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Month: March 2012

Possible benefit of prolonged drug use for Alzheimer’s patients

Research has shown that the continued use of medicinal drugs in the late stages of Alzheimer’s may help to slow down the disease in patients.

Alzheimer’s disease reaches out and affects many of us, whether it is through family or friends, or hearing about it through the media. Statistics show that approximately 500,000 people in the UK are currently living with the disease, with only 10 percent currently receiving drug treatment.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive condition most common after the age of 65, affecting areas of the brain important for memory. Over time the disease progresses and the level of cognitive decline increases, leading to serious memory loss and changes in personality.

The study, released in the New England Journal of Medicine, monitored the memory and performance in everyday tasks of 295 subjects suffering from the disease that had previously taken the drug Aricept and found a slower rate of decline in the memory of these patients.

Aricept is usually prescribed during the early stages of the disease, with its use discontinued as the disease progresses into the later stages.

The funding of drugs to treat dementia has been subject to much debate in the past. The medicine regulatory body NICE set restrictions on the use of drugs for the treatment of dementia in 2006, a restriction that has recently been over-turned.

Guidelines now support prolonged treatment so long as it is beneficial to the patient. This follows the end of the patent on Aricept, allowing more cost-effective versions of the drug to be developed, costing as little as £12 a month to prescribe.

This trial provides clear evidence that treatment with these drugs can be beneficial in slowing down the disease in patients in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. Patients taking Aricept were four months better than those patients not taking the drug, in terms of their memory and their ability to carry out daily tasks.

This study will help to improve the quality of lives of the many people suffering from the late stages of Alzheimer’s and so provide a way forward to the generation of further treatments in the very near future.

For a Budget we can all be proud of, build a moon base

Speculation over what might be included in this week’s Budget has been rather sombre; peppered with discussion of ‘revenue’, ‘sustainable growth’ and other economicksy expressions of a similarly depressing vernacular. The build-up to the biggest day in ‘Boy’ George Osborne’s calendar has, frankly, been moribund in the extreme, but just as I was beginning to lose hope for humanity and pondering making the necessary preparations for a new life in Svalbard, a lightning bolt of hope struck me from the blue: a moon base.

That’s right, a moon base. Critics have scoffed at Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s promise to dedicate efforts towards populating this great Babybel in the sky, but perhaps they weren’t tuned in to the gravity of his intellect. Think about this for a moment. Currently, our little island has few exciting prospects on the horizon – nothing says ‘clutching at straws’ like the synthetic excitement about our upcoming Olympic Games – so what could be more of a boost to industry, employment, innovation and national pride than a Budget announcing the creation of a British moon base? Certainly, a passport bearing the name ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Lunar Territories’ would be the kind of passport you would be proud to slap on the surface of the Heathrow check-in desk.

The plan (which will surely be firmly ensconced in that battered red briefcase come Wednesday lunchtime) is simple but effective, ready to put in place just as soon as the country’s financial responsibilities have succeeded in ending poverty, strife and creating eternal peace. The moon base would effectively form a strategic outpost for fighting off possible invasions from arachnids, Decepticons and other hostile extra-terrestrial life forms. However, Her Majesty’s County of Moon-shire would also enjoy a space exploration programme with surplus housing for workers, funded by a privatised police force that uses the Nokia ringtone for sirens and advertisement. It is a project which both Marx and Thatcher could be proud of.

On a serious note – one that is attempting to claw itself to the surface – countries thrive on working towards tremendous goals. Nations such as China, India and Brazil motivate the masses with the promise of improved quality of life, political change and economic prosperity. The population works together, works hard and believes in a sense of purpose. It can almost be guaranteed that whatever George Osborne frantically sketches out this week will no sooner halt the national inertia and boredom than encourage your average Joe to drop his kebab, suit up with more gadgets than the Israeli army and join the shiny Moon Base Corps.

Speaking of other nations, I understand that the British occupation of the moon may cause some regrettable international controversy. Sean Penn would be furious, again accusing the UK of “archaic colonialism”, while only Russia and China would veto our expulsion from the UN Christmas party. It would be a most unpleasant business, remedied only by a fantasy budget-funded conference where the Prime Minister arrives via jet plane carrying a plate of state-owned Ferrero Roche and auctioning off plots of moon dust to the G20. This lunar investment would, however, provide the UK with some disposable income to pay off an enormous national debt, fix the windows smashed by rioters and buy the Queen ten dozen Diamond Jubilee commemorative yachts.

Without an idea as grand as the moon base, the 2012 Budget will be as bland as a rice cake. Unless, just for once, the government thinks outside of the box – thinks big and surprises us all with a brand new idea – Thursday morning will be occupied by commentators lamenting the Chancellor’s fundamental lack of imagination.

Society under siege

My instinctive response to David Cameron’s parroted claim that “we’re all in this together” is one of disbelief. Has he been made redundant lately? Have his salary or working conditions been affected by the recession? Perhaps if our Prime Minister was not one of the ‘1 percent’, he could justifiably claim some affinity with the rest of us; in fact, David and Samantha Cameron’s combined wealth is estimated at £4 million, and they will inherit another £30 million from their parents – an extraordinary financial safety net.

Of the 29 ministers in Cameron’s cabinet, 23 have assets and investments worth well over a million pounds, so it would seem that the majority of his government are equally alienated from the electorate’s experience. Cameron claims to sympathise, even if he cannot empathise – yet if he and his government truly and honestly feel the pain of the broke, the hopeless, the destitute and the unemployed, why are they systematically and remorselessly dismantling our society?

Here in Britain, we have the building blocks of a society to be proud of; one that is built upon the principle of state provision of integral services such as health, education and social security. Our public services are funded through a progressive tax system, and in return everyone is afforded a minimum quality of life, or so the theory goes. But in 2012, Britain is the fourth most unequal country in the developed world as measured by the gap between the richest and poorest 20 percent. These societal provisions act as a constraint on that inequality. They are at the heart of what is good about our country. These provisions ensure that no one has to sell everything they own to pay for a their parent’s illness or their child’s education, and mean that people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own can still afford to feed their family.

But this arrangement is being stealthily undermined, as somewhere along the way the values and principles that underpinned state provision of these key services have been discarded. Behind the painful rhetoric of the ‘Big Society’ and ‘Making Work Pay’ lies an almost compulsive desire to extend privatisation and further roll back of the state. Cameron promised “no more top-down reorganisations of the NHS”, whilst Nick Clegg swore that he would not raise tuition fees. And yet, and yet.

The Health and Social Care Bill has been the most widely publicised attack on our society in recent times and is currently the subject of a heated debate that is forcing the government to amend its original plans – although to what extent is difficult to tell through the fog of war. A key element of the original Bill was the removal of the Secretary of State’s “duty to provide” or secure the provision of health services. By removing this vital responsibility and handing it over to unelected officials, GPs and private companies, the NHS becomes entirely unaccountable to the public, despite it ostensibly existing for the benefit of everyone in society.

A further major issue is that the Bill contains a number of measures that will encourage competition and almost inevitably open the NHS up to European Competition Law. This gives the health service watchdog Monitor the power to eliminate ‘anti-competitive’ behaviour which could result in services currently provided by the NHS being contracted out to private companies.

This Bill amounts to privatisation through the back door. Already we are seeing private healthcare firms cherry picking the most profitable services such as knee and hip replacements, which can be bundled neatly into commercial packages, whilst leaving costly and complex operations to an increasingly impoverished NHS. If and when the Bill is passed, the disparity will only be exacerbated.

The government attack on state education is equally terrifying, though far less publicised. There are now 1,529 academy schools, operating outside of local government control, compared to just 200 when the coalition came to power. There are also 24 so-called ‘free schools’ set up by parents, charities and other unelected groups. In January, the for-profit Swedish company IES UK was awarded a £21 million ten-year contract to manage a free school in Suffolk, the boldest step yet in the on-going stealth privatisation of the British state education system. Meanwhile, bodies such as the General Teaching Council have been scrapped as part of the plan to make England’s school workforce more manageable and cheaper for future private providers. The education services sector in the UK is worth close to £2 billion – a figure that is set to soar once the coalition’s changes to school structures have fully kicked in.

Arguably the most distasteful dimension of this offensive on all fronts has been the vilification of the out of work to pave the way for a series of major changes to the functioning of the welfare state. I don’t defend the services that our society entrusts the government to provide as perfect; I understand that the benefits system can trap people in poverty and that there are serious problems with our health and education systems too. However, it is absolutely indefensible to use these defects as a pretext to withdraw our hand from the most vulnerable in society. The rate of unemployment currently stands at 8.4 percent – that’s 2.67 million people out of work – and combined with a very high number of long term claimants we find ourselves in a situation that the welfare state was never designed to cope with. The government’s proposed solution? A Welfare Reform Bill that will squeeze benefit claimants even more and which will surely increase poverty in the UK. Furthermore, changes have been made to disability benefits with the express intention of reducing the disability budget by 20 percent; it is widely recognised that disabled people will be hardest hit by the Bill.

I am not making a party political attack; this is a critique of our political establishment as a whole. Though the Conservatives seem to hold a fervent ideological commitment to destroying the fabric of our society, New Labour hardly fared any better. The Blair government set the wheels in motion by creating internal markets within the NHS – a necessary first step on the journey towards the privatisation that is being implemented as you read this very article.

Society is under siege. The NHS is in the most perilous situation since its establishment in 1948, whilst the instruments of the welfare state are in grave danger. When were we consulted about these changes – changes to the very essence of our society that were decided for us, not by us? This is a war on many fronts but we must defend ourselves against further assault if we wish to preserve our future. Principles of trust, equality, community and mutual cooperation are at risk of extinction. Individuality, distrust, competition, profit, poverty and isolation will replace them. We have to see that we really are all in this together, though not according to David Cameron’s edict. Society is easier to break than it is to mend – we must see through the deceptive words of government and take action before it is too late.

Students depict scenes of violence to protest killing of Syrian civilians

60 students held a flashmob on one of Manchester’s busiest shopping streets on Saturday 10 March to protest against one year of violence in Syria.

The Islamic societies from the University of Manchester, Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University worked together to put on a week of action in response to the killing of civilians. The week of protests mark one year after the ‘Arab Spring’ erupted in Syria.

The students stood still for five minutes on Market Street depicting scenes of violence that civilians in Syria have faced in the year since the Arab Spring. Some were dressed as soldiers, holding toy guns to the heads of people acting as protesters. Two men carried a ‘body’ on their shoulders – wrapped in sheets soaked with fake blood. Two young girls stood silent clutching a sign which read ‘We lost our mother’ whilst a man dressed as a doctor tended to victims of police brutality.

Leaflets were handed out to Saturday shoppers explaining the protest and many seemed bemused by the scene, stopping and staring, others filming the protest on smartphones. The protest ended with a basket of white doves released to symbolise Syrian freedom.

Amin Astewani Vice-Chair of the University of Manchester Islamic Society helped to organise the event; his father was imprisoned and tortured in Syria for two years because of his religion. He had been told by his dad that Guantanamo Bay is like a ‘children’s playground’ compared to Syrian prisons.

Amin said, “As students, we don’t want another genocide like in Bosnia or Rwanda, where the whole world sees what is happening but no one does anything about it.”

Security forces have killed thousands of Syrians since protests began in March 2011, though exact figures of fatalities are not known. Humanitarian aid agencies have been denied access and doctors within the country have been attacked for giving medical treatment to protesters.

Russell Group expands again

The elite group of the UK’s top research universities, the Russell Group, has accepted four new members.

Exeter University, University of York, Durham and Queen Mary University of London were all invited and have accepted invitations to join the group last week.

The Russell Group represents some of the most prestigious universities in the UK and now has 24 members, including the University of Manchester.

They hold a considerable influence on government education policy and over 80 percent of the UK’s doctors and dentists attended universities that were part of the group.

Professor Michael Arthur, chairman of the Russell Group, said: “We are delighted to announce that the Russell Group board has invited four more members to join the group, all of whom have accepted. Durham, Exeter, Queen Mary and York have demonstrated that – like all other Russell Group members – they excel in research, innovation and education and have a critical mass of research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.”

The increase in tuition fees next year has meant universities have had to work harder to sell the prestige of their courses and their institution to prospective students. Holding the Russell Group label could be seen as adding value, especially to students from overseas.

The list of universities in the Group is now made up of: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College London, King’s College London, University College London, Leeds, Liverpool, London School of Economics, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Queen’s University Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton and Warwick.

Further education colleges awarded undergraduate places while universities face a cut

While many Russell Group universities are having their places cut, over 10,000 undergraduate student places have been awarded to further education colleges.

With an aim to encourage the growth of a low-cost alternative to traditional universities, 20,000 places have been taken from higher education institutions and auctioned off to universities and colleges who are charging average tuition fees of £7,500 or less this year.

Around 9,600 of the places have gone to universities, the biggest winners being Anglia Ruskin, London Met, Nottingham Trent and Staffordshire.

But further education colleges, including Newcastle College and Hartpury College in Gloucester have gained over half of the places.

Last year many universities chose to charge the highest fee of £9,000 to students starting their study this September. The offer of additional places to institutions charging less than the maximum was intended to put pressure on others to reduce their fees.

At the end of last year, 25 higher education institutions brought down their average fees in order to have a chance to gain more student places.

Universities Minister David Willetts said that this redistribution of places would put “pressure for quality and value for money” on universities.

But institutions that have chosen to keep the highest fees are disappointed with their loss of places.

Plymouth University Vice-Chancellor Wendy Purcell is outraged that her university stands to lose 10 percent of its undergraduate places despite having big increase in applications.

She said: “We are at a material disadvantage of losing 868 student places. This is against a backdrop of increased student demand for the Plymouth experience with our undergraduate applications for 2012 entry increased by 6 percent.”

A second reform introduced by the coalition government is allowing institutions to expand to take on more students who achieve grades AAB or higher at A-Level. This is expected mainly to benefit elite universities.

But Professor Purcell says that this policy will have a negative impact on many students from non-traditional backgrounds seeking places at Plymouth.

A third of the university’s places are with partner colleges, where students start off studying a foundation degree. They then hopefully progress to an honours degree in their final year with Plymouth.

Purcell said: “Last year the University had over 500 applications from pupils taught at schools in deprived areas of whom just two who went on to enrol fell in to the AAB+ category, the remainder of those potential students are competing for a significantly reduced number of reduced places at Plymouth University.”

Although the government says it wants to put “students at the heart of the system,” there will be “many hundreds of local students planning to attend Plymouth University who will be refused a place,” she said.

She has called for a greater understanding of the role universities play in raising aspirations, transforming lives and educating students from non-traditional backgrounds.

Facebook ‘better measure of job performance than personality tests’

A recent study from Northern Illinois University has showed that a person’s Facebook profile predicts job performance better than current personality tests used by prospective employers.

The study showed that Facebook can reveal a lot about key personality traits such as conscientiousness, agreeability, extroversion, emotional stability and openness. The social networking site was found to be better at predicting an applicant’s likelihood of succeeding in a job because it is harder for a person to “fake” a personality on Facebook, especially in front of their friends.

However, many people are aware of the fact that employers use social networking sites to research and compare applicants. Because of this a large number of people, especially students, are privatising or changing their Facebook profiles from anything which may be deemed inappropriate.

When students at the University of Manchester were asked whether they would change their online profiles when applying for a job, almost everyone The Mancunion spoke to said that they would make it appear private.

Dani, a first year Spanish and Chinese student said, “I would make it private and un-tag any horrible photos”. Andy, a third year Chemical Engineering student, also said that his profile was private and that “they could only see my name and profile picture”.

Don Kluemper, professor of management at Northern Illinois University College of Business, assured that partying photos didn’t necessarily count against an applicant. He said that it could show a person to be extroverted and friendly. The study also showed that people gained favourable evaluations if they had travelled, had a lot of friends and showed a wide range of hobbies and interests.

There are concerns about the legality of using social networking sites to screen job applicants. Kluemper said that the study does not advocate that existing tests should be replaced as this is the first study of its kind. He said, “before it can be used as a legally defensible screening tool, it has to be proven valid. This research is just a first step in that direction.”

The study has been published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

Blind date: Sol and Annaliese

Sol, Third year, Philosophy

What were your expectations for the evening?

I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest…I was hoping for a tasty meal with someone good to chat with, and that’s basically what I got (which was nice).

First impressions?

She looked a little nervous as she came in, which was reassuring because I wasn’t feeling all that confident about the situation myself.

What did you talk about?

My hippy mum, corporate law, the speed limit in Guernsey, coxing and AU social, gourmet coffee, what lies beyond the Arndale centre, my little brother (possibly slightly too much – who knows), her childhood, Desperate Housewives, previous jobs, festivals…whatever came to mind, really.

Best thing about them?

She was easy to talk to, and she laughed at most of my jokes – that was a plus.

What did you eat?

I went for the steak with sweet potato chips, and a couple of pints of Brooklyn Lager to go with it. Was really tasty – I thought it could’ve done with a sauce, but I suppose they wouldn’t have been able to serve my meal on a little piece of slate if they’d done that…

Any awkwardness?

Not so much, I don’t think. Although in retrospect I wish I’d waited until we’d finished eating before musing about what 5th Ave would smell like if they didn’t have those smoke machines.

How did you part ways? (Mouth-to-mouth action/heavy petting/friendly hug?)

I waited with her at the bus stop and we hugged before she left.

Out of 10?

For the date? I’d say and 8.

Would you see them again?

I’d say so, yeah.

 

Annaliese, First year, Law

What were your expectations for the evening?

I didn’t really know what to expect other than a possibly very awkward meal with a complete stranger!

First impressions?

A nice, friendly guy.

What did you talk about?

Everything uni related; course, nights out, interests. Also talked about where we came from and why we came to Manchester.

Best thing about them?

Interesting to talk to and lots to talk about!

What did you eat?

He had steak, I had a burger. He also talked me into dessert since it was a free meal so I had the sticky toffee pudding.

Any awkwardness?

At the beginning as to be expected but we didn’t run out of things to talk about so it was fine.

How did you part ways?

We walked to the bus stop and hugged before departing our separate ways.

Out of 10?

Was a really nice dinner with good company, 7.

Would you see them again?

Quite possibly, as friends, who knows!

 

Sol and Annaliese ate at The Deaf Institute, Grosvenor Street, Manchester. Thanks to the guys down at Grosvenor Street for getting involved. To check out their menu, gig listings and have a look at what club nights are coming up visit their website www.thedeafinstitute.co.uk

To sign up for blind date please e mail your name, year of study and course to [email protected] with ‘blind date’ as the subject

Why Manchester is too alternative for it’s own good

There’s no question that Manchester University and the surrounding city is wonderfully diverse in all aspects of life thanks to the wonderful people of this place who aren’t afraid to push the boundaries: we have an amazing music scene, great places to wine and dine and some amazing sites of cultural interest. All of these, I’m glad to say, many of my fellow students are happy to dabble in. But what happens to our fellow students when this dabbling goes too far?

And this sounds like an all too familiar routine for many. The day you pick up this paper, you will probably sit in a lecture surrounded by girls with the unformed look of unwashed hair and studded noses, and boys in wax jackets with curly hair adorning the top of their otherwise shaven heads.

You will probably witness many having lunch at a vegan café, telling everyone there how they hope the next Pangaea features this great proto-Ska brass-rap outfit they found online. Personally, I can’t understand why this appeals to so many students around campus.

If I were to recall one of my fondest memories from higher education, it involved sitting in a field in tracksuit bottoms, Subway in hand, deep in some inane conversation with four other lads. And that all happened at a different uni’s open day.

But is our university’s fear of being easy-going actually a problem? In some aspects, yes. Student politics will remain being avoided like the plague, Pangaea will never feature any acts you’ve actually heard of, our union will always fail to be the social hub for students that it desires to be, and we will all continue to walk around campus with that niggling feeling that you’re just not ‘cool’ enough to be there.

The message (hidden here somewhere) quite simply is: chill out, Manchester! Don’t get me wrong, I will be the first one to say how much I enjoy now and then seeing new bands, shopping in the Northern Quarter and a hidden cocktail bar or two. All the same, give me a casual outfit, a cheesy DJ and some unpretentious students in a bar, and I will be a happy man.

Ask Keir: Ear wax

Ask Keir is a column aiming to answer all your health questions. If you want to know about that funny looking lump that won’t go away, why that student doctor keeps poking you or anything at all to do with health get in touch at: [email protected]

All questions will of course be kept confidential and anonymous.

Question of the Week

I’ve had blocked ears for ages now and they just wont clear up. I’ve put a drop of olive oil in them for over two weeks like my GP suggested and it still hasn’t got any better. I use to use cotton buds but she said that might make it worse. Any suggestions?

Having blocked ears is such a common ailment that over 2 and a half million people seek help per year. It can be persistent, painful and just plain annoying but there are many ways to treat it and most of the time it either resolves itself or the treatment works.

First off here’s a quick low down of the basics. Blocked ears are most commonly caused by earwax. Although it can be a right nuisance and it may not be the prettiest thing it is however pretty darn useful. It’s properties somewhat surprisingly include cleaning, lubricating and protecting your ear from dirt, bacteria and water.

However as with all of the bodies systems sometimes something can go wrong. Some people end up producing more earwax than they can get rid of and this increases the likelihood of a blockage.

Also as you get older your ear wax becomes drier and this also increases the chance that your ears will get all blocked up. Another risk factor is some people just have very curvy ear canals and that causes them to get blocked more regularly because the wax has difficulty getting out.

There are also things that you can do that make it worse. One being the use of cotton buds. These are surprising accomplices in the crime of blocked ears and make up one of the main causes.

Now the treatment options. As you’ve said olive oil drops are one of the first line of treatments and prove very successful in helping people.

Another great healer is time (sorry about the cliché) but more often than not nothing is needed to be done other than let your body sort itself out. However if the problems persist a treatment called ear irrigation may be used. This involves a specialist who will use pressurised water to ‘flush’ out your ear and they may pull your ear to straighten the ear canal to assist.

Although it sounds slightly daunting it shouldn’t be painful but it might feel a little strange as the water is squirted around your ear. There are a few other treatments as well but they are rarely used and not really worth going into.

Remember if you have any further problems or anything you’re worried about just check in with your GP.

The rise of hypochondria

Doctor’s appointments more often than not involve getting up at the crack of dawn to then be put on hold and endure Westlife’s Greatest Hits before you’re eventually through to Barbara who can only offer you an appointment in the next fifteen minutes. Cue running around like a headless chicken just to arrive at what resembles a TB ridden hell hole and have to wait around for a further 40 minutes. Cheers Barbara.

Why put yourself through all of this when you could stay in bed for an extra hour or two, click on to Google and diagnose yourself? Who needs a Medicine degree when you’ve got NHS Direct?

Having two parents that work in the NHS, a mild obsession with American hospital dramas and an over active imagination has led me to become a self confessed hypochondriac, much to the despair of my poor friends and family.

Past hypochondria induced episodes have included the predictable ‘“this isn’t a headache it’s a brain tumour” panic as well as a day spent in A&E for a “broken arm” – what turned out to be a swollen elbow from a drunken stumble the night before. I will forever be indebted to my dear housemate who accompanied me to the MRI on that Sunday afternoon (but in my defence it really did hurt quite a lot).

It’s not totally our, or rather my, fault that illness related anxieties have become so out of control. With countless health forums and search engines at the click of a button it’s a wonder we haven’t all lost our minds and convinced ourselves we have flesh eating bugs that are consuming our bodies from the inside out.

Irrational as it is we all do it. Don’t tell me there wasn’t an inkling inside you that thought you might have Swine Flu during the 2009 pandemic or that appendicitis hasn’t crossed your mind when you’ve experienced an identifiable stomach pain.

As much as trawling the web for answers can add fuel to fire, at the same time, it can also put many of your worries to rest and be less of a drain on NHS resources. So next time you’re sure your body has become the site of a medical mystery get yourself on symptom checker and think rational thoughts – nine times out of ten it’ll save you from a needless and rather embarrassing visit to your GP, trust me.

Mancunion Editor Election March 2012: Candidates & Manifestos

 

Dear contributors,

Below are the manifestos of the candidates running to be editor of The Mancunion for the next academic semester (September – December 2012).

Take a look at them and then come to cast your vote on 21st March in Academy 3 in the Students Union building on Oxford Road. Please aim to be there for 5.30pm.

 

Candidate: Richard Crook

 

What is your vision for The Mancunion next term?

The Mancunion is a great newspaper ran by a team of dedicated editors and dependent on fantastic contributors. But I believe it can be even better.

Online:

Our website is fantastic and Lloyd has done an amazing job pulling it up from nothing. But we need to get the URL out there. Some simple yet effective changes can do this.

Get our website on every Uni computer screensaver.

QR codes for every section. Anyone with a smartphone can put their camera in front of the QR code and be taken to that section of the paper online. We can use this to incorporate more multimedia into our articles too.

Greater Social Networking presence. Some of the most read articles on the site are there not just because they’re a good read, but because they’ve been well publicised.

More efficient content uploading and encourage frequent contributors to get involved.

Expand the website to include a space for groups like RAG, Student action and Fuse.

Distribution:

Most people don’t go into the Union. Get them around campus, in Hall bars, canteens, bus stops.

Endeavour to offer a subscription to alumni.

Communication:

Sometimes we get overlap. It’s no one’s fault, but it’s inevitable if one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing. Communication between sections where overlap is possible is crucial.

More communication with societies. Advertise ourselves as an open shop that people feel they can come to us with stories.

Encourage contributors to use the offices and the computers sitting there. It would encourage more cross-section writing and make for a more inclusive paper.

Bring in someone to build official relationships with companies, theatres, restaurants for press packs, offers and competitions.

News/Magazine distinction:

More news focused. Comment, features, politics, science and business are all news related sections. Editorials are important and popular, but we need a clearer distinction between the two when going through the paper.

Keep the fun. Some readers come for our news, but others come for more light-hearted pieces. It’s important that whilst encouraging serious stories, we don’t lose sight that our readership is diverse.

Advertise and preview what’s going on around Manchester for students, whether it’s cinema listings or a book fair preview. Exploit the resources of the city and hook readers with listings like local papers do.

Curse this blasted word limit!

 

What has been your level of involvement with the publication?

 

I started contributing for the paper in my first year largely by writing feature pieces for the Politics and Film section. When the incoming Editor offered me the chance to take over his position as Features Editor in my 2nd year, I happily accepted. As the sole editor of two pages, it has been a challenging but rewarding experience. I have aimed to make Features a diverse and engaging read, not limiting the audience and exploring a number of issues. I’ve relished in the freedom to write and edit pieces that range from the NHS reforms to lower-league football.

This year alone I have contributed a total of around 13,000 words for The Mancunion in the 15 issues we’ve had at the time of writing. If I’m not writing, my job is to help organise, assist in and edit 2,000-2,500 word in-depth articles each week. The length of features and research required means it has been at times difficult to find committed writers, but I have endeavoured to showcase pieces that are fresh and original. Thankfully, some fantastic contributors have helped me achieve this with their work.

Beyond features, I have shown a broad range of interests since I started writing for The Mancunion by offering contributions to News, Politics, Film and Theatre, as well as collaborating with Sport. If Food and Drink ever pursue the “tasting complimentary fine and expensive whiskey” feature piece I recently pitched, I will add that. My wide-ranging writing interests have made me defensive of all the sections, and believe they each have a role to play next year.

 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

 

Candidate: James Watts

 

What is your vision for The Mancunion next term?

 

If elected, I would introduce a ‘Rants’ section, to which anyone can contribute a rant on a topic that they wish to get off their chest. I believe this would further widen the paper’s appeal and the range of subjects it covers each week. This is also a very therapeutic style of writing and often humorous, creating a good contrast with the more serious articles towards the front of the paper.

I would also look at adding a ‘television’ section, possibly amalgamating it with the current Film section. With BBC iPlayer, 4OD and similar devices being frequently utilised, as well as many students having TVs in their student houses, I think the paper is lacking such a section. People love to discuss what they’re watching as shows unfold week by week, and a ‘television’ section would provide such an outlet.

Whilst I have very much enjoyed reading the columns introduced this year, I would look to limit them to half a page each, or fortnightly for example. This is simply because I consider it a little unfair for a select number of students to have an entire page of a 32-page publication every week, and this would also take the pressure off the columnists themselves.

I am very proud of The Mancunion and consequently want to encourage even more students to be writing for it who currently aren’t for whatever reason. To make this happen I envisage raising awareness through other societies; I am a member of the English Literature Society and intend to raise the paper’s profile further through this and other similar societies. I believe this would be more possible now with the Editor job being given to a current student as opposed to a sabbatical position for a graduate.

Another reason some students aren’t writing for the paper is perhaps because of the section meetings; it can be daunting to turn up to a meeting when you don’t know who you’re meant to be meeting. I would propose to move them all to the same place (1st floor of the Students’ Union, right next to where the section editors work) with an obvious sign or banner so students know where to go if they don’t know the section editor personally.

 

What has been your involvement with the publication?

 

I wrote my first article for The Mancunion a few weeks into my first semester at university in the News Section, and continued to write for News as well as Media & Tech and Food & Drink in my first year.

I have continued to write for Food & Drink in my second year.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

For those of you that cannot attend you are more than welcome to send us your vote by email. Send your votes to [email protected].

This election will be using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) voting system, meaning you can order candidates in order of preference. Place the number 1 next to your preferred candidate, place a number 2 next to your second preference and 3 for your least preferred. You are not obliged to put down three preferences, you can only put one or two down if you want.

There will be three options on the ballot this year and they will be:

Richard Crook

James Watts

Re-Open nominations

 

So, if you cannot attend the election in person send you votes to [email protected]. You will have until the 21st March to send your absentee votes in.

I hope you enjoy being part of the process to decide who will the editor next term.

Best Regards,

Nick

Interview: Melissa Benn

Journalist and author Melissa Benn speaks to Ben Moore about our education system, the student protests and how far the feminist movement has come since her time at university. Benn is the author of School Wars, a book exploring the inequalities of our current system, the emergence of free schools and the growth of the private sector in education

Ben Moore: For the oblivious reader, could you explain what free schools are?

Melissa Benn: Free schools are schools which are funded by government and therefore paid for by the taxpayers, but are nothing to do with local authorities. In a way, they are ‘independent’ state schools.

BM: What are your criticisms of such schools?

MB:       My worry about them is the government has set them up, given them a lot of money to get going and also offers political support, on the grounds they will improve the system. The fear is that they won’t tackle the problem of inequality and provide a better education for poorer students, the key problem at the heart of our school system. There was research done looking at the first 23 of 24 free schools and they found that they took a lower percent of kids on free school meals than the other state schools in the area. So there is already a worry that free schools might be serving the better off.

BM: In essence, you’re saying it perpetuates the educational inequality?

MB: Well at this rate, free schools certainly won’t eradicate it, no. The coalition says its whole concern is to improve the education of poorer children but my suspicion is that they will not.

BM: Do you think it is just misguided policy [from the coalition] or are their vested interests?

MB:       I think there are a lot of vested interests in education and that’s one of the problems of our education system. The private and grammar schools both have a very powerful voice. Is it deliberate? Erm, I think that Michael Gove and those at the top care about academically talented poorer students who are being left behind. I don’t think they have a plan for all children really. I think they are obsessed with the narrative of the poor, talented kid who excels academically and goes on to Oxbridge- Gove himself was adopted and then got a scholarship to a private school before attending Oxford. So a lot of their focus is on the  narrative of poor kid who ‘makes it up’.

BM: What policies would you advocate to limit the educational inequalities we face?

MB: We have to focus on the whole system. International evidence, from the OECD, is very clear. It says that the best and fairest systems provided a good comprehensive system from mid to late adolescence and said even not to stream children, let alone divide by social class. In an unequal society, we have to have good state schools. If we leave it to ‘choice’, you’re just going to get the same mistakes creating the same problems.

BM: In terms of choice, do you have a problems with public schools? In terms of division and favouring the elite? Or do you feel that as long as there are good state schools, should be able to choose private education?

MB: I don’t think you can take away the right to private education- I think you just get into a legal minefield there. We need to talk about what they mean for our societies. They clearly perpetuate the inequality. It’s inequality masked in the rhetoric of ‘freedom’, whereas in reality it’s just about buying something superior.

BM: Moving on to Higher Education, what are your opinions on the Student Fee rises?

MB: Well they really concern me. There’s no question that psychologically, the new sums are a huge barrier. The figures this year show there’s been a drop in people applying overall. Yet again, it’s less of a worry for those with money than without money. For those who pay 12k or more a year for private education, it’s just a continuation of their financial burden. It also concerns me that the new market in higher education means we are losing a sense of education as a public good.

BM: What advice can you give to students to combat these rises? I know a lot of young people feel relatively helpless.

MB:  Don’t give up, don’t lose hope. Protest, do it with wit and relevant statistics. In the end, history shows that pressure from the bottom affects people at the top. You feel at the time it doesn’t, but it is shaping the landscape. As long as you keep within the purview of the law, keep up the pressure.

BM: Faith schools are becoming increasingly controversial. Do you encourage state funding for faith schools?

MB: Well, I’ve always had worries about faith schools. I have two worries. One, they divide people by background. Where we live [inner city London] there are two local Islamic schools. Those children will never come into contact with the kids that go to the local primaries. That is a real shame and in this time, with global tensions such as they are, this is a real worry. Another worry is that some faith schools, like some Christian faith schools, have used admissions on the basis of faith to get a more ‘favourable’ intake, let’s say.

BM: We have several reclaim the night events in Manchester and a strong feminist movement. How far has the feminist movement come since your time at University?

MB: I think if you look at detail of it, feminism has made a huge impact on all of our lives- on everything from employment to social life. But I don’t think we’ve come as far as we think we have. There are still problems with violence; with safety; with representation- about 20% of the world’s parliamentarians (and 22% in the UK) are female. I think these austerity measures are hitting women hardest- they’re exacerbating the gap between the better well off women and the worst and also pushing back women in general. Poverty has always been a women’s problem. I’d say to the relatively privileged, university female- fight for the female who is not at University and who does not have your voice.

Friends in need

There have been recent murmurings of unrest and disapproving sentiment towards our current aid budget. Those who see the education budget slashed, from all sides of the political spectrum, argue that the international development budget should be cut. It has actually been cut, in nominal terms, but the argument nevertheless remains to cut it in percentage terms.

We currently spend 0.7% of our Gross National Income on international development. So, for that elusive ‘British Taxpayer’, 0.35% of your income is the most that can go to international development. I personally do not think this is enough, but to suggest that it is too much is ridiculous, especially considering that those paying the 0.35% are those paying the 50p tax rate- those with the deepest pockets in society.

We are constantly compared to other developed countries who either fail to meet the 0.7% target or only give the 0.7% if it benefits their economies. Why would we want to replicate this behaviour? Should we not be proud of the altruistic strain that has characterised our society?

This increasing reluctance of some government officials – and it seems of many experts as well as voters – to give suggests  a parallel desensitisation to mass death. Every 5 seconds, a child under 5 years of age dies of curable diseases – 700 every hour – 16,000 each day – 6 million each year (WHO 2008). Yet, we turn on the news and turn over as if nothing’s wrong in the world. The iconic development pictures have commonly been malnourished African children. If these were white children, there’d be uproar. If the white middle classes in South Africa suddenly started starving, for whatever reason, there’d be a concerted effort to help. Even now, it seems we’ve developed an image where people automatically conflate poverty and disease with black Africans ignorant of the fact that the 3 poorest states in India have more people in poverty than the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa combined. We should care, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Humans are humans, pain is pain and we should do our best to alleviate any global suffering that we can.

Compared to other departments, cuts to the Department for International Development are arguably the most damaging- whether that be in comparison to the health or education department.  This is about keeping people alive, not cutting waiting times or ensuring interactive whiteboards for teachers. That’s not to say these aren’t issues which we should be concerned with, but the development budget tackles the ultimate problems facing humanity today and in any event the idea that we may be neglecting the needs of our own population by aiding overseas development is ridiculous. Homelessness aside, our country’s problems are very relative. There is a qualitative difference between waiting times to see a GP increasing and the spread of malaria in Zimbabwe increasing.

You are only a Briton because you were born into fortuitous circumstances. Imagine you were a poor Malawian. Through no fault of your own, you’re poor to the extent you cannot afford food, the chance of at least one of your parents having HIV/AIDs is more than one in four, and you have no hope of ever being educated. If you were that child, and someone told you that somewhere there existed someone who had a roof over their head, whose wardrobe exceeds in value what your parents earn in a year and yet refused to have 0.7% of their taxed earnings spent trying to help you, how would you feel?

In fact, imagine a scenario in which Boris Johnson becomes the British Prime Minister. After a series of suspiciously motivated wars in Sweden, Brazil and Italy, we are bankrupt and are unable to feed our children. Wouldn’t we want the more affluent states to help out? Regardless of whether we think they would help, would we not want them to help- would it not be the right thing to do?

Then there’s the argument that it’s the recipient nation’s government’s responsibility, not ours. Abandoning my position that we have a duty to these people, there is still no convincing argument to say that we shouldn’t donate. Just because India’s government SHOULD be eliminating poverty, does it mean we should not donate? It is those suffering that we are condemning if we do not . Of course it would be better if the Indian government used their resources more effectively in tackling the widespread poverty they have. But to say to the dying girl from Kerala ‘they’re not saving you, so why should we?’ is not only a ridiculous, but callous argument.

As a student, it is relatively easy to make these big statements about what tax money should be spent on. But even when we do graduate and (hopefully) start paying significant tax, let’s not let our greed corrupt our ideals. Let’s remember that our opportunities and the comfort they may bring us have simply not been there for millions of our fellow human beings through no fault of their own – and to remember to  pass on a share, however small,  of the fruit of those opportunities to others who are no less deserving.

Classic album: Metallica – Metallica

Metallica
Metallica (a.k.a. The Black Album)
Elektra Records
Released: 1991

The Californian quartet’s eponymously titled fifth studio album took the band to legendary status – building on the foundations laid throughout the previous decade. Shedding their aggressive thrash elements, Metallica produced an album that has sold over 22 million copies worldwide.

It had been five years since the passing of the band’s influential bass player, Cliff Burton, and it was the first opportunity for new bass player, Jason Newsted, to contribute musically. The pressure was on after the success of …And Justice For All. It was always going to be tough for the band and big decisions had to be made. Namely, controversial producer Bob Rock – famous for his work with Black Sabbath, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi, to name but a few – was drafted in to revitalise the thrash metal pioneers. The result: a critically acclaimed masterpiece that still remains relevant today.

Musically, Bob Rock encouraged frontman James Hetfield to be more personal with the lyrics and the rest of the song writing. He also attained a groovier sound with an emphasis on playing to the beat of the drummer. Yet the album still retains its heaviness. It was these musical ingredients that really contributed to that winning formula.

Six hit singles were released from the album and it is not an exaggeration to say that there could have been more. It is comprised of a variety of tracks: ‘Nothing Else Matters’ has that radio friendly edge; the groovier sound is noticeable in songs such as ‘Sad But True’. It even pleases fans of the ‘old school’, like me, with ‘Holier Than Thou’. It is a well rounded effort and it most certainly deserves the recognition as a classic.

I should also add that SoundScan, Billboard’s official source for record sales, has recently announced the album as the top selling album of the past two decades (out of any album!). It is then fitting that they shall be celebrating its success at Download Festival this summer. See you there.

Metallica – Enter Sandman

Live: Protest The Hero @ Club Academy

Protest The Hero
Club Academy
7th March
4 stars

There is nothing quite like seeing Canadian quintet Protest The Hero as they do not only bring technical prowess and a shitload of great tunes to each show, they know how to entertain. This was epitomised when they all came out to Elton John’s ‘Circle of Life’ whilst pretending to present baby Simbas to the onlooking masses before launching into a hit-filled set.

First though was main support act Long Distance Calling. The German instrumentalists were distinctly bland and did not make up for the lack of singing with any technical ability (bar the drummer). Furthermore there was a gaping absence of any charisma.

PTH, however, were in full throttle, firing straight into ‘Sex Tapes’ – an anthemic song to get the crowd going. It was a beautifully crafted set list from start to finish where fan-favourites, such as ‘Bloodmeat’, merged with tracks from their most recent album Scurrilous, such as ‘Termites’ and recently released single ‘Hair Trigger’. It was technically the tour for that album – albeit it being released last year – and what a fine and mature effort it was. All of the songs were executed near perfectly and generally well received.

I was near the front for the whole set, in a ten-deep assembled, rioting posse. We sung, we danced and some heckled with the band as they conveyed their humour, telling tales from on-stage and on the road. Frontman Rody Walker did not need to incite any pits or gesture for the crowd to go crazy; they just did (and would have concurred out of awe and respect anyway). Each song led to mayhem down at the front and boisterous sing-a-longs throughout. Personal highlights for me were tracks ‘Blindfolds Aside’ and ‘C’est la Vie’ (Not a B*witched cover!) – they brought the culmination of the show to a fantastic climax.

Protest The Hero – Hair Trigger

Feature: Four songs in the Field of: Funk

‘Cissy Strut’ by The Meters

The phrase ‘cissy strut’ usually conjures up an image of Mick Jagger, prancing around on stage like a startled goose. Sadly, this track rarely comes to mind. The riffs are ridiculously infectious and as far as instrumentals go, it’s about five hundred times groovier than an Austin Powers lookalike competition. To be honest, if you whack it on after a few drinks you may even find yourself doing exactly what it says the tin.

‘Hollywood Swinging’ by Kool and the Gang

This classic might be heard at the odd wedding reception, but I’m certain it has induced a fair few memorable dances between pissed up aunties and reluctant nephews. The intro was sampled in ‘Let Me Clear My Throat’ by DJ Kool, who ironically shares no relation with Kool or any of the Gang. The song was also used on GTA: San Andreas, where it provided the perfect soundtrack for killing members of the general public with a baseball bat.

‘Controversy’ by Prince

I was in Sainsbury’s car park the other day, talking to my housemate about Prince. We both agreed that he looks a bit like the Child-Catcher, but we disagreed on our favourite tracks. I initially thought his choice was “controversial” to say the least – (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) – but lo and behold it was funkier than mine hands down. We put it on repeat on the way home and it was one of the best Sainsbury’s meal deals I’ve ever had.

‘Pass the Peas’ by Maceo Parker

At 10 minutes long, this is one for the real mack-daddies out there. Don’t worry though, Parker is of the highest funk pedigree; he was actually the saxophonist in James Brown’s backing band. In fact, Brown is credited on a number of tracks off 1992 album Life on Planet Groove – including this one. The rhythm is jumping, the saxophone is hot and you can almost imagine strolling into a Las Vegas casino like you’re part of Ocean’s Eleven.

Opinion: Why I hate Two Door Cinema Club

You might wonder how anyone could hate these nice, polite chaps from Northern Ireland, especially when they come so beautifully packaged and presented. Well, as someone who is completely against flogging of any kind, I really do take umbrage with the metaphorical ‘dead horse’ of which indie music has become. Two Doors music, for me, goes hand in hand with the people who champion it – I mean has anyone ever said, “Yeah he’s a great laugh; he likes Two Door Cinema Club as well you know”. With the world’s population approaching 7 billion, I do appreciate it is hard to stand out, but when a band blends into the background so nicely, one has to question their musical intentions and whether in 40 years time they can look back on their career with any ounce of pride.

There seems to be a formulaic pattern to their song writing, with 99.9% of they’re songs featuring a jangly, riff played way up past the twelfth fret, and of course you’ve got that signature drum pattern which Two Door must be getting endorsed to use or something. As for the lyrics, I get the feeling that I’ve heard every single line before, something that should be apparent to anyone who has spent an evening in 5th Ave or any indie night for that matter, and has subsequently gone on to contemplate hanging themselves, out of pure shame, with their own token pair of chinos.

I expect the majority of people will be in complete disagreement, but who made music a democracy? There are people who listen to music in clubs and people who have a passion for music, whether its Metal or Jazz Fusion, and Two Door Cinema Club will never find themselves among the latter. I’m sick of bands with nothing interesting or new to say, delivering the same old riffs, dressed in the same old clobber. Please, do something different! I’ll always have infinitely more respect for Lou Reed making Metal Machine Music and collaborating with Metallica than any indie clone band.

Classic album: R.E.M – Murmur

R.E.M
Murmur
I.R.S Records
Released: 1983

I got my first ever CD player when I was 10. As a complementary (and cheap) present, my brother copied three R.E.M. albums for me – Automatic for the People, Monster and their debut effort, Murmur. These were the first records that I can remember listening to alone in my bedroom, from start to finish. I wouldn’t like to choose a favourite between them, but if I was being forced at gunpoint I’d probably have to go with Murmur. It not only has the fresh intensity that any self-respecting band’s first full studio release should have, it also marked a new direction in American music by stoking the emergence of alternative rock in the early 80s.

Now, if you thought that Michael Stipe was always bald then please refrain from jumping to the conclusion that R.E.M. were always the type of band that your mum would listen to whilst washing up the dishes. In fact, Stipe had a full head of hair when Murmur was released in 1983; a record which was made by four young students, primarily for young students. The coarse quality of the album was achieved by disregarding the contemporary need to rely on over-the-top solos and sapless synthesisers. Instead, Stipe’s heartfelt croons are perfectly accompanied by Mike Mills’ melodic basslines and Peter Buck ‘s chiming lead guitar. The mumbled lyrics in tracks like ‘Radio Free Europe’ and ‘Sitting Still’ are almost indecipherable, but it really doesn’t matter because you somehow feel everything he’s muttering on about.

You might class ‘Laughing’, ‘We Walk’ and ‘Catapult’ as simple pop songs, but they each pack an undeniable punch that hits deeper and deeper after each listen. These tracks in particular, as well as ‘Pilgrimage’ and ‘Shaking Through’, display the raw chemistry that existed between the members of the band at this time. The way that Stipe, Mills, Buck and Berry seem to bounce off each other is testament to the fact that they were all given equal song-writing credit on each track. They were all in it together, combining their individual and inimitable strengths in order to produce an album that ultimately helped to change the course of rock music forever.

R.E.M – Radio Free Europe

John Rylands collects nearly £75k fines in just one term

John Rylands Library collected almost £75k from fines in just the first semester of this year.

Figures obtained by The Mancunion following a Freedom of Information request showed that the University library collected £73,791 in fines last term; while the library collected £190,782 in the years 2010-2011.

Earlier this year The Guardian reported that university libraries had collected £50 million in fines over the last 5 years.

Leeds University took the most money from fines, taking more than £1.8m for the six academic years from 2004/05. Manchester University was second after taking almost £1.3 million.

The University of Wolverhampton, King’s College London, the University of Hertfordshire, University of Birmingham, the University of Plymouth, the University of Nottingham, Kingston University and the University of Durham all collected fines in excess of £1 million.

The majority of institutions are strict with students who are persistently late when returning books.

At Imperial College London a fine of £4 or above will lead to library privileges being revoked until the books are returned. While the University of Westminster, though choosing not to charge students who return books late, bans students from using the library for the length of time that the books are overdue.

Some universities will prevent students from graduating if they have outstanding fines. Exeter University, for example, will prevent students with as little as £5 worth of debt from graduating.

Meanwhile, more than 300,000 books from British university libraries are unaccounted for; with more than 30,000 books missing from Oxford University.

University Librarian & Director of the John Rylands Library, Jan Wilkinson, explained that the large amount of fines collected by the University was simply the result of the institution’s size. She also confirmed “all fines income is reinvested in library services.”