Issue 3

FRE

E

MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

2nd OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 3

Role referendum: Exec-ly who should run the union?

The next Brexit: Your voice will be heard on which executive officers will lead the Students’ Union from 2018

OR Kirstie O’Mahony Editor-in-Chief A shock motion passed at the first Senate session of the academic year which may potentially lead to the loss or combination of some executive officer roles at the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union.

General Secretary Alex Tayler proposed the motion, and described it as “a really exciting opportunity to engage with students… to find out

Muslim students harrassed for praying

P5

what they want from us and how we can better engage with them” when speaking to The Mancunion. The motion was passed with 83 per cent in favour.

The question was raised before voting as to whether or not the result would be binding. In response, Alex said that it would be more of a “preferendum”, but also told The Mancunion after the session had closed that if less than 3,000 students participate in the vote, the result will be void.

There hasn’t been a review of the roles of the Union’s executive

Advice on changing Songs to move in to P16P4 courses

officers in six years, although in 2013 one general secretary candidate, Colin Cortbus, campaigned on the issue of reducing the team by half to just four members. Alex Tayler said himself that eight sabbatical officers “is a big number” and that he definitely wouldn’t want to see the numbers increased.

In fact, all of the four proposed options will have eight roles but there will be some new ones, such as a postgraduate officer and an international officer, and there will also be an option for things to remain as they are.

#COMIX4CORBYN

P20

2

News

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Voting in Student Rep Elections now closed Results due to be announced in the near future Cameron Broome Head News Editor

Highlights

Following the destruction of the earthquake in Mexico, the Manchester Mexican Society are holding various fundraising events to raise money for those affected.

The earthquake has so far claimed 227 lives and wreaked havoc on not only Mexico City, but dozens of small towns in neighbouring states such as Wahaca. 21 children and 4 adult staff members are thought to have perished in a school in the capital as a result of the quake.

Treasurer of the Manchester Mexican Society Noel Natera Cordero told The Mancunion that fortunately “no one’s family [in the society] have been affected” but there are still friends and acquaintances who are in the midst of the devastation.

He continued “it’s terrible being so far away from your friends, your family and your country” at a time like this, but made clear that now is the time for action and organisation in the face of such adversity.

The Mexican society are planning various events such as movie nights and a football

tournament, but are open to more ideas from anyone who wants to get involved.

Noel also mentioned that the Holy Name Church, opposite the Students’ Union on Oxford Road, are helping organise a catholic mass in remembrance of those affected.

The Manchester Mexican Society have set up a Just Giving page where people can donate to the cause. They also have a Facebook page where you can keep up to date with all the fundraising events they’re organising.

Counselling Service lets students down

Features p8 Black History Month

Film p18 Review: A Child in Time

Students report unprofessionalism and poor advice from the University of Manchester’s counselling service Rosa Simonet Deputy News Editor With universities being called to do more for student’s mental health The Mancunion ran a survey investigating the University of Manchester’s counselling service. The survey reached 45 people, with 37 saying they used the service.

When asked if they found the counselling service useful, one student said: “No. One woman called me ‘a perfect case study’ which was entirely dehumanising. I never went back.” The comments throughout the report show some students have felt “judged”, “pressured”, and “intimidated” by their counsellors.

Some felt forced to retell traumatic incidents and details of abuse, not yet comfortable with sharing such information.

Many of these students have gone on to receive private therapy or care elsewhere.

Another student gave a detailed list of her counsellor’s unprofessionalism.

“She told me that when she counselled me it felt like she had the Sword of Damocles dangling over her head, ready to crash down at any moment if she did the wrong thing, she told me in sessions that it felt like I was slapping her down and it was hurtful to her to sit there and listen to it, usually in response to my habit of using dark humour to avoid topics I was uncomfortable with talking about directly.”

“Overall, [the counselling service] was more harmful than helpful.”

University counselling services have been under strain due to the dramatic increase in demand. According to a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), “Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by The Times published in 2016

Contact us

Theatre p25 Where to go for a laugh in Manchester this week

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstie O’Mahony editor@mancunion.com Deputy Editor: Tristan Parsons deputyed@mancunion.com Head News Editor: Cameron Broome Deputy News Editor: Rosa Simonet Deputy News Editor: Amy Wei E: news@mancunion.com Science & Technology Editor: Kieran O’Brien E: science@mancunion.com Features Head Editor: Catherine Bray Deputy Editor: Raine Beckford E: features@mancunion.com Head Opinion Editor: Sam Glover

show a rise of 68 per cent in counselling service users at Russell Group universities since 2011.”

However “none of the major mental health strategy/policy aims published by government organisations — ranging from the 2000 NHS plan to the 2016 Five Year Forward View for Mental Health — give any special focus to students in higher education, despite it being such a vulnerable period.”

Many have criticised university action as well and claim university Presidents and Vice-chancellors may even earn more than put into university mental health support. President and Vice-Chancellor Dame Nancy Rothwell has a salary of £247,500 plus expenses of over £1,000.

The services at Manchester were criticised earlier this year, following the suicide of Philip Langdon, 22. Philip, who had a history of mental health issues, had sought help from the university before taking his own life. Both friends and family reported to The Manchester Evening News, saying the “services available were very confusing.”

The university offers a range of support, encouraging students to begin with other resources before seeking counselling. Information on workshops, groups, online, self-help materials and suggested reading are all available on the university counselling website.

However, Ms Orpe-Hudson, who shared a flat on the university campus with Philip, reported to the Manchester Evening News, saying “It sounds complicated to me and I have been there for a year,” “If someone is having problems they should not have to reach out to all these different services. Only after this happened were they highlighted to me, and I still had to go and find them myself.”

One student who reported back to our survey said they didn’t find the workshops useful. She said, “It might have been useful to someone who wasn’t really familiar with [cognitive behavioural therapy] CBT as a concept, but because I know a little bit about it I found the introductory workshop pretty pointless.”

Some students also reported cultural incompetence within the counselling

Deputy Opinion Editor: Jacklin Kwan E: opinion@mancunion.com @MancunionOp Head Film Editor: Eloise Wright Deputy Film Editor: Jamie McEvoy E: film@mancunion.com @MancunionFilm Fashion Head Editor: Talia Lee-Skudder Deputy Editors: Amy Nguyen and Sophie Alexandra-Walsh E: fashion@mancunion.com @MancunionFash Head Music Editor: Hannah Brierley Deputy Music Editor: Yasmin Duggal E: music@mancunion.com @MancunionMusic Books Editor: Ayesha Hussain E: books@mancunion.com

service. These ranged from comments on “headscarves,” to counsellors being unable to help students with ‘“issues based around racism.”

Saqib Mahmood, Wellbeing Officer for the Student’s Union, said as well as “looking at increasing the availability of Counselling Service appointments,” he wanted to ensure these services were “accessible to people from minority groups such as BME, LGBTQ+, and Faith groups” As stated on the Rethink Mental Illness website, students and young people rely on counselling to simply talk to someone “away from family and friends and who is trained in listening and supporting young people.”

“Many young people have said that feeling listened to and taken seriously by a counsellor helped them to feel more positive and in control of their lives.”

With mounting pressures on new university students, young people are more vulnerable than ever. However, the results from our brief survey imply the needs of many students at the University of Manchester are not being met.

When presented with the report the university replied stating, “university counselling services are available to any student and are run by trained staff working to the highest professional standards. We would encourage any student who has a complaint about the University Counselling Service to contact us directly and we will listen and act on any issues as appropriate.”

Saqib Mahmood also responded to the survey results. He said, “according to the survey, the counselling services are failing in reaching out to students in their services.”

“These services should be provided to any student in the University of Manchester who feels like they need support, and they should be able to supply that support to a high standard. Obviously, something needs to be done to improve the experience that students receive through the Counselling Service, and this is something that the Student’s Union will make a priority this coming year.”

@MancunionBooks Games Editor: Jeremy Bijl E: games@mancunion.com Food & Drink Head Editor: Anokhi Shah Deputy Editor: Daisy Tolcher E: foodanddrink@mancunion.com Arts Editor: Cicely Ryder-Belson E: arts@mancunion.com

Head Sport Editor: Sam Cooper Deputy Sport Editor: Arthur Salisbury E: sports@mancunion.com @mancunion_sport Chief Subeditor: Jack Casey Subeditors: Joal Ansbro, Daniel O’Byrne, Ciara Gartshore, David Cheetham Letters & Complaints: complaints@ mancunion.com Legal: legal@mancunion.com

Theatre Editor: Sophie Graci E: theatre@mancunion.com Head Lifestyle Editor: Sophie Macpherson Deputy Lifestyle Editor: James Johnson E: lifestyle@mancunion.com @MancunionLife

Advertising: Paul Parkes E: paul.parkes@manchester.ac.uk Phone: 0161 275 2942 The Mancunion @themancunion

News 3

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Senate special: a review of its workings and latest policies Continued from page 1...

A senate member told The Mancunion that the exec team have had some disagreements with the proposed method of the referendum; at least one member of the team thinks four options will be too confusing. This may lead to a lack of participation, and the threshold of 3,000 not being met.

The Senate as an institution has also been criticised in the past for producing policy that is not representative of the student body at large, and in

some ways being undemocratic.

In 2015, Mancunion reporter Joe Evans found that the lack of publicity of the Senate in general, and misunderstanding of the Union’s constitution, adds to the confusion when passing judgement on policy proposals. This, he believed, reduced the authority of Senate.

The Mancunion also conducted an anonymous survey to ask people whether or not they knew what Senate was.

Whilst some respondents certainly did, and explained it very concisely such as “A democratic meeting where policy that shapes the Students’ Union’s actions and beliefs is debated and voted on”, many people expressed concern that “it keeps a low profile”, with one person saying that the idea that the body decides “what the students’ union should believe”, “sounds weird.”

One person also said that it’s “not very open or public.”

The policies 83 per cent of Senate voted that the Union should hold a A referendum, in which the student body can have a say in reorganising the roles of the Executive Team.

80 per cent of Senate voted that the Students’ Union should create both the LGBTQ & Trans students’ committees in the 2017/18 academic year

70 per cent of Senate voted against affiliation to The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC).

94 per cent of Senate supported the policy that the Union should pressure the university to introduce more ‘green walls’

97 per cent of Senate voted for the Union to campaign the University to provide more spaces for safety securing bikes at student accommodation.

How Senate works Tristan Parsons Deputy Editor-in-Chief In a press conference on Monday 25th, Alex Tayler, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, told The Mancunion that he was unsure about how aware the student body was of Senate. He told us that “students can look on the Students’ Union website for details about the upcoming Senate.” In addition, he stated that the Union would be taking actions — such as promoting Senate more on TV screens around campus — to encourage participation.

Though we trust that the Executive Team does little else than forward the interests of the entire student body, before they take actions to improve student participation in Senate, here is a Mancunion summary of its functions, attendees, and troubles.

Senate decides on changes to the SU constitution, holds Union officials to account, and considers new SU policies. A two-thirds majority is required to pass motions and a minimum attendance of 40 is required for Senate to proceed.

As an example of policy, the last Senate of the previous academic year passed a motion instructing the SU to officially endorse the Boycott, Sanction, and Divest (BDS) campaign, as covered by The Mancunion. As a result, the SU is now committed to a) not engaging financially with the Israeli State or Israeli

companies, and b) pressuring the University to follow the same guidelines.

Any registered student can submit such policies in advance of Senate, or indeed propose amendments to proposed policies.

This meeting of Students’ Union officials and members of the student body will be held six times during this academic year.

The next Senate will be held on the 9th of October and approximately monthly thereafter.

Full details can be found on the Students’ Union website.

Senate is attended by: • The eight members of the SU Executive team, including the General Secretary, Alex Tayler; • Student Officers from each of the three university faculties representing undergraduate postgraduate taught, and postgraduate research students; • Two Student Officers for each of the following: BME, Women, LGBTQ, Trans, Disabled, International, Environmental & Ethical, and Working Class; • Six Student Community Officers; ­­ • Members of the Activities Committee; • The Chair (or equivalent) of each of the Residents’ Associations and Junior Common Rooms; • One person co-opted by the Senate to be a representative for each of the following: student parents, student carers, part-time students, mature stu-

dents, distance learner students, and students living off-campus; • 20 students ‘randomly selected’ to be representative of the general student population according to directions set

by Steering Committee.

That last point is key: any registered student who is also a member of the SU can attend Senate. Although the guidelines on the Students’ Union Website state that these 20 people are “randomly selected”, attendance is actually only regulated on a first-comefirst-served basis.

This fact is not without its complications.

Since 40 people total are required for Senate to go ahead, this group of 20 can be a powerful voting bloc if attendance is low from Union and other representatives. This arguably undermines the elected members of Senate, including the Executive team.

Furthermore, some of the members who attend Senate — including myself as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Mancunion — were elected to their positions primarily on the basis of ability to perform a specific role, yet their roles guarantee them a vote in Senate.

Despite its flaws, Senate remains an opportunity for all students to have their say on Union policy. We encourage all students to propose policies and attend meetings of Senate. The next one will be held on the 9th of November.

83 per cent of Senate voted to ‘Save Our Staff’ and support the student campaign to oppose the University job cuts.

92 per cent of Senate voted to review and restructure ‘Fund It’. This policy aims to make funding more easily-available to smaller societies.

For more infomation on the proceedings of last week’s Senate, head to the SU’s website at https://manchesterstudentsunion.com/senate

4

News

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

News

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

5

Andy Burnham to make Manchester green capital of Europe Andy Burnham and Alex Ganotis tell The Mancunion that Manchester’s student population have “a major contribution to play” in lead-up to landmark Green Summit, which aims to move up Labour’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal by up to 20 years Amy Wei Deputy News Editor

Photo: Hannah Brierley

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has announced a Green Summit which will determine plans to make Manchester one of the greenest cities in Europe. Alex Ganotis, the Councillor for Stockport, is leading the agenda.

The landmark summit will be held in March 2018. It aims to set a pioneering deadline for Greater Manchester to achieve carbon neutrality — a net zero carbon footprint.

Manchester is among 50 Labour-run city councils across the UK to have already pledged to carbon neutrality by 2050. In conversation with The Mancunion, Ganotis disclosed that the Green Summit will likely set a new date between 2030 and 2040.

Burnham explained the decision to move up Labour’s green goal to The Mancunion: “going back to my Mayoral election campaign, I was challenged on [the 2050 deadline] by green groups within Greater Manchester saying that that wasn’t ambitious enough, that actually if the whole world worked at that timetable, there would be irreversible effects on global temperature.”

To decide the new date, the council has formed a panel of experts, including the University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre, to conduct research and lead the Green Summit.

Burnham said, “we want Greater Manchester in that club of the most forward-thinking cities when it comes to sustainable living and tackling climate change. The university would be very well-placed to give us the analysis and the expert advice to base our decisions on.”

A separate steering group will lead public engagement prior to the summit, to pool ideas from the wider public. Both Burnham and Ganotis emphasise the importance of consulting and listening to Manchester residents — particularly students.

“We don’t want to impose a plan on people, we want to write the plan with people,” the Mayor stated to The Mancunion.

“The student population have got a major contribution to play here,” he continued. “It is about the voice of the younger generation, who possibly see this more clearly because of the impact it will have on your lives.

“We want to get people’s ideas and energy into this debate. I think maybe older people don’t have the same sense of urgency about it.”

The Stockport Councillor, Alex Ganotis, elaborated: “this really is about the next generation; this is about young people. We’re talking about 2040, 2050 now; so who are the most important people in terms of that agenda? Well, it’s teenagers. It’s people in their early twenties — because they’re the people who are going to have to live with the consequences of this agenda.

“So… let’s also hear from students, and they could have a part to play in this subject.”

Ganotis hopes that making Manchester into a green city will also encourage university students to stay in Manchester after graduating — for example, by creating green jobs, expanding green spaces in the city centre, and improving air quality.

Andy Burnham explained to The Mancunion how the green agenda will benefit all residents.

“If we were to retrofit some of our housing stock, and make it more energy efficient, that will bring down people’s energy bills. So, you can do things to make Manchester more low-carbon but actually, you can benefit the people of Manchester at the same time.

“Or cycling — we’ve appointed Chris Boardman as the cycling and walking commissioner for Greater Manchester. If he helps us develop a very high-quality cycle network and if we have schemes that help people cycle to work, that can improve people’s health, it’s cheaper for them in terms of travel — the benefits of that are pretty big.

“So, it’s not always the case that this is an agenda that means people are getting clobbered in some way because you can devise interventions that can help the public at the same time.”

Widespread engagement from the general public is essential to the agenda’s success. Burnham and Ganotis informed The Mancunion that relying on top-down legislation is not an option because they “don’t think the government’s done enough to help us.”

Ganotis expanded: “I don’t think the government’s being ambitious enough in terms of, for example, diesel scrapping scheme, and giving us the funding to improve air quality.”

Manchester City Council intends instead to build a green city with the help of its own people and lead the rest UK by example. “[Andy] wants to see Greater Manchester as a leader in the green agenda in the UK,” the Councillor told The Mancunion. “So what we would be looking for is for other cities to look at the steer that we provide in that green agenda, and say, ‘yeah, we’ll get on board with that.’”

Students protest censoring of Israel Apartheid Week event

BDS campaign will protest on Wednesday 4th October against the censoring of Holocaust survivor Marika Sherwood’s event ‘You’re doing to Palestinians what the Nazis did to me’

Rosa Simonet Deputy News Editor The event had been organised by the University of Manchester’s student committee of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign as part of ‘Israel Apartheid Week’. The Guardian reported that Marika Sherwood was scheduled to present a talk on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. A Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, confined to the notorious Budapest ghetto during the latter stages of the war, she was due to give a talk headlined: “You’re doing to the Palestinians what the Nazis did to me.”

However, after visits by Mark Regev, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, accompanied by his civil affairs attaché, university officials have censored the title of the talk, calling it “unduly provocative” and have “set out a range of conditions before it could go ahead.”

The enforced conditions saw academics chosen to chair the meetings being replaced by university appointees, limitations on publicity, as well as organisers being told talks would be recorded.

Huda Ammori, who leads the student BDS campaign, said to The Guardian: “In educational institutions, there shouldn’t be any sort of lobbying from foreign governments. You couldn’t imagine them sitting down with the Saudi embassy for an event about what’s going on in Yemen.” A spokesman for the Isreali embassy, however, denied the meetings were a form of lobbying.

Marika Sherwood defended the title saying “I was just speaking of my experience of what the Nazis were doing to me as a Jewish child,” “I can’t say I’m a Palestinian, but my experiences as a child are not dissimilar to what Palestinian children are experiencing now.”

Huda Ammori told The Mancunion “meetings with the Israeli embassy over a campaign in support of Palestinian human rights is a mockery of the suffering Palestinians have faced under Israel’s

apartheid regime and violates all ‘social responsibility’ ethics preached by the University of Manchester.”

“Our campaign demands the university end all ties to Israel’s apartheid regime, which includes their investments in companies such as Caterpillar.” She alleged that Caterpillar supplies armoured bulldozers to the Israeli regime.

As part of a campaign for the upcoming protest, Huda Ammori levelled allegations at the Isreali government: “Israel has continued an apartheid regime by systematically ethnically cleansing Palestinians. [...] Israel continues to commit war crimes, which also include the constant demolition of Palestinian homes within Palestinian territory, to expand their illegal Israeli settlements.”

Students were asked about the BDS campaign in a recent survey conducted by The Mancunion. Those in support agreed it was an important campaign raising “awareness about the repressive measures against Palestinians by the Israeli government and military.” One student said he believed “it is appropriate for the Students’ Union to support this peaceful protest against the occupation.”

The campaign has recently been supported by political cartoonist Carlos Latuff. He created the accompanying cartoon as a representation of the University of Manchester’s investment in Caterpillar.

On Wednesday 4th of October, BDS will be protesting during the University of Manchester’s board of governors meeting, “to demand that the University and all links with Israel’s war crimes including divestment from companies that are complicit in human rights abuses.”

They will be meeting at 2:30 pm on Wednesday the 4th of October under the main arch of council chambers. They ask students to “stand for justice and join us at the #ApartheidOffCampus protest.”

Muslim students harassed for praying on campus Photo: Hannah Brierley

Hana Jafar News reporter A number of Muslim students have come forward with stories of being stopped from praying on campus by security staff, after which the University’s part-time BME officer conducted a survey to investigate how students felt about prayer spaces provided by the University.

According to the survey completed by 70 Muslim students, 86 per cent of students felt they had experienced wanting to pray on campus but feeling like there was no space to do so, 96 per cent wanted to see more prayer facilities on campus and 17 per cent said they had felt harassed for praying on campus.

Of these twelve students that felt harassed, some spoke to The Mancunion about their experiences.

Aishah, a second-year medic, claimed to have been stopped from praying at the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons (AGLC) during exam time and told The Mancunion: “I’d stay quite late and wouldn’t feel safe going out to find another place to pray as other buildings would be closed. The male guards would wait till I was done praying before telling me I couldn’t pray in the stairwell between floor 1 and -1.

“On one occasion the female guard shouted at me while I was midprayer so that I would stop. I wasn’t blocking anyone[‘s way] and there was plenty of room, but still she insisted it was a fire hazard.”

One witness to these events, also a Muslim student at the University, commented that the staff stopping students from praying cited safety reasons for it and said “as if in the event of a fire, you’ll just stand there and not move.

“If I can sit down and have a chat with my friends in front of a fire exit, I’ll pray there too.”

After hearing stories like this, the University’s BME officer conducted he online survey with the intention of proposing a policy at the Students’ Union senate for prayer spaces in every building on campus.

She added that this would include a segment on appropriate behaviour around students who are praying, commenting “certainly not [by] interrupting them, so disrespectful!”

Previously, a petition to have an official prayer space at the Main Library was signed by over 600 students in 2015. One student, Doyinsola, explained her reason for signing it: “Although I am Christian I know prayer is an integral part of religion, especially for Muslims. Travelling far to observe evening prayers can be quite risky and frankly unsafe. I can’t believe they don’t have one in the first place.”

Other students have reported feeling racially profiled by staff, who asked them to refrain from praying without any reason.

One student who experienced this and chose to remain anonymous told The Mancunion that she had been approached by a guard at the AGLC while she was taking a break from revision and talking to her friend. “She just came over to us and reminded us, irrelevantly past midnight, not to pray anywhere in the Learning Commons.

“Clearly it’s because she saw that we were both wearing the hijab because she’s singled out and done this to two of my friends who wear headscarves because they were visibly Muslim.”

When asked about these incidents, Deej Malik-Johnson, campaigns officer, stated that “it is deeply troubling to hear reports of students being denied access to pray[ing] on campus where prayer rooms are not available.

“Following on from a year where we have seen an increased number of attacks on visible Muslim women on and around campus, and with Jewish students reporting that they feel unsafe, the university should work towards ensuring [that] campus is a welcoming and safe environment for all of its students.

“I believe, for the university to live up to the standards of tolerance, education and justice that it purports to hold dear, it should commit to creating dedicated spaces for prayer, meditation or contemplation in learning areas that are accessible to all staff and students.”

According to a recently released statement, a University spokesperson responded to the allegations of staff misconduct and demand for prayer spaces, saying that “The University takes very seriously the report of harassment, particularly as we are not aware of any incidents, and would urge students to report this if it happens. Library staff are instructed to ask students to move only if they are obstructing a walkway.

“When designing the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons and improving the Main Library, student feedback has been to address the serious pressure on study space and access to enough books on the shelves.

However, Library staff are happy to talk over the priorities for space usage in the regular meetings with Students’ Union Exec members.”

The University of Manchester’s Islamic Society is the biggest registered student society on campus and said to be the biggest in the UK. Their website states that there are two main prayer halls on campus, with ablution facilities: the McDougalls prayer hall on Burlington street; and the North Campus prayer room (also known as UMIST Mosque).

The website also mentions other places to pray during working hours only, including a room in the Ellen Wilkinson building, the Students’ Union safe space, the Stopford building and a quiet room at the St Peter’s Chaplaincy.

Government plans to cut tuition fees revealed Rumours that fees could be slashed to £7,500 per year surface as cost debate intensifies ahead of Autumn Budget Sam Honey News reporter The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond, is considering slashing tuition fee costs by around £1750 per year in his autumn budget, according to reports.

The move could reportedly save students in excess of £5,000 over a three-year course.

The policy decision has come amid concern among Conservatives that the party is losing large numbers of young voters, following a surge of support for Labour among under 25s in June’s election.

It is being reported that the government are attempting to fasttrack new policies on the issue in order to meet the deadline of the Autumn Budget.

Further measures such as raising the wage threshold for paying back fees, capping interest rates on loans as well as introducing a variation in costs across subject areas are being considered. It is understood the employment rate of a given subject area could be used as a means of deciding charges.

It was under the Conservative-led coalition of 2010–2015 that tuition costs were tripled seven years ago, causing huge controversy.

There has been fierce debate over the topic of fees recently, given the revelations of the annual earnings of university chancellors

across the country.

Despite the proposals, some students have felt underwhelmed by the proposed slight reduction and concerned over a difference in costs based on subjects, with NUS President Shakira Martin arguing such a system would “wrongfully imply a gulf of difference”.

Some may also consider the proposals insufficient in light of Labour’s famed promises over scrapping fees at this year’s general election, although shadow chancellor John McDonnell has welcomed the possible government proposals, and confirmed that Labour would work with the government to decrease costs for students.

The Shadow Chancellor said: “If they come forward with these proposals, of course we would support them.”

McDonnell also affirmed Labour’s commitment to changes in the payback threshold, although it was clear that such changes would have to be “effective”.

Labour has further revealed plans for an examination of student debt before the next election, in addition to increasing their pledge of the abolition of fees to cover vocational qualifications.

With the country’s two main political parties seemingly both committed to action on the issue, the long-term plea from many students calling for serious action on higher education costs could finally be addressed.

Over half of UK students avoid the doctor when ill A survey has found that the majority of students do not seek their GP when ill due to long waiting times and inconvenient appointments Tabitha Hanks News reporter 55 per cent of students aren’t visiting their GP when ill, a PushDoctor survey in June found, resulting in almost half seeing their condition worsen.

The biggest factors named by 59 per cent of students were their lack of time to make appointments and the inconvenience of visiting a surgery. This is unsurprising given that 21 per cent claimed their top frustration in trying to obtain a GP appointment was having to take time out of their studies to attend the surgery.

Taking time out from working or missing a University class to attend an appointment is undesirable, but almost half reported their condition worsening as a result of their lack of medical attention. Not only harmful to their health, prolonged illness can affect their studies as well, preventing students from attending University classes and hindering their work efforts.

The students surveyed expressed that they were frustrated by the waiting times and two-thirds claimed to wait an average of between 1-2 weeks to see a GP. 35 per cent said the appointments were so long after the initial enquiry that symptoms had subsided when they were finally seen by a doctor.

The average national waiting time for a GP appointment is 13 days, according to Pulse Magazine, however, most respondents – 71 per cent – said they expected to see a doctor within a week and a prolonged waiting period is off-putting to many with health concerns that are time-sensitive.

Shockingly, one in five students were unable to get an appointment at all. Shortcomings such as these discourage young people from seeking medical advice, and many lose faith in the healthcare system. Some students said they were “feeling like a burden on the NHS” by visiting their GP without a serious problem, which prompts concerns that the primary care offered by a GP is beginning to appear as a more valuable resource.

A student from the University of Manchester shared their negative experience at a GP practice in Fallowfield with The Mancunion.

“I developed several different worrying symptoms… I called Bodey Medical Centre every morning for a week, trying to make an appointment with my GP. After exactly 50 calls on the last day, I finally got through, and they told me that my symptoms qualified for an emergency appointment - but… they gave me a telephone consultation instead.”

On requesting an ultrasound the student was told by a GP that “waiting lists for radiology departments in Manchester were 6 weeks long.”

The student visited a doctor abroad when they felt the Medical Centre was incapable of providing them with adequate care. They told The Mancunion that “the other hospital [they] went to abroad gave a full detailed diagnosis.”

This case exhibits both how the GP failed to see the student quickly and adequately fulfil the needs of the patient. Negative experiences also discourage people from using this area of the healthcare system again.

Recent figures suggest that waiting times are set to increase further still; already a third of students in Northern Ireland wait over 3 weeks for appointments and the rest of the UK is set to follow, which can only add to the obstacles faced in trying to encourage more students to seek treatment for illness.

6

Science

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Iqra Choudhry Science & Technology Reporter

Earlier this week, polar scientists focusing on the Larsen C ice shelf in the Antarctic Peninsula witnessed the movement of a huge, trillion-tonne iceberg out into the Weddell Sea, and towards the South Atlantic Ocean.

The iceberg, named A-68, is one of the largest icebergs ever recorded by Antarctic experts: at 6000 square kilometres, it is four times the size of Greater London and roughly a quarter the size of Wales.

The gigantic iceberg first broke off from the Larsen C ice shelf in July of this year, when a US satellite took pictures of the rift between A-68 and the ice shelf, during the iceberg’s ‘calving’.

The area has been monitored for over a decade, with scientists expecting the large crack in the shelf to open up considerably.

Since July, the iceberg has been rocking slowly back and forth, but a Spanish satellite confirmed on September 22nd, that the iceberg is being carried out into the Weddell Sea by currents.

Experts predict that the ‘megaberg’ will be swept northwards and into the current that surrounds the southernmost continent – the ACC, or Antarctic Circumpolar Current. From there, it is likely that A-68 will follow in the flow of one of its megaberg predecessors, A-38, which was carried north to

The important and interesting stories from the university this week.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

South Georgia, to a patch of sea known as ‘the Graveyard of the Icebergs’.

When megabergs reach the island of South Georgia, they often make ground, and slowly decay, splitting up into smaller icebergs, or melting, and adding considerable amounts of freshwater to the sea around the island – this melting can have huge impacts on the area, both positive and negative.

Sometimes, a melting iceberg will release trapped nutrients that feed algae and diatoms, tiny organisms at the bottom of the polar food web. However, large icebergs can often block an inflow of tiny sea creatures called krill, into the area surrounding South Georgia, and this can have devastating effects on the wildlife.

Krill are an essential source of food for a variety of animals found in the Antarctic Circle, from penguins to whales, and any decrease in the amount of krill in the sea has a knock-on effect on the amount of seals, penguins and Antarctic birds in the area: scientist find that the years in which krill inflow is blocked, starved seal pups are often found ashore.

It is not yet clear if the A-68 megaberg will even make it as far as South Georgia, however. Recent images from the Spanish

Deimos-2 spacecraft already show that the iceberg is losing the sharp edges it once had, showing fragmentation already beginning at the edges of the megaberg. All smaller chunks of ice breaking from A-68 are being named A-68b, A-68c, A-68-d, and so on – these are likely to continue floating close to A-68, but may be separated from their parent iceberg, to become anchored in shallower waters, to become ‘ice islands’ in the Weddell Sea. Scientists are currently monitoring both the megaberg and the Larsen C ice shelf, to see if there is any further fracturing of the ice.

As A-68 moves clear of the ice shelf and out to sea, the section of seafloor it has cleared is now an area of scientific interest. The area has already gained a protected status that prevents any fishing activity for the next two years, leaving it solely for scientific study. As the Antarctic spring began earlier this week, numerous scientific groups have begun to plan research projects in the area for the Antarctic summer, in the hope that the depths now exposed by the megaberg might reveal new Antarctic species.

UoM scientists design nanorobot that can build molecules Shivani Kaura Science & Technology Reporter

Scientists at the University of Manchester have created the world’s first nanorobot which has been programmed to complete basic tasks to aid chemists in labs, including building molecules. The robot itself is a millionth of a millimetre in size, therefore a billion billion of these robots packed into a pile would still only be the size of a grain of salt by weight and volume.

The robots, when clustered together, operate using a tiny robotic arm which can be controlled and programmed by scientists to carry out chemical reactions in specific solutions. The purpose of these robots could have many benefits for the future; the small size of the robot reduces demand for materials, it can reduce power requirements and can improve drug discovery in many scientific fields.

This has become a very exciting time for the chemistry department at the university as Professor David Leigh, the head of research on this project, reveals to the university press team, “all matter is made up of atoms and these are the basic building blocks that form molecules. Our robot is literally a molecular robot constructed of atoms just like you can build a very simple

Photo: Stuart Jantzen

robot out of Lego bricks. The robot then responds to a series of simple commands that are programmed with chemical inputs by a scientist.

“It is like the way robots are used on a car assembly line. Those robots pick up a panel and position it so that it can be riveted in the correct way to build the bodywork of a car.

“So, just like the robot in the factory, our molecular version can be programmed to

7

UoM academic news this week...

Drifting away: huge Antarctic iceberg on the move

Academic

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

position and rivet components in different ways to build different products, just on a much smaller scale at a molecular level.”

This new design involves moving the robotic arm between two platform sites which are organocatalysts of different chirality — or ‘mirror images’ of each other — so that successive chemical reactions can occur. The reaction still takes place in one pot and the robot can be programmed

to “produce selectively each isomer of the product by controlling the switch-state prior to each reaction of the substrate” as explained by the Leigh Group.

Professor Leigh stated, “The robots are assembled and operated using chemistry.

This is the science of how atoms and molecules react with each other and how larger molecules are constructed from smaller ones.

“It is the same sort of process scientists use to make medicines and plastics from simple chemical building blocks. Then, once the nanorobots have been constructed, they are operated by scientists by adding chemical inputs which tell the robots what to do and when, just like a computer program.”

The functioning of the robot is extremely complex. However, the research team has designed this machine for everyday use and for basic laboratory processes to speed up the workload. This could save an enormous amount of time that is wasted daily to put together molecules to check if the chemical reactions could take place.

It will also increase the miniaturisation of other products and this will only contribute to helping research scientists in the future.

The UK invests £65 million into particle physics Jacob Rawling Science & Technology Reporter

Photo:starsandspirals @flickr

The United Kingdom has committed to a £65 million collaboration with the United States in a landmark partnership. Last week Science Minister Jo Johnson and US international science secretary Judith G. Garber signed the landmark deal in Washington DC guaranteeing the UK’s commitment to cutting-edge research.

The sum will be invested into the Long-Baseline Neutrino

Facility (LBNF) and the Deep Underground Neutrino experiment (DUNE). The goal of these projects is to understand the properties of the neutrino, a weakly interacting fundamental particle.

Neutrinos interact so rarely with matter that of the 65 billion neutrinos per second that cross every square centimetre of your body, only one will interact with you in your entire life!

The LBNF will fire the world’s most intense beam of neutrinos 800 km from the Fermilab in Illinois through the earth’s crust targeting a 1.4 km deep mine in South Dakota. This mine will house the gigantic DUNE detector. Roughly six stories tall and as long as six Magic Buses, the giant tank of liquid argon will be the world’s best attempt at a machine to measure these impossible particles.

The University of Manchester continues to play a key role in the construction and future running of the DUNE detector.

Our very own Professor Stefan Söldner-Rembold is leading

the design and construction effort of the readout systems for the 70,000-ton detector.

Conducting a team of three professors, three research staff, and six students he said: “This is fantastic news and everyone is extremely excited about this announcement. DUNE will be the next big project in Particle Physics after the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. It will answer fundamental questions about the Universe.”

By measuring neutrinos and their counterpart “antineutrinos” — the antimatter version of neutrinos — the DUNE collaboration hopes to understand why there was more matter than antimatter at the beginning of the universe. They also hope to find out whether a proton, a subatomic particle that is one of the building blocks of all the chemicals around you, decays.

Answering these questions will decide whether leading theories that explain the universe are correct.

The partnership will benefit the University of Manchester, and the UK at large, in immeasurable ways; securing our position as a global place of learning and research, as well as providing fascinating research opportunities for our students.

Students active in the precursor experiment to DUNE, proto-DUNE, are excited about the future job prospects and research opportunities that this investment will bring the university. DUNE is expected to record its first events in 2024.

In the meantime, Professor Söldner-Rembold and his students have an exciting program of research to ensure the successful construction of the projects.

Around the world this week...

The important and interesting stories from the

Stories by Rosa Simonet and Kieran O’Brien

university this week.

50,000 asylum seekers into Europe with new twoyear programme

Catalan police move to block vote

Chile’s electricity should be 100 per cent renewable by 2040

Europe “It is about managing one of the most complex, structural phenomena of our times, not a temporary emergency,” said Commission’s Vice-President Federica Mogherini to the BBC. Failures to meet the original goal to resettle 160,000 asylum seekers have left some sceptical. Nevertheless, Ms Mogherini insists EU migration policy is “starting to deliver”. According to the BBC, the ‘2016 deal with Turkey and EU measures to curb migration from Libya led to a dramatic drop in arrivals’. News releases on Wednesday revealed plans to relocate approximately 8000 people.

Catalonia

Chile

Catalonia’s Guàrdia Urbana’s police force sealed off a warehouse believed to be holding ballot boxes ahead of the referendum on independence from Spain on October 1st. The Spanish government says the vote is illegal under the Spanish constitution. Police have been drawn in from across Spain to the north-east region. There have been large protests all week in support of the vote, with some in support of the referendum, even calling for a general strike on October 3rd and a declaration of the “Catalan Socialist Republic”.

Tensions flared further earlier in the week when the Catalan regional government accused the Spanish government of acting like North Korea in light of a heavy crackdown by the Spanish authorities.

As reported by The Independent, Sebastian Piñera, of the centre-right National Renewal party, says ‘the goal is that by 2040, Chile has a 100 per cent clean and renewable electricity grid and a 100 per cent electric public transit system’.

Though without fossil fuel resources, Chile’s long coastline and desert climate are perfect for wind and solar power. Sebastian Piñera, who is currently ahead in the polls, wishes to support renewable energy generation and has used such plans in his campaign. Though he maintains 34 per cent of the vote, U.S. News suggest opposition will form an alliance in a December run-off.

8

Features

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

BLACK HISTORY MONTH A note from the features editors: To honour Black History Month we will be running features throughout October that focus on issues regarding race, representation, education, gender and sexuality to provide a platform for discussion. Join us in educating yourself and others on black history through the next few weeks.

Meet the committee: African Caribbean Society Interview

Ahead of Black History Month, Raine Beckford chats to the committee of the African Caribbean Society about their hopes for the coming weeks Raine Beckford Deputy Features Editor

and she was part of the Fenty Beauty campaign so to see her come from south London and break into a very white industry inspired me.

Powell chose Rihanna, a fellow Caribbean, explaining “she got her break at a young age and she’s been able to take that and make a brand out of herself. Now she operates on a global stage”, before adding Usain Bolt. She said “if anybody knows Jamaica, they know when you’re poor you’re really poor and it’s really hard to excel there. But he did, against the odds and now he’s the fastest man on earth”.

Dowding said “any black person who is doing well for themselves inspires me because we all know it’s hard. We often feel that we have to be twice as better to get halfway as far, so any black person in a position of power inspires me”.

Chastanet-Hird gave an enlightened contribution in Kofi Annan. He says “he was the 7th secretary general of the UN and he’s really done a lot to help black people. He’s done a lot of work in international development, reducing HIV in Africa and he was also awarded the Nobel peace prize”.

My personal addition was Eartha Kitt. A singer, dancer and actress once described as “the most exciting woman in the world”. She found herself blacklisted and ostracised from Golden Age Hollywood for her views on Civil Rights and the Vietnam war. She even once made Lady Bird Johnson, FLOTUS, cry at a White House Dinner after telling her “we raise children and you send them off to war”.

We then discussed the experience of black students at university.

Black History Month is upon us! Whilst the month has always held personal importance for me, casual conversation quickly revealed that for most people, this is not the case. This inspired me to sit down with the committee of the African Caribbean Society to find out what the month means to them and what they’re hoping to achieve.

The committee has already packed a lot into the month, starting with the Great Debate tour on October 5th, an event at which people can come together to discuss issues facing the black community today. Soon after, a media night on the 12th will include screenings of 13th, Hidden Colours and 42. Films specifically chosen with the goal of celebrating and empowering black people. For the 17th, they’ve arranged a networking event with JPMorgan whilst the 26th will bring a collaboration with other BME societies including AYAL (Aspiring Young African leaders), Urban Lawyers North and the African Caribbean Medics Society. With a mind to working hard and playing harder they’re rounding off the month with a Halloween party on the 28th.

The theme? Black Power.

When asked what they hope to achieve during the month they said “with the events planned, we hope more people will be interested in joining the ACS. We hope they’ll get a greater appreciation and understanding of black culture. We want to promote awareness of our own history and achievements and make it a very interactive learning experience. We also want to empower our members. There’s a lot of focus on slavery when we talk about black history but we want to move the focus towards empowerment”. Emphasis was placed on the networking night with JPMorgan. Tairu, Careers Officer, said “JPMorgan is a great platform. We want to use it to expand, not only in terms of sponsorship but we want to make sure that people understand that it’s not just a financial firm. They have various divisions and opportunities and they do a lot for people of colour so we need to celebrate that a bit more”.

Their own personal feelings on black history month varied. Powell, Vice-President and native Trinidadian said, “it’s a new concept for me, every day is black where I’m from”. Subair, Cultural Officer, said “for me it’s a month where we can really reflect on what it means to be a young black person and celebrate our history. It means a lot to me”. Tairu said “I think it’s about celebrating ourselves. We’re always moving at 100mph but as a people we don’t always take enough time to stop and see how much we’ve progressed”.

At this, we stopped to think about some Photo: Raine Beckford (From front left clockwise): Powell, Subair, Riley-Bennett, black figures we found personally inspiring.

Dowding, Chastanet-Hird, Tairu, Jayeola and Prah Jayeola picked Barack Obama. He said “as President he overcame so many challenges.

So many obstacles that other presidents never had to face. For examWhen I asked if they felt properly represented at university they said ple, the debate over where he was born. It’s hard to succeed as a black “Yes and No. On the one hand, you have statistics that are telling us that person in America so that’s something that really inspired me”. every year a record number of black people have made it to universiTairu picked Tupac and Skepta, saying “in terms of the progress ty but if you look deeper, you’ll see that not many of them have made they’ve made, they’re phenomenal. They came from volatile areas but it to the top universities. There’s a very low number of black people in they paved the way for black musicians now. In hip-hop and in grime.

Russell Group universities and it goes all the way up. How many black Skepta is independent and that’s changed the whole music industrylecturers do we have?”. Tairu said “there are hardly any black students He’s broken down barriers for many other people”. in STEM courses. On my first day, I went to a lecture and I couldn’t find Prah chose Jesse Owens. He explained “he entered the Olympics a single person of colour. I was completely out of my comfort zone and surrounded by such controversy. But he still won 4 gold medals and that made me a bit reclusive”. Whilst maintaining high spirits throughhe set records in all the events he competed in and those records out the interview, they were notably subdued when we turned to the stood for so long. He overcame what black people were facing at that university’s current approach to black history month. Bluntly, they time in America and he showed us that black people aren’t second asked “is there an approach?’. The consensus being that the university rate. We aren’t second class citizens and we can do just as well as anydoes not do enough to promote or acknowledge the month. They said one. We can go above and beyond”. “they haven’t asked us. It’s not as big as something like Pangaea and Riley-Bennett said “its definitely changed over the period of my life. we definitely don’t get as much funding or support”.

When you’re younger you learn the obvious ones like Martin Luther However, they kept inclusivity in mind acknowledging that it’s very King and Malcolm X and obviously, they’re still important, they still easy for black history month to come across as “exclusive” and niche. inspire me. But now, I feel like a lot of people in the media such as KenThey hope to change this perception. They said “it’s not just for us. drick Lamar and Janelle Monae are really promoting being carefree Non-black people can definitely learn about black history and get inand black and I like that”. volved during the month. There’s a bit of stigma around the African Subair chose Leomie Anderson. She explained “she’s a model from Caribbean Society, people often think ‘well I’m not black so it has nothSouth London and she’s done Victoria’s Secret, she’s done high fashing to do with me’ but that’s not the case at all”. ion but she’s also using her platform to empower young black girls.

I then asked them to consider whether they thought equal emphaShe has LAPP the brand, she has a clothing line that Rihanna’s worn sis is placed on African and Caribbean heritage, a point that sparked a

lively debate. It was agreed that the two are often, erroneously, combined. Jayeola said “we’ve already said that there aren’t many black people at top universities, it’s even less if you’re Caribbean. In most cases, they lump us all together but realistically they mean African.

West African more specifically. We need to be getting more Caribbean people to university”. The lack of Caribbean students in Russell Group universities hasn’t gone unnoticed. Chastanet-Hird spoke of his involvement with Cariconnect, a non-profit organisation set up to mentor young Caribbean students in London schools. Through this, Caribbean students from Russell Group universities are visiting schools in London and mentoring younger Caribbean students.

“There’s a very low number of black people in Russell Group universities and it goes all the way up. How many black lecturers do we have?”

Additionally, the different experiences of Caribbean and African migrants were discussed at great length. Many British-Caribbeans, starting with the Windrush generation, came to England during the post-war period. Riley-Bennett stated “It’s definitely different. When most Caribbean immigrants came here it was awful.

They faced so much racism, people would brick their windows and graffiti their houses.

They’d get attacked in the streets. My dad used to tell me stories of trying to play football and getting beaten up on the pitch”. She adds “that’s why there are so few Caribbeans at university now. You had trained doctors and teachers coming over and being made to drive buses and sweep streets, how were they supposed to prioritise higher education?”. Whilst it was generally agreed that African migrants (and their children) have had a largely different experience, it’s not to say it has been easier. The UK government isn’t doing enough to invest in British youth, black or otherwise. Tairu, a South London native, talks of the changes he’s witnessed in his community, in his lifetime alone.

He says “the government doesn’t help. Community centres, youth centres and libraries are shutting down every day because there’s no funding. People are getting left behind but they don’t care”.

In keeping with the theme of the month I quizzed the group on their heritage, and what it means to them. Powell said “my heritage means acceptance. Not a lot of people know the racial make-up of Trinidad but it’s around 49% east Indian, and about 45% African so my culture taught me to be more accepting. When I hear people talk about racism and black issues I’m at a loss because in Trinidad it’s not the same. It’s like all these other cultures are my own and I appreciate them as much as my own culture. Dowding added “well I was born in Jamaica but because I don’t speak Patois I feel different. They ask me why I’m acting white. From the way I dress to the way I talk, they’ll laugh because it sounds funny”.

Finally, we reflected on the current level of teaching in British schools. On this, they were uniform and concise. “It’s awful” they said, “stop teaching about just slavery. The history that’s taught is white history and then there’s one little segment for black people. You can’t cover our whole history in one month and I’m tired of watching Roots. We learned about Hitler for a whole year so I’m sure we can learn about black history for a year too”. The lack of depth and honesty was a recurring theme as many committee members noted that the current curriculum is biased. Subair and Riley-Bennett agreed “they don’t include enough British involvement and they erase the actions of the Empire”. Whilst Dowding continued “in secondary school I didn’t even really realise Britain’s involvement in the slave trade. A lot of the black history I know is things I sought out for myself. All you get is black people being kidnapped in Africa and taken to America, and then it skips to the civil rights. It’s like we didn’t exist for 30 years until Martin Luther King showed up”. We all agreed that this is something that needs to change.

The group can be found at @ACSManUni on twitter.

Features

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

QUICK LOOK: THE ACS COMMITTEE Otteri Dowding - Sports Officer. A Jamaican-born Psychology student from Birmingham, Dowding is fun and funny. She ran for sports officers because she felt there was a lack of opportunities for girls to get involved with sports in the society last year.

This is something she is determined to change.

Joshua Prah, President, a chemical engineering student from London by way of Ghana. A confident leader, he considered himself the only man for the job and hopes to bring a “relaxed atmosphere” to the society this year.

Rae-Kahlile Powell, Vice President, a Law student. An international student from Trinidad (and Tobago), Powell brings an unmatched air of mirth and enthusiasm to the group.

Aminat Subair, the Cultural Officer. A Londoner of Nigerian origin, she hopes to “provide members with more opportunities to explore their own culture” whilst making this year’s ACS “bigger and better”.

Tihesia Riley-Bennett, Events Officer and budding doctor. Originally Mubarak Tairu. A Physics student from from Peterborough and of Jamaican South London and the son of Nigerian immiheritage she hopes to “empower our grants, Tairu is a self-described “opportunist”. members and allow them to celebrate This year he hopes to stay motivated and disciand accept themselves”. Through arplined, something he is close to attaining with ranging and hosting different events, Metamorphosis. A project he hopes will chalshe hopes to showcase the diversity lenge the lack of support given to youths in dethat exists within the community and prived communities across the UK and enable encourage members to develop their them to succeed in academia. talents.

Femi Jayeola, Treasurer and PoliNicole Agyekum, a Politics and International Relations student from London, tics and International Relations student. is Media and Promotions Officer. Being of Thoughtful and well-spoken, Jayeola ran Ghanaian descent, she wants to make the for Treasurer because he felt he could ACS a “more tight-knit community” as she strengthen the links between students felt it important to cultivate a safe space for and sponsors. He hopes to highlight the plethora of career options available to black students. members of the society.

Tariq Chastanet-Hird, Secretary,

9

A Student Life

Co-author of ‘Uni Lifehacks’

a tranquil Politics Photo: David Jacob (left) George MacGill (right) and History student.

Another Londoner, David Jacob owns two companies and has recently had his first Chastanet-Hird is book ‘Uni Lifehacks’ published. Kizzy Bray talks to the UoM third of St Lucian origin.

This year he hopes year at the very start of his new found career to find out how his to bring “organisanew release was made possible tion, perspective pretty enormous spending figures that and calmness” to Kizzy Bray you’ll have accumulated over the three the committee as Head Features Editor years at uni from taking your card with he facilitates the inyou on a night out (hint: over £3000).

As a quickly aging dusty third year I’ve tegration of black A lot of expert voices have gone into students, both to the come to realise a few home-truths about ‘Uni Lifehacks’. David and George sort society and the uni- uni life. Yes, you probably should do the after students and experts who have exreadings. No, you shouldn’t put off payversity. celled in their fields to get the best advice ing the rent because two grand looks nicfor their audience. “There are interviews er in your bank account than £4.50. Techand insights from all kinds of people, nically, YES, you can survive a week on just pasta and a bag of frozen peas before Luke Heart who started the first cancer student loan drops, but that probably research UK society, Morgan Lake whose isn’t the ideal situation to find yourself a world junior champion in heptathin. A lot of university life is learning to lon, Lucy Moon who is a vlogger. We’re trying to be as engaging as possible, we live with around sixty per cent health at September’s creative space winner is Tom Roberts, a recent graduate with his own all times and sitting in two hour lectures know that less people pick up books to up and coming film ‘Subterranean Thoughts’. He talks to Ellie Tivey about creating realising you could instead be at home read for fun. It’s broken up into bitesize chunks and made it knowledge and expelistening to the podcast (in bed) and doa film on a “micro-budget” and about breaking into the creative industry rience driven.” It turns out the way Uni ing other productive things at the same Lifehacks was written was thought to be time (sleeping). We can all agree univerEllie Tivey Tom and Dylan’s links to the University of sity is a learning curve, but wouldn’t it perfectly translatable to video. The book Contributor Manchester have been a huge help in the pro- have been nice to be able to come a bit was picked up by ‘Student Problems’, a duction of Subterranean Thoughts. With Man- more prepared as a wide-eyed fresher to Facebook community that has gathered Sat cross-legged on New Wakefield Street at chester students Stella Ryley and Sarah Teale better help you survive all this? This is over six million likes. The page has re11pm was not the setting I initially imagined managing their costume department as just what the book - newly released this aucently began to make videos that depict for my first Mancunion interview. But there one example. Tom describes the drama facul- gust - ‘Uni Lifehacks’ written by George George and David’s uni lifehacks, making I was, laptop precariously balanced on my ty and society at UoM as a sort of “melting pot” MacGill and David Jacob aims to do. I the book’s audience reach more than the knees, with Tom Roberts. Fresh from filming of talented and passionate artists who “are not chatted to David all the way from Atpair would have first thought. “At first I a scene in the Thirsty Scholar, Tom had found working professionally or for money yet, but lanta amidst his year abroad, because, was hugely skeptical” David admits. “I time in between their intense filming schedare still all prepared to put the hours in”. It’s yes, David is a third year UoM student. just wondered why it was they wanted ule to talk to me, and what a wonderful welthis shared passion that creates what he calls David is comfortable and easy to talk to use our stuff! But they’re leaning more come to the world of investigative journalism a kind of “fringe society” that has been UoM’s to. His book is clearly one of his proudand more to non-traditional content, and it was. Tom, who graduated from the Universimost valuable contribution to his efforts to est achievements and must’ve been really it was the perfect match - we needty of Manchester last year, is now the assistant break into the film industry. This led me to ask somewhat of an obsession in the last few ed marketing and they needed content. director of the up and coming film, Suberranehim what else, in a more general sense, had months in the run up to it’s release. He George writes and helps plan the video an Thoughts created through the production his Drama and English Literature degree con- tells me about his chance meeting with ideas with them. It’s really his domain.” company Odds On, which consists of three tributed. “What the course did fantastically”, co-author George MacGill in the SU, how With the release of the book in AuUoM alumni and also Dylan Zarella, the direche says, “and what I’ll always be grateful for, they got to chatting, kept in touch, the gust and Student Problems jumping on tor of Subterranean Thoughts. was they nurture the intellectual side of this friendly exchanges becoming something the bandwagon, the future looks bright Subterranean Thoughts is a full-length feakind of area. They will teach you about the business-like when George asked David for these two young entrepreneurs, ture film following the life of troubled intropeople who have gone before you, what they to look over a book he’d been writing, but David doesn’t plan to stop there. vert, Allen Ward (portrayed by Corin Silva). did and how they did it”. While this education which turned out to be an early draft of “I launched a professional CV writing As Tom describes it “throughout the course of is key to holding your own as a young profes- ‘Uni Lifehacks’. “I said I’d have a look over company called “wewriteyourcv.com” in the film, things start happening to him, people sional in such a competitive industry, he con- but I ended up giving him a 12 page edit. June. I surprised myself!” He jokes, “I’m come into his life and it becomes very difficedes that, “in terms of the doing it yourself, I really wanted to get involved. I went really not a creative person but with the cult to tell if he is off and the world is kind of the practical side, that’s not what you should from a consultant to an editor to a co-aurelease of the book that part of me has normal, or if the world is going crazy and he’s expect from this course, that’s not what you’re thor to starting a publishing company kind of taken over. I did all the designthe only sane one in it”. As a result, we see Algoing to get”. ing for the website myself and if I didn’t with George.” Within a few months David len’s “downward spiral into this never ending One thing Tom cannot emphasise enough is was hooked, the project began to conknow what to do I just learned, I had to pit of despair”. No doubt you can tell, and as how integral it is that you have a real passion sume his time, spending around seven see it as: this needs doing, so, come on, Tom admitted with a playful smile, “it’s a bit of and determination to break into the creative to eight hours a day on the book - you’d do it! Now I’m a member of the national a bleak movie”. industry. Thankfully, Tom possesses this de- almost forget he was also a second year association of resume writers - I didn’t As someone utterly baffled by the process termination in abundance; it’s a passion and Business Management student getting a even know that existed till I joined!” So of creating a full-length movie, let alone zeal that drips off of every word he says about degree. “I get myself into rabbit-holes” David’s got a CV company, a publishing making one with what he aptly named a “mihis experience as a creator so far. Despite David explains, “when I’ve invested company with George called JMO Pubcro-budget”, one thing I was keen to ask Tom professing he is absolutely not wise enough myself into work I can’t stop, I don’t do lishing and just released his first book, about was how he and Dylan were keeping to offer advice to anyone leaving uni with things alongside it, I have to go and just feeling incompetent enough yet? Well production expenditure low. We both agreed dreams of becoming something within the do it. I probably ended up pulling acDave is even talking about the possibility that money, or lack thereof, can be the deterarts, he aptly refers to the story behind his fa- cumulatively around 20-25 all nighters of a ‘Uni Lifehacks 2’, depending on how mining factor in many people’s decision to vourite film Fitzcarraldo for inspiration. The on the book from its start to its finish.” well the first one takes off. “I know how walk away from the creative industry. Odds film, set in the Amazon rainforest, focuses on useful the book is and there is definiteSo what does the book include? “It’s all On, the aforementioned production company an opera-obsessed man who wants to drag a about how to make uni easy, beating proly potential for a second. We just need of which Tom is a founder, have put out four ship up a mountain. It’s ever-so-slightly mad crastination, revision hacks, how not to the audience. We’re looking to target projects now, all of which have been funded in director, Werner Herzog, was adamant that gain weight, we have a whole section of parents in regards to who will buy the different ways. Everything from audience dothey don’t use special effects so he dragged cheap and healthy recipes by Mob Kitchbooks, George has been writing articles nations and outside investment to directors an actual ship up an actual mountain. It’s this en after I got in touch with them through for national newspapers such as The working jobs to cover production costs themdedication that Tom says is essential. “If you them following me on Instagram. I had Telegraph to break into that audience.” selves. As Tom says, “right there you have want it enough, you will take it. And if you set- a similar thing with the creator of Save Though the pair are keen business fundraising options for creating something tle you’ll be thinking about that for an awfully the Student, after getting in contact men, some of the book’s profits are gowith absolutely nothing, and all of those are long time”. ing back into helping students. “10% with him he ended up taking the lead very real and achievable options if you want Subterranean Thoughts comes out in Jan- on the money saving part of the book.” of the profits from the book go to Stuit”. The key to creating something on a low uary when it will also be circulating the film If you’re a bit awful with money (same) dent Mind, we know how important budget is being inventive and open-minded. festival circuit. Be sure to keep an eye out for the book has a lot of tips for the strugmental health is and it’s included in The filming process of Subterranean Thoughts it and also its sister film Hilda, which the two gling student. Theres a chapter called ‘5 the book, things like the importance of displays this imagination at every step. They other quarters of Odds On (Michael Honnah apps and browser plugins that will revmeditation and the science behind it.” have explored all the beauty that Manchester and Rishi Pelham) are currently creating. Un- olutionise uni finances’ and a lifehack With over 100 uni life hacks and inhas to offer in search of filming locations and til then, to Tom and Dylan, happy filming! which teaches you about ‘the maths sights from over 50 of the UK’s most suchave been using their contacts in UoM’s draof leaving your debit card at home”. cessful students ‘Uni Lifehacks’ is avaliama society for volunteers for extra roles.

It’ll have you reeling in shock at some ble to buy on Amazon now!

The Creative Space

Opinion

10

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Opinion 11

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Get in touch Facebook: /mancunionop Twitter: @MancunionOP Email: opinion@mancunion.com

Have an opinion?

America Shows Its True Colour

Nicole Wootton-Cane Contributor

In the face of racist prejudice from the public, players and fans of all backgrounds must stand firm in their fight for justice, argues George Flesher

Come to our meetings: Monday 5:15pm, first floor of the Students’ Union

Calling all opinionated people!

Do you have an opinion you want to share with the Manchester student community? The Mancunion is looking for regular contributors for its weekly paper edition and for its day-to-day updates on its website!

From thought-provoking insights into contemporary feminism to rants about movies, we want hear what you have to say.

Simply come to our weekly opinion section meetings on Monday in the Student Union, or message our two editors: Sam Glover and Jacklin Kwan about your interest in writing.

Great for your CV, and a platform for your ideas, we at the Mancunion will be waiting for your contributions!

Email us at editor@ mancunion. com

Photo: Pixabay

Like many avid American Football fans last night, I tuned into the BBC’s NFL This Week, eager and apprehensive as to whether the show would substantially deal with the urgent racial inequalities brought to the fore by recent player protests. A significant part of me feared that the programme would tow the Government line and skirt around America’s problems, instead choosing to focus solely on the week’s sporting action.

I was thus delighted to find NFL This Week’s black co-hosts, Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora, launching from the get-go into a scathing criticism of President Trump’s comments regarding NFL players refusing to stand for

the American national anthem. The most powerful and moving contribution came from Umenyiora, a Brit who declared his love and even his willingness to die for the country which took him in and facilitated the fruition of his wildest dreams.

It doesn’t take a genius to realise that these are not the ‘disgraceful’ hallmarks of anti-American sentiment. Yet, in the interest of BBC balance, this did not prevent primary host Mark Chapman from reeling off his list of painfully blatant pre-prepared retorts, cycling lackadaisically through the assembled alt-right favourites, “What about the flag?” and

“Knowledge, wisdom, privilege?”

George Osborne’s seven jobs are a disgrace to Manchester, argues Nicole Wootton-Cane “What about the veterans?”.

This ten-minute section of the programme was turning into quite the emotional rollercoaster as my bouts of seething anger at the unreflective trash on Chapman’s script were quelled by the elegant, affable responses of Bell and Umenyiora.

The two football experts pointed out that the protests are nothing to do with the flag or the military and that America was founded by a protest of individuals against untenable circumstances.

Nevertheless, I can’t help but think that there is a major point being badly missed on both sides of the debate.

Do Trump’s followers who label the player protests as disrespectful to the American military not realise that African-Americans constitute a significant proportion of United States servicemen and veterans?

African-Americans have a long and proud history of service in the United States military, often while they were facing barbaric drudgery at home.

Over the course of the American Revolution, 5,000 mostly enslaved black Americans volunteered to fight for the freedom of a fledgeling nation that recognised them only as property. When the First World War ravaged Europe, hundreds of African-Americans heeded the call to carry into battle the flag that their descendants now stand accused of disrespecting. Despite having fought to make the world free for democracy, many of these brave veterans

could expect to be hanged from trees and burned alive for daring to wear their uniforms in public. Throughout the latter half of the 20th Century and continuing up to the present day, African-Americans are still overrepresented in the U.S. Armed Forces.

As is quickly becoming the norm in American affairs, the reaction to NFL protests exposed the perceptions and prejudices of white Americans in measures equal to and greater than the injustices faced by black Americans. By misrepresenting a protest against social inequality and police brutality faced by America’s people of colour as slating the military, flag, and national anthem, the aforementioned symbols are coded by the accusers as being white institutions.

The fact that a protest initiated by black American Football players immediately led President Trump and a significant chunk of the white American public to jump to the defence of the symbols of state power — in the very act of doing so implicitly claiming them as white symbols — serves as further evidence of the white nationalist outlook currently flourishing in the United States and its governing administration.

It remains for these prominent African-Americans, as it does equally for players and fans of all backgrounds, to stand firm in their fight for justice, even in times where America shows its true colour.

The nation’s ex-chancellor Mr George Osborne has just accepted his seventh job as a visiting fellow at the prestigious Stanford University in California.

He is also an honorary professor of Economics at the University of Manchester and an advisor for the American fund managers Blackrock, as well as the editor of the London Standard along with three other occupations.

This is the man who trumpeted austerity and who championed the grossly unfair Tory rhetoric that all opportunities are available to those who work hard enough.

This is the man who secretly cut the NHS budget by £1.1bn in his 2016 budget, and refused to apologise for attempting to slash disability funding by £4.4bn in March of 2016. This is a man who does not even have an economics degree.

It’s no wonder Mr Osborne fails to understand the lack of opportunities and prospects that those from lower-income households have. The man is too busy scoring jobs for himself. From his privileged education at Eton College to his time as an MP, George Osborne has never even stopped to think about the less fortunate in this country.

So why are we letting him get away with it? The answer is simple: privilege and celebrity.

Osborne joins the masses of celebrities who have honorary titles from universities: J.K Rowling has seven from top UK and US universities, and Meryl Streep has four including three from top Ivy League

schools. However, these degrees tend to be awarded for reasons such as talent or advocacy, none of which Osborne has shown over his stint as chancellor or his current job juggling charade.

Managing seven jobs may sound impressive, but the illusion quickly fades when one realises Osborne is paid £650,000 a year for working one day a week at Blackrock.

Along with Stanford, the University of Manchester is simply rewarding Osborne for his privilege, a prospect that is unacceptable. If anybody without his overt status was awarded an honorary professorship in economics without a degree in economics, there would be uproar, especially if that person already had five other jobs.

Osborne’s acceptance of his seventh

“From his privileged education at Eton College to his time as an MP, George Osborne has never even stopped to think about the less fortunate in this country So why are we letting him get away with it?

The answer is simple: privilege and celebrity. shows how little respect he places on each appointment. Should a man who can

Photo: rach hunt @ Flickr

Last year I worked in a small shop in Oxford.

It was tiny, and the successful retailer we worked for would not agree to move us to a bigger shop because renting prices in the area were extortionate. A 5x2 metre space was meant to serve as our office, staff room, kitchen, and stock room, and this was obviously impossible.

Several years earlier, the businesses which occupied the four floors above us were pushed out by the rent prices and kindly gave us the keys to use while the space was empty. A few years later, we were using the space as our stock room, staff room and kitchen, but this did not even begin to make a dent in the space. Most of the building, located on Oxford’s main high street, was empty and disused, while on the other side of the road, dozens of homeless people were asleep in doorways.

This is a familiar scene across a country

in the midst of a housing crisis. Unaffordable property and rent prices have led to a sharp rise in homelessness, a generation of people for whom renting is the only available option and an increased pressure on councils to provide housing. This has led to many calls for the development of new, more affordable houses across the country, with both Theresa May and London Mayor Sadiq Khan pledging billions of pounds to the development of homes concentrated in London and other major cities across the UK. Many have called for the green belt to be opened up for development to allow cities to expand to fit this demand for housing. This is overlooking a resource that we already have: empty homes. The number of empty homes in our cities is completely shocking.

According to DCLG Housing Statistics, there were more than 635,000 homes lying

“The recently unveiled plans for Sadiq Khan’s ‘naked’ homes looking more akin to the backdrop of a Samuel Beckett play than a family home”

country, yet squatters continue to be evicted with no alternative solution but to return to sleeping rough. When this happens, councils are allowing properties to lie empty and fall into disrepair while many sleep without a roof over their head.

Not only is this bad for the thousands who

job at Manchester is unpaid, but his incessant need for new employment shows nothing but greed for titles and prestige as well as money. George Osborne may be gone from the cabinet but it seems it will be a while until he disappears from the public eye; he’ll be here for as long as he is allowed to be.

It’s time we stopped offering him jobs and let him make his own way in the world, just like everybody else.

Contributor Lioui Benhamou

With homelessness a record levels, empty properties are being eyed up as a potential solution to the problem Contibutor Holly James are homeless and the millions struggling to pay rent, but failing to recognise the opportunity in these empty homes is a threat to the environment. Not only does it take a huge amount of energy and resources to build new homes, but to keep developing we risk impinging on the vital green space both in and outside of cities. The homes are more often than not less durable and hardy than their predecessors and create entire communities of clinical and cold houses which lack the character and beauty of many old buildings left neglected.

Above all, it is absolutely unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of houses lie empty at a time when people desperately need places to live, either paying extortionate prices to do so or not being able to afford to at all. This is a scandal that has been brought to light most recently in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, with many surviving residents of the tower block still living in hotels or temporary accommodation. This is in one of the most affluent areas of London, with many large properties across Kensington lying empty, being disused or second homes or belonging to foreign investors.

It is completely clear that our greatest resource in facing the housing crisis lies in using empty homes, which need to be opened up for property guardianship or, better yet, acquired by councils to be used as social housing or refurbished and rented or sold at affordable prices. Homes are a necessity, not a luxury; and the government must be called on to provide this housing without wasting valuable resources and land.

Photo: altogetherfool via Flickr

take a position like the editor of London’s biggest newspaper for granted really be Manchester’s first choice for a prestigious and highly academic honour?

If we want men like Osborne to understand the average citizen, we need to stop treating them like celebrities. Ex-politicians need to earn their titles just like anyone else, but they never will if places such as the University of Manchester keep bestowing them with new jobs and honours Osborne’s

Fining street sexual harassment is not a bad idea

Could empty properties provide a solution to the housing crisis? empty in England in 2012, with other sources estimating around 1.4 million properties empty as of 2017. Surveys have shown that 79 per cent of people think that the government should focus on refurbishing existing properties, and 81 per cent would avoid living in new builds. This is hardly surprising, the recently unveiled plans for Sadiq Khan’s ‘naked’ homes looking more akin to the backdrop of a Samuel Beckett play than a family home. In Oxford, we were technically squatting in the space we used; this can provide a temporary solution and is often an important form of political activism (the recent group at the old cinema on Oxford Road being one local example), but it is not a safe or long-term solution to housing. Despite this, it is the best option for the thousands of homeless people across the

Photo: Anthony Crider@ Flickr

Photo: @UoMSalcStudents @Twitter

Photo: SMPAGWU @ Flickr

I suppose I need to make some clarifications at the start of this article. Marlene Schiappa is the Secretary of State in charge of Equality between Women and Men in France. She recently appeared in the news because of a new proposal: banning street sexual harassment and punishing it with a fine.

By street harassment, it should be clear that we are not talking about flirting or harmless compliments, but of harassment defined as touching without consent, following, wolfwhistling, and repetitively pressuring someone who has no interest.

By no means is it Schiappa’s goal to end every social interaction in the street. She has said, “Talking to someone and asking for [a number] will not be considered harassment.” So if you still think that harassing someone is the only way to get their attention, just step up your game and learn to read basic human feelings.

Of course, critics didn’t wait to make their voices heard. Gilles-William Goldnadel in the

Photo: Wikimedia Commons @ Art Anderson

Times of London said that it would be a ban on “heavy Latin chat-up lines.” So I guess his game is weak if he thinks chat-up lines still work on someone, but this is not the point.

Another criticism of the idea was made by Agnès Poirier, in the Guardian, in her article: “Frenchmen need educating, not fines.” In the article, she defends the idea that the best way to fight sexism is through education which fights the causes of the problem, not by fines which fight the consequences of sexism.

While her argument makes sense, I have to disagree. The end of her article simply states that: “It takes parents to educate their sons to respect women and see them as equal...” Right, and murder and violence, in general, can be stopped as soon as everyone has loving parents ready to spend the time to explain basic human decency, no matter any pre-existing conditions of character. Easy.

Sexism can be fought through education of course. We can teach boys and girls that they

both have the right to play football, play with dolls, and enjoy any colour they want. But sexism is so deeply entrenched into our culture that we don’t always see it. Žižek might define this type of violence as objective as opposed to subjective. The difference is that subjective violence is one that results from the “perturbation of the normal peaceful state of things” whilst objective violence results from the “normal” state of things.

What these fines do is change the violence

“If you see something and are lucky enough to be educated about the reality of those issues, say something, and most importantly, do something.” women face in the street from objective, “Oh, that’s not harassment, he’s just being a bit pushy,” to subjective, “This is not normal and if you do that, you could get into trouble.”

Poirier’s point of view is justified, but it’s the same thing as saying that education is the root cause of everything. She forgets to take into account that not every child has the chance to have even one loving parent who can explain these things. That culture plays a role into how we come to shape our worldview, and that we don’t all have the chance to be able to understand why something that is happening and accepted in our society can be in fact, wrong.

Of course, fines are not going to stop the problem anytime soon. The same way you don’t stop shoplifters from stealing with fines as a coercive pressure. But just imagine what

would happen if shoplifting was treated as sexual harassment is: You can steal something from Morrisons or Sainsbury’s and all you get is a few mean looks from the people around you, and someone who works there telling you to stop. But you can just walk away afterwards with no real consequences.

I bet we would see a lot more shoplifters if that was the only coercion. Even I, if I were in a less comfortable economic situation, would do it.

Of course, it is not the same thing. People who steal food fulfil a basic human need whereas street harassers fulfil a desire.

But this is precisely why we should fine these people. Why would you make someone who steals something in order to feed themselves and their families pay a fine whilst not letting a street harasser face the same tangible punishment when they touch someone without their consent?

And this policy should defend men as well, but obviously, they are less likely to be sexually harassed. A recent report in France found that 100% of female users of public transportation have experienced sexual harassment.

Thus, if you see something and are lucky enough to be educated about the reality of those issues, say something, and most importantly, do something. Fines won’t change the situation much, but it will shift this problem to something that is merely “tolerable” to an “unacceptable matter of law” If you are sick, you take medicine to avoid the symptoms. If you can, you also avoid to repeating the behaviour that caused your illness. But you can’t do that all the time, and sometimes all you can do is take your medicine.

12

Music

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER2017 WWW.MANCHETSERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Album Album

Top 5 Female Rappers

The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful

SZ A

The perfect blend of lyrics and bars, SZA’s gonna hit you with some cold, hard truths about yourself but don’t worry, she’ll also help you pick up the pieces afterwards.

The first solo female rapper to top the charts in almost a decade, Cardi B made history last week with her ode to herself and how she makes ‘money move’ to her.

Interview

The Magic Gang perform with Sundara Karma on the 3rd of October at Manche ster Academy.

aKK e pc u C

Qveen H

hip It

t i an S m it h h ave a rela x ing, mela ncholy fe e l , but com bi ne d w it h t he up b eat guit a r ji ng le s and r i f fs, it c reate s t he right b a lance for e njoyable ea sy listening. This g rou p h as s i m i l ar tone s to t he like s of RATB OY and Viol a B e ach , whilst keeping t rue to t he i r ow n . D e f i n ite ly, one to watch out for i n t he f ut u re.

W

The Magic Gang are a fu z z y pop-ind ie ba nd made u p of Kristia n Sm ith voca ls a nd g uita r, Jack Kaye voca ls a nd g u ita r, Gu s Taylor on bass, and Pae ris Gile s on d r u m s.

T he Brighton-b as ed g rou p a re still ve r y much i n the early stage s of wh at they a re goi ng to ach ieve in their fore s e e a ble fr u itful musical careers. The g rou p on ly h ave 3 E P’s out, but the s e h ave a lre ady acc u mu lated 5mi l lion v iews. It ju st goe s to s how th at, not only is gu itar p op not de ad , but th is q ua rtet h ave stu mbled u pon s ome th ing exc it i ng.

The quirky, retro-tinte d , tong ue in che e k q ua rtet h ave already had huge succe s s e s.

Pe rform ing at huge such a s Gla ston bu ry and The Great E s cap e. On top of th is, the g roup recently played a s old-out g ig in L ondon’s very own ve nue, He ave n . The

M ag ic G ang h as add it ion al ly prev iou s ly tou re d w it h t he l i ke s of Wol f A l ice, H i nd s, a nd Sw i m D e e p. T he Q u ar te t h as b e e n annou nce d as t he sp e c i al g ue st s tou r i ng w it h Su nd a ra Kar m a t h i s Aut u m n .

I f th is l i st of b and s do e s n’ t conv i nce you , the n j u st by watch i ng t he brand new v ide o for the i r s i ng le ‘ You r L ove’ w i l l . T he mu s ic vide o, di re c te d by Tom my Dav ie s – who was nom in ate d for t he ‘ B e st Mu s ic Vide o Award’

by NM E – hu morou s ly p or t rays t he b and bu nched on a s ofa, watch i ng t he m s e lve s be ironical ly i nt ro duce d by an old- s cho ol pre s e nte r. Comple te w it h an i nc re d i bly ove rs ize d bl aze r, and of fe n s ive t ie. T he antiq ue d v ide o v i su al ly re pre s e nt s t he s ou nd they c re ate w it h ut te r sy nch ron i z at ion .

T he Mag ic G ang h ave u ndou bte d ly formu late d t he i r ow n d i st i nc t fe e l . Sw i rl i ng s mooth g u it ar p op, w it h h i nt s of e arly ro ck a nd me lo d ic t u ne s. T he vo cal s f rom K r i s-

The alter ego of Amy Noonan rhymes faster and smarter than any male counterparts right now.

Bi a

Hannah Brierley Music Editor

y e rb - B

es

Preview: The Magic Gang

Music Editor, Hannah Breirley on what we can expect from the band’s upcoming gig

After finding viral fame with her wildly explicit track ‘Deepthroat’, she’s now using her platform to call out body-shaming.

ta rhym

This was the focus of the advice that they gave out to new students to Manchester: “go out and meet people, you never know what you might find.” If not for that, they say they would never have been invited to play a cultural festival at the University of Manchester, where they gained the motivation to carry on playing gigs. They also think that Manchester is the perfect place for student bands, “loads of venues everywhere will let you perform.”

Youtube star and Muscian, plays and intimate gig at Deaf Institue, but maybe it’s better if you just wait for the album says Contributor Emily Pite.

Very much a part of the move towards untraditional methods of career building, Close used Youtube as a platform to help her connect with the ‘music industry’. Using the internet as a way of feeling less isolated and pushing her music talent whilst living in her family home on the Isle of Wight.

She rose to fame through a large following on Youtube as a cover artist, with her most popular video ‘The Hills’ by the Weeknd reaching 4.3 million views. She released her debut single ‘Call Me Out’ in March, followed by her first EP ‘Caught Out’ in April. And with her own record label The Kodiak Club and also a record deal with Parlophone she is flying past the milestones of the run-of-the-mill musician.

Close played a very intimate gig, with her three-piece band, sticking at first to the tracks on her newly released EP. However she surprised the audience by debuting three brand new songs, ‘Fake It’, ‘Patterns’ and ‘Do You Believe’.

Whilst it was a treat for the audience, we didn’t know the songs which changed the atmosphere of the gig. However, all were well received and it was a welcome change to be able to hear the full song without questionable accompaniments from the audience.

Most of the crowd would be categorised in the 18-24 age bracket of Youtube, but with some wary parents of younger members sitting reservedly at the back. Close noticed this encouraging them to dance at her more lively songs, however, it appears youthful pop music isn’t for everyone on a Sunday night.

Sarah Close varied the concert with heartfelt interludes describing the origins of her songs, admitting to crying during ‘Perfect After All’ in a concert the previous night in Nottingham. Whilst no tears were shed in front of us, we were touched by her candid accounts of her trials to create the songs on her EP. The roots of her music career could be clearly observed as the energy of the concert was lifted as she started a medley of well-known songs. She mixed ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’, ‘Teenage Dream’, and ‘Only Girl (In The World)’ amongst others. Her strengths as a cover artist shined through livening

Signed by Pharell, influenced by Jay-Z and some amazing outfit choices, Bia calls out all the snakes in your life and leaves you desperately wanting to join her clique.

Third week in, time for a quick joke...

What do you get when you pamper a cow?

Spoiled Milk.

up the audience encouraging everyone to sing together. I’m sure as her music becomes more well known, she will be able to gain the same reaction from her own music.

Whilst the set was relatively short, she managed to pack in the balance of lively pop songs with quieter ballads. This was also reflected well in her choice of warm-up act, Callum Stewart, who provided acoustic versions of his own original songs.

I’d recommend going to see her perform, but perhaps wait until the album comes out as I’m sure there will be plenty of songs you’ll want to hear live from her upcoming album.

2nd October 1995 - Oasis released their second album (What’s The Story), Morning Glory. The album went on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide, and it even won the award for the best British Album of the last 30 Years at the 2010 Brit Awards.

3rd October 1969 - Notorious Hollaback girl who taught everyone to spell bananas, Gwen Stefani was born!

7/10 4th October 1980 - Queen start a three-week streak at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Another One Bites The Dust.’

5th October 1984 - Queen played the first of nine concerts at the Sun City Super Bowl, Sun City, Republic of Bophuthatswana.

6th October 2010 - A set of John Lennon’s fingerprints were seized by the FBI from a New York memorabilia dealer who intended to sell them for $100,000 Photo: Album Artwork

7th October 2009 - Barbra Streisand surprised thousands when she topped the Billboard Hot 200 for the ninth time with her latest release, ‘Love Is the Answer’.

The National - Sleep Well Beast

Album

The strength of The National’s seventh album establishes themselves as a truly prominent American band, writes Contributor Callum Oliver

us

These guys were obviously good mates, which reflected in their purpose behind the music. “We just want to have the freedom to play what we want and to make people happy — And to support Slash at some point,” was the answer behind why they formed.

All music lovers, they’d got together earlier on in university to create their Psychedelic Funk outfit with influences ranging from Guns N Roses’ rock to New Order disco to Frank Zappa’s insanity. They

the freedom to play what we want ”

s

The guys — Leon, Cameron, Lawrence, Ludo and Buddy — were chowing down on pizza and spitting out reels of jokes.

“We just want to have

Asked about memorable gigs, Pleasure Barge struggled to narrow it down. “There’s always a bra thrown at every gig. An oyster card was thrown once!” A couple places that they really want to play at next are Band On The Wall and Gorilla — so watch this space!

They did, however, send out a word of warning, as some establishments don’t treat student bands with the professional respect their hard work deserves.

A few bad experiences had seen them out of pocket for performances.

But on a lighter note, they did end with the good advice that “recording music and playing gigs and getting on the internet is the most important thing to do for a student band.”

To follow Pleasure Barge, check them out on @ therealbarge or /therealbarge/. They’ve also got an EP out soon with all new material and are playing at Favelas in the Northern Quarter for Oxjam on the 29th of September.

Oh, and if you do see them, make sure to ask them their opinion on RATBOY. They’re big fans.

ie S m

I recently met up with the student band Pleasure Barge at their Fallowfield digs. Immediately, I could see what the band was all about. There were instruments strewn around everywhere, framed photos of Prince adorned the walls, and stacks of crusty old Playboy magazines propped up a giant collection of vinyl.

“recommend earplugs when going to one of our gigs.” That’s a statement not to be taken lightly.

In summer, the group practised over ten hours a day, giving King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard a run for their money. They said that their hard work could only have been possible because they’re all good mates.

Bi

al l

Joel Ansbro Contributor

-

gg

Pleasure Barge

Joel Ansbro talks to the band about what it’s like being students in the industry

Bo

C a rd i B

-

ow

7/10

d

of the title track, ‘Wonderful Wonderful’, which makes it a powerful opener. The second track, ‘ The Man’, released in August, jangles with personality and captivates the al bum’s sense of rejuvenation.

Emotions f luctuate throughout the record, but it maintains a constant vintage quality which borders on 80s synth, recharging it with modern twists and turns.

‘Rut’ emanates this smooth anthem quality, from which point the album becomes rather saturated with monotony, and dips into repetition which is a shame for a band heading in such an intriguing direction.

‘Out Of My Mind’ redeems the album, sav-

Rewind This week in music history

Emily Pite Contriutor

24th September at The Deaf Institute

k Ye l l

Immediately the record jump-starts into peculiar territory, but there is a depth to the rumbling bass and hefty crescendos

a whole lacks a common thread to cohe sively bind together the ‘wonderful’ individual elements ”

Live Review

Q

da

Photo: Album Artwork

“The record as

ing the band with its electrical under tone and 80s sheen.

The standout track from the latter half of the record is undeniably ‘The Calling’, the penultimate song which resonates with retro rhythm and blues elements, combined with unexpected synth additions and a contagious bass. Opening with a spoken Biblical sequence, the song has the same confident snarl that dominates the beginning of the al bum, with Brandon Flowers’ attitude shining through. Final track ‘Have All The Songs Been Written?’ spotlights Flowers’ inherent sincerity and heart to his vocals, which are the focal point of the album’s close.

The Killers have certainly begun to move in an alternative direction and experiment with new genres which play a huge role in the undertone to the al bum. The record as a whole lacks a common thread to cohesively bind together the ‘wonderful’ individual elements, but the band have returned with a unique soulfulness which is rare to see in bands of their calibre.

-

u i ck s a n

Yasmin Duggal Deputy Music Editor Though familiarity may undulate throughout the middle of the record, this is an album with bite. Oozing with a soulful depth which sparks electricity into standout tracks, The Killers mean business, as it radiates confidence and experiments down synthesised avenues.

by Tara Bharadia

The Killers return with mellow electric soulfulness book-ended by bite , writes Deputy Music Editor, Yasmin Duggal

Music 13

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

8th October 2007, Arctic Monkeys were named the best act in the world at the Q Awards. Best album went to Amy Winehouse for Back to Black and Lifetime achievement award went to Johnny Marr. Tony Wilson also named Q’s hero.

Callum Oliver Contributor Towards the start of the newly-digitized balloom balladry of ‘Carin at the Liquor Store’ on The National’s seventh al bum Sleep Well Beast, the band’s singer Matt Berninger mumbles the name of one John Cheever. Cheever is an interesting point of reference.

The man’s Lynchian obsessions with the murky undercurrents of respectable middle-class life defined his work — as his contemporary John Updike once remarked of his suburban fascination: “Only Cheever was able to make an archetypal place out of it.”

In some ways, this mirrors the development of the National from a particular kind of nocturnal New York ennui into a more expansive, heady Americanism. As steeped in the band’s old themes of regret and lost love as Sleep Well Beast is, it’s also a product of the current volatility of American politics, al beit as obscurely as is to be expected of the National.

The clearest admission of this is the dry evocation of, “just another man, in shitty suits… This must be the genius we’ve been waiting years for” on ‘Turtleneck’, which unsurprisingly debuted on the eve of Trump’s inauguration.

The band’s thematic growth on Sleep Well Beast is paralleled by at least cosmetic musical evolution; although f lurries of electronic bleeping at the start of tracks often give way to songs that still wind up sounding like The National, there are f lashes of transgression. ‘Dark Side of the Gym’ blooms from plodding mundanity into a gorgeously lush final verse, and wistful highlight, ‘I’ll Still Destroy You’

equally spins into an exhilarating, wind-in-the-hair climax.

Part of the album’s idiosyncrasy stems from the oaken, earthy grain of Matt Berninger’s voice, which is The National’s most distinctive instrument. Mumbling and murmuring his way through the album, there’s perhaps a little of Michael Stipe in the finely detailed opacity of his lyrics: “Here the sky’s been falling white f lowers, and there’s ice in the trees” he croons on the juddering ‘Empire Line’, and references “another teacup with gin in your secret postcard life” on the richly textured title track.

Although easy to put out to pasture as latte-sipping, inevitably Democratic Brooklynite hipsters, Sleep Well Beast makes a persuasive argument for the canonization of The National as a serious™ American band. Whether reeling from the tumult of relationships or national political discourse, this album is an unambiguous microcosm for Middle America; about as unambiguous as the wooden edifice of a suburban house containing only the band that adorns the album’s cover. As John Cheever wrote in The Country Husband, “The village hangs morally and economically, from a thread. But it hangs by its thread in the evening light.”

7/10

Photo: Album Artwork

14

Music

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Album Review: The Horrors - V Through a new partnership with producer Paul Epworth, The Horrors hit top gear with their new fifth album, writes Ethan Davies

H

leads them to another dream-pop chorus. As a song, it’s perfectly competent and well-written, but in the context of the whole album, it doesn’t quite fit. It’s also important to remember that ‘Gathering’ is only a slight blemish on a terrific piece of work.

A special mention must go to the final two tracks of V — titled ‘It’s A Good Life’ and ‘Something To Remember Me By’. I implore you to listen to these two together, because the simplicity of ‘It’s A Good Life’ having just one chorus and one verse perfectly balances out the shoegaze and techno twist delivered in ‘Something To Remember Me By’.

It’s not as if the twist is unexpected, with the build up to it being drawn out. The unexpected element is just how good it is. It might be the best

9/10

“But it has extra swagger that they lacked in previous albums. ”

closing song off any album in last ten years. Seriously.

Overall then, V is by far the finest Horrors album to date. It may lack the well-known single such as ‘Still Life’, or the following of other synth bands like The 1975 or Tame Impala, but it’s undeniable that the quality of production from Paul Epworth has made The Horrors more ambitious, more adventurous, and cleaner. No record is perfect, but this comes pretty damn close to being it, which is why it’s my favourite record of 2017 so far.

This was definitely worth the wait, writes Tara Bharadia After several genre changes, three rough cuts, and an intense renaming ceremony, SZA has finally released her debut album Ctrl under her first professional label.

The word organic doesn’t even begin to describe the album. SZA notes how she went to a secluded cabin with her friends (who just so happen to be producers), set up studios in different parts of the house and ‘made stuff on our own time’. The idyllic conception of ‘Love Galore’ featuring Travis Scott, happened in this natural environment as well as a few other tracks, unfortunately, dropped from the final release.

The narrative of the whole album follows the phone calls of SZA’s mother and grandmother’s giving her life advice. This a is a very popular style of inspiration in recent years, similar to that of Drake and Frank Ocean, allowing the musician to open dialogue with themselves.

Throughout the record, SZA tries to figure out the level of control she has over her relationships. ‘Drew Barrymore’ has some sporadic tone

changes, in which she comes across insecure but in the end, realises she doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. Later, she even contemplates sharing a man just for ‘The Weekend’, and she states that many men have more than one woman, so why act oblivious.

‘Garden’ is a standout and showcases all of SZA’s talents. Her incredible range, honest writing and her ability to put all her insecurities on display, all come into the spotlight on this track. Her voice wraps intricately around the beat on this track about body insecurities, the stuff you think to yourself but never have the confidence to say aloud, let alone ask anyone else about. Her inability to let anyone else see who she is, is something very relatable for everyone. Whether you’ve ever been in love or not.

There is plenty on this album to appeal to everyone, reminiscent of old-school Destiny’s Child and Aaliyah. This is the female musician a generation has been waiting for. SZA uses words and ideas that usually are used to belittle women and makes it accessible for all – ‘bright ideas we got bright ideas’.

She talks about sex and love so frankly, it would make your Sex Ed teacher proud. On ‘Doves In The Wind’ with Kendrick Lamar, she knows men see her as a thing of sex, but this doesn’t reduce her sense of worth. Instead, she wields it as a superpower: “I will make you beg for it, I wanna see you crawl”.

From working with the likes of Rihanna and Chance the Rapper to

Photo: Album Artwork

almost quitting her musical career, this album took a long time to get here, but boy aren’t we glad it did. The purity and honesty in this piece are what makes it so great, and it is something that has a true and meaningful message... as well as some banging tracks.

9/10

Photo: Album Artwork

Warehouse Project 2017 Deputy Music Editor, Yasmin Duggal’s essential events of the season Manchester’s Warehouse Project kicked off on the 16th of September. LCD Soundsystem and Welcome To The Warehouse have already caused a storm. Some star-studded names cross the lineup this season, from The Chemical Brothers to Craig David to Annie Mac. Store Street, again, has secured a calendar to attract a Mancunian party every weekend.

Annie Mac Presents… will dominate the coming weekend of the 6th and 7th of October, with a line-up which boasts J-Hus, My Nu Leng, Stefflon Don, and Toddla T. The following weekend sees Giggs take to the stage, and with Drake joining him for an appearance earlier this summer, keep your eye out for the ‘More Life’ superstar. It’s sure to be an energised gig.

Mura Masa is one to be excited about — the young DJ taking to Manchester’s celebrated stage for a session of multi-instrumental goodness. The Anchor Point Night on the 21st of October also sees Nao and Bonzai on the line-up, so it’s sure to be one night of mellow electronic vibes.

Adam Beyer presents Drumcode on the 3rd of November and Craig David the following day is set to be a heavier weekend, with

The Low-down on Console Crossplay

David Rodigan bringing reggae to Manchester and Big Narstie giving us a taste of grime after the techno of Drumcode. ‘People Just Do Nothing’ stars Kurupt FM return to Warehouse Project for a highly anticipated set.

If you are prepared for an all-day session, Jamie XX and friends take over on the 11th November for an elongated set from 2 pm until midnight. With further details to be revealed, we’re keeping our eye out for whom Jamie turns up with.

Alongside Paradise and Bicep on the 17th and 18th of November respectively, a Chase and Status DJ set alongside DJ Rage is sure to go down well. My Nu Leng and Shy FX return for the line-up, which is followed by one of the most sought-after tickets for this season: The Chemical Brothers.

Solardo Sessions b2b Skream takes over Boxing Day, so expect some tech to continue on the Christmas celebrations. With both New Year events still to be announced, and Warehouse providing such an eclectic mix of genres for this season, the start of 2018 remains a mystery for now. One thing’s for sure, WHP17 is not to be missed.

Review

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider David Uncle Contributor

Chris Glover Reporter

Tara Bharadia Contributor

Review: SZA - CTRL

News Album

Is Sony standing in the way of progress?

Ethan Davies Contributor The Horrors? Remember them? They released ‘Still Life’ a few years ago. It was fun, but nothing too groundbreaking. This album is fun, and nothing too groundbreaking — there’s no Faris Badwan impersonating Stormzy. This time though, there’s a difference. The difference is that it’s really, really good. Seriously.

V is the fifth release by The Horrors, which gives the new album its name. What’s more, V is another major milestone for the band — it’s ten years since their first release, Strange House, in 2007.

V starts with a brash, magnificent electronic opening, akin to a medieval king returning home from a long-running war victorious to rapturous celebration. It’s clear to see that the band have taken some significant steps in terms of production: it’s a rich, adventurous sound that really appeals to the listener. Ambition has also been upped, too: as ‘Press Enter To Exit’ breaks down and slows up — which is on par to Kid A-era Radiohead — an explosion of synths washes over you. It’s not done cheaply. It serves a purpose in the album to keep the pace ticking on nicely, which is excellent throughout.

There are still touches of the old Horrors around, as well. ‘Machine’, the lead single released in June, is rawer than the opening tracks which are beautifully produced by Paul Epworth. What’s evident is that the partnership with Epworth is paying dividends for The Horrors. V is just as well produced as any other release, but it has an extra swagger that they lacked in previous albums. ‘Point Of No Reply’ is another good example of this new found swagger, as are ‘World Below’ and ‘Ghost’ — raw and on edge at times, thought-provoking at others.

This album isn’t perfect, though, as shown by ‘Gathering’. Obviously aware that synth-pop and shoe-gaze couldn’t furnish the whole album, the band try something new with an acoustic set up. That’s fine, but the problem is it feels like that the band were also aware an acousticonly track on an album like this would very quickly be forgotten. That

Games 15

ISSUE 3 / 2nd October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: Pippa Rankin

ostility between gamers is nothing new – in fact, the only thing gamers enjoy more than their chosen console is saying mean-spirited things to people who were stupid enough to buy a different one. This is particularly true of Xbox and PlayStation fans, who fight a console-war as old as – well, the Xbox and PlayStation.

Imagine a world, then, where all console gamers could play together in online games: a utopia in which cross-platform camaraderie could prosper – where it isn’t the controller in your hand that matters, but the friendship in your heart.

Whilst a future in which players of differing consoles will be nice to each other may still be centuries away, a future in which they can play together certainly isn’t – Microsoft and Nintendo have already begun to wholeheartedly embrace the idea.

E3 2017 was abuzz with crossplay announcements, with developer Psyonix proudly declaring that they would be enabling crossplatform play on their eSports sensation Rocket League, allowing Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC players to share in the turbopowered football fun.

Also announced at E3 was global phenomenon Minecraft’s “Better Together” update, which is an implementation of crossplay and not – strangely enough – anything to do with Scottish independence. The update turns Minecraft into a true cross-platform game – allowing users on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, iOS, and Android to play with each other.

You may notice that Sony’s PS4 was completely absent from this inter-console friendship bonanza, and it isn’t because the other kids on the (cross)playground didn’t invite them; Jeremy Dunham of Pysonix stated that they would do “whatever [they] would need to do” to make cross-platform play on Rocket League work with PS4, whilst Minecraft spokesperson Aubrey Norris tweeted that Mojang would “love to have Playstation players along with the unified Minecraft”.

Nor is it a matter of technical issues - countless developers have spoken on the ease of incorporating cross-platform online play in their titles; Jesse Rapzach, developer of Ark: Survival Evolved said that allowing Xbox One and PS4 “would not take more than a few days”. Enabling cross-play is so very simple, in fact, that earlier this month developer Epic Games managed to enable Xbox One and PS4 crossplay on Fortnite reportedly by accident. For a brief few hours, PS4 players reported seeing players with Xbox One Gamertags – which a representative claimed was down to a “configuration issue”.

So why is Sony not willing to join in the crossplay fun? Well, their official stance cites a lack of control over players outside of the Playstation sphere. In an interview with Eurogamer, Sony’s head of global sales and marketing said: “Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it’s something we have to think about very carefully.”

This explanation doesn’t quite fly – if Sony really did want crossplay, they would be more than capable of internally resolving issues of child-protection using methods such as profanity filters which have been commonplace in family-friendly platforms for years.

Perhaps the real reason Sony has thus far refused to play nice with their console rivals is much more obvious; they don’t have to. Whilst the Nintendo Switch has indeed had a successful launch, it faces a Herculean task in ever catching the PS4, which has already sold over twice the amount of units as the Xbox One. It may be that Sony is reluctant to believe things would be “Better Together” when they’re already doing “Pretty Good Alone”.

There is also the speculation that following the monumental hack of their online services in 2011, Sony is still understandably hesitant to take any action that may even slightly compromise their security. This would, of course, be the less cynical reasoning and more forgivable truth behind what is undoubtedly an anti-consumer stance by Sony.

It’s possible that Sony’s dominance of the console market is enough to allow them to get away with occasionally being the villains when it suits them. This is certainly not the first time Sony has been criticised for anti-consumer policies, and, despite their careful branding of being “For the Players”, they have attracted criticism for raising the price of their online subscription, heavily limiting game mods and continually refusing to allow name-changes for its users.

It remains to be seen whether Sony will continue to rely on its favourable position in the industry to refuse to yield on matters they don’t want to, or whether pressure from players will eventually force Sony to play nice with its console rivals.

Photo: BagoGames@flickr

I thought it would be impossible for Arkane Studios to release another game with such stellar level design. I was wrong.

Death of the Outsider is a standalone expansion following Dishonored 2, and we take control of ex-Whaler Billie Lurk, the assassin Daud’s former lieutenant.

Billie is tasked with one final target (or many, if you shoot, behead or disintegrate as many people as I did), and that’s to kill the Outsider.

As you’d expect, killing a God is not easy, and Billie must acquire information and hardware to get the job done. This forms the body of the game, which will be familiar to fans: go to an area, complete some objectives, get out, and so on. Except this time, generally your targets are intel and items, not people, which makes for a refreshing change.

The story is more gripping than in Dishonored and Dishonored 2 because of the focus on the Outsider himself. In the other games he’s always there, taunting you about your actions, but Death of the Outsider really digs into who and what he is. While the main games are stories of deception, revenge and politics, this dives into the bigger picture of the chaos that the Outsider has invoked throughout the world. It also implies the canon ending of Dishonored 2. The pacing of the final chapter was a bit rushed, however, and got a bit confusing.

Complementing the story are ‘contracts’ in each level: side objectives that reward you with money and bonecharms. They’re fun and worthwhile, while also providing a reason to take on additional objectives instead of just charging for the mission goal. As in Dishonored 2, robbing the black markets offers lucrative and sometimes tricky puzzles.

Billie has new abilities: ‘displace’ allows her to place a marker and teleport to it at will. This allows for some interesting tactics, such as pre-planned escape routes, but it’s best used in conjunction with ‘foresight’, which lets her leave her physical form, highlight enemies and place displace markers, then return to her body.

I prefer the classic ‘blink’, but it’s exciting nonetheless. Her best power is ‘semblance’, where she uses the void to rip off faces and wear them as her own. Nice. This creates new opportunities, and tearing off the right face can lead to unique situations. For exam-

Does this standalone DLC stand up to its predecessors?

8/1 ple, stealing a guard’s face may allow you into restricted areas.

Rather disappointing is the exclusion of runes to upgrade powers. When Billie gets her abilities, they’re fully powered. Bonecharms tweak them slightly, such as reducing their Void energy cost, but it means there’s nothing to progress towards. In the first two games, collecting runes to unlock abilities was exciting - Death of the Outsider lacks this.

Void energy replaces Mana, but regenerates over time instead of requiring potions. This slowed down the gameplay, as it means you’re limited to three casts at most in quick succession, whereas in the main games you can infinitely cast so long as you have potions.

My favourite change is that there’s no chaos system, so you can kill as much as you want without getting an evil ending. This liberated the gameplay, as I usually like to get the ‘low chaos’ endings, but being able to kill indiscriminately meant I could have as much murderous fun as I wanted.

As ever, the world design is exemplary. The Bank Heist especially is a complex and detailed level, which easily lives up to, and even exceeds, some areas from the main games. This mission offers several routes and is player freedom at its finest, but it’s not quite as good as Dishonored 2’s excellent ‘A Crack in the Slab’ mission. One area is used twice, and one is carried over from Dishonored 2, which felt a bit lazy. Fortunately, these levels are large and very well designed.

Photo: ArkaneStudios

Overall, Death of the Outsider offers more of the same, which isn’t a bad thing. Billie is a joy to play. The story is deeper than the first two games, albeit shorter, and the level design is great despite the repetition. The ending is impactful, presenting a choice that may dramatically affect the future of the Dishonored universe. It is a worthy (yet short) addition to the Dishonored franchise that offers some fascinating revelations about the world.

Reviewed on: Windows 10 PC

News

Valve Cracks Down on Metabombing Jeremy Bijl Games Editor

Photo:

‘Metabombing’, more widely known as review bombing, is a relatively young phenomenon, but one that is becoming increasing common and, more importantly, increasing influential.

Metabombing is the practice of negative reviewing en masse in response to something a developer or publisher has done. It invariably takes place on metacritic or steam, as they are the platforms which put the greatest emphasis on user reviews.

This is different from simply reviewing the game negatively due to not liking it. Metabombing is an organised movement (usually initiated by online communities like Reddit or Steam forums) that attacks games for one issue in particular rather than the quality of the game in its entirety.

There are a number of examples of this. Most recently, 2K’s basketball game NBA 2K18 was metabombed for its excessive use of microtransactions and its ‘pay-to-win’ mechanics. Grand Theft Auto V was also review bombed recently for issuing a cease and desist to the makers of popular online modding tool OpenIV. It currently sits at a lowly 64% approval rating on steam - a dire state of affairs considering in March 2017 it was ranked the sixth best game on the platform.

These are arguably examples that are closer to conventional negative reviews, as they criticise issues that pertain directly to gameplay. There are examples, however, which are arguably less judicious.

Chief amongst these was DOTA 2, which was review bombed in 2013 for not being Half Life 3. Yes, that’s right - DOTA 2, a generally popular and consumer-friendly game, was attacked for not being the sequel to 2004 cult hit Half Life 2.

Elsewhere, indie title Firewatch was review bombed by the socalled “Bro Army” after developer Sean Vanaman issued a DMCA takedown (copyright strike) against PewDiePie’s Firewatch gameplay videos, whilst Horizon Zero Dawn was attacked in by Zelda fans in an attempt to make it hold a lower aggregate score than the concurrent Breath of the Wild.

Although the games in question subjected to the more bizarre metabombs were not affected as significantly as GTA V and NBA 2K18, the practice remains problematic.

On the one hand, it grants a genuine collective voice to consumers who often feel ignored or disrespected by developers. It also offers a way of gaining a corporation’s attention over a particular issue by attacking their potential profits – bad reviews put off prospective buyers – and their professional pride. This was particularly the case with Rockstar, who take a lot of pride in releasing games that are critically acclaimed. They eventually altered their stance on OpenIV. On the other hand, it is a system that can clearly be exploited for unrelated, bizarre or unethical reasons (Mass Effect: Andromeda, for instance, was metabombed for apparently being on the side of ‘social justice warriors’).

Earlier this month, Valve introduced the first countermeasure for review bombing on Steam, enabling viewers to break down review scores by date in order to see huge anomalies in scores.

This solution has not been universally praised but does well to maintain a democratic review system whilst at least exposing a metabomb, if not preventing it. In this way, the consumer maintains the power to critique en masse, but also to analyse negative or unrepresentative trends as an individual.

16

Fashion & Beauty

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Fast Fashion - A Sustainable Lifestyle?

Amy Nguyen, Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor, uncovers the truth behind fast fashion and what the industry is doing to combat this environmental monstrosity Efforts by the likes of Melinda Tually, responsible fashion and fair trade consultant and founder of ‘EcoAge’ and Livia Firth, Global Oxfam Ambassador and founder of the ‘Green Carpet Challenge’ are creating fundamental waves in the sustainability and best practice adopted by retailers on all continents.

Eco-Age is an association that creates sustainable solutions for brands by developing environmental strategies utilising commercial and supply chain opportunities. As an organisation, it leads compelling initiatives in areas such as Columbian Mines, Bangladeshi Factories, and Italian silk mills to raise awareness of best practice.

Photo: buildwitt@instagram

The recent turbulent storms across the Western world left in their wake unprecedented levels of destruction. Now, the UN annual climate change conference turns our head sharply to the questions of climate change and the impact our decisions as consumers are having on the globe.

We’re aware of the immediate positive effect recycling and plant-based diets have on the environment in which we inhabit, but are we really aware of how our actions as consumers in the every growing retail industry with our easy to purchase fast fashion choices play a direct role in the sustainability of the earth?

In my bid to watch every Netflix documentary, I recently stumbled across The True Cost (2015), a feature-length piece that exposes and analyses how the nature of the fast fashion industry is negatively impacting our world.

The term ‘fast fashion’ refers to the phenomenon where the fashion industry is transporting the trends on the catwalk to the high street for low production costs at an undeniably rapid rate to meet the

We consume approximately 80 billion pieces of clothing a year

1/6 people in the world work in the global fashion industry — the majority of which early less than $3 USD a day.

demands of consumers. This is not isolated to British high street retailers alone but wholesalers across the globe who are churning out garments faster than ever before with disregard for the environmental effects our compulsive shopping habits are creating.

A powerful piece of film, The True Cost juxtaposes the glamour of fashion weeks, our obsession with beauty, and the latest trends alongside the direct impact it bears on the underdeveloped societies propped up by this $2.4 trillion fashion industry.

Harrowing incidents in Bangladesh such as the Rana Plaza travesty in 2013 emphasise this predicament.

In this instance, despite hundreds of warnings regarding the garment factory as a “death trap”, the building collapsed killing 1,100 and injuring a further 2,000. Needless to say, the resultant attention helped shed light on global retailers across the world and their supply chain practices and mass production processes.

This knowledge prompts serious questions regarding how we, as individuals, raise awareness and be increasingly clued up on responsible fashion.

Only 10 per cent of the clothes we donate to second hand shops are re-sold. The rest go to landfills.

Approximately five other human beings are involved in supplying your garment before it reaches the shelf.

“In a sense, it marries the glamour of luxury fashion with ethics” In line with this ethical organisation is the Green Carpet Challenge, an initiative created to provide a compelling narrative to a brands environmental principles. In a sense, it marries the glamour of luxury fashion with ethics whilst partnering with relevant NGO’s, specialist academic institutions and experts in their respective fields.

Eco Age has partnered with the likes of Stella McCartney, who in 2015 was the first designer to produce an entirely ‘Eco Capsule Collection’. NetA-Porter with the backing of their then CEO Natalie Massenet, collaborated with Victoria Beckham, Christopher Kane, Roland Mouret, Christopher Bailey and Erdem to create bespoke gowns in 2013 that championed sustainable excellence.

Designers, brands, and initiatives such as these are awarded at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards in Italy.

You may have seen this glamorous affair plastered on the Instagram accounts of fashions biggest names only a few weeks ago during Milan Fashion Week, but this is more than simply another society gala dinner.

This programme aims to celebrate total provenance and sustainable innovation to actions carried out by the supply chain to preserve sustainable production

and innovate towards a lesser footprint.

Awards within the programme include ‘The Art of Craftsmanship’ – awarded to the seamstress of Maison Valentino – and ‘The Best Supply Chain Innovation’ – awarded to Gucci. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen also walked away with the Vogue Eco Laureate Award whilst wearing the prevalent Stella McCartney. With the support of the industry’s most influential figures such as Anna Wintour, this movement is raising much-needed awareness about the impact of fast fashion on all communities involved in supply chains.Corporate reputation has spurred the likes of high street giants H & M to implement collections such as their ‘Conscious Range’ which promotes sustainable style through the usage of recycled and organic materials.

Corporate reputation has spurred the likes of high street giants H & M to implement collections such as their ‘Conscious Range’ which promotes sustainable style through the usage of recycled and organic materials.

Recycling Rapture

Trend Renaissance

Debbie Harry, otherwise known as Blondie, dazzled all as she walked for an environmentally conscious VIN + OMI collection at London Fashion Week writes Sophie Walsh, Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor

Fashion designers are constantly producing new styles to along our runways but in the midst of these looks, we see the circulation of some old classic looks, writes Jenny Knowles

Photo: PeterTea @Flickr

Photo: Dave Benett@instagram

But is this really enough? At the heart of this dilemma, is the direct impact that we have as consumers when placing our mass orders from ASOS, Missguided, et al.

Thinking about the prequel and sequel to the story of your purchases before and after they leave the confines of your closet is a message that I hope resonates with our readers.

Singer Debbie Harry catapulted to stardom in American pop-punk band Blondie, named after her iconic platinum blonde locks. Since the 1970s she has been a fashion icon for many, with her new wave style that involved double denim, studded leather and statement t-shirts. Her look even inspired artist Andy Warhol, who created four silk printed portraits of Harry, one of the most well-recognised bodies of his work.

Debbie Harry once famously declared that “Being hot never hurts!” and she clearly still lives by that today at the age of 72, stunning audiences at the VIN + OMI show during London Fashion Week. The singer opened the show in a leggy lime green, draped hem dress and metallic trainers. The fashion house is known for their creative designs, making the eccentric Bubbles costumes for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

Their recent collection for Spring/Summer 2018 maintains this innovation and focuses attention on renewable fashion, using materials made from plastics removed from the sea. For example, they use rPET yarn which is made from recycled bottles. Furthermore, the catwalk was covered in plastic, with protest posters splattered on the walls which reinforced the purpose of the show. The designers hope it “will encourage more designers worldwide to explore their local textile options and turn discarded plastic into clothing”. They want to “highlight how innovative eco fabrics can be fun, high fashion and wearable”. The show was attended by a number of celebrity names who showed their support, including Boy George and Jasmine Guinness.

Harry is the ideal model for this collection.

Her high-profile reputation brings public attention to the cause but more importantly, she has also long been a supporter of Riverkeeper. The New York-based organization helped pass the Clean Water Act in 1972 and continues to protect the Hudson River from unwanted waste that could pollute the water and its inhabitants. About the show, she declared that “they believe, like I do, that we should STOP F*CKING THE PLANET!”.

Debbie Harry is currently set to tour the UK in October and November this year. She will wear designs by VIN + OMI on stage. Find her Pollinator tour dates at http://www.blondie. net/shows/.

Photo: The Mancunion

Photo: fashionpills@Flickr

a cherry-red Juicy all in one at the catwalk shows in Paris which moved onto leading department stores such as Bloomingdales and Harrods stocking the new line of Juicy sets.

For as long as I can remember throughout my teenage years no girl would be seen dead in any other jeans than a high-waisted, super skinny-legged pair. Nevertheless, we now see an influx of flares filtering back through from the 70s and girls are even daring to wear the low-waisted hip bone-skimming jeans we thought Kate Moss could only ever pull off.

Here are just a few of the recycled trends that pay homage to our past fad fashions, you’d be surprised to see how much history you have currently in your wardrobe.

Deputy Fashion & Beauty Editor, Amy Nguyen explores how the rise of beauty consciousness and veganism has given way to beauty brands like Glossier

Hundreds flocked to Princess Street to snap up Missguided’s best bargains, writes Fashion and Beauty Editor Talia Lee-Skudder serving the clothes you like whilst you shop before making your final decision before you pay. It’s savvy sample sale shopping!

I was great at holding onto everything I liked and ended up with a huge armful of clothes. However, I was not so great at getting rid of things that I probably would never wear. I completely missed the point of her advice and I ended up buying everything that I had initially picked up. The bargains were too good to resist, £5 for everything but coats which were sold for £10, how is a girl to say no? If I ever trust myself near a sample sale again, perhaps I’ll actually be responsible with my purchases.

Sophie, Amy, and I definitely had the best experience because we were allowed early entry, however, the longer we were in there the busier and less enjoyable it became. Another issue was the lighting; it was so dark in there it was difficult to see the clothes but then again this might have been an excellent business move that led to shoppers buying things they didn’t actually want. I definitely fell for it if so; I bought a great fringed skirt that actually turned out to be a great pair of fringed shorts.

The sample sale had some cute bits but the overall experience was definitely improved by being permitted early access. I would love to attend another sample sale but in the future, I would probably try to be more frugal and shop more responsibly. That’s the goal anyway.

Thanks, Missguided for the fab bargains and a great Saturday morning!

In Manchester, current fashion trends are always at the forefront of attention and we can see this fashion nostalgia everywhere we look, especially in the fashion-conscious student community.

In the 1920s when wealth and power were of the utmost importance, fur was worn with pride and seen as a symbol of people’s status in society. As activists began to protest the use of fur on animal rights grounds such as PETA’s ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ campaign in Japan in 1992, it was worn less frequently as a fashion statement for fear of public shaming.

However, the creation of faux-fur brought back this style to our wardrobes for cheaper prices and a clearer conscience. In this month’s Vogue, the likes of Céline, Michael Kors and Kurt Geiger pictured their models draped with opulent fur coats – fur has certainly not lost its lavish charm. Coloured fur has also risen in popularity over the past couple of years, with high street stores such as Topshop and Urban Outfitters selling a myriad of pink, purple, orange fur garments and accessories – you name it, it works with fur!

In the 1980s, fitness wear was at the height of fashion and in this era, new synthetic fabrics were developed and used to create new exciting garments using innovative materials such as Gore-tex, Sympatex, Nylon. The popular noughties brand Juicy Couture produced the iconic velour tracksuit which was a massive hit among a new wave of celebrities who were often spotted by the paparazzi going about their lives in bright pink plush glory; namely, Britney Spears who ordered a bespoke Juicy tracksuit for each member of her wedding party in 2004 to Kevin Federline. However, the hype consequently faded into obsolete by 2007, but now it is making a surprising comeback. Whilst active-wear as day-wear is pretty much a weekly if not a daily occurrence for the general public, what better time for the label to make a comeback? Vetements launched

Beauty Consciousness – Glossier in the Spotlight

Missguided Sample Sale: a Review Arriving at the Missguided sample sale at 10 am sharp I was met with a huge queue that snaked down the road and disappeared around the corner of Princess Street. Officially, the sale didn’t start until 11 am, so the dedication of those queuing shoppers was commendable. Fortunately, I was allowed to head straight in and get first picks from the sale, so I waved goodbye to my friends who had to join the back of the queue with the non-VIPs – being Fashion Editor does have its perks.

As you walked into the glamorous location for the sample sale, also known as the fresher’s haunt Factory, you were met with the familiar smell of stale alcohol and flashbacks to regrettable nights out. However, the rails and rails of clothes more than made up for it.

As a first-time sample sale shopper, I was bewildered with what to expect and also more importantly what the sample sale etiquette is. If the films are to be believed then a sample sale is a ruthless, aggressive experience, but I didn’t fancy fighting over a pair of shoes à la Becky Bloomwood in Confessions of a Shopaholic. Thankfully, Missguided had issued rules that clearly stated that you must be kind to your fellow Missguided babes to ensure that there would be no Saturday morning scraps.

Armed with the knowledge that there would be no kicking, biting, or scratching, I was ready to shop. Our Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Amy, who has had experience with sample sale shopping advised to me to keep hold of everything I liked and then sort through what I didn’t want at the end. It seems simple enough – you’re basically re-

Fashion & Beauty 17

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: Glossier @Instagram

With the awareness increasing regarding the treatment of animals, and the rise in vegetarianism and veganism, people are also looking outside of their fridges and towards other life choices, including what they are purchasing for their make up bags.

According to the Vegan Society in 2016, over half a million people in Britain are now labelling themselves as vegan. 22% of them are dwelling in the nations capital, so it’s there is money to be made by the beauty industry in addressing and meeting the beauty requirements of such consumers.

As conscious consumers it is essential for us to know the difference between vegan and cruelty free. Cruelty free brands promise that no animals have been tested on during the production process but may contain animal derivatives. This includes silk from silk worms that gives your favourite cream its soft and silky texture.

Help is at hand though — if you are looking for some key staples to place in your make up bag, there is one brand new to the market that will be sure to tickle your fancy.

Even if you haven’t heard of Glossier, you have probably seen its millennial pink and bold packaging plastered to your Instagram feed by some of the worlds most respected beauty industry experts, editors and bloggers. This New York brand was created by Into The Gloss founder, Emily Weiss, in 2014. Coveted by all of us beauty addicts in the UK, the wait is almost over for us to purchase it on home soil! The collection ranges from essential skincare, body hero products, beauty and everything in between.

My top recommended purchase from Glossier would be their Cloud Paint Duo. This smooth, creamy, gel textured blush is available in four shades inspired by New York sunsets; Dusk, Puff, Beam and Haze. It’s low maintenance application also won me over — only fingers tips required — and it provides a bright, colourful, dewy complexion, that doesn’t mask but enhances all of your natural features!

The efficiency of this product is off the charts — the tiniest drop goes the longest way. Your radiant cheeks will be visible for miles around! It’s the perfect antidote if you’re feeling a little washed out as winter looms.

Ingredient wise, it contains collagen — an ingredient renowned for plumping and hydrating your skin. Both the cloud paints, and the remainder of the eclectic Glossier range are paraben and cruelty-free, making them an even more attractive purchase.

The Glossier collection will be available to purchase online in the UK from October and their prices range from £10-£32.

Photo: Glossier @Instagram

Film

18

Review

Feature

Review

Patti Cake$

The Child in Time Benedict Cumberbatch and Kelly MacDonald go on separate journeys of grief as they come to terms with the disappearance of their daughter Kate in BBC1’s drama The Child in Time Elise Gallagher TV critic The BBC1 adaption of Ian McEwan’s 1987 novel A Child in Time follows Stephen Lewis (Benedict Cumberbatch), a children’s author, who loses his four-year-old daughter Kate in a supermarket never to be seen again. The 90-minute drama pivots between the lives of Stephen and his wife Julie (Kelly MacDonald) immediately after the tragic event and three years on.

A Child in Time follows the separate journeys of grief Stephen and Julie experience after the disappearance of their daughter. Cumberbatch and MacDonald demonstrate this with ease, at first the sheer horror and desperation between the two searching for their daughter which is then followed by bitterness and anger, and eventually the downfall of their marriage once blame is ascribed.

Rather than donning a deerstalker or playing an extraordinary superhero Cumberbatch portrays an ordinary man riddled with guilt and grief who has been flung into a perpetual state of searching. His performance is so raw and gut wrenching you are clearly reminded why Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the best actors of his generation.

“A Child in Time is a

tale of endurance and, ultimately, hope. A must see. ” Kelly MacDonald is fantastic in her role of Julie, she is sometimes cool but never not caring.

Her exploration of grief is something to be applauded, especially her darker days of anger, desperation, and ultimately leaving. There are moments within the drama which quicken the heart rate and make a lump form in the throat of any viewer – parent or not. A particular one for me is the sign Stephen leaves on his door saying he’ll be home soon whenever he leaves, even if it’s just for a moment, just in case Kate in her yellow rain coat returns.

A Child in Time does an exceptional job of highlighting the horror in everyday life. Especially in terms of sound. The deafening silence which follows Stephen and Julie in their homes is suffocating, the chatter and check out bleep of the supermarket as Stephen’s world falls apart is cruel and uncaring. The drama highlights that although your world may be collapsing time still moves on indiscriminately.

There is a scene in which Stephen travels home to visit his parents, he mentions in passing that he visited Julie to which both of his

Photo: Pinewood Television

parents, especially his father emphasises that he thinks of her often after all that she’s been through. I found it very interesting that it came across that he didn’t share the same empathy for his own son, despite him still going through the same process, as if, like Julie did in the wrath of grief, he too blames his son.

The drama explores childhood on three levels: the trauma of two parents losing their child, a man who feels robbed of his childhood and is desperately searching for it once more, and finally, the government’s intervention in child development.

Between the three the narrative itself is lucidly laced with the day dreams of Stephen and his Mother, everywhere he goes he thinks of her and catches glimpses of her, at first always out of reach but as the drama progresses always close to hand. He’s missing her, but more importantly, still continuing to love her.

Stephen Campbell Moore plays Stephen’s friend Charles who retires from his position in the government to up sticks and move to the country side with his wife, Thelma (Saskia Reeves).

Charles is desperately longing to be a child again. This is revealed rather abruptly, Charles is running full force, arms spread wide open, towards his den in the woods. His actions sudden, hungry, and uncontrollable – not those associated with a man who’s just retired.

Stephen Campbell Moore gives a standout performance in this role. The balance between the mature middle aged man and the cheeky child he longs to be is heart breaking. He has the ability of embodying the boy he longs to be but immediately switches back to the middle aged man talking to his friend, even if it’s only for a moment.

Amongst the grief I feel it’s a tale of growing up and accepting responsibility, the lost responsibility of no longer having a child, but the sense of responsibility and guilt they are burdened with, the responsibilities Charles has hampered away but is still conscious of and tormented by, and arguably the responsibility of Thelma as Charles’ wife. I feel they could have done more with the character of Thelma, however her sheer love for her husband was truly heart breaking.

Stephen finds his friend, a grown man in his school uniform, hanging nalone in the woods.

That moment which will dry out the throat of anyone watching once you realise how desperately unhappy Charles must have been tormented by what he longs to be but constantly reminded of what he ought to be.

A Child in Time had the potential of being utterly miserable but instead is a tale of endurance and ultimately hope. A must see.

Image: Vimeo

8 Mile meets Hairspray in this unashamed ode to rap Review

Image: Ma_Co2013 @Flickr

A Bigger Splash Life imitates art imitates life imitates art in Luca Guadagnino’s sensuously tense and suspenseful human drama set on the remote island of Pantelleria Esmee Samsworth Film Contributor Life imitates art imitates life imitates art in A Bigger Splash (2015). Whilst A Bigger Splash is, in fact, (very faithful) remake of Jaques Deray’s 1969 La Picine, it feels as though the director, Luca Guadagnino took more inspiration from David Hockney’s 1968 painting of the same name.

Like with Hockney’s paintings, A Bigger Splash feels isolated. This is no accident, as one of the major themes of the film is escapism. Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton), a rockstar who has lost her voice, and her lover Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), a documentary filmmaker and recovering alcoholic, are both retreating from the world. Together they shut out the chaos of reality and create their own idyllic universe in the remote Italian island of Pantelleria. The opening shot of metal piping, harsh and cold, panning down to an obviously emotionally and physically drained Marianne, dressed in a sequinned catsuit walking backstage alone towards her audience – a filled out stadium chanting her name – feels impersonal. Compare this to the scene following immediately after: Marianne and Paul, nude and sunbathing besides their pool. Birds and cicadas can be heard in the background. Red flowers and a green trees frame the pool. In two shots, Guadagnino tells us all we need to know; their lives before their escape were cold, and despite the crowds of adoring fans cheering, impersonal and lonely.

When they are in each others company, and away from the too loud, too busy, too demanding world, they are content and the bright, sunny colour palate of the film highlights this. That Guadagnino was inspired by Hockney is evident not only because they share the same name, but in the fact that the Italian villa and swimming pool that become the central hub of tension and action within the film are strikingly similar to the Los Angeles home depicted in Hockney’s own painting. Indeed, many of the film’s locations look as though they were inspired by the artist’s uniquely pared down, minimalist style. The meandering shots at the beginning of the film of tucked away, sun-bleached, white houses and gloriously blue pools and lagoons that usually only have a single occupant at any given time are incredibly reminiscent of Hockney’s paintings of LA poolsides and beaches.

Hockney once said that in LA, “the climate is sunny, the people are less tense… When I arrived I had no idea if there was any kind of artistic life there and that was the least of my worries.” And the same rings true for

Film 19

ISSUE 3 / 2nd October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 3/ 2nd October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Marianne and Paul in Pantelleria. One gets the impression that if even Marianne’s voice returned, she wouldn’t want to go back to her old world of noise and discord, and that is where the tension lies. Unlike a painting, where one moment is suspended forever, and the quiet can stretch until the canvas crumbles, life in A Bigger Splash has to continue, and the arrival of Harry (Ralph Fiennes), Marianne’s former lover and his broodingly sultry daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson).

It isn’t only the colour palate that alludes to Hockney’s work. The feeling of solitude seeps through Hockney’s paintings, which predominantly feature vibrant, gorgeous landscapes devoid of people, people, when they do feature in his work are rarely the focus: they’re often seen from a distance, or their presence is merely hinted at. Whilst A Bigger Splash is a film about relationships, both the good and the bad, the easy and the complicated, Guadagnino and Yorick Le Saux, the head cinematographer, always focus on the space between the characters. How each character feels towards each other is shown in the distance between them. This use of space and the environment of the home is brilliant in it’s simplicity, allowing for so much more to be said outside of dialogue. The relationship that both the film and Hockney’s paintings have with negative space is shown in two different scenes with Penelope and Marianne and Paul. In both the she is the only one in the pool, surrounded by water, she is unreachable. In the scene with Marianne, Penelope makes no effort to breach this gap, and so the water acts a metaphor for their lack of understanding and lack of desire to understand each other, yet in the scene with Paul, she swims to the edge of the pool, a challenge for him to join her. It is a seduction.

With Harry and Penelope, the outside world creeps in. Harry brings with him a vitality and energy that turns the idyllic (if somewhat sleepy) dreamworld Marianne and Paul have created for themselves into a riot of colour and action. Though Guadagnino is careful never to change the colour palate, the change of tone and Fiennes’ spectacular performance as the manic, passive-aggressive and jealous, yes, but also seductively charming Harry, the bucolic backdrop becomes somehow frantic and aggressive.

Hockney’s influence shines throughout this film, from the colour imagery, to the execution of the camera angles and cinematography. The themes of escapism and isolation intertwine heavily in both Hockney’s work and Guadagnino’s expertly crafted film, creating a film that feels like it could perhaps be hanging in a gallery.

Borg vs McEnroe

The greatest game of tennis ever played becomes another boring day at the office in this underachieving film James Gill Film Critic The 1980 Wimbledon Final between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe is arguably the greatest game of tennis ever played. Therefore, the decision to hinge all the drama on the notion the viewer won’t know the outcome of said match is bewildering and director Janus Metz’ film suffers greatly as a result.

How the tennis is presented was always going to be an inescapable issue for the film, as BBC’s Wimbledon coverage has such a distinctive style.

Wide court and crowd shots are juxtaposed with close ups of players and fans. When the rallies begin the camera sits behind the players capturing play in its entirety from start to finish. Shia LaBeouf and Sverrir Gudnason through no fault of their own cannot reproduce the same level of tennis of Borg and McEnroe and the method of capturing the footage has to be different.

One singular, glossy shot of each point turns into a sea of rapid cuts and hardly any of the action is seen. The tension that should have built up throughout the match, especially during the nail-biting 20 minute tiebreaker, is non-existent. A potential solution to this problem is to weave the actual footage from the game into the film but that too has its own stumbling blocks.

Away from the court, writer Ronnie Sandahl tried to challenge the general perception of the two players being polar opposites: Borg, disciplined and collected, and McEnroe, unpredictable and volatile. He uses an array of flashbacks to show how they are instead two sides of the same coin, that Borg as a child was equally as volatile but learnt to hold it in.

This story arc takes up the majority of the non-tennis runtime but gets lost deeper and deeper within itself, he is perpetually a ‘volcano ready to

Image: MovieRipe @Flickr

erupt.’

With Metz constantly looking forward towards the final to generate tension, he fails to find ways to make it in the present, every scene is overly-dramatic regardless of its real meaning. Even moments as simple as a small talk conversation feature a grandiose score that swells as the conversation reaches a mild climax.

That climax is always a question destined to remain unanswered for eternity.

Isobel Trott Film Contributor Geremy Jasper has directed, written and composed this uplifting hit, telling the story of Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, played eloquently by Danielle Macdonald, a hopeful rapper waiting for her chance to make it big.

Patti rides round the town in her “Patti Mobile”, as advertised on her number plate, in a down-and-out area of New Jersey with her side kick and quirky counterpart Jheri, played by Siddharth Dhananjay, searching, somewhat half-heartedly, for greener pastures. In one rap battle car park scene Patti verbally slams those who regularly call her “Dumbo” and insult her weight. Her attempt to overcome all the odds is part of this story, but it is more so a film about personal uplift. Patti’s fire, hardwork ethic and talent drives her and Jheri’s journey from the bottom to the top, conveyed with almost effortless skill by Macdonald. Patti is a lower class white rapper, like Eminem in 8 mile, and tells a similar story of the Hip-Hop underdog, but this empowering fairy-tale rings more like Tracey Turnblad’s story in Hairspray – Killa P’s larger-than-life talent is important and inspiring, but doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Set in “Dirty Jersey”, the mundane is brilliantly transformed into a neon wonderland; dingy bars illuminated in electric blue light and bold car headlights beaming in car parks, switch to in-your-face close ups of Patti spitting bars. This film packs a punch. Stunning and unavoidable, Federico Cesca’s cinematography is wonderful and the soundtrack glorious and oh-so

catchy – you will leave the cinema with some witty feminist rhymes (and vibes) stuck in your head.

My worry before watching this film was that Patti’s size would not lend her effective credibility as an underdog – after all, look at Biggie Smalls and who says your size can hold you back in rap? But this was also a story with femininity at its heart, and Jasper delivered effectively on creating an empowering story of rags-to riches which doesn’t take too seriously the connotations of privilege that go alongside being slightly larger and white.

I also feared that Patti Cake$ would not afford appropriate credit to the African-American contributors and pioneers of Hip Hop in the way 8 Mile, the semibiographical story of Eminem, did so effectively in 2002.

But we are reminded throughout, albeit somewhat quietly, that Patti is “white girl” trying to make it in a African-American music style. Jasper gives what feels like a fitting nod to the important elements, including a short cameo from MC Lyte, one of the original black female rapper’s of the 80’s, who ends up being a vital piece in the Patti’s puzzle, getting her crew “PBNJ” a play on the radio, and we know, in classic happy-ending style, that they’ve “made it”. This was an entertaining and worthwhile piece of cinema, not sensationalized and certainly not to be taken too seriously. Patti Cake$ plays it’s context well for the type of film it unashamedly is, and with a stylish grace PC proves to be a musical joy, and certainly triumph for director Geremy Jasper.

Review

Kingsman: The Golden Circle Image: R41MUN93NES @Vimeo

“The tension that

should have built up throughout the match is nonexistent” The orchestral soundtrack as an individual collection of music is undoubtedly fantastic. Drawn from four different composers it would not look out of place in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. One scene in particular as Borg finally defeats McEnroe in the fifth set tiebreakers features marvellous strings that would evoke great emotion had the film created it. Likewise the cinematography Niels Thastum deserves plaudits for his work in making each scene visually resplendent.

The core vision was to produce a film that would stand shoulder to shoulder with not just great sports films like Moneyball but great films in general. Sadly the failure to presume the viewer already knew about the iconic match, the over reliance on flashbacks and the weak plot arc about them being the same on the inside created a disparity in quality between the expected and realised films.

Film Critic Lucas Hill-Paul asks whether Matthew Vaughn’s latest sequel is brilliant or just “bonkers” An unfortunate curse has seemed to befall Hollywood that dictates any Matthew Vaughn directed blockbuster must eventually be followed by a disappointing sequel.

Vaughn avoided the blame with Kick-Ass 2, which took the crude humour of its predecessor to offensive levels, and X-Men: Apocalypse, Bryan Singer’s anachronistic love letter to 80s schlock that squandered the genius premise of the period piece science-fiction.

Vaughn returns to the chair here, however, to pull the trigger himself. Whilst Kingsman: The Golden Circle retains the visual flair, speed-ramped fight scenes, and popcorn humour of the original, it all feels a little obligatory, and much of its kitsch and cast are wasted.

The titular Kingsmen are this time faced with the always lovely Julianne Moore’s eccentric druglord Poppy, who plans to hold the world at ransom with a new deadly strain of narcotics.

Teaming up with their American cousins, the Statesmen, Vaughn tantalisingly promises us Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum, instead delivering extended roles for Pedro Pascal, a surprisingly charming presence — though no Bridges or Tatum — and Elton John, a glittery joke that goes on for far too long.

The Kingsman sequel is longer, glitzier, and stranger, but far too cruel and flippant to be worthy of its refreshing predecessor. By the time a particular character performs a stirring rendition of Take Me Home, Country Roads before anarchy ensues, Colin Firth destroys a robot dog with a bowling ball, and Elton John delivers a flying kick to the face, I could only think that this is the stuff bad sequels are made of. We’re in Spider-Man 3 territory here, and, while I was never bored, I was frequently astounded by Vaughn’s courage at putting something so bonkers to screen.

What makes the film quite a bit lesser than harmless fun is its commitment to embracing the sexism the original was accused of. A potentially interesting foil to Taron Edgerton’s brash and streetwise Eggsy, fellow agent Roxy is dispatched in the first act to make room for Tilde, the Swedish princess from the final gag of the first film that fell flat for so many and now remains a consistent presence as Eggsy’s long-term girlfriend.

Seemingly an attempt to respond to the criticism of the original joke, her role, in reality, feels like overcompensation following a subversion of the ladies’ man

spy trope that missed the mark, and each exchange just feels off. But don’t worry; they manage to fit this subversion into the sequel in a crude sequence at Glastonbury music festival, and this time it’s even worse.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is at its best when spending time with Bruce Greenwood’s unashamedly Trumpish President, who responds to Poppy’s plan of world-domination with an equally supervillainous containment plan.

A slice from a particularly biting, dystopian sciencefiction, these scenes provide a darkly humorous commentary on the war on drugs, though, despite a 2 hour and 20-minute runtime, little is said here beyond a thinly veiled critique of the Trump administration, with some obvious parallels to Reagan A Trump parody is always welcome, but Greenwood’s performance deserves far better material, and the believability of the ropey visual effects’ attempts to convey the President’s large-scale plan is, at times, stretched to breaking point.

Throughout the film, slow pans and zooms into computer rendered buildings that merge with physical sets are straight out of a Robert Rodriguez kids movie, and the long-take fights now contain so much visual effects gadgetry, what started as successfully stylised action now feels plastic and weightless.

Vaughn should be commended for maintaining a defiantly adult and subversive franchise for this long in the wake of the shallow homogeneity blockbusters and sequels can often fall into, but after a summer of films that actually hit the mark more often than not, a sequel to Kingsman sadly feels like an afterthought.

Though the film certainly drags, its lengthy run-time isn’t too harsh a detriment as Vaughn paces the film with relentless fight scenes and set pieces that never bore but frequently alienate.

An admirable effort to go above and beyond, The Golden Circle is disappointingly garish and obscene and fails to reach the fresh and subversive highs of the first film. A pitch-perfect country-western cover of Cameo’s Word Up comes close to saving the ridiculous third act but, as ever with Matthew Vaughn, the visuals were far too overpowering.

2.5/5

Books

20

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Preview

Editor’s Picks: Manchester Literature Festival 2017 From the 6th of October, Manchester will be welcoming a selection of internationally acclaimed writers to its annual Manchester Literature Festival.

Books Editor Ayesha Hussain shares her top picks from this year’s festival line-up Previously, the Manchester Literature Festival has been host to its own legendary Johnny Marr, author of White Teeth Zadie Smith, fashion designer, activist, and author of Get A Life: The Diaries of Vivienne Westwood, Dame Vivienne Westwood, and Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, along with many other famous visitors.Although the festival has had eight years of brilliant lineups, with this year’s diverse range of writers, it will certainly not fail to impress again!

Comedian Sarah Millican opens the festival with an invitation to a discussion of her debut book How to Be a Champion. The event held on the 6th of October at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), is hosted by poet and comedian Kate Fox and promises to be a laughter-filled, uplifting evening with her colourful anecdotal stories. Fellow comedian Alan Carr says of the book: ‘Just like her stand-up: nothing is off limits, honest, candid, but most of all laugh-out-loud funny’.

In contrast, seasoned writer Nadeem Aslam, who has often been the focus of many literature students’ study of the South Asian diaspora, will be also be visiting Manchester this year in light of the release of his new novel The Golden Legend. Author of the heart-wrenchingly beautiful book Maps for Lost Lovers which won the Kiriyama Prize and the Encore Award will join Elif Shafak on Sunday 15th October at 2 pm at the Central Library. Turkish novelist Shafak, whose work has been translated into over forty languages, will discuss her latest novel Three Daughters of Eve which The Guardian has rendered ‘a rich journey into romance and religion’.

The following day, world-famous television broadcaster and historian Simon Schama will be in conversation with Erica Wagner discussing the second volume of his series about Jewish history The Story of the Jews, Volume Two: Belonging: 1492-1900 at RNCM. This continues his important exploration into the displacement and identity politics of the Jewish people. Another television personality, arguably less literarily inclined to write rich and historically relevant texts like Schama, Nigella Lawson is in conversation with Jeanette Winterson on 20th October at RNCM to discuss her forthcoming book At My Table for all you foodies!

Photo: smaku@flickr Also in conversation with Jeanette Winterson,

on Tuesday 17th October at the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, is renowned author Kamila Shamsie - a welcome new addition to our University’s Center for New Writing team, who has written over six critically acclaimed novels including Burnt Shadows (2009), Broken Verses (2005) and Kartography (2002).Shamsie’s latest novel Home Fire (2017), which has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize this year, is available to buy now. Said to be a contemporary reimagining of Sophocles’ Antigone, it explores issues surrounding Jihad, identity, and sacrifice, and this novel is undeniably yet another example of Shamsie’s unrivalled, luminous prose.

The festival ends on 5th December at the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama with contributions from Scottish writers, Jackie Kay and Ali Smith. Celebrated author Ali Smith, whose novel Autumn has Photo: University of Salford Press @ Flickr been shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize, introduces her forthcoming novel Winter (2017) which is the second part of her Seasonal Quartet. Jackie, current Scottish poet laureate and Chancellor of the University of Salford, will share extracts from her poetry collection Bantam.

In addition to visits by prolific writers, there are several spoken word events showcasing work from people of many different backgrounds. One such event is Poets of the New Generation on 22nd October at Gorilla, showcases the work of four poets from BAME backgrounds.Similarly, The Things I Would Tell You on the 15th of October presents the work of 22 British Muslim Women writers who challenge warped ideas and stereotypes surrounding what it is to be a ‘Muslim woman’. The Writing Squad - 6 Minute Reads on the 17th of October at the previously mentioned venue is a show involving children from Manchester’s Schools presenting their 6-minute creative pieces. This lighthearted event is also part of the Read Manchester campaign.

Visitwww.manchesterliteraturefestival.com for more information and to book tickets.

Review

#COMIX4CORBYN

Books Editor Ayesha Hussain reviews a short anthology of comics celebrating Jeremy Corbyn’s surprisingly wonderful rise in popularity arguably one of this year’s most uplifting and increasingly promising highlights

SelfMadeHero, an independent graphic novel publisher, launched The Corbyn Comic Book on the 25th of September in line with the Labour Party Conference in Brighton last week.

The collection consists of winning submissions from over 100 entries, from artists who took on the task of creating a comic concerning a certain beloved jammaking enigma, green-fingered guerilla and, according to the publishers, “the Daily Mail’s worst nightmare”. Yes, our Jez. Depicting Corbyn as the unlikely superhero throughout, The Corbyn Comic Book illuminates and applauds ‘the Corbyn Effect’.

The anthology is not particularly politically angsty or vicious - nor is it charged with an often ridiculed socialist rhetoric.

It is a lighthearted, refreshing tribute to a man who, for many, this year, has been a glimmer of hope and genuine humanity, amongst politicians who are quite frankly absolute shells of humans. Running through fields of wheat? It’s a no from me.

There is nothing spectacular or unique about the opinions illustrated in this anthology, as many pieces Photo: Richard Dearing @ SelfMadeHero draw on things such as Corbyn’s humility in the face of his school-bully-like peers, his relationship with current affairs, there really isn’t very much room for Corbyn’s politics and to his famous feline El Gato, and the failure of the press t o some extent it also presents a view of Corbyn that many of his opponents have acknowledge Labour’s achievements and ongoing efforts. of him. In one frame he is actually sitting down reading a book of ‘Fairytales’.

One piece, by artists David Hine and Mark There are conversely, lots of less complex pieces but equally Stafford entitled Uncle Jezza’s Bedtime Stories brilliant pieces in the anthology. Joe Henson’s piece is a pleasant stood out to me as it is perhaps representative of the addition to the anthology as it presents The Many Faces of underlying message of most pieces in the anthology.

Jezza - from Manhole Man to patron of the Tour De Islington!

While many pieces deal with the reality of the current Seeing Red by Rebekka K. Jones makes a point of how the chant political situation between the government and its “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn”, which even moved from Glastonbury to opposition, with satire, sarcasm, and pure wit, this Pangaea this year is still misunderstood by his largely out of touch piece’s narrative takes an unsettlingly satirical yet opposition. A short but sweet comic entitled Jam written and illustrated dark approach to Corbyn’s politics.The narrative

by Richard Dearing, which is my most favourite, is a sweet reflection on introduces the idea of ‘Happyland’, which is a place, where ‘the mindfulness in the face of enourmous amounts of pressure and opposition. monsters’ that ‘ruin everything’ do not exist; ‘Happyland’ of course, only exists when you close your eyes - it is imagined. The comic

The Corbyn Comic Book is available to buy now on Amazon for £4.99 re-enforces the stark reality of how in many ways, in the face of Photo: Jake @ SelfMadeHero

STUDENT ELECTIONS

PART-TIME STUDENT OFFICER ELECTIONS

STAND: UNTIL 13 OCTOBER VOTE: FROM 24 – 30 OCTOBER Stand via link below bit.ly/StudentElections17

Food & Drink

22

ISSUE 3 / 2nd October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review: This & That, Manchester’s hidden gem

Food & Drink 23

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review: Pizza & Prosecco Festival Contributor Hannah Brierley

Daisy Tolcher Food & Drink Editor

At first glance, the exterior of this family-owned cafe can be misleading. Situated in a fairly shabby Northern Quarter backstreet and with only a small sign marking its entrance, it is fair to say that initial appearances were not profound.

However, from the first tentative peek into its interior it became apparent that this joint was an incredibly popular, bustling establishment.

not necessary to leave feeling full. Nevertheless, the choice of ‘sundries’ the cafe offers are very cheaply priced and deliciously made, so I do recommend. I can not fault any of the curries I tried as they were all delicious and, considering my meal was under five pounds, I was very impressed with the quality. Therefore, If you are looking for somewhere cheap to eat that’s off the beaten track of the curry mile then This & That is well worth the visit.

They are open seven days a week and you can also have your meals to takeaway if you are on the go. Visit their website here to find out more.

Photo: Daisy Tolcher

Photo: Daisy Tolcher

They have been serving customers for over thirty years and apparently, the restaurant’s design has not changed much. The décor largely resonates a school canteen. Long communal tables and chairs stretch across the room and a kitchen with a buffet style serving table occupies the far end. It is from this serving counter that the most amazing smells of spices and curries fill up the room and set eager customer’s stomachs rumbling. Impressively, the menu changes daily and encompasses a range of both vegetarian and meat curries.

During the busy lunch period, This & That offers its customers a range of deals including rice and three veg curries £3.90 – rice, two veg and one meat £4.50 – rice, two meat, one veg £5.50 and so on. Impressively, the curries they serve change daily which means you can visit here in any one of your lunch breaks and not grow bored of the menu.

I visited here on a Wednesday and chose the rice, two veg and one meat deal. The options available included a lamb and split pea curry, saag aloo, daal, vegetable biryani, keema (minced meat) and a chicken curry. Spoilt for choice, I was deliberating for quite some time, however, I finally decided on the saag aloo, lamb and carrot curry – their lamb and potato dish had proven so popular they had swapped in the carrot – and the daal. Whilst the presentation of my plate was unsurprisingly sloppy, the portion sizes blew me away! If you want to get more than your money’s worth than This & That is certainly the place to visit.

Before I was served my curries I had greedily also asked for a chapatti to accompany my meal, however upon eating this mound of delicious food I quickly realised that supplements were

Photo: Daisy Tolcher

“I am nonetheless partial to a belly-warming, tongue-tickling taste of... erm, Britain.”

Pizza and prosecco? Every girls’ dream, and it is exactly what it says on the tin. The beautifully decorated hall, filled with giant pizza and prosecco inflatables, pizza balloons and miles of bunting at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre was absolute perfection.

These guys have really got their target audience marketing down to a T. This is just one of the stops that the festival will be making on its 21-major city tour around the UK. The mini-festival gave ticket holders a free prosecco cocktail on arrival as well as a Pizza & Prosecco Bible, which outlined the taste notes of the 20 different Proseccos and the local food traders they were providing. Not only this, The Tiny Tipple Van also made an appearance to make sure that each slice of pizza was matched perfectly to it’s according to drink.

The response and the turnout for the festival were phenomenal, with thousands of people embracing and being completely smitten with the idea of the simple but clever combination in one place. This combined with the flawless sounds of a live jazz band really heightened the whole experience and is the complete package once added with a group of friends.

I myself enjoyed a glass — or two — of Contessa Carola Spumante, a rather dry but with an added twinge of apple and almond tones. In addition to this, I also tried for the first time in my life a pizza cone — yes you read that right… pizza in a cone?!? —

This banana bread is perfect to prevent the waste of overripe bananas and is ideal for a snack-a-holic. Preparation takes less than 15 minutes and it will save you money instead of nipping to the shop for a quick fix between lectures. The four whole bananas also give this treat some nutritional value and keep you feeling fuller for longer, helping you get the most out of your library sessions.

Ingredients: 285g plain flour 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoon of salt 110g butter (plus some butter for greasing) 85ml milk

Method: 1. Preheat oven to Gas mark 4/ 180C. 2. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.

3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl until light and fluffy.

4. Add the lemon juice/vinegar into the milk.

5. Add the mashed bananas, eggs and milk to the butter and sugar mixture and combine all the ingredients well.

6. Grease a 20cm x 12.5cm/8in x 5in loaf tin I would suggest lining the tin with greaseproof paper but this is not essential.

7. Place in the oven and bake for around an hour or until golden brown.

Use a knife to check the bread is fully baked before removing from oven.

8. Cool the bread in the tin for a few minutes and then turn onto a cooling rack.

An easier and quicker alternative if you have a blender: add all ingredients to a blender and whizz.

1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar 4 ripe bananas mashed 200g caster sugar

Photo: Hannah Brierley Photo: Melissa Saunders Wkimedia commons

Review: Oké Poké Contributor Joe Taylor

chirping in: “It’s masala. Dead spicy. You’ll love it”. I’m a fairly impressionable customer at the best of times, and when the salesperson is an 8-year old boy working nights, I’m quickly sold.

With a pint of Wobbly Bob’s in hand, we found a corner that wasn’t occupied by elderly United fans revelling in their thrashing of CSKA Moscow and waited for our masalas, rice, and poppadoms to arrive.

Her son briefly made an appearance behind her wearing a single blue kitchen glove, turning to look up at the screen, shout penalty, shake his head in vague disappointment, and return inside.

The word ‘Masala’ originates from the Urdu word for spice, and The Egerton’s take on the national dish certainly had something

Photo: Sliding Doors

And I would 100% recommend and encourage people to try it too!

All in all, if you can get down to one of these events I strongly encourage and endorse you to do so. It’s such a classier way of getting drunk with your friends, and honestly, it is refreshing to try a new experience and ticks every box for me. But don’t take my word for it, go see for yourselves.

Ps. Excuse the photo of the half-eaten pizza cone. I was so excited to try it and it only occurred to me afterwards to share the beautiful creation of a pizza cone.

Anokhi Shah Food & Drink Editor

Photo: Daisy Tolcher

Wednesday in Salford, 1971 in Glasgow The heritage of curry in Britain is a long and contested one, with one specific account claiming that the Chicken Tikka Masala, now a national heritage dish, was created ‘on a typical dark, wet Glasgow night’ – see The 5th of April 2013 Episode of The Hairy Bikers: Best of British Series. While this particular origin story dates back to 1971, Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi spices had been known to the U.K. for centuries, stemming from the dark years of British colonialism, and later through the vast web of the East India Company.

While this brutal period of history arguably stained the European Age of Discovery, it did also provide the heat that we might associate with pan-Asian food, as the trading nations of the west took chilli to the east, keeping a little for themselves on route, and thus providing all the ingredients for that dark, fateful night in Glasgow.

Now, curry is eaten by roughly 23 million people each week, has its own National Awareness program that runs from the 9th-15th of October each year, and has been adopted by the UK as a “national dish”.

While I was unaware of all of these things as I wandered around on a dark, wet night in Salford with some friends, I am nonetheless partial to a belly-warming, tongue-tickling taste of... erm, Britain. I had seen a “Curry Night at The Egerton Arms, Salford” sign at The Islington Mill earlier in the day, and so in want of warmth in our bones and food in our bellies, we made our way to the little pub just opposite Salford Central train station.

Upon arrival I was made to go and ask the chef in the kitchen if they were still serving food, and was greeted by a woman and her son, who told me that they only had the chicken left, with the son, who seemed to act as the pub’s walking mealtime salesman,

Foolproof Banana bread

to it, with vague hints of the cardamon, ginger, cumin, and coriander that our ancestors fought hard to steal.

The poppadum was a naan bread, and the chips came with rice.

Ultimately, had it been in a restaurant, I may have sent it back. On rare occasions, however, I feel taken in by the setting of a meal, and the people that make it and begin to totally forget that my main reason for being there was to eat in the first place. The food became an accompaniment to CSKA’s lacklustre performance, the 4 for £5 ‘house shots’, and the pint of Wobbly Bob’s and Holts beer loyalty cards being passed over the bar.

It was an ok meal, but a fine time on an evening reminiscent of that night in Glasgow in 1971.

Photo: 16th Century spice trade Wikimedia Commons

Thai Panang Curry

Contributor Felix Sanders So, Hawaiian food. Hawaiian food comes to Manchester, from one archipelago to another. Poké cometh, a good premise, healthy, clean, and clear food married with a clean and clear business model. Oké Poké is the fourth venture of restaurateur Saman Golesorkhi, albeit his first in England. His other three restaurants lie in Barbados. Golesorkhi studied in Manchester before his Barbadian adventures but now he’s back, and he bringeth the poké with him. All hail, the poké has arrived, and if you’re to believe the narratives on the slick Oké Poké website, “being healthy has never tasted so good”.

Deconstructed sushi is a phrase that’s been going around to describe poké, essentially rice bowls adorned with an array of vegetables and raw fish.

The decor is well done, lots of time and energy has been exerted in more or less the right places. The only problem seems to be the execution. The food was good.

The quality of tuna reflected the price — £7.95 for the classic ahi bowl. The rice was over-salted — nothing overtly offensive, but enough to notice. I’ve seen a lot of people griping online about the price, I think it’s a fair amount to pay. I was happy with what I got.

But. If you’re going to take six hours to make a smoothie it better be the Dom Perignon of smoothies, I’m talking the Moet Chandon of blended juices. In the time it took to for our drinks to arrive we’d already finished our food, thus our mouths were already loaded with a bitter taste, and the tepid fruit water did little to wash it away. The smoothie I ordered was called an O’kai Do’kai, £3.95, which allegedly contained apple, pineapple, pear, and chia seeds. The reality was a cup of water that tasted of apples.

But I think that was a blip on the radar for a venture that definitely has a lot going for it. The Northern Quarter needs more restaurants like this, less USA worship-

Contributor Samuel Pigott

ping burger and chicken orgies. Having said that, Hawaii is America’s 50th and newest state. So perhaps it’s not that the NQ has to stop looking towards America as a whole, but that it’s got to start focusing on America’s more digestible qualities.

My dining companion for the day, Mr Taylor, opted for the Tofu Tastic which came with black rice, an incredible if hard to find ingredient. When you’re boiling black rice it smells like bread is baking. It’s chewy and coarse in a brilliant way. Oké Poké is by no means short of good ingredients, the juice counter has an open fronted fridge displaying fruits and vegetables in all their raw and unadulterated splendour. It was the preparation of them that seemed to let the restaurant down.

Ingredients: 400ml Tin coconut milk 100g Red or Panang curry paste 300g Chicken — optional if you’re vegetarian Vegetables of choice; mangetout, baby sweetcorn, spinach, broccoli 1 Red onion, sliced 40g Palm sugar or caster sugar 30ml Soy sauce 30g Fresh ginger 15ml Fish sauce 4 Kaffir lime leaves (two left whole and two finely shredded) 1 Red Chilli 1 Bag of microwave rice or straight to wok noodles

Method 1. Add half the coconut milk to the wok and fry for about 5 minutes, or until the oil has begun to separate out from the milk.

Once separated, add the curry paste and fry for about 3/4 minutes, or until the paste has begun to smell significantly stronger.

2. Add the meat to the pan and seal. If using prawns then leave these until a later stage to avoid overcooking.

3. Once the meat is browned, add the palm sugar, onion, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, ¾ of the red chilli finely diced, and the kaffir lime leaves to the pan. Fry this mixture for approximately 5 minutes to cook out the ingredients.

4. Add the remaining coconut milk and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the vegetables and then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until the meat is cooked. If using prawns then add at this stage, and if using noodles then check the packet to see how long the manufacturer recommends cooking them for and add as many recommended minutes from the end. If using microwave rice simply heat as per packet instructions.

A handful of fresh coriander illustration: mattydraws (flickr)

1 spring onion Handful unsalted peanuts crushed Photo: Samuel Pigott

Arts

24

Feature

Preview: Remembering Partition with New North South Manchester Museum’s new exhibition redefines borders and bonds as Arts Editor Cicely Ryder-Belson previews the show with artist Reena Saini Kallat.

Interview Cicely Ryder-Belson Arts Editor In anticipation of the official opening of the main exhibitions for the New North South programme — the drive to bring South Asian art to the North of England — we get to preview how Indian artist Reena Saini Kallat responds to the Manchester Museum’s collection with the artist herself.

As Kallat introduced her newest solo exhibition, she spoke of how it centred on an inherent dialogue which exists between humans and nature. Her latest pieces, which span from drawings to sculpture, strive to create deliberate hybrid forms which animate existing objects with a new identity and history.

Anatomy of Distance (2014) Photo: Cicely Ryder-Belson

This concept is bound up with the complexities of partition and postcolonialism, two areas which are still felt prevalently in South Asia. Kallat, however, invites the audience to see how borders do not necessarily represent a restriction – but instead play an essential role in creating our complex existence.

Her playful new conception initially takes places in the first

suite of the exhibition titled Hyphenated Lives, in which she creates a series of imagined species which become a new entity in themselves. In often using animals, birds and nature which are otherwise “foregrounded as national symbols and proclaimed by nations as their own” she combines them to unify the conflicted nations they have come to embody.

Kallat spoke remorsefully of national symbols are meant to unite, yet so often they become a point of conflict in strife to take ownership of them. She resists against this politicisation of nature and instead creates almost fantastical beings from anatomical like drawings.

This idea originated when she came to Manchester Museum initially and saw the taxidermy of Maude the ‘Tigon’ they have on display. This animal had a tiger as a father and a lion as a mother, and was housed in Manchester’s Belle Vue Zoo from 1936–1949.

This sparked a conversation about how identity can be formed and reformed.

Of the latest exhibition, Kallat stated: “I felt the need to turn to species other than the human race to tell us how to cohabit the planet, where the existence of one depends on the other or the disappearance of one species affects the other adversely.” Here we can see how in the title of the body of work, Hyphenated Lives, the hyphen has come to stand for more than just a linguistic device — but instead represents a union.

This culminated in Manchester Museum’s commission for her to produce ‘Cleft’ (2017) a utopian landscape where her newly created, hybrid animals roam the earth and sky and gaze inquisitively back towards the viewer. Yet the piece is intersected with electric cable wire, which is a material which carries a dual identity which at once represents how modern telecommunication has brought us together, whilst also representing how wires are used to denote “borders, barriers and suspicion.”

The material symbolism of the wire becomes a recurrent image in her work, as the second room of the exhibit has pieces such as Anatomy of Distance (2014) and Half Oxygen (2014) which have a much more sculptural presence. The electric cable as a transmitter is a contradiction which Kallat focuses on – at once a carrier and a barrier.

In Half Oxygen (2014) the piece is framed by a pair of lungs as the wires are threaded through them, to create two counterpart trees — one the banyan tree, India’s national tree, and the other the deodar, Pakistan’s national tree. Yet these two depictions stem from the same roots and are entangled in the same wires – embodying their shared history.

In Anatomy of Distance (2014) Kallat yet again responds to her national history, as the cables are woven across metal frames to imitate the Line of Control, a ceasefire line drawn in 1971 between

India and Pakistan, which divides the region of Kashmir and its communities and families in two. Kashmir is still claimed by both countries and is patrolled by a large military presence. Kallat echoes this by having alarms and lights which are activated by surrounding movements, encouraging the audience to negotiate this duality which has been so inherent in her home country.

Her intervention into bonds and barriers happens throughout the museum onto the third floor, and can be read back into the existing artefacts and collections of the museum.

Kallat succeeds in articulating these tensions and creates an accomplished enquiry into identity and history. The exhibition

Half Oxygen Photo: Cicely Ryder-Belson

masterfully utilises a museum space, so concentrated around nature and being.

Reena Saini Kallat is exhibiting her solo show at the Manchester Museum from the 30th of September 2017 – 25th February 2018.

The iconic Pelé re-imagined through the eyes of artists and photographers.

In this new exhibition, two polar aspects of culture culminate in one exhibition — Pelé: Art, Life, Football. Yet the focus is not merely on Pelé’s football career, but instead on how he came to transcend his football career.

The collection looks at Pelé’s life and career through the eyes of artists and photographers and focuses on how he has come to become the ultimate icon of the sport, based on the Halcyon Galleries 2015 show.

Widely regarded as one of the best football players of all time, playing for Santos and the Brazilian national team at just age 16, Pelé long surpassed his status as a footballer and soon became a celebrity in his own right.

Within exhibitions, focusing on just one person tends to be retrospectives on artists over their lifetime, yet rarely do they focus on those whose lifetime has been the subject of so many artists.

As the all-encompassing subject of the show, his face is everywhere — his portrait repeated and

Review

Review: People, Places & Things Anna Merabishvili reviews the touring production at HOME Anna Merabishvili Reviewer

People, Places and Things is a play about identity, escaping reality, and how the abuse of drugs and alcohol can cause a person to become lost within their own life.

It tells the story of a drug addict, Emma, who goes to rehab in order to ‘heal’ herself, and the audience follow her journey through it as she gradually improves. Her inability to reveal the truth about herself comes due to the fact that she is also an actress, and by pretending to be different characters through her life she struggles to find her true identity.

The production at HOME, directed by Jeremy Herrin and Holly Race Roughan, succeeded in conveying the sense of confusion between what is real and what is not. As a result drawing the audience sympathies towards the protagonist, Emma (Lisa Dwyer Hogg). Hogg was particularly convincing in playing a character who is constantly isolated, and lost in her own world. She outshone the rest of the actors in the play, as her character seemed the most developed and contrasted with the lack of personality of everyone around her.

However, this worked as a

way of highlighting the society through Emma’s eyes: the therapists as unsympathetic, the other members of the therapy group all having their own issues, and her own parents as unable to understand or believe her when she finally confronted them.

The play really managed to capture the chaos inside Emma’s head. While none of the characters could see through her eyes, the audience were given that power. The loud, thumping music, the strobe lights and the different ‘Emmas’ that appeared at two points in the production, crawling out from inside her bed and from the side doors, powerfully represented Emma’s unstable mind. This was combined with the fact that another audience was sitting on the other side of the stage, facing us. The effect was the feeling that Emma was constantly being watched – she appeared a lot more vulnerable and was under constant gaze from the audience on each side.

Yet, those moments of chaos were juxtaposed with the realistic set, and the naturalistic style throughout most of the play. I think it created the sense that the audience were there too – the clinical feeling of the

hospital room was conveyed effectively, and the therapy group seemed an inclusive, familiar, but not a very comfortable space.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the play, and was fully engaged throughout. It was easy to follow Emma’s journey and although

I felt distanced from her at first, she became an accessible character as it became clearer what she thought and felt.

In the end, it really made the audience think about what it means to be alive.

The play runs until Oct 7th

reinterpreted throughout the gallery, refracted Yet it varies from portraits to prints, through different attempts to capture to installations and even to just a small amount of what has crude wax works — though been so captivating about him seemingly from different internationally. perspectives, you are Despite the fact, I’m relatively admittedly just seeing apathetic towards football, the repeated image. and to a certain extend Most are typified relatively aware of Pelé by bright pop art in the context of football, style colours, you’re forced to be in awe and after all, of him, consumed in fan football is a mentality. game which is The various rooted in colour; portraits try to grapple it distinguishes encompassing his one team from legacy.

Though the another and images have nothing to defines a player’s say necessarily, their power allegiance.

This is in that the image is so can also be read into overwhelmingly echoed around perhaps Warhol’s desire Photo: Dave Nelson the room. I found the photographs to also capture Pelé in his particularly compelling, at once poetic Athletes Series in 1979. and dramatic, they provoke a nostalgia for This was one of my highlights in football. the exhibit, having a chance to see Warhol’s

own portrait of Pelé, which was rooted in Warhol’s obsession with celebrities. Warhol himself stated, “Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory: instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will have 15 centuries.”

Being one of Warhol’s subjects is perhaps one of the highest acclaims to stardom, and exemplifies Pelé’s wide-ranging appeal. The collection reflects how strong an identity Pelé holds, something that contemporary footballers often lack – often being held as unlikeable and two-dimensional characters.

Although in general, I find it problematic how footballers are iconised in culture, this exhibition is done with a fondness and likeability which seems to be generally devoid from the sport today — which is instead defined by corruption and obscene salaries. This exhibition instead depicts a well-deserved idol of the sport.

Pelé: Art, Life, Football is on from 18th May 2017 — 4th March 2018 at the National Football Gallery.

XS Malarkey @ The Bread Shed

Comedy @ Chorlton Irish Club

Photo: Johan Persson

Three members of the Drama Society committee tell us the best thing they have seen in the last year.

Sophie Graci Editor Logo: Cara Looij

Izzy Lewis (Social Media/General Member): Replay @ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

Marina Jenkins (President): Anatomy of A Suicide @ Royal Court, London

I saw Nicola Wren’s one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe having been sold it on the premise of, ‘you’ll cry your eyes out’, which I inevitably did. A totally new direction from DugOut Theatre, ‘Replay’ is the story of a hard-working police officer confronting her unresolved issues regarding her brother’s early death. The piece is simple and understated, there’s no big climactic moment, yet the effect it had on the audience was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in the theatre and I can’t hear ‘Sit Down’ by James Brown without welling up anymore.

I took myself to see Anatomy of a Suicide at the Royal Court at the start of the summer holidays as I have always been such a fan of Hattie Morahan and wanted to see her in this. I had no expectations of the production. Birch essentially imagined an utterly masterful creation. Three plays, enacted alongside each other onstage, took an observant and sophisticated examination of the possibility of hereditary suicide and severe mental illness.

By intertwining the past, present and future, the play allows for debate on what determines character: nature or nurture. Whilst the play was centered on resounding sadness and sense of misplacement, the audience is offered magnitude of hope and I was fixated from beginning to end

I saw The Ferryman originally by accident - a friend had a spare ticket and I wasn’t doing anything that evening so I decided to go along. I have rarely been as affected by a play as this one: coming from an Irish Catholic family so much of the production rang true to my personal experience, although I can understand the criticisms of stereotyping when the children are given whisky on Harvest morning. Quinn Carney is masterfully played by Paddy Considine (in his stage debut! Please someone give him more to do) but the whole cast rarely put a foot wrong. It’s a play that offers very little hope for reconciliation but shocked me into tears, even when I inisted on going to see it a second time. A beautiful and difficult play, wonderfully realised.

We give you the run down on where to laugh this week

The venue name may have changed, but the comedy club hasn’t.

Previously Pub/Zoo, the newly renamed Flour & Flagon/Bread Shed plays host to weekly comedy from a group of self-proclaimed comedy nerds. The club has played host to some big names over their 20 years, recently including Joe Lycett, Paul Sinha, and Rhys James. This Tuesday it’s Fringe favourite and contributor to The Last Leg, Tez Ilyas.

For £5, you shouldn’t miss it.

The Best/Worst Thing: UMDS

Sophie Graci (Treasurer): The Ferryman @ Gielgud Theatre, London

Comedy Club

1

Best/Worst Thing

The ultimate icon - Pelé: Art, Life, Football Cicely Ryder-Belson Arts Editor

Theatre 25

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Emily Oulton (Vice President): Hamlet @ Almeida Theatre, London I saw Robert Icke’s ‘Hamlet’ was a wonderfully forensic interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic twice this summer. He created Hamlet’s world in a contemporary Denmark, using the family’s regency as a chance to ask questions about surveillance, privacy and secrecy. He used impressive visuals and had his actors speaking the text in such a conversational, casual manner that it broke down the iamb and allowed us as audience to not think of the piece as an archaic classic, but a relevant modern story about the breakdown of a family in the limelight.

2

Another small venue with low prices and big names, Chorlton Irish Club has a comedy night the first Friday of every month, with a mix of local comics and circuit favourites.

Formerly known as ‘Laugh Local‘ acts who have appeared here include John Bishop. Jason Manford, The Boy With Tape On His Face and Chris Ramsey - to name a few. £10 entry if you buy in advance, or £12 on the door.

3

The Comedy Store

A little bit pricier, but always a good night out for any comedy connoisseur, the Manchester branch of The Comedy Store shows ‘The Best In Stand Up’ on Fridays and Saturdays, this week featuring Zoe Lyons, Chris McCausland, John Hastings and Rob Deering. Ticket prices range from £16 to £22.

26

Lifestyle

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Changing course?

Don’t panic!

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Lifestyle

At Home with Sex Blogger, 5 easy-to-care indoor plants for your room Eliza Lawrence Sophia Macpherson offers some tips on how to add some

Changing course may seem a daunting prospect, but it doesn’t have to be. Thankfully, Senior Advisor Su Barton is here to talk you through the ins and outs of changing programmes

low maintenance greenery to your new abode Sophia Macpherson Lifestyle Editor

Photo: Sophia Macpherson

Sophia Macpherson chats with the founder of sex blog ‘wasitgoodforyou’ about the controversial world of sex.

Sophia Macpherson Lifestyle Editor

Su Barton Senior Advisor

possible to choose modules that you will find more interesting.

The University’s Careers Service can also help you to think about what you_ want to do after you have graduated and whether a course change would be best if you are interested in a particular career path.

same academic year. However, if there are no spaces or you have missed more than a couple of weeks, you might not be able to start your new course until the next academic year –a deferred entry). You will need to contact the relevant School Admissions Team to find out what is possible. The Admissions Team should be able to confirm if there are spaces on the course and what you will need to do to complete the transfer.

Deferred entry isn’t a reason alone not to pursue the course change but you will need to think about your accommodation and student finance if you are going to start a new degree programme in September 2018. At the Advice

tough years of studying. However, after being reassured by The Advice Service and my programme administrators, I was able to transfer to a course that allowed me to pursue my real interests and now, as a postgraduate student, I’m thankful for the reassurance that it wasn’t such big a deal. I took some time out, refocused, and managed to build up my CV in the meantime” If you really want to change course, in most cases, something can be sorted out. It can be disappointing if there isn’t space in the current academic year but deferred entry gives you more time to try out your current course.

There could also be opportunities to gain work

Service, an advisor will explain the full implications of taking a year out and help you with the practical side of things.

Speaking to The Mancunion , James Johnson said “Having begun my degree programme in a subject I wasn’t enjoying, it seemed as though I might have to persevere through four

experience or volunteer if you do end up taking some time out.

The decision to change course is very personal, but the Advice Service is here to guide you through your options and help you find the best way forward.

No problem too big or too small

Thinking about changing course? Don’t panic! It isn’t uncommon to experience worries about your course and the Student’s Union Advice Service is here for you to talk over any of your concerns.

If you aren’t sure what to do, you might find that giving things a bit more time is the best starting point. You can use your first semester as an opportunity to explore the reasons you are worried and give yourself a chance to really try out the course.

If you can, speak to your family or friends about how you are feeling. Writing a list of pros and cons can also be useful to help you work out how you are feeling.

Your academic advisor or course tutors can give you support from an academic point of view. You might want to talk to them about your current course content and see if it’s

“If you really want to change course, in most cases, something can be sorted out ” If you have only just started at University, it may be possible to switch courses within the

Take a break without breaking the bank Megan Ritchie gives some useful tips on planning your next weekend getaway for less than you might expect Megan Ritchie Lifestyle Contributor Finding a cheap break abroad often feels impossible, especially on a student budget.

But with some time, patience, and shopping around you could be jetting off in no time!

Top tips for finding a cheap city break:

finding a great deal on flights and accommodation but you may spend a fortune when you arrive!

There are some great last-minute deals available but if, like me, you like to plan in advance then here are 3 great city break deals for New Year 2018 that you won’t want to miss out on:

–Be flexible.

For University of Manchester students, the winter break is longer than school holidays, making the week after New Year 2018 the perfect time to book a short break as flight and hotel prices drop considerably.

–Shop around!

Amsterdam Flying with easyJet Manchester to Amsterdam: 14:10 on the 9th of January 2018 Amsterdam to Manchester: 21:15 on the 12th of January 2018 Flights for 2 people: £88.96 Price for 3 nights for a double/twin room: £204

Sites like TripAdvisor do the comparing of prices from numerous sites for you.

Total price: £292.96 for two (£146.48 each)

–Make sure you pick a cheap destination too if you are on a budget. It’s all well and good

Prague Flying with EasyJet

Manchester to Prague: 14:40 on the 6th of January 2018 Prague to Manchester: 21:00 on the 9th of January 2018 Flights for 2 people: £108.96 Hotel: Jurys Inn (£48 per night with Hotels.com) Total price: £252.96 for two (£126.48

Berlin Flying with Ryanair Manchester to Berlin: 11:55 on the 6th of January 2018 Berlin to Manchester: 11:10 on the 9th of January 2018 Flights for 2 people: £67.96 Hotel: Select Hotel Berlin The Wall (£39 per night with Agoda.com) Price for 3 nights for a double/twin room: £117 Total price: £184.96 for two (£92.48 each) All hotel and flight details correct as of 28th of September 2017.

I n t h e a ge - o f- t e c h n o l o g y, i m a ge s o f s e x a n d s e x u a l i t y a re h i g h ly i n f l u e n t i a l t o a ge n e ra t i o n wh o i s c o n s t a n t ly s u r ro u n d e d b y s o c i a l m e d i a .

A l t h o u g h s e x i s a t o p i c t h a t i s s t i l l ve r y co n t rove r s i a l , we s e e a fo r t h c o m i n g o f t h e yo u n ge r ge n e ra t i o n t h a t i s n o t a f ra i d t o d i s c u s s t h e wo rl d o f s e x , wh e t h e r a t t ra c t ive o r u n p l e a s a n t . ‘ Wa s i t go o d fo r yo u’ i s a c re a t ive p l a t fo r m fo u n d e d b y E l i z a L aw re n c e wh e re s e x i s e xp l o re d f re e ly i n a n a i m t o d i s p e l t h e t a b o o s s u r ro u n d i n g i t . I s i t d ow n w i t h h e r o n a l a z y d ay a n d a s k h e r v i e w s o n t h e b o u n d a r i e s o f s e x a n d h ow t h e wo rl d t re a t s t h e d i s c u s s i o n .

H ow wa s ‘ wa s i t go o d f o r yo u’ wa s b o r n a n d wh a t wa s yo u r i n f l u e n c e?

E : I t wa s b o r n a f t e r I fe l l i n l ove a n d t h e ra b b i t h o l e I fo u n d mys e l f i n wa s b e a u t i f u l , p o e ti c a n d l a rge ly s e x u a l . A f t e r a t o u g h s u m m e r wh e n t h e l ove wa s r u p t u re d , I b e g a n t o w r i t e a l l t h e m e m o r i e s d ow n . I t h e n re a l i s e d t h a t a l l t h o s e w r i t e r s , a r t i s t s a n d c re a t ive h u m a n s t h a t I a d m i re a lways e x p l o re s e x a n d l ove t h ro u g h t h e i r re s p e c t ive p l a t fo r m s . D e s p i t e t h o s e we wo r s h i p i n o u r c u l t u re d o i n g t h i s , s e x s t i l l s e e m s t o b e ‘ b e h i n d c l o s e d d o o r s ’ . We b uy i n t o s e x s o e a s i ly b u t wh e n i t c o m e s t o d i s c u s s i n g i t o n e t o o n e , [ b u t ] i n t h e p u b l i c we b e co m e closed and frightened.

I wa n t e d t o e x p e l t h i s u s i n g c re a t iv i t y a n d a p l a t fo r m t h a t c a n b e a way o f c o p i n g w i t h t h i s t u m u l t u o u s t o p i c t h ro u g h l i t e ra t u re , a r t a n d o t h e r ve h i c l e s . I wa n t t o c o m e o u t o f t h e s h a d ow s a n d t h u s b r i n g m o re b e a u t y i n t o t h i s wo rl d . T h u s my i n f l u e n c e wa s my l a s t b oyf r i e n d wh o s h owe d m e s e x wa s n’ t j u s t p e n e t ra t i o n , a n d t o a l l t h e g re a t e s t l ove s t o r i e s t h a t we need to start telling again.

each)

Photo: Pixabay

W h a t a r e yo u r v i e w s o n h ow m e d i a v i e w s a n d p o r t ray s t h e t o p i c o f s e x t o d ay ?

E : I b e l i e ve , i n a l o t o f ways , t h a t m e d i a p o rt raya l i s s u p re m e ly s u p e r f i c i a l . T h e y u s e s e x t o d ra g p e o p l e i n b e c a u s e we a re a l l i n t r i g u e d b y i t . ‘ T h e y ’ – t h e a dve r t i s e r s / c e l e b s e t c . a re ve r y c l e ve r a n d e n t i c e u s . H owe ve r, d o e s i t re a l ly t a l k a b o u t s e x ? I t ’s a s e l l i n g p o i n t , b u t i t d o e s m a ke s e x ve r y b l a c k a n d wh i t e , ve r y p r i mary colours.

Photo: Pixabay

27

T h e p o r t raya l i s d a n ge ro u s a s i t d o e s n’ t s h ow s e x c a n b e e x t re m e ly p a i n f u l o r t h a t i t i s o ft e n b i b l i c a l . O r e ve n t h a t s e x i s n o t j u s t a b o u t s e x . T h e n t h e re a l c o n t ra d i c t i o n i s t h a t m e d i a

m a ke s m o n e y t h ro u g h s e x b u t t h e way i t o f t e n v i e ws s e x i s t h a t i t i s s c a n d a l o u s a n d t a b o o.

S o m e t h i n g d o e s n’ t a d d u p !

I n a n i d e a l wo rl d , wh a t a t t i t u d e s h o u l d s o c i e t y h ave t owa rd s s e x a n d s e x u a l i t y, a n d why ?

E : S i n ce I t o o k my c l o t h e s o f f ( m e t a p h o r i c a l ly) a n d j u m p e d i n t o t h i s b e a u t i f u l a n d m e s s y p o o l o f s e x I h ave fo u n d o u t t h a t i f we a l l b re a t h e o u t a n d b e c o m e m o re o p e n , t h a t i t i s re l i e v i n g a n d m a s s ive ly e m p owe r i n g . I t h i n k s o c i e t y s h o u l d re co g n i s e t h a t t h e re i s m o re d a n ge r i n s ay i n g s e x i s t a b o o. T h e l a c k o f co n ve r s a t i o n c a u s e s p ro b l e m s wh e n t h e re i s ra p e o r wh e n a p e r s o n i s e x p l o r i n g t h e i r s e x u a l i t y.

I f s o c i e t y wa s m o re o p e n , my s e x u a l e x p e r i e n ce s a t t h e f i r s t s t a ge wo u l d h ave b e e n m u c h l e s s co m p l i c a t e d .

I’m not sure about you but one of my favourite things about going back to university is having the chance to redecorate my room all over again. Shamelessly, I end up turning my room into some sort of tropical jungle as I fill it with all sorts of plants.

Not only does it significantly add to the decor of your room but it has actually been scientifically proven to brighten one’s mood. The simple act of shopping for a plant can better your well-being — I am an advocate for that particularly.

Studies by the The American Horticultural Therapy Association have proven that indoor plants can improve your self-esteem as well as help anxie-

Cacti and Succulents Inevitably, these were always going to turn up on any list regarding indoor plants. With their small size and extremely easy maintenance, it is a no-brainer purchase. The only thing to remember is to keep them in near the window where they can get some light!

Aloe Another beautiful succulent sure to brighten up your room, Aloe only needs watering every few weeks. This plant is as low-maintenance is it can get.

D o yo u t h i n k a l i n e s h o u l d b e d raw n wh e n i t c o m e s t o p u b l i c e x p re s s i o n s o f s e x ? I f s o wh a t a re t h e b o u n d a r i e s ?

E : Ye s , a s m u c h a s I wa n t p e o p l e t o b e o p e n a b o u t i t I s t i l l b e l i e ve t h a t s e x i s o f t e n a ve r y p r iva t e m a t t e r a n d t h a t i n t h i s p r iva c y o f t e n i s wh e re t h e b e a u t y o f i t l i e s .

I b e l i e ve i f o n e i s t o e x p re s s t h e m s e lve s a s a s e x u a l c re a t u re i n t h e p u b l i c e ye , re s p o n s i b i l i t y m u s t b e t a ke n a n d co r re c t ly t re a t e d . I re a l ly d i s a g re e i n ce n s o r s h i p - wa t c h i n g p o r n a t a yo u n g a ge , I a m a c t u a l ly t h a n k f u l fo r i t . I f i t i s n’ t a l l o u t t h e re we d o n’ t ge t t o c h o o s e . I re a l ly d o n’ t k n ow wh a t t h e b o u n d a r i e s a re , a s l o n g a s we h ave s a fe t y a n d o p e n n e s s .

W h e n d i d yo u b e c o m e i n t e re s t e d i n t h e t o p i c o f s e x - d i d u n ive r s i t y h ave a p a r t i n t h i s ?

E : My fa t h e r h a d a s h e d a t t h e e n d o f t h e g a rd e n . I t wa s fo r b i d d e n . S o I we n t i n ! T h e re i n b e t we e n t h e s p a d e s a n d t h e o l d d ra g o u t f i t s , I fo u n d a b ox o f o l d p o r n m a g a z i n e s . I t h i n k t h i s i s why I d o n’ t s h ave , t h o s e o l d p o r n m a g s t o l d me a bush is better than a desert!

T h a t i s wh e re i t a l l s t a r t e d . A s I e x p l o re d , I n o t i ce d i t m a d e m e ve r y wa r m a n d d i z z y, a n d s t i l l t o t h i s d ay, t h a t i s my m o s t d e s i re d fe e l i n g . My e x p e r i e n ce s a t u n ive r s i t y d e f i n i t e ly g ave m e t h e co n f i d e n ce o f e x p l o ra t i o n a n d c re a t iv i t y.

C h e c k o u t t h e l i n k b e l ow t o s l i p i n t o t h e c h a o t i c wo rl d o f s e x . w w w.wa s i t go o d fo r yo u .co.u k

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

ty, stress, and depression. Something as simple as a plant in your room can go a long way on a rainy, grey day — and we have plenty of those in Manchester.

Well, you might be thinking ‘nah, I really don’t have time to take care of a plant’, which is fair enough. We have plenty of other things to do as a student. However, the beauty of indoor plants is that there are plenty of them that need almost zero of your time — you’ll probably spend more time choosing it than actually tending to it.

Here are my top five indoor plants that I haven’t managed to kill yet: Snake Plant Although it’s advised to water the plant once a week, I confess I have left it unwatered for 2/3 weeks and have come back with it exactly the same. It is a succulent with thick, waxy leaves and thrives off being a potted plant. It is suitable for all levels of light.

Sago Palm One of my absolute favourites because it is literally a mini palm tree! Probably the cutest addition to a room, the Sago is suitable for all levels of light (although preferable to be high-light) and will only die if overwatered.

Monstera Deliciosa Cheese Plant

a.k.a.

Swiss

This is my top indoor plant, not only because it is gorgeous, but the name in itself does it for me. It is perfect for low-light rooms/wintery days and only requires watering once a week. The only thing to remember is to give it space to grow (not a window sill plant).

To find these plants check out Flourish in town near Debenham’s or House of Plants online!

29

S

P

O

R

T

City and United maintain European 100% record The two Manchester clubs have six points from six as they look to secure qualification from the group stage

Photo: Ver en vivo En Directo @Flickr

Sam Cooper Sports Editor

The top of both Group A and Group F in the UEFA Champions League starts with one word, Manchester. The red and blue half of the city have both had a strong start to their European campaign with two wins from two, giving them a three-point lead over second place FC Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Basel 1893 respectively.

United faced a potentially tricky away tie to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night but quick to get on the front foot. A shimmy from Frenchman Anthony Martial allowed him the time need to glide a cross onto the head of Romelu Lukaku who headed home after just four minutes.

The Red Devils continued to press and probe looking for their second and it was through Henrikh Mkhitaryan that they got their opportunity. A short dribble into the box was met with a clumsy challenge from the CSKA defender and the referee confidently pointed towards the spot.

Martial, who had started the game very brightly, stepped up and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner. Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev dived the wrong way and United’s lead was doubled before the 20-minute mark.

Having scored one and assisted one, Martial created another goal in the 27th minute. Another cross from the left wing was not dealt with and a well-timed bounce allowed Lukaku to get his toe on it and steer it towards goal. It was the Belgian’s ninth goal in eight games as he enjoys a fine start to his Manchester United career.

Mkhitaryan registered United’s fourth before the hour mark having followed in from a Martial effort and CSKA’s consolation goal in injury time was not enough to worry José Mourinho. The manager will be pleased with his side’s goalscoring ability having notched 28 in nine games this season. This lethal form has proven to be a strong blueprint for Champions League success and Mourinho will be looking to capitalise that in their next two fixtures against Benfica.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City meanwhile endured a more difficult night at the Etihad.

City too had been in incredible goalscoring form and many were expecting another battering of visitors Shakhtar Donetsk, some bookmakers were even offering odds of 7/1 for a draw. The Ukrainian side though had different ideas.

Paulo Fonseca’s team started much brighter, using a high line that nullified City’s midfield whilst also took Sergio Agüero out of the game. The away side were determined in their plan of playing football and some neat one-twos in around the City area yielded chances.

A particular target for Shaktar was Kyle Walker as they repeatedly looked to get in behind him. Walker is a full back known for enjoying getting forward but this often left space on City’s right side and either John Stones or Fernandinho was required to drop deep and cover. It was the latter who along with David Silva were the only City players who played well in the first half. Everyone else looked sluggish and struggled to get going.

Similar to the Crystal Palace game the weekend before, City’s form in the first half was markedly different from their game in the second. There was more of an urgency to their play and the midfield began to move as a more cohesive unit. David Silva was seeing more of the ball and continued to produce moments of magic to create chances.

It was Silva who got the assist for City’s opener. Looking for runners on the edge of the Shakhtar box, the Spaniard looked up to see a free Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian had all the time in the world to pick his spot with a curled finish. The effort was De Bruyne’s first of the season and it relieved some tension from a quiet Etihad crowd.

Wary of a late equaliser which would perhaps have been a fair result, City continued to move forward. Leroy Sane was seeing plenty of the ball but his decision making was not always the best, often choosing to go for goal when a simple square ball was on and would have surely produced a goal.

The German did, however, give City a penalty. The winger took a tumble and from inside the stadium, it looked a very harsh decision. Sergio Agüero stepped up and saw his effort saved, continuing his less than stellar penalty record.

Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gündogan, and Bernardo Silva were all introduced and it was Sterling and Silva who combined to double City’s advantage. Silva springs the offside trap before sliding the ball to the feet of Sterling. The Englishman hit his effort high and it just tapped the underside of the post on its way in.

The goal confirmed City’s three points but it was a patience-testing night for Guardiola as his side never really looked at their best.

City and United’s next Champions League fixture

Photo: Steindy @Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Tom Brogan @Flickr

City- Napoli

Benfica- United

(17th October)

(18th October)

30

Sport

Ben Stokes understands, allegedly

Arthur Salisbury defends the under-fire England cricketer Arthur Salisbury Sport Editor Footage has emerged of a man absolutely giving it to two other men outside a nightclub in Bristol at half two on Monday morning. The green-shirted man in the video appears to be threatened with a bottle, but rather than backing down he squares up to his opponents, one against two, and has them. The first goes down like BHS and the second is the victim of a vicious swinging delivery. Ben Stokes was arrested in connection with this video, and I for one hope he did it.

If we’re going to beat the Aussies in their own backyard we need fighters. Not just backs-to-the-wall fifthday rearguard fighting but actual literal fighters. People who use their fists and their feet because this is Australia baby and it’s a language they understand.

On the first morning of the first test in the 2002-03 Ashes series, the great Simon Jones suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury while on the field.

As he lay on a stretcher at the side of the Gabba, an Australian came over and told him to ‘Get up you weak Pommie bastard’.

Of course, he got sweet revenge two-and-a-half years later when his mastery of reverse swing would win England the Ashes after an 18-year drought. But wouldn’t it have been even better if he’d also glassed Matthew Hayden?

Cricket is warfare by other means, but do they have to be so other? The threat to your personal safety is integral to the game. Marshall, Garner, Holding, Croft –

Sport 31

ISSUE 3 /2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 3 / 2nd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

“It feels like we’re moving in the right direction” Futsal is a sport on the rise and Sam Cooper spoke with Manchester Futsal Chairman Simon Wright for his view on the state of his club and the sport as a whole

they would not be so effective were the ball made from sponge.

All cricket supporters are hypocrites and weasels.

What if the man in the green shirt was Grievous Bodily Harmison, and the man with the bottle was Ricky Ponting? And what if instead of thumping him, greenshirt had instead hurled a hard object towards his face at 90mph, drawing blood? Far from being called into a disciplinary meeting, he’d be treated as a hero and quite right too.

We travel to Australia this winter with some unresolved issues. Most obviously, regarding the top order.

Mark Stoneman has played three test matches with a high score of 52 and averages 30.00 yet is considered a certainty. Toby Roland-Jones is out of the pace attack and the Kookaburra ball loses its swing early, a problem for both Broad and Anderson. Moeen Ali too will have a hard time, facing the twin pressures of being an off-spinner and a Muslim in a country that favours pace bowling and white immigration.

So let’s not turn on our own eh, lads? On top of the unproven allegations of actual bodily harm, Ben Stokes has mysteriously suffered a fracture to his right hand.

If for any reason he misses the first test we’ll lose all five, mark my words.

The Ashes 23–27 November 2017 The Gabba, Brisbane 2–6 December 2017 Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Photo: Marc Taylor @ Wikimedia Commons

14–18 December 2017 WACA Ground, Perth

Sam Cooper Sport Editor

26–30 December 2017 Melbourne Cricket Ground 4–8 January 2018 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Photo: Ben Sutherland @Wikiimedia Commons

Team Manchester Retain ECB City Cup in Leicester Sam Cooper Sport Editor

Photo: Lancashire Cricket Board

Team Manchester have retained the English and Welsh Cricket Board (ECB) City Cup by overcoming South London at the Fischer Country Ground in Leicester. The team, which is predominantly made of players aged 18, won its third cup in five season beating Wolverhampton in the quarter final and Bradford in the semi-final.

The final was a repeat of the 2016 contest and Manchester’s start was a difficult one having been reduced to 10-3 early on. Asad Alirizvi and Hashir Khan provided the inspiration for the turnaround as they achieved a fourth wicket stand of 47. The team eventually won the game with a 142-7 scoreline with Khan remaining unbeaten at 57 from 51.

South London also found their opening to be a troublesome one with Alirizvi this time hurting them with the ball. Alirizvi along with captain Adil Hussain reduced South London to 33 for 5 and the Southern team were eventually all out for 106. Fresh after being named bowler of the day, Alirizvi said “I started playing cricket in the Chance to Shine programme and had the opportunity to play in the City Cup this year thanks to the

Lancashire Cricket Board. It’s amazing to have the chance to come and play at a county ground and be watched by the people that are here today.”

Farouk Hussain, the team’s head coach, was also full of praise for the champions. “The boys had to work very hard in the semi-final and final to secure victory. The team may not have the star players of previous campaigns but they have risen to the challenge when presented with it and have shown great mental toughness and unity. It has been a great team effort and one that I am very proud to have been part of. It’s a young side and they will have gained a lot from the rollercoaster ride they have been on this season.”

The ECB T20 City Cup was created in order to promote inner-city cricket and was originally started in London in 2009. The cup has expanded since and in 2013 Manchester joined along with Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Bradford.

James Cutt from the Lancashire Cricket Board, who oversees cricket development for minority ethnic communities added: “I’m delighted for the

players, coaches and volunteers that have worked on this programme. A lot of effort has gone into achieving not just the City Cup win but many of the ‘spin off’ benefits for the players involved in this programme and I look forward to seeing how they develop. My thanks go to all the coaches, umpires, scorers and volunteers who have made this happen, but in particular Farouk Hussain who has gone above and beyond what was expected of him in his role as Head Coach.”

The game of futsal may not be one that is familiar to the majority of sports fans in this country but it is certainly one that has seen its popularity rise in recent years. Simon Wright, chairman of Manchester Futsal Club, describes his introduction to the sport.

“When I first got involved in futsal, I played a decent level of 11-a-side, came and studied in Manchester. Knew I wasn’t going to make it in a professional league. It was when I graduated, I was thinking what next?

“Started to play locally 11-a-side in Manchester as a reintroduction of getting back into football and it not really ticking the box of what it used to. I was looking for something else.

“One of the biggest challenges was the community was very small and it was reliant on football. It wasn’t standing on its own two feet.”

“I had a part-time job working down in West Didsbury in a local pizza place and a young lad started working there. We chatted about football things, he was Russian, we started playing football together but then he introduced futsal to me saying “when I was a kid, we played futsal.”

“I’d never heard of it before and he introduced me to how it was done in Russia, what clubs were involved. We were like ‘what would it take here?

What exists in Manchester?’ At the time, there wasn’t much on the ground, about six months later, the FA started saying there was going to be first of all a local Manchester FA league so we found out about that. We were like ‘let’s try it.’”

“The league was up in Salford, it was outside on an astroturf pitch. It wasn’t really futsal but we persevered with that thinking ‘we’re doing it now’. It was us learning what the sport was about on a very basic level.”

The rules of futsal are like football but with slight variations. Each team has 14 players with five players on the court at any one time, a goalkeeper and four outfield players. The court itself is 40 metres by 20 metres and

Photo: MyLocalPitch

the goals are three metres wide and two meters high with a six-metre goal area arch around them.

The objective is the same as football — you kick the ball into the net to score a goal — but the games are shorter at two 20-minute halves. Unlike football, the clock stops in futsal when there is a stoppage in play so when the timer hits 40 minutes, the game is over with no added injury time.

Wright, who was studying for his coaching badges as well as working for the Liverpool FA at the time, found out the FA were planning to launch a national league and decided to get involved.

“A really basic beginning. Finding out what the sport was, how can we play and things just started to connect up.”

“One of the biggest challenges was the community was very small and it was reliant on football. It was hidden a little in small sided football, it wasn’t standing on its own two feet.”

The game requires a higher level of technical ability due to the ball difference. In futsal, it is a smaller size four ball that is heavier which makes it stick to the ground more. Punting the ball upfield is not really an option in this game. Instead, players are encouraged to use passing and dribbling to make their way up the pitch.

“If you were to research Ronaldo, Messi, there’s a plethora of quotes out there saying how important futsal was to make them the players they are today. That’s something we can look to.”

“A lot of people are saying why not? Why shouldn’t we be looking at how the Spanish have introduced futsal and given them this enormous base of technically proficient footballers? It’s about showing that insight that futsal has something to offer football.

“You have the purists that say ‘why do we need football? It should be a sport in its own right’ but I don’t think we can push it away at this moment in time. In England particularly, we co-exist. The culture of football is so strong.”

The game is faster paced than football, with a smaller playing area increasing the tempo dramatically. “You’re going to see more attacking instances, you’re going to see more counterattacking. You’re never going to see a 0-0 draw, you’re never going to see teams that park the bus or throw the towel in. You can’t. It’s a game which demands you’re in it all the time.

There’s so many different battles going on both tactically and on a oneto-one level.”

Manchester Futsal Club has increased its youth efforts recently and runs six sessions throughout the week for 7-16-year-olds at Bellevue Sports Village. The sessions are run by players of the club in an effort to give their teaching credibility.

“Maybe five or six years ago, there weren’t kids playing futsal. We started just to get the coaching going. We worked in different areas of Manchester just to provide our coaches, just to get kids sampling. For us, that was important because we wanted to see their reactions, we wanted to see the parents’ reaction.”

“We set up development centres around Greater Manchester because we had to find out which kids would be attracted to it.”

“We weren’t silly enough to think we’d replace football. We were always going to be the second option but how do we make it an important option?

All we can do is focus on our presence in the city. Make sure we’re across every different area and if people come into our house, we can show them what we do. Our sport is futsal. “ The attention on futsal is rising and the FA recently announced a “For Futsal Fund” aimed at developing the sport of futsal in England. “I think the fund is good because it’s raised attention again. Everyone’s come back into grassroots football and they’ll be thinking “what am I going to do during winter time?” That fund is great because it’s going provide futsal balls and goals into facilities. If it allows more kids to be playing futsal over winter time then great.”

Wright recognised the progress the sport has made but was keen to continue on the upward trajectory.

“Futsal’s got a place at the table but it needs a few more people beside it to give it a say in what’s going on. It feels like we’re moving in the right direction.”

Manchester Futsal Club play at the National Cycling Centre and their next home fixture is on the 7th of October. Visit www.manchesterfutsal. com for more details.

MyLocalPitch Offers Students Easy Access to Sport Facilities Finding a usable pitch can be a challenge for you and your mates when looking to have a kick-about. Being told you can’t go on that stretch of grass because “it’s booked”, “it’s being rested” or “you haven’t paid for it” is a problem many of us will have faced in our youth and continue to deal with to this day.

MyLocalPitch is offering an alternative with an AirBnb style of booking. Students can use their phone to find local pitches for a variety of sports and simply book using the app. From athletics to tennis, it’s not just football pitches that are on offer and students that use the service are charged no extra for booking a venue or time slot.

Since launching in Manchester this April, MyLocalPitch now worksalongside Salford Community Leisure, GreaterSport and Powerleague in the local area to provide students and mancunians alike a place to play their favourite sport.

The app also offers parking and transport information for any pitch in the Manchester area. You can find them on their website, www.mylocalpitch.com, or alternatively search “MyLocalPitch” on the app/android store.

S

P

NFL players take a knee to take a stand

O

R

2nd OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 3 FREE

T

Photo: Keith Allison@Flickr

Simon Wright interview

Select NFL atheltes protest in response to Donald Trump’s divisive comments Will Hodegman Sports Reporter The world of American Football stood united over the weekend, across America and in London. In the face of a divisive and disrespectful attack from Donald Trump, players and executives came together, defending the right to protest an issue that has been simmering under the surface of the sport for years.

In August last year, Colin Kaepernick, then Quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, protested the pre-game national anthem. Dropping to one knee and refusing to “show pride in a flag…that oppresses black people and people of colour”. Since the end of that season, he has not played in a single game. Despite the supposedly constant demand for Quarterbacks within the NFL, protest in the face of American patriotism is apparently a deal breaker for team owners, Super Bowl runner-up or not. Since his initial protest a small number of others took place, all met with similar distain by fans and NFL officials alike.

That all changed last week, when, largely unprompted, Donald Trump launched an attack on protesting players. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!” Trump said during a speech in Alabama on Friday night.

Trump’s message to NFL owners and players was clear, and immediately reignited the debate Kaepernick started over a year ago.

For a tradition that only dates back to 2009, introduced to increase support and coverage for the US military, the apparent devotion fans and team officials have towards their players standing for the national anthem seems bizarre. Thankfully this was not the case this past weekend. All fines were off, all possibility of repercussions forgotten. The Jacksonville Jaguars, playing their an-

nual game in London, were even joined on the Wembley pitch by their owner in a show of solidarity, arms linked.

In numerous statements hastily released in reply to Trump’s derogatory rant, a league-wide message of solidarity in the face of attack was put forward.

Citing Trump’s “Divisive comments”, the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell advocated instead for “a sense of unity in our country and our culture”, a sentiment echoed throughout the league.

Regardless of personal opinions or previous stances, owners would stand in defence of their team’s right to protest.

They would defend their players from abject insult and disrespect.

Somewhat surprisingly, a misguided rhetoric from Trump managed to unite an otherwise divided league, from top NFL executives to players on the practice squads. Furthermore, it truly brought the debate into the public eye, and across international news.

If only for one weekend, this debate seemed unavoidable. Fans sold their tickets and burnt their merchandise, deriding players in the stadium and over social media. Others praised the protesters, instead attacking those who claimed it represented an affront to patriotism and the military. Regardless of position however, discussion was being had.

It is an accolade of sport that it has this ability to promote discussion among individuals. It has the unique position within media, advertisement, and social coverage to reach almost all members of society, and with that, influence opinion and understanding.

Closer to home, the UEFA No To Racism campaign has been instrumental in combating a problem that has plagued European football for decades. We can hope the NFL protests go some way to solving a related problem within the US, albeit one entwined in American society, not localised to the sports field.

However, this may be the overarching problem of this discussion: what is actually being debated? When Kaepernick took a knee last year his aim and

message were clear. He would not stand for the American flag when systemic racism remains rife with American society. Something had to change before he would. Yet with Trump’s attack, suddenly the focus shifted to the very object of protest. “The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our country, flag and National Anthem” Trump wrote the day after the protests.

Suddenly the debate seems focused on whether these players are patriotic, whether kneeling in front of their flag, or staying in the locker room during their national anthem, is disrespectful to their country. Criticisms of the public’s concern over this incident, in contrast to their reaction to the countless instances of police brutality that have stoked the protests, seem few and far between, and highlight the irony of their outrage. Instead of simply questioning ‘Why?’, the American public suddenly seems to be asking ‘Are they allowed?’.

Whether the protests continue we will have to see. On Monday night Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee joined the protesters, kneeling on the House floor and defending the rights of players under the First Amendment. On the other side of the debate aggrieved fans and viewers are increasingly making themselves heard, with television company DirecTV now offering refunds on NFL packages.

Despite a unique insight at the Wembley game, it seems unlikely that similar protests will start taking place within British sport.

However, increased coverage and comment on those within the USA seems guaranteed, especially as they begin to appear within other American sports. Perhaps the real debate, the one Kaepernick tried to promote 13 months ago, is yet to emerge.

Regardless, discussion is taking place.

As viewers sit down to watch the games across America and across the world this Sunday, it will be an unavoidable topic of conversation.

P31

Photo: Marc Taylor @ Wikimedia Commons

In defence of Ben Stokes

P30

Photo: Ben Sutherland @Wikiimedia Commons

City and United in Europe

P29

Photo: Ver en vivo En Directo @Flickr