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Month: December 2015

Ultimate Frisbee – Recognise and watch this space

Written by Oliver Gray on . Posted in Sport.

Ultimate Frisbee is a fast-paced BUCS sport that has recently received full recognition from the International Olympic Committee and gained professional status in the United States. Imagine a perfect blend of American Football (without contact), and Netball if you are new to the sport. The University of Manchester team, nicknamed Halcyon, has consistently been one of the strongest programmes in national university ultimate frisbee over the past decade. However, a win at nationals (indoors or outdoors) has so far eluded the club despite the numerous silvers and bronzes.

With an incredibly strong core group of players, including representatives of the Great Britain U23 team from 2015 (Steve Dixon, Amelia Cartwright and Oliver Gray), and the Mexican U23 coach, Pepe Espinosa, Halcyon Ultimate is one of the most experienced and athletic clubs in university ultimate. As such, this year’s men’s squad will be one of the favourites to win nationals in April. With the increased recognition, such a win would earn the university approximately double the number of BUCS points as it has done previously.

The club is one of the most rewarding for social players and this aspect of the club is ever expanding. As well as weekly socials, these players have the opportunity to take part in fun tournaments and have amazing weekend trips to other cities that include big parties. UoM Halcyon Ultimate has an exceptional prevalence of international students, which reflects the global nature of Ultimate and the UoM. Students from Mexico, USA, Japan, Lithuania, Italy and Malaysia are all represented amongst a large membership.

Season Overview so far:

The 2015 – 16 season thusfar includes strong performances from UoM Halycon Ultimate. The new #BUCSWednesday league structure saw Halcyon—with four players in their rookie year—defeat Sheffield University 12-10 in a tough battle on the 28th October. A combination of injuries, inexperience and absence of big players resulted in a disappointing loss at home to University of York 10-14 on the 4th November. On the 25th of November, Halcyon bounced back with exceptional professionalism and composure to beat current league leaders and biggest rivals in the North, Durham University 14-10. Exceptional performances were made by Andranik Barsegjan and rookie Ben Frankish. The team also included Will Thatcher and Josh Koch, both in their rookie year, who both played notably strong defence. The win sets up a tight battle for the regional title and puts Halcyon in a very strong position to qualify for nationals, needing only one win from two home games against traditionally weaker opposition.

The mixed team began by qualifying for mixed indoor nationals for the first time in two years. Whilst the women’s team failed to qualify for nationals in an ever-more competitive and sizable region, the squad looks to be growing in strength and depth, and the outdoor season looks like providing some strong results. With the aim of strengthening the women’s squad, UoM Halcyon Ultimate will be aiming to recruit as many new women to the sport in January’s Refreshers as possible!

Men’s indoor regionals has been a happy hunting ground for the University of Manchester. Nothing has exemplified the continued strength of the club better than six years unbeaten at the tournament. Additional pressure accompanies retaining such hard-fought club history. Halcyon worked hard to win the group stages and then cruised through the knockout stages to progress to the final. An athletic, skilful and intelligent performance resulted in UoM Halcyon Ultimate beating Liverpool 7-5 in dominant style to secure seven years unbeaten, and some well-earned BUCS points. In addition, the size and strength in depth of the club was on full display. Halcyon were the only university to enter four teams and the third team in particular were very successful, punching well above their weight and finishing above a number of first and second teams.

Training:

Should you find yourself enthralled by the prospect of giving the fastest growing global sport on the planet a try, then we train on Wednesdays at 2pm on Platt Fields Park, and Fridays 8 – 10pm in the Main Hall at the Armitage Sports Centre. All are welcome irrespective of playing experience or aspirations within the game.

On Facebook, search Halcyon: The University of Manchester Ultimate Frisbee or e-mail our president, Carlo Ferrazzano: [email protected].

Rugby Roundup: Club rugby returns

Written by Alex Whitcomb on . Posted in Sport.

It may have gone unnoticed to many, but club rugby is back in full swing. Since the weekend after England’s final game in Manchester there have been four rounds of England’s top division and two rounds of matches in the European Cup, and both seem to be as competitive as ever.

Local favourites Sale Sharks have had a mixed start to the season, with an unblemished home record but without a single win on the road to date. Making their adoptive home of Salfords’s AJ Bell stadium a fortress after being there for only three years is a tough ask, but they haven’t lost there since April, and will hope to extend this winning run further into the season. A win against perennial favourites Northampton is also a sign that the team is in good health, after narrowly missing out on a play-off place for a spot in the European Cup last season. The squad have over 300 international caps between them (98 of which are provided by Ireland legend Peter Stringer), and have shown their potential to be amongst the contenders. It’s also an opportunity for star fly-half Danny Cipriani to make his case for an England place after being omitted from the World Cup squad.

2015 Champions Saracens have been the early pacesetters, and are top of their Champions Cup group. The bookies favourites are so far unbeaten in the league and have recorded very comfortable wins over solid Toulouse and Ulster sides. Wasps also managed to claim the scalp of triple European Champions Toulon in a remarkable 32-6 win at the Ricoh Arena. The scale of the Coventry-based team’s victory over a side that, until now, have seemed invincible, will provide a great deal of confidence to other English sides, especially since they finished eighth in the Premiership last season.

Eddie Jones’s appointment as Head Coach has also hopefully signalled the end of the fallout of England’s embarrassing world cup campaign. After a month of acrimony over Lancaster’s coaching, Sam Burgess and the reasons for England’s failure, English rugby can now move on, and the premiership will be where that recovery will be based.

Jones has confirmed that he will continue the RFU’s policy of only selecting players based in England outside of “exceptional circumstances.” Some have argued that the last three European Players of the Year being English counts as “exceptional circumstances,” and there was some pressure to change the policy after the world cup. Steffon Armitage—2014 winner and Toulon No.8—voiced his anger over the fact that he and 2015 winner Nick Abendanon were overlooked for the World Cup because of their expatriate status.

However, home-based English players, commentators and administrators have responded by saying that the monetary fallout, as well as the effect on the harmony of the team, would be too severe. French Rugby recently signed a three-year contract worth €300 million, giving French clubs a massive advantage cash-wise. With English clubs subject to a lower salary cap than their French counterparts, the worry is that the only thing keeping top players in the Premiership is the prospect of national team selection. While this debate will roll on for years to come, Jones’s decision to carry on current policy during his tenure does bring some stability to the new regime.

The premiership will also continue its tradition of seeing some of the most internationally recognised players taking to the field. Since the mid-1990’s, greats of the game such as Francois Pienaar, Martin Castrogiovanni, Phillippe Sella and Michael Lynaugh have played in the Premiership. This year, fans will see Jean De Villiers at Leicester, George North and Victor Matfield at Northampton and James Hook and Greg Laidlaw at Gloucester, among many others.

So while the disappointment of the world cup will be felt for a long time, English rugby fans will take much consolation from the fact that club rugby has returned. The Aviva Premiership is arguably the most competitive league in Europe and will be well and truly up for grabs right up until the final at Twickenham on May 28th.

UCAS should include school’s average grades to help poorer students

Written by Georgie Hines on . Posted in News.

Admissions service UCAS should include the average grades a school achieves on application forms, says the University and College Union (UCU).

UCU are determined that by including school grades on UCAS forms the change will enable universities to identify the high achievers at unsatisfactory schools.

The use of contextual data has become increasingly popular in recent years, with 37 per cent of universities already implementing this information into the admissions process. 57 per cent have said they planned to do so.

Disadvantaged students remain underrepresented at high-end tariff universities. For every student from a poorer background gaining a place at one of these institutions, seven of their more advantaged counterparts make the cut.

This move could be part of a complete overhaul of the university application process, after it was suggested application forms should be ‘name-blinded’ in a bid to stop racial bias.

Critics have claimed the move could lead to social engineering of the HE system, where poorer students with lower grades could be granted places over those with better marks. Many insist assessing all students on the same information is the fairest way.

In September, Universities Minister Jo Johnson wrote to the admissions body asking them to publish data on students in disadvantaged areas to improve social mobility.

“To make our work on widening participation effective, we need the best possible data. UCAS in particular holds and publishes vast amounts of data on the outcomes of the admissions process, but to target widening participation efforts more effectively we need a better understanding of how students’ background, prior attainment and course choices lead to an offer of a place,” he said.

He continued stating that he wants “to see much more data being made available for academics to analyse and potentially link with other data sets” and that “there will be more work to do to increase the data available and ensure the trust of students who are involved.”

Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, said: “There is of course much more to do if this data is to be unlocked to the benefit of generations of disadvantaged children. As the Information Commissioner has made clear, it is perfectly possible to both protect the confidentiality of student data and allow these access issues to be fully analysed.”

However, there has been some improvement in entry rates for poorer students. Between 2009 and 2014, the number of students receiving free school meals gaining a place at university rose from 10 to 15 per cent.

Ian Wright, Labour MP and chair of the Business Innovation and Skills Select Committee, supports the change. He has heavily criticised UCAS’ stance on refraining from using this information in the past, stating it was part of a “worrying trend” in the Conservative government.

He said: “It seems that the government’s approach is: ‘You can’t judge our record because we are not releasing any information.’”

It’s time to wake up to waste

Written by Hope Rapp on . Posted in News.

Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year—approximately 1.3 billion tonnes—is lost or wasted. Huge facts like this can be hard to digest, but made bite-size, this means that every week roughly one day’s worth of food per household is thrown away. Those familiar past-the-sell-by-date yoghurt pots, crusty bread ends and wrinkled grapes are costing the average household a shocking £700 each year. You would never dream of casually flinging a £10 note in the bin, yet edible, nutritious food is continuously met with this fate.

Although half of our annual waste comes from the domestic sphere, this is just one part of the food waste chain. Supermarkets are a forceful fuel behind the crisis with the over-ordering of shelf supplies seeing thousands of consumable products unsold and, subsequently, thrown away. Whilst this preventable practice is extremely frustrating, the strict cosmetic guidelines supermarkets apply to farmers’ produce are less publicised but even more ridiculous. Supermarket standards mean that perfectly edible crops are not making the cut because of their appearance and size, causing thousands of wonderful but ‘wonky’ vegetables to get the chop. Not only is this distressing for farmers crippled under the commercial superpowers, but for all who see the homeless on our streets and the malnourished children on our television screens.

So what can you do? An enjoyable yet constructive place to start is to watch ‘War on Waste’ on BBC1, where writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall reveals just how much food and other recyclable materials are being wasted. Although he is pointing a finger at the Britain’s food industry’s flawed redistribution system, he highlights how we too can contribute to a more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable society. The two episodes are available on iPlayer. But in the meantime, here are some quick tips for how you can help:

Don’t go by the best before dates! A handy test to tell whether eggs are good to eat is by placing them in a bowl of water, if they sink to the bottom they are completely fresh, if they rise they are rotten. Dates are simply guidelines, use your common sense and sniff test before you bin that yoghurt or hummus.

Don’t fall for the BOGOF (buy one get one free) deals in the supermarkets. Ask yourself, will you really be able to eat all this fresh produce? Do you really need it?

Use your freezer, get that sliced loaf of bread in there before it can go mouldy and freeze your fresh herbs—they take minutes to defrost but go off quickly when left in the fridge.

Use your leftovers before you head to the shops, some surprisingly tasty recipes can be whipped up from the random bits and bobs in your fridge; why not try bargain bruschetta?

‘Bargain Bruschetta’ ingredients:

– A few squishy tomatoes.

– Ends of bread.

– One onion.

Method:

– Grab a grater and those wrinkly tomatoes.
– Fry the onion in a splash of oil.
– Add the bread (if it’s slightly stale, even better, as it will soak up the oil better) and toss till golden.
– Mix the juicy tomato with the onions and place on top of the sliced crispy bread.
– Grind some salt and pepper to top.
– If you have some squidgy avocado too, any type of onion, going off yoghurt and a dollop of mayonnaise you can also make a quick and easy guacamole!

‘The Thrifty Cookbook’ by Kate Colquhoun at £9.99 would also be the perfect Christmas present, offering 476 ways to eat well with leftovers, a lovely illustrated book offering delicious dishes from curries to crumbles.

Get online to wastenotuk.com to read, sign, and share Hugh’s petition #wastenot and explore his quick, easy recipes. With the festive season in our sights, let’s indulge in ingenious ways!

The Corbyn refuseniks should put up or shut up

Written by Jacob Nicholas on . Posted in Opinion.

Last week comedian Robert Webb posted on Twitter that he was leaving the Labour Party. A staunch opponent of Corbyn since the leadership campaign begun (he previously called him “almost designed by the Tories to win the next election” and “fucking awful”), it came as no real surprise to anyone to see him leaving.

This could be seen as just the next part of Labour’s slow implosion—a parliamentary party that refuses to accept the results of a democratic election and treat their supporters with contempt, a media that has launched an endless stream of smear campaigns against Corbyn and his allies, and a series of high-profile Blairites storming out of the party less than two months after the party changes direction for the first time in over two decades. However, I would argue that what is happening is the very opposite—the constant media storm is not Labour dying, it is the sound of the whole establishment collectively quaking in their boots at the idea of an actual alternative.

Webb has long been an avid fan of Blair’s ‘third way’ politics—there’s an old sketch in That Mitchell and Webb Look where he says he got in a fight for defending Blair, pointing out “he doesn’t have an army anymore!” It is a throwaway line, but one that is telling, and a view that has been confirmed in numerous interviews over the years. But  in the run up to the election, Webb wrote a brilliant article in favour of Miliband, urging him to “tax me till I fart.” He spoke about being left wing his whole life and, crucially, about his deep-seated hatred of the Conservatives. This hatred is more than understandable. What is not however is the way it is being used to turn on Corbyn. From the Blairites that have abandoned ship to even the supposedly moderate or left-wing media, Corbyn in their eyes cannot be trusted to fend off and beat the Conservatives.

This idea, however, simply is not true. More people have joined the Labour party since the general election than are in the entire Conservative party, with 40,000 joining in just five days after Corbyn’s election. A huge burst of support like that is not to be disregarded as just “every single person who will vote for him,” or that “the general public will never vote for him,” as Corbyn’s many critics seem keen to say. On a loop. Forever. Instead it shows Corbyn as a manifestation of rising left wing alternatives that have arisen across the West—the latest in a series of parties, movements and leaders who are challenging the neoliberal consensus for the first time in over two decades.

Take Podemos in Spain, only founded in 2014, who are now on over 16 per cent in the latest polls, and are a genuine contender in Spain’s upcoming four-way general election. Or Syriza, who may have capitulated to the Troika but were elected on a clear anti-austerity, left wing mandate, which was proven again in the bailout referendum, showing clear anti-establishment sentiment amongst the Greek populace. Even Bernie Sanders in the US, who is a far more moderate candidate in comparison to Podemos or Syriza, is on over 30 per cent in current polls. Even in the United States, one of the most conservative nations on the planet, there is a genuine, huge, clamouring for change. This change can succeed given a proper chance. Corbyn can succeed, he just needs to be given a chance.

So, essentially, the parliamentary Labour Party need to shut up. In the leadership election Corbyn got over 250,000 votes, a share of 59.5 per cent. Amongst members alone Corbyn got over twice as many votes as Andy Burnham, his nearest rival. To argue that Corbyn won unfairly or that he does not represent the views of the party is ridiculous. The gap in opinions between Labour party members and MPs is ridiculous. The PLP is a gang of Blairites and neoliberals terrified by the idea of a leader who has not just genuine principles and conviction but offers a real alternative to the broken, perpetually collapsing ‘third way’ we seem to be trapped in. They preach doom and failure, that the Labour Party will be cast into the political wilderness like the Liberal Democrats for years. They act with impunity and in doing so are, along with the media, the only genuine threat to Corbyn succeeding. They either need to listen to their members, their leader, and their constituents, or else Corbyn should introduce mandatory deselection.

Finally, the media need to stop their endless, pathetic assault that reached its nadir earlier this month with ‘bowgate’, possibly the most desperate, opportunistic, exploitative attack I have ever seen, using genuine acts of remembrance to try and score cheap shots and make outrage out of nothing. The British press, especially the likes of the Murdoch papers, are so rabidly right wing that it is genuinely undemocratic—they ignore, twist, and even, when they hilariously claimed he wanted to abolish the army, straight up lie about what Corbyn says and does in order to try and bury him and anyone who might tax them a bit more, or hold them to account for hacking into dead people’s mobile phones.

Just think—Ed Miliband was absolutely vilified for being a bit awkward and politically closer to Blair than Thatcher, imagine how terrified the establishment must be of Corbyn. The media must be held to account, challenged on the endless blatant scaremongering and lying, or any alternative to the neoliberal consensus will be crushed in the name of big business.

The more the establishment is challenged, the louder it screams in outrage, and the louder we have to be in return, not just for Corbyn but for democratic politics itself in order to end the petulant, childish nonsense the Blairites and media moguls spout when faced with an actual alternative. So Robert Webb, stop attacking Corbyn and give him a chance—you might be surprised at how far he can get.

The University of Manchester’s Water Polo Club

Written by Ellen Leahy on . Posted in Sport.

The University Water Polo Club is a great way to get involved in a sport that is different to any other! Water polo is a team sport played in a 25-metre pool with a goal at either end. Each team has six outfield players in the pool and one goalie. Matches are four quarters of eight minutes, and the winning team is that which has scored the most goals.

Both the university’s men’s and women’s first teams have had strong starts to their respective seasons. The women went five games unbeaten and are now at the top of their league! They are hoping to be promoted this season. Kathryn ‘Speedy’ Fowler has taken over the coaching position of the women’s teams, and has helped old and new players alike to improve their skills and fitness. The team is very grateful to have such a strong player and coach backing them for success this year.

Men’s first team captain, Andrew Khan, believes he has a strong team this year, with a few new faces. They have won all of their matches this year, bar two, by at least ten goals, and are confident that they can continue at this standard for the rest of the season. They are also hoping for a promotion this year.

Neither the men nor the women’s second teams have had any matches yet this season, because they have been rescheduled for February. Nonetheless, Rachel McNally, the women’s second team captain, has praised her team’s attendance and hard work in training. The majority of second team players have never played any water polo before September, but they have been dedicated to the sport over the last few weeks and are prepared to go out and smash their first matches in February.

Raj Contractor, men’s second team captain, is equally impressed with his team’s attitude towards the game. Raj has organised an extra swim session for players who feel as though they need to improve their fitness in the pool. He mentions Joe Stickley and Dimitrios Asvestas in particular as standout players, for their hard work and good attendance for the team. Raj is also confident that his team can excel in their league come February.

Flora Harrison, the president of the club, has ensured that the club take part in the Manchester Homeless Shoebox Appeal. This is the first year that the club has partaken in this particular charity event, and thus far thirty boxes have already been collected! That number is expected to be doubled by the end of this week, and will make a great difference as it continues. This is a wonderful opportunity to help those less fortunate around Manchester.

Even at this early point, it is evident that this will be a successful season for the Water Polo Society. President Flora Harrison has said, “The club is doing so well this year. There is a real sense of unity among our members, which is reflecting in our success in the pool, and in our club development. As club president, I couldn’t be happier or more excited!” With so much still to come this season, including Sporticipate sessions starting next semester, we can’t wait to see how the club progresses this year. The Sporticipate sessions could act as a great platform to improve players, whilst playing at a more relaxed level and growing to love the sport!

Who is Justin Trudeau and why should we care?

Written by Joel Kelly on . Posted in Opinion.

2015 was a bad year for the left. In Poland the right-wing Law and Justice party secured a victory this October, partly by capitalising on anti-immigrant sentiment. In Israel the Likud party retained power, and once again aligned themselves with the various right wingers who populate the Knesset. In May, the UK electorate broke the Conservative Party’s reliance on coalition by voting for a majority government. The Turkish AKP recouped its losses from June in November, and then some, but are thankfully short of the seats needed to fully enable President Erdoğan’s odious constitutional reforms.

These parties do not constitute a homogenous right wing bloc, however it is demonstrably true that, for last year or so, the tide of history has been moving against social democratic politics. Jeremy Corbyn secured a clear mandate from the Labour Party this September, and United States Senator Bernie Sanders is inspiring a left-wing Democratic revival in the USA. However, these two have yet to gain national power, and both face huge electoral hurdles. In terms of actual winners there has been a definite trend towards the right.

In Canada we find an exception. The Liberal Party decisively defeated Harper’s Conservative government this October, winning 184 seats, giving them a majority in the Canadian House of Commons. Their leader, Justin Trudeau, is the eldest child of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The 43-year-old ex-teacher should be a person of interest for any British voter interested in left wing politics, as he is, in some areas of policy, very similar to Corbyn.

Neither, for example, are afraid to run a deficit. The Liberals expect to run deficit of $10 billion a year for their first two years, while also investing $120 billion in infrastructure. Going into deficit to invest is only effective when a government spends its money in the right places, and mistakes have been made in the recent past by Labour. However, Trudeau’s plan is preferable to the regressive and damaging spending policies of the Conservatives (both Harper’s and Cameron’s). A recent study conducted by City University argues that the government’s current spending and tax policies will only drive Britain further into debt over the long term, predicting a £40 billion deficit, worse than anything Trudeau or Corbyn have advocated.

In Canada, investment is to be paid for via a 4 per cent tax rise on anyone who earns more than $200,000 a year, and a tax cut of 1.5 per cent for those earning $44,701 – $89,401. This is a ‘revenue neutral’ (i.e. the loss equals the gain) tax, designed fairly by putting the burden on the highest earners, and encouraging growth by giving the middle classes some extra spending money. This system will face long term tests. Wealth taxes are thought to encourage avoidance among the top 1 per cent, meaning returns could be lower than predicted.

Labour has bemoaned such tactics for years, but there hasn’t yet been a decent strategy to curtail it. However, it is undoubtedly preferential to the Conservative policy of cutting the taxes of high earners, and then doing the same to vital services in order to make up the loss. British voters who are considering voting for Labour should use Canada to gauge the drawbacks and benefits of such a switch of focus.

Regarding foreign policy, the Liberals aim to end air strikes against the so-called Islamic State. The reception in Washington has been indifferent, and even in Ottawa it has been admitted that Canada’s withdrawal will not make a substantial impact. But far from going into isolation, Trudeau plans to mitigate the damages caused by IS by spending $250 million on refugees displaced by the fighting, and plans to take in 25,000 by the end of 2015. Training for the ground forces fighting IS will continue. This an intriguing alternative strategy, and a possible model for ourselves.

A LSE report by leading diplomats this month concluded that British foreign policy lacks focus. We’re not using our position as the world’s preeminent soft power (an economic and cultural power) to tackle the issues. Rather than running headfirst into Syria and Iraq, as the government seems set on doing, we could be using our position to degrade IS via economic and coalition building means. This is not far away from Corbyn’s position, and in Trudeau he finds a natural ally.

Interestingly, Trudeau also aims to legalise marijuana. Corbyn has backed decriminalisation for medical use, rather than complete legalisation. Legalisation involves not prosecuting the transport, sale, possession, or cultivation of cannabis. Tim Farron added some legitimacy to this cause by backing legalisation, however he’s a relatively marginal voice. Canada will be a crucial test case. Admittedly, the policy has yet to be elaborated on, but if Canada does fully legalise cannabis it will be the first demographically and economically significant country to do so. Uruguay and North Korea have already fully legalized, the former violating an international treaty in order to do so, but they’re not of quite the same international calibre. ‘Reefer madness’ and ‘gateway drug’ hysteria will naturally see its first major test in Canada, and I suspect will largely be discredited. Possible tax revenues (the rate is still be decided), and a huge land area and population block leaving ‘The International Drug Control Conventions’ will add to the slow process of legalization we have already seen developing in the US.

Now, much of this is speculative. We do not know what policies the Liberal Government may actually implement over the next four years, or how successful they’re declared policies will be. The similarities between Corbyn and Trudeau can be overstated, especially when you get into the detail. But, if there is a revival in the left, the Liberal Party of Canada are today’s political spearhead. For the British electorate they have a dual purpose. Firstly, to gauge how successful a prospective Corbyn government may actually be, and secondly, as a potential stick with which to beat Conservative policies in our own country, between now and 2020.

Feminism and the new threat to equality

Written by Will Baldwin-Pask on . Posted in Opinion.

It was International Men’s Day (IMD) last Thursday. This year, the organisers presented the day as an opportunity to promote “a focus on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models,” according to their website. This year was also, however, the first time that the day had ever seen such controversy. Since 1999, IMD has never caused as much of a discussion about what was going on across the nation, particularly this week. This signals a new development in our gender equality movement and raises a new question about whether those who are causing it most harm are in fact those claiming to champion it.

I am, of course, talking about the feminist movement. In a dramatic resurgence matched only by the Star Wars franchise, feminism has, in recent years, become a big topic of societal conversation in which women’s rights are finally being given the media and political attention they need. However, this is not an analysis of the last five years of feminism, or a grand exploration of the International Men’s Day argument—this is an evaluation of recent standout examples of feminist factions which are unintentionally ruining gender equality for everyone.

First, the backlash towards International Men’s Day: this has come in varied forms, including articles typified and published (perhaps unexpectedly) in The Independent. Labour MP Jess Philips’ article is soaked through with cynicism—she dismisses the need for a mens’ day as “men are celebrated, elevated and awarded every day of the week on every day of the year.” Less scathing but missing the point similarly, is Michael Kimmel’s article for The Guardian, where he questions whether IMD is just a response to the growing popularity of International Women’s Day—which has a stronger case to make for its own existence.

The argument against International Men’s Day on the grounds that it undermines the gender disparity that women experience is, itself, contradictory—how can someone claiming to endorse equality be so against the annual one-day celebration of one sex, but at the same time, be so supportive of the other?

Initially, IMD’s tremors were in fact felt in the university community. York had to disband its plans for celebrating the day after an open letter complaint had accused IMD of anti-feminist ideals. This complaint was met with its own opposition in the form of a 4,000-signature strong counter-petition. In the case of York, a clear bilateral debate had taken place over whether IMD was conducive to equality or not. Now an unhealthy standoff whereby feminists are seen as prohibiting a day dedicated to men from being celebrated exists—and so as a result, men want that day more than ever.

This is not the first time feminism in a university context has been the bad guy. According to an article in The Telegraph, at Durham University last year, a student’s attempt to set up a men’s issues society in the wake of his friend’s suicide was rejected by the university’s Societies Committee—yet the Feminist Society was unable to cater for these issues as it apparently “would be extremely unreasonable to expect [Fem Soc] to support and cater for the needs of men.” Though the Feminist Society did not object to the student’s raising awareness of such issues, it was not the platform for gender equality that both men and women should be able to utilise. In failing to cater for both women and men, it had failed in its sole purpose. Gender equality was once again divisive.

Now back to September 2014. We all remember when Emma Watson had made the most circulated contemporary speech on feminism at the UN, publicising the ‘HeForShe’ campaign and defining the feminist goal to have equality of the sexes, not at the expense of men. A month later, the door that had been opened for male involvement was slammed back over the furore surrounding astronaut Dr. Matt Taylor’s decision to wear a provocative shirt on TV. Through a weeping apology, the man who had helped land a rocket on a comet showed how ruthless some feminists had become over tedious cases of contestable ‘sexism’.

At this point, men had felt very much unwelcome at the party, decided to leave early, and came back with ‘Meninism’. Described on Wikipedia as semi-satirical, this supposed movement rather tragically throws up the rare point about gender issues for men amongst a murky stream of sexist bile. A ridiculous response to what many men see as the man-hating, delusion of feminism, they have successfully distorted the work of everyday feminists so that all feminists appear radical. This has gotten to a point where the 90’s term ‘feminazi’ is no longer applicable in the eyes of a ‘meninist’ follower, as all feminists are ‘militants’ and menstruation is a nasty chemical weapon that makes them the greatest national security threat since Jeremy Corbyn.

‘Meninists’ and ‘feminazis’ may be the most over-the-top examples of gender rights campaigns, however, there is no question of a growing conflict-like discourse in the gender equality space. Yes, men have been against feminism before feminism had even existed, but now in the 21st century resurgence of the movement, we have seen an increasingly recurring instances of harmless men being punished. Women’s rights still require some serious progress, but this does not mean men should be ignored.

We need a policy of gender-blind inclusion. It is crucial that men join in on the conversation, but it is vital that women are the ones who make space at the table. Women dominate the feminist sphere, they can ultimately decide the role men play; after all the inferiority that a patriarchal society brings, women know better than anything what it’s like to have your side of the argument shunned.

Feminism needs to get men on its side as much as it needs to get women on its side. Jess Philips’ claim that “being a man is its own reward” not only smacks of misandry, it sums up a poisonous attitude in the feminist community that needs to go—along with all the typical obstacles for women gaining total social equality. Men can be obstacles, but we can also be here to help—only if you’ll let us.

In this global war Africa must not be forgotten

Written by Tristan Parsons on . Posted in Opinion.

A girl steps out of the bus and into the search point for the city of Maiduguri, Cameroon. We can only make guesses about the thoughts and fears she was enduring in that moment. She presses the button—killing herself and seven people surrounding her. Her act, the five other people killed on the weekend of November 21st, and allegedly a total of around 20,000 deaths since 2009, are all blamed on Boko Haram.

Yet, the world largely turns a blind eye to the most deadly terrorist organisation in the world.

Oil was first discovered in the Niger Delta, in the South of Nigeria, in 1956. With the assistance of a corrupt and oppressive Nigerian government, the world’s biggest transnational corporations moved in to take advantage. In the 1990s, Shell was providing around 50 per cent of the government’s income, helping to maintain itself, the power of the military, and the elite that surround it.

The conditions the Nigerian people have been put through are extraordinary. Since 1956, relative to inflation, average incomes have halved. This figure fails to account for widespread health problems—such as respiratory problems caused by the burning of excess gas. The loss of identity, too, has been important, as farming and fishing incomes were reduced due to environmental pollution.

There is a history of militancy in the north, from the pre-British Sokoto Caliphate to the Maitatsine Sect of the 1980s. However, this is not merely a continuation of history. Like the Maitatsine Sect, Boko Haram feeds off chaotic social and political relations, oil money, and desperate poverty. In northern Nigeria 70 per cent of people live on under $1 a day. Recruits for the group often come from the drilled area in the south.

The role of the Nigerian state in controlling the group has been minimal until fairly recently. The government is now raiding camps and bases in northern Nigeria. But the degree to which the group controls the north makes it extremely difficult to infiltrate. The United States has provided some assistance, with extra funding being sent to 2015’s President Muhammadu Buhari. However, they are reluctant to increase funding too much, or provide surveillance drones because of the Nigerian military’s reputation for brutality, and because of priorities in the Middle East.

The locations of Boko Haram and the oppressed ethnic minorities in the Niger Delta are rather a convenience. Although there is some militancy in the Delta, Boko Haram are not located too near the majority of oil reserves, whilst the conditions of the ethnic minorities are swept aside. This all helps to secure the $59bn export market (as of 2010).

Nigeria is not a major member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Although it has high reserves and output, it is not near the Middle Eastern power centre. This has meant that over the years, the US and her allies have not paid nearly as much attention to the state then they have to the Middle East. It will be interesting to see how Nigeria fares in the midst of changing oil geo-politics. Whilst the release of Iranian oil may alleviate pressure, the increasing pressure on Western governments to disassociate from Saudi Arabia, as well as increasing violence in the wider region, may have implications that stretch to Nigeria.

China is new big player that has interests in the region. Their spread of economic influence throughout Africa has come to the continent’s third largest economy. Nigeria’s population is set to overtake that of the US by 2050, and with militancy still continuing, international investors have an interest in reducing conflict. These are the reasons behind the $12 billion Chinese investment in 871-mile railway system in the country, as well as job-providing infrastructure projects. So far, Chinese efforts seem positive. We should, however, remain sceptical, in order to scrutinise what many regard as the new scramble for Africa.

But aside from the Chinese efforts, the tale of Nigeria is a depressing one. Indeed, the tale of central Africa is a depressing one. After the Paris attacks, there was many attempts to unify attention across other issues such as the Beirut bombing and Japan’s earthquake. Even with this kind of movement, in comparison to the scale of Boko Haram and others’ atrocities, Central Africa does not nearly receive the almost running commentary of events in the Middle East.

When both China and America—for better or for worse—are increasing their economic and military presence in Africa, we need to be aware. It must not become the world’s forgotten continent. Nigeria and Boko Haram is a case-in-point.

The evolution of “Netflix and chill”

Written by Rowan Jenner on . Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s everyone’s new favourite internet-born, social media-fuelled, tongue in cheek innuendo—“Netflix and chill”. In the most literal sense, it could quite simply be a screening of Gossip Girl with a packet of Maltesers in hand on a Friday night—but in recent times, this phrase has evolved to represent something else entirely.

In a sense it’s kind of perfect. It’s the ideal way to mask one’s adolescent, sexual intentions. To an unsuspecting victim, “Netflix and chill” can sound as innocent as a good old-fashioned first date in the cinema—where going to watch a movie you’ve paid to see is far from your number one priority. Yet, as always, social media has promptly jumped on the bandwagon. The creation of endless memes, tweets and vines ensued, all highlight the fabulous new code language for inviting someone around for a from from innocent encounter.

Netflix first began offering a video streaming service in 2007, which was available for free to all of its subscribers. In the years that followed, and as Netflix grew more and more popular, “Netflix and chill” still had no alternate or subversive meaning—it was just a two-word pairing, or, alternately, a verb phrase that had literally meant to watch something on Netflix, whilst chilling.

It wasn’t until the latter end of 2014 where people had started to catch on and adopt the true euphemism behind the phrase. There were tweets with pictures of smug faces, and memes alongside captions such like, “When she says Netflix and chill.” Meanwhile, other, more naïve Twitter-goers have tweeted pictures of surprised, and somewhat dismayed, faces with their captions including, “When you find out what Netflix and chill really means.”

By 2015, a “Netflix and chill” app had even been created in order to find people nearby, inviting them to join you to “Netflix and chill.” In April this year, it had finally became an addition to Urban Dictionary with the rather blunt definition: “Code for two people going to each other’s houses and fucking or doing other sexual related acts.” Then, finally, even Netflix itself had joined in with the latest internet craze—by posting a gif from Clueless, revealing Cher Horowitz’s honourable attempt to seduce her high school crush whilst watching a movie, with the caption: “Netflix and chill? No, really.”

Sadly, the cat may be out the bag as many American parents have started to catch onto the innuendo. There have even been rumours of one American mother attempting to sue Netflix, as she blamed Netflix for her 16-year-old daughter’s pregnancy which had resulted after a “Netflix and chill” session. As more parents and older people begin to understand the secret language of internet slang, the hidden meaning behind this comical phenomenon is revealed and ultimately loses its appeal. Could this really be the end of “Netflix and chill”? There is little doubt that performing the actual deed of “Netflix and chill” will cease—but for the phrase itself, it may be the end of an era. At least until social media undoubtedly fires up the next flirty and hilarious euphemism.

Review: Doug Scott CBE Everest: The Hard Way

Written by Saul Gallagher on . Posted in Sport.

Doug Scott is such an understated persona the wider general public would have no appreciation or the remotest idea of what he has achieved in his climbing career. Instead today we now have a “celebrity status” bestowed upon any individual who may catch a few moments of attention upon the big screen. There should be an important preface here: I am a fan.

He stands amongst an elite group of climbers from a truly unique period of time when adventurers were pushing back boundaries on a level that your average Joe couldn’t even begin to imagine. With this in mind the achievements are all the greater given the equipment and funding boundaries of the era.

However, where he truly stands out amongst this elite group is the fact that there must be something particularly special for him to succeed further amongst his original group of climbing peers. What is particularly astounding is the span of time in which he not only climbed, but continuously returned home.

Many of Scott’s peers who successfully pushed the boundaries of climbing didn’t stand the test of time. Very few lacked the capacity which Doug Scott seems to, even now, exude and embody.

Sir Chris Bonnington and Reinhold Messner are other notable individuals who for a time were within the same league of Scott, unfortunately all too many were left in the shadows as their time ran out.

Having recognised the part that the Nepalese people have played throughout time when travellers and adventurers have visited and explored the Himalayan region prompted Scott to dedicate the last 20 years of his life in repayment. To date a total of 44 projects have been conducted through Scott’s Community Action Nepal charity. Sadly however, the earthquake of April 2015 affected most of the projects.

This lecture, on Monday the 16th of November at the Lowry Theatre, celebrated the 40th anniversary of ‘Everest: The Hard Way’, the conquest of the South West face of Everest, which he conquered with Dougal Haston in 1975, bringing to a close the last of the great siege assaults upon the earth’s largest peaks. In doing so, he opened the way for a new breed of rapid, lighter, and faster summit attempts.

All proceeds from this nostalgic and humbling story-telling evening have been delivered to the very heart of the needs of the Nepali people.

D’oh at Dough

Written by Eva Katz on . Posted in Food & Drink.

A number of raving reviews and a fair few friends’ eagerness to dine at Dough had resulted in high expectations. However, the nature of these anticipations was soon put into question.

Dough’s marketing embodies a chic Italian, at home in the trendy yet unique Northern Quarter. However, upon entering the establishment, this veil of foodie joy immediately began to droop. The interior, lit by a low amber lighting began to feel a little seedy as the evening wore on. Accompanied by the cheap Christmas decorations, I began to feel like I was in a seedy joint in Amsterdam’s red light district rather than one of Manchester’s most hip areas.

Pizza is a rather simple pleasure, one which it is pretty hard to get wrong if I’m not mistaken. Pretty much anybody can produce an average pizza, but a restaurant named after this Italian speciality’s main component had given me high hopes for a great one. However, unbelievably, Dough managed to fail in this respect.

Firstly their sauce-to-pizza ratio. To give a little perspective, my dinner date described their pizza as “a little soupy.” Drowned by the tomato sauce, the base struggled to retain its structure. The pizza’s distinct lack of balance resulted in what Mary Berry would refer to as a “soggy bottom.” If you enjoy your pizza slice à la main (i.e. using your hands, like any normal person), then Dough is certainly not your joint.

Secondly, the tastiness of the toppings. In a bid to branch out, ‘The Philly Steak’ pizza graced my plate. This was, unfortunately, a decision that I regretted from the first bite. The steak quickly cooled and its accompanying ingredients did nothing to compliment this concoction.

The Picante, although an upgrade from my poor choice in toppings, was not much better. Overpowered by the lasting taste of pepperoni’s cheaper and less attractive sibling, salami, what could have saved Dough’s review only worsened it. What’s more the ratio of toppings on this pizza resembled that of a greedy five-year-old’s attempt at pizza making. Accompanied with the soupy sauce, they merely fled back to the plate upon an attempt to pick up a slice.

Thirdly, appearance. In credit to Dough, their pizzas are a sexy looking bunch. Aesthetically pleasing, they are likely to grace the Instagram accounts of many. However, false advertising is something that bugs me more than anything. My taste buds awaiting a slice of pure perfection were sorely disappointed.

Fourthly, originality. Again Dough should be credited for their creativity. Their menu included some interesting takes on the usual suspects as well as some of their own making. There was ample choice of topping combinations, with the aim of pleasing all palates. It’s worth noting too that Dough offers gluten- and dairy-free alternatives of many of their dishes, a real selling point for those of us who are not usually able to savour the delight of pizza.

Fifthly, the quality of the base. The characteristics of a pizza base are a relatively personal matter. Some like it thick and doughy, others thin and crispy and then there’s those that like it to be right in between. Despite this, one who enjoys pizza can appreciate when a base is done well and when it is not. Dough received mixed reviews in this respect. Oddly enough and completely contrary to general assumptions, the gluten-free base achieved a healthy balance of thin base to puffy crust. Whereas the normal base was overly crispy, brittle, and as such, difficult to slice.

Sixthly and arguably most importantly, the cheese-to-sauce-and-toppings ratio. Dough’s mozzarella was a morsel of deliciousness desperately competing to be credited against the other elements. There was just, simply, not enough. Sparsely placed, I found myself picking these rare calcium slivers from the bloodbath of sauce and dismembered body parts of steak.

As you can see, my experience of Dough was not, on the whole, a pleasant one. However, it would be wrong of me not to include the highlights of my visit. First and foremost, the wine. A mellow Chilean number which left the lingering taste of berries on the palate, this beverage was a compliment to the food. The starters too, were enjoyable—Parmesan gnocchi and Spicy Cajun prawns. The prawns were especially enjoyable, aptly spicy, perhaps too much for my friend however. They were well marinated and beautifully complimented by the bed of rocket on which they lay.

The gnocchi, due to an order mistake by our waitress, had been left in the oven too long and thus burnt my eager tongue from the moment they connected, impeding my enjoyment of the bites which followed. This was particularly unfortunate as from my remaining healthy taste buds, I could detect that it was remarkably tasty. The starters and the many choices I did not have room nor time to try would perhaps form quite a pleasant tapas-style meal.

Ultimately I left with a burnt tongue, red wine lips, and a few unwanted slices of pizza in tow, that were thrown out, in disappointment, the morning after. Dough would most certainly not be recommended to a friend but perhaps to somebody I wished to have a rather disappointing evening.

Katie Hopkins left red-faced by Brunel students

Written by Alexandra Bickell on . Posted in News.

Brunel University recently hosted a debate on the welfare state featuring Katie Hopkins as a speaker. Just as Hopkins began to speak, around 50 of the students stood up and silently walked out of the lecture theatre, refusing to listen to her provocative views.

Hopkins had been asked to speak during the university’s 50th birthday celebrations, as a member of a panel debating the motion “Does the Welfare State Have a Place in 2015?” Given that Hopkins has previously compared refugees to “cockroaches” and has suggested using “gunships” to prevent mass migration into the UK, she was always going to be a very contentious and potentially unpopular choice.

In fact, several months ago, a petition was started on Change.org to swap Katie for 50,000 migrants—a request that now has over 60,000 signatures on it. Before the debate even began, the controversy was evident. The president of the Brunel Students’ Union, Ali Milani, said “the inclusion of Ms Hopkins has been met with widespread outcry from the student body and the Students’ Union.” Social media sites were full of Brunel students voicing their disapproval of the choice, with Twitter user Conor Sheehan, @ConorNotColin, writing “[I am] genuinely ashamed that my university would consider bringing such a vile woman here.”

As Ms Hopkins began to speak, the students stood up and faced away from her silently, some checking their phones, some simply declining to look at her. After being invited to return to their seats after around a minute, the students walked straight out of the lecture theatre, emptying it significantly and leaving the chairman of the debate understandably flustered.

Hopkins predictably believes that the students were in the wrong, stating “To those who debated openly – thank you. You give me hope our future is not entirely populated by closed minds.” What may be surprising however is that she did have some resounding supporters, such as Harry Dawes, who argued “These Brunel students are shameful, cannot handle a debate and an alternative opinion! I’m fearful for my generation!”

Nevertheless, the majority of people were busy stating their approval of the students’ actions. Hundreds of Twitter users weighed in on the debate, with Niall Breslin, an Irish musician and sportsman, saying “You can always trust the students to get the job done. Simple, effective.” In slightly less polite terms, user Rebecca Crow, suggested  “this is how you should deal with any troll-like creatures.”

After being involved in intense televised debates and fierce arguments with celebrities, from Lily Allen to Philip Schofield, neither the media storm nor the overt dislike from the public will be new to Hopkins.

You can watch the moment students walk out here

Review: English National Ballet’s Lest We Forget

Written by Millie Kershaw on . Posted in Theatre.

2014 was a year of widespread commemoration to mark the centenary of the First World War. This memorial extended to the stage with the English National Ballet’s triptych of pieces under the phrase synonymous with remembrance, Lest We Forget, which made a return this autumn for a nationwide tour. Whilst intending to diffuse public preconceptions on ballet with its innovative style, the collaborative work simultaneously challenges the way we reflect on the Great War, one century on.

Liam Scarlett’s opener to the evening, ‘No Man’s Land’ played on the significance behind his chosen title. There was a surprising absence of khaki and helmets as the ornate velvet curtains rose to reveal a row of women, not tutu- and tiara-clad, but in soot-stained aprons and bonnets. Bent double with hacking coughs, the women sent dust clouds flying as they worked in a munitions factory assembly line with hands yellowed by gunpowder.

Once the ‘Canary girls’ in the factories had bade the men farewell as they set off for the trenches, Scarlett was not afraid of maintaining a simplicity in his choreography. The stillness of slouched soldiers waiting at the Front was more powerful than any possible interpretation of a glorious military push towards enemy lines.

The sombre and reflective piano composition by Liszt mournfully accompanied the pas de deux between a woman and her soldier returned from the Front. It impressed on me how minute changes in eye contact and body language can collapse or transform the mood of the performance; the soldier’s dropped gaze—hunched soldiers and limp movements effectively depicted the psychological impact of the war beyond physical injury.

Russell Maliphant incorporated recorded sound with the live orchestral accompaniment in ‘Second Breath’ to announce the transition into a more contemporary interpretation of the War after the interval. A series of numbers were read out in English, German and in French, which increased as the dancers’ movements gradually became more frenetic, to culminate in millions, denoting the conflict’s astronomical worldwide death toll.

The pitch black, empty set was stark, focusing all attention on the movement onstage. In a particularly poignant moment incorporating Michael Hulls’ stunningly simple lighting design, the bottom half of the space was plunged in darkness, lighting the emptiness above the heads of dancers. Intricate aerial work saw some dancers lifted into the light, before falling helplessly into darkness… and death. This symbolic and physical representation of going ‘over the top’ was deeply moving and engaging, without the need for an elaborate set.

To conclude the trio was ‘Dust’, the most dynamic and least ‘balletic’ piece of the evening. The dancers were strong and warrior-like, in contrast to the stillness of ‘No Man’s Land’, moving powerfully as one in some extremely impressive ensemble sequences. The electronic percussion in the soundtrack reverberated around the space like artillery fire, and choreographer Akram Khan pushed the art form to its breaking point as the dancers writhed and twitched in pain. The devastating effects of war felt uncomfortably familiar in this more transcendent interpretation of the century-old war.

As depressing and inaccessible as a ballet about the Great War may sound, Lest We Forget was highly compelling, and it captivated the audience until the curtain fell. The horror of the subject was approached in three very separate and interesting ways. The outstanding quality of the dancers’ performances effectively communicated the various memories of War to its modern audience—unforgettable.

History of students going to university ‘beginning to erode’

Written by Jacob Nicholas on . Posted in News.

The ‘long history’ of British students going to university is “beginning to erode,” due to rising fees and poor university business models, say leading education figures.

In an interview with Times Higher Education, the president of the Association of Colleges, John Widdowson, and its higher education policy manager, Nick Davy, claimed that Britain has made a mistake in not investing in professional and technical education, and now universities have gone ‘too far’ into higher education, and cannot ‘adapt’to using a different model.

Davy stated a need for a shift to colleges, saying that ‘if we’re going to develop a technical and professional stream, it’s the colleges that have got the expertise and the links with local employers and labour markets.’

Whilst university applications are rising consistently, with 2015 seeing a record breaking 590,000 applicants, Davy says it will not be until April 2016, when the first students to be paying £9000 a year “get the bill through the door,” that people will realise the cost of university.

He continued to say that there has been no reaction yet because “young people don’t understand debt the way older people perhaps do.” Once this debt hits, Davy claims that “that long history of going away to university in England, I think that will begin to erode,” although “not completely, because it’s still very much a part of our culture.”

When asked for comment, Students’ Union Education Secretary Michael Spence expressed concern for all areas of higher education, saying that “as fees begin to rise, I fear that prospective students will be put off attending university. However, unlike Mr Davy, I fear that many will not find alternatives in Further Education because the sector is severely underfunded and many colleges are likely to close in the next few years.”

Recent research by House of Commons library staff showed that £1.6 billion could be cut from college budgets next year if the government continues its aim of a 25 per cent cut to the services. This would be the equivalent of closing four in every ten higher education colleges. However, in the Autumn Statement, it was announced that school and college funding would be protected this year, and that colleges could choose to become academies, saving on average £317,000 a year on VAT.

Yoga and 1920s themes are the latest targets in ‘cultural appropriation’ disputes

Written by Tori Blakeman on . Posted in News.

After ‘culturally insensitive’ Native American attire was prohibited at this year’s Neverland Pangaea, and ‘racist’ Mexican sombrero hats were banned at a freshers’ event at the University of East Anglia, it seems that cultural appropriation is a recurring dispute at many universities across the globe.

Two colleges at the University of Oxford have sparked a race row over plans to hold New Orleans and 1920s-themed end-of-year balls. Students have claimed that the plans outlined by the two colleges may cause offence to female and ethnic minority students. The balls have been branded “problematic” for commemorating “an era of history steeped in racism.”

Law student Arushi Garg, originally from India, expressed her disappointment of the 1926 theme planned for the Magdalen ball, stating that “if we’re reliving the past, the corridors of institutional spaces like Magdalen/Oxford is definitely not where you would find people of my gender, race and nationality.”

Lincoln College has also faced criticism for the marketing of its New Orleans-themed ball, being accused of mimicking the Mexican holiday ‘Dia de los Muertos’ (‘Day of the Dead’). The Lincoln ball committee has denied using material based on the holiday, or any other aspect of the Mexican culture, insisting critics have “misinterpreted” the advertising.

Continuing the series of recent cultural appropriation allegations, the University of Ottawa in Canada have suspended free yoga classes after complaints that the lessons were unacceptable “cultural appropriation” of a non-Western practice.

Yoga practitioner, Jennifer Scharf, has held free weekly classes to students at the university since 2008. At the beginning of this semester she received an email from the Centre for Students with Disabilities informing her of issues surrounding a formal complaint.

Staff from the centre wrote in the email: “While yoga is a really great idea and accessible and great for students… there are cultural issues of implication involved in the practice. Yoga has been under a lot of controversy lately due to how it is being practiced”, and which cultures those practices “are being taken from.”

The email continued to state that many of those cultures “have experienced oppression, cultural genocide, and Diasporas due to colonialism and Western supremacy… we need to be mindful of this and how we express ourselves whilst practicing yoga.”

The Ottawa Student Federation, the university’s independent student body, made the decision to cancel the classes, despite Ms Scharf’s suggestion to change the name of the classes to “mindful stretching.”

Miracle on 34th Street: Christmas spirit on Quay Street

Written by Harry Newton on . Posted in Theatre.

Wrapping up warm, shelling out a tenner for a sausage muffin at the Christmas markets, and racist grandparents sitting around the dinner table… (alas)… Yes, Christmas is coming! As we swiftly move into December, the world is swept with Christmas fever, and nothing will get you more in the mood for this festive period than Miracle on 34th Street at the Manchester Opera House this December.

Taking my mum to this performance made me forget the terrible attempts for Christmas presents down the years she has given me, and made me remember the great Christmas dinners she has provided, as we both fell hook, line, and sinker for this Christmas extravaganza of a performance, singing along by the end!

Despite a slow beginning to the show, with the first half of the performance lacking in some humour and seeming to just be the lead up to the second half, part two did not disappoint! With the roles of Marvin Shellhammer (played by the wonderfully camp Brendan Matthew) and Michael Adams as the stern Mr Macy being given more of a spotlight in the second half, the show became more light-hearted and the festivities began!

You can always expect in these kind of shows a certain amount of songs, and this show was no stranger to a song. The first half’s inferiority to the second half is somewhat accountable to the volume of songs that were placed in the performance, since there were many more, and a few tended to make you lose interest, due to them being a bit slow.

Despite the odd questionable American accent from time to time, the small group of actors and actresses overall created a great, fun performance, with nobody standing out as a bad performer. A note must be made for the fantastic recovery from one actress during the performance. After accidentally walking into a prop, she came back onto the stage later in the scene dramatically steering clear of this prop to be met with laughter from the crowd.

It’s difficult to set a particular audience in stone for this performance, because there was a variety of people in attendance. There were children, the elderly, people on romantic dates, and of course me and my mum; as long as you are open to being entertained with Christmas festivities, then you are the audience for this show!

SU confronts student alcoholism as campus drinking problems rise

Written by Paul Scott on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union is looking to create a support group in partnership with Alcoholics Anonymous to help troubled students and tackle a dangerous drinking culture, as the number of drink-related issues is on the rise.

Binge drinking, ‘lad culture’ and sports team initiations have become as familiar on university campuses as academia, and have garnered much criticism for British universities from the media.

Drink-related instances across Britain’s university campuses are on the increase and there is mounting concern for student welfare as young people barely of drinking age are consuming dangerous levels of alcohol on a regular basis.

Statistics from the past few years show that as many as 40 per cent of students are classified as alcoholics under the formal medical definition.

The Union are responding to this concerning trend by potentially adding another dimension to the several support services offered to students.

A third year student who characterised his own experience as “typical” said of university drinking: “Obviously it’s very intense at the start of first year with Freshers’ Week and the constant expectation to be going out.

“I think at that stage everyone knows how ridiculous it is when you see guys being sick everywhere or trashing up their halls, but at the same time people find it funny and probably what they think is normal for uni.”

The normalisation of this kind of behaviour and mounting data pointing to a student drinking problem is what has prompted the Students’ Union to consider setting up the AA group on campus.

Although the initiative has yet to be rolled out, the Union encourage students who feel they need support surrounding the issue to make use of “the wellbeing services that we already offer to our students.”

However, as with many support services, many students are unaware and unsure of the procedures or hesitant to ask for help.

Another third year student said of the AA group idea: “If I ever had an issue with alcohol I don’t really know what I’d do, would that qualify me for counselling? At least with an AA group there’s an obvious place for people to turn.”

The group will look to provide such a place for students and to confront what appears to be an endemic problem across British universities. For most, drinking is an enjoyable part of student life, but excessive drinking should, many argue, be more widely viewed not as an inevitable part of the university experience.

For those who experience the potentially serious and dangerous consequences of regular drinking, the Union-Alcoholics Anonymous partnership will represent much needed support network and progress on an issue that has largely been neglected.

If you or anyone you know needs help with alcohol-related issues, contact the University’s Counselling Service, at manchester.ac.uk/counselling, or search for a local meeting of Manchester Alcoholics Anonymous.

Review: Through No. 3 by Liz West

Written by Neil Greenhalgh on . Posted in Arts.

2015 has been a great year for Liz West, having been one of the stars of Castlefield Gallery’s ‘New Art Spaces’ at Federation House, she is now beginning to gain national and international attention. Fighting off five other candidates for this new collaboration between CG and Allied London, West has been embraced by the agency style approach that CG operate within the city, and hopefully this will be the first in a series of new public artworks in a city with a flourishing art scene.

Through No. 3 is best enjoyed as an interactive experience. It is one thing to see it or to take a photograph, but another thing entirely to walk through it. In fact, walking through it is so completely different, it is staggering. This is why it has such a mesmerising effect; it allows the viewer to reset all expectations and engage with a completely uncontaminated experience. The light shines through the colour blocks in playful ways, offering patterns on the floor, on the walls and on myself. The choice of colours hints at an almost primitive playfulness, and I’m reminded of a toy I had as a child: A bunch of chunky semi-translucent rings on a hoop with, if my memory recalls, the same colours that are at play here. There’s something fundamentally exciting about the primitive enjoyment of an interactive experience of colour and light—your inner child will love it!

The brief for this commission called for a work that was bold, innovative and reflective of the environment of modern architecture in Spinningfields. Through No. 3 definitely provides this and more. It will be a shame when it is removed because it adds character, energy and artistic vibrancy to an area known for concrete, glass towers and finance. Let’s just hope this is the start of some new collaborations between the city’s thriving businesses and growing contemporary art community. Multi-million pound Northern Powerhouse venues are one thing, grass roots collaborative societies are another thing entirely.

Open Daily: 25th of November 2015 to Wednesday the 6th of January 2016

Located: Crown Square, Spinningfields, Manchester.

Read more here: castlefieldgallery.co.uk/news/through-no-3-by-liz-west/

Dispute over Parrs Wood’s proposed academy conversion

Written by Merle Streck on . Posted in News.

Governors at Parrs Wood high school, one of Manchester’s leading secondary schools, have developed plans to transform the school into an independent academy. The proposal sparked outrage in the unions at Parrs Wood, who eventually sought help from their local council. Shadow education secretary, Lucy Powell, has angered union bosses in Manchester by refusing to support their anti-academy campaign at the school in East Didsbury.

The unions at Parrs Wood high formulated a letter to local councillors and MPs, stating that at a meeting attended by 85 staff members, the vote was unanimous to protest the school’s conversion into an academy. The proposal is part of an ongoing debate about a government initiative to turn the majority of secondary schools into academies. This means that Parrs Wood high school, which is one of the most oversubscribed secondary schools in Manchester, will break away from their local education authority. The logic behind the government initiative is that schools will have access to more funding and a free, high-quality education that is available to all. Unions, however, are concerned about education powers being taken away local authorities and concentrated back to Whitehall.

Withington’s MP, Jeff Smith, commented on the recent proposal:  “Having recently been a governor for several years at Parrs Wood, I know that the governing body will act in the best interests of the school pupils and community. Parrs Wood is consulting on a proposal to become an academy on their own terms, and I welcome the commitment to maintain the ethos of Parrs Wood as a school committed to serving the local community if it decides to become an academy.”

Powell commends the governors at Parrs Wood High school for their decision, adding that they have made a smart move by choosing to convert now instead of being forced to in the future. She says it is “clear that the government is determined that the majority of secondary schools will be academies by the end of the parliament.”

Commenting on Labour policy, a union member says: “The unions are surprised and deeply disappointed as when Jeremy Corbyn, and indeed Lucy Powell, came in, their opposition to the academies policy seemed clear. This school is doing well, so we can’t understand why anyone would want to change the model.”

Secretary for the National Union of Teachers in Manchester, John Morgan, states: “As a union we are totally against academisation. We see it as an ideological move rather an educational one. We do not see the benefit of converting a good school like Parrs Wood into an academy. There is very little to suggest it will make it a better school.”

Since the decision to convert was made public, Powell’s office has stated that “things have moved on” since the union disputes and that a higher number off staff now back the school’s plans. It is one of Powell’s goals to keep all types of schools under some form of local oversight in the future.