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Month: January 2020

Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Written by Alexia Pieretti on . Posted in Theatre.

In 1922, American fiction writer F. Scott Fitzgerald published a short story entitled The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In 2008, an adaptation transformed the text into a feature film, starring Brad Pitt. And now, in 2019, Imogen Hayes and Joseph Conway staged their own version with the University of Manchester Drama Society at the King’s Arms – created not, from a pre-published script but, instead, through a devising process.

I have never read the book nor watched the film, but I was aware of the basic concept of the story: a man ages backwards, born elderly and getting younger as the years go by.

As you might imagine, this concept is something that amounts to hilarious possibilities but is also disturbing to think about.

Newcomer Laurie Bayley-Higgins played the lead. He began the play groaning and croaking, with grey hair and a beard comprised of cotton wool. After this, little makeup was used to show his de-aging. Instead, Bayley-Higgins effectively captured the different ages of the character through posture and vocal technique.

I was delighted to see the casting of international students in this production – around half of the cast were not English, which is something that is rarely seen in University plays with any society. In particular, Beatrice Nettuno stood out as Benjamin’s seductive mistress, Sylvia, who spoke with her native Italian accent and even wove Italian phrases into her speech.

Hayes and Conway chose to use the story’s period setting, spanning the early twentieth century, shown through the beautiful costumes. This was refreshing in a world dominated by a drive for ‘modern’ adaptations.

The play was a paragon of physical theatre with fantastic visual effects. At one instant, Benjamin joined the army and fired upon a group of enemy soldiers. His gun was represented by a closed umbrella and as he fired, two ensemble members quickly beat on drums while the lights flashed, illustrating gunfire.

At the end of the play, as a baby Benjamin crept towards his death, his parents, Hildegarde and Sylvia, crept behind a glass screen. This screen was shown onstage throughout the production but unused until this crucial moment.

This created an air of mystery surrounding this object.

The glass was patterned so that the performers appeared as distorted silhouettes through it but became clearer as they moved closer. Without a word being spoken, we knew this was the veil between life and death – these were the ghosts of all the close relations in Benjamin’s life, calling out to him. And before you ask, yes, Mrs. Button (Mae Lankshear) did give birth to an old man onstage, complete with a chorus of women screaming around her.

I do, however, have mixed feelings about the play. It had some issues with pacing; a large portion of the play dwelled on Benjamin when he was in his twenties (but appearing in his middle-age), only to abruptly jump to when he had an adult son and he, himself, had the appearance of a teenager.

Interesting characters such as Benjamin’s wife, Hildegarde (Drama Society chair Grace Johnstone), were dropped, and Benjamin’s eccentric father (Thomas Valerio) was underutilised in the second half.

Additionally, there were gaps in the world of the play: Hildegarde did not believe Benjamin that he was aging backwards and we never had the chance to see her reaction upon discovering the truth. Many of these flaws, of course, come down to time constraints and the fact the cast and crew had only two months to devise a full show.

Overall, this play had a visual beauty brought to life by an energetic cast, which I have no doubt would be remarkable on a larger stage and with a longer run time. It is no small feat to devise a play, especially one adapted from the literary canon, and, thus, the creative team must be praised.

Transport in Manchester Photo: David Ingham @ Wikimedia Commons

Stagecoach Manchester report healthy profit amid fare increases

Written by Josh Sandiford on . Posted in News.

Stagecoach Greater Manchester has reported a slight drop in pre-tax profits for the 2018-19 financial year, with rising costs beginning to bite despite some fare rises this month.

The figures, which account for all Stagecoach services in the south of Manchester, show a pre-tax profit of £15.2m, down from £17.6m, but overall revenues went up to £123.3m, an increase from £119.6m. Operating costs went up to £109.2m from £103.4m. 

The bus company is one of the largest in Manchester and their blue and yellow ‘Magic Buses’ are instantly recognisable to most students in the city.

Despite the drop in profits, the highest-paid director saw an increase in salary, from £211,000 to £216,000. Director pay appears to be steadily rising, in 2017, this figure was £199,000. 

Pascale Robinson, who runs the campaign for Better Buses in Greater Manchester, told The Mancunion it was a “scandal” that the company had posted a pre-tax profit while running a “worsening” service. 

Robinson said: “Bus companies making £15.2m in pre-tax profit, while running an ever-worsening service and increasing our fares year in year out, is a scandal. With the current system, bus companies cherry-pick the most profitable routes, pocket big money, and leave us to pay for the rest of the routes, at a price they set. 

“Public control will mean we can use profits from busy routes to fund more vital routes for the public good. We can use public money better to get back evening and weekend services. Bus companies make a healthy profit, and yet 8 million miles have been cut from the network since 2010. We can’t carry on like this. We deserve what London has: a regular, reliable, publicly controlled bus network. We hope Andy Burnham listens to Greater Manchester.” 

In the new year, Stagecoach held the price of single journey tickets, but 7-day, 28-day and Xtra tickets did see increased prices. 

Stagecoach predominantly operates local bus services, carrying around 291,000 passengers a day. The company operates a fleet of 748 (2018: 788) buses and employs 2,302 (2018: 2,307) people.

These services are mainly operated on a commercial basis in a largely deregulated market. Earlier this month, campaigners called for Greater Manchester’s buses to be brought back under public control with an 11,000 strong petition handed to Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. 

In the newly released financial report, the company said it continues to expect ‘subdued’ revenue trends from local bus services in the short-term.

The company said it had implemented “targeted mileage reductions” and “selective fare rises” as it makes changes to services to support the long-term success of the business. 

A spokesperson for Stagecoach Manchester said: “Stagecoach Manchester has a proud history of investing heavily in the region, with well over £110m spent on new buses, services and technologies over the last 10 years alone.

“The latest phase of this investment will see us deliver the region’s first double-decker electric buses with zero emissions, and a further 52 new low emission Euro 6 buses which will be rolled out across Greater Manchester over the coming months. Without profit, this substantial and ongoing investment would not be possible.

“Our services already outscore London’s bus transport for customer satisfaction and the average fare paid by our customers in Manchester is £1.12, compared with London’s taxpayer subsidised £1.50 single Oyster or contactless fare, while our single fare has been frozen for two years.

“We are committed to improving the bus network further but need the support of local decision-makers to tackle key issues, like car congestion, to give local people the transport network they need. Spending over £134m of taxpayer cash to franchise the bus network will not tackle these key issues and is therefore not the best way to instigate positive change.”

University of Sussex to offer students up to £100 in strike compensation

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

The University of Sussex will become the first British university to offer students strike compensation following recent industrial action at institutions across the country.

The university is offering its students up to £100 for “distress and inconvenience” caused by the University and College Union (UCU)’s eight-day strike at the end of last year. 

Sussex are asking students to apply for the money through their “industrial action ex gratia scheme”, an online form where students can rate impact of the strikes on their learning from minor to significant, as well as detailing contact hours missed.

Pro-vice chancellor Kelly Coate wrote to students: “We do recognise that some students may have experienced distress and/or inconvenience during the strike days. So we have moved quickly to provide an opportunity for you to tell us if you feel you experienced any distress and inconvenience – and to what extent – and have decided to launch an ‘ex-gratia’ payment scheme in respect of this – which is now open. The University of Sussex believes this is important to offer its students.”

The university says it will offer £40 for minor distress and inconvenience, and £100 for the maximum, following advice from the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).

UCU are currently balloting on whether to undertake further industrial action at a further 25 universities during the upcoming term, voting closing on the 28th of January. Over 60 universities took part in last term’s strike.

The Office for Students (OFS) advises students who have had lectures, assessments and services disrupted due to strike action to contact their university or Students’ Union to see if it is possible to make up for lost teaching. The OFS has also encouraged students to apply for mitigating circumstances.

Meghan and Harry are finally getting their happily ever after

Written by Jay Darcy on . Posted in Opinion.

Meghan Markle has often been portrayed as the woman who “wears the pants” in her relationship. The pundit class insist, on an almost daily basis, that she lured and seduced Harry and so it is not particularly surprising that the joint decision between them to step down as Senior Royals is being paraded as some kind of entrapment; Meghan and her feminine wiles have supposedly gotten the better of Harry and completely clouded his judgement.

After the initial announcement, twitter was flooded with tweets about the young couple. Quite a few of them seemed to have a similar theme; I read one tweet for instance that actually applauded the Royal Family’s ability to ignore their scandals and keep it together for the sake of the country.

You see, scandals are permissible so long as one smiles, is composed, and isn’t Meghan Markle. Because, God forbid a black woman should decide to open a door for herself or flash a bit of skin. Outrageous!

I was at my neighbour’s 80th birthday party last year, and the old lady who lives next door decided to treat us to an anti-Meghan rant. “He could have had any girl in the world,” she said, but he chose “her”. She then began listing the traits that make Meghan ill-suited for the golden boy: she’s divorced, American, an actress… Just say it, I thought. Say she’s black.

Unsurprisingly, she did not, and my neighbour’s 80th birthday party was not ruined, but I really do think that that is what she was thinking (after all, I once overheard this neighbour making anti-immigration comments).

These attacks on Meghan’s “negative” qualities are often just to veil the real reason people don’t like her: she’s black. We’ve seen this again and again – people making up issues to avoid saying the obvious. We saw it when Disney cast Halle Bailey to be Ariel and a torrent of people started foaming at the mouths, angrily typing out ” “but Ariel is supposed to be a red-head”. In other words, Ariel is supposed to be white, and so, too, is a Princess – not mixed race, but white.

Another one of my neighbours passively remarked that if Harry and Meghan are happy, that is all that matters. Harry had many different women to choose from but Harry chose her. Although the choice of words “he could have had any girl in the world” seems to (1) lack consent and (2) dismiss the shocking revelation that it is not every girl’s dream to be a Princess, or get married at all.

The beloved English Prince chose a black, divorced, American actress to be his bride, knowing quite well he’d be scrutinised by his family and lambasted by the press. He must really love her, and she must really love him to give up her career (and that incredible blog!).

That interview Meghan gave last year, where she remarked that the interviewer was the first person to ask her how she is, was haunting. She looked broken. Dead in the eyes. Harry looked exhausted. If Harry and Meghan break up, it will be because of our treatment of them, not because she was “difficult” or they weren’t actually in love.

I don’t think Harry would step down as a Senior Royal for a woman he did not adore. Harry’s comments on avoiding repeating history were clearly about his late mother. Diana died young, so now she is eternalised and immortalised as the People’s Princess, and people forget how she was treated in life.

People are hounding Meghan more than they hounded Diana, especially now that we have social media, so Meghan is being heckled nonstop. And unlike Diana, who was simply at times “rebellious”, Meghan is an immigrant, a commoner and a person of colour.

BuzzFeed compared 20 headlines to see how royal reporters covered cases where Meghan and Kate did the same thing, including breaking royal protocol by showing their shoulders. One case even criticised Meghan for crossing her legs whilst sat metres away from “Kate’s perfect ‘Duchess’ slant,” whilst ignoring the fact Camilla and Princess Margaret also had their legs crossed in the same photo. And – get this – the even the Queen had her ankles crossed. What alienates Meghan from the others?

This coverage, and the appalling number of people defending it, tells you everything you need to know about the growth of bigotry in this country.

As for all of the Royal protocols that Meghan has broken (and she has broken several), is it really of our concern that Meghan – good God! – flashed an inch of skin? It seems incredibly hypocritical that the same people that express such alarm at Megan showing her shoulders, yet think of Islamic ideals of women’s modesty to be dated and draconian.

Perhaps instead of shaming Meghan for daring to not be covered head to toe, it’s time these Royal protocols were changed. As Ilyse Hogue said, in telling her young daughter the story of the Princess who walked away to be herself, she realised: this is literally the best Princess story ever.

Marco Antonio Torres @ Flickr

UoM found to be 4th in the North for CEO alumni

Written by Megan Oyinka on . Posted in News.

Research conducted by Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance of over 9 million UK graduates has identified which university alumni are most likely to start their own business or manage a business.

The results, divided into North and South show that Southern university graduates are more likely to start or manage a business, with none of the Northern universities making the top ten. Bradford graduates topped the charts for business leaders in the north, with one in eight Bradford alumni recorded to have formed startups, making the university 19th in the UK overall.

The University of Manchester was beaten to third place by 0.02% by the University of Cumbria where 11.62% of graduates were using their degrees in business leadership roles.

St Andrew’s came 2nd out of the Northern line-up and ranking 23rd overall making it the only university outside of England in the top 10 round-up. 11.90 of its Alumni were making up CEO’s or similar positions.

Greater Manchester were shown to do well at fostering future business talent, with Salford University coming in 5th out of the Northern universities, and 30th overall in the UK.

Overall, University of the Arts London was titled the university with the most business leaders in their alumni, with almost 1 in 5 of their graduates becoming CEOs or business managers. Falmouth University, which ranked 52nd on the university league tables, came second overall with one in ten of their graduates also becoming freelancers.

Fallowfield shop caught selling knife to 14 year-old

Written by jamesshepherd on . Posted in News.

A Fallowfield-based business has been hit with more than £2,000 worth of fines after a shop assistant was caught selling a knife to a 14 year old child in January 2019.  

The teenager was a volunteer in a Home Office scheme in partnership with Manchester City Council which involved under-aged customers attempting to purchase knives to test stores’ adherence to the law which requires knives to not be sold to persons under the age of 18.  

When the teenager told the seller he was only 14, the shop assistant replied “don’t tell anyone” and proceeded to sell the child a £2 utility knife.

Both the shop assistant and owner of Super Pound hardware store on Hart Road have been ordered to pay over £2,000 worth of fines for their failure to ensure knives were not being sold to minors at the store.  

Speaking on the matter, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods said: “For the sake of £2, these men have a criminal record, and have racked up fines and costs running into the thousands of pounds. I hope this gets the message across that we are prepared to take decisive action to stop the flow of knives onto our streets, and ensure the safety of our communities.”

Between late 2017 and early 2019, 72 test purchases, similar to the one at Super Pound have been carried out in shops across Manchester.  12 of these stores were caught selling knives to minors resulting in four prosecutions, with £8,215 being collected in fines.  

Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards, stressed the responsibility of shop owners to prevent knives being sold to young people: “The law is clear – it’s illegal to sell a knife to a child. Our tests show that it’s still too easy for a child to buy a knife in store or online. These sentences show that selling knives to underage customers does not pay – retailers risk hefty fines for the sake of one-off sales. More importantly, we know that young people are getting involved in knife crime offences, and as such I urge all retailers to do more.”

Councillor Akbar added: “Getting knives out of the hands of young people is one of the most pressing issues of the times we are living in. A knife has the power to devastate families and communities. We have to continue our work to educate people on the consequences of using a knife, but also the consequences of selling a knife. The work that we have done over the past year will galvanise the efforts of the Council and our partners in the months to come.”

Photo: marco bono @Flickr

Mother of Manchester arena bombing victim receives support for her proposals for increased venue security

Written by jamesshepherd on . Posted in News.

The mother of one of the victims at the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 has received local and national support for her proposals for increased security at concert and event venues. 

Figen Murray, whose son Martyn Hett who was one of the 22 concert goers who died on the night of the Manchester Arena attack on 22 May 2017, has lobbied for these changes after she realised that the tragedy in Manchester had not led to any significant increase in security checks at concert venues.  The law has been named ‘Martyn’s Law’ in what Figen Murray has described as “a fitting tribute to not only Martyn but all those who died that night.”  

The proposals outlined by ‘Martyn’s Law’ would introduce new requirements to improve venue security and the safety of patrons against terrorism including counter-terrorism training, vulnerability assessments and requirements for venues and local authorities to have counter-terrorism plans in place. 

Manchester City Council have been early supporters of Murray’s campaign and seek to be the first to introduce the proposals outlined by ‘Martyn’s Law’.  The council hope to revise licensing laws so venues of all sizes to “increase their resilience if there were ever to be a terror event, making sure there are plans in place to protect the public in advance but also during any attack.”  

The national government has also voiced support for the proposals as the Security Minister Brandon Lewis has stated that “The Prime Minister, Home Secretary and I are all 100% behind Figen and are working to improve security measures at public venues and spaces.”

He added: “I am pleased that last week Manchester City Council announced new licensing rules, but we are committed to going further and making Martyn’s Law a reality for all public venues across the UK.”  

Figen Murray has expressed her elation at having received support on both national and local levels saying:  “I am so pleased to see that Manchester City Council have embraced the principles of Martyn’s Law and are setting a brilliant example by introducing some of its principles. It feels like a recognition and deep respect for the bereaved families and the hundreds of injured people. I am certain that Martyn’s Law will save lives through the Council applying simple common sense.”

Murray later added: “I am absolutely delighted.  I met with Mr Lewis a few weeks ago but did not realise they were moving things on so quickly”.

The University of Manchester Photo: Johsua Poh@Flickr

Only 5.3% of UoM academic staff satisfied with University management

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

Only 5.3% of academics at the University of Manchester are satisfied with the senior management and governance of the university, according to a new academic paper that has warned that the UK Higher Education sector is “on the edge of potential disaster”.

The University of Manchester ranked 57thout of 78 UK universities for staff satisfaction with senior management, receiving the fourth lowest score of all Russell Group universities. However, the University maintains that their own surveys show high staff satisfaction, and that measures have been put in place to increase staff engagement with senior management.

The UK higher education senior management survey aims to investigate UK academics’ satisfaction with senior management and governance at their universities. 5,888 members of academic staff across the UK’s Higher Education sector were surveyed.

Across all UK universities, the mean satisfaction score was 10.54%, which the paper’s authors called “a stark indictment of the current state of the UK Higher Education sector”.

The paper also identified seven major themes contributing to this low satisfaction rate, including “the dominance and brutality of metrics”, “excessive workload”, and “work and mental health”.

Responses to the survey criticised senior management across the UK for misusing student funds to embark on “vanity projects”, “silencing” staff, and a lack of accountability.

In their conclusion, the paper’s authors said the results revealed “an acute situation of endemic bullying and harassment, chronic overwork, high levels of mental health problems, general health and wellbeing problems, and catastrophically high levels of demoralisation and dissatisfaction across the UK HE sector.”

In December, The Mancunion published an investigation into staff satisfaction with senior management during the recent University and College Union (UCU) strikes, where a number of academic staff raised concerns over the handling of the strikes by the university’s senior management, with some staff criticising what they called “draconian approaches to running a university”.

Only three Russell Group universities ranked lower than UoM: University College London (59th), University of Birmingham (64th), and Queen’s University Belfast (75th). The highest scoring institution was Oxford University, with 36.60% of staff satisfied with how the university was being managed. At three institutions, 0% of respondents were satisfied with university management.

A spokesperson for the University of Manchester said: “The research and survey in question is based on a very small sample size used of self-selecting staff. This would be deemed unacceptable for the National Student Survey (NSS).

“Our own most recent Staff Survey (69% response rate, over 7,000 staff) last year found that 92% of our employees thought the University was a good place to work, 89% were proud to work for the University and 81% felt they are valued by the people they work with.

“Nevertheless we have put in place numerous additional  means to increase staff engagement with senior management.”

The paper found no patterns that suggested any correlation between factors such as geographical location and research-intensity and the satisfaction score at universities.

“The only conclusion we can draw is that the competence of senior managers is distributed randomly across the sector, and staff in any particular institution may simply be lucky or otherwise to have a good management team or a poor one.

“Judging by these results, UK HE staff are more likely than not to encounter a poor senior management team.”

Survey shows which politicans students would share a pint with

Written by Megan Oyinka on . Posted in News.

A study has found that 26% of students around the country would like to have a pint with our current Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

A survey conducted by Nido Student, polled over 1,500 students from all over the UK to determine what a night down the pub would be like with some of 2019’s politicians. 

While almost a third of the students polled stated Boris Johnson would be their pint pal, the results differed depending on where students were from. Students from the Northwest and Londoners were more likely to want to have a beer with Jeremy Corbyn than Boris, and Scottish students would rather join Nicola Sturgeon for a round. 

It’s no doubt that most students are fond of Jeremy Corbyn, but the poll has also found that Gen Z also may seem him as the most giving and compassionate out of the class of 2019 politicians. 45% of the polled students thought Jeremy, most likely to lend them a tenner, and 86%  of Northwest students were willing to entrust him to look after their wallet whilst popping out. Jeremey was also seen to beat the Green Party at their own game with 52% of North West students reckoning him most likely to use a reusable straw on a night out (that’s 42% more than the Green Party’s co-leader Jonathan Bartley). The poll also crowned Jeremy as our pub local saint, with 48% saying he’s is most likely to give to charity. 

Document pint enthusiast Nigel Farage was voted most likely to get in a fight, with 37% of students reckoning they would have to hold his pint at some point in the night. 

Despite a large percentage of students voting to have a drink with Johnson, a similar percentage reckon he’ll be quick to move on after their night out. 45% of students polled voted Boris Johnson most likely to forget to text them back. 

Manchester Young Labour

Young labour rebrand and regroup after election

Written by Jawad Khan on . Posted in Societies.

The General Election result was undoubtedly disastrous for the Labour Party. But it has strengthened the determination of Labour activists on our campus to make a real difference.

In the last few months, we have had a surge in participation, with dozens more students attending our socials, campaign sessions and solidarity action with striking university staff.

In the coming weeks, we will be re-branding and re-launching as Manchester Young Labour, with the aim of not only engaging students but all young people in the city who share our Labour values. We spoke to three of our new members about their experience so far.

Olivia Malone, first-year Politics and German student

Before coming to Manchester I’d been involved with politics in Ireland, mainly through the gay marriage and repeal the 8th amendment referendums in 2015 and 2018.

I found out about Manchester Labour Students through friends and I haven’t looked back since! Through being out on picket lines and campaigning in various seats during the General Election, I met so many brilliant people and made friends doing something that mattered to me and so many others.

If anyone is thinking of getting involved, I would say just go for it! You not only get the chance to become politically active and create change, but you also meet amazing people through an experience you won’t find anywhere else. I can’t wait to see what we get up to once we re-launch as Manchester Young Labour!

Roman Coussement, first-year Economics and Politics student

Having been a Labour member since 2015, I found out about MLS through the University website. But what really spurred me on to get involved was the election and the hope of securing a Labour government.

Getting out on the doorstep was a great way of interacting with people and learning what politics means to them. The election result was devastating but shows the need for greater political organising: we have a mass membership who will be vital when organising in the context of a Tory majority.

I’m looking forward to staying involved once we become Manchester Young Labour because we do so much more outside of election campaigning. If you want to get involved then just come along to an event! I didn’t know anyone before going for the first time but I received a warm welcome and I felt like I fit in straight away.

Helen Stott, first-year English Literature student

Before coming to university, like many people I assumed student politics was ineffective and out of touch with the real world. But getting active in MLS has proved me wrong! I’d been involved in my local Labour Party back in Essex but there weren’t many other young people. Coming to Manchester has been refreshing because I’m surrounded by a group of passionate young people committed to making their ideas a reality.

Getting involved may seem daunting but it’s definitely worth it because I’ve met incredible people. Nothing creates a better atmosphere than solidarity over a common cause! Being in MLS gave me the opportunity to get active in the trade union movement by attending Unite’s political school and joining UCU members on picket lines at the university.

The election result was disappointing but it’s furthered my conviction that the Labour Party’s future lies in empowering our unions and local communities and we all have our part to play in doing that.

To find out more about Manchester Labour Students (soon to be Manchester Young Labour) check out their Facebook page and keep an eye out for upcoming events!

Photo: Elena Bradley

Review: Shoryu, ramen worth the splurge

Written by Elena Meritxell Bradley on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Japanese food is an eternally sexy cuisine. From the Kardashian-approved Nobu to the cult favourite Wagamamas, it’s cool to like Japanese food. It’s also a multi-faceted cuisine; from precise, masterful art of sushi and sashimi to the more robust ramens and katsu curry, Japanese has it all. So, in celebration of my love for Japanese food, I had to give Shoryu a try.

A stones throw away from the Piccadilly Gardens bus station, Shoryu is a discrete yet chic restaurant space. Clean, open and flooded with light – the painfully chic vibes are obviously met with enthusiasm, as I rarely see it empty.

Getting straight into the food, I ordered a few small plates and then the ramen to follow. Of the small plates, I tried the tempura sprouts (which was their winter special), the crispy baby octopus, chicken gyoza and the ultimate Japanese snack; the bao buns.  To those of you who have never had bao buns before – I suggest you immediately do. A hand-held, bread-based thing of beauty, the bao bun is an enriched, sweet steamed dough filled with a variety of ingredients. Classically,  the fluffy sweetness of the dough is paired with something more robust and densely flavoured like a sticky pork belly or chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken). The ones I chose were chicken karaage, which were delicately placed in each bun with a crisp slice of cucumber and a slicking of hoisin sauce and Japanese mayo. These were absolutely delicious and in my opinion, better than Wagamamas’ version, which seem slightly more processed and mass-produced.

The octopus karaage (essentially, floured deep-fried octopus), were incredible. Though not for everyone, seafood fans and hardcore foodies should definitely give them a go. They’re slightly more meaty than squid, but equally as delicious. As usual, the gyozas were a thing of beauty, slightly fried and slightly steamed, the crispy yet translucent dumpling skin was housing an amazingly moist chicken filling. The serving was a bit over-kill, with four gyozas served in a mini cast iron pan… not complaining though – we love a good theatrical dumpling presentation.

The only small plate that disappointed was the tempura sprouts. Though limited edition and there purely  to add something vaguely festive, they were lack-lustre. I love tempura vegetables, with the crisp light batter – but the batter here was heavy, soggy and encasing an equally soggy sprout. Not into it.

Photo: Elena Bradley
Photo: Elena Bradley          

However, in making up for the sprouts, the ramen and katsu curry we ordered for a main were not disappointing. I ordered the Miso Wafu Chicken Ramen, as although I’d usually go for a rich pork ramen, my boyfriend doesn’t eat pork (in a bizarre fear that pigs are ‘too sweaty’ because they don’t release their toxins…). The reason I say this was that I feared the chicken ramen might be a bit plain and boring. But, I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken karaage was crisp and done with brown meat, so tender and juicy. The ramen was made with a rich stock comprising of white miso, shiitake mushrooms and konbu (seasoning seaweed), soba noodles and soya milk to give it an added creaminess. The toppings were suitably exciting with seaweed, pickled ginger, and crisp nori sheets. My boyfriend’s katsu curry was delicious as expected, a Japanese staple done very well. The ramen was £13.50 which was a fair price, comparable with Wagamama and definitely more authentic. The Chicken katsu curry was £11.90, so equally comparable.

Photo: Elena Bradley
Photo: Elena Bradley

For dessert, I couldn’t resist the mochi. Mochi are essentially, balls of ice cream encased in a glutenous rice flour, which make them chewy on the outside and ice-cream-filled in the middle. We tried the salted caramel and the yuzu (which is a Japanese citrus fruit). Very moreish. Dangerously quaffable.

Photo: Elena Bradley.
Photo: Elena Bradley.

 

In summary, Shoryu didn’t disappoint. It feels more authentically Japanese than Wagamamas, with Japanese chefs shouting and working away around the diners in an open kitchen. The service is warm and efficient, the menu is bountiful and the food is satisfying and delicious.

I would say the only feedback is that the ramen could have had slightly more depth, as it was satisfying but slightly lacked the richness I expect from a big bowl of ramen.

However I would definitely return, even just for the small plates!

8/10

A chance for the future stars to shine in Lausanne

Written by Iwan Hopkins on . Posted in Sport.

The sun setting on the Swiss mountains marks the end of another successful Winter Youth Olympic Games. After two weeks of intense action and competition, it’s important to look back at the successes of these sporting prodigies.

Lausanne was chosen to be the host of what is only the third ever Youth Winter Olympics, and it is clear to all those watching why this was the case. The picturesque city, situated just off the shores of Lake Geneva, faces the Jura mountains – location for many of the outdoor events.

33 nations formed teams that were ranked in the medal table, with athletes coming from an even greater total of 79 countries. The final results were fairly predictable, with Russia just about edging out the Swiss hosts, by a total of five silver medals.

It did not look like there would be much to write home about for Team GB, until ‘one in a generation athlete’ Kirsty Muir stepped onto the slopes on the final day.

Despite coming in right on the cusp of the minimum age limit, at 15 years old, the youngster really looked at home against the competition. Born in Aberdeen, and skiing since the age of three on an artificial slope, she did not disappoint the lofty expectations which were put upon her.

Prior to the games, the BBC compiled a list of the five British athletes that they expected to produce big things in Lausanne. Top of that list? Kirsty Muir.

The young Scot took home the silver medal in the big air event, only 1.25 points away from China’s budding athlete, Eileen Ailing Gu. To put that into perspective for those who, like me, have no clue about big air skiing, the Swedish jumper in third place was 19.25 points behind Muir.

Team GB might not have finished as high on the medals table as they would have liked, but there is certainly something to be excited about, as Muir now sets her sights on the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

Conor McGregor makes triumphant return to the UFC

Written by joeymillington on . Posted in Sport.

The controversial Conor McGregor marked his return to Mixed Martial Arts with a thrilling 40 second demolition of American fighter Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

The notorious Dubliner had not fought since his submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, but set Las Vegas alight on 18th January.

Since he last stepped into the Octagon, McGregor has turned a lot of UFC fans against him with a string of controversies; including the alleged assault of a man in a Dublin pub last August, and a brief retirement in March.

The 31-year-old cut a far more composed and perhaps, most crucially, happier figure in the lead up to this fight, however, and it is this measured approach which many hoped would allow him to return to his best form.

This seemed to be the case from the first bell as McGregor quickly went through the gears, cleverly using his shoulder in a clinch to rattle ‘Cowboy’. A front kick soon followed and McGregor quickly capitalised to stop the fight inside the first minute of the first round.

In doing so, the enigmatic McGregor became the first fighter in the history of the UFC franchise to record knockouts in three different weight divisions, after his success at lightweight and featherweight. In turn, his Colorado born opponent was consigned to his third successive defeat.

Whilst there will certainly be harder fights to come for the Irishman, with Jorge Masvidal or a Khabib rematch being touted, McGregor proved why he is such a valuable marketing asset to the UFC. There is never a dull moment when McGregor is around and you would not bet against him causing ripples in the third weight category which he has competed in.

photo: @ pxfuel

‘Grab Your Cup’ campaign aims to eliminate paper cup waste

Written by Sam Honey on . Posted in News.

A new campaign to reduce the waste of paper cups across Greater Manchester has come into force, aiming to save 1.2 million cups annually.

A range of high street chains, including the likes of McDonalds, Greggs and Starbucks, in addition to independent retailers, will join the effort to encourage sustainable resource use.

The aim is to increase the usage of reusable cups to over 10%, with a new jingle set to be featured on radio station across the region, in addition to adverts on Spotify and YouTube.

Environmental charity Hubbub has organised the ‘Grab Your Cup’ campaign and BBC Radio DJ Huey Morgan has created the jingle. 

With Mancunians estimated to consume an average of 4 takeaway hot drinks weekly, the campaign hopes to encourage people to remember their reusable cups.

Forgetfulness is the primary factor in unsustainable use of takeaway materials, with 69% of Mancunians saying that they owned a reusable cup, although only a sixth said they remembered to bring them.

Research for the campaign revealed that awkwardness in asking for stores to clean reusable cups was another key factor in a stagnation in usage.

Huey Morgan said that concerns over environmental sustainability motivated him to get involved in the effort:

“Helping rid the planet of unnecessary plastic and single use coffee cups is something I feel really strongly about. My kids are always talking about it, so I was very inspired to get involved. I wanted to make a great song with an important message – hopefully something that cheers people up, gets in their heads and helps them to do their bit for the planet! So, grab your cup cos you know what’s up!” 

Students at the University of Manchester can even enjoy a discount of up to 20p at campus cafes if they bring their own cup.

Southampton students subject to exam cancellation hoax

Written by Sam Honey on . Posted in News.

University of Southampton students were informed that all examinations were cancelled and that their university was to be shut down due to Brexit pressures in a hoax email circulated to the entire student body.

The email impersonated former vice-chancellor Sir Christopher Maxwell Snowden, who stepped down from his post in the spring of last year.

The email claimed that the university was one of six nationally that would be closed as a result of a telephone call with the Prime Minister that had outlined the impact of budget constraints and the economic pressure of Brexit.

The email appeared suspicious, describing Solent – another university in Southampton – as a “far superior university” and stating that all students would be transferred to it as a result of the closure. 

Announcing the ‘cancellation’ of January exams, the email remarked that the postponement would allow students to “get a massive sesh on.”

Despite the colloquial nature of the email, it was received by all 24,500 students, and some could be forgiven for accepting it as legitimate, given that the sender address was named ‘The Vice-Chancellor.’

The concerns over Brexit that were highlighted played into a growing nervousness among the student body over how the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU will affect student life with the recent announcement that Britain will withdraw from the Erasmus scheme.

Although the closure of any British institution as a result of Brexit is unlikely, the email will have heightened many students’ fears over the security of their education.

The University of Southampton acted quickly to reassure their student body that the email did not contain any official university communication.

“We want to reassure all of our students that this email is fake. It was not sent by the Vice-Chancellor and did not come from his personal account.

“The information it contains is completely false and should be disregarded. The University is open and operating as normal.

“The University is treating the matter seriously. Our iSolutions team are working to track down the source of this e-mail and appropriate action will be taken.”

Half of all UK universities commit to fossil fuel divestment

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

Half of all UK universities have committed to divestment from fossil fuels after a year of significant policy shifts across higher education institutions.

The news means that the University of Manchester, which in November pledged to “decarbonise” its investment portfolio, is 1 of the 76 universities which has not yet committed to divestment.

Some universities have announced full divestment from all fossil fuels, whereas others have only agreed to withdraw from certain fossil fuels such as tar sands or coal.

Following a seven-day occupation of the John Owens building by campaign group People and Planet in November, the University of Manchester agreed to take steps towards decarbonising their investment portfolio, in a move that activists say “goes further than divestment”.

UoM also committed to bringing forward a review of their Socially Responsible Investment Portfolio (SRIP), and campaigners and management met last month to begin this process.

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University’s Investment Subcommittee agreed last month to propose decarbonisation of our total investment portfolio in response to the climate emergency and in line with our commitment to the zero carbon target for the city of 2038.

“The draft revised Socially Responsible Investment Policy will be put out for staff and student consultation very shortly and it is anticipated we will implement the revised Policy by July 2020. The draft is a proposal and is subject to consultation and approval.”

However, UoM has yet to follow other Russel Group universities such as Durham, York, and Bristol, and commit fully to divestment.

Speaking to The Guardian, People and Planet’s Chris Saltmarsh said that universities were facing a choice between “standing with their students on the right side of history, or be forever known as complicit in the crimes of climate breakdown.”

“That universities across the sector are now divesting so fully and quickly demonstrates how far the fossil fuel industry’s social license has been eroded over the last seven years. It is increasingly common sense on UK campuses that these companies can play no productive role in solving the climate crisis.”

Review: The Personal History of David Copperfield

Written by carlfitzgerald on . Posted in Film.

Armando Iannucci’s adaptation of Dicken’s The Personal History of David Copperfield is outstanding proof that comedy directors just might be the best choices for epic period dramas.

The Director; tasked with half a thousand pages of source material, a vast ensemble of characters, and multiple sets must all the while cover the life of the film’s respective protagonist throughout massively fluctuating socioeconomic circumstances.

Iannucci brings a unique eccentricity to his adaptation that would make him the envy of any grand English drama director.

Essentially, he brings to the film something that just works. It can be summed up in two ways: the first is a remarkable kinetic energy and boldness. Iannucci and Simon Blackwell’s screenplay has a sharp quick-wittedness that allows the film to move breezily through big events in the titular character’s life, especially when dealing with his upbringing – created without the feeling that it is rushed.

Zach Nicholson’s cinematography emboldens a varied colour palette from the lush greens of the countryside to the painful blacks and greys of impoverished London. The film goes beyond the dense dramatics of your typical period film to be, not just unique, but also straight up fun.

The second thing is the incredible ensemble cast. From top notch big stars including Peter Capaldi, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Gwendolyn Christie, and Benedict Wong, among many others, all do stellar jobs of bringing a variety of larger than life characters to life. But, it’s Dev Patel as the titular Copperfield who really gets to shine. Sitting centre stage to such an ocean of talent, Patel portrays David with an empathetic curiosity of the world around him, whilst also constantly having to deal with wanting to come into his own in the world around him.

His characterisation of David forms a terrifically written and performed narrative train for such a consistently fluctuating narrative through all the various circumstances. Repeatedly falling in and out of abject 17th century poverty, resulting in a sense of identity that becomes so interchangeable he’s referred to by different names by different people. Patel’s portrayal manages to successfully find the consistent humanity within a difficult ever-changing character and constantly keeps you engaged.

As someone who isn’t particularly big on heritage films, I really enjoyed this new take on Dickens’ classic. The script and direction bring a much needed energy and quick pace to a rather dense story, while the all-star cast breathe an extra layer of life and fun into every scene.

3.5/5

Queen and Slim

Review: Queen and Slim

Written by carlfitzgerald on . Posted in Film.

Queen and Slim may well go down as one of the most frustrating films of the last decade. It’s gorgeously shot, brilliantly acted, has a great soundtrack, and at least has a discussion of radical politics — but it just feels empty. It’s ambitious and clearly wants to start important discussions, but it doesn’t engage the audience emotionally enough to give any of those discussions a solid landing.

The story sounds interesting on paper; a young black woman and man (who remain unnamed until the end of the film so, for simplicity’s sake, I’ll just refer to them as Queen and Slim respectively) go on a Tinder date. It’s awkward and they have little chemistry, but they’re forced into working together after being pulled over by a racist police officer – who Slim kills in an act of self-defence – and the two hatch a plan to run away together to Cuba.

Over the course of their journey, they cross through Ohio, New Orleans and Southern Florida, meeting various characters serving to support and derail them along the way. It’s a solid premise but the film seems to fall apart around when the cop is shot. The biggest problem that undercuts Queen and Slim is that its titular characters have no chemistry, and their blossoming companionship and eventual romance feels completely out of circumstance. Take most similar road movies (Bonnie and Clyde, Thelma and Louise) and what makes those movies memorable is the chemistry between their leads and how the audience genuinely wants them to succeed.

By contrast, Queen and Slim feels shallow because the characters deliberately start as awkward and unfit for each other. She’s a tough-talking lawyer, he’s an easygoing religious type. From that point though, the film does very little to develop their relationship. That’s even before the film introduces side characters that seek only to represent political figureheads.

Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya put their all into the lead roles, but the script just doesn’t give them enough to chew on. What makes this even worse, however, is how the film also wants to talk about modern issues that seriously warrant discussion. Police brutality and media coverage of anti-black violence are put at the front and centre, but anything the film has to say completely loses its impact when the characters just don’t work. At times you find yourself pining for Ava DuVernay or Spike Lee to at least inject some humanity into the thing and make it more thought-provoking.

The film isn’t entirely without merit; director Melina Matsoukas, most known for music videos, does a terrific job in creating a rich aesthetic for the film full of bold colours and terrific shots. While there are significant problems with the script, Lena Waithe clearly knows how to build tension as shown in many of the film’s more nailbiting sequences. While I think this film doesn’t quite hit the mark, there are at least interesting voices behind it that are worth listening to.

2/5.

Photo: Bella Fleming @ The Mancunion

Live review: Dido at O2 Apollo

Written by Bella Fleming on . Posted in Music.

After a 15-year hiatus, Dido returned to Manchester to celebrate her debut album No Angel turning 20 years old as of 2019.

The solo artist is best known for her intimate songs detailing the highs and lows of her love life – Dido’s down to earth and emotive music are perhaps what has made her a popular artists of the noughties that many people could connect with.

Achieving the first peak of her fame in the early 2000s, Dido seemed to have missed the emergence of social media in music. This meant her fan base grew from the music she created, not the character she played in public.

Even for a singer of the time, Dido always seemed to live a far more discreet and private life than her fellow chart toppers. Her return 15 years later shows these values have not changed.  Although the release of her newest album Still on My Mind was well received and promoted in the press, her subtle and understated return seemed to resonate perfectly with the image she carried over a decade earlier.

The husky dance beat of ‘Hurricanes’, the lead single off new album Still on My Mind, pounded through the O2 Apollo as Dido casually strolled on stage. Dressed in a simple white shirt and black jeans, she possessed an incredibly everyday appearance for a world famous pop star performing to a crowd of 3,500 people.

Dido’s ability to turn mundane and normal relationship experiences into catchy and relatable love songs is by far the talent that accrued her fame at the beginning of her career. However, taking on a new sound in 2019, new singles ‘Friends’ and ‘Take You Home’ feature a much heavier dance beat that is surprisingly complimentary to Dido’s airy vocals. The performance of her new dance song ‘My Boy’, mixed by Shadow Child, proved Dido’s ability to completely modernise her sound and transition into dance music.

The set list of the night felt like the perfect mix of her new and old music. Although written 15 years apart, the transition from her newer upbeat music to the often more downtempo love songs of her heyday seemed almost effortless. The live band accompanying Dido on stage were absolutely outstanding, with the two percussionists definitely projecting the music to a higher level.

Dido’s constant engagement with the audience seemed to show her trying to make up for the lost time over her hiatus – it was refreshing to see an artist genuinely wanting to talk to the crowd, and seeing Dido quite earnestly engaging so much definitely created a friendly atmosphere.

Sadly the seating, as well as the pure size of the venue, limited the intimate feeling Dido tried so hard to create. Additionally, the tiered seating also meant fewer people stood up to dance, which did seem to slightly dampen the atmosphere of the night.

The night ended with an outstanding performance of her hit song ‘White Flag’. Dido’s insanely smooth and almost fluid vocals resonated loudly throughout the O2 Apollo and had every member of the audience singing along.

It was the perfect way to end a night of nostalgia with one of pop’s most underrated stars.

8/10

Credit: Automate 1234@wikimedia commons

Amy & Eva take the spotlight as Adam & Eve cast aside

Written by Felix Hanif-Banks on . Posted in Features.

Mars colonisation, hi-tech skin computers, jetpacks – people casting their eyes to the 2020s from decades gone by had a much more glamorous idea of where technology was set to take us, or at the very least, thought we’d get there much more quickly.

Much to the dismay or those wanting to channel their inner Dr Manhattan and escape to Mars, one of the most pervasive developments of technology in recent years has been automation. From factories populated with thousands of moving arms, conveyors and tools to ‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ and Sainsbury’s incredibly unflattering self-checkout cameras, automation has touched our lives in one way or another whether we welcome it or not.

With machines fast replacing humans in McDonald’s, Sainsbury’s and ever more places up and down the high street, we must consider the human cost of such a widespread societal shift. It’s easy to get caught up in the convenience and efficiency of such innovations; that’s just what companies want you to do. A McDonald’s self-service kiosk in the US pays for itself in little over a year if it directly replaces one worker, which presents an incredibly viable strategy for such a large corporation.

Much service industry automation is still in its earliest stages – taking orders and similar menial tasks – but AI technology develops robots and stand to become increasingly pervasive in the world around us. This is exactly the plan of new UK company servicerobots.com, who provide robots to perform various tasks such as serving champagne, conducting surveys or providing information – and can be hired from as little as £3 an hour.

Initially, such technology seems useful, innovative and liberating – it opens the door to whole events staffed by robots, meaning lower costs for brands and companies. The low price opens this technology up to smaller businesses or organisations, rather than just large corporations like McDonald’s, bringing a slice of the future to everyone. In an ideal world, companies like Service Robots would be leading the charge of making our society more convenient, more luxurious, and more equitable as there becomes less of a need for menial, undesirable jobs.

And that may be the case in some respects – those who access such technology undoubtedly benefit. Of course, some human interaction is lost but that can be argued to be a necessary and relatively insignificant sacrifice for the sake of convenience. Service Robots has been on the receiving end of national awards and praise from the likes of Prince Harry, and set to dominate much more of the market after working with clients such as Samsung, Selfridges and Amazon.

But this praise shouldn’t detract from the people losing out on jobs as a result of automation. With constant pressure to raise the minimum wage both here and in the US, and constant struggles surrounding workers’ rights in the face of a growing gig economy, there is still the same need for people to earn an income. Automation may make life easier when you’re ordering a Big Mac but don’t want any pickles, but the money saved goes right into the pockets of corporations (and likely to some tax haven shortly after), rather than a working person’s wallet.

A better society might not suffer from such a problem. It’s a sad indictment of our priorities that automation can’t be a blanket positive and that people have to suffer because of it. Ideas such as a ‘robot tax’ or Universal Basic Income are nearing the political mainstream – with fringe Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang a major proponent of the latter.

These are conversations that need to be had, lest we allow major waves of automation to pass us by and are left in the cold by profiting corporations who gave no second thoughts to releasing their pizza delivery drones into the world.

In a time of great socioeconomic change, being aware of how exactly large-scale changes such as automation affects all in society is crucial, and blindly accepting Amy the robot waitress and her wildly convenient £3 an hour wage is the worst thing we can do.