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Month: October 2019

Mountaineering Club reaches new heights of gender equality

Written by Kate MacLachlan on . Posted in Societies.

Manchester University Mountaineering Club (MUMC) is starting the academic year with the most female committee members they have had in nine years.

The committee is also the most equally balanced (as a percentage) in terms of gender in seven years.

The club, which in previous years has elected a high number of male committee members, held its elections in March 2019 and women were elected to six of the thirteen committee roles.

This compares to the 2018/2019 academic year when only three women filled 15 committee roles, and the 2017/2018 academic year when four women filled 12 committee roles.

Last year the mountaineering club attempted to become more inclusive through women-only bouldering sessions, which proved popular.

The women’s competition team were also said to have shown a lot of improvement, although there were still far less applications for the women’s team than the men’s.

This year the club aims to continue to provide an inclusive environment through taking part in the This Girl Can campaign, which has previously taken place in November. They will also be potentially taking part in a women’s climbing festival with an affiliated group, the Rucksack Club.

MUMC president Rachel Marshall said she is “hoping to keep more girls involved this year”, as although Fresher’s events often have an equal gender turnout, previous years have generally seen more men becoming involved members of the club.

She also explained that things are looking positive for the women’s competition team due to some particularly strong female competitors joining the club.

This new committee takes over amid celebrations of a number of firsts for female climbers in the UK, despite rock climbing being a traditionally male dominated sport.

These include Bouldering World Cup champion Shauna Coxsey gaining a quota place to climb in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, as well as Emma Twyford becoming the first British woman to climb a 9a graded route.

The MUMC meet at Rockover Climbing Centre at 6pm on Mondays and at Manchester Climbing Centre on Wednesday afternoons.

Their selections for this year’s competition team are taking place on the 10th of October. More details can be found on their Facebook page and you must be a member of the club to compete.

The University of York is the only university among those analysed said to offer best consumer practice. Photo: Xerones@Flickr

University of York announce full divestment from fossil fuels

Written by Nicole Wootton-Cane on . Posted in News.

The University of York have announced that they have fully divested from fossil fuels following a campaign by York University Students’ Union’s (YUSU) former Environment and Ethics Officer, Oscar Bentley.

The announcement was made during new Vice-Chancellor Charlie Jeffrey’s inaugural speech, and has been met with positive reactions by YUSU Officers and others involved with the campaign.

In his speech, Jeffrey said: “We face a global climate emergency. We have brilliant expertise, including among our students, who are often passionate about tackling that emergency, and we have an obligation to act.”

The move from another Russell Group institution could put pressure on leaders at the University of Manchester to also pursue full divestment – a point that climate activists have previously made to UoM’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell.

Speaking to The Mancunion last summer, Rothwell said that the University “continually review” their investment portfolio, but that her main concern lay with Manchester’s large use of fossil fuels rather than divestment.

She added that she thought the University “have to be careful about the difference between what is an important statement and what is a gesture”, and went on to say that she didn’t “want to make a gesture, if you like, just to keep some people happy when the bigger issue, and it is a big issue – I am really worried about climate change – is that we’ve got to reduce our use of fossil fuels.”

Photo: The Mancunion
Nancy Rothwell in her office. Photo: The Mancunion

The University of Manchester Students’ Union Welfare Officer Adam Haigh told The Mancunion: “York University is the latest university to commit to divestment from fossil fuel companies and it couldn’t come soon enough… The University of Manchester has supported parliament’s declaration, but as yet what they’re actually doing remains to be seen. Nothing seems to have changed.

“People and Planet and Fossil Free UoM have been asking that the University divest from fossil fuels and be the leading institution that we say it is. The University however continues to ignore its students and continues to ignore the part it is playing in the global climate and ecological crisis. A crisis which the University’s investments in companies like Shell, BP and ExxonMobil continue to fund.

“If the University really care about being ‘socially responsible’ then it’s time for them to divest. Not just from fossil fuel companies but from ecologically destructive and unethical companies such as Nestle, Caterpillar and Samsung.”

People and Planet UoM tweeted about the announcement, writing: “And the number of universities that have gone #FossilFree rises! Well done all the campaigners at York. Hopefully @OfficialUoM will follow soon…”.

Sophie Marriott, who was one of seven student climate activists to occupy the corridor outside Rothwell’s office last summer in a protest by People and Planet, said: “I’m over the moon at York’s decision, as I’m sure the people who campaigned for it are. This is another Uni which is moving in the right direction. It only serves to highlight how much Manchester is slipping behind the trend. Nancy Rothwell needs to realise that the pressure to divest is not just coming from within her University but from across the country.”

Campaign Supernova makes waves

Written by Ellie Martin on . Posted in Societies.

Campaign Supernova, Manchester’s only campaigning festival, was back for another successful day of activism, good food, and music. The festival has been running since 2016, and is an opportunity to bring together students and activism groups. 

This year’s Campaign Supernova had the largest attendance of activism groups ever. The scope of work ranged from climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, mental health organisations, crisis groups, disability awareness, anti-racism groups, to local produce gardens, and more. 

The event gives students the opportunity to speak directly with activism groups and learn about what work they can get involved with.  The organisations aim to motivate and educate students as to what they do and show students how they can make a real change with their time at uni. 

The event was accompanied by Not Bad For A Girl. They are a collective of female creatives which was born from a love of music and a desire to change misogynistic attitudes within the music industry. Djs Egg on Toast, Kiana and DaiSu provided the soundtrack for the festival. 

Want not Waste also joined the festival to give out goodie bags of plastic free goods and help students reduce their waste on campus. Want not Waste are a zero plastic shop located just beside Academy 1, by the SU. They sell dried foods, eco friendly cleaning products, and health and wellbeing products that are all free of plastic packaging. They also run recycling schemes on campus to help students reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.

The festival also featured appearances from Stitched Up, a not-for-profit collective concerned about the environment and style. They brought their sewing kit with them and mended items that students brought along to the festival, so they thay could be given a new lease of life. They also use their sewing skills to jazz up pieces of clothing, add embroidery or new features like extra or new buttons or update clothes to make them feel like new pieces. The team normally work from their space in Chorlton, where they run sewing and upcycling workshops and hold clothes swap events, amongst other things. 

Also supporting ethical fashion was Electric Bazaar, a social enterprise based in the North West founded by UoM graduates. They produce modest friendly clothing, designed in-house. The pieces they were showing at Campaign Supernova were made by Afghan refugees. They aim to incorporate handicrafts and embroidery styles of multiple regions of Pakistan, but with a distinctly modern feel. 

There were also craft stalls selling awareness badges, including Paleghostycreations and Iqra Choudhry from Brown Girls Do It. Paleghostycreations, aka Daz, a UoM graduate, makes political and pronoun badges as well as very cute LGBTQ+ themed pom pom earrings. Iqra Choudhry is a PhD student who displayed her feminist badges and was spreading the word about her podcast, Brown Girls Do it. 

If you missed Campaign Supernova this year, don’t worry, a list of all the societies there can be found on the event page. 

Franco Manca Moves North: Rudy’s Under Threat?

Written by Anneliese Murray on . Posted in Food & Drink.

This September saw cult Manchester pizza joint, Rudy’s, challenged by Southern intruder Franco Manca. For a taste of Southern Italy in drizzly Manchester, either is a solid choice. Both restaurants promise quality dough at competitive prices, but in this new spin on the North-South divide, which prevails? I tried out both in an effort to decide.

Rudy’s

It seems only right to begin with Rudy’s, Manchester’s original sourdough pizza hub. Manchester now boasts two branches, the first in Ancoats and a second on Peter Street. The Ancoats branch has a rustic, stripped back vibe, very cool and oh-so Italian. Whilst I visited on a midweek lunchtime, finding a quieter atmosphere, I’m told it picks up in the evenings, hosting good tunes and cheap drinks.

Now for the food. In the interest of fairness, I ordered a margherita in both restaurants. A humble topping but a crucial weapon in any pizzeria’s arsenal. At Rudy’s, this will set you back £6.50, and is complete with basil, parmesan and extra virgin olive oil, as well as the staple tomatoes and mozzarella. 

Photo: Anneliese Murray

PROS: Decent Neapolitan dough, soft yet crisp. Quality ingredients and a strong tomato base with plenty of garlic. The pizza menu is extensive, with lots of choice aside from the classics. While I didn’t sample one on this occasion, you can secure yourself an Aperol Spritz for £5.90, a competitive price for the trendy Italian aperitif. A cheap Aperol is always a win in my eyes.

CONS: The restaurant itself can feel a little dark and bare. Rudy’s doesn’t cater for Gluten Free friends, which is a shame and certainly something that could be improved. Finally, a minor yet crucial criticism: the chilli oil offerings for me didn’t quite do it. Not enough kick.

Franco Manca

Franco Manca, originating in London and boasting approximately 50 branches, is certainly the ‘big dog’ in this competition. I was therefore expecting a more underwhelming, ‘standard’ experience than the more independent character that Rudy’s offers. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere and décor at the new Franco Manca in Piccadilly Gardens; bright lights big city, eh?

I was equally pleased by the menu which, although more streamlined in its topping offerings than Rudy’s, also offers alternative mains, as well as weekly specials. Again, you can eat cheaply, with a margherita for £6.75 and Aperol weighing in at £5.50. If you visit in the next fortnight, they have an opening promotion on with all pizzas at £5, including specials. Not the capital prices I expected from this London-born hotspot!

Photo: Anneliese Murray

PROS: At Franco Manca, you’ll find a gluten free base, so everyone is included. The specials menu was notable and my friend’s veggie special, involving caramelised onion, wild mushroom and fresh pesto, was extra tasty. Their chilli and garlic oils also deserve a special mention; they had the ‘kick’ I was looking for. 

CONS: Although the veggie special was very good, the margherita at Franco Manca didn’t quite do it for me. The dough was nothing to be complained at, but the tomato base lacked flavour and there wasn’t quite enough of it. The mozzarella was fairly standard in contrast with the fresher offerings at Rudy’s. Overall, I unfortunately found myself overly reliant on that infamous chilli oil to compensate.

The Verdict?

I can’t complain that Manchester is now host to another slice of Italy. I’m definitely not put off Franco Manca and would return to sample more of their toppings and specials, but their margherita just wasn’t up to scratch. This being the cornerstone of any good pizzeria, the North takes the victory in this battle. Although it had room for improvement, when it comes down to the raw materials, 0161’s notorious Neapolitan gem Rudy’s remains the ruling champion.

Urgent need for black blood donors in Manchester

Written by Kitty Racionzer on . Posted in Science & Tech.

The NHS Blood and Transport (NHSBT) team have expressed the urgent need for more black blood donors in Greater Manchester during Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Through recently published articles and statements from current donors, the NHS are appealing to the wider black community to register as blood donors.

Over the past year, it has been reported that there has been a 7% rise in black people donating blood in Greater Manchester, with a 15% increase within the Manchester district itself.

However, despite these rising numbers, the Blood and Transplant donor centres are urgently in need of more black people to register as the situation remains critical. It has been reported that more than 40,000 black donors of all blood groups are needed to meet the rising demand for blood types that match the blood groups of patients with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is a very common inherited anaemia among people of African descent. The disease causes the deformation of red blood cells, forming into a crescent shape, which causes blood vessels to become blocked.

Sickle cell anaemia is a life-threatening disease, causing agonising pain to those who suffer from it. The urgent appeal follows scientific research that suggests that the same ethnic background are more likely to carry the same blood types.

There are four main blood groups – O, A, B and AB. O negative (the universal blood group) and B negative are particularly vulnerable to shortfalls. It is advised that those with the rarer blood groups donate as regularly as they can.

Joel Bowes, an active black donor, has donated up to 59 times, saving 177 lives with no plans on stopping any time soon. The 49-year-old from Manchester started donating blood at a young age and now encourages other young people to step forward and donate.

At a time of medical accessibility and simplicity, and especially urgency, it remains important for everyone to register as a blood donor if given the opportunity. Despite the present focus on the need for more black donors, there is an equally urgent need for other donors with other racial backgrounds.

The NHSBT require 135,000 new blood donors each year to replace those who stop donating. This is to ensure the right mix of blood groups to match patient types in the future. The NHSBT have 23 permanent donor centres across the UK, with two being in the Greater Manchester area (Plymouth Grove and Norfolk House).

More positively, the NHSBT have said that “the overall demand for blood is falling by 3-4% per year due to improvement in the clinical practice and their work with hospitals to ensure blood is used appropriately with each patient.”

Mike Stredder, Director of Blood Donation said: “This month we can celebrate how more and more black people in Greater Manchester are saving lives by donating blood.”

“However the shortage of black donors remains, which makes it harder to find the best matched blood for black people, putting them at greater risk of potentially life threatening transfusion reactions.

“Blood donation is quick, easy and safe and we urge people of black heritage in Greater Manchester to register as donors to help save lives.”

It is quick and easy to book an appointment to give blood. Call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk and register as a blood donor to save lives.

Writing Cleopatra

Written by Shaheena on . Posted in Books.

Cleopatra is a historical figure representative of female power, dominance and struggle in patriarchal histories of the world. However, she is also the victim of the fetishisation of ‘foreign’ sexuality and subversion.

Cleopatra has historically and culturally been represented as an untrustworthy figure. She is written into the role of a seductress, whose main historical purpose was to be detrimental and dangerous to the stability of the Roman Empire.

Through historians such as Plutarch, and writers such as Shakespeare, Cleopatra’s representation has been at the mercy of those more concerned with stories of Rome. Her femininity is overarching, and her sexuality decadent and corrupting, for Plutarch. Antony is simply a victim of her sexual, political and romantic exploits in his retelling.

She is probably one of the most recognisable historical figures to be misrepresented in this way. She was widely portrayed through a Eurocentric lens, due to ‘Orientalism’.

Though a descendant of Ptolemy, she is seen as ‘Eastern’, an ‘other’ unbounded to the morals, laws and civilised ways of Europe. These are all weighted terms. They play a large part in how even today’s media practices can create images of people and events we know little about.

However, there is a certain tentativeness that is now applied to representations of the ‘foreign’ in older texts. Jane Eyre has a backdrop of slavery and Mansfield Park has plantations integral to its plot. These settings and themes are culturally representative of economic, social and political activity at the time. By re-reading these texts alongside literary theory as found in Said’s Orientalism, Spivak’s In Other Worlds or the works of Homi Babha, the problematic elements and prejudices codified can be analysed in relation to our society.

By actively confronting prejudices, we begin to deconstruct popular myths that surround them. We can also find out how our approach to thinking about other societies has or hasn’t changed.

This month, join our writers at The Mancunion who will explore books they’ve learnt from, but have also taken issue with due to very real issues of prejudice.

Demystifying figures like Cleopatra is one necessary step in reclaiming our concurrent histories as a globe.

Tory leaders announce post-Brexit science and tech plans

Written by Shivani Kaura on . Posted in Science & Tech.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, made a £13bn hospital pledge at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester last week, with plans to commit a further £33.9bn to the NHS each year by 2023. The news follows after it was recently announced by Number 10 that North Manchester General Hospital will be rebuilt by 2030.

In an attempt to make NHS funding the key focus in the next general election, Boris Johnson has proposed, what he calls, “the biggest hospital building programme in a generation”. The five-year plan set out by Johnson, aims to deliver £2.7bn into six hospitals, with the remainder of the funds being used to set up rural hospitals and projects.

However, some experts have questioned the project, saying that those six NHS Trusts to benefit will be ones who already had plans in place to improve hospitals.

The projects, which were announced at the conference, focused on trialling a new approach to NHS mental health treatment in 12 areas of England, including housing and job support, as well as psychological aid. Other projects include investing into replacing NHS equipment such as MRI, CT scanners and breast cancer screening devices.

The £70m that will be injected into the mental health project has the aim to create strong ties between the NHS and local charities. The funding will also be used to recruit around 1,000 extra specialist staff with different expertise.

After citing the science sector as an “enormous strength”, a further pledge has been offered by Johnson, unveiling a £200m scheme which aims to boost the UK’s health and life sciences industry. This was announced as part of Johnson’s vision to have a “vibrant post-Brexit economy fuelled by science and technology”, which he believes will attract more young scientists to the UK.

The funding, announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, is set to come from taxpayers directly. This will reduce the number of contracts given out to private firms, thus allowing the government to make payments over time instead.

Also speaking at the Tory conference, Matt Hancock claimed to be taking the problems with child vaccinations in the UK “very seriously”. As discussed in a recent article by The Mancunion, the UK has been declared as no longer measles-free, after a rapid decline in the uptake of the MMR vaccination.

Hancock, speaking to the Huffington Post at the event stated: “The worst thing is if you don’t vaccinate your child and you can, then the person you are putting at risk is not only just your own child, but it’s also the child that cant be vaccinated for medical reasons.

“Maybe they have cancer and their immune system is too weak.

“I don’t want the debate to put people off because there is absolute clarity on what the science says and what the right thing is to do.” Hancock also questioned whether unvaccinated children should be banned from schools, until vaccinated.

Although plans have been given the ‘go-ahead’ by Tory leaders to set the NHS in the right direction, members of the public have expressed some doubts.

Johnson claimed this weekend in Manchester that “money is available now and that’s thanks to the decisions that we took to keep burying down on our debt and the hard work of the British people” which has been questioned by locals, who believe it could be just another misleading declaration to win a general election campaign.

Review: Hustlers

Written by izzysharp on . Posted in Film.

Hustlers is one of the best films I’ve seen this year. It might be marketed as a sugary girls’ night out treat, but don’t be fooled; it dismantles performative female sexuality, and the exploitation of women, in a way that’s rare to see.

The film tells the true story of a woman who turned to stripping to support her grandmother and daughter, only to become sucked into a dangerous game of drugging and scamming men following the 2008 financial crisis.

In general, the narrative surrounding strippers generally lies in the male voice. Often in the leering, sweaty palmed, descriptions of male novelists, indie filmmakers, or in rap songs. Hustlers flips this narrative to discover the woman behind the stripper.

I’ve never seen a film so devoted to female relationships. Clients and partners are generally transient, used once and tossed away, while female friendships and the women’s daughters remain the focus.

There is also none of that cloying brand of feminism which requires all the women to get along despite their differences — these women clash and fight. J Lo’s character, the formidable Ramona Vega, firstly serves as a surrogate mother and then enemy to Dorothy, the main character.

Jennifer Lopez’s starring role in Hustlers has already begun to generate Academy Award speculation. Photo: Ana Carolina Kley Vita via Flickr

It would have been so easy to make this film easily digestible, with the kind of pappy script that brands itself as feminist, but adheres conveniently to the male gaze. Instead we’re taken behind the strip club stage to the dressing room, where the women are crass and funny. Dorothy’s voice completely changes when she’s not working. They talk about being tired and how their feet hurt, how their boyfriends only like the idea of them being a stripper, not the reality of long hours, and them not being in the mood for sex.

The film is a visual delight, full of glitter and designer clothes, which makes it both deliciously hedonistic and a little too glossy. I did love how Ramona’s growing arrogance and greed was reflected through her fur coats, which grow ever more extravagant with every scene.

Arguably, Hustlers could do with an injection of a bit more indie grittiness- in places it feels too slick and polished. It’s also a bit overlong in the last hour and there’s a gag about Lili Reinhart’s character constantly vomiting under stress that’s unfunny. Cardi B is also underused. Aside from this there’s little to complain about though.

This film is unashamedly feminine, but also strikes a delicate balance between making light of serious issues and being a patronising, stigmatising sob-story. Keke Palmer as Mercedes, a frantically fretful character, is particularly amusing. The film absolutely gets how women can find hope and laughter in tough times.

4/5.

Celebrating Keith Haring: Why his work is still important

Written by Chess Bradley on . Posted in Arts.

As simple as they are joyful, Keith Haring’s artworks are instantly recognisable. For the first time, a major exhibition of his work is being displayed in the UK. Excitingly, the exhibition is being shown in the North West at the Liverpool Tate.

It’s a perfect time to be displaying Haring’s work with increasingly explicitly intolerant rhetoric is currently being produced on both sides of the pond.

Haring was a gay man in Ronald Reagan’s America. His art explicitly and boldly sought awareness for AIDS in an era of fear and ignorance. His messages were accessible in both meaning and medium as street art. For Haring, everybody should have the right to both access and understand art.

Keith Haring’s We Are The Youth, a mural in Philadelphia. Photo credit: Rgs25 @ Wikimedia Commons

As a white cisgender man, Haring also used his privilege to empower other oppressed groups. Knowing that silence is political, Haring used his voice to represent people of colour.

Street art is a form of community art, and thus reflects issues of the community. Beyond the issues immediate to him, Haring also used his art to highlight Apartheid in South Africa. The paintings themselves were not the only important part of Haring’s work, but also the messages and ideas that people took away with them.

It is, however, easy to get rapped up in Haring as a political artist, and forget the explicit joy that comes from engaging with his work. Haring also represents a youth and nightlife culture present in 1980s New York. There is a duality to his work; protest and play. These aren’t elements aren’t mutually exclusive, but instead exist with one another.

 

Keith Haring at work in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1986. Photographer: Unknown. Photo copyright: Nationaal Archief

It’s devastating that we are still fighting many of the issues that Haring was, almost 30 years after his death. But Haring’s art has created a language of accessibility and optimism within queer and protest art.

Keith Haring will be exhibiting at the Tate in Liverpool until 10th November, with a University of Manchester Art History Society trip to the exhibition occurring on the 6th November.  The book launch for Dave Haslam’s We the Youth: Keith Haring’s New York Nightlife is scheduled for Thursday 17th October between 18:30-21:00 at the Whitworth.

Models walking down catwalk

Modest Fashion Show: Electric Bazaar x The Whitworth

Written by Maisie Scott on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

London, Paris and New York fashion weeks have been dominating the mainstream media throughout September, but, on Thursday evening, Manchester held its own sustainable fashion show. The event was hosted by Electric Bazaar, in collaboration with The Whitworth. 

Electric Bazaar is a Manchester-based brand, set up two years ago by former alumnae of the University of Manchester. Shamima and Alicya are the best friend duo behind the company. Shamima told us that during their time at university they bonded over their shared love for styling pieces south asian pieces with western clothing. They began to notice that people liked what they wore and how they styled their clothes, so they were encouraged to start selling their garments. 

The ethical fashion brand incorporates a fusion of South Asian, Middle Eastern and Western wear. Hand embroidery is a key feature of all the designs. Textured fabrics are pieced together to create diverse items of clothing that can be worn by any individual. The brand aims to bring awareness to the story behind each design and the artisanship involved.

All the clothing and designs are ethically sourced in Pakistan by the pair. The brand offers an accessories range and, like the clothing, every piece is unique. Electric Bazaar has a jewellery stall in the Want Not Waste shop in the Student’s Union next to Academy 1 and their prices are student-friendly and affordable. 

The brand puts so much care into every item and all the products they sell have a story behind them. The intricately shaped sewing machine earrings are part of Electric Bazaar’s sewing machine project. All donations raised by the project go towards providing women in the Punjab province with sewing machines to help them earn a living. Shamima and Alicya are committed to making a positive impact on the global fashion industry by supporting their workers at the production level.

Electric Bazaar jewellery stand
Bespoke sewing machine project earrings

The show itself was a fantastic showcase of Electric Bazaar’s artisan collection. Shamima and Alicya introduced themselves and spoke with passion about their brand and ethical ethos. The show began with playing Sufi music (a branch of Islam that believes in minimalism and making oneself close to God), and from the outset, each model embraced their dress and walked down with grace. The looks were neutral and were paired with subtle makeup that made the models glow. Colour was a huge part of the collection. Autumnal shades of maroon and black were contrasted against pieces which featured soft lilac tones and emerald greens.

Model walking down catwalk in an emerald green dress by Electric Bazaar
Electric Bazaar model in an emerald green dress from the latest collection

Jewellery was incorporated into every look and was styled creatively. Some of the models wore necklaces overlaid on top of dresses and tops and others wore drop earrings. The most eye-catching piece of jewellery was an ankle-bracelet worn by one of the models. Alicya and Shamima’s eye for detail and styling was present in every single look in the collection.

The models had the freedom to choose whether they wanted to wear the hijab, or to wear their hair down. The aspect of choice in how the models styled their hair really embraced the brand’s ethos of modest fashion. Alicya and Shamima explained in the introduction that for some modest fashion includes revealing less, and for others, it involves wearing more. The founders emphasised that modest fashion is primarily associated with Muslim women, but it really can be for one and all. The 17 models in the show represented a range of different races and reflected the diversity of the company’s target audience and the event attendees.

Model walking down catwalk showcasing design

The ethical fashion show attracted a young and diverse audience with a great turnout from students of the University of Manchester. When asked about the event, former University of Manchester student, Aishah, said: “The clothes look like they’re made to last, and care and attention have gone into every aspect of the clothes. It’s great to see a part of my culture.”

The Electric Bazaar fashion show took place against the backdrop of a current exhibition in The Whitworth titled Parliament of Ghosts by Ibrahim Mahama. Mahama’s installation incorporates disused seating from colonial trains. The seating worked amazingly well as an inclusive event space for the audience on Thursday evening. Both the exhibition and what the brand stands for came together as a perfect combination for raising awareness for those whose voices aren’t always heard. 

Electric Bazaar is an ethical fashion brand that has huge potential to emerge into mainstream fashion. The founders and ambassadors are very passionate about what they stand for, and it’s amazing to see how much they want to give back to communities in Pakistan. They are committed to empowering women globally; an incredible message to see being championed by such a young fashion brand. Keep your eye out for this brand’s next movements as we expect to see more exciting events from them in the future. 

Review: Running with the Devil

Written by carlfitzgerald on . Posted in Film.

If 2015’s Sicario managed to show the potential of drug cartel thrillers, at least beyond generic check-list tickers for straight-to-DVD fodder, then Jason Cabell’s Running with the Devil proves that some things really never change. As Cabell’s writing and directing debut, it’s a terribly poor showcase that wastes the solid talent at its disposal in front of the camera.

The film tries to follow various characters caught up in a cartel drug operation. Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne play a pair of mercenaries hired by CEO conglomerate, Barry Pepper, to accompany a supply line from Mexico to North America after recent cuts. That’s basically the story. But the film takes over fifty minutes of its run time just to put Cage and Fishburne on screen together for the first time.

Cabell, in writing his first feature length script, seems to have wanted to beef out the run time by including backstories of drug mules and various dealers down the supply chain, the desperate family situations of those in the cartel and an obsessed vengeful detective, played by Leslie Bibb, trying to stop production of a deadly new substance, follwing a tragic personal incident. These are all instances which could’ve been a great source of depth in the hands of a more cohesive screenwriter or harsher editor.

Despite his underrated return to form in recent years, even Nicholas Cage struggles against the backdrop of the film’s litany of plot and scripting issues. Photo: Nicolas Genin via Wikimedia Commons.

However, this wouldn’t change how, as a director, Cabell doesn’t seem that interested in trying to say something with a cartel thriller. This wouldn’t be a problem if the film didn’t take itself so seriously, with its constant dark moody lighting, sparse action scenes and complete absence of Nicolas Cage being able to give a signature over-the-top performance. This isn’t helped by the fact that Cabell just doesn’t come across as that good of a director.

The editing is really choppy. He’ll often introduce characters to us as if we’ve already met them, the constant use of Indiana Jones-ish map markers is more confusing than helpful, the seemingly important story elements we are introduced to go nowhere and even some of the more technically accomplished things (such as several long takes) feel stale and inappropriately adopted.

Running with the Devil takes itself way too seriously for any of these rookie missteps to be forgivable. It is direct-to-DVD schlock, but doesn’t even give us the benefit of fun direct-to-DVD schlock. Even the actors look bored, with Fishburne not even bothering to look completely undressed during an extended sex scene that’s wince-inducing to watch for all the wrong reasons.

Often Nicolas Cage’s recent career has been somewhat mischaracterised as a constant stream of bad choices he didn’t say no to. Normally I disagree. Mandy, Joe and Mom and Dad were all entertaining, enjoyable, and even excellent in their own right. But even he looks like he’s waiting around for his fee to be transferred into his account for most of this dreary borefest.

1/5

Accounting for Style #1: English lit student spends over budget

Written by Anon on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Accounting for Style is a new series at the Mancunion Fashion & Beauty section in which anonymous Manchester students track all of their fashion and beauty purchases over the period of a month. Get a glimpse into the way your peers spend their money on their style, the splurges and the savings…

A trip to Paris Fashion Week and adjusting to autumn/winter weather means one University of Manchester student spends slightly over budget this September.

Age: 20

Degree: English Literature

Degree year: 3

Yearly student maintenance loan: £3,875.00 (minimum)

Rent: £95/week (£380/month)- paid for by parents

Part time job? No, but I have some savings from a summer job and do irregular work (e.g. babysitting)

Any extra cash? My parents kindly give me £100 per month to help with commuting costs & because I have the minimum student loan

Monthly budget: £380

Fashion & beauty spending habits: I spend most of my money on fashion purchases and try and save in other areas (I don’t drink and rarely eat out). I don’t buy many beauty products (I usually ask for beauty products at Christmas and then use them for the next year- this is probably unhygienic but something has got to give).

Monthly estimated spend on fashion & beauty: I’m going to Paris Fashion Week with the brand I intern for this month, so I think slightly higher than normal as I will probably want to buy new clothes before I go/whilst I’m there. Let’s say £200.

5th September: My first purchase is a fairly practical, if boring, one! Socks and underwear from Primark – I try not to buy from cheap, fast fashion brands but I don’t have anywhere near the budget for bougie underwear. £8

6th September: £10 leaves my Monzo main account and lands in my ‘Winter Coat’ savings pot. I’ve had a £10 weekly direct debit to this pot since July because I have a bad habit for buying a terrible quality, cheap coat that falls apart by the end of winter. So this year, I decided I needed to have the money ready for when I find ‘the one’ that will hopefully last me a very long time. £10.

13th September: A whole week has passed and I haven’t spent any money on fashion or beauty, yay! £10 comes out of my account and into the ‘Winter Coat’ pot though. £10

14th September: I head into town with my mum and sister and end up in and amongst the & Other Stories (my true weakness) sale racks. I end up buying a highly discounted black linen wrap dress that I think will be great for Paris (I have to dress in line with the style of the brand I work for) as well as many summers to come. £26.55

15th September: I get home in the evening and many a internet browse leads me to the Beauty Pie website, a brand I’ve been interested in for a while. The concept is that they sell beauty products direct from the luxury beauty factories at the manufacturing cost. In order to make this happen, however, there is a monthly subscription fee. I sign up to the minimum monthly subscription fee (£5) and split it with my mum so we can try the products out and see what we think. I end up choosing a new cleanser and a lipstick, this also comes with a free mascara. Including the membership, the total comes to £18.

16th September: I go out looking for some VEJA trainers I’ve been after for a while. VEJA are a sustainable shoe brand who make the shoes in small batches, hence them being so hard to get hold of. They’re pricey (especially for someone who doesn’t love shoes) but you’re paying for the sustainability, which I’m really trying to do with my spending at the moment. I finally find the pair I want in Office and buy them with 10% student discount. £103

17th September: one of the eyelets in my new shoes has ripped! I call my mum for advice (this is a daily occurrence) on whether to return or exchange them and I am leaning towards returning them because I can’t  afford them at the moment anyway. My mum tells me I should exchange them and get a new pair because I have been wanting a pair for upwards of a year and I need some practical shoes (this is very true). She kindly offers to pay because she knows I am struggling with not having a job this year so I can focus on my degree and unpaid roles. -£103

18th September: I try to exchange the shoes but they’re sold out in my size (the saga never ends). I go to Flannels and they have my size there but they don’t do student discount so I pay full price. The difference is £12.

19th September: I head to the Northern Quarter for ‘research’ for an article on second-hand shopping and fall into Uniqlo. After trying most of the shop on, I buy a cream jumper and a black knitted midi skirt (£51.70). I also buy a playsuit from COW which isn’t even slightly seasonally appropriate but I couldn’t turn it down (£19). £70.70

20th September: Winter coat direct debit. £10

23rd September: Spend the morning planning my Paris outfits and decide I am going to go and buy an & Other Stories jumper that I have wanted for so long, to fill a hole in my wardrobe as ‘the perfect black jumper’. They offer 10% student discount so the total comes to £64

25th September: I’ve arrived in Paris without a moisturiser because the one I usually buy from Lush has increased in price and I don’t think it’s worth it anymore. I head into a French pharmacy and buy one based on the pharmacist’s recommendation (hoping I managed to communicate in French that I wanted a light, non-greasy moisturiser). It comes with a free micellar water too. £15.09

27th September: Winter coat direct debit. £10

28th September: Spent the afternoon wandering around Paris trying to find a pair of heels for a swanky event which I hadn’t realised was happening that evening. The only pair I like are £95 so I decide to wear flats – my feet and bank balance will thank me.

30th September:  I realise I still have a €20 note left to spend (I go home tomorrow morning) so I go to a French pharmacy and pick up a Caudalie toner, two mini Loccitane shower oils and a mini Loccitane body lotion. This feels like fake money because I would have never gotten that €20 note changed back to pounds but nevertheless – £17.86

Overall spent: £271.75

Fashion: £221.25

Beauty: £50.50

Overall verdict: I went a little bit over my predicted spends but I am quite pleased that I didn’t buy any clothes in Paris, especially considering there were lots of times when I could have been tempted. Everything I did buy fashion-wise I have already worn a lot and so I’m not too annoyed at myself for this total, especially considering £40 of the money went into my Winter Coat savings pot.

I think my mum paying for my VEJA trainers definitely helped the overall total. But I’m so happy I didn’t return them because, since buying them, they’ve barely rubbed at all (despite many warnings that they would) and I’ve been wearing them all the time. The & Other Stories jumper was also a great purchase that I know I’ll wear all throughout the winter; I wore it nearly every day in Paris and it’s great for lounging around the house in too.

I’m really enjoying my Beauty Pie products so far and might even upgrade my subscription. The French pharmacy products are all great too although I probably could have saved that €20 for food at the airport which I ended up putting on my card. October definitely needs to be a month of saving although I might buy my winter coat with my savings if I end up finding the one because the temperatures are really starting to drop.

Overall, it could have been worse, could have been better, but in all honestly, it’s usually worse than this so I’m not going to be too hard on myself.

Would you like to anonymously track your fashion & beauty purchases for the period of a month for The Cost of Student Style? Email [email protected] to express your interest or come along to our meetings every Monday at 6:15pm in The Hive.

Photo: KGGucwa @Wikimedia

Manchester United announce financial gains amidst performance woes

Written by Harry Deacon on . Posted in Sport.

In the post-Alex Ferguson age, arguably the biggest side in English football – Manchester United – has struggled to find its feet.

A measly one win out of their last six games has slumped Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side down to tenth in the Premier League, which is a position unknown to the United greats of less than a decade ago – and also represents the worst start league start for the Old Trafford outfit in 30 years.

Yet, for all their woes on the pitch and in the dressing room, the size of the club as a brand is still producing meteoric revenues from its global ventures.

A total of £627.1m was vacuumed towards Old Trafford in the 12 months leading up to July 2019, a significant increase on the £589.8m made in the year before that.

Further increases to sponsorship deals, whether by renewing old contracts or acquiring new ones, have kept the Red Devils’ sponsorship revenue at a steady £173m, perhaps giving an insight to why the purse strings at Old Trafford are often very loosely attached.

The arrivals of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Daniel James cost the club just shy of £150m this summer, but when one sees the cash flow that makes its way through Glazer-Woodward set-up, the transfer sums do not seem so vast.

It can be seen, then, that although Manchester United are struggling to find form after Solskjaer’s brief honeymoon period ended, the financial backing around the club will always act as a cushion to fall back on for those at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer is clearly trying to build a dynasty, with a mix of academy products and young signings. While the team is still a long way from being complete, the revenues produced by the club’s as a brand will be comforting for his transfer strategy.

That said, with Champions League football no longer visiting Old Trafford, revenues could take a sharp downturn in the not so distant future. In order to maintain the status of a once-dominant club, the current side will have to force their way back to the top of the Premier League, and soon.

Japan shock Ireland in the Rugby World Cup

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Sport.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup is now well underway, with most results going as expected. There has been one major shock though, and that has come from the hosts, Japan.
After seeing off Russia comfortable 30-10 in the opening game of the tournament, Japan came up against Ireland, their toughest opponent in Pool A. Ireland eased past Scotland 27-3 and are one of the favourites to win the Webb Ellis Cup, coming into the World Cup as the world’s top-ranked team.
Four years earlier, in what has been described as the “Miracle of Brighton’, Japan shocked the world by beating two-time world champions South Africa 34-32 with an injury-time winning try. The Cherry Blossoms’ manager Jamie Joseph said his team has been “preparing for three years” for this World Cup, hoping to go one step further than 2015 by reaching the knockout stages.
Japan enter half time 9-12 down but rallied together to score ten unanswered points in the second half. Kenki Fukouka’s 59th minute try set the stage for a thrilling final 20 minutes before Yu Tamura’s penalty kick sealed the victory eight minutes from time.
After the match, Joseph said: “We obviously had a lot of belief in our game plan and in what we wanted to do. We knew how good Ireland were and how strong they were.”
Ireland’s defeat to Japan was their first in a World Cup to a non-tier one nation. With games against Samoa and Scotland left, one win with a bonus point should be enough to see Japan progress, although Joseph’s men will be eyeing four wins from four.
England also have two games left to wrap up the group stage. First is a trip to the capital to play Argentina on Saturday, followed by France at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on the 12th.
A win against Los Pumas would be enough to see England progress into the knockout stages. Eddie Jones’ men will not accept anything less than perfection though however, and a win against France is vital to top the group.

Review: Ready or Not

Written by Tom Kuson on . Posted in Film.

Grace (Samara Weaving) has recently married into the privileged Le Domas family who made their fortune producing boardgames, with a stubborn tradition of playing a game every night of a wedding. Having to play hide and seek until dawn, Grace quickly discovers that this is more than just a Trivial Pursuit; this Twilight Struggle is to the death, with increasingly anarchic developments.

When I first saw the trailer for this film, it looked like a white Get Out. Although it bares narrative similarities with less effective horror but more laughs, I was pleasantly surprised with how clever the writing was.

Right off the bat, a flaw with the horror in film is that it relies too much on throwing gore at the screen. Repeatedly, people are shot, stabbed, and maimed in uncreative ways. Although the gore isn’t the punchline, it’s a frustrating missed opportunity when the film is set in a bloody mansion of cult secrets. In your typical horror film, these set-pieces would be quickly forgotten but an exception in this film is a nasty scene involving a ladder, which is the best and most memorable part of the Ready or Not.

A common problem with horror films is that the comedy interferes with the scares and takes you out of the scene. Directors ought to take note of Ready or Not, as it pulls this off very well.

This is thanks to Samara Weaving, the actress who plays Grace and who holds the film together. Grace acts as a conduit for the audience — a woman from a comparatively normal background and no clue what she’s getting herself into. Weaving’s reactions as she scrabbles through the unpredictable and outlandish developments of the plot are believable, managing to completely sell the transition from newly-wed bride to unhinged horror “lead girl” with charismatic flare.

Most importantly, the comedy isn’t jettisoned in the final act. Many horror comedies tend to give up in the third act and simply become lame horror films. I respect Ready or Not for taking a Risk and making people laugh up to the last minute.

The writing was notably intelligent. Where many horror-comedy writers simply jot gore, nudity, and expletives onto paper, Ready or Not was made by people who respect and understand the genre. Rather than simply pay lip-service to tropes and stereotypes, the writers use the film to actively subvert them. Many characters go through genuine nuanced development, in ways that actually affect the plot.

The notion that “the rich are other people” is not new, but what was interesting was how the more sinister characters were the women who also married into the family, women who had traverse through Snakes and Ladders to earn their Ticket to Ride for their immensely privileged lifestyle. This mirrors how many people of older generations feel resentment to youth, who they see as privileged individuals who don’t want to work as hard as they did.

Personally, in regards to the humour and gore, it felt like the Dominoes didn’t fall exactly into place in this film. However, it was an undeniable good time – I was never bored, and it was clearly effective for others in the cinema. It’s a cleverly written Love Letter with genuine respect for its genre, and worth watching if Uno that horror-comedy is for you.

3/5.

Review: The Farewell

Written by williamjohnston on . Posted in Film.

The Farewell follows Billi, a 20 something year old living in New York, who is intimately connected to her extended family in China, in particular her Grandmother, or in Chinese, “Nai Nai”.

Nai Nai is revealed to be ill, but the family have chosen to hide it from her for her own sake. This is where the internal, as well as external, journey for the family, and particularly Billi, begins.

The shining star in this film is Shuzhen Zhao, who plays Nai Nai. She thoughtfully portrays a strong woman of youthful soul, one who you can’t help but compare to your own grandparents. There is a delicate balance between fragility of body but strength of spirit which both the film and Zhao masterfully capture, heightened further by the childlike obliviousness of Nai Nai.

The film sweetly illuminates the inevitable role reversal whereby the children and grandchildren become protective of and responsible for their elders.

Awkwafina, who plays the protagonist Billi, gives a convincing and nuanced performance, and it is satisfying to watch her take centre stage in an emotional and sincere piece, while still managing to weave wit into the character. However, I personally found there to be a spark missing in the relationship of these two characters, where moments of teasing felt forced and the tender moments felt rushed. Are people still scared of silence in films?

 

There are some scenes that are full of life, most noticeably the scene focusing on death when the family take a visit to Nai Nai’s husband’s grave, to provide offerings.

Not only is it a funny and well executed scene, but it is also a lovely insight into culture and family relations with which I was not aware of. Being an English audience member must also be mentioned. It gave me a certainly one sided view of the story, which I think is the film’s intention: to make you question how grief is dealt with.

We come into the story following a girl living in New York and have to navigate our way through an unfamiliar culture, as does Billi herself to some extent. The internal conflict between the clashing cultural responses to illness is something she struggles with from start to finish.

There was an interesting dynamic of colour throughout the film, with a simplistic blend of creams, browns and beiges, punctuated by vibrancy, such as the umbrella scene. It nicely forges a motif of changing times and progressively lost culture, that is more explicitly explored later in the film when we learn Nai Nai’s old community has been built over.

The score is also contains an element of playfulness, adding a certain energy. The only trouble is that this energy is often injected a little too late, whereby I had found myself losing concentration.

It was as if I felt cold at parts of the film, and was desperately awaiting warmth to come along and wrap me in its arms…but every time it never came.

Overall, I couldn’t help but feel a longing for more authenticity in the script and heart in the film; this stopped me letting go completely, and unquestionably following the characters on their emotional journey.

3/5

Photo: Warehouse Project Press

Students find unlikely substances in Warehouse Project drugs test

Written by Joe Manock on . Posted in News.

Athlete’s Foot treatment and crushed Imodium were among substances found in pills confiscated at the Warehouse Project on Saturday night.

The drugs were tested by the Manchester Metropolitan University organisation Manchester Drug Analysis and Knowledge Exchange (MANDRAKE). MANDRAKE, which is England’s first permanent city-based testing and harm reduction facility, aims to safeguard the Greater Manchester community through the use of scientific testing.

Manchester’s Night Time Economy Advisor Sacha Lord, who runs the Parklife festival and set up the Warehouse Project, spearheaded forensic testing at raves after a thirty-year-old Nick Bonnie died at The Warehouse Project in 2013 due to ingesting a large dose of MDMA.

In response to the Imodium discovered, a diarrhea relief tablet, Lord joked that those who accidentally took it would benefit from “figs or a good strong curry”.

Lord’s partnership with ‘MANDRAKE’ is indicative of a long-standing commitment to ‘back-of-house’ testing. Samples are obtained by security and tested rapidly, so worrying results can be communicated to the crowd via social media. The Loop, a charity that provides harm reduction services for music events, has tested drugs confiscated or posted into an amnesty box at events run by Lord since 2013.

Ambiguity remains over the effectiveness of this approach. The Loop’s preferred method is ‘front-of-house’, which sees users submit samples for analysis and receive their results as part of a confidential harm reduction package. Lord has said he is “sat on the fence” about front-of-house testing, and the Warehouse Project are not expected to implement it.

In conversation: Sue Wilson, Chair of Bremain in Spain

Written by Nicole Wootton-Cane on . Posted in Features.

I met Sue Wilson on what can only be described as a typical Manchester Sunday afternoon in 2019 – grey, rainy, and full of protests. The city must have felt millions of miles from Wilson’s current home in sunny Valencia, Spain, but neither the miserable weather, nor the fact that she had to walk in it from St. Peter’s Square to Rusholme (many of the main roads were closed in preparation for protests over the Conservative Party Conference), seemed to dampen her spirits. “I don’t come to Manchester for the weather,” she joked as we sat down.

And she certainly didn’t. Wilson was in Manchester to speak at the ‘Defend our Democracy’ rally, held over the weekend to coincide with the Conservative Party Conference. She is currently the chair of Bremain in Spain, a campaign group made up of Remainers looking to protect the rights of British citizens living in Spain. The group argue for the need for a second referendum, which is what Wilson calls “the most democratic way.” But she told me she ultimately feels that preventing Brexit altogether is the “only way we’re going to protect our rights”.

Wilson is one of approximately 1.3 million UK-born people currently living in EU countries outside of the UK and Ireland, and is unsurprisingly concerned about the effect of Brexit on those in her position. She is the first to admit that Brexit completely changed her political consciousness, calling the result of the 2016 referendum “a real wake-up call”.

“I wasn’t interested in politics at all, I wasn’t interested in current affairs either. I used to constantly tell my husband to switch the news off, it used to bore me,” she told me. But the result of the EU referendum changed all that. When asked why she thought Brexit had such a profound impact on her – enough to turn a previously politically disinterested, disengaged person into an activist within three months – she told me that it didn’t feel like a choice.

“I couldn’t believe that the country would decide to shoot itself in the foot in this way. As we’ve learned over the last 3.5 years, it’s so damaging to the country, people’s rights, to everything we hold dear really, so it wasn’t a choice to get involved. I felt as though I had no option – I had to do something.”

She encouraged any students who had felt similarly politically awakened by the result of the referendum to reach out to a student group, such as Inspire.EU and For Our Future’s Sake, but most importantly, to stay informed.

“There are lots of sources of information, and there are lots of campaign groups. There are ones specifically aimed at different groups; there are definitely groups that students can join, there are groups that young people can join, and even if you decide not to be active yourself, at least if you know the facts then you can make that decision as to whether you want to do anything about it or not, and whether it’s important to you or not.”

When asked about the space that young people and students occupy in the Brexit debate, Wilson was quick to point to the fact that nobody born in this century, many of whom are 18, and indeed university students today, had an opportunity to vote in the 2016 referendum. She acknowledged, that some young people did (and do) support Brexit, but fought against the ‘young versus old’ rhetoric that so often pervades the debate.

“People think that everyone over the age of 60 supports Brexit, and that just isn’t true,” she told me. “Of course, Brexit has a huge impact on the future of young people, but I have a good many years left and it’s my future, too.”

Wilson also advised EU nationals living in the UK to stay informed but not to panic: “Again I would make sure that you’ve got all your facts straight, don’t pay too much attention to government propaganda because it’s not always 100% accurate and it does rather paint a picture that is perhaps not the whole truth.” She pointed those in need of help to talk to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, or the Students’ Union, who are currently running an EU Settlement Drive.

Wilson admitted that she doesn’t know what a post-Brexit future will hold for her: “I can’t imagine what I will do when Brexit’s finally over with, because I don’t know whether this has turned me into a campaigner for life, or if this is my one big passion.”

However, she doesn’t think it’s nearly over yet; she told me she is hopeful that we won’t leave the EU on October 31st, as projected by the government. In her own words: “there’s everything to play for.”

Lancashire cricket promoted in County Championship

Written by Luke Keohane on . Posted in Sport.

Following last summer’s hard-fought relegation from Division One, Manchester’s home county, Lancashire, had an unbeaten season which saw them crowned champions of Division Two. Glenn Chapple’s side were not only successful in the longer format, but got so close to tasting T20 success, too.

Going into 2019, the season always looked promising. Having Australian superstar Glenn Maxwell for a large chunk of the season, meant chasing promotion was always on the cards. In addition, they were aided by the experience of fellow Aussies Joe Burns and James Faulkner.

However, it was not only the big international signings that Lancashire were proud of. Richard Gleeson, signed from Northamptonshire, helped spark their seam-attack, and the appointment of Dane Vilas as captain proved extremely beneficial.

The season started well for the Red Roses. Three wins from their first four games set them on course for a title-challenge. This included a superb 5-25 against Worcestershire from England legend James Anderson, who proved imperative to Lancashire’s early successes. England’s hero managed to take 30 wickets in six games, at an average of just over nine.

His mastery was most evident against Derbyshire, picking up nine wickets in the match for just 47 runs, meaning the midlands side were bowled out for 153 and 87, respectively. Lancashire were definitely aided by the fact that Test cricket only started in July, allowing Jimmy’s stay at Old Trafford to be longer than normal.

The momentum gathered in the first half of the season was easily matched in the second half. Captain Vilas’ exceptional 266 off 240 balls against Glamorgan in August had to be seen to be believed. His innings, which included over 40 boundaries, helped his side record an innings win over the Welsh county. The South African scored well over 1000 runs at a whopping average of 79.

Yet, Lancashire’s batting heroics were not just up to Vilas. Josh Bohannon’s 174 against Derbyshire in September helped him to an average of over 50 for the season. Furthermore, it proved to be a pivotal innings as it led to the sides’ official promotion.

Outside of the four day game, Lancashire had a great season with the white ball. Topping the North Group in the T20 Blast, Lancashire were widely expected to win their second piece of silverware of the year. Three fifties from Maxwell and superb death bowling from Faulkner awarded Lancashire a quarter-final T20 Blast fixture. It proved, however, a step too far as they lost by six wickets to the eventual champions, Essex.

With Lancashire now promoted, the 2020 edition of the County Championship looks to be frighteningly exciting. With Somerset coming so close to stealing Essex’s crown, Lancashire could well be in the mix to claim their first County Championship in eight years. However, with Essex and Somerset hitting new heights, it is vital now more than ever that Vilas and co knuckle down.

The Economist to hold Open Future Festival in Manchester

Written by Nicole Wootton-Cane on . Posted in News.

The Economist are hosting the second annual Open Future Festival 2019 this weekend in Manchester.

The event, which takes place on Saturday October 5th, sees speakers, exhibitions and discussions addressing a variety of topics including the environment, education, immigration, free trade, artificial intelligence, identity politics, the future of the welfare state, and more.

Prominent speakers at the event include Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, writer and co-founder of The Fuve Foundation Nimco Ali, and a video message from Bill Gates.

The event is aimed at young people in particular, and is described as “an initiative to remake the case for liberal values and policies in the 21st century”.

Speakers from across the political spectrum will engage in talks about the biggest and most pressing issues around the world today, including ‘Activism and Pragmatism: A Global Conversation’ and ‘Under Siege: Journalism In a Post-Truth World’, as well as a series called ‘Five Ideas in Five Minutes’, which will see panellists discuss broad ideas such as ‘The Business of Veganism’ in quick-fire discussions.

As well as talks, attendees have the opportunity to watch Economist Films screenings and connect with others at the event.

Tickets are still on sale, and are priced at £39. Students can get 30% off tickets to the event by using the code Open30 at the checkout.