Editor’s Note Issue 11 6/02/12

Put the coin back in the machine and get back on the ride, Semester 2 is now upon us. Hopefully your exams and coursework weren’t too traumatic. Herding into John Rylands library and cutting each other’s hands off to find a power socket for your laptop are now but a memory. For the final years among you that dissertation has slowly begun to appear on the horizon like a malevolent cloud.

So, what on earth have we been doing here at Mancunion towers? Far from sitting around and trying to watch half of Youtube, we’ve been gearing up for the new term.

The more beady-eyed among you may have noticed a flashy new phone icon on our front cover. We’re happy to announce that Smartphone users will now be able to get even better access to the Mancunion on the move. All you need to do is go to www.mancunion.com on your phone and the easy-to-use menu will help you get to the latest stories and features.

We’ve now moved offices from the basement of the Steve Biko building on Oxford Road to the first floor along with the rest of the Student Activities Centre. If you want to get involved contributing to the paper or simply want to come in for a chat don’t hesitate. February 27^th will see the start of Student Media Week. We’ll be holding a number of events so keep an eye out for adverts here and posters around campus.

What have we got for you this week? Our resident jaded cynic Student Eye reflects on the existential horror that comes with being a final year (turn to page 28).

Last year’s devastating natural disasters in Japan caught the attentions of many here. Manchester student Oli Rahman gives us first hand accounts of students who experience the earthquake (page 14).

There’s something of a theme this week as we have a number of great interviews. Our politics team caught up with the young Labour MP and Manchester graduate Chuka Umunna. To see what they chatted about, turn to page 12. Shortly before Christmas we spoke to the acclaimed artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen about his new movie Shame.

As ever you can write to us with your complaints, compliments or suggestions to letters@mancunion.

Until next week…