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Month: January 2019

Live Review: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats played Gorilla on Tuesday night as one of the last dates on a short UK tour. The Cambridge band formed in 2009 but have gone through many iterations, with the current line-up playing together since 2017. The Deadbeats seem to come and go, as only Uncle Acid (Kevin Starrs) has stayed since the beginning. Their sound has been noted by many to be characteristic of the hard rock of the early 1970s, this is a purposeful choice by the band who even specifically record with vintage equipment.

Opening for them was Blood Ceremony who gave a strong showing with a catchy, but nonetheless, very heavy sound. Their female lead singer was refreshing to see in a very male-dominated genre, and she created an energetic and at times frantic atmosphere with both synths and a flute. The latter was heavily reminiscent of Jethro Tull.

When Uncle Acid and his Deadbeats exploded onto the stage, from the get-go they had heads everywhere swinging back and forth. The bass pounded through your chest and the riffs cut into your brain. Lead singer and guitarist Kevin would often solo so hard you could clearly see the proto-metal influence. Occasionally it felt like the wild shredding didn’t always aim to match the music, but it was very impressive nonetheless.

The whole show quite successfully created an atmosphere of impending doom, particularly with Starr’s high pitched, demonic vocals, and the almost non-stop intensity of it. This is of no surprise given the quaking quartet had supported Sabbath back in 2013.  The drummer, Justin Smith, was on impeccable form, really pinning the whole show together. He was reaching into that unending well of musical energy for almost an hour and a half. Especially interesting were his more unique rhythms and fills as opposed to a lot of the sounds coming out of the heavier genres.

Seeing as people will mosh to just about anything (looking at you Mac Demarco fans), I expected something wild from this crowd, however, there was surprisingly little physical action, just the classic headbang, leaving me somewhat dissatisfied. There were a number of times when I felt like the same riff could only be repeated for so long over and over before it became less exciting. It was at these points that the crowd also seemed to simmer down the most. The choice to play lots of similarly paced songs back to back with no chit chat in between meant they essentially started to blend into each other.

Arguably the whole genre lends itself to this feeling if you aren’t well versed in it already. Whilst the songs do get you hooked, they sometimes seem to follow quite a similar format. Meanwhile, the lead singers face was obscured by hair the entire concert but that’s also just typical of these hard rockers, right?

After their ‘final song’ they followed textbook encore procedure and left abruptly but sadly the crowd did not chant them back on, though they came back and did three more songs anyway. Their best moments were outings that began slowly and built up to a fiery, thunderous climax. They struck this tone with their final song and definitely left a good impression.

Even as a psych-rock fanatic, it was overall less captivating than I’d hoped. However, their energy was undeniable, they’re clearly very talented, and the songs that did rock really blew the roof off.

7/10

Artefact of the Week on tour: Shoes on the Danube Bank

A few hundred metres away from the imposing Hungarian Parliament building, lingering on the edge of the vast Danube river, one comes across a small but powerful monument to the massacred Jews of Hungary.

On the concrete bank of the river, on the Pest side of the Hungarian Capital, lies a long trail of cast iron shoes. Their apparent emptiness immediately lends a sinister tone to the simple sculpture; their presence implies a painful absence which is all too real. These iron shoes honour the Jews who were killed by the fascist Arrow Cross militia in Budapest during World War II.

The monument was realised in April 2005 by Hungarian-Turkish film director, Can Togay, and sculptor Gyula Pauer. The sixty pairs of iron shoes creep cautiously towards the edge of the east side of the Danube, representing the horrific execution of Jews between December 1944 and January 1945. Members of the Arrow Cross Party police escorted up to 20,000 Jews from the Budapest ghetto and shot them into the river, for the current to take their bodies away. In the humiliating and dehumanising fashion that characterised the antisemitism of the period, victims were forced to step out of their shoes before being shot by the Arrow Cross brigade; yet another example of the sadistic resourcefulness of the European fascist regimes.

The shoes, which replicate those of the 1940s, are diverse in style, gender, and occupant. One can find the tiny buckle-up shoes of a child, the neat business brogues of a male professional, the pretty laced heels of a young woman.

The diversity highlights the indiscriminate cruelty perpetuated by the fascist regime. No matter your age, gender, or occupation, being Jewish was enough of a death sentence. What is striking is the individuality of each pair, rendering each shoe a tragedy in itself; Pauer has incorporated the history of the owner into their shoes, through the shape, where it is worn, and the imprint of the heel on the sole.

By the 20th Century, the Jewish community had grown to constitute 5% of Hungary’s total population and 23% of the population of the capital, Budapest. However, despite the long history of Jews living in Hungary, by the interwar period anti-Jewish policies were becoming more repressive. It is estimated that by the end of world war two, 560,000 out of 825,000 Jews had been murdered as part of the Holocaust and actions perpetrated by the Hungarian government.

Antisemitism, however, has reappeared in Hungarian political discourse in recent years. This sentiment has manifested itself in the openly antisemitic, anti-Roma party Jobbik, which took 17% of the vote in the 2010 national elections. More recently Budapest has seen protests against a state-commissioned monument in Freedom Square. The composition of the statue seems to imply that Hungary’s involvement in antisemitic and anti-Roma actions were orchestrated by Germany, reducing Hungary’s culpability in the Holocaust. The row over this monument highlights one of many attempts of the far-right to re-write history to arouse national pride.

Shoes on the Danube Bank is a quiet reminder of a violent and oppressive past. These small, iron shoes humanise a gruesome statistic, drawing attention to the limitless cruelty of the Arrow Cross Party.

Rigevidon, the nightmare contraceptive

When the contraceptive pill became available to all women on the NHS in 1967, it was seen as a great victory for women’s liberation.

It’s true that the pill has been a great asset to many women’s lives and has allowed them more sexual freedom.

However, throughout its history there has always been controversy over the impact it has had on its users’ physical and mental health. Controversy which has most recently been targeted specifically at the combined pill, Rigevidon.

Rigevidon is one of the cheapest pills for the NHS to hand out and it is therefore the one most commonly given to girls who are beginning to use contraception.

Yet, if you visit any social media site, you will see countless posts from women sharing the traumatic things that they have endured at the hands of Rigevidon, from blood clots and tumours to depression.

There is even a petition with an incredible 27,000 signatures asking for the pill to be banned. Moreover, and perhaps most alarmingly of all, if you google ‘Rigevidon’, the third most popular search is ‘Rigevidon death’.

According to a Cosmopolitan article, healthy 21-year-old Fallan Kurek, died in 2015 of a blood clot after taking Rigevidon, having never been told about its possible side effects.

When I first started taking Rigevidon I was told that I was a level two risk, due to someone in my family having had a stroke. A level two risk of what? I never found out. I was given a three-month supply without a single word about the pill’s possible side effects from the nurse.

Upon giving the pill’s instruction leaflet a thorough read through, it is true that side effects such as blood clots, gallbladder disease, and kidney failure are outlined. They are also, however, written in an almost unreadable font and, because of the length of the leaflet, they will probably never be read by a large number of Rigevidon users.

Moreover, there is no mention anywhere on the leaflet of the fact that Rigevidon has led to death. This is unacceptable. A full list of possible side effects (including death) should be explained to each patient, and these side effects need to be outlined in large, bold writing on the instruction leaflet.

Not only has Rigevidon lead to drastic physical health problems, but it has also affected mental health. With the number of adolescents suffering from mental health problems constantly on the rise, surely it is neglectful to prescribe girls a pill which studies have shown is linked to depression, without first outlining the side effects and discussing other options with them.

Paige, 20, describes how taking Rigevidon affected her mood, “It made me constantly feel emotional and down, even when I should have felt happy.” Despite the pill improving her heavy and painful periods, Paige was forced to stop taking it and now feels much happier.

Problems caused by Rigevidon should not be accepted as a normality for young girls. It should not be common to scroll through Facebook and to see someone posting about how Rigevidon has messed up their lives. There are many alternative contraceptive pills which could be prescribed instead, and if Rigevidon still seems like the best option for a patient then its side effects should first be explained fully.

Editor’s note: The Mancunion have contacted the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency over the safety of Rigevidon, whose spokesperson said: “Women should continue to take their contraceptive pill. These are very safe, highly effective medicines for preventing unintended pregnancy and the benefits associated with their use far outweigh the risks.

“The safety of contraceptive pills was reviewed at European level in 2014 and the review confirmed that the risk of blood clots with all contraceptives is small.

“The benefits of any combined hormonal contraceptive far outweigh the risk of serious side effects – prescribers and women should be aware of the major risk factors for blood clots and the key signs and symptoms, which are clearly described in the package leaflet.

“If women have questions, they should discuss them with their GP or contraceptive provider at their next routine appointment but should keep taking their contraceptive until they have done so.”

The Mancunion also contacted Gedeon Richter, Rigevidon’s manufacturer, whose spokesperson added: “Patient safety is a top priority for our company. Besides complying with the most stringent regulations of pharmaceutical manufacturing and conducting rigorous quality testing during the manufacturing, we are committed to continuously review the safety profile of our products.

“All adverse event cases that we receive information about are being registered in the company’s drug safety database, investigated thoroughly and reported to the relevant health authorities according to the applicable regulations. We are working closely with authorities to assess the conclusion of these investigations and act upon in case it is necessary.

“Based on this continuous dialogue, the package leaflets are regularly updated in order to provide up-to-date product information, helping women make informed and responsible decisions about their choice of contraception together with their healthcare professional.”

An Interview with ACORN Manchester

In the UK alone, approximately 4.5 million households rent their homes privately, and for those that do, renting can come with its difficulties. That’s where ACORN come in. Based in Manchester as well as several other UK cities, ACORN are a tenants union dedicated to improving the conditions of privately rented properties and fighting for the rights of those who live in them.

Originally founded in Bristol, ACORN’s Manchester Branch was launched just one year ago and since then, the group have taken on disputes nationwide. In November the group occupied Natwest’s Market Street branch in protest of it’s ‘No-DSS’ policy which prevents landlords from renting properties to tenants in receipt of benefits. “We’ve done the same thing with Santander and TSB before and we’ve won both times for the same issue,” says Tom Crosher, ACORN’s delegate for the Manchester region.

“Last year we won 32 cases, our biggest case was an entire tower block that had awful issues, the locks weren’t working, people could just open doors that should have been locked, we had a big crime problem within the tower block but once [the tenants] got in touch with us we did a dual action, we went and talked to the letting agents and picketed outside the repair company and both immediately said ‘yeah, we’ll sort this out’ and they’ve got repairs done.”

So what has lead to the deterioration of privately rented properties in the UK? Tom puts it down to the lack of government funding for councils. “But it’s not always going to be the council’s fault,” Tom explains, “they’ve had a lot of funding stripped off them, there’s things like landlord licencing that have just been brought in in Rusholme and areas of Moss Side where you have to sign up with the council to rent out properties, [but] there are a lot of places there that aren’t landlord licensed and the landlords get away with it because the council don’t have the resources to go and check this stuff out.”

Laura Dickinson, a student and coordinator for the upcoming Student Branch told me that: “I would also attribute it to the housing crisis in general and the issue of short term tenancies, so if you have a short term contract of 6 months or a year, your landlord knows they can put off repairs and not offer you that tenancy again.”

Laura goes on to explain that unpaid deposits, unfinished repairs, mouldy conditions are all things that ACORN can assist with and that when it comes to fighting for tenants, “strength is in numbers”. “What we find is that tenants don’t really have much power, they can keep pestering the letting agency to fix whatever’s wrong but a lot of the time these emails are just ignored. What we can do is publicly picket the office, which is obviously bad for business and we can put pressure on them to fix it.”

She also points out that students are a particularly vulnerable group when it comes to private renting as they have little knowledge of their rights. “A lot of students are coming straight out of halls and maybe that’s their first time living away from home which doesn’t really prepare you for the private rented sector,” Laura explains. “Landlords really do take advantage of the fact that they know that students haven’t got much knowledge, a lot of students don’t know what a deposit is, I’ve spoken to some students who don’t even know what a tenancy agreement is.”

From experience going door-to-door and speaking with student renters, Laura says that many students are apprehensive about reporting issues like broken heating because they are unsure if they are important enough. “That’s health and safety” she says, “you can’t be in the middle of winter with no heating, a lot of what we want to do as a student branch is in terms of education because at the moment landlords are really capitalising on the fact that students really don’t know their rights.”

ACORN advise first-time tenants to contact them if they have any questions about renting. You can email ACORN if you want to double check a letting agent, and they’ll let you know if they recommend them.  “Do other research and look at reviews and really properly research the agent you’re going with, when you go to a house viewing you should be asking questions, take a look at the general state of the property, make sure your deposit is in a deposit protection scheme, and even if you’re just asking the right questions it shows landlords you know what you’re talking about and you are less likely to get ripped off.”

To get involved with ACORN or to find out more, email them at [email protected]

Art and well-being: mindfully entering the new semester

After the stress of exams and the feeling of beginning a new semester, the pressures of studying and planning ahead for the future can allow us to lose track of our own well-being.

Art provides a great means of reconnecting with yourself and finding solace in the expression of others, and being a student in Manchester gives a great array of opportunities to use art for the benefit of your own well-being during this time.

The importance of art in finding and nurturing our inner peace is something that many galleries are incredibly valuable at providing, offering a quiet space away from our normal lives. This is exemplified by exhibitions like And Breathe at Manchester Art Gallery, which purposely seeks to give visitors the quiet, reflective experience of coming to see art in a gallery.

As we all know, falling victim to the motions of university life means that we rarely leave the path of our commutes to and from university and other places we frequent in the surrounding area. Taking notice of other parts of the city takes us out of our comfort zones and can refresh even the most jaded daily habits – especially in a city with such vast and varied parts as Manchester.

One such example would be a visit to The Lowry in Salford, a furutsic arts complex that sits in the middle of the dynamic hub of Salford Quays. By covering the distance of a few tram stops, you can immerse yourself in the wonders of Pre-Raphaelite Art or the industrial landscapes of the L.S. Lowry in the gallery’s permanent collections.

In the north of the City Centre by Manchester Arena is a hidden gem of modern art: PAPER. PAPER is a gallery run by artists, showcasing work from those who work with the medium of paper. Showcasing a range of dynamic emerging and mid-career artists, a walk up to PAPER past the usual City Centre fixtures and more obvious a institutions makes for a visit that is as much refreshing as it is fascinating.

Finding time to enjoy art in our busy schedules can be difficult, as carving out the time to visit a gallery can leave us even more stressed when we’re too busy to stray too far away from where we need to be. Fortunately, the Whitworth Gallery provides a varied art collection of international significance housed in beautiful surroundings that can be reached on foot from the Oxford Road campus in  ten minutes or less. Peeling away from the stress, pace, and business of University for a time well spent to centre yourself and gain clarity can be done with convenience and ease in the Whitworth.

Whether you’re interested in historic fine art, modern contemporary art or textile work, a trip to the Whitworth is an invaluable means to finding well-being in art this semester by giving yourself a guilt-free break.

Art on the Sly presents The Black Market

The student-led group, Art on the Sly, are back at work, aiming to start off 2019 with a bang at their next event, ‘The Black Market’. The group, which aims to make the realm of the arts more accessible, is now looking to change the nature of art collecting, making it a less exclusive occupation.

The event will take place on the 5th February at the Fairfield Social Club, and promises the opportunity to “view art, sell your own art, and get down and dance for our female-led DJ night.”

I discussed the up-and-coming event with one of the group’s founders, Eleanor Moselle, who summarised the typically egalitarian ethos behind the event: ‘The Black Market’ is “all about giving everyone the opportunity to sell, trade, and own art away from the exclusive and inaccessible world of art collecting.

“If you want to bring along your work – even if it’s only a single sketch/pair of earrings/Plasticine pencil pot – then we’ll love it!” What is clear to see is that this event will provide a judgement-free space where anything goes; facilitating self-expression is at the core of Art on the Sly.

The most intriguing aspect of the event is the way it subverts one’s expectations of a ‘market’ experience. Moselle describes how “work can be bought with money, your own art, or a favour of the artist’s choosing. Or if you want to just display your work, get it out there and not sell, that’s fine too. There aren’t many rules at The Black Market.”

In a world in which art collecting tends to be reserved to an elite few, Art on the Sly is seeking to shake up the system: “it’s about an alternative kind of buying experience; we’re dismantling the ‘seller/buyer’ dichotomy” says Moselle.

Moselle informs me, however, that this is not only a chance to purchase or exchange each other’s creations, Art on the Sly’s aim is “to make an environment where everyone feels entitled to an opinion on what they like, where they feel their taste is valid and that they can afford to buy a piece of art they love.” Once again, this group is creating a safe space in which ideas and creativity can flourish, in a society that is becoming increasingly more hostile to the arts.

If you’re looking for an artistic start to 2019, paired with a groovy night of all-female DJs, this is not an event to miss. The Art on the Sly team are bringing boldly subversive ideas to the student community, welcoming art-makers and/or appreciators with open arms.

The Black Market will take place at the Fairfield Social Club on the 5th of February. In the meantime, check out Art on the Sly on Facebook for more details and updates.

Bouncers in Manchester have been arrested on over 100 occasions since 2015

Bouncers and Door staff operating in Manchester city centre have been the subject of in excess of 100 arrests by police in the last three years, a Freedom of Information request has shown.

In the same period, 524 crimes have been attributed to the job title door staff or security guard.

There were a range of different offences listed, including a manslaughter charge in 2016-17, that saw four bouncers arrested in the Spinningfields area.

A number of the incidents were listed as assault charges, although shockingly two cases in the Gay Village were categorised as as ‘sexual orientation hate crimes’.

Meanwhile, a Bouncer was detained after an assault described as a ‘race hate crime’ at an unnamed Northern Quarter venue.

In a horrifying revelation, it was also uncovered that one individual had been arrested on suspicion of rape at a venue in the Bury area.

The FOI was submitted by Manchester Evening News in the wake of the charges brought against bouncers at the Factory 251 nightclub, following a violent incident at the Princess street venue in December.

The incident led to two teenagers being hospitalised, Factory parting ways with its third-party security provider, and the temporary suspension of its licence.

These developments have sparked wider debate over how to regulate door staff and security teams operating in establishments across the city centre.

The findings from the Manchester Evening News inquest appear to suggest a theme of casual violence surrounding late-night venues.

The Security Industry Authority issued a press release following the events of December 2nd at Factory, addressing wider concerns over security staff.

“The violent conduct in the Manchester incident was disgraceful and damaging to the good name and reputation of door supervisors and the security industry.

“We continue to work closely with Greater Manchester Police, the security provider, and the venue to investigate the incident.

“Our investigators were out on the streets with Greater Manchester Police following the incident to ensure Manchester clubs were safe from unprofessional and criminal conduct.

“Our key aims are to raise standards and protect the public.  Most weekends, our investigators accompany police officers visiting pubs and clubs.

“They engage with door staff to ensure that they are correctly licensed and operating professionally.”

The council has already moved to introduce stricter measures at Factory 251, instilling requirements for door staff to wear high visibility uniforms and wear body cameras.

The FOI also highlighted a disturbing trend of violence towards bouncers and security staff, with ‘thousands’ of incidents reported in the last three years.

In light of this, the SIA was clear in stating the professionalism and reliability of large majorities of staff, saying that the ‘vast majority do a good job, even in challenging circumstances.’

Photo credit: www.tecmark.co.uk / Richard Heyes @ Flickr

Blow for Burnham as homeless shelter closes due to electrical issues

A homeless shelter in Manchester was forced to close on Christmas Eve as a result of electrical problems, despite only being open for 3 months.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the shelter opened in November to kick off Andy Burnham’s flagship ‘Bed Every Night’ scheme, with TV crews and newspapers invited along to see the newly refurbished building.

The ‘Bed Every Night’ initiative aims to ensure that there will be a bed available every night for every single person who sleeps rough in Greater Manchester. According to the mayor’s website, over £230,000 has been donated towards the cause so far.

The shelter, which opened in Ardwick, was commissioned by Manchester council and run by housing organisation Riverside. It has now been confirmed that the shelter will close permanently as a result of the damaged electrics and it is unknown how much a fix might cost.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have claimed that Manchester Council has spent enough money on maintaining Piccadilly Garden’s water fountains to house every single person sleeping rough in Manchester. They claim that £1.2 million will have been spent on Piccadilly’s fountains in two years, which could theoretically have housed every person sleeping rough for an entire year.

Mr Burnham has placed much emphasis on homelessness during his tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester and since November, more than 700 people previously sleeping rough have reportedly been helped into accommodation as a result of the scheme.

The mayor said: “The fact that more than 700 people have been assisted into A Bed Every Night accommodation in a little over two months shows both the scale of the humanitarian crisis we face but also the effectiveness of A Bed Every Night.

”Right through Christmas and the New Year, around 200 people were in accommodation every night but, as well as providing immediate support, A Bed Every Night is acting as a springboard for people to get into more secure and long-term supported accommodation.

”While there have been some unforeseen issues with some city-centre accommodation, we are working closely with Manchester City Council to resolve these. Crucially, everyone who is supported in affected shelters has, and will always, be given alternative accommodation.’’

Manchester Liberal Democrat leader John Leech shot back, claiming: “The launch of this scheme was a pitch-perfect PR stunt; in the weeks leading up to Christmas, journalists and the media were chaperoned around the shelter in a heart-aching display of just how much homelessness has become a political football.

“Now that the media have moved on, the shelter is quietly closing its doors fewer than three months after opening.”

Northern Rail announces month of planned strikes

The RMT Union confirmed last weekend a new set of strikes which will mean that in addition to the planned walk-out this Saturday, there will also be action on February 2, February 9 and February 16.

Northern Rail passengers have now deemed themselves “fed up” after forty-five days of strikes over the past six months, combined with engineering works, after “the usual” announcement that timetables are being slashed by two-thirds, with only a few services being ran after 5PM this weekend.

The Mancunion reported last year that staff at Northern Rail were implementing walk-outs until 29th December, although the dispute continues over the role of guards on trains. Not much progress has been made since the ongoing stand-off between the operators and the union.

Since the strikes, over-crowding on Northern trains has become more of a problem, with Northern issuing a statement that suggests journey disruptions around Greater Manchester will ‘last until at least next May’.

Since October the number of trains lacking carriages has almost tripled, and with the bad weather on the way it can only expect to get worse. Raj Chandarana, a stakeholder manager, had already blamed the planned works and “autumnal weather”, which leads to “wheel flats”, last year at a public meeting in Manchester and promised only “incremental” change in 2019, which seems to already be getting off to a wrong start.

David Brown, managing director for Northern, speaking to The Manchester Evening News, has said: “There is no reason for RMT to continue their ‘needless’ strike action.

“The Department for Transport and Transport for the North have guaranteed that all current conductors will continue to work in modernised on-board roles on all trains to provide customer service.

“This will include helping customers with accessibility, personal security, ticketing and information.

“Customer groups and business groups have supported Northern’s call for RMT to take part in an independent inquiry on Northern’s plans.

“This inquiry would be held by ACAS with an independent chair and independent panel and would give all parties the chance to have their say.”

A spokesman for Network Rail has said extra staff would be present at Piccadilly this weekend to help passengers.

Burnham calls for ‘clean air zones’ in Manchester to help eliminate dangerous gases

Andy Burnham has announced plans to introduce a clean air zone (CAZ) in Manchester in order to help tackle the growing levels of dangerous gases in the city.

A government report from July 2017 has ordered many local authorities, including Manchester, to consider methods which would see levels of harmful gases, such as nitrous dioxide (NO2), fall into legal limits.

When speaking about the possible launch of these zones, Burnham was keen to reassure local residents that it would not be a congestion charge zone in disguise – and which was rejected at a referendum vote only ten years ago.

“Firstly, this is not a charge to use the roads – a congestion charge – but instead a penalty scheme for non-compliant vehicles. People with a compliant vehicle would have no fine to pay.”

Not all cars will be subject to paying this fee, with Manchester Evening News detailing that ‘Class D’ vehicles will be the main focus of the initiative. The ‘Class D’ category includes diesel cars, which have been named as a particular target, as their emissions have been seen to be damaging to public health and a lot worse than originally expected, with tests failing to show the full extent of their potential damage. Other vehicles set to face the charge include vans, lorries, buses, coaches, and taxis.

The World Health Organisation has also published research detailing that groups including children, the elderly, those on lower incomes, and people with pre-existing lung and heart conditions are most at risk.

Manchester Evening News has also reported that the extent of the problem is so severe that, in some parts of the city, the high levels of pollution have stopped a primary school from being able to open its windows.

The government listed one of their main priorities as finding a technique which would allow levels of NO2 to be cut in the quickest possible time to achieve legal compliance. The report also stated that these restrictions could be lifted once legal compliance has been achieved and that no further risk of breaching these limits would be possible.

No Hablo Ingles – the irresistible rise of Spanish pop

I guarantee there is not a single student at the University of Manchester who would be able to look me in the eye and tell me that Despacito is not still considered ‘a tune’ today.

Released over a year ago by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, his song topped the charts and still worms its way in to clubs around the country a year and a half later.

Trailing in Fonsi’s wake have been Little Mix, Cardi B and DJ Snake all producing music partly or entirely in Spanish.

Not to mention the recent rise in K-Pop. A remarkable trait for the British music chart which, until then, has had a tendency to remain solely British, actively resisting anything that sounds slightly not English.

Until now, foreign songs have not exactly been forbidden from the charts, but they are always considered as one-off novelties. Despacito however seems to have broken barriers, showing British club-goers that foreign stars too have something to offer by way of sing-able lyrics and decent beats.

For a country that is renowned for its disregard of other languages, failing to encourage students to learn them at school and actively refusing to speak them abroad, this new trend can only be a positive step.

Yes, perhaps it is true that part of the allure of these songs is their novelty. However, forgetting about the numerous new dance moves this might encourage, the very fact that English people are knowingly, even willingly listening to another language will do wonders for our general understanding of culture.

As a languages student, I have found that the best way to pick up new words, pronunciation and colloquialisms is through listening to other people speak it. Songs are even better. With rhymes, beats and repetition, they provide a perfect way to get to grips with the orality of the language – and moreover it is fun to do!

I am in no way suggesting that fans of Despacito will transform into fluent Hispanophones overnight. However, the signposting of the existence of other languages will not only help the UK to drop the pretence that English is the only language worth knowing, but it may further incite curiosity amongst the younger generations, and encourage them to follow a foreign language pathway within their education.

It is often through culturally-orientated products, be it films, songs or books, that a natural curiosity is sparked. Grammar rules and listening comprehensions are never going to achieve much in the way of convincing children that languages are both useful and exciting. Give them something they can do in the playground with their friends however and the story changes.

There are many times when we have accused the British charts of being political, or suggested that cultural products should not induce a political message (count your blessings that I managed to successfully restrain myself from writing a piece on Iceland’s advert ban last year). Whatever your thoughts on this however, culture is inherently a part of a language, and to incite a curiosity within the British population we need to showcase both. There is a whole world out there, aside from your cups of tea with the Queen.

 

Stonewall ranks UoM as the 20th best LGBT Employer

The University of Manchester is ranked as Stonewall’s joint-twentieth best employer for LGBT inclusion, in the 2019 Stonewall 100.

Manchester Metropolitan University boasted a similarly impressive record, placing 22nd.

The University of Manchester is the highest ranked university in England. It is also the second highest in the UK, after Cardiff University, which placed 11th in the 2019 list.

The charity produces an annual list of employers that have strove to achieve “acceptance without exception”.

Over 92,000 UK employees responded to the survey, helping to create the Index.

Pinsent Masons, an international law firm, placed first this year, with other high ranking organisations including the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, MI5, and the Welsh national assembly.

Stonewall’s executive director, Darren Towers, praised LGBT inclusive employers, singling out Pinsent Masons for price.

“We know that people perform better when they can be themselves. They are more productive, creative and overall, morale is better.

“This is the kind of workforce employers should want and it happens when people are in a workplace where they feel supported and included.”

Universities also made a strong impression, with 15 institutions included on the list.

”To now see higher education institutions dominating the top 100 for the first time shows not just how far we’ve come, but also sends a really positive message for the future”, said Towers.

Despite this, Stonewall’s ‘LGBT in Britain – University Report’, published last April found an interesting distinction between official university policy and casual discrimination.

Although two-thirds of LGBT students reported that their universities had equality policies that protected LGBT people on campus, around 42% disclosed that they had hidden their identity for fear of discrimination.

While work continues to counter casual prejudice against the LGBT community on campuses across the UK, management across universities can be praised for attacking discrimination with official policy lines.

A year ago this month, it was revealed that The University of Manchester had been named a top ten trans employer by Stonewall.

It is expected that there will be a range of events on campus during LGBT History Month in February. The grassroots initiative aims to celebrate the past of the LGBT movement, with an official festival.

Time to shut down the government shutdown

The current US government shutdown is now the longest of all time.

President Trump refuses to reopen the government until congressional Democrats agree to fund his notorious wall, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans unpaid.

Whilst the Senate still belongs to the Republicans, the Democrats recently took control of the House of Representatives. This means that Trump will not be able to pass legislature quite as easily as he did during his first two years in office.

Both Democrats and Republicans feel very passionately about ‘The Wall’, perhaps none more than Laura Loomer. A far-right political activist, conspiracy theorist, and internet personality, at just 25 Loomer has already made quite the name for herself across the pond. A Jewish New Yorker, she is not your stereotypical right-wing activist and, fortunately, her abhorrent views are not shared by many.

Undoubtedly, however, she represents a growing demographic. The irony of a Jewish woman aligning herself with a movement that reeks of sexism and antisemitism is explained by her opportunism: à la Katie Hopkins, Loomer is openly outrageous and provocative just to stay relevant.

Earlier this month, Loomer jumped the fence at the home of top Democrat Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by three undocumented immigrants. As speaker of the House of Representatives Pelosi is second in the presidential line of succession and she’s vehemently opposed to the border wall.

Loomer’s reasoning was supposedly to “prove” the need for a border wall, but, in delightfully embarrassing irony all she actually proved is that walls do not work!

She should count herself lucky that she was not dealt with more severely, given that many on the right argue for shooting ‘illegal’ immigrants who would scale Trump’s wall. The worst part is, however, that she tricked three undocumented immigrants into being a part of her publicity stunt, in hopes of having them arrested and deported. Unfortunately for her, they were let go.

As Brexit tears our country apart, and Theresa May recently suffered an historic defeat in the Commons, perhaps we are in no position to scoff at the US’s current crisis. But given both Brexit and the Wall on the Mexican border are tied up with issues of immigration and racism, I believe we can have opinions on the matter.

Regardless of whether the border Wall is feasible, and experts say it is not, the current shutdown is devastating. The politicians are lucky enough to be getting paid throughout the shutdown, but there are scores of more junior employees who are being forced to go without wages. The Americans that make up the government needs to get a move on and do the jobs they were elected and are paid to do.

Growing number of young people choosing Manchester over London

Millennials are increasingly choosing to reject the allure of living in capital city London, and choosing to move to Manchester, research finds.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the population increase for the Greater Manchester area received its biggest boost in the 21-30 age group, that saw a 51% rise.

There are 43,875 more young people in Manchester than there was in 2002, while the overall population has grown by nearly 115,000.

Research outlines that a variety of reasons are drawing young professionals into city centres, including access to leisure facilities, culture and transport.

Manchester boasts two world-famous art galleries in the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery, as well as the historical Northern Quarter, and a number of nationally-acclaimed museums.

The city also has one of the most developed transport systems outside London, with a five-year plan recently outlined, including the purchase of 27 new trams.

10,200 people left London to move to Greater Manchester in 2017, while 8,870 moved in the opposite direction.

The Centre for Cities revealed that the rejuvenation of city centres has been mainly due to students and young professionals choosing to base themselves in thriving urban areas.

Rebecca McDonald, analyst at Centre for Cities shed light on the factors behind the trend.

“Around one in three city centre residents are aged 20 to 29, and this proportion rises to almost half in larger cities.

“Young people are drawn to city centre living by a combination of access to jobs, leisure facilities and cultural pursuits.

“Unlike older generations, young city centre dwellers lack dependent family members so policing, access to schools, or larger homes are lower priorities.”

The notion of London being the major source of employment for those attempting to establish their careers is slowly being challenged as the price of getting onto the housing ladder leaving many unable to afford such living costs.

“Around 30% of city centre residents we studied cited housing costs as one of their least favourite things about living in city centres”, said McDonald.

“To address this, policy makers should look at ways of increasing the supply of housing in city centres and places with good connections to  the centre.”

Despite this boom of young people in Manchester, two groups have seen a decline in their numbers in the city, those aged between 71 and 80, and 81 and 90.

The media must play fair on mental health

The past decade has seen an incredible transformation in how celebrities and the media address mental illness.

Now more than ever, people are empowered to openly discuss the ways in which their lives are affected. In fact, I struggle to plough through a single newspaper without reading an article on mental health, and rightly so, as it’s an epidemic that needs to be addressed.

However, since my own recent and long-awaited diagnosis of Borderline (Emotionally Unstable) Personality Disorder, I have noticed how differently certain disorders and illnesses are discussed in relation to others.

Many celebrities and articles speak openly about anxiety, depression, and the often more secretive universe of eating disorders. A fantastic effort to combat the isolating nature of suffering from such issues.

Similarly, schizophrenia, bi-polar, and personality disorders are among those with significantly less positive coverage and are encircled in problematic and frequently false generalisations. Why are sufferers of these significant mental illnesses neglected, and even alienated, by support movements?

An exception to this rule is Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson. His candid discussion of his experience of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a breath of fresh air to people like me. Accustomed to seeing far more articles and books on how to ‘deal’ with people with BPD than articles intended to support sufferers, Davidson’s efforts to de-stigmatise such misunderstood issues like personality disorders remain a rarity.

However, the harassment to which Davidson is subject, reveals why other sufferers are hesitant. This is an issue he himself broached with a harrowing, now removed, Instagram post.

He said: “I’ve been getting online bullied and in public by people for nine months. I’ve spoken about BPD and being suicidal publicly only in the hopes that it will help bring awareness and help kids like myself who don’t want to be on this earth.”

Following the Golden Globes, rumours have circulated about the comedian dating Kate Beckinsale, and people have already started posting their opinions on social media platforms.

Unsurprisingly, the backlash oriented around his diagnosis, much as it did during his high-profile relationship with singer Ariana Grande. Kate has been applauded however for not entertaining the criticism, responding to one comment, “Dear heavens, Kate. Not Pete Davidson” with the words “no that’s my mother. Easy mistake.”

Comedic elements aside, such examples demonstrate how intensely demonised BPD sufferers are, to the extent that many conceal and even fear their own diagnosis. The media often exploits the diagnosis, accusing sufferers of being sociopaths or dangerous which is simply not the case. Sufferers actually have higher than average capacity for empathy and are often sensitive, caring individuals.

This issue could be alleviated significantly through promotion of better understanding of BPD and less discussed disorders, much akin to the ways the stigma of other illnesses has been reduced.

It is crucial to enable people to access relevant therapy for their safety and recovery. After all, mental illnesses are prolific silent killers. Perhaps put best by writer Sam Dylan Finch: “Painting people with borderline with one uncomplicated, overgeneralized brushstroke? Treating them like a plague, as inherently immoral, as dangerous? That’s still ableist.”

Review: Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines, adapted by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Phillipa Boyne from the popular children’s novel by Philip Reeve, imagines a post-apocalyptic world where London has become a city on wheels, roaming the scorched crust of the European continent in search of smaller towns to consume in order to feed the fiery belly within. Leading the buccaneering metropolis is Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving), a man concealing a dark plot to blow up a colossal wall dividing Europe from Asia in his quest for world domination.

This prompts the question: will our unlikely protagonists prevent this from happening? The film will try shed light on issues of class, immigration and even love but don’t let these fleeting themes distract you from the fact that Mortal Engines is actually about spectacle and not much else.

Under the direction of Christian Rivers, who worked for Jackson’s art departments on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, Mortal Engines works best when it is displaying its impressive world building imagery — which is evidently where Rivers feels most at home. In between the huge set pieces that hark to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (the two films even share a composer – Junkie XL), Mortal Engines struggles to convince that you should care for its protagonists; an annoyingly talkative wannabe pilot and a woman with a scar across her face who wants to kill the hero before he gives another bland line reading.

Their relationship is sadly a necessary element to the story because as much as Rivers regrets it, the film couldn’t be two hours of Evil-London chasing small towns and blowing up walls because that would somehow be even more dull than what we already have.

But what’s not to like about giant malevolent cities trawling through a post-apocalyptic landscape consuming all that comes within its path? The main issue with Mortal Engines is that it devotes a significant portion of time explaining who the characters are and how their past traumas haunt them, feigning compassion and care for the delicate smaller issues that are actually interesting.

All the film really cares about is whether London’s HUGE quantum energy gun will destroy the HUGE wall? And will our protagonists flying around in HUGE planes be able to blow up that HUGE gun before the energy gun destroys the HUGE wall? It was frustrating to see some critics liken Mortal Engines to Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle — yes the two films both have a giant mechanical habitat at their core but beyond that Mortal Engines pales in comparison to Miyazaki’s rich, charming and emotionally involving story.

If there is a silver lining to be found it’s the film woeful box office performance, scraping in a mere $71 million from a $100 million budget, revealing that audiences are beginning to reject empty CGI leviathans because, despite what the Romans told us, spectacle on its own is not enough to entertain us.

2/5.

Australian survey discovers foreign students face greater risk of suicide

An Australian study has shown that foreign students are more likely to commit suicide than their domestic classmates, with the Australian state of Victoria seeing as many as six international students taking their lives every year.

The study was published by the Coroners Court of Victoria after 24-year-old Chinese University of Melbourne student Zhikai Liu took his own life in 2016.

It was revealed that some family members were aware of the fact that Mr Liu had been experiencing suicidal thoughts, a result of depression allegedly stemming from difficulties with language and university studies.

Struggling to cope with their workload in addition to money management concerns were two main factors that appeared to affect oversees students more than those studying in their home country. Furthermore, it was also stated that Asian males who are under 25 and studying at university were said to be at the highest level of risk.

Dr Benjamin Veness, from Melbourne, stated that he felt as though greater awareness and understanding of ‘red flags’ needed to be brought to the attention of the friends and families of international students as well as the students themselves. He also stated that many international students were hesitant to reach out to existing mental health services over concerns that their families may be contacted in addition to their own limited knowledge of the support that is available to them.

The Australian Department of Education and Training was urged to pursue methods which would help students from abroad who required access to mental health support facilities to receive the correct assistance. In addition, the coroner also requested for education institutions to share more information about the deaths of international students with each other in order to gain a wider understanding of the issue.

Review: An Impossible Love

At first, An Impossible Love feels like a fairly typical love story; boy meets girl in seemingly serendipitous circumstances and they spend a passionate summer together in the French town of Châteauroux during the 1950s. This air of romance is enhanced by the summery settings and soft focus of the camera, making Corsini’s subsequent shattering of this fantasy even more catastrophic.

The narrative takes place over the course of roughly 50 years, and follows the blossoming relationship between Rachel (Virginie Efira) and Phillipe (Niels Schnieder) and their lives following the birth of their daughter, Chantal, who provides the narrative of the film from her adult perspective.

Schnieder’s portrayal of Phillipe is necessarily complex. His treatment of Rachel at the beginning of their relationship is gentle, but with a condescending edge that is noticeable yet somewhat forgivable. As the story develops, his narcissistic tendencies become more prominent – it is these tendencies that he uses to inform his attempts to completely shatter the relationship between Rachel and their daughter. When the true abhorrence of his actions are later revealed, it is shocking, yet it fits in with the puzzle pieces we have already been given when building up Phillipe’s character.

The true power of this film is through the development of the two central female characters, who are in many ways, at the mercy of Phillipe’s actions. Both Rachel and Chantal’s lives are very much informed by the way they have been treated by Phillipe. As Rachel, Virginie Efira strikes a beautiful balance between strength and weakness that makes her relatable but not an object for our sympathy. This is reflected in the performances of both Estelle Lescure and Jehnny Beth – who portray Chantal in her adolescent and adult years respectively. All three effectively portray the ebb and flow of the relationship between Rachel and Chantal, which makes the characters eventual reunion in a busy French café an even more beautiful and uplifting close to the film.

Catherine Corsini’s latest offering is a film for women, about women. It’s a warning of the insidious nature of toxic masculinity and its potential destructiveness if left unrebuked. This is a message we need in the aftermath of #metoo; a reminder that a woman’s stories need to be heard, and that as women united we stand, divided we fall. It is a love story, but it is one about the love between a mother and a daughter and it is a wonderful reminder of how toxic masculinity will be defeated by the strength of the love between women, a bond that pervades the generations.

4/5.

GPs prescribe more opioids in North West

A study led by researchers at the University of Manchester and University of Nottingham has revealed that GPs prescribe more opioids for pain in poor Northern areas. The opioids are mainly prescribed for lower back pain and arthritis.

Published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, the study features a critique of data drawn up in 2015 from the Office of National Statistics’ Index of Multiple Deprivation and a NHS Digital’s database of about 7,000 GP practices across the nation, unveils that GPs in NHS Blackpool and NHS St Helens prescribe opioids to the most number of patients.

The research team, led by Dr Li-Chia Chen, a Senior Lecturer at Manchester, disclosed that three out of the highest five GP areas for opioid prescribing are based in the North West of England. Figures were also presented showing a surge in the number of opioid overdosing in the West over the past two decades, although this does not relate to number of opioid-based deaths.

An increase of 1% in the number of patients suffering from depression is shown to correlate with an increase in the average use of morphine by 43 mg per 1000 patients per day, and the 1%  increase in the number of obese patients shows an inflation in the average use by 36 mg per 1000 patients per day.

Dr Lia-Cia Chen said: “Social prescribing such meditation and acupuncture may be helpful, but little is available on the NHS.

“We also feel it is essential to integrate pain management services with an interdisciplinary team approach.

“Pharmacists could also play a vital role in pain management and, in our view, are an underused resource.”

A study conducted in 2018 by The University of Newcastle, suggested that relatively small decreases in the rates of ill health and mortality could reduce the gap in (GVA) per-head between the North and the rest of England by 10%, which came after the North were accused for their poor health correlating to their poor productivity.

Co-author of the study, Dr Teng-Chou Chen, from The University of Manchester, on the other hand, suggested that the lack of government spending on the North was to blame. He added: “This study shows that the socioeconomic status has a strong association with opioids prescribing for pain.

“We suppose an average manual worker, which is common in socially deprived areas, is more likely to have musculoskeletal problems, and therefore needs opioids.

“Smoking and depression are also more prevalent in poorer areas, but whatever the causes, it’s clear that people living in more deprived areas are at a higher risk of overdose, and it is helpful for clinicians to be aware of this.”

Dr Chen is currently studying opioid prescribing internationally, and is due to publish his results later this year.

Stress to impress

The end of exams feels like coming up for air after your head has been forced under water.

Living in a tiny world consisting of the library, caffeine, laptop screens, and disrupted sleep is a suffocating way to spend weeks of your life. It is time to move on from this punishing education.

Former Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell has warned of an impending mental health crisis because of the examination culture in British education. Walking through the packed animal-pen that Blue 3 has been the past few weeks, it is hard to disagree with him.

The survivalist techniques that students of all ages adopt when it comes to their exam periods are not symbols of their resilience, or academic achievement which their teachers may suggest.

If you want to genuinely test for a joy in knowledge or their ability to grapple with concepts, a high-pressure regurgitation of revision notes is hardly representative. All this routine confirms is the fear of failure at school and university.

The toothpaste tube of education and employment drives children in Britain, from the age of seven when they take their SATs, to fear bad exam marks at the risk of their mental and physical health.

We are governed by the logic that damaging our eyesight, postures, relationships, eating and sleeping habits in the short term, is much better than not having the qualifications to become an equally overworked lawyer by the age of 30. We are always taught to be productive before we even think about being happy.

Staring at a computer screen for hours should not be a pre-requiste for higher education. It is becoming increasingly evident that the light from screens is dangerous; potentially increasing the risk of macular degeneration – a condition which affects eyesight.

Nobody is sure what the long term effects of this will be because we are the first generation of have to spend this much time exposed to it. Not to mention the damage to our postures that is caused by sitting hunched over pages of notes for days on end. Or the fact that ‘frayed nerves’ from exam stress can very quickly become something much more serious.

We are being experimented on, taught to treat stress and pressure as a fact of adult life. If we cannot handle that, we cannot handle the world of work.

As students we have come to university for knowledge and a cultural experience, but in doing so we have sold our souls. Eventually we will also have to acquiesce and join the world of work. The paths we carve out for ourselves at university are really nothing more than the pursuit of two numbers separated by colons. A mark which is just shorthand for the numbers preceded by a pound sign; because the number of zeros is the only thing which really drives this kind of learning.

Of course I’m not suggesting that all students are cynically motivated by money and ambition. We are all driven by pride in our achievements and genuine interest in our subjects. However, the structure of education is the product of the view that it is only a box to tick on a CV. Otherwise, God forbid, you might end up in manual labour or the service industry, or not pushed to the brink every single week until retirement.