Just behind the neon billboards of the Curry Mile, South Manchester’s answer to the Las Vegas Strip, lies a reinvigorated national treasure. Hidden behind a bus stop and opposite a car wash, The Manchester Gallery of Costume is a bizarrely located cultural gem. The Museum lives in a beautifully restored 18th Century Manor House, which once majestically stood over rolling rural fields, and is now overlooked by a tower of council flats.
The gallery prides itself on owning the nation’s second largest collection of fashion and costume, second only to London’s V&A Museum. The long awaited first exhibition since reopening is entitiled ‘Suffragettes to Supermodels’ and boasts a carefully selected collection; including garments by Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior, Balenciaga and Mary Quant. The exhibition chronologically charts the role of women through fashion, from the ‘Votes for Women’ sashe of the 1910s to the Power-Dressing business suits of the ’80s. The exhibition is exciting and beautiful, but is also spectaculalry anti-climactic. The Gallery’s prized possession, a Givenchy evening gown once owned by Audrey Hepburn, is oddly displayed in the corner next to the staff room door and an unneccessarily large amount of space is taken up by one of the nation’s largest collections of buttons.

For a gallery with extraordinary and unusual assets and a very limited amount of space, one uninteresting cabinet containing a purse from Accessorize and a Kimono from Topshop, which seemed a particulalry wasteful use of space.
The gallery’s most exciting exhibits were the unexpected cultural rarities. In the restored 1765 dining room, installation artist Susie MacMurray has created an awe-inspiring sculpture of 100,000 adamantine dress pins. The adjacent room is filled with the perfectly preserved 18th Century clothes worn by Sir Thomas Worsley in the very rooms that now house the exhibits. Most impressively, the exhibition remains distinctly Mancunion; one room charts the change in fashion of 18th Century silk to 19th Century cotton, which fuelled and funded Manchester’s industrial growth. Local artist, Annie Harrison, has created an installation piece comprised of folded bed linen wrapping beautifully around the grand staircase of Platt Hall, designed to reflect the hunderds of workers who gave their lives to Manchester’s textile industry.
To neglect this Gallery because of its bizarre location would be a great shame,  this is afterall, one of our city’s greatest cultural assets. The gallery’s archives are also open to view on prior request, serving as an amazing resource for students and members of the public alike.
http://www.manchestergalleries.org/our-other-venues/platt-hall-gallery-of-costume/

6^th May

Bridgewater Hall

5 stars         

Bridgewater Hall’s really great for music. Whether it’s a single musician like the pianist Freddy Kempf or entire orchestras, the acoustics of the place are a real compliment to the outstanding talent the venue attracts. And to say the latest guest had talent would be a gross understatement. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra found its way to Manchester on May 6^th and was conducted by none other than musical phenomenon Pinchas Zukerman, a man widely considered as one of the greatest living musicians of the last four decades. He is a noted violin and viola master and conductor; for us Mancunians he conducted Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Violin Concerto in D and Symphony No.7 in A.

It was reassuringly traditional stuff. Trumpets were added here and there, but all in all it was a solid, boomy affair. Zukerman seemed to like to show off the awesome power of his orchestra: the opening piece was overwhelmingly impressive, and after that initial burst had worn off it was powerful and wonderful in equal measure. Kind of like an IMAX cinema experience.

Zukerman soloed with the violin in places, but balance was never a problem. I would’ve thought there would be problems with conducting when engaged in solo playing, but the orchestra were able to add their own little ditties and re-enter playing pretty flawlessly. And the sweetness of his playing was replaced with the full force of Beethoven. It was an excellent contrast.

The brassy seventh symphony was particularly outstanding, with Zukerman’s conducting and choice of speeds nothing short of, and predictably, masterly. His spacing and timing built pieces up with thrilling results, and it was not done slowly: symphonies would reach their pinnacle early on and stay there for the duration. There’s no hanging around with Zukerman: he conducts in that classic and old-fashioned kind of way, but it’s nothing short of genius and, I should add, is madly enjoyable.

His finale eventually danced its way to its conclusion, which was as electrifying as it ever needed to be. Anyone who saw the Royal Philharmonic tonight will be able to say that at least something good happened to them on election night.

The Paramount Picture Palace has a rich cultural and nostalgic pull in Manchester. It was built in 1930 with a lavishness that only one of the great Hollywood Studios in their heyday would attempt. Originally the building hosted all sorts of variety shows and musical acts as well as the new fangled moving pictures. It was the largest and most lavishly decorated cinema on Oxford Road, which used to be the home of up to 20 such entertainment houses, right in the heart of Manchester. Nearly all of these beautiful old buildings have been pulled down, regardless of their local cultural significance – one of them to make way for a car park. The Paramount Picture Palace is one of the few remaining buildings from this era and is an integral part of the history of Manchester.

The film that was projected onto the wall of the cinema was created by the Manchester Municipal Design Corporation and was definitely the highlight of the night (apart from the free popcorn). It documented the history of the Odeon generally from the very first days, through the War and into the 70s. The first half had many humorous nods to the old styles of film with the clipped British voiceover, a reminder to viewers that half of the auditorium is no smoking, and some very funny uses of intermissions.

The Manchester Modernist Society organised the get together on the pavement so that they could get signatures for their petition for an objection to the planning permission on the site. After the film showing, someone from the Modernist Society gave a short talk about the history of the building and what they hope to achieve from the gathering. The building is prime real estate, being right in the heart of the city, and could be converted for a variety of different uses without being demolished. The organisers are self confessed amateurs who told me that they want to break the hold of the planners and city officials over what gets constructed in the city and bring the decisions back to ordinary people.

If you want to have a look or get involved in their campaign, there is a facebook group set up: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104095582967018&ref=ts

Starring – Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson

So, Iron Man is back, bigger, bolder and brasher than before, and what is quickly becoming apparent is not that the franchise is producing great films (they are essentially excuses for a firework show), but that it has produced a truly great character in Tony Stark/Iron Man, or at least the superhero/alter ego combination as played by Robert Downey Jr.

Until Captain America smashes his way onto our cinema screens next year there is no movie superhero more American than Iron Man, his rocket powered, machine gun rattling version of global justice no doubt appealing to more than a few former American presidents. Compare this to the other superheroes in the cinematic upper echelon; Batman’s pacifism and tortured soul are both distinctly un-American qualities and cement his outsider status, Spiderman is more of a carnival freak show than a defender of the realm, his webslinging antics also infuriatingly ineffective and then there’s his alter ego, who really is little more than a geek.

Finally we have Superman, surely the megapowered embodiment of the USA, but look closer and this veneer is questionable to say the least, in today’s vocabulary he’s an illegal immigrant and we know how America responds to those, also all the valiant heroism and saving kittens from burning buildings isn’t exactly the image of America we know and love, rather Superman is America’s vision of itself, an unblemished paragon of decency that it can admire but not truly recognise.

So Iron Man, a true American hero born and bred whose gun-toting approach to world peace only increases the fame of the man in the suit of metal, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark. It is Stark in his reckless, womanising, alcoholic, devil may care persona that embodies America’s love of excess, of over-indulgence and of OTT flamboyance, and it is Stark that completes the image of Iron Man as USA, all that’s missing is a red, white and blue paint job.

It should be noted that this is not exactly an idea that the film rejects, the sequence which has Iron Man land in front of a computer generated fluttering American flag and a troupe of cheerleaders is evidence of that, as are the mocked up covers of Time magazine and Rolling Stone, all featuring Iron Man and / or Stark. All is not well in Stark’s world however, as the ARC reactor (the glowing thing in Iron Man’s chest) he has engineered to keep him alive and power the suit is slowly killing him, as shown visually by fault lines running down his chest. He is also under pressure from the American military to donate his technology to be used by the US government (incidentally another curious American character trait, the idea of recklessness is loved but at the same time total control is a necessity). Added to this mix is a villainous duo in the shape of Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a man deeply envious of Stark’s success and a business rival who teams up with Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a Russian scientist whose father worked with Tony’s father until a falling out saw him deported to Russia; who create numerous drones to serve as target practice for Iron Man’s never ending supply of rockets.

With both Vanko and Stark there is a rather paternal theme running through the narrative with both seeking to please their dead fathers’, Vanko seeking to destroy Iron Man to gain vengeance for his father and Tony uncovering messages that his dad hid in building plans decades before in a decidedly Da Vinci Code twist.

Aside from this Gwyneth Paltrow returns and is promoted to CEO of Stark enterprises (this seems to mainly entail sitting behind a desk and criticising Tony), Scarlett Johansson is introduced as a kick ass secret agent type who masquerades as Tony’s PA and Samuel L. Jackson turns up, complete with eyepatch, to head up super secret covert agency SHIELD. Finally we have James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), seemingly Tony’s closest friend, a military officer who is conflicted over his obligations to Tony and the military and who ends up donning another Iron Man suit to help Tony defeat Vanko.

Obviously the whole thing is powered by Downey Jr’s performance, he is recklessly charming one minute, brooding on his own mortality the next and he gives the film a tidal wave of energy that it surfs in between explosions and swooping aerial shots of Iron Man blasting across arid deserts or weaving between skyscrapers. Aside from Downey Jr. the rest of the cast perform adequately with Rourke reduced to playing a Russian stereotype right from the 80’s, Rockwell exuding smarm as Stark’s inept but envious rival and the female cast treated as little more than eye candy. Ultimately it all ends up a bit like last year with another battle between enormous suits of armour only this time with Vanko’s lightning whips livening up the visual palette and Stark being helped out by Rhodes in a suit he dubs War Machine, still as a brain-disengaging exercise in enjoyment, it’s hard to beat.

Verdict – Find the biggest screen you can, turn off your brain and enjoy this visual feast which has the good grace never to take itself too seriously, it’s simply fun.

Four Stars

Beautiful House

23^rd April

Library Theatre

4 stars

The ever popular Library Theatre’s latest production, about a couple moving house to a tower block so that their terminally ill daughter may live with her husband in her childhood home in peace, played out to a packed and anticipatory audience in what is the company’s last season at the Central Library in St. Peter’s Square .  Beautiful House, written by Cathy Crabb, a celebrated name in North West fringe theatre circles, balances bawdy, sometimes crass humour with painfully sorrow filled and tender moments.  Using a cast of four, the accessible and sparky script is breathed right out into the audience’s hearts, making us cry and laugh (sometimes, perhaps, when we ought not to) through the excellent line delivery by the actors and intuitive directing by Noreen Kershaw.

The play opens with Ronnie (John Henshaw) and Bridgette (Janice Connolly) unpacking possessions, adjusting to their new surroundings.  The pair argue for a while as Bridgette comically berates Ronnie for spending too long on the loo; one of their many feisty arguments which inadvertently reveals their care and love for each other.  Their daughter, a character never shown to the audience, is talked about with great fondness, a fading smile on Ronnie’s face and a hurt expression on Bridgette’s.  As the script advances, and through the neighbour’s conversations with them, we learn of their daughter’s tragic fate.  Though the subject matter is incredibly sad, Crabb manages to lay on laugh-out-loud lines one after the other, all expertly handled by the carefully crafted characters fully embraced by the talented cast.

Neighbours, Otis (James Foster) and Paula, played by Sally Carman (who audience members might recognise from Channel 4’s Shameless) were every bit as tacky, zealous and audacious as you would expect.  Their first scene in which they introduce themselves to Ronnie and Bridgette is particularly funny, lying sprawled out on their furniture and being inappropriately rude.  The audience comes to find them rather charming, however; Paula’s child-like fascination with Ancient Egyptian souveniers (as a result of her work at the Manchester Musuem, a sponsor of the production) seems incredibly odd, yet also endearing.  At the death of the daughter, however, their characters take a turn for the worst.  Otis expects the ‘beautiful country house’ that Ronnie and Bridgette own to be his, a promise made by their daughter weeks before her death.  His disappointment when they offer him a cash payment instead leaves a sour taste in the mouth, as his disregard for the pair’s grief whilst he moans and complains to Paula comes across as insensitive, greedy and grossly self-interested.  Otis’ character development over the course of the play is disappointing, yet the performance by Foster is genuine and wonderful.

All the cast perform with great conviction, Carman’s Paula deserves particular praise.  The play could have handled the topic of terminal illness with more grace at times, and the ending seemed far too abrupt to finish on: I would have like to see the ending developed further.  However, these points aside, the evening was very enjoyable.

Students are being asked to recycle clothes, bedding, shoes and many other reusable materials this summer to help charities such as Oxfam.  Val Copley from Oxfam told Student Direct: Mancunion why the scheme is good for her charity: “Oxfam collected over 5 tonnes last year and we want to double that this year.  More collections and more recycling equals more money.”

Oxfam will distribute the goods it receives to its shops. Items remaining unsold are traded ethically with importers overseas to provide a sustainable income for local people.

“Girls, put your bras in. Bras fetch a good price,” said Copley.

A similar scheme was run last year by the University that saw it collect over 12 tonnes of unwanted goods for a number of charities, including pillows and duvets that were donated on to the British Red Cross and Manchester Dogs’ Home.

The University hopes that a co-ordinated effort with the Council will make it easier for charities this year because it will allow them to pick up items from one centralised location rather than five or six separate locations across the region.

“It is a really important scheme to help charities and projects around the city,” said Alexander Clark, Sport, Trading and Residential Services (STARS) Environmental Officer at the University of Manchester.

“Other people can really benefit from students donating and reusing items,” added Clarke.

Other charities set to benefit this year include: Read International; Mustard Tree; Wesley Community Furniture, and the Canine Defence League.

There are considerable environmental benefits to the scheme.  Many of the items students usually throw away, such polyester duvets and pillows, are difficult to recycle and often end up going straight to landfill.

The Council anticipates major benefits for the local environment too.  In the past, local residents in student areas have complained about departing students fly-tipping, and leaving overflowing bins and refuse-strewn alleyways behind.

“Manchester has the biggest student population in Europe and we’re very lucky to have them here, but we also need to make sure the city’s
permanent residents face as little disruption as possible when
thousands of students leave their homes at the end of the summer
term,” said Rachel Christie, Manchester City Council’s Head of Environmental
Services.

Andy Turner, the Council’s Waste and Recycling Advisor, said, “We’re going all out this year to make the scheme as big as possible.  We want compliments this year, not complaints.”

The organisers aim to make it as simple as possible for students to recycle this summer.  The scheme will be advertised widely across campus, and STARS will be setting up various collection points at University residences where students can take any unwanted items.

The Council will be hand-delivering packs containing recycling bags and an information leaflet to 7000 private student properties across Manchester. Kerb-side collections on every weekday between Monday 24th May and Friday 2nd July.  Additional collections will be made on the following Saturdays.

All students are being encouraged to recycle books, clothes, shoes, bed sheets, crockery, pots and pans, non-perishable foodstuffs, duvets and pillows, as well as bulkier items such as computers, furniture and electrical equipment that are in good condition.

The Council is running a competition to encourage students to participate in the scheme.  Students who use the green or clear bag scheme can either text ‘Zero Waste’ along with their name and full postal address to 86099, or email the same information to recycling@manchester.gov.uk to be entered into the competition.

Prizes include Pangaea tickets, Stagecoach bus passes for 2010/2011, and Co-Op Food shopping vouchers.  The competition closes on Sunday 4 July.  The prize draw is also open to all students in halls who provide their details when they donate their items.

Go to the Council website for further information, and terms and conditions of the competition: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/recycling.

The BBC were unable to say how many additional letters are sent every year to students in private accommodation because they do not hold the information on the occupation of residents.

The BBC refused a further Freedom of Information request from this newspaper asking for information about the revenue generated from student halls of residences last year, which could suggest that the figures do not justify the huge spending the on letters to students.

Paul Knight, a PhD student, said he has been fighting a “running battle” with TV Licensing over the letters they send him for the last seven years, informing them that he does not own a television.

“Every time I send them a letter, they send me back a letter saying ‘Thank you for telling us that you don’t have a television and that they may send an inspector.’ Yet I continue receiving letters, which becoming increasingly threatening in tone,” said Knight.

After writing a letter of complaint to the BBC, Knight received a personally written apology from the corporation, citing that the system which sends the ever more threatening letters is automated and that he should not worry. He still continues to be hounded by post to buy a licence. Knight says that TV licensing’s attitude “smells of incompetence.”

More worrying are the numbers of visits being made by licensing enforcement officials to students living in privately rented houses. Jessica Nyman is a second year Combined Studies student who has been visited on three separate occasions by an enforcement officer in the last semester in Withington.

“The officer was quite misleading on whether or not we needed to buy a licence. He was very keen to suggest that we needed one, despite the fact we don’t watch TV.”

“One of our housemates told him that we only watch BBC programs on our laptops, and the officer was keen to press on with the enforcement process until another housemate reminded him that you didn’t need a licence to watch iPlayer on a laptop.

“On the third occasion we simply refused the official access. We told him that we’d already been visited twice and had our house inspected. Every time they visit, they infer that they have the right to enter the house even if it’s just to talk to you.”

The BBC claims that the huge numbers of letters – evidence of which can be found littering halls of residence post rooms – as well as visits by their enforcement officers, are a justified use of licence-payer money, this despite their refusal to reveal the revenue they generate on campus.

The BBC defended its position in regards to its mailing policy arguing that it was a cost effective way of reminding people about TV licensing.  “TV Licensing minimises the costs of mailing by sending stock letters third class wherever possible and by sending these letters out in monthly batches,” they said.

Queues formed on the steps of the University of Manchester Students’ Union (UMSU) building as students waited to join the hoards gathered in the bar at the event hosted by the Politics Society. While inside, the capacity crowd watched as the possibility of an outright majority for any party looked increasingly unlikely.

However, at the forefront of many students’ minds was the revelation that many Withington constituents – including large numbers of students – had been unable to vote, after they were turned away from over-stretched polling stations.

One local who saw events unfold at the Ladybarn Community Centre told Student Direct: Mancunion: “Don’t you ever tell me that students are apathetic. I was blown away by the numbers that came out to vote. People were saying how they’d never seen anything like it and how wonderful it was that everyone was taking an interest in democracy.

“But in the end it was real shame, especially as there lots of first time voters who were looking forward to voting and couldn’t.”

Rebecca James, 20, was turned away from a polling station in Ladybarn after queuing for an hour.

She told the Manchester Evening News: “I am really angry. I’m a first time voter and have been looking forward to being able to vote for a while. This was not our fault at all. It was due to poor organisation and not having enough staff. There were only two desks and a massive queue.”

Yet, aside from the apparent frustrations at the very end of the day’s voting, witnesses reported how understanding most people had been towards the staff manning the polling station, with two sympathetic students even making an unprompted trip to Fallowfield Sainsbury’s to buy the busy council volunteers some food.

Some voters who had been denied their chance to vote made their way to the Town Hall to complain, however they were dispersed by mounted police. As Student Direct: Mancunion went to press, it was understood that, because of the locked out voters, there could be a legal challenge to the election results.
Back at the Union, cheers greeted victories for both the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats as the results were declared, while the Tories appeared to have less support from the crowd.

The party hold over the Manchester constituencies remained largely unchanged, although in Manchester Central, Manchester Gorton and Salford & Eccles the Lib Dems managed to close the gap on the Labour incumbents.

Lib Dem MP John Leech beat Lucy Powell to hold onto Manchester Withington, a seat that Labour had been gunning for after losing it by a slight margin in 2005. Although still a close race, Leech increased his majority, finishing 1,850 votes clear of rival Powell.

Labour veteran MP Gerald Kaufman held onto his seat in Gorton, taking a massive 50 per cent of the vote. Labour candidates Tony Lloyd for Manchester Central and Hazel Blears in Salford & Eccles also won out, despite 6.1 per cent and 9.4 per cent swings to the Liberal Democrats chipping into their majorities.

Nationally, the Green Party gained their first MP at Westminster – party leader Caroline Lucas in Brighton Pavillion. While notable casualties included Lib Dem frontbencher Lembit Opik who lost his Montgomeryshire seat after suffering a 13.2 per cent swing to the Conservatives.

Organisers of the Union all-night party, Velida Pudic, Lech Sikora-Sikorski and Jonathan Ridge expressed their delight at how well the event had gone. However, alluding to the inconclusive outcome, Ridge added: “We’ll be back in six months for the next election…”

Figures obtained by Student Direct: Mancunion paint a worrying picture for students hoping to steer clear of crime during their time in Manchester. Not only is the level of crime targeted specifically against students high – with an average of 33 crimes per day –but inconsistencies in Greater Manchester Police (GMP) data-keeping practices suggest they may not have a complete picture as to the scale of the problem.

More than 2,000 crimes were committed against students in a single two-month period earlier this year.  Yet a long investigation by this newspaper has found that of these reported incidents only 169 resulted in charges and just 35 in cautions.

Of the 33 crimes committed against students every single day, on average seven will be counts of grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm (GBH/ABH) or harassment, 12 of theft or robbery and four of burglary.

The true figure is thought to be higher than that quoted as GMP do not always ask the victim of a crime for their occupation—“student” in this case.  However, it must also be noted that the true figure for university students may be lower, as schoolchildren will be included in the dataset.  GMP were unable to break the data down into students over 18 and those below, as they do not record a victim’s age.

Despite launching numerous initiatives every year in an attempt to tackle student crime, it appears that GMP are not completely on top of the problem. The Student Direct: Mancunion investigation is the result of a series of Freedom of Information requests from this paper to both GMP and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).  Neither were able to confirm the number of crimes committed against students for which prosecution was sought by the police force.

As with many hurdles faced during the investigation, this was the result of apparent problems in data-keeping by the police force, which meant that the time taken to sift through it would be greater than the 18 hours allowed by the Freedom of Information Act.  GMP were unable to confirm any attempts at prosecution when requested to.

This coupled with GMP’s inability to always distinguish between university-age and school-age “students” in their documentation suggests that a clear picture of student crime and how it is being managed is woefully lacking.

“We would need to manually go through over 2,000 crime reports,” said a spokeswoman.  “This would entail going into each crime report, reading through the report to locate the offender, undertaking a check on the Police National Computer to find out if they were convicted of the offence.

“This process would have to be undertaken for each one.  Therefore, this request would take over 18 hours to undertake.”

Superintendent John Graves, chair of the Student Safety Strategic Management Group at Greater Manchester Police said: “Every year, GMP invests huge amounts of time and expertise into analysis regarding crimes that are committed against students who come to live and study in the area.

“We have dedicated analysts who produce regular breakdowns of crimes that have been committed and this information, along with intelligence gathered by our neighbourhood policing teams, informs our operational and patrol plans.

“GMP is certainly able to identify university students by their age and occupation,” Graves said, contradicting the Freedom of Information officer that told Student Direct: Mancunion that the age of a victim was not logged when the paper requested a breakdown of the 2,137 victims by those ages under 18 and those 19 and over.

“The standard form that every officer has to complete when taking a crime report requires them to ask the victim their age and occupation. It is up to the victim whether they want to provide us with this information, however if they choose not to, the officer must then enter an approximate age for the victim. It is obviously not possible for an officer to make a guess as to what someone’s occupation may be.

“In terms of not seeking prosecutions for crimes committed against students,” Graves continued, “that is simply not the case. For the period 1 January 2010 – 6 March 2010, 77 people were charged in the city of Manchester with committing a crime against a victim that was over the age of 18 and defined their occupation as being a student.”

The Freedom of Information data suggests that 169 people were charged where the victim claimed that their occupation was “student”.  As with the previous point, Student Direct: Mancunion was told that the age data was not held.  Why this information was refused by Freedom of Information requests remains unclear.

Our findings correlate with an Inspectorate of the Constabulary report published earlier this year, which stated that those crimes which students suffer most, according to this investigation, are those that GMP fails to tackle.

“GMP has a strong track record in dealing with serious, high level crime, such as gun offences,” said Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) Roger Baker, “but recognises it must improve in a number of areas including dealing with offences of burglary, violence and anti-social behaviour.”  It is these crimes which are most prevalent against students.”

Baker is HMI for the Northern Forces, one of four of his high rank in the United Kingdom, and a former Chief Constable.

“The Chief Constable has acknowledged that reducing such offences together with improving the number of offences detected and improving the confidence people have in GMP to deal with crime and anti-social behaviour, are priorities for the force,” continues Baker.

“As a result a new policing model is being developed to enhance the service it delivers. This involves reviewing its response to providing assistance to the public, and its ability to meet those demands while carrying out neighbourhood policing and investigating crime.”

James Watson, a second year student at the University of Manchester, was mugged towards the end of March.  His housemate had been burgled two days beforehand apparently by the same people.

“To identify [the mugger], both myself and my house mate travelled to Didsbury police station to conduct a ‘Viper’,” said Watson.  “This is basically a black and white video of the man they had caught with nine random other blokes all in random orders.

“The camera looks at each one for about 15 seconds; five straight on, five from the right and five from the left. During this you are told to identify the one person who you think it was.”

Watson failed to identity his mugger as he was not “100 per cent sure”.  His housemate had identified the criminal to the police and in speaking afterwards, their suspicions matched.

“My point is this,” continues Watson.  “The Police had to follow a specific ‘bureaucratic’ set of guidelines which prevent us getting the man responsible. It’s not their fault. But during the Viper it was obvious that I thought it was [one man], though the officer could do nothing to help, apart from the standard, ‘Can you identify the individual who on the 17th March attempted to mug you?’

“No because I’m only 98 per cent sure!”

Most shopping is done in huge malls packed with mini-shops.  Floors and alleyways full of bizarreness; stretching from matching t-shirts for couples to what can only be described as hooker-wear.  Here ground-roots Chinese fashion flourishes, puffer jackets have been the staple this winter, ghetto chic belts are still huge, t-shirts are long with graphic designs and there are a lot of fake designer goods.  It can take a while but there are some beautiful things to be found and bartered down. The key: always start low and don’t feel embarrassed about walking away, they plan to over charge you.

Accessories are essential out here. Big thick pairs of NHS reject style glasses are one of the key features which link this Beijing heart of fashion to the masses.  Everyone in China loves wearing glasses, in most cases the bigger and more colourful the better, and the best part? You don’t even have to be optically challenged; they’re available everywhere with plain lenses, or without lenses.  Complimenting this, hairstyles lean towards the long and wavy side, when perms and extensions are so cheap – why not?  The topknot is hugely popular too, especially when teamed with the geek chic glasses.

Overall Chinese fashion has a way to go, at least till it matches up to western definitions of style.  Most of the clothes available out here are pretty tacky, and ‘Made in China’ is fairly synonymous with cheap materials and bad quality products.  There are many saving graces though, mainly a charmingly fearless approach to personal style and a somehow profound love of colour.

(All photos courtesy of http://www.stylites.net/)

Since TOMS launched, its growth has been explosive, the simple, light and comfy canvas espadrilles are sold internationally, including in leading UK highstreet retailers: Schuh, Office and Topshop meaning that TOMS have been able to give tens of thousands of shoes to those in need in countries including Argentina, South Africa, Uganda and Malawi.

TOMS spokesperson Allison Dominguez told Student Direct how people who go without shoes every day expose themselves to debilitating “foot diseases such as hookworm and podoconiosis and in other situations, children aren’t allowed to go to school because they don’t own shoes and it’s a required part of the uniform.”

As well as people’s generous want to support the TOMS cause, these shoes are pretty stylish. The blank canvas design gives you the opportunity to get creative with your footwear. Topshop hosted a ‘Style your Soul’ event during London Fashion Week that had fashion followerd queuing up for their TOMS’, to be transformed by local artists into one-of-a-kind, hand painted kicks. Why not style your sole yourself? Get family and friends involved; buy a pair of TOMS for the summer holidays, doodle on them and scribble down quotes as a lasting memory. Then, when people inevitably envy your fancy footwear, you can pass on the TOMS story. It’s in this way TOMS has managed to make such a significant difference. “I really have to give credit to the amazing support we’ve received from all of our customers who have become a part of the TOMS community and spread the One for One movement. With the current economy, I think that people are looking for products that matter and have meaning to them”.

TOMS have also collaborated and shall continue collaborating with several artists and companies who have recognised this worthwhile cause such as Tyler Ramsey, Gabe Lacktman (available at TOMS.com).  And a collaboration with Element Skateboards, taking the One for One concept beyond shoes, enabling TOMS to supply kids in South Africa with skateboarding equipment. “You can definitely expect to see some exciting collaborations with other like-minded companies down the line…but I can’t share them with you just yet” explained Allison Dominguez.

TOMS is not the only charitable fashion brand we currently love and feel more than willing to support; who better to team up with MAC Cosmetics than the always  expressively dressed Lady Gaga? Gaga is teaming up with MAC Cosmetics with a new line of products called VIVA GLAM and going on the road with 80s icon Cyndi Lauper to talk about women and AIDs. Every penny raised through the purchase of VIVA GLAM Gaga goes to the MAC AIDS Fund to support the fight against HIV/AIDS. Lady Gaga will also be taking part in announcing a $2.5 million grant to support this extremely important cause. So, think ethically on your next shopping excursion; yes you receive a sheer tank top in return for you £19.99. But where does that money go and who if anyone does it help?

Not: Taylor Momsen for New Look. I’m not one to hate on a talented individual. Gossip girl star Momsen is now being described as an actress, musician, designer and trend setter?! But another apparent celebrity ‘designed’ collection- a checked shirt, a zip front body con dress- it’s hardly Kate Moss for Topshop. And to be fair, that lacked lustre after collection two.

That’s right, the new maxi dress is now body con. On the catwalk these dresses have been splashed with fabulous graphic prints. Basso& Brooke showcased theirs with vivid bright colours and a plunging neckline, whereas Acne have opted for a minimalist monochrome print. Topshop Unique went for a safe approach, sticking to nautical, whites and plain blacks. A more elegant approach was taken by Hermes GoRunway, where the model wore her white maxi with a short sleeved ankle length black silk cardigan.

The easiest way to work this trend this summer, is to go for a maxi dress in monoshades, preferably black, although if you’re not careful you could look a tad bit like Morticia from the Addams family. Team yours with a military parka and some Grecian gladiator sandals. If you feel more daring wear a graphic print maxi (affordable ones can be found in River Island and Topshop Unique, or if your loan’s come in why not invest in an Acne one?!) A nautical print teamed with a tanned tasselled waistcoat creates an instant update for this season. Shoes can be tricky with these dresses, you can dress it up for a night out with killer wooden tan clogs (a total must have) and lots of chunky tribal jewellery. For the daytime, why not wear with a cropped denim jacket and some cute vintage brogues for a more relaxed look. It’s a good idea to buy a size bigger; you want your dress to skim your figure not cling to it. Not all of us are blessed with perfect long and lean bodies, so why not wear it with an oversized fisherman’s jumper? Considering the temperamental weather, it might not be such a bad idea, now where did I put my umbrella?

Back: Plaits and sportswear, the prefect combination. Whether your memories stem from the first days at primary school or images of twiggy in the 60s; reclaim the side plait this summer. Coupled with the new sportswear look, neon bights and spandex aside. Think basics in soft pebble grey, sheer light weight crop tops and jersey high waisted shorts.

We might think that we pick our clothes and assemble our outfits at our own free will, but this is not strictly true. Our wardrobes are fashioned from a magnitude of influences: the catwalk, the glossy magazines, the celebrity icons…and most importantly the films that we watch. We’ve all looked up at the big screen to see a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress and thought ‘I want to look like that’. We model ourselves on the characters put before us and try to emulate their lifestyles through the medium of clothes. It’s a fact: film is our muse.

The history of film boasts a constellation of iconic outfits that have proved invaluable to the world of fashion. When Audrey Hepburn emerged in that black dress teamed with those bug-eyed shades in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It sent thousands of women across the globe fleeing to the shops to recreate their own version of the LBD, and still, nearly fifty years on, the trend for oversized sunglasses remains firmly cemented in collections from designer to high-street. Then there’s the unforgettable image of Olivia Newton John in Greece wearing a pair of leather trousers so tight she had to be sewn in to them!  Those pants became so iconic that it was only recently that they made a triumphant return to the fashion forefront in the form of the wet-look leggings. And Madonna was one of the first to practise the underwear-as-outerwear look in the eighties classic, Desperately Seeking Susan-a look that is currently dominating the high-street. With Topshop’s range of sexy bralets and cheeky sequined hot pants, as well as the abundance of delicate lace bodices that are distinctly reminiscent of the elegant corsetry found in the likes of Moulin Rouge, Chicago and Nine.

It seems that for a very long time now, fashion and film have formed a seamless collaboration and I for one am happy to embrace this perfect union. It’s obvious that the fashion industry and we ( as an audience) will never tire of turning to films in search of inspiration for our next wardrobe addition.

If you’re keen to ditch the old folks but still want to celebrate and head out with your fellow graduates, it’s time to don your cocktail dress; after all, nothing says ‘I’m celebrating’ like something fizzy, colourful and pricey. The Hilton’s Cloud23 bar is a corker in the summer months for the outstanding view of Manchester and its environs, so treat yourself to table service and a few Alexandra Parks. The bar at Harvey Nichols in Exchange Square is also a top spot for a sipping a flute of bubbly while overlooking Mancunian landmarks and reminiscing about first year nights out at the nearby Printworks. Prohibition on Deansgate is a bit cheaper, but still excellent value, with most drinks coming in around the £7 mark and a huge variety of classic and signature cocktails. If you fancy more of a chilled out celebration, there’s always Socio Rehab in the Northern Quarter, where you can still get lethally potent drinks, but in more studenty surroundings.

If you have the time and inclination, there’s no better way to end your celebrations than with a champagne brunch the day after you graduate. The Living Room on Deansgate offers typical but delicious brunch fare – with the added bonus of a free champagne cocktail for every graduate upon proof of graduating (degree certificate, invite to ceremony or programme) and a valid NUS card.

Congratulations to the class of 2010.

*Carrie Bradshaw, for the uninitiated.

This book of horrors follows Australian bar tender Warren Fellows over a 15 year period as he transforms from a fresh faced chancer to a 37 year old hardened prison slag. In 1978, Fellows was convicted of attempting to smuggle 8.5kg of heroin out of Bangkok International airport. He was swiftly sentenced to 30 years in the world’s most notorious prison, ‘Bang Kwang’, more commonly known as ‘Big Tiger’ as it is said to swallow its prisoners whole.

Fellows’ tale of his eleven and a half year stretch inside Big Tiger is peppered with some of the most gruesome and horrific accounts of human suffering you will likely ever read. The unwavering sadism of the prison guards combined with unsanitary conditions which would make even a chimp chunder were enough to strip even the most hardened criminals of their dignity and, in most cases, their sanity. One of the most shocking sections of the book involves Fellows being awoken during the night to the sound of a French prisoner wailing in agony in a neighbouring cell. After pleading for an hour with the guards, Fellows is eventually allowed to attend to the screaming Frenchman. Fellows, with little medical knowledge promptly notices the cause of the man’s discomfort, an avocado sized lump on the side of his neck. With only a razor blade to hand, Fellows lances the bubo and to his horror finds that it is filled with hundreds of squirming cockroach maggots. This is just one of several gut wrenching events which occurred day to day living within the belly of Big Tiger.

Ultimately, the hopelessness of Fellows story left me cold and somewhat unsatisfied. Despite his eventual release, Fellows never seems to truly regain his freedom. The man who leaves the Big Tiger is a twisted, deeply disturbed wreck of his former self who seems in many ways irreparably damaged. Following his release, Fellows has extreme difficulty in re-adjusting back to modern Australian life. Once an outgoing, amiable young man, Fellows is reduced to an out of touch ex-con who begins to systematically alienate his closest friends and relatives. This to me was the real tragedy of his story.

‘The Damage Done’ is an illuminating, unflinching account of a Westerner’s life as part of the Thai prison system. Definitely worth a read. However, a strong stomach is a pre-requisite.

Simon Turner

Professor Cox opened his public talk with the Hubble deep field image.

Cox started by introducing the audience to one of the most iconic images in science, the Hubble deep field image, a sight that alone shows the vastness of our universe. The light from this part of the universe began its journey to us before the Earth even existed, over 12 billion years ago. He went on to explain the fundamental building blocks of the universe, the quarks and leptons, linking these into the governing forces that act upon these particles.

The professor’s explanations were on par with great speakers such as Leonard Susskind, his enthusiasm for science shone through and captivated the eager audience. He discussed the concept of the Higgs Boson, something which he truly believes the LHC is capable of detecting. He was always keen to use anecdotes instead of detailed mathematics to discuss his ideas. Most refreshingly of all he didn’t pretend that science had all the answers, but rather openly accepted that we just didn’t have the answers to many of the fundamental questions about our universe and its formation.

I asked Professor Cox after his talk whether he though that the sheer complexity of science and particle physics gave ammunition to creationists and others who do not believe in the widely accepted theories such as the big bang theory. ‘If you are absolutely scientific about it [the unknown]… then you actually like it. You like to stand on the edge between the known and the unknown’.

His public lectures certainly help more people to discover the unknown and be less afraid of the mystery that is our universe.

Is it fair to be prejudiced?

The study showed that the incidence of obesity discrimination in healthcare students was even higher than the 66 per cent level amongst the general population. In addition, the level of fatism echoed those of racial prejudice amongst these students. Patients receiving fatist attitudes from healthcare professionals also report receiving poorer treatment and are less likely to seek further advice for medical problems for fear of being stigmatized. This in turn can lead to serious psychological and physical consequences.

On a positive note, the researchers’ findings also showed that the prejudices held by trainee healthcare professionals could be either reduced or increased depending on what type of training they received.

Three seven-week tutorial courses were set up for Australian healthcare students. One of these courses explained that diet and exercise were the primary causes of obesity, whilst the other course attributed the causes of obesity to external factors such as genetic make-up and the ready availabilityand low pricing of junk food. The researchers measured fatism amongst the students before and after receiving the tutorials. Those that had attended the course highlighting poor diet and lack of exercise as obesity causes, showed a 27 per cent increase in obesity prejudice. Meanwhile, those attending a tutorial that attributed obesity to external factors showed decrease in their obesity prejudice from 27 to 12 per cent.

Lead researcher Dr Kerry O’Brien from Manchester University said “one reason for the high levels of obesity prejudice is that people only hear that obesity is due to poor diet and lack of exercise, which implies that obese people are just lazy and gluttonous, and therefore deserve criticism. But, uncontrollable factors, such as genes, the environment and neurophysiology, play an important role.”

O’Brien continued to state that “weight status is, to a great extent, inherited. It’s crucial that health professionals, such as nurses, doctors, dieticians and physical educators, are aware of these other influences, as well as their own potential prejudices, and don’t just blame the individual for their weight status”.

Chillies – no pain and no fat gain!

A new diet pill may be on the horizon.  Researchers at the University of California have been carrying out human trials with a chemical called anaheim A, which is closely related to capsaicin, the compound responsible for the kick in chilli.  Their findings suggest that anaheim, like capsaicin, boosts the body’s metabolism by binding to a receptor in the gut, thereafter triggering a response in the brain.  Anaheim, however, doesn’t activate pain receptors, which means, no pain – no fat gain!

Somerset, England

For 400 years, the crane, a large, long-necked bird, has been extinct in Britain.  Now conservationists are bringing the species back.  This week, eggs taken from a wild population in Germany have hatched in a shed in the Somerset wetlands to the sound of recordings of the German countryside – to make them feel at home!  The chicks will be taught how to feed, swim and respond to danger.

St. Louis, Missouri

Morphine turning up in a urine sample may not necessarily indicate illegal drug use.  New studies carried out in St. Louis have shown that mice have the machinery to make their own, endogenous morphine.  Scientists are now questioning the evolution of the morphine-producing pathway and its role in the body.