question Time with the Mayor Labour mayor Andy Burnham was put under the spotlight by members of the public in a Q & A style event Laura Finn News Reporter Last Thursday, Andy Burnham attended a ‘Question Time’ style event hosted by the Editor-in-Chief of Manchester Evening News, Darren Thwaites, and attended by a ‘passionate’ audience in Oldham Library.

The topics covered ranged from the youth and homelessness, to transport in Greater Manchester. Other notable attendees were Baroness Beverley Hughes, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, and Bob Morris, Chief Operating Officer of Transport for Greater Manchester.

One of the first questions from the audience

raised the issue of Greater Manchester’s future generations. Burnham replied using a recent survey that revealed 40% of year 10 students in Oldham and Rochdale had ‘no hope’ for the future. This statistic is one that the mayor said “bothered” him. He sought to highlight initiatives like the introduction of free bus passes for 16-18 year olds.

He also encouraged the creation of a UCAS-style system for apprenticeships. These procedures reflected his concern that the education system favoured applications to university over other paths. This preference within the education system could also mean that many young people are “left behind”.

Another topic that was brought up was

the problem of rough sleeping. Homelessness has become somewhat of an epidemic in Manchester. The city has some of the highest levels of rough sleeping in the UK (data from Homeless Link). Burnham had previously pledged to eradicate homelessness by 2020 in his mayoral manifesto. However, he admitted that achieving this would be difficult. Despite this, he explained the success of ‘#abedeverynight’ campaign that was implemented to tackle the issue and raise awareness. The campaigns funding recently received a boost by Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany who promised to donate all profits from his testimonial match to the campaign.

The issue of transport was also prominent at the event. Audience members expressed their frustration at the transport systems in Greater Manchester, including commuting journeys. This involved companies such as Transpennine Express and the systems in the heart of Manchester - the bus and Metrolink services. Burnham shared this feeling, and argued that although devolution had given him far more power on the matter, it was still not enough. He would need more control to improve the system through initiatives such as the integration of the transport systems, or an oyster card-like system - much to his frustration.

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Investigations 7

Langdale Hall expansions opposed by local community

Photo: KGGucwa @Wikimediacommons

A proposal to build six ‘townhouses’ with 36 bedrooms for students in Victoria Park has been turned down by Manchester City Council after opposition from nearby residents, writes Felix Hanif-Banks Felix Hanif-Banks Investigations Editor A proposal to build six ‘townhouses’ with 36 bedrooms for students in Victoria Park has been turned down by Manchester City Council after opposition from nearby residents.

Originally proposed in July 2017, Njoy Accommodation Management wanted to expand Langdale Hall, a listing building in Upper Park Road, by taking the space currently occupied by tennis courts and greenery.

Following an on-site visit, the Planning and Highways Committee said the development would be “harmful to spacious character and landscaped setting of the site”.

Minutes from a planning meeting said: “The committee carefully considered all of the representations that had been made, but concluded that the negative impact of this development on the character of the conservation area and the setting of Langdale Hall would be so great that any benefits of the scheme would be outweighed by the detriment to the conservation area.”

There were 55 letters of complaint to the council, with many saying

that further building work would be damaging to “the character of the existing conservation area” while also “having a detrimental effect on the setting of a listed building and the privacy of the nearby family homes”.

Residents cited a wide array of criticisms of multiple aspects of the build, many centred around the Victoria Park conservation area.

Despite Njoy’s apparent “full consideration” of the area, locals claimed the build would contribute to further noise pollution, adding to the already busy area containing Xaverian College and a number of other student halls.

One complainant described such a new build within the grounds of a listed building as “outrageous”, stating “the building does not engage with the landscape in a positive way”.

An agent of Njoy Accommodation justified the new proposals, saying the housing would be aimed at “older students who wanted a quiet setting”, while the heritage and location of the site had been “fully considered.”

Despite widespread opposition, Njoy was granted permission in March to build a further studio flat and one-bedroom flat, but being basement rooms these were much less controversial or disruptive.

8 Science & Tech

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Zero greenhouse gases by 2050?

An ambitious report by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society states that the UK could become carbon-neutral by 2050 Gaby Richter Contributor A recent report by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society claims that greenhouse gas removal (GGR) could offset the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net-zero’ by 2050.

The report also claims that the Paris Agreement goal to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5°C on pre-industrial times by 2100 is achievable through GGR. The targets are indeed ambitious. GGR would be required to offset 130 megatonnes of CO2 emissions from the UK by 2050, and 810 gigatonnes of emissions globally by 2100 (equivalent to 15 times the 2017 emissions).

For this reason, the report recommends increasing the priority of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases given that GGR is not a replacement for reducing emissions. Currently, the UK would need to reduce its emissions by 3% per year, in order to meet the 2050 target.

While some GGR methods such as forestation and using low-carbon concrete are in use already, others require research and development before they can be deployed to remove emissions at this scale. Examples of these technologies include ‘biochar’, which involves incorporating partially-burnt biomass into soils to stabilise the organic matter, and direct air capture of CO2 from the atmosphere.

The report states that more advanced methods of GGR will be needed to replace the biological

solutions such as planting trees, as these will saturate by the end of the century.

However, the environmental impacts of many of these new technologies are still unknown.

The authors of the report warn that the potential sustainability issues will constrain their applicability, and a price of $100 per tonne of CO2 would be necessary to make the methods economically feasible.

Professor Adisa Azapagic, one of the authors of the report, is from The University of Manchester’s School of Chemical Engineering & Analytical Science. As Professor of Sustainable Chemical Engineering, she says, “This report presents an extremely ambitious plan, but if we act now it offers a very real opportunity for the UK to be carbon neutral by 2050.

“However, we must first ensure that there are no unintended consequences from the deployment of these new technologies as their impacts on the environment are not fully known yet.

“Therefore, the priority must be to continue to cut greenhouse gas emissions at a rapid rate, as well as employing other techniques if we are to achieve international carbon reduction goals and mitigate climate change.”

The increase of greenhouse gas emissions produced globally is changing the climate of the Earth. Although climate (the average weather condition) does vary naturally, greenhouse gas emissions are causing temperatures to rise which will have extreme effects on weather conditions. Changes to aspects of climate such

The NHS’s overworked doctors A new study reveals that overworked doctors are frequently suffering from burnout Liam Farrell Contributor A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looks at the negative impact of burn-out of Doctors.

The research found that increasing demand on healthcare professionals is having devastating effects on the patient care, satisfaction, and future careers of many healthcare professionals.

Receiving funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the team of academics and professionals found that doctor burn-out is bringing in a new wave of problems and pressures to an already struggling health service.

Burn-out is described as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by exposure to prolonged stress. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals are exposed to incredible amounts of work-place stress as part of their daily lives; making burn-out common in UK hospitals.

The dominant factor for developing burn-out is an overload of work. This includes recent demands on staff working in an already difficult environment, such as time-consuming tasks and a greater complexity of diagnostic methods.

According to the journal, PubMed Central, those who work within the healthcare sector are at a higher risk of suffering from problems such as depression, anxiety, sleep-disorders, with severe cases sometimes resulting in suicide. A survey of 817 experienced hospital doctors by the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA), found that a shocking 81% of them had considered retiring earlier than they had originally planned. Shockingly, they attest this directly to an increased level of workplace stress and a significant loss in job satisfaction.

This may have implications on a stretched NHS in the future. If the progression of younger doctors into more senior and specialised positions is severely restricted due to the need for experience, coupled with those holding senior

positions contemplating ending their career early, the NHS may suffer significant labour strain.

But there are also more immediate concerns for the NHS. The study reveals that burn-out can also lead to compassion fatigue, which is described as the loss of interest in caring for patients.

Professionals suffering from burn-out often experience other problems such as the loss of commitment to work and difficulty maintaining personal and professional relationships.

Suggesting that the NHS may see Doctors having their judgement jeopardised, and the overall healthcare quality compromised.

Current predictions posit that NHS funding will rise by just 0.9% a year between 2020-2021, with an increase in its yearly spending of around 4%.

This increase is due to a range of factors; including an ageing and growing population. This however creates an underfunded sector which creates a breading ground for burned-out Doctors.

These studies suggest that it’s essential for the NHS to find a means of curbing this growing problem of burn-out. The most obvious, of course, being the reason of safeguarding the well-being of healthcare professionals. Having said this though, the UK has improved its health outcomes since its establishment in 1948, and still performs well in global rankings on measures such as efficiency, equity, and access. Yet, problems still remain in the quality of its healthcare.

Photo: Alex Proimos @ Wikimediacommons

Photo: United Nations Photo @ Flickr

as rainfall and storms, as well as rising sea levels due to melting ice caps, all affect future food security, biodiversity, and water resources.

The 2008 Climate Change Act was the first legally-binding agreement on how to tackle climate change. It led to the development of the Committee on Climate Change, which annually assesses whether the UK is on track to meet its carbon budgets, and reports to Parliament.

The UK’s carbon budget limits the amount of greenhouse gas that the country is allowed to emit over specified times. In addition to these

restrictions, the UK is investing in low-carbon technologies and providing incentives for organisations to use energy more efficiently.

While changes are starting to be made to protect the environment, campaigners argue there’s still much more to be done. In the meantime, the UK will need to adapt to the effects of climate change. The Committee on Climate Change states that the nation will need to prepare for more flooding, greater pressure on water resources, damage to natural habitats, and risks to human health from heatwaves.

CERN physicist accused of “sexist” comments

Comment causes outrage at a presentation which addressing the topic of gender bias in physics Lily Wright Contributor One of CERN’s lead contributory theorists, Professor Alexander Strumia, has been suspended after causing widespread outrage over his remarks in a gender equality seminar.

In a workshop organised by CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research) on Friday 28th September, Strumia claimed that “physics was invented and built by men, it’s not by invitation”. It was during a presentation at the first conference for ‘High Energy Theory and Gender’, which was aimed at addressing and tackling gender biases in physics. Despite being led by its first female Director-General, Fabiola Gianotti, women continue to comprise only 20% of employees at the European Nuclear Research Centre.

During the workshop, Strumia claimed to be “presenting biblio-metric data about fundamental theory and gender”. Various sets of manipulated data sought to prove Strumia’s “Conservative Theory” of sexism in physics and STEM. The professor claimed that male scientists were suffering more from gender discrimination due to political ideology “coming from outside”.

To a predominantly female audience of physicists, Strumia also quoted gender inequalities in other sectors besides STEM, noting that labour in industries such as construction and fire-fighting were maledominated. He used this to oppose quotas, stating, “quotas in the best jobs only is not equality.” The theoretical physicist further states, “I don’t like it when there’s social engineering to decide how many men, women and categories there should be.”

He presented graphs which claimed to show how “the [percentage] of women in theory and STEM anti-correlated with the ‘gender equality index’.” He continued to challenge the ‘gender equality paradox’ arguing it only exists “if you believe the wrong theory.”

Strum went on to claim that men are “only

Photo: Rich Bowen @Flickr

over-represented in science because they are over-performing.” Strumia discussed a number of examples of sexism towards men, such as female STEM undergraduates paying lower university fees in Italy. He used this to exemplify that women have been “promoted into positions of power unfairly” and have been “allocated too much funding”, before complaining that anyone who spoke out against this disparity risked being attacked or jeopardising their career.

Critics of his speeches have described his comments as “upsetting” and “horrible”.

Professor Becky Parker, fellow of the Institute of Physics and Director of the Institute for Research in Schools, has worked in collaboration with CERN many times. Upon reports of Strumia’s talk, she said “the concept that somebody at CERN, which is led so brilliantly by a phenomenal woman, could say such things is unbelievable. Women make brilliant contributions to physics and my hope is that the outcry against this will spur women on further.”

The Italian professor has been suspended for behaving contrary to the CERN code of conduct. In a statement released by the organisation’s media spokesperson, CERN condemned the talk as “highly offensive” and reassured that it “supports the many members of the community that have expressed their indignation”.

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Do students have a rubbish attitude towards waste?

Features 9

Producing a lot of rubbish is an inevitable aspect of student life, but can we manage waste better through recycling and shopping more consideratly?

Becca Knight Contributor Pulling up outside our second year house for the first time, it was hard not to notice the skip just along from the front door, heaped full of rubbish bags, and surrounded by an overflow of cardboard and takeaway containers. As representations of the student waste issue go, it’s a pretty appropriate one. Recent studies have shown that those between the ages of 18-24 have a tendency to waste more than any other age groups, and this throwaway attitude can be seen in the streets of Fallowfield.

Earlier this year, Manchester hit the news following resident’s complaints of rubbish left in the streets after students moved out. Manchester Evening News even nicknamed the

Photo: The Mancunion

crisis in Fallowfield ‘binmageddon’ as streets became filled with rotting food and unwanted electrical items. Many blamed the landlords, labelling them as ‘irresponsible’ for not providing enough information on waste collection in the area. Some residents noted that instead of charging students with a cleanup bill, they were simply moving the rubbish from inside properties on to the streets. But is it fair to lay all the blame on landlords, when it is our mess in the first place?

The mountain of waste produced by young adults is clearly not just an issue when it comes to moving out. Walk along most streets in Fallowfield and you will be sure to spot signs of student life thrown out onto the pavement — cans, cardboard chicken boxes, and laughing gas canisters are all good examples.

There is clearly a problem, and as the skip in the street illustrates, it is not just how much we are throwing away, but also how we are throwing it away. The focus is on getting rid of rubbish as quickly, and with as minimal effort as possible.

It’s easy to assume that someone else will sort out what is fast becoming a key issue, but it is time to take responsibility ourselves.

In University halls, the presence of huge, clearly labelled bins makes recycling a lot easier. Once out of the gates of Owens Park, however, it is less clear what can be recycled, which bin it goes into, or even if there is a bin at all. The University and the SU provide information regarding recycling and waste on their websites but this is about rethinking our attitude to waste and our throwaway culture.

Looking back over the heat wave of the summer, it is easy to disconnect the memories of time spent in the sun in Platt Fields Park with the mountains of rubbish that were left lying around after everyone had gone home. The question is, how do we get people to accept responsibility for their own waste and clean up after themselves?

Food waste is one of the biggest issues among students, but it is also one of the easiest to reduce. So much of what we buy ultimately gets thrown in the bin. It doesn’t make sense to spend your student loan on food that doesn’t even get eaten, so it is about taking a more active interest in what we are buying, cooking, and wasting.

“Walk along most streets in Fallowfield and you will be sure to spot signs of student life thrown out onto the pavement” The Guardian reported that the average UK household wastes £470 worth of food a year — and it’s not just at home that food gets thrown out. ‘Humanity Giving Back’ is a scheme started in the university that attempts to reduce the amount of food going to waste by redistributing packaged food to those in need. This shows just how much of what we get rid of is still edible.

In response to how they attempt to reduce food waste, some students said that they use their senses to judge when food is still safe to eat, rather than always relying on the best before dates. Others recommended shopping for one or two days at a time rather than for the whole week. Admittedly, this is more time consuming, but it prevents buying food that will ultimately end up in the bin. The Students’ Union website also has tips for minimising how much food students throw away, and recipes for using up leftovers can be found easily online.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that being a student produces rubbish. There are going to be cans and bottles left over from nights out and pizza boxes from hungover Sunday afternoons. But it’s about making more of an effort to control what happens to this waste, rather than just moving it from the kitchen table to the bin, or throwing it in the street. The university is trying to increase the source separated recycling rate on campus, and even just using the correct bins for waste helps. Being a student doesn’t mean your rubbish isn’t your responsibility.

An interview with Qaisra Shahraz: founder of MACFEST Liv Clarke talks with author and activist Qaisra Shahraz about MACFEST, a new festival celebrating muslim arts and culture in Manchester Liv Clarke Features Editor This November a new event will be making its debut in Manchester; MACFEST is a ten day festival taking place across various locations within the city, including Whitworth Gallery and the Manchester Museum.

The aim of MACFEST is to celebrate Muslim arts and culture.

But with the additional goal of involving the non-Muslim community in order to break down cultural barriers and start positive discussion between different communities within the city.

The mastermind behind this event is author and University of Manchester alumnus Qaisra Shahraz. Her novels include ‘The Holy Woman’ and ‘Revolt’, but Qaisra’s influence extends outside the world of writing. In 2017 she was named the most influential woman in Manchester by lovinmanchester.com and in 2016 was the winner of the National Diversity ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award.

With a month to go until the start of the festival, I spoke with Qaisra about how the idea came about for MACFEST, and what she wants to achieve through it. She’s clearly thrilled about MACFEST, especially as it is something that has not been previously done in Manchester before, “It is the first if its kind,” she tells me, “why the first? Because it covers so many different areas of arts and culture, over different locations. It is not just for Muslims, it is for everyone.”

“ I am who I am because of England... I was allowed to flourish, as a woman and a migrant”

A key aspect of the festival is diversity. There will be over 50 events happening over the ten days, covering literature, art, music, food, comedy, film, performance and culture; led by people from various fields within the cultural sphere. Many of the people involved are from Manchester, and Qaisra hopes that students will get involved as well.

She said: “I want the message to get into schools and colleges, to get students celebrating MACFEST and promoting a positive image”. It was at university that Qaisra became heavily involved with writing, so it is important for her to engage students with the movement. Some of the events will be free of charge, with just a reservation required, so there is not excuse not to get involved.

There is a lot of tension in the current political climate with xenophobia and right-wing extremist parties playing a significant role in several countries right now. Making an event like MACFEST is essential in encouraging a positive message about multiculturalism.

“Spread honey, not hate”, is her motto, a rather fitting one here in Manchester, where a bee is used as a symbol of the city.

Manchester in particular is a significant location for MACFEST. “After the Ariana attack, why should they [the Muslim community] pay the price.” Qaisra declares, “I’m proud to be Muslim, I want to celebrate Muslims.” This festival will bring non-Muslims and Muslims together through the celebration of culture, as well as uniting groups within Islam.

The city itself is a great example of the benefits of multiculturalism. The famous Curry Mile for one thing, and Qaisra herself, who describes Manchester as “simply fab!”. She smiles when reflecting on what the city means to her, “[Manchester is] totally multicultural, well established, well integrated – a good example of diversity, it’s the best place. England is the best place for migrants. Britain is still the best.”

As a person of British-Pakistani dual nationality, she tells me that she could not have achieved what she has without the UK. “I am who I am because of England, because of the education, because of the services. I was allowed to flourish, as a

Photo: Photo: Tahirmalik099 @Wikimediacommons

woman and a migrant.”

MACFEST will cover not just arts and culture; but will also address more controversial topics within the Muslim community, such as the hijab. “I am fed up of the constant victimising of Muslim women. Get beyond the veil!”. Qaisra wants to explore what it means to be a Muslim woman, “what are the celebrations and challenges of being a Muslim woman?” she asks.

Qaisra is a female activist, and she does a lot of work against domestic violence and gender inequality worldwide, therefore incorporating these topics within the festival is important to her.

As well as MACFEST, events will happen throughout the year, in order to engage with more people. The festival will be connected with the international community as well, through podcasts and livestreams. This festival will certainly have an impact here in Manchester and in the wider community.

MACFEST will take place between the 17th and 25th of November. You can donate to MACFEST using via their fundraising page, and you can reserve tickets via Eventbrite.

10 Opinion

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

in the age of Kavanaugh, Hockenberry and Ghomeshi

Alexandra Walker argues that the #MeToo movement is in danger of normalising cases of sexual assault which could contribute towards the lack of protest in the Republican party against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation as Supreme Court Justice Alexandra Walker Contributor Earlier this year, Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to become a Justice on the US Supreme Court. As part of the confirmation process, Kavanaugh was recently invited by the independent Judiciary Committee to give testimony against the allegations of sexual assault raised about him by university professor, and former schoolmate, Christine Blasey Ford.

“I’m concerned that the #MeToo movement is becoming a replacement for proper legal proceedings in dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct” The allegations pertain to an incident in the early 1980s where Kavanaugh reportedly violently attacked Ford at a party. Both gave emotive testimonies and the session ended with the committee passing the nomination on to the full Senate vote. The Republican majority Senate is effectively being handed the nomination while the FBI has been granted a week to conduct further investigations. The outcome of this is not hard to predict.

Similarly, last week, Guardian writer Moira Donegan brought to light the thoughts of John Hockenberry and Jian Ghomeshi

in recent works they’ve had published about their lives after being accused of sexual misconduct. They both spoke about struggles they had faced after their behaviour had been revealed. Donegan rightly criticised both Harper and the New York Review of Books for publishing the pieces. She pointed out that this sort of support suggests they participated in “maintaining a system that rendered women disposable and granted impunity to men.”

But what do these two things have in common? Both events show a level of accountability for, and awareness of sexual misconduct. Before the 2017 #MeToo backlash against Harvey Weinstein, this level may not have been seen. However, both instances invite us to reflect on the #MeToo movement as it stands today.

The movement exists primarily on social media. While this does allow for huge amounts of support for those speaking out, it has also begun to normalise the stories of abusers themselves and giving as much of a voice to perpetrators as victims. It allows people like Hockenberry to humanise themselves and publicly paint themselves as victims, devaluing the crimes they commit.

I’m concerned that the #MeToo movement is becoming a replacement for proper legal proceedings in dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct. The ease of tweeting about a crime to shame individuals, now means there’s little incentive to go through legal channels. The sheer amount of abuse we

hear about isn’t necessarily having the desired effect. A recent YouGov poll showed that a majority of Republicans thought that Kavanaugh should be confirmed as a Justice, even if the allegations against him turned out to be true.

Arguably, the massive public discourse around sexual misconduct has dulled the crime of sexual assault to the point where it’s deemed commonplace. The movement’s point is partially to show the prevalence and recurrent nature of the issues faced. However, we can’t become overwhelmed or complacent due to the magnitude of the problem. Sexual misconduct is a crime as bad as any other, and this must not be forgotten.

The #MeToo movement has been a hugely positive force. However, we cannot let it be the only channel used in trying to influence change. We must encourage those speaking out to report the crimes committed against them to the authorities. We also need to hold our world leaders accountable for their behaviour and never let the truly guilty go unquestioned.

Photo: surdumihail @ Pixabay

The world has a food waste problem Reducing the amount of food wasted in the UK will tackle issues of food poverty and climate damage, argues Rosa Uijtewaal, however it requires a shift in cultural attitudes towards food, not just information provision Rosa Uijtewaal Contributor One of the most urgent issues facing authorities on a global and local level is food waste. Despite earlier international efforts to reduce food waste and eradicate world hunger, we still seem to be throwing an enormous amount of food away; up to 1.3 billion tonnes of food gets wasted each year, equating to around one-third of total global food production.

Alessandro Demaio, the CEO of NGO EAT, which advises the UN on the issue of world hunger, says this amount of waste is “enough to feed all of the world’s hungry four times over.” Troublingly, the more developed a country becomes, the more wasteful; in the UK alone, 8.4 million people have difficulties with buying their meal, while 1.9 million tonnes is wasted annually. This puts the UK in the same bracket as Germany and the Netherlands as one of the most wasteful European countries.

Another major argument to reduce food waste is an envi-

UP TO YOU.

ronmental one. The greenhouse gases that arise from food produced and not eaten are so massive that they would compete with polluting giants like China and the US. That’s not even to mention the other general issues about storing the growing mountains of waste.

Although efforts have been made by the UK Government since 2007 to reduce food waste and supermarkets like Tesco are donating their leftover food to charity, the fact remains that consumers themselves are responsible for most of the food waste in the UK. Not all food waste is avoidable, but far too much is. Reducing food waste or even recycling it requires a comprehensive cultural attitude change. That starts in the home and in families where the social rituals around food come from. We must create collective habits of cooking meals, freezing them and thus reducing overall waste by not letting food go bad.

Single parent households and young people from lower socio-economic groups tend to discard the most. Conversely, cultures of freezing and storing leftovers or doing more

PART TIME OFFICERS

home cooking are often found in middle-class households — it is an attitude shift, not just information that will change how we deal with food waste.

The difficulty in addressing the food waste problem lies in the nonchalance we have developed with regards to food.

Cheap food is everywhere and it is hardly necessary to cook anymore. We buy impulsively, forget about the food that is laying around in our kitchen, and go to fast food restaurants instead, purely because we feel like it. We are used to not having to give food much thought.

Food recycling needs to be convenient too for it to work; that’s where the Government comes in. It is essential for recycling to succeed to make it as attractive as possible. Let’s create an environment of recycling; explore options of local compost making, advertise to buy the not so pretty looking fruit and vegetables, and make donating/recycling as easy as buying. For recycling to work in every part of society and to start a cultural change we need a little financial incentive for citizens that donate their food or recycle their waste.

STAND UNTIL: 5PM ON 12TH OCT VOTE: 19TH-25THOCTOBER MANCHESTER STUDENTS UNION.COM/ELECTIONS

Opinion 11

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Shoe throwing and tantrums may be unprofessional, but I’m not sure I care Lola Byam Shaw argues that the criticism Cardi B faced after throwing a shoe at a fashion party reveals the sexism behind the pressure on women to be easygoing Lola Byam Shaw Contributor

Photo:Tow @ Wikimedia Commons

Two recent celebrity incidents have gained significant scrutiny in the media. These were the highly charged outbursts of Cardi B and the less violent dispute involving Serena Williams. Cardi B’s shoe throwing at Nicki Minaj at a Harper’s Bazaar party during New York Fashion Week received several complaints. Her behaviour was condemned for setting a bad example for her younger fans, but I can’t help thinking that maybe the parents of these fans should consider an alternative icon for their children. Unsurprisingly, this indignation reared its head in her Instagram comments – a particularly pathologizing remark called her “crazy”. The most striking one however, said she was “uneducated so don’t let no kids make her there idle”. The sensational irony in the spelling of the last word needless to say is lifted straight from this person’s comment.

In all the negative comments the same vocabulary crops up again and again, words and phrases like “crazy”, “no chill”, and “zero chill”. The informal and formal reaction to Serena William’s ‘tantrum’ (as it was described by the press) received a similar response. The words ‘hysterical’, ‘ridiculous’, and ‘crazy’ were used to describe her. I’m secretly quite pleased that she threw that shoe even though many thought that Serena’s behaviour was unprofessional, and Cardi B’s was completely unacceptable.

The word ‘chill’ used as an adjective is probably my least favourite among all 21st century terms. Vogue journalist Martine Thompson’s article, ‘How I Learned to Stop being a Chill Girl and Start

Being Authentic’ expressing her distaste for it as well.

I recognise her anguish at the charade lots of women have felt they must present to the world. In work, relationships, and friendships we often aspire to possess a breezy, laissez-faire disposition. This is manifested in being ‘completely chilled’ with a non-exclusive relationship or being ‘so chilled’ with a friend’s disloyalty because you ‘don’t like confrontation’. It even exists in the beauty industry, with everyone chasing that ‘Glossier Girl no-make-up make up look’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to hurl my Air Force 1 at the first person that crosses me. However, maybe something can be taken from Cardi B’s refusal to filter a single ounce of her anger and frustration. Obviously, jealousy and anger are not something anyone wants to flaunt, man or woman. Personally I feel I might have grown out of continuously hiding those emotions in order to seem cool and collected.

In her lyrics Cardi is also desensitising people and making them privy to the reality of female jealousy, anger and resentment. Her album Invasion of Privacy was a palpable and frenzied response by a woman to her disloyal boyfriend. Cardi is emotive, laying all her cards on the table and she doesn’t hide how hurt or incensed she is. Of course, it’s not just women who suffer from the creation of these tropes by society; the many male mental health awareness campaigns which have appeared recently have shed light on the notoriously damaging ‘boys-don’t-cry’ image which is just as problematic as that of the ‘chill girl’.

Nonetheless, it’s time for the ‘chill girl’ to politely resign and walk away - she’s so chilled I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.

Put your jazz-hands in the air

Photo: Evan-Amos @ Wikimedia Commons

Sophie Marriott and Cachella Smith argue the implications of the SU’s motion to encourage jazz-hands over clapping is “short-sighted” and instead Senate should seek to “create an atmosphere where people feel safe and comfortable enough to raise such an issue and ask for a quieter environment” Sophie Marriott and Cachella Smith Head and Deputy Opinion Editors The University of Manchester Students’ Union (SU) has been doing jazz-hands at the centre of the media stage this week. What can we say – like all good soloists they have well and truly captured the spotlight. This unprecedented attention has come following a Senate vote in September which resolved clapping could be distressing for those suffering from anxiety or sensory issues, leading to the jazz-hands motion.

The motion explains that quieter forms of expression, namely British Sign Language (BSL) clapping, would be a more appropriate and sensitive alternative. The intention is undoubtedly positive, but if the goal was inclusivity then sadly they fell a long way short. They seem instead to be edging closer to the murky waters of condescension.

Although perhaps not condemning the whole country to lunacy, as the ever-concerned Piers Morgan felt moved to do, the Senate’s decision does raise questions about this goal of ‘inclusivity’.

On paper it is making daily life more amenable to as many people as possible – something we should of course all strive towards. Follow-

ing this train of thought however, we could start to question what provision has been made for those who are visually impaired.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the ethos which strives to make SU democratic events open to as many people as possible.

This however is not going to be achieved through such showy, but ultimately empty, actions. The SU have claimed that they have had a positive response from a number of deaf and autistic students. Yet for how many of these is it the sentiment which is important rather than the actual clapping?

Perhaps some blame for this short sighted policy therefore rests upon a lack of direction for the Senate. It is clear that the majority of students at the University do not necessarily support this policy, or its wording. If attendance at the actual voting had been greater and more representative of the student body it is unlikely that everyone would have jazz handed its implementation. This really strikes at the heart of the issue with striving for inclusivity; it only works if the decision-making process is entirely representative itself, and for whatever reasons, the SU senate is not.

If the SU were to genuinely dedicate themselves to becoming a safe space for those who suffer from anxiety, perhaps access to counselling and mental health services could be made easier.

Encouraging “silent clapping” smacks (only figuratively of course) of a hollow spectacle made to win brownie points. That said, it is important to mention that for the moment, the exact wording of the policy states that the idea is “encouraged” and not actually fully enforced.This particular movement is currently intended for politically motivated events or decision-making conferences. If we are to encourage jazz hands at some SU events then surely it should be at all of them?

Such a scenario is clearly unrealistic. As crude as it may be to admit, to gaze upon an audience of enthused fully-grown adults, or indeed excited concert-goers, all doing jazz hands in complete silence would just be silly. When an incentive like this is exclusive to a single institution and subject to specific conditions, it comes across as blatantly peculiar and potentially even mocking. Although the sentiment should be praised, the idea is clunky and patronising.

Would it not be a better approach to create an atmosphere where people feel safe and comfortable enough to raise such an issue and ask for a quieter environment? This would make for a more sensitive method of mitigating the concerns raised, whilst simultaneously not enforcing it upon people and teetering towards the realm of mockery.

12 Societies

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

My time with the Swing Dance society Juliette Flach explores the Swing Dance society, a society that specialises in workshops based on the dance styles of the 20s, 30s and 40s.

Pictures: OpenClipartVectors, ClkerFreeVectorimages

Juliette Flach Contributor As you walk into the freshers fair on the first day you’re overwhelmed by the sight of so many societies stalls and the smell of free pizza. You may to have make a beeline for a set stall, or like me you might want to try something new.

When I began university, I left the freshers fair with a bag fall of crumpled up pieces of paper about anything from women’s rugby to model UN. When I got back to halls, I started looking through the pile in an attempt to decide how I wanted to fill my first week at university.

Photo: Swing Dance society

Based on this decision, I turned up on my own, with a water bottle in my hand and trainers on my feet, ready to dive straight into my first ever swing dance workshop. And two years on, I’m still delighted that, for some reason, I gave the Swing Dance Society a try. It’s wonderful now to see fresh faced freshers coming to the first session of this academic year, with no prior swing dancing skills and knowing that, by the end of the year, they could be leading you onto the dance floor at the Royal Albert Hall ready to Lindy Hop and Charleston to live big bands.

‘But what is Swing Dancing?’ I hear you ask…

Swing dancing is an umbrella term for several different dance styles. It dates back to the 20s, 30s, and

Photo: Manchester RAG Picture: Clker-Free-Vector-Images

40s, however it has also been influenced by the period of ‘rediscovery’ which brought the dance styles back and has spread them across the world. Now you can find a range of interpretations, from Swing Dancers re-enacting a 20s style evening to a group swing dancing to electrofunk music in the middle of a club!

The University of Manchester Swing Dance society sessions consist of workshops teaching people basic steps and combination of moves from a number of these styles. Followed by social dancing to put what you’ve learnt into practise. But unlike other societies, your week doesn’t have to end there!

Manchester is lucky enough to have a vibrant Swing Dancing community, meaning every night of the week there are swing dance lessons and socials going on in bars, clubs, cafes, halls, and dance studios.

As a result of the diverse and widespread nature of the Swing Dance community, not only will you have saved yourself a gym membership, you will also access a whole network of wonderful people.

The physical, social, emotional, (optional) intellectual support leaves members winning all round! You can tell, I’m sold. But don’t just take my word for it.

I met up with a fellow swing dancer to sit and chat about our experiences, and here’s what he had to say.

“You’re learning a skill which is going to benefit you so much in life, socially, musically and dance-wise.

Even if you decide to try a different kind of dance later, that foundation is going to be really useful to you.

“We have awesome socials, an awesome community, awesome music and DJs, we get awesome food and discounts at Revs, the list goes on! No matter what you want out of it, you will find it. Even if you’re not with the society, you will find that with swing, you will probably find a lot of things that you didn’t realise you were looking for or needed.”

Fancy giving it a go? Check out the Facebook group for times, and come along!

Get involved: Manchester RAG

Manchester Entrepreneurs kick off a new year Chloe Hatton writes on the Manchester Entrepreneurs, which teaches budding young business people the tips and tricks to starting a new venture.

Chloe Hatton Societies Editor Manchester Entrepreneurs held their launch event on Wednesday, 26th of September, it was the perfect opportunity for all budding The Apprentice candidates to find out more about how they can start their own venture.

The evening featured talks from the likes of Henry Ludlam, focusing on how to start a business at university, and interactive workshops for students to participate in. Alongside various stalls featuring representatives from partners and start-ups, attendees were also given the opportunity to network with other students and with industry professionals.

With the event reaching its full capacity of 200 people, attendees certainly found the event useful, with one student saying ‘[Henry Ludlam] made me think about a power within me’.

As well as this, they also ran three workshops all about generating unconventional ideas, delivered by Daksh Jindal from Rolls-Royce, Kiran and Myrto from AccelerateMe and the Manchester Entrepreneur team themselves.

Manchester Entrepreneurs was set up in 2008, aiming to connect future entrepreneurs with industry professionals, focussing on a two-way relationship between students and businesses. They have won awards such as Student Educator of the Year 2010, and run various programmes throughout the year such as AccelerateME and WhatNext, designed to progress the future and current careers of students.

Joe Wear, President, said “Manchester Entrepreneurs is the place to be if you’re looking to meet interesting people, share ideas and be inspired to do something amazing at university”.

Photo: Manchester Entrepreneurs

Next up, Manchester Entrepreneurs are taking part in Wakelet’s Start Up Stories. This features a panel consisting of Kiran Arokiasamy from AccelerateME, as well as Jonah Enyi Ogbuneke, the founder of Love for the Streets, and Jamil Khalil, the founder and CEO of Wakelet.

The evening will take place in the Theatre Room of the SU, starting at 6pm on Wednesday, 10th of October, and will provide students with the opportunity to listen to and network with some of Manchester’s most experienced entrepreneurs. If you’d like to get involved, tickets can be booked on Facebook.

Chloe Hatton Societies Editor

Chloe Hatton looks at RAG, the fundraising aspect of the Student’s Union

If you’re interested in getting involved with raising money for good causes during your time at university but don’t know where to start, look no further than Manchester RAG. RAG are the fundraising side of the Student’s Union, and they raise money for charities across the UK and internationally. This is done through a range of on-campus events, as well as international challenges. This year, there are four international trips that you can take part in, and the best part is that it’s all for charity!

The ‘Amazon Adventure for Meningitis Now’ will see you spend ten days in the Amazon Rainforest, experiencing the wildlife, and learning survival skills such as spearfishing, whilst raising money for Meningitis Now — the only charity dedicated to fighting meningitis in the UK.

Alternatively, you could take an eleven-day trip, including a visit to Kathmandu and trekking up to Base Camp on Mount Everest as part of the ‘Everest Base Camp trek for Action Against Hunger’. This challenge will raise money for Action Against Hunger, a charity leading the global fight against hunger, saving the lives of children and working with their communities before and after disaster strikes.

If cycling is more your thing, the ‘London to Paris Cycle for Breast Cancer Now’ is a five day trip from London to Paris, culminating in a night in the French capital! Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer research charity, dedicated to funding vital cancer research.

For the mountaineers, the ‘Three Peaks Trek for The Children’s Society’, will have you climb Britain’s three highest peaks (Scafell Pike,

Snowdon, and Ben Nevis) back to back. The Children’s Society is a national charity that works with the country’s most vulnerable children and young people.

If you’re looking for something a little closer to home, why not take part in ‘Jailbreak’ later on in the year?

The challenge involves seeing how far your team can get in thirty hours, but here’s the catch — you have to do it without spending any money.

If you’re interested in taking on a Challenge, or want to become a Challenge leader with RAG this year, search ‘Manchester RAG’ on Facebook and join the upcoming information sessions for the Challenges of your choice!

If you’ve got any questions please message Manchester RAG on Facebook or email info@manchesterrag.com.

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Join the Students’ Union, the University, and student societies in celebrating Black History Month this year! We’ve got everything from educational talks to art shows, a dinner, a club night, and more. All year long, but this month especially, we want everyone to celebrate Black culture and achievements, and to get educated about Black history. We will also offer safe spaces for students to discuss the issues they face as ethnic minorities in education. find out what’s on this month at:

MANCHESTERSTUDENTSUNION.COM or download our app

Inside Culture

Chuck Gallery: 25

Henry V Review: 21

Sephora Scandal: 26

Food & Drink Festival: 27

Led Zepp at Forgotten Authors: 23 50: 16

CULTURE

THE

16

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Music

Good Times, Bad Times: Zeppelin’s 50th Anniversary

Isla Den Jake Oliver spotlight’s the canadian synth-pop duo for this week’s hot right now

Photo: Jim Sammaria @ Wikimedia Commons

Olivia White revisits one of the industry’s most celebrated and successful bands there ever was as they approach their 50th Anniversary It has been exactly 1,228 years since the Vikings descended upon the British shores. It has been exactly 81 years since Tolkien began his fine LOTR works. It has been exactly 38 years since John Bonham, Zeppelin’s potent drummer, tragically passed. And now it has been exactly 50 years since the unveiling of Giants Walked the Earth.

2018 marks half a decade since prodigies Plant, Page, Jones and Bonham sat down in the Olympic Studio to record their metamorphic self-titled debut album, Led Zeppelin . The world just hasn’t been the same since. Simply ask any music management pioneers, concert promotion etiquettes, hotel owners, and even Barack Obama. Zeppelin not only transformed the rock and roll genre itself, but also its chaotic lifestyle.

Roaring Harley Davidson’s through hotel lobbies, mud-shark incidents and actually paying a hotel manager to throw one of his own TV’s out of his window. In fact, such behaviour has them all iconically enshrined in most of (if not all) the greatest rock movies such as Almost Famous , Dazed and Confused , and Spinal Tap .

Led Zeppelin only walked the earth for 12 years, but they shook the entire industry.

Can you honestly fathom being in a band for a mere 12 years and be-

ing nominated for nearly a thousand awards? Back in 2005, Zeppelin also won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as well as having an entire Kennedy Centre Honours evening with Obama dedicated to them.

Mythological references to elves, Valhalla and ominous stairways frame the works of this mighty quartet. But don’t dismiss Led Zeppelin as sad dad music; because there will never be another band that made such a huge impact in such a short amount of time ever again.

Think that’s a bold statement?

Try 21 million people applying for tickets at their one-off and possibly last ever live show back in 2007. That’s 80,000 people per minute.

In celebration of their reign, Zeppelin have released a career-spanning 30-track digital gathering named Led Zeppelin x Led Zeppelin. Embellished with their unique and famed runic symbols, the sacred memoir kicks off with ‘The Immigrant Song’ and finishes with ‘In the Evening’.

Such a lengthy and bold statement without any subsequent tour announcement really does cement the fact that Zeppelin will remain an era. An era that does not seek an ending. Perhaps because there isn’t one.

Zeppelin will be immortalised.

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, are Isla Den, comprised of Ellie Manning and Michael Reale. The synth-pop duo (who dropped their debut EP Water Sounds back in April) deliver a flawlessly produced ethereal experience across five beautiful tracks.

Water Sounds presents a perfect amalgamation of nostalgia and futuristic escapism. Throughout, the duo employ tropical synths, delicately soft pads and haunting vocals (courtesy of Manning) to create a flowing sense of tranquility and stillness. With a heavy lyrical focus on detaching from technology and our hectic modern existence, the post-modern soundscapes manage to form a delightful juxtaposition.

The track ‘We’re All Leaving’ serves as a mesmerising welcome to an almost underwater world. Using clever sampling and ambience, the notion of separating from society is easy to get invested in. It’s an aesthetic maintained elsewhere, particularly on ‘Indigo League’, where hi-hats, snares and lusciously distorted guitar strokes are layered to create to create a truly enveloping atmosphere.

Isla Den are an act I randomly stumbled on, but have quickly become a firm favourite of mine. Still somewhat in their infancy, there’s plenty of room for progression and development, and this in itself is an exciting prospect. Just don’t expect a tour any time soon.

Hot Right Now Photo: Isla Den, Indigo League Photo: (flames ) XoMEoX @ Flickr

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Music

Kero Kero Bonito Time ‘n’ Place

8/10

Time ‘n’ Place Jack Burnett

Photo: Outside Time ‘n’ Place Kero Kero Bonito Flamingo: OpenClipart-Vectors, Mohamed Hassan

Electro-pop wonders Kero Kero Bonito drop another multifaceted album, and still manage to surprise us Kero Kero Bonito (KKB) are not the type to follow more traditional record label release schedules. Despite launching their last LP to explosive success with Sony Japan, their newest endeavour Time ‘n’ Place formed on a Monday of all days. Although it leapt onto streaming services from thin air, some of the songs are re-releases from the TOTEP EP earlier this year; almost a premonition for the things we could come to expect from this new record - slushy and dreamy MIDI beats, walls of pop guitar and a mix of sounds and influences much more complex than the polished but homogenous Bonito Generation.

Stylistically, it’s a big turn for the group who have up to this point been refreshing but stuck tidily to a PC Music formula. Time ‘n’ Place has vocals more like Charly Bliss than Hannah Diamond. It has sections of ugly feedback in complete opposition to the digital age sanitation of the rest of the scene, which means even more when considering that Kane West, one third of the group, hosted his solo projects on the label before focussing on KKB. More artists like SOPHIE or Felicita are departing from PC Music’s trademark sounds to explore new avenues, but where those two found it in ambience or avant-garde, KKB have developed a totally different nostalgia to pop, now focused in on cutesy-garage rock, acoustic age digital artefacts, and an increasingly lo-fi approach (so much so that the first section of “Rest Stop” sounds more like a lost bedroom-pop bandcamp track).

This more lo-fi approach does not mean that the album is uncomplex or obvious. Many of the songs have multiple distinct sections. ‘Outside’ kicks off the album with garage rock but within a 2-minute run time also includes a jazzy

chiming end section, ‘Time Today’ is a dreamy bedroom-synth ditty.

‘Only Acting’ mixes the two previous tracks: obtuse MIDI drums and bass in the first minute and probably the album’s catchiest refrain with a rock set-up the next. Not to mention the track has a glitchedout section with screamed vocals and a poppy, feedback-tinged guitar section right after, a quieter vocal-led part and a Daft-Punk-esque glitch and stretch section complete the song and all this fits in a tight radio length track under four minutes. This amount of genre-bending vibe-building variety is a massively welcome turn in the band’s sound - everything described above appears in just the first three songs.

A lot of KKB’s audience might find this an inconsistency with the record, a reason for their initial success was their tight sound and fun, simple productions of earlier singles ‘Flamingo’ or ‘Graduation’, but it’s also clear that the more scattered feel of the new album matches the higher thematic lyrical depth. The video for ‘Time Today’, as well as the lyrics of ‘Visiting Hours’ both discuss a hospital visit that is implicitly related to mental health, where ‘Flamingo’ presents a simple moral story. Here, Time ‘n’ Place holds up uncomfortable themes of illness, unfamiliarity and even death.

The final track, ‘Rest Stop’, seems almost like a mission statement of the album. It darts between cute melodies, bugged out dissonance and ends by interrupting the last lyric mid-word. It’s a soup of influences and makes us remember that Kero Kero Bonito is more than a one trick pony. They know exactly how to craft a good record and launch it at us to entirely remedy our Monday morning blues.

Hippo Campus, the indie pop fivepiece hailing from St Paul, Minnesota, have returned to the music scene with their eagerly-awaited second album Bambi. With their debut, landmark, so intrinsically associated with summer, the shift to an album released right at the beginning of autumn was an interesting choice in itself.

In terms of production, the album comes across a lot deeper and richer in sound. Opening with low, synthy tune ‘Mistakes’, the record seems to present a shift away from the bright, poppy sounds Hippo Campus are known for. The opening track rings with soft strings and low vocals, emphasising the instrumental flexibility of the band.

This movement to the more serious reflects the rise of the band’s social conscience and a desire to edge away from the typical ‘indie pop’ sound they have become synonymous with.

The new emphasis on production is seen once again in track ‘Bubbles’ that appears to glitch and provide feedback halfway through.

While definitely an interesting artistic choice, it can be debated whether it actually works. The track seems very chaotic, feeling more like a mistake than anything else. Besides this, the new development feels more mature and arguably melancholic in its lower, richer tones – judging from their close association with seasonal patterns in previous work, this isn’t necessarily a surprise.

While Hippo Campus have never been ones to shy away from tragedy in their music, previously touching down on issues such as divorce and grief, this album manages to go even further. Addressing concepts such as masculinity and mental illness, Bambi also draws in-

17

fluence from the #MeToo movement.

This cultural shift helps lead to the overall feeling of maturity in this album. The growth is both interesting and remarkable given the short space of time that has passed since their debut.

Despite this change, fans of their trademark sunny tunes need not fear. Tracks like eponymous single ‘Bambi’, and eighth track ‘Honestly’ have the same brightness that seemed to drive the album’s predecessor. Powerful guitar riffs from the members are accompanied by lead singer Jake Suppen’s honeyed vocals, while also allowing drummer Whistler Allen to demonstrate his skills.

The thing that will always be the biggest testament to Hippo Campus is their lyrical perfection.

Upbeat track ‘Doubt’ is a particular highlight in which writer and bassist Zach Sutton rhymes “I think that it’s copacetic” with “I look pathetic”. These snippets of song-writing bring to the forefront what makes Hippo Campus so undeniably exciting: their ability to capture the familiarity of adolescence in sharp, clever lyricisms.

To sum up the new release, Bambi is experimental while also stamping itself with something that feels very trademark for Hippo Campus. It draws on familiar themes from their debut such as love and adolescence, while allowing for a new growth and focus in production. Despite being incredibly short at only thirty-three minutes, the ten-track record feels expertly woven together and brilliantly developed. Bambi is a beautiful follow-up album firmly establishing that Hippo Campus really are a band that stays in the brain.

listen to Bambi, the new autumnal album by soft-sounding indie pop band, Hippo Campus

Photo: Caitlin Ison @ Flickr

Bambi Jasmine Bennett

8/10

Hippo Campus Bambi

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ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Music

Photo: Pale Waves press release

Alice Berkeley chats to Heather Baron-Gracie about dance moves, aesthetic and the future of Pale Waves was writing such songs that were really detailed and obvious, but those are the songs that really help people the most”.

The (almost) title track of the album, ‘Noises’, pairs lyrics about mental health issues with a catchy and carefree tune.

Baron-Gracie cites The Cure as the band that inspired her when she was growing up, kindling her love of “music where the lyrics are really depressing and mundane and real and then the music is pop and upbeat” because it “makes you want to cry and dance”. This idea sums up the atmosphere of Pale Waves’ concerts: uplifting yet tinged with occasional glimpses of emotion from both the crowd and the band. She tells me that songs such as ‘Noises’ are her favourites to play live because she doesn’t have to play guitar so can “throw some wild shapes”; the audience certainly reciprocate.

Despite the singer’s extravagant dance moves, she affirms that she loves minimalism, an idea that is reflected in the “simple but iconic” artwork associated with all of their released music. A black and red

colour scheme permeates the aesthetic of the band, from the neon red writing on the cover of My Mind Makes Noises, to their light-show, their wardrobe (Baron-Gracie wears cherry red trousers and a patent black jacket). One of their songs is even called ‘Red’. For her, the blend of these two aspects created the “perfect album cover”.

This visual approach is also typical of Pale Waves’ record label Dirty Hit, a collective of acts that Heather describes as both a “community” and a “family”. These include pop giants The 1975 and emerging rockers (and Pale Waves’ current support band) King Nun. She stresses that the label has helped the band enormously, in part because the label itself has its own dedicated fans, a phenomenon that major record labels have yet to achieve.

And what plans for the future?

Fans can expect four or five tracks near the start of next year. And after that? “I’m not a writing machine!” she laughs.

One thing is for certain: for Pale Waves’ fans descending en masse on the Ritz, their songs can’t come fast enough.

Pale Waves

Interview.

On a rainy day last October I interviewed Heather Baron-Gracie, the lead singer of goth-pop band Pale Waves at a sold-out headline gig at Sound Control, discussing the (then rather ambiguous) details of the band’s future music and her aspiration to tour in Australia. One year, one EP, one debut album, and a couple of Australian gigs later, she sits down before yet another sold-out show- this time at the 1500 capacity O2 Ritz.

The four-piece band released their 80s-inspired debut album My Mind Makes Noises just a couple of weeks ago, yet it is evident that it already has a place in their hearts of their fans.

The album is made predominantly of upbeat pop songs with angstfilled lyrics about teenage romance, yet a few tracks, such as ‘She’, ‘Noises’ and ‘Karl (I Wonder What It’s Like to Die)’ - which deals with the death of Baron-Gracie’s grandfather manage to break the tone. When I ask her about whether she had doubts about including such personal songs on the album, she explains that ‘sometimes I did really shy away from it and got anxious about the fact that I

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Games

In conversation with The Game Development Society

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Games editor Jeremy Bijl speaks to the newly founded HackSoc Game Dev Society Photo: HackSocGameDevSociety

Raad Aldakhil and Amad Aslam, founders of the newly started Game Development Society, shared my initial bemusement as to why no such thing already existed.

“It’s quite strange; there is a lack of any games development community at the university,” commented Amad, “there’s a lot of gaming based stuff, but nothing for development.” “So we just looked at each other one day and were like, let’s just start a new society,” finished Raad.

And so, the HackSoc Game Dev Society was born.

Raad and Amad, two final year computer science students, are not beginners themselves, both having developed a number of games. Although as Amad modestly admitted, few of them had seen the light of day. However, as they outlined their vision for the society and why they begun it, it became clear that it was very much aimed at being as accessible for beginners as possible, with their role being as teachers and motivators.

“It’s all about teaching people how,” Raad commented. “We don’t need people to have experience to come to our events. Most of them will be aimed towards beginners. We want to give everyone a foundation so that they can start, and so every iteration of the game jam can be better than the last.”

The game jam is perhaps the most ambitious goal that Raad and Amad have set for the soci-

ety for the time being. The game jam, which is a 24 hour event in which developers are tasked with making a functional game from scratch, is pitched as an event for students, something which Raad and Amad commented was notably lacking in Manchester, and has been planned for February.

Games development can be one of the most intimidating field to get into. To me, the complexity of games has always made them somewhat unapproachable, but Raad and Amad clearly have a structure in mind: “The best way to learn is by doing. We’d probably start designing a workshop where we give a talk on a certain topic, then maybe give them a task to do; something very small.

“Say we have this adventure and this is the character, write the most interesting story you can think of. Or, these are the game mechanics, these are the limitations: design and level and we’ll see which is the most interesting and why.

“Even on top of splitting the skill areas,” commented Amad, “there will be a lot of useful stuff about overarching game design as a whole; there’s content about scoping your game, and on how to design a game from the ground up.”

The fledgling society already has their first event planned. Impressively attracting an Activision programmer to hold a talk on graphics

programming; the two founders commented on how “forming industry links” had already been an “unintentional” but pleasant side-effect of the initiative.

In an age where students are finding societies to be an increasingly costly pursuit, Amad and Raad pointed out that their activities should mainly be free. “You can do everything you want entirely with free tools,” Raad assured me as I tried to guess the cost of a suite of gaming tools and engines. Amad, smiling, pointed out that he had “never spent a single penny on any of the games [he’d] done.”

What I particularly liked about The Game Development Society was how open-minded they were to those who may not feel well-versed in games design, or even in computers at all. As I repeatedly stressed my technological ignorance, Raad and Amad were positive and encouraging, reiterating that the society would be an inclusive zone where people with a wide range of skills could learn the ropes, be it “computer scientists, writers, musicians, artists or designers,” or anyone with a real passion and interest in the process of making video games.

Read the full article online

Review: Destiny 2 - Forsaken

Destiny 2 is a problematic game.

It had a good start with a fun, yet shallow, story; the truly excellent Leviathan raid and possibly the most satisfying gunplay around.

However, with the boring ‘Dawning’ Christmas event and the sub-par first DLC, Curse of Osiris, players abandoned the game in droves, with many turning to similar ‘MMO’ shooters such as The Division or Warframe . The second DLC Warmind was a step in the right direction but still not enough. So how does Forsaken stack up?

For a start, Forsaken’s story is more engaging than the base game’s, giving the player a better motive than the generic ‘aliens are trying to take over Earth and you have to stop them, again’ trope. Instead of the rather linear pace of the main story, Forsaken lets you tackle its main boss characters, the Barons, in a more free-form order, if you’re skilled or highly leveled enough.

Some of these Barons make for more unique boss fights than others. But what sets them apart from the bosses of Destiny 2’ s first year is the special abilities they each have and the quests attached to them - where you hunt them down.

My favourite is The Trickster who deploys

Forsaken David Uncle

8/10

mines disguised as exotic engrams, which definitely fooled me more than once. Overall the story is a lot more mature than Destiny 2’s main arc, and even includes some moral arguments from your Ghost who asks if getting revenge on the main antagonist of Forsaken is the right thing to.

My one gripe with the story is it killed off one of, if not the only, likeable, charismatic and funny character in Destiny 2 . Granted, this sets up the motive I described earlier; it was just a shame to see them go and be left with the other NPCs who lack any sort of charm. You work through the first act of Forsaken’s story with this character, which achieves a surprising degree of character bond building in a rela-

mancunion. com

tively short space of time, so when they die it is even more heartbreaking. Fortunately, you are rewarded with some touching moments where other characters mourn their death, and more importantly you get their amazing hand cannon.

The main boss is especially difficult yet provides a heavily systems-based fight requiring good teamwork and communication. For context, it took just under nineteen hours of nonstop gameplay for Photo: Bungie the first people in the world to beat this, and many are calling it the hardest raid so far. As such, completing this raid was a euphoric moment of cheering and screaming, and a fantastic experience for a group of friends who have spent a whole week trying to get this damn thing done.

Forsaken is what Destiny 2 needed. A fresh breath of life, something new and some genuinely thought-provoking challenges. It isn’t quite perfect, and I begrudge Bungie/ Activision’s rather expensive business model, but if you’re willing to pay, it’s absolutely a reason for people who dropped the game to come back and give it another go.

Read the full article online at www.mancunion. com.

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ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Film

Mamma Mia! Here we go agaim! guarantees the same feel good feelings as the first film, but this time with Cher.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!

Emily Wain Contributor

With an even larger star-studded cast than our first visit to the gorgeous Greek island of Kalokairi; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again delivers on its long awaited promise of a feel good, sing-along worthy experience.

While the first film was loved by many in 2008, it was also criticised for being too clichéd lacking a plausible storyline.

Ten years later, the director Ol Parker has succeeded in providing fans, and converting more, with her thought-provoking and gripping story. Amanda Seyfried, who plays Sophie, even described the film as “quite sad and emotional at some points” during an interview on This Morning. The film is intermingled with famous ABBA favourites, providing the joy that leaves audiences wanting to watch it again.

As we begin eating our popcorn, we are transported into 1979 where Sophie’s mother, Donna, played by Lily James, is giving a graduation speech to her peers, which inevitably turns into a sing-song and a party. Throughout the entirety

of the film, scenes flick between the life of 25 year old Sophie in the present and looking back

Photo: Eva Rinaldi @Wikimedia Commons

on the life of her late mother Donna at that same age.

Viewers can see all the returning cast acting and singing alongside new additions, who play the younger versions of the main characters, such as the old and young version of Rosie, played by Julia Walters and Alexa Davies. Many moviegoers are even left blushing at the handsomeness of young Bill Anderson, played by Josh Dylan – even in those crazy 1970’s inspired costumes.

Those extra keen members of

the ABBA Fan Club can also see former ABBA member Björn Ulvaeous make an appearance in random scenes throughout. His involvement in the film is praised as we discover he suggested and re-worded his favourite, yet lesser-known ABBA songs such as ‘My Love, My Life’ and ‘I’ve been waiting for you’ to fit with the film.

Despite the light-heartedness of this musical, viewers can feel emboldened by the positive messages within the film. These include feeling free just like a ‘dancing queen’. Furthermore, Lily James has also remarked about the sex-positive message during an interview with Cosmopolitan. The non-judgemental tone throughout helps to de-stigmatise this topic and make women feel more comfortable. As the majority of viewers are female, arguably, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again could be seen as a movie about and in favour of female empowerment.

The next time you need cheering up or a good time, go and watch this ‘Super Trooper’ of a film.

Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Madeleine peden Contributor

4/5

Steve Loveridge’s fast-paced documentary certainly shares similarities with other tributes to female pop stars, namely a recognition of the subject’s musical ingenuity. But when it comes to his examination of electronic hip-hop artist M.I.A, this recognition goes beyond music and art to enter a distinctly political sphere.

Early on we learn that M.I.A. studied fine art film making, and had ambitions of becoming a documentary film maker, which made it quite disappointing to learn during the closing credits that she was not heavily involved in the film’s production.

She is, however, responsible for providing a significant amount of the footage that establishes the narrative of her early years, in which she lived through the beginning of the Sri Lankan civil war and fled to England as a refugee with her mother and brothers. Her father was a founding member of the Tamil Tigers who fought for Tamil rights during the Sri Lankan civil war.

A deeper delve into the history surrounding the Sri Lankan civil war and this liberation organisation would have created the potential for a greater overall understanding of our subject’s motivations.

The documentary that looks at the life and times of artist M.I.A This in turn would enable a greater challenge to her label as a trivial troublemaker that has been perpetuated by the mainstream media throughout her career (the deceitful application of this label by the New York Times is explored in the film).

Photo: CC0 Public Domain

However, the lack of context largely highlighted the stark knowledge gap that ultimately demonstrated the validity of M.I.A.’s activism even further. Her presence in pop culture makes her an ideal candidate to bring these particular political issues to the fore.

We also get to see M.I.A.’s perspective

Reviews.

Photo: Andy Roberts

4/5

of some of the controversies she’s been embroiled in (including flipping off the United States of America during Madonna’s performance at the Super Bowl half time show). The narrative framework contextualises these moments and allows us to see her as a passionate human being with genuine activist intentions.

Whilst this documentary is primarily a positive acknowledgement of M.I.A.’s political activism, she is not placed on an unreachable pedestal that makes her completely unrelatable. On the contrary, we get to see the good and not so good aspects of her character which make her a very human subject. The narrative created

by Loveridge is an examination of identity that goes beyond the individual focus of the typical pop documentary.

We see M.I.A.’s struggle as a first-generation immigrant to establish her identity within the labels of Tamil Sri Lankan, British, controversial activist and pop star. A struggle that is reflected in the film’s title. The visuals and soundtrack of M.I.A.’s back catalogue that accompany and enhance this examination of identity makes for a very interesting and informative viewing experience.

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Film

A Database of Beautiful People A Database of Beautiful People is a blossoming YouTube series created in 2018 of personal and intimate interviews with people from around the globe.

Its main purpose is to reflect genuineness through each individual’s personality and stories. It is simply an observation of ordinary people that makes us question the meaning of ordinary.

As two people who have realised they love getting to know others, Farah Elhouni, law student, and Prae Rujirek, teacher, have taken their interactions to another level. When talking to their friends, colleagues and surrounding neighbours, they have noticed their ease in turning small talk into meaningful, honest conversations, which they find worthy to store as memories and to share with others; hence, the creation of the database.

Talking about nothing, anything, and everything these completely different Photo Credit: Farah Elhouni individuals from completely unrelated videos are exposed on their channel, and more are yet to come. Unaltered, minimally edited, and most prominently candid, these videos reveal the person’s personality in a way films do not usually tend to. Their behaviour, voice, and thoughts are crystal clear.

You can see how one thinks through their words and subtle gestures, how one reacts to certain topics, and how personalities can appear.

Humans in their essence. Capturing each one in an environment of that person’s choice, these videos embody realness and intimacy effortlessly, and embrace the diversity and complexity of human nature through casual interviews.

Twelve videos are currently out, each very unique and the emotional aspect of it depends on the individual in it. Almost therapeutic,

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Lama Chmayaa looks at a YouTube series on the lives and experiences of strangers.

if not cathartic for the interviewees, A Database of Beautiful People breaks the barrier that the camera or screen creates. The presence of a camera can never truly be removed, but these almost-documentaries have broken the separation between interviewee and watcher with the help of the element of intimacy.

The audience views the film with a direct angle as if they were having a regular conversation with the on-screen person, but takes the role of the listener. In fact, the only reminder the watcher gets of not being with the interviewee is the creators’ replies which are scarce.

Despite the lengthy duration of these interviews, the one-sided effort and commitment they demand reflects a regular face-to-face commitment people take regularly. The observer is fully able to become invested and attached with the characters. Topics that range from present and daily activities, to childhood, to the meaning of love are discussed, some of which you do not expect to hear.

Starting with open-ended, vague or cliché questions, purposefully chosen by the creators, the interviews shape a story-telling session of a person’s past, present and many times prediction of the future. The project truly touches the essence of being human. Noticeably, the series deserves commendation for its simplicity contrasting with its intricate content.

A thought-provoking and engaging series, A Database of Beautiful People is a way to pause and listen to strangers’ lives from their point of view. Psychologically and anthropologically very interesting given you get to witness how their thoughts can lead a conversation from one topic to the other, and how they have their own definitions of life.

Review: Ex Libris: The New York Public Libraries “Ex Libris: The New York Public Library is a film created by Frederick Wiseman and is best described as an observational documentary about the New York Public Libraries.”

Aisha Al-Janabi Deputy Film Editor

5/5 Photo: Alex Proimos @Wikimedia Commons

At three and a half hours, Ex Libris: The New York Public Libraries is probably one of the longest films I’ve committed to watching, and it is honestly worth it. It’s a well-thought out film, with scenes capturing aspects of the lives that are brought together within the various New York Public Libraries. This film is a wonderful tribute to all libraries and those who work there and highlights the continued importance and relevance of their services.

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library is a film created by Frederick Wiseman and is best described as an observational documentary about the New York Public Libraries. Wiseman has a non-obstructive style of filming so as an audience watching, it’s as if we are present in the library instead of watching through a lens in a different part of the world.

The scenes shown are familiar; rooms full of people listening to music whilst typing away at their laptop, someone dozing off in the corner, another scrolling through an online clothing shop. Seeing the consistency and reliability of what a library provides is comforting and nourishing. An architect featured in the film points out that all libraries must also be unique as the communities surrounding them use the space differently and that the library must adapt to this. Wiseman gives time and space to both the architecture within the

libraries and the outside showing the surrounding shops and capturing images of life in New York.

The uniqueness of the use of each library is obvious in the film as some provide a relaxed space where people do talk whilst others contain reading rooms with the all-encompassing silence stereotypical of a library.

Wiseman visits a Braille and Talking Books Library, which was something I hadn’t heard of previously and within this space we are shown a session where braille is being taught. This is an aspect of diversity that can be forgotten, and it shows the valuable work carried out through the library system by giving opportunities and raises awareness of these.

Wiseman also shows us a talk given by a sign language interpreter, and in sharing these scenes gives an appreciation to those involved in these communities. Education at all ages is provided through various library learning programmes that we see during the film and in doing so shares the heartening scenes that occur within these public spaces.

The only group that we repeatedly visit are those who surround a table with coffee cups and notebooks at the ready, discussing where the funding for these libraries should go and organising various branches of the New York libraries to make it a cohesive and function-

ing system. Through these repeated meetings, I appreciated the wide variety of men’s ties, and the discussions that normally occur behind closed doors.

The focus of the meetings we see is about making broadband and digital technology more available to those who don’t currently have access. There is no conclusion or culmination of these meetings as this is just a snapshot of them, but we see the distribution of internet hotspot devices in a local library on loan much like a book which I hope was successful.

Ex Libris: The New York Public Libraries is a wholesome film, where we are given the privilege to observe what is happening at the instant of filming. Through doing so the audience can learn a lot about New York and those that live there.

Watch it without your phone, in a darkened room (ideally a cinema) and embrace the journey that Wiseman takes us on, and the people we meet. I came away and had to discuss all the little details of the film, exchanging favourite scenes and singing praise for libraries all around. This will be a film cherished for centuries to come, and I’m thrilled that Wiseman chose to give time to libraries and let them have a moment of stardom.

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Sally Rooney has been getting a lot of hype. I read her latest novel, Normal People, to find out how such a comparatively young writer (she’s written two best-selling books by the age of 26) has been so successful. Millennials rarely get rave reviews.

Normal People charts the relationship between two students, Marianne and Connell, from their small town high school to their university days at Trinity College, Dublin. Put simply, at high school, Connell is popular and Marianne is unpopular. But things change at university, Connell finds himself pushed to the sidelines as Marianne becomes something of a social butterfly. She dryly notes, “It’s classic me, I came to college and got pretty.”

This change in roles is just one of the many ways that Marianne and Connell’s lives switch and change. They move apart, they come together; no matter how hard they try, their paths can’t keep from crossing over.

In Normal People, chapters span from several months to as little as five minutes. Rooney manipulates time throughout the narrative; at certain points, hours can feel like minutes and days can pass like years. But the novel is firmly grounded in recent times, with the backdrop of Ireland’s financial crisis ever-present but never really overtly mentioned.

Politics however, is mentioned.

As is the way with students, many characters lazily refer to “Israeli peace talks” and mention “Gaza” in passing. In the student bubble, highly charged topics of debate become conversational fodder. While this was a little distracting for me, it is undeniable that Rooney has a keen ear for realistic and revealing dialogue.

As Curtis Sittenfeld writes; “the dialogue is superb.” Each

Books conversation between Connell and Marianne is brought to life by misdirects and misunderstandings, which lead to a sense of miscommunication that underlines their relationship. But when a conversation becomes an argument, the two continue to talk, and a well-turned phrase leads them back onto the same page, or the same bed.

Conversations With Friends, Rooney’s first novel, could also be a fitting title for Normal People — it’s a novel in dialogue. Normal People is already set to be adapted for the BBC, and if the script is as full of Rooney’s brilliant dialogue as the book is, the film will surely be a hit. There is something cinematic about the book, from the dramatic jump cuts between chapters to the highs and lows often seen in rom-coms.

The novel, long-listed for The 2018 Man Booker Prize, has been called “extraordinary” (The Guardian), a “beautiful, blazing love story” (London Evening Standard) and “a future classic” (The Observer). Such reviews fail to capture the complexity of Normal People. What really struck me was a little subtler. As a university student, I resonated with how Rooney writes about the family that you leave behind when you move to a new place and the friends who can seem to fill their space. Relationships change, people get left behind but eventually resurface, more or less the same as they used to be. As Rooney writes: “I haven’t changed much in the last few months.” “Neither have I. Actually, yeah. I haven’t changed at all.” These kinds of exchanges are how many chapters end, with a little thoughtful trinket, a conversation steering the two characters towards a conclusion, but not a conclusive end.

Review:

Normal People by Sally Rooney Urussa Malik reads Sally Rooney’s latest novel, Normal People, to find out how such a young writer has been so successful.

Pho to: N orm a

l Pe

opl e by

Sall y Ro

one y

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Our forgotten authors Photo: Irina @Flickr

Julia De Miguel re-examines the treatment of female writers and characters forgotten in university syllabuses One half of the population is almost entirely under-represented on most bookshelves, high school literature syllabuses, and important literary prizes. Female writers are often forgotten, or worse, ignored.

We have all heard about glass ceilings; from economics, to cinema to parliament. Within literature, every now and then we see Jane Austen here, Virginia Woolf there, and even a great review for a new Zadie Smith novel. Some see this as enough evidence to claim that women are fairly and properly represented in literature. “Look, there’s a book by Simone de Beauvoir and it’s about sex!” All I can do is roll my eyes.

For a long time, women were supposed to be interested in the arts and romance and men were supposed to tend towards rationality and science. Women were supposed to stay at home, cook and maybe read novels. But who are the most recognised chefs in the world? Men. Who are the great, romantic poets with tender verses on love and beauty?

Men. The novels we read at school?

Written by men. Women are limited to certain areas of interest but even within these areas men continue to dominate.

There is only one thing to do.

We must scour the past and bring up all the names of women forgotten by history, published anonymously or worse, the women who published their work under the names of their husbands.

There is a natural human desire to categorise and distinguish, yet it seems that men benefit more from these categorisations. While literature and art are supposedly feminine in comparison to the sciences, the majority of successful artists and writers are male.

Hemingway is celebrated for exploring masculine stereotypes, but when female writers explore ‘feminine’ subject-matter they are reduced to ‘women’s fiction’. Men

can write for everyone, but women, it seems, can only write for other women.

The female character is a mere object in the male-centric literary world; a two dimensional walking cliché that serves as either an obstacle to, or a reward for the main (male) character. Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby is a complex character who I admire. The female characters in The Great Gatsby though, are only “beautiful little fool[s]”.

Throughout history women have been treated like beautiful little fools. Women have had to pretend that they were men to be taken seriously and acknowledged. We must celebrate the authors who suffered through this, like George Eliot and Mary Shelley.

As part of my Spanish Literature syllabus, we studied the Generation of ’27— a group of artists that shared ideas about democracy, freedom ad the rights of Spanish citizens. Each student (male and female) in my class had to memorise the work of six male poets from the movement. What we didn’t know while memorising their work, was that there were as many women as men involved in the movement; apparently they were just not worth studying. In 1927, the women poets were considered equals by their male colleagues. It was a time of optimism before the Spanish Civil War. Nowadays, we don’t even get to hear about their existence.

I’m sure I am not alone in believing that female writers deserve to be studied. Education is essential in fixing the problem. Women need to be made visible through history, through literature. To start, I’d like to recommend some books by forgotten female writers who have recently been rediscovered. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin and Fire in the Blood by Irène Némirovsky are both brilliant.

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ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Theatre

Preview:

Antic Disposition’s Henry V Tour Anuli Changa speaks to Nathan Hamilton about his upcoming performance in Antic Disposition’s Henry V Tour that is set to visit Manchester 22nd-24th October.

Nathan Hamilton began his acting career auditioning for LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) with a Henry V monologue, so he’s now come full circle by performing in Antic Disposition’s Henry V Tour.

He explained that Shakespeare is the current focus of his career, he spoke passionately about the Bard and of previous roles such as Orlando in ‘As you like it’. When I asked about the character of Henry, Hamilton explained that he appreciates the depth with which he is written.

Whilst he is seen as a strong young man and brave leader, there is also a disclosure of his vulnerability and guilt. I learnt that this tour will feature a ‘play within a play’ element. Hamilton will play a private in the First World War, part of a group of soldiers sent away from the front line who decide to put on a performance of ‘Henry V’. Hamilton pointed out the range of this rendition of ‘Henry V’, as an actor, he goes from playing a private (the lowest rank in the army) to playing a king (the highest).In preparation for the part, Photo: Scott Rylander Hamilton talked about the Imperial War Museum being a “great source”, as well as watching Crimson Fields and other series. He confessed to be “one of these actors that loves to go over the script…again and again” to see what you can uncover, not only from Henry’s point of view but also the private in World War One.

‘Rock of Ages’ is a pelvic thrusting, light-hearted, jukebox musical featuring famous, glam-rock classics; it was written and created by Chris D’Arienzo. The show offers an opportunity to indulge in infamous hits and the extravagant rock and roll lifestyle of the characters. Originally a stage production, it was adapted for the big screen in 2012 and was directed by Adam Shankman. Although the film was criticised for its lack of real grit and its weak script, the stage musical continues to be much anticipated. The show relies on its audience’s love of 80s rock songs such as ‘We Built This City’ and ‘The Final Countdown’.

The weak script is more easily overlooked in Nick Winston’s stage-bursting reboot, al-

Photo: Richard Davenport

The most surprising thing he learnt about Henry V in his research, was that the portraits of Henry V are all in profile because he was shot in the face with an arrow at just sixteen and survived!

Hamilton explained: “with Henry, what’s been really enjoyable to play with, has been this sense that so much has been thrust upon him… so much responsibility and so many big decisions”. We can expect to see Henry grappling with decisions in court, but we also experience his inner thoughts in soliloquies.

To my questions about how he finds touring, Hamilton responded “I love it”, the “different audiences, different vibes”, it’s “something that I’ve always enjoyed”. He talked of one of the most iconic stops on the tour being the Salisbury Cathedral, where “one of the knights that fought at the Battle of Agincourt is buried”. Even more so, the tour’s last stop will be Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried, a “gift of an opportunity” that Hamilton anticipates will “probably be quite emotional”, as it ties in with the anniversary of the armistice”.

Antic Disposition’s Henry V tour runs 8th October to 16th November and is in Manchester 22nd - 24th October.

Review: Rock of Ages

though the show’s sexualisation solely of its female characters is harder to Agnès Houghton-Boyle reflects on the virtues, forgive. In the openvices, and sheer indulgences of Nick Winston’s ing scene, a woman adaptation of glam-rock musical, Rock of Ages. wearing tight denim shorts rides a bimayor to demolish Sunset Boulevard in favour cycle, back arched, of clean living — this would involve bulldozbuttocks out across the stage, as narrator ing the Bourbon and rock-n-roll lifestyle of Lanny (Lucas Rush) introduces the show. This the strip. There are moments of genuine hilarsex appeal initially seemed to embody the ity, though having said this, I was impressed excessive rock-n-roll lifestyle Winston is to see a tenderness, rather than mere comedy clearly trying to cultivate, yet it becomes in the love scene between Dennis and Lanny. demeaning when the male characters remain fulThe show, however, could have gone further by ly clothed throughout, with the exception of a embracing a gay Franz rather than simply havfew conservative scenes. ing him claim to be straight and avoid kissOf particular sexual objectification are waiting Regina (Rhiannon Chesterman) on the lips. resses and strippers, both of which young, The show is a feel good, straightforward, and dreamer Sherrie (Danielle Hope) becomes. The ‘bitchin’ watch, and as such, the occasionshow illustrates a simple love story between al reediness and faults in the songs can be aspiring actress Sherrie, who meets hopeful overlooked. The reliance on female performers rock-God Drew (Luke Walsh) on the sunset strip for the shows sex appeal, on the other hand, in LA. They showcase their love through their cannot. initially shouty, but eventually powerful and impressive renditions of 80’s rock hits, whilst they work with Lanny at the iconic Bourbon Room (based on Whisky-A-Go-Go) which is run by Dennis (Kevin Kennedy).

The antagonists of the story are German developers Hertz Klinemann (Vas Constanti) and his son Franz who try to convince the city’s

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Arts

Review: ‘It’s a Wrap’ at Manchester Museum Generally, reviews here in the arts section serve to draw attention to events and exhibitions taking place in Manchester.

They offer new and exciting opportunities to see and discover things which are coming to this city.

However, the circumstances of this review are, in fact, quite regrettable. It serves, rather, to draw attention to the very recent departure of one of Manchester’s most notable attractions for those fascinated by the past.

By the time this article is published, the Egypt Galleries of Manchester Museum will have closed their doors. The artefacts will not be accessible to the public from now until the grand reopening in 2021, by which time a sizeable new extension will have been added to the museum. Plans include a permanent exhibition of a newly amassed collection of artefacts from Ancient China.

This is tremendously exciting news for the history enthusiasts of Manchester, but it sadly does mean having to bid a lengthy farewell to the renowned Ancient Egypt collection.

The collection of Ancient Egyptian objects housed in Manchester is one of the largest in the UK, and is of interest to Egyptologists and ancient historians around the world. It also functions as a very valuable educational facility – virtually every schoolchild in Greater Manchester is taken there on a school visit at some point dur-

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Theo Bennett reviews the closing event of the Manchester Museum’s Egypt Galleries, creating space for a new permament Ancient China Exhibition ing their school years.

On Thursday 20th of September, an evening of celebrations was held at the museum.

Free and open to the public, a considerable number of people, of all ages, came for a few hours of music, poetry, performance and film, as well as (naturally) a healthy dose of ancient history.

The event certainly saw people in good spirits. Elaborate, regal-looking costumes abounded. The proceedings began with a goodly impassioned speech from the curator of the Egypt Galleries, Campbell Price.

If there’s anything to take away from the evening, it’s the infectious enthusiasm that so many individuals connected to the museum display for the treasures held within.

Seemingly all the evening’s performers were Mancunians. Including local virtuoso Paddy Steer, who played more musical instruments than you might think one person would be able to play whilst fully robed and hatted in the most outlandish golden pharaoh outfit of the night.

There was something truly wonderful in how particular to Manchester the night’s celebrations felt. It was as if despite the fact that the Egyptian artefacts come from a time and place that can seem incredibly distant from us, they were very much being celebrated as belonging to the city and its people, as one of the many diverse things that the ‘Mancunian identity’ can incorpo-

Photo: Andre van B -@Flickr

rate.

The Ancient Egypt Gallery will reopen in spring 2021 in a newly designed gallery space. For now, The Manchester Museum will be operating from the natural history side of the building, meaning visitors must enter via the Fossils Gallery entrance.

Artefact of the week: Statue of Robert Owen

On the cusp of something new: The Chuck Gallery

Joshua Physick meets with the Chuck Gallery Director, Chukwudi Onwudiwe, to examine how West African art is being showcased in the North of England The Chuck Gallery is an art space that provides a platform for non-euro centric art, encouraging interaction between the public and the colourful joy of contemporary West African art.

With the gallery only being a short walk from Oxford Road, it offers yet another facet to Manchester’s local art scene and sets a precedent for standards in international art.

In speaking with the gallery’s director Chukwudi Onwudiwe, I realised how only recently Nigerian artists have been given attention on the International Art Scene. The Royal Academy of Art, only last year, put on an exhibition showcasing West African art – their first in quite some years. Brilliantly The Chuck Gallery, which once was a gym, is now creating a hub of curiosity, providing a new presentation of the West African experience as established by a new generation of Nigerian artists.

The significance of having a gallery exhibit West African art

in Manchester is not lost. It is a part of young Nigerian artists’ efforts to reclaim their identity through acknowledging their shared history with Britain. This is demonstrated in the painting, ‘Panoramic London’ which depicts the London

Photo: Joshua Physick

city landscape, and subsequently seems almost incongruous in a gallery for West African art.

Although it is not to be forgotten that London was a key part of the slave trade, and therefore had its own role in shaping West African identity.

The artist Akhile Ehiforia

places his name on the canvas, reaffirming how the West African identity is tied to their sense of ‘britishness’, as the artist literally places himself alongside the likes of St Paul’s Cathedral. It also conveys the artist’s agency in exploring his past, as the painting is his own portrayal of British landscape.

As such, Nigerian artists are reinterpreting the West African experience for themselves.

Exhibiting at The Chuck Gallery offer artists to display their own unique interpretation of how their history continues to influence them, and combine this with their a contemporary perspective of the world. Confidentially redefining the West African experience and providing a liberating form of identity that is rich in variety.

Photo: Mike Peel @ Wikimedia commons

The pompous statue of powerful white man: a medium both not in short supply nor short of controversy.

But where does Robert Owen stand in all of this? To me, this statue is something far more than a backdrop: an unnoticeable object one passes by without thought. Owen’s ambitious beliefs in progressive and philanthropic reforms captures more pressing ideas present in today’s politics, not to mention a century ahead of his time.

In my opinion this makes his efforts worth discussing and celebrating.

He was a seminal figure in the co-operative movement, a belief in people working together in pursuit of mutual benefits. Fair wages, a decent work/life balance, a better quality of life; these buzzwords are active in our political discourse to this day and we owe much to his individual actions.

You can read more about the statue at The Mancunion online.

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Fashion & Beauty

Sephora’s “Witch Kit” appears to be a curse to minority groups Jack Sedgwick explains that some Native Americans and allies have used the debate to address the need for social change in the fashion and beauty industries In the la st mon th, t he multinational b ea uty bra nd Sephora has fa ced hea vy criticism f rom min ori ty groups around th e pro pos ed launch of the ir ‘Wi tch Ki t’ product. Cap ita lis ing on t he ‘#instawitch’ t re nd, whi ch has resulted in wi tch cra ft and Wiccan aes thet ic s an d customs beco ming pop ular iz ed on the social med ia pl atf orm , Sephora annou nce d tha t the y would be sell ing a “S tart er Witch Kit”. This c ont ain ed a rose qua rtz cr yst al, a bundle of wh it e sag e, a deck of Ta rot ca rds , a nd nine vials of pe rfu me. T he product lo oke d inv itin g, with a vibra nt co lo ur sc he me and captivati ng im age ry. A s playful and t ren dy as it appeared, ho wev er, som e we re convinced th at t her e wa s darkness in th e p rod uct .

White sage, th e p lan t t hat is present in th e ki t, has a spiritual mea nin g for m any o f the indigeno us t rib es o f t he USA. To them, the i ssu e wa s with the com mer cia lis ati on of a part of th eir cu ltu re by a non-affilia ted gr ou p. In their eyes, the a cqu isi tio n and sale of this pl ant by multinationals ac tive ly robbed the i ndi gen ous people of t he po ten tia l to responsibly, and mi ndf ull y, farm and sel l it the msel ve s.

We have al re ady see n numerous cas es o f t he da ng er posed to sma ll bu si ness es by big-name exp loi tat ion in t he fashion and be auty wo rld .

Some Native Am eric an s an d allies have u sed th e d eba te

to a ddr ess t he ne ed fo r so cia l ch ang e in th e fas hio n an d bea uty in dus tri es. O ne Tw itt er us er com men ted : “I *h igh ly* r eco mmen d a foc us gr oup w ith at lea st on e in dig eno us p ers on pre sent .

Ju st… o ne. ” Wi th on e of th e ma jor bu zzw ord s in t he in dus try at t he m om ent b ein g “s ust ain abi lit y”, i s it no t ti me fo r u s to lo ok at h ow the br and s w e supp or t c an thi nk of w ays to s afeg uar d no t onl y th e he alt h and b eau ty o f the pl ane t bu t al so t he cult ura l di ver sit y and v isi bil ity o f it s p eop le?

An oth er i ssue was rai sed wi th t he whi te s age by en vir onm ent ali sts , as so me b eli eve d i t to be an en dan ger ed pl ant. I n the ir ap olo gy l ett er, whe rei n the y ex pre sse d re gre t fo r th e co nce pt an d wi sh ed to cle ar up an y c once rn s, Pinr ose , th e co mpa ny w ho m anu fac ture d th e k it, sa id: “ the sa ge th at w as p lan ned t o be use d in th is ki t i s… grow n i n th e wi ld i n Ca lif orn ia a nd i s su sta ina bly h ar vest ed a nd so ld by N ati ve Am eri can o wne d an d o per ate d b usi nes ses ”.

Wh ile i t s eem s now di ffi cul t to jus tif y the out rag e, se ein g as m uch o f it a ppe ars to b e mi sgui ded , th e sto ry br eak ing did i nt ens ify th e di scu ssi on o ver su sta ina bil ity and g lob al aw are nes s i n fas hio n. Ev en if po ten ti ally m isd ire cte d, it go t peo ple ta lki ng abo ut ho w w e ca n m ake roo m fo r ev ery one ’s v oic e in t he fu tur e o f t he ind ust ry.

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Mancunion fashion player of the week Stella McCartney Nicole Lloyd spotlight’s the ‘ethical pioneer’ Photo: BlackCat @ Wikimedia Commons

St ell a Mc Car tne y un der sta nds tha t et hic al fa shi on i s h ighl y im por tan t in our so cia lly aw are c lim ate . Due t o thi s awa ren ess o f th e nee d fo r su sta inab ili ty, the bran d is ou r et hic al p ion eer of t oda y. Ac cor din g to St ell a, “M an- made c ons tru cte d env iro nme nts ar e di scon nec ted ”. Th ere for e, s he ha s tri ed to d o s om eth ing ab out t his th rou gh he r cl oth ing by tac kli ng s oc ial , en vir onm ent al an d c omm erc ial is sue s. Ste lla McC art ney is o ur ‘f ash ion p laye r of th e week ’, as it ’s th e fi rst 100 % veg eta ria n, 0% ani mal cr uel ty f ree fas hio n br and . The bra nd also do es t his by u sin g le ath er a lter nat ive s in th eir co lle cti ons .

Be for e yo u go hi gh-s tr eet s hop pin g, do you thi nk ab ou t the imp act tha t ‘f ast fa shi on’ has on the env iro nme nt ? Ma ybe yo u did n’ t kno w, b ut th e ind us try’ s fo cus on s pee d and lo w cos t has a de vas tat ing im pac t on our env iro nme nt. Thi s pr oce ss’ s ne gat ive env ir onm ent al i mpa ct i nc lude s t he pr odu cti on of t oxi c c hem ic als, t ext ile wa ste and wat er p oll uti on. This is beca use th e pre ssu re to r edu ce co sts a nd le ad ti me me ans t hat e nvi ron men tal e ffic ien cy is al way s c ut.

Ma ny p eop le a ren’ t co nsc iou s of t he i mpa cts of ‘fast fas hion ’ be cau se m any peo ple do n’t un der sta nd t he s cal e of the issu e. Cert ain ap pea lin g fe atu res of gar men ts such as vi bra nt co lou rs, p rin ts a nd fa bri c fin ish es ar e ac hiev ed u sing tox ic ch emi cal s. Te xti le dy ein g is th e sec ond l arg est p oll ute r of cl ean wat er g loba ll y, af ter a gr icu ltu re.

Th e mo st p opu lar fab ric use d fo r fa shi on i s po lye ste r. H owe ver micr ofi bre s th at p oll ute ou r wat er an d eve ntu all y ou r o cea ns a re sh ed wh en po lye ste r clo the s are pu t in t he wa shi ng mac hin e.

No w i t’s n ot ne cess ary t o c omp let ely bo yco tt t he f ash ion ind ust ry, but ins tea d we sho uld be m ore awa re of th e br and s wh o ar e un eth ica l in the ir p roc esse s an d th ose br and s wh o mo ve w ith int egr ity . So me o f ou r fa vou rit e hi gh fa shi on b ran ds a re b eco min g mo re sust ain abl e, f or inst anc e H &M in 20 13, la unc hed a g arm ent co lle ct ion mo vem ent wh ich all ows cus tom ers to h and in un wan ted cl oth ing a nd ma ter ial s as w ell as t he ir an nua l ‘ Cons ci ous ’ co lle cti on o f c lot hin g.

In dit ex - t he par ent co mpa ny of Za ra als o we lco mes s hop per s to dr op o ff the ir o ld cl oth ing to be re cyc led .

Th e the me o f sus tai nabi li ty an d the tre nd of v int age a nd re wor ked c lot hin g use d by fa shi on g ian ts in big c amp aig ns, work s to be in duce mo re c ons cio us c ons ump tio n by cu sto mer s. It h as also in spi red me per son all y to c rea te my ow n c lo thi ng bra nd ca lle d ne uno ir. cus tom s. Rew ork ed clo thi ng bou ght fr om t hri ft s hop s wh ich is t hen c ust omi sed an d reso ld i s th e c onc ept of m y b ran d.

Th is proc ess in turn wo rks aga inst da mag ing pa tte rns of fas hio n c ons ump tio n. I n a pro fit dr ive n ind ust ry, it i s nic e to see t hat et hic s and cha nges tow ard s ust ain abi lit y is st art ing to b e th e ho tte st t ren d, d riv en b y br and s l ike St ell a M car tne y.

Food & Drink 27 Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2018 launch

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PLY Presents Oktoberfest Laura Swain visits Oktoberfest, a 10day celebration of German cuisine PLY, a bar and pizza parlour nestled in the heart of the buzzing Northern Quarter, recently played host to a 10-daylong celebration of all things Oktoberfest. The event, running alongside the restaurant’s usual offering of a mouth-watering sourdough pizza menu and extensive range of drinks, boasted the exclusive availability of many traditional German brews rarely accessible outside of Oktoberfest and Munich.

Excited to check out the event and eager to take advantage of the offers available, I visited the restaurant on a bustling Friday evening. I made the mistake of forgetting to make a reservation, but after a short wait I was quickly seated.

Captivated by the Oktoberfest deal (who doesn’t love a bargain?), the offer of the themed pizza and two steins for £15 was jumped upon by both me and my friend. The staff who served us were thankfully knowledgeable on their beer (unlike us!) and able to recommend the Paulaner Oktoberfest and Augustiner Helles beers to accompany our ‘Best of the Wurst’ pizzas. Although the traditional German stein glasses we expected to see at such an event were absent, we both thoroughly enjoyed our beverages.

On request the staff willingly accommodated to my friend’s

Images: SVG Silh

Photo: Laura Swain

dietary requirements, allowing them to sample a vegan version of the Oktoberfest pizza almost identical in appearance to the meat version, but featuring vegan cheese and chorizo instead of bratwurst and Bavarian smoked cheese. The service was impeccable with our food arriving in what seemed like seconds after placing our order, pleasantly surprising due to the obvious busyness of the bar.

The converted space gives a modern, industrial feel to the bar accommodating to social occasions and large groups, but also providing a feeling of intimacy through the low lighting and inclusion of comfy sofas and smaller tables positioned to the side of the main area. At times I did feel the music was too loud, but perhaps this is to be expected of a bar on a Friday night. Nevertheless, it didn’t take away from the general experience, and encouraged us to continue our night by venturing to further bars.

The Oktoberfest event has sadly now ended. But PLY is still a great place to check out if you are looking to satisfy that pizza craving without being left deep in your overdraft or seeking somewhere with the lively atmosphere required to get a night out in NQ started!

Restaurant review: Cabana

Catrin Stewart looks at the 2018 Manchester Food and drink festival, offering free and ticketed events until October 7th The launch of this year’s food and drink festival was held at Albert’s Schloss in Spinningfields, coinciding with the introduction of Albert’s Schloss’ new winter menu.

A taster menu was provided, with their new dishes adapted into canapés, as well as brand new cocktails and beers for tasting. The standout dish was the Berliner spiced lamb with pomegranate, fennel and hummus, but the vegan/vegetarian canapés were disappointingly lacking in flavour in comparison. It begs the question as to whether the canapés are adapted too much from the original dish losing some of the flair that usually comes from the Albert’s Schloss kitchen.

However, all was redeemed with the Winter Pornstar cocktail. Unlike the Plum Spritz, Photos: Catrin Stewart which was a little too heavy on the soda water, compromising the tangy, fruity flavours, the Winter Pornstar was a perfect balance sweetness and acidity.

Made from Absolut Vanilla Vodka, crème de fig, apple, lemon and honey wine, this drink prompted one of the guests to declare it tasted exactly how butterbeer should taste. (If that’s not a compliment, I don’t know what is).

Following the 1920s themed evening at Albert’s Schloss complete with jazz singers and a Charlie Chaplin impressionist - guests were given vouchers to sample some of the food and drink on offer at the festival.

Despite not having the innumerable stalls that the Christmas Markets offer, Manchester’s Food and Drink festival has an eclectic selection of food available; and has a calmer and more enjoyable atmosphere. There are also live music acts performing and a VIP tent to keep visitors entertained whilst they wine and dine in Albert Square.

Some highlights from the festival hub include Vive La Crêpe; a crêperie providing sweet and savoury flavours, stuffed full of ingredients. Cottonpolis; a Japanese junk food vendor from the Northern Quarter, and Double Dutch G & T Bar; who use flavoured tonics paired with all manner of gins to create interesting and new variations of the classic mix.

The food and drink festival offers both free and ticketed events, but the hub itself is still worth a visit. It promises to keep the people of Manchester fed with delicious food until the 7th October, and luckily for us - Albert’s Schloss isn’t going anywhere.

Jeremy Bijl reviews Cabana, a brazillian barbecue restaurant located in the corn exchange

A corner of vibrant colour in the otherwise chromatically restrained Corn Exchange, Cabana was certainly eye-catching — with multi-coloured chairs, walls outfitted like favela walls plastered in adverts, and seats made of repurposed denim.

Accordingly, my first glance at the drinks menu was a pleasant surprise. Given the array of colourful cocktails and other unusual beverages, you’d be hard-pushed not to choose something you hadn’t tried before. A particularly interesting find was the cocktail that came out in a (plastic) hollowed-out coconut featuring fresh passion-fruit.

The food menu was also a little more ambitious than one might expect. For a place that seemed to model itself on ‘Nandos with a Brazilian street food twist’, there was a fair amount of variety to be found on the menu — vegetarians and vegans were particularly well catered for.

Don’t be fooled, however, at Cabana’s insistence on branding its products as ‘street food.’ Like most ‘street food’ places, the use of the increasingly ubiquitous term is purely stylistic. Whilst I wasn’t expecting food cooked on outdoor carts, the uniformity of the presentation and flavours indicated a largely impersonal, corporate cooking process. Indeed, examples of ‘street foods’ on the menu included nachos, chicken wings, and cheesy dough balls. Hardly authentic Brazilian cuisine, then.

Unfortunately, for a restaurant that quite audaciously overwhelms most of your senses, Cabana lacked boldness on one vital front: taste.

The starters were pretty inauspicious affairs. Comprised of the street foods (I’ll resist the urge to use another passive-aggressive set of inverted commas) above and a few other bits and pieces, they were certainly okay. And if that sounds like I’m damning by faint praise, I am. Whilst the loaded nachos were apparently pretty alright, the squid rings were very disappointing. However, I was informed that the chicken was excellent.

The mains are where the menu spreads its wings a little more. A decent range of beef, chicken, and vegetarian burgers were complimented by mains that included Spicy Malagueta Salmon, Chimichurri grilled cauliflower and — for a princely £21.50 — a couple of tasty sounding steaks.

With the idea of putting the restaurant through its paces, I chose the cauliflower.

Admittedly, it would take a far better chef than me to make this blandest of vegetables into a passable main, but it seemed a good barometer of what the chefs could do. Unfortunately, the answer was not that much.

Arriving with a dusting of mustardy quinoa and a sauce whose bright orange colour could not mask its pedestrian flavour, the cauliflower was obviously as much a culinary enigma to

the kitchen as it was to me. The salad was also notable for a lack of creativity despite some interesting ingredients.

Once again, however, the chicken received rave reviews. The burgers, too, were well-received. Although it was unanimously agreed they were a little dry, this can perhaps be excused on account that part of the restaurant’s ethos is to provide you with huge bottles of sauce (similar to Nandos) that add some much-needed balance, as well as livening up the flavour. It was just unfortunate that said bottles were extremely given to clogging themselves up at any given moment, meaning that extracting the requisite amount of their spicy nectar was an arduous task.

The puddings were perhaps the highlight.

The sundaes, in particular, were as charming as one might expect, and there were few complaints about the cheesecake or the caramel churros.

All in all, Cabana fails to stand out for its price point. Whilst its decor, atmosphere, and drinks menu give its first impression a good bit of personality, its food was certainly nothing to write home about. Like many mid-priced chain restaurants, it really suffered at the hands of a lack of fresh ingredients, and the choices on the menu failed to work around the limitations of the stock.

If you like chicken and exciting cocktails, come here. If not, there are better places within a two-minute radius to consider.

Lifestyle 29

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Fallowfeels:

(pod)casting off Students Eva Gerretsen and Bea Bacon discuss their podcast ‘Fallowfeels’ and just how they ended up bravely baring all online Photo: pxhere

Eva Gerretsen and Bea Bacon Contributors Quite organically, Fallowfeels formed out of the conversations we shared on the slow Sundays of our first year. Usually over a hot drink, we would sit down and openly pin-point emotions that linked directly to our student experience.

After realising the potential and relatability of these discussions, we brewed some more tea and started recording.

For both of us, podcast was a medium we had not used to express ourselves before. Initially, what drew us to it was the free flowing nature podcasts. In an era of editing and filters, the podcast remains somewhat raw – it therefore seemed the most appropriate form of media to form organic and opinionated discussions.

Additionally, it suits the conversational style we aim for – almost as if we’re inviting the listener into one of our chats.

By doing this we hope that our experiences will somehow create a universal student voice. Beyond this, podcasts are easy to produce. Anyone with a phone can make a podcast.

Fallowfeels is very basic meaning it places the quality of our conversations at the centre of the podcast.

Our first episode, recorded in one of our tiny student rooms, was shaky. There were quite a few ‘ums’, a few ‘do you know what I means’ and looped repetitions of ‘yeah, for sure, it’s so great, definitely’. News flash: these delightful idioms still

remain. Nevertheless, we had an open chat about being a first year. We were wrestling with the potential identity crisis that you may face when going to uni and how to stay true to your originality.

With this, you might think of the emotional impact of Freshers as a head-on collision with insecurity. You find yourself asking is this the right uni? Am I on the right course? Will I make any friends? Well, we want to talk about it. This podcast was created on the premise that every feeling is valid and to provide a space to comfortably discuss those feelings.

We are not agony aunts, and we are definitely not telling you how to ‘do’ uni. We’re quite the opposite. After all, we are all blindly navigating this rather turbulent three year storm – the difference is that we are just recording it. To drown out the thunder with some lo-fi hip hop and nervous laughter is to discover that our fears are natural and shared.

Fallowfeels also features a discussion about our passions: literature, film, music, art and how such mediums affect us.

This can often cause some debate – refer to our third episode, ‘Home’, for a feisty analysis of Mamma Mia 2. Other themes include imposter syndrome, our mothers, and what it’s like to move out of our family home. We believe to discuss these topics between us is a fantastic release, just as to listen to others discuss it can be.

Make sure to find us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fallow-feels.

Photo: Eva Gerretsen

Ljubljana for the budget traveller Slovenia’s quirky capital city is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination, but Victoria Evans is here to prove the city has much more to offer than cheap pints Victoria Evans Contributor In 2016 Ljubljana was named the European Green Capital and it is clear to see why. Priding itself as a clean and forward-thinking city, all streets are fully pedestrianised with a cycle network.

The picturesque bridges that run over the Ljubljanica River were initially for transport but have since been pedestrianised and traffic is non-existent in the centre. This offers a safe and laid-back setting for tourists to admire the architecture, or ‘people-watch’ from the quirky outdoor cafes and restaurants that line the river. Despite being a capital city, it is peaceful, relaxed and offers the warmness of a small town.

The architecture in the city has an Italian influence – intricate, stunning, and pretty in pastel. In 1895 an earthquake reduced most of the city to ruins but this gave free rein to visionaries such as Jože Plečnik to build Art Nouveau masterpieces from the rubble. Its picturesque image is constructed by different historical periods and European influences.

As for value for money, you can’t get much better. Slovenian branded ‘Union’ beer cost only €2, and a 3-course meal was priced at €12.50. Although a cheaper alternative city to Venice, Paris or Barcelona, Ljubljana is just as romantic. Love is in the name, Ljubljana sounds similar to the Slovenian word for love ‘ljubezen’. Visit

Photo: Sami C @ Flickr

the Butcher’s Bridge, where lovers place their padlocks, mirroring the Parisian Pont des Arts. Stroll the narrow streets of the old town that echo Barcelona’s bohemian gothic quarter. Enjoy the sunset at Ljubljana castle for something romantic and cultural. Constructed as a 16th century bulwark against Ottoman invasion, it’s the perfect location to enjoy stunning panoramic views. There are tours, a tourist train and a funicular railway that links the city to the steep lookout point.

Just across the river from the old-town lies Ljubljana’s area of alternative culture. This is Metelkova Mesto, one of Europe’s most successful urban squats. An abandoned army barracks from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the area was occupied by squatters and youth rebels. Nowadays the dilapidated buildings have taken on

a new identity. A hub of urban culture, Metelkova showcases its creativity, edginess and rawness. The vivid graffiti, rusty sculptures and cracked mosaic tiled walls stand in complete contrast to the delicacy and charm of old-town Ljubljana’s pastel-coloured and intricate architecture. The autonomous area hosts underground music events, and at night-time the concrete area becomes the focal point of the alternative culture scene. For those familiar with the legendary Antwerp Mansion, Metelkova is this, but ten times bigger and ten times more intense.

Ljubljana is the perfect spot for a short and sweet holiday. Spend even longer to explore Slovenia’s natural wonders. The fairy-tale Lake Bled is only 57km away, approximately an hour and a half by bus.

30 Sport

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

James Richardson explains how podcasts are the future

Photo: Emery PR

Sports Editor James Gill finds out more about how football journalist James Richardson thinks podcasts are the forum of the future.

Sam Honey Deputy Sport Editor Ja me s Rich ards on is a footba ll broadca ste r and j ourna list known for hosting the icon ic Footba ll Ita li a i n the 90’s as well as the C h a mpion s L e ag ue G oa ls Show more recently. When h is face is n’ t on you r s c re e n h i s voice is in you r ears a s the host of s eve ra l podcast s, from The Totally Footba ll Show to Tr uth a nd Mov ie s.

Richa rds on b egan h is j ou rney into podca sting a s the host of The Gu ardian’s The World C u p Show, cove ring a ll t he highs and lows of the 20 0 6 World C u p. Following its huge succe ss the show evolve d into T he Gu a rd ia n’s Foot b al l Weekly; a twice-week ly s how fe atu ring R ich a rd s on as host a nd a s election of j ou r n a lists d is c u s s ing the we e k ’s fo ot ba ll news.

It was du ring h is 11 ye a rs the re th at he ce me nte d hi s re putation as a broadca ste r who ca n s e a m le s s ly i ntegrate pu n s and humou r into h is work . T h is a bi l ity wa s a major factor in bu ild ing the la rge follow i ng the show amass ed, allowing the te a m to play s eve ral s e l lout venue s across the U K . I n 20 17 he de c ide d to ca l l ti me on h is time at T he Gu a rd ia n to sta rt h is ow n pro duc tion comp any, Muddy K ne e s Me d ia . A long w it h long time producer B e n Gre e n , a nd for me r g ue st Ia i n Macintosh . Their first podca st topic? Footb al l , obviou sly, entitled The Tota lly Footba ll Show.

Richa rds on said : “It wa s a little bit of a le ap in t he da rk although we we re n’ t re inve nting ou rs e lve s pa rticularly. I gue ss we fe lt th at pe ople wou ld st i l l be l i sten ing but we h ave be e n re a lly h appy w it h the re sp on s e and the nu m be r of liste ne rs we ge t .

“ T he world c u p m ade a big d i f fe re nce, we t h rew a lot at it and ou r l i ste ne rs h ip s e e m s to h ave g row n . I’m re al ly h appy w it h how t h i ng s are go i ng . Not ju st w it h l i ste ne rs h ip but al s o af te r a ye ar of do i ng t h i s we h ave me t and b e e n able to br i ng i n lot s of d i f fe re nt k i nd s of p e ople and s ome f re s h ide as.

Wi l l he ex p and h i s e mpi re to cove r t he top 5 Eu rop e a n le ag ue s? Pe rh ap s not . “I’ m not su re you wou ld h ave t he s ame k i nd of bu i lt i n aud ie nce for s ay a L a L iga s how or a Bu nde s l iga s how. We ge t ab out 60,000 an e pi s o de for G ol az zo wh ich i s a ve r y he alt hy l i ste ne rs h ip. As much as p o dcast s h ave g row n I t h i n k we are st i l l very much at t he t ip of t he ice b e rg i n te r m s of t he i r p ote nt i a l and t he way t h at p e ople can u s e t he m as a for um and a way of cove r i ng d i f fe re nt sp or t s and le ag ue s.”

“In t he s ame way t h at we h ave s h i f te d ac ros s f rom watch i ng l i ne ar T V to b as ical ly s it t i ng on t h i ng s l i ke Ne t f l i x , Apple T V, and st re am i ng b oxs e t s, I t h i nk i nc re as i ng ly p e ople won’ t b e t ie d dow n to radio s che du le s but i n ste ad ju st pick u p aud io on de m and.

It i s much e as ie r i f you are com mut i ng or m ak i ng a ca r jou r ney rat he r t h an l i ste n i ng to wh ateve r h app e n s to b e pl ay i ng on t he rad io, s o you can fol low t h i ng s t hat you are i nte re ste d i n . O r eve n t h i ng s t h at you h ave no i nte re st i n at t he st ar t but i n h al f an hou r or an hou r w ill g ive you an u nde rst and i ng of a su bje c t you’ve never prev iou s ly k now n ab out .” “ T he p ote nt i al of p o dcast s i s huge. T hey’ re s o che ap to m ake and t hey te nd to b e f re e to dow n lo ad . T he p e rce nt age of t he p opu l at ion t h at i s eve n aware of t hem or le t alone u s e d t he m i s st i l l re l at ive ly s m al l . It i s a huge are a of g row t h t h at we are go i ng to s e e.”

T he re’s t he c r u x of t he pro ble m . Po dcast s h ave t he

Hamilton’s victory spells disaster for rivals Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Russian Grand Prix spells disaster for rival Sebastian Vettel.

Photo: @Wikimedia Commons

p otent ia l to cha nge t he way p eople listen to audio s hows, but how to advert is e t hem in a way t hat would at t ract new listeners? “For our p o dca st we don’t p a rt icula rly advert is e it , it ’s more of a word of mout h t hing.”

“I t hink for p o dca st s in genera l it ’s s omet hing t hat more a nd more p eople a re b ecom ing awa re of like ‘what is t hat icon on my home s creen s ay ing p o dca st s?’. I gue s s it ’s a generat iona l t hing a s well a s more young p eople a re into t hem . G enera lly t hough p eople a re b ecom ing more a nd more awa re of t he p otent ia l t hat t hey have. The new ways of enj oy ing content .”

“In t he s a me way t hat yea rs ago no b o dy knew what a n Apple TV wa s or dow nlo ada ble TV content wa s a nd now it ’s b ecome completely norm a l. Even my mot her w ill watch b oxs et s. It t a ke s t ime. There wa s such a t radit iona l way of consum ing telev ision a nd radio content t hat it t a ke s t ime for p eople to sw itch across.”

“In term s of how we advert is e t hat ’s a t ricky one. I don’t know how you do it . We don’t p a rt icula rly have a n advert ising budget – we rely, a s I say, very much on word of mout h. At a gue s s I would t hink t hat you’ ll st a rt to s ee a lot more p o dca st s advert ising on ot her p o dca st s. This happ ens a lready I know we have had advert s for a not her s how on our p o dca st . I t hink t here w ill b e a lot more cross-p ollinat ion t hat way.”

“While advert is ing one p o dca st in p a rt icula r, we w ill b e advert ising t he whole idea of p o dca st ing in genera l.

For exa mple S eria l’s huge succe s s woke a huge s ect ion of t he p opulat ion up to what p o dca st s a re, what t heir p otent ia l is, a nd t he s ort of storie s you ca n tell. May b e p eople t hought it wa s j ust a sp ort s t hing or like a blog, but t he fact t hat you ca n get dra m a which is a lmost unputdow na ble rea lly pushed t he whole f ield forwa rd.”

James Gill Head Sport Editor L ew i s H am i lton i s now 5 0 p o i nts a head of r ival S e b ast i an Ve t te l i n t he b at t le for a f i f t h d r ive rs’ world ch ampions hip af te r a v ic tor y i n t he Ru s s i an G ra nd P rix .

T he B r it ’s race was s h roude d i n cont roversy a s Me rce de s orde re d te am m ate Valt te r i B ott a s to let h i m p ast on l ap 2 5 i n orde r to s e c u re a Ha m ilton w i n . Wit h on ly f ive race s le f t , t he ch ampions hip is no longe r Ve t te l’s to w i n , on ly H am i lton’s to los e.

The Ferrari driver could come first in all remaining race s but st i l l come s e cond i n t he sta ndings.

T he b eg i n n i ng of t he race s aw i nte n s e b at t ling at t he f ront of t he g r id but no m ajor p os it iona l ch ange s. H am i lton h ad a s low st ar t but ma naged to u s e B ot t as’ s l ip st re am to avo id b eing ove r t ake n by Ve t te l . Fu r t he r b ack i n t he grid b ot h Tor ro Ros s o cars re t i re d i n t he op e n i ng l ap s a f ter i nde p e nde nt ly spi n n i ng out .

As ide f rom Ve rst app e n stor m i ng t h rough t he f ie ld af te r a b ack row st ar t , t he exc ite ment died dow n u nt i l t he f i rst pit stop s. O n l ap 12 B ot t a s came i nto t he pit s, fol lowe d by Ve t te l a lap later.

D u r i ng t h i s t i me H am i lton b egan s e t t i ng fa ste st s e c tor t i me s and it s e e me d he cou ld move into t he le ad , but t he Wi l l i am s of S e rgey S i rot kin held h i m u p, wast i ng valu able s e cond s.

W he n H am i lton d id pit on l ap 14 t he q ue st ion was no longe r ‘ wou ld he come out i n t he lead?’, but ‘ wou ld he come out t h i rd to Ve t te l? ’. As t he Me rce de s e me rge d f rom t he pit l ane he s aw t he

Ferra ri of Vet tel next to him , a nd t hen a head of him a s t hey went into t he f irst corner. “How did t hat happ en?” he a s ked. Wa s Ferra ri’s st rategy f ina lly com ing toget her?

Ha m ilton is not a driver to sit b ack a nd watch a s imp ort a nt p o int s go to his bigge st riva l a nd im mediately b ega n at t acking t he G erm a n.

O n lap 16 t he Mercede s went to move dow n t he ins ide but t he de fence f rom t he Ferra ri a lmost led to a collision, t he light ning react ions of Ha m ilton t he only t hing prevent ing one.

S evera l corners later he f ina lly m a naged to get t he b et ter of Vet tel a nd moved into t hird place, b ehind his tea m m ate a nd Red Bull’s Ma x Verst app en, who had yet to pit . As t he lap s progre ss ed t he Mercede s tea m b ega n to not ice blistering to Ha m ilton’s t ire s a nd gave orders to B ot t a s to let him t hrough on lap 2 5 to protect t he tea m’s intere st s.

Verst app en pit ted on lap 4 3 a nd t he top t hree st ayed in t hos e p os it ions for t he rem a inder of t he race. B ot t a s a s ked towa rds t he end if t hey were go ing to f inis h in t he s e p os it ions, hoping to b e given b ack t he place he gave up. In re sp ons e he wa s told: “Af f irm , we w ill t a lk a b out it a f terwa rds.”

Af ter t he race Ha m ilton sa id: “Va lt teri did a fa nt a st ic j o b a ll weekend a nd he wa s a rea l gent lem a n to let me by. It ha s b een a great weekend for t he tea m . Usua lly I would b e elated, but I ca n underst a nd how dif f icult it wa s for Va lt teri.”

The next race w ill t a ke place on 7t h O cto b er at t he incredible Suzuka circuit in Jap a n. If Vet tel ca nnot t a ke signif ica nt p o int s f rom Ha m ilton, t he cha mpions hip is a ll but over.

ISSUE 4B / 10th October 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Sport 31

Manchester United continue their abysmal run against Valencia in the Champions League Man United 0 - 0 Valencia Mourinho’s call for his players to fight for their team seems to have landed on deaf ears for t he club, for t he fa ns a nd for each ot her”. C lea rly none of t his wa s conveyed to t he m atch day sq uad.

The draw mea ns t hat United a nd Mourinho have now gone four cons ecut ive home ga me s in a ll comp et it ions w it hout a w in. It a ls o mea ns t hat United s it s econd on four p o int s in G roup H while Juvent us s it on a m a x imum s ix . Wit h two of t he rem a ining four ga me s aga inst Juvent us it lo oks like t here m ay b e a b at t le for s econd place a s United lo ok unlikely to t a ke even a s ingle p o int f rom The Old L ady.

Af ter t he ga me Mourinho told t he pre ss t hat “ The players t ried. They ra is ed t he level of t heir e f fort s. They ra is ed t he level of t heir intens ity.” C redit to Mourinho his side did ra is e t heir intensity f rom t he 3-1 de feat to We st Ha m . Then aga in it isn’t rea lly a n achievement to b e proud of.

Ra fa B enitez w ill b e licking his lip s at t he opp ort unity to get t hree va lua ble p o int s aga inst t he Red D ev ils t his weekend. The Magpie s a re w inle ss s o fa r t his s ea s on but w ill smell blo o d a f ter United’s st ring of p o or re sult s.

James Gill Head Sport Editor Jos e Mou rin ho’s pos ition as m a n age r re m ai n s under pre ssu re following an exc r uc iating 0- 0 d raw at home to Vale nc ia in the C h a mpions L e ag ue.

Ma nche ster Un ited a re h aving the ir worst sta rt to a P re m ie r L e ague s eas on and s howe d no s ig n s of le aving t h at b e h i nd a ny t ime s oon . There we re 11 ind ividu a ls on the pitch at Old Tra fford rather th an a te a m – routine pa s s ing looke d d i f f ic u lt , thread ing s everal toge the r to c re ate ch a nce s looke d i mp os s i ble.

Luckily for Un ited thoug h Va le nc ia d id n’ t fa re much b e t te r. T he S pa nish side grew into the ga me a s the m inute s p as s e d by but had no major ch ance s to te st de G e a . M a rc u s Ra s hford h ad t he be st ch ance of the ga me, a fre e k ick in a n attrac t ive p os it ion ski mmed the top of the ba r.

In the programme note s for the ga me Mou r i n ho s aid hi s players need to “fig ht, work , compe te, wi n due l s, b e humble and then at the e nd of the ga me eve r y pl aye r mu st be exh au sted becau s e of the h a rd work they h ave g ive n

Photo: James Gill

Late Silva strike saves City from Champions League embarrassment Man City 2 - 1 Hoffenheim City snatched a late win at the German side thanks to the Spainard’s goal, having been frustrated for long periods of the match.

Sam Honey Deputy News Editor Mid f ie lde r Dav id S i lva e mph as i s e d h i s i mp or t ance to th i s M anche ste r City s ide as h i s 87 t h m i nute go al s e c u re d a c r uc i al t h re e p o i nt s i n Ch ampion s L e ag ue G rou p F. T he 32-ye ar old picke d t he p o cke t of S te fan Pos ch i n s ide t he b ox , b e fore s lot t i ng i nto t he bot tom cor ne r for h i s s e cond go al of t he s e as on .

T he game h ad b e e n a clos e af fai r u p u nt i l t h at p o i nt , wit h a s e cond h al f of l i m ite d ch ance s fol low i ng a first 4 5 m arke d by an ac t ion-p acke d op e n i ng 1 0 m i nute s, i n wh ich b ot h s ide s got onto t he s core s he e t .

It was t he host s who to ok t he le ad af te r ju st 4 4 s e cond s, wit h t he m atch’s f i rst opp or t u n ity, whe n Is h ak B e l fo d i l be at t he of fs ide t rap and le av i ng City ce nt re - b ack Ay me r ic L ap or te st rande d as he f i n i s he d t h roug h t he leg s of E de rs on .

T he away s ide re sp onde d q u ick ly howeve r, w it h t al i s m an S e rg io Ag ue rö t appi ng i n af te r br i l l i ant work f rom m an- ofthe - m atch Dav id S i lva, who fou nd L e roy S ané w it h a br i l l i ant th roug h b al l i nto t he Hof fe n he i m b ox . City ne arly t u r ne d the game on it s he ad b e fore t he 2 0- m i nute m ark , as Rahe e m Sterl i ng was de n ie d an al most ce r t ai n go al on t he bre ak , by exce l le nt go al ke e pi ng f rom Ol ive r B au m an n .

It was t he for m of t he G e r m an s ide’s capt ai n i n b e twe e n the st icks t h at ke pt t he m leve l go i ng i nto h al f t i me. B au m an n pu l le d of f two ac ro b at ic stop s to de ny City’s re cord Photo: Sam Honey

go a ls corer f rom out s ide t he b ox , a s t he C it izens b ega n to smell blo o d, w it h Hof fenheim ex p os ed on t he counter.

While neit her tea m m a naged to ga in t he upp er-ha nd in t he s econd p erio d, C ity were denied what lo oked a cert a in p ena lty a f ter 73 m inute s when Sa né wa s w ip ed out by Baum a nn, who s eemed to get none of t he b a ll.

If eit her s ide wa s play ing for t he p o int it wa s Nagels m a nn’s men, a nd while under pre s sure late on, 21-yea r old Pos ch m is s ed t he b a ll a s he at tempted to clea r his side’s line s in t he b ox , a llow ing Silva to capit a lis e a nd rif le home.

The go a l s et t led a s crappy a f fa ir, t hat C ity m ight have de s erved a v ictory f rom b a s ed on t heir energet ic f irst ha lf show ing. D e spite t his, Pep G ua rdiola’s tea m were f rust rated by t he well-orga nis ed home s ide for long p erio ds of t he m atch, a nd were nowhere nea r t heir com fort level on t he night .

The f ixt ure wa s a lways go ing to b e a b out t he re sult , rat her t ha n t he p erform a nce for t he C ha mpions however, who went into t he m atch know ing t hat v ictory wa s e ss ent ia l for t heir hop e s of topping t he group, hav ing t a sted de feat in t heir Europ ea n op ener t hree weeks prev iously aga inst Lyon.

City were further aided in their pursuit of top spot as Lyon and Sha kht a r D onet sk sha red t he p o int s in t he group’s ot her ga me, a n act ion p acked 2-2 draw at t he Pa rc Oly mpiq ue Lyonna is.

G ua rdiola a nd co. cont inue t heir m iss ion to top t he group w it h b ack-to -b ack m atche s aga inst Sha kht a r D onet sk in t his comp et it ion, t he f irst of which w ill s ee C ity t ravel to t he Kha rkiv on O cto b er 23rd.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Black History Month:

Manchester’s influential black athletes In the spirit of Black History Month, The Mancunion explores some of the famous black faces in Manchester sport, from Arthur Wharton to Marcus Rashford Harry Deacon Contributor The arrival of B lack H istor y Month bring s t he opportu n ity to profile s ome of the most fa mou s bl ack sp ortsmen and sportswome n in h istor y from a round the world – but the re is a ls o a rich h istor y of Bl ack repre s entat ion in M a nc u n ia n sports, to o.

“it is still crucial to reinforce the inclusive nature of the beautiful game.”

Ma nche ster h as a r ich footba ll h istor y produc i ng E ngl a nd’s most succe s s fu l clu b in M a nche ste r Un ite d .

However, it is p erh ap s the le s s he a rd-of n a me s such as Arthur Wh arton th at a re vita l in both footba lling and bl ack h istory. Wh arton e a rne d the title of the world’s fi rst bl ack profe ssion a l footba lle r a nd is e ntre nched i n Ma ncun ian h istory af te r e nd ing h is ca re e r playing w it h

S to ck p or t Cou nty i n 1902 .

A lt houg h W h ar ton m ay not s e e m to h ave h ad t he most g l it te r i ng care e r, it i s h i s legacy of fac i l it at i ng i nc re as e d bl ack p ar t ic ip at ion fo ot b al l t h at as su re s his pl ace i n sp or t s h i stor y. H i s i nvolve me nt i n fo ot b al l is eve r-pre s e nt , and h as b e e n i m mor t al i s e d i n a st at ue at t he F IFA he adq u ar te rs.

Fo ot b al l to d ay m ay s e e m mu lt i - c u lt u ral but it i s still c r uc i al to re i n force t he i nclu s ive n at u re of t he b e aut i f ul game. No b o dy do e s t h i s b e t te r t h an M arc u s Ras h ford.

B or n i n Wy t he n s h awe, Ras h ford i s b ot h a Eu rop a L e ag ue w i n ne r w it h M anche ste r Un ite d and a s e m i f i n al i st at t h i s su m me r ’s World Cu p, prov i ng to al l you ng at h le te s t h at any t h i ng i s p os s i ble.

M anche ste r ’s bl ack sp or t i ng h i stor y i s not only l i m ite d to fo ot b al l . T he stor y of L e on ard ‘ L e n’ B e n ker Joh n s on i s a fas c i n at i ng one. A b oxe r f rom Cl ay ton, Joh n s on won 92 out of h i s 1 2 7 profe s s ion al f ig ht s b e twe e n 192 1 and 193 3.

S ad ly, howeve r, pre jud ice i n h i bite d Joh n s on f rom ach iev i ng wh at s hou ld h ave b e e n p os s i ble. He was not able to f ig ht i n B r it i s h ch ampion s h ip s due to bl ack comp e t itors b e i ng b ar re d at t he t i me, and t hu s h ad to

f ight in Aust ra lia to w in t he eq uiva lent of t he Brit ish E mpire m iddleweight t it le. Johns on a ss erted his inf luence at home a s a n av id com munity leader in Mos s Side a nd civ il right s act iv ist , de spite t he b a rriers t hat sto o d in t he way of his b ox ing ca reer.

A more recent a nd prom inent black sp ort swom a n is D ia ne Mo da hl. B orn to Ja m a ica n p a rent s in Ma nche ster, her at hlet ics ca reer is wort hy of adm irat ion, w inning t hree meda ls at t he C om monwea lt h G a me s, including gold in t he 8 0 0 m at Auckla nd 1990. Mo da hl is now us ing her ow n ex p erience a s one of Brit a in’s f ine st at hlete s to give b ack to t he com munity.

The D ia ne Mo da hl Sp ort s Foundat ion give s opp ort unit ie s such a s sp ort ing co aching a nd mentoring for a ll children. The Ma nche ster cha rity give s cha nce s to a ll a spiring at hlete s, w it h ext ra opp ort unit ie s to t hos e f rom under-priv ileged b ackgrounds.

Mo da hl ha s show n determ inat ion t hroughout her whole ca reer, hav ing faced t he tough ordea l of b eing fa ls ely accus ed of fa iling a drugs te st . However, sp ea king to t he PFA in August she revea led t he s ignif ica nce of her up bringing, s ay ing, “But I’m a Ma ncunia n, a nd we a re m ade of tough st uf f ” - who could a rgue w it h t hat?

Europe comfortably beat US to regain Ryder Cup Francesco Molinari beat Phil Mickelson 4 and 2 for the winning point as Europe regained the Ryder Cup on an exciting final day at Le Golf National.

James Gill Head Sport Editor F rance s co Molin ar i be at Ph il M icke ls on 4 & 2 for the w i n n i ng p o i nt as Europe regained the Ryder Cup on an exciting final day at Le Golf National.

The Italian golfer a nd Ope n ch a mpion be came t he f i rst European to ach ieve a pe rfe c t h au l of five poi nt s i n one Ryde r Cup as he took Eu rope to the 14 . 5 point m ark . Fol low i ng t he victory, he was d renche d in be e r by the ce le brat i ng Eu rop e an fa ns and said th at it “ me a n s more th a n w i n n i ng m ajors”.

It wa s not always s o com for ta ble for the Eu rope a n te am t houg h .

Having come into the fin a l d ay with a 10 -6 le ad , and ne e d i ng ju st four and a h alf more points out of 12 to win , they lost t h re e of t he f i rst five single s matche s. The le ad now stood at a s ing le p o i nt , and t he USA could almost taste their first Ryde r C u p win on Eu rop e an s o i l s i nce 1993.

O ne of thos e matche s wa s Ju stin Thom a s vs Ror y Mc Il roy.

McIl roy was favou r ite to win the m atchu p a nd le d for l arge spe l l s u ntil h is ba ll la nde d in the bu n ke r on t he 1 8 t h hole.

Hi s first bu n ker shot we nt nowhe re pos itive and h i s s e cond , w it h increasing de spe ration , we nt into the la ke. T he Nor t he r n I ri shman looked deje c te d a s the point we nt to t he Un ite d S t ate s.

The Eu rop ean team ne e de d to bou nce back q u ick ly i f t hey wante d to be victoriou s and th at’s exac tly wh at they d id . Ro ok ie T hor bjør n Ole s en shocked pu ndits by be ating Jord a n Spe ith in a com for t able 5 &

Photo: Omar Rawlings @ Flickr

4 w in for his f irst p o int , leading t he cha rge a s t he blue s got s ix po int s out of a p oss ible f ina l s even to rega in t he Ryder C up.

In t he pro ce ss S ergio G a rcia surp a s s ed Sir Nick Fa ldo a s t he all-t ime Ryder C up p o int s s corer w it h 2 5. 5 a nd s hed a few tea rs i n t he celebrat ions. “I don’t usua lly cry, but I couldn’t help it , what a week,” he sa id. “It ’s b een a rough yea r, but we fought ha rd. I’m s o t ha nkf ul to Thom a s Bj orn for b eliev ing in me.”

T his yea r’s comp et it ion, de spite b eing la b elled “t he top one” by Europ ea n capt a in Thom a s Bj orn, wa s not a j oyous o cca sion for all. 4 9 yea r old C orine Rem a nde, who t ravelled f rom E gy pt to watch the action, got hit by a Brooks Koepka tee shot. She praised Ko epka for m a king sure s he wa s okay but s a id s he dow nplayed her inj urie s to m a ke sure he “would st ay concent rated”.

Koepka said that “it’s hard to control a golf ball, especially for 300 ya rds, a nd a lot of t ime s t he fa ns a re clos e to t he fa irway. You ca n yell ‘fore’ but it do e s n’t m at ter f rom 30 0 ya rds, you ca n’t hea r it .”

A f ter t ha nking Ko epka , Rom a nde to ok a moment to crit icis e the Ryder C up orga nis ers for not reaching out to m a ke sure she wa s okay. The E gy pt ia n is s eeking lega l adv ice to help cover t he cost of t he medica l t reat ment s he needs.

Ta lking a b out t he incident she sa id: “It happ ened s o fa st , I didn’t feel a ny p a in when I wa s hit . I didn’t feel like t he b a ll had st ruck my eye a nd t hen I felt t he blo o d st a rt to p our. The s ca n on F riday conf irmed a f ract ure of t he right eye s o cket and a n ex plosion of t he eyeb a ll.”