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Day: 10 November 2011

Scon or Scone?

Written by Kathryn Woodcock on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Having lived in the South for my entire life, I can safely say that on my arrival at Manchester, I was completely unaware of just how much the northern dialect differs from my own.

I’m pretty sure that many Northern students were equally unprepared for my elongated ‘Rs’ and pedantic references to ‘scons’ rather than ‘scones.’   Whichever way we look at it, we cannot deny that there is a Northern/Southern divide between students and it undoubtedly crops up on a daily basis for many of us.

The divide first reared its ugly head for me during the first month of University when an evidently charming young man from Leeds stopped me mid-sentence and told me, in all seriousness, that my accent “made his skin crawl.” As funny as I found this at the time, it does seem to reinforce just how noticeable the divergence between Northerners and Southerners actually is:  particularly within the social environment that University has to offer.

Over the course of the year I’ve realised that the divide mostly revolves around food and drink, both of which form a crucial part of an average student day.  During Fresher’s week (r Welcome week as the preferred term), I attempted to bond with the girls in my flat by suggesting that we bake some fairy-cakes. Little did I know that there is no such thing as a ‘fairy-cake’ in the North.  I soon learnt the error of my naïve Southern ways when my Yorkshire friend politely corrected me with: “what the hell are fairy-cakes! These are buns mate! There’s nothin’ fairy about buns!”

Now, any Southerner understands that a bun is a savoury bread product, often used in the making of bacon sandwiches (not butties!). Believe it or not, this debate is still going strong a year later, and I remember getting so confused by the use of both dialects that I once referred to the cakes as ‘fairy-buns.’ If the Northerners and Southerners in my house can agree on one thing, it’s that ‘fairy-buns’ definitely do not exist.

Another primary source of disagreement is the difference between dinner and tea. Whenever I hear the word ‘tea’ I think of throwing a load of hot water in a mug with some milk and sugar. Whenever a Northerner hears the word ‘tea,’ they think of the third meal of the day.

The Southerners in my house have gone to great lengths to insist that the third meal of the day is referred to as dinner. Apparently, in the north, dinner means lunch and a cup of tea is a ‘brew.’ You’d never think it could get this confusing.

As irritating as it must be for Northerners to put up with the elongation of every vowel, and equally for Southerner’s to listen to expressions they’ve never even heard of, you have to admit that the divide is definitely a source of some laughs.

At some point in every house party, I’ve made a new friend simply through the light-hearted ridicule of one accent or another (mostly my own!), and some of my closest friends are from Yorkshire. The point is that at the end of the day, who cares if it’s ‘dinner’ or ‘tea’, ‘barrth’ or ‘bath’, ‘bun’ or ‘fairy-cake’… we all pronounce ‘vodka’ the same and, at University, that surely counts for something!

Prehistoric mite found hitchhiking on spider’s back

Written by Rachel Heward on . Posted in News.

These three-dimensional images of a 50-million-year-old spider show a tiny mite, only 176 micrometres long, hitching a ride on its back.

Researchers from Manchester University believe it is the smallest arthropod fossil ever to be scanned using x-ray computed tomography (CT) scans. Their study was published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters last week.

The mite was trapped inside Baltic amber, or fossil tree resin.

The study shows that the behaviour of phoretic, or hitchhiking, animals has been evolving for at least 50 million years.

Dr David Penney, one of the study’s authors from the Faculty of Life Sciences said “CT allowed us to digitally dissect the mite off the spider in order to reveal the important features on the underside of the mite required for identification.

“The specimen, which is extremely rare in the fossil record, is potentially the oldest record of the living family Histiostomatidae.”

The images may encourage more research on phoretic behaviour.

Dr Richard Preziosi, a Manchester biologist, said, “The fact that we now have technology that was unavailable just a few years ago means we can now use a multidisciplinary approach to extract the most information possible from such tiny and awkwardly positioned fossils”

Dr Jason Dunlop, from Humboldt University in Berlin, also worked on the study.

He added, “Work like this is breaking down the barriers between palaeontology and zoology even further.”

 

Nearly 500 colleges lose right to accept foreign applicants

Written by News Editor on . Posted in News.

British vice chancellors say the reputation of the country’s universities is at risk because of curbs on international students, which have prevented nearly 500 colleges from accepting overseas candidates.

Universities UK, the umbrella group representing vice chancellors, says the UK may not appear “open for business” because of a government clampdown on abuses of the student visa system.

The Home Office said, “So far, 474 colleges have lost their right to recruit international students after they failed to sign up for the new inspection system.”

Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said, “Visa abuse within the university sector remains very low and universities are continuing to work closely with the UKBA.”

Although the reforms relate to pre-degree courses, Universities UK believes they will have a negative effect on higher education because 40 percent of Britain’s international students attend a UK college before applying to university.

The Home Office said the affected colleges “could have brought more than 11,000 students into the UK to study each year,” adding that a related UKBA investigation into 100 colleges led to 51 licenses being revoked and 4,500 applications being refused as a result.

The investigation came after a “surge in applications from South Asia” just before rules demanding better English language skills were tightened earlier this year.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said, “The changes we have made are beginning to bite. Too many institutions were offering international students an immigration service rather than an education.”

Last week the Home Office was threatened with legal action for implying that 22 colleges were fronts for illegal immigration.

English UK, representing over 450 English Language colleges, has demanded a retraction and an apology for the comments.

Ms Dandridge said, “The numbers of international students coming in to the country should be accounted for separately and not included in the definition of net migration for the purposes of government policy.”

She added, “The vast majority of international students return home once their studies are completed, and those that do not, need to reapply for a separate visa.”

Next April the Home Office will close the post-study work route, which allows overseas students to work after graduation. Those hoping to find a job in the UK will need to apply for a regular work visa.

 

Manchester Women’s Hockey Sail majestically into the next round of the cup

Written by Ruth Dacey on . Posted in Sport.

Manchester women’s first XI have had an impressive start to the season and are undefeated this far, leaving them sitting comfortably in 2nd place behind Sheffield in BUCS Northern 1A division. Captain Hannah Cobbold has much faith in her squad for the season and comments that “the attitude in the team is much better than last season; I have found that the motivation and commitment is here and I aim to win both the league and cup this year.” Confidence was therefore high going into the first round cup match against Liverpool John Moores 1st who also happen to be in their league.
The game kicked into life immediately as Manchester surged up the pitch with rapid and direct passing and within 47seconds in form England International Sophie Crosley fired into the back of the net leaving Liverpool stunned. Manchester didn’t rest on their laurels however and several minutes later excellent passing around the top of the d opened up the static Liverpool defence allowing centre midfielder Bex McGuiness to tuck away a second from close range.
Liverpool just couldn’t seem to clear their lines properly and frustration was clearly setting in, most noticeably when their right back was green carded for challenging with her stick over head-height! Soon after Manchester were once again pressuring in Liverpool’s danger area and forced the second penalty corner of the game that was expertly converted by Crosley who had clearly had her shooting stick with her. John Moores were finding it hard to string sequences of passes together and get out of their own half. They squandered possession with panicked long hits from defence which bypassed their midfield, going straight to Manchester’s defence who were expertly dealing with them. Right back Laura Timms was the star here with excellent ball distribution.
Manchester continued to press and excellent running by Crosley through the heart of the Liverpool defence set up the fourth goal for this seasons leading goal scorer Lorna McMullan who celebrated passionately after scoring. Liverpool did show signs of pressure on goal towards the end of the first 35, however Irish International goalkeeper Helen Stevenson very calmly stopped the ball and cleared her defensive lines with a big kick up field leaving Manchester with a 4-0 advantage going in at half-time.
Despite the comfortable lead Cobbold lead a passionate team talk at half time urging her team on, especially highlighting that the team should not be careless and sloppy in play. This had a direct impact on the opening of the second half, which saw the skipper doggedly winning a penalty corner in a tussle with Liverpool’s centre of defence. From this a powerful shot was thrust towards goal and was only stopped due to Liverpool desperately trailing out a foot which resulted in a penalty flick being awarded. Cobbold herself calmly stepped up and elegantly swept the ball into the bottom left hand corner leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
Manchester were now in cruise control and Mullan clearly had one thing on her mind when she picked up the ball just inside the Liverpool half. She fantastically zig-zagged her way through the Liverpool defence, neatly controlling the ball and then let an absolute rocket of a shot fly into the back of the net from long range. Shortly after Mullan finished an impressive hat-trick after putting an end to what seemed to be a game of pin-ball wizard inside Liverpool’s d. Manchester were now 7-0 in front but were in dogmatic mood. The impressive Laura Timms who had been as solid as a rock in Manchester’s defence possibly had grounds to feel a little hard done by as she found herself on the receiving end of green card for hitting out with her stick. However this was a momentary blip in her excellent contribution to the game.
With only 10 minutes left Manchester pushed forward in the hope of snatching a few more goals and their efforts were rewarded with an excellent goal from an acute angle by Bex McGuiness. A few minutes later the superb Crosley rounded off her performance with a hat-trick by crashing the ball stunningly into the back of the net, completing a 9-0 victory.
An all round superb performance from Manchester Women’s Hockey First XI, and head referee Tony Davies commented at the end of the game that Liverpool “were quite literally overpowered by Manchester, I was very impressed with the women’s performance and an excellent standard of play for me to umpire.” Manchester sail into the next round of the cup, where hopefully they can send the next team crashing out as they did here!

After the storm, what chance of calm?

Written by Thomas McMahon on . Posted in Sport.

With the reputation of the game already plunging to previously unexplored depths, the International Cricket Council must waste no time in rooting out the complex webs of corruption that allow agents such as Mazhar Majeed to offer international cricketers bungs. That such criminal networks exist is assured, with Sir Ronnie Flanagan, head of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit admitting last year that this case is merely “the tip of the iceberg”. Indeed, the jail terms handed to Majeed, along with Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif can be seen as an opportunity to usher in a new age of aggressive action against cheating and illicit payments.

The jail terms, only available to the judge since the 2005 Gambling Act, should act as a strong deterrent to any players thinking of accepting payments in the future. The idea that playing bans would deter potential offenders has been shown to be false, with banned players finding income through agents, ‘friendly’ matches and other avenues. However, the prospect of jail adds an extra dimension to potential punishment for match-fixers.

The long-term suspensions of the three players, meanwhile, are a rather more cloudy issue. A ten year ban for Salman Butt is likely to function as a de facto retirement for the 27-year-old former captain, who can happily retreat to his family’s large estate in Lahore after his eventual release from prison. Mohammad Asif, meanwhile, seems unlikely to play again after his latest transgression, which follows previous allegations of doping and even an assault on an international teammate. A fast-medium bowler, his pace is likely to have diminished after seven years without competitive cricket, and he was a divisive figure in the Pakistan dressing room even before the spot-fixing scandal erupted. The only player who can rightly feel hard done by is Mohammad Amir, who has been banned for five years. A supremely talented left-arm pacer in the mould of the great Wasim Akram, the nineteen-year-old was coerced into accepting payments by his captain and his agent. While the judge recognised this, the teenager from the impoverished Sheikhupura region was nevertheless sentenced to two and a half years in a young offenders’ institute.

Although the gifted Amir may struggle to reignite his promising career, the sentences are on balance a good result for the sport. A robust punishment must be set in place for those tempted to spoil the game of cricket, and the game’s reputation can now begin to be rebuilt.

Vettel victorious again.

Written by Dan Moore on . Posted in Sport.

So, as the 2011 season draws to a close, Hornby are celebrating. After all, Vettel being crowned world champion for the second year running suits them perfectly. Who better to front Scalextric than a man who drives as if he were on rails?

That’s been the story of this year’s championship – a young man who takes a quick machine and holds the trigger just so. Of course, even the ice cool German isn’t invulnerable, one instantly recalls his slip three corners from the end at Montreal which allowed Button the lead and created the most memorable race of the season.

Overwhelmingly though, Sebastian and “Kinky Kylie” have been remarkably incident proof over the past 17 races – and amazingly fast with it.

Thankfully, this record did not translate into a dull or monotonous season. While it is true that the 2011 championship was significantly less exciting than in 2010, this season did provide some truly memorable races.

China was the calendar’s first breathtaking encounter as Hamilton – in his best performance of the season – teamed his aggressive style with a strategy that capitalised on new legislation concerning tyres and DRS. This saw him snatch the lead from Vettel just four and a half laps from the end – whilst an intelligent Webber managed third despite his dismal grid position of 18, thanks to some inspired driving.

Possibly the most spectacular race of the season was the aforementioned Montreal GP – a race that took over three hours thanks to stoppages caused by immense downpour. Button went through the pits five times, collided with his team mate and ended up at the back of the field on six occasions yet mastered the hazardous conditions and clinched a fantastic win just three corners from the end – the most improbable victory of his career.

There were of course many other great races, Nurbugring, Spa and the Alonso’s battle to first in Silverstone to name but a few. Paradoxically, the overwhelming majority of these races were exciting despite Vettel, not because of him.

Now this may appear a partisan notion but Vettel is often a boring driver. Yes – he is quick – but for many fans, he is too clinical and too controlled, too like the Schumacher of old.

This makes it hard to understand why Hamilton – often dismissed as an arrogant and dangerous boy racer – is not more widely appreciated.

He is the antithesis of Vettel. He will go for a gap water couldn’t squeeze through (admittedly often colliding with Massachusetts in the process), he will slam on the brakes millimetres from the gravel to make a pass stick – he will put everything on the line to win and he will be thrilling as he does it.His current season haul of nine penalties merely serve to show what a truly invested and dedicated racer he is.

So for next season F1 fans can pray for a return in form for Hamilton as he, along with Button and Alonso, will be the ones on the grid with the ability to create a truly fantastic race – rather than just a short one.

Stolen war memorial plaques left by railway bridge

Written by Joe Sandler Clarke on . Posted in News.

Nine bronze memorial plaques, which were stolen from a cemetery in Manchester just a week before Remembrance Day, have been found in a bag near a railway bridge.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the plaques were taken from Blackley Cemetery between 31st October and 7th November. They were discovered on Dean Lane in Newton Heath.

A total of ten plaques were stolen from the cemetery, but the whereabouts of the tenth plaque is unknown.

Earlier this month a conservation group reported that thieves were targeting plaques at war memorials as metal prices hit record highs.

The War Memorials Trust suggested that Britain’s 100,000 war memorials were under threat and estimated that at least one memorial was vandalised every week in the UK.

In October this year thieves used crowbars to remove a plaque from a memorial in Carshalton, south of London.

In the small garrison town of Tidworth, Wilshere, meanwhile, thieves stole a bronze cast statue of a World War One soldier.

The War Memorials Trust have launched a campaign to protect Britain’s memorials, with the 100th anniversary of World War One just three years away.

Frances Modren, director of the trust, said that war memorial thefts cased a great deal of anguish for local communities.

“If you have lost this memorial and lost a plaque then, in effect, you’ve lost a touchstone to your history … that you may never get back,” she said.

The spate of metal thefts in recent months has prompted a group of MPs from all parties to sponsor an early day motion calling for the government to “introduce regulations on the buying of scrap metal”, and “to ensure [that] no scrap metal is sold without the seller providing verified identification and a full record of each transaction and provisions to make it illegal to make cash payments for scrap metal”.

Last week a 44-year-old man was arrested and has since been charged with theft in connection with the incident in Manchester.

 

Badminton Boys power on in promotion charge

Written by Jack Mollart-Solity on . Posted in Sport.

University of Manchester badminton continued its fine start to the season with wins for the Manchester men’s 1st and 3rd teams as well as the women’s 2nd team. For the Men’s 1st’s, the 5-3 win against Sheffield Hallam was their fourth consecutive victory, leaving them top the table. The match came down to the final rubber, with captain Nick Arden and James Kee holding their nerve to take it 21-19, 19-21, 21-16 in the tightest of contests with their teammates’ cheering vociferously from the side-lines. It was a service fault from Hallam at 16 all in the final game that finally handed the momentum back to Manchester as they took the last five points to seize the match. Club president Greg Mooney was keen to emphasise that this victory over one of their closest competitors keeps them on track for back-to-back promotions. If they achieve this it would mean top division badminton next year. Captain Nick Arden was pleased that for the first time this season every team managed at least one victory showing the strength in depth that Manchester possess. Singles player Jamie Bonsels was the standout performer, securing two victories for the team and winning four successive games against his two opponents. Arden also reserved special praise for James Kee, who put in a strong performance in his first match after moving from the 3rd team. He received the man of the match award from the skipper for his endeavour. The upcoming double header against 2nd placed Leeds Met will be crucial for the team with Mooney building up Leeds’ capabilities, commenting that they have a ‘who’s who’ of university badminton.
Things were far more comfortable for the 3rd team with an impressive 8-0 trouncing of Bangor. Things did not start well for the Welsh side as they arrived a player short and immediately forfeited two rubbers. Their miserable trip over the border continued with Manchester winning all of the available rubbers while losing only two games, both in the singles. The season in division Northern 2A has started incredibly well for the side with 7 points from the opening 12, following promotion last season. Captain Andrew Hawkins was happy with the solid performance and was pleased to be in third place after expecting a season battling against relegation. Their sights are now set on upsetting the 2nd team as they meet next week. The 3rd team will certainly be aware that victory over their teammates will place them above their opponents, who are currently top, adding further importance to the fixture. Hawkins promised to make sure the 2nd team had to fight to prove their worth.
Top of the table Manchester women’s 2nd’s faced second place University of Chester in an encounter that promised much. Surprisingly however an even contest never developed. Manchester raced to a 6-0 lead before dropping the last two rubbers when the game had already been won. This disappointment should not overshadow a dominant display against a Chester team who appeared well out of their depth. The ladies team have won their opening three fixtures in the Northern 3A table. The performances are even more remarkable as they are currently without a captain and the season looks set to end in success. Hopes remain that the 2nd team’s victories can spread to the women’s 1st team who are currently struggling in the premier division following the loss of several key players.

Word buffs get chance to take on Stephen Fry in spelling bee

Written by Nick Renaud-Komiya on . Posted in News.

Stephen Fry has thrown his considerable weight behind a spelling app created by the learning disability charity Mencap.

Fry will compete against internet users at “Spellathon”, an educational game where players are asked to spell words backwards.

The actor and broadcaster has already established a reputation as an obsessive gadget fan and elite member of the Twitterati.

The Spellathon app allows users to raise money for Mencap while playing.

To compete with the Fry, fans need to create an online profile. Those who correctly spell 50 words in reverse and raise £15 for the charity by 1st February 2012 will be given the chance to compete live with the man himself. Players will be able to see and hear Fry through a webcam during the game.

Fry has also lent his voice to the game, playing the part of ‘The Professor”, a talking bee.

He described the project as “just about the best integration of imagination, education, technology inclusiveness and fun I’ve ever encountered.

“I’m very proud to have been involved in it,” he added.

Competitors can raise money while playing via a JustGiving fundraising page automatically created when a profile is set up. New characters or “spelling bees” are unlocked for every £3 raised.

The app is available to download on iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, HTC and interactive whiteboards.

 

University suspends worker in attempt “to decapitate the union”

Written by Joe Sandler Clarke on . Posted in News.

A London university has been accused of “union-busting” following the suspension of one of its staff.

Vik Chechi, who worked at a science education centre run by the university, was also the Unison branch secretary of Queen Mary’s University.

Chechi was suspended with a view to dismissal from his work in October on the grounds of poor attendance, poor time-keeping and for making ‘vexatious and undermining complaints’.

Student activists and union officials have claimed that Queen Mary University deliberately targeted 24 year-old Vik Chechi due to his opposition to education cuts and his active role in trade union affairs.

Supporters of Chechi claim that the university did not follow proper disciplinary procedures when dismissing the Unison secretary.

They also say that he was singled out for backing university staff at a time when academic and support jobs across campus are threatened.

A spokesperson from Queen Mary’s Unison branch said that Chechi had been sacked as part of an attempt “to decapitate the union”, so that it wouldn’t be able to continue his work.

A spokesperson from the from the university went some way to rejecting the trade union’s claims, stating that Chechi was, “Not in any way barred from his role as a representative of Unison”.

Richard Saull, UCU branch secretary, said that he was “shocked” by Chechi’s dismissal.

“We were very shocked to hear of Vik’s suspension and believe that the issues do not warrant a claim of gross misconduct. We are concerned that college procedures have not been followed and we regard an attack on one trade union as an attack on all”.