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Day: 25 November 2015

Nous Sommes Ensemble

Tuesday saw the English and the French locked in battle yet again, as the two old rivals met at Wembley stadium to fight in a battle; a battle like no other. The two became allies, as the English put an arm around the French and embraced them, letting them know that “nous sommes ensemble”: We are together. In a match previewed to be practice for either side before the 2016 European Championships, the final score became irrelevant, with the match transforming into the most important game of football in the 21st century. Reminiscent of a Second World War Christmas Day Armistice, this game put all differences aside to fight fear itself.

France has found itself in a period of mourning after 129 people were killed on Friday the 13th of November following a sequence of co-ordinated terror attacks throughout the capital city. The attacks took place in areas around the Stade de France, where the same French players who played in Wembley on Tuesday were up against Germany, only to see the crowd take salvage on the pitch as fear surfaced. England scout Alan Cork was at the game and described the scenes; “when the crowd was on the pitch, I expected someone to burst in with guns.”

The instigators sought to terrorise the French people. Paris, the most romantic city in the world, had become home to panic. Only a day after the attack, ITV News captured the scenes when a restaurant was met with a stampede of people in search of safety, with tables and chairs broken and people trampled, due to fear on the streets that something had happened again. In reality nothing had, but this is the feel of a country on edge.

A country on the edge, but a country climbing back to safety. On the very night of the attacks, the French people began to fight the most important battle in order to combat this; they fought fear. The most terrifying night in many of these peoples’ lives led to many of Paris’ residents leaving their doors unlocked and a blanket on their sofa—as the fleeing Parisians were able to find safe refuge in the homes of others. A door expected to be locked, was left open.

It is paramount that these events not be taken lightly, but retaliation to the attacks is to meet them with a lack of fear. Charlie Hebdo has always been a publication never to mince its words, and the reaction of this publication to the news of the attacks was not one of fear, politics or military. Instead the magazine went with the headline of “ils ont les armes. On les emmerde. On a le champagne!” They have weapons. Fuck it. We have champagne! This was placed above a picture of a man drinking champagne, with it pouring out of the bullet holes on his body. This has been met with a variety of opinions, as some believe this satire is disrespectful and stupid; others believe it is brave and typifies the French—that they will not be beaten down.

W. Clement Stone once said “thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” Action was taken across the globe as a statement of solidarity spread. The French flag was projected on monuments around the world: Wembley Stadium, Shanghai’s Iandama Building, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the world’s tallest building in Dubai, and the Sydney Opera House to name a few.

Football of the world took action also. The match at Wembley began after a series of moments of respect were held for France, and the French people. A minute’s applause, and a minute’s silence were both impeccably conducted, but it was the singing of ‘La Marseillaise’ that captured the hearts of the world, as the English put aside their patriotism to show their humanist nature and sing aloud the French national anthem. England players stood side by side with the French nationals, and Wembley roared. Nevertheless, most of that roar was in a terribly imitated French accent.

The game was attended by FA President Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and many other high-status figures to fight fear head on. They were not the only people, however, to feel they needed to face this fight; presumably in response to Friday’s attacks, 10,000 more people bought tickets to Tuesday’s match, and only 100 took up the option of having their tickets refunded. Although helicopters circled, SAS units patrolled and the police were armed, the British people still had to show great bravery in attending the game and projecting solidarity.

Roy Hodgson described the occasion as “very poignant [and] it was everything I expected it to be.” Hodgson conducted himself magnificently before, during and after the game. The England manager spoke French in the pre-match interview and embraced Didier Deschamps at the start of the game. It is easy to confuse these acts as political, when in fact they are instead acts of empathy and solidarity with humanity, from the footballing world.

The epitome of the show of strength from the players is present in Lassana Diarra—the French midfielder started the game on the substitutes’ bench despite losing his cousin in the Paris attacks days earlier. The volume of the crowd was at its height, not when England scored, but instead when the Frenchman was substituted on to a very emotional pitch, in a particularly moving moment.

The England team was not the only national side running the risk of danger in order to show support to the French that evening though, with the Germans scheduled to play host to the Dutch. German boss Joachim Löw described his thought process of going ahead with the game beforehand. “It became clear [to me] that the game had to go ahead. It’s going to be a clear message for freedom and democracy. It is about respect and support for our French friends.” The game, however, was cancelled 90 minutes before kick-off was due, and the HDI Arena in Hannover was evacuated and people were told to go home.

The city’s president of police Volker Kluwe descried the cause of the evacuation as due to a “concrete security threat.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to attend the match, and a similar sign of solidarity was set to be displayed through a French mosaic around the stadium. Belgium’s friendly with Spain in Brussels was also cancelled on Monday, the day before it was due to be played. The France manager, Didier Deschamps, made a big call in not telling the French national side about the called-off German game prior to kick-off. This highlights just how much the odds were stacked against this game taking place, and yet it still went ahead without incident, sending shockwaves around the world.

The German manager, in the pre-match conference against the Dutch, described the importance of a result from the games. “If we manage to turn this game into a signal, then we will already have won, regardless of the result.” Löw puts it better than anybody else could, and this applies to the England-France game, too. Not one English national newspaper had the scoreline on the back page the day after the game. The story was made as soon as the whistle sounded the start of the first half. French newspaper L’Équipe lead with the headline “Thank you” the day after the England friendly took place.

De rien.

LGBT* people continue to face huge, hidden health problems

The 1980s and early 1990s saw the AIDS epidemic wipe out entire gay neighbourhoods in cities across the world. AIDS, promiscuity and homosexuality were confused as one and the same, and gay and bisexual men were portrayed particularly negatively in politics and the media.  By their very nature, they were ‘icky’, seedy, sexual creatures. AIDS was a ‘gay problem’, and LGBT* people were condemned as perverts to the sidelines of national life through legislation and cultural representation.

It is thanks to the continuous activism of one of the largest and most successful civil rights campaigns of modern history that so much has changed both here in the UK and across the developed world.

Since 1997, Section 28 (which banned local authorities and schools from portraying homosexuality in a positive light) has been repealed, the age of consent has been equalised, same-sex couples have been allowed to adopt, a ban on serving in the military has been lifted and trans people are now able to legally change their gender.

2014 also saw the first legally recognised marriages of same-sex couples; a victory which many older members of the LGBT* community, almost all of whom lost friends and loved ones to the AIDS crisis, never thought they’d see in their lifetimes.

The shadow of AIDS has lifted and LGBT* life has very much entered the mainstream. Soaps and dramas feature fully formed and authentic gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans characters. LGBT* people openly serve in the House of Commons and present The Great British Bake Off.

Despite this, a lot of progress still needs to be made. One in every six lesbian, gay and bisexual people have been the victim of a hate crime or incident in the previous three years, and a third of trans people experience transphobic abuse on an annual basis. A 2010 survey of British social attitudes found that 36 per cent of people—more than a third—thought sexual relations between two adults of the same sex were “always or mostly wrong.”

Sexually active gay men are still not allowed to donate blood, and under a (relatively unknown) clause included the 2013 same-sex marriage bill, married trans people cannot have their gender changed legally without the explicit permission of their spouse.

Critically, the LGBT* community also continues to suffer a number of serious mental and physical health problems which largely remain hidden from the public, the political conversation, the health service, and even the community itself.

The statistics are shocking. LGBT* people of all ages are more likely than the rest of the population to have contemplated or attempted suicide, to be depressed, to suffer from anxiety, to self harm, to binge drink, to take illegal drugs, to have unsafe sex, to have cancer and, increasingly, to be HIV positive.

According to a 2011 study by Stonewall—the largest of its kind conducted anywhere in the world—lesbians and gay women in the UK are more likely than other women to have breast cancer, to self harm, and to attempt to take their own lives. They’re also considerably less likely to have recently had a smear test, and more likely to drink and take drugs regularly.

The LGBT Foundation found that 40 per cent of lesbian and gay women drink to intoxication at least three times a week, compared with 25 per cent of women as a whole. This trend can be observed across much of the community—the same study found that more than half of gay and bisexual men have taken drugs in the past year, compared with just 14 per cent of men in general. This regular intoxication and the risky behaviour it encourages, Stonewall warns, are critical factors in heightened rates of sexually transmitted infections—especially HIV—among the LGBT* population.

LGBT* people at the same time remain less likely to get regular health check-ups. 30 per cent of gay and bisexual men in the UK have never been tested for HIV, and 25 per cent have never been tested for any STI. Of these men, 83 per cent told Stonewall that they didn’t think they were at risk from STI infection.

In the case of London, the picture is especially bleak. Public Health England recently announced that 13 per cent of sexually active gay and bisexual men living in London have HIV, compared to less than 4 per cent of those living outside the capital. Up to a quarter of HIV+ men living in London are unaware that they have it, and the rate of new infections there were 33 per cent higher in 2014 than in 2013.

AIDS is no longer a death sentence, but it appears that many young gay and bisexual men remain dangerously unaware of the prevalence of the disease and the extent to which they are at risk. The rise in the popularity of ‘chemsex’ parties, which use libido-enhancing drugs to fuel anonymous orgies, is particularly representative of this. We are running head-first towards another AIDS crisis, and increased awareness among both the community and the public as a whole is the only solution.

Gay and bisexual men are also more likely to have issues with body image and self esteem. The LGBT Foundation found that they are more dissatisfied with their physical fitness, height, weight, face, features, genitals, diet and muscularity than heterosexual men. The pressure to look good is relentless and it certainly takes its toll; although gay and bisexual men are more likely to have a healthy BMI, they are also far more likely to not meet the recommended levels of exercise, a statistic which is almost certainly influenced by the prevalence of eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

Mental health issues among the LGBT* community go much further than this. Researchers from Cambridge University recently found that whereas between 5 and 6 per cent of heterosexual men and women reported mental health issues, this figure rises to almost 15 per cent for gay men and 19 per cent for gay women. The LGBT Foundation revealed that in 2012/2013 it received calls from more than 2,000 people and offered 1,098 counselling sessions in Manchester alone.

The situation appears worse when it is considered that young LGBT* people seem to be more severely affected. This year, the LGBT Foundation found that young people who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual are almost four times more likely to make plans to kill themselves, and 3.6 times more likely to actually attempt suicide than their age demographic as a whole. The statistics for young trans people are even more disturbing—48 per cent of young trans people have made at least one suicide attempt, and a massive 85.2 per cent claim to have harmed themselves at least once. Over a third of young lesbian, gay and bisexual participants tried to kill themselves in the past twelve months, and over half of young LGBTQ+ people reported to have self-harmed either now or in the past.

Shamefully, LGBT* youth also represent a disproportionate number of young people who are homeless, with the top five issues highlighted by them being family rejection, mental health issues, alcohol abuse, homophobic bullying and sexual exploitation. Parental rejection was also the biggest factor behind participants being forced to sleep on the streets.

There is clearly a massive issue here, yet the political conversation fails to mention it and the NHS is often failing to provide adequate care. A considerable number of LGBT* people who access the health service have negative experiences which are specifically connected to their sexual orientation. Cambridge University found in 2014 that LGBT* people are 50 per cent more likely to report “negative experiences with primary care services,” and Stonewall has been especially critical of what it sees as systemic failures.

It found that when gay and bisexual men access the health system to diagnose, monitor, or treat mental and physical health problems, they are not treated with the compassion, confidentiality and openness needed.

Stonewall suggests that gay men often feel like they’re neglected by the health system, which is legally responsible to treat everyone equally, due to GPs focusing solely on their sexual health despite their increased likelihood to have depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

LGBT* people as a whole often feel like they can’t talk about issues openly with their GP due to anxieties about privacy and confidentiality. This has massive consequences for whether or not they take advice on all sorts of health issues and ultimately if they have access to the testing and monitoring.

Healthwatch, a state-funded watchdog, condemned the NHS earlier this year as treating trans people as “second class citizens” – some have to wait over a year for an appointment at a clinic, and the process of gender reassignment can sometimes take as long as six years.

The extent of the health problems faced by the LGBT* community is unique in its scale, yet it is also relatively unknown. If it is to be tackled, it needs to be discussed far more openly and frankly—in schools, Parliament, the media, and the health service. The NHS needs to better tailor its treatment for LGBT* patients, and—in the case of STI transmission and HIV infection—LGBT* people need to take on the responsibility to protect themselves and their community. Talking about the horrors of the 1980s is only the first step to achieving this.

University of Manchester’s Cheerleaders

To most people when they think of cheerleaders, the first thing that comes to mind is excited girls in short skirts shaking pom poms. Are we excited? Yeah! Do we shake pom poms? Of course! And our skirts? Well, you can’t really exercise in long skirts. But cheerleading is definitely more than that. When I joined the University of Manchester Cheerleaders (UMC) last year I completely underestimated how much work goes into being a cheerleader.

Cheerleading can be split into two types: competitive and motivational. Competitive cheerleading is based on a routine, where the team is judged on creativity and technique. Motivational cheerleading on the other hand, is more supportive. This is when cheerleaders go along to sports games to cheer teams on. As a sports society, we mainly focus on competing against other cheer teams around the UK, but when we can we love to cheer for our University of Mamchester sports teams!

Every year, we try to do at least three competitions and last year was quite successful for us. In the majority of the competitions we have participated in, our Elite team came in first, second or or third place, and our newly formed pom dance team came second in their first ever competition! However, winning ‘Sports Society of the Year 2014-15’ definitely had to be the cherry on top!

We have two teams that compete: the UMC Elite Squad and the UMC Honeybees.

Our first competition is always in November or December, so by mid-October we have already formed our Elite and Pom teams. The Elite team, depending on the competition, is made up of 15 – 35 people. The routines are a combination of tumbling, gymnastics, stunting, dancing and jumping. To make sure we hit a clean routine, we train three times a week. Training can definitely be pretty intense. We want to make sure that we can throw our flyers super high! So, alongside improving our stunting and gymnastic technique, one of our goals this year is definitely to improve our core fitness and strength. Our last session had us doing 120 sit-ups, 120 burpees and 70 toe-touch jumps! We don’t mess around!

The UMC Honeybees are our competitive pom dance team. Pom dance mainly focuses on the dancing side of cheer; there is no stunting at all. For our December competition, our pom dance team is made up of 15 people and every week, the Honeybees get together to learn their high-energy dance routine.

I joined cheer because I thought the uniform looked cool; I didn’t expect to like it this much, nor did I think that I was good enough to ever compete! I made it on to the team and in April we are going to be competing in Paris! Every year a wide variety of students come to the taster sessions. Some have experience in dancing, cheerleading, or gymnastics, but others, who are like me, have no experience at all.

I thought that this would hinder me a lot, but it didn’t and this is probably the main reason why I love UMC! As a team, they don’t just look for the most talented individuals, instead they look for people who are willing to try hard and improve their skills. Every Sunday, there are open sessions held in the Sugden Sports Centre. These two hour sessions are open to anyone, which is great if you want to learn new skills and see what cheerleading is about.

Check out our Facebook page, and message us if you have any enquiries.

Facebook: University of Manchester Cheerleaders

Twitter: @UMC_Cheer

Instagram: @UMC_Cheer

The University of Manchester’s Handball Club

The University of Manchester Handball Club have been around for over ten years, and last year we merged with our former Mancunian rivals Manchester Handball Club. The merge has proved successful in creating a stronger club with many volunteers, and a new energy has been injected into the student branch of the club. Also, do not worry—university students still compete in our traditional purple colours of the University of Manchester, when competing at student-only competitions. As handball is, unfortunately, not yet a BUCS sport, the biggest university handball event is the University Championships, organised by ABUHC (Association of British University Handball Clubs) on behalf of England Handball and Scotland Handball. This year’s championships kick off with a northern round in Leeds on November 28th-29th. With this in mind, the UMHC women’s and men’s teams are currently preparing for the upcoming tournament, and are feeling confident.

Josh is one of the volunteer coaches for handball, and is in his third year of playing handball for the University of Manchester Handball Club. He likes how the welcoming nature of the handball club makes it feel like a community, rather than a sports club. He’s excited for the upcoming Handball University Championships in Leeds, since this will be his final season with the handball club and wants to go out on a high. He also says that the atmosphere is always a good combination of excitement and competitiveness; he’s looking forward to playing as many games as possible in the famous purple shirt.

Emilie and Julie are two of the club’s newcomers this season. Originally from Norway and the Netherlands, they’re no strangers to handball, having played the game for 12 and 10 years respectively. Now students in Manchester since September, they have both enjoyed the many handball team socials and meeting new people from different countries and cultures. Handball is easy when you get the hang of it, says Emilie, and Julie encourages students to try it if they want to be a part of a fun bunch!

The University of Manchester Handball Club run free sessions for students on Mondays, 5-6pm, at the Sugden Sports Centre. Join us for a fun and friendly session, whether you’ve played before or if you are a complete beginner!

You can follow the team on Twitter: @manunihandball or check out local sessions on www.manchesterhandballclub.co.uk

A tribute to the music of Paris

It’s almost impossible to know what to write, or what use writing anything can really be, in response to the tragic events of the last week. However, it would be wrong to not somehow address them. The reaction to the Paris attacks in comparison with other events around the world has rightly been debated, but no number of sanctimonious Facebook posts can prove to be a remedy to deepset and widespread grief. The perpetrators clearly wanted to make a symbolic rejection of the diverse culture that we all enjoy and engage with, and this in particular struck a chord with the British public. Paris is a city with an almost unparalleled cultural and musical acumen, it is right that we now stand in solidarity to pay tribute to it and ensure that it lives on.

Throughout modern European history, the music of Paris has been hugely influential, from the definitive works of Jean-Baptiste Lully in the Baroque era, to David Guetta pioneering the Euro House sound that has infected much of modern pop music. The romantic accordion playing of the bal-musette style is the iconic sound of Paris to many; anyone who has visited will be familiar with it. The city also has a fantastic jazz scene. It is particularly known as the home of Gypsy jazz. Django Reinhardt moved to Paris in a caravan as a young boy and went on to revolutionize jazz guitar playing.

In the 1950s and 60s, Paris-based singers such as Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel gained popularity worldwide with their mastery of the French chanson style. Later, the diverse and divisive works of Serge Gainsbourg created another icon. In the late 1990s, Parisian duo Daft Punk came to global fame, and have been dominating electronic and pop music ever since. Indie rock band Phoenix have found increasing success in recent years and show the role Parisian musicians have to play in almost every popular genre. The city, of course, also feeds into the more alternative aspects of music, with labels such as Cracki Records continuing to put out great releases by bands like Apes & Horses. In the days before the tragic events, Cracki in fact released the debut EP of Los Porcos, a surf rock band featuring three members of Manchester’s now disbanded WU LYF.

It is important to note that, throughout its history, Paris’s reputation as a musical hub has relied on immigrants and talented performers from around the world making Paris their home. Frustrated by racism and segregation in the USA, Josephine Baker found an adoring audience in the intellectuals of Paris’s jazz age, going on to forge a legendary career in music and dance. Composer Igor Stravinsky lived in Paris for much of his life, with his revolutionary and avant-garde composition The Rite Of Spring being premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in 1913. Mercury prize nominee Benjamin Clementine moved to Paris at 19, taking inspiration from the passionate vocals of Edith Piaf, and honing his craft in the streets of the city.

The global reach of this great musical city helps us to acknowledge the international nature of music and its unifying power. Sharing music is incredibly important to us as human beings, it is an inspiring force that can accompany all of us through the ups and downs of life—the key role of music in every wedding and funeral shows this. This is why music often comes to the fore in the aftermath of important events. In locations as diverse as France’s parliament and Wembley stadium, rousing renditions of La Marseillaise have helped people to express grief and solidarity. Much of the political discussion about the threat to a ‘shared way of life’ in the wake of the Paris attacks has been exclusionary and founded on xenophobia, but music is one thing that truly can unify people, transcending nationalities and religions. It would be easy to be reactionary and look for divisions in the aftermath of recent global events; however, we need to focus more on what unites us and have compassion as we move forward in difficult times. Indeed, renditions of ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon and ‘Around The World’ by Daft Punk have already been powerful global expressions of unity and remembrance. One can only hope that music can continue to be of some small hope to those grieving, wherever they may be.

Live: Palma Violets

17th November 2015

Sound Control

8/10

Palma Violets continue to be one of the best indie rock bands active in the UK, and certainly one of the best to go and see live. The intimacy of the venue and the instantaneous and prolonged energy of both the band and crowd ensured that it was a very small minority of gig goers who did not come out of there drenched in sweat.

Head banging and mosh pits are guaranteed at their gigs, in no small part due to the stage presence, charisma, and energy of their leading men: singer/guitarist Sam Fryers, and bassist Chilli Jesson. There is a symbiotic relationship with their adoring fans, with the band feeding off the punters’ enthusiasm, and the crowd lapping up the pseudo-Clash/Libertines vibes.

The group’s debut album, 180, is one of my all-time favourite albums, and certainly one of the best debut records of this century. It’s one of very few albums I can assuredly say is full of “wall-to-wall bangers”. However, their follow-up album, Danger in the Club, did not reach the artistic (or chart) heights of their first. Whether consciously or not, the band may well recognise this, as the setlist was equally balanced between songs from 180 and Danger. If this gig were a fruitcake, Paul Hollywood would be waxing lyrical on the evenness of the fruit distribution.

My main gripe with the night was not with anything the band did; rather, it was the fact that, in the year 2015, Sound Control has no card payment facility at the bar (though the signs around the bar promise that this will be rectified at an unspecified future date).

Despite the incredible fun had at the gig, as a band, Palma Violets appear to be at something of a crossroads. They have a dedicated and incredibly enthusiastic young fan base (the vast majority appeared to be aged between 16 and 24), but it is striking that, three years after the NME had named their first single, ‘Best of Friends’, as their song of the year, they’re still playing their gigs at venue like Sound Control. Don’t get me wrong, I love that their gigs take place in smaller venues—there’s a far greater connection between performers and fans that way—but it is increasingly difficult to envisage the band reaching the astronomical heights that I’ve wanted them to achieve for years. Hopefully their upcoming support of The Vaccines on tour will change that inkling of mine.

However, if this is their ‘level’ as a group, and they continue churning out high-powered, high energy records for indie lovers to lap up and mosh to, then their fans will not care one iota. The devotion of their fans was illustrated when, once the band finally left the stage, the crowd broke into a spontaneous rendition of ‘Best of Friends’.

The acquisitions of empire

Upon an orchestra striking up the tunes ‘Crown Imperial’ or ‘Rule Britannia’, one tends to suffer from a severe case of the goose bumps. The kind of music that makes one feel proud to be British and to take pride in our glorious history as a small island that has continuously punched above its weight on the world stage. These tunes are also, however, associated with our imperial past, which has, in the last few months, come back to bite us in the arse, with a host of different nations seeking to extract some form of recompense for our ancestors’ actions. We should not feel any guilt for what our forefathers did and we most certainly should not start paying reparations or begin giving stuff back.

I only bring this subject to the attention of The Mancunion‘s readership because of the recent actions of a group of wealthy Indians who are trying to sue the Queen for the return of the kohinoor diamond, one of the largest and most impressive components in the crown jewels. It is nothing more than these people throwing their toys out of the pram and being damned ungrateful to boot. Her late majesty, Queen Victoria, acquired the diamond after a treaty was struck with the kingdom of the Punjab and its young ruler decided to present the diamond to the Queen in person as a sign of his loyalty. It was not seized from the hands of some helpless Indians, but gifted to Britain: A sign of our strength, which echoes the sentiments of the famous painting that still hangs in the foreign office, entitled ‘Britannia Receiving the Riches of the East’. I say this is ungrateful of them because of what India might have been like had Britain never administered the continent. It was general practice in India to burn a widow alive on her husband’s funeral pyre at the time that the British arrived, and it was thanks to Britain that the practice was quashed. What would India be like without its railways, its parliament, its education system or cricket? I perish the thought.

The Elgin marbles are another matter of contention, and although Greece was not a British territory, the Greeks will say that their nation was robbed of the antiquities by the British and that they deserve them back. Well to that I say, they deserve nothing of the sort. When the pieces were acquired by the 7th Earl of Elgin, then ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and a noted collector, there was no such thing as a Greek nation, nor had there ever really been one previously. Greece was but a province of the Ottoman Empire and Elgin dealt with the legitimate government of Greece at the time. If there had been a Greek government to talk to, then Elgin would have naturally had to go through them, but there wasn’t, so he couldn’t. If Britain suddenly started to give back artefacts taken from other countries, the museums of the western world would empty at lightning speed as it would set a dangerous precedent of repatriation to countries that might not be the safest place for such artefacts.

This leads us on very nicely to another matter of imperial looting that occurred during the second opium war; this time with the 8th Earl of Elgin responsible for the acquisition. A joint force of British and French troops managed to defeat the Chinese and proceeded to sack the Emperor’s summer palace. The event has become an embarrassment for the Chinese and while I do not condone such thuggery, with the advantage of hindsight it is clear that Britain should keep hold of the loot for one simple reason; the Chinese cannot be trusted. Such a statement may appall some readers, but it is the truth. This is the country that started a ‘cultural revolution’ and in the process, destroyed many of its own antiques and precious historical objects that did not agree with its communist one-party state ideology. Had Britain not been in possession of these thousands of items, they might well have been destroyed for ever and their knowledge and beauty lost to the flame and the hammer of the philistines. If China were to transition to a liberal democracy, I would be the first to advocate their return. But, while China’s government remains a fan of censorship and totalitarianism they can not be trusted to look after such significant pieces of history.

So readers, I hope I have persuaded you. If not, then it is your loss. But think for one moment, not with your emotions but with rationality. Explore the history and legality around such items before you jump on the bandwagon and to advocate the ‘return’ of treasures. Imagine if Colchester were to suddenly start asking Norfolk County council for reparations because of Boudicca’s sacking. It may be hard to accept, but modern international law and principles did not apply in the eighteenth century. So we can not and should not apply them to issues which for all intents and purposes should not be issues in the first place.

Preview: For What It’s Worth

For What It’s Worth is a project that showcases emerging contemporary artists by utilising disused urban spaces at the heart of the city. It is formed by Jeni Allison and Rebecca Stevens—both students at the University of Manchester—who work at well-known art galleries in public-facing roles. The exhibition is a much-needed platform for young creatives living in Greater Manchester.

It is through working at these cultural institutions and in conversations with colleagues that they realised the creative potential of their peer group, many of whom are practising artists and makers. With fewer opportunities to gain funding and support in the current political climate, For What It’s Worth creates a pedestal for the twenty artists, who have struggled for recognition in a culture of arts-cuts and the obstacles of closed-institutions.

Jeni and Rebecca have pinpointed Lincoln House—now an empty space—for the site of the exhibition. It stands at the heart of Manchester’s Spinningfields (an area known for its suited professionals and expensive cocktail bars) as a direct response to the inescapable connection between art and money today. As small businesses are priced-out of the city centre and an increasing number of premises are left empty, the exhibition aims to enliven these mothballed properties to assess the worth of arts and culture.

Many of the exhibiting artists work on zero hour contracts, and as a result, exhibition spaces are ordinarily unaffordable; with the kind assistance of Ben Young at Capital Properties, the building is once again accessible to the public for the duration of the exhibition. The building that once housed offices of solicitors and insurance companies is destined for demolition next year, standing as a prescient metaphor for the fast-paced and ever-changing art world.

Following months of collaborative effort, Lincoln House will play host to a wide range of creative work, from oil paintings and watercolours, poetry, creative writing, film, sculpture, textiles and performance art.

The exhibition can be seen at Lincoln House, Deansgate (opposite John Rylands Library) between the 7th and 11th of December 2015

You can keep up to date with all the goings-on through their Twitter feed @fwiw15 as well as forwhatitsworth.wordpress.com!

Walking lanes are a sad sign of society’s bigger problems

A few weeks ago, Liverpool became the first UK city to open a ‘walking lane’. These special lanes are designed for people walking with purpose. Similar systems can be found in Antwerp and Chongqing, although these have been designated as ‘text-walking’ lanes. Both aim to tackle the same problem: The distracted walker with a smartphone addiction.

Although the idea is great for purposeful pedestrians with somewhere to be, it is a sad reflection on our ongoing love affair with technology. It is almost paternalistic, forcing us to rely on guidelines to get us from A to B because a large percentage of our society cannot ignore their phones for more than five minutes.

It is obvious that our walking is affected by our smartphones, and studies have even proven this, but this is the least of our worries when it comes to our addiction. Our mental capacities and social lives are being greatly affected too.

Most significantly, the problem has exacerbated our ever-diminishing attention span.

The problem is clear in many young people, including myself. When your smartphone is constantly in your pocket—almost touching you—its presence is forever there. Inevitably it becomes extremely difficult to go five minutes without checking for any updates, messages, or nothing at all. More often than not nothing is what you will find—you will be left holding a black mirror rather than any burning information—but that does not stop you checking again within five minutes.

Despite your habitual checking and rechecking, you know that if anything important were to come through, your phone would alert you anyway. But, this does not matter, so you check it again. This situation is common amongst the smartphone generation and is only getting worse at the younger end of the spectrum. We are, after all, a demographic who have never experienced life without a WiFi-enabled phone.

Although it may be an exaggerated, purist attitude, I believe the addiction is also ruining our experience of life. With part of our minds always on our phones, nothing is ever experienced to its full potential. Our attention is often somewhere else, meaning we are never really present. I now seem to to cherish those days where I am completely ‘off-the-grid’, only connected with what is around me.

Since there is now an app for everything, and a whole world of information is at our fingertips, we have begun to discover so much less for ourselves. Information is good, of course, but having it so close, and so easily accessible, means we appreciate its value far less. We no longer take the time to rationalise, to think, to figure out the answers to questions. Eventually, we may become reliant on a constant connection to the ‘Cloud’, struggling to cope in any situation where it is no longer present.

Our social relationships are also damaged through this unhealthy addiction. Just as our own experiences fail to get full attention, so to do our friends. Whilst on our phones, we may be in one conversation and at the same time someone may be sitting right in front of us trying to have another conversation, and both sides get a half-baked version of the real thing. While it would be considered rude to walk away from one conversation to join another, this is effectively what is done in these circumstances. No-one would bat an eyelid if someone were to get their phone out mid-conversation, ignoring the person at present to respond to another through their phone. Our friendships are therefore becoming damaged, as when we are on our phones all the time, the time spent with one another in real life is never fully appreciated.

All this considered, I am not advocating the rejection of smartphones completely. It may be argued that we survived without them before, so we should not need them now, but I do not think this is a great response. Progress is good and we learn to adapt with new pieces of technology. When the wheel was invented, people did not reject it because they survived without it before. People adapted their lives to use it to their advantage. However, in the case of the smartphone, we must be careful that the extent to which we using them is really to our advantage.

It does not seem like a progressive step when people become so anxious and uncomfortable without their phones that they are forced to bring their charger everywhere. People need to use their own initiative and really consider whether the excessive use is necessary and whether it actually has improved their lives.

In most cases, I believe we would be able to appreciate our lives far better if we were to dedicate our full attention to the real life, off-screen people and events around us.

In the wake of Paris, Islam must be embraced by the West

Friday the 13th in Paris was a landmark occasion; one that saw the so-called IS’s threat to the West come alive.

Although we are faced with snowballing security measures from governments across the world, we need to stop seeing terrorism as a danger that should only be dealt with by the actions of states.

Terrorist groups such as IS only thrive to the extent that they can divide, terrorise and rupture societies. Writing in The Guardian, Yuval Noah Harari explains why terrorists have such ambitious political aims while inflicting relatively miniscule damage to the states that they target: “Terrorists calculate that when the enraged enemy uses its massive power against them, it will raise a much more violent military and political storm than the terrorists themselves could ever create.” Draconian legislation and the marginalisation of Muslims is precisely the aim of these acts of violence. It is now, during our most fragile hour, that we need to learn from our mistakes of the past.

The construction of a narrative is at the heart of the battle between the West and the extremists. The social group at the epicentre of this war over hearts and minds is Muslims living in the West. The ability to convince Muslim people living in the West that they are better off living in the so-called Caliphate is part of what keeps the Islamic State alive. This is done by provoking Islamophobic sentiment through the killing of innocents. “This is precisely what ISIS was aiming for—to provoke [non-Muslim] communities to commit atrocities against Muslims,” said Arie Kruglanski, a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, who studies radicalisation. “Then IS will be able to say, ‘I told you so. These are your enemies, and the enemies of Islam.’”

It is the role of wider society, not the state, to embrace Muslims living in the West as friends, instead of unjustifiably branding them as enemies.

Since 9/11 and 7/7 there has been an unprecedented spike in Islamophobic violence and hate crimes. More so, anti-Muslim hate crimes have been rising steadily in both the UK and the USA. The more Islamophobic the West becomes, the more strength is given to the narrative that IS uses to recruit young, estranged Muslim men. The stats tell a grim story: Hate crimes against Muslims in London have risen by 70 per cent in the past year, according to Metropolitan Police statistics. While in the USA, only 27 per cent of Americans whom were polled had a favourable view of Muslims, compared to 47 per cent in October 2011. It is exactly this persecution that the propagandists behind IS highlight when trying to convince Muslims across the Western world that they simply do not belong in Western society, and should devote their lives to destroying it.

Islamophobia among these populations is in part fuelled by clumsy and insensitive rhetoric from politicians. Comments from certain Republican 2016 presidential candidates demonstrate the rhetoric that ostracises and demonises ordinary Muslims living in the West. Donald Trump, speaking last Monday about the subject of closing down mosques, said, “I would hate to do it, but it’s something you’re going to have to strongly consider, because some of the ideas and some of the hatred is coming from these areas.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, too, argued it would be “lunacy” to let more Muslims, even refugees, into the USA. Of course, Trump and Cruz are not mainstream politicians by British standards, but they certainly have a role in shaping the perception towards Muslim communities.

After the Paris murders, we must try to not be engulfed in grief, fear and chaos. This is exactly what IS aims to do: Divide societies and pit Muslims against non-Muslims. We must detach religious fanatics from ordinary Muslim people. To the rational mind, inciting hatred directed towards a Muslim person for the crimes of IS is no more logical than demonising a white American for the crimes of neo-Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan.

It is all too easy to scapegoat the “other” in society, as history has repeatedly shown us. Our ability to buck this trend will be a promising sign of the ability for humankind to morally progress.

It is not enough to let states throughout the West enhance security and surveillance expenditure. Although this may foil imminent terrorist attacks, it does nothing positive to shape the relations between Muslims and non-Muslims living in Western states. Legislation or military action alone will not win the battle against terrorism.

It is time for politicians, the media, imams, rabbis, civil institutions, community groups, university societies and the like to make Muslims in the West feel like insiders, not outsiders. This is the only way that we can stem the flow of hate and fear that keeps terrorism alive.

CAU: A steak to rival all others

The freshest addition to the throng of restaurants that line West Didsbury’s high street, CAU has given more than a lick of paint to the former residence of Zizzi’s. Widely anticipated by locals and students alike, if you’ve not heard of CAU before, you’ll soon discover that it is part of a chain taking the UK by storm.

Photo: CAU

The interior, still glistening new, does not transport diners back to the sprawling countryside of Argentina, but rather a chic eatery in the vibrant city of Buenos Aires. In lieu of slipping into the typical shell of a restaurant chain with a safe palette and neutral tones, CAU opts to buck the trend with ceilings emanating a brilliant clear sky, and walls of fresh green grass. Lit by the mellow glow of the clouds that hang from the ceiling, the restaurant exudes a warm, modish ambience.

Although Argentinian cuisine could not be described as delicate, here at CAU, it retains a certain level of sophistication. The menu oozes flavour from the sumptuous sides to monstrous steaks.

Small plates. Photo: CAU

The empanadas, Argentina’s miniature response to the Cornish pasty, came with a Latino kick. Once opened, they revealed fierce flavours and appetising aromas. For a menu that boasts so much meat, the vegetarian option of spinach, ricotta and date empanadas were anything but neglected. The ricotta mellowed the sweet aftertaste of the dates as the spinach restored the equilibrium of the parcel’s savouriness. In their meaty alternatives the cream cheese tamed the tangy fire of the chorizo.

In keeping with tradition, red wine was ordered alongside the beef rump, and white alongside the tuna steak. The Piche Merlot accompanying the rump was a reason to visit CAU in itself, the kind of wine that will make you tip your head back and exclaim “God! That’s good!”; my fellow diner struggled to restrain the urge to finish it before their steak had even arrived.

Despite its ill-fit alongside the tuna steak, the coupling of cheese and truffle in CAU’s macaroni cheese, was too hard to resist. The breadcrumbs atop it, however, did not add to the experience, and perhaps degraded it.

Crusted with piquant pepper and accompanied by a grilled lime to squeeze over it, the tuna steak was delectable to the tongue. Light and fresh, this dish will leave you suitably satisfied.

Medallion Steak. Photo: CAU

It’s hard to believe the idiom ‘melt in your mouth’ can apply to a steak of all foods, but CAU doesn’t serve your typical standard of steak. Instead it’s the kind that will leave you wondering why you ever went for steak anywhere else. Although it may fall short of a steak devoured in Rio de Janeiro, this divine rump will still certainly leave you wishing you had left room for another.

Despite being greeted with a pre-emptive warning of delay, because the restaurant was packed to the brim, service was prompt and practically flawless. Attentive, welcoming and friendly, the waitress was easy-going, yet decidedly diligent.

The dessert menu was not enough to tempt us to undo our jeans by another button on this occasion, the choices conforming, just slightly, to the standard—though ever-popular—fare you might expect. However, the lure of the cornflake ice cream, yes you read right-cornflake, will certainly have me returning at some point in the near future.

Price: £££

700 Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester
M20 2DN

Kyotoya

Stepping from a typical dodgy Manchester road into Kyotoya is like stepping through a magic wardrobe into food Narnia. The restaurant is afloat with red paper lanterns and fairy-lights, which give a lovely scarlet tinge and orange warmth to the intimate restaurant.

As we sat nestled in comfort, our first starter, Kimchi, arrived. This Korean dish, essentially fermented cabbage with spicy seasonings, does not sound like the most appetising of dishes (in fact, far from it!) The sour creation was served refreshingly cold and peppered with red dashes of chilli, whose spicy kick Kate clearly couldn’t handle. Perhaps a little too pungent for some, Gina loved it and thought it should be more aptly-named Golden Kimchi due to its sparkling appearance.

Typically paired with all meals (including breakfast), it comes as no surprise that South Korea measures up as one of the slimmest nations in the world, given how much cabbage they consume. Up next was the Shichimi Tofu. This was grilled tofu served with garlic and chilli in a dark salty broth. With four generous slabs of soft and spongy tofu, this dish is ideal for cold winter nights – pleasantly counteracting the Kimchi’s spicy taste and texture.

For our main course we decided to be daring and chose the Mixed Sushi 12 pieces, letting the expert chefs choose our sushi for us. The dish arrived in a delightful wooden boat, with ginger and wasabi tucked into the helm and flowers positioned delicately amongst the Maki and Nigiri.

The selection did not disappoint: Old favourites such as Salmon and Tuna Nigiri sat alongside more adventurous offerings such as Squid Nigiri and Inari, a sweetly fried parcel of tofu wrapped around rice.

Apart from the Squid Nigiri, which was too tough for our liking, every single piece of sushi hit the spot. The salmon and tuna melted in the mouth, and the California Maki perfectly balanced the flavours of avocado and salmon.

The Sweet Eggs Nigiri, which Kate had never tried before this point out of fear of the unknown, was a surprisingly delicious break from the largely fish-oriented plate. Mixed platters are a fantastic choice when eating a cuisine you aren’t familiar with, and we highly recommend this one.

Alongside this we attempted to maintain the air of unforeseen delight, and chose the Tobiko California Maki, made of crab roe. Apart from being awkwardly sized, this dish was as fresh and flavoursome as the rest of the sushi, and had a delicate fishy flavour, which even those who do not love fish might be able to enjoy.

Prepared to order, Kyotoya’s sushi is some of the freshest and tastiest in Manchester, without the normal drawback of robbed pockets. One word of advice—don’t go here on a first date, as the large sushi pieces don’t exactly make for dainty eating! However, if you want a truly satisfying meal that doesn’t cost the world and leaves you wanting to come back the very next day, this is the restaurant for you.

Kyotoya
28 Copson St,
Withington
M20 3HB