Month: November 2020

Photo of Just Kids book by Patti Smith Photo: Bana Mustafa

Non-fiction November: Just Kids by Patti Smith

Written by banamustafa on 20th November 2020. Posted in Books.

I have written and rewritten this review over and over again. The reason that I have found it so complicated is because Just Kids is about so many things. To list it all out is to give away the book; to summarise it in just a few lines is to do it no justice. This book is for many people but if I have to sum it up, it is for those who are artistically inclined.

By that I mean it is for all those who enjoy honest, yet beautiful lyrical prose, for those who are fascinated by the idea of New York through the 60’s and the 70’s, and by conversations with poets, artists, playwrights, and musicians. It is for those who enjoy the unconventional, the spiritual, and the real; for those who enjoy dissecting the complexity of relationships and of love and loss; and for those who enjoy visceral and atmospheric texts.

‘Where does it all lead? What will become of us? These were our young questions, and young answers were revealed. It leads to each other. We become ourselves.’

Patti Smith wrote Just Kids as an ode to her soulmate, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Two kids, who met by chance in New York City, both running away from themselves, in search for themselves. In this search, they made one promise: to always care for one another. Just Kids poetically details Smith’s relationship with Mapplethorpe with the backdrop of New York in the 60’s and 70’s.

As you go through this book, it unfolds into an elegy for Mapplethorpe. Along the way, it is an exploration of love, art, and growth. Smith’s exploration is detailed through her memories of life in New York: from being a runaway, to a poet, a singer, a playwright, and a lover.

She thoughtfully incorporates all kinds of beautiful photographs in between the pages to go along with her story, as well as her poetry, and her artwork. More than her relationship with Mapplethorpe, Smith also chronicles her encounters with characters like Bob Dylan, Sam Shepard, Janis Joplin, and more.

‘We promised that we’d never leave one another again, until we both knew we were ready to stand on our own. And this vow, through everything we were yet to go through, we kept.’

Smith writes vicariously, with a raw and sweet conviction. Just Kids echoes with wisdom and nostalgia. She easily transports you to that divine epoch of art and culture in New York. This book reveals Smith’s unrelenting nature, and magically so, as she keeps her promise to Mapplethorpe in the most thoughtfully poignant way.

The need for routine

Written by larakenedi on 20th November 2020. Posted in Science & Tech.

It’s common knowledge that sudden changes to our routines can throw us off, and the pandemic has only confirmed this idea. The lockdowns imposed on us in an attempt to curb the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically reduced the structure in our lives that originates from outside sources.

We are not expected to go to lectures or show up to sports practice sessions anymore. We may not be able to go out for a coffee with friends, and some of us may even do our shopping online. The reduction in these activities, which normally break up our days into a natural schedule, can easily cause us to fall out of our normal routine.

This is an issue, because routines help us to be productive, work towards our goals, avoid procrastination, and reduce anxiety. They help us feel organised and in control, and leave us less time to think about stressful situations. Furthermore, following a routine can give us a sense of accomplishment.

In fact, the mere act of sticking to a routine over time can be beneficial. According to a study, people who persevere at pursuing their goals tend to experience less anxiety and depression.

How Can You Create a Routine?

Routines are made up of habits, which are automatic actions triggered by contextual cues. These habits fall into a pattern when repeated at certain intervals.

As a result, to create a new habit, we need to pick an activity, pick a time and a place to carry it out, and do it every time we encounter that time and place. Adding a new habit on top of an existing one can help us stick to a new routine, and keep track of whether we have actually carried out the activity.

An international study, which focused on creating and maintaining daily habits during the pandemic, found that it’s easier to adapt existing habits than add new ones. For example, when you might normally go out for coffee, spend time on a video call with someone instead, allowing you to have coffee and a chat while adhering to social distancing rules.

Sleep: A Key Component of a Good Routine

A consistent sleep routine is key to mental health. Studies have found that as many as 60% of university students have poor sleep quality and irregular sleep patterns. Studies have also found a correlation between poor sleeping quality and psychological and physical health problems, as well as an impairment to people’s social lives.

The most significant psychological issues were an increased stress response, memory deficits, higher levels of anxiety, and a higher risk for developing depression. In addition, sleep deprivation may have a negative effect on academic performance, however, the correlation seems to be weak.

If you’re struggling with your routine right now, don’t panic! The pandemic has made disruption to daily life unavoidable, but it’s still important to prioritise your mental health. This includes setting up a daily schedule to keep you calm and centred, as well as sure making sure you get enough sleep. Perhaps we will all leave this pandemic better understanding how to take care of ourselves.

Art in Lockdown: ’50 Windows of Creativity’

Written by Sam Burt on 20th November 2020. Posted in Arts.

What’s all this then?

’50 Windows of Creativity’ is a new art trail showcasing multi-media works in windows, on walls, and in entrances to buildings across central Manchester. Paintings, mosaics, installations, digital…the lot. It’s fun, free and very Instagram-friendly (if, that is, you can filter out the reflections).

Although it was commissioned before the second lockdown, the timing really couldn’t be better. It’s turning grey(er) and the galleries are shut. But if you’re still undecided, here are our personal highlights.

Ruby’s top three

Charlotte Smithson, ‘Fall’, N Brown, Lever Street

This is a lovely work, playing with the mix of natural elements and test tubes to make us think about our relationship to the natural world, all the while creating a delicate yet delightful composition reminiscent of Miro.

Tara Collette, ‘No one is illegal’, Home

A powerful statement on immigration that feels just right for the aptly named HOME.

Seashell Trust and Lauren Mullarkey, Atrium of Central Library (woman not included)

While the library is closed, you can still walk in and experience this piece of joy – once you step inside, the shell lights up and sounds start to play. Closest I’ve come to going to a club all year, 10/10, would recommend.

Sam’s top three

Lei-Mai LeMaow, ‘You Spin My Head’, Yard and Coop, Hare St.

A smiley to make you smile (his name’s Gary, apparently).

The artist Lei-Mai LeMaow said that she wanted to remind us how drab life can be without the arts. With this psychedelic homage to rave culture, she’s certainly done that. It’s like a message beamed to us from a brighter future.

(Bonus: the surrounding walls are plastered with quirky posters and graffiti – as one suggests, ’embrace the strange.’)

Venture Arts Presents… feat. Jennie Franklin, Ahmed Mohammed and Barry Anthony Finan, Royal College of Northern Music

Venture Arts, a Hulme-based visual arts charity that works with learning disabled artists, has displayed the works of three of their leading artists. All three sets of works have a density and intensity that compels you to stop and stare (handy, I suppose).

Franklin has made dense collages incorporating familiar icons and messages from paraphernalia; they are, in the truest sense, ‘mind maps.’ Mohammed’s abstract piece uses large blocks of warm colour, reminiscent of Rothko, but unshackled, with looser, freer strokes. Finan’s work, meanwhile, crams words together into seamless blocks of unending, punctuation-free text; it seems to veer between a sense of imprisonment in speech itself and a celebration of its expressive potential.

Mary G oodwin,‘Do you know who I am?’, Klimpton Clocktower Hotel

Three lovingly crafted mosaics of famous local figures. Chances are, you’ll have heard of all three figures but I’d hazard only certified Mancunians will be able to identify them from scratch (one in three for this southerner).

And if you’re really keen…

The ‘50 Windows of Creativity’ app has an interactive map with info on each display. You can earn discounts in local shops as rewards by working your way round and tracking your progress. (10% off in Waterstones? Yes, please.)

Works will remain on display until the 5th of December and then auctioned on the 10th of December, with a share of profits going to charity (in a livestreamed event – register here).

The complete guide to makeup recycling in Manchester

Written by Eunice Wong on 20th November 2020. Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

In recent years, sustainability has been one of the key focus areas for companies in the cosmetic sector. From ethical sourcing to sustainable packaging, beauty brands are increasingly incorporating environmental factors into their decision-making process, and are taking different actions to reduce their carbon footprint.

But despite all the progress towards sustainability, makeup recycling still remains an unnoticed part.

How do you usually deal with your empty beauty products? Do you simply throw them away or have you tried recycling? Although most of our cosmetic products come in plastic packaging, recycling these containers is very different from recycling our daily food plastics. Makeup recycling is not very common, as the complex mix of material types used makes recycling the containers incredibly difficult. This creates a struggle for consumers, as there is simply no one taking them!

Luckily, this is not the end of the story. After all these years, multiple beauty chains have finally stepped up to offer this long-awaited option for consumers. This year, various cosmetic companies, such as Maybelline, rolled out makeup-recycling schemes to supermarkets and drugstores across the UK.

However, a recent survey by Maybelline showed that almost half of makeup users did not know that recycling beauty products was possible. Therefore, it is safe to say we are still quite new to this exciting option.

If makeup recycling is something unheard-of for you, you need to check out the list of recycling options down below. These programmes are not only easily-accessible. but some even offer rewards in return!

Maybelline Makeup Recycling Scheme

Maybelline has recently teamed up with Terracycle to enable consumers to help fight plastic waste by recycling their used makeup. The programme launched in over 1000 stores across the UK, and one of the closest collection boxes is inside Superdrug on Oxford Street. You can also check the location of other Manchester collection points using their interactive map.

Photo: @terracycleuk on Instagram

Maybelline’s recycling scheme accepts a wide range of products, including items from other brands. Makeup products like foundation bottles, palettes, mascaras, eyeliners, and lipstick tubes would be perfect for this programme. However, they do not accept makeup brushes and nail polish.

Once collected, the empties will be separated by polymer type, cleaned, then extruded into plastic pellets to make new, recycled products. In addition, Maybelline encourages customers to empty the containers completely before sending them away to help with the cleaning and recycling process.

Want Not Waste Manchester

Want Not Waste is a volunteer-run zero-waste shop in Manchester, that offers students a variety of recycling schemes. One of these is the Burt’s Bees Personal Care Recycling programme, which collects makeup products like eyeshadow compacts, lip products, mascara tubes, highlighters, and cheek products. The range of products they accept is slightly smaller than Maybelline’s counterpart, but it is also applicable to products of all brands.

In addition, Want Not Waste also recycles other unusual products, such as contact lenses and oral care products. Their location is the most convenient for University of Manchester’s students, since the shop is immediately outside the Students’ Union. Go check out all their schemes on their Facebook page, and simply drop off your items to their TerraCycle box next time when you walk by!

John Lewis & Partners BeautyCycle Scheme

BeautyCycle is a beauty-recycling scheme launched by John Lewis in partnership with TerraCycle, and since 2019, more than 150,000 customers have recycled with John Lewis. This scheme accepts both makeup and skincare products, such as foundation tubes, lip products, palettes, eyeliners. and mascaras. However, John Lewis does not accept items like aerosol cans, perfume bottles, and nail polish containers.

BeautyCycle is an exclusive service to My John Lewis members, but it is fairly easy to register as a member on their website, so remember to register in advance, which will also allow you to get rewards whenever you recycle with them! As a My John Lewis member, you can receive £5 off your next beauty purchase in their shops when you recycle five empty beauty products with their scheme. For people in Manchester, you will be able to access this scheme in their Trafford Centre store.

Kiehl’s Recycle and Be Rewards Scheme

Want to deal with your empty skincare products while earning rewards? Kiehl’s recycling hubs are the perfect choice for you. With locations across the country, its even easier to recycle any packaging. You can bring any plastic skincare packaging to their store, regardless of the brands, including face creams, sun creams, serums, and body lotions.

Photo: @terracycleuk on Instagram

You get one stamp for every skincare product donated to their UK boutique. For five stamps earned, you receive 5% off any product. While 10 stamps can get you a 10% off or a travel-size miniature of choice. This scheme is available in their in King Street boutique, and they are currently offering an online recycling service for customers who cannot access a local store right now.

Keep in mind that Kiehl’s only takes in skincare products so you can not recycle makeup products with them. It might be a good idea to check out their website for more information before you go into their stores.

Origins In-store Recycling

Back in 2009, Origins created the first recycling scheme in the beauty industry, called the Return to Origins Recycling Program. Throughout the years, Origins has been offering convenient in-store recycling to all consumers.

Origins are committed to reducing plastic waste, and their in-store recycling programme will help you recycle all kinds of plastic cosmetic packaging. Simply bring your empties from any brand into their designated stores and Origins will recycle them all with Wastecare. This programme is available in various spots in Manchester, and one of the closest is in House of Fraser, Manchester.

Recycle at Boots Scheme

This Recycle at Boots scheme allows consumers to recycle their used beauty products while earning rewards. Apart from cosmetic products, you can also bring back other wellness, healthcare, or dental products.

Before you recycle with Boots, make sure you register online to scan all the recycled products beforehand. When you bring your empties into a Boots store, you will need to scan the QR code on the deposit box to receive your rewards. Boots will reward you with 500 Boots Advantage Card Points for every five products, and that is worth £5!

Once the products are collected, they will be taken to ReWorked, where the materials will be washed, sorted, and recycled into new, reusable products as far as possible. With their Scan2Recycle technology, you can also track how much packaging has been recycled.

Boots’ new sustainability scheme is now available in 50 stores across the country, but unfortunately, the closest to Manchester is located in Cheshire.

The next time you finish a makeup product, consider taking it to one of these schemes, and recycle!

National Lottery helps bring back theatre in time for Christmas

Written by Jay Darcy on 20th November 2020. Posted in Theatre.

As announced previously, funding from the National Lottery will allow pantomimes to be staged around the UK this Christmas, including an all-star spectacle at the London Palladium.

But fear not, Mancunians, in this instance, Manchester is not being left out!

With social distancing guidelines reducing capacities so significantly that many theatres are struggling to break even, the National Lottery has decided to pay for the seats that have to remain empty. This allows theatres to put on elaborate pantomimes with social distanced audiences – without going broke!

The annual ATG pantomime in Manchester takes place at the Opera House, the sister venue of the Palace Theatre. Scheduled for this year was Aladdin, which unfortunately had to be postponed until 2021. Instead of bringing Aladdin forward, ATG have opted to create a new pantomime for the 2020 season: Sleeping Beauty.

Sleeping Beauty is set to star Salford-born comedian and musical theatre actor Jason Manford, who will be making his panto debut. Manford starred in the lead role of the musical Curtains, which The Mancunion reviewed when it played at the Palace Theatre last year.

Manford will be joined by variety entertainer Billy Pearce, who is transferring to Manchester after a 21-year panto stint at Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre; TV and theatre actress Jodie Prenger, in her fifth appearance at the Opera House; and actor and veteran pantomime dame Eric Potts.

The pantomime will also feature established stage actors Louis Gaunt (who starred in Gypsy at Manchester’s Royal Exchange last Christmas), Jenny Gaynor, and Sarah Goggin as the titular Princess.

If all of this was not fabulous enough, it has just been announced that ATG will be gifting free tickets to the heroic NHS staff – in fact, all of the tickets for the first evening performance will be given to NHS staff (and their households) for free!

Sheena Wrigley, Theatre Director Manchester Palace & Opera House said, “we are thrilled at the prospect of working with Qdos Pantomimes and re-opening the historic Manchester Opera House with this festive family show. It’s especially important that we can play our part in keeping one of the city’s great Christmas traditions alive after what has been an especially challenging time for communities in Greater Manchester. Our wonderful NHS staff can enter a ballot for free tickets for their families at healthservicediscounts.com, our way of saying a huge ‘Thank You’ for everything they’ve done this year. The support of The National Lottery has enabled us to bring some light and joy to the people of our city and to support some of our fantastic Palace & Opera House team as they return to work on this special show.”

NHS workers just need to head to healthservicediscounts.com and register for the ballot. The ballot will be open to NHS workers from Monday 16 November – 29 November to win a maximum of six tickets per household/bubble for the first evening performance at Manchester Opera House on Saturday 12 December 2020. You can register for the ballot, from Monday 16 November. Winners will be notified by Monday the 7th December.

Sleeping Beauty plays at the Opera House the 12th of December to the 3rd of January .

How to live with lockdown, literature style

Written by rubym on 20th November 2020. Posted in Lifestyle.

We’re back into another nationwide lockdown, in what has always been the most weird in between month of the year – November. You’re probably looking for ways to keep these upcoming weeks vaguely interesting, or at least not completely maddening.

Well have no fear, as who better to advise us than but the famous historical authors of our time? They had to pass the time in an electronic-gadget free world, and their books are filled with characters whose hobbies include staring, yearning, and feeling sad about stuff. But what can these relatable heroes offer us?

Go for a walk, Bronte style

Walks have long been a staple of our romantic heroes and heroines. Whether it’s merely a turn around the dining room, Bingley style, to gossip, or if you’re more on the troubled side like our Jane Eyre, it’s time to walk around the Peak district and stare in angst into the distance, wondering whether your paramour has indeed got a woman “self-isolating” in the attic.

The best part is that, at least in this lockdown, you can meet up with one other person outside as long as you stick to social distancing rules. What does that mean for you lustful readers? You’ve guessed it, it’s time for sexually tense eye contact from afar! Perfect your Heathcliff style brooding and let that girl know that no, she shouldn’t marry that well-to-do gentleman (or at least choose him for her support bubble).

Write a Dear Jane letter

Unfortunately not everyone will be close enough for a promenade or, better yet, a splash in the manor pond in your best white shirt. However, Jane Austen has the solution.

Letters.

If you’re anything like me, you may have a glut of museum gift shop postcards you can’t remember why you bought in the first place. So channel your best Lizzie Bennett and get writing.

Got nothing interesting to say? You can just make it up! Write a story, a poem, draw something.

Yellow Wallpaper? It’s time to redecorate!

It’s hard staring at the same four walls constantly. Before the pandemic you might not have thought you could relate to a woman who’s confinement leads her to have a breakdown and possibly one of the weirdest breakups you can think of, but it’s 2020 and anything is possible! There’s lots of easy and free tips and tricks online for giving your living space a cute refresh, as well as give you a new outlook on current situations. It’s time to look up paint swatches and/or online psychotherapy!

Frankenstein’s Monster AKA the ultimate group challenge

For many people this felt like a year without a summer and it turns out this wouldn’t be the first time. In 1816 Mount Tambora erupted, resulting in a long volcanic winter. A certain Mary Shelley, her lover and soon-to-be husband Percy, and Lord Byron, found themselves trapped indoors in a villa by Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The story goes that the trio set each other the challenge to write ghost stories and eventually the book Frankenstein was brought to life.

Now I’m not asking why you and ‘the lads’, or ‘the girlz’, or whatever hilarious name you have for your Whatsapp chats, haven’t written King Lear yet, but I suggest at least one of you should come up with some form of creative masterpiece. Group accountability is the way forward!

Photo: Diego Torres Silvestre @ Wikimedia Commons

Find Your White Whale

Some may say harbouring an obsession for one thing is bad for you, but here I say it’s a way to pass the time! Whether it’s real wildlife or just the IKEA bear from the memes, Herman Melville has taught me that taking yourself on a journey inside, or online, can help explore the limits of our own knowledge. I thought I saw an owl in a tree, went outside and it turned out to be just a football that had gotten stuck. God truly is unknowable.

I hope these literary heroes and heroines have sufficiently inspired you; or at least this may have managed to give you something to do for five minutes. Five minutes down, a potentially indefinite amount of time to go!

UoM Computer Science Society event of the year: The Great Uni Hack

Written by Zain Alden on 19th November 2020. Posted in Science & Tech.

University of Manchester Computer Science Society organises the annual Great Uni Hack (GUH) where students come up with great ideas and compete in a series of challenges. This year’s event will be being held online from Saturday the 28th to Sunday the 29th of November.

So what is a Hackathon?

It is an event where students come up with application ideas and implement them in 24 hours. There are also various challenges to signup for as well as talks and workshops from leading mentors and companies in tech.

Usually, hackathons don’t require any coding experience. They offer a chance to get into coding and learn more about this interesting subject. You can even win something!

Previous ideas from GUH

Hackathons are a great place for ideas. From crazy stuff involving machine learning to simple, funny programs. Here are some notable past projects by participants of the Great Uni Hack.

Hunt

‘Hunt’ was the winner of the Booking.com challenge to build the best travel-themed Game Hack. The team behind it (Tsvetelina Kurteva, Kamen Pavlov, Ivan Durev, and Ieva Lidikauskaite) were inspired by the scavenger hunts students participate in during freshers’ week; they set out to build an online version.

The player finds the locations by solving riddles and undergoing a series of tasks. You can join with your friends for a game or join a random group.

Spot-a-Vibe

This project’s motivation stemmed from an enthusiasm for music. Creators Gurneet Bhatia, Sahil Borkar, Jang Belche, and Rakha Djokosoetono aimed to explore more interesting types of music and to combine machine learning with their love for music.

The application analyses an image and tries to guess its country of origin, going from the scenery, and assigns it a mood; for example, calm or energetic. From the information gathered, the program creates a playlist that fits the image.

Unsupervised Baby

This was an individual entry from Eu-Bin Kim, who was inspired by the way people learn languages and the lack of search options in YouTube using video context. The app contains a web interface where you can search for a word by using YouTube captions. The result gives the user an exact location in the video relating to the search term.

Interested in joining this year’s event? Sign up here!

Images from GUH 2019

Post-it Note Protest. Photo: The Mancunion

Revealed: Freshers ‘put-off’ from accessing sexual health services due to University WiFi issues

Written by Izzy Langhamer on 19th November 2020. Posted in Investigations.

With post-it notes covering Fallowfield halls windows with messages calling for the University to “unblock porn plz”, blocked websites on University WiFi are a well-known issue.

But a blanket internet sex ban could be causing problems for Manchester University’s first-year students.

The Mancunion can reveal that the Northern Sexual Health Clinic’s booking process is inaccessible when connected to the University WiFi or to Eduroam. Instead of the website, it displays an error message that says: “This site cannot be reached”.

The sexual health clinic’s booking system does, however, work on mobile devices using data, leading students to question why it has been blocked.

The page reached when trying to book an appointment at Northern Sexual Health Clinic on university WiFi

The clinic provides vital services to students and residents across the city. With a “free, confidential and friendly service”, dealing with sensitive issues such as STD checks, free contraception, support for sexual assault survivors and counselling.

The University insisted the site wasn’t blocked by the University’s content filtering provider, but due to a technical issue.

We spoke to one first-year student having trouble booking through the site, who wished to remain anonymous.

She told us that it was tricky enough finding help in a new city without the unnecessary stress of being unable to access resources: “It was very frustrating and meant that I had to spend all day on the phone with my busy GP instead to try and get an appointment there.”

She said the experience had made her feel “confused and put-off” and expressed worries that the blocked website may deter other students from getting help.

Young people at the heart of the growing STI crisis, so it is alarming that essential services are restricted under umbrella censoring. Students fear this may contribute to the stigma around seeking support for their sexual health.

This raises troubling questions for the University, especially at a time when the welfare of its students has already been in the national press.

A University spokesperson said: “We’ve reviewed the report about the booking form for the Northern Sexual Health Clinic being inaccessible from the University network. The affected site isn’t blocked by the University’s content filtering provider, however after further investigation with the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s network team this week, we have now identified a technical issue which is preventing access from University Wi-Fi.

“It is currently possible to access this particular site if connected to the University network with a network cable, and we’ll continue to work on resolving the issue so that anyone who needs to access the form via Wi-Fi will be able to do so.

“In 2016, the University requested that IT Services applied a network-wide block on websites deemed unacceptable by the Acceptable Use of IT Facilities and Services guidelines.

“This block affects access for any device connected to the network across campus and in halls, and was implemented in June 2016. If a site is blocked, a University-branded screen will be displayed reading “Web page blocked. Access to this web page is restricted by the University’s acceptable usage policy” with additional information.

“However, this block does not apply to websites related to sexual health. If you believe that a website has been blocked incorrectly, please report this via the IT Support Portal.”

Long read: From Jimmy Butler to Jimmy Buckets, the heat Miami was missing

Written by arshasthana on 19th November 2020. Posted in Sport.

There is no player who has enhanced their reputation in the Orlando bubble as much as Jimmy Butler has throughout the last year. Before the 2019-20 NBA season, Jimmy Butler was considered a borderline all-star, a great two-way player that could play both the defensive and offensive sides of the court. After leading the fifth-seeded Miami Heat to the 2019-20 NBA finals, however, Jimmy Butler has asserted himself as one of the top players in the league.

Early Days

Jimmy Butler’s journey to the NBA is nothing short of remarkable. He was born in Houston, Texas. He was abandoned by his father when he was an infant. His mother kicked him out of the house when he was 13 years old. During this time, he used to bounce between his friend’s houses, staying over weeks at a time, then moving on to another friend’s house.

He was noticed by freshman Jordan Leslie in a summer basketball league before his senior year at Tomball High School. Although Leslie’s family was reluctant at first, they took him in within a few months. After graduating from high school, he chose to attend Tyler Junior College. After his freshman year, he accepted an athletic scholarship and transferred to Marquette University in Milwaukee.

When looking back at Jimmy Butler’s past, it’s incredible to think about how far he’s come. But Jimmy Butler personally doesn’t like looking back at his past because he doesn’t believe that his story has shaped him into the player that he is today. He likes to look at the bigger picture; he believes in where he is in his journey and in the people who helped him get here. He doesn’t want people feeling sorry for him either.

He once told ESPN: “Please, I know you’re going to write something. I’m just asking you, don’t write it in a way that makes people feel sorry for me… I hate that. There’s nothing to feel sorry about. I love what happened to me. It made me who I am. I’m grateful for the challenges I’ve faced. Please, don’t make them feel sorry for me.”

Jimmy Butler’s NBA career began at The Chicago Bulls. Fresh out of college, Jimmy was the last pick of the first round in the 2011 NBA draft, not much was expected out of him. Over the short span of four years, Jimmy established himself as one of the best two-way players in the league, earning himself his first All-Star appearance in 2015 and the NBA Most Improved Player award.

During his time with the Chicago Bulls, he also earned two more All-Star appearances, one All-NBA third-team selection, and three NBA All-Defensive second-team selections.

Throughout his career, Jimmy has been known as one of the most vocal, compassionate, and hard-working players. His no-nonsense attitude and his desire to win at any cost were misunderstood by the media and fans — they labelled him as a “Toxic Personality” in the dressing room. Part of this misunderstanding stemmed from heated confrontations between him, the players, and staff during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Trouble at the Timberwolves

Before the 2018-19 season had begun, Jimmy Butler wanted to leave the Timberwolves as he didn’t believe he shared the same mentality as the club and its other players. He wasn’t particularly happy with the attitude and work ethic of youngsters like Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. But Jimmy Butler made sure that his voice was heard before he eventually left.

During the offseason, Jimmy Butler engaged in a fiery practice session where he targeted and challenged the players, coaches, and front office members. He specifically targeted general manager Scott Layden, coach Tom Thibodeau, and teammates Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns during the scrimmage.

In a story of legends, Jimmy Butler took the end-of-bench players and beat the regular starters in a scrimmage which left many of the players energized and inspired by his performance.

He got his wish as he was subsequently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers after ten games of the 2018-19 season.

Philosophy in Philadelphia

Philadelphia wasn’t any good for his image either, as a story emerged about an incident between him and coach Brett Brown during a film session: Butler wasn’t happy with the offensive system and wanted the 76ers to play a more traditional pick-and-roll system, pointing this out to Brown. From his perspective, he was only speaking up in reaction to a previous session where everyone sat in silence.

Butler later spoke about this incident on JJ Reddick’s podcast. Many media outlets reported that some of the witnesses considered the conversation “disrespectful” and “beyond normal player-coach discourse.” But Brett Brown had told people within the organization that he had no issues with the exchange and felt it was within the confines of the relationship that he has developed with Butler.

Jimmy ultimately left the 76ers in the 2019-20 season, because he believed that there was a lack of leadership and hierarchical structure within the organization and also because he didn’t fit within the 76ers offensive system which was centred around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

Even though Jimmy Butler had a complicated relationship with the players, staff, and front office of the Timberwolves and 76ers, it is clear that he used his leadership abilities to take these teams as far as they could go. In the 2018-19 season, he led Minnesota to their first playoff appearance since 2004.

During the 2019-20 season, he helped Philadelphia reach the eastern conference semifinals where they lost to the Toronto Raptors, thanks to a game-winning buzzer-beater by Kawhi Leonard. Both teams have not gone further since Jimmy Butler has left them.

The Heat Miami was missing.

After spending just one season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Jimmy Butler left to join the Miami Heat. Many players would be intrigued by the idea of playing in Miami because of the weather, beaches, or the lack of state income tax, but Jimmy was different. He was impressed by the hard-nosed, team-focused, no-nonsense culture, history, and the hunger for success.

“We never once spoke about Miami as a city,” Butler’s agent, Lee said. “Obviously it’s an amazing place with amazing people, but Jimmy wasn’t going there for the beach. Since he’s gotten there, I think we have gone out to eat less than 10 times and one of them was the Super Bowl. We didn’t even talk about the tax advantages. The only questions he asked were of the background of the people involved and how they would build out the team.”

It was clear from the first day he joined that he would be the perfect fit for this team. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said, “the Heat have never fallen faster and harder for a player than they have for Butler.”

Jimmy Butler’s impact on the Heat was felt right from his first day of practice with the team. He arrived for the first Heat training camp at 3:30 am, even though the practice wouldn’t actually start until 10 am. This set a new standard for the players, as Jimmy inspired Meyers Leonard and Bam Adebayo to start working out early.

Even during the pandemic, when the NBA and all the team’s facilities were shut down, Jimmy Butler made sure that his teammates were practising. He had sent out portable basketball hoops to all the Heat players and coaches as they waited for the NBA to return.

It’s clear that all the Heat players respect Jimmy Butler and admire his Leadership qualities, and it can be seen from the way all his teammates and coaches talk about him and look up to him.

This is what Bam Adebayo said about Jimmy during All-Star weekend: “Building habits and Jimmy is one of those guys that he wants to hold people to a higher standard and our organization wants to hold people to a higher standard, So it just made it all sync together. Nobody is taking anything personal when somebody gets on them. It’s all love at the end of the day.”

Before the 2019-20 season began, many media outlets and fans had ruled out the Heat as title contenders. People believed that the team did not have enough quality, or that Jimmy Butler’s “toxic personality” would cause conflict in the locker room, just like it did in Minnesota and Philadelphia.

Despite what most critics said, Jimmy Butler led the Heat to an incredible campaign, which saw them finish as the fifth seed in the eastern conference during the regular season. During the playoffs, Jimmy helped the Heat reach the NBA finals, in one of the most impressive underdog stories in NBA history. Jimmy Butler’s performances and leadership abilities were key factors for the Miami Heat during the regular season and the playoffs.

The Heat managed to beat teams that were all higher seeded than them in every round of the playoffs on their road to the final, including the first seed Milwaukee Bucks in the second round and the third seed Boston Celtics in the conference finals.

Heat Legend?

Throughout his career, Jimmy Butler was labelled as a “journeyman” and as a player who was difficult to work with but the truth is that he just wants to win, and he wants all his teammates and coaches to have that same desire, vision, and passion for the franchise that he possesses. Many critics believed that Jimmy Butler would never find a team that was suited for him, but now he is able to call Miami his home. After his heroic performances in the playoffs and the NBA finals, Jimmy Butler has changed his perception in front of the media and fans and is now regarded as one of the top players in the NBA.

‘I got stopped because I’m black and wearing a tracksuit’: Zac Adan speaks out at student protest

Written by Joe McFadden on 19th November 2020. Posted in Features.

On Monday night, hundreds of Manchester students turned out for a spontaneous peaceful protest in Fallowfield to stand in solidarity with Zac Adan, the student who was racially profiled by two security guards last Friday night.

Adan was among many of the speakers at the protest to share his experience with the university.

As the story broke on Saturday, footage showed two security guards (who have now been suspended pending an investigation) violently pinning Zac against a wall asking him to show his student card.

On Sunday, the university released a statement saying they were “deeply concerned by the images circulating online” and that they had “spoken to the student concerned [and] launched a full investigation.”

This did little to quell the anger students felt at the incident. Instead, it bolstered the determination of those who showed up to protest again this week.

Around 7 pm, students once again assembled in Owens Park, where protests have become a regular occurrence since fences were erected around university halls two weeks ago.

The Tower occupiers, now one week into their occupation, displayed banners and waved from the windows to make their support for the protest known.

Students peacefully marched through Fallowfield chanting “No justice, no peace” and “Black Lives Matter” with protest music blaring from speakers. The march ended in Unsworth Park where protestors gathered round one of the green spaces to hear speakers from the Student Consciousness Movement including Zac Adan himself.

“We will not rest until the President and Vice-Chancellor have stepped down from their fucking positions

The most impassioned speech came from Zac Adan himself. He claimed that contrary to their statement the university had not been in contact with him, only a single ResLife advisor, “who did his best efforts to help but couldn’t really do much”.

Zac said that he went to report it immediately following the incident but was told to “come back Monday” as no one was available to deal with his complaint.

He even logged a report on the website but again was met with silence. He attempted to talk to some security guards about the incident, who dismissed his concerns, telling him that it was “only a minor incident” and that “if it’s that serious, call the police”.

They even mockingly told him to “call an ambulance” if he was hurt.

During his speech, Zac told those gathered that: “We will not rest until the President and Vice-Chancellor have stepped down from their fucking positions.”

He also highlighted the University’s failure to address recent security concerns on Fallowfield campus, saying “yet I’m the one who got ID’d because I’ve got a trackie and I’m black”.

Concerning the footage, a university spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by these images.

“We have spoken to the student concerned, launched a full investigation and have suspended the security officers (without prejudice) pending the results of this investigation.”

In another passionate speech, a student from the Social Consciousness Movement highlighted the need for a collective student movement to link all the groups – SAFER, 9K4WHAT?, UoMRentStrike, Students Before Profit, SCM – across Manchester together.

He told The Mancunion that “students have been at the bottom of the barrel for too long” and that “we’re used to feeding off scraps”.

When discussing the horrific treatment of Zac Adan at the hands of security guards, he added: “I was horrified. When I first saw the video I left the room and cried. It hit too close to home to see it happening in my old accommodation.”

Making reference to the recent wave of ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests over the summer he said that “BLM galvanised people … it’s creating a movement and standing up against injustice”.

He added, referring to the Vice-Chancellor, that “Nancy should go, the executives need to rethink, it’s clearly not working .. students are excluded from decision making”.

A first-year student who wishes to remain anonymous added: “It makes me embarrassed to be a student of this uni. The uni has said nothing and made it clear that they care more about profits than their individual students.

“What happened to Zac was completely unacceptable, especially because it was made so clear that he was singled out because he’s a young black man dressed in an informal fashion so he has to be a drug dealer… it makes no sense.”

Two weeks ago we reported on the fences protest, how it was a fiasco of miscommunication and that in order to regain student trust and move on from the damaging scandals the leadership must do better and fix the problems causing the scandals.

Whether the university will course-correct remains to be seen, however from the past two weeks of protest is obvious that this issue is not going away anytime soon and more must be done to address the real concerns of Manchester students.

Grime artist Geoblu foreground a grey sky and skyline

Grime for 2020 – electric flows with Geoblu’s latest single ‘Neck’

Written by Robbie Beale on 19th November 2020. Posted in Music.

An instrumental that feels like the palpable unrest present on Manchester’s streets, and a flow to match, Geoblu’s latest single ‘Neck’ speaks to the anxiety of a generation.

Geoblu, currently based in Manchester, is a grime artist from London who’s blowing up right now after a number of high-production and higher-energy singles.

Hailing from a strong London rap scene that has dominated British music for a number of years, Geoblu brings fresh blood to the table, and an energy that distinguishes him from contemporaries. Add to that the incredibly tight production of collaborator Swick, and a vocal hook that won’t leave your head for days, and the result is something special.

Taking clear inspiration from the likes of Slowthai and Novelist, Geoblu blends grime with the more colourful and at times playful sides of British rap, culminating in sharp and relatable lyrics.

The refrain “can’t move anywhere ‘cos I’m up to my neck, bad memories I would love to forget” speaks to worries so present in all of our lives, but this song also places emphasis on catharsis. The line “Tension release when I jump on the set” highlights the powerful role music plays when dealing with emotions and stress; something to bear in mind as we are in a second national lockdown.

The track’s video as well, shot and produced by observe, brings the nail-biting nature of the song to the fore. Tight-angle shots and disconcerting camera effects create a tension that hooks the watcher for the full 3 minutes, never lingering for long enough to feel at ease.

If Geoblu’s flawless discography is anything to go by, I’d suggest you keep an eye out for future releases, and when the time comes I’ve got no doubt his live shows are absolutely electric. By marrying introspective and agitated energy with a huge, danceable instrumental, Geoblu has created music that speaks for our times.

Lockdown Vol 2: Albums to help you through a pandemic

Written by Blake Crompton on 19th November 2020. Posted in Music.

As we go back into the haul of lockdown, hearts are breaking, tempers are short, and the sense of ‘when in the name of all deity’s will this all be over?’ is apparent beyond belief. So, us empathetic music nerds at The Mancunion decided to share a little list of one of the biggest things that got us though lockdown the first (and the second) time. Music. To us, these albums have lifted ourselves through the total disruption of the world and empowered us to keep on. We hope you, the reader, the listener, will feel the same comfort in chords and words as we did. Enjoy.

‘Hold It Together’ – JP Saxe

A record for anyone who enjoys an acoustic sound and lyrics filled with heartbreak, love and fun. Released in early 2020, ‘Hold It Together’ is JP’s first EP and the Canadian singer-songwriter does not disappoint. While some of the songs are heart-wrenchingly sad, the main emotion that the record leaves the listener with is hope. This is why I would recommend this EP for the next few weeks especially – we all need a little hope.

From the first through to the last song, the record feels truthful, which makes it a delight to listen to every time. It takes the listener to heights of “it really should’ve been us all along” to then plunge them into the emotional depths of “I loved you fully but I’m growing up now; I loved you fully but fully means more now”. Hold It Together feels like a warm hug and a hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day, and like rays of sunshine coming in through the windows in spring.

‘Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino’- Arctic Monkeys

As a big Arctic Monkeys fan, I never really got into ‘Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino’- it just didn’t grab me as much as the fast and furious dance floor hits of their earlier years. This lockdown though, I found the smooth, relaxed beats of ‘Tranquillity Base’ the perfect antidote to the anxiety of the news. I played it to death, particularly ‘The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip’ with its whirling electric absurdism. The lyrics seemed alarmingly prescient, from the unfulfilled ambition of ‘One Point Perspective’ (“I’m gonna form a cover band” comes pretty close to planning to learn the guitar, something I try every New Year) to ‘She Looks Like Fun’ (“We moved it all online, as of March”). Not exactly escapism, but it got me through!

‘Moveys’ – Slow Pulp

Finding catharsis in softer and cosier music at this time of a particularly strange year, Slow Pulp’s debut album ‘Moveys’ came at just the right time. The Chicago-based band have emerged from personal trauma during a pandemic with a self-produced record of immense beauty and healing, whilst not a million miles away from their scruffy indie rock beginnings. Stand out track ‘Trade It’ with its raspy, breathy vocals, and warm twangy guitars that build to an uplifting dreamy mix feels like a soothing hug. As a wonderfully-balanced album ideal for chilly afternoon walks and cups of tea, it’s an album that certainly fits the criteria that it was created for: lockdown survival.

‘Four Bibles’ – Hey Colossus

Hey Colossus is a band of note in the English music scene with this being their 12th release. Having been active for nearly two decades, this is a band that took a long time perfecting its craft. There are many reasons why this album can get you through lockdown, from the psychedelic landscapes drenched in sound in the opening track, then bam! The word comes crushing down with dark mystic words and vocals. You’d wonder ‘why have a dreary record on all the time when stuck indoors?’ and well, each to their own. But this entire record can have you entranced. Moving and swaying into each song and is an optimum soundtrack for any part of your day. From getting dressed to studying- put ‘Four Bibles’ on. It balances between immersive and passive and it can help escape the darker moments in your own mind by suggesting ‘here’s an example of how to be creative with it’. The follow up ‘Dances/Curses’ came out this month, so go have a listen to it in this second lockdown.

Cheers to Joey, Tilda, Izzy, and all the others at Mancunion Music Team.

A not quite authentic Aubergine Parmiagana

Written by Sorcha Cullen on 19th November 2020. Posted in Food & Drink.

The aubergine parmigiana, or parmigiana di melanzane, is arguably one of the most indulgent Italian vegetable based dishes.

It is typically made by layering fried aubergine slices (either shallow or deep fried, sometimes breaded depending on the recipe) with cheese and tomato sauce, then baking in the oven. The end result is a dish full of smokey, fried aubergine which is complimented by sweet tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and nutty Parmigianino Reggiano. For me, it’s heaven on a plate.

Unfortunately, I rarely have the time to replicate this dish authentically. Frying the individual slices of aubergine can take a while and it’s not exactly healthy…

So I present, my cheat version of an aubergine parmigiana.

You will need an oven proof baking dish for this recipe, I suggest going all out and making a large amount. It freezes really well (heat it back up in the oven) and could be served alongside some pasta for an easy mid week meal.

The quantities really depend on the size of the oven dish. Adjust the quantities accordingly.

Ingredients:

Tomato sauce – you could use sauce from a jar, but to be honest…you shouldn’t. If you feel stuck here’s a simple recipe
Minimum of 2 Aubergines, cut lengthways
1 or 2 balls of mozzarella (depends how cheesey you want it) drained and torn into strips
Italian dried herbs (oregano, basil, thyme for example)
Olive oil
Parmigiano Reggiano* ( Any Italian hard cheese would work, for example I used Grana Padano)
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200c.

Slice your aubergine lengthways in fairly thick slices, you could also slice them into rounds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Put the slices in the oven to roast, keep turning them to ensure they cook evenly on both sides. They should go golden brown and slightly crispy.

Meanwhile, heat your sauce and grate your Italian hard cheese of choice.

When your aubergine looks nice and golden, take it out of the oven. But leave the oven on.

Start layering your slices into your dish. For best results start with a little sauce, the add your aubergine slices, with some mozzarella and a sprinkling of cheese. Repeat until you reach the top.

You want the top layer to have the most mozzarella and cheese, so you achieve a crispy t0p layer. Season the top with salt, pepper and Italian dried herbs.

Place the dish back in the oven and bake for around 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese on top is crispy and bubbling.

Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Serve alongside: Broccoli, a dressed salad, some garlic bread or some pasta lightly tossed in olive oil.

You could also add olives, capers or other vegetables such as courgettes and peppers.

*If you’re vegetarian, remember to check the cheese your using is suitable for vegetarians.

How Bookshop.org is changing the world of books

Written by Maisie Scott on 19th November 2020. Posted in Books.

Bookshop.org launched in the UK on the 2nd of November. The online retailer actively supports indie bookshops across the country. Check out their map which details all their partner bookshops.

The website’s unique selling point is it’s ethical business model. Bookshop.org works alongside independent bookshops, instead of directing business away from them.

Customers can select a book title on the website, and then choose which local bookshop they would like to support when they checkout. The Manchester bookshops currently partnered with Bookshop.org include Abacus Books, Chorlton Bookshop and The Urmston Book Shop.

Importantly, the website transparently states how the partnership scheme works. Every bookshop they work with ‘will earn a 30% commission on the sales they generate’. The founders also state on the website that they ‘believe that bookshops are essential to a healthy culture’.

The launch of Bookshop.org in the UK has generated a lot of excitement in the book world. The Guardian ran a story covering the launch which stated it had the potential to be ‘revolutionary’. Bookshop.org might be able to challenge the power monopoly of Amazon and other large corporations .

I spoke to Chorlton Bookshop about their partnership with Bookshop.org. They shared that ‘the launch of Bookshop.org in the UK saved our independent bookseller’s necks. As non essential retail we had to lock our doors to customers, and we were facing a Christmas dominated by Mr. Bezos’.

Bookshop.org has the potential to give local and independent bookshops a lifeline during lockdown and beyond. Please opt for ordering books from ethical companies that support local businesses. Amazon does not need any more of your money.

If you’re interested in sustainable and ethical ways to buy books, check out our article on ‘How to read books sustainably’.

Tenet and time: The facts behind science fiction

Written by Blake Crompton on 18th November 2020. Posted in Science & Tech, Film.

Earlier this year, Christopher Nolan – best known for The Dark Knight – released his latest groundbreaking film, Tenet. Now you may be asking: why, when The Mancunion has a (fantastic) film section, is a science writer talking about a film?

Well, whilst this film has brilliant acting, lighting and other film funk, this is not why I love it. These things only serve to amplify the best aspect of this film: Physics.

Tenet is not Nolan’s first flirtation with science, as shown in the 2008 film Inception. This introduced the niche concepts of ‘multi-tiered dreams’, ‘shared dreaming’ and ‘the origin of inspiration’, which were all interesting in the plot’s context and added weight to the film. However, Tenet dwarfs this contribution to the genre.

The film centres on an organisation which is devoted to researching and preventing a ‘temporal war’ – a war related to time. To achieves this, it uses ‘inverted’ technology and battle strategy, which involves going back in time. This idea all begins with the second law of thermodynamics.

The simplest way to state this law is that; ‘The Entropy of an Isolated System must always increase.’ Entropy is the measure of disorder within a system. The entropy of an object relates to the number of ways it can be arranged and disordered. For example, sand is a high entropy object, as the grains can take many forms. However, to use Brian Cox’s analogy, a sandcastle, which arranges the sand in a more orderly way, has less entropy. Eventually, the sandcastle will crumble, and its entropy will increase. The second law of thermodynamics explains how the amount of ‘disorder’ in the universe must always increase.

Relativity, Einstein’s big idea, describes how the concept of ‘when’ and ‘where’ something has happened is not fixed, it depends on the observer. Nolan dabbles with this concept in the film Interstellar. Entropy, however, helps us to create an ‘arrow of time’, helping us to distinguish the past from the future.

It’s this rule that Tenet chooses to abandon. Nolan explores the idea that if you could reverse entropy, you could travel back in time. In forward-moving time, a gun shooting a bullet causes a hole in a wall. If time is in reverse, we see the hole before we see the gun that causes it. It’s not hard to see why this creates huge problems in the world of physics. The event would appear to have no cause.

In terms of the scale of the very small, where quantum mechanics governs the universe, measuring a condition changes that condition. The ‘Shrodinger’s Cat’ thought experiment describes how a cat in a box is both alive and dead until you open the box. These measurements set boundaries where time becomes irreversible, defining a sense of past and future.

Some scientists have extended this idea to the ‘Many Worlds’ theory, which states that every one of those possible measurements has happened and led to a different world in which this new condition is met. Obviously, in this new world, another ‘set’ of quantum measurements is made, splitting this world into more worlds.

To put it into a situation relatively easy for us to understand, if, right now you’re drinking cup of coffee, there may be another world in which you’re drinking a cup of tea. These worlds branched out from the moment you could have put coffee grains or a teabag into the cup.

In Tenet, this theory is assumed to be true, with a key exception; these branches overlap and interact with each other. This leads to a key scene in the film, where John David Washington battles his inverted self.

All of these concepts are confusing, for physicists as well as for the general public. Attempting to describe time invokes many paradoxes, and many theories that contradict each other. We do not yet have any defined, universally accepted idea as to what time is.

Nolan makes a lot of invalidated assumptions in Tenet, but the way he manipulates theories is incredibly interesting. I’m sure it will give many physicists the world over some good conversation starters.

From vaccines to climate change, why don’t we trust the science?

Written by Lauren Holland on 18th November 2020. Posted in Science & Tech.

In an emerging age of technology, we can learn an awful lot from what we read online. However, this has awoken a huge level of scepticism amongst many people on a wide range of issues. From vaccines to climate change denial to coronavirus, often in times where there are great amounts of evidence to suggest otherwise. This may be due to large amounts of contradictions and disagreements within scientific research. But when the majority of scientists agree on a matter, why do people still not trust them?

Evolution or creation?

The rejection of scientific ideas has existed since the dawn of time. When Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, this was met with outrage and scepticism. Many Christians saw this as a direct contradiction of the Creation as described in Genesis. This was particularly prevalent in the United States. With the teaching of evolution very rare in American secondary schools, some still face criticism to this day. This is believed to come down to strongly held beliefs and personal bias leading to distrust on ideas that people are not willing to accept.

Climate change hoax?

This is seen as climate change denial, with many people who believe that it is a hoax or a myth. This includes powerful and prolific figures, such as Donald Trump. He has dismissed many scientific conclusions, leading to the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. The agreement commits countries to reducing the rise of global temperature. This is despite the definitive evidence of rising global temperature, rising sea levels and record high numbers of extreme weather.

Social psychologists believe that is due to the facts conflicting with people’s existing beliefs and values. They also believe it will develop reasoning in a manner of defending their gut instinct. This may come down to the fact that solving the climate crisis will require changes to peoples lives. This may come at an inconvenience to many people, and the denial that it even exists could absolve people of any responsibility.

Rise of anti-vax

Another very important issue faced with lots of criticism is vaccination. Something that is essential in these current times, and is likely to be crucial in the restoration of ‘normal’ life. If vaccines are so important in saving lives, why are people opposed to them?

‘Anti-vaxxers’ began to appear back in the early 1800s. This was upon the development of the smallpox vaccine, with many refusing on grounds of sanitary and religious objections. However, the widespread mistrust of vaccines in the modern-day came after a study published which correlated children exhibiting autism symptoms with receiving the MMR vaccine. This has since been studied in-depth and there is no evidence to link the MMR vaccine to autism.

It is very understandable that parents do not want to put their children at risk. Arguably, the child is more at risk by being denied vaccines. Unsurprisingly, the fear of the unknown plays a huge part, especially after science – whether conclusive or not – reveals potential side effects that have not been considered. Science is often fallible and mistakes can be made, which is something very scary when your health depends on it. For many people, this means that they no longer trust scientists.

We as people are often very stubborn. Introducing a new idea to us can be very difficult if it conflicts with our personal beliefs or interests. A study found evidence that people are less willing to trust science when this opposes their political ideology, from people of different political backgrounds. This goes to show that whilst it’s important to criticise what we believe, it’s important to put our own prejudices aside and consider all the evidence as well.

Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool: Reds remain favourites in a crowded pack

Written by Jamie Greer on 18th November 2020. Posted in News.

The phrase a ‘good point’ used to be a common expression in the Premier League. It meant that a share of the spoils between two good sides was usually considered a reasonable outcome. After all, with a league season normally won with around 84-90 points, a team going for the title would be forgiven for simply avoiding a loss against a fellow contender. You could afford to drop a few points here and there.

The form of Manchester City and Liverpool over the past three seasons seemed to put that theory to bed. They had won the league with 100, 98 and 99 points respectively (out of a maximum 114). This appeared to show that near perfection was a necessity for any wannabe champions. However, thanks to the condensed nature of this season (and the multitude of injuries that have resulted from it), it is unlikely that Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp will be particularly devastated with Sunday’s result. Freak results have been common so far, as all teams struggle for consistency due to fatigue and fitness. Both their sides exhibited their strengths and weaknesses in this game. Therefore, it’s a question of whose frailties will prove more costly over the next seven months.

Klopp’s brave decision to deploy four attackers initially paid off, as Liverpool caused City’s backline – notably Kyle Walker – severe discomfort. Sadio Mane especially was having the time of his life. Dragging the opposition into dangerous positions and forcing Walker into a clumsy foul early on. The ensuing penalty was converted by Mohamed Salah, who made it goals 8 goals in 8 games this season. The opening 25 minutes saw the Reds carve out the best opportunities of the game.

However, they were unable to capitalise on their dominance. Mane was guilty of taking too many touches in City’s box when a shot on target would have sufficed. Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino contributed but were less effective as the match progressed. Inevitably, Liverpool tired and left gaps for City to exploit. After two lapses of concentration De Bruyne found space in the attacking third and changed the game. First, he was able to pick out Jesus for his superb flick and finish to equalise. Then, his attempted cross near the edge of the box resulted in Joe Gomez’s handball. However, the Belgian’s penalty was poor, and from then on his influence on the game subsided.

Your opinion of the second half is an indication of how you believe this title race will play out. Those betting on City will argue that they imposed themselves onto Liverpool after a poor start. They dominated possession and could have taken a win if De Bruyne had scored his penalty. Those doubting them can put forward the case that, despite all their time on the ball, they only mustered one shot on target after the break. Liverpool’s injury-ridden defence kept Raheem Sterling as well as De Bruyne quiet. Guardiola will be concerned that his side increasingly struggled to break teams down and find an ugly way to win.

As for Jurgen Klopp, he will take heart in his exhausted, injury-ridden team. Restricting City to few clear cut opportunities, he can point to their narrow wins in the last few weeks as evidence that they can still grind out a result. Both teams have faced the low block of in-form West Ham in recent weeks and both conceded first. It was only Liverpool who found a winner. In this game, it was his side who created the best openings. They remain ahead of City in the table and will go top with a win at Leicester in two weeks.

Given these issues, it remains a good point for both sides who will hope to build up consistency after the international break. On balance though, Liverpool have to be given the edge over City in any title predictions. It’s a case of adaptation and evolution. Jurgen Klopp deployed a new, aggressive formation in this game which caught City by surprise. The German might have been forced into it due to injuries in his midfield, but teams who feel prepared for Liverpool’s style of play now have something new to think about. This will be further complicated with the return of more creative players in the middle of the park like Thiago and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

By contrast, City look a little stale. They keep possession with amazing ease but, unlike in their title-winning seasons, it does not feel inevitable that they will find a winner. As Gary Neville noted, “they’re less precise in their attacks, and it feels they rely more heavily on one player in Kevin De Bruyne than they did a few years ago”. It does appear that Guardiola aims to tighten City up at the back with a new partnership of Rúben Dias and Aymeric Laporte. Their instability at the start of the game though shows that this is still a work in progress.

Other title contenders can obviously take heart from this game too. City and Liverpool have so far been unable to reproduce their unbelievable levels of consistency seen in past years. City’s defensive vulnerability is there for all to see, while the number of senior players out for Liverpool left them running on fumes for the last half an hour of this game. Despite this, the jury is still out on who these contenders are, with Leicester, Tottenham and Southampton (yes, Southampton) currently in the mix. Liverpool and City are the safe bets, but the return of a good point suggests that this will be the most competitive title race in years.

Gen Z: If we are the virus, they are the vaccine

Written by Aimee Butler on 18th November 2020. Posted in Opinion.

Imagine a world with no adults, only children. What would it be like? To ask this of a Millennial would incur a typical range of responses along a similar wavelength: chaos, carnage and confusion.

To imagine a younger generation in charge invites alarming images of kids running amok and breaking rules, but in frequent years, this view has started to change.

Generation Z is the term used to describe the demographic cohort that succeeds Millennials. Other takes on the label include iGen, Post Millennials and Zoomers – a play on the term Boomers, which is used to describe those born between 1944 and 1964. Gen Z refers to those born between 1997 and 2015, with ages ranging from 5 to 23 years old.

Members of Gen Z were born into a world of technological prowess and advancement; an age where phones, computers and televisions are present in almost all households, and data on every person in the world is available at the click of a button.

This has resulted in Gen Z constantly being referred to as lazy and addicted to their screens, unable to do social interaction if it is not via Instagram or Snapchat. Others have taken the criticisms of Millennials and nicknamed the young people ‘Millennials on steroids’.

However, despite criticism and their brevity of time on Earth, Gen Z have taken the world by storm and show no intention of stopping. From organising protests in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign, to gate-crashing President Trump’s rally, Gen Z-ers are demonstrating time and time again that they are a force to be reckoned with.

As a user of the immensely popular and prominent video sharing app TikTok, I am no stranger to knowing what kind of an impact viral ideas and videos can have. For example, US President Donald Trump’s Tulsa rally, intended to mark the beginning of his 2020 election campaign, was gate-crashed by an army of invisible TikTok users that had reserved tickets for the event with no intention of attending.

The president and his officials tried to blame the poor attendance of the rally on fears of the current coronavirus pandemic, however, this didn’t stop the hundreds of teenagers responsible around the world relishing in the glory and success of what they had pulled off from behind their screens.

The rally is only one of the most recent achievements Gen Z have under their belts. Last year, the plight to tackle climate change gained a vast amount of attention, thanks to teenage climate activist, Greta Thunberg.

Along with the 17-year old’s outstanding influence, young people across the globe walked out of school every Friday and protest against the government’s lack of action to halt global warming. This became known as the ‘Greta Effect’.

The ‘Greta Effect’ refers to the ever-rising number of children using social media for activism purposes and is another great example of the strength of this generation. More than 1.4 million school students took part in the school strikes for climate change Greta set up.

Gen Z is known for being the most diverse and accepting generation, avoiding labels and attacking stigmas over taboo topics. Their ability to challenge criticism with a highly educated response or a simple ‘OK Boomer’ (a catchphrase and meme popular among adults and teens in Gen Z that is used as a retort to dismiss or mock attitudes from the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation) has brought about the question: could Gen Z be exactly what the world needs?

In today’s day and age and amidst the current ongoing coronavirus pandemic, government leadership has never been more in question. The main goal of each of today’s young activists and leaders is the same – to demand that the people in charge step up, take responsibility and act.

Time and time again, the leaders of the world have shown that they have different priorities, meaning Gen Z have had to take matters into their own hands.

Greta Thunberg started her climate strikes at the age of 15, and David Hogg started protesting the funding of the NRA in America at the age of 18. Children and young adults of varying ages are not staying quiet about topical issues anymore and are using their voices and easy access to mass audiences via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to spread messages and ideas across the globe.

It can be said that perhaps, the very technology Gen Z is said to be obsessed with is actually their weapon.

The strength of the generation is undeniable. They are innovative, confident, educated and eloquent. They can destroy careers and ruin reputations with the rise of ‘cancel culture’ and are not afraid to back down in the face of those in charge.

I believe the characteristics of this generation are unlike any other and with the world at their feet (and their fingertips), who knows what they’ll be pulling off next?

SafeZone: ‘Authoritarian’ or keeping students safe?

Written by Ella Robinson on 18th November 2020. Posted in Investigations.

One day after fences were torn down at Fallowfield Campus, the University of Manchester shared a new way to “keep the Manchester community safe during lockdown” – the SafeZone app.

The app was first launched to all staff and students in 2019 but promoted to first-years this month. It’s currently being used at more than 25% of universities across the UK, including Manchester Metropolitan University, but the app has received backlash from students.

In the email which went out on 6^th November, students were encouraged “to report concerns or breaches of [Covid] guidelines by others in the community”.

But some students fear this could breed an “informant” culture and have raised concerns about privacy.

Kirsten-Louise Humm, a first-year History student told The Mancunion: “It’s a really authoritarian idea. It takes away our freedom of being students even more. It just shows how out of touch the university is with its students.”

When we put this to UoM, they refuted this in the strongest possible terms, saying the app was there to keep people safe.

“Some students may refer to it as authoritarian, but we have others who are shielding and genuinely concerned of their safety when breaches occur,” a spokesperson said.

From the email sent to first-year students about SafeZone

CriticalArc, the company responsible for SafeZone say that the app can “monitor compliance with social distancing” with the ability to measure “the density of people in particular areas or buildings, per floor” and “detect a potential breach of policy”.

UoM said they will use this “real-time location data to send notifications to remind people about social distancing where a building is crowded”.

A particular fear for some students is CriticalArc’s references to the effectiveness of SafeZone’s tracking capabilities in “outdoor areas where guest speakers or protests sometimes occur”, particularly in light of recent protests at Fallowfield Campus.

But UoM has clarified this, saying: “The app is not mandatory, nor is it mandatory for any student or staff to check in on the app, therefore it wouldn’t be used during student protest.”

Oskar Lawson-Jones, a first-year studying Archaeology and Anthropology said: “It’s absolutely unbelievable how they’re trying to pretend like it’s just a peace-of-mind app for mental health when they’re tracking us. I can’t think of anyone I know who would download it.”

The university spokesperson added: “SafeZone is a safeguarding service, not a tracking app. One of its features is location-sharing for health and safety purposes. However, it has several other features, some of which are available now and others which will be available during a phased release.”

Taken from CriticalArc’s video demonstration showing live location of checked-in users

While the app does check students out as they leave campus, this is little consolation for first years living in university accommodation as they live on campus, a place they will now spend more time in due to the new national lockdown.

The University’s website states: “If you download the app and activate location tracking by checking-in, you are consenting to the recording of your location data.”

Upon download, SafeZone requires you to grant multiple location permissions, motion detection, Bluetooth and notifications in order to use it.

UoM says this “always allow” access to your location is so that the app knows where you are in an emergency. They add the data is stored locally on the device and not shared with us until a user check’s in or activates an alert button.

All the permissions the SafeZone app requires upon installation

The spokesperson added: “We will not use SafeZone for any sort of management or student discipline purpose or to check your attendance.

“The app is for health and safety reasons only and the data it collects would never be used for management of staff or in a student disciplinary. To do so would break a legally agreed contract with the suppliers. It has never been the intention to use it for this purpose.”

Yet students are still angry.

Nicola Mazuryk, a first-year Politics and Modern History student said: “I don’t think a lot of students even wanted SafeZone, they just wanted the uni to be more supportive, treat us like human beings and stop using us for monetary gain.

“I’m so sick of it, it’s turned into students vs the higher-ups. The uni had time to figure this out before we came to live here.

“It’s another thing that portrays UoM as having no compassion towards students; they just want us to be obedient and quiet.”

When we put these claims to the University, they released the following statement: “The safety and wellbeing of our students is always of the utmost importance to the university as is our commitment to the protection and safeguarding of their data and personal information. These are also the primary reasons why we chose to use SafeZone app.

“First and foremost, the app is completely voluntary, though we would encourage as many students as possible to use it. That is because it has multiple ways of enhancing safety on campus and in residences, such as personal alarm, quick and easy access to our security teams and better signposting for our mental health and support services.

“Our students can rest assured that, prior to us choosing this platform, we carried out an extremely thorough due diligence and consulted with other universities who have been using it successfully for a substantial amount of time. We then also ran a trial with both staff and students and all the feedback we got was extremely positive.

“With regards to privacy, SafeZone is compliant with EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and follows industry best practice as laid out by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Plus, CriticalArc (the app developer) regularly hires independent data privacy experts to audit and verify compliance with GDPR and ICO regulations.

“With regard to actively encouraging students to raise concerns over socially distancing, this is for any concern not specifically student-related. This is just one of the tools we’re encouraging students and staff to use to help us provide real-time communication/advice to help keep our community safe.”

Internal Market Bill: What’s it all about?

Written by jessicaculnane on 18th November 2020. Posted in News.

The House of Lords have blocked the Internal Market Bill, with peers voting overwhelmingly against a section of the bill which would allow ministers to break international law.

The origins of the Internal Market Bill dates back to 1706 when the union between England, Wales and Scotland was formed and an internal market was created to ensure open and unhindered trade across all nations within the United Kingdom.

After joining the EU, most of these trade laws were replaced by the EU internal market laws. However, with Brexit just a few months away and, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged himself a no deal scenario looking likely, the question arises as to what will happen with trade regarding the four nations.

If a deal is not reached by the end of the transition period (1st January 2021) and the devolved administrations are no longer bound by the common EU trade laws, devolved nations could essentially set different trade restrictions and regulations, hindering trade across the union.

For example, the lamb farmed in Wales may not be eligible to be sold in Scotland if the regulations are of a higher standard.

To bridge this gap, the government have proposed the Internal Market Bill. Which is exactly what it says on the tin- the creation of a market internally within the four nations of the United Kingdom. If passed, the bill would ensure that common trade rules will still be applicable to the whole of the UK in a no deal scenario. It will ensure no nation is limited by regulations and guarantees the international community has access to the UK as a whole.

However, the bill has encountered both international and internal opposition.

The UK, under international law, is required to ensure goods entering Northern Ireland from England after the transition period are checked to be up to EU trading standards. This ensures no hard border is required between NI and Ireland, which could cause political instability due to the sensitive history between the countries, thus posing a threat to the Good Friday agreement. This was all negotiated, agreed and signed by UK ministers last year under the Northern Ireland Protocol- a protocol within the Withdrawal Agreement.

The Internal Market Bill explicitly contradicts the Northern Ireland Protocol as it means that all devolved nations will be obliged to set their standards to whatever is agreed by Westminster and goods will be entitled to freely move around the union.

This means trade will no longer be able to pass through Northern Ireland and Ireland without being checked which raises many questions surrounding how the goods will be checked and whether it will reignite the political instability seen before.

Ultimately, this is illegal under international law. Ministers will have the power to disapply the Northern Ireland protocol and other rules relating to the movement of goods. The bill also specifically says that this ‘cannot be deemed unlawful based on international incompatibility’ – limiting powers to challenge regulations made in court.

However, another important issue with the bill that isn’t getting a lot of coverage concerns the impact the bill will have on devolution within the four nations. The internal market will be regulated and controlled by the Union parliament- this happens to be, de facto, the English parliament.

This means that some powers that currently lie with local administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be stripped back and handed to Westminster- allowing them to enforce internal market provisions across these areas with no obligation to get the consent of devolved parliaments. This raises serious constitutional questions.

Despite safely passing the commons, the House of Lords issued a motion to regret and on the 9th of November blocked the bill from passing without an amendment that stripped the bill of the key law-breaking clauses. This is instrumental for the Lords, who have only blocked three bills since 1999.

Often branded as ‘unelected’ and ‘unaccountable’, the bill blockage highlights the benefits that come with having an analytic branch of the legislature that is not under pressure to tow the party line and obey the whip. It raises the question, if an unelected House block an illegal bill, is this helping or hindering democracy and the rule of law?

The governments reaction to the bill has not been to deny any illegality. Quite the opposite. Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, acknowledged himself in the House of Commons that “it does break international law” but only in a “specific and limited way”.

The government has also implied that as Canada has broken international law in the past and has cited various examples where EU has acted in breach of international law, then it is acceptable for the UK to do so.

And the Lords aren’t the only ones expressing concern over the bill- a combination of political, judicial and even religious figures have spoken out to condemn it.

Five former prime ministers have spoken out against proposals, including Conservatives such as Theresa May, David Cameron and Sir John Major.

The EU has confirmed they are taking the UK to court.

Joe Biden has expressed his disapproval and confirmed that he would not sign a trade deal with the UK unless key clauses were removed.

The countries top lawyers and a vast range of influential judicial figures, including former supreme court judges, have warned it is “quite extraordinary and very worrying” and said if the bill passes we will be in a “dictatorship”.

In an extremely rare move, the most prominent religious leaders within the UK wrote a joint letter in the Financial Times raising concerns about the potential impact the legislation could have on peace and stability within Ireland.

It could also be distressing for civil servants who are concerned they will be in breach of their Civil Service Code’s requirement to comply with the law.

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