Month: February 2017

Finding the public’s lost faith in science

Written by Aliya Ismangil on 16th February 2017. Posted in News, Science & Tech.

In the famous words of Michael Gove, the public has “had enough of experts.” A similar sentiment has been attributed to the untrustworthiness of science perpetuated through Trump’s dismissal of climate change.

In a recent Times Higher Education article, five academics recently discussed ways that scientists could bridge the communication gap between research community and the public. Many disagree that this loss of trust is actually the case. An Ipsos MORI study published at the end of 2016 revealed that 80 per cent of respondents say they would trust what a scientist says.

Dr. David Kirby, a program director for the University of Manchester’s MSc Science Communication, also emphasises that “science is still considered very trustworthy by people as a whole…it’s just when people point to specific cases, their own opinion outweigh any evidence that they see in front of their face”.

He uses the example of vaccines and autism: “The evidence is overwhelming that there is no link between those two. People trust science in many other ways but on this particular issue, they’re not willing to trust scientists because they think there are pharmaceutical conspiracies and they need an explanation.”

Another 2014 Ipsos MORI survey showed that 68 per cent of respondents agree that scientists should take more time to discuss the social and ethical implications of their work to the general public. Nicholas Russell, of Imperial College London, talks about how expertise and hard facts and no longer enough to convince the public, referring to a study by Friederike Hendriks, a psychologist at the University of Münster in Germany, he expresses that the public must also believe that scientists and experts are also honest and ethical.

Dr. Kirby also shares this sentiment, stating that “the problem with scientists is that we always think in terms of facts and rationality, well of course if you see the evidence, you’re going to believe it. But, as scientists, we should know that human nature doesn’t always work that way. We need to convince the public, not just that what we’re saying is right, but why they should want to think that what we’re saying is right.”

Russell proposes that portraying science in fiction is one way to do so. Explaining how fiction is by far more popular than biographies, and so could be used to highlight the issues that scientists face, prompting thought into what can be done within the science community to correct this.

Amitava Banerjee, honorary consultant cardiologist at the Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, University College London, believes that open discussion is the way to communicate science’s use to the public.

She reflects on her experience at a Denmark viva voce event, which was open to the public, allowing questions and discussion with non-scientists and scientists alike. Banerjee highlights that ‘open science’ does not just relate to its methods and data but “also requires open discussion of the ways in which data are used, interpreted and ultimately translated for use in society.”

Julio Gimenez, head of the Westminster Professional Language Centre, Guy Waddell and Doug Specht of the University of Westminster, also echo this, believing that the closed nature of journals and scientific reports exclusive to academics and institutes mean that scientists are missing out on opportunities for communication and discussion with the public.

“I think what’s important when we think about science communication is that we don’t want to think of it as an alternative means to educate the public,” says Dr. Kirby.

“It’s more about sharing to people what science can do for them, what science has done for them.”

Mobile app officially approved as form of contraception

Written by Serena Holloway on 16th February 2017. Posted in News, Science & Tech.

A mobile fertility app has been granted medical approval to be used as female contraception within the European Union.

The Natural Cycles app, which costs £60 a year, calculates which days the user is and isn’t fertile, based on daily body temperature measurements that must be entered into the app.

Using this information, Natural Cycles indicates ‘red’ and ‘green’ days throughout the month. Women can use this fertility information as either a contraceptive or for planning a pregnancy; if being used as a contraceptive, users can have sex on green days only.

Designed by Nobel Prize winning physicist Elina Bergund and her husband Dr Raoul Scherwitzl, the app was tested in over 4,000 Swedish women aged 20-35 and surprisingly found that it was just as effective as the contraceptive pill.

Despite being used by over 3 million women within the UK, the pill has consistently been linked to depression, severe mood swings, weight gain and a multitude of other negative side effects – many of which are caused by hormones present in the pill.

In contrast, Natural Cycles is hormone-free, providing a more natural alternative with less negative side effects. The scientific premise behind the app is fairly simple — after ovulation, the hormone progesterone is naturally released in our bodies, and warms our bodies up by around 0.45 C. Therefore, by tracking a woman’s daily body temperatures, Natural Cycles is able to predict when she is ovulating.

But can it be trusted to prevent pregnancy? Chair of the British Fertility Society, Dr Adam Balen, suggests that women should be wary of expecting complete protection from the app, saying “any device that monitors the menstrual cycle is fallible as women do not always ovulate predictably every month.”

22-year-old University of Manchester student, Hollie, agrees and said: “I would not trust it. There is no way I could have peace of mind leaving my fertility down to an app. The pill gives me much more peace of mind and I know I can relax.”

Fellow student Mel agrees, saying that “if I knew it was just as accurate as the pill, then I would definitely prefer using the app. It would feel so much more natural.”

Gary Neville plans to open a university

Written by Georgie Hines on 16th February 2017. Posted in News, Sport.

Gary Neville, and other teammates from Manchester United’s ‘Class of ’92,’ are looking to open a university in the Greater Manchester area.

Reports suggest they have been looking at possible sites in Stretford, Trafford – most likely on Chester Road.

In collaboration with Lancaster University, the former footballer’s new university hopes to specialise in sport studies, but will also offer courses including media, physiology, and sports management.

Although the name of the university is yet to be decided, sources have revealed it could be University Academy ’92, which can be shortened to UA92.

The name is thought to be in tribute to the winning Manchester United team that won the FA Youth Cup in 1992.

The new university will include a new build, and halls of residence that could cater for up to 5,000 students.

A Lancaster University spokesperson has said: “We can confirm that we are discussing this project with Gary Neville, but we are still evaluating its feasibility and no decision has yet been made to proceed or otherwise.”

Neville has also not given much away regarding the endeavour, previously saying, “I have been working on an exciting educational project but by no means is it ready to speak about in detail.”

These university plans are just a small part of Neville’s bigger plan for the redevelopment of Manchester. His St. Michael’s project, with business partner Ryan Giggs, includes two skyscrapers in the city centre.

A planning application for the scheme has revealed the plans, which include a hotel, skybars, an apartment complex, a synagogue, offices, and several bars and restaurants.

However, the redevelopment has been met with criticism from Historic England, who believe the project will cause “irreparable damage” to the “precious heritage of the city”.

Catherine Dewar, the North West planning director of Historic England, has said: “It would have an impact on people’s appreciation and experience of the stunning town hall and library but it would also erase different layers of this area’s history, irreparably damaging the special character of the surrounding conservation area.

“A dynamic city like ours needs to fully embrace development but this scheme is not good enough to justify the damage it would cause to the streets around the site and to the setting of the city’s most important buildings and spaces.”

Expressing how “deeply concerned” she was about the change to the city, she added that the change or loss of buildings, which include The Sir Ralph Abercromby pub, Bootle Street’s former police station, and Manchester Stock Exchange, “that have soul and tell important stories about our city’s past,” would be devastating.

Speaking on the matter, Neville has said the redevelopment will be “one of the biggest statements in architecture in modern times in Manchester” and would create 1,000 jobs in the area.

Roof collapses at Manchester’s Factory nightclub

Written by Ollie Potter on 15th February 2017. Posted in News.

The popular Factory nightclub gave clubbers what must be one of the most unique nights out of their lives, when the ceiling of the first floor collapsed in the early hours of Sunday the 12th of February.

Clubbers were filmed holding up the remains of the ceiling following the bizarre incident, and it was reported by some eyewitnesses that people had glass and dust in their eyes.

Situated on the corner of Princess Street and Charles Street, the club also experienced building collapse in 2014 when 850 people were evacuated from the establishment, whilst seven people were injured.

George, who was attending the club during the incident, said “”I was getting a drink and all of a sudden I see half of the ceiling fall, and some of the students holding it up”. He then added that, in true clubber fashion, “We then began chanting Don’t Take Me Home until everyone got kicked out of the club”.

Tom Foster, speaking to The Manchester Evening News, said “It took about two minutes for the DJ to stop, then bouncers rushed in. But there was no plan. I was surprised there was no announcement.” Foster, a third year University of Salford student, speaking to The Tab, added that “it was definitely the strangest experience I’ve had on a night out.”

People took to Twitter to express light-hearted comments about the night and to recount their experiences.

Factory’s Twitter account advertised their Monday ‘Quids In’ Night with a video from The US Office of Steve Carell literally trying to raise the roof. Potential clubbers may be discouraged however, following Saturday’s surreal events.

A Factory spokesman said: “A section of plasterboard came loose from the first floor”, which had also collapsed two years ago, before adding “no one was hurt and the club was evacuated purely as a precaution. This issue relates to the first floor only, and the ground and second floors will open as normal on Monday”.

Travelling solo

Written by Sophie Manley on 15th February 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Travelling on your own can be a daunting and an even seemingly impossible prospect. Glorified blogs and epic Instagram accounts make it seem like only the most accomplished travellers dare to wander the world independently, risking their lives every day and partying with new people every night. These travellers usually have expensive GoPros and movie editing software, endless streams of money and an innate ability to talk to anyone.

However, from my own experience, I can tell you that it’s not as glamorous and scary as it seems. The trick to travelling is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. There are lots of ways to ease yourself into life on the road that will make you answer the question, “How did you find travelling on your own?” with a confident “I was never on my own” when you get home from your adventure, full of pride and amazing memories.

Now you’re all inspired to organise your first solo journey, I’ll give you a few tips on how to get going. There are several ways to start your travels, but the main ways are working, volunteering, or backpacking.

Working: Is cash a problem? Work your way around the world and you’ll never have to stop travelling. The beauty of being prepared to work is that you can keep going for as long as you like; whenever you’re close to running out of money, get a job wherever you are at the time. Working holiday visas for 18-30 year olds are pretty easy to get for Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Buy yourself a visa, book a week in a popular hostel in a city of your choice, catch a flight, and get job searching once you’re out there. My first job in Sydney was door-to-door sales. I quit after a week, but I ended up moving in with the people I met on the job and we became really great friends. Alternatively, you could get a seasonal job. During summer, you could work in a bar/restaurant in a party town around Europe; to do this, you’ll either need to go through an agency online, or just rock up and start handing out CVs.

Volunteering: If there’s something more specific you want to do, maybe this is the way forward. The International Citizen Service is a great place to start if you want to make a difference in a small community by working on a project. The great thing about ICS is that all you have to do is fundraise £800, and all other costs are paid for. Something I’m desperate to do once I’ve finished university is to volunteer at a yoga and surf retreat. These are found all over the world (I want to go to Sri Lanka!), and usually say if you work in a cafe/restaurant for free, then you have access to surf equipment and yoga classes at their facility. If you want to volunteer while on the move, you can work for bed and board. This includes WWOOFing, (a popular option in Australia) or working in a hostel in return for free accommodation.

Backpacking: There are so many organised tours out there, visit STA or look on Google to find some of the most popular tours for solo travellers. These are great for the first couple of weeks as they give you a good feel for a new country, whilst keeping you totally safe. Downside is these are a little more expensive. If you don’t fancy a tour, just rock up to a new place having pre-booked a popular, suitable hostel and researched a bit about the area and what you want to do there, and start making friends! People are much friendlier in hostels than they are anywhere else in the world — I promise. If you’re more organised, then plan your journey and your accommodation in advance. If you’re more spontaneous and get a thrill from last minute decisions and not knowing where you’re going to end up, then just book the first few days and see where life takes you.

So hopefully you now feel equipped with a wealth of knowledge about how to plan and implement your solo travels. Good luck! Find yourself, lose yourself, take lots of selfies — don’t be scared to ask strangers to take your picture — and take care.

Proofreading companies: right words, wrong idea

Written by Elliott Mills on 15th February 2017. Posted in Opinion.

Do you ever get tired of having to use certain words in your essays that create sentences which are grammatically correct and work together to build up a paragraph where, hopefully, each sentence makes sense and relates to its neighbour sentence in a harmonious way? I find this task of organising clear and logically constructed clauses really rather arduous.

If you have frequented the library recently, you’ll have noticed that a proofreading company is here to help, announcing itself onto the scene by means of flyers proliferating eerily here and there. I look to the left and see two flyers entitled ‘Wordsmiths: Experience You Need. Results You Want’. I look to the right: ‘Wordsmiths’. I look back to the left and there are now three flyers despite no one else being in at this time.

I begin to consider whether the overly sombre night-shift library staff member is in on the game, as he paces the perimeter in his characteristic slow, measured severity. I fear that talking to him would be to break some essential rule of courtesy, like waking up a sleep-walker or interrupting an ancient religious ritual.

Looking back down at all these words I am trying to jam into sentences like a square peg through a square hole that is too small, I feel compelled to find out more about the ones they call the Wordsmiths.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I find that nothing screams ‘this is not dodgy at all and you shouldn’t feel ashamed about using this service’ quite like the proviso ‘100 per cent Confidentiality’. It is a badge of consummate honour and can be found elsewhere — most notably in the payment conditions of online porn subscriptions. And people say I don’t do any research before writing these articles…

Well, the Wordsmiths proof-readers urgently promise 100 per cent confidentiality, in a sales technique reminiscent of someone who once approached me saying “do you want to buy this bike?” before almost instantly qualifying his question by assuring me: “I haven’t stolen it.” I saw this Wordsmiths flyer as I then saw that attempted bike flogging: with doubt as to the product but with sure knowledge that I would write about the situation sooner or later.

It should be said that any editing service is primarily aimed to help those for whom English is not a first language. And anyway, how different is sending your essays to professional editors from simply having a friend or family member read through your work?

For my part, I don’t tend to have others read through my essays, but these Mancunion articles go through an editing process. This is a case where there are benefits from an outside perspective looking over my writing, as I derive great pleasure from the inventive experimentation which goes into the spelling of my name. The unceasing creativity of the editing team has yielded some absolute gems, and I do hope for the much sought after T. S. Eliot variation this week. (My own version shares the stage with the likes of Missy Elliott and those portaloos you see on building sites, the latter providing evidence that almost all Elliotts lead to the waste land.)

The Wordsmiths flyers on my left, which now have amassed in their hundreds, tell me that the cheapest of their services is the proofreading package at a tenner per thousand words. I have yet to enquire whether it would be possible to offer them a sole penny for one word you are having particular difficulty in spelling.

This service, it says, acts as “your second pair of eyes.” Above this description is a picture of someone doing some proofreading while wearing glasses, thus generously doubling up on the company’s initial claim.

Proofreading is a fairly unobtrusive process, but it is the more expensive services which may offer cause for concern, such as a paraphrasing service at £45 per thousand words for those who “have the right ideas but have trouble finding the right words.”

That people might pay this much for their essay to be rewritten further illustrates the trend of money pervading all areas of higher education. Your assignments can now be seen as monetary investments, rather than intellectual investments, where you will see a return in the earning of a job that has been rewarded on the basis of your degree. All the things which we are encouraged to tell employers about studying an essay subject — those skills of argument, analysis and communication — won’t actually have been accrued if people choose to have professionals do it all for them.

With four years of essay-writing under my belt, and with the knowledge that the skills of writing essays are now dying out, I think I’d better give Wordsmiths a call and ask for a job, offering them a CV of attributes that their own organisation has now proved obsolete.

Applications from EU graduates to UK jobs decline by 18%

Written by Shivani Kaura on 15th February 2017. Posted in News.

The effects of Brexit on UK businesses are already becoming apparent, after research done by LinkedIn revealed that the number of EU graduates looking for jobs in the UK fell by 18 per cent between May and July 2016.

The same report, based on data from three million people, also showed that 14 per cent of all job searches are UK graduates seeking work abroad.

Josh Graff, President of LinkedIn, speaking to The Australian Business Review, stated that “this should be a warning to British businesses that face not only a critical skills gap but also what I would call an interest gap. Domestic and international talent is starting to look outside the UK for job opportunities.

“Whilst there remains a great deal of uncertainty about what Brexit means for UK businesses, our findings make one thing clear. If British business leaders don’t act now to shore up their talent pipelines for a post-Brexit age, they risk facing interest and skills gaps in the future.

“It’s therefore vital that businesses work closely with the Government to ensure that Brexit negotiations prioritise businesses’ access to top talent from across the globe,” he added.

Separate research released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and The Adecco Group has shown that, as reported in The Independent, specific sectors in UK businesses dedicated to EU graduates are already experiencing a shortage in labour.

The CIPD report, based on the accounts of 1,000 EU employers in the UK, has revealed that many workers want to leave their jobs this year and have considered moving out of the country.

Gerwyn Davies, labour market adviser for the CIPD, has proposed that if job positions are unfilled it could “act as a brake on output growth in the UK in the years ahead”.

Chief executive at The Adecco Group UK John Marshall said that the after-effects of the historic Brexit vote are starting to make an impact on the UK jobs market.

Marshall said: “Whilst the outcome of Brexit negotiations is still uncertain, employers’ access to EU migrant workers is likely to change. Investing in young people is a solid long-term strategy, but employers also need to face the facts and prepare for a situation where they might lose access to significant numbers of skilled EU workers in the near future.

“It is encouraging that some employers are beginning to look to new solutions for their future workforce with investment in retraining and apprenticeships, but many more need to begin this planning and investment in their workforce,” he said.

Say hello to Fuse Food

Written by Miriam Mizzi on 15th February 2017. Posted in News.

Sophia, a Drama and Screen Studies student, recently decided that the University of Manchester’s large international make-up was a culinary opportunity just waiting to be explored. This, after some serious brainstorming, led to the idea of Fuse Food.

Fuse Food is a new show coming to Fuse TV which will have student chefs cook simple, healthy and tasty dishes to inspire other students to save pennies and get back in the kitchen. The show is looking to encourage students to be inspired by different foods and diets and ultimately open students’ minds up to healthier dinner options.

Fuse Food will enjoy a different chef each week that are experts in a particular cuisine. This is where Sophia saw the chance to celebrate Manchester’s enormous international student body. Sophia felt that it would be a wonderful opportunity to have students from all over the globe cook a delicious and healthy meal that they can share with other students.

The idea is to not only include different cultures and cuisines, but give all students a new insight into cooking and encourage them to try some fantastic recipes that they might otherwise not have tried or have deemed too complicated.

The show will include a variety of different cuisines, including Spanish, Indian and Caribbean. However, there will also be a focus on different diets, to suit any taste. Many dishes will be vegetarian and a whole episode is dedicated to veganism.

Another factor Fuse Food looks into is nutritional eating for physical and mental health, to boost students in the more stressful parts of the semester. The first episode is Vegetarian, and our student chef will be making a potato and onion frittata.

The first episode is available now through Fuse TV’s Youtube channel.

Preview: Seamark founder speaks at Manchester Enterprise Centre

Written by Gemma Sowerby on 15th February 2017. Posted in Uncategorised.

Manchester Enterprise Centre’s impressive speaker series, Entrepreneurs@Manchester, continues on the 15th of February with Iqbal Ahmed OBE, Manchester graduate and one of the UK’s top entrepreneurs, who will be speaking at the event.

Entrepreneurs@Manchester is a platform for the region’s most successful entrepreneurs to take to the stage to inspire students and empower the next generation of start-up founders.

Iqbal Ahmed is the founder of Seamark, one of Europe’s leading processors, exporters and distributors of frozen food. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Manchester, today it boasts a range of over 1,000 products, spanning its traditional seafood and a variety of fish, poultry, dry and finger foods.

Born in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Ahmed moved to the UK aged 15. Since then, he has built Seamark into an international business with a turnover of nearly £60 million, supplying some of Europe’s largest retailers, including supermarkets Carrefour and Costco.

In addition to his success with Seamark, Ahmed also owns Manchester restaurants Vermilion and Cinnabar. He also features in the Sunday Times Rich List.

The event will showcase Ahmed’s huge success, and is aimed at inspiring Manchester’s next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Host Manchester Enterprise Centre, based within Alliance Manchester Business school, is a leader in enterprise education and aims to inspire, educate and develop enterprising individuals and enable them to positively impact the growth of dynamic organisations.

Iqbal Ahmed OBE will be speaking on 15th February at 5pm in the Roscoe Building, Lecture Theatre B. For more information on this free event, visit the Eventbrite page.

Interview: Jenni Smyth – Women’s Officer

Written by Jennifer Sterne on 15th February 2017. Posted in Features.

When I sat down with Jenni she was deep in midst of the preparations for this year’s Reclaim the Night, explaining that “not just about organising one march, on one night, on one street — there’s a lot of preparation that goes into Reclaim the Night itself,” adding that “it’s definitely [her] most busy time of the year”.

However, Jenni’s role is not just about Reclaim the Night, as much as it may dominate her time as an officer. Her biggest achievement in her mind has been her ‘Sticks and Stones’ campaign launched last year.

She explained that she set up the domestic abuse campaign for students, centred specifically around emotional abuse and coercive control, as she had witnessed from being involved in the Women’s campaign that there are lots of students who have been in abusive relationships, and she wanted to “let students know what that looks like, that’s it’s not OK, that it’s unacceptable”.

When asked about the challenges she faced, she said that while the biggest challenge for her is probably expected to be the many students coming to talk to her about issues such as sexual harassment and violence on campus, she was prepared for that. Instead “it’s more the logistics of the job, the board meetings, finance meetings, and the things I wasn’t aware of” that challenge her more, she tells me.

Jenni prefers “getting [her] hands dirty working with the students, being out there in the community, and empowering students”.

One example of how Jenni pledged to work with students was around consent education for students, however such proposals have created controversy on other UK campuses, with students refusing to attend or staging walk outs calling the workshops patronising.

Jenni acknowledged that the workshops need to be very carefully packaged so as not to appear patronising and her plans to achieve this are to incorporate “some element of active bystander training into this”.

She believes “you can’t have one without the other,” and that by teaching students how to be active bystanders, giving them the ability to recognise when sexual harassment or victimisation is occurring, this will necessarily mean they gain a greater understanding of consent.

Another topic of debate which often surrounds the role of Women’s Officer, is why there is not also a Men’s Officer. On our current Exec Team there are seven women and one man. I asked if this meant that men lacked representation within the Union.

She admitted that at the level of the Exec Team and staff and students at the University there is greater or equal female representation, however the higher you get up that ladder to senior levels it is still dominated by men, claiming “yes, we have a female Vice-Chancellor, but she is surrounded generally by men”.

However I suggested that one of issues is that while people accept that men at the top of society have more privilege, at the bottom with students, men are more likely to have mental health issues and have higher suicide rates. Is there not more we can do to represent these students?

Jenni argued, however, that these issues have grown out of precisely what she is trying to tackle: “I feel it isn’t about lack of representation for men but this feeds into patriarchy, studies show how toxic masculinity feeds into the issue”.

Although she thinks that “in the same way women’s campaigns have been championed by women […] men’s campaigns need to be championed by men”.

While she continues to work on these issues, Reclaim the Night still dominates most of her time: “For about six weeks of the year you just become: eat, sleep and breathe Reclaim the Night”.

I asked her why she believes it has become such a big event within the Students’ Union calendar, with Manchester hosting year after year the biggest Reclaim the Nights in the UK.

Jenni explains that what makes the march special is that it brings people together who may have previously been involved in feminism, or women’s empowerment, and then they “come along to events such as Reclaim the Night and feel really inspired by them”.

Which in her mind is what Reclaim is all about, “not only is it about sexual violence, using our collective voices to say ‘no more’… it’s also about bringing people together and to start, perhaps for the first time, to facilitate those conversations and getting people interested in the values of Reclaim the Night”.

When asked if she imagines a time when marches like this will no longer be necessary, she simply said “in a dream world — yeah”. This is when the interview inevitably turned to Trump.

“There’s now a president in America that openly brags about perpetrating sexual violence, so if anything it’s needed more now than ever”, she argued, adding that “a lot of progress had been made, but now it’s almost like a slap in the face”. However, Jenni hopes that this will mean more people will get involved as so many have been involved in the recent women’s marches.

Speaking of the women’s marches I raised the criticism that the protests across the world against Trump’s inauguration might seem simply ‘self-indulgent’, and an example of simply talking within an echo chamber unlikely to change the minds of those who voted for Trump.

Jenni conceded that she understood some found the women’s marches more “self-indulgent than a call to action”.

I asked if she had any ideas as to how women’s campaigns could better talk to those we need to persuade rather than those already on our side. She suggested that it’s a difficult issue to tackle as Trump supporters had been socialised — particularly by the communities they live in and the politics they’ve been brought up with — to not see the behaviour displayed by Trump as wrong.

Although she said that did not mean you shouldn’t have those conversations, as “quite a lot of women are introduced to feminism at university, but not everyone has the privilege of going to university”.

Now and then she believes she will be able to talk with people to get a few eureka moments about victim-blaming and other issues, however ultimately she said “there’s no definitive answer” as to how to talk to those not already feminists, “let’s just hope we can”.

Finally, with the deadline to stand looming, I asked why students should stand as Women’s Officer.

“There’s no other 9 – 5 job, even if you are in women’s services, where you would be stood there at the front with 3,500 people behind you”.

Interview: Tamara O’Neill – Activities and Development Officer

Written by Jennifer Sterne on 15th February 2017. Posted in Features.

The second Pangaea of the year was just around the corner when I spoke with Tamara, her time dominated by décor and marketing meetings with the students who help bring it all together, in her own words a “very very busy time” for her.

As the interview went on however, it became clear that anyone who thinks the role of Activities and Development Officer simply requires knowing how to throw a great party would be sorely mistaken. In just the first few weeks of term Tamara was involved in the many events, including the first ever Societies Conference, the Refreshers’ Fair and the planning for the Give it a Go campaign running throughout February, to name just a few.

However, she did not seem to mind how much she was balancing, telling me that “it’s a very fun time at the moment”.

Something she did seem to struggle with however, was deciding on what her biggest achievement was. Instead she settled to describe what she had most enjoyed — her involvement in developing more support for student enterprise.

Tamara explained that this had been “quite unexpected because I hadn’t planned to get involved with enterprise at all”. The interest, she explained, had sprung out of attending a university meeting about employability and graduate destinations for students, where she discovered that only two students graduated last year and went on to set up their own business.

This sparked her engagement in the project, claiming that “there was a massive gap in the market”. She went on to set up the Student Enterprise Christmas Market and is looking to develop more projects around the subject this semester.

She seemed genuinely excited talking about the subject, as she spoke of how in her mind there are many students who want to set up their own business “but there doesn’t seem to be an easy and accessible platform”.

After chatting about the areas she enjoyed about her work we moved on to the challenges she has faced. She was much quicker to settle on a choice for this question — Fund It.

Fund It is the new method by which societies can gain Students’ Union funding, implemented, as Tamara explained, because it is “a lot more democratic and transparent”. Societies pitch why they want funding and then those in attendance vote. But apparently, democracy and transparency do not come easy to student society, as Tamara revealed that at early events students were found cheating during the voting process.

Apparently getting 35 societies to both bid for the funding and then listen to those bidding against them is “very challenging”.

Tamara explained that they now have new rules in place and a limit on societies who can attend, making the last one “really calm” with no evidence of cheating.

Something I imagined was less calm was the organising of Pangaea, the largest student-led festival in Europe.

I wanted to find out if her manifesto pledge of a ‘Pan-DAY-ea’ was still in the cards. The last Pangaea, while it was able to go ahead in the Union, was disrupted by the ongoing building works, but the summer one will probably have to move elsewhere.

Tamara couldn’t give much away in the interview however she heavily hinted that it could be moved off-site for a day party, “meaning a much bigger event”.

On the subject of events, I questioned Tamara as to whether she had been able to fulfill her manifesto pledge to make the “Union as the place to go on a night out in Manchester”. She admitted that the market is saturated but still insisted she thought “we could put on a night here [and that] it would be successful”.

However she admitted her focus instead had been on the gap she’s perceived in the market for non-alcoholic events, the inspiration behind her ‘Café Sessions’ nights, evenings of societies showcasing their talent in the Union café .

We then moved on to discuss her thoughts on us, an odd move in an interview — but looking after student media falls within Tamara’s job description, so was hard to avoid.

I asked what her thoughts were on the criticisms many make that the close relationship between student media and Students’ Unions restricts the content produced and is harmful generally to the notion of a free press.

She quickly admitted that “it’s a really difficult relationship”, due to its lack of clear definition and used the election period as an example of a time she believed we need to “have a lot more free range”.

Speaking of The Tab, she said “you can see that it must be so much easier for them” without having their publishers as the Students’ Union, however she suggested that the resources we get from the SU mean that “that’s something we have just got to deal with”.

In general however she believed that the closer the relationship is the easier it is to “get clearer expectations of where we’re both at” and added that personally she felt there “should [be] the freedom to write whatever you want to write”.

To finish of our interview, with standing open for students to put themselves forward to run for her position, I asked why she thinks they should consider it — “because you get to pretend you’re still a student”.

Interview: Ilyas Nagdee – Diversity Officer

Written by Jennifer Sterne on 15th February 2017. Posted in Features.

“I don’t think anyone can say I’m particularly silent on issues, I’m quite a gobby person”. With his interview at almost three times the length of some of the other Exec’s, you get the sense that Ilyas wasn’t lying.

Despite this self-confessed “gobby” nature, Ilyas paused when trying to pick just one event from last semester that stood out for him as his biggest achievement, instead listing Welcome Week, Global Fest, and Islamophobia Awareness Month among some of his “favourite small little moments from July to December”.

In contrast, he did not struggle to answer when asked if he had encountered any challenges: “I’ve definitely encountered a lot of personal challenges […] I didn’t realise how deeply I was going to throw myself into it”. He spoke of his struggles to find a sustainable work/life balance, but claims to have now found a work level that means he is “actually functioning and not just thinking I’m a robot”.

I don’t think anyone can deny that Ilyas has thrown himself very “deeply” into his role, with his passions for student politics often made apparent on social media, where he regularly passes comment on issues and debates surrounding the NUS.

One such debate grew out of the exposé that revealed a Vice-President of the NUS was working to undermine the President. Richard Brooks, Vice-President of the NUS, wrote after the news broke that the “documentary shows [him doing] politics and disagreeing with the far left”.

I asked whether this incident could just be put down to the fact that people in politics have different opinions, even in the NUS, to which he said, something he repeated often throughout our discussion on the issue, that “this was never an investigation into the NUS”, which he thinks people forget.

“This was an investigation into a foreign embassy that led to the NUS, and that in itself is an issue”, he added, arguing that as far as he was concerned “this is beyond differences of opinions or factionalism within the NUS. This is an active attempt to try destabilise the NUS while the Higher Education bill is making its way through Parliament”.

Brooks had also stated that his actions were due to the fact the current leadership is “ineffectual and damaging”, and I suggested to Ilyas that it may be fair for people to organise in this way if there are students who believe this, so was Brooks not just acting as a voice for these views within the movement?

Ilyas responded by arguing Brooks’ statement had been “vague”, suggesting that “it’s easy to paint yourself as a moderate, wanting to be perceived by people as the rational person or the person who’s on the centre ground,” but claimed that Brooks still needs to outline exactly what has been ineffective about Malia Bouattia’s Presidency.

Another NUS debate that Ilyas has been vocal within was the black student walkout over institutional racism, after the report, now released, took over a year to be published.

The report revealed that the the “NUS as an employer has seriously failed to support Black staff”, something Ilyas said he “absolutely endorsed”.

“The organisation has seriously failed not only the Black Students’ campaign, the volunteers, full-time officers and the staff within the organisaiton”.

When asked whether that now the report had finally been released he was confident of change, he said: “I genuinely can’t say that I’m confident until I see what happens […] I just want to see a massive change in behaviour”.

A criticism of this report however, was its lack of scrutiny into anti-Semitism, despite the Home Affairs Select Committee saying the NUS had failed to take the issue seriously. This is particularly relevant in Manchester, after BDS was backed in senate, despite Jewish students voicing that they would not feel welcome or safe if it was passed.

I asked Ilyas whether this motion passing meant he had failed in his manifesto pledge to make sure the “Union was an inclusive and accessible place for all students”.

He claimed he was aware prior to the debate that it was always going to be “a very emotional conversation”, but that he wanted to sure the people in the room felt confident that they were able to have an opinion on the matter, and that conversations are being had with students in the room on that day to ensure that the Union remains an open space for everyone.

When asked if he accepted that anti-Semitism is on the rise on UK campuses, and if so whether he thinks more could be done to take the issue seriously, he recognised it was an issue and said: “I think there is a lot being done, if people want to see more being done, I hope they’re making their views known”.

Everything we had just discussed was painting a very unstable picture of the current state of the NUS, but when I asked whether the NUS can continue in its current form, particularly in light of various disaffiliation campaigns, Ilyas’s response suggested many students may be oblivious to such NUS instability.

Ilyas spoke of his experiences campaigning on three different campuses for Students’ Unions to remain affiliated to the NUS — Warwick, Essex and Nottingham. “So many students thought of the NUS as nothing more than a discount card”, arguing that this is directly due to the NUS’s top-down approach.

“We’ve done the top-down approach for 15 – 20 years now and we’ve lost so much.

“We have lost so many battles in the last few years, and it can’t continuously be these battles or factions or things like that, there just needs to be a genuine commitment to working bottoms-up because top-down has just failed”.

He was passionate that change was needed badly, arguing that in going round the country he had heard many valid criticisms, such as when the NUS conference voted down fighting for the EMA.

I asked whether this was the heart of the issue, that they are not fighting for things that affect students in their everyday lives, concentrating instead on international political issues like BDS, which fails to engage many students, to which Ilyas replied: “I think there is a lot of work being done on issues that affect all students”.

But he repeated that there “need to be a better way of communicating that to members because so many people still view it as a discount card”.

Finally, I asked Ilyas why students should put themselves forward to be Diversity Officer, to which he warned: “If you think this is going to be a nice break or a chance to think about what you want to do next — I can’t say how much it is the complete opposite”.

However as a positive, he said: “You will have so many examples for that interview question of ‘can you think of a time when you were in a challenging situation?’”.

Review: Falafel

Written by Patrick Young on 14th February 2017. Posted in Food & Drink.

Crisp, hot and heady with spice, the falafel is a stalwart of Middle Eastern cuisine. In search of an authentic experience of the chickpea fritter, I travelled to a small Palestinian café nestled in the heart of the curry mile.

The suitably named Falafel Café does not aim to compete for the diner’s attention in the neon glow that is created by the surrounding plethora of curry houses and shisha bars. An underwhelming and dimly lit front to the café gets straight to the point and simply states ‘Falafel’ in both English and Arabic. The bluntness of the exterior is a promising sign, it immediately instills a sense of hope that the substance of the experience is going to be in the quality of the falafel.

The initial reception on entrance to the café is not entirely welcoming, my friend and I are met by intrusive stares from the owner and his tea-slurping regulars. The owner sits confidently in the corner of the room assured of the fact that his falafel recipe will keep the doors swinging.

His confidence lacks any sociability with the customer, and his passiveness could almost be interpreted as a belligerence to the diner. The interior of the café has a canteen feel as the harsh industrial lighting strips the room of any ambience.

There is a splattering of interesting Palestinian kitsch’s across the walls which instil character into the otherwise nondescript room. On approach to the counter the staff are amiable and if asked will take their time to talk you through the various mezze and shawarma options available.

My friend and I settle on ordering one falafel mezze meal (given that it is the name sake of the café) and one lamb mezze meal (for the sake of diversity) with an Arabic coffee and mint tea to accompany.

We take our seats by the window of the café and start to warm to the auditory delights of the Arabian pop music that quietly fills the room. It is not long before the food comes, and it is soon apparent that the falafel is by far the superior dish.

The falafel’s perfectly crisp exterior gives texture to the dish whilst the gently crumbling warm interior gives all the flavour to the fritter. The spices of cumin, coriander and garlic are faultlessly balanced and it is easy to see why the falafel is such an indomitable feature of Middle Eastern cuisine. It becomes clear that the owner’s belief in his authentic falafel recipe is justified, and he remains quietly resting on his laurels in the corner of the room.

The mezze that accompanies the falafel and lamb consist of a parsley cucumber and tomato salad, home-made hummus, pickled beetroot, red cabbage, tahini and Kobeda wraps. They are clean and fresh and perfectly complement the falafel and lamb as the main stays of the dish.

The lamb is crisp and nicely spiced but a little dry, and by far the inferior dish to the falafel. The falafel is quick to go, and as my friend and I finish the lamb, we query any logic we had in ordering a lamb mezze at a café named Falafel.

Once all the food has been eaten, the excellent people-watching opportunities of the window seats on the curry mile provoked us to linger, as we soak in the fresh mint tea and Arabic coffee.

The food at falafel is incredibly reasonably priced; a falafel wrap will set you back just three pounds (the same price as a meal deal). There is also a broad range of Fatayer options available on the menu, if the falafel is not tickling your fancy.

A combination of the cheap price and the location of Falafel, being just ten minutes walk from the students union make it a great university lunch option. So next time you pass through the curry mile make sure to slow down, ignore the tidal wave of neon signs and loud traffic and keep your eyes posted for a quaint little block in the heart of the madness called Falafel.

Point of note: the owner smokes inside which may tarnish some people’s enjoyment of the experience.

Club Profile: Monaco

Written by Magnus Henderson on 14th February 2017. Posted in Sport.

The French League has a negative stigma for being below par when compared to the rest of the European Leagues. Paris Saint-Germain have been the only regular performers in the Champions League over the past five years and ex-giants Lyon and Marseille have fallen to bits since their respective heydays, while nouveau riche upstarts Monaco have failed to capitalise on the lack of competition at the top.

With PSG struggling to churn out performances under new manager Unai Emery, Monaco and lowly lying Nice have grasped their opportunity to create some tension at the top of Ligue 1. While Nice are riding a wave of form, euphoria, and Mario Balotelli, Monaco have strength in depth and look the more likely to topple the capital club from their perch for the first time since the turn of the millennium, and end PSG’s four-year winning streak.

Stade Louis II (Photo: WikimediaCommons)

The Principality based club, which was successful in the 90s under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger, suffered from backbreaking financial difficulties and poor ownership which quickly snowballed into relegation from the French top division in 2011. The club was saved, however, the following season by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev who bought 66.67% of the shares while Monaco were rock bottom of Ligue 2. With a few new additions, including current Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, Monaco managed to gain promotion back to the top flight in 2013 and went on to pay a club-record £50 million for Radamel Falcao that summer.

Monaco struggled, however, to make any real impact on PSG’s dominance despite their lavish spending. Similarly to Manchester City, Monaco learnt the hard way that spending huge amounts of money on word class players does not equal immediate success. Instead, like City’s ownership, the club invested in infrastructure, youth development facilities and scouting systems and are only now reaping the rewards.

Their manager is the relatively unknown Portuguese mastermind, Leonardo Jardim, whose previous jobs most notably consisted of Olympiacos and Sporting Lisbon before moving to the South of France. The 42 year old plays expansive attacking football on the counter attack in a similar way to Leicester City last season: a 4-4-2 formation with fast wingers and clinical strikers while their defensive strategy consists of soaking up possession in a no-nonsense style.

Glik (@WikimediaCommons)

At the hub of everything good about Monaco this season is their destructive centre midfield partnership of Tiemoué Bakayoko and Fabinho. At just 22 and 23 respectively, these burly youngsters play the N’Golo Kanté–Danny Drinkwater roles of being an all-round nuisance in the middle of the park. Sitting behind the duo in defence are the equally as tough partnership of Kamil Glik and Jemerson. The Polish centre half arrived from Torino last summer to add steel to Monaco’s ranks while Jemerson has grown into a very capable defender and could be on the fringes of the Brazilian national team in the not-too-distant future.

While their defensive capabilities are commendable, where Monaco really come to the fore is in creating opportunities and scoring. The French side are averaging a total of 2.9 goals per game in the league. Two point nine. Per game. That is more than Barcelona, Real Madrid, Napoli, Bayern Munich… it is more than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues. Their main threat is collectively from the wings. On the left, the combination of Benjamin Mendy and Thomas Lemar have terrorised relentlessly while the on the right, the more intricate duo of Djibril Sidibe and Bernardo Silva have consistently caused overloads in the wide areas. One of the more impressive facets of this persistence on the wings is the fact that the average age of the players mentioned is 22 years old, meaning that, scarily, there is plenty more room for growth.

With the flanks being relentlessly exposed, the strikers better be pretty ruthless footballers to be tucking away all the chances, right? How about failed Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao and ex-benchwarmer/loanee Valère Germain. Jardim has seemingly accidentally struck gold with the unorthodox pair with Falcao scoring 17 goals in 17 starts while Germain has eight in 22 from a deeper position. Even better for Jardim is the emergence of the fiftieth ‘next Thierry Henry’, Kylian Mbappe. While Antony Martial may be in the mould on the ex-Arsenal superstar, Mbappe looks to have been forged from the same refinery. The 18-year-old has started eight games in the league and hauled in six goals and three assists in that time.

Goals are the name of the game with Monaco, and with a +52 goal difference in Ligue 1 the coastal club are sitting pretty atop of the table, with PSG hot on their heels. Whether Monaco can keep up the tempo, only time will tell, but their clash with Manchester City in the first round of the Champions League knockout stages will be a thigh-rubber of third degree burn proportions.

Interview: Sorcha Floyd – Campaigns and Citizenship Officer

Written by Jacob Nicholas on 14th February 2017. Posted in Features.

Sorcha has chosen two main focuses as Campaigns and Citizenship Officer. Firstly, tackling the ongoing homelessness crisis and secondly, Go Green, a campaign to increase sustainability and encourage healthier, greener lifestyles.

These two were chosen because Sorcha is “personally passionate about” them and she went on to explain that “homelessness around Manchester is just so visible and people are like ‘this is just awful, how can we help?’ so I think that’s quite a big one, and then with sustainability just because climate change is happening and students would like to act about it.”

Sorcha highlighted the lack of green campaigns prior to her taking office, saying that “before I came into post, in terms of what there was going on with green issues and sustainability issues there was [only] the Fossil Free campaign… but that is actually quite niche.”

She continued by claiming that for those who are “into talking and learning and activities and events related to sustainability and becoming more sustainable and encouraging others to there wasn’t really that much”.

Much of Sorcha’s work for Go Green so far this year has been tackling this lack of opportunities for students to campaign, and this was inspired by an event she attended over the summer. “There’s a national group called People and Planet and that’s student action on world poverty and the environment, and was a summer gathering thing over the summer which I attended, and there were people from different People and Planet societies at different universities working on green campaigns and green issues and I thought this would be great because it’s actually a group that gets people together. So, we set one up, and it’s going, so that’s great.”

According to Sorcha, this has been a major success. She told us she is “really pleased,” with the new society, “because I knew that people were interested and I was hoping that people would get involved”. This makes setting up new campaigns for environmental and sustainability issues much easier, as “now there’s a core group of people who are interested and if someone says ‘I want to do something on sustainability’ I can say ‘well that’s the best place to go’, and then we work from there, so at least you’ve got other likeminded people doing the same things.”

However, this has been the extent of Sorcha’s work for Go Green so far, beyond continuing work with the Fossil Free campaign, and she admits that she “was just getting that off the ground last semester really”.

Homelessness is a major issue, but it has also proven to be something of a challenge for Sorcha to tackle, as some student campaigns can actually be detrimental in the long term. “So basically, homelessness is a bit of a difficult one,” she told us, as “the idea is that lots of people give money or food to homeless people or, you know, street beggars and actually this isn’t necessarily the solution because whilst it helps in the interim it sometimes detracts from charities and services who are able to give long term actually sustainable support from doing their work properly”.

Clearly then, the issue needs careful managing, and part of this is increased collaboration between those who want to help: “So the idea is there’s something called Manchester Homelessness Partnership,” Sorcha explained, “and in the last year different charities who were working separately are now working together”.

In addition, Sorcha has also organised some events on campus. “So, I’ve done a few things, so last semester JustFest, the evening event was centred around homelessness. It was really great actually because we had The Mustard Tree which is a charity in Ancoats and they give services but through drama and songs, and people with lived experiences who Mustard Tree had helped with through therapy, arts and drama did a performance.”

However, Sorcha admits she did not do a huge amount last term, although she hopes to do more. “This semester we’re going to focus on that better,” she told us, “especially with the mayoral elections coming up, and sort of working with Greater Manchester housing people in terms of their bigger campaign to get homelessness on the agenda for the mayoral elections. And we’re also having a homelessness week centred around activities at the end of March, and that’s what we’re working towards… last semester was more getting the groundwork done.”

Finally, as applications are now open for students who want to stand as candidates for next year’s Exec team, why should people stand for Campaigns and Citizenship Officer? “Because you get to work on issues that you’re passionate about, you get to have influence, you get to work with students, it’s been a really great year, it’s been an eye-opening year, there’s actually lots of skills I’ve gained working at a university in a professional environment, alongside students on the ground. Also, being a trustee of a charity which is something I hadn’t really realised how it worked, and that’s been amazing to have that opportunity.”

A student life: chair of the Craft Beer society

Written by Stevie Grieves on 14th February 2017. Posted in Features.

Josh Hodge could not be described as someone who doesn’t take his hobbies seriously: the second year student is not only the chair of the university’s Craft Beer Society, but he also works in a craft beer bar and is planning on linking his Ancient History and Archeology degree to a dissertation on Egyptian beer making.

While the extent of my beer knowledge stretches to a pint of Stella at our local — maybe even a San Miguel if I’m feeling extravagant — Josh’s knowledge of beer is clearly much more extensive, a passion that led him to running the society as Chair, while only being in the second year of his degree.

“We were only founded last year by two students who have now left, me and two of my housemates took over the society. Originally we just found it in the Societies’ Fair last year, and I like beer so I thought let’s give this a go!”

“Basically I organise the events, so we do brewery tours and tasting events, or meeting at the pub, it’s basically me who does pretty much everything.”

For a society that revolves around drinking, I want to know if this is something that requires as much dedication as the sports teams, because the idea of competitively tasting fine ale all afternoon on Wednesdays sounds like most students would be going for gold.

“We’re not that regular, because it can be quite an expensive hobby at times when we go out, but we try and keep the prices down, like when we have a tasting event, you buy a ticket for 10 pounds and then you get to have 15 to 20 quids worth of beers out of it.”

His dedication is very apparent when talking about the Craft Beer Society events that really enable students to access an expensive hobby otherwise reserved for the world of the Northern Quarter.

“Yeah, we have a deal with Font, who have really good ale, and the general manager loves us because he loves the beer more than the cocktails! So he’s always happy when we come along and he gets to talk about the beer as well, so he gives us a bunch of beer for a lower price, which gives people a chance to try a lot of different styles of beer.”

I wonder if living in the beer capital of the North, where there are lots of independent bars and micro-breweries, is a reason for having the society at the University of Manchester.

“Yeah, we keep it mainly local,” he said, “as Manchester is the second best city in the country for beer, nothing else comes close to the amount of breweries we have got around here. One of the breweries in Manchester, Cloudwater, was awarded fifth best brewer in the world, so it’s a very good brewer and they’re one of the ones we went and visited last year, and it’s really great to see their beers.”

He has obviously put some thought into his ‘Desert Island’ beer — something that he would be happy to sip on forever more — which happens to be Lupoloid, from Beaver Town Brewery, a rare beer from London. These questions have been seriously mulled over and deliberated on through the multiple events that he runs through the year, encouraging regular society members and newbies to try local and international craft ale.

“It’s a pricey hobby for sure, which is why we can’t do it that often, we had about three or four events last semester and we’ll be doing one in a couple of weeks this semester!”

“We normally get around 20 or so people coming to these events, and the brewery tours tend to be a bit less as most people just want to come and try the beers whereas the ones that come to the brewery tours are the ones that really want to learn about the beer and want to know more about how its made and things, that’s what the brewery tour is for, to show you each step in the process of how different breweries do it differently.”

I wonder if his role as chair means that he struggles to find the balance between life at university and his large role in the society, but he assures me that quite the opposite is true.

“Originally it was just a hobby, but now I’ve started doing some independent work and am going to tie it to my dissertation in the end, so I’m doing ancient Egyptian beer and how it’s used and how they in a sense brew different things which is a lot more than we use it for nowadays. So it is trying [to incorporate it] into my degree as well.”

I wonder how big the commitment is to the society, but he claims that’s it’s really not much hassle at all. “I work in a craft beer bar as well now as of a few months ago just in town, so it ties into my work life obviously! So it’s not affected my uni life yet!”

Despite his extensive knowledge of rare New York ales, Josh wants to assure me that they’re not an elitist group of beer drinkers. “We don’t look down on those who like a pint of English bitter, or the common lagers. If that’s what people like, that’s cool. What we’re there for are for people to try something new, or to learn more about the beer, which is why we get different people at tasting events and brewery tours.”

So if you fancy an american stout or maybe even a pint of something more local, the Facebook page is UoMCraftBeerSoc, and Josh will be there to answer any possible questions you could have on craft beer!

Name: Josh Hodge

Degree: Second year Ancient History and Archeology student

Hometown: Leeds

Best bit: “Drinking the beer!”

Worst bit: “I’ve not had any negatives, I mean I just get to organise the events that I would turn up to anyway, it’s just more a case of now that I’m in charge, I get to ask for which beers I want there, so there isn’t really a negative for me!”

Favourite craft beer: “That’s a tough one, I guess it depends on the style, I can name the best beer I’ve ever had but it might not be my favourite, but the best beer I’ve ever had would be Serpent’s Stout by Lost Abbey, which is a hard to find American beer, getting it in the UK can be quite tough, but that’s probably the best beer I’ve ever had, but in terms of favourite, I don’t really have one.”

Valentine’s Day: Down with love

Written by Polly Brown on 14th February 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s Valentine’s Day, we can cry if we want to. Similar to a scene from a popular rom-com, your life can sometimes and often feel like a walking cliché.

Yes, the rained on window panes, the checking of your phone, and the Netflix pop-ups can feel like a rehearsal for the next twenty years of your life. ‘Do you want to carry on watching this?’. Yes, you do, because Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher are your only allies…until they get the guy or girl they want. But relax, you are not alone.

Ok, you are alone, but you are not the only person that wants to stay “away” with Valentine’s Day. So what if you’re unlucky in love? There are several reasons that couples and singletons alike want to clothe Cupid too, and here’s why:

It’s not nice to feel left out
Okay, so you might not actually be alone. You may have your friends round for bro-to-bro, gal-to-gal support, but pizza and FIFA aren’t going to keep you warm at night, and the cuddles just aren’t the same. Whether singledom is by choice or misfortune, walking around with the couples of the world can feel a bit exclusive, especially on Valentine’s. You may know you’re only missing out on one day of expensive restaurant bills and wilting flowers but who doesn’t like being showered with adoration and being taken to Paris? Who wants to make their friends feel bad? Not us.

It takes money and effort
So, Paris, dinner, watches — what have you — do not come for free. We have birthdays and Christmas, what else do people want? Inflation during commercial holidays is a real life thing. Valentine’s means just more time worrying about loved ones’ faces when they open their petrol station chocolates and the spending of money that students often don’t have. Refer back to petrol station chocolates.

Facebook sucks
Even for those in relationships, the Facebook newsfeed can become a bit unmanageable. It transforms into a battleground of who loves each other the most and, even, who cares the least. With hearts, sentiments and ‘Galentines’ filling your newsfeed, Facebook can be a cringe-fest worthy of non-attendance. Love is measured not by material possession but by emotional involvement. If your loved one shows you affection only once a year, the purchasing of a cat might be in order. The company is not significantly different.

Supermarkets suck
Are they supermarkets or are they fairgrounds? There are so many aisles conquered by teddies, the food industry must truly believe that love is all people need to survive. This is an exaggeration — of course there is food. You just have to embrace that the meal deal for two might not be for two. It’s for one.

Of course, we’re not trying to sound bitter. It’s great if you’re loved up and get spoiled on Valentine’s Day. But why does it just have to be one day? Why can’t we treat every day like Valentine’s Day, and show affection all year round rather than just on one day? Give us singles a break, and spread your soppy messages and happiness throughout the year, rather than concentrating it on the 14th of February.

Restaurants For All Occasions

Written by Mancunion on 14th February 2017. Posted in Food & Drink.

Refuge – For Something New

by Joe Taylor

The Refuge is the second culinary endeavour from Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey, two DJs who were active in the Manchester clubbing scene in the latter half of the 90s and early noughties, curating a night called ‘Electric Chair’ (now no longer in circulation, RIP). Having opened their first restaurant Volta, known for its relaxed atmosphere and frill-free platters, in Didsbury in 2013 to critical acclaim, the ravers come restaurateurs jumped at the opportunity to curate the food and drink in the newly refurbished Palace Hotel.

We ordered four starters to share: Slow cooked ox cheek with egg and Sriracha, Serrano ham with olive oil and bread, Baby squid, ink, and lime, and Tuna tartare with avocado and passion fruit. The ox cheek was beautifully cooked, it was tender and wonderfully accompanied by a runny fried egg scattered with spicy Sriracha. The squid starter was interesting, for the accompanying ‘ink’ was presented in the form of a black aioli, something that I’d never seen before, which gave the whole platter an interesting look as it offset the green of the lime and the yellowy deep-fried squid.

‘The glamour of Manchester’, inscribed on the beautiful tiles, encompasses the feel of the building, its high ceilings and pillars, dimly lit dining room, granite bar, red felt pool table, and its beautiful glass atrium. It all works to evoke the past of this historic hotel, while fusing it with the present day, with Volta, and with contemporary food trends. The dishes need refining, but the taste is there in abundance, with Crawford and Cowdrey curating not just a restaurant but a milieu of class and style.

Oxford Street

Manchester

M60 7HA

Thyme Out – For Breakfast Dates

By Charlie Spargo

Photo: Thyme Out

If you prefer being out early than up late, a trip to Thyme Out in upmarket West Didsbury might be your ideal Valentine’s destination. Off the beaten track slightly, this area of town isn’t nearly as regularly visited by students as its East sister but is well worth the trip. Neatly tucked away down a side road, Thyme Out serves breakfasts that both taste and look gorgeous. As well as classics like Eggs Benedict and a Full English, they also do a lovely breakfast burrito, avocado & feta on sourdough, and Eggs Cocotte — duck eggs, cream, mushroom and cheese baked to perfection in a ramekin. Everything on offer is presented beautifully too, garnished neatly but with no sacrifice on taste.

Thyme Out serve brilliant coffee too, as well as a wide range of teas as well as fruit smoothies and more decadent milkshakes, all of which can be enjoyed with some homemade cakes which line their counter. On your Valentine’s date you might even push the boat out with a Mimosa or Bloody Mary.

Inside, its walls feature works by local artists, but, weather dependent, you might take the chance to sit outside to enjoy your brunch, in either of their pretty front or back seating areas.

147 Nell Lane

Didsbury

Manchester

M20 2LG

63 Degrees – For Pushing The Boat Out

by Lily Carden

Photo: 63 Degrees

63 Degrees is tucked away in the Northern Quarter (as all restaurants in this area of town appear to be). It is a family-run French establishment with an expensive à la carte menu and an ultra reasonable set menu at £20 for 3 courses (available Tuesday to Friday from noon until 2.30pm, as well as Saturday and Sunday from midday until 5.00pm) which is well balanced and to the point, with three starters and three main courses.

I often think that the bread offered by a restaurant serves as a good barometer for the quality of the restaurant as a whole, and this bread was no exception. Served both with the terrine and for the table, was a light walnut bread that was so good that I went back for more. The main courses were just as good as the bread, featuring their signature ballottine of chicken stuffed with mushrooms and an elegant plate of sea bass served with braised fennel.

The à la carte dessert menu features macarons and cakes from the amazing Didsbury patisserie, Bisou Bisou, among other offerings, which make for a delightful end to a well executed meal.

104 High Street

Northern Quarter

Manchester

M4 1HQ

Kyotoya – For Friends

By Gina Castellheim and Kate Savin

Photo: Miriam Mizzi

Stepping from a typical dodgy Manchester road into Kyotoya is like stepping through a magic wardrobe into food Narnia. The restaurant is afloat with red paper lanterns and fairy-lights, which give a lovely scarlet tinge and orange warmth to the intimate restaurant.

For our main course we decided to be daring and chose the Mixed Sushi 12 pieces, letting the expert chefs choose our sushi for us. The dish arrived in a delightful wooden boat, with ginger and wasabi tucked into the helm and flowers positioned delicately amongst the Maki and Nigiri.

Prepared to order, Kyotoya’s sushi is some of the freshest and tastiest in Manchester, without the normal drawback of robbed pockets. One word of advice — don’t go here on a first date, as the large sushi pieces don’t exactly make for dainty eating! However, if you want a truly satisfying meal that doesn’t cost the world and leaves you wanting to come back the very next day, this is the restaurant for you.

28 Copson St

Withington

M20 3HB

Lunya – For Big Groups

By Lily Carden

Photo: Lily Carden

Originating in Liverpool, Lunya expanded into Manchester’s Barton Arcade in in 2015. A bright and airy tapas restaurant with a fantastic deli attached, this restaurant has an extensive menu covering cuisine from across Spain. Ordering bread at Lunya means choosing between multiple fantastic oils and vinegars in which to dip the bread. While all of the menu is excellent, I highly recommend the croquettes and anything involving tender acorn-fed pork. Another highlight, even for someone who doesn’t like squid, is the succulent calamari, covered in airy batter and served with a lemony aioli.

Before you leave, make sure to fill in the feedback card and take it down to the deli for 10% off purchases. If you didn’t already get them with the meal then might I suggest buying the divine Catalan almonds (my favourite snack) and the spicy sour cream dip called crema catalana, best served with the soft white rolls that are also sold in the shop.

Barton Arcade

Deansgate

Manchester

M3 2BB

Dusk til Pawn – For Cocktails

By Charlie Spargo

Photo: Dusk til Pawn

Taking you and your date back to the days of Prohibition in America, even finding Dusk Til Pawn is a challenge in itself. Situated on Stephenson Square next to its less-hidden away sister NoHo, look for the neon “Pawn Shop” sign and the window displays of guitars, TVs and jewellery. Behind their doors, though, is a cosy, welcoming and classy cocktail bar with one of the widest selections of drinks in the city. It’s comfortable and calm, quite a different atmosphere to some of its loud and bustling NQ neighbours.

Dusk Til Pawn has a great range of special cocktails but their friendly staff would also happily whip up a personal favourite of yours with great skill, or recommend a drink based on your tastes. They also produce their own special infusions — popular spirits instilled with new flavours, such as banana and rhubarb. To top it all off, they have a free jukebox full of 20th century classics.

Dusk Til Pawn

Stevenson Square

Northern Quarter

Manchester

M1 1FB

Don’t forget to check out happy hour across the city. We recommend Twenty Twenty Two for their ping pong tables, and Fumo for elegant surroundings.

Earth Week’s climate change plea

Written by Megan Harvey on 14th February 2017. Posted in Environment, News, Science & Tech.

The University of Manchester’s Students’ Union launched Earth Week with a panel discussion, including campaigners Asad Rehman, from Friends of the Earth, and Martin Empson, from Campaign Against Climate Change.

Asad Rehman began with an enlightening speech about the effects of climate change on developing countries, and how intertwined the cause is with that of the #NoBanNoWall campaign. It is estimated that roughly 70,000 people die due to climate change related issues each year, but millions more are displaced from their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. It is estimated that 1 person every second is displaced from their homes as a result of drought, flood, or other climate change related disasters. So just as you have refugees of war, you have refugees of climate change.

What makes matters worse, is it is beyond their control. 10 per cent of the richest countries are responsible for 50 per cent of the carbon emissions. Asad uses the analogy, “climate change is like the Titanic, and we’ve hit the proverbial iceberg. But it is the richer countries that are the people getting on the boats, whilst the poor and locked in the cabin.”

It is therefore not surprising that those who are feeling the effect of climate change-induced famine or other natural disasters are seeking refuge and help from us. But rather than villainising them as ‘economic migrants’, they need and deserve our legal protection.

It is because of this injustice that Asad stressed that we must rebuild a system of justice, and give a face to millions that don’t have a voice. We have a social responsibility to support causes such as Friends of the Earth and Campaign Against Climate Change to “build bridges, not walls”. Although we may not see the damage we cause, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Martin Empson elaborated that the way you can help such causes is to just get involved. Currently protests are everywhere and are certainly making the public’s voice heard, but he stressed that you should take part in all movements to do your bit. Or if that, sign a petition, write to your local MP or donate to make sure something is done.

Everyone wants to protest Trump right now, but we need to ensure the environmental and migration movements work together to positively reinforce each other and make their voices louder. By doing this, Martin claims we can “create a positive agenda that creates hope”.

Disabling brain cell tap causes neurodegeneration

Written by Georgie Hines on 14th February 2017. Posted in News, Science & Tech.

A new study by Manchester scientists, focussed on the Golgi apparatus of cells, has found that disabling a cell tap, which regulates the flow of proteins, can cause the onset of neurodegeneration.

The research was focused on the Golgi apparatus of a cell, which is involved in the processing, transport, and release of proteins, such as hormones and neurotransmitters. It also plays an important role in the growth of the cell membrane.

This study was centred specifically on the Golgi apparatus in neurons, cells that are found in the brain and other areas of the nervous system, and used mice as an animal model.

They found that mice with a disabled Golgi apparatus developed developmental delay, postnatal death, and severe ataxia, a group of disorders that leads to difficulties with coordination, balance, swallowing, and speech.

The research, which was carried out in collaboration with the Shilai Bao Lab at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, is one of many studies in recent years that have tried to link Golgi apparatus to neurodegeneration.

How much it contributes to associated disease, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, is still unclear.

Professor Martin Lowe, the lead researcher of the study, said: “Our results, combined with previous work, suggest that during the cellular changes that occur, loss of the Golgi function could be an important intermediary step that contributes to cell death.

“Together with other published work our findings suggest that in certain neurodegenerative diseases the loss of function of the Golgi apparatus may contribute to the pathology that is occurring.”

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Month: February 2017