Having fled Nazi persecution in Berlin at the tender age of ten, Freud arrived in London in 1933. Following such a terrifyingly intense start in life, including a stint as a sailor in the merchant navy during the Second World War, he later moved to Paris, where his apartment bordered on that of Jean- Paul Sartre’s.

A friendship with Kate Moss originated through an introduction via his daughter Bella, a designer whose company logo is an illustration of her irreverent father’s. His interest in her career plus Kates’ love of sitting for him combined with his adoration of parties and socialising meant that he continued to be a regular at glitterati events well into his old age.

Despite a gambling habit which saw him accrue some mountainous debts (which unfortunately coincided with a period in the eighties in which his often brutally realistic paintings went out of fashion) Freud managed to make his work relevant again in later years. Flawed in his youth through an often selfish predisposition, his older years saw him take on a slightly more contemplative air, with an adoration of his children allowing him to compensate for bouts of absenteeism in their childhood.

A remarkable life, in which zig zags across the world allowed him to fit more into one lifetime than the majority of us could dream of, and renowned for his charisma and talent, the memory of Lucien Freud is sure to persist through the legacy of his fantastically intriguing portraits.

What were your expectations for the evening?

To finally escape the dungeon of computers I have been trapped in for the last few months and communicate with a biological entity

First impressions?

Humanoid

What did you talk about?

I think I mentioned my passion for prehistoric reptiles and most notably a great 90′s sitcom involving them; it was very polite of her to not walk out after that

Best thing about them?

Not a computer

What did you eat?

A bleeding bulk of bovine

Any awkwardness?

When she mentioned her love of sushi – but not fish

How did you part ways? (Mouth-to-mouth action/heavy petting/friendly hug?)

A big Hi-five, actually it may have been just a hug

Out of 10?

8

Would you see them again?

Due to the grand revelation that we have a friend common, it’s possible that we may bump into each other at some point.

Tasha, Third year Zoology

What were your expectations for the evening?

Free food and nice company

First impressions?

Good glasses

What did you talk about?

His love for dinosaurs and fast cycling – he was definitely a talker!

Best thing about them?

A great and highly animated story teller

What did you eat?

A chicken dish off the specials

Any awkwardness?

Whenever the waiter asked us a question I think it was quite awkward as neither of us were particularly forward in taking the lead in answering

How did you part ways? (Mouth-to-mouth action/heavy petting/friendly hug?)

Friendly hug

Out of 10?

6

Would you see them again?

Possibly as a friend but otherwise I feel he may be a bit ‘bare alternative’ for me

Lloyd and Tasha ate at The Deaf Institute, Grosvenor Street, Manchester. Thanks to the guys down at Grosvenor Street for getting involved. To check out their menu, gig listings and have a look at what club nights are coming up visit their website www.thedeafinstitute.co.uk

To sign up for blind date please e mail your name, year of study and course tolifestyle@mancunion.com with ‘blind date’ as the subject

The epitome of dire survival ineptitude, the panda is built like a carnivore but sustains itself solely on low energy bamboo, and with such a pathetically comical appetite for lust, many leading conservationists believe this bear of the orient will never be able to survive in the wild successfully. Sympathetic athropomorphists may fear that the world has simply become fed-up with the giant panda’s forlorn efforts to survive in the wild.

Conservationists are now deliberating whether to accept the inevitable demise of such an endangered species, nervously discussing this paradigm shift of triage to focus efforts and funding on more hopeful endangered prospects. This may be the most pragmatic approach to take as some species, such as the giant panda and tiger, may simply be too expensive to save.

A survey of 583 scientists, conducted by Dr Rudd of the University of York, found an unsettling, albeit unsurprising, unanimity in the conservation community’s expectation of a major loss in biodiversity, as well as the crushing present reality reluctantly squeezing concepts such as triage out of their taboos. The study revealed that 99.5 percent of the community surveyed viewed that a serious loss of biological diversity is either ‘likely’, ‘very likely’ or ‘virtually certain’; with the tropical bounty of diversity that is the coral ecosystem expected as the unfortunate vulnerable habitat to be most seriously affected.

A remarkable 60 percent of respondents were proponents of decision criteria for the unashamed pragmatism of conservation triage to be established, in which resources are prioritised to not intervene to save some highly threatened species and focus on more buoyant conservation prospects.

Rudd identified the critical need for such a study: “As with climate change, the large level of investment needed if loss of biodiversity is to be stopped will result in an increase of public and political scrutiny of conservation science…That makes it important to show how much scientific consensus there is for both the problems and possible solutions.

“The survey posed the key questions facing conservation science: why people care, how priorities should be set, where our efforts should be concentrated and what action we can take,” commented Rudd. “Scientists were also asked about a range of potentially controversial statements about conservation strategies to gauge shifting opinions.”

Away from the public discord of the climate change community, naturalists were much more harmonious in their views of toxic human influence. In this survey, 79.1 percent of respondents stated that the acceleration of the loss of biological diversity due to human activities is virtually certain. In contrast, the survey of the bedlam over in the climate change camp inconclusively concluded that 61.9 percent thought climate change was underway, whereas only 55.1 percent  believed it to be accelerated by humans.

“Understanding the degree of consensus within the scientific community will help policy makers to interpret scientific advice, improving the likelihood of successful conservation initiatives,” concluded Rudd. “The extremely high level of consensus demonstrated by these results underlines the urgency of preventing further damage to the natural world.”

The debate is controversial, with wildlife experts and organisations disagreeing over the best course of action to take.

Paul Goldstein, a wildlife guide, acknowledged the controversy intrinsic within triage but maintained such action was necessary. He was unequivocally vocal in his assessment of certain endangered species which “cost too much to keep up and have little chance of ever living a natural life”, such as the giant panda. Goldstein was adamant that emotional provocations should be dispelled and the panda allowed to slide off the existential bamboo stalk into the abyss.

Diane Walkington, Head of Species at WWF-UK (World Wide Fund for Nature), argued against the application of triage, identifying the uncomfortably potent question of “Who will be charged with deciding which species should be saved above another?”

Proponents of triage have accused certain preservation efforts, such as for tigers and the giant panda, of not being pragmatic but merely buoyed by public adoration. However, Walkington identified that current conservation toiling largely equates to working to preserve a species’ habitat, and thus all the endangered species which share their habitat too. So she concluded that “wildlife, the environment and human activity are interlinked and it is clear that any effort to safeguard the natural world must be a package deal”.

Conservation scientists are not so arrogant or set upon a utopian ideal to believe the whole world will wait upon the findings of their collective conscience. It is fully understood that economic incentive has proven to be the only unfailing method to save species. The rewards for locals provided through conservation activities must be greater than the rewards for poaching or using the land for building and agriculture. With such an impending collapse of biodiversity on the horizon, clarifying academic opinion is a vital precondition to successful political lobbying, even if such discorded opinion over whether to bolster or desert the panda’s cause illustrates that the employment of triage is not black and white.

The increased number of neurons in autistic brains is significant because neurons in almost all brain regions are generated before birth. Thus this suggests that either there is an overproduction of these cells while the children are in the womb, or that there is a less-than-average programmed death of these cells after birth to regulate cell numbers.

The results of this study will now need to be followed up to see if the effects are seen in further studies. If confirmed, then this will make it less likely that environmental factors after birth such as vaccination could be implicated in autism.

It’s time for ICM Registry, a provider of Internet domain names, to get ‘dirrrty’ too.

From 2012, ICM will launch the suffix .xxx in order to promote “responsible and safe behaviour” whilst users engage in all manner of stimulating activities.

After 11 years of hard work and investing $22 million, Stewart Lawley, the owner of ICM, finally got the .xxx suffix awarded by ICANN, the net’s address regulator. This is expected to earn his company an estimated $200 million for every single pleasure-filled year.

The content will be run through an anti-virus program and child pornography will be banned from the sites. Lawley hopes that his policy of Safer-Cyber-Sex, will encourage consumers to use and trust the .xxx sites.

But it’s not only the traditional anti-porn lobby of conservative Americans who are trying to spoil ICM’s party. But also the porn industry is anything but happy as Larry (fact fans: Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler Magazine, was voted most powerful person in porn in 2003).

What’s the catch? Well, charging $60 for each address is going to cause trouble, since it is ten times more than what other branches have to pay for a top-level domain (TLD) address.

Manwin Licensing which represents Playboy is filing a lawsuit, arguing that costs are going to rise dramatically since they have to register all the many misspelled versions of their site too. Furthermore, they claim that there is chance of developing a virtual red light district, which would facilitate censorship.

Manwin is suing ICANN, which awarded ICN with the juicy suffix, accusing the regulatory body of failure to encourage genuine competition and instead establishing a “monopoly at the very heart of the Internet” according to Fabian Thylmann, managing partner of Manwin.

Is there going to be a happy ending for .xxx, as is so common in this industry? This lawsuit involves some of the largest players on the Internet: the porn industry and Internet registry, who may be accused of taking advantage of the fact the porn sites visitors are willing to pay any amount for a bit of virus-free fun, because even in the Internet you have to protect yourself from STDs (Suspiciously Transmitted Data).

Newcastle University, which has spent £230,000 on the legal battle, claims that the ruling could put their scientists in danger but the tribunal disagreed, stating that the lack of recent violence against researchers who carry out animal testing means this is not the case. The university now has to reveal Home Office licences which allow it to test on primates.

BUAV believe that trials carried out at Newcastle University which included invasive testing on monkeys by limiting their water supply and restraining them, did not benefit humans and were controversial and invasive. They cited the decision of the authorities in Germany who refused permission for the same research on primates.

After the ruling, Newcastle University revealed they will appeal against the ruling at the Court of Appeal. It plans to claim they do not need to share the licences because of the Animal Scientific Procedures Act.

The university released a statement about their research: “The university carries out a small amount of scientific work on primates where no alternative for the research exists and this is fully regulated by the Home Office.”

The President of the Royal Society, Sir Paul Nurse, has called for the Freedom of Information Act to be reviewed. In an interview with The Independent, he said he believed the Act was being used as a “tool of intimidation” against scientists involved in what could be seen as controversial research.

The title has ‘pwned’ the record for global sales for a videogame, grossing £490m in its first five days on sale, with more than 12 million units coveted by reclusive gamers in dark rooms  after the first week of sales. The Call of Duty series is one of the most successful in history, breaking sales records for the third year in a row following Black Ops last year and MW2 in 2009.

Despite alluring an entire generation into a fictitious oblivion of precision airstrikes and unbeaten kill streaks; this gun-toting, grenade-equipped Pied Piper has positively reinvigorated a nervous UK games market by tapping into such a strong demand from the public to become chair-slouching heroes, with this lazy approach to valour making their noble feats no less admirable.

In 2005, she received her DBE, to become Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell. Her first academic achievement was a first class degree in Physiology from the University of London, moving on to a PhD and DSc in the subject. Nancy eventually moved to Manchester in 1987, where she began her career at the University.

Taking charge of the country’s biggest university has not hindered Nancy’s passion for research, as she is still very active in her field of study within the Faculty of Life Sciences, and at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. She heads a team of 20 researchers in the study of the inflammation in stroke and brain haemorrhaging, producing finds which have attracted a considerable amount of financial input from outside of the university.

One aspect of Nancy’s research focuses on the involvement of a molecule produced by the brain, which seems to play a significant role in the inflammation and subsequent brain damage experienced after a stroke: interleukin-1 (IL-1). The research team has also been investigating the role of a substance that opposes the action of this IL-1, called the IL-1 receptor antagonist.

Kinert is a drug used in arthritis patients to counteract the inflammatory effects of IL-1. Nancy and her team are in the process of clinically trialling, and optimising the use of the drug in the treatment of stroke and other such inflammatory diseases of the brain. Their research could make headway into further understanding stroke, and potential treatments for the third biggest killer in the western world.

It is clear that Nancy, despite her commitments to the University as a whole, has not forgotten the reason why she entered into academia.

Over 50 percent of us hooked up to the internet, are on packages which include broadband speeds of 10 megabytes per second (Mbps) or higher, but the average speed we actually receive is 6.8Mbps.

It is a rare moment when we aren’t bombarded with advertisements from companies claiming their internet is faster than their competitors’ broadband but a recent survey by uSwitch has revealed surprising results. If you’re surfing the net during peak times (7pm-9pm), you could be subject to much slower internet speeds. This decrease in speed can be as drastic as 69 percent, with the average decrease still being 35 percent.

The speed of your peak-time internet is also influenced by geography. Users could expect more significant drops in speed in Worcestershire or Western-super-Mare (69 percent and 64 percent respectively). Anyone browsing in rural parts of the country could see a slightly better service with only a 50 percent drop.

The report recommends 2am-3am as the best time to be online to get the highest internet speeds. As students, we can probably expect to be online at this time more than most due to our latest assignment/YouTube session/Facebook chat (delete as necessary), but this isn’t practical for the less nocturnal in our society.

According to new rules, soon to be implemented by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), internet companies will no longer be able to advertise their broadband speeds in such a misleading way. A minimum 10 percent of users on a provider’s package must receive the internet speed that is advertised to accompany that package. If many users don’t get the advertised speed, that must also be clear.

Can we expect a sudden decrease in advertised internet speeds or will companies actually provide users with the speed it was claimed we would receive? Only time will tell.

As a hot topic in world health, advancements in the field of malaria have the potential to be over-sold; critics have dismissed the idea that this vaccine could one day prevent malaria.

As one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world, malaria kills around a million people every year. As a primary cause of both death and poverty in Africa, the fight against malaria has been ongoing for years. The malaria parasite is carried in a vector, the mosquito, and as a living animal it is almost impossible to control the many mosquito populations that are spread across Africa.

If this vaccine really could control the spread of malaria then it would mean hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved each year, but how realistic is the promise that this vaccine could change the world? The parasite Plasmodium is notorious for becoming resistant to drugs that are used to treat malaria; the use of a single vaccine throughout Africa may prove fatal if the Plasmodium were to mutate resistance. Another controversial criticism is that millions of people in Africa are currently starving to death as their livestock are dying from malaria, how could the potential vast number of people saved from malaria survive in countries that do not have enough food?  Thus would more people be saved each year if they tackled the malaria parasite that infects cattle rather than humans?

The Sanger Institute in Cambridge devised the vaccine after discovering a protein, known as basigin, which is on the surface of the human red blood cell. The parasites use this protein to penetrate the cell, and without access to the red blood cell then the parasite could not survive. Researchers have conducted an experiment based on these findings; using antibodies to block the protein receptor, they successfully prevented parasite penetration. After great success in laboratory conditions – the solution was found to be 100% effective – the researchers have also had some success in clinical trials that are currently taking place in Africa. Presently, trials of the vaccine have only shown reduced severity of malaria, increasing the chances of survival. There is currently not enough evidence to show that the vaccine could ever fully prevent malaria.

Students from the University of Manchester are currently completing placements studying malaria in The Gambia in West Africa, with the Medical Research Council (MRC).  Participating students Jason Parr, studying Genetics, and Tom Chisnall, studying Biomedical Science, commented: “The new vaccine hasn’t really changed the work that’s going on here. If the trials go well then things might be different. There’s a lot of focus on optimal vaccination schedules, so if a vaccine was made available then the MRC could become a lot more involved”.

Although eradicating malaria with a single vaccine remains optimistic, the Sanger Institute’s research may have brought us a lot closer to making it possible.

The app, which quickly assesses the level of burns through a touch-screen model, calculates the correct amount of fluids that should be administered to someone after burn injuries occur. This is a vital stage in influencing the chances of survival of a burn victim. Typically this calculation is carried out by a doctor by hand, but this app has already been shown to reduce errors made by this previous pen and paper method by a third.

The DCF is intended to build on West Cumbria’s prolific skills infrastructure, transferring knowledge to the industry through expanding the nuclear research capabilities of the UK’s already enviable university sector. Through the DCF, the University has privileged access to the National Nuclear Laboratory’s extensive engineering facilities, situated on the Sellafield site.

Professor Andrew Sherry, Director of the DCF, said the site will “integrate with other facilities in the North of England to establish a truly unique and world-leading capability”, thus positioning it as an internationally renowned fertile source of discovery.

The DCF is expected to be fully functioning by 2012. The facility is anticipated to become a veritable polestar of nuclear advancements, with preeminent academics expected from across the UK and overseas, all striving to expand the intellectual repertoire and prestige of the site.

Nuclear technology is becoming increasingly important to the UK energy sector, concomitant with the drive for reduced carbon emissions. Such support for nuclear research in the UK is welcomed by the industry, which has been affected by reduced demand from Japan for nuclear waste recycling. Both Japan and Germany are now searching for an answer to global energy needs away from the alluring zero-carbon emissions of nuclear power, due to safety concerns wrought by the Fukushima disaster. However, the UK’s recent report into nuclear safety concluded otherwise.

The UK’s chief nuclear inspector, Dr. Mike Weightman affirmed, “I remain confident that our UK nuclear facilities have no fundamental safety weaknesses”. The UK government continues to promote and streamline the process for the private sector to invest in nuclear energy, and the University of Manchester’s future involvement in progress appears most pioneering, aspiring and is backed by a formidable ambition.

MOSI has been open since 1983 and depicts the story of how Manchester and the rest of the North West led the industrial revolution as well as subsequent science and technology innovations. It was originally part of the Liverpool Road railway station that opened in 1830, the museum was opened here as part of a campaign to save the site. As one of the most popular attractions in the North West, MOSI draws in 800,000 visitors a year, making it a great source of income for the city and surrounding businesses. The merger could secure the museum without the need to search for a local sponsor.

“Although a lot of detailed work needs to be done before a final decision is made, I hope to make an announcement shortly” said Peter Fell the interim chairman of MOSI on Friday. The museum has been trying to find alternative sources of funding since November 2010 when the government announced that local museums would have their funding withdrawn.

Mr Fell has assured the public and his 121 staff members that the MOSI trustees will ensure any decision made ensures the long-term sustainability of the museum.

A fair amount of hype surrounded Nicolas Jaar’s return to Manchester, performing for the first under his own Clown and Sunset label. Having played in Leeds the night before, Sound Control provided the setting for the second UK leg of his Don’t Break My Love world tour. By 11pm, hordes of fans had begun to cram themselves into the venue, anticipating a musical experience to remember.

Nico recently topped the Resident Advisor 2011 Live Act poll, cementing his place as a world-class minimal producer. His style is unique and encompasses elements of techno, jazz, soul and a large amount of miscellaneous. I was curious to find out whether he would adapt his downtempo style in favour of a more crowd-friendly set. His arrival on stage, accompanied by a single guitarist, marked an opening 45 minutes that largely consisted of tunes from his latest album and current EP. A slow build up eased the crowd into a few hours of soulful, fist-pumping grooves. The crowd – well, those not shunned away due to capacity limitations – lapped up every second. Tunes such as ‘Stay In Love’ and ‘Owe Me’ were dropped with consummate precision, creating an effortless flow between tracks that many DJs simply fail to achieve.

When retreating for a fag towards the end of the set, it was clear that at least 200 people were unable to get upstairs. I cannot criticise the management of Sound Control enough for this. They had obviously oversold the tickets, and there were even rumours of having to pay an extra £15 to get back upstairs. After saying “bollocks to that” I retreated down a level, only to find Scuba and Damu tearing it up. They were arguably on par with Jaar; Scuba in particular ripped through banger after banger. The fist-pumping, chemical induced atmosphere was pretty special and proved to be a fantastic distraction to the whole not-being-allowed-upstairs palaver.

Again, if it wasn’t for the oversold nature of the gig, it would’ve been completely spectacular. Should Nico play Manchester again in the near future then I sincerely hope I am able to get a ticket. I also sincerely hope it’s not at Sound Control.

Nicolas Jaar – Stay in Love

All questions will of course be kept confidential and anonymous.

Question of the Week:

During my exams in January I found myself getting so worried about the exams it almost paralysed me into not revising until the very last moment. In the summer I’m coming up to my finals and I don’t want it to happen again. Any advice?

First off, it’s good to know that exam stress affects all of us even those perennially jammy laid back types. For some it might be just a feeling of ‘butterflies’ in the stomach when walking into the exam hall but for others it can be incredibly crippling and affect them throughout the year even when months away from exams.

On the bright side there are so many ways and services to help relieve the stress and let you perform as your fullest greatest self. Now I don’t want to sound like your lecturers but it helps massively if you’re organised from the off and don’t fall too far behind on work throughout the term as this means when you get to your study break you’ve already covered most of the material and its just a matter of going over it again rather than learning it from scratch.

It’s also worth looking for past papers as these can give you a real guide of what to expect, most courses offer them and if they don’t the internet usually has something similar.

Another tip, which I personally found really helpful, was to revise with friends. It can be so reassuring to know you’re at the same level as those on your course and you can help each other out if anyone gets stuck.

Sometimes, however, it can just get all too much and the burden can become overbearing this is where the University can really help. They offer a no nonsense, confidential counselling service where a trained counsellor can lend an ear and offer advice. They also have a range of services at their disposal such as relaxation classes and classes to help eliminate procrastination.

Follow the link below for more information;

http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/counselling/

I hope that helps!

However, when it comes to depilatory issues alone, there need not be anything oppressive or unfeminist about opting for a partial or full fuzz-free existence. The Guardian columnist, Bidisha, distinctly disagrees, describing men who enjoy the effect thus: “A man who likes a woman without pubic hair despises adult women so much that he wants us to resemble children. He should stay at home instead in front of a computer, masturbating alone to the hair-free images he reveres.” Obviously, to label all men (and surely women) who prefer minimal pubic hair as paedophiles who are undeserving of real-life intimacy is extremely insane.

More pertinently, however, Bidisha misses the point completely by placing the focus of the issue with male reception rather than with the satisfaction of the woman herself. The implication that pubic hair removal is only an issue when a man might see it is so tragically reductive – just as a woman may choose to wear a delectable set of a lingerie when nobody will see it but herself, so may a pube-free existence, should that be the self-desired aesthetic, be maintained for self-pleasure. Speaking of pleasure, the physical benefits of such a style are often ignored or forgotten:

-  Extended view – clearly desirable for women aroused by the visual.
-  Heightened sensitivity – the sensation of someone licking around your labia is, unsurprisingly, not quite as intense when their tongue is fighting through a small forest.

So, to oppose female deforestation is to oppose both female choice and pleasure. I mean, that’s pretty fascist and patriarchal, no? Rude!

Of course, I am in no way suggesting any uniform approach to the maintenance of one’s lady garden. The whole point is that any genital grooming (or lack thereof) should be the pressure-free choice of the individual without fear of ridicule from either men or women. Surely people have better things to do with their time than obsessively scrutinise the appearance of someone else’s vagina?

Regrettably, when it comes to the media, this is not often the case. Last year, The Times sex columnist, Suzi Godson, received a letter from an anxious 38-year-old divorcée who feared losing her new 29-year-old boyfriend over her full bush – she revealed he was “shocked” by her “lack of personal grooming”. I presumed Suzi would more or less advise the correspondent a “kthxbye” response to her boyfriend, but instead she offered the following unfortunate drivel: “If your boyfriend has been conditioned to expect a tidy Brazilian, he may genuinely find anything else very off-putting […] Fortunately, the craze for Brazilians is abating. The hot new haircut is the Sicilian. It is like a Brazilian – but you are left with a neat little Sicily-shaped triangle, which at least means that you still look like a woman. Good luck!” In her book How to be a Woman, Caitlin Moran responded aptly: “Sicily? The good news is that I can make my luge look like Sicily? Home of the Mafia? That’s my vagina now? It’s got the Godfather in it?”

Caitlin then goes on to highlight the hilarity of the prospect of men putting up with this shit – and it really is all a load of utter bullshit. Grow your bush long and strong. Wax it all away. Whatever. Everyone should just do whatever they personally feel looks best and feels best, torment-free, and then just shut the fuck up about it because vaginas shouldn’t be so controversial. Vaginas are lovely. Deal with it.

TOP TIP:

Whatever you do with your vagina, I would advise against going down the “luxury merkin” route. Real Housewives of New York’s Cindy Barshop’s waxing salon has come up with literally the most pointless use of the fur industry ever: “The Foxy Bikini, in which the bikini line is waxed bare and replaced with a pubic wig made from real fox fur.” As Maureen O’Connor writes on gawker.com: “It costs $225, comes in multiple artificial neon hues, and looks like nightmare porno from the id of Dr. Seuss.”

So, what is so special about gold and silver as an investment, and what are the ‘fundamentals’ driving their bull-run? Most importantly, gold and silver is money, real money, with real tangible value. They have a proven 5,000-year history of being the ultimate ‘safe-haven’ against inflationary and deflationary periods – the masses have always flocked to their intrinsic value in times of economic uncertainty.

The current, and ongoing, financial crisis is resulting in the world’s Central Banks buying up gold and silver as the value of their ‘paper’ currencies are becoming increasingly debased by governments’ exceedingly loose monetary policies. Astute investors, particularly from the emerging markets in China and India, with a cultural appreciation for gold, are pushing up the price of precious metals as they too seek to preserve their purchasing power.

Also, we are now seeing hedge funds, diversifying their portfolios, purchasing gold as the western-world is rediscovering the importance of monetary metals. Finally, and most crucially, gold and silver mining production is becoming increasingly expensive, resulting in a growing supply and demand deficit, which bodes well for their long-term bullish outlook.

Investing in gold, at over £1,000 an ounce, will be out of the price-range of most students. However, an affordable alternative is silver bullion. At around £20 an ounce, silver it is still a bargain. During the last precious metals bull-run, in the late 1970s, merely 1,000 ounces of silver could buy a medium-priced family home. If you are interested, I recommend setting up an account at Bullionvault.com which provides the industry’s lowest margins as well as providing a secured vaulting service for a small charge each month. If you would prefer to store your own metal, then BullionByPost.co.uk is an excellent choice as well.

Gold and Silver is real money and the paper you carry in your wallet is just that!

The game started very tentatively from both sides, with much of the ball being passed between the defenders as the attackers from both sides had difficulty stringing phases of play together. Mulholland for Manchester tried to inject some pace into the game and his weaving run from the half-way into Newcastle’s D brought about the first penalty corner of the game. What followed was an excellent routine set piece, but sadly the finish was swept just wide of the right post. Manchester gained confidence from this though and began to pressurize the Newcastle players on the ball, especially in the mid-field area.

Newcastle seemed to wake up after the first ten minutes responding to Manchester’s pressure and began making progress in their opponents’ half. After several wayward hits into the Manchester’s D a penalty corner was finally awarded, however a powerful Newcastle shot was blocked and dealt with well by keeper Peter Sidwell. Manchester however were unable to properly clear their defensive lines and after what resembled something akin to pin-ball wizard inside the penalty area the ball was slotted home from very close range by Newcastle’s number 10 Hall. The goal came almost as a surprise for Hall whose joyous celebrations were met with a shocked silence from Manchester supporters.

More and more people began turning up to cheer Manchester on. Heads were bowed however from the players after the shock goal. While the home side were keeping much of the possession, legs appeared heavy and very little movement was exhibited. Newcastle took advantage of this and carved out several chances in front of goal but none could be capitalized on. Manchester players became frustrated and none more so than number 6 Andrew Rusbridge who performed a type of rugby, wrestling infused tackle on his opponent. The umpire didn’t take to kindly to the challenge and produced a green card from his pocket.

Manchester players managed to compose themselves and began linking passes together, with number 4 Mackichan and Captain Mulholland dominating in mid-field. Their pressure paid off as they were awarded with their second penalty corner of the game, however a moment of controversy followed as in some confusion the referee awarded the ball be returned to Newcastle for no apparent reason.

Manchester soon won the ball back however and Mulholland smashed a shot that just whistled wide. Newcastle lead was hanging like a thread but they managed to relieve some pressure nearing half time with a long pass out from defense. Manchester were unable to defend their lines effectively and gave away two penalty corners in succession. Keeper Sidwell however was more than a match for them, pulling out two fantastic saves to keep them in the game. Manchester went into half time 1-0 down.

Manchester started the second half brightly and the half-time team talk had clearly geared them up as hard tackling was flying in. Mackichan showed excellent strength whilst on the ball and Newcastle players began to steer clear of him as the half progressed. Manchester built up momentum from defence to set up a brilliant chance in the Newcastle D however, this was then stopped by a stray foot. From the resulting penalty corner Mulholland crashed a shot into the bar, with cries of disappointment from the crowd who were willing it to be just an inch or so lower.

Newcastle breathed a sigh of relief and realized that they needed a goal to seal victory. Being the first game back after Christmas began to show on the Manchester players as Newcastle began to be first to every ball and tackle, making excellent runs and linking play. Both Clegg and Jabbal made goal-stopping tackles when Newcastle were in front of the net but there was nothing they could do when number 11 Kempe sent the ball rocketing into the net from the top off the D after some lovely wing play and cross in 55 minutes into the game.

Defeat now seemed inevitable for Manchester and Newcastle with the bit between the teeth charged forward in attack sending the right and left backs up the pitch. The attacking play paid off as five minutes later Kempe for the second time smashed the ball past a stranded Sidwell from a similar range. Newcastle captain John Colville couldn’t look more delighted when the final whistle rung out 10 minutes later.

A disappointing defeat for Manchester Men’s Hockey who had performed excellently this season in both league and cup. Hopefully this is just a blip in their fantastic form and they can pull it together in their next away league match against Liverpool John Moores.