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Day: 13 October 2017

‘Terrified’ students rely on Facebook for safety advice

Students are relying on Facebook groups for information on muggings, burglaries and attacks that are happening across campus, an investigation by The Mancunion has suggested.

The revelation comes after more than 7,500 students signed a petition titled “Greater Manchester Police & Andy Burnham: help us to make Fallowfield safe for students” in response to a recent spree of criminal activity targeting students across South Manchester. One student aptly tells The Mancunion: “I am terrified of being attacked — whether mugged or sexually assaulted — whenever I walk around Fallowfield.”

133 criminal acts were reported in August 2017 alone, including 15 burglaries, three robberies, six personal thefts and 29 reports of violence and sexual offences.

The number of incidents is believed to have risen since students arrived back in Manchester from September, and official figures may underestimate the extent of crime taking place with one student telling The Mancunion: “I didn’t report it to the police because what’s the point?” following a burglary.

Speaking to The Mancunion, University of Manchester student Matthew Harvison, creator of the widely signed petition, said: “I thought it was important to finally raise some sort of awareness of the daily issues facing students living in and around the Fallowfield area.

“Burglaries, muggings, sexual assault and other violent crime are all real issues happening regularly within Fallowfield, however since the start of the latest academic year, there has been an influx of house burglaries. Some action needs to be taken.”

Alluding to where they find the latest news about these incidents, one student told The Mancunion that “if we miss a Facebook post, we’ve missed a vital bit of news”, adding that they “find it baffling that we have to rely on updates on the Fallow buy/sell page to find out when and where burglaries and stabbings are taking place.”

This was echoed by a fellow student who said that “on a daily basis, we see reports on Facebook of muggings, burglaries and sexual assaults,” with another student commenting on the “constant flow of horror stories on Fallowfield [Facebook] Students Group.”

Despite campaigns such as ‘Reclaim The Night’, another revelation from the investigation was that female students feel, in particular, feel vulnerable at present in South Manchester.

“As a female, I feel particularly vulnerable at night in Fallowfield,” said one student said, while another described a “terrifying” experience in which she was approached by a man that told her that “a girl like you shouldn’t be walking around on her own.”

Students’ Union Communities Officer, Jack Houghton, said the Student Officer team take “the safety of our students very seriously” but accepted that “a lot of the time students don’t know about the schemes” provided by the Students’ Union.

Despite having a “fantastic communications team”, Jack said that the Students’ Union needed to be “further modernised” and “brought more into the 21st Century”, suggesting that an “online advertisement campaign” could help raise awareness of available student support services.

Jack told The Mancunion that the Student Officer team are working with “strategic analysts” who will “offer advice on how to make the most effective content”, including “utilising video content.”

Jack was clear that despite the apparent recent spike in criminal activity, the Student Officer team “don’t want to rush into a decision” on long-term initiatives for improving student safety, adding that scheme has to be “very thought out” so they “don’t cause issues down the line.”

Despite this, in the short-term, the Students’ Union is “working on a number of initiatives to help students feel more secure” Jack said, including “increasing the number of street lights in Fallowfield, Withington, Rusholme and other areas” adding that “all new lights will all be LED so are brighter and therefore offer more protection from dark streets.”

Jack is also working to establish “a ‘Night Owl’ scheme consisting of student volunteers that will be trained in first aid, safeguarding, well-being training and self-defence to safeguard vulnerable people”.

He hopes this will “demonstrate that we do not need G4S” in and around South Manchester, which he said was “not needed” but indicated that the “University is difficult to budge” on that particular matter.

Matt Harvison told The Mancunion he wasn’t well acquainted with the G4S, “in fact I didn’t even know this was a thing until people posted it on the Facebook discussion.”

“I can only think these guards are patrolling the university-owned halls and accommodation, not on the dark roads that many of Fallowfield’s students live down.”

In The Mancunion’s investigation, students were also particularly critical of the current security and police presence in and around South Manchester.

“It is ridiculous that the university and police care so much about shutting down house parties yet won’t put police on the streets”, said one student, echoed by another student who called for security and police in the area to “stop targeting house parties and start focusing on making people feel safe.”

Akin to the security services provided by G4S, Jack conceded that “some level of mediation” was needed between students and community residents but believes his proposed ‘Night Owl’ scheme will help improve relationships within the community whilst simultaneously also “caring for students.”

In response to the petition, Greater Manchester Police said: “Our officers on Division work closely with our partners at the university, Manchester Student Homes and the city council to ensure students are able to enjoy the city without fear.

“As part of our student safe operation we have increased our patrols in and around the campus area and this will be in place throughout term time and beyond.”

They have also advised students to follow “some simple steps such as being discrete when using mobile phones in public, locking windows and doors at the front and back of properties as well as keeping valuables out of sight in and out of the home”.

The University said: “The University’s first concern is with the safety of students. We work closely alongside to the Students’ Union to raise concerns with the police and Manchester City Council at regular meetings and the police have invested additional resource through Operation Student Safe. This year, as part of the Manchester Student Homes partnership, which is a jointly funded department of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, we have already visited more than 350 student properties in Fallowfield to provide advice on safety and security.”

“We have reached hundreds of more students with information on campus and in accommodation during Welcome Week, where we also handed out equipment including light timers and personal alarms. We issue ongoing targeted communications to accredited landlords regarding safety and security.

“Students should report all crimes to the police and any student who needs support should contact the Students’ Union or the University’s support services.”

You can read more about Students’ Union advice for students below:

Message-to-students

The Venue Want To Create a ‘New Legacy’

It has been just over a year since The Venue changed management. While previous opinions of the club have been mixed, it has recently managed to attract some attention; this year, their freshers’ week was the biggest and busiest they have ever had, with over 5,000 students coming through the doors.

The club, which is located on Jackson’s Row, was previously only thought of as the other indie club. But it appears it has gone through puberty, so to speak, and has come out the other side re-established and independent — or should I say indie-pendent…

It’s now complete with its very own photo booth to print those drunken memories you want to keep forever, and a retro street fighter game which you can play while your friends get in the next round. However, you won’t be waiting too long, as they have opened a second ‘Voodoo Lounge’ bar inside, meaning you can get those jäger shots quicker than ever before.

As if that wasn’t enough, they have designed a chilled ‘nan’s living room’, a place where you can sit and chat with your friends without having to endure the pouring rain and cigarette clouds of the smoking area. And if sitting around and having a chin wag isn’t your cup of tea, maybe you want to go have a boogie; the whole music and lighting system has had a complete re-vamp too, including CO2 blasts, confetti canons, and strobe lighting, making sure your night out is as exciting as possible with new experiences and things to discover around every corner.

Photo: Phil Tragen

It has to be said, the new management’s efforts have really shined through. And as well as all the improvements they have already made, there are constantly new ideas in the pipeline.

Whether it be: Indie-pendence on a Saturday, Jamming on a Wednesday, Feeling Thirsty on a Thursday or You’re Living Forever on a Friday, the Venue has made sure that there is something for everybody.

But don’t take my word for it, grab a red stripe and see for yourself. We’ve blagged free entry for all readers before midnight until the 27th October, just mention The Mancunion on your way in!


Photos: Phil Tragen

 

Gig Preview: Upclose: Manchester Camerata & Aziz Ibrahim: Lahore to Longsight

Wednesday 11th October – 7.30pm @ HOME, Central Manchester

£8 Special Student Tickets

This Wednesday will see one of Manchester’s most cherished sons take to the stage at HOME. Brought up on Longsight’s Anson Estate artist Aziz Ibrahim is a master collaborator, working with diverse artists/projects such as The Stone Roses, Asia, Overload (Pakistan), Paul Weller, Mike Joyce (The Smiths) and Project 70 Asian Blues (Arts Council England) — there is a reason why he is so highly valued by the music elite.

Performing with Manchester Camerata for one night only, there will be on offer a radical orchestral interpretation of original compositions from the unreleased album Lahore to Longsight. A concept album that charts the journey of Aziz’s father from a divided India to Pakistan to inner-city Manchester and the path to self-identity and acceptance, for a son torn between vastly different cultures.

Aziz came into the Fuse FM studio last year to talk about his upbringing, career and next weeks performance will not disappoint. Ibrahim is a perfectionist, a purist, always looking for that new sound by delving and crafting music from different cultures and comes through with the goods live.

What will be achieved when he collaborates with the Bridgewater Hall’s residence orchestra reviewed as “probably Britain’s most adventurous Orchestra” (The Times) on Wednesday can only be left to one’s imagination. A splice of sound and culture is promised. See you there.

Special guests Kaviraj Singh (santoor) and Dalbir Singh Rattan (tabla). Not to be missed especially with a concession student ticket price of £8 (Full priced tickets are £15).

The project is supported by Film Hub North West Central & with Arts Council funding. Proud to be a member of the BFI Film Audience Network. There will be a pre-concert talk with Aziz and friends at 6:30pm.

Manchester Black cab drivers protest ‘illegal out of town’ drivers

Over 200 Black cab drivers took to the streets of Central Manchester this afternoon to protest the amount of ‘illegal’ private hire drivers that have flooded the city in recent years.

Luckvear Singh, 47, a Manchester driver of five years, said: “This is having a big effect. They are coming into Manchester because there is more business but they need to have a Manchester licence.

“We have lost a lot of revenue, 30 to 40 per cent, a lot of drivers are now struggling to make ends meet and some are giving up. Manchester City Council needs to take action against this and take our protest seriously. The public also needs to be aware what is happening.”

The deregulation of taxi licensing along with cutbacks to local authority funding enables drivers to apply for a license from a Council that has the least stringent rules and operate in Manchester which has the highest demand for private hire cabs within the region.

This is especially true with a large number of Uber drivers in the city, which hold a license from Rossendale Borough Council in rural Lancashire — a district that lies 17 miles north of Manchester’s city limits. This influx has caused discontent amongst local drivers who feel they are being undercut and that loopholes in licensing regulations are being taken advantage of. This also raises concerns that drivers that come in from outside of the City do not know the areas they are working in, causing a race to the bottom in skills and knowledge.

It is also worth noting that Manchester City Council can only stop and check drivers who are licensed within the city, which poses safety and welfare concerns. After an investigation into the licensing regulations in Greater Manchester, Trafford Council’s website states that prospective drivers need to have a GCSE equivalent in English and there is at current a two year waiting list for a licence. Rossendale Council however has no such requirements or limitations. As the occupation usually attracts those who have recently arrived into the country, that have little knowledge of the language, it is not surprising that drivers are going down the Rossendale route for a quick way to a licence.

It is clear, then, that is Uber that win from this. By pointing drivers in the direction of loopholes in local authorities taxi licensing laws and signing up cheap, unorganised labour they are a symbol of the flaws of this neoliberal approach to taxi licensing in Greater Manchester. These flaws are only apparent due to the inequality in economic activity and distribution of wealth in the region.

Uber drivers aren’t amassing over on Newton Heath high street are they? They are concentrating on the City Centre and more prosperous Southern districts of Manchester, and if Greater Manchester addresses this it will only ease the animosity, rather than the only solution be a mass of new regulation on who can and can’t drive a cab. For drivers to come over 25 miles for jobs shows the concentration of demand and it is easy to see why local drivers are disgruntled.

Central and local government also has to urgently address why there is such a high demand on private hire taxis. Why do the trains stop at 11.30pm on a Friday and Saturday night? Why is it cheaper for four people to get a taxi than it is a bus? These are all the questions that we need answers to.

Andy Burnham professed at his manifesto launch in May that he understood the transport and logistical nightmares Mancunians face, but with him rubber stamping 6 per cent a year Metrolink fare increases on Friday, the Bus Services Act white paper probably stuck under a pile of Brexit negotiation memos and the byzantine ‘Get Me There’ travelcard that has half been rolled out it honestly doesn’t look rosy for public transport to provide a solution anytime soon.

The 200 Manchester black cab drivers rolling out across town today may just be the start of a fightback against deregulation and the power that Uber wields in cities across the North, now that they’ve fallen in London. Watch this space.

Review: FIFA 18

FIFA’s reception is usually split broadly into two camps: those who think it’s ‘the same as last year’ because ‘it’s just football’, and those who staunchly defend its title as the premier footballing experience.

However, whilst I would normally speak on behalf of the latter, there is a definite sense that the changes and updates in this year’s iteration are incremental rather than innovative.

FIFA’s gameplay remains largely the same, maintaining the added mechanics of previous versions whilst tweaking and refining some of the older issues. Crossing, in particular, has been given some much-needed attention and, whilst still far from perfect, is an improvement that sees target men finally emerge as viable attacking tools.

However, this is somewhat contravened by EA’s failure to balance some other areas of the title’s gameplay: the potency of the driven shot (and the keeper’s chronic inability to deal with them) allied with the ever-present overemphasis on pace and dribbling means that certain styles of playing remain firmly impractical, with the gameplay forcing a largely homogenous playing style on its players.

The low shot remains a trump card. photo:easports

‘The Journey’ was arguably FIFA’s boldest, most ambitious and most innovative feature of this generation.

Without the novelty of last season’s story, however, ‘The Journey’ struggles to impress as much this time around. Although the star-studded cast EA has assembled impressively includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Rio Ferdinand and… Gyasi Zardes, the direction of the story seems very much driven by the cameos of these players than by a desire to explore Alex Hunter himself.

Indeed, FIFA’s evident awe at its own cast is only exceeded by that of Hunter’s, whose gaping amazement at meeting his stars goes slightly beyond endearing and — at times — into nauseating.

The illusion of having any control breaks down very early in ‘The Journey’ as Hunter is shunted around clubs on EA’s whim. Whilst this operates in an interesting way to expose the relative powerlessness of young players in a market dominated by avaricious agents and inflated transfer fees, it does mean that the journey becomes a linear ride rather than a compelling player-orientated narrative.

Nevertheless, ‘The Journey’ presents a tightly written if slightly generic and predictable story, whilst Alex Hunter is a likeable, albeit uncharismatic, protagonist.

FIFA’s career mode also returns largely unchanged, save for the way you negotiate player deals. This is now done by a cutscene, where you — the manager — negotiate with the player and his agent in person. This sounds like an interesting addition, but the execution slightly misses the mark.

EA — for understandable and no doubt practical reasons — subtitles the cutscenes rather than using voice actors, but this, along with EA’s relatively primitive facial animations, makes the scene eerily mechanical and ultimately not that different from its previous system aside from the gurning delight on the face of the prospective parties.

Face to face negotiations don’t quite land. photo:EAsports

Other than that, FIFA’s career mode is more or less what you’d expect. It doesn’t do much wrong, but it lacks a bit of personality. The menus are well presented and navigation is not as hectic as in PES, but the transfer market and scouting system are unwieldy.

Perhaps the biggest problem with FIFA’s offline game modes, though, is how dull it is to play the AI, who continue their footballing ideology of emulating Tony Pulis in each and every game. Whilst they are fallible, and the difficulty can be adjusted to the needs of pretty much any player, this makes the offline experience a lot more monotonous.

EA’s biggest draw is once again online game-mode ‘Ultimate Team’, which does well to expand on its options of ‘squad building challenges’, as well multiple other competitions and challenges.

Whilst the premise of ‘Ultimate Team’ (to build your ultimate team) is somewhat flawed by the chemistry system’s stifling effect on squad building, it remains oddly addictive and still holds the title of the ragiest game in the world – not necessarily a good thing, but a sign it is engaging, at least.

It would be a lot better, however, if EA could keep their mitts out of our wallets, or at least better obscure the fact that Ultimate Team is based solely around burrowing ever deeper into the consumer’s pocket. Every small mechanic and ever-diminishing resource is based around manipulating the player into buying “FIFA points” (a transparent intermediate currency that costs real money).

Is it optional? Yes, of course. But regardless, the whole system is constructed carefully around making you shell out a bit more, which detracts from the experience as a whole by replacing hard-earned rewards with easy shortcuts, all the while dangling the potential rewards of splashing out.

EA provides a solid but unspectacular instalment of FIFA, which provides just enough to justify its price tag without really innovating. The game remains a lot of fun to play with friends and online despite its flaws and has some interesting offline modes.

Is it £50 of progress? Probably not. Is it £50 of game? I think so. But when FIFA’s only competition is its own obsolete predecessor and the increasingly niche PES, it can probably afford to rest on its laurels — for now.

6.5/10

 

Review: RUINER

As my character entered another grim hideout full of tooled-up cyberpunk maniacs, the words “DIE” are emblazoned across his LED-facemask. And die I did. A lot.

RUINER is a brutally unforgiving top-down shooter developed by Reikon Games and published by Devolver Digital. You might remember Devolver Digital as the guys who used their stage time at E3 this year to satirise the gaming industry, poking fun at money-hungry developers by showing a gamer throw literal money at his computer screen.

This lovable reputation garnered by Devolver Digital — that they are comprised of honest people who really love games — is very much upheld by RUINER.

From the niche gaming slang used by your hacker guide (simply named ‘Her’) to the immense faith the game has that you’ll stick out its infuriating missions without much help, RUINER plays like a love letter to hardcore gamers of the genre.

The premise of the game is pretty simple – your brother has been kidnapped by an evil corporation, and you must rescue him with the help of Her. If you needed any confirmation that RUINER is all about gameplay over story, look no further than its very first mission which throws you right into the midst of enemies with no introduction other than a simple command: “KILL BOSS”.

Photo: Devolver Digital

RUINER’s roughly 6-7 hour duration will see you follow a pretty similar pattern: travel down a corridor, enter a room, get locked in that room with waves of enemies, fight your way out.

While this did get rather repetitive, the huge arsenal of guns and melee weapons combined with various abilities with their own skill trees means there is plenty of variety between the many chaotic gunfights you’ll encounter.

Visually, the game is striking. RUINER’s bleak dystopian world is drenched in neon red lighting, and everything from the bustling town which serves as the game’s hub to the factories and dens that make up the game’s combat areas look fantastic.

The art designers have done a tremendous job of capturing the classic cyberpunk aesthetic of Blade Runner and Judge Dredd whilst forging their own unique style with bold uses of colour and cartoony character models.

RUINER’s world is one in which technology has beaten nature into submission, and the music choice reflects that. Every track is heavily electronic and often deliberately dissonant to the point of sounding more like noise than music.

The intended effect of keeping players constantly on edge whilst conveying the hopelessness of RUINER’s world is certainly there, but there were times the jarring soundtracks actually detracted from my experience.

Photo: Devolver Digital

RUINER doesn’t just refuse to hold your hand, it snatches away from you and then laughs in your face. They’re pretty clear about their stance on difficulty; the official twitter for the game tweeted: “we received complaints that RUINER is too hard. We know it. It was meant to be.”

I like a difficult game as much as the next guy, but too many times RUINER’s vague feedback mechanics meant I died without really understanding why. This reduced a large portion of my countless deaths to annoyances rather than the learning experiences they were no doubt intended to be.

That’s not to say that RUINER was never a rewarding experience. One of the game’s bosses in particular – Shadow – gave me a really hard time; killing me over and over whilst the game’s incessant teasing made me want to throw my controller at the wall.

“That was embarrassing to watch”, says Her after my character falls dead to the floor for the 20th time, whilst the subsequent loading screen passive-aggressively reminded me that I “can lower the difficulty at any time”.

Without the teasing, I probably would have lowered the difficulty. Instead, I gritted my teeth and redistributed my skill points (something you can do at any time) to try out some new tactics. After some more attempts I managed to kill Shadow, and my 28 deaths netted me a pitiful ‘E’ rating for that level.

This didn’t matter though — I felt like a king. RUINER had forced me out of my comfort zone and given me no choice but to get creative with new abilities and adapt to the challenge.

In short, RUINER offers an enjoyable but somewhat unremarkable twin-stick shooter experience. Its fast-paced, punishing gameplay will be a hit with some, but its biggest strength lies in its immensely cool cyberpunk style.

Be warned, though: this is a game that very much knows its audience — fans of the genre who love a challenge — and will do little to ease outsiders into the experience.

7/10

In solidarity with university staff over job cuts

Academic staff on campus today voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action in reaction to the announcement made by the University to make 171 staff redundant in May this year.

The University announced the redundancies as students were busy revising for and taking exams at the end of the academic year, and today’s strike ballot is the first move by UCU since the end of the summer.

Standing in the quadrant off of Oxford Road, below the offices guarded by several Estates security staff in which the Board of Governors were meeting, alongside lecturers and professors from across schools on campus, the results of the ballot were announced by the UCU Committee and welcomed by those present.

The concerned members then utilised the PA system they had brought to amplify the result to blast and sing along to a rendition of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ with the lyrics altered in an effort to lampoon Vice-Chancellor Nancy Rothwell, and ridicule the priorities of a university that returned a surplus of over £59 million in 2015-16.

As the song was played a second time, a senior professor turned to me and explained how the collegiate ethos of the University has evaporated in recent years and how morale has been rock bottom in recent months – indicating at what cost the drive to be a ‘world-leading institution’ has had on those that really make this institution a success.

One of the first things I witnessed on campus at the start of my academic journey was redundancy-threatened IT staff from the University, represented by UNISON and UCU, assembling outside the Alan Gilbert commons to discuss the short-sighted actions of the senior management at this University, and here I am nearing the end of it witnessing a different set of staff with their backs against the wall as the University once more feathers its nest.

The decisions made will indeed throw 171 families into chaos and they will probably be forced to move out of this great city in search for work elsewhere.

Industrial action in the coming weeks will just be one part of a fight back against these proposed redundancies. Students will stand in solidarity on the picket lines with staff against the arrogance of the decisions made by The University of Manchester’s senior management.

The dice has not even been rolled on Brexit yet, and the level of construction and cranes in the sky around campus as well as the record amount of international students enrolled say differently about the health of this University’s finances and therefore the necessity of these proposed redundancies.

West Indies in Lancashire, a home far from home

Every other Saturday, give or take, I get the train from Rectory Road up to Enfield Town to see a football team of the same name. Should I choose to get off a stop early at Bush Hill Park, I can walk up through a stretch of aspirational suburbia and past a cricket ground on my way to the match. In August and September, I sometimes stop off to peer over the fence and take in a few overs. Attendance is sparse, single figures, always including a man with a flask and a scorebook, whether from obligation or a sheer love of recording data it’s genuinely unclear. It’s a humdrum scene, and it’s strange to imagine that not long ago, the best players in the world were playing in similar surroundings at this level.

League cricket has always been stronger in the north of the country, and probably the most famous and significant of these was, and is, the Lancashire League. The BBC’s ‘Race and Pace: The West Indians in East Lancashire‘ followed the influx of West Indian cricketers into the league, beginning with Nelson CC, on the verge of bankruptcy, deciding to gamble on bringing a black man in as their professional player in interwar Britain. Learie Constantine signed in 1928 for £500 a season — making him most probably the best-paid sportsman in the country, according to his biographer Jeff Hill — and guided the side to seven titles in nine seasons, drawing 7,000 in one game against Todmorden, and later becoming Britain’s first black peer.

Proponents of cricket have generally put a lot of stock into the idea that the game is improving. Not as in getting better itself — Race and Pace makes a fairly strong case that it has, at least at league level, gotten far worse — but as in improving the people who play it and subsequently their environment. It’s a slightly exaggerated notion, which has interestingly ambiguous political implications. This is why you can read CLR James or John Major on cricket and know that neither is writing fraudulently. Race and Pace highlights cricket’s value as a social cohesive, positioning Constantine as an important figure in the integration of black immigrants into Britain, laying some of the groundwork in the pre-Windrush years.

Once Constantine had broken the duopoly of South African and Australian professionals in league cricket, many more followed. Wes Hall (Accrington), Charlie Griffith (Burnley) and most famously Sir Viv Richards (Rishton) are all dealt with here. It’s a story not just of England’s slow — and incomplete — acceptance of the West Indian people, but also of their struggle to acclimatise to life in cold, grey Lancashire. Wes Hall eventually became the best fish and chips eater in the North West, but you get the sense Viv Richards didn’t get much out of his mushy peas and pie experience.

Over the years, the list of West Indian cricketers playing in the Lancashire League is formidable. In the 50s and 60s, 12 of the 14 clubs had a West Indian professional. Sir Garfield Sobers (Radcliffe), Sir Clive Lloyd (Haslingden),  Michael Holding (Rishton), Joel Garner (Littleborough), Weekes, Worrell, Walcott, Headley, Roberts, and more, all came to bat or bowl against postmen from Manchester’s satellite towns.

These days, both West Indian cricket and Lancashire League cricket are in steep decline. It’s obvious how beneficial Viv Richards arriving by helicopter to play for Rishton CC was to the league, but less explored in Race and Pace is the effect of the Lancashire League on the West Indies. Young men living in a foreign country, bearing the weight of being the professional — that is, the one expected to bring in crowds and win games. The experience toughened them up and made them into the greatest side in the world. League cricket has reverted to its traditional South African and Australian tendency, though not with anyone of note, and one can’t help but feel that cricket is a poorer place for it.

America vs. North Korea: who really misses out?

The ongoing feud between North Korea and America is not necessarily a recent one. The Kim family has despised America for many years, however, the disagreement seems to have progressed recently from a rivalry between cultures to one between individuals.

President Trump’s inauguration in January of this year spelt trouble for most American and international stakeholders. His short rule has thus far been one filled with rhetoric and dogma, with careless remarks being thrown around without any significant consideration of their effects.

It is precisely this recklessness of the current president of the United States of America that has perhaps caused the tension with North Korea to escalate, and which now causes fears of a potential nuclear war.

One of the most obvious examples of President Trump’s reckless remarks landing him in hot water can be seen through his threats towards North Korea earlier this year in his reaction to Kim Jong Un’s repeated nuclear missile tests, stating he would meet such actions with “fire and fury.”

It would be naïve to place the blame for the conflicts solely on either of the two men. However, it is clear to see that an increasingly dangerous tit-for-tat game is beginning to be played by two near-omnipotent leaders. Kim Jong Un’s obsession with nuclear weapons may have deeper causality than him simply wishing to own weapons of mass destruction.

Kim Jong Un’s pathology is that the West has spent decades looking down on the way North Korea has operated, politically and socially. It may be, therefore, that Un’s obsession with gaining nuclear warheads is not simply to have and use the weapons but may instead symbolically indicate that North Korea is in no way subservient to America. President Trump does not in any way alleviate North Korea’s feelings of degradation by the West, and his public rhetoric has done little more than throw gasoline on an already burning fire.

So, what does the conflict between these two country’s actually mean for the rest of us? This is an interesting question that can be assessed in numerous ways. Politically speaking, the conflict is something of a hot potato with foreign powers being reluctant to comment or side with one man or the other. This is potentially due to some key and substantial economic motivations.

Theresa May has appeared in press conferences with President Trump pledging her allegiance to America — not directly in relation to the conflict, though this is a logical inference to make. May’s decision to immediately side with Trump can possibly be explained through Brexit terms.

The uncertainty and trepidation of Brexit has required May to pick her allies in a wider international sense. Economically speaking, Brexit could be significantly damaging for the UK, the main reason for this being that as a small island, the UK relies heavily on importing goods from countries that have comparative advantages in their production process.

It is for this reason that trading blocs such as the European Union are vital in successful free trade due to the lack of a tariff and the logistical benefits of trading with those that are geographically close. Therefore, the UK’s decision to leave the EU has forced May to begin making friends with other nations to try and create future favourable trade; a possible explanation for May’s display of tactical fondness.

Amongst all the conflict, however, there is one key nation who many argue are the deciders of the outcome of the fighting. China has become the fastest growing major economy in the world, with an unparalleled skill in manufacturing. China usually experiences an economic growth and a GDP growth in the double digits, proving China to be one of, if not the key, significant nation in the developing world.

However, despite all this economic success, China may also be the most unstable economy. Friedrich Von Hayek — famed classical liberal economist — would argue that China’s monstrous growth over the last few years has caused an overheat in their economy, an overheat that will eventually cause China’s economy to experience drastic demand-pull inflation and a catastrophic recession.

These economic concerns prove interesting when applied to China’s positioning in the conflicts between Trump and Un. America owes over 2 trillion dollars to China, a debt that continues to climb to this day. Therefore, should China’s economy fail, the government would look to cash in on the debts owed to them around the world.

Due to the lack of support for North Korea by any major international power, and the fact that all owe significant capital to China, it may be safe to conclude that should hostilities peak between America and North Korea, China may choose not to help Un as many fear, and instead either accept no role in the hostilities or side with America in order to not risk an embargo between the two great nations and result in America’s debt to China being wiped. China has in fact already stated that they will take no role in the potential hostilities.

However, many believe that China will not allow America to enforce political reform within an ally like North Korea, with political writers fearing that China may take issue with America’s insistence to “police the world”.

To conclude, tensions are high between North Korea and America, or, more specifically, between Un and Trump. It is also clear that countries are beginning to take sides in the event of a war, and hopefully, this article has helped illuminate the psyche of the most influential nation, China.

Only time will tell the outcome of the hostilities, whether this is nothing more than a political urination contest between two men who clearly have inferiority complexes, or whether the hostilities will escalate. In any event, we must look with haste towards silencing the two dictatorial figures in the interest of politics and economics globally.

Review: Home Again

Home Again is the debut film of Hallie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of rom-com moguls Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer. Meyers and Shyer are the brains behind classic, much loved rom-coms such as The Holiday, The Parent Trap and It’s Complicated to name a few. They have created films which are often silly and frivolous but nonetheless enjoyable. However, it seems Meyers-Shyer has fallen short of this mark with Home Again.

Home Again follows the newly separated, forty-year-old Alice (Reese Witherspoon) on the aftermath of a raucous birthday night out. After a boozy celebration, she ends up with three, attractive, twenty-something budding filmmakers (one of whom takes a particular shining towards her) living in her palatial poolside guest house while they work on their latest project.

However, even Witherspoon, renowned for her roles in female-led rom coms (Legally Blonde), struggled to give meaning to the insincere and often cringe-worthy writing. This is not to say a film like this requires a beautiful, poetic script.

But what it does necessitate is well written lines which can act as the foundations on which the emotions of the characters, no matter how ridiculous and far-fetched they may be, can be conveyed with some sense of meaning and legitimacy. Instead, at the emotional climax of the film, audience members could be heard to be sighing or laughing, revealing just how greatly the script failed to deliver and consequently just how unbelievable the story appeared.

Obviously, by virtue of the nature of the genre of the film, a bit of fantasy and wish fulfilment can be forgiven. However, it desperately needs to be backed by lines and characters that have integrity and meaning, of which Home Again just didn’t have. This isn’t to say that the script didn’t deliver in other areas though; there were a number of witty lines perfectly displaying Witherspoon’s character’s sarcastic nature. Ultimately though, the script was lacking in the areas which are necessary create a long lasting and much-loved rom-com.

Yet, where the script was lacking, the subject matter certainly attempted to make up for it. One of the film’s main redeeming qualities is the relationship between Alice and her love interest, Harry (Pico Alexander). Alice has just turned forty, Harry is twenty-six and although their age difference is briefly noted in the script, it is not made into be a fetish of Harry’s or the case that Alice is a ‘cougar’. Harry just happens to be younger than Alice and that’s all that Meyers-Shyer makes of it. It is refreshing to see such a relationship portrayed on the big, Hollywood screen; a screen which often praises and idolises men for having far younger, prettier girlfriends but which chastises women for doing the same.

Having said this, although the subject matter did make amends for the film slightly, it wasn’t enough to carry the heavy weight of the second-rate script. Unfortunately for Meyers-Shyer, the odd witty line and feminist subject matter could only take her so far, leaving her far behind the mark her parents’ legacy has left.

Dolce & Gabbana: from controversy to cannoli

Dolce & Gabbana. The youthful Italian fashion house was founded in Milan in 1985 by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Since then, the fashion house has become one of the biggest international corporations in luxury goods, drawing in an A-list celebrity clientele. Aside from clothes however, advertising campaigns have been most successful in drawing attention to the brand.

In the recent 2017/18 Dolce & Gabbana campaign, stiff poses in clinically white studios, frosty stares and jutted chins have disappeared. Instead, the label goes back to its Italian roots. It is shot in various locations across Italy by world reporter Franco Pagetti who usually covers international conflicts (a slight veer from his usual work then). Models laugh, eat, dance, hug and give off a suitable impression of careless Mediterranean merriment. The campaign goes beyond a glossy image, it is a sensory experience. You are transported to an Italian market town where the sun is always shining, you can hear the music of street performers, smell the Sicilian lemons and taste the Spaghetti alla vesuviana. Rosy-cheeked models of various colours and sizes (and celebrity-status parents) interact with local restaurateurs, fishmongers, street vendors and passers-by. It’s clever, it’s enticing. It shouts, ‘you can wear these clothes and have an amazing time, don’t worry about a spaghetti splash on a €3000 all white outfit just enjoy’.

However, this is a far cry from the less than wholesome campaigns of yesteryear. I’m not just talking about an accidental nip slip. In 2007, a Dolce & Gabbana advertisement was banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority following 166 complaints of knife and gun related violence. Supposedly influenced by the Napoleonic era, scenes included a meat knife held over the throat of a semi-conscious woman and a man intertwined with a naked woman, directing a pistol at a guy sprawled on the floor with a bloody shot wound to the head. The advertisement was said to glamorise weapon related violence. Nevertheless, the ad continued to run in other countries, after all there was no more violence than you may find in a costume drama, and Dolce & Gabbana collections are known to be inspired by history.

It gets worse. Barely a month later the label was slammed once again, but this time world-wide in an ad said to closely resemble a gang rape. The image depicted a woman being pinned down by one shirtless man while three others watched. It was harder to talk themselves around this one and the ad was subsequently banned in both Italy and Spain. The Advertising Self-Discipline Institute stated that it “offended the dignity of the woman” as the female figure is shown as “passive and helpless” compared to the men surrounding her, possibly representing “abuse or the idea of violence towards her.” Many have since argued that it is a misogynistic romanticising of rape culture.

It seems hard to believe then that today’s peppy, sun-soaked Dolce & Gabbana campaign can bear any relation to its dark portfolio. Perhaps after public outcry, they decided to go for something a little less scandaloso. They seem to have gone down the typical route of using celebrity faces (or their children), including Jude Law’s son Rafferty Law and Pamela Anderson’s son Brandon Thomas Lee, to draw in attention. Is this then the new Dolce & Gabbana? Are we to expect lighthearted joviality? Or will the label return to twisted themes we all know very well it is capable of creating. Will it be a case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Only time will tell.

Convincing win for University of Manchester Hockey in league opener

On a windy afternoon at the Armitage Centre in Fallowfield, University of Manchester’s Hockey First Team began their 2017-18 season with a victory over local rivals University of Liverpool.

The contest started with the home side on the front foot and it was not long before they were in front. Reece Jecketts produced a good turn of pace down the left flank before crossing the ball to Rowan Poots who happily converted the chance into the net.

The away side seemed to struggle to get going and the opening stages consisted of them making many mistakes and releasing possession back to Manchester. The home side looked to capitalise on these mistakes with Poots looking very lively. First by working space into the box and then firing wide. A few minutes later he was firing another shot into the side netting but from a difficult angle.

The ten minute mark saw Liverpool’s first attempt on goal but it was a tame effort. Three minutes later, they had a penalty but also failed to convert it. A minute later again and they did manage to equalise. Again this was through a penalty, but this time around the shot was deflected on its way into the net.

After their equaliser, Liverpool were the team on top. Pushing Manchester back into their own half but it was actually the home side who were to score next. A dribble from Alex Lord allowed him time to finish tidily into the bottom corner and restore Manchester’s lead.

The goal changed the momentum back in Manchester’s favour as they regained control of the ball. Andrew Robinson saw his shot go wide and a good cross but was unable to find anyone on the end of it.

With half time approaching, Manchester managed to double their lead. James Bennett was found by Toryn Whitehead from the penalty and Bennett slotted the ball into the goal. The half time whistle blew with the score at 3-1.

The opening stages of the second period were a much more evenly balanced affair as it turned into a very stop-start game. With Manchester trying to protect their two goal lead, Liverpool began to pen them in their own half. A good blanket coverage made it hard for Manchester to both mark all the players and subsequently hard to counterattack.

The home side looked happy to weather the storm as the full time whistle drew nearer. Both teams were failing to convert penalty chances and the fifth goal of the game came from a good passing exchange.

After a neat one-two with his teammate, Poots proceeded to hit the ball hard to the keeper’s left and all but secure the win for the home side.
Liverpool did manage a late consolation goal but it was a comfortable win for Manchester, who have gotten their season off to a roaringstart.

Review: Daphne

After a cinematic year dominated by masculinity — whether challenged in Dunkirk, ridiculed in Free Fire or celebrated in Transformers — it’s refreshing to sit down and be rewarded by a genuine and earnest female presence. While Wonder Woman’s success at the box office looked male-dominated cinema square in the face and demanded it move, her character never felt as tangible or true as Emily Beecham’s Daphne.

A disillusioned, thirty-something Londoner, Daphne is a junior chef who drinks to avoid the stupidity of daily life and dabbles in psychology, healthy cynicism, and Slavov Žižek. “You had to Google him, didn’t you?” Daphne asks of both her boss and the audience, firmly establishing her character as wilfully, yet healthily pretentious and, later, nihilistic. Once Daphne witnesses an act of violence, she comes to realise that her scepticism and motivated detachment has bred a feeling of emptiness. Though the focus on such a passive and neurotic character removes some of the narrative thrust the film needs, Daphne works as both an ode to the well-read, cynical intelligentsia and a warning that life is ultimately about making connections.

Proceeded by skillful rooftop shots of a drunk or hungover Daphne meandering around London that lend the film some visual splendour and establishes her isolated role within the sprawling city space, the connections that our protagonist does succeed in making are a mixed bag. It’s obvious that Beecham is the film’s best performer, with many of the supporting players struggling to keep up with her piercing realism. Scenes intended as improvisational banter are frequently in danger of becoming too awkwardly British, though thankfully the most prevalent supporting presence, Nathaniel Martello-White’s David, is likeable enough to forgive his clunky missteps.

Though Peter Mackie Burns’ feature debut could easily be mistaken for a particularly well-produced episode of television, the shooting manages to find a balance between filmic and practical. Daphne’s style is simple without being clinical, and frequently manages to find some unexpected beauty in the grime of backstreet London, the flour and sweat of the kitchen and the peaceful solace of Daphne’s squalid and homey apartment. Nico Mensinga’s scripting is suitably sharp, full of natural monologues and competition, colourful language and sarcasm, it made for easy watching knowing that, if the cinematography fell short of stimulating, the dialogue was always in safe hands.

Despite wishing the film to explore the seediness of London a little more, it manages to subtly navigate race and class relations that pertain in modern Britain. The man involved in the critical moment of violence is an Asian shopkeeper, and the film successfully, but not forcefully, highlights the violence faced by working-class migrants. Though it loses some of this edge throughout the subsequent narrative, themes of connectivity and cultural divides culminate wonderfully in the film’s well-earned final moments that play so convincingly, it’s hard to imagine the film ending in any other way.

Daphne’s slow and occasionally uncaring pace often clashes poorly with the slow awkwardness of her supporting performances, but Beecham is biting, and strangely likeable enough to hold attention. Her contempt and self-destruction may prove grating for some viewers, but taken as a deconstruction of the pessimistic intellectual it’s largely successful. Beecham and Burns work hard to construct Daphne as endearing and substantial character, despite her emptiness, to invariably fulfilling results. A great character study before a great film, Daphne introduces an exciting new talent whilst effectively challenging the smug neuroses of embittered intellectuals.

3.5/5