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Day: 26 September 2017

Manchester Mexican Society raise funds for those affected by earthquake

Following the destruction of the recent earthquake in Mexico, the Manchester Mexican Society are holding various fundraising events to raise money for those affected.

The earthquake has so far claimed 227 lives and wreaked havoc on not only Mexico City but dozens of small towns in neighbouring states such as Wahaca. 21 children and four adult staff members are thought to have perished in a school in the capital as a result of the quake.

Treasurer of the Manchester Mexican Society, Noel Natera Cordero, told The Mancunion that fortunately “no one’s family [in the society] have been affected” — but there are still friends and acquaintances who are in the midst of the devastation.

He continued “it’s terrible being so far away from your friends,  your family, and your country” at a time like this, but made clear that now is the time for action and organisation in the face of such adversity.

The Mexican society are planning various events such as movie nights and a football tournament, but are open to more ideas from anyone who wants to get involved.

Noel also mentioned that the Holy Name Church, opposite the Students’ Union on Oxford Road, are helping organise a Catholic mass, in remembrance of those affected.

The Manchester Mexican Society have set up a Just Giving page where people can donate to the cause. They also have a Facebook page where you can keep up to date with all the fundraising events they’re organising.

Dealers hand out business cards outside halls

Dealers in the Fallowfield area are giving business cards to freshers, and some are attaching free samples of the drugs they sell.

One fresher, who wishes to remain anonymous, told The Mancunion that these people have also approached them in their halls of residence, “as we were just leaving the dining hall.”

He also pointed out that one of the cards  “took the ‘ingenious’ step of blanking out two numbers with I believe the guy saying ‘four, five, six’, meaning if the card ever got dropped… then the police wouldn’t immediately cotton on.”

Students who have lived there for a while know the cards are no new trick — one student commented on the article that “If they ain’t using business cards, is it even Fallowfield?”

But attaching free samples of weed to the card is something new, and a bit more bold than in the past.

Photo: Twitter Photo: Twitter

One person tweeted saying that Fallowfield dealers “don’t give a f**k” anymore, whilst another commented that it sums the area up.

Jacob Thompson, a 2nd year English Literature student at the University of Manchester, told The Mancunion that “dealers have been offering samples in the Granville Road area; a guy leapt out of his car to offer a friend of mine some free sample, but he was too nervous to accept.”

The Students’ Union are “reminding students to be extra vigilant”. The Wellbeing Officer Saqib Mahmood told The Mancunion “the Students’ Union has a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal drug use. We will work with GMP and the relevant Local Authorities to tackle the issue.”

Superintendent Dave Pester from Greater Manchester Police’s City of Manchester Division, said: “We have increased patrols across the area as part of our student safe operation. It includes a targeted initiative aimed at identifying drug dealers who we know are pursuing our students, who are potentially already vulnerable in their new environment.

“We are aware that business cards have been used in the past and this is a matter we will look into further.

He continued: “The city is full of new experiences and we want everyone to enjoy their time while here, however, we would like to make it clear that we won’t tolerate drug dealing or drug use in the city and our officers on the ground will take action.”

People are encouraged to call 101 if they see any instances of drug dealing in their local area, or 999 if it’s an emergency. The Students’ Union are also encouraging anyone who’s been affected by such an incident to go to the Advice Service for free and confidential advice and support.

Ex-Premier League referee Chris Foy opens new pitch in Manchester

Hailing from St Helens, Chris Foy refereed from 1996 to 2015 including 14 years in the Premier League and has since become the Head of Community and Public Engagement for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PMGOL). The native Lancashire-man returned to the North West to open Manchester Communication Academy’s new 3G pitch.

The academy, which is located to the North East of Manchester, was opened in 2010 and is just 2 miles from the Etihad Stadium. The pitch was funded by a grant from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund and has been unveiled in the hopes of boosting the number of people taking part in football in the area.

As well as the school’s benefits, the local clubs such as Moston Tigers JFC and Manchester Lions JFC will be using the playing field. The new surface will also be used by Manchester City in the Community as well as the Manchester FA as they conduct weekly outreach sessions and coaching education, respectively.

Speaking at the event, Foy said “this is a brilliant new pitch, and it was great to see it in action. Many professional players find their start at school and grassroots clubs.”

The project was delivered by the Football Foundation — the largest sports charity in the UK. The foundation has awarded around 15,000 grants — worth more than £580m — towards improving grassroots sport and aims to develop new and refurbished grassroots sports facilities in order to improve the quality and experience of playing sport at the grassroots level.

What’s on this week?

Transmission Funk Presents Bradley Zero & Hidden Spheres  – Soup Kitchen, 27th September:

The founder of Rhythm Section International will be DJing alongside the Manchester based Hidden Spheres. If a week of Freshers nights has you pining for something a little different, then come for a night of real deep house grooves at the Northern Quarter gem.

Hanni El-Khatib – Ruby Lounge, 28th September:

The LA-based vintage rocker will be playing alongside the Holy Oysters. His simple, clean bluesy sound reflects his association with Dan Auerbach. If you’re looking for some old fashioned rock and roll this week then this is the night for you.

Lord of the Tings And Friends – Hidden, 27th September:

Two Manchester nightlife classics collide. Hidden nightclub will play host to the best local Dancehall, Grime & Garage night in the area. Come along and start the term right whilst also supporting local talent.

SonicAtomic and Guests – Night and Day Cafe, 26th September:

SonicAtomic play a psychedelic blend of krautrock, postrock, and jazz. It’s an innovative, interesting sound to get lost in. At £6 a ticket, you’re not going to find a better value event this Tuesday.

MC Devvo one-off show – Ruby Lounge, 30th September:

Okay I’ll admit, it’s a quiet week so I’m casting wide net here. But come on, why wouldn’t want to see your favourite beer drinking, pidgeon kicking, Yorkshire YouTube star live in the flesh. You never know, it might be fookin’ sick mate.

Interview: Comedian Daniel Sloss talks sociopaths and stand up

Daniel Sloss is an English-born, Scottish comedian who has had an incredibly successful career from a remarkably young age — with notable success both in the UK and in the US. He is best known for his dark humour and strong opinions. The Mancunion had the opportunity to interview him regarding his new show.

So you’re just about to start your new tour ‘NOW’ — what can people expect from the show?

“Jokes, and a s*** ton of swearing, cause I actually do find it big and clever… but I guess it’s about me trying to figure out whether I’m a sociopath or not, I tend to get called it a lot – but I personally don’t think I am!”

You premiered the new show at Edinburgh Fringe, making it your ninth sell-out show there! Does it still have a sense of homecoming?

“Oh yeh! One of the advantages of being Scottish is that it doesn’t matter where about in Scotland you’re from, you’re Scottish – anywhere I go in Scotland it becomes ‘local boy done good’”

You were doing shows such as Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow from when you were just nineteen, do you feel your style of comedy has shifted since the shows you did when you were younger?

“Back then I was a young floppy-haired teenager and didn’t really have any opinions on anything, whereas now I’m a cantankerous 27-year-old man, and I have opinions on things. It doesn’t necessarily make them right, but I guess they are the ones the audience want to hear?”

The Manchester show will be following the European leg of the tour, where you’re even visiting the likes of Latvia, Lithuania, Romania — do you feel the show’s format still works in a similar way in these places?

“I have to vary in that sense as I know for a fact there are some jokes that won’t translate overseas, purely because so some of my stuff is about love and relationships, and I bring that in with First Dates — but obviously Bulgaria and Latvia don’t have that show — doesn’t mean I can’t do the jokes, but it requires a little more explanation.”

Do these audiences tend to differ from place to place?

“Ah no, I honestly find there’s more of a difference between a Monday night crowd to a Friday night crowd. ‘Cause comedy — unless you’re political or have local material — I find comedy is very very universal.”

And do you alter your material throughout the tour, in relation to the audience’s reactions?

“No, no — I keep it all in. I mean the coward’s way would be to take it out, but the professional thing to do is think like how do I make them laugh at this joke which I know they’re not gonna like?”

You’ve recently been seen even further afield in the US, with a record-breaking 7 appearances on Conan show – do you feel in America comedy is more rooted in these late-night comedy shows?

“I think the American live stand-up scene is still good, I think the Americans are just better at providing a platform for stand-ups, like in America they’ll be like right you’re a stand-up comedian and you’ve got a strong five minutes, here’s a television show where you can do a strong five minutes, whereas here it’s more like ‘oh you’re a stand-up — why don’t you come present this TV show or be on this panel show?’ I’ve got a lot of admiration for comics who are able to do that, but that’s not me, I didn’t do this stuff to be a personality in any way shape or form.”

So in England it’s much more about being a comic personality then being a comedian?

“Yeh completely, it’s great for some comics but that’s not why I got into this. My
f****** expertise is jokes, if you want an opinion on something you don’t want a half formed one from my narcissistic f****** ego centric brain”

As live shows seem to have such a big influence, who’s been your biggest inspirations in comedy?

“Bill Burr, Ed Byrne is up there, erm Brian Regan really taught me that comedy can be funny without f******* swearing, but obviously I still swear cause that’s how it f******* is. But erm, yeah — just any stand-up that’s grafting for me is an inspiration. For me, that’s the comic I aspire to be.”

So is that what you aim for — grafting — producing new material every year?

“Yeah, new material every year, you’ve got to challenge yourself. You’ve got to do new things every time. That’s how you keep the love alive. You see so many comedians who hate what they do, or they’ve lost the love of stand-up. I feel like saying to them: just f******** stop then. If you don’t love it, then why f******** do it. There’re so many people who do love this job that don’t have the opportunities you do, so if you hate it that much please for the love of God leave.”

Daniel will be coming to The Lowry in Manchester on the 25th November.

 

Bairstow inspires England to Old Trafford victory

Who could’ve predicted that it’d be so predictable? The green shoots of a West Indian recovery have shrivelled up in harsh tomorrows, a convincing defeat meaning the side now need to go through the qualification process for the 2019 World Cup.

Hopefully, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will avoid pissing any more people off, and we can look forward to the sight of Chris Gayle taking guard against the Canadian quicks.

From an English perspective, Gayle was left to brew for just long enough at Old Trafford. Having been dropped by Joe Root on the third ball of the match, he slipped into his distinctive groove but was removed before the game became his plaything.

Gayle spanked boundaries and walked singles but ended typically abruptly when he whacked a Woakes delivery up high — high enough to come back down covered in both snow and foreign life — to be caught at the second attempt by Root.

Scorecard aficionados will be irked by the West Indian innings, the top seven recording 37, 11, 35, 17, 18, 23 and 41*, each getting in then getting out, threatening at momentum but never quite following up on it. The Windies (which, by decree of the WICB, is how the team are officially now known) trundled along to 204/9 from their 42 overs.

England — traditionally weaker in one-day than in tests — are arguably the strongest they’ve been in what Bishan Bedi once called “cricket in its most disgusting form”. Their batters are un-Englishly assertive, and their fielding unnervingly competent, but I would say a question mark remains above the bowling.

The Ashes will determine Ben Stokes’s long-term identity as a Freddie Flintoff for the Brexit age, or a recognised hero along the lines of Jacques Kallis but less of a prick. Woakes, Willey, and Plunkett, however, all offer broadly the same thing. Back of a line, quick, uncomplicated bowling – understandable given the limitations of the white ball, but not what you’d turn to when you need to break a partnership. This was borne out on Tuesday night, the three biggest stands being ended by Stokes, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali.

The specialist quicks also conceded the worst economy rates. Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special suggested Mark Wood as the next-in-line, a player I like but not the stand-out quick à la Anderson/Broad that can deliver England’s first trophy in 50-over cricket.

That’s nit-picking though. Tuesday belonged to Jonny Bairstow, who this summer was awarded the status of An Integral Part of the Team. As 12th man Jason Roy rushed back and forth to deliver water during Bairstow’s unbeaten century, he must have been aware that he was hydrating a man in the process of stealing his place opening the batting.

Everyone else played the innings they always do: Hales clubbed 19 from 14 before giving a thick edge to gully; Root calmly played his way to 54 at roughly a run a ball — then from nowhere played on to a delivery from Kesrick Williams; and Eoin Morgan compiling a un-notable caught behind for 10, apparently. Ben Stokes, true to form crashed 23 from 10, hitting a six from off-spinner Ashley Nurse with one run required for victory.

The West Indies bowling attack were simply not good enough against an in-form Bairstow and Joe Root, on the verge of greatness this winter, the coolest head in town despite being only 13 years of age. His 54 took his ODI batting average to a remarkable 49.43, tenth on the all-time list. Although not yet world beaters, the one-day future looks fun for England.

West Indies future is as always uncertain. They might’ve put in a more convincing performance had some of their better players been allowed to play – Carlos Brathwaite, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and the Bravo half-brothers are all unavailable to the West Indies on account of contract issues. Remember it’s only a year ago they became T20 world champions. Except for Jonny Bairstow, no player nor supporter will remember this ODI. But as in the test series, West Indies will need a dramatically better performance to get this five-match series back on track.

Mental Health First Aid course now available for students

The organisation Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA UK) has launched a training course designed to “enable students and staff to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health issues.”

The one day course is designed for “anyone who works or studies in a university environment.” Objectives include being able to spot the signs of mental health issues, offer first aid and signpost students to appropriate services.

Developed in collaboration with organisation Student Minds, it is now available to universities all over England, including the University of Manchester.

It has been piloted at 16 Universities so far and is a paid course, valued at £200, but costs vary by location and instructor. Each cohort is limited to 16 people, to keep participants “safe and supported.”

Mental Health and well-being are a growing concern among students in the UK. It is estimated that 75% of mental illnesses develop by the time individuals are 24 years old.

In a press release from MHFA, the director and Higher Education lead Caroline Hounsell commented that “although students fall into a particularly at-risk group, early intervention and support can reduce many long-term impacts of mental ill health including academic failure, drop-out and limited employment prospects.”

Growing awareness has prompted a demand for more accessible mental health services on campus, putting additional pressure on University counselling services that are often overbooked and underfunded.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is keen to ensure his new Greater Manchester mental health strategy, which will put £80 million pounds into youth mental health support, channels funds specifically into university counselling services.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Burnham stated: “We’re working with the universities on how and where to provide those services. So, yeah, a work in progress but the issue has absolutely been grasped at the very top.”

He and Greater Manchester’s chief health officer, Jon Rouse, “recognised, working with the university, that there is a gap in provision, and that support often isn’t there for people in crisis moments.”

Burnham was careful to restrain his commitments, however: “I wouldn’t want to claim that it’s all going to be miraculously fixed and it’ll be perfect from now on, I don’t think it’s as easy as that.”

Lauren Goodfellow, from the Open Mind Network society at the University of Manchester, was equally cautious with regards to the progress made in the implementation of MHFA’s training course.

Speaking to The Mancunion, she said “it’s not widely accessible and therefore doesn’t go far enough to try and tackle the mental health epidemic that is currently wracking the nation. But it is a step in the right direction.

“It’s so normal for students to struggle when starting University as it is a huge new step in their lives. Often it involves moving to a new city or a completely different country. Hopefully, this will be the first of many schemes that increase awareness and build a valuable support network for students who have mental health issues.”

The Mancunion is currently conducting an extended investigation into support provided by the university counselling service, particularly for victims of sexual abuse. Any readers with experience with the service can contact The Mancunion confidentially through private email address [email protected] or [email protected].