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Day: 7 March 2017

International Women’s Day

Celebrations for International Women’s Day kicked off this weekend! More events will be taking place throughout campus and Greater Manchester this week. Jenni Smyth, Women’s Officer, asks us to  #BeBoldForChange and take advantage of “the opportunity to bring together women from different faiths, cultures and societies … whilst also challenging the issue of gender disparity.”

Here is a list of events happening on the day…

Wednesday 8th March
On Campus:

The Sisterhood Movement: Tea Party Edition
12:30 – 15:00, Students’ Union

FBMH International Women’s Day Celebration: Engendering Change
12:30 – 16:00, Roscoe Building

Nancy Rothwell WISE Talk
15:00 – 16:00, Roscoe Lecture Theatre B

Wonder Women in the Culture Sector
15:30 – 17:00, Manchester Museum

International Women’s Day Spoken Word Event
18:00 – 19:00, UoM Student’s Union

Asylum Monologues – Refugee Mother
19:00 – 22:00, Academy 3, Students’ Union
For more details and more events during the week see
http://manchesterstudentsunion.com/iwd

Around Manchester:

Danish-style bike ride and breakfast
08:00, St Werburgh’s Road Metrolink, Manchester

Home-Fires
16:00 – 18:00, Manchester Central Library, Performance Space

Levenshulme women’s Group food taster
10:00 – 12:00, Levenshulme Inspire, 747 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme

Living History – Strike a light – A match girl’s story
13:15 – 14:00, People’s History Museum
What the Feminist Theologians Say…
Tuesday 7 March – Sunday 26 March, Manchester Cathedral

For more details and events see
http://bit.ly/2mmnIcU.

Meet Tomokazu Harimoto, the 13-year old table tennis wonder kid

When I think back to what I was doing when I was 13 years old it’s hard to think past messing around with my friends in school and then spending endless carefree hours on my PlayStation when I came home.

There were no life pressures and the biggest worry I had was whether the girl I had a crush on in school noticed who I was.

Yet for Tomokazu Harimoto 13 is the where he has taken the professional world of Table Tennis by storm.

Table Tennis — a game of technique, agility, and explosive speed, has been dominated in the last decade by China. The current top four in the world are from the nation, and they have held a firm grip over the sport’s three biggest events — the Olympic Games, the World Singles Championship, and the World Team Championship — for over a decade.

It’s hard to think of another sport that is more dominated than the autonomy that China has over Table Tennis.

Their grip is so strong the sport’s governing body, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) had to cap the number of Chinese players allowed to play in the World Championship, with only five allowed to enter.

The Table Tennis world has been desperately seeking for a talent who can potentially defeat the all-conquering Chinese.

There have been times where the world thought they found their man — Jun Mitzutani and Dimitrij Ovtcharov were seen as the people to do it in modern times, but they have never been able to truly stop the leading Chinese players.

However, with Tomokazu Harimoto, the world may have just found that person.

Born in 2003 in Japan, Harimoto was destined to be a record breaker in the sport. Both his parents competed for China in the 1990s and placed a bat in their son’s hands when he was at the age of two.

In his short time on tour the records are already tumbling: in October 2015 he became the youngest player ever to progress to the first round of an ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles event at the Polish Open. In June 2016, he became the youngest male to ever win an under-21 world tour event at the Japan Open. In December, he became the youngest player to ever win the Junior World Championship, an event for the globe’s best players under the age of 18, where the previous youngest winner was 15. Last month, he became the youngest male player to ever reach a pro-tour final after getting all the way to the last game at the Indian Open.

Harimoto has already placed himself firmly in the Top 100 in the world rankings and astonishingly is the youngest player in the Top 250.

At times it’s felt that the world has been so desperate to find a player to match the Chinese that they gave the torch to people who were no way ready or able to handle the pressure, but everything just seems different with this young man.

In a recent interview Harimoto declared “My ultimate dream is to be 2020 Olympic champion in Tokyo.”

The Japanese sports authorities certainly believe this dream can be — they recently placed him at the centre of their new and extremely expensive Olympic Medal programme.

He seems to relish having the spotlight shined firmly on him, proven by the ease in which he competed in front of thousands of watching countrymen in his home tournament last summer.

There is no doubt we are witnessing the beginnings of a future superstar who finally, after years of torment, could be the world’s answer to the Chinese medal-winning monopoly.

Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Hustings

The Greater Manchester Chambers of Commerce played host to another hustings on Thursday 2nd of March, which saw a modest fifty-odd people in attendance.

The most recent event in the race to be the region’s first elected mayor, gave the candidates of the three largest parties the opportunity to set out their priorities on the future of health and social care in the region.

Chaired by the Guardian’s North of England Correspondent, Nazia Parveen, the discussions focused on improving patient care, workforce and innovation.

There was a resounding agreement from all three candidates on prioritising prevention over cure; for Labour’s Andy Burnham, by way of boosting physical activity and vowing to invest 15 per cent of his mayoral salary to help the homeless, for Conservative candidate Sean Anstee, by make housing safer, and for Jane Brophy of the Liberal Democrats, by seeing the bigger picture of climate change, integrated policing and employment opportunities.

Though it was probably not what Antonis Papasolomontos of pharmaceutical company AbbVie wanted to hear, Burnham spoke of “empowering people to regain control of their health rather than thinking of themselves as patients who should be passive recipients of medicine”.

In view of the 23 per cent reduction in nursing applications since the removal of state-funded bursaries, Janine Dyson from the Royal College of Nursing flagged up the looming crisis of shrinking staff numbers and workforce morale. While Burnham thinks best “to keep profit out of health care” and proposed a deal of repaying loans to students who stay working in Greater Manchester, Brophy chose to focus on finding new ways of getting revenue, given that 5-7 per cent of those currently in training are from the EU.

The Liberal Democrat also recognised, in response to Tony Warne from the University of Salford, that leaving the EU is a big setback in terms of putting research at risk and stressed the need “to fight for funding”. But Anstee described his vision of Manchester as a “global power” — “I’m not in this race just to make up the numbers but to win it”.

Meanwhile Burnham pledged to “put young people at the heart” of his manifesto and drove home his wide-ranging parliamentary experience, but Brophy bit back by calling attention to her own frontline involvement with services, as life-long resident of the region and a carer herself: “Real problems need real solutions, not just the top-down that we’ve had for the last 30 years”.

Though the mood remained relatively calm for the most part of the evening, Burnham did take care to correct the “glossing over” of Anstee’s “positive narrative”, and was quick to reopen old wounds regarding the previous Department for Work and Pensions budget; “good start Sean but we need to see much more!”

I caught up with PPE student Charlie Spargo shortly after to hear his thoughts: “Andy Burnham was the clear winner of tonight’s hustings, though Sean Anstee also came out looking strong”.

“I was surprised, however, that the event, being focused on health and social care, was held far from any of the city’s hospitals and on an invitation-only basis, stifling what could have been an engaging discussion on what is probably the most important issue of the moment”.

Wonder Women Festival lands in Manchester

Wonder Women 2017 marks the fourth in a five year creative countdown to the 100 year anniversary of women gaining their first right to vote. Continuing until March 12th, the feminist festival will explore radical feminism through various mediums, including workshops, tours, talks, theatre, music and exhibitions.

All of these events will take place across Manchester, celebrating the city as the birthplace of the suffragette movement, and the success of activism almost a century after the fight for female rights were won.

Brought to us by the People’s History Museum and Creative Tourist, the latter states “Wonder Women 2017 asks how far we’ve come in 100 years — and how far we have yet to go.”

But with so much happening over the city, and just one week left how are you possibly supposed to make a decision? Well, we’ve picked our favourites for the final seven days of feminist celebration to help you come to a decision.

6th March

‘Enriqueta Rylands: behind every man is a great woman’ at The John Rylands Library

Enriqueta Rylands is the founder of the distinguished John Rylands Library, dedicated to the memory of her beloved philanthropist husband. This free tour takes you on a journey through this great woman’s vision for this world-class building, including an insight into her life and work.

7th March

‘Daughters of Manchester: The Intriguing Story of the Jewsbury Sisters’ at The Portico

Geraldine and Maria-Jane Jewsbury were both writers during a Victorian age that required them to be something less intelligent. Geraldine Jewsbury wrote six novels, along with hundreds of literary reviews for The Athenaeum, though she was advised to abandon her ‘foolish’ and ‘unwomanly course forever’. Maria-Jane died at only thirty-three, though William Wordsworth believed she had true talent and even dedicated a number of poems to her and her memory. This exhibition reveals the fascinating lives of these female incredible writers. Tickets for the event cost at £4.71.

8th March

‘Wonder Women Guided Tour’ at the People’s History Museum 

This event is exactly what it says on the tin. You will be taken on a guided tour of the museum’s main galleries including their current headline exhibition Never Going Underground: the fight for LGBT+ rights. The tour will take you through the ways in which women campaigned for equality and for better working conditions, as well as equal rights for working class women.

9th March

‘Thursday Lates: Drawing from the Wider World’ at The Whitworth

The University of Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery hosts Deanna Petherbridge as she talks of the incredible places and spaces that have inspired her artworks, and literary triumphs. Her stories will guide us through her travels across the Middle-East, South and East Asia over the life-long career. Taking place alongside Petherbridge’s current exhibition, the evening’s event will include a live performance from Asian female musicians to accompany her artwork.

10th March

‘Gendering Revolution’ at the Irish Heritage Centre

Gendering Revolution will be the opening piece for Con & Eva, which explores the lives of the aristocratic Anglo-Irish sisters, Constance Markievicz and Eva Gore-Booth. Both women were of privileged backgrounds, though neither settled for the life that was given to them. Markievicz became a revolutionary nationalist, suffragette, socialist and was one of those who led the Easter Rising. Gore-Booth became a poet, dramatist, pacifist and committed suffragist. She spent much of her life in Manchester where she and her partner Esther Roper campaigned for equal employment and voting rights for working-class women. This event explores the lives of these brave women and their huge contribution to the LGBT community.

11th March

Girl Gang Manchester #2: ‘Bridesmaids’ at 53two 

While a lot of the events are free, this one has tickets for £15.00, but don’t let that put you off! Firstly, it’s an immersive screening of our favourite modern comedy classic Bridesmaids. It’s also by the celebrates Girl Gang Manchester, who just know how to give their audience a good time. There’ll be prosecco, party bags, and you’ll even get to attend Lillian’s over-the-top Parisian themed bridal shower, the wedding, and a wedding disco to end the night. We can only dream that Wilson Phillips will attend. Oh, and fancy dress is encouraged.

12th March

Sophie Willan: On Record at The Lowry

This event is also a paid one, tickets start from £12.00, but it’s set to be a stand-out event. The piece is also part of SICK Festival, and takes us through the true, unconventional upbringing of Sophie Willan using real records and her own take on the experts involved in her assessments. A deep, and personal one-off performance On Record is one woman’s life, shared for all to see.

So, if the Spice Girls didn’t give you enough girl power in your childhood, explore the power of women through the Wonder Women festival. Women rule.

Cambridge University college under fire for “cultural misrepresentation” of food items

Pembroke College in Cambridge is facing heavy criticism from students as food items with names like ‘Jamaican Stew’ and ‘Tunisian Rice’ have been labelled “cultural misrepresentations”.

The Sunday Times reported that one student commented on Facebook: “Dear Pembroke catering staff, stop mixing mango and beef and calling it ‘Jamaican stew’. I’m actually half Jamaican pls show me where in the Carribean they mix fruit and meat [sic].”

The student added: “I’m used to as a minority student being constantly invalidated when flagging up specific issues but if people feel their cultures are misrepresented they have they right to address this. Microaggressions are a reality of everyday existence for many people of colour.”

Another student complained about a different item, saying: “sorry but what is this we don’t eat these tings in Tunisia [sic].” The item in question was “cauliflower, date, and tofu tagine with Tunisian rice and coriander yoghurt.”

Other students chimed in and identified foods they were unhappy with. One said: “Sort out your Chinese chicken.”

Another complained about an item closer to home: “Don’t get me started on the Yorkshire puddings!”

Andrew Cates, the bursar at Pembroke College told The Sunday Times: “As a college which prides itself on the high standards of our cuisine and wants all our students of diverse backgrounds to feel a valued part of our community, we encourage our catering staff to take the views of any of our students seriously.”

However, not all students agree that Pembroke College should be so heavily criticised for this.

According to The Times, one student said:”You’ve got to be pretty privileged to have the time to sit and moan about the naming of the food you eat at one of the best universities in the world.”

One student also expressed their concern for the Pembroke College college staff members under fire: “If a member of Pembroke catering staff saw the original post, they might be dismayed, given the relative privileges afforded to all the students at Pembroke in comparison to the work they do to turn around lunch every day.

“So is there a better way to inform them when they’ve misrepresented a culture and that it’s offensive, even perhaps without meaning to be?”

It has since been reported that the complaints were raised at the college food committee meeting. The decision has been taken to “do more to avoid offending anyone else”.

Live: Sophie Ellis-Bextor

23rd February at Gorilla

7/10

Sophie Ellis-Bextor (SEB) is back to rock the stage with her 6th studio album Familia, just three years after her last tour visit to Manchester for her album Wanderlust. Demonstrating that variety is the spice of life (second only to paprika, of course), SEB played a thumping set list containing material new and old, covers and intimate acoustic renditions.

Like a posh gazelle, she struts on stage in near-darkness to a powerful, grooving beat, and without saying a word plunges straight in to the first two tracks from her latest album. Although they sound great, her movements seem slightly awkward and tense. However, after a few minutes of saucy flirtation both she and the audience are visibly more at ease.

The first part of the set is formed predominantly of songs from the new album. While these are lively pop songs, they’re all met with slightly muted appreciation from the audience. However, an ultrafast rendition of ’13 Little Dolls’, the live version of which can only be described as nü-folk-pop, sends an upsurge of energy throughout the audience and the entire room is finally on the same wavelength.

Musically, the band are tight and put on a polished and well-rehearsed performance, including some fantastic backing singers/violinists. Most songs seem to be driven by the bass guitar, although the levels in the venue were slightly off as keys and guitar were quiet at times. The band provided an understated and modest backing, allowing the focus to be on our Sophie.

Throughout the rest of the set, SEB communicates superbly and even takes a slight break to give an insight into the development of her song writing process over the past half-decade. This even involves deconstructing some lyrics that she now feels “dissociated” from. This interlude is followed by two acoustic numbers requested by her Twitter followers. An “overwhelming majority” of fans had requested ‘Get Over You’ and ‘Mixed Up World’ (from her first and second albums, respectively) and the energy of the sing-a-long is something to behold.

Following these more intimate moments, the energy is regained with a few tunes from her recent discography, leading up to the much-anticipated climax of disco-pop that SEB does so well. During a musical interlude, she takes a minute to change into her “sparkly disco leotard” and gives the audience fair warning that things are about to get properly popping. Over the course of the next twenty minutes, covers of Cher, Moloko and Freemasons are thrown at the audience, along with her major hit ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ by Spiller, all of which go down an absolute treat with the boogieing crowd.

This unrelenting orgy of nuanced 00’s dance sends them wild, and is topped off with a fantastic rendition of ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ (nearly burning the “god damn house right down”). In a classic case of misdirection, SEB leaves most of her band playing the outro and sneaks off stage, only to reappear at the sound desk in the middle of the venue. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar and two violins but without a microphone, SEB delivers a delicately passionate rendition of ‘Here Comes the Rapture’. It’s delivered with tangible emotion, and is a fitting way to end the show.

Throughout the evening, Sophie created an atmosphere in which she was a friend first and an entertainer second (and, after her attempt to promote some tea-towel merchandise, probably a saleswoman third). After 18 years in the business, Sophie Ellis-Bextor can still put on a damn good show, and is surely the only artist that can cause a predominantly 40+ male crowd to passionately roar “and if you’re feeling life is just too tough, just remember you’re a real tough girl”.

Chicken Kiev burger with triple-cooked chips

Serves 2

 

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
100g butter (at room temperature)
Bunch of flat leaf parsley
3 large cloves of garlic
Tablespoon of light brown sugar
Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 Brioche rolls
Panko breadcrumbs
1 large red onion
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper and garlic salt
3 large floury potatoes – Desiree, Maris Piper or King Edward for example
Vegetable/Sunflower oil for frying
Plain flour
1 egg
1 lettuce of choice
Method

Start off by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into chips — approximately 1/2cm by 1/2cm height and width. Place the potatoes into in a pan of salted water to soak. This allows some of the moisture and starch to be drawn out of the potatoes ensuring a light, fluffy inside. At this point the chips can be left overnight, but want to be left for a minimum of two hours.
Drain the chips and run them under cold water for a couple of minutes. Add them to a new pan of cold water and bring this to the boil. Boil the potatoes for approximately 7-8 minutes or until they are beginning to flake and are nearly falling apart. Transfer the chips to a wire rack to steam dry.
Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or a heavy-bottomed pan to 140°C and, once dry, add the chips to the oil, frying in two batches to make sure the oil temperature doesn’t drop too low. Fry the chips for approximately 5 minutes, or just until a crust has begun to form. At this stage the chips should not begin to colour. Remove the chips from the oil and once again leave them to steam dry.
While the chips are drying make the filling for the chicken kiev by finely chopping the garlic and the parsley and mixing together with the softened butter and a pinch of salt. Spread the mixture onto a sheet of cling film and roll the cling film up, twisting the ends together to form a roll – this can then be kept in a freezer for up to a month.
Take the chicken breast and insert a knife into the fattest portion. Slowly move the knife around to create a cavity before adding as much garlic butter as the gap allows.
Once stuffed, prepare three bowls ready to coat the chicken, one with seasoned flour, one with beaten egg and one with panko breadcrumbs to which the cayenne pepper and garlic salt has been added.
Take the stuffed chicken breast and roll it in flour, then egg and then the breadcrumbs.
Peel the onion and cut into 1cm rings. Add a tablespoon of the garlic butter to a frying pan on a low heat and add the onions, sugar and vinegar. Leave these onions to sauté on a low heat, turning only occasionally. This will take approximately 15 minutes until soft,
Turn the oil up to 190°C and add the chicken. This will take approximately 7 minutes, but a food thermometer to check if you’re unsure.
While the chicken is cooking cut the brioche buns in half and place in a toaster or under a grill to lightly toast. Once lightly toasted remove the buns from the heat and add a small amount of garlic butter to melt into the bun.
Once the chicken is cooked remove it from the oil and add the chips for their final cook. This will take approximately 5 minutes at this temperature and it is now that the chips should being to colour.
Assemble the burger, laying the rings of soft onion onto the bun, before topping them with the chicken kiev and lettuce. Remove the chips from the oil and season to taste. Add them to the plate and enjoy!

Lets talk about thongs

Your choice of underpinning for some reason is seen as a reflection as what sort of girl you are, and the thong says all sorts of things about you. Some people believe that thongs are the antithesis of class, a strip of fabric between your cheeks! Not for nice young ladies! Instead choose briefs, choose hiphuggers, choose brazillian knickers.

The early noughties trend for low rise jeans and g-strings over the hips has in many respects ruined the reputation of thongs, however, I, like Sisqo, am a big fan of thongs. All ladies knickers inevitably rise up the derriere so as far as I’m concerned, its best to start with them there in the first place. Otherwise the sensation of wedgie (I can think of no better term) is enough to ruin ones day!

Why spend your day worrying about when you can adjust yourself to feel comfortable? Or catching a glimpse of yourself with a horrific VPL so you look like you have double bum? With a thong this problem never exists!

I must admit I have certain favourites for thongs, I am a big fan of Victoria’s Secret lingerie in all ways and the thongs do not disappoint. Available on a 5 for £25 deal or 3 for £30, so its not cheap but they’re definitely some of the best thongs on the market. If you’re looking for more of a student budget thong Primark’s £1 thong cannot be knocked, with the variety of colours and the very lovely price.

A few tips for choosing the correct thong, don’t go too stringy or it can be a bit too like a cheese cutter; also, look out for where the seams are — this applies to all knickers to be fair — just think of where the seams may end up, that’s all I’m saying.

So in my opinion, throw caution to the wind, ignore what your grandma would think, embrace the thong, and let your bum cheeks jiggle free when you walk.

NYX: the soft matte lip cream

Through the power of social media there are so many makeup brands today that are finding fame when high-profile individuals switch their products and review them for their followers. After realising that there was a gap in the market for a quality brand at a ‘drugstore’ price, Toni Ko launched NYX Cosmetics and propelled it to true cult fame. I first saw this product all over Instagram and YouTube, and immediately fell in love with one of NYX Cosmetics’ most prominent products; the Soft Matte Lip Cream.

As a cruelty-free brand, NYX Cosmetics is suitable for everyone, and the 34 colours available means that you’re sure to find something to suit your complexion! The formula is stunning and so lightweight that you’ll genuinely forget you’re wearing it. The product has a doe-foot applicator which is slightly angled to make application as easy as possible, and is also scented with a very light vanilla smell for an extra perk. Each lip cream is priced at £5.50 which, when considering the durability, amazing colour and matte finish, seems almost like a steal.

As to whether these creams are all they’re hyped up to be, I tested some darker tones (‘Dubai’ and ‘Madrid’) on a few nights out which easily lasted through until the early hours. For these darker shades, I would definitely recommend using a lip pencil as it makes the formula so much easier to apply and ensures the colour lasts for as long as possible. For example, I use the NYX Retractable Lip Liner in ‘Dark Red’ underneath ‘Madrid’; the liner makes the lip cream go on without any patchiness to be seen! I have also tested some of the lighter shades for when I’ve been out during the day for a longer period of time: I wore ‘Athens’ to the Language Ball last year and couldn’t believe how I only had to top up the colour once, even after a three-course meal!

So many aspects of these lip creams come together to make them my go-to lip colour of choice. If you’re interested in getting your hands on one of the lip creams, then you can find them in counters at Boots in the Trafford Centre and the Arndale Centre, or online with ASOS, Selfridges, Feelunique and many more!

Oscars 2017

Like any award ceremony the Oscars is always surrounded with cynicism. There are always disagreements over both who was nominated and the eventual winners. Yet this year was especially dramatic. The awards evening was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel who had to deal with the unfortunate incident (spectacular mess up) that occurred at the close of the night.

La La Land took home 6 awards on the night, including a Best Actress award for Emma Stone and Best Director for Damien Chazelle. However, it failed to win the major prize of the night: Best Picture. An incident with the envelope which holds the results meant that presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty wrongly announced La La Land as winners of the award. The envelope they opened read Emma Stone, La La Land, who was the winner of Best Actress award earlier in the night. Seeing La La Land written, Dunaway and Beatty simply announced them as the winners. This resulted in chaos on stage as it was announced it was eventually revealed that Moonlight had actually won. It was a rather messy end to the awards evening.

Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rose in Fences. This means Davis is the first ever African-American actor to win an Oscar, Tony and Emmy for acting. There was controversy over awarding Casey Affleck winning Best Actor, due to the sexual harassment allegations which surround the actor. The entire awards evening was scattered with political references, such as Gael Garcia Bernal’s impassioned speech against Trump’s wall to divide Mexico and the US.

The Oscars seemed to have diverted away from its #OscarsSoWhite stigma this year, but it remains to be seen if diversity is here to stay in Hollywood or not.  All that will be remembered from the Oscars 2017 is that it is the year when the wrong film literally did get awarded Best Picture.

Best Picture

Moonlight

Best Actress

Emma Stone — La La Land

Best Actor

Casey Affleck — Manchester by the Sea

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis — Fences

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali — Moonlight

Best Director

La La Land — Damien Chazelle

Best Original Screenplay

Manchester by the Sea — Kenneth Lonergan

Best Adapted Screenplay

Moonlight — Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney

Best Original Score

La La Land — Justin Hurwitz

Best Original Song

La La Land — City of Stars by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Best Cinematography

La La Land — Linus Sandgren

Best Foreign Language Film

The Salesman — Iran

Best Costume Design

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — Colleen Atwood

Best Make-Up and Hairstyling

Suicide Squad — Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson

Best Documentary Feature

OJ: Made in America

Best Sound Editing

Arrival — Sylvain Bellemare

Best Sound Mixing

Hacksaw Ridge — Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace

Best Animated Short

Piper — Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer

Best Animated Feature

Zootopia

Best Production Design

La La Land — David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco

Best Visual Effects

The Jungle Book — Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R Jones and Dan Lemmon

Best Film Editing

Hacksaw Ridge — John Gilbert

Best Documentary Short

The White Helmets — Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara

Best Live Action Short

Sing — Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy

 

The fallacy behind boycotting businesses

In a time and age of heightened commercialisation, business and politics have become inseparably mixed together. The simplest example of this is the fact that current US President Donald Trump is better known as a businessman than as a politician. In fact, when he imposed the travel ban, companies like Apple and Facebook were the first to file for court papers against the decision. In turn, for us consumers, it makes sense to speak up through using or boycotting certain businesses. So when faced with racist policies like the travel ban, we believe we are making a difference by deleting apps from our phones or by not buying coffee from certain chains. By compromising part of our comfortable daily routine for a bigger cause it feels as if we are making a real change. But at the end of the day, these practices are rarely beneficial.

For example, boycotting make-up brands that test on animals would make sense, as it shows discontent with an ethical dilemma and encourages cosmetic companies to refrain from the practice. Similarly, boycotting brands that the Trumps own or run would also make sense. However, U.S. Uncut recently suggested boycotting amazon.com just because it sells “Trump brand shoes, clothing, and home furnishings.”

This makes no sense for two reasons. First of all, the means and the end are barely related: not using Amazon will probably not stop the platform from dealing with Trump. Secondly, even if it did, the action would be very far removed from the reasons so many people are against Trump. Someone somewhere has to provide a retail and logistical outlet for the Trump brand, and online shopping is not the reason for him being sexist and racist.

It is arguable that boycotting these businesses is a form of silent dissatisfaction with Trump’s policies — a theoretical, if impractical, way to stand up to Trump using the language of our time. But, the problem with this method is that it is based on a fallacies alike those mentioned above. For example, protesting racism by boycotting Uber.

This particular wave started when Uber emailed their US employees about Trump’s travel ban. In this email, they said that they would help staff by offering them support, including legal help and compensating them pro bono if they are not allowed to enter the country. The email also mentioned that the Chief Executive would be working with Trump “from within through persuasion and argument”.

Meanwhile, a company offering a similar service to Uber, Lyft, sent out a shorter email saying that they were “firmly against” the ban. Soon after, social media was flooded with tweets and posts about how we should no longer use Uber — all based on this misconception that Uber worked with Trump and supported his policies. However, simply reading the email shows that Uber had actually meant to do the exact opposite. Some people oppose the mere idea of Uber working with such a regime, even if they might be trying to change it from within. Publicly deeming a service as racist while they were instead trying to do their part is a rough sentence.

Similarly, up two five individuals have cancelled orders on Model 3s from Tesla after hearing that Tesla’s Chief Executive, Elon Musk, plans to work with Trump by being a member of two advisory groups. Before the elections, Musk had publicly stated that Trump was not the “right guy” for the position. Musk and his company are known for their environmental awareness, a topic Trump downright excludes from policy. However, Musk also has recently stated that “the more voices of reason the president hears, the better.” Here, Musk rightly stands for facilitating debate in democracy.

But the matter can be made even simpler: it does not make sense to stop using a service or a company because of the views of their Chief Executive, or any other member for that matter. We so excitedly jump on the bandwagon and deem people as racist Trump supporters while we know that other companies commit even bigger crimes. For example, it is widely known that stores like H&M and Primark keep their prices low by paying employees halfway across the world very little for their work. As someone who vehemently opposes Trump, I still believe that these practices are far more harmful than the fact that the Chief Executive of a certain company holds certain beliefs.

Boycotting companies is is a good way to make a point in some instances — but only if it’s done for the right reasons. Most importantly, it should not be because of some social media fad, unsupported by real facts. It also should not be based on a member of the corporation having opinions contrary to our own, as not using their product will not change that.

Women in science: absolutely zero boundaries

Wednesday 8th of March marks International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the achievements, advancements and contributions of women in our society. Women are particularly underrepresented in science, with just 14.4 per cent of the workforce comprising female professionals.

However, more women currently occupy positions in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) than ever before. Women in science are celebrated at the University of Manchester, including our current President and Vice-Chancellor: Professor Nancy Rothwell is the first woman to hold the position, and is an esteemed physiologist and director of pharmaceuticals for AstraZeneca.

She is the embodiment of influence and prestige for Manchester’s women in science, and encourages women to push boundaries in order to achieve greatness.

Throughout history, Manchester’s girls have championed education, driven positive change, and shown limitless potential when it comes to STEM. Today we celebrate them for their success in pioneering research fields, and as role models in the campaign for gender balance in education and society. Here, we pay homage to three of Manchester’s most influential women in science.

Dr Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Heralded as the ‘Mother of the Sea’ by the Japanese, Dr Drew-Baker was a phycologist whose research revolutionised the development of commercial nori, a type of edible seaweed, in Japan.

Born in Lancashire, she was awarded a scholarship to study botany at the University of Manchester. She graduated with a first class degree in 1922 and continued on to postgraduate study, before specialising in cryptogamic botany at the university.

Her research into the life cycle of Porphyra umbilicas was featured in Nature in 1949, and this publication sparked the development of artificial nori seeding techniques in Japan. Termed the ‘gamblers grass’, nori was and continues to be a staple food resource in Asian countries.

However, harvests were unpredictable and new methods were required to keep up with growing demand for the edible seaweed, which had been in decline since the end of the Second World War. Her research stimulated a new understanding of the organism’s life cycle, and the industry was rescued.

Despite her success in phycology, Drew-Baker faced professional struggles within the university. She was dismissed from her position due to her marriage to Henry Wright Baker, as university policy stated married women could not be employed.

In order to continue her research efforts, she became an honorary research fellow with the Ashburne Hall resident’s fellowship. She continued in her pioneering work before co-founding the British Phycological Society and being elected its first president. Every year Dr Drew-Baker’s work is celebrated during the Japanese ‘Drew Festival’, where her monument stands in Sumiyoshi Shrine Park, Osaka.

Professor Danielle George

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Currently teaching within the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Professor George is a distinguished contributor to the field of radio frequency engineering. She also holds the position of Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning at the University of Manchester. Her contributions to public outreach and engagement in engineering were rewarded in 2016 when she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Born in Newcastle, George completed her BSc in Astrophysics at the University of Liverpool before continuing to postgraduate study at the University of Manchester.

She specialises in research into low noise amplifiers, and is the UK lead for amplifiers in numerous radio telescope projects. Additionally, George has worked alongside NASA and the European Space Agency in studies exploring the ‘big bang’ theory.

George was honored in 2014 when she became the sixth woman in 189 years to be chosen to present the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Her lecture was a resounding success as she spoke live with astronauts on the International Space Station and transformed the London Shell Centre into a giant game of tetris.

At the time of the lecture, the 38-year-old professor was eight months pregnant with her first child. The Royal Academy of Engineering Rooke Award accredited these achievements in 2016 as acknowledgement for her successes in public outreach and promotion of engineering.

An inspiration for all aspiring engineers, but particularly for young women in science, George commented: “Hopefully, it sends a subconscious message that as long as your baby is fine and you’re feeling fine it doesn’t stop you from doing anything. So you can get on with your work, still make a difference and still change the world in a positive way — and you don’t have to stop for nine months because you are pregnant.”

Marie Stopes

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Stopes was a prominent contributor to plant paleontology, and the first woman in history to become an academic at the University of Manchester. Her vast research and publications in paleobotanical papers made her one of the leading paleobotanists of her time.

By attending both day and night schools, Stopes successfully attained a first class degree in botany and geology from University College, London in just two years. In 1901, she became the first woman to hold an academic position at the University of Manchester when she took up the role of lecturer of paleobotany.

Alongside her research, she was an avid campaigner for women’s rights and a pioneer in raising awareness for women’s issues and sexual and reproductive health. Although controversial and divisive, Marie Stopes’ influence lead to the establishment of sexual and reproductive health clinics worldwide.

Stopes moved away from the field of paleobotany after the success of her work regarding women’s issues. She was a philanthropist with a strong interest in birth control. In 1918, her book ‘Married Love’ was published, along with a follow-up entitled, ‘Parenthood: A Book for Married People’.

These publications were regarded as sex education manuals and argued that marriage should be an equal relationship between partners. Although the medical establishment and the church condemned the book, it was a huge success and sold out nationwide.

Women wrote to Stopes for advice, and she regularly engaged in public speaking. She also established the first birth control clinic in the country. Today the Marie Stopes International organisation is the leading independent provider of sexual and reproductive health services.

Creative climate activists use paintings for protests

On Wednesday 22nd February, climate activists from King’s College London used non-violent protesting to campaign for urgent divestment of fossil fuels at the university. Concerns have circulated around the use of fossil fuels and their damaging effects on climate change for many years, but now students at KCL are taking a stand.

The actions have become part of a weekly movement in response to the lack of acknowledgment of the issue, despite grounding scientific evidence on the use of such resources and their consequences.

The burning of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and is said to be one of the leading causes of environmental sustainability issues.

Previous campaigning has resulted in suspension, criminal damage charges, and arrests amongst participators, many of whom study at the institution. One PhD student at the university, Roger Hallam, said of his frustration: “It has now become necessary to spray paint the entrance of an institution which has been ignoring the basic science on climate change for three decades.”

The painting of the Strand campus, home to faculties including the arts, humanities, and social sciences, is just one of the contributing actions of an ever growing passionate campaign group.

Student fasts, further protests, and louder voices have been promised by activists at King’s College Climate Emergency, should the university choose to continue what is seen to be ignorance of this matter.

Government U-turn on deportation order

The UK Government has delayed the deportation of an electrical engineering student at Bangor University back to Sri Lanka after a petition calling for her protection reached 160,000 signatures.

Shiromini Satkunarajah was only 12 when her family fled Sri Lanka’s civil war and came to the UK. She was originally listed as a dependent on her father’s student visa but he died in 2011. She was granted leave to finish her secondary school studies but her application for a full student visa was denied and despite being only months away from finishing her studies, Shiromini was taken into custody at Yarl’s Wood last Tuesday with her mother to be deported.

The “refusal letter” they were given at the time stated, “you do not have the right to appeal or conduct an administrative review against the decision to refuse your application.”

Shiromini’s story was picked up by the media and a petition to allow them to stay gained over 160,000 signatures. The Home Office has now delayed the deportation order and has given Shiromini’s legal team 14 days to outline their case. Her lawyer Raja Uruthiravinayagan, of Duncan Lewis Solicitors, told The Guardian “we hope that there will not be prolonged litigation in this case during the period when Shiromini is studying.”

Last week a relative of Shiromini told The Independent “her whole life is here, all of her friends and family are here. She has no one in Sri Lanka, we’re a small family. She won’t be able to continue with her education.”

The Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University wrote to the Home Office to request she be allowed to complete her studies. In addition to this, Iestyn Pierce, the Head of the School of Electronic Engineering at Bangor University also released a statement saying “over the years I have known her she has proven to be exceptionally able and diligent, and has made valuable contributions to the school and the university…” he went on to say “I have no doubt that… Shiromini would achieve first class honours.”

Universities are one of the areas highlighted by Home Secretary Amber Rudd as needing “tougher” immigration regulations. Speaking at the Conservative Conference in October last year, she said that Ministers will be considering ways of ensuring that “people coming here are filling gaps in the labour market, not taking jobs British people could do.” Although, as Pierce pointed out in his statement, Shiromini is studying in a “world-wide shortage subject.”

Shiromini herself said she was “very grateful to every single person who has supported [her]” and now “my priority is to get on with my studies. I need time to think and get back to my normal life.”

Are you #VEGCURIOUS?

Have you been having some affectionate thoughts about vegetables lately? Perhaps you’ve been wondering about alternative sources of protein but you’re not quite ready to talk about it with your mates? Come along to Vegan Week at the Students’ Union to indulge in your curiosity, and learn a bit more about why vegan is the new black.

In the UK, over half a million people are completely vegan, almost two million are vegetarian, and new figures are showing that many more people are vegcurious and want to know more about this plant-based lifestyle. In the US, the figures are even higher, and a staggering 40 per cent of the population of India follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Veganism is drifting into the mainstream as research is showing that it’s a win, win, win situation. Good for the animals, good for the planet, and good for us.

Animal welfare and ethicality is, of course, still a really important issue, however it’s no longer the most popular reason for going vegan. Veganism is becoming as much an environmental cause as it is an animal welfare cause. Agricultural studies show that rearing cattle for food is the main effector of deforestation and has the biggest impact on global warming. A common misconception is that soy bean plants are causing deforestation, however 85 per cent of these plants are used as feed for cattle and not human consumption, and therefore are also a part of the animal-product industry. Many of you will have heard the devastating news about the Great Barrier Reef last year caused by overfishing and global warming; moreover, the planets rapidly decreasing biodiversity is being dubbed by experts as the sixth extinction crisis. I think it’s time humans took responsibility for the harm we’ve caused, take a long hard look at the evidence, and realise that it is the production of animal products for food which is exerting the greatest damage in our environmental crises.

If you’re not much of an environmental activist, that’s fine. But surely you care about yourself? Your health? With the popularity of veganism growing, so has the demand for scientific studies identifying the effect of this diet on your body, and whether or not a plant-based diet is able to provide adequate nutrient acquisition. The results are astounding, and show that not only is a vegan diet adequate, but it also decreases your risks of getting various diseases including different forms of cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even osteoporosis. The risk of certain deficiencies are higher in vegans because most people were never taught how to eat a well-balanced, vegan diet and therefore miss out key macro and micronutrients, and it’s important to transition your body safely into this new lifestyle as it is quite a drastic change in diet if you’ve always been a meat eater.

That’s why MUVVS (Manchester University Vegetarian and Vegan Society) is presenting vegan week at the SU. The timetable is as follows:

Monday the 6th of March (11:00-15:00) Room 8 — free vegan food fair, come along for free chocolate, cheese, and other foods, as well as free vegan recipe booklets.
Tuesday the 7th of March (13:00-14:00) Room 8 — The Vegan Approach, 10 steps to going vegan workshop. Come along to find out how easy it is to be vegan.
Wednesday the 8th of March (12:30-14:00) Room 3 —  Screening of ‘Forks over Knives’, the film that converted Russell Brand, Ozzy Osborne, and Ben Stiller to veganism.
Thursday the 9th of March (12:30-14:00) Room 2 — Screening of ‘Cowspiracy: The Sustainable Secret’, whose executive producer is Leonardo DiCaprio.
Friday the 10th of March (13:00-14:00) — Social event for new and existing members of MUVVS (still to be determined).

Join the MUVVS Facebook page for more information or to connect with some like-minded people. We’re all really nice, open to lots of conversation topics (vegan or otherwise) and we’re giving away free food. Why wouldn’t you come? You are a student.

Preview: Vant

This year has seen VANT explode onto the scene with a debut album loaded with political rage and an alternative determination. At a time of international unrest and with a ‘not to be messed with’ attitude, the fresh indie band have taken advantage of a time when music has the power to change, headed for intimate venues and raucous fans as they embark upon a UK tour. With a heavy sound charged with concern and anxieties they are sure to evoke a sense of unity in devoted fans.

Dumb Blood arrived in January and is a vibrant project intent on challenging global and political issues. Having toured throughout 2015 with Royal Blood and played protest gigs in London, VANT have had more than enough material for their own album and tour following Brexit and Trump’s presidency. Their call to wake up a younger generation and promote change is evident in their debut and is sure to strike a chord with fans.

Black Foxxes are set to join VANT on their upcoming tour, the trio’s honesty and rock energy marrying well with VANT’s explosive sincerity.

VANT’s honest lyrics and raging riffs offer an exciting prospect for a UK tour. Small venues are sure to be rocked and fans are likely to be hooked on the brutal truthfulness of their lyrics. There is something about VANT’s ability to capture what a lot of artists fail to voice for fans who want to hear it.

VANT and The Black Foxxes perform at Gorilla, Manchester on 1st March.