Monday 16th November 2009 www.studentdirect.co.uk ● Review panel ‘dominated by business and university leaders is NOT in students’ interests ● Students angered that MPs still shy away from the crippling debts that students face Steph Bartup Editor ● Leaders warn that that there could be an ‘inflation busting hike in tuition fees’ Students angered at MPs refusal to commit to fairer funding
Monday 16th November 2009 Student Direct: www.studentdirect.co.uk E d i t i o n Issue 8 - FREE “If you choose not to live in your own country, then you’re going to spend lots of your time trying to get back there.” Page 04 OUTRAGED students’ union leaders across the country have attacked a review which is being set up to assess the way that higher education will be funded in England, calling it ‘a stitch up’. Students also voiced their concerns over the lack of student representation on the panel making the review, which includes business men and university leaders – and not a single student. They worry that the panel could raise tuition fees in a desperate bid to claw back money which has been swallowed up in the recession. The criticisms, transcribed in a letter to the Guardian newspaper last week, comes as the government announced last week that they intend to review HE funding – but their findings will NOT be published until AFTER the general election next year. Angry students protested in Westminster last Wednesday, and sent a letter to the Guardian newspaper – with more than 150 student officer signatures – voicing their concerns about the review panel, and the fact that ministers will not have to commit to the issue before the general election, after the announcement was made. It was revealed that the panel which will review the funding will be led by former BP boss Lord Browne, and will include Tony Blair’s former advisor Sir Michael Barber, two university vice chancellors, former chairman of the British Youth Council Rajay Naik, businessman Peter Sands and economist Diane Coyle. Student leaders see this as hugely unrepresentative, and in response the protesting students, including our Students’ Union President, Matt Webber wrote: “We are in no doubt that a review panel dominated by business and university leaders is designed to stitch up students with yet another inflation busting hike in tuition fees.” They also warned MPs that they would be encouraged NOT to vote for them if they did not speak out against higher fees. As well as voicing their concerns over the legitimacy of the review panel, the 150 elected students’ union officers also lobbied MPs to ask if they would vote against an increase in fees in the next parliament, and put pressure on the Government to introduce a fairer alternative to variable top-up fees. It was announced last week that there would be a review of the topic – following months of students’ union led campaigns across the country – but many students are outraged that ministers will not have to commit to a pledge for fairer funding as part of their election manifesto. Both Labour and Conservative ministers have refused to commit to not raising tuition fees; yet raising the fee limit in England- which is currently £3,225 per annum – is hugely unpopular with voters. When polled by You Gov last weekend, only 12% of the general public said that they believed the review should even consider raising fees. National Union of Students’ (NUS) President Wes Streeting wants students to fight for higher education to be made free at the point of entry. He said: “NUS believes that university education should be free at the point of use, with graduates giving back to the system according to how much they earn. This would give universities double the amount of funding they currently receive, while allowing the children of poorer families to go to university without the fear of debt.” Martin Hall, Vice Chancellor at the University of Salford, has also come out in support of a fairer funding system, and said that he supports USSU in their efforts to foster debates about issues such as the funding crisis. He added: “There is good reason to believe that present fee levels, and aversion to debt, discourages potential students from lower income families from attending university, and I'm very concerned that higher fees will exacerbate this tendency”. USSU President Matt Webber, who attended the demonstration in Westminster last week, and is amongst the signatures on the Guardian’s letter has slammed the MPs behaviour, describing it as “grotesquely arrogant”. He said: “It is vital that this issue does not get put onto the backburner. Most of the MPs that I and other student leaders have met from the two major political parties appear to have been thrown a brief by their party that they must stick to. This is a grotesquely arrogant way to treat such an important issue and no one should accept this.” Steph Bartup Editor It’s a Stitch Up ● Review panel ‘dominated by business and university leaders is NOT in students’ interests ● Students angered that MPs still shy away from the crippling debts that students face ● Leaders warn that that there could be an ‘inflation busting hike in tuition fees’ Students angered at MPs refusal to commit to fairer funding
Transcript
Monday 16th November 2009
Student Direct:
www.studentdirect.co.uk
Edition
Issue 8 - FREE
“If you choose not to live in your own country, then you’re going to spend lots of your time trying to get back there.”
Page 04
OUTRAGED students’ unionleaders across the countryhave attacked a review whichis being set up to assess theway that higher education willbe funded in England, calling it‘a stitch up’.
Students also voiced theirconcerns over the lack of studentrepresentation on the panelmaking the review, which includesbusiness men and universityleaders – and not a single student.They worry that the panel couldraise tuition fees in a desperate bidto claw back money which has
been swallowed up in therecession.
The criticisms, transcribed in aletter to the Guardian newspaperlast week, comes as thegovernment announced last weekthat they intend to review HEfunding – but their findings willNOT be published until AFTER thegeneral election next year.
Angry students protested inWestminster last Wednesday, andsent a letter to the Guardiannewspaper – with more than 150student officer signatures – voicingtheir concerns about the reviewpanel, and the fact that ministerswill not have to commit to the issuebefore the general election, afterthe announcement was made.
It was revealed that the panelwhich will review the funding willbe led by former BP boss LordBrowne, and will include TonyBlair’s former advisor Sir MichaelBarber, two university vicechancellors, former chairman ofthe British Youth Council RajayNaik, businessman Peter Sandsand economist Diane Coyle.
Student leaders see this as hugely
unrepresentative, and in responsethe protesting students, includingour Students’ Union President,Matt Webber wrote: “We are in nodoubt that a review paneldominated by business anduniversity leaders is designed tostitch up students with yet anotherinflation busting hike in tuitionfees.”
They also warned MPs that theywould be encouraged NOT to votefor them if they did not speak outagainst higher fees.
As well as voicing their concernsover the legitimacy of the reviewpanel, the 150 elected students’union officers also lobbied MPs toask if they would vote against anincrease in fees in the nextparliament, and put pressure onthe Government to introduce afairer alternative to variable top-upfees.
It was announced last week thatthere would be a review of thetopic – following months ofstudents’ union led campaignsacross the country – but manystudents are outraged thatministers will not have to commit
to a pledge for fairer funding aspart of their election manifesto.
Both Labour and Conservativeministers have refused to committo not raising tuition fees; yetraising the fee limit in England-which is currently £3,225 perannum – is hugely unpopular withvoters.
When polled by You Gov lastweekend, only 12% of the generalpublic said that they believed thereview should even considerraising fees.
National Union of Students’(NUS) President Wes Streetingwants students to fight for highereducation to be made free at thepoint of entry. He said: “NUSbelieves that university educationshould be free at the point of use,with graduates giving back to thesystem according to how muchthey earn. This would giveuniversities double the amount offunding they currently receive,while allowing the children ofpoorer families to go to universitywithout the fear of debt.”
Martin Hall, Vice Chancellor atthe University of Salford, has also
come out in support of a fairerfunding system, and said that hesupports USSU in their efforts tofoster debates about issues such asthe funding crisis. He added:“There is good reason to believethat present fee levels, andaversion to debt, discouragespotential students from lowerincome families from attendinguniversity, and I'm very concernedthat higher fees will exacerbate thistendency”.
USSU President Matt Webber,who attended the demonstrationin Westminster last week, and isamongst the signatures on theGuardian’s letter has slammed theMPs behaviour, describing it as“grotesquely arrogant”.
He said: “It is vital that this issuedoes not get put onto thebackburner. Most of the MPs that Iand other student leaders havemet from the two major politicalparties appear to have beenthrown a brief by their party thatthey must stick to. This is agrotesquely arrogant way to treatsuch an important issue and noone should accept this.”
Steph BartupEditor
It’s a Stitch Up● Review panel
‘dominated bybusiness anduniversity leadersis NOT in students’interests
● Students angeredthat MPs still shyaway from thecrippling debts thatstudents face
● Leaders warn thatthat there could bean ‘inflation bustinghike in tuition fees’
Students angered at MPs refusal to commit to fairer funding
Hi!This week, we’ve got a pretty impressive celebrity gracingthe pages of Student Direct: Salford Edition; none other than
Hollywood superstar Eric Bana. The interview will becontinued next week, so make sure you pick up a
copy then. In other news, we have our annual AGMcoming up next week, so if you want to make a
difference to your Union, make sure you comealong! – Steph x
ATTENDING NEXT week’s AGMcould have a dramatic impacton your time at Salford!
This isn’t just an everyday run ofthe mill meeting, its one that everystudent should come along to.Students attending AGM willdecide whether the Union allowsextremist political groups andparties on campus. You’ll decidewhether we support theUniversity in becoming a fair tradeorganization. Those attending willget to hear first hand from theUniversity’s Vice Chancellor,Martin Hall and Director ofFinance, Simon Atwell how theyplan to spend money on Salfordstudents and have the opportunityto question them on this.
As well as this, you’ll hear whatthe Students’ Union has done forSalford students so far this yearand what we plan to do next year.If there is something specific youwant us to do, you can submit a
motion in advance –see our AGMminisite for details:www.salfordstudents.com/agm
Although all students areexpected to vote, you can play asactive role in the meeting as youlike. Join in the debates, or justlisten to the discussion – it’s up toyou.
USSU President Matt Webbersays: “AGM is the one big meetingof the year that no one shouldmiss. This year, you’ll have theopportunity to find out how yourStudents’ Union works, debatepolicy on anything from fair-tradeto whether extremists should beallowed on campus, and alsoquestion the Vice Chancellor andDirector of Finance about howyour money is spent.”
To find out more about AGM,visit: www.salfordstudents.com/agm or email Matt Webber at:[email protected].
friendly people toundertake temporarypromotional work this
week and next. Contact Helen Burke
on 0161 351 5400 for details.
STUDENTS AND staff attended two memorial services inmemory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the two WordWars, as well as those who fought in Iraq, and presently inAfghanistan at the University. The first service was held onRemembrance Sunday, 8 November, and the second onRemembrance Day, 11 November. The second service, held atthe cenotaph outside the Old Fire Station, saw a crowd of staffand students, as well as Salford MP Hazel Blears.
Readings were also given by Ms Jo Richler of the Jewish society,Chaplain Duncan Myers and Rabbi Bryan Fox before a two minutesilence was held.
Poppies were then laid down in remembrance.Photographs by Drew Forsyth
TO RAISE awareness of National Anti-Bullyingweek, organisers are focusing on a moremodern form of harassment; cyberbullying.
This week is the official ‘anti-bulling week’, andthe Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) say they haveseen a dramatic rise in young people beingtaunted and abused over the internet or bymobile phone.
Sue Steel, ABA National manager, says:“Cyberbullying is particularly nasty as it canaffect you every time you switch on your mobileor computer. It’s just as serious as physicalbullying but there are positive things you can doabout it.”
ABA was founded by National Children’s Bureau(NCB) and National Society for the Prevention ofCruelty to Children (NSPCC) in 2002 consists of60 organisations. ABA says cyberbullying isaffecting more and more children as younger agegroups are being given mobile phones and accessto computers.
Salford MP Hazel Blears is also calling forstricter rules on social networking sites after therise of bullying taunts continues to spread acrossthe internet.
She said; “Any type of bullying- including that inthe work place or school- should not be tolerated.Action must be taken and indeed I can addressthis issue in parliament as there needs to begreater awareness of this issue.”
The ABA has released tips to help preventyoung people becoming victims of cyberbullying:
They suggest not giving out personal detailssuch as mobile number, address or email onlineand regularly checking and cleaning your‘friends’ lists on social networking sites. Mostimportantly, ABA guidelines recommend keepingany evidence - callers and mailers can be traced.
For more information, visit www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk.
Beat the BulliesCezara Pallister
25 November – Chapman 1, from 1pm
The EntertainmentsCollective will meetthis Wednesday, 18November in the Pavat 7pm. This is your
opportunity to discuss theentertainments that USSU offer.Perhaps you have a great idea for aclub night at The Pav, or you havesome ideas for the menu in BarYours? Whatever your thoughts,come along and discuss them withother students.
IN REMEMBRANCE
Student Direct / News 03November 16th 2009
www.student-direct.co.uk
SLEEPING IN – we’ve all doneit, haven’t we? Even thoughyou set four separate alarmsthe night before, there is stillthat terrible possibility youwill sleep through them all,and wake up five minutesbefore you have to besomewhere really important!
Well, this week I slept throughmy alarm on three separateoccasions. Not that great reallyconsidering it takes me aboutan hour to get ready everymorning! I’m beginning towonder if I should swap mycomfy double bed for the CastleIrwell bed I had to endure lastyear. I seemed to have notrouble getting out of that one!
But thankfully, even thoughI’ve been feeling a tadexhausted lately, I’ve not fallenasleep in public yet. That’s morethan can be said for oneindividual in America, whodecided he would catch fortywinks in the most peculiar ofplaces.
The man, who is from the GulfCoast, was arrested after heaccidently fell asleep in thefreezer of a pub he broke into.
According to police, the 49year old had been trying to robthe pub in Ridge Manor, whichhad been shut for the night, buthis devious plan failed.
After jumping over a fenceand prying open a lockedstorage shed, the man, whocannot be named for legalreasons, entered the walk infreezer. He allegedly chompedhis way through a can oftomatoes before deciding totake a nap.
He was later found by a policedetective who was carrying outa security check of the building.The tomato munching thiefnow faces a commercialburglary charge.
So, the moral of the story is- ifyou plan to rob a pub, at leastget a decent nights sleepbeforehand!
Caroline Steer
It’s aStrangeWorld...
SHOCK RADIO is back on the airwaves! After takingsome time off to train up new members, USSU’s veryown radio station can be heard online once again.
Shock began its life as Storm FM in the late nineties, whenit was run by students from all three Manchester basedUniversities; but after various problems Storm could nolonger continue broadcasting and broke down.
Undeterred by disaster, a bunch of dedicated Salfordstudents, led by Dave Daly, decided to continue andformed their own radio station. Their first ever meetingtook place in the function room of the Pint Pot, whereplans and potential names for the station were discussed atthe gathering. including the title ‘Blade FM’, which wasquickly rejected because of its violent connotations.Eventually though, the committee decided upon ‘ShockFM’ and the station we know and love today was born.
Within its first week of becoming an official society,Shock FM’s popularity escalated. It became the secondmost popular society in the union, and everything lookedrosy for the station, but the positive atmosphere soonchanged.
After a number of problems, the media departmentdecided to opt out of supporting the application. To makematters worse, the station’s manager Dave Daly steppeddown after an offer was made to him by the BBC; Shock’sfuture seemed to be in tatters.
Things started to look up in the year 2000 when USSUgave Shock £1,000 to spend on studio equipment. Thismoney was invested on making an internal broadcast, andwhile the donation seemed to help, it was not until thefollowing year, when USSU presidential candidates agreedto make Shock radio a commitment within the union thatthings really picked up.
In 2008, Shock made the move from an FM to an onlinebroadcast. The main reason for this was to allow thestation to air for longer, giving its members more of anopportunity to get as much radio experience as possible.For financial reasons, the station could only go on air forone month on FM, but is available online for the wholeuniversity year. So far the move to the web has been amassive success and the station has received morelisteners than ever.
Go to www.shockradio.co.uk to listen onlinenow!
LAST TUESDAY saw the FaithHub organisation visit theUniversity. They held severalworkshops, and concludedwith a debate centred on thefinancial crisis. The panelmembers included MP HazelBlears, Martin Hall, chair ofthe debate and Vice-Chancellor of SalfordUniversity, Phil Whittaker,senior lecturer at Salfordbusiness school, SerenaTramonti, an Oxfam mediacampaigner, and DavidBarker, founder of UK-basedWhitebox Digital.
In partnership with theVoteClash organisation, a pollwas set up during the debate tomonitor the opinion regardingthe question, ‘Should we sortourselves out before saving theworld?’ Attendees could text in
to the poll, and before the debatestarted, the poll was frozen at47% for away, 43% for home,with 10% sitting on the fence.
Hazel Blears opened thedebate for the home side,indicating, ‘The key word here isbefore’. She made clear that thiswas in no way selfish, but that wecouldn’t hope to help peopleabroad if we can’t help ourselvesfirst. ‘I am elected to put thesafety and security of the Britishpeople first’, she stated, and thisled to a discussion detailing thedangers of long term,generational unemployment,which has been seen since thelast recession.
Serena Tramonti stated thatshe was, ‘no economics expert’,and made her concerns clearthat this was not the rightquestion. She stated thatrecently, 700,000 people hadbeen laid off from India’smanufacturing industry. A largeproportion of those are migrant
workers, from countries such asNepal and Bhutan; the loss ofjobs would mean that workerscould not send money home,which amounts to US $300billion in lost income.
David Barker said thatglobalisation doesn’t work, andthat, ‘to end global poverty, wehave to end local poverty’. Hiscompany, Whitebox Digital-designed to irrigate funds todeveloping countries after everyglobal sale- is expanding withinthe UK in a new industry knownas virtualisation.
It was only following questionsfrom the audience that HazelBlears came out with her‘winning’ line: ‘my responsibilityis to the people who haveelected me. It is my top priority’she said. With this, the pollchanged to reveal that thepercentage of people supportingthe home side was 53%, awaywas 44% and 3% were still on thefence.
Luke DunsmoreNews Editor
Caroline Steer
Faith Hub at Salford
Freeze!
THIS WEEK, Sharon Osbourne launched a scathingattack on Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle. Theattack came whilst Osbourne was appearing on a USradio show, and her outburst attracted a very negativeresponse from listeners. Osbourne said of Boyle:
"I like everybody to do well. Even somebody that lookslike a slapped a**e. God bless her. It's like, 'You go girl'. Shedoes look like a hairy a**ehole." She added “[God] gave herthe talent. Yes he did. [And] he hit her with a f**king uglystick."
Consequent public outrage has forced the star toapologise for her remarks. According to the Daily MailOsbourne has since said: "Susan Boyle is a lovely, graciouswoman and I took advantage of that by poking fun at her.
"I would never want to be responsible for hurting Susanand I must apologise for getting a cheap laugh at herexpense."
When Simon Cowell was asked about Osbourne’scomment, he claimed he was “not surprised” by herremarks. Osbourne’s daughter Kelly has defended her Mumsaying: “It’s just one of those things... she's my mum and Ihave her back no matter what."
A US TV show later conducted a poll of viewers askingwho was sexier; Boyle or Osbourne. Unsurprisingly,Osbourne lost.
Cheryl Cole sparked rumours that her marriage toAshley Cole is in trouble after not wearing her weddingring on last weekends’ X Factor. A source spoke aboutthe missing ring afterwards saying that the marriage isover but neither party want to admit it. A source closeto Cheryl, however, said the singer had simply“forgotten” to put the ring back on after taking it off towash her hands.
Vanessa Feltz spoke about the situation during the weeksaying: "Women don't whip off their wedding rings at thedrop of a hat. They're far too symbolic. We wear themthrough thick, thin and weight gain and illness. Our fingersfatten or swell, our rings become embedded in our flesh,yet still we never consider removing them.
"Our husbands stray, leave or even die and still we wearthose circles of gold which bound us forever to them 'in theeyes of God and this congregation'.
Stylists may tamper with your shoe height or eyebrowthickness, they'd never wrench off your wedding ring.”
The couple say they’re still together, and Cheryl was seenduring the week with the ring back on. But given the recentreports of Ashley's lack of support towards Cheryl's chartsuccess, and allegedly forcing her to cancel her celebrationsafter her single reached number one, it's not looking goodfor the Cole's...
Katie Price is officially heading back into the Jungle forthis years’ “I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here”.Originally a friend of Katie's denied the reports of herreturn, claiming she had commitments in the US, but itturns out she will definitely be headed back to the veryplace where she and Peter Andre met all those yearsago. A source close to Katie said: "After the year Katie'shad, she's ready to throw everything at this project.Right now she can't wait to get into the camp."
The 31 year old has signed a £450,000 deal to take part inthe ITV reality series.
Peter Andre was supposed to be providing updates aboutthe show on This Morning, but since finding out that Katieis going back into the Jungle he has apparently turned thejob down. Apparently, Andre was supposed to fly out toAustralia and present behind-the-scenes updates as part ofhis role as showbiz reporter.
A source said: "Pete was really looking forward to goingback to the jungle, but as soon as he found out that Katiewas going toappear, he saidthere was nochance in hell hewould go.
"Pete reckonsthere's no way hecould speculateon Katie's anticsand any outbackflirtations in anunbiased way. This Morningexecutives arelivid."
When will thedrama end?
The GossipLucy Jones
Jordan’s going back in the jungle
USSU HAVE welcomed twoworld class coaches for ourbadminton and basketballteams this week.
The first of the big names is levelthree basketball coach and formerEnglish Basketball League (EBL)player of the year, David Watts,who will be coaching Salford’sbudding stars every Monday andThursday, from 6pm-8pm. He hasrecently moved up to Manchesterfrom Reading to join theManchester Magic basketballteam, and has already impressed
coach Jeff Jones, who told the MENnewspaper: "It was the bestdefensive display from him thethat I have seen in the time that Ihave known him - and I mean hisyears at Reading too."
Also joining the union this weekis England internationalBadminton player, Ian Palethorpe.The level two coach, from Huytonspecialises in men's doubles andmixed doubles, and will coach thebadminton players at their SquadTraining on Mondays 4pm-6pm.The Badminton Club also holdgeneral training Tuesday 5pm-7pm and Thursday 5pm-6pm.
Ian started coaching the team on2 November this year, and since
then Salford Badminton firsts havewon both their matches. Theseconds have racked up one winbut suffered one defeat last week.
International Stars BeginCoaching Salford StudentsAlex Wise
New coachDavid Watts
We Will Shock You
Interview04 / Student Direct
IN PART ONE of an exclusive interview,Hollywood’s leading man talks to LeeMorgan about the lifelong passion at theheart of his new film, family life, thepitfalls of fame and how his obsessioncould have led to his death.
“G’ day, can I speak to Lee please? This is EricBana.”
It is 8pm Melbourne time when my phonerings. But here in England, the clocks went backon Sunday, something his publicist in LA hadn’tfashioned into our arrangements. His callcomes an hour early. With no pen, no paper, nonotes, I am at a disadvantage– barely preparedto speak. Eric is kind enough to consent to myrequest: Can you call meback in a few minutes,please?
Our conversationbegins properly with Ericredialling from the familyhome in Australia.Melbourne is the city hegrew up in, and where hestill resides with wifeRebecca and theirchildren Klaus andSophia.
“I probably should livein LA. It would save me alot of travelling andhassle. It’s more just acase of being stubborn, tobe completely honest.But you’ve got to livesomewhere and you’re always going to behomesick no matter where you live; and if youchoose not to live in your own country, thenyou’re going to spend lots of your time trying toget back there.”
Staying close to these roots, to his family andfriends, is something Eric explores in-depth inhis latest film Love the Beast. Anautobiographical documentary, it explores his25 year relationship with ‘the beast’, his first car– a 1974 Ford Coupe.
The film, which is out on DVD on Sunday,presents the vehicle as campfire: a socialbeacon around which Eric and his childhoodfriends come together.
“I’ve never seen a car as a car. I’ve always seen
it as been a form of expression, a form oftransport and a form of socialising.”
He bought his broken down muscle car in theearly 1980’s, then a long-haired teenager withdreams of becoming a car mechanic. More thantwenty-five years later, and having been on theHollywood A-list for the best part of a decade, itremains one of the great constants in his life.
“This industry, I sort of landed in it and fittedit to a degree. Aside from becoming a mechanic,I don’t know what else I would do. I wanted toleave school when I was about fifteen and mydad was really against it and demanded that Istay, finish my year twelve. If I’d had a slack dad,I’d have been out of there for sure.”
Acting first leapt out asa possibility to Eric in1979, when as an 11 yearold he watchedcountryman Mel Gibsonin the iconic Mad Max.Drawn in by the film’sfast cars, he foundhimself instead blownaway by Gibson’sperformance. As onefilm critic opined aroundthat time: “I can’t definestar quality, butwhatever it is, Mr Gibsonhas it.”
Twenty one years later,and already establishedas Australia’s top stand-up comic, Eric had hisown breakthrough role
in the Australian film Chopper. Mirroring whatwas said about Gibson so many years before, USfilm critic Roger Ebert wrote: “In a comediannamed Eric Bana the filmmakers have found, Ithink, a future star. He has a quality no actingschool can teach you and few actors can match.You cannot look away from him."
In the year 2000, Chopper knocked MelGibson movie The Patriot from atop theAustralian box office. Eric had arrived as amajor acting talent and, since then, has gone onto star in films such as Troy, Hulk, Munich, TheTime Traveler’s Wife, Star Trek and FunnyPeople.
But acting is something of a dual occupationwhich, in Hollywood especially, carries the
added role of movie star. It is a role he does notparticularly enjoy.
“A lot of young people see that side of thebusiness as being supposedly glamorous, butwhen you put it in the context of a normal life,how can I put it, it doesn’t get in the way, but tome it’s not as much fun as hanging out with mymates and my car. If you try to say that tosomeone, they don’t believe you.”
One section of Love the Beast follows Eric toNew York and the premiere of his 2007 film,Lucky You. As he changes in his hotel room, heopenly mocks the red carpet experience, andanticipates the hollow niceties of the nightahead. “Oh my god, I love your shoes, they’reamazing,” he says in an exaggerated Americanaccent. Bemoaning the rehearsed anecdotes hemust recite to the media, he swigs “braverygravy” from a bottle of beer. Later on, as thebulbs flash around him, one television reporterpraises his hair excitedly.
“Walking into a film set and doing the job ofacting feels completelynormal and comfortable,”he tells me.
“The other half, that isthe business of being inthe public eye, you’re in aforeign country, in aforeign city with nopeople apart fromstrangers. So it doesn’tmatter what sort ofclothes you put on, it iswhat it is. For me, it’s likeone or two nights a year,so it’s not something thatyou can get used to. Mostpeople I know in thebusiness are as uncomfortable with it as I am.”
Conversely, it seems the more people thatrecognise him, the more anonymous he feels. Ifthe red carpet represents obscurity, then theblack tarmac roads he races on in Love theBeast represent something far more familiarand meaningful.
“Early on it was this magical kind of notion ofdriving on a piece of road that you haven’t beenon before, and piloting a vehicle that you’ve hada hand in building,” he says.
In Melbourne, automobiles form a huge partof the dense suburban culture, sources of pridefor Eric and his fellow ‘revheads’. He says thecars in some way capture the spirit of the WildWest – a bygone era when things were much lesscomplicated.
“There’s definitely a subconscious element ofit in the film. Cars and motorcycles are thehorse of the modern day. They basicallyreplaced the horse as a mode of transport, andmetaphorically, they encapsulated a lot of thefeelings that came from that era.”
And at 41 years of age, Eric says more andmore, people are having to look to the past tofind things with real character. He says
advances in technology have made people lesssociable, and answers with a firm no when I askif we’ll ever find him tweeting away on Twitter.
“We are social creatures, but I thinktechnology tends to hole us up into a soloexistence to a degree. It’s something that Ibelieve in and try and instil in my own kids aswell,” he says.
“There is an argument that you’re forced toplay it, as my wife and I like to say, Fifties style.If you leave kids to their own devices, in the firstfive minutes they’ll turn into a couch potato andturn on the TV. If you reach over and turn theTV off, they whinge and moan for five minutes,then suddenly they’re outside and they’vethought of a game you couldn’t think of andthey’ll play it for two hours.”
“I grew up, it wasn’t an overly social street, butthere was always ten or fifteen of us out front ofthe house kicking a footy or playing cricket. Ican’t remember the last time I nearly ran a kid
over because he waskicking a footy in themiddle of the road!Because they’re doing iton the Nintendo Wii,playing tennis andsoccer. Funny isn’t it?”
Eric was encouraged inhis hobby by Croatianfather Ivan, with olderbrother Anthonyjumping in to lend ahand. Having bought‘the beast’ several yearsbefore he could legallyget behind the wheel, headmits the lure of
driving occasionally got the better of him.
“My Dad was good, and my brother had hislicense before me, too. But there was a little bitof, well, let’s call it pre-driving.”
He and his friends have worked faithfully onthe car ever since, entering it in sporadictarmac rallies throughout Australia, alwaysrepairing it when it gets banged up – using it asa day-to-day vehicle in between. Eric himselfsees the car as his portal to a lifetime ofmemories.
“My adult life has passed through thatwindscreen: friends, girlfriends, tragedy,happiness, triumph, pets, houses, suburbs,different parts of the country, good times, badtimes, music, everything.”
But in 2007, with the cameras rolling for thedocumentary, there were several more thingsthat passed through the windscreen – densebush and a wall of gum trees. In what was to bethe car’s last rally in Tasmania, he and hisnavigator left the track on a sharp bend,smashing violently into the woods below.
Eric had, in his own words, killed the beast.
November 12th 2009
Eric and The Beast
Exclusive Interview: Eric BanaThe Beauty in My Beast
Next Week: In part two, Eric discusses theaftermath of the crash; his family’s reactionand why he feels Hollywood bigwigs arefinally allowing him to be himself.
“A lot of youngpeople see that side ofthe business as being
supposedly glamorous,but to me it’s not as
much fun as hangingout with my mates and
my car.”
“My adult life haspassed through thatwindscreen: friends,girlfriends, tragedy,
happiness, good times,bad times, music,
everything.”
www.studentdirect.co.uk
ColumnStudent Direct / 5November 16th 2009
www.student-direct.co.uk
UNIVERSITIES ACROSS theglobe are going green. Why? Is it because every ViceChancellor believes that goinggreen will disburdenenvironmental justiceexploitations? Or are they astealth army of tree huggerswho have manoeuvred intoplace? Maybe this ‘greening’ isnothing more than a trend,and like corduroy flaredtrousers, will rear itself everydecade or so until something
radically different emerges?Perhaps not. Even Americanuniversities have subscribed tothe notion of the green waybeing tactically goodmanagement. So have UKuniversities gone green justbecause those in the USA haveset a trend?
Well, in short- no. UKuniversities have gone greenbecause they have beenmanipulated, incentivised,encouraged and moaned at to doso. The moaners are externalstudent-led groups such asPeople & Planet, who giveconfidence to student green
collective groups. People &Planet (P&P) are an activistnetworking organisation led bystudents and operated byvolunteers who are in turnsupported by staff; much thesame way as our Students’ Unionoperates. They campaign forchange in universities, colleges,schools, industrial organisationsand to our government so thatglobal humanitarian issues suchas global poverty and diseasesare diminished, and humanrights are much improved whilstEarth’s physical environment isable to remain protected. P&Poperations are flexible enough toembrace student originality,creativity and forentrepreneurship to be practisedand refined during campaignactivities. Those whomanipulate, incentivise andencourage are the UKGovernment. The Governmenthave begun to financially dictateto universities to go green byinterjecting stringent sustainabledevelopment criteria into masterplan arrangements, andfinancially award the universitieswhose plans they deemsufficiently sustainable.Therefore, universities steeped
in research and conservation asdefined by English Heritage willbe severed financially because oftheir maintenance as they areaffecting climate change. The‘greening’ of universities ischanging radically, and is now faradvanced beyond energy andwater conservation.
Why we needinvolvement withP&PStudent involvement beyondcampus perimeters isinspirational whilst beinginclusive as you begin to see thebigger picture, and how toovercome campaign problems.P&P are leading HigherEducation into a sustainablefuture using proactive methodsof communication and actions,which motivates students to getmore involved withhumanitarian issues. P&P areacknowledged and respected bygovernment, and have helpedinitiate the EnvironmentalAssociation for Universities andColleges (EAUC) involvementinto Ecocampus, whichbenchmarks and accredits theenvironmental performance of
universities. P&P are able toguide university environmentalgroups to raise awareness ofenvironmental issues affectingour global village which needurgent rectification formankind’s survival through thesetimes of trepidation anduncertainty. A current campaignof theirs highlighting climatechange plight impacts is ‘DitchDirty Development’ whichencourages businesses to reducetheir atmospheric emissions athome (by subscribing torenewable energy) and abroadby refusing to finance energyorganisations who explore,extract, and burn fossil fuels.
What can they dothat we can’t?They have a wealth of knowledgeresulting from experience andprevious brainstorm sessionsfrom other P&P groups regardingforming new groups, initiatingcampaigns, recruitment advice,strategic planning, participatorydecision making guidance andgreen events at otheruniversities. They offerworkshops which teach you howto speak in public, plan your
campaigns and teach groupleaders how to understand agroup so that you do not under-estimate or over-estimate theirknowledge, fundraising ideasand skills.
Diary dates:Friday 20 – Sunday 22November: Shared Planet.This work-shop event hasbeen organised by People &Planet, University ofManchester & ManchesterMetropolitan University. Formore information, visit:www.peopleandplanet.org/events/shared-planet
Joanne Green
The Joe Greener Side of LifeUniversities That Go Green
Please visitwww.salfordstudents.com
and go to the Green Collective link
Help make Salford greener!
HAVE YOU ever wanted to recycle on campusbut the bin was full to bursting point? How fardid you have to walk to find a recycling bin? Ordid you find the recycling bin purely by chanceas their locations are not advertised throughany university media? If you feel that therecycling areas in libraries, near or in Halls andin cafeterias are inadequate or are non-existent, then switch on your digital cameraand take photos of those areas which demandimprovements. This applies to energy too. Arethere any locations which could putBlackpool’s illuminations to shame? Or areaswhich are so warm that they remind you ofyour summer holidays abroad? Email yourimages in to Emily Godfrey at [email protected] or Joe Green [email protected]. We willprocess your images into photos and publicly
display them in Maxwell canteen from 12-2pmin the week commencing 7 December, for ourtop brass to view our recycling and energyplights. This competition is open to studentsand staff. Your entry can remain anonymous;however to notify the winner we will need yourcontact details. Good luck!
Capture UoS In The PictureJoanne Green
ON TUESDAY 24 November, theStudents’ Union, Salford LeftForum and Silky will unite tohost ‘Love Music Hate Racism’at Bar Yours in UniversityHouse. The event is acelebration of our multi-cultural society. The vibe is anall-day indoor festival withmusic from 3pm-11pm,featuring an eclectic line-up ofmusicians, vocalists and DJ's.Whether you are into rock,reggae, hip hop or dance musicthere should be something foreveryone! Entry is free anddonations to UAF (UnitedAgainst Fascism) are welcome.
‘Love Music Hate Racism’ usesthe positive energy of the musicscene to rally against racism. Itwas set up in 2002 and utilisesthe energy of the music scene tocelebrate diversity and involvepeople in anti-racist and anti-fascist activity in the tradition ofthe ‘Rock Against Racism’movement of the late 1970s.High-profile supporters includeEstelle, Kelly Rowland, MsDynamite, Basement Jaxx, PeteDoherty, N-Dubz and Hard-Fi.There have now been over 600LMHR events in the UK and thisis the first to be hosted inSalford.
Love Music, Hate RacismJamesWalsh
UNION06 / Student Direct November 16th 200906
Every week, your sabbatical officers will be asking a different question to students in each oftheir faculties regarding university life- so if you see them around, tell them what you’re thinking!
This weeks question is:
“Are you aware of the new academic regulations?”
UNION PAGEUnion News
State of the UnionWith USSU PresidentMatt Webber
Sabbs Ask, You Say. . .
Jess Hall. Building Surveying,
Level 1
“Yes. Lots of lecturers have
brought it up.”
Stacey Gordon Social Work
Year 2
“I was not aware of the changes.”
Peter TrendAudio Technology
Year 2
“If you mean that wedon't get to
automatically resit amodule if we don’t hand
in the last piece ofcoursework, then yes.”
Eva Hrachová EnglishYear 2
“No, does this apply to
EU students?”
HAVING SEEN the front pageof Student Direct: SalfordEdition, no doubt you willhave noticed that theGovernment has announcedthe beginning of a highereducation funding review.
Now, that on its own would notnecessarily be a bad thing; however,what does concern me is the timingof the review, the membership of thepanel for the review and the lack ofcommitment from either of the twoparties who are hiding behind thereview.
The timing of the review is a mixbetween idiocy and irresponsibility.The report back to parliament willnot happen until after the nextgeneral election. To go purely on thecurrent opinion polls, that meansthat a different political party willprobably be in charge, and they maydismiss the review and hold a newone with a new panel.
The membership of the panelincludes one former chairman of theBritish Youth Council (intended to‘represent’ young people, accordingto the Telegraph), a couple ofuniversity vice chancellors(unfortunately our vice chancellorMartin Hall, with his student focusedview on this matter is not one ofthem) and several businesspersonalities. Why on earth has suchan unrepresentative panel beenappointed to discuss the future ofhow education is funded? Is there noimplicit bias by having so manypeople with a business backgroundon the panel?
Finally, why are the two majorparties not willing to come out andsay that they are going to put up fees?Or why are they not willing to comeout and give an alternate view?
No CommitmentI have met with several MP’s already,and only one of them- Ian Stewart-has said he wouldn’t (if he wasrunning for another term inparliament) vote for an increase infees. Ian favours a graduate taxscheme. The others who I’ve met areHazel Blears, Ruth Kelly and DavidChayter.
Hazel Blears is unwilling to go onrecord to say she wouldn’t voteagainst a rise in fees whichconsidering her party are the onesspearheading the review is hardlyunexpected. However at the time of
writing she has kindly offered toprovide me with a quote on herposition on this matter which I lookforward to reading and sharing withyou at a later date.
Ruth Kelly, who I met lastWednesday in Parliament, was adisappointment; one could tell she isready to leave parliament. Shecompared tuition fees to a form oftaxation and seemed to think thatanyone who disagreed with herobviously didn’t have a pragmaticview. Not really a surprise from, inmy opinion, one of the worst formersecretaries of state for education thatwe’ve ever had. Rude and brusque, Ifound after five minutes I had nowish to continue our conversation.She certainly will be no loss to thepeople she represents or to theLabour party.
Next up was David Chayter; aremarkable man who despitebelieving fees should go up had agenuine interest in discussing anddebating the issue. David is alsostepping down at the next election,however I think he will probablywork very hard for his constituentsuntil the day he finishes his term inoffice. David explained that hebelieved fees should go up and put itto me that income tax now is 20%, itwas 34% when he went to University(in around 1970) and that part of thetaxation covered the differencebetween free education then andsubsidised education now. Weagreed to differ in terms of our viewpoint by the end of the conversation.
Do you careenough?So, where to next? Well, that willdepend on how many currentstudents care enough about thisissue. I’ve signed a letter which wasprinted in the Guardian last weekwhich made clear we would beencouraging other students to factorinto their vote at the next generalelection the candidates’ position on arise in tuition fees. Will this and anyother action we take work? I dowonder, whether, until they call timeon the current system I andhopefully you (even if you have adifferent vision of what educationshould cost, for example, nothing)will continue to call for a fair,legitimate and transparent reviewthat genuinely cares and considersthe students of today and tomorrow.
Give It A Gois all about tryingsomething new and meeting otherstudents at Salford. We’re holdingevents you can try as a one off orcome along to regularly.
Listed below are this week’s activities;there’s everything from yoga to a safari!You can buy tickets for Give It A Gofrom the Students’ Union shops in theAdelphi Building, Allerton Buildingand Horlock Court, and General Officeand Bar Yours in University House. If asession is free, no ticket is needed!
MONDAY 16 NOVEMBEROutdoor Survival WorkshopLearn a range of outdoor skillswith our resident expert.1-2pm, University House£3
TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBERBelly Dancing (women only!)Another of our regular sessions- meetother Salford students and have a fun
evening trying something different!6-7pm, Main Hall, Allerton Building£3
WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBERYogaLearn some great techniques to tonemuscles and relieve stress.5.15-6.30pmBoardroom, University House£3
THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBERIntroduction to PhotographyGet the most out of your digital camera!Please note: You must bring a digitalcamera to this session.1-2pm University House£3
FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBERWii FitnessEnd the week with a fun afternoon of WiiFit games.2-4pmBar Yours, University HouseFREE
SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBERKnowsley Safari parkFamilies are welcome on this day out to asafari park! See all the animals roam inbeautiful countryside. Price includestravel and entry to the park.10am pick-upMeet at Tom Husband Leisure CentreAdults and children over 15: £17Children aged 3-17: £15Children under 3: £7BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW!
More information is available at:www.salfordstudents.com/giag oryou can contact Stephanie Pratt,Student Activities Co-ordinator on0161 351 5422/[email protected]
www.student-direct.co.uk
MPs and ourExpenses
Feedback Time for BLBE StudentsFor all students in the Business, law and the Built Environment Faculty;your Academic Feedback Forum will take place with your VicePresident Jim Dale over two days this week. On Wednesday 18November, a forum dealing with the issue of ILS in the Law library willtake place between 1-2 pm in Lady Hale G05.
The following day, a second forum which will be used to discusstimetabling, assessment and feedback and personal tutors will be held inPeel 107 between 2-4pm.
The Feedback Forum is a great opportunity for you to chat to Jim aboutwhat you think works well with your course and where you’d like to seechange.
Don’t worry if there is something else you want to bring up though – this isthe ideal opportunity to give us feedback relating to any aspect of studyinghere.
To find out more about the forum visit: www.salfordstudents.com orcontact Jim Dale on 0161 341 5400 or email: [email protected]
If you're not aware of the new academic regulations, either email your sabbatical officer atthe address above, or go to:http://students.salford.ac.uk/news/?id=78
Student Direct / (re)View 07November 16th 2009
www.student-direct.co.uk
When IGrow Upto be aMan
TALENTED LOCAL actressand 2008 SalfordPerforming Arts graduateEllie Rose will be returning tothe city this weekend withher Unearthed Theatre
company, hosting aproduction of her latest play“When I Grow Up To Be AMan” at the Adelphi Theatre.
The play follows the centralcharacter Lola on her quest to
discover her own place in theworld, chronicling her fightthrough social ‘normality’ andthe gender traps prevalent inthe world. In addition to writingand directing the play, Ellie also
stars in the productionalongside fellow Salfordgraduate Helen Becconsall andBriony O’Callaghan.
Unearthed Theatre was set upas an outlet for Ellie to writeand produce plays that offer afresh perspective on 21stcentury life, as well asproducing shows that allow theaudience to engage with theshow and its characters.
The show is a greatopportunity to support aSalford graduate. Theproduction is being promotedvia a poster campaign at thetheatre and will be runningfrom Thursday 19 – Saturday 21November at 7.30pm (6.30pm
on Saturday). Tickets priced at£4 (£3 concessions) can be purchased from the Adelphi Theatre. Moreinformation can be found athttp://www.elliemeiganrose.co.uk/unearthed-theatre.html.
Biffy Clyro – ‘OnlyRevolutions’ (album) –It’s very good, it’s what weexpect from those crazyScottish rock types. Theyalso have cool tattoos,which is very important.
‘The Men Who Stareat Goats’ (film) –George Clooney only doesfunny stuff now. This isfunny, entertaining, andcompletely pointless.
‘1 Day’ (musical) – The first Hip Hop musical?Yeah, it’s very cool. Thereare guns and other things tomake you feel all macho.Guns are bad though, yeah?
Lupe Fiasco – ‘SuperFiasco Bros’ (album) –It’s a pretty decent mixtapeto tell the truth, if you’reinto that sort of thing.
The Cribs – 'We Share TheSame Skies' (single) –It’s very, very northern. I tellthee, it ain’t half bad, andthat.
Robbie Williams – 'RealityKilled The Video Star'(album) – Hey everyone! Robbie’sback! And he’s reportedlygoing to re-join Take That!And his album’s out! Thereare some nice singles on it, Isuppose.
Leona Lewis – 'Happy'(single) – It’s a good pop song, it’s justthat it’s not like she writesany of her own stuff oranything. Make up yourown mind.
‘Jennifer’s Body’ – It’s not very good, but I’msure the Megan Fox fanswill go and see it.
‘A Christmas Carol’ –Unfortunately, it’s a bitrubbish. It’s just not veryChristmassy.
Snow Patrol - 'Up To Now'(album) –What? A Greatest Hits? No,just no. They’ve beenaround for all of what a fewmonths, and they bring outa greatest hits? Notinterested.
Tom MillerArts Editor
Hot orNot
Mazher AbidiArts Editor
IT’S PRETTY rare when three rockheavyweights come together and writesomething to give rock n roll it’s balls back,but it seems like Them Crooked Vultureshave done it.
For those of you who don’t know, ThemCrooked Vultures are Josh Homme (Queens ofthe Stone Age, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal),Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) and JohnPaul Jones (Led Zeppelin). Apparently, thisalbum was in the pipeline for a while but theynever had the time to get together and writethe music, but Homme seems to have hisfingers in every pie going, so we can forgivethem for making us wait this long.
They happened to write an album just forsex. The grinding guitars, the poundingdrums, the bass with so much groove that itmelts your socks off… Ok, it’s going to be prettyaggressive, somewhat distorted sex withguitar solos, but that’s fine-you can’t always bebothered about verses and choruses, there’sother things to go and play with. Homme’svoice is slowly undoing your pants without
you noticing it, and with every deep, hardbeat, the songs climax into ecstasy.
The music’s pretty good, too, of course. It’svery hard to pick out some of the highlightsbecause this is all killer, no filler. The opener,‘No One Loves Me and Neither Do I’ sets thetone for the album, giving us a stripped downrock n roll tune before punching us in the facewith a hell of a lot of bass. ‘Elephants’ is a dirty,evil beast waiting to erupt, ‘Warsaw…’ isn’t somuch going to creep up and get you, butrather sneak up behind you and attack youviolently with guitars.
This wasn’t the most anticipated album ofthe year, but it should have been. This is threeof rock’s biggest stars writing music for music’ssake (they leaked it onto YouTube lastMonday) and not giving a shit about themoney. Their label might be a bit annoyedwith them but who cares? There are hints ofQueens and Led Zeppelin. There’s also thiswhole new type of music that isn’t either ofthem (thankfully there’s no hint of FooFighters). It’s a stupid, pointless, in-your-facerock n roll album that sounds nothing likeanything that’s been released for a long while,and it’s sexier than hell.Not
Too early for greatest hits?
I HAVE to say, I didn’t reallyknow what to expect beforelistening to this . . . I had noreal idea who Jesu were, butknew that they were tarredwith the same brush as bandslike Isis and Neurosis . . .known for their slow, ambientheavy tracks – so I was prettyexcited to listen.
When I saw that the albumwas only one track long – awhopping 49 minute track – Igot even more excited, butsceptical at the same time... Thiswas either gonna be very good,or absolutely horrendous.
The opening ten minutes was
good enough for my liking; nice,ambient guitar picking...then itkicked in with double bassdrumming and heavy guitars,with a heavy grating melody tofollow.
Throughout the track thereare tonnes of really attentiongrabbing sections, which add upto this album being worth myexcitement. Not only that,producing a track of 49 minutesthat doesn’t get horrificallyboring is an achievement in itsown right.
One thing I love about thisalbum/track is the vocal; it’s notan element which is used often,but they’re used enough tosound awesome, maintaininterest, and generally soundreally cool. They’re the perfectvocals for this track; harsh andloud when they need to be, andat other times when the songmellows down to a moreambient sound, can besomething as easy as talkingslowly, and it all works perfectly.
One of my favourite parts ofthis song/album comes at the 20minute mark, when the track
drops down to literally nothingbut droning ambient guitars andnoise, with what sounds like achoir in the background. Theguitars steadily build up againwith sparse chords right up to awall of noise and feedback, andthat is followed by a massivenew chord sequence and adragging drum beat.
Some more doom-metalfollows nicely, and seems to bethe last big section of thismarathon song, as after this, weend nicely on an iteratedmelody and some noise.
I’ll definitely be scouting formore Jesu. You should as well.
Buz’s Alternative (re)View
JesuInfinityAndrewBusby
IT SEEMS as if Prima Donna frontman Kevin Preston has beenwatching every date of this tourfrom the side of the stage. Hisattempts to rouse the crowd duringhis band’s support slot withexclamations of ‘Hell Yeah!’ and‘C’mon!’ appeared to be straight outof his Green Day counterpart BillieJoe Armstrong’s handbook, yetlacked the effect of the real thing.You had to have sympathy for him;opening for one of the most popularacts of the 21st century would be atough job for anyone.
Yet as soon as the opening of ‘Rock NRoll High School’ started to blare from thespeakers we knew that a giant, drunkpink bunny was about to roll onto thestage for an arena sized rendition of theYMCA. The same way we knew that fromthe opening notes of ‘Song of the Century’we were going to be led throughcountless echoes of Armstrong’s favourite‘Eyyyy-ohhhh!’ chant. But instead ofbeing tedious and predictable, thefamiliarity adds a sense of expectancythat serves to magnify the sense ofexcitement.
Watching Green Day as a collective is anexperience to behold, but it is whenobserving front man Billie Joe that yourealise here is a man who knows whathe’s doing. He communicates with hisaudience in the way a general would tohis army. Nobody dared defy the roaringcommand of “Everybody get UP!” as theset opened, and sure enough 16,000people rose to their feet in unison.
The set was brilliantly varied, rangingfrom the likes of ‘2000 light years away’and ‘Longview’ from their debut albumDookie, to the more anthemic ‘Jesus ofSuburbia’ and ‘East Jesus Nowhere’ fromAmerican Idiot and 21st CenturyBreakdown. Two and a half hours andtwo encores later, an almost eerie silencedescended on the crowd before the bandlaunched into ‘Last Night On Earth.’ Witha mass sing-along to the legendary ‘TimeOf Your Life’ as the finale, it seems thatGreen Day have once again claimedEnglish soil as their own.
ALTERNATIVE RADIO stationXfm hosted their latest livesession in Manchester lastmonth, inviting Athlete toperform at the newlyrefurbished “Band on theWall” in the NorthernQuarter. As one of thecornerstones of theManchester music scene, thevenue was the ideal choice togenerate an intimateatmosphere for a band moreaccustomed to festival andarena sized crowds.
The night was a warm up forthe band’s upcoming nationaltour in support of their fourthstudio album Black Swan, andan expectant crowd at the inviteonly gig were looking forwardto hearing songs from the newalbum mixed with someclassics.
“Superhuman Touch” fromthe new album immediatelyenergised the crowd and set thetone for the night, with latestsingle “Black Swan Song” givingthe crowd the chance to engage
in a mass sing-along with theband for the chorus.
Athlete have never been themost up-tempo of bands, andthese intimate surroundingsgave their emotional ballads amuch deeper meaning. Thiswas especially obvious in theencore, with crowd favourite “ElSalvador” followed by aspellbinding rendition of“Wires”, before the band calledtime on a hit-packed 90 minuteset.
With three albums and astring of live appearances nowin the bank, Athlete appear tobe a band performing at the topof their game right now,pointing towards a successfulreturn to Manchester onDecember 6th, when they willbe playing at the Ritz. On thisevidence, they should not bemissed.
Athlete - Band on the Wall
Martin Simpson
Danielle Wynne
Green DaySupport Act: Prima Donna
Them Crooked Vultures
Tom MillerArts Editor
LIFESTYLE36 / Student Direct
www.student-direct.co.uk
November 16th 2009
Will Chiswick
HELLO FOOD fans. Being a thirdyear student, I find myselfspending a lot of time at home as Ionly have lectures one day a week.While, of course, I spend this timeproactively doing lots and lots ofuni work, it gives me theopportunity to make dishes over awhole day instead of in a hurry inthe evening. Having quite afondness for spicy food, one of myfavourite slow-cook dishes is chillicon carne with lemon rice. Whilethis dish can often taste of nothingbut heat, cooking slowly will give amuch more complicated flavouras well as reducing the heatslightly so that it is more of anafter taste than the first thing younotice. This dish is also very easyto make and costs very little, withmost ingredients being availablefrom any supermarket.
Chilli Con Carnewith Lemon RiceINGREDIENTS• Mince (Beef or Pork are best)• One large or three small onions• Tomato juice• Kidney beans• Sweetcorn• Three cloves of garlic• Fresh chillies or chilli powder• Paprika• Two stock cubes• Dry rice• One lemon
METHOD1. In a large saucepan pour about
half a litre of tomato juice andplace on the hob on the lowestheat. It helps if you have anextractor fan for this stage but ifnot just open a window so thatyour kitchen doesn’t turn into atomato sauna. Into the tomatojuice stir in a teaspoon of paprika,the chilli powder or chopped freshchillies and crumble in the stockcubes. If, unlike me, you don’t havea metal gullet then remove theseeds from the fresh chillies or, ifusing powder, only use about ateaspoon. Keep stirring every halfhour or so for two to three hoursor until the liquid has reduced toquite a thick sauce.
2. When the tomato juice runs offthe spoon instead of pouring,empty the kidney beans into acolander and rinse well. Addthese, along with the sweetcorn, tothe sauce and mix well. Cook onlow for another ten minutesbefore tasting to see if you want itany hotter. If so, add more chillipowder or the seeds from thefresh chillies along with some saltand pepper to season.
3. Chop the onions in half and theninto slices cutting perpendicularto the veins of the onion. Cut thetops and bottoms off the garliccloves and then crush under alarge knife. Crushing like thisshould make removing the purpleouter layer and chopping finely alot easier. Heat some oil in a fryingpan and add the onions, garlic andmince once hot.
4. Fry the onions, garlic and minceon a high heat until the mince hasbrowned and the onions havecaramelised before adding to thesauce. The whole chilli can now bekept on a low heat with a lid foranother couple of hours, allowingthe different flavours to diffuse.
5. Once the chilli has been cookingfor an hour or two, taste it andseason to your liking. Remove thechilli from the heat completelyand set aside until half an hourbefore you wish to serve. You canleave the chilli in the saucepan likethis for up to 24 hours; the longeryou leave it, the tastier it will be.
6. When the smell of your chilli hasbecome too much to bear and youjust have to eat it, put thesaucepan back on a medium heatwhilst covered to allow it to heatup. Whilst you do this, measureout half a cup of dried rice foreach person along with twice itsvolume in water and add toanother saucepan. To this pan adda teaspoon of salt, a dash of oil anda slice of lemon and leave it to boilby itself. While it may seemwasteful to buy a lemon just toflavour the rice, it is a perfectexcuse to have tequila slammersin keeping with the Mexicantheme.
7. After the rice has boiled for aboutten minutes, mix it round with afork and taste. Remove the lemonand serve along withthe chilli con carneand somemargaritas.
Remember, if you find this or anyother dish too spicy the best thingto help it is a glass of milk.Drinking water will only make itworse as it spreads the spiceinstead of neutralising it. Anotherway of taking away some of theheat, or just adding a differentflavour, is to make a raita. To dothis simply mix together a cartonof natural, unflavoured, yoghurtand some cubed cucumber andplace in the fridge for a couple ofhours. Serve this as a side or on theplate with the chilli con carne.However hot you like your chilliremember to have fun, trysomething new and go cookyourself!
Opening of the
Christmas markets
in Manchester
MONDAY 16TH NOVEMBER
TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER
WEDNESDAY 18TH NOVEMBER
THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER
The Flaming Lipsperform at
Manchester Academy 1
Flirt! at The Pav
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER
SATURDAY 21ST NOVEMBER
SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER
Salford Soul
at The Pav
Wii Fitness in Bar Yours,
2-4pm
La Rouxperforms at
The Warehouse Project
in Manchester
Open mic night
at The Pav
32
4
73
6
4
88
38
7 59 1
4
2
18 4 6
3
5 96 81
5 33
2
9
SUDOKU Fill the grid so that eachcolumn, rowand 3 x 3 cubecontains thenumbers 1-9.Each numbermust onlyfeature once in each box,column and row.
Did you know…?Around 50 Bibles are sold every minuteacross the world.
If you drop a raisin into a glass of freshchampagne, it will continually bounce upand down from the bottom of the glass tothe top.
When a crocodile loses its teeth, it willalways grow new ones to replace the oldgnashers!
Women are six times less likely to bestruck by lightning than men.
Camels have three eyelids to protectthemselves from gusts of sand in thedesert.
La Rouxperforms at
TheWarehouse
Project inManchester
You won’t be chilly with this winter warmer
Can’t Cook, Will Cooks
D I A RY DAT E S
YOUR SPACE 37November 16th 2009/Student Direct
LAPTOP
The essential item for
any student, I don’t know what I
would do without my laptop! Life is so much
easier when, with a few clicks, you can do
anything from renewing that overdue library
book to catching up with friends from across
the globe.
FOOTBALL
The weekend just wouldn’t feel
right without one of the more
expensive aspects of my social
life, going to watch Manchester United at Old
Trafford. Yes, it often means that I end up
walking into Uni on a Monday morning unable
to speak, but it’s worth it to soak up the
atmosphere and witness the thrills of another
win.
MOBILE PHONE
I can’t recall the number of times
I have text the words “Where are
you?” – usually on a night out. I
think I would literally be lost without my
phone. As well as being a life saver the phone
is a versatile gadget allowing me to capture on
camera all those brilliant, unpredictable
moments of student life.
CAR
After working all summer to payfor it, my car is a vital part of lifeaway from home. Aside frommaking the journey to and from
Salford so much easier, it also comes inhandy for tasks such as thesupermarket trip, and itprovides a nice alternative
to cramped buses whentravelling aroundManchester.
MYMUM
Everyonel o v e st h e i r
Mum, but I feel lucky tohave a Mum as caringand loving as mine. Textsfrequently bombard myphone during term-time tomake sure that I am alright andevery time I go home I feel like I havebeen gone for years, so enthusiastic is thewelcome that I get! And that’s before she offersto do my washing, cook my tea, and even giveme the TV remote. Now that’s a privilege!
1
5Matthew Suddaby
THE BOAT club members have been verybusy so far this year, having taken part inmany competitions already. They are off to
a flying start and enjoyed huge successat last week’s new long distance
race, wherein teams row 3.2kilometres.
The club entered threeteams- two male and onefemale- and all achievedrespectable results. Thegirls’ boat was changedat the last minute butthey still posted a good
time, and the first boys’team was put in a higher
division and came sixth. Thesecond boys’ team, in a lower
division, came in fourth place.
All team members are now looking
forward to their next race which will takeplace in Chester in a few weeks time.
Activities Fair was a great day for the team,not least because they got a lot of interest fromtheir rowing machine challenging people tobeat the best in the team! After some basictechnique training with a quick core sessionthrown in for good measure, the new studentsstill wanted to learn more, and theirexcitement about getting in the boats thefollowing weekend could hardly be contained!With such an eager bunch of new members itseems the boat club is in a great position to doeven better this year.
SUBC is one of the most challenging sportteams to become a part of, so the fresh facesand talent are a bonus that the team willundoubtedly appreciate this year. If you areinterested in joining but are worried that youleft it too late, don’t panic- the club will alwaysaccept new members! Simply contact JoyAyles at [email protected] for moreinformation.
Salford University Boat ClubACTIVITY GROUP OF THE WEEK
Gemma BlackmanFeatures Editor
MY GOOD voyagers, this week we move onto thefabulous and sunny city of Madrid, the capital ofSpain.
Madrid is a very old city; it appears to date back tothe prehistoric era, according to archaeologicalexcavations made near the Manzanares River.
However, the more recent XIV century was an eraparticularly important to Madrid, as it became thefavourite residence of the King of Spain, Felipe II,around this time. As a result, new buildings wereerected which were to accommodate the King’senormous court; however, shortly after this periodof growing wealth, the plague hit the country andtook the lives of many Spanish citizens, as well asthousands of others across Europe. Following theplague, and many conflicts about who the Spanishcrown should be given to after the consequentdeaths, King Felipe II made Madrid the capital ofSpain.
Since then, the name and prestige of Madrid hasgrown immensely, and it is now an amazing city fullof life at all hours, a fabulous melting pot of culture,home to some of the most famous artists in theworld like Goya and Velàsquez, and a popular choicefor university students on the Erasmus course.
Now that you’ve been filled in with the history, let’sfocus on the present. When you go to Madrid – oranywhere in Spain for that matter – you need torealise that the Spanish have a very differentrelationship with time to the British: everything ispushed forward a few hours! What we would call‘afternoon’ could be anything from 4pm to 11pm, and
of course dinner is never served before 10 pm. Anight out is not even considered before 3am – andthen there’s the ‘after hour’ if you still don’t want togo to sleep! All ‘after hour’ clubs (clubs that openbetween 6 and 9am) are illegal, so they have to movearound a lot if they don’t want to get caught. The oneexception is the Space of Sound, which is the onlylegal ‘after hour’ club; it opens at 10am and closes at7pm to allow people to keep enjoying their ‘night’out, and to help those who want to start theirevening early.
It’s an amazing place to go to if you can handle therhythm! So wherever you want to go make sure youkeep an eye out for my travel guide because my hintsdon’t lie – Olè!
Shakira Flores-Heatley
The men’s team in action
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3
4
Things I Couldn’t Live Without . . .
5
Party after hours in Madrid
ADVICE38 / Student Direct
www.student-direct.co.uk
FOR MANY people (includingmyself ) the thought of being ableto lark around with Lima's andmess about with monkey's justsounds like too much fun. Whenthe dreaded flu kicks in and yourweakened condition forces you to
watch day time TV to keepyourself entertained, 'AnimalPark' steps in and provides anhour of beastie madness whichusually makes you smile and liftsyour spirits. Just watching BenFogle and Kate Humble performthe various tasks of mucking outmountains of Elephant poop tofeeding new born possums does
produce a chuckle, but alsoprompts the question: 'How can Ido that?'.
The first important step tobecoming a zoo keeper is to knowthat this career is not something youjust decide to do overnight, as therole requires you to be highlymotivated towards animals and theirwelfare, much like a social workerand their human interactions. Youare the one constantly in contactwith the animals, therefore it is youthat the zoo will be looking to inorder to make sure they are allhealthy and happy, and keep up todate records of their veterinary visitsand dietary schedule. So, whetheryou want to work in the 'hooves andcarnivores' section, or are moreinterested in the fluffy 'smallmammals and reptiles' play areas,there’s one obvious question: wheredo you start?
The minimum qualifications thatzoo's look for in an applicant arethree A-C GCSE's including English,Maths and Science which for usUniversity goers is pretty much agiven. If you have any extraqualifications, for example an NVQaward in animal care, then this willalso help you in your progress as it
shows you have practical experiencein animal care. The Universityactually offers a course in 'WildlifeConservation with Zoo Biology'which provides a good foundation tostart your career in the zoo. Thecourse includes modules such as'Zoo Animal Management' whichcovers topics from nutrition toanimal reproduction (comparativeto student modus operandi judgingby the behaviour of Salford studentsin the Pav on a typical Tuesdaynight!). Applicants will also need tobe physically fit and healthy as thelife of a zoo keeper is fairlydemanding; you will be required toclean out the animal enclosures andwork long, hard days if the needarises. If you have not worked withanimals before, then the next steptowards getting involved is to go on a'zookeeper day' with a local zoo. Thismay sound silly but is a valuable selfassessment to see just howcommitted you are. There is a bigdifference between being able to sayyou can work with animals, only tofind out when confronted by ahungry Giraffe that you then turnand run the other way- this could bean indication that this is not the rightcareer path for you.
If you have ticked all the boxes sofar then well done! The final step tobecoming a zoo keeper is to eitherapply directly for a position orthrough work experience. Typicalzoo job descriptions will alwaysinclude the words 'experience' and'hands on', so if you fit the role thengood luck to you; however, if youdon't then don’t be put off, as zoo'sare always on the lookout forapplications of work experience.This is a valuable way to becomefamiliar with the types of animalsthat you want to work with and givesyou a chance to get accustomed tolife in the zoo, and the daily routinethat you can come to expect. Youmay even be lucky enough to getgiven accommodation on site, whichwith the roar of tigers and scoffing ofgorillas will make your world soundlike something out of the junglebook!
So what are you waiting for? Donyour wellingtons and overalls, grabyour spade and off to work with theanimals you go!
For more information, visit:
www.Salford.ac.ukwww.zsl.orgwww.abwak.co.uk
So You Want To Be . . .
November 16th 2009
RupertWhite
Not a day goes by when the headlines aren’t screaming about how the country has run out of money, there are nojobs, and if you’re graduating from university then you can expect to spend the next decade on the dole . . .
So, to try and save you all from days spent watching Jeremy Kyle, we will be introducing a different career each week in the hope that you might find something you like! A Zookeeper?
I GO out with my universityfriends a couple of times aweek, but we all live indifferent places; I’m thefurthest away. This mightsound a bit petty, but wheneverwe go out, because I’m the lastone in the taxi, I always end uppaying! I’ve mentioned it acouple of times but they justlaugh it off, and one suggestedthat because I’m the one thatgoes furthest, I should pay for itall! What do you think?
I know exactly how you feel,because I too live the furthestaway from town out of all myfriends, and sorting out who'spaying for the taxi is always atricky one. You need to sort it outbefore you get in the taxi so thateveryone knows where theystand and how much everyoneshould fairly pay. Your friendsneed to understand that if theywant you to join them on nightsout then they are going to have topay a little bit more for taxi fare,because it's not fair that you'repaying for all of it on your own.
You could either ask the driverwhat the total fare will be before
you set off and then just split it thecosts fairly between you soeveryone is paying the same, oryou can ask your friends to paywhatever the fare is to theiraccommodation (so whatever theamount is on the meter to thatpoint), and then you paywhatever the rest of the journeycosts to your house. Anotheralternative would be to ask yourfriends if you could stay over attheir house or flat that night sothat you won't have to pay extrafor taxi fare, but this obviouslydepends on whether or not yourfriends agree to it!
FinanceMY FRIENDS and I are alltrying to decide where weshould live next year; theywant to move into a house, butI really want to live in Uniaccommodation (we’re inHorlock at the moment).Would it be worth staying andseeing if I get on with newpeople on campus or movingout to make them happy?
This is something that only youcan decide, and no one else cantell you what to do about it; I canonly advise you. It dependswhether or not you want to gothrough the process of notknowing anyone at the start ofthe year and then making newfriends again. You might feel leftout because your friends will beall living together and you won'tbe living with them if you chooseto stay in halls.
You have to weigh up the prosand cons of living in halls againstliving in a house with your mates.Write it down a list of reasons tostay in halls, and reasons to moveout wit h your friends- this might
help you with your decision, as itcan sometimes help to see it all infront of you. You have to askyourself what are the reasons foryou not wanting to live with yourfriends in a house, and if youthink you can overcome themthen it might be an idea to movein with your friends, and if youdon't then it might be better foryou to stay put in halls.
Health and Lifestyle
Hayley’s Here to Help!Every week, our resident Agony Aunt Hayley will answer your questionson everything from sex to education. If you have a problem you’d like an
answer to, email the editor at [email protected] and we’ll passthem on!
A
giraffe’s
tongue
is
18 inches
long
The
scientific
name of
a giraffe
is
camelopar-
dalis
Every step
a giraffe
takes is
15 feet
long
Each
time
a giraffe
picks up
its neck,
it is
picking
up
almost
40 stone
in
weight
Student Direct / Sport 39November 16th 2009
Lee Sharpe on David Beckham –“He'd clean my shoes, makeme cups of tea and even cameto one of my fan clubafternoons...he may be aglobal superstar but has heever sold out DiscothequeRoyale on a Sundayafternoon?”Martin Johnson on CourtneyLawes – “Someone texted mesaying he’s a bit like I used tobe, but more athletic, funnierand better-looking.”
David Haye before fightingopponent Nikolay Valuev – “Oldladies are worrying for myhealth and wishing me luckagainst this big bully.”And David again... – “He makesthe elephant man look likePamela Anderson.”Then after his superb win – “It'sa dream come true. I'm gonnaparty baby – party all nightlong.”And politely describing his 7ftopponent – “It wasn’t so muchtaming the beast – more likeplaying with a tabby cat.”Freddie Flintoff – “I’d like toplay in Australia. I wanted togo when I was 16 but my mumwouldn’t let me so I went towork in Woolworth's instead."
Steve Bruce knows his stuff – “Ifyou don’t score at this level,unfortunately you aren't goingto get a win."
Roy Hodgson on Damien Duff –“I will ask the medical staff totake as long as they need totry to get him back into shapeas quickly as they can.”Sky Sports commentator onBarcelona match – “I don’tthink the ref heard thelinesman put his flag upthere!”
Chants of the weekOptimistic chant from Ipswichfans – “We’re not bottom anymore!”Fulham fans to Liverpool, asthey weren’t awarded a penalty –“12 men you’ve only got 12men.”As Liverpool had a man sent off– “11 men – you’ve only got 11men.”And another! – “Ten men –you’ve only got ten men.”
The Weekin Quotes Tom Doyle
Should Liverpool Quit the Champions League?
www.student-direct.co.uk
Freddie:Pic’n’mix?Aisle three
It’s Never Pretty Whenthe Little Guy Wins
WHEN THE little guy is upagainst the big guy, they alwaysdo what they have to do to win.And in boxing, more than anyother sport, this rule applies.And it’s simple. Try to stifle theopposition, play ugly if youhave to, but whatever you do-don’t let them play their owngame. Last Saturday’s ‘David vs.Goliath’ match proved noexception when Britain’s 15stone David Haye took onNikolai Valuev, the Russianfighter who tipped the scales ata jaw dropping 23 stone.
But Haye knew what he had todo. He exuded the confidence of aman a foot taller while Valuev’sdemeanour was that of a man afoot smaller. It was as thoughHaye knew this was the night.Meanwhile the Russian lookednervous, despite the rock and roll
entrance. He could sense a giant-killing.
There were no elaborations, noembellishments or show-boatingfrom the Brit. Haye curbed hisattacking instincts and stuck tothe game plan. Hit and move,speed, angles, constantmovement and unpredictablepace were key. No tradingpunches. No going toe to toe.Instead, a real cat and mouseencounter. Boring? No, simplyboxing at its best.
Many doubted his stamina, hisdurability and his discipline tosucceed with the big boys. Inparticular, the biggest one inheavyweight history; but onefight dispelled all those doubts.
And in the process, Haye’striumph highlighted Valuev’sfailures. He was made to lookrobotic, slow, crude and one-dimensional. I’m sure many werethinking, ‘How has this guy,nicknamed ‘The Beast from theEast’ won 50 fights’?
Haye was most definitely ‘David’to Valuev’s ‘Goliath’. At nineinches shorter and seven stonelighter, could Haye have won anyother way?
I doubt it. In trying to hurtValuev he did more damage tohimself: “It was like hitting a brickwall!” Haye admitted.
And if he didn’t play that way,I’m sure we now wouldn’t becelebrating the new HeavyweightChampion of the world – DavidHaye.
LET’S BE honest: Liverpool arecurrently having a bit of arubbish season. They’re sixth inthe Premier League and reallydon’t look like they’ll improveon that too much. TheirChampions League progressisn’t going very well, and theyare out of the Carling Cup, whichis often the saviour of a badseason for a big club.
So you may think that graspingon to the Champions League couldbe their only hope apart from theFA Cup this season; maybe notthough. Looking back at the figuresfrom last season, we can see proofof something so often talked about;the ‘European hangover’. It is so
often talked about bycommentators on a weekend aftera Champions League game andcan provide some more interestingresults than expected. For anyboring people with far too muchtime on their hands like me, youmay have realised that last year,Liverpool won 65.79% of theirPremier League games, whichhelped gain an average points tallyof 2.26 per game. That total tookthem to second in the league,falling just four points behind lastseason’s best team in the land,Manchester United.
When looking a little closer at theresults based around theChampions League, I decided tolook at games both before andafter the mid week games; playersmay be rested or taken off before
their team have a result securewith a big game coming up. Inlooking at these results in moredepth there was a noticeabledifference; games around theChampions League had a winpercentage of 59.09% at 2.09points per game compared with73.68% and 2.47 points when therewas no Champions League game.
Shrewd observers will havenoticed that exactly half of lastyears’ games came around theEuropean games, which meansthat had Liverpool continued theirgood form on none ChampionsLeague weeks, Liverpool wouldhave ended up on 94 points lastseason, based at thosepercentages. However, the seasonso far isn’t too promising but withthe latter figures, continuing at that
rate, this season would leaveLiverpool on just 84 points, whichmay well be enough to grab a titlethis season.
So with all those figures takeninto account, would it be beneficialfor Liverpool to leave theChampions League? WithManchester United level onPremier League titles, has thePremier League become asimportant as the ChampionsLeague and could Liverpool still bechallengers this season? Allinteresting questions, but I’vepurposely left out two other majorfactors. Torres seems to be outuntil December and Gerrard is lessthan fit currently; Liverpool’sseason requires them back or anAlberto Aquilani miracle in orderto be anywhere near the top thisseason.
Personally, I don’t see Liverpoolwinning anything without a fewnuclear disasters aroundManchester and London but ifthey can rekindle the form of lastyears’ final games, then whoknows? Added pressure from
Manchester City, Tottenham andAston Villa means a far strongerchallenge to the ‘big four’stronghold of the past few seasons,and their fans have the right to be alittle bit excited with everydropped point from Liverpool.
Jonathan MacphersonSports Editor
Tom’s Sport Quiz1. Where does new WBA world champion David
Haye generally have his training camps? 2. David Haye named his son Cassias after whom? 3. Haye’s only professional loss was to whichboxer? 4. Which German goalkeeper tragically died lastweek? 5. Who is the new owner of Birmingham City? 6. Which team knocked Real Madrid out of the
Spanish cup Copa Del Rey?7. What score did the one day series between India
and Australia result in last week? 8. The Olympic Aquatics centre roof was
completed last week, what is the building meantto look like?
9. Which round did Andy Murray make it to on hisreturn match after injury in Valencia?
10.Roger Federer was knocked out of the ParisMasters by which player?
We Need Women!THERE ARE many views aboutfemales participating in sport-particularly those classed as ‘male’sports such as basketball, rugby andfootball- but today’s society is a verydifferent and diverse place; womenare being given those sportingopportunities that once were neveravailable to them. Women feel thesame pride and passion that men dowhen they are getting ready to headout to the field and play the game.
So ladies, we need you! If you feel asthough you would really like to try a sportthat perhaps you’ve never played beforeor you use to play it but have fallen out ofpractice, then here is your big chance toget involved again!
We have open Basketball, Badmintonand Squash sessions happening at TomHusband Leisure Centre at the followingtimes:
Badminton - Tuesdays 5pm-7pm,Thursdays 5pm-8pm
Basketball - Monday 6pm-8pm,Thursdays 6pm-8pm
Squash – Monday 7pm-9pm, Thursdays6pm-10pm
Alternatively, please check out theStudents’ Union website under Activitiesto see our full range of Activities availablefor all students’ to join.www.salfordstudents.com.
Tom Doyle
Quit while you’re ahead?
LAST WEEKEND, all our clubs and societies got together for our annual Rec night, which was held atThe Pav. The fancy dress theme was countries- and it seemed like the whole world was represented inThe Pav; teams dressed up as French, Mexican, Scottish and Lapland nationalities to name a few- wewere a bit confused by the sheep at first, but then discovered they were dressing up as the Welsh…
Games included chairman’s challenge, where the chair of each society had to get maltesers from onebowl to another with a straw, a ‘boat race’, and a dance-off for the freshers!
For more pictures, please go to www.salfordstudents.com and check out the photo gallery!
Rec Night
The Hayemaker
SalfordSport40 / Student Direct
A SPIRITED performance fromSalford Netball’s first team deniedMMU Cheshire an unworthycomeback as they won the match41-36.
The high-scoring game saw Salfordlead in all four quarters- however,they were never quite far enough infront in each period to kill the gameoff.
During the third quarter, the gamewas tied 24-24 and at one point in thefourth quarter, MMU were just twopoints from salvaging a result.
However, the Salford girls showedgreat fight and composure to see outvictory and keep their promotionhopes on track.
Salford started the game inblistering style as they raced to a 6-0lead inside the first few minutes.Combinations of accurate passing,patient build up of play and deadly
shooting from Emma Lacey andSuzie Kirkham seemed to signal thata thrashing was on the cards.
However, MMU Cheshire pickedthemselves up and fought their wayinto the game after some goodinterceptions and poor defensiveplay by Salford.
In the second quarter Cheshirecontinued their momentum andbegan to reduce Salford’s lead withCheshire’s goal attacker Smith barelymissing a shot.
Smith was single-handedly keepingCheshire in the game and, afterSalford took the lead into the secondquarter, Cheshire had the score tiedfor the first time in the matchmidway through the third quarter.
At this point, the game wasperfectly poised however Salford,despite tiredness beginning to set in,ground out the lead again to keepCheshire chasing the game.
Towards the end of the match thegame looked all but over with Salfordleading 36-29. However, Cheshire
rallied to make the score 36-34 withjust a few minutes to go. Thecomeback was on!
But those hopes were finallyextinguished when Salford scoredfive quick points from attackersKirkham and Lacey to give Salford a41-36 victory and their third leaguewin of the campaign.
Captain Suzie Kirkham was veryproud of the girls’ performance.
“It went brilliantly. That wasdefinitely the best game we’ve playedso far. All the players showed somereal fight which we’ve been lacking”,she said.
Salford played well for most of thegame, but they did allow Cheshire toget back into the game at the end ofeach quarter as they began to tire.
Kirkham admitted “We need toimprove our fitness. Once thathappens our game will definitelyimprove. But I’m really impressedwith the girls. They’ve done meproud.”
Kirkham was delighted with all her
players but singled out centre RhianEvans for special praise.
“Our centre Rhian was our man-of-the-match today. She’s consistentlyplayed well for us this season andshe’s worth her weight in gold to us.”
Kirkham believes that with thesquad they have assembled this year,the future is promising.
“This season we have only threeplayers who played in the first teamlast year. The rest are either freshersor players promoted from thesecond team, so they’ve done reallywell and showed real team spirit.
“We’ve won three games and onlylost the one. With this result we arenow second in the league. The onlyteam who beat us is Liverpool andthey are first. They got relegated lastyear so they were the team to beat.We came second last year, and thisseason we’re hoping to do as well orbetter.”
Salford’s netballers will hope tocontinue their form into their nextleague match at home to LiverpoolHope University.
www.student-direct.co.uk
Jonathan MacphersonSports Editor
November 16th 2009
Inside:What did our sports
teams get up to on Rec Night?
TWO LATE Danny Ferris penalties clinched a4-3 win for Salford’s second football teamagainst Chester Warrington.
The result was Salford’s fourth successive leaguewin and maintains their 100% record.
The scrappy affair at Castle Irwell wasn’t packedwith free-flowing football, but late goals from bothsides gave the game an exciting finale.
Salford struggled to produce their best footballthroughout the match, starting slowly in the firsthalf.
George Koumas gave the hosts the lead when heheaded home a Ferris cross from the left.
The game continued with no clear cut chancesat either end, until Warrington got an equaliserafter a long throw-in fell kindly for the visitingforward.
The second half was equally frustrating forSalford, who failed to reproduce the passingfootball they have demonstrated this season.
However, with Warrington offering little morethan a long goal-kick, Louis Agathangelou scoredwith ten minutes to go to make it 2-1 to the hosts.
Salford thought they were home and dry, butafter failing to clear a corner, Warrington struck tolevel the game.
Soon after, the game had been turned on itshead as an uncharacteristic Boyd mistake alloweda Warrington striker to break through and make it3-2.
Salford looked like they were heading for theirfirst league defeat of the season, but whenKoumas was upended in the box whenchallenging for a header, the first of Salford’s latepenalties was given. Ferris took the responsibility,and sent it down the middle past the divingkeeper.
But salvaging a point wasn’t enough for theleague leaders.
The winning mentality of the squad pulledthrough, and Agathangelou broke free down theright and was brought down just inside the box.Ferris calmly netted the spot kick which sealed a4-3 Salford victory.
The home side were perhaps a touch lucky withthe decisions but the result keeps Salford secondstop of the league with Salford thirds their closestchallengers.
