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Day: 9 February 2015

Fifty per cent of trans students consider dropping out

Half of all transgender students at UK universities consider dropping out, according to a study released last year.

The estimated number of trans students in the UK is 28000, according to the NUS. The report ‘Education Beyond the Straight and Narrow’, released in May 2014, also found that a third of trans students have experienced bullying or harassment at some point in their university career. This figure stands at one in five for LGBT students as a whole.

The NUS’s campaigns committee trans representative, Reubs Walsh, told The Guardian last week, “there are surprisingly few universities that have strict anti-LGBT-phobia policies in place.

“Very few reissue degree certificates to trans students once they’ve changed their names, or have made an effort to make gender neutral toilets and changing facilities available.”

Many trans students are left isolated financially after coming out and feel strongly the threat of violence and harassment.

The University of Manchester de-gendered its toilets in the Students’ Union in 2008, and some other universities such as Bradford, Bath and Staffordshire have also done this.

The Union building’s ground floor toilets simply have toilet cubicles, allowing individuals of any gender to use them without fear of discrimination or judgement.

Stonewall’s University Guide 2015, however, only awarded the University of Manchester 8 out of a possible 10 points, due to a lack of explicit welfare support for lesbian, gay and bisexual students, and no monitoring of students’ sexual orientation.

Matty Donaldson, one of the Union’s LGBTQIA+ Liberation reps, told The Mancunion, “[the findings that half of trans students consider leaving] are not surprising and they are not acceptable.

“These figures need to show universities all over the country that they need to do more to recognise the ways that the university is actively creating an oppressive environment, and more to support trans students with the challenges they face. The university needs to talk to its trans students to work together on making these changes.

“Examples of improvements include more gender neutral toilets, zero-tolerance policies against transphobia, more education for staff and students about trans people and support services that are trans friendly.

“It is important that students recognise ways that they can help to make the university a more trans-friendly environment, for example by supporting trans campaigns or by attending workshops run by the Trans Rep about how to be a better ally—coming up on the 25th of February, 7pm, in the Student Union Activities Space.”

A spokesperson for the University of Manchester, speaking to The Mancunion, said: “The ‘We Get It’ campaign, organised by the university and the Students’ Union, supports our zero-tolerance approach to any form of bullying, harassment and discrimination, and we have recently appointed 12 new Harassment Advisors, all of whom have undergone equality and diversity training which specifically includes issues relating to LGBT students.

“We have also introduced a new and easier way to report incidents online, and advice is available on MyManchester and the University’s Social Responsibility website.  This reporting system also monitors if the incident relates to LGBT discrimination. In addition, a video has also been produced to accompany the campaign and features Nancy Rothwell and other senior staff, as well as representatives from the LGB Students’ Union Society and the LGBT Staff Network.”

Recent polling by the Students’ Union Exec Team on harassment and bullying at the university found that 17 per cent of students have experienced bullying but chose not to report it. A further 53 per cent did not know how to report it, and 5 per cent reported it with negative consequences.

Any student who identifies as trans or who falls under the trans umbrella is welcome to get in touch with Matty if they have any issues they would like to discuss or if they would like to find out more about the campaigns.  Additionally, any students or staff who would like more information about how to be a better ally or on upcoming workshops should get in touch as well.

“People know me as Matty but my e-mail address is [email protected].”

He is currently running a series of events for LGBT History Month, and campaigning for more gender-neutral toilets and better media representation of transgender individuals.

‘Robot scientist’ could speed up search for new drugs

An artificially-intelligent ‘robot scientist’ called Eve could pave the way in the bid to make drug discovery faster and cheaper, according to the researchers who developed her.

Eve, who is based at the University of Manchester, can test thousands of compounds every day and uses machine learning to continually fine-tune her approach. She recently discovered that a compound known to have anti-cancer properties could potentially be used to combat malaria.

There has been a significant increase in the use of automated machinery in science over the past few years and robot scientists represent the latest development in workplace artificial intelligence.

They are able to develop and test hypotheses to explain any observations that they make, perform experiments and then interpret the results to amend their hypotheses accordingly. This cycle is then repeated. The experiments are designed and performed automatically by computer, without the need for human input, meaning that robot scientists are ideal for recording scientific knowledge.

Eve is the younger sister of Adam, a robot scientist prototype who was developed at the University of Cambridge in 2009 with the help of researchers from the University of Aberystwyth. He became the first machine to independently discover new scientific knowledge when he autonomously investigated the genomics of the baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The same team developed Eve and based on her recent endeavours, she promises to be even better. She has been focusing on identifying drug candidates for malaria, as well as other tropical diseases such as African sleeping sickness and Chagas’ disease.

Professor Ross King of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology said, “Neglected tropical diseases are a scourge of humanity, infecting hundreds of millions of people, and killing millions of people every year.

“We know what causes these diseases and that we can, in theory, attack the parasites that cause them using small molecule drugs. But the cost and speed of drug discovery and the economic return make them unattractive to the pharmaceutical industry.”

That’s what makes Eve so useful. She is much more efficient when it comes to multitasking, saving valuable time and money. Professor Steve Oliver of the University of Cambridge explained, “In the case of drug screening, she can search her library and select compounds that have a high probability of being active against the chosen drug target and she will prioritise screening them.”

Eve works by screening a large set of compounds against assays (tests), which are designed to be automatically engineered. This means that more types of assay can be applied and improves the efficiency of process. The probability of making an important discovery is subsequently increased.

Eve is capable of screening more than 10,000 compounds a day. Despite the simplicity of this process, it is still relatively slow and wasteful. The system is also unintelligent, since it makes no use of what is learnt during the procedure.

To improve this, a random subset of the library is selected and tested against the first assay. By taking note of which compounds pass, Eve uses statistics and machine learning to predict new structures that might perform even better against the assays. It is hoped that future robot scientists could even synthesise these compounds.

The researchers tested this approach by developing assays targeting key molecules from the parasites responsible for various tropical diseases. These assays were tested against roughly 1,500 clinically approved compounds.

Eve discovered that an anti-cancer drug also inhibits DHFR, a key molecule in the malaria parasite. Given the fact that many strains of parasite are developing immunity to existing drugs, this discovery could prove to be extremely important.

“Despite extensive efforts, no one has been able to find a new antimalarial that targets DHFR and is able to pass clinical trials,” concluded Professor Oliver. “Eve’s discovery could be even more significant than just demonstrating a new approach to drug discovery.”

The look of love

We have all witnessed iconic examples of couples matching on the red carpet. Like when David and Victoria Beckham dressed in their all leather Versace ensembles in 1999 or when Britney and Justin wore head-to-toe denim at the 2001 American Music Awards. These couples have made a conscious effort to let the public know that when you get one, you also get the other. However, what happens when couples start dressing like each other unknowingly?

Well it’s safe to say that dress sense is influenced by the people we surround ourselves with, what better way to show your coupledom than by shaping one another’s style? Last year we witnessed rapper A$AP Rocky and super model and Yoncé star Chanel Iman share more than just a love affair. On several occasions Chanel was seen adopting A$AP’s monochrome street style, going as far as wearing a bejewelled mouth grill and matching A$AP with an almost identical black bomber jacket. Similarly, thanks to his songstress girlfriend FKA Twigs, Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson has swapped the scruffy tees (cc: Kristen Stewart) for edgy baseball caps and beanies in his current style transformation.

While the inevitable “what were they thinking?” question comes to mind when we see old photos of David and Victoria with nearly identical hairstyles, it is important to consider that many fashion industry empires have been built by couples who inspire each other. Kim K has shown her support for Kanye by being seen wearing his collaborations with Giuseppe Zanotti, as well as his custom-designed Nike Air Yeezy II trainers. Though couple’s style may seem cringe-worthy, we can all agree that there are fashion lessons to be learned in every new relationship.

Homophobia, the church, the mosque, and the synagogue

One of the biggest obstacles to the reestablishment of religion as an integral part of society and our lives is its homophobic characteristics.

There has been a dramatic shift in society’s perception of homosexuality since the 1960s. I think there is a strong case for suggesting that law evolves and is shaped by social changes rather than culture being shaped by the law in subjects like this. Homosexuality was illegal until 1967 in England and Wales, which is perhaps unthinkable to us in a liberal Western society today.

Further advancements in LGBT rights have materalised since the 2000s. The right for a person to change legal gender was established in 2005, for example, and full protection against discrimination has been made statutory since 2010.

Of course there are problems and disagreements amongst minorities and right-wing fundamentalist groups, but generally it should be celebrated that society has finally accepted homosexuality is a real, natural, and important part of people’s lives.

Somewhere along the line, the perception of religion as truth, positivity, and something that adds value to people’s lives has been tarnished by its reputation as a group which revels in homophobia. Indeed, it’s obvious that the Church previously has been an advocate for homophobia, yet I personally believe it’s possible to believe in God and also support gay rights, gay marriage, and stand against homophobia.

Russell Brand’s comments in reply to Stephen Fry on religion really interested me. Although he didn’t specifically talk about homosexuality in detail, Brand talked about the metaphor of religion being true instead of its literal meaning. He also said that you cannot judge religion by the bad bits, just like you wouldn’t judge something like football by negative events that have happened throughout its history.

However, the big question that remains is whether the Church’s reputation for being homophobic has stained its reputation for good.

Firstly, I think it’s important for the secular world to understand that the views of particular denominations or high-profile religious figures aren’t always the views of all people associated with that religion.

Religious texts such as the Bible, the Qur’an, and the Torah are integral to their adherents’ lives and become part of their identity because of their individual interpretation of it and how it applies to them personally.

A non-literal interpretation allows for more liberal views on contemporary issues. Many religious people’s argument is that they do not want to change the core values of their faith just because society dictates that they should. After all, faith is meant to be something eternal, not shaped by changing whimsical thought and social values.

However, the said perspective is narrow. Most religious texts were written thousands of years ago in completely different cultures to the one we live in today—not to mention that human beings wrote them; whose minds were shaped by their own particular surroundings.

It has been widely accepted in other areas that the Bible is contextual, for example when it comes to the prominence of women. I’m sure 50 years ago no one would have envisaged women bishops or women who are world-famous evangelists and teachers, but culture allows such a change to occur which richly benefits religion in general.

Thus in the same way, I wouldn’t be surprised if in 50 years’ time homophobia is something of the distant past in mainstream Churches. A recent survey showed that ‘homophobic’ was in the top four words that sprung to mind when asked to describe Christianity—alongside irrelevant, judgmental and boring. As a Christian, I am extremely embarrassed by this, as I believe all of these words are enemies of true religion.

All in all, it would be ridiculous to interpret religious texts literally. For one, the Bible was written in Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and other languages, thus many of its translations are questionable and imprecise. And for some of the provisions that may seem irrelevant in today’s culture, it is important to remember the context in which scriptures were written and to give a margin of appreciation when it comes to condemning people’s belief systems.

Religion should be opposed to arrogance and judgment. Rather, it should send a positive and encouraging message to the secular world. It will surely take time to repair the reputation the Church has gained, but I believe it can do so through a more liberal, metaphoric approach to interpreting scripture.

 

Interview: Motor City Drum Ensemble

Motor City Drum Ensemble – not a bunch of percussionists from Detroit. Rather, it’s the moniker of Danilo Plessow, a singular and masterful house DJ from Germany’s own motor city of Stuttgart who has a penchant for Roland drum machines. Plessow rose to prominence in 2008 with his popular Raw Cuts series, and has since established himself as one of the foremost names in the European house circuit with his euphoric DJ sets and a further string of impressive releases.

The idea behind Raw Cuts was simple: each track was made in under two hours and entirely comprised of samples. Conceived as a bit of fun by Plessow, the fervent reaction must have come as a shock. “Absolutely. Even in my wildest dreams I would have never imagined to be able to reach so many people with those really raw and particular tracks. Also no label wanted to release the first one so I had to start my own one for it. I’m happy I did so in retrospect.”

Elaborating on forthcoming plans for his label, Plessow reveals: “We have two strong twelve inches planned for this year. One from an up and coming talent from Australia, and one from a seasoned producer out of Detroit. And there will be some new material from myself coming out too. Stay tuned!” As well as producing solo material, Plessow has in the past worked with Marcus Worgull on the collaborative project Vermont. “The Vermont thing was a lot of fun. Marcus is a good friend and a really nice guy, so the whole ‘work’ on this project didn’t feel like it at all. It was more like doing yoga: very inspiring and very relaxing for a change. With my own stuff I’m always very critical, so it felt really good just to do something completely different with no expectations. There might be more stuff in the future, but for this year I’m trying to finish some MCDE material.”

MCDE will be appearing at the DGTL Festival in Amsterdam over the Easter weekend. Currently residing in Dutch capital and having held a residency at recently closed club Trouw, Plessow is no stranger to the city. “I already lived in Utrecht for 2 years before I made the move to Amsterdam this summer. Originally I came to Holland because of my ex-girlfriend, but I liked it so much that I decided to stay. Amsterdam is pretty inspiring!”

“Amsterdam is a very nice city and the nightlife is pretty buzzing. At the right parties, people seem really open minded towards all kinds of good music, so a place like Trouw was perfect for testing records. I haven’t played too many festivals in Holland so far, but stuff like Dekmantel and Lente Kabinet have been amazing. So I’m definitely looking forward to DGTL.”

MCDE has quite the crate, gaining popularity for his sets involving fine selections of tracks old and new. As a predominantly vinyl DJ, he’s always on the lookout for new records. “I shop all over. From little known thrift stores here in Amsterdam to more expensive record stores all over the world. I also still do a lot of flea markets, car boot sales etc… I like the thrill of hunting!”

Djing vinyl involves difficult decisions on what records make the cut for limited bag space. I question whether MCDE carefully selects records for individual gigs or rotates in and out of his bag over time: “Both. I usually prepare a rough 20-something record set before shows and then deviate from it depending on the crowd’s reaction. I tend to play certain records for a couple of months and then replace them with others. And then I take, depending on where the gig is, another 40-100 records with me, plus cds. So I can go to all sorts of places musically.” Is there one particular track that won’t be leaving his bag anytime soon? “There’s tons. One thing I’ve been playing a lot lately and haven’t yet got tired of has been ‘Back Door’ by Mystic Pleasure.”

MCDE is clearly incredible at spinning other people’s music, but his own production skills are equally as good. With rumours of an albums worth of material due out in the near future, I question if Plessow ever plans to branch out into performing live sets. “I absolutely love djing… and I’m always very shy to play my own tracks. So right now I don’t really see it coming any time soon, but hey – never say never.”

Finally, talk turns to Plessow’s honest and emotive Between the Beats interview with Resident Advisor in which he revealed the downsides to the life of a career DJ such as the loneliness of travelling and the anxiety he experienced. After taking an extensive touring break, MCDE is thankfully now feeling “much better” having “learned how to cope better with the anxiety” in the past two years. This involves: “Lots of sports, less stress and a new surrounding with two really good friends who have helped me a lot. And of course, all the people who continue to show love every weekend have a major effect too!”

Catch Motor Drum Ensemble at the DGTL Festival in Amsterdam on 4th April.

Interview: Korn

So it’s finally happened, the dream tour. It’s a monumental line-up! “It’s good, I can’t believe it didn’t happen sooner. I think each band was sort of carving out their own paths for a while, and I think it took a certain point in our careers, as well as a certain level of opportunity to make it happen.”

What about King 810? “They’re really great, I think a lot of people are becoming more familiar with their music, and if I’m ever touring with a band I like to check them out to see what they’re all about. They’re pretty heavy, but they also have some funkier songs. They’re from Michigan, really nice guys. They’re trying to behave for the tour, but we can tell they’re fucking crazy.”

Around a year and a half ago they released the latest record The Paradigm Shift, but on this new album we hear a mixture of old and new Korn… “I came up with the title, and it felt like with Head coming back in the band and the fact we were reaching our 20th anniversary as a band, it was time to move forward and shift our way of thinking. We wanted to push ourselves, we don’t want to fade out and become a thing of the past.

I don’t want to sound pretentious but we want to excel, and in my heart when I was a kid I wanted to be the next Metallica.” Not far from it. “I’m not saying we’re anywhere near that, but I think we did present a new way of thinking about metal… With such a massive library of songs to choose from I think we might have to change our way of playing in the future. Perhaps we will play songs in part, then switch it up at the bridge the way DJs do it, that way our fans can hear more stuff.”

Metal is a very misunderstood genre of music, and there are some people who dismiss it. “It’s an art, and it’s not for everyone. I can walk through a museum and say ‘Hey I like that painting, but not that one.’ It’s just personal taste, if there’s something that makes you feel something, whether it’s good or bad, it’s still cool. If it’s not for you, find something that is.” Have you heard of Bring Me The Horizon? “They’re excellent, I like that band a lot.” The front man Oli Sykes says: ‘‘Love us or hate us, it’s still an obsession.”

“That’s a nice quote. British metal is great, Black Sabbath got me into this sort of music, I love me some Sabbath. There’s so much great music out there.”

Talking about Bakersfield, CA: “It’s a very working class kind of town, I was born in L.A. but because my dad was in the oil industry we had to move. There was pretty much zero going on for music around there. People thought our dreams would never come true, but when we turned 18 we got the fuck out of there. And so began Korn.”

“The name? It’s a pretty fucking disgusting story. There was a story in Bakersfield that there were two gay guys, one of them was eating the other guys ass and the other dude farted, and shat corn all over his face. The K and the backwards R just gave us a trademark.’’ What about actual corn? “Yeah, it’s delicious on the grill.”

Finally, I ask Munky his favourite film: Tough one. I would have to say Apocalypse Now. A long film. My Dad took me to the movies one night and we watched that movie and it scared the shit out of me… But I was intrigued about it. I can still see the images in my head, it opened up a world of dark imagery, which I think satisfies a part of the human soul. It all reminds you how temporary this body is, that’s one thing we all have in common, we’re all gonna be fucking dust.”

Slipknot and Korn went on to play a furious and fantastic show that evening, along with King 810. Slipknot return to the U.K. on the 12th of June to headline Download festival.

Worst and best Valentine’s Day gifts

And so the month of February has rolled around and we are faced with the teeth-hurting, cringe-inducing Hallmark festival that is Valentine’s Day. The day designed to make people in relationships even smugger and those who are single want to die a slow death being eaten by their cats.

It also means being expected to waste money on pointless, thoughtless gifts. Well I like a good present just as much as the next person so here are my best and worst V-Day gifts.

WORST:
• Nipple clamps: one quick visit to the Ann Summers website and in about three clicks these monstrosities appeared. I like my nipples and am in no hurry to torture them, neither should you.
• Red roses: the epitome of the cliché that is this joke of a ‘holiday’. Try to be a bit more adventurous and go for something less thorny and less reminiscent of America Beauty, which let’s be honest, ruined roses for life.
• Teddy bear: a juvenile waste of time, so-called effort and money. Moving on…
• Tacky underwear: no, no and no. We are not in 50 Shades or Secret Diary of a Call Girl. And even Belle de Jour managed to keep it classy at times.

BEST:
• Roses that aren’t red: I’m willing to tolerate these thorny death traps if they are presented in different colours. I was once sent a single white rose on V-Day and it was so nice to have something a bit different and that wasn’t slut red.
• ‘A nice time’: Manchester is stuffed with alternative restaurants, bars and tea shops. Skip the gifts and just enjoy each other’s company.
• ‘A nice time indoors’: and by ‘indoors’ I mean between the sheets. Act out fantasies, try a new position (do not consult Cosmo for suggestions) or just do it a different way. Perfect for those on a budget.
• Good underwear: not from Ann Summers or Primark, not in slut red and nothing crotchless, cupless or cutout. Try colours of cerise, emerald, deep blue (if you don’t know what I mean, Google it).

And there you have it—a comprehensive list of all the crap you could possibly buy for this godforsaken day.

Valentine’s Day across the globe

Roses are red, violets are blue, we love Valentine’s Day and the world does too. The day of love has become a global phenomenon, as couples around the world express their love on the sacred 14th of February.

Just as we expect, roses and chocolates are a must, as expressing our affections is not stemmed down to a few flowers. For those of the Western Hemisphere, Valentine’s Day is an excuse to be cheesy and lovey-dovey to no end. The same goes in Japan, where the 14th of  February is an extravagant event. Not only is it the social norm for women (who normally shy away from showing affection) to show affection for their husbands, but also for their friends. Chocolates are a must, as each chocolate represents a different relationship.

It’s not only our Eastern friends who celebrate romance on this day of love; in Austria it is customary to gift flowers to your partner on Saint Valentine’s Day. But it’s not all flowers and love hearts– Valentine’s Day can be full of laughs and giggles. That can only be a good thing, and America seems to think so too.

Although cards are a tradition in many countries, Denmark puts a special twist on the Valentine’s Day card. People in Denmark send transparent cards, which when held up to the light show a hidden message. These notes of mystery are known as ‘lovers cards’.

With all these romantic (and not so romantic) notions of love around the World, how can we forget about our beloved Britain? Whilst we may not be harbourers of personal chocolates, we live in the land where Romeo and Juliet was written. With Saint Valentine on the tip of our tongue, our tradition is to write love-coated words. Now we tend to stick to good old roses and champagne, but maybe this Valentine’s Day we can step outside the box, and take some inspiration from other countries.

Feast your eyes on these bullshit diets

With your January resolutions poisoned to sticky death by a week of post-exam sin and a sugar fuelled fortnight of university, let Lifestyle editor Robert Firth rejuvenate you, by looking at some of the more bizarre regimes you may have been following.

The Seven Day Colour Food Diet/Seven Colours of Health Diet
Who: Generally attributed to Dr. David Heber, and then appropriated by artist Mindy Weisel for her book The 7-Day Color Diet in 2003.
What it claims: Following the diet should allow you to lose weight and improve your complexion. A diet lacking in the different colours of fruit and vegetables can cause you to miss out on vital phytonutrients. A lack of these can allegedly leave you vulnerable to obesity related illnesses including heart disease and cancer.
What you do: Devote each day of the week to a specific colour. You can only eat fruit and veg of that specific colour on that particular day, e.g. yellow on Tuesdays. Each colour family contains special phytonutrients such as the anthoxanthins found in white fruit and veg (bananas, onions, cauliflower), which supposedly reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. All very clever until you realise that ‘phyto’ is just Greek for plants, so all we’re on about here is plant nutrients.
What actually happens: You end up eating in the same as you would if you were following a healthy balanced diet, but make it unnecessarily difficult for yourself, the horror if you have a strawberry on Tuesdays!

Juice Diet/Juice Fasting
Who: Has been around for a while now and multiple companies have squeezed as much money as possible from the idea by developing their own concentrated super juice fortified with nutrients and vitamins to make you even healthier.
What it claims: Juicemaster.com, a website which fulfils every conceivable juicing need of yours including juice recipe books, blenders, even juice retreats in Turkey, promises a 7lb weight loss in seven days with its juice detox. You’ll also have higher energy levels, clearer skin and be freed from the dieting trap forever. Fans even deny that it is a real diet, preferring to call it a ‘reboot’.
What you do: Stop eating and just drink juice for a period of time lasting from as little as a few days to a few weeks.
What actually happens: Unless you’re juicing meat as well, fruit and vegetable juices lack essential nutrients including calcium, protein and iron. You’ll also probably end up taking laxatives to replace the non-existent fibre in fruit juices, not to mention the issue of salt deficiency and your teeth liquidizing in all that sugar which is going to turn into calories.

The Maple Syrup Diet/The Lemon Detox
Who: Beyoncé.
Not quite true, although she is responsible for its explosion in popularity. Originally started around thirty years ago by a guy called Stanley Burroughs with the magic ingredient of Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup (made from sap of maple and palm trees).
What it says: The reason you’re not losing weight is that normal diets involve eating (duh). You just need to drink maple syrup (along with some water and seasonings), as anybody who has ever downed a souvenir bottle of maple syrup will tell you. Beyoncé lost 1 and a half stone in two weeks on the diet for her movie Dreamgirls, not surprising when you consider that nine glasses contains under 500 calories, around a quarter of your RDA.
What you do: Mix maple syrup with lemon juice, warm water and cayenne pepper. Six to nine glasses a day should be enough yet beginners should stick to it for five to seven days: less is always more with this irresistible tasting concoction.
What actually happens: Like my housemate (a recent convert to the fad) you’ll start waltzing around with pre-made plastic beakers full of peppery liquid and scream at your housemates after your high intensity YouTube workout, because someone dared borrow a drop or two of your sacred maple syrup. Yet that’s completely understandable since you’ll be left hungry, irritable and tired from being deficient in essential nutrients. Also, Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup sees an extraordinary sales increase from 500 tins a year to 2000 a month.

Cotton Ball Diet
Who? Uncertain. Believed to originate with models wanting to stay thin.
What it says: Food is a necessary evil and juices are packed with sugar. Replace all those hideously calorific meals with cotton balls—cheap, tasty and calorie free.
What you do: Consume up to five cotton balls in one sitting (no more, don’t be greedy!) and you’ll feel full without the fat.
What actually happens: You’re eating bleached polyester pieces of cotton—not healthy. Would you eat your tie dyed t-shirt from two summers ago? Never mind malnutrition (there’s none of them super phytonutrients in cotton). You also risk choking to death and potential obstruction to the intestinal tract through the build-up of cotton balls.

Three quarters of students turn to porn for sex education

A study has revealed that the majority of students view porn to fill the gaps in their knowledge about sex, and do not rate highly the sex education they receive in schools.

According to the research by the NUS, which spoke to more than 2500 students in the UK, 60 per cent of respondents admitted they watch porn to get their information about sex.

Despite the fact that almost 75 per cent of students agreed that porn creates unrealistic expectations of sex, 40 per cent cited porn as helping their understanding of sex.

The survey also found that two thirds of students failed to receive information about consent in their sex and relationship (SRE) lessons.

Listed as the top three sources relied on for sex information, students listed friends, school and sexual partners. Whereas in sex education lessons, topics covered were puberty, contraception, sexual health, and anatomy.

NUS Vice President Colum McGuire said: ‘’We now urge all political parties to commit to statutory SRE in their general election manifestos, and accept that simply biology just won’t cut it. Sex is not a science lesson. People are being left with gaps in their education.

‘’Inadequate SRE puts young people at risk. I find it alarming that sexual partners are listed as top SRE source by our respondents. Consider this in light of the fact that consent was never even raised for two thirds of respondents. The current system almost ignores LGBT relationships.’’

Jane Lees, Chair of Sex Education Forum, said: “Consent and relationship safety are real issues affecting students and sadly they are leaving school with little or no discussion on these topics. These survey findings hand young people the loudspeaker in calling for statutory sex and relationship education.’’

The NUS and Sex Education Forum have called for sex and relationship education to be compulsory in schools, and for the government to make efforts to recognise the importance of youth issues.

In this instance, statutory status for sex education would mean the subject was treated in the same way as other compulsory subjects, training teachers to address real-life issues including respectful relationships, LGBT issues and consent.

The Oscar that cried wolf

An outrage! A Travesty! I blame Obama! These are just some of the cries of indignation over the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio has not won an Oscar in his heroic career. It pains me to say, but there’s no doubting that he’s made some great films and his recent marriage to Scorsese has produced some pretty good stuff; key phrase, pretty good. The feelings of atrocity towards the fact that he’s never won an Oscar are absurd really when you consider how decidedly average he is when compared to the other people nominated alongside him.

He lost in 2005 to Jamie Foxx in Ray, in 2007 to Forrest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland and 2014 to Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club. Right there are three of the best films of the last ten years, with three great performances. Each time he’s not won he’s really not deserved it. Perhaps this is pure opinion, but there’s something so smarmy about his presence on screen, and it’s very difficult to see past the fact that he is the ‘great’ Leonardo DiCaprio. He has a reputation for being in the upper echelons of actors alongside your Oliviers, your Streeps, your Bullocks. But in reality, what is the defining role of his career? Not Titanic, definitely not Inception; everything is good, nothing is amazing.

It might sound it, but this is definitely not an attack of Leo, mainly because there’s nothing wrong with just being good. If it wasn’t for being ‘just good’, Wes Anderson would have no career, George Clooney would be married to a less cool lawyer and most of us wouldn’t be at university. What do awards ceremonies even mean anyway? He can work with anyone he chooses, he doesn’t have to do work just for money, that’s the dream for any actor!

Essentially, he is a good actor. He is consistently good and it would be a stretch to point out an objectively ‘bad’ film he’s made in the last ten years. But how does this in any way qualify him for what is seen as the most prestigious acting award in the western world? And save your tears, Leo is one of the highest paid actors in the world and has a free pass to behave in whatever way he likes. And on top of this, don’t forget he is 40 years old—he has plenty of time to become legitimate.

Review: Big Hero 6

With its investment into the Marvel studios in 2009, Disney’s first attempt at sparkling up a Marvel comic has been anticipated for a while. With Big Hero 6 it has now finally reached the screens near you. Set in ‘San Fransokyo’, a colourful fusion of San Francisco and Tokyo that seems strongly reminiscent of Bladerunner’s Los Angeles, the story sets off in the gloomy surroundings of an illegal robot fighting ring and sees Tadashi Hamada rescuing his little brother Hiro (conveniently the hero of the story) from trouble. Unhappy about Hiro’s leisurely activities, Tadashi tries to convince him to give up ‘bot-fighting’ in favour of ‘nerd school’, which is crowned with success when Hiro is introduced to his brother’s latest invention: a distinctly huggable, self-inflatable medical care assistant resembling a puffier version of the Michelin man called Baymax. To get accepted into robotics college, Hiro invents so-called ‘micro-bots’, tiny robots which can assemble into any imaginable shape through the power of the mind. When a fire breaks out at the exhibition venue, Tadashi tries to rescue his professor and finds a sudden and unexpected end in the flames.

Devastated, Hiro is close to giving up on life when he coincidentally reawakens Baymax, who draws his attention to activities of the supposedly destroyed micro-bots. It turns out Hiro’s invention got stolen and is being abused by a masked stranger. With the help of an upgraded Baymax and the rest of the saucily named robotics nerd-squad from the robotics lab (Wasabi, Go Go, Honey Lemon and Fred—someone had to come up with the names), Hiro resorts to pinning down the evil to revenge his brother’s death. After changing into their superhero gear, the six friends commence their marvel(lous) adventure.

Based on the lesser known comic of the same name, Big Hero 6 allowed for enough creative scope to perform a successful Disneyfication of the material, which is evident in character conceptualisations and motivations alike. Contrary to our expectations of the robot central to a comic adaptation, health care robot Baymax has an unprecedented potential to be of service and value to the public. This offers a platform for comedy and Baymax’s punchlines have a very respectable hit-rate. Painstakingly slow, moving, and clumsy, one could assume his most dangerous weapon to be suffocation by extended hugging. While a point of reference to other recent comic book adaptations is successfully established through the mise en scene, the strength of the film lies within its story arc’s constant reliance on humanity often lacking its thematic siblings. Enemies are not purely evil and the motivation for villainous behaviour is consistently linked to emotional struggles. Through Baymax, robots are portrayed as helpful assistants rather than uncontrollable and dangerous machines. The human individual behind them is stressed, evoking a peaceful cooperation rather than reciprocal exploitation of man and machine. In a crucial scene the robot acts as a reminder of humanitarian values when Hiro is in danger of forgetting them.

Furthermore, the recurrent theme of loss creates a subplot about emotional responses that remins in contrast to the stereotypical coldness pre-eminent in the superhero genre. In spite of some moments of Disney tackiness, the film altogether manages to avoid a turn towards banality. However, the necessity of making up for its dark edges by throwing in some splashes of rainbow colour remains questionable. Nonetheless this is a charming take on a Marvel comic enjoyable regardless of age. On a scale from one to ten, how would I rate this cinematic experience? : “I am satisfied with my care.”

4/5

5 things… to avoid at university in 2015

1. Contracting an STD. With around a quarter of students contracting chlamydia at university, this is definitely one to think about. The Wellbeing Advice Service on the ground floor of the Student’s Union offer free condoms as well as pregnancy tests, use them.
2. Plagiarism. The university takes plagiarism very seriously, so look up how to reference your work properly. If you’re worried about what constitutes plagiarism, ask one of your tutors. Or just avoid copying and pasting directly into an essay.
3. Overdosing. Yes, university is the time to go a bit crazy and have a great time and make lots of silly mistakes, but try and stop short of being hospitalized due to drink or drugs. It takes the fun out of it all for you and the people around you. Know your limits and be careful!
4. Technological fails. There are so many stories of people who have their whole dissertation on a memory stick who then promptly go and lose said memory stick. Here is an easy and reliable alternative: attach your work to an email, and then either send it to yourself or just save it as a draft. Your work will be immortalized in the infinite brilliance that is the Internet.
5. Failing. Go to most lectures, sit all your exams, hand your coursework in on time and try and remember the main reason you are at university: to get a degree!

“My Super Summer in the States”

Spending your summer days waking up by the state of Connecticut’s largest lake not sound too challenging? This is exactly what Manchester student Mark Woodward did in summer 2014 by volunteering as a camp leader at an American Summer Camp. He calls it “the best summer experience ever, a life-changing summer”.

Camp usually last between two and three months and during that time Camp leaders are involved in nearly every aspect of the kids’ stay there. Mark explains that day to day camp leaders supervise the kids during meal times, help out with the daytime activities and provide entertainment in the evenings. One notable game called ‘Alien Invasion’ involved the kids taking out counsellors with water balloons and in return counsellors eliminating the kids with green glue made with flour.

During his time as a camp leader, Mark got involved in activities as diverse as lifeguarding, rowing, counselling, and baseball. Yet the range of activities you can take part in through teaching and assisting is almost never-ending: performing arts, crafts, languages, even magic to name just a few.

At Mark’s camp, ‘Sunny Camp Awosting’, counsellors lived in wooden cabins with the “luxuries” of running water, electricity and “great food”. The camp leader program is open to people from all around the world and Mark is still in contact with people he met from across the UK, New Zealand and Poland. Sunny Camp lasted for two months but some camps can last for as long as three months and whilst most of the kids were from the USA, a number came from locations as varied as the UK, Russia and China.

Camp leaders get three nights and one day off a week, which provided Mark with multiple opportunities for travel around the area: a highlight of his was visiting the world famous beaches at Rhode Island three times. The period after camp finishes also allows for plenty of travel opportunities: Mark visited Washington DC, Springfield, New York and Boston, yet some of his co-counsellors went as far afield as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

So if you’re prepared to work hard, up for a challenge and willing to step outside your comfort zone, Camp work will suit you. For Mark, a positive attitude, good team work skills and being able to empathise with others are all essentials for would be camp leaders. An interest in travelling and discovering a new culture is a must. Someone who wants to have a life-changing experience would be ideal for the role.

So with the opportunity to pass a once in a life time summer at a camp from a choice of the fifty states of the USA, what are you waiting for?

For more information, speak to a Camp Leader:
(+44) 01517 086868
[email protected]
www.campleaders.com/gb/

Spaces are limited so be sure not to miss out. Apply early @ www.campleaders.com/gb/

Thanks to Mark Woodward.