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Month: October 2016

Our Internet window to the world is shrinking

We have all known or still know a friend on Facebook who shares articles and infographics that make our blood boil. Perhaps they are posting far-left feminist safe space policy articles or pushing the grievances of the oppressed white man. You probably unsubscribe to their updates or delete them altogether. Or if you’re like me, you crack your knuckles, do some fact-checking over a cup of tea, and then settle in for a frustrating debate, which ends in pinning the other party’s profile picture to a dartboard.

In short, we tend not to deal well with opinions which contrast our own. Luckily for us, the Internet provides a place to find like-minded individuals whose content we can ‘like’ and in return feel affirmed when people comment favourably on our own shares. It emerged recently that Facebook had updated its newsfeed algorithm, meaning that you’ll see less of people you have little interaction with, and less publishing content. This also means more posts and shares which you enjoy and agree with.

Despite the vastness of the internet, and its spectrum of political and social views, we find ourselves in ever narrower sections of the web. Rather than expanding our view, the internet is increasingly tailored to individual preferences “that make us happy and keep us clicking,” as Wired Magazine notes. “That content is seldom anything that challenges our viewpoint, and there’s a risk that this distorts our view of the wider world.”

Part of this is to do with the nature of the Internet. Advertising revenue allows much of the Internet to remain free, and as we browse, the adverts and content that we see become ever more specific to our interests. I would recommend (with permission) having a look at a friend’s YouTube browser or Amazon recommendations or scrolling through their Facebook; the Internet appears very different through somebody else’s browser.

However, we cannot blame conspiring multinationals and the structure of the Internet entirely for skewing our world view; we do plenty of that ourselves. The people we befriend on Facebook and follow on Twitter, indeed those in our wider social circles, are likely to hold similar views to our own. It’s difficult to get on with someone when you have a wildly divergent take on political issues, and certainly makes going to the pub a minefield.

There is even a psychological basis for the selection of media we consume, namely our confirmation bias. We have a tendency to accept information which supports the conclusions we already have, while denying facts and viewpoints which contradict the views we hold. This means that we may believe we are “drawing on all the facts.” In a sense, we are, it’s just that the available information has already been subconsciously reduced.

The result of all this is the ‘echo chamber’ of the internet. The theory goes that the internet creates ‘enclaves’ of opinion, where the repetition of ideas leads to their being reinforced and pushed to the ends of the spectrum. When “people find themselves in enclaves in which they exclusively hear from others who think as they do… their confidence typically grows, and they become more extreme in their beliefs,” as legal academic Cass Sunstein observes. “Corroboration, in short, reduces tentativeness, and an increase in confidence produces extremism.” When Internet users from opposing enclaves do eventually meet over the latest incendiary hashtag, we witness the keyboard savagery with which we are so familiar.

While confidence in one’s beliefs should not be equated with extremism, anonymity and the ease of finding similarly-minded users means that the internet is particularly well-suited to the “enclave extremism” which Sunstein discusses. Indeed, it is no bad thing that we are able to connect with communities based on our shared interests. We have access to immeasurable amounts of data, and information can be disseminated like never before. The internet platform is of huge benefit.

It seems that the algorithms of the internet are stacked against us, the advertisers are going after our browser history, and our own minds attempt to block out information which challenges us. It is not, however, inconceivable that we might widen the scope of our media. Gone are the days of receiving all news and opinion from a single broadside publication; it’s easy enough to follow political parties, politicians, websites, news outlets. This is not a suggestion to give credibility to extremist views, rather that we might consider facing sources with which we would normally disagree.

The real question is this: do we care about the narrowness of the media we consume? If not, then we have to accept the stubbornly entrenched extremism of the Internet. On the other hand, we have the opportunity to understand the people with whom we disagree and to engage them meaningfully, instead of smashing our keyboards, deleting them from Facebook, and running away.

Stress: let’s talk about it

So here you are, you’re a student at the University of Manchester and I’m sure you’ve heard all the clichés before you came here—“University will be the best years of your life!”, “University is where you meet your lifelong friends!”, “At university is where you find yourself!”, etc. However, for many students these sayings simply haven’t proven to be correct. Many new and returning students are simply struggling to keep up with assignments, make new friends, and deal with homesickness and all this can dangerously build up to an unhealthy amount of stress. Stress can critically affect your health, happiness, and relationships—it can also lead to depression. So let’s look at ways to deal with it head on….

1. Buy a daily planner
First things first—get yourself organised! It may sound very basic, but so many students ignore this, and failing to plan out your work schedule will inevitably lead to you feeling like things are getting on top of you.  Use your planner to schedule out your revision, seminar prep, and readings for each week. Look at your MyManchester timetable and then align your planner along with it. Simple stuff but trust me, it’s the easiest and most effective method to prevent stress.

2. Set small tasks
Don’t set yourself tasks that you know full well you will not be able to achieve. This will end up with you not completing the work you planned for yourself, which will lead to an unhealthy feeling of failure and stress. It will also mean that work you didn’t complete will have to be pushed back onto another day, which will also just mess up your planner. If you know you’re a procrastinator, don’t set yourself 10 tasks to do. Be smart about the workload you give yourself.

3. Make use of the university Counselling Service & your Academic Advisor
You’re paying £9,000 a year, use the resources that you are paying for! The University of Manchester offer a fantastic counselling service, where you book an appointment and can discuss with a professional one-to-one about the stresses you may be going through. They offer guided relaxation, workshops, specific advice on how to avoid procrastination and many other services. Furthermore, your Academic Advisor is of great use to you as they can really tailor subject-specific advice on how to deal with any struggles you have with studying.

4. Join a society
It’s important that at least some of your week is spent doing something enjoyable in order to avoid stress—joining a society is a perfect way to do this. Many people are too shy to join a society after they’ve missed the welcome events—DON’T BE! Committees are keen for their societies to grow so sign up! Joining a society means you’re guaranteed to meet like-minded people, bulk up your CV and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

5. Don’t neglect your longstanding relationships
Our family, school friends and boyfriend/girlfriend are some of the most important people to us. However, when many of us get to university, we can sometimes neglect these people and the calls, texts, and visits become all too infrequent. When we are stressed out, anxious, and depressed reaching out to these people is often the quickest way to change your mood. Don’t fear appearing needy or fear reaching out to friends you’ve haven’t spoken to in a while, life is too short and all it takes is a quick chat with a loved one to perk you up.

6. Limit use of social media                                                                                                                                                                         Constantly scrolling through Facebook and Instagram and seeing the constructed photos of everyone else’s seemingly perfect life will only get you down. If you are struggling to make new friends and you’re dealing with loneliness, going on social media is guaranteed to make you feel worse. People only post what they want others to see, therefore you won’t see images of them crying in their room or understand they might be struggling with uni life just as much as you. Going through social media in your most stressful times will only wrongly make you feel like you’re struggling all alone. If you’re really bored pop on a new Netflix series but leave Facebook alone for a while!

Review: Kate Plays Christine

Director Robert Greene returns with the enthrallingly complex docudrama Kate Plays Christine, which follows actress indie darling Kate Lyn Sheil (best known for her role as Lisa Williams in House of Cards) as she prepares for the challenging and emotionally charged role of Christine Chubbuck, an American news reporter of the seventies who committed suicide during a live television broadcast. The documentary explores our morbid desire to see death and destruction, something that can be best summed up by the closing scene as Kate looks directly into the camera and bitterly says “you’re all sadists”. I readily admit that I am one of these sadists, having had the initial motive to watch the tragic death of this woman. Greene manages to address this need as the tension subtly builds up, our eyes never leaving the screen, our thoughts never wandering off. This is achieved by having the enigmatic tape of the suicide constantly being mentioned throughout the film, and yet it is never shown because it is never obtained.

The film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, taking home the Special Jury Prize. It’s not hard to see why. The most distinguishing element of the documentary was the fantastic cinematography, particularly the camerawork. Greene shoots the film in a way that gives off the impression that we are watching a fictional movie rather than a non-fiction thriller, which I found made Kate Plays Christine more absorbing to watch. Greene switches effortlessly between the movie scenes that they’re shooting, which is reminiscent to a seventies soap opera, and the research aspect of the plot. This subsequently creates an almost seamless flow of dialogue between the actors that carries an awkward undertone.

Kate Sheil is an ambiguous presence on the screen, and it’s this quality that allows the film to progress and culminate in the death. Her elusiveness, coupled with Greene’s camerawork forces us to question what’s real and what’s not. Fact and fiction become intertwined, perplexingly creating a more honest and raw portrayal of Christine. To be able to watch Sheil develop as an actress so closely and intimately was a disconcerting experience yet simultaneously it gave Kate Plays Christine a razor sharp edge to it. Sheil almost parallels Chubbuck’s steady decline into a dark pit of depression, although she doesn’t quite manage to reach it. This paints a convoluted picture, as Kate struggles to unearth Christine’s driving motivation to end her life. The ethics of this struggle, of trying to figure out how to depict this woman’s fragile life on the screen is what makes the story such a troubling and difficult puzzle to watch. It uncomfortably exposes our curious attraction to tragedy, and our inexplicable fascination with blood and guts, as Christine (and therefore Kate) emphasised before she shot herself.

I went into this movie expecting an excitingly dramatic tragedy but came out of that cinema with much more than that. This isn’t just a docudrama, it’s a gritty movie from the start, possessing many darker and deeper levels than expected, which can be a challenge to keep up with. With the recent spike in interest in documentaries, this is definitely not one to be missed.

4/5

Review: The Greasy Strangler

A father-son duo who make their living taking gullible tourists on a fictitious walking tour of historical disco landmarks have their already strained relationship pushed to breaking point by the arrival of a woman who attracts the interest of both generations. That probably sounds like your typical quirky Sundance fare, but in addition to all that Dad may or may not be (he is) moonlighting as a lethal monstrosity-the eponymous “Greasy Strangler” whose design recalls The Toxic Avenger crossed with a stick of lard. Before it descends into an exhausting parade of nauseating imagery, The Greasy Strangler is actually pretty good, the jokes all land and the cast give enjoyably unselfconscious performances. One or two scenes, including one involving a character struggling with his pronunciation are genuinely hysterical and suggest that The Greasy Strangler might be more effective if director, Jim Hosking, reigned in his enthusiasm for provocation. Some of the gross-out humour, including the best prosthetic c**k since last year’s The Overnight, succeeds, but the third act massively over-relies on shocking imagery and plot contrivances that strain credulity even in Hosking’s funhouse version of our world.

Anyone familiar with the comedic stylings popularised by Tim and Eric on AdultSwim will probably be more familiar with the aesthetic employed by The Greasy Strangler. However, as Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim learned in Billion Dollar Movie, this approach is probably best kept to the sketch format. Even ‘The Eric Andre Show’, without a doubt the best of the shows made in this style, breaks up the minuscule 11 minute talk-show format with fast-paced non-sequitors and unscripted man-on-the-street segments that help keep things unpredictable and engaging. All this is simply a long way of saying that those interested in The Greasy Strangler might be better served elsewhere, in more easily digestible episodes available online.

Hosking does however, show real visual flair at times. Some shots have a kind of painterly composition that make it hard to look away and at times there’s a strange, eerie beauty in the ugliness on screen. Some reviews of the film have interpreted The Greasy Strangler as an allegory for the relationship between the ego and the super-ego. Maybe its just a case of Hosking pitching this film way over my head but its difficult to apply any sort of attentive analysis to a film that has you planning the easiest way to hop over the couple in front of you so you can vomit without ruining anyone’s evening.

2/5

Free speech crusaders harm debate

Last week, I went on Fuse FM to discuss the recent decision by the SU to stop the sale of The Daily Star on campus—a decision that was justified by its objectification of women. The controversy surrounding the decision began in this paper, as it was deemed a violation of free speech. In discussing the Senate’s decision, I had only one real question: was it selling? It was not.

The SU could have stopped selling it for that reason alone. They had no reason to make the decision political. No private business has an obligation to do anything which does not add to its profits on claims of “free speech”. It would be similarly naïve to want to ban something that was making a profit on the belief that it was sending a political signal. The lack of sales of The Daily Star was a market signal that its presence was not of enough value to students on campus.

The dispute over this decision, however, is entirely around the politicisation of these matters—which is completely unnecessary, in my opinion. Not many things in life are political, but in recent years the politicisation of all activity is ramping up. This creates ideological tension and drives division.

Politics is a necessary evil, but too much politics leads to unnecessary conflict. I believe I was asked to discuss the issue due to my criticism the no-platforming of famous speakers last year, but even then it was a pragmatic criticism, and not one of free speech. As someone who still is vehemently opposed to no-platforming, the safe space policy, and political correctness more generally, I think I would do the cause some justice by disowning those who believe it to be a free speech issue.

Some philosophical background on the nature of free speech is useful in defending this decision. Free speech is a prima facie right (albeit one of the more important ones), meaning that there are certain rights that take precedent over it—namely, life and property. The right to free speech is not the ability to say whatever one likes, wherever one likes, but rather a civic obligation to criticise prevailing power structures, in the hope of affecting positive change. For this reason nobody objects to the fact that you cannot incite violence in your speech, or say insulting things to someone in their home despite their requests for you to stop.

True free speech concerns the public domain and related spaces. Since the Students’ Union is private property, and the Senate has been given a mandate (although it is one that I find questionable) to ensure its democratic functioning, they do have the right to decide what is, and is not, exhibited on their grounds. This is why free speech is not the appropriate grounds on which to contest these decisions.

The problems with political correctness, and the subsequent rise of safe spaces and no platforming, is that they stifle debate and insulate students from social issues. Students have historically been at the forefront of positive progress in society. When you try to block certain issues being heard, it does not aid in combatting them. Rather, these decisions lead to a false sense of security and satisfaction; it creates a culture in which students begin to believe that all educated people think like them—which is simply not the case.

A prime example of this is the Brexit debate on campuses across the country, where those who voted for Leave were classified as ignorant, since students were generally exposed only to other pro-Remain students and academics. This is bad practice for an academic environment, and harmful to students whose opinions should be constantly challenged as to make them more well-rounded critical thinkers. What it is not, however, is a violation of your right to free speech.

By turning the debate into something of political philosophy, those who campaign for free speech create a dogmatic environment. Instead of explaining the reasons why it is beneficial to allow for controversial speakers, their pitch that the Senate is some tyrannical, rights-violating entity is simply too extreme for the vast majority of students who likely do not feel strongly either way. This dogmatic attitude has turned many who would have otherwise been against no-platforming and safe spaces into supporters—out of sheer dislike for the style of ‘free speech’ arguments.

This is not to say that the safe-spacers themselves are presenting pragmatic arguments. Drawing ideological battlegrounds leads to apathy amongst the majority, and disgust from otherwise favourable students. In calling the removal of The Daily Star a violation of free speech, I suspect a few thoughts go through readers’ minds. Either that one finds the third-grade smut that is The Daily Star a valuable intellectual contribution, or that the free speech campaigners find no battle too small.

Not everything is political, and to cease the sale of something is not the equivalent of banning it. Picking battles and being pragmatic go a long way in gaining student support and shifting the Overton window of opportunity for change. This sort of humility would help the debate on both sides.

An NUS Women’s Officer is unnecessary

The recently elected NUS Women’s Officer, Hareem Ghani, was previously the Women’s Officer for her Students’ Union at King’s College London (KCL). She was part of an anti-sexual harassment campaign called “It Stops Here” as well as being a prominent member of the Intersectional Feminist Society at KCL.

You would think she would care a lot about female empowerment, right? Well, I have taken a look at her manifesto when she was standing for Women’s Officer at KCL specifically and she proposed a range of pledges she was willing to fulfil. Surprisingly she did fulfil one of them: free sanitary products for women across KCL. Please don’t pretend that having free sanitary products for three or four years does a great deal of good for women’s rights when there are homeless women on the street who have no access to these products. A true female activist would set up a campaign to give sanitary products to those women, not to students funded by government loans. In fact, there are campaigns around other universities that do just this. Evidently, Ms Ghani is doing a sub-standard job. Other individuals are getting on with things just fine without her leadership.

Female students in the UK are privileged. Women are equal to men here in this country, under the eyes of the law and within wider British society. It is interesting how she cares a lot about promoting more women (and specifically BME women) into STEM. I have not heard of any initiatives that she has tried to implement at KCL for this. Then again, it is not like it would have made much difference anyway. Women, irrespective of whether they are BME are not, are not disadvantaged when seeking employment in the scientific and industrial sectors. Companies want the best of people irrespective of their gender and race.

Furthermore, she mentioned how, at KCL, she wanted to make university societies more “gender-inclusive”. But which specific societies, by name, were not gender-inclusive when you said that? In my experience of university, I have not seen a society that restricted membership based on gender, and there are usually always both male and female versions of sports. I would love to know more about these gender-restricting societies at KCL. I will personally come down to gate-crash those societies myself.

She says “let’s dismantle the white-cis-hetero-patriarchy together!” This nonsense just does not exist and these made-up terms just distract from more important issues in the country. It does not take much effort to dismantle something that is invisible. Yet, apparently, “part-time activists like [her]self” suffer “burnout throughout the academic year”. Indeed, I am sure it must be tiring focusing so much wasted effort on such a futile endeavour. In whatever ways the NUS wish to label our society as being deficient, I am still happy to live here. It is certainly better than anything led by her and her fellow Officers on the NUS Executive.

This year, she intends to address “black mental health”—whatever that means. I hope she is aware that mental illnesses do not discriminate on your race, gender, social class etc. She also plans to combat violence against women. But how is she planning to do this? She supports the work in having the Zellick report to be reviewed. The Zellick report is a series of recommendations on how universities should deal with sexual assault and rape cases. Worryingly, there was a briefing paper published in 2015 by the NUS (which I presume that Hareem Ghani supports) suggesting that universities should invoke their own disciplinary procedures for those accused of sexual violence and assault, even if it has not been reported or investigated by the police. This opens the door for many false allegations and punishment.

She has not been vocal on other concerns of hers—including abortion rights and abolishing prisons, to name two. For the former, if I am not mistaken but abortions are available on the NHS, right? As for the latter, what has the abolition of prisons got to do with female empowerment in universities? Nothing. This self-serving individual is using her position for her own political agenda. Thankfully, she will never succeed in her aims.

Perhaps the silence on these issues is a blessing in disguise. At least we do not have to listen to the nonsense that would come out of her mouth—which is not dissimilar to the like of Laurie Penny, and all the Guardian Women contributors. Hareem Ghani needs to take off her period-tinted glasses and realise that the reason why universities are becoming more gender-divisive is because of figures like her perpetuating myths about women that simply aren’t true.

She will probably ask me to check my privilege. I have to say that I already have: Je suis Elrica, and I am very much privileged to have been born and brought up in this country. I shouldn’t need to say I feel safe and secure as a female in this country. This is obvious to anyone with common sense. I find her stance on speaking out for all women patronising. The need for a national Women’s Officer in our universities is redundant and unnecessary. She should resign immediately.

Celebs that scare

As it is nearing Halloween we focus on famous celebrities’ alter-egos that are designed to scare us, or at least gather our attention in a less than conventional manner.

Certain celebrities create a typically loud and scandalous persona, frequently under the name of an alter ego, a character that does not really exist but has an impact on popular culture nevertheless.

Lady Gaga, a prime example, brought us arguably the most repulsing outfit the VMA’s has ever seen in the form of the infamous 2010 ‘Meat Dress’—a full head to toe outfit constructed from raw beef which was later exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

It caused outrage among the general public and was inevitably condemned by animal rights groups, but it certainly got the world’s attention. When we think of Lady Gaga unconventionally large fascinators, masks, spikes and even an entire outfit made out of Kermit the frog springs to mind.

One can only assume that her aim is not to set trends, but rather to appal and shock her way into our everyday conversations. It is a clever trick to ensure that you remain current and popular, whilst leaving the public guessing what your next monstrous publicity stunt will be.

Skipping a generation, described as a middle aged man who has not got over his Goth stage, Marylin Manson’s look stands out in the music industry as one with a ghostly edge.

Taking inspiration from Kiss, Manson’s trademark style sees him drenched in white makeup, heavy eyeliner and layers of black clothing laced together with an array of metallic accessories, Manson’s look is chilling.

In an interview, he once told the guardian “I created a fake world because I did not like the one I was living in”. Often this is the case with celebrities who fabricate an alternative personality as a form of escapism from their ordinary selves.

Although there are controversial views on these artists and what they do, I consider this as a positive aspect of pop culture. It demonstrates imagination in expressing ourselves through the way we dress and challenges the mainstream styles currently in play.

Vapiano Blind Tasting

Vapiano, in the Corn Exchange, has a light, airy dining area and an impressive menu. There is an à la carte buffet where you choose any combination of pasta, sauce, and toppings before watching it being cooked in front of you. The restaurant got into the spirit of Manchester’s food and drink festival with a blind tasting. Last Thursday, ten members of the public arrived to find a table adorned with eye masks, bibs and wine glasses. The glasses were a good sign, the bibs, not so good! Their goal was to see if your sense of taste was up to the task of identifying flavours without visual cues.

The hardest challenge came, dunking bread into large shot glasses of salad dressing without being able to see anything. I began to understand the need for bibs! The table was split with each side receiving a different dish. The flavour of one salad dressing was hard to place—a creamy, garlicky flavour but apparently no garlic; it turned out to be for their Caesar salad. Generally I’m not a fan of salad dressings (or indeed salad) but these tasted great as a dip, and the bread… I’d go back for that alone.

We had two pasta courses next and it has to be said that our side drew the short straw with an overwhelmingly sugary (and some said spicy) orange and sweet chilli sauce. The other side, unfairly, got to enjoy carbonara. After a piece of bread to mop up the sugar and spice, and to ensure that we wouldn’t identify whatever came next as chilli based, we moved on to a great sun dried tomato sauce with courgettes and aubergines. The vegetables were hard to identify but that’s not terribly surprising as they tend to be very similar even when you can see the two (I have a dislike of them after spending a summer dicing 5kg of courgettes and aubergines every day). Thankfully all the pasta was short, as I dread to think the mess that we would have made twirling spaghetti blind.

The easiest of dishes to eat without seeing was the pizza, although you had to be careful not to smear it all over your face. I had accidentally practiced when I drank my wine blindfolded so avoided looking like The Joker. The first slice divided opinion as to whether it was chorizo or salami, it turned out to be Italian sausage, which was tasty but indistinguishable (in my opinion) from salami. Next was the classic ham and pineapple. I wasn’t sorry that the slice of pineapple on mine fell off when I couldn’t see it, as the taste of the pineapple still lingered.

A brief hiatus for iced tea followed. The company sell four iced teas, peach, elderflower, pomegranate, and cactus. The first three tasted great, especially the peach; a unanimous success. The cactus flavour divided opinion in a Marmite-esque situation. Some people thought it tasted brilliant but I thought it tasted like aloe vera—not a flavour that I enjoy. I firmly believe that aloe vera is for external use, not internal. (I once had a nasty surprise when my Dad bought me some apple juice and didn’t realise that it contained aloe vera—I didn’t notice either and took a huge slug—yeugh, it was like drinking TCP.)

Finally we got to the best part of a meal. Dessert. Tiramisu and strawberry pannacotta were both easy to identify (I think the coffee flavour is a big giveaway with tiramisu). My favourite dessert had to be the tiny slice of chocolate cake, a big slice of which, I think, really would be death by chocolate!

So is a blind tasting a good idea? It’s fun once in a while and interesting to see (or not see) whether you ‘recognise’ what you are eating—most of the table didn’t, but at the end of the day eating is a fusion of smell, taste, and sight, and a meal is better when all are present. I look forward to going back to Vapiano when I can see what I’m eating.

Idris Khan at the Whitworth

The Whitworth has become a vibrant part of Manchester’s art scene since its reopening in 2015. Once again, the gallery is holding a new and innovative exhibition on Idris Khan, having held a previous exhibition in 2012.

The exhibition draws on Khan’s inspiration of the history of art, music, philosophy, and theology. Often these themes are integrated together, you become unsure on where one ends and the other begins. They emerge together, represented in more realistic form without the genre barriers we produce on an exterior perspective. It becomes almost a conversation within society, asking questions of memory and experiences, while remaining an outsider on the personal connection this brings.

It’s a thought provoking exhibition. We are drawn into these perspectives of life, culture, and history through the medium of painting, drawing, and photography. They appear relatable enough to be understood, yet distant enough to remain a piece of art.

One piece I found practically fascinating was ‘Eternal Movement’, commissioned in 2011 for Sadler’s Wells Dance House, it’s a piece that combines religion and culture into the modern day. It holds references of the Hajj pilgrimage, the use of religious texts and the symbolism of religion today. Inspired by the sacred walk between two mountains near Mecca, a path that is walked seven times during the pilgrimage, I felt it represented the many paths our lives take. The many lines of the piece, in different lengths was mesmerising. You could read so much symbolism into life, our paths, our future, and the way we interact with one another.

There are, of course, other pieces of Khan’s work to view—including a new monument wall drawing especially for this exhibition. There are items of Khan’s iconic work including: ‘The Rite of Spring’ (2013), ‘The Death of Tragedy’ (2014) and ‘Death of Painting’ (2014). The innovation found in this series for Khan to create his own black squares, through the continuous writing of text with thick oil sticks until the image has become a single black square is impressive. You can see the meaning far more due to the manner and skill used in the process of creating such an image, more than the final work itself.

Khan is an influential and innovative artist, continuing to experiment with new forms and practises. His ability to weave religion and culture into his work is impressive. It shows the value of using art as a platform, often with far more meaning underneath than we realise.

If you’ve not visited the Whitworth for a little while, this exhibition is certainly a reason to return. It’s worth noting that some more exhibitions have moved round, and I was surprised by the new pieces on display as I headed to Khan’s exhibit. It’s an impressive gallery, and a part of the University, so there’s nothing to lose.

Live: MØ

19th September at Ritz

8/10

(It’s pronounced ‘mer’).

Danish singer MØ may sound unfamiliar, but a quick listen to her work and you’ll realise you have probably heard it before if not on TV ads, then in the early hours of the morning on the radio.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to see MØ a few times before, I can safely say, I was not disappointed. Having first seen her in 2013, on her first UK tour, it is amazing to see how her stage presence has grown. Her sporadic dancing and overall charisma have really found a place on the stage and this is something which frequent gig-goers will welcome with open arms.

My earliest memories of MØ are at a show in Leeds, in which she had her hair in a tight plait hanging from the top of her head which she whipped around in sync with her dance moves.  She had little in the way of stage set and very minimal lighting, but she managed to enthral fans and keep them by her side over the past few years.

Tonight we were plunged into darkness before seeing MØ emerge with an ethereal version of ‘Don’t Wanna Dance’ before erupting into ‘Waste of Time’. Compared to her earlier performances, MØ seems more comfortable on the stage and has a real skill when it comes to interacting with the crowd and making them feel as elated and carefree as she does.

Fans of MØ are unlikely to ever be disappointed with her live shows as they are pitch perfect. It can seem quite rare when you find an artist who sounds the same, if not better, live as they do on record. Not only does she pull of this stunning vocal performance but is also able to do so whilst passionately dancing all the way through her set. The energy starts high and stays high. But of course this could not be achieved without the work of her talented band and the beautiful work of her lighting techs.

Her rendition of ‘Cold Water’, before which she stated how sad she was that ‘Justin Bieber couldn’t join her’, was perfection. A stripped back, acoustic take on the song was exactly what her set needed, not only to show off her strong and soulful voice, but to take the audience by surprise before showing off yet another new song.

The promise of a follow up to the album No Mythologies to Follow has been hanging in the air since 2015 and now we are nearing 2017 with not much more to go off. All I can say, is that from the new songs she’s performed, such as ‘On & On’ and ‘True Romance’, and her featuring work earlier this year, is that it is very eagerly anticipated.

But of course, I wouldn’t have seen MØ properly without her jumping into the crowd at some point. Yet, another characteristic of her shows are the constant thanking of the crowd after every song, when really we are shouting to thank her for even thinking of visiting us on her tour.

Here MØ is, three years on, with the same songs but she’s still selling sold-out shows. This is not only due to loyal fans but, of course, her music. MØ makes you want to dance, she makes you want to use her work as the soundtrack of your life. And, in the moment, when you’re dancing in a sweaty crowd with complete strangers who’ve come from far and wide to enjoy amazing live music, what more do you want.

Review: The Return of the Honey Buzzard

I’m still relatively new to graphic novels, but over the last year I’ve had my preconceptions about them completely overturned. This is no exception, The Return of the Honey Buzzard is in no way a simple story, but a deep and emotionally charged one. Aimée de Jongh, the author and illustrator, has already been very successful. She has a daily comic series in the Dutch Metro newspaper, won the Prix Saint-Michel (a comic prize) and at age 17, had already self-published her first comic book. This is her first graphic novel, released in her native Dutch in 2014. It has been translated into French and Spanish, and this year into English. Her newspaper series is comedic and I’d recommend looking it up online, each comic is short and easy to read if you can understand Dutch (and you can understand a lot of the jokes even if you don’t!) It’s fantastic to see de Jongh’s range displayed in this compelling and moving story.

I could talk for a very long time about how enjoyable de Jongh’s illustrations are to look at. They match the tone and add to the atmosphere of the story — it’s an immersive experience. At some points there are pages and pages with little or no dialogue, yet with de Jongh’s beautiful illustrations they don’t feel ‘silent’. The action is dynamic and as with most graphic novels, there is a temptation to rush and read it all very quickly. Trust me, it’s important to slow down. Alongside the story there are panels that are set aside showing birds, trees and insects. These provide a break in the action, a moment of quiet after the more intense scenes. The story is set partly in wintertime, and the black rain and slushy snow add to the melancholy mood. Contrast in general is very important in the novel. Flash back scenes to the young protagonist and his childhood friend, show the two boys as Ying and Yang, one with dark hair and light clothes, the other his opposite. De Jongh uses negative space to her advantage, throwing a spotlight onto characters and focusing their line of sight. Small things like this are a testament to de Jongh’s skills, the way emotions — fear, sadness and hope — are portrayed is immensely affecting.

For all its vivid emotion, this is a familiar story. The recognisable elements — the bullied boy becoming the bully, the young student catching the eye of an older man, a son’s reluctance to take over, but then to give up the business his father left him— feel a little over played.  It can feel like rereading an old story, but coupled with de Jongh’s artistry you don’t feel like you’re being cheated. It feels different and in the end it is different. Another satisfying thing about the story is that is feels complete. It’s short enough to read in an hour, but is long enough to have a proper storyline. De Jongh could have left annoying loose ends but doesn’t.

It’s a rewarding read and the plot raises uncomfortable questions about responsibility and guilt. After I’d finished, I found myself flicking back through the book, stopping on some of the most striking images. The relationship between the story and the illustration creates a novel full of high tension, proving de Jongh’s story writing skills match her illustrating credentials.

Live: Arab Strap

14th October at Ritz

8/10

So that was Arab Strap’s last big weekend. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton crawled out of the pub and made sordid, frank music under the name Arab Strap. Over Middleton’s instrumentals—united by theme and by their slow pace, but ranging from folk to post-rock to throbbing electronica—Moffat muttered and crooned of drugs, bad sex, and drunken debauchery until, after a decade, they amicably retired the project.

Ten years on, Arab Strap have returned for five nights only. They come to the stage backed by a choir of bagpipes, and it’s a much bigger stage than the band played in their first life. So is the line-up, expanded to a seven-piece with the inclusion of violins and trumpets. Moffat, taking to the stage in a faded polo, baggy shorts and trainers with a can of cider in hand, appears the only thing that hasn’t changed. Well, that and the unusually high concentration of bearded Scottish men—what did I expect, you might ask, and that is a good question.

The expanded line-up creates a fuller, more robust sound than anything the band recorded, which comes as both a blessing and a curse. At times, it’s a bit too much—in the first half-hour, Middleton’s intricate guitar work and Moffat’s vocals are all too often crowded out by instrumental bombast, meaning tracks like ‘The Clearing’ lack the impact they deserve.

It doesn’t take long for everything to click, though: by the time they perform fan-favourite ‘New Birds’, the band have adopted a more nuanced sound, opening up space for Moffat’s spoken-word tale of temptation and old love—played out, as always, down the pub. The subtler instrumentation showcases the depth of Moffat’s songwriting: at his best, he is simultaneously grim, sad-eyed, witty, and tender, allowing him to forge a compelling emotional connection with the audience. After all, you don’t pack out the Ritz after a decade’s absence solely on the back of snarky misanthropy. When backed up by judicious instrumentation, it has a revelatory effect: downbeat disco anthem ‘The Shy Retirer’ is enriched by its violin backing, and ‘There is No Ending’, a popular wedding song (Moffat assures us this is true), provides a celebratory fanfare for the set’s finale.

The set wanders through Arab Strap’s history, from the hungover pulse of 1998’s Philophobia to the warm, lush swansong of 2005’s The Last Romance. At one point, the band is reduced to the original duo and they draw song requests from a ballot box left at the merch stall, rewarding the fans that waited a decade for their return with some very deep cuts – the joys of having built up a cult fanbase with no commitments to shut up and play the hits.

Having said that, there is just the one hit. Debut single and set closer ‘The First Big Weekend’ was once praised by Radio One’s Steve Lamacq as ‘the most perfect pop song ever’, and it’s hard to disagree—the wistful, warts-and-all account of a weekend out in Glasgow is irresistible. With its build from a spare acoustic opening, via an insistent lo-fi dance beat, to the euphoric refrain “Went out for the weekend, it lasted forever/got high with our friends, it’s officially summer”, it was the highlight of the night and, frankly, the weekend.

“It’s quite odd being confronted with your past self,” Moffat remarks early on. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think I’ve changed a fucking bit.” Ten years is a long time, but Arab Strap have retained everything that made them compelling the first time around.

Top 5: Halloween films for wimps

5. Casper

Starting us off is this 1995 American classic. Casper the friendly ghost is an iconic character knows for his kind disposition and complete inability to be scary. This film follows the life of Kat (Christina Ricci) and her father (Bill Pullman) who is a ghost journalist in search of his dead wife. They inhabit the property haunted by Caper and his uncles ‘The Ghostly Trio’. The uncles provide most of the comedic relief in the film, with their idiocy and cantankerous behaviour. The film explores the themes of friendship, discovery, and young love, leaving your heart warmed, rather than beating faster in this wimp-friendly Halloween movie.

4. Ghost Busters

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The original 1984 film gets the balance of action and comedy just right and did not need to be re-made. The  original film starts comedic legend Bill Murray. He and his band of paranormal experts titled ‘Ghostbusters’ are called to rid the city of New York from terrifying other worldly creatures. The group have high tech ghost catching equipment and operate from an abandoned firehouse. Employing special effects and quotable one liners the film is a visual treat. Also the ghost centric theme is perfect to get you geared up for halloween.

3. Hocus Pocus

Disney do it best and this film is a fantastic Halloween watch. 90s films are becoming a theme here for classic autumn viewing and this 1993 comedy is no exception. The film stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson sisters. It is set against the historical backdrop of the Salem witch trials. The sisters are witches who plot to steal all the souls of Salem’s children in order to remain youthful forever. Set on the night of Halloween the iconographic features of witches, black cats, broom sticks and trick-or-treating make it essential Halloween viewing.

2. The Addams Family

A young Christina Ricci features again in this countdown, this time as Wednesday Addams in this 1991 fantasy film. The Addams family luxuriate in the fact that they are feared and thought of as bizarre. They revel in their own seclusion from society and are a dysfunctional yet tight knit with a vast amount of riches. A long lost family member returns and the family is thrilled. However, there are doubts as to whether this is a fake Fester or if its really him. If you are in need of a group Halloween costume idea then this is most definitely a winner!

  1. Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton is renowned as the king of all things ghastly and ghostly. He has made so many perfect Halloween films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and The Corpse Bride (2005), but beating them all to the top spot is Edward Scissorhands (1990). The film stars a young Johnny Depp and Wynona Ryder. With loose links to Frankenstein, Depp portrays the creation of a scientist.  Edward finds himself in a suburban neighbourhood and becomes the resident hair dresser. The pastel colour palette, budding romance and vintage bright costumes make it an enjoyable and spook-free watch.

 

 

Point-and-Click: A Golden Age for Gaming?

Ever since I first saw my brother playing ‘Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars’, I have been fascinated by point-and-click adventure games. Peering over his shoulder, blurting out advice in a scene reminiscent of an attempt to win big on the quiz machine down the pub, I knew straight away there was something special about this genre of games.

The origins of point-and-click adventure games can be traced back to 1976 with the release of ‘Colossal Cave Adventure’, a text based adventure game. Fast-forward to the 90s and the genre would then reach its peak with numerous releases that are now considered cult classics, many of which have sparked a wave of remasters in recent years. So what exactly are point-and-click adventure games?

Point-and-click games, as the name suggests, rely upon a relatively simple control interface. Put simply, you just point and click, combining items in your inventory and interacting with objects to progress through the game. But what is so special about such a basic style of game? Essentially, the keys to success for this genre are the characteristic features that compose—a gripping narrative, well written dialogue trees, and complex puzzles that pose a real challenge to the player. With that in mind, let us take a look at four of the best examples that the genre has to offer.

First up is the critically acclaimed Monkey Island series. This franchise consists of five games; starting with the 1990 release ‘The Secret of Monkey Island’, four sequels followed, each offering a unique and entertaining experience. Set during the golden age of piracy in a fictional group of islands in the Caribbean, the story follows the protagonist Guybrush Threepwood and his love interest Elaine Marley in their continuous fight against the villainous un-dead pirate LeChuck.

The series is defined by its characteristic humour and dialog, which provide hours of wholesome entertainment and create a player-friendly experience. Puzzles can be troublesome at times, but prove rewarding once you have finally deciphered them. Expect witty dialogue, numerous pop culture references and subtle jokes throughout.

Next let us look at Revolution Software’s 1994 release, ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’. Set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future, the game follows the story of Robert Foster and his sentient robot pal Joey. The cyber-punk style of ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’ creates a unique and refreshing gaming experience.

Alongside this, the plot provides an interesting social commentary, exploring issues that may affect a future society brought to its knees by conflict. The sci-fi world created by Revolution software is truly exciting and, combined with dynamic dialog, motivates the player to explore the game in-depth. Split between the wasteland environment of ‘the gap’ and the towering steel metropolis of Union City, ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’ really does stand fast as an excellent gaming experience even after 22 years.

Our third example is a behemoth of the genre, ‘Grim Fandango’. First released by LucasArts in 1998, ‘Grim Fandango’ has become a cult classic, spawning a 2015 remaster.

The story follows Manuel “Manny” Calavera, a despondent travel agent at the aptly named department of death. Manny is tasked with selling travel packages to recently deceased souls from the land of the living to aid them on their journey to the ‘land of eternal rest’. However, this quickly develops into a tale of deception as he tries to unravel a mysterious conspiracy gripping the underworld and save his love interest Mercedes Colomar.

‘Grim Fandango’ stands out in a genre dominated by quirky and unique titles as something truly exceptional. The use of 3D graphics layered over static 2D backgrounds was a first for LucasArts and it works flawlessly. However, it is the combination of stylistic influences including film-noir and Calaca figures from the Mexican Day of the Dead festival that create an unparalleled adventure.

Last, but certainly not least, is one of the greatest point and click franchises of all time, ‘Broken Sword’. With five titles on offer from Revolution Software, the broken sword series is a veteran of the genre.

These games not only left me spellbound but have also been captivating gamers for over two decades. The stories are complex and well written, keeping you gripped throughout. It is littered with puzzles that often leave you scratching your head in bewilderment, only to put a smile upon your face once you finally figure them out.

The main characters, George Stobbart and Nico Collard, are loveable and always provide witty and often humorous commentary in their quest to decipher captivating mysteries. The plots are riddled with murder, intrigue and enigmas, making the series one of the most remarkable and impressive point-and-click adventure franchises of all time.

So, despite the ageing graphics and often annoying resolution for 4:3 ratio computer monitors, point-and-click adventure games hold a special place in many a heart and deserve to be recognised as a true golden age for gaming. They simply don not make them like they used to.

High heeled horrors

At the Golden Globes in 2014, actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson presented an award clutching a martini in one hand and a pair of Louboutins in the other. As she joked the red of the soles were in fact her blood, the laughter  signalled the empathies from all women in the room. We have all been there, when it is preferable to walk home from a night out shoeless and dancing around broken glass and cigarette butts. Admittedly it is never a woman’s finest moment, but a necessary one on occasion.

There are certainly times when a shoe can do more damage than good. We are told ‘beauty is pain’ and sacrifices are to be made in order to look downright fabulous on a night out. But sometimes you have to put your foot down.

Whilst the modelling profession comes with its inevitable perks, there are times in a model’s career when enough is enough. Their hair is tugged and tamed, their makeup slapped on and they are manhandled into the most excruciating of outfits. It is no wonder their facial expression often suggest they are sucking on sour grapes. Then if that were not bad enough, they must saunter and seduce the audience whilst wearing stilts.

It is hard to forget the fashion frenzy around Naomi Campbell’s infamous tumble in Vivienne Westwood’s Paris show in 1993. The luck she had in not snapping her ankles in 12-inch platforms is an achievement in itself. Her expression said it all really: if you are going to put me in these ridiculous shoes, what do you expect really?

However whilst Naomi picked herself up and dusted herself off in true Carrie Bradshaw style, brushing off her fall from grace with a self-pitying smile (after all, the only damage done was to her dignity), some models’ experiences are not as accepting. I might add, Naomi has also since returned to the shoes on Jonathan Ross’s chat show, so clearly the incident was not too scarring.

This September, Kayne West debuted his Season 4 Yeezy show in all its monochromatic glory. Whilst Yeezy does not quite follow in the experimental fashion statements reserved for the likes of Westwood, this does not limit the chances of discomfort on the catwalk. Many wobbled dramatically down the runway but one model (quite understandably) had had enough after limping down the catwalk in a pair of plastic heels. As so many of us have done before, she whipped them off and continued barefoot.

The model, Amina Blue, later defended her actions, claiming the shoes were comfortable but the combination of intense heat and a plastic encasing around her feet was too much to bear. In order for the show to go on, the shoes had to come off. Who can blame her?

It is a risk one takes when working in an occupation in which your comfort comes secondary to the design of a look. It is the trials and tribulations that come with the career. Whilst these women might manage to frequently overcome such physical horrors, my approach would be more like Emma Thompson’s: fling those Louboutins over your head and sip on your martini, no matter how many millions of people may be watching you.

Heidi Klum – HalloQueen

As Halloween approaches, people are starting their search for the perfect costume; whether it is your bog-standard ‘sexy cat’ or your dead versions of celebrities, most people will be dressing up. When it comes to inspiration, no one is more inspiring than Heidi Klum. The supermodel hosts a Halloween party every year and continues to have the most innovative and grandiose costumes.

Although Seal was the perfect partner in the sense that he would also like pushing the boat out and donning ludicrous outfits such as arriving dressed as monkeys, Klum still makes an impact; her most recent Halloween costume saw her transformed into the most seductive cartoon character to date, Jessica Rabbit. After spending days preparing in a prosthetics lab to achieve the exaggerated, voluptuous figure and the cartoon inspired facial features, Klum impressed her audience. Her old granny costume was hauntingly realistic and her Hindu goddess, Kali, costume clearly demonstrate her passion for dressing up. I for one, cannot wait to see what she becomes this year.

Manchester City 1-1 Southampton

City are now winless in five: a loss to Tottenham, a 3-3 thrilling draw with Celtic in the Champions League, a draw for Pep Guardiola against best bud Ronald Koeman at Everton, a thorough battering at the hands of Barcelona in midweek, and now a 1-1 draw with Southampton. Southampton set themselves up well and were difficult to break down, but City will be hoping to bounce back in the midweek Capital One Cup game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Barcelona Battering

Midweek saw City fall at the hands of the mighty Barcelona. Despite being the better side in the first half, with a few great chances and to only fall behind after Fernandinho slipped in his banana boots, it was all looking rosy. Jordi Alba had picked up an injury, and Barcelona found themselves replacing Pique before the end of the match too. But the second half did not quite go to plan. Claudio Bravo got sent off for a handball outside his area, Messi bagged a hat-trick, and Neymar followed up with one of his own. A Wily Caballero penalty save was the highlight in a pretty disappointing night for the Blues. Just shows that in the Champions League you cannot switch off for one minute.

If this game was a song…

Red Red Wine

After another disappointing result, Pep Guardiola spent forty minutes in the changing rooms with his players after the game before talking to the press. When asked what he was doing in there, he replied that he was drinking some red wine.

Individual Errors

I am yet to decide if this is a positive or not yet, but most of City’s goals that they have conceded so far this season have simply been down to individual errors: all the goals against Barcelona were in midweek, and this weekend it was a John Stones error that allowed Nathan Redmond to around Claudio Bravo and score in the open net. Stones had played the ball back to the returning Vincent Kompany, but Kompany was further up the field, so Redmond collected and delivered.

This of course is not good for City, but Guardiola may find some positive in the fact that his tactics and the way the team are set up is not miles away from what City need—as it is just individual errors that are causing the problems. But it will be very difficult for Guardiola to find a way to stop this amount of individual errors; he’ll be tearing his hair out at the thought…

Man of the Match

Kelechi Iheanacho only played half the game, after coming on at half time, but he gave City hope. The first half City were far away from their best with sloppy passing and not a single shot on target registered. In the second half however it only took him ten minutes to score the equaliser, and they looked stronger. Kelechi’s goal came after Fernandinho played a nice long ball up to Leroy Sane on the left wing. Here Sane showed excellent skill, (Sane had a pretty good game, showboating down the left wing) brought the ball down and drove the ball in for Iheanacho to tap in from six yards.

Derby Day

City recently ran out 2-1 winners in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, in early September, but are returning again this Wednesday for a Capital One Cup tie. City are struggling for form at the moment, but so are United. United fell at the hands of Chelsea this weekend 4-0, as Mourinho struggled to get his team to perform at his old stomping ground. This is a game that neither will want to lose.

How the table looks…

There are whispers that this could be seen as a crisis at Manchester City – no win in five, disappointing performances, Aguero not in his usual form – but it must be remembered that City are still sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League. You know you’re pretty good when you’re still top of the league during a crisis.

Extra Match antics…

·         Kompany returned with a start at The Etihad!

·         Jesus Navas was substituted on late in the second half in order to play right-back.

·         John Stones had the ball in the net with a beautiful finish on the 32nd minute, however the goal was deemed offside, as Sergio Aguero was interfering with play.

·         With Iheanacho in better scoring form, is it possible that Aguero could be dropped for the youngster?

·         Guardiola has hinted that there will be lots of changes for the game against United and we could see some youngsters – with Zabaleta and Sagna out, this would be a great opportunity to see what young Pablo Maffeo is made of.

·         Two weeks in a row players have been booked for time-wasting at The Etihad. It seems that this is something that City are going to have to deal with. One week I’ll take my stopwatch and time how long the game is actually played for (I probably won’t).

Liang Trumps Judd in English Snooker Open final

It was the seventh ranking event of the snooker season as 128 of the world’s best snooker players arrived in Manchester, at Event City for the first English open, in this format. The UK open series ran from the 10th to the 16th of October, and featured players such as the world number 1; Mark Selby, legend ‘Rocket’ Ronnie O’Sullivan, Former World Champion Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy, plus many more. These players came to Manchester for a chance at the £70,000 prize money and to stick with a chance of winning the £1 million bonus, for winning the 28 matches for all of the British Open competitions.

This introduction of this new addition to the snooker season was praised all week long by competitors, with O’Sullivan telling me, “people have been asking for this for a while. The fans. The players. And finally, thankfully, they have listened.” Nothing was more special than when outsider and China’s own Wenbo Liang beat Englishman Judd Trump by 9 frames to 6 to win his first major title, and lifting the Steve Davis trophy in front of a sold out Event City Arena. He jumped for joy, when potting his final pink to guarantee the win and told us he was delighted to win, and that he is enjoying the snooker.

During the final itself Liang led going into the second session with a 2 frame cushion, but it was Trump who came flying out of the blocks, impressing with a break of 135 that reduced the deficit to just one frame. The response from Liang was strong, a big shot on the blue off the spot to open the gap back to 2. The response continued with a break of 115 and exhibition snooker to increase the gap, the score line now at 7-4. Just as Trump looks like folding, he comes out on top after a long safety play tussle to just do enough to maintain the two gap cushion going into the mid-session interval. On the return, Trump continues where he left off to continue the momentum, a break of 69 with Liang conceding to get within a single frame. Game on!

Things start to get nervy, with both players looking visibly edgy missing a string of simple shots. A cracking safety shot behind the green from Trump leaves Liang needing three attempts to hit the target red. Trump is able to make a break of 41 off the leave, but misses an easy red to allow Liang to take control of the frame, playing a blinding shot of the blue on the spot to bring the remaining red into play, the shot of the match so far. He is able to clean up and moves to one frame away from victory. Expecting Liang to feel the heat on his third major final appearance, a few missed pots from Trump allowing him to fire in a break of 79. He goes absolutely nuts in the arena, exciting the entire Event City venue into applause as he claims his first professional major title and his name on the Davis Trophy to be crowned winner of the inaugural English Open title.

The rest of the week entertained also. Notable moments include shock results, and the exit as some of the sports big names. O’Sullivan, Selby, Marco Fu and Murphy all exited the competition in the early stages, as did Neil Robertson who chucked away a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 to a player ranked well below him in the rankings. Alfie Burden’s 147 break was amazing, even if he was eliminated in the following frame. Ricky Walden, Mark Allen and John Higgins all had good showings reaching the latter stages of the tournament, with Stuart Bingham and eventual winner Liang contesting in the match of the tournament in their semi-final clash. In the end, this first of four nations series was a success and belonged to Liang.

However, what was clear was that there needed to be more marketing and advertising for this event. It wasn’t really advertised anywhere, with very few posters or flyers around the city, and there was nothing about it anywhere on the university campuses. Crowds were only around half full on average (apart from the final) leading to Ali Carter actually raising this issue on Twitter, questioning what had happened. In reality, the sport of snooker needs its profile raised. In a city such as Manchester, it simply cannot compete with the popularity of football, cricket, and rugby. Moving forward, here’s hoping that this English event will help do such a thing, and get snooker high on the agenda in sport once again.

I am an Essex girl and proud

I need to start this article by admitting that I have, in the past, been ashamed of my Essex roots. Now, the #IAmAnEssexGirl campaign had made me ashamed of my shame.

Ever since I left Essex for Manchester, wherever possible I avoided admitting where I was from, as to dodge answering the inane questions of whether I have been to the Sugar Hut, met anyone from The Only Way is Essex, or had a fake tan.

I did not want to be defined by where I had grown up. In fact, I was quicker to bring up my Irish roots, where I spent only two years of my life, than Essex, where I spent the majority. Worse, I felt almost ashamed of the stereotypes that would come hand in hand with admitting I was an ‘Essex Girl’.

It seems, however, that I have been defined by none other than the Oxford English Dictionary.

I cannot fathom how I never before realised that every Essex girl I have ever known could  be defined as, simply, “a type of young woman, supposedly to be found in and around Essex, and variously characterised as unintelligent, promiscuous, and materialistic”.

A large and diverse group of girls have been summed up in 21 words. I would like to thank them for making it so simple; girls across Essex have grappled for years with how to succinctly identify the thousands of us from the county. It really helps that we no longer need to worry about finding an individual identity for ourselves; we can carry on happy that the semantics have been decided for us. It is relieving to know that we can be encapsulated by just three adjectives. We will get back to shopping, having sex, and being stupid now, thanks.

Some have commented that Essex boys have not an easy ride of it either—defined as, “a supposed new type of Conservative voter to be found esp. in London and the south-east of England in the 1980s, typically (especially contemptuously) characterised as a brash, self-made young businessman who benefitted from the entrepreneurial wealth created by Thatcherite policies.”

Shocking. Being described as “self-made” and someone who had “benefited from entrepreneurial wealth” definitely compares to the vacuous and sexually immoral definition us girls have been labelled with.

Looking closer at the well-crafted definition for girls, we can see some unfortunate contradictions. We are “promiscuous” (we decide what we do with our own bodies), “materialistic” (we want to lead successful lives in our own right), and we are “unintelligent” (our desire for the above is just outright stupid in an unequal society—we should get back into the kitchen).

On a serious note, this definition, however ludicrous it may seem, should not just be joked about. To label a whole cross section of society in such a way is incredibly damaging, like all stereotyping.

By implication, girls across Essex have been told they should no longer aspire, achieve, or define their own lives. The county they have grown up in has defined them already; they may as well give up trying to create their own future and identity.

Thankfully, the women in my family and the Essex girls who have acted as role models for me throughout my life have never let this definition stop them from being the empowered, intelligent, and brilliant women they are.

Because of this stereotype, and the credence of the Oxford English Dictionary, we have to remain ashamed of where we are from: we lose a part of our identity. However much we strive to define ourselves through our achievements, we will always have this shadow over us.

The definition must be reclaimed by Essex girls across the county and country. In fact, we should scrap all attempts at a definition, and instead celebrate the distinct and wonderful things every individual Essex girl does. I am an Essex girl, but that does not define me: I can do that myself.

University sexual harassment report published

The report, Changing the Culture, by the higher education representative body Universities UK (UUK) has put staff-student sexual harassment on the agenda in response to growing calls for the sector to tackle the problem.

The report was prompted by a growing number of reports published by The Guardian which exposed the scale of sexual harassment and violence carried out by university staff on students and junior colleagues.

Last week The Mancunion reported that sexual abuse scandals at universities were akin to ‘the Savile scandals’. The Guardian reportedly received approximately 200 statements, the majority from women. The statements included incidents of sexual harassment, assault and rape, all carried out by university staff with a large majority of cases including postgraduate and PhD students from a plethora of UK universities, including many from the Russell Group.

The government had asked UUK last year to lead a task force on violence against women, harassment, and hate crime in universities. The 1752 Group, an organisation working to combat staff-student sexual harassment in UK universities made a plea to the task force urging it to address staff-student harassment.

The report itself does not make recommendations to universities on staff-student sexual harassment but recognises that it is an area that requires further work. Dr Anna Bull, spokesperson for The 1752 Group said: “In this report, Universities UK indicates that staff-student sexual harassment is a significant issue which must be addressed by the sector. We formed The 1752 Group because of the lack of robust research and policy guidance around staff-student sexual harassment.”

The Group welcomed the report’s recommendations including leadership from senior management, training for university staff, partnership working, and more robust centralised reporting procedures.

The report comes as universities in Australia and the US are coming under pressure to address the same issue. A recent Freedom of Information request across Australia’s universities found that the vast majority of reported rape and harassment cases appear to have gone completely unpunished. It also found that as many as one in five cases may involve staff members committing sexual offences against students.

A large-scale study conducted in the US from 2015 revealed that one in six female graduate students have experienced sexual harassment from a teacher or advisor. Comparable data for the UK does not exist, which many argue highlights the urgent need for research in this area.

A University of Manchester spokesperson has said: “The University has a zero tolerance policy towards any form of harassment and bullying. Through the We Get It campaign, in partnership with the Students’ Union, which enables anyone to anonymously report any incidents, thousands of staff and students have signed a pledge to report any incidents they see and have accessed training and information.

“We have also recruited 12 more harassment advisors to provide a confidential information service to staff and students on issues relating to harassment, discrimination and bullying. Confidential advice is available to support anyone who wishes to make a complaint and the Students’ Union is also available to support students.”