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Day: 19 September 2011

New M.A.C. colour collaboration

Written by Isabelle Dann on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

M.A.C. cosmetics are collaborating with designer, muse, and general fashion icon Daphne Guinness. The aesthetic of the collection will be one that celebrates colour, inspired by Daphne’s eclectic modern personal style.

 

Vibrant and deeply pigmented hues, as well as dramatic textures, are expected from the upcoming collection, which will be released in the UK in January 2012.

Previously, M.A.C. have teamed up with Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen, Cindy Lauper, Cindy Sherman, Liberty of London, and even Barbie.

Boris Johnson, British politics and the incurable case of the ping pong political conference

Written by Jess Brown on . Posted in Opinion.

On the eve of the penultimate day of the 2008 Olympic Games, Boris Johnson made what is now regarded as an iconic statement in recent political commentary. “The game of ping pong,” he opined, brandishing his open-buttoned jacket in a statement of thoroughly British capriciousness, “was invented on the dining tables of England in 19th Century. It was called wiff-waff.”

Whilst Johnson’s claims to the historical ownership of ping pong have been hotly disputed by a wealth of well-respected sporting historians, there is a somewhat interesting parallel to be drawn between British political proceedings and a game which fundamentally consists of an insubstantial plastic ball being thumped back and forth between players. The analogy can quite easily be applied to the forum of political conferencing, a successional bandying of party political banter residing at the very heart of policy formation.

In the wake of summertime riots and continual gripes concerning the economy, we are living in a state of wartime-like austerity – and as such one would hope that a form of genuine political consensus could be found. Merely a year ago, the anticipation of conflict between the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition at their respective party conferences was palpable, but the tension that had been mounting for a number of months was built into a media epic that ultimately failed to materialise. Nonetheless, the puppetry of political conference has historically been a provocative show of sniping, ‘witty’ one liners and precious little political substance.

In order to ascertain the level of ping pong prowess prevalent in the current conference system, we could revisit an article published by The Mancunion back in 2009. We compiled a ‘conference price list’ which showed how much it would cost for an individual student to attend, for example, the Conservative Party conference. It was suggested that the total cost – in excess of £100 – would be unrealistic for the ordinary student, adding weight to our claim that the conference was an inaccessible puppet show for the privileged.

However, when trying to ascertain ticket prices for this year’s conference season, the overall impression is one of increasing accessibility. The Liberal Democrats 2011 conference day tickets, for example, range from just £17 to £34 – not entirely unaffordable for a politically active student with an interest in current affairs. Does this suggest that the political conference season is beginning to divert away from the clichéd commentaries of puppetry and political ping pong? Further still, is it an indication the start of a small scale re-democratisation of domestic politics?

The setting of political conference season has, in recent years, been made infinitely more accessible due to the advent of 24 hour media, dedicated programming and politically devoted TV channels such as BBC Parliament. However, I take issue with the fact that conferences, at their heart, retain an air of delusion. Whilst many political commentators have argued that the institution of party conferencing is an iconic symbol of British democracy, the underlying reality is somewhat different.

To dream of us all, together, dancing blissfully down the parquet halls of democracy seems somewhat naïve. Even with lower prices and increasing geographical mobility (this year’s conferences are being held in Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham respectively), I still feel cheated by an insular conference system. In order to participate intimately with British politics, it is fundamental that observers are given the opportunity to ask questions of the politicians who are accountable to us directly; to absorb fragments of the conference atmosphere; and, ultimately, that we are able to engage with the political elite as much as possible.

This, unfortunately, is a barely viable option in the British political anathema. Yes, the Liberal Democrats have markedly reduced their prices for students.  But in order to get a broader sense of informed student opinion, would it not be better to give people access to this event – so crucial to party policy formation – for a nominal fee or (God forbid!) for free? Would it not say more to our youth to extend this hand of democracy, this connection that so intrinsically links politicians with their electorate, more readily?

Electoral facts speak volumes for the crisis of British politics. The 2010 general election saw just over half of the eligible electorate cast a ballot, with even fewer accepting the challenge of electoral reform in the AV referendum. Students at the time made it clear that they felt disenchanted with a system that was so extricated from everyday life; that voting was therefore not a reasonable course of action; that politics simply didn’t seem accessible.

Conference season provides analysts with the opportunity to dissect the minutiae and excite enthusiasts about forthcoming policy initiatives, somehow attempting to ignite a small flame of effervescent democratic hope within a nation. Conference season has the potential to utilise and maintain a small strand of democracy that, like the AV referendum, is direct and multifunctional. However, the current situation is one of glaring neglect. Upholding any sort of direct democratic relationship in this manner has been thwarted by a growing concern within the traditional party system to curry favour, to stabilise the three-party system and to celebrate ‘old boy’ public school politics via a week-long charade of back slapping and exuberant self-commendation.

Whilst we may have guffawed at Boris’ attempted stab to display some hidden sporting prowess, he inadvertently supported an analogy that highlights a fault most inherent within his profession. It is the regrettable lack of commitment to our few and far between outlets for direct democracy in Britain that pertains that the political conference will continue, much the same as in recent years, as just another stage-managed knockabout of game, set and match – without even so much as a rain check.

Conference crunch time for the coalition

Written by Rob Fuller on . Posted in Opinion.

The summer is over and our beloved Members of Parliament are back at work for all of three weeks before they jet off around the UK. Yes, it’s that time of the year again – party conference season!

For those of you who are unaware of the phenomena, party conferences are essentially music festivals for political parties. The party faithful travel to far-flung British cities (the further from Westminster, the better) to hear the biggest names in modern politics deliver grandiose speeches trumpeting the successes of the year gone by and what they hope to achieve in the year ahead.

In theory, party conferences should play a serious role.  They are meant to provide a forum for the party to come together and make important decisions about the future. Historically, conferences have been the venue for watershed moments in British politics. Throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s, the Labour Party conference often saw pitched battles over issues such as our nuclear deterrent and the importance of nationalising industries. Margaret Thatcher’s infamous 1980 party conference speech (“the lady’s not for turning”) was a defining moment for many Conservatives. However, much like music festivals, conferences have become increasingly contrived affairs with very few surprises and certainly no big disagreements.

But could 2011 be different? A successful conference is a good springboard for any party. It can unite the party base and creates a narrative for voters, giving the party an edge over its rivals. But as anyone who has been to a music festival in this country knows, every now and then you are bound to experience rain – and for each of the three main parties, there are storm clouds on the conference horizon.

Riding relatively high in the polls, the Labour Party might expect to have the ‘easiest’ conference of the big three parties this autumn. The 2010 instalment, held here in Manchester, was dominated by the acrimonious leadership election, won by Ed Miliband to the surprise of many.

Since then, the new leader has faced a barrage criticism over his ability to take on the Conservatives. Yet a strong conference speech might silence Ed’s critics and give him the chance to prove that he can go after Prime Minister David Cameron and, in the long term, have a genuine chance of winning a general election. Expect to hear plenty about the economy, and even more about public sector cuts.

It will be interesting to see how Labour approaches the phone hacking scandal, too. Will the leadership attempt to capitalise on perceived Tory involvement by attacking the government over the Andy Coulson affair? Or will they play down the scandal, keen either to rebuild bridges with the media or to avoid criticism over their own previously-close relationship with the Murdoch empire? Of course, no Labour Party conference would be complete these days without a rehashing of the old Blair-Brown rivalry. Expect plenty of questions and criticisms from the Tories about Labour’s past performance after revelations in Alistair Darling’s memoirs.

For the Conservatives, life might be much harder. David Cameron and his colleagues will probably focus on two key areas. One will be the economy, and the deficit – which will undoubtedly take centre stage despite fears of a slowing recovery or even a double dip recession. Second will be one of Cameron’s favourite themes – that of ‘broken Britain’, a theme which has returned to the fore following this summer’s riots.

However, there will be serious fears at Conservative HQ that the message may end up being hijacked. There are growing numbers of backbench Tory MPs who are disgruntled about life in the coalition government. They consider Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems to be far too powerful, and want to see a stronger Conservative voice. After MP Nadine Dorries recently confronted Cameron on the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions, there is some appetite for a confrontation that could make the leadership feel somewhat uncomfortable. Furthermore, the old spectre of Euroscepticism has reared its head again once again in light of the ongoing Eurozone crisis, and many Conservatives may be tempted to attack the government over their continuing support for the EU.

Finally, we turn to the once-popular Liberal Democrats. In May of last year, Nick Clegg led his party into power for the first time in decades but, over one year on, his party will want something to show for it. Faced with regular accusations of being too close to David Cameron, combined with a heavy loss of support over the trebling of tuition fees and the failure of the AV referendum, Nick Clegg will have to work hard to satisfy his party. Expect to hear claims of Lib Dem successes aplenty from the podium, but plenty of grumbling elsewhere. Overall, though, the party faithful will probably remain resigned to its fate as the junior coalition partner, without too much talk of breaking away.

So the question is, will this conference season – for once – get interesting? Every party wants an event as smoothly choreographed as Beyonce’s performance at Glastonbury, but keep an eye on the news. This year, for the parties and their leaders, things might just get a little bit tricky.

The Week in Washington: Obama’s jobs plan

Written by Joe Sandler Clarke on . Posted in Opinion.

It was a good speech. Statistics and real policy ideas combined almost seamlessly with folksy, if condescending rhetoric. Politicians from both parties and all parts of the country, however briefly, seemed united in applause for a President promising that he would get Americans back to work. Yet Barack Obama’s jobs plan may still not be enough to save his presidency.

Assuming that the bill is passed – which is by no means a certainty given the current political climate in Washington – the American Jobs Act will give more money to the unemployed and teachers; America’s decrepit ports, roads, airports and schools will be rebuilt; and tax cuts will be granted to both employer and employee as the 44th President desperately seeks to boost an ailing economy and his rapidly deteriorating presidency.

President Obama’s jobs plan would, for many Americans, be a welcome break from the austerity measures and budget cuts imposed on the United States by a Republican-controlled Congress. What’s more, any move to create jobs is likely to go down well in a country where the unemployment rate has been hovering at just under the 10% mark for almost two years.

Yet if Barack Obama believes that his jobs plan will give him a much-needed boost in his bid for re-election next year, he may be mistaken. Writing in The Guardian, Professor Richard Sennet of the London School of Economics made the point that ordinary Americans probably won’t feel the effects of Obama’s jobs plan for quite a few years, if the stimulus bill of January 2009 is anything to go by.

Furthermore, there are doubts – from both sides of the political spectrum – over whether or not the policy will actually work. Republican presidential hopefuls Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachmann have all, predictably, poured scorn over the jobs plan. Meanwhile, liberal political commentator Cenk Uygur derided Obama for suggesting that both Medicare and Medicaid (government funded healthcare programmes for the poor and the elderly, respectively) would face cuts as part of this latest proposal. Perhaps most worryingly of all, top economists including the University of Manchester’s very own Jospeh Stiglitz have suggested that, despite the package being worth around $450 billion, it may simply be too small a stimulus to provide a tangible boost to the economy.

To compound this, observers are sceptical as to whether the President holds sufficient political capital to push such controversial legislation through a Congress controlled by fiercely partisan Republicans who will stop at nothing to prevent Obama from winning a second term. At the time of writing, Obama’s approval rating stands at a dismal 43%, with 49% of Americans disapproving of his three-year track record. With economic growth nudging just 2% and unemployment and poverty rates on the rise, a meagre 26% of the electorate approve of Obama’s handling of the economy.

In short, the President finds himself as the unpopular commander-in-chief of a miserable nation with a tanking economy. Even if the ‘American Jobs Act’ is passed and the economy gets moving again, any challenger for the presidency in 2012 has a realistic chance of wiping the floor with him.

Yet this is by no means certain. Indeed, the most startling thing about American politics right now is that despite Obama’s apparent weakness, the Republican Party appears to lack a truly credible candidate capable of defeating him outright. Tea Party favourite Michelle Bachmann looks to have made one gaffe too many after her comment that Hurricane Irene may have been the act of a God angered by government overspend; she now seems unlikely to win the Republican nomination. Despite her tremendous appeal to the Republican grass roots, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is simply too divisive amongst the majority of ordinary Americans to even consider running for the presidency this time around.

That seemingly leaves Rick Perry, an evangelical Christian and former Governor of Texas, and multi-millionaire businessman-turned-politician Mitt Romney – two men who, according to Daily Show host Jon Stewart, have the appearance of actors in “those middle-aged-male-kayaker-with-prostate-problems advertisements” – as the only feasible challengers to Barack Obama in 2012.

As was the case four years ago, the Republican field looks decidedly weak, and the lack of a stand-out GOP candidate must give the Democrats hope that their man will not be a one term president. Yet with a disillusioned Democratic base, an economy in freefall and few substantial policy victories to look back on, it could be President Obama’s jobs plan that will ultimately decide his fate in 2012.

There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want

Written by Stephen Jones on . Posted in Books.

You might look at the pictures on this page and think, ‘hey, what’s with the pictures? This looks like a comic. It doesn’t look like literature. No indeed, it doesn’t look like literature at all. So why have you gone and done a feature on it, you cretin?’ ‘Calm down’, I would doubtless reply, and attempt to prove that Calvin and Hobbes has enough character development, political and cultural commentary, philosophy, humour and cult popularity to give many literary achievements a run for their money. And the drawings are absolutely fantastic to boot.

Calvin (named after John Calvin, the 16th century Reformation theologian) and Hobbes (after the 17th century political philosopher, Thomas Hobbes) are two acutely well-realised characters birthed from the brilliant mind of Bill Watterson in the mid 80s. Set in an unspecified suburban area of North America, Calvin is an intelligent and imaginative boy who does badly at school due to his inward-looking, misanthropic attitude. To the lonely six year old, Hobbes is his walking, talking, fuzzy and philosophizing best friend. To everyone else, he’s just a stuffed tiger.

More than anything, Calvin’s sheer intensity of imagination is the dominant theme of the strips, and it quite quickly becomes obvious that Watterson has put absolutely no limits on what he can draw or what he can have the characters say. I have only included a few of the more conventional Calvin and Hobbes panels on this page, but Watterson often utilises his staggering artistic capacity to conjure entire worlds borne of Calvin’s imagination. Calvin often blames his alter-egos ‘Spaceman Spiff’ and ‘Stupendous Man’ for his behaviour, claiming that ‘mild-mannered Calvin’ would never do such things, as well as frequently dreaming about dinosaurs in class and lamenting his own boring human features (‘No retractable claws, no opposable toes, no prehensile tail, no compound eyes, no fangs, no wings. Sigh.’)

Calvin is surrounded by people who don’t understand him. His never-named mum and dad are deeply loving, but almost literally living in another world – four times taller than him and unlike Calvin, firmly rooted in reality. He hates virtually everyone else: his teenage babysitter Rosalyn, the grunting school bully Moe, his equally lonely neighbour Susie Derkins – only with Hobbes does he find solace, playing his own made-up game ‘Calvinball’ (where the only rule is that you can’t play it the same way twice) as well as sledging, building grotesque and macabre snowmen and pondering his existence in the world (Calvin: Me! Everyone exists in the world to please me! Hobbes: It’s nice to have that cleared up.) Calvin frequently goes for walks in a nearby wood, where he expresses countless thoughts to Hobbes, for example: ‘I don’t need to make friends. I’d settle for being ignored’. That, I think, is a perception on the condition of a lonely childhood no less profound than those found in dark children’s books such as A Dog So Small.

Hobbes serves as Calvin’s conscience, but it isn’t quite as black and white as that. Sure, Hobbes advises Calvin against taking his sled down an almost vertical hill, and suggests that in the interests of more Christmas ‘loot’ from Santa he shouldn’t throw any snowballs at Susie (‘I wanted to put a rock in the snowball, but I didn’t. That’s got to count for something, right?’) but most of the time he has just as little subtlety and foresight as Calvin, and therefore just as much fun as him. At one point he accidently pushes the car into a ditch so that they can use the garage as a den, and packs a single honey, maple syrup and chocolate sandwich for their 500 mile hike to the Yukon. Calvin has enough people in his life telling him not to do things – Hobbes is his manifestation of the perfect friend.

Seem to have managed to get this far in the article without mentioning the one immediately accessible thing about Calvin and Hobbes. It is really, really, really funny. And not in that ‘that was a clever joke, time to smirk appreciatively at it’ way – in an embarrassingly writhing and breathless sort of way. Full of truisms, observations, nostalgia and, also, loads and loads of jokes, Watterson’s masterpiece is the pinnacle of the late 80s satirical comic love-affair, which started with the incredibly influential Peanuts and Bloom County and faded out in the 90s after Watterson set the bar too high. Watterson proved that 3 panel-jokes aren’t shallow sound-bites, but are capable of concise, deep characterisation and incredibly likable personalities, as well as sharp lampooning of consumerism, poll-taking and public apathy among other things. And did I say there are loads of jokes? LOADS AND LOADS OF FUNNY JOKES.

Farah rise gives Team GB fresh Olympic hope

Written by Jack Burke on . Posted in Sport.

The Great Britain Athletics team returned home successful from the World Championships earlier this month having achieved the target of seven medals set for them by their coach Charles Van Commenee. Alongside reaching that target, the athletes performance in Daegu, South Korea was the best performance by a British team in 18 years, with the likes of Dai Greene and Katherine England collecting medals which were not expected.Yet this should not mask the disappointments which were reigning world champions Jessica Ennis and Phillips Idowu, with both failing to retain their titles in Heptathlon and triple jump respectively. The deposed champions must now go back to the drawing board if they are to achieve Olympic glory on home turf at the Olympics next summer,with stronger rivals only likely to improve leaving Ennis and Idowu having to perform at a higher level than ever before.
Yet for another of Britain’s competitors these championships marked his step from nearly man to homegrown star come next year’s London games. The performance of Mo Farah to take gold in the 10,000 metre and silver in the 5,000 metre races is an illustration to us all of how hard work and tremendous mental strength can pay dividends.
At the beginning of 2010 Farah had never won a championship race. Yet crucial changes to his training and mental preparation in the past year have propelled him to new levels of success. Born in Somalia but raised in West London, Farah spent part of 2010 in Kenya. Where he undertook a rigorous training regime in the remote mountains of the Great Rift Valley alongside some of the worlds best distance runners. This proved crucial physical preparation. He followed this up by working with American coach Alberto Salazar who tweaked Farah’s technique and race strategy.
Yet the art of distance running requires more than just physical training, and working with the same sports psychology team that helped Michael Johnson win two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta was perhaps the clinching factor in the runner’s victory in the 10,000 metres. Farah had been beaten the previous Sunday in the dying seconds of the 5,000 metre event, which ended a 10 race unbeaten streak. Yet he bounced back leading the 10,000 metres from start to finish, a tactic which only shows how confident he was in his own ability.
It will be great to see the 28 year old run in front of his home crowd next August, if he replicates his form of the past year at the Olympic stadium in East London then Great Britain will have its first ever male Olympic champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 metre events.

The Calvin and Hobbes collections you need

Written by Stephen Jones on . Posted in Books.

Calvin and Hobbes ran in newspapers from 1985 – 1995 and in that time Bill Watterson churned out no small amount of strips, both singular jokes and lengthy stories. Here are the main collections in order of their release. If you see other books called ‘The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes’ or ‘The Essential Calvin and Hobbes’ or something, I wouldn’t bother – they’re just compilations of these originals.

Calvin and Hobbes (1987)

Probably the weakest one, Watterson hadn’t quite found his feet at this point and some of the strips are clearly failed pilots for ideas. Still bloody good by normal standards though.

Something Under the Bed is Drooling (1988)

The drawings still look a bit ill-defined here but the jokes are much sharper and more satirical.

Yukon Ho! (1989)

My personal fave, the story of Calvin’s seceding from his family to the Yukon is side-splitting.

Weirdos from Another Planet (1990)

Features the only ever appearance of Uncle Max, and he’s badly missed after this.

The Revenge of the Baby-Sat (1991)

The first to make a big deal of Calvin’s hated baby-sitter Rosalyn, and the opinion poll jokes come hard and fast too.

Scientific Progress Goes “Boink” (1991)

One of the funniest, this one doesn’t put a foot wrong.

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons (1992)

According to Calvin, what’s the moral of this book? ‘Snow goons are bad news.’ That should be applicable in other areas of life then.

The Days Are Just Packed (1993)

The first ‘big’ book, colour rains gloriously down upon these strips for the first time.

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat (1994)

Probably has the best cover of the lot.

There’s Treasure Everywhere (1995)

Watterson really got on the ball with Calvin’s imaginary alter-egos in this one. Brilliant stuff.

It’s a Magical World (1995)

A sparkling ending to the series, with a final panel that really tugs at the ol’ heartstrings.

Profile: Bill Watterson

Written by Stephen Jones on . Posted in Books.

There’s a pretty good chance you haven’t heard of Calvin and Hobbes, despite its boasts as one of the most popular comic strips of all time. That’s down to the strong-willed character of the creator, Bill Watterson, who refused to sell any of the rights to merchandising. You will never see a legal t-shirt, mug, poster, bed-sheet, figurine, key-ring, sticker, nodding doll, chess set, video game or anything else like that at any gurning merchant’s novelty trading post you might happen to find yourself in. Watterson realised that this would cheapen his carefully crafted characters, and heroically turned down wads and wads of cash to preserve their purity. What a guy.

Watterson spent a lot of his cartoon scribbling days battling with newspapers to get comic strips the space, respect and recognition they deserved. Editors would fob him off with three equally sized panels if he was lucky, but Watterson knew that the most potent, challenging, and concisely intellectual points could be made through the medium of the comic, if only he was allowed more freedom in his drawing. He attacked the idea that comics were a vacuous and shallow art form, and questioned who had the right to define the line between ‘high’ and ‘low’ art. This notion is frequently satirized in Calvin and Hobbes (see the example below).

It’s notoriously difficult to get an interview with Watterson. He refuses to see any journalists and has moved house on several occasions after the locations had been revealed. He is a positively elusive creature but you can learn a lot about him just by reading Calvin and Hobbes, which he has said is, character-wise anyway, semi-autobiographical.

Undergraduates second most vulnerable to meningitis

Written by Joe Sandler Clarke on . Posted in News.

Health experts are warning British students that their lifestyle makes them more susceptible to contracting meningitis, in a bid to raise awareness about the infection.

The government’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) has warned that the typical student lifestyle makes undergraduates the second most vulnerable group in society, after children under five in terms of contracting the infection.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of the HPA’s immunisation department, said, “University bars and campuses where lots of students are in close proximity is an ideal place for bacteria and viruses to spread which is why we may see more outbreaks of these infections in this environment.”

The HPA will publish a leaflet describing the symptoms of the illness and offering advice about how to reduce the risk of catching it. The leaflet warns students of signs including fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness, seizures, vomiting and a dislike of bright lights. “Early treatment of meningitis is essential to save lives,” the leaflet reads.

The Students’ Union (UMSU) Welfare Officer, Hannah Paterson, encouraged students to look out for friends and house mates to check for signs of the infection. She said that people should be aware that many of the symptoms of meningitis are similar to being hungover.

She said, “Anyone who is worried that they may have contracted meningitis can visit their GP or call NHS direct. More information about the infection, including details of the symptoms, can be found in the Students’ Union.”

Businessman arrested after killing suspected intruder

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News.

A businessman has been arrested for killing a suspected intruder in his Stockport home.

Vincent Cooke, 39, stabbed alleged intruder Raymond Jacob on the premises of his £500,000 house in Bramhall, an affluent area of Greater Manchester.

A second man, aged 33, has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary after fleeing from the property.

Police arrived at the house, where Mr Cooke’s family have lived for six years, at 8pm on Saturday 17th September. They found Mr Jacob with knife wounds.

Greater Manchester Police said, “He was given first aid by paramedics and responding officers but died a short time afterwards.”

This is the third incident of its kind in Greater Manchester since June, raising questions over Tory-led plans to relax laws on self-defense in the home.

In June this year, Peter Flanagan, 59 avoided charges when he stabbed an intruder to death in Salford. And last week The Mancunion reported that Cecil Coley, 72, was freed without charge after stabbing a burglar in his Old Trafford shop.

Mr Cooke was relaxing when he heard a knock at the door. He met Mr Jacob at the threshold and a struggle took place.

Mr Jacob fell to the ground and was fatally injured. The second intruder fled and moments later, Mr Cooke’s wife Karen, 35 and their 12-year-old son arrived to the sight of a man lying fatally wounded outside their home.

The prime minister David Cameron has recently promised a new justice bill, which, he says, will “put beyond doubt that home owners and small shopkeepers who use reasonable force to defend themselves or their properties will not be prosecuted.”

The justice secretary Ken Clarke, speaking after the government announced plans to change the law on self-defence in the home, said, “It’s quite obvious that people are entitled to use whatever force is necessary to protect themselves and their homes.

“We will make it quite clear you can hit the burglar with the poker if he’s in the house and you have a perfect defence when you do so.”

Greater Manchester police have said they will examine whether the two men were known to Mr Cooke.

Sources close to him said last weekend that he is an “upstanding family man who was protecting his property and fearful for his family’s safety”.

Friends and relatives of Mr Jacobs laid flowers outside the house the day after his death. A tribute from his mother read, “To my baby boy who will always be my baby boy. I will miss you, but never stop loving you. Mum.”

A post on Mr Jacob’s Facebook page reads, “When God took you he took a star so shine bright up there Ray. You’ll never be forgotten.”

Mr Cooke is on bail until October 17.

What could possibly go wrong?

Written by Richard Crook on . Posted in Features.

If you’re feeling a bit nervous right now, there is really no need to be. In fact, you should be feeling pretty smug. You’re at a fantastic University, you’ve moved to a vibrant and exciting city and, unlike the year behind you, your entire financial life won’t be forever undermined by the monstrous £9,000 annual debt. You will love the time you spend here, rain or shine. Mostly rain admittedly.

But for those of you still a little anxious about the coming days, weeks and months, I’m going to try and ease those nerves with some advice drawn from my own calamitous experiences. The point is: whatever could go wrong is never as bad as it seems at the time.

To start this, let me take you back a year with one embarrassing story of mine that took place during Freshe- sorry, ‘Welcome Week’.

On my second day at Manchester, having noted down the wrong room for an induction, I attended a post-grad sociology seminar. I managed to arrive at this wrong seminar late. So, the tutor had already started when I sat down and I slowly realised my mistake. But with my stupidity matched only by pride, I just sat frozen, unable to leave and beginning to feel like Mr. Bean.

I desperately looked around for a way out- a fire exit or an open window maybe. Time passed and all rationality left me. It was the worst thing that had happened to anyone ever. My now frantic eyes caught those of the tutor. Shit. She asked me, in front of everyone, to rate the supervisor I’d been allocated the previous year. What could I do? She had seen me nodding along to what she was saying. I was in too deep. I cleared my throat and pondered over the performance of my imaginary supervisor. I gave him a 4 out of 5.

But she wasn’t done. Then she asked what it was about him that impressed me. “Organised and approachable” I blurted out. Well, you can’t argue with that. There aren’t many jobs that prefer disorganisation and hostility. Ok, so I blagged that. But then the tutor split us into groups to collect ideas. It had finally gone to far. 15 minutes too late, with three smiling sociologists staring wide-eyed and waiting for my thoughts on their discussion, I stood up and simply walked out with my head held high. Ok, it may have been a brisk walk. With a hint of a short run. And I don’t even do sociology.

There is a point to that humiliating story. While this edition of The Mancunion will be filled with some great advice on how to make the most of everything, I don’t feel I am any expert on getting it right. So my initial concept, to tell you about cool places to go and the importance of being yourself etc. etc. is now being thrown away in favour of a “it really doesn’t matter if you screw things up” theme inspired by some of my own mistakes.

Control the purse strings

Avoid rash purchases. When I got all that cash suddenly in my student account, I spent £80 on a pair of Adidas limited edition Chewbacca trainers, complete with wookie fur… Ok that’s a bad example for a rash purchase; everyone knows those things are an obvious babe magnet.

For most of us though, the student loan will be the first time you will have access to that much free (sort of…) money in one go. But student loans do have to go a long way. Save money pre-drinking. Make your own lunch instead of going for the ever-enticing £5 Dominos deal. Or share stuff with your flatmates. And by ‘share’ I mean mooch off. You won’t need 6 sets of pots and pans, so see what you can get away with using. And I know it’s tempting, with all that money now available, to go straight to ASOS.com and convince yourself that, because its been reduced from £150 to £100, you are actually up £50. But you’re not. Believe me, you’re not. Overdrafts can only be extended so much.

Keep it all organised

Make sure your stuff is well coordinated and safe. I thought I didn’t need a keychain, which was just plain stupid.  I quickly lost it at a club and spent £40 replacing it the next day. Of course being a massive idiot, I decided I still didn’t need a keychain and went to Squirrels bar that night, where I lost it for a second time in 2 days. With the one available replacement gone, I spent the week with an unlocked room, where my flatmates hilariously turned every single thing upside down. An unlocked room seems translate into “group space to play FIFA and Call of Duty”, where you come home to find your Kettle chips raided (not a sustainable choice of crisps on a student loan even without theft) by a man with a seemingly endless appetite. This advice goes for your notes too. I can tell you from experience, losing all your lecture notes two weeks before an exam makes revision a complete bitch.

Life and soul of the party, not live entertainment.

Get completely ‘MC hammered’ by all means but just try not to be the worst, or unshakable nicknames may be bestowed upon you. Residents in my halls were quick to do this last year with one exceptionally drunk girl, resulting in her being given an almost mythical status for drinking. Show signs of losing self-control before everyone else and you will be targeted during drinking games. Stand back a bit until others are beyond the point of return and you won’t end up having to explain, like a peckish friend of mine did, why you’re buttering a folded tea towel for a post-nightout sandwich.  But, if you are one of the ‘usual suspects’ back home: relax, most people will make idiots of themselves and as such, no one is judged. Just mocked profusely.

Ignore your old reservations

For example, I’ve always been a fan of the football game Pro Evolution Soccer. But in university halls, everyone seems to play FIFA. People assume Pro Evo players are a socially odd breed who skype their cats. I guess everyone just tired of playing Merseyside Blue Vs Teesside and playing Roberto Larcos at the back for Brazil. I took the plunge, moved to FIFA and never looked back. Put aside misgivings and be open to anything. You may be raising your eyebrows to that inane example, but jumping ship was a painful decision.

Other bits of info

Ok, the advice I’ve dished out is probably a bit of a given to more sensible, organised folk. But there are some other small ways in which you will find yourself re-thinking a few assumptions, finding a few new habits and taking a fresh approach.

For instance, when it comes to clubs this week try and buy your tickets in advance and get to the desired venue by 11 at the absolute latest to avoid ‘one-in-one-out’ queuing.

Also, check out the city early on by having a wander, it makes it seem far less daunting once you get to know the place. Stagecoach bus passes are worth investing in, too. Anyone that tells you, “I’m just going to walk, it’s better for you” has obviously never lived in Manchester in January and God will reward their healthy smugness accordingly.

Finally, lecturers will tell you time and time again this week that Wikipedia is the root of all evil, the web-spawn of Satan. It isn’t. While I would never reference it in an essay, Wikipedia can usually give you a decent overview and often gives some good links to other, more respected sources. Lets be honest, Wikipedia has taken us all this far. Don’t let lecturers panic you into thinking you’re now on your own.

Hopefully, you can see that if a buffoon who pretends to be a sociology post-grad can get used to the overwhelming surroundings and tricky essays, then you will have no problem. The important thing to remember when reading this is that, despite feeling like I was making endless calamities, I’m still here. You’re unlikely to make or break lifelong friendships or ruin your degree in week one.

On second thoughts, the only real way of avoiding a shallow and lonely university experience is to come and write with me for the features section. Best unbiased piece of advice I can give you. So get in touch.

Reshaping Manchester

Written by Andrew Campbell on . Posted in Opinion.

The Boundary Commission’s report considering the government’s controversial proposal to reduce the number of parliamentary seats in the UK has suggested significant changes to the way in which Manchester is represented in Parliament – and raises fundamental questions of local identity.

Under the proposals, which are due to come into effect in 2015, the number of MPs in the House of Commons will be reduced from 650 to 600, with the North West losing seven MPs. The report has been criticised for ignoring the boundaries of local communities in Manchester, with new constituencies cutting across areas with different needs and distinctive identities.

In the north of Manchester, a considerable part of what presently falls into the constituency of Salford (a seat currently held by former Labour Cabinet Minister Hazel Blears) would become part of a re-jigged Manchester Central constituency. The Salford Quays and MediaCity area, an iconic symbol of Salford’s regeneration, as well as Salford Cathedral and University of Salford, would all be subsumed into the new constituency. The remainder of the current Salford constituency would become part of a new Swinton constituency. Salford is a city with a proud identity and a rich political heritage; these proposals show absolutely no regard for this salient fact.

Meanwhile, in the south, the marginal seat of Manchester Withington will move northwards to take in parts of Manchester Gorton, including Fallowfield, losing the two Didsbury wards to Wythenshawe. The current Withington constituency includes several of Manchester’s most affluent areas, such as The Didsburys, Chorlton and Withington Village. Under the report’s proposals, though, both Withington and Wythenshawe will have a more mixed demographic – but surely the needs of constituents are going to be different depending on their divergent circumstances?

Having constituencies with broadly similar demographics has clear advantages, such as enabling elected representatives to provide effective representation tailored according to the needs and levels of support that their constituents require. The Boundary Commission’s proposals clearly do not take this into account, either.

The report, commissioned by the government under the pretext of cost cutting, has understandably attracted accusations of gerrymandering. It is certainly true that the government commissioned the report in the knowledge that equalising the size of parliamentary constituencies would almost certainly lead to an advantage for the Conservatives.

The Guardian’s analysis of the report suggested that the Conservatives would only have lost six of the seats they currently hold in England had the last general election been held with the proposed boundaries – with Labour and the Liberal Democrats losing 14 and 10 respectively. When these proposals come before Parliament, will Lib Dem MPs really vote to set themselves at such a disadvantage going into what is already set to be a decidedly tough general election for their party? It would be act of gross masochism if they did.

But if the government proceeds with these proposals it will not only encounter anger from Liberal Democrats. It will also have to face the wrath of voters over the way in which their communities are being redrawn without their consent.

Green party is too white, says Lucas

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News.

Listen to excerpts from The Mancunion’s interview with Caroline Lucas here

The Green party is too white and must target voters and activists in ethnic communities, its leader, Caroline Lucas, has said.

Speaking to The Mancunion at the Green party conference last weekend, Lucas said, “I absolutely do acknowledge that we need to reach out to ethnic communities. Looking around you can see that this party, as is the case with most political parties [in Britain], is still predominately white, and that is something that we’re very serious about tackling.”

She admitted that the party needs to broaden its appeal to different sections of society but said there is a stereotype that Green party supporters are all “middle class muesli eaters”.

“We often do much better in poorer areas, it’s not the case that we only get our votes in leafy green areas, so I think there’s a bit of a myth out there,” she said.

“Increasingly we’re working with the unions and they are seeing that when it comes to standing up for public services it is actually the Greens that are doing most on that, not Labour and certainly not the Lib Dems.

“One of the very first things the Greens did in Brighton when they got control of the council four months ago was to introduce the living wage for some of the lowest paid workers in the council. I think those policies give the lie to the idea that we are only appealing to a narrow section of society.”

In recent years, the party has made more of an effort to promote its policies on social justice as members have become frustrated with the stereotype that they “only care about trees”.

Lucas also said that the Greens were “very mindful” of the young vote and that the student vote made a “big difference” in helping her to become the first ever Green party MP.

She said a strategic decision has been made to put more resources into the Young Greens, a group which works alongside environmental activists on university campuses to promote the party. Student activism in the party is “crucial and growing” she said.

The Liberal Democrats’ broken manifesto promise on tuition fees has given the Greens a boost by attracting young supporters, she believes.

Last weekend’s conference was held at Sheffield Hallam University, a clear signal that Lucas sees political gains to be made from ailing Lib Dem support.

The David Lynch Foundation

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Film.

David Lynch is of course most well known for his surrealist films – The Elephant Man, Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive – but many may be unfamiliar with one of his greatest works; his charity, the David Lynch Foundation. It was established in 2005, created by Lynch himself from his belief that “every child should have one class period a day to dive within himself and experience the field of silence.” In an age where celebrities often use charities to save the current, trendiest animal it is refreshing to see Lynch tackle something so unspoken about.

Perhaps it would be accurate to describe his as a surrealist charity, and certainly its awareness video at Bestival (the David Lynch Foundation was Bestival’s ‘charity of choice’) was as surreal as it gets. Meditation may not be on the top of people’s lists when there are pandas to save and cancers to beat, but nonetheless this is a worthwhile cause: seventy percent of students with a mental health issue go untreated and suicide is the number three cause of teenage deaths. The aim of Lynch’s charity is to deal with these staggering statistics by offering meditation as a solution. The concept of the charity, which relies on students volunteering for Transcendental Meditation, is almost as bizarre as the concepts for his films, but it can be quite effective. So, take some time to yourself and relax… it’s what Dave would want.

Broadband: 5000 times faster

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The “wonder material” graphene, already the strongest and thinnest known material, could now be used to massively increase the speeds of internet connections.

The first connection using graphene based sensors was developed in 2010 and it transmitted data at 10Gb/s (for comparison, this is 5000 times faster than a typical 2Mb/s home internet connection). As a comparison, with a 2Mb/s connection, you could download a standard DVD in about five hours. You could download the same DVD in only four seconds using a graphene based optical cable. Not bad for something that was only discovered in 2004 using a pencil and some sticky tape.

Fibre optic internet connections send data as light. We then require sensors to detect that light and create electrical signals so the data can be understood by a computer. Basing these sensors on graphene made them quicker to react to the light. They were found to be up to one thousand times faster than traditional sensors. Developing optical cables that use these sensors could increase the amount of data carried to twenty times that of a typical fibre optic connection.

In trials, graphene based sensors received data without error. However, they still had a problem; they were very inefficient. Now, in recent research from a collaboration between the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge, this problem has been overcome.

The previous graphene based light sensors only absorbed a tiny fraction of the light shone on them, so they did not produce strong enough electrical signals. Scientists increased this by attaching very small, metallic structures to the graphene which acted to guide and concentrate the light, resulting in up to a 20-fold increase in the efficiency of the sensors. Researchers believe this could be improved upon with further research.

Faster internet connections are not the only application scientists identified. The light sensors they developed work in much the same way a solar cell would. Graphene based solar cells might generate more power than even the best of current generation solar cells.

Pulsar in the sky with diamonds

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Anyone who thought the Hope Diamond was a large gem may have another thing coming. Scientists think they may have found a diamond planet in our galaxy. The discovery of the companion star was made by a team led by Professor Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. The discovery was then followed up by the Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire. It was due to the observations made at Jodrell Bank that the companion planet was found.A pulsar is an extremely dense, fast spinning body with a strong magnetic field. It emits a beam of radiation which creates a light house effect. The pulse of light emitted from these dead stars has a constant period which gives the star its name. The pulsar orbited by this small planet rotates 10,000 per minute.

From observing the planet, named PSR J1719-1438, researchers were led to believe the star had a small companion planet. Around 70% of pulsars are in a binary system- a system with two bodies orbiting each other- with most companions being a dying, low mass star: a white dwarf. The size of the object orbiting PSR J1719-1438 makes it significant because it is smaller than a white dwarf.

The planet is thought to orbit the pulsar in 130 minutes at a distance of 600,000km. This is similar to the radius of our own sun. With a diameter one fifth the diameter of Earth but a mass greater than Jupiter, the new planet is extremely dense. The distance between the pulsar and planet indicate the body must once have been a white dwarf with most of its matter eaten by the pulsar. It must therefore be composed mostly of carbon and oxygen. Scientists think that the high density of the planet means these elements must be in crystalline form. Crystallised carbon popularly known as diamond.

Before we consider heading over there to mine what could be truly conflict free diamonds, we should remember that it is 4000 light years away. If NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will reach Pluto in just under 10 years travelling at a speed of 16km/s, it will reach PSR J1719-1438 in 74 million years if travelling at the same speed. Synthetic diamonds suddenly look a lot more attractive.

In the meantime, researchers looking into this unusual binary system are hoping to use the Hubble Space Telescope to get a closer view of the planet and to see whether it really does sparkle like a diamond.

White coats at Downing Street: One year later

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Men and women in white coats presented 33,804 signatures to Downing Street a year ago. One year on, has the government listened to what they had to say? With the threat of cuts coming from the coalition government, science had to sit up and take action before the rumoured 35% cuts to science funding were implemented.Last year, the Science is Vital campaign gathered signatures as part of a petition to protect science funding in the UK. Sick of putting up with government cuts to science, Dr. Jennifer Rohn of University College London decided to make her voice- and the voices of scientists, engineers and interested people in the UK- heard. She became the founder and Chair of the Science is Vital campaign.One year on, you would be forgiven for thinking that the campaign was over but this is far from the truth. After someone dared to whisper that science funding might be cut by over a third, there was a general feeling of relief once the budget was released. Whilst a freeze in science funding for the next four years is better than was feared, this still has implications for science in the UK. Once inflation is taken into account, this amounts to a real terms funding cut of 10%. A far cry from the pessimistic predictions of 35%, but hardly beneficial to science.

People at the Science is Vital campaign plan to monitor threats to science in the short term whilst looking towards the General Election to see what they can do to protect science in the UK when the next budget is set.

Interestingly, the campaign looks to have an informal method of campaigning because they believe getting as many working scientists involved is much more powerful. Dr. Rohn calls this the “grassroots” approach.

The campaign is currently working on science careers in the country which started after a meeting with the Rt Hon David Willetts MP, the Minister of State for Universities and Science. This prompted a currently ongoing investigation into the structure of science careers. After over 400 responses in under 24 hours, the opinions of scientists in the UK became obvious. According to Dr. Rohn, “the underlying message is clear: the scientific career structure is not fit for purpose and there is a real case to be made for examining how we can make it fairer and more supportive.”

A cut to science funding has the immediate effect of putting pressure on career prospects, availability of permanent positions and the salary of people in the science industry. In the long term, it can affect the reputation of universities.

Outside universities, there must be confidence in science industries to attract investors. A funding cut can undermine this confidence. Considering 30% of our GDP comes from areas heavily involved in science, protecting science funding is in the country’s best interest.

Science is Vital is determined to persevere in the campaign to protect science funding in the UK. With the 2013 spending review coming up, the campaign will continue to pressure the government to protect the interests of this country by maintaining investment in science.

2011 Winter preview

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Film.

After a summer of the usual action blockbuster variety, here’s a brief look at four more eye catching titles coming out in the next few months:

 

Paranormal Activity 3 (21st October)

Guess what? It’s a prequel! (Why is the third film always a prequel?) We’re taken back to the childhood of the protagonists from the second movie, so expect lots of irritating kids shitting their pants when a light bulb starts ‘terrifyingly’ switching on and off.

 

Anonymous (28th October)

A film about Shakespeare in which it turns out our pre-eminent playwright was actually a mere actor, used as cover by a mysterious aristo (Rhys Ifans) who wants to keep his name out of the limelight. ‘Sacrilege!’ I hear you cry…well perhaps, but the cast is wonderful and Roland Emmerich has a decent track record for enjoyable (and brainless) flicks like The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day.

 

Hugo (2nd December)

A new film by perhaps America’s greatest living director: Martin Scorsese. I know what you’re thinking, ‘It’s about guns, or Mafioso or death.’ Well you’re wrong. Turns out this is a family movie about an orphan in 1930s Paris. Interesting.

 

The Iron Lady (January 12th)

Politics students and raving Thatcherites rejoice!  Finally a biopic about the forever controversial and divisive PM. Time will tell what stance this film will take politically, if any at all. Meryl Streep plays Thatcher, and judging by the trailer, she seems to have nailed the accent and mannerisms superbly.

Preview: Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Film.

When you were a kid, did you ever wonder if the toys you played with or the books you read would one day become multi-million dollar blockbusters? Like every other 6 year old, I was certain of it. But after sitting on my bed, munching popcorn and laughing at Michael Bay for his atrocious Transformers films, I was amazed to see a Tintin trailer which looked absolutely bloody marvellous.

It’s based on three of the books which ran a direct story: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure. Joyfully, these are probably the best books in the whole set, bar perhaps Tintin in Tibet. After Tintin buys a model boat at a market, he discovers within it a map to hidden treasure. He sets off with that old blisterin’ barnacle, Captain Haddock (who has quite reasonably been made Scottish for the film) and his faithful dog Snowy to find it. But they’re not the only ones looking…

A lot of exciting things happened in Tintin and there were some nasty moments (the villains being dragged to Hell at the end of Tintin and the Broken Ear did nothing for my sleeping pattern as a young’un) but I don’t remember it ever being as crazily riotous as this looks! Planes no-one can fly, quad-bikes with rocket launchers, jumping out of windows onto moving vehicles, lighting fires in a boat. They don’t even care! I’m ecstatic Spielberg got his mits on this.