More live gaming than live theatre, but I was left mesmerised nonetheless.
The latest venture in live, virtual theatre from the Royal Shakespeare Company did not disappoint.
Dream, a fully online performance based in the virtual Midsummer Forest from Shakespeare’s classic comedy, was a taste of what the theatre experience could look like in the future.
Using gaming technology from the creators of Fortnite, actors brought this play to life in real time using VR and the latest in motion-capture technology.
Led by the spritely movements of Puck (EM Williams), this dreamlike journey unfolds through the forest, encountering the other virtual fairies and fully immersing viewers in their world. As the storm worsens and with darkness setting in, audience members help to light the way through the twilight forest by throwing in virtual fireflies from their devices.
The virtual forest itself was enchanting. With incredible graphics, you could almost feel the trees blowing around you. As actors moved around the virtual world, the live interaction of virtual and reality was not missed as actors rustled leaves and jumped over boulders.
Accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra, using a seamless mix of the recorded symphonic score and live music, it was a true metaphor for the Athenian wood Shakespeare envisaged, where the line between dreams and waking is blurred and where all social norms begin to break down.
This short play builds on the technology used in the RSC’s ground-breaking performance of The Tempest, the first to feature a real-time animated avatar rendered in Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. But this time, audience participation allowed actors to perform and respond to interactions, making each performance unique from the last.
The technology used to bring this to life is staggering. With over 15 collaborators, including the Manchester International Festival, the project is spearheaded by the Audience of the Future programme funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
It wasn’t kept backstage either. My favourite part of this performance was actually exiting the virtual forest before the penultimate scene, to see the actors perform in real-time in their ‘volume’, a 7m2 stage which translates into a 7km2 digital world.
Despite breaking the fourth wall, a taboo long since broken anyway, it added so much to my experience and excited me about the future of live performance.
Although it started development long before the pandemic, this brave new venture has offered an innovative way of connecting audiences from all over the world and bringing theatre right into the heart of people’s homes, at a time when we still can’t meet together.
Operating on a ‘yes, and’ model according to the team behind the production, this doesn’t offer an alternative to live, in-person performances, but an opportunity to enhance and innovate theatre through technology.
Veganism and vegetarianism is on the rise in recent years after a growth of activism, alongside the awareness of climate change and staying healthy. I am trying out pescatarianism for Lent, mostly for environmental reasons. But I started wondering: How can changing your diet actually have an effect on you and the planet?
Why do we eat meat?
Red meats contain high amounts of protein (20-25g per 100g), which is highly digestible, providing all the essential amino acids needed for growth and repair in humans. Proteins can be found in other sources, particularly nuts and pulses, but generally in lower proportions.
Essential micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, are also found in red meats that are not generally found in plant-based foods, such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. These include vitamin B12 and, to an extent, iron, a lack of which can lead to anaemia. However, it is possible to gain all the nutrients we need from a plant-based diet thanks to vitamin supplements and fortification (increasing nutrient content) of certain foods, such as breakfast cereals.
Some studies have shown (like this meta-analysis released by WHO) that it may not just be meat itself but the way in which it is processed that makes it particularly harmful. Some methods of preserving and processing, such as smoking or curing, could lead to an increased accumulation of carcinogenic compounds in the body, ultimately increasing the risk of developing some types of cancer. Nitrates and nitrites are used to keep processed meat fresh for longer but can be converted into carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds or NOCs. Similarly, chemicals like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic amines (PCAs) are produced when meat is cooked at high temperatures and can damage cells in the bowel.
Other health risks include obesity. A review of studies found that vegetarians on average weigh 3-20% less and have lower obesity rates than omnivores.
In any case, maintaining a healthy weight decreases the risk of contracting many diseases, such as type II diabetes or coronary heart disease. But this doesn’t mean all non-meat eaters are necessarily healthier. It is just not true that all vegetarians and vegans are thin and disease-free. We all make food choices that have beneficial and detrimental health effects. It is, therefore, important to make considerations about what we consume. Reducing consumption of processed meat is one way that could be effective, not only for our health, but the planet’s too.
How can eating less meat benefit our planet?
Eating meat is not very energetically efficient from a metabolic point of view. Only about 10% of energy is transferred by consumption between each trophic level in a food chain, meaning that humans eating plants directly in theory will conserve 10-fold more energy than eating animals that graze on plants.
In terms of industry, there is huge resource waste in meat production. It is thought that more than a third of all raw materials and fossil fuels consumed in the US are used in animal production. It takes 7kg of grain to produce 1kg of beef, or 4kg for 1kg of pork. Reducing meat consumption would reduce the amount of extra grain needed to feed animals, in turn decreasing the extra fertiliser, water, land and energy used in production, transportation, processing and storage.
The WWF reports that cattle ranching accounts for 80% of current deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, releasing 240 million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere yearly, which is equivalent to 3.4% current global emissions. This contributes to global warming by releasing greenhouse gases, in addition to cattle pastures replacing forests, which decreases biodiversity through ecosystem destruction and increases the risk of fire and soil erosion.
Globally, animal agriculture is responsible of 18% of all greenhouse gases, whereas industry is responsible for 13%.
Around 80-90% of US water consumption comes from agriculture. Beef has a global average water footprint of 15,500L per kilogram of meat produced, compared to a crop like potatoes using 250L per kilogram. Of course, meat isn’t the only high consumer of water. Chocolate, for example, consumes 24,000L per kilogram and cheese 5,000L per kilogram. Therefore, the meat industry isn’t the only problem, but it’s still a big one.
It’s no secret that the global consumption of meat at its current rate is unsustainable. However, perhaps with more consideration of what we consume and by looking for meat free alternatives, we can decrease the negative impact on both the planet and on our individual health.
More information about the water footprint of food can be foundhere. You can also find out more about the link between meat and cancer on thecancer research UK website.
Artistic Director of The Royal Exchange Bryony Shanahan. Photo credits: Lee Baxter.
Bryony Shannahan became Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester in November 2019, a title she holds alongside Roy Alexander. She joined me on zoom to discuss topics such as the #MeToo campaign, her perspectives and how she approaches equality as Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange.
A humble storyteller at The Royal Exchange
Bryony was kind enough to clear some space in her undoubtedly busy schedule to sit and discuss the all too important topic of equality and the effects of the #MeToo campaign in the theatre industry. I possessed so many preconceptions when meeting with the Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange, a theatre I have admired immensely since first moving to Manchester.
Bryony was nothing I expected the leader of such a seemingly intimidating institute to be. She was grounded, welcoming and headstrong which truly reflects the ethos of the Royal Exchange, as an innovative and inclusive theatre.
As her black zoom box flicked onto the call it looked as though she was sat in the set of a Chekov play. Her room was spacious and inviting, the walls a faint yellow colour, a rickety brown piano dominated the back wall. There were sparse but beautiful pictures in frames across all the two walls I could see, and a small quaint looking wood burner was tucked away in an alcove.
Bryony grew up in Staffordshire, and with not having a huge amount of access to different strata of theatre growing up, decided she wanted to pursue being an actor because ‘that’s what I could see.’ At 18 she attended East 15 Acting School and did both foundation and a three-year course.
As with most people who wish to pursue a career on the stage, Bryony realised there was so much more to theatre than simply acting. When chance gave the opportunity to direct in her last year she realised, ‘Oh my God, okay, actually this is what I want to do I’m a storyteller. It all made sense to me as a director.’
From there, Bryony set up a company called Snuff Box theatre with her peers. Bryony modestly brushes past the fact Snuff Box are a multi-award winning and internationally touring company.
The Artistic Director
In 2019 Bryony was made Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange with Roy Alexander. When asked about her appointment she beams, ‘I just feel really proud. This is my favourite theatre in the world. Genuinely, that’s nothing to do with the fact I work there. From the second I stepped in I was like “My God, this is incredible, I have never seen anything like it” so to me to have this opportunity is a real privilege.’ It is encouraging to see the Royal Exchange has such a deeply passionate Artistic Director at the helm.
Laughing she admits as an afterthought that she and Roy are probably the first Artistic Directors to have operated longer in a pandemic than out of one, ‘It’s a badge I wear with pride.’ Certainly, she is presented with a challenge, I ask how they plan to return theatre back to normal. Her answer to this is something I have not stopped thinking about. She simply asks, ‘Should we go back?’ Not just referring to the theatre industry but about society in full. Bryony tells me about a conversation she had, in which someone said, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste.’
She pauses for a moment and then admits, ‘There’s something in that you know. We’ve been forced to stop and really reckon with everything.’ Bryony says that she has had to rethink, ‘What is the point of theatre, why are we fighting’ but she’s quick to emphasise, ‘not to say there isn’t a point.’ Bryony and her colleagues are forced to think back to why we love theatre and how can they take that and rebuild it into something brighter and better.
Bryony raises an interesting point that we have an opportunity to re-analyse the way things are run. Society was not perfect before, so why return to flawed fixed ways, now is a time to rethink and change.
Gender Equality At The Theatre
On the topic of change, I turn the conversation to gender equality and the #MeToo campaign and how changes are being made in the theatre industry with people like Bryony now in the lead.
I begin by asking her experience as a woman, growing through the industry. Bryony explains that making a company with her friends (Snuff Box), was a really safe space, ‘I guess we were kind of in this strange little bubble, that we didn’t know what we didn’t know and that was amazing.’
Recognition through Snuff Box meant bigger institutions were offering up opportunities, where she would be working with very experienced and established people. She explains that as a young woman, in roles such as Assistant Director, ‘I realised that gender was such a big thing of play. I had to really navigate rooms in a way that I now have felt shift. Some of that shift is because I’ve got a bit older, and I suppose I’ve learnt a bit more about the things I will and will not accept.’ She concludes the question with, ‘I think we are in a better place now, we’re not there yet but we’re in a better place because of the bravery of a lot of those women that were speaking out a few years ago and continue to do so.’
Amber Massie-Blomfield writing for the Stage, suggests the differing approaches taken by theatre companies in response to the #MeToo campaign, is related to the gender of those in charge. I asked Bryony her take on this.
As Bryony was not working in the larger industries in 2015 to 2017, when the campaign was at the height of its exposure, she finds it hard to comment. She admits she did notice a shift, and after some thought reveals, ‘whatever company it was from the Young Company to professional companies, whatever scale and for whatever duration, the first thing that happened was Equity’s ‘Safe Space Statement’ was read out. We were given handbooks about actions and behaviours that wasn’t acceptable.’
Equity’s ‘Safe Space Statement’ is one page of detailing a pledge that promises a harassment and bullying free space. It gives people confidence to speak out, with the inclusion of a harassment helpline. By reading this out before rehearsals, it appears theatre companies are putting in some preventative measures to stop misconduct from occurring again.
In terms of the gender of those leading the companies and if it effects how they decide to take action, Bryony comments, ‘I think it’s natural that if, as a leader, you have lived experiences, then the urgency in which you think about how your organisation runs, does align with more urgency of action.’ Perhaps suggesting women in charge naturally work with more drive to make the changes because it is their sex that are more commonly at risk. However, Bryony does impress that, ‘of course there are allies and I’ve had brilliant experiences in organisations that have been helped run by men.’
Bryony explains that #MeToo helped create structure to be able to formalise actions and behaviours that are known to be wrong. It has further empowered people to build a structure and feel it would not be swept away or dismissed. ‘I really think it was the ignition point, as well as a chance to re-evaluate safe-guarding practices and handbooks. It was a big moment of “OK, we’ve got the language now and we can put this down on paper and make this a real tangible thing in the room rather than something we just don’t talk about.”
The Royal Court has a 25-point plan in which to tackle harassment in theatre, I asked Bryony what her 25 points to quash harassment would be. Rather sneaky question but I wanted to gain a clearer understanding of how those in charge plan to move forward in eliminating harassment from the workplace.
Of course, Bryony cannot muster a cohesive 25 point-plan in 30 seconds. But she quickly answers with a simple and effective core of what she believes has to be done, ‘I think that the point is speaking out loud, that is a point of contract. It’s not a thing that you can opt out of. It is important to immediately establish this how we behave and if you do not abide to this then there will be repercussions.’ I assume she is referring to Equity’s ‘Safe Space’ Act.
Secondly is to make clear the pathways through which to report abuse. ‘What’s crucial is that there are multiple pathways. Sometimes the person you are assigned to go to, should anything be a problem, might also be the person that’s paying you or giving you a job in the future.’
What happens when the person who is supposed to support and lead you is the person who is endangering you? A feature all to common in areas dominated by crooked power structures. ‘That can be really complicated when you are stepping into those spaces, so we offer multiple pathways. I think that’s the approach and it’s not about letting anything set.’
‘You can’t just write a document, put it in a drawer, and expect that behaviour to happen. It’s a brilliant start to write it down, but you really have to keep breathing life into it, you have to keep looking at it and reflecting on it for years.’
I am struck by her conviction and imagine the utter confidence she must give those that work for her, ‘As leaders, the very basic responsibility we have is to live the values that we set and that’s the simplest form of it, but I think it has to start there.’
‘Do you think power structures can ever truly be dismantled?’
She laughs and physically moves back in her chair to suggest the weight of the question. Though seemingly taken aback, Bryony formulates a digestible and speedy answer. ‘Something I think about quite a lot, and it’s too simple, but essentially as a leader you’ve got a choice whether to have power over, or to have power to.’ She elaborates further, ‘for a long time we’ve been in a hierarchy that has felt like power over and I’m far more interested in the power to.’
Though said with conviction she voices her concerns about how difficult it will be to challenge these power structures, ‘I don’t believe that a power structure that has existed for this long has to be the only way, but I think that changing it can’t happen overnight.’
She laughs and adds, ‘It’s ridiculous but even in the position that I’m in sometimes I feel like the Royal Exchange has this personality. In my head it’s in a wooden room somewhere, in the bowels of the theatre where people are actually running it.’ We laugh at the image of lying at the heart of the theatre is a wooden room with a bunch of bearded wizards running the theatre.
Bryony continues, ‘I suppose this perception that even I have, speaks to the invisible barriers that exist within all of these structures and organisations within the way society functions.’ I believe she is referring to the imposter syndrome familiar to many women who are in positions of high authority, ‘It’s been quite difficult at times and I observed this with other women creatives, that just because you get given the space, doesn’t mean that you occupy that space. I’m really working on getting there. I know that five years ago, me and Roy wouldn’t have necessarily got this gig and it’s really exciting, but some days you get that sense of imposter syndrome.’
I ask where these power structures come from. Bryony shifts in her chair and leans forwards as though she is about to dissect the whole of humankind, ‘It’s complicated because if you pull a little bit, the thread keeps on coming. It’s not just linked to theatre, it’s linked to capitalism, it’s linked to the patriarchy, it’s colonialism. It’s really a big hot mess.’
But as ever Bryony is hopeful, ‘There has been incredible work done and demonstrations all over of power that looks different to the structures that feels very different.’ She triumphantly concludes, ‘Certainly I wouldn’t be here if I thought it was always going to be a certain way.’ In Bryony Shanahan, we can hope to see an instrumental change in the way power is implemented.
Praise must be included for Bryony’s predecessor Sarah Frankcom who worked as Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange for eleven years. ‘Sarah has been such an incredible friend and support.’ Since taking over her role, Bryony explains that she has begun to see the bravery of Sarah in changing the direction of the organisation in terms of the narratives that were on stage and those who we saw making work. It’s so wonderful to hear Bryony talk about Sarah in such a positive light, too often women are subject to tearing each other down, ‘She was the Royal Exchange to me, and I look up to her in so many ways.’
Bryony is also eager to recognise those other women that helped pioneer against gender structures and forge the way, ‘It is because of women like Sarah and because of the work that she, and many of her contemporaries and people that came before her, that made it possible for me and Roy to do this job, I don’t see that would have been possible without the work of these amazing women.’
I was left with a feeling of hope. With passionate and supportive women like Bryony at the forefront of arts and culture, but also life, there are no limits to what we can achieve.
Bryony places herself in the canon of inspiring women, she realises she is part of a larger effort, ‘It’s like pass the baton, and I think about it quite a lot and I can’t wait. Not because I am rushing this tenure but genuinely, I can’t wait to see where someone else takes it and hopefully see it evolve beyond us.’
This article series – A Tough Act to Follow (get it?) – is an exploration into the performative nature (and indeed, the “theatre”) of social media. Each feature will see me interviewing an Instagram influencer, social media personality, or somebody who utilises social media to advance their career, as we explore the construction of online identities. In particular, this series is interested in gender and sexual identity.
Like Raphaël, Jony is perfect for this series because he sees social media as a virtual “theatre” where he can “perform”.
I have been a fan of Jony’s since September, when my best friend, Charlie, sent me his “Disney Villains: Boy Edition” transformation video. We both absolutely love his Maleficent hair.
I can’t attach the video into the article, but you can click the hyperlink – and here is an exclusive photo (one of two in this article!) of Jony as Maleficent and Captain Hook.
You’re starting to understand why I just had to feature him, aren’t you?
Photo: Jony Sios.
However, I wanted to wait until the series had really got going before I featured Jony because of how notable an “influencer” he is. Indeed, he is the most-followed person that I have featured so far in this series.
The reason I put influencer in speech-marks is because Jony does not refer to himself as such. Rather, he is a contemporary artist who uses social media as a platform to showcase his art.
There is an ongoing debate about influencers – and who and what they are “influencing” – which is why I am putting the spotlight on people who I believe use their social media platforms positively.
Jony is, without a doubt, one of those people.
Jony’s nationality
Contrary to popular belief, Jony is not Canadian.
He has been asked where he is from by various different websites and organisations. For some reason, they presumed he was Canadian – perhaps it is because of his French-sounding accent. Indeed, this had me thinking he was from Quebec.
Anyway, everybody loves Canadians, so it’s fitting!
If you know me in real life, or if you’ve read the third feature of this series, you’ll know I do!
Jony started experimenting with make-up when he was “pretty young”. He believes that the first time he played around with make-up was when he and his sister used some of their grandmother’s lipstick.
“I don’t know if she gave it to us, or if we stole it. That is not clear,” he admitted.
Jony said that he probably did not wear the lipstick, because, as boy, he felt that he was not allowed to wear make-up.
The first time he started wearing make-up properly was during his time in a circus.
I don’t have a picture of Jony’s circus years, so here’s a picture of him as that scary crown – in a skirt!
“[Make up] is part of being a performer, or part of the performance,” he said.
Jony’s mother bought him make-up, and he learned how to apply it by watching make-up tutorials.
It took Jony awhile to feel comfortable wearing make-up in public. This is probably, in part, because of past experiences that left him hurt.
As a child, he occasionally had people ask him whether he was male or female. He puts this down to his chubby face and smooth features giving him an androgynous look.
Eventually, Jony decided to embrace wearing make-up as part of who he is.
“I just decided to post stuff on Instagram and… here I am.”
Whilst most people would consider Jony an “influencer”, it is not a term that he uses to describe himself.
“Technically, I am doing the job of an influencer. But… I am an artist… and I will still stand by [that]… So, I’m an artist that does a bit of an influencer job.”
Indeed, Jony is using the platform of social media to showcase his art. He says that visual artists need to adapt themselves and get with the times, just like music artists began creating music videos when television became more mainstream.
Jony always wanted to be an artist, and he wanted his art “to be seen”. He knew that this meant he would probably have to work harder than people going into more stable jobs, but his mother’s love and support made this easier.
Something else that might surprise you about Jony is that he never wanted to be a make-up artist. His original dream was to be a theatre performer, but he always saw make-up as an intrinsic part of theatre and performance.
A further surprise is finding out that Jony prefers not wearing make-up. Make-up to him really is a performance.
Jony made his first make-up post in 2015. He was inspired by other men who had the confidence to showcase their make-up talents, so he decided to start doing it himself. Most of these looks were SFX (special effects) and character-based.
He witnessed the rise in popularity of make-up tutorials, so about a year after he shared his first make-up look on Instagram, he started doing tutorials of his own.
Jony thinks he found success because his make-up creations and tutorials were always based on a character or a piece of music.
“It was never about the make-up; it was about the character. So, I would always create a character and then bring it to life. So, it always had a story… It was a whole production; it was never just me putting make-up on”.
This all made sense to me because Jony’s content is all very theatrical. This sets him apart from most make-up artists and is probably one of the reasons he has become so popular.
When I brought up his 1.5 million TikTok followers, Jony quickly (and sassily) responded “1.6! Since yesterday.”
Jony says his Instagram account blew up around May 2016, when he posted a tutorial that was better quality and better produced than usual. This post went viral.
Jony refers to his early make-up tutorials as “Tik-Tok… on Instagram,” because there was always some sort of transformation. It’s as if he saw the change coming.
Still, there are noticeable differences between Instagram and Tik-Tok, and Jony has at times felt scared to try something different, but “art always evolves”, so artists have to keep up with these changes.
Jony says that he has never seen gender and clothing as correlated. He would often go to the women’s aisle because “clothes are cool”, so why should we deny ourselves the right to wear them just because they were designed for people with different bodies to us?
He then went on to talk about the radical difference between men’s and female’s clothing.
“There’s such a nice, colourful world with shapes, patterns, textures and stuff – and then you’ve got the men’s… It’s like t-shirts and trousers, and that’s it – and you’ve got black, brown and green, that’s it – or blue as well!”
He believes that it is only in the past two years, or so, that men’s apparel is getting more “out there”.
This prompted me to ask him if he shops at ASOS. “Yes, that’s what I’m talking about!” he laughed.
Jony thinks that it is amazing that big brands such as ASOS and Gucci are embracing gender-nonconforming fashion, because this will help normalise it, but he is not naïve enough to think that everything is going to change overnight.
“It’s gonna take a good few years before we start seeing more men in dresses [and] it’s gonna be a long few years before we feel safe wearing that kind of outfit in the public.”
Jony finds it weird how androgynous male artists (such as David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, and Prince) were so prevalent and popular in the 70s, 80s and 90s but then seemed to disappear in the 2000s.
Whilst he does not see Harry Styles wearing a dress as that “out there”, he appreciates Styles making gender-nonconformity more “day-to-day”.
This reminded me of the discussion I had with Raphaël Say in the previous interview, when we talked about the very different reactions people had to gender-nonconformity in the 80s to today. Whilst society has come a long way regarding gender, people in the 80s seemed to be more accepting of androgynous artists than people today.
Jony and Raphaël both agree that this difference is because the gender-nonconformity of the 80s was seen as “theatre”, whilst today it is seen as both personal and political. Today, we are having real discussions about gender-nonconformity. It is not just something you see in a performance; it is about real people and how they want to identify in real life.
“I think [an unprogressive] cis, male… straight… you know, the package… would laugh at a guy wearing a dress onstage, but they would be offended seeing a guy walking in front of them, on the street, wearing a dress – the same dress… It’s more of an issue now.”
I agreed: “they almost feel like it’s affecting their life because it’s real life.”
“Yeah, exactly. For some reason. I don’t know how, but apparently it does,” Jony laughed.
It is interesting how people tend to feel more comfortable expressing themselves online – even when they have huge followings like Jony – than being themselves out in the real world. I imagine this is because of the immediate, face-to-face reaction.
Jony said that he still feels worried about wearing dresses outside, before acknowledging that even a lot of women feel scared wearing certain clothing in certain places “because men are… you know,” he laughed.
Jony spoke of the time he wore a dress in a skate park for a photoshoot. There were three or four kids, aged between 8 and 11, who were later joined by three more.
“That’s when, suddenly, they discovered that I was wearing a dress, even though I was wearing a dress the whole time I was here,” Jony said. “That’s when they started laughing [and] taking videos of me.”
This experience was not hurtful or scary for Jony. He said himself that they were just kids, and we live in a society where men and women and taught to act in certain ways, so seeing a man in a dress is shocking for a lot of people. But he hopes that, over time, it will become “normal”.
Jony’s followers
Jony says he received a lot of judgement early on in his career because he was “different” and what he was doing was not something people were used to seeing.
Since getting TikTok, he fas faced more abuse; he says people can be crueller on Tik-Tok than Instagram. It does not bother him, though, and he tries not to take it personally.
Admirably, he has not let the hatred hinder him. Rather, it seems to make him work harder.
I have used these two photos as a visual metaphor for this. As Real Housewife Lisa Vanderpump said: “Throw me to the wolves, and I shall return leading the pack!”
Whilst Jony does receive some hateful comments, he says that “the love balances out,” in that all of the love he receives from followers and fans makes the hate he receives from trolls irrelevant and unnoticeable.
Jony thinks that most of his followers are young women and girls. He told me that he thinks they like his “safe, little world,” before sassily adding, “little/big – depends where you look at it.”
He said he receives lots of messages from queer kids, some of whom he has inadvertently helped come out. He finds this surprising because he does not speak much about these things.
“[But] like you said… what I do [inspires] them.”
Indeed, I told Jony that just by being himself, he is inspiring other people to be themselves.
Jony’s activism
Whilst Jony does not consider himself an activist, I believe that he is inadvertently doing the work of an activist, simply by being himself!
He will not bow down to societal norms. A Queen bows for nobody!
Sadly, it is not always easy to be yourself – even though just being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. Thus, seeing people like Jony refusing to conform to societal norms of what a man “should” be, is pretty cathartic.
I have used these two pictures here as another metaphor: by being himself, Jony is helping others be themselves.
Jony captioned these photos: “I’ll only share my crown if u promise me you’ll be nicer to yourself in 2021”.
Whilst Jony has always been passionate about a variety of causes, he was scared to bring this to his social media.
“My social media was really an escape from the world we live in. It’s literally a different world. I still live in a different world – that’s probably why the hate doesn’t affect me that much.”
It is still scary to him because he knows that his words can be twisted, but with a platform as large as his, he could not possibly shy away from activism.
“I never wanted to bring negativity to my Instagram or TikTok or whatever, but then I realised that it was important… It’s not negative… It needs to be said.”
Whilst Jony had never considered this before, he agreed with my characterisation of his social media content as “artistic activism,” because he is helping normalise the radical notion that people can wear whatever they like.
“I don’t know where my posts go, and I know they don’t go in the nicest places sometimes, but it helps other people… so I think I totally agree with that.”
Jony also spoke candidly about problems within the queer community.
He admits to never having related to the queer community as a kid because he was a little bit shy and this world seemed to be “out there, crazy and partying and all that.”
“That’s the first thing I saw; obviously, there’s layers.”
He went on to speak about the “huge” amount of transphobia in the gay and queer communities: “we can say it’s a safe space, but it’s not always [safe].”
Photo: Jony Sios.
He even feared being too feminine around other people in the queer community.
“I always thought the only way I could express femininity was through drag or through make-up, and that’s probably why I started doing make-up,” he said. “You don’t need to be a drag queen to be feminine – and what is femininity?” he asked.
The above photo is the second of two exclusives in this article. Let’s use it as another visual metaphor: you can try to shackle Jony, but he’ll just turn those chains into accessories!
I finished the interview by asking Jony about his friendship with Yungblud.
Yungblud makes awesome music, but I pay more attention to him as a visual artist than as a music artist. I absolutely love his gender-nonconforming, punk rock fashion.
Jony became acquainted with Yungblud after Yungblud messaged him to tell him that he loves what he does and would love to hang out with him sometime.
Jony referred to the content that they have created together as “cool” and “iconic”.
He loves how hard-working and open-minded Yungblud is.
“You can do whatever the f*ck you want in front of him, and that’s something that I cherish in everybody – when you feel safe to do whatever the f*ck you want.”
At this point, the call crashed – again! When we re-joined, I told Jony that it crashed just as he began talking about Yungblud.
“Oh, my gosh, I went on for a minute after that,” he laughed.
Jony then told me that he and Yungblud stand for the same thing – freeing the world of gender norms.
The both of them were very inspired by Lady Gaga as pre-teens because of her refusal to conform to societal norms, especially relating to gender and fashion.
Speaking of – the above photo is a BTS from his shoot with Gaga, when he was the face of a HAUS Labs launch/campaign!
This prompted Jony to reveal that he has always loved the punk rock world. His own aesthetic used to be very dark, but social media pushed him to become “bright and colourful and all that”. He felt that he could no longer express this punk side of himself.
“80% of my being is punk, even though it doesn’t necessarily look like it.”
Jony said that Yungblud helped him feel more comfortable expressing his punk side.
Jony and I chatted about a few other things, even nail rings for some reason, but I need to stop before this article becomes a dissertation!
Speaking of, I should probably begin my dissertation…
I set several aims when I started this series. One of them was to explore the “theatre” of social media, and this feature, in particular, tackles that.
Jony shows that using social media in performative ways is not necessarily negative. In his case, it’s quite the contrary. He is an artist that knows the power of social media, and whilst he dislikes the term “influencer”, there is no question that he is influencing people in positive ways.
Is the BBC’s decision to bring BBC3 back to television welcoming the next generation of television viewers, or just demonstrating their lack of awareness of the way young people consume media?
We’ve all been there, lying in bed with your laptop screen rested against your chest, spiralling further and further into the depths of a show until you find yourself at 3am mourning the loss of a character you hadn’t met until 5 hours ago. Binge watching is a term that only reached popular culture less than a decade ago, yet it is the most popular method through which most people of the millennial and Gen Z generations consume television. After all, why would you wait a week to watch the next episode of a show when you can watch the entire series as quickly and easily as if it were a film?
BBC 3 has arguably hosted many of the most bingeable shows available to television viewers recently. Fleabag, Killing Eve, and Normal People are some of the most popular – all of which have been nominated for, or won, at least one Emmy award. I May Destroy You, Michaela Coel’s BBC 3 mini-series released in June last year, has been the latest show to burst into popularity, bringing with it a surge of political discussions about rape and the treatment of women.
The channel has proven its ability to entice and retain younger viewers with its humour, politically relevant undertones, and gripping storylines. A week after the last episode of Fleabag aired on BBC 3 in 2019, it had 2.5 million viewers, many of whom were aged between 16 and 34. Fleabag demonstrated an increase in the viewing figures for this age group by 246% compared to those usually reported by the BBC on other programmes.
So there is no question that BBC 3 can create and show programmes appealing to a younger audience, but is its current formatting supporting this? Since February 2016, BBC 3 has only been available on BBC iPlayer, the online platform where consumers can watch any programme available, at any time, and often as a whole series in a box-set format. When the BBC’s decision to move BBC 3 online was announced to the public, outrage ensued, and a petition against the decision got 300,000 signatures. Certain groups claimed that the move symbolised the BBC’s disregard for its younger viewers, as BBC 3’s target audience is 16–34-year-olds.
On the 2nd of March 2021, the BBC announced that they will be bringing BBC 3 back as a channel on television in January 2022. It will not play programmes continuously, but will instead run between the hours of 19:00 and 04:00, on the channel which CBBC takes up for the rest of the day (the BBC’s channel for older children). This time schedule means that the majority of BBC 3 programmes will be shown after the watershed of 21:00, as a lot contain inappropriate language for children or scenes of a sexual nature.
Though this move is encouraged by some, seeing it as the BBC finally acknowledging their viewers of a younger age, others argue it is merely unneeded spending. The initial reason for moving BBC 3 online back in 2016 was that it would save the BBC money by only showing these programmes online, which most of its viewers watched online anyway. Though this increase in online consumption of television was strong in 2016, particularly with younger audiences, it has been increasing ever more rapidly since, and is now arguably more prevalent than ever. Added to this is the increase in the number of smart TVs found in people’s homes, where they can watch linear TV or switch over to watching iPlayer (where BBC 3 is currently hosted) without a second thought.
So, to pose my earlier question again, is the BBC’s move from just iPlayer to linear television as well really necessary? It may be a gesture of the BBC’s inclusivity of its younger audience, but in my opinion this gesture is merely representative of this channel’s lack of understanding about how young people consume the programmes they provide.
After chaining themselves around a plane to halt the deportation of 57 people from the UK, the ‘Stansted 15’ won their appeal against conviction. But despite a seemingly happy ending, the saga exposes major flaws in the UK’s approach to justice.
Immigration into the UK became a contentious topic in 2017. The rise of Euroscepticism, and the Brexit vote, pushed it significantly up the agenda. This explains the high profile nature of the Stansted 15 case: the successful attempt by 15 activists to prevent a government charter flight from deporting 57 migrants.
The charges brought against the 15 were nothing short of shocking. They were faced in 2018 with terror-related legislation: the Aviation and Maritime Act 1990 which carries up to a life-sentence.
The history of the Act makes the charges seem more overblown still. Passed in response to the Lockerbie bombing, in which 243 passengers and 16 crew died, it was the deadliest terrorist attack the UK has witnessed. Bringing this context to light emphasises the jaw-dropping degree of these charges, brought against what was a distinctly peaceful protest.
Two women on the plane, who have now been granted asylum in the UK, were believed to be victims of trafficking. One woman, a lesbian who had been forced into marriage, had been contacted by her ex-husband in Nigeria who told her he would be waiting to kill her upon her return.
Ben Smoke, one of the 15 speaking to The Guardian, declared ‘we were charged with endangering life but we took the actions at Stansted to try to protect life. That point needs to keep on being put into the spotlight.’
When comparing these charges with the charges faced by the violent, far-right demonstrators of summer 2020, the colossal inconsistencies in the treatment of activists by the UK justice system become evident.
Low-level assault on an emergency worker currently carries a sentence of up to 1 year. Disorderly/racially aggravated behaviour with intent to cause harassment carries up to 6 months. Violent disorder was the strongest charge faced by violent protesters, with a maximum sentence of up to 5 years.
This is what those who physically attacked the police and other protestors faced from the UK courts. The terror-related charges faced by the Stansted 15 were an unprecedented legal response to a peaceful protest in the UK.
The most concerning detail of the Stansted 15 case is perhaps the involvement of the then-Attorney General, Conservative MP Jeremy Wright. It was Wright who decided to bring these charges against the activists in 2018.
It’s hard not to view the scale of this response to peaceful activism as the result of a desperate attempt by the government to appear strong-fisted in immigration policy. This was an era in which the Tories were losing a mass of support to Farage’s UKIP and Brexit Parties. Political motives were no doubt a factor in the approach to this case.
We should all be concerned when, to whatever extent, political decision-making appears to interfere with our justice system, which should be defined by impartiality.
Lyndsay Burtonshaw, one of the 15, told The Mancunion: ‘how the CPS tried to send us peaceful protestors to jail for many, many years, how heavy handed this was, only makes sense when we see it through the prism of the Home Office’s Hostile Environment set of policies and practices.’
In some particular cases the Crown Prosecution Service requires consent to prosecute from the Attorney General, including cases of national security. However, when there is a ‘conflict of interest’ the Attorney General is not meant to be consulted.
I believe a conflict of interest – namely the importance of the immigration issue to the Conservatives, especially during that period – is clear to see in the Stansted 15 case, however it is understandably a grey area. The only solution therefore is to curb the powers of the Attorney General, ending all potential involvement by an MP in the prosecution of civilians. In no fit-for-purpose justice system should it be possible for political motivations to interfere with any case.
Has anything changed?
By the time they were charged in 2018, it had become increasingly clear that Theresa May’s pledge to bring net immigration down to the ‘tens of thousands’ was highly unlikely to happen. This only increased the pressure on a weak and divided Tory government, eager to reclaim the backing of the Brexit-right.
Burtonshaw makes clear that when it comes to government conduct, little has changed. ‘The Conservative government and Home Office are continuing to commit racist discrimination, persecution and violence against Black and Brown folks, in the name of ‘controlling migration’, with little to no concern for the human rights of people.’
But the impact of the protest has been clear: 11 of those due to be deported remain in Britain. Burtonshaw tells me that one has stayed to see the birth of a child, while another has been working as a nurse throughout the pandemic.
And of course, the scandalous charges brought against the protestors have finally been dropped.
‘The crown prosecution service has confirmed that they’re not taking our successful appeal to the Supreme Court – I don’t think they can further justify such a massive waste of money to hound us and send this message, when the appeal judges stated “there was in truth no case to answer”.
That we won our appeal is definitely a victory for protest, and for anti-rascist and anti-fascist solidarity in the UK.’
Lyndsay Burtonshaw is right: the appeal win is undoubtedly a success both for the Stansted 15 and for peaceful activists across the UK. But the entire episode raises grave and pressing questions about the treatment of peaceful protestors, and the involvement of partisan politicians in a supposedly impartial justice system.
At the time of writing, the new draconian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill has just been passed through the Commons. The rights of the general public to make its voice heard will only continue to be attacked under this current government.
Climate change is very real despite what your grandpa or local sceptic might say, and unfortunately, so is climate anxiety.
Studies in the United States have demonstrated how Gen Z is the most stressed generation, and much of this might be down to the impending doom of climate change.
Many of us have watched documentaries such as Cowspiracy (you can watch the trailer here), The True Cost, or An Inconvenient Truth, which may have left you with an uncontrollable sense of worry, anxiety, or extreme sadness. It sure is hard to stay hopeful about a situation we, as young adults, have had little to do with.
Moreover, it’s even more daunting to imagine that governments and large, polluting multinationals place upon us, average individual consumers, the responsibility of reversing climate change by using trendy reusable totes and bamboo toothbrushes over plastic.
Yet, fear not, dear reader, for you are not here to get bombarded by the scary facts that haunt your dreams, but to find new ways of countering them!
Films are your friends
It only took me one documentary to decide to adopt a plant-based diet: once I had seen one animal being tortured, I wasn’t interested in seeing any more. If you’ve got the hard part of facing the reality of climate change behind you, it is time to look at more uplifting narratives.
Raya and the Last Dragon is the most recent animation film by Disney+. (You can watch its official trailer here.) While watching it on a particularly gloomy evening, I found that the film had a (not so) secret subtext relating to climate change. As Raya journeys through the fragmented, plagued and dry world of Kumandra, she seeks the help of a long-lost dragon who, in this fantastical world, gets their power from and thrives on nature.
To the distracted viewer, the film might seem like just another Disney story about the importance of friendship. But look a little closer and you will find that it is about cooperation, nature, and sustainability. The best part? There is a happy ending to this climate change subtext, and we can have one too, if we work closely and cohesively with larger powers.
Take Action
For many people, feeling like you’re in control or that you have some power over a situation may help cope with anxiety. If this is the case, there are many ways that you can feel connected with the environment, and simultaneously, play a part in combating climate change.
Photo: Pexels @Pixabay
Aside from volunteering, shopping locally and up-cycling clothes, you can contribute to a greener climate by subscribing to reforestation projects. Mossy Earth and Tree Nation are two examples. With yearly subscriptions, or one-time tree planting opportunities, there are many ways you can make a difference and feel better about our future on earth.
Connect with nature
Whether you’re a city person or a ‘cottagecore’ fanatic, at the end of the day, our world wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for nature. Sometimes it’s important to remind ourselves that we are just one of around 8.7 million species, and that other creatures and forms of life deserve a safe environment as much as we do.
Maybe you’re living out in the countryside, and maybe you feel like you’re getting a little too much nature for your liking. But there is always something new to learn. Try finding out more about your local wildlife, what animals and insects scurry about near you, what’s the name of the tree in your garden, or the bushes around the corner. You can also try starting a nature diary and note down all the discoveries you make.
If you’re stuck in a stuffy city with skyscrapers, there’s something you can do too. If you can’t be in nature, try to emulate it at home using ASMR nature sounds, or even music that inspires natural imagery. I suggest Taylor Swift’s two lockdown albums,FolkloreandEvermore, or an old classic, like Bon Iver’sFor Emma, Forever ago.
Fight your fears with dystopian fiction
This is a bit of a weird one but bear with me. Dystopian fiction is based on an imaginative creation of a future world: one that is governed and organised in a different way than ours is. Take the likes of The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale and Divergent. Most dystopian worlds are normally much, much worse than ours. Could they function as counteractive therapy?
You might find that immersing yourself in a world that is so much worse than ours makes things seem a little better, or you might actually realise that reading dystopian fiction inspires you to find creative solutions to fight climate change. After all, although dystopia might seem fantastical, many times they are just exaggerated imaginations of real modern issues.
Find help & support
Although these remedies might help temporarily, if you do feel like you’re suffering from anxiety, depression, or any other condition, it is essential to get help and support. Reach out to your friends and family or seek professional counselling.
Right, gotcha, Jonny Bairstow isn’t retiring, but most newspapers publish misleading titles so why should The Mancunion be any different? A more accurate headline would be ‘experience suggests Bairstow may have played his last test match for a good while,’ – the inevitable scapegoat for this India tour.
I won’t try and pretend that Bairstow had a good series, he managed 3 ducks in 4 innings, and at the best of times he looked erratic. His second ball duck in the third test was characteristic of a player with a muddled head, lacking trust in his defensive technique and feeling the pressure.
This performance, coupled with his modest returns since 2018 – averaging 23.17 from 22 tests- means the 31 year old is likely to find himself on the wrong side of the national selectors, but it’s worth questioning how much of it is really his fault?
To a certain degree, a lot of it. There became three certainties in life after the 2017 Ashes tour: death, taxes, and Jonny Bairstow being bowled any time he dons his test whites, we all know this is true.
The new leg side stance that saw him become a world class white ball cricketer, proved to be the downfall of his test batting. Critics will say he should have remedied this, and he probably should have, but the end of the 2017 season also saw Bairstow fall victim to England’s destabilising selection policy.
From 2015 – 2017, Bairstow averaged 47.07 in tests batting at no. 7, and in 2016 he scored the record number of runs for a wicket keeper in a calendar year. But in their ever continuing quest to get Jos Buttler in the team (NB; none of this is his fault), the selectors moved Bairstow up the order in 2018 to accommodate him. Since 2018, Bairstow has changed batting positions 14 times in 18 tests, had the gloves taken away from him, then reinstated, and taken away again on a number of occasions.
That average of 47.07 batting at 6 or 7 from 2015 – 2017, ended at 23.17 since 2018 as a number 3 last week. Bairstow didn’t make his name as a top order batsman, the majority of his County Championship average of 50 has been made in the middle order, five of his six test centuries have been made at 6 or below. Why, when he was at the top of his game, would the management ask him to change his role to accomodate in the side?
It all points to the frantic selection policy that has quite frankly plagued the test side since 2013. The selectors first target was Nick Compton, starting the revolving door of England openers, then Gary Ballance, creating a void at number 3, the countless spinners, Moeen Ali batting in early every position possible, and now Dom Bess being picked despite being Somerset’s second choice spinner.
Bairstow shares fault with the management, but England have potentially let go of Bairstow without creating the right environment for him to fulfil his potential. It’s a sad end for a player who has had so many defining innings in whites.
The Mönchengladbach job seems like a decent starting point for the former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich midfielder. It’s a good blend of prestige and mild expectations. They carry a proud history from their golden decade of the 1970s, which saw them pick up 5 Bundesliga league titles, 2 UEFA Cups, and the DFB-Pokal (German Cup). More recently they reached the last 16 of the Champions League, eliminated by Manchester City. Given the latter’s form this season, there’s little shame in that.
However, it has been 26 years since their last major trophy. European football is not always guaranteed. A strong start to this season has withered away, as they now sit 10th in the Bundesliga.
A club like this is, for want of a better phrase, ‘big but not too big’. It’s ideal for a new manager like Alonso, an environment where instant success is not expected, but where there is a good level of gravitas and media attention. Success here would likely put the Spaniard in the good books of ‘bigger’ clubs around the continent.
Like many football fans of my age, it feels odd to see the superstars of our youths entering the managing world. Alonso joining Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Thierry Henry, and Mikel Arteta (just to name a few) feels simultaneously like the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. I almost feel frustrated that a new generation may know these figures primarily for their management, rather than their playing, careers.
This is the moment my dad met Xabi Alonso in Istanbul after Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League victory. He told him he was a ‘great player’. Will he become a great manager?
I’m sure the previous generations felt the same as Daglish, Beckenbauer, Guardiola, and Conte did the same thing. I’m disheartened that this new generation will not remember Alonso’s incredible range of passing and vision on the ball. As a Liverpool fan, it’s sad his goal in the Istanbul final will increasingly live on in old highlights, rather than lived memories.
There’s a big risk too, that if his managerial career is marked by failure, it will completely overshadow his playing days. Just look at Steve Bruce. As a player, he was a brilliant centre back who captained Manchester United to a League and FA Cup double. But if you ask people my age what they associate him with, and most will refer to his hapless management of teams lower down the table.
That’s why I’d be wary of Alonso ever getting the Liverpool job, and possibly damaging his reputation. I’d be even more terrified of Gerrard getting it.
Kenny Daglish’s stints showed it can work. On the flip side, it has taken a long time to heal the wounds of Graeme Souness’ toxic reign. Only now, after two decades, can Reds fans properly value his contribution as Captain of a team that dominated domestic and European football throughout the 1980s. For every Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane , there is a Frank Lampard and Andre Pirlo.
Management in football carries so much risk. While you can lead your team to glorious feats, the buck always stops with you, and very, very few leave on their own terms. It’s easy to see why Gary Neville quickly returned to comfortable punditry after a disastrous stint at Valencia. Even easier to understand why his colleague Jamie Carragher hasn’t bothered to coach at all. Management is far tougher gig than playing and punditry.
He also met Jamie Carragher after the final, who has chosen the easy life of punditry rather than management.
But Alonso has enough glorious honours to be satisfied with. These include a World Cup medal and 2 Champions Leagues. Figures like him, Gerrard, and Henry have much more to lose. If I was him, I’d stick to the easy life. Picking up money for punditry and after dinner speeches seems alright to me. However, such an outlook is probably why I will never be a world class professional footballer!
I wish Alonso the best of luck wherever he manages – apart from any major rivals to Liverpool of course – even though seeing him in the dugout would make me feel that little bit more old and wistful of times gone by.
For three quarters of the game, England’s performance in the first ODI was shaping up to be the all redeeming victory that fans, pundits and keyboard warriors craved. Ultimately, it was not to be, and with the loss of captain Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings to top it all off, England are staring down the barrel of a series loss in all three formats.
That wouldn’t be a pretty picture, but in all honesty were fans expecting much else? Winning a test in India was not even on the cards in the 2016/17 series but up until one session in the third test, they could have pulled off a remarkable series draw. Suffice to say, they did not and rightly so with India the vastly superior side, but going to a series in Asia where one of your spinners averages near 50 in the County Second XI competition (Dom Bess), it’s fair to suggest that England were asking for trouble.
There isn’t space to trawl out the long list of problems in county cricket that result in underdeveloped players for the test game, but England have consciously pushed spin to the margins in the championship. Former Middlesex spinner Ollie Rayner’s advice to young spinners was ‘learn to bat because no one can survive as an out and out spinner in county cricket unless they’re exceptional’. He’s right, there have only been two exceptional English spinners in the county game of late, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, and they were lucky to benefit from playing the majority of their county careers in the 2000s.
During this worldwide prioritisation of the white ball game, English spinners have had to contend with the ECB’s conscious decision to play the majority of red ball cricket in May, April and September, when pitches are damp and take to seam bowling. July and August, the two hottest months where spin is most prevalent, is dominated by white ball cricket. Therefore, teams need not play spinners in red ball cricket as the extra seamer is more likely to get results, and if they do play they are likely to bowl too few overs.
Graeme Swann noted before the series started that the key to their 2012/13 triumph in India was the accuracy of their spin bowling. This skill is developed at grounds like Taunton, where one learns to be accurate by bowling long spells. Jack Leach has been afforded this opportunity, but the rest are resigned to playing both infrequently and on pitches that offer little spin. India’s improvement in their overseas performances is a product of the depth in their fast bowling stocks, a direct result of the improving seam bowling wickets in the country. England can’t expect the same results with their spinners without the ECB making spin relevant in County Cricket again.
The T20 series was disappointing given England’s dominance in ODI cricket in recent times but a 3-2 scoreline isn’t all bad. There will definitely be much to ponder around the makeup of the side before the World Cup. Right now, they have too many left handers in the middle order, a weakness Shardul Thakur exposed to much avail, making the case for Sam Billings’ inclusion stronger (filling the role vacated by Jos Buttler). This would mean Sam Curran would likely find himself on the sidelines, with England having yet to determine his role. They sparsely use him as a bowling option and he didn’t find himself batting up the order, but a good IPL may change his fortunes. Older sibling Tom will also be hoping for a good IPL having had a fairly tortuous series, his arsenal of slower balls being picked off by the Indian batsman as if they were medium pacers.
As for the ODI series, who knows? England are world champions so a response is on the cards, but if their bowling falls away as it did in the first game, they’ll find themselves 2-0 down to an ever more confident India team who look certain to be serious contenders at the T20 World Cup later this year.
For the first time since 2004-05, the Champions League quarter final does not feature either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. With only eight teams left in the competition, the Champions League is perfectly poised to provide us with a mouth- watering quarter finals stage.
The defending champions Bayern Munich will face Paris Saint Germain in a replay of last year’s final, current Premier League leaders Manchester City will take on Borussia Dortmund, a revitalised Chelsea team will face FC Porto, and 13-time UCL champions Real Madrid will face 6-time champions Liverpool.
Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund
Pep Guardiola will be looking to lead Manchester City to the semi-finals for the first time since he has been in charge while Dortmund will be aiming to replicate the form that took them to the UCL final in 2013. As each season progresses, an increasing amount of pressure is placed on Pep Guardiola to deliver a Champions League title for Manchester City, especially considering that they have not made it past the quarter finals stage in the past four seasons.
Dortmund are also similar to Manchester City in terms of their lack of European success, failing to make it past the quarter finals since they made the final in 2013.
Manchester City go into this tie on excellent form, with only one loss in their last 32 games in all competitions and are one of the favorites to win the title. But Manchester City’s defence have a tough task ahead of them trying to contain the star-studded Dortmund attack which has the likes of Jadon Sancho, Julian Brandt, Marco Reus and the goal scoring machine Erling Haaland. Rueben Dias and John Stones will have to be cautious as the midfielders will try to play Haaland in behind the back line.
Although Dortmund have the ability to break down City with their attacking play, their defence is prone to conceding goals. They narrowly beat Sevilla 5-4 on aggregate, and if they are looking to make it far in the Champions League they need to find some consistency in their defence.
While Dortmund can cause some problems of their own, Manchester City are still considered the favorites in this tie. But Pep Guardiola and his men should not take Dortmund lightly, as they could suffer the same fate that they did last season when they were knocked out by Lyon at this same stage.
Predicted Score
Manchester City 3-1 Dortmund – Arsh
Manchester City 6-5 Dortmund – Prasham
Real Madrid vs. Liverpool
If there were two words to describe this matchup it would be European pedigree, with 19 UCL titles between the two sides they will now battle it out in the quarter finals with their prestigious histories on the line. While Liverpool may currently be in the Champions League this season, they may be in danger of losing out on European competition next season due to their disastrous league form.
The reds currently sit in sixth place, having lost their last four home games and six of their last ten matches. Despite their poor run of form, they still managed to comfortably beat RB Leipzig 4-0 on aggregate in the round of 16. With their long list of injuries which includes the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez they have a tough task on their hands against Real Madrid in this quarter finals tie.
But their recent wins over Leipzig and Wolves have shown that even during difficult periods The Reds can still pull together some strong performances. The first leg will be away from home for Liverpool so grabbing an away goal will be vital.
Real Madrid were struggling during the start of the season, but a recent resurgence in form has kept them in contention for the La Liga title and now the Champions League. In the round of 16, they took a crucial 1-0 win against Atalanta away from home thanks to a weak footed long-range strike from left back Ferland Mendy before eventually seeing them off 3-1 at home with goals from returning players Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos as well as Marco Asensio.
In comparison to Real Madrid’s defence, Liverpool’s centre backs are relatively inexperienced and they may have a difficult time trying to mark the runs of Benzema, who became the latest player to surpass 70 goals in the Champions League.
With Liverpool and Real Madrid’s run of form it is easy to think that this tie could be a repeat of the 2018 final, but Liverpool could find the much-needed spark that was missing the last time these two met and avenge that finals loss.
Predicted Score
Real Madrid 2-1 Liverpool – Arsh
Real Madrid 2-5 Liverpool – Prasham
Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint Germain
In a rematch of last season’s Champions League final, the Parisians will be looking to take their revenge after narrowly losing 1-0 against the Bavarians. Just like last season Bayern Munich look as dominant as ever, beating their opponents with ease while Hansi Flick’s men are scoring goals for fun.
Bayern scored the most goals in the group stage with 18, and cruised past Lazio beating them 6-2 on aggregate. Even though Bayern are not running away with the Bundesliga title this season, they still look like the favourites to secure their ninth consecutive title. But their Champions League title defence faces a difficult path as they face a Paris team who put on an impressive display against Barcelona in the round of 16.
Despite suffering with an injury to Neymar, Paris Saint Germain dispatched Barcelona with ease, winning 5-2 on aggregate inspired by a hat trick from Kylian Mbappe at the Camp Nou in the first leg. Domestically, the Parisians have not been nearly as dominant, as they sit in second place three points behind leaders Lille. Although it was not evident against Barcelona, it is clear that Neymar’s injury has had an impact on PSG’s attacking play and their creativity.
When PSG signed Neymar for a world record fee of 222 million euros with the aim of European dominance and to bring Paris their first Champions League title. It is clear that the Parisians will need the Brazilian forward fit and ready to go if they are to beat a full-strength Bayern Munich side.
Bayern Munich are on the hunt to become the first non-Real Madrid repeat champions since AC Milan in the late 80’s, but they face a tough challenge ahead of them against a Paris Saint Germain team who are hell-bent on doing one better than they did in the 2020 UCL final.
Predictions
Bayern Munich 4-2 PSG – Arsh
Bayern Munich 5-5 PSG (PSG win on penalties) – Prasham
Porto vs. Chelsea
This may seem like the least enticing tie in the quarter finals, but it actually may turn out to be the most interesting. Chelsea have found new life under Thomas Tuchel, going unbeaten in their last 11 games since Tuchel has taken charge and securing an impressive 3-0 win on aggregate against Atletico Madrid in the round of 16.
Chelsea found themselves in ninth place and seemingly out of the race for a Champions League spot after Frank Lampard’s sacking. But since then the Blues have had a big transformation since the German boss has taken charge, as they now sit in fourth place and in contention for the Champions League title.
The biggest difference for Chelsea under Tuchel has definitely been their defence, keeping clean sheets in their last four Premier League games and only conceding two goals since Thomas Tuchel has taken charge. Although the defence has been relatively stable, Chelsea have had some difficulties with getting their two German star signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz contributing to the attack and getting on the score sheet.
But the trio of Werner, Havertz and Ziyech showed some impressive link up play in their second leg match against Atletico Madrid in their 2-0 win. Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that the trio can keep building their confidence and momentum ahead of their quarter finals tie with Porto.
Similar to Chelsea, Porto defied all odds by beating Juventus on away goals in the round of 16. After winning 2-1 away from home in the first leg, the Portuguese side went toe to toe with the Italian heavyweights in the second leg and managed to progress on away goals despite losing 3-2 in extra time.
Porto found themselves an unlikely hero in 38-year-old centre back Pepe, who defended admirably against the likes of former team mate Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and youngster Frederico Chiesa. The Portuguese veteran will be key for Porto’s defence if they are to try and keep out the attacking players of Chelsea. In attack, Portuguese midfielder Sergio Olivera and Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi who both scored in the round of 16 will try to put pressure on Chelsea’s back four.
Although Chelsea do seem like the favorites in this tie, it is possible that Porto could pull out another upset just like they did against Juventus in the round of 16.
Team LeBron beat Team Durant convincingly by 20 points with a score of 170-150 as the 2021 edition of the NBA All-Star game took place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
This year’s All-Star weekend took on a revised format with the skills challenge and the three-point contest being held before the All-Star game and the slam dunk contest being held at halftime. The main question surrounding All-Star weekend was whether the NBA should have staged the event this year or not, as the MLB, NFL, and the NHL cancelled their All-Star events due to the pandemic.
The NBA decided to carry on with the All-Star weekend after Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were ruled out due to contact tracing. A number of other superstars such as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have expressed their dissatisfaction with the NBA’s decision to hold the event.
Taco Bell Skills Challenge
The All-Star festivities kicked off with Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis winning the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. Over the past few years, the Skills Challenge has had an underlying theme of guards versus the big men. The guards are expected to be the favourites to come out on top during the Skills Challenge.
But both the guards who were participating in the event this year, Chris Paul and Luka Doncic, got eliminated after receiving byes to the semi-finals. Domantas Sabonis beat Julius Randle and Luka Doncic with ease on his way to the finals, nailing both the pass and hitting the three-point shot with his first attempts.
Nikola Vucevic was the other finalist, beating Robert Covington and Chris Paul on his route to the finals. The finals were a close battle, with both Sabonis and Vucevic making the pass and the layups on their first attempts. It all came down to the three-point attempt and it was Sabonis who emerged victorious as he made his shot before Vucevic could make his.
Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest
The Three-Point contest provides an opportunity to the world’s best basketball players to showcase their range and shooting ability. It has always consistently provided some of the best entertainment, and it did not disappoint.
Stephen Curry entered the contest as a heavy favourite, and his win certainly showed everyone why he is the greatest shooter the game has ever seen. But the contest was much closer than most people had expected, with Mike Conley losing out by just one point.
In the first round Curry put up an incredible 31 points while making eight consecutive shots at one juncture and one deep shot from the Mountain Dew zone, meanwhile Mike Conley put up an impressive 26 points.
A new feature of the three-point contest is the “deep” shot which is six feet behind the arc on either wing and is worth three points. This new shot certainly favours Curry as he is the only player who can consistently make a shot from that kind of range, as he made three of his four deep shot attempts.
In the final round, Curry hit the final moneyball to just beat out Mike Conley, 28-27, and claim his second Three-Point championship.
AT&T Slam Dunk Contest
The Slam Dunk contest has provided some of the most memorable moments in NBA history, such as Vince Carters elbow dunk, Michael Jordan’s dunk from the free throw line, the 2016 showdown between Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine, and many more. But unfortunately, this year’s slam dunk contest was one to forget.
The contest mainly lacked in originality as the players failed to excite the viewers and those limited number in attendance. In the first round, Cassius Stanley tossed himself an alley oop, caught the ball, put it through his legs and completed the dunk with his left hand. The judges gave him a score of 44. For his second dunk, he attempted a basic one hand after missing his first attempt which saw him receive a score of 37 from the judges.
Obi Toppin received a score of 48 from the judges on his first dunk after completing a two-handed reverse tomahawk dunk. He tossed himself a lob, caught the ball on the bounce and took it through his legs for the jam. For his second dunk, he completed a windmill with his right hand after jumping over Julius Randle and his father.
Anfernee Simons attempted a unique dunk for his first attempt, receiving a score of 46 from the judges. Simons attempted a two-handed dunk after catching the ball while it was stationed atop the square of the backboard on a miniature nerf basket. For his second dunk, he put on a Tracy McGrady raptors jersey while recreating his famous 360 dunk from the 2000 All-Star game.
In the final round, Anfernee Simons took the win over Obi Toppin after lobbing it to himself and completing the dunk after attempting to the kiss the rim.
The All-Star Game
Although the All-Star game was a complete blowout with Team LeBron winning 170-150 over Team Durant, there were some memorable highlights from this year’s game.
This year’s All-Star game took on the same format as last year’s, where 24 points are added to the leading teams score to set the target score for a clock-free fourth quarter. Even though Curry and Lillard were on team LeBron, they engaged in a friendly rivalry throughout the match where they were trying to match or better each other’s three-point attempts.
Curry and Lillard both made eight three-pointers in the game, and were trading shots back and forth. In the first half, Curry made a no-look three pointer from the corner, two half-court shots from the All-Star logo, and completed an alley-oop dunk after a lob from Chris Paul.
Later on in the half he repaid Paul by throwing him an alley-oop as well. But one of the best moments in the game came when Lillard made a half-court shot and then Curry made the exact same shot in the next possession, just before the first half ended.
The second half was a dull affair, with Team LeBron pulling away to lead 146-125 at the end of the third quarter, setting the target score to 170 for the fourth quarter. Lillard ended the game in style by pulling up to half-court and draining the long range three-pointer.
Giannis Antetokounmpo won the Kobe Bryant All-Star game MVP after displaying a dominant performance where he dropped 35 points without missing any field goal attempts. He is the first player in NBA history to shoot 100% on 10 attempts or more in an All-Star game.
Overall, while the All-Star game did provide us with a few memorable moments from the three-point contest and the game itself such as Steph Curry’s incredible display of shooting, his rivalry with Damian Lillard, it won’t be an All-Star weekend that will be remembered in the future. This leads to the question of whether the NBA should have gone ahead with the event in the first place or not.
After a second delay in consecutive seasons, the FIA Formula 1 Championship will commence this weekend. Just like the start of the 2020 season, the Coronavirus pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne for a second time, pushing back the start of the regular season. As such, for just the third time, the Formula 1 season will get underway. This time, in Sakhir at the Bahrain International Circuit.
This will be the first time the teams measure up at a race weekend, after last week’s testing. Red Bull seemed to be at the head of the pack, with the usually dominant Mercedes struggling with a car that appeared unstable at the rear. Lewis Hamilton, the newly crowned 7-time world champion, made a series of uncharacteristic errors. At one point, spinning into the gravel at turn 13, beaching his W12. Leaving him with a long walk back to the Mercedes garage.
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 2, 2021
The Brackley-based team are looking to continue their dominance for a 8th consecutive year. Hamilton is also seeking his 8th drivers title. This would put him one clear of the legendary Michael Schumacher. Thereby securing his name down in history as the most successful driver in Formula 1 of all time.
After a long delay, Hamilton signed a 1-year contract extension with Mercedes. This was amongst a series of rumours around his plans for the future. With the Mercedes prodigy waiting in the wings at Williams, and following his supreme one-off performance with the team as a replacement for Lewis at the Sakhir GP last year, there are many who believe that he deserves a shot in the top team. With only a single year, could it be that Hamilton is considering a retirement after a successful 2021 campaign? Only time will tell…
This year will see many changes on the grid, both in the teams and in the drivers. Racing Point, affectionately known as the ‘Pink Panthers’, are moving on. Away from their bright colours to the classic colours of racing green, the outfit rebrands to the Aston Martin Formula 1 team. A return for the iconic brand who are once more joining motorsport’s elite field after more than 60 years.
— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 3, 2021
After deciding to part ways with talisman Sergio Perez, the team picked up the 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. Vettel was inexplicably dropped by Ferrari last season, to accompany Lance Stroll as their driver line-up.
Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, has previously come under fire from F1 fans in the past. Many have claimed he was only racing as a result of his father’s deep pockets.
Lance Stroll, 2020 pre-season testing, Barcelona. Source: Wikimedia @Jen Ross
However his performances last season in particular provided ample evidence that he is deserving of his place. Most notably, a stunning pole lap in the treacherously wet conditions of the Turksih GP qualifying. Along with a suburb drive to a third place finish at the Sakhir GP. He joined his then team-mate Sergio Perez in Racing Point’s first ever double podium.
Following a strong performance last season, the Silverstone-based team will aim to continue their recent success, hoping to push further up towards the front of the grid after narrowly missing out to Mclaren for third in the Constructors Championship last year.
There is also a change next door in the Renault garage, as the French team returns as Alpine, sporting a striking blue livery with dashes of red and white. Following the departure of Daniel Ricciardo to rivals Mclaren, the team looked to the legendary Fernando Alonso to fill the void, following a three year absence from the sport. The 39-year-old Spaniard returns to the team with whom he won two world titles in 2005 and 2006 and looks to continue the team’s push back to the front of the grid.
There is also a name that returns to the F1 grid that has gotten everybody talking. Mick Schumacher, son of 7-time world champion Michael, makes his first venture into the top tier of racing as he begins his career with Haas. The young German showed great promise, as his consistent performances carried him to the Formula 2 title last year, and his entry to the sport is beloved by fans around the globe.
With a series of driver changes, and with this being the last year before major regulation changes come into play, this year is set to be an unpredictable one, that will no doubt be full of action. Catch the season opener this Sunday as the year kicks off in the desert of Bahrain.
“Abracadabra!” With a flourish of their wand, the magician ensnared our minds and tricked our senses… A much loved trope of fiction, and of real life entertainment. However, humans intrinsically possess a magical power of their own – and we don’t even need a wand.
Our brain is an invisible magician. It can often trick us into seeing, feeling, and experiencing certain events that are not real. Underlying the seemingly magical nature of these phenomena are scientific explanations. Let us delve into some of the magic tricks our brains have up their sleeves.
Visual Optical Illusions
A famous adage often uttered is “The eyes are the windows to the soul.”. I would also argue that the eyes are filters for the brain. Every day, our brain constructs what we perceive as reality. For example, humans have a natural visual blind spot in both eyes, but the brain, using signals from the eye, fills in what is missing from the field of view.
Photo: Richard Hendrick @ Flickr
In 2019, neuroscientist Dr. Patrick Cavanagh researched visual illusions and how the brain processes illusory motion. This thus extends to human perceptions of reality.
Cavanagh and his team found that the visual cortex of the brain is not so easily tricked by illusion. Instead, it is the frontal lobes of the brain, associated with higher thinking and decision making, that are being fooled. These frontal parts of the brain are where the “story of reality” is constructed.
Different life experiences influence how the brain perceives the reality presented to us. From visual motion to colours, the brain will create a story based on different filters put in place by our well-meaning eyes.
A viral example of this was the 2015 controversy “the dress”. Some people saw the dress to be black and blue while others testified it was white and gold. As it turns out, both groups were visually filtering out different wavelengths of light to create conflicting perceptions of the dress.
The Phantom Limb
Many amputee patients have described the feeling of a phantom limb, a vivid experience of sensations in a missing part of the body. This confusing phenomenon was studied by scientists who found that the brain alters its communication functions for motion and sensation after amputation.
The plasticity of the brain offers insight into how treatments and therapies can be developed to address phantom limb pain. Researchers from Oxford and UCL used this scientific understanding to develop a new treatment to reduce pain from phantom limb sensations.
By using small electrical currents to stimulate regions of the brain associated with the amputated limb, and direct activity through the altered brain functions, the researchers were able to provide significant phantom limb pain relief that is affordable, safe, and uncomplicated.
De Ja Vu and False Memories
The uncanny feeling of experiencing something before – even though you have not – is termed ‘de ja vu’. This comes from the French for “already seen”.
According to a study published in 2012, the memory phenomenon is built on the principle of familiarity. When our brain is triggered by an experience that presents similarities to a previous memory, that misplaced familiarity can result in feelings of de ja vu.
The parts of the brain activated by these feelings were those involved in higher order thinking and critical decision-making abilities. University of St. Andrews researcher Akira O’Connor and his team were able to trigger ‘de ja vu’ in the lab and scan the brains of volunteers using MRI. O’Connor suggests that the brain is being alerted of a “memory error” and the sensation of de ja vu is the brain attempting conflict resolution between perceived and real experience.
A related, but different, phenomenon is that of false memories. As discussed previously, the brain creates stories that portray our perceptions of reality. This trick also extends to our memories.
Multiple experiments have found that people can be tricked, for example, into believing they had been lost in a mall or had taken a hot air balloon ride. Being presented with doctored photographic evidence convinced them they’d experienced things they’d never experienced.
False memories and misremembering can have grave implications on the justice system, as particular phrasing of questions or feedback can influence witness testimonies, or even suspect confessions.
It is therefore vital to understand the science underlying what seems to be unexplainable – this resident invisible magician permanently occupying your headspace. From illusions and phantoms to familiarity and falsehoods, could science simply be magic made real?
In this series, our columnist Anna Jin brings attention to the unique and talented people of colour working in fashion.
The face of fashion is changing as brands are making a conscious effort to become more inclusive in who they represent. Luxury empires and high street retailers alike are increasingly promoting diverse models on their catwalks and in their campaigns.
However, this was not enough for Maïna Cissé. As a woman of colour, she felt that nobody was taking risks, so she decided to test out a completely new way of hiring models.
While other underwear brands look at photos, measurements or modelling experience, she is only interested in casting someone who has an interesting story to tell.
Maïna Cissé founded the lingerie brand and content sharing platform The Underargument in 2015. Her goal, and her company’s motto, is to inspire women to “embrace their individuality”.
She did not intend to challenge the fashion industry status quo when she first started her company, but her radical approach to casting models challenged norms nonetheless.
Photo: Maïna Cissé
Maïna first created what she now calls “anti-casting” in 2017 because she was frustrated with the conversation around diversity that existed at the time.
“I’m fed up with people defining what diversity is”, she says. She wanted representation to be sincere, rather than an attempt to tick the right diversity boxes, or to conform to the industry’s traditional beauty ideals.
Maïna invites women who want to model her lingerie to submit stories that suit one of her collections and her brand’s message.
The chosen writers are invited to a professional photoshoot in The Underargument’s studio in London, and their stories are shared on the brand’s website.
Photo: Maïna Cissé
“The reality is that we’ve shot over 50 people so far, and we haven’t had any shoots that were difficult or had issues finding photos that were perfect,” says Maïna on the success of anti-casting.
“We realised that when we give respect, attention and appreciation to someone, they literally shine in front of the camera. So that debunks a lot of the myths that we believe in in terms of beauty standards”
Photo: Maïna Cissé
Maïna is not fighting for the elimination of professional models, nor is she trying to convince everyone in the fashion industry to follow her example.
However, she is hoping to show that there is an alternative way for fashion brands to champion diversity and create beautiful images outside of the status quo.
You can find out more information about anti-casting here.
The Underargument’s products can be ordered via their website, and they can also be found on Instagram and Facebook.
Released on the 8th of March 2021 to coincide with International Women’s Day, Richard Shaw’s quiet, ruminating, hour-long documentary on the life and work of one of Britain’s most instrumental sculptors is deserving of our time and attention.
Hepworth herself wrote, ‘I, the sculptor, am the landscape. I am the form and I am the hollow, the thrust and the contour’. If her work is to be defined as ‘the figure in the landscape’ – not only inspired by the curve of the land, but also inevitably determined by the bare matter of the stone itself – then the documentary’s structure reflects her mode of working.
Organised by place, it takes us from her earliest memories of driving through the snaking Yorkshire hills, to the years 1921–24 spent in London at the Royal College of Art, to Florence, Paris and back again. The pivotal move in 1939 to St Ives with partner Ben Nicholson coincided with the start of the war. This provided the context for a practice of direct carving that was, as one commentator puts it, ‘consciously in defiance of fascism’ and its material values.
Yet her most enduring influence was to be the land. Hepworth drew inspiration from the ragged cliffs of the Cornish coast, mirroring the erosion of sea and wind on the cliff, speeding up a process of centuries with hand and hammer. Her sculptures situate the spectator within the landscape. They ask us to to interact with it, to peer through holes that look as though they have been hole-punched or scooped out with a potato peeler, leaving behind clean lines; the curve of the stone that asks to be touched.
Art as necessity
Shots of the studio linger on the shadows falling over cluttered tools, clouded plastic goggles, and the dark blue and terracotta painted aprons still hanging on their pegs. The studios at Trewyn remain open to the public as The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, linked to Tate St Ives.
Visiting last year, it felt wrong to admit that the studio was my favourite part. The pale concrete floor and the great slabs of marble that were never to be used, the white all around of flour and sand, with light pouring in through the window like a jug, all somehow preferable to the scenic garden.
Snippets of Hepworth’s own writing are read aloud, ensuring that she is not spoken for by a male director. Instead, she is given the space and voice that she worked so hard to carve out for herself in what was largely a male sphere.
We see the life of a female artist not sidelined by the responsibilities of raising a family, but instead fuelled by these experiences of great emotional intensity – birth and death, the curve of the land and of pregnant, organic forms.
This is most evident in the sculptures dedicated to her eldest son Paul: ‘Infant’ following his birth, and ‘The Madonna and Child’ after his death.
Hepworth wrote, ‘I decided I must do some work each day’, thus framing her artistic process not as a luxury or a choice, but a necessity to her way of living.
Hepworth is available for students to watch for free via box of broadcasts.
Last week, many UoM students were emailed a suspicious link asking them to log in with their details. This phishing attack fooled many students, and left many others asking: what are these attacks? How do you spot them?What should you do if you’ve been taken in?
What is phishing?
The National Cyber Security Centre defines phishing as “when criminals attempt to trick people into doing ‘the wrong thing’, such as clicking a link to a dodgy website”.
The attack can be sent via email, text or social media. In the case of last week’s attack, students received an email asking them to log into their university account using a link embedded in the email.
Most of these attacks aim to collect sensitive information about the target. In last week’s attack, it was student login details, but some may want to collect financial information, or send a virus as an email attachment.
Phishing attacks are one of the most common types of cyber attacks. In 2020, a survey by the Department of Digital Culture, Media & Sport showed that phishing accounts for more than 80% of cybersecurity attacks.
How can you protect yourself?
There are various ways to effectively identify attacks. You should:
Read the link
Photo: Santeri Viinamäki @ Wikimedia Commons
If the link doesn’t start with HTTPS, it is probably an unsafe website. Some modern browsers will warn you when you try to enter these sites. However, this doesn’t mean every HTTPS website is safe to click on. The attacker who targeted the university used an HTTPS link.
Check the website’s appearance
This is one of the most obvious ways to detect if a website is fake. If it doesn’t look like the original website, it is probably a phishing site. Be aware that this doesn’t mean if the website looks the same, then it is fine to share your details. More sophisticated attackers will try to make their website look as legitimate as possible.
Question what they’ve asked you to do
Companies don’t usually ask you to log in for security breaches, or ask for personal details via email. However, this is one of the most commonly fallen-for scams.
Attackers usually disguise themselves as your personal bank, and ask you to change your password or verify a transaction. Before you click on these links, be familiar with how the institution you are dealing with operates.
If you have concerns, it’s a very good idea to look up the institution’s guide, or call their helpline before clicking on such links
Keep personal information private
Photo: mohammed_hassan @ pixabay
Be aware of the personal details you display in your social media accounts. It is very easy for attackers to target you using available public information.
What should do if you’re attacked?
Photo: @piqsels
If you were one of the students who logged into the suspicious link last week, here is what you need to do:
Make sure that you change your university password following this guide. If you have the same password or a similar one somewhere else, you should change that as well.
Contact the IT department immediately on +44 (0) 161 306 5544 and report the incident to [email protected] following these instructions.
If you’ve fallen victim to another scam, running your antivirus software and reporting any financial theft to Action fraud is incredibly helpful.
Society has suffered a huge increase in cyber attacks in recent years, but that does not have to lead to an increase in victims. Awareness and education are the key to keeping us safe online.
Following on from our feature on JoeyMacaroni, South Manchester’s new student-run macaroni and cheese delivery service, I caught up with Beth Thomas. She is a third year psychology student at Manchester Metropolitan University. Last year, Beth started Baked by Beth: a Manchester based bakery which sells delicious looking bakes.
Beth bakes giant chunky cookies and gooey brownies. Her menu options are vast, with a range of different flavours such as Crunchie, Biscoff, and cookies and cream. Currently, Beth is selling an Easter themed menu, where you can get your creme egg or mini egg fix!
Baked by Beth is available for collection in Manchester or UK wide postage.
In Conversation with Beth
The Mancunion: Have you always been a baker, or did you discover your talents whilst at university?
Beth: “I’ve always enjoyed baking as a hobby growing up. During first and second year uni I didn’t really have the time and space to bake. Mainly because I was in shared accommodation. During the first lockdown I would bake every other day for my boyfriend, just because I was so bored! Around summertime last year I was really struggling to find a job. So, my family suggested that I sell my cookies! I don’t know why I have never thought of this before. My sister is also a cake baker so she persuaded me to join the baking club! Once me and my boyfriend moved into our flat together it was the perfect opportunity to start baking!”
M: What inspired you to start your own baking business?
B: “To be honest, what inspired me was having extra free time to invest into a hobby, and to also make a little bit of money of course! Being a student is really tough. I was only expecting to get one order a week to go towards my savings! But I never expected that I would be so busy, I am really shocked! Another inspiration was my sister. She started baking in March last year, and it completely took off, and she persuaded me to start the business!”
Photo: Beth Thomas
M: What are your favourite menu items?
B: “My favourite menu item has to be the galaxy and white chocolate cookie. I’m obsessed with the double chocolate cookie base. When I first introduced triple chocolate I was obsessed. But every time I found a dark chocolate chunk in it I hated it! I’m a massive dark chocolate hater, so creating the galaxy cookie just ticked all my cookie craving boxes! Also, my second favourite has to be the new mini egg cookie, exclusive to Easter! A mini egg inside a cookie is just a dream combination. It’s definitely my most popular cookie at the moment!”
M: How do you juggle running a business and being a student?
B: “Juggling a business and uni is really really tough. When I first started out I didn’t have too much uni stress, because it was the start of the year. But as the year went on, I found it really difficult to manage my time. Baking definitely took the priority over uni work, which is wrong. But I just enjoyed it that much, finding that motivation for uni work was so difficult! As time went on, and now that I am writing my dissertation, I have learnt that uni comes first. Baking is my little side hobby! Now I am only taking on a very limited number of orders a week so that I can manage around my uni work. It may get even less in the next month. But once my dissertation has finished, I’m going to go baking mad! It’s all about prioritising the most important things!”
Just pop me a direct message on a day you would like to order! I am much more active on my Instagram. This is where I create polls to get your ideas on new flavours. I also post lots of one-time discounted boxes! So make sure you check it out to grab yourself a bargain!
As well as collection in Manchester, I also offer UK postal to your front door. This has been a success, and it means customers over the uk can receive the cookies! Baked by Beth has gone as far as Northern Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall!”
M: What does the future hold for Baked by Beth?
B: “The future is really hopeful for Baked by Beth. I never expected that my little business would take off so much in such a small space of time! I’m really thankful for everyone that has supported me and to all of my lovely customers. I hope to continue baking through the summer after I graduate. Then, in September, I am actually applying to do a postgraduate degree in psychology in Manchester! So baking will still continue. I will just be taking limited orders whilst I carry out my studies. I look forward to supplying you all with treats soon!
Photo: Beth Thomas
Make sure to check out Baked by Beth on FacebookandInstagram to keep up to date or place an order!
Look familiar? This is the email-inbox reality of university students across Manchester. Distracting? Yes. Annoying? Absolutely! But harmful? Surely not!
Sending and receiving unnecessary emails, which more than likely will never be read, feels like a victimless crime. Whether it be signing up to a company’s newsletter or circulating a survey to hundreds of your “nearest and dearest”, it’s something we all blindly do.
However, recent research suggests surplus emails are surprisingly harmful to the planet and contribute to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. So maybe it’s not victimless after all.
Thank you? No, thank you!
In November 2019, OVO Energy published a report which stated that people in Britain send 64 million non-essential emails every day. And the worst offender? Courteous, one-line thank you emails, 49% of which are sent to people within close proximity.
According to the study, one email equates to 0.000001 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. So, if every adult in Britain sent one less email every day for a year, it would save 16,433 tonnes of carbon emissions. This is equivalent to 81,152 flight journeys to Madrid!
As a result of this study, OVO Energy has started the ‘Think Before You Thank’ campaign. The aim of which is to encourage the British public to pause, and think about whether the email they’re sending is truly necessary. The ultimate goal is to use email-restraint to lower carbon emissions. Environment over courtesy, if you ask me.
16,433 tonnes! Why bother?
At first glance, 16,433 tonnes of carbon may seem like a lot. However, when you compare it to the 435.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases Britain released in 2019 alone, it comes out to a mere 0.0037%. It barely scratches the surface.
There is a wide array of things we could all be doing, which could have a far greater impact, like holding companies and governments accountable for their emissions. But if we’re already walking instead of driving, reusing instead of discarding, why not also send one less email a day?
Dazzling glitz-pop north-native Phoebe Green has delivered yet another stellar creation. This time, in the form of her debut EP. Green’s penchant for creating glittery ear worms has exceeded and excelled. This is made more than evident in her new release. Raw emotion and sultry style encompass the lush melodies and bubbling indie-pop goodness that we have all come to know and love.
The self-proclaimed ‘Shirley Temple of the North’ documents personal growth and inner contemplation. She illustrates a darker tone through witty lyricism and spokes of confession. All sung with complete conviction and an entrancing, almost hypnotic whispery style. This is testament to insecure teenage years and the constant inner struggle for perfection. Her pessimism and melancholy lend to create a sublimely daunting vibe entwined with a 70’s pop-colour aura that is not to be overlooked.
The first track on the EP, Reinvent, is an irresistibly colourful and texturally diverse pop-punk number. It is co-written with The Big Moon’s Juliette Jackson. Teetering on the edge of psychedelia, the hard hitting and brutally honest lyrics are wonderfully accompanied by synth melodies and prominently delicate guitar strokes. Reinvent is a vocally mature track that is as sonically pleasing as it is utterly cathartic.
Sliding through the emphasised jealousy and paranoia themes in Grit, we find ourselves faced with another vulnerable track. Golden Girl cries out messages of self-doubt and depreciation, through the use of carefully written lyrics, and grungy bass lines.
Akin to Reinvent, Phoebe wears her heart on her sleeve. She pours through the pains of striving for an inconceivable perfection, thrust upon us by a dystopian society. This crucial and enigmatic track details the exhausting trials and tribulations of self-growth. Mournful melodies detail unattainable perfection, and the peace that comes with accepting perfection doesn’t exist. Green has an uncanny ability to create entirely relatable tracks through captivating and emotionally empowered lyrics. All whilst still delivering utterly delightful, powerful pop creations.
The EP comes to a phenomenal and unwavering finish with A World I Forgot. Utilising heavier guitars and deeper, more prominent drum lines, the track ensures ending on a high with one final bang. Her compelling use of contemporary electronic themes to lightly sprinkle the new wave indulgence lends for an exciting end to a brilliant and bold debut offering.
I Can’t Cry For You has the pleasure of being Green’s first creation to be physically pressed to vinyl. Complete with two bonus tracks, Dreaming Of and Easy Peeler.
Easy Peeler serves as a glimmering showcase of Green’s ability to seamlessly slide between a wide range of genres. This single is full of attitude and teemed with dreamy vocals. It just so happens to be the cherry on top of a perfect cake, a glimmering addition to an already spectacular EP.
Green’s dazzling introspection of teenage angst and societal pressures are an empowering feat. They make for a marvellous offering to fans, old and new. Utterly addictive and fabulously glittering, Green is far from finished, and is sure to be back with more elusive, moody, and perfectly psychedelic spectacles that will awe and delight.
Embrace your teenage youth and bless your ears with the wonderful creation that Phoebe Green has delightfully bestowed upon us.
