ssd: issue 14

multi-million poundinvestment to transformthe University of Salford’scampus is set to begin

this summer.

The plans have been made toenhance the student experiencethrough a programme of newbuildings, improved open spacesand stunning refurbishments,providing access to facilities andamenities of the highest quality.

The improvements are a key partof the University's transformationprogramme and the strategic planwhich is designed to place Salfordin the top quartile of UKUniversities by 2017.

The first phase of work will see twonew buildings at Chapman Squarefor the School of Music, Media &Performance and the School of Art &Design. The Schools will relocatefrom Adelphi to the heart of theUniversity's Peel Park campus by2013 and will frame the newChapman Square.

Chapman Building will also receivea £7 million redesign andrefurbishment by 2012, including abrand new 200-seat lecture theatre.

Eventually, all teaching andfacilities will be moved from theAdelphi Building and will berelocated either at Media City or inthe new building on the Peel Parkcampus. The University is still“considering options” for theAdelphi site, calling it “important inthe longer-term regeneration ofcentral Salford and for the futureexpansion of central Manchesteracross to our side of the Irwell.”

Vice Chancellor of SalfordUniversity, Martin Hall said: “This is acomplicated project, and we’reworking hard on getting it right. Weneed to find alternative teachingvenues for all classes and lecturesthat would have been held inChapman for the 2011-2012academic year, and to be sure thatstudents can get from the temporaryvenues to other parts of the campusin time to meet their commitments.Huw Morris, Pro-Vice-Chancellor forLearning and Teaching, is workingclosely with the Students’ Unionofficers to find acceptable solutionsfor all classes.”

The disruption on campus is set tobe kept to a minimum while thebuilding work takes place, with thework site being sectioned off and allsurrounding buildings remainingfully accessible. Teaching that

currently takes place in theChapman lecture theatres will berelocated to alternativeaccommodation nearby.

Users of the Chapman BuildingCafé won't have to go far foralternative refreshment options atCafé Yours in University House, CaféLive in Clifford Whitworth orMaxwell's in the Maxwell Building.Meanwhile, the chaplaincy willmove to refurbished facilities inUniversity House.

With the government’s recentdecision to raise tuition fees, thequality of University facilities will beunder more scrutiny than ever, butthe Vice Chancellor assures us thatthese plans have been in place longbefore the Coalition announcedtheir new system.

He added: “If anything, theseinvestments are going to be moredifficult in the future because, alongwith the large increases in graduatecontributions to teaching costs, theGovernment has removed almost allcapital funding for universities. Thismeans that, in the future, universitiesare going to have to find funds forimproving the physicalinfrastructure of campuses fromcurrent students’ tuition fees, ratherthan from separate capital grants.”

He also admitted that somestudents will have the inconvenienceof building work going on aroundthem, and will graduate before theycan enjoy the full benefits of the newfacilities.

“I hope these students will knowand understand that big projectssuch as these take a while tocomplete. But current students willbegin to benefit from our Media Citycampus from October onwards andwe should be operating at fullstrength by early 2012. By then, theBBC will be well established next tous, and ITV will be moving into thefloors above us, making for anexciting place to be.”

Paul Broster is the ProgrammeLeader for BA Journalism, which iscurrently located in the basement ofthe Adelphi building: “Journalismhas a strong tradition at Salford butthe move to MediaCityUK gives usthe chance to take that to anotherlevel. We will have unrivalledfacilities with unrivalled employerlinks on the same new site as the BBCand ITV. That speaks for itself."

Last year Student Direct reportedon the conditions in the Adelphibuilding which former vicepresident Joe Kirwin described as‘appalling’. Since then workapproved by the Vice Chancellor hasbeen done to improve the workingenvironment.

www.studentdirect.co.uk

14Monday 14 February 2011

Week inPictures

Page 5

Top Ten Waysto irritate yourhousemates

Page 32

Read our sectionon Faith

Page 33

Mark Cockroft

A

Salford to havemulti-million £refurbishment

see more on PAGE 2

The 2011 National Student Survey(NSS) has been launched, givingyou the chance to express yourviews about your University ofSalford experience.

The survey is open to all final yearundergraduate students, as well asthose on a flexible part-timeprogramme.

Entering its seventh year, the NSSis an opportunity for students to givetheir opinions on what you likedabout your time at Salford, how youfound your course, as well as thingsthat you felt could have beenimproved.

The results of the NSS arepublished on Unistats.com whereprospective students and theiradvisors can use the results to helpmake informed choices of whereand what to study.

NationalStudentSurveyMark Cockroft

Union ElectionNominationsClose onWednesday

The University of Salford Students’Union elections nominations closethis Wednesday 16 February. Thereare a number of positions availableand this is your chance to takecharge of your education.

There are four sabbatical positionsup for grabs; made up of thepresident and three vice presidents.These are full time paid positions, sostudents will have to take a year outof their studies to complete the role.

The sabbatical officers lead theUnion, and make importantdecisions which affect the lives of thestudents at Salford. There is a vicepresident representing each collegeat the University.

There are also positions which canbe done alongside your studies.Student Trustees help makedecisions on the Trustee boardabout all levels of Union activities,this role is voluntary.

Emily Barker

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 2

In the previous yearstudents complainedabout the state of theteaching rooms inthe Adelphi building.

The Chapman building to receive seven million pound refurbishment.

New and current students will be taught in top of the range media facilities in the brand new Media City from next year.

14.02.11Page 02

News

www.salfordstudents.com

February 14th 2011 / Salford Student Direct02: News

Postal Address Student DirectUniversity of SalfordStudents’ UnionUniversity HousePeel Park CampusSalford,M5 4WT

Advertising Postal AddressStudent DirectUniversity HouseThe CrescentSalfordM5 4WT

Editor: Emily BarkerPhone: 0161 351 5432Email: [email protected]

Advertising: John ConwayPhone: 0161 351 5402Email: [email protected]

News Editor: Mark [email protected]

Features Editor:Gemma [email protected]

Comment Editor:Laura [email protected]

Arts Editor:Tom [email protected]

Cartoon:Mac Toot

Photography:Jonathan [email protected]

Contacts @ Student Direct: Salford Edition

Page 03News

Page 04Comment

Page 05Features

Page 06The Review

Union

Page 31Features

Page 30

Page 33Features on Faith

Page 34Sport

Rowing Cricket World Cup

This Week in PicturesAlmost Famous Review

Hot or NotJames Blake

RIP the White StripesPenguin Café Orchestra Review

Talk like an EgyptianErasmus Times

Mac Toot Cartoon

Sabbs columnContact Your Sabbs

Retreat reflectionNo faith in Faith

Page 32Breaktime

Top ten ways to irritate yourhousemates

Cooking with Kirsty

Where do you shop?Cynic’s eye

Adieu to Asbos

Nominations cont…

Students from Salford battled itout to claim the cookery title ofStudent Masterchef of the Year inthe Bryant Suite of the University.

The competition was part of theLove Food, Hate Waste campaignand in true student tradition theteams were encouraged to maketheir meals from leftovers. Theevent was organised by StudentLife and Salford City council.

The heats went on throughoutthe afternoon, with only fiveteams making it through to thefinal.

Each team competed in front ofan audience including CouncillorJ Murphy from Salford Counciland Amy Gray from GreaterManchester Waste Disposal. Theguests were treated to all theaction in kitchen via large screensin the dining room; before tuckingin.

The coveted title of Student

Masterchef of the Year went toJoseph Bijster and Amy Bishoppicking up a gleaming trophy anda meal at a local restaurant. Theywere followed closely in secondplace by Christopher Dickinsonand Lucy Meadows and KevinLeahy and teammate Jimmy whocollected their runner up trophysand voucher to eat at Grenache.

The students were judged byHuss Abbas and Patrick Trodden,both highly respected foodprofessionals. Huss Abbas is theowner of Grenache Restaurantwho recently picked up the Hi-Life Dining Award for BestManchester Restaurant, whilePatrick Trodden is Director ofCulinary Arts at Salford and wellknown as a leading authority onfood and wine.

The event was a joint initiativebetween University of Salford,Salford City Council, GreaterManchester Waste DisposalAuthority, Vinder Laing. WRAPand Aramark.

Students turnleftovers intofine cuisine

Jodie Pritchard

As well as Trustees there is the newStudent Council. Members of thecouncil will review and scrutinise thework of the sabbatical team on behalf ofthe students, to ensure that their needsare being met.

Finally there are NUS conferencedelegate positions, this gives you thechance to represent Salford at theNational Union of Students’ conferenceand help make decisions that will affectstudents across the country.

This is your chance to make a realdifference to life at the University, aswell as gaining valuable experience. It

is easy to nominate yourself, log on towww.salfordstudents.com/takecharge for more information on how tostand.

After nominations close there willbe a debate on Thursday 24 Februaryfor all students standing for thepresident and vice president roles,this gives you the chance to askquestions and really find out whateach candidate could do for you.

This will be an important year forall students’ unions and universitiesacross the country so take charge ofyour education and don’t miss out!

Cont from page 1…

This will benefit Salford as feedback canbe used to facilitate best practice andenhance the student learning experienceat the University.

Vice Chancellor of Salford University,Martin Hall: "The NSS gives final yearundergraduate students throughout theUK a uniquely powerful platform toexpress views about their university

experience. If you have been invited tocomplete the National Student Surveythis year, I strongly encourage you to seizethis opportunity. Your views play a vitalpart in our planning and signpost us towhere we could make improvements, aswell as helping future students to makeinformed choices about where tocontinue their education.”

To take part, visitwww.thestudentsurvey.com

National Student Survey

Student Direct wants the offer you thechance to get your pictures published andcover major student events!

We need your expertise and help to make the paper as good

as it can be. If you fancy getting snap happy for us

then get in touch with either [email protected]

or [email protected]

Page 35Sport

Men’s Hockey

Photographers needed!

A landmark agreement has beensigned by the University tocollaborate on research and offerstudent placements withtelecommunications giant BT atMedia City.

Media City will be opening itsdoors in Salford Quays this yearto the likes of ITV, the BBC, theUniversity, and now BritishTelecom.

The University is spearheadinga research and innovationframework called FIRM, with keypartners including CambridgeUniversity and the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology.

BT will be given the opportunityto get involved in this project,while providing pricelessplacement opportunities andbusiness guidance to Salfordstudents.

Vice-Chancellor Martin Halldescribed BT as a ‘’terrific partnerfor the University’’. He said thepartnership is ‘’a major stepforward in our programme tooffer unrivalled teaching and

research experiences linked toour work at MediaCityUK.’’

Included in the collaboration areopportunities for Salford studentsto take up internships, short-termfellowships and receive lecturesfrom BT employees; givingstudents the opportunity to gainthe edge on an already competitivemarket.

Sami Istephan, who heads theregion’s digital media at the BTGroup also sees this as ‘’a fantasticopportunity’’.

He said: ‘’We are looking forwardto collaborating even more closelyon a variety of projects at the dawnof a new era for the University at

the heart of Media City, drawing onthe wealth of expertise from ourworld-renowned researchersbased at Adastral Park.

‘’As a progressive university withan enlightened approach toworking with the private sector, weknow Salford will bring thebreadth of knowledge critical tothe success of our business, as wellas to the region and the highlydynamic and international mediaindustry.’’

The Vice-Chancellor sees this as areciprocal relationship: ‘’I firmlybelieve that both sides have a lot tocontribute to making thisagreement a success.’’


Salford Student Direct / February 14th 2011 News :03

Over the past two weeksthousands of Egyptians havetaken to the streets of Cairo toprotest for the resignation ofthe current President, HosniMubarak and the introductionof genuine democracy.Violence broke out whensupporters of Mubarak fought

back. The number of deaths isbelieved to be around 300with many more injured.Recently, protesters in Cairohave rejected Mubarak’s plansfor a gradual transfer ofpower and his offer to step down in September.Considering the fact thatMubarak has been around for30 years, his regime is unlikelyto go down without a fight.

A recent survey has shown thatdespite it being made illegal lastyear, people are still takingmephedrone. The drug, alsoknown as MCAT and Bubble,was sold online as a ‘legal high’until it was banned by thegovernment after reports ofdeaths among young users. Apoll found that one out of fourpeople questioned had takenthe Class B drug within the lastmonth. Prices are reported tohave doubled since the ban.Instead of discouraging the useof mephedrone, the ban seemsto have simply encouragedpeople to buy it from dealersand friends instead of online.

The government areintroducing cuts all over thecountry as part of their plan topull us out of the deficit. Cuts toManchester City Councilinclude 2,000 job losses, theclosure of libraries, swimmingpools and public toilets and a

26% cut in children’s services.Up and down the countrypublic meetings are being heldto protest the cuts. MeanwhileDavid Cameron is promising toraise the tax threshold for thelowest earners, and lower it forhigher earners. Never thoughtI’d see David Camerondisadvantaging the rich, but is ittoo little too late?

Controversial sports reportersAndy Gray and Richard Keyshave found themselves newjobs. The pair will present athree hour show on radiostation Talksport from Mondayto Friday. Gray was fired andKeys resigned from Sky Sportsafter comments were made off-air regarding the competence offemale linesman Sian Massey.When the remarks were madepublic, there was outcry aboutthe sexist nature of thecomments.

The government has said it willincrease the levy of the banksby a further £800m to £2.5bn.The banks are naturallyunhappy about the extracharge, but people have foundit hard to sympathise withthose who receive thousandsof pounds in bonuses. The levyhas sparked debate in theHouse of Commons withShadow Chancellor Ed Ballsreferring to the announcementas “this mornings ratherhurried mini-budget.” Thisthen led to further argumentsbetween the government andthe opposition.

Cambridge University havedecided to charge themaximum amount possiblefor their tuition fees. The almamater of Nick Clegg, the guywho promised not to raisetuition fees before siding withDavid Cameron, have blameda lack of government fundingas the reason for their £9,000tuition fees. Let’s hope otheruniversities don’t follow inCambridge’s footsteps withthis move.

Joanna Eckersley

NEWS ROUND-UP

University of Salfordjoins forces with BT

Any buddingjournalists who fancy

becoming newshounds get in touch

with either the editor Emily Barker at

[email protected] or the news editor

Mark Cockroft [email protected]

Nicole McCarthy

A Salford postgraduate student, who entered a competition fornew students, has won an iPad in the January Welcomecompetition.

Nwakaego (Ego) Ugwu, who is studying Human ResourcesManagement, was given the chance to win after attending fiveorientation workshops as part of the University’s welcomeprogramme.

Students’ Union Vice President for health and social careCaroline Dangerfield, who announced the winner at the WelcomeBuffet, said “The prize draw was a great way to attract students tothese important workshops.”

“'They find out about all the support and opportunities that

students have access to at Salford through the University and theStudent's Union.”

“It’s so exciting,” said Ego, who is from Nigeria, “I can’t rememberwinning anything ever before. I was amazed to receive the emailtelling me I had won!”

She praised the programme, saying, “It helps us feel welcome,and helps us interact more easily.”

The lucky winner worked in a bank before starting her course,which she hopes will open up new career opportunities backhome.

Though she has only been in Salford for two weeks, she feels thatwinning the iPad, which was provided by the Student’s Union andStudent Life, is a sign of good things to come.

New studentwins iPadAmanda Mace

Comment

Over the past fewmonths, students allacross the country havewitnessed cuts toeducation and moreimportantly a dramaticrise in tuitions fees. Notsurprisingly this has ledto outrage amongststudents and activistsalike resulting in

widespread protests.However, what manystudents may not beaware of are the dodgytax avoidances whichhave been taking placeby some of the biggesthigh street companies. Tax avoidance by companies such asVodafone and Tesco have beenbrought to attention by UK Uncut, afast growing movement in recentmonths which is targeting theoffending companies whilst alsoopposing cuts altogether. One of thebiggest offenders is Sir Philip Green,owner of some of the high streets

biggest names such as Topshop,Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Burton,Miss Selfridge, and British HomeStores and who has recently beenemployed by David Cameron inadvising the government on spendingcuts (Yeah, I know right?). Green livesand works in the UK however all ofGreens companies are in the name ofhis wife, Mrs Green, who lives inMonaco and does not pay a penny ofincome tax. This allows ‘Sir Philip’ toavoid up to £285 million in tax fees.

Another of our home grown taxavoiders is Boots, who despite earningworldwide profits of £475 million lastyear, got away with paying a tax chargeof only three percent of these profitsby relocating its headquarters toSwitzerland where lower taxes arepaid, all at the expense of the taxpayer.

The point of this is that yes, we haveall accepted that we may need to takecuts onboard in the current crisis.Having said that, is it really fair forthese cuts to hit hardest amongst thepeople who need the extra help mostwhilst rich billionaires avoid taxpayments through numerous clausesand loopholes? If the governmenttook action and such tax dodging wasto be stamped out, this could bring inan extra £25bn a year to public funds,which makes you wonder if currentgovernment cuts could be avoided alltogether.

UK Uncut, which is gaining muchsupport through social networkingsites, has attempted to target theseinjustices by organising a series ofsuccessful protests across the country.The question however, is how can youplay a part?

I have spoken to friends about this,to which many have replied withsimilar answers; ‘what is the point inboycotting these stores? Surely onestudent not buying their baked beansat Tesco isn’t going to make anysignificant difference to a multi-billionpound company’ and so on. Ihowever, prefer not to take such acynical view. As Tesco claims, ‘everylittle helps’ and as cliché as it sounds,one person can contribute to makinga difference.

So if anything, what UK Uncut hasbrought to light, may make you andmany others consider where to shopin future. This could mean whetheryou buy your groceries withSainsbury’s instead of Tesco, yourcosmetics at Superdrug rather thanBoots, or your clothes from H&M asopposed to Topshop or Topman. Justthink, as pointed out by UK Uncut,Greens £285m tax dodge could payfor the full £9,000 tuition fees raise foralmost 32,000 students! If thisstatement alone doesn’t make yourblood boil then I am at a loss as tothink of what will.

Furthermore, if you would like to getinvolved or for further information,you can visit the website atwww.ukuncut.org.uk or you canfollow UK Uncut on Facebook orTwitter.

Natalie Garforth

A Cynic’s Eye View

This week, myconviction thatpoliticians actuallylive in a paralleluniverse whereinsocial etiquette andmoral obligation isthrown completelyand utterly to thewinds was intensifiedby the news that a ToryMP with mild cerebal palsy had beenmocked in Parliament by the lovelyLabour MPs on the opposite side ofthe room after failing to get his wordsout. It’s uncertain whether or not theLabour MPs were actually mockingthe fact that the guy was disabled, orjust doing their usual imitation ofexcited baboons on the backbenches– I’m inclined to think it was the latter,particularly since firstly, theTorygraph reported it, and secondly, Icouldn’t really tell any difference inthe recorded meeting from that of anormal Parliament session.

In other news, the coalitiongovernment sorted out BrokenBritain one inconsequential issueat a time by abolishing Anti SocialBehavioural Orders, to replacethem with… well… theConservative version of ASBOs.I’m not quite sure how the latterdiffer from the former. All I knowis that Cameron is a master ofpedantry; the ASBOs are onething he criticised Gordon Brownfor during his election campaign,and I suppose by being perceivedto sort the issue out – even if thereplacement measure is going tohave about as much effect ascombating a stampede ofelephants with a toothpick –Cameron can tick one more thingoff the “We did this” section in his2014 election manifesto. He’scertainly going to needeverything he can get by the endof these four years…

#2of2011


Salford Student Direct / February 14th 201104: Comment

Where doyou shop?

Following the coalitiongovernment’s plans toabolish Anti-SocialBehaviour Orders(ASBOs) on Monday lastweek, one cannot helpbut contemplate the

effectiveness of theproposed replacement.The new ‘toolkit’, as it isdescribed by the Under-Secretary of State forCrime Prevention, JamesBrokenshire, is toreplace the commonlyglorified, semi-medallicASBO as a ‘real deterrent

to perpetrators.’ Rewindback to 1998 and theCrime and Disorder Actof the same year andone has the feelings thatwhen these orders firstcame into play, they toohad the exact same goal.

What makes this new utility beltany different other than a slightname change? Well, the currentproposals certainly seem a tadmore severe. The new CriminalBehaviour Orders will not only bequicker and easier to obtain, butcan carry a five year imprisonmentfor any breach. However, from whatone can read at present, other thana new name and potentially harshersentence, these new orders are nodifferent, and with the current stateof affairs in our prisons many cynicswill call out that the harshersentence will rarely be used to fulleffect.

Perhaps the most interesting ofthese new means is the last. Thenew ‘Police Direction Powers’ will

allow police to ‘direct any individualcausing or likely to cause crime ordisorder away from a particularplace and to confiscate relateditems.’ For example, in the event ofnoise pollution the officers will beentitled to by law to confiscate theitem causing the disturbance as wellas moving the upstarts along.Though what exactly the policewould be entitled to confiscate inthe event of noise pollution like thatof Caroline Cartwright’s in 2009, I’mnot too sure.

Another point worth note is howmuch the new rebranding will cost.In a time with huge cuts across theboard the question must be raisedas to whether this is entirelynecessary? ASBOs have never beenthe most popular for theeconomically minded, and with therate of visible success minimal itmust be asked as to why thegovernment is not scrapping theentire aspect of the systemaltogether.

Time will only tell as to theeffectiveness of the new methodsagainst anti-social behaviour. Forwho knows, this could be a goodmark left by the coalition uponsociety, or another poor patch-upattempt.

Adieu to ASBOsCallum Wright


Salford Student Direct / December 6th 2010 FEATURES :05

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It all starts at Boot Camp. So – wherever you are and whatever you’restudying – if your focus is firmly on the future, register today. It’s 48 hours that will stimulate your mind and enhance your career prospects. You’ll spend time with other students, as well as some of our top AccentureConsultants and special guests.

An inspirational two days packed with intellectual challenges and activities specifically designed to let you discover what it really means to be a highperformer in business. We can’t tell you everything about Boot Camp, because we don’t want to ruin the surprise. But expect a fast-paced,

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‘Nine’ is AlmostFamous’ first musicalof the year and whata musical to startwith! It is the story ofGuido Contini, adirector, writer andactor, who is in thethroes of a madnessthreatening todestroy his realityand his dream. Guido is struggling to create an ideafor his ninth film and looks to hispersonal life for inspiration. Along theway he manages to lose every womanhe ever loved and the audience gets toenjoy love, sex, history and deceit.

The storyline is very complex, withthe audience never certain if they arewitnessing the ninth film or theprocess which created it. Being able tomake such a convoluted story so easyto follow is the job of the director andin his debut directing role for Almost

Famous, Bradley Cross did a superbjob. Not the easiest of plays to direct,with a director in the character line-up, Bradley managed to portray all ofthe story without losing manymembers of the audience.

The casting of the characters wasalso excellently well done, with everylead role being played withprofessionalism and flair. Playing theextremely confused and confusingGuido Contini was Josh Morter in hisfirst lead musical role for AlmostFamous. His connection to the rolewas honest and believable, his passionconsuming the audience, thenmaking them laugh in the next breath.

Guido’s long-suffering wife Luisawas played by second year HelenaRochester. This role had extra layersnot immediately obvious to theaudience which Helena did awonderful job of conveying. Herrendition of ‘Take It All’ was bothfierce yet touching. Helena did afantastic job of gaining the audiencessympathy while not letting thembelieve she was the weaker woman.

Amy-Jane Ollies took the role ofGuido’s passionate mistress Carla. Oneof the best musical numbers- ‘CallFrom The Vatican’- came from Amy-Jane and was much harder because allattention was on her, rather thanbeing diverted by the presence ofdancers. Despite the pressure she didit amazingly with no bashfulnessabout the sexual nature of the song.

The dancers were hit and miss at

times unfortunately. In manynumbers they did an incredible job,with particular note going to the girlsperforming the tambourine dancewith the sexy Sarraghina played byvivacious Natalie Clark. However, atthe times when all the dancers wereon stage it was a strange mix of veryaccomplished dancers, a few half-hearted dancers and some over-enthusiastic dancers who, whencompared to the rest of the energy ofthe group, looked out of place.

Having said that, the male dancersdid an excellent job, many doublingup on their roles, particularly LeeLomas who played Roberto, Guido’sharshest critic and assistant producer.Special mention should also go toRachel Leah-Howe who played theproducer Lillian Le Fleur who had asurprising romantic heart andwonderful dancing skills. The onlydrawback of this character, and noreflection on the actress, was theinteraction with the audience. Theaudience had been mostly ignored, asone would expect, up until this pointso to suddenly acknowledge theirpresence seemed odd and unrelatedto the plot of the play.

All-in-all the musical was a hugesuccess for all those involved both onand off stage and cast and crew can bevery proud of their achievements inthis production. I look forward toseeing many of them in many moreproductions in the future.

Features

Gemma Blackman

Review of Almost Famous’production of Nine

Those of you readingthis article may haveseen my name onthe inside cover ofStudent Direct everyweek, for those ofyou haven't, take aquick look nowunder photographer.

Being the photographer for StudentDirect this year has been one of themost rewarding jobs that I have done.Being a student liaison for thebusiness school I’ve seen the behindthe scenes from the world ofacademia, however capturing yourstudent life has been a story in itself.

The year started off with studentprotests where I stood by youdemonstrating against cuts, I’ve beenthere when Salford sports teamstriumph, and when Salford socials getvery messy indeed. When you attenduniversity you expect to besegregated based on the course youare studying, however this is not thecase. Sports and Social groups have

brought us all together allowing us toshare laughter and the occasional tear.Through the magic of both cameraand paper, your university experienceis captured and shared.

All photographs from this yearevents, including this semestersREC night can be foundon my Facebook Profile:http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.isaacs1

Jonathan Isaacs

WEEK IN PICTURES


February 14th 2011 / Salford Student Direct06: ARTS

Hot or Not

James Blake is a great exampleof where music can go with adecent piano, excellentsynths, a computer and quitea mind for harmony andsampling. Electronic musichas come a very long waysince the days of Kraftwerk,not to undermine them in anyway whatsoever. And whilstthe still relatively new genre ofDubstep (even if it’s actuallybeen around for years, justthe majors never seemed that

bothered by it) is taking on amuch more dance led route,James Blake has in fact donethe very sensible and chilledout thing and gone downwhat can only be described asa dangerously beautiful styleof Ambient music.

The single, Limit To YourLove, aside (which isdefinitely one of the bestthings you can hear on theradio these days), the albumdrifts in and out of Blake’smind, and on occasions grabsyou and draws you in withone of the true great secrets ofmusic – silence. His minimalist

approach to the genre givesthe face burning sub-bass somuch space to attack whilst(his own) sampled vocals,expertly manipulated tocreate rich, and yet clashingand painful harmonies, driftabove the simple beats andgorgeous piano.

Not to say this album is thebe all and end all ofminimalist Dubstep. Far fromit, there are weaker tracks,where Lindisfarne I and IIdon’t quite seem to reach thesame standards of say, I NeverLearnt To Share. And again,whilst on one hand, Give MeMy Month has fantastic piano

skills, and the way he seems totear apart the rhythm to suithis own mind is fantastic, it’s abit short and seems more of abreak in the album.

The album is by no means100% accessible to the wideraudience. Limit To Your Loveis a brilliant single, butsometimes the untrained non-Dubstep ear might just thinkthere’s a little bit too muchgoing on and that Blake’s useof melody, rhythm and sub-

bass isn’t quite at themainstream expectations ofmusic that should be playedon Radio 1 during drive time.But if James Blake was everwriting the music with that inmind, he’d never have comeacross the same criticalacclaim he has garnered overlast year and this. And thatwould be the point - as far asminimalist dubstep goes, thisis brilliant. Here’s hoping thenext stuff he brings out is justas good.

Tom Miller

HOTSTROKES – UNDERCOVER OF DARKNESS –

The saviours of rock (from 10years ago) are back! It’s prettygood, actually. In fact, buggerthat. It’s really good. Reallyawesomely excellent and that.Better than most things. Yeah.

PJ HARVEY – THE WORDS THAT

MAKETH MURDER – All songsneed good handclaps. Evenmetalcore needs goodhandclaps. Well, maybe not,but still – this song is great. It’sgot an autoharp and PJHarvey is amazing. So yeah.

GLASTONBURYFESTIVAL – Right, first

things first. It doesn’t matterwho is headlining the festival.It could be your creepy uncleEric or Green Day, it does notmatter. Even if it is Coldplay,or Beyonce or someone elseas equally as dull, there arehundreds of other stageswhich will have excellentartists playing. So anyone whostarts saying “oh my god, I’mso happy I’m not going toGlastonbury because U2 areplaying”, just remember thatyou won’t get to see say, FrankTurner play round acampfire, or the Strokesheadline the Other Stage. Ok?So shut up. Right then.

…AND YOU WILLKNOW US BY THE

TRAIL OF THE DEAD – TAOOF THE DEAD – Now thatthey’re definitely happy ontheir own label, this newalbum kicks ass. All rock nroll, none of the mess. Oh, andwith lots of prog on thesecond CD. No harm in a bit ofprog.

YELLOW WIRE – LASTBREATH – Hardly even

worth reviewing, this one. Infact, I’m not quite sure why Iam. It’s awful. Middle of theroad dad pop… something forthe mothers, I don’t know.Definitely for parents who arenot cool.

CUT COPY –ZONOSCOPE – It’s all a

bit 80s, really, isn’t it? Theywere very cool a few yearsago and now they’re a bitrepetitive. Sort of like amalignant tumour. Not thattumours were ever cool. Orparticularly 80s. To be honest,that’s a terrible simile. Still, it’sa bad album.

FENECH SOLER –DEMONS - It’s a bit

rubbish, really. Generic indierubbish. Their first single wasso good, too… not quite sure ifI can remember it, like. Meh.

Tom Miller

James BlakeNot WorriedAbout Pressure

the RE-ViEW

TheWhite Stripes(1997-2011)NOT

“The White Stripes would like

to announce that their band has

officially ended and will make

no further new recordings or

perform live.”

I am still very sad, and althoughthe news has yet to truly sink in, Iask that you join me in wishing afond farewell to one of thegreatest rock and roll bands of thepast decade. Since forming inDetroit in 1997, Meg and JackWhite have provided us with sixamazing albums. They made thetransformation from cult artiststo superstars, without losing anyof the magic and mystery thatbrought them to our attention inthe first place. A brother andsister duo that were eventuallyrevealed as a divorced couple,

The White Stripes have alwaysremained somewhat of anenigma, even in this currentclimate of media saturation.

If you have never beforelistened to a White Stripes albumfrom start to finish, I suggest youstart at the beginning (self entitleddebut, The White Stripes), andwork your way through each andevery brilliant track until youcome to the end of Icky Thump.Rock, garage, blues, punk, metal,country, guitars, drums, pianos…Who knew two people couldmake so much noise?

My top five tracks (in noparticular order) -

1) Dead Leaves And The DirtyGround

2) The Denial Twist

3) Ball And Biscuit

4) Hello Operator

5) Rag and Bone

If the music of Portico Quartet islike that last night in a foreigncountry before your vacation isover, warm and relaxed but with adrop of nostalgia, the music ofPenguin Café is like the day whenyou decide to postpone goinghome for another week, happilyavoiding real life. In this manner,the two ensembles complementeach other, making the decisionto go on tour together a brilliantone and the decision to stop inManchester on Monday, February7, one that I’m thankful for.

Portico Quartet played openingact, filling the Bridgewater Hallwith their signature sound. TheMercury Prize nominees played

songs like “News from Verona”(from their first album – “Knee-Deep in the North Sea”) and “Isla”(from their homonymous albumof 2009), enchanting us with theirhesitant rhythms and pensivemelodies. The sound of the hangdrums, the mesmerizingelectronic touches and overall“still waters run deep” feelworked as it always does. I caneven forgive them for not playingmy favourite songs off their firstalbum (for the record, those are“Pompidou” and “Prickly Pear”).

Penguin Café followed, in theirsubtly eccentric outfits. The tenpiece ensemble managed to fillthe stage and still maintain an airof intimacy. Arthur Jeffes (theleader of the band) emphasizedthe intensely cinematic characterof their music by sharing stories

of when and how some of thesebeautiful songs were written.Stories of taxi rides, warmsummer evenings, large pieces ofglass and harmoniums beingfound on the streets of Kyotoadded even more colour to thealready picturesque music.Penguin Café made the wholeroom smile with their mostfamous songs: “Telephone andRubber Band”, “Music for a FoundHarmonium” and “PerpetuumMobile”. All of these songs arealmost nauseatingly sweet andhave hopefulness to them.

It was the surreal happiness ofPenguin Café and the bittersweetnostalgia of Portico Quartet thatmade me remember the days andnights of summer in foreignplaces. The dolce far niente ofsuspended reality.

Dolce far niente with PorticoQuartet and Penguin Café Andra Ivânescu

R.I.P.

Mark Cockroft


February 14th 2011/ Salford Student Direct30: UNION

I can’t believe we’re in week three ofthe semester already, it’s gone so fast!We’ve been very busy since theChristmas break so I’ve got lots to tellyou about!

Last week saw the second Rec Nightof this academic year and I think it’sfair to say a good time was had by all; Icertainly had a brilliant night! Therewas lots of friendly (and at times not-so friendly) rivalry between all theclubs and societies, with some of thegames being hotly contested. Welldone to all the groups who won thechallenges, it was great to see yourcompetitive spirit in full force! Specialcongratulations go to the RowingTeam and Almost Famous who wonbest dressed Club and Societyrespectively.

Over the last month or so, yourSabbatical Officer team have beenworking on a brand new campaignwhich we have called ‘The Salford Billof Student Rights.’ We’ve put a lot oftime and effort into writing adocument which sets out seven rightswhich we believe every single Salfordstudent, no matter what course theyare studying, should be entitled to.We’ve gathered evidence from anumber of sources, includingspeaking to students, the NationalStudent Survey and our own advicecentre. And this is where we needyou! We’d like to know whether youagree with our recommendations or ifyou feel we’ve missed something thatyou think is really important. Weknow that every right may not affectevery single student, but we hopethere are at least a couple of rights

which you can identify with. You canread the full document and give usyour feedback via the websitewww.salfordstudents.com/rights orby speaking to one of your Officerswho will be out and about to hearyour views.

Once we know that we’ve got it rightand you have told us it’s what youwant to see, we will be presenting it tothe University as a series ofrecommendations which we wantthem to prioritise and pursue. Andthis is where you come in again!

We will be co-ordinating thecampaign activity after theconsultation and we want to knowwhich right is your priority. You can letus know again via the website andspeaking to your Officers or by usingour very exciting and fun interactivepoll (complete with smiley facetokens!), which is in residence at BarYours, but will also be roving aroundthe campus so make sure you keepyour eye out for it! We’re really excitedabout this campaign and we believe itwill make a real difference to allSalford students, so make sure you’reinvolved in improving YOUReducation!

Finally, don’t forget about theupcoming Students’ Union elections.There’s still time to get yournominations in if you fancy standingfor one of the many positionsavailable. (Nominations close 12pm on16 February) Most importantlythough, make sure you vote so thatyou have your say on who should leadyour Students’ Union and representYOU next year!

Students’ Union

Ricky Chotai:President. [email protected]

Jim Dale: Vice President Science and [email protected].

Christabel Brown: Vice President Arts and [email protected]

Maros Kravec: Vice President Business, Law and [email protected]

Caroline Dangerfield: Vice President Health and Social [email protected]

Contact Your Sabbs:

SABBS COLUMN:Caroline DangerfieldVICE PRESIDENT FORHEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Don’t forget about the Salford Social – everyWednesday from 10pm.

The Salford Social night breaks with 42sindie tradition by playing a good mix ofmost musical styles from chart, 80’s, 90's,dubstep, disco, 60’s , with a bit of indiethrown in for good measure.

One thing is for sure, it won’t be like anyother night at the club!

Tickets are just £2 in advance atwww.42ndstreetnightclub.co.uk or from General Office and Bar Yours inUniversity House, and the Students' Union shops in Horlock Court,the Allerton and Adelphi Buildings

Most drinks only £1

This February is your opportunity to stand in theStudents’ Union Elections and become an electedleader of the student body at Salford.

This is a vital year for higher education so youcould be playing an important role in the changingface of universities and students’ unions.

Students’UnionElections

Check out www.salfordstudents.com/takechargefor more information.

The roles available:

Sabbatical OfficerTrustees

Student CouncilNUS Delegate

ISSUE RIGHT

Hidden Course Costs The right to know the full costs of a course before application

Assessment and Feedback The right to quality, constructive feedback on all assessments withinthree weeks

Course Based Careers Advice The right to relevant, high qualitycareers advice

Representation The right to effective, independentrepresentation at course, school andcollege level

Learning Resources The right to appropriate, high qualitylearning resources

Academic Practice The right to advice and guidance ongood academic practice

Timetabling The right to well managed andorganised timetables

PostgraduateCoffee Morning & Evening

TUESDAY 15 FEBRUARY

Drop in anytime for free tea, coffee and yummycakes whichever time is best for you:

10am-12pm, Boardroom 2, University House

5pm-7pm, Café Yours, University House

Hosted by Caroline Dangerfield (vice president andpostgraduate student) they are informal events,

giving you a chance to meet and network with otherpostgraduate students from across the University and to

discuss how your Students’ Union could enhance your postgraduate experience further.

For more information contact Caroline Dangerfield on

[email protected]

THE SALFORD BILL OF STUDENT RIGHTS

As an Egyptian, it’s hard to bepart of a newspaper and notwrite about your owncountry, provided it’s on thenews day in and day out.Before I do, I have aconfession to make. Till

recently, I had never lived inEgypt. I was one of thosechildren born elsewhere,living a quite nomadic life,moving from country tocountry and eventuallyending up in the UK. Mysummers in Egypt as a childlasted no more than two

weeks, and they were mostlyconfined to mygrandmother’s villa. Twoyears ago, when my parentsfinally settled in Cairo, it wasthe first time that Egypt hadbeen my ‘base’. Moreover,when I decided my PhDresearch was to focus onCairo, I went to collect data fora six month long period. I consider my six month stay at home to be one of thebest times of my life; I discovered Egypt was a veryrich country that boasted immense treasures. Thereare of course historical treasures; the Pyramids, theValley of the Kings, Abu Simbel, Islamic & ColonialCairo and countless other sites. There is also the Nile,providing Egypt with a massive agricultural potential,and the Suez Canal, a historically pivotal worldconnector which generates tonnes of revenue. Thereal treasure I discovered, however, were its’ people.

As a globe trotter, I’ve had the privilege of knowingmany people from all over the world. In Egypt, it waspleasantly shocking to discover how quickly peopleaccepted and loved me. The close circle of friends Imade, of whom I am so proud and love dearly, and

the people from all streams of life that I met on aneveryday basis revealed the true nature of theEgyptian character. I learned that Egyptians are veryaffectionate people; when they love you, they meanit. They are also hard workers, persistent and patient,a trait probably derived from our very agriculturalbase. Egyptians also have a sense of humour, even intheir darkest hour. They are tolerant, enduringwhatever situation life throws onto them.Additionally they are fatalists, strongly believing inthe inevitable hand that kismet deals that we, ashumans, cannot change. Basically, the same conceptof ‘maktub’ in Paulo Coehlo’s ‘The Alchemist’.

Even after I left Egypt, and continue to visit time andtime again, my compatriots continue to teach me somany lessons in life. This is particularly true in the lasttwo weeks, during the massive protests that continue tograb the world’s attention. One lesson is the true loveand bravery exhibited by all my friends and familymembers, who stood and continue to guard their streetsday after day, protecting their heritage, families andhomes from ruthless thugs. They taught me that one canchange himself. This generation, my generation, hasrealised that sometimes things are not determined byfate and that sometimes you can determine your ownfate. Mostly, I learned the lesson of solidarity. Theseuprisings were not the product of a political view orreligious ideology. These are simply protests of a unifiedEgyptian youth, women, men, children, religious,secular, Muslims and Copts alike, and a generation whorecognise the wealth of their own country, and who aresimply asking for a dignified life and future.

Despite worrying to death about my parents, myfriends and my country, which I recently discovered, Ireally wish that a new, better Egypt evolves.

Mahmoud Shaltout

For some unknown reason people seemto think that life abroad is constantexcitement; in their heads, an averageday of an Erasmus student consists ofsparkles, shine, tigers, exoticism,glamour, glitter, and diamonds.

They might be right; maybe I’m the only one to disagree. Still, at leastaccording to my experiences, Erasmus life isn’t a Hollywood film. Yes, itoccasionally has elements of both drama and action, but most of the time it’sa sitcom – simple laughs at simple things that don’t really require much brain.

When I have a friend asking; “Now tell me everything! What have you beenup to? What has happened? Where have you been travelling? How manytimes have you skydived lately, which celebrities have you met, what kind oftattoos and piercings have you had?” It breaks my heart to admit that I’vespent the last 14 hours thinking about whether I should have a tea or a hotchocolate, wondering if I should leave the gym or spend another 25 minutesriding the bike, playing horrendous amounts of online-Mahjong, andFacebook-chatting. Not really pushing the envelope here, am I?

Every time I try to pry a friend how he or she is, the first answer is “everything’sthe same, now tell me all about your super-interesting life”. Then I desperately tryto come up with something ‘super-interesting’; usually failing miserably in myattempts. When the conversation keeps going on for an hour, I start hearing somereal news: someone’s getting married, someone’s bought an apartment, someonegot a new job, and someone’s car got stolen. I don’t know why people think I couldhave anything more important to tell. I rarely get mugged or married, but I’maware that these things are universally deemed more interesting than the fact thatI’ve been nominated a mahjong-samurai 24 times within four hours.

In the beginning exchange students do get a bit drugged up by the feeling ofliving abroad. Time flattens the experience quite effectively. After four monthsexchange life isn’t Erasmus life anymore; slowly but surely it has become mynormal, every-day life. It’s ordinary, familiar, and sometimes even humdrum.

If you stay in the same place for long enough, routines kick in anyway. The actualtrick is to get rid of them. The people who lead a fascinating life aren’t sitting on asecret: they’re just open and brave enough to walk towards new adventures, nomatter where. That’s where the exciting stories come from. If my life was justchampagne, explosions and sunshine, how could I find the time to tell everyoneabout it on MSN?

Talk Like an Egyptian

than

Erasmus life is moreErasmus TimesEvery Day Glamour


Salford Student Direct / February 14th 2011 Features :31

Anne Salomaki

Breaktimewww.salfordstudents.com

February 14th 2011 / Salford Student Direct32: BREAKTIME

Top 10 Waysto irritate your housemate(s)

Start learning a musical instrument.It’s important that you do this byyourself. Lessons are costly and youmight actually start to improve, inwhich case your housemates willapproach you to form a band (it is awell-known fact that all students aresemi-competent guitarists) thushaving the opposite of the desiredeffect. Drums are the classic noisyinstrument, but if you want a moreobscure suggestion then get aTheremin. You can turn it up as loudas you want and you’ll never be able towork out how to play it properly. Italso serves the dual purpose of usingup precious electricity.

Leave the lights on in rooms you’renowhere near, or during the daytime.If you’re in a shared house where youall have to split the electricity bill, yourhousemates will often go without lightwherever possible in the hope thatthey will eventually develop a sort ofnight-vision. You can counteract theirsacrifice by leaving things switched on

– lights, computer, television, yournewly acquired Theremin. Thedownside of this is that you pay for itas well, and it isn’t exactly eco-friendly.

Invite your friends round to watch alate-night sporting event on television.As they reach a state of alcohol-induced disrepair, they will barkincomprehensibly to every action ordecision, irrespective of team oroutcome. When your housemates askyou to keep the noise down, respondapologetically but do nothing.Additionally, you can reciprocate byasking your housemates to keep thenoise down during the event, even ifthey aren’t making any.

Never wash up after preparing a meal.Also, use as many pans and dishes aspossible. If you want to take it a stepfurther you can loudly complainabout the state of the kitchen.

Enter their room without knocking,destroying the privacy and solitude allstudents crave. You can combine thiswith one of the other suggestions – e.g.enter their room without knocking tocomplain about the state of thekitchen, or to ask them to keep thenoise down during loud late-nightsporting events.

Buy an exotic pet. You might think abigger animal would be moreannoying, but I recommend a swarmof smaller animals which cansubsequently be unleashed upon yourhousehold like one of the ten plaguesof Egypt.

Persistently impersonate any regionalaccent they might have. Yourrendition should be as inaccurate aspossible. It might be effective to startoff in a relatively good-humoured andplayful manner and gradually becomemore contemptuous in your tone.

Set your alarm clock to go off at 6amevery morning, and then just keephitting the snooze button at 5 minuteintervals until you feel like getting uphours later. This takes a steelydetermination and commitment to doconsistently but it is absolutelyguaranteed to alienate your housemates.

Whistle. You don’t need to whistle anactual recognisable tune – justimprovise. Enter the room (withoutknocking) and pretend to busyyourself with some task while yourhousemate tries to study or watchtelevision. When they reprimand youfor whistling, affably claim that youdidn’t even realise you were doing it.Wait for a couple of minutes and thenstart up again.

Announce with fearful sincerity thatthe house is haunted. You should aimto introduce the topic into everyconversation, varying your attitudefrom a conspiratorial whisper to ahysterical shriek. The beauty of this isthat you can make it your explanationfor all other annoyances – persistentwhistling, Theremin playing, alarmsgoing off, lights being left on,infestations etc. – and attribute anyothers that are demonstrably of yourown doing to spiritual possession.

James May’s otherwise excellentseries on technological progress, 20th Century, missed one vital partout of its ‘teenagers’ episode. May goesstraight from talking about thedevelopment of the LP to the CD,missing out the tape altogether.

You may remember cassettetapes. Singles had a B-track and aradio edit and ‘played the sameboth sides’, ‘Now’ (and VirginRecords’ infinitely cooler ‘...In theworld... Ever’) compilations came infunky, chunky twin-cassette boxes,and everyone’s Dad’s car stereochewed up Clapton Unpluggedafter the eleventy-zillionth play.

They were easily broken, they madea fuzzy hissing noise (the audioequivalent of excessive soft-focus in‘60s films) and the arrival of the CDshowed us precisely how our musicwas supposed to have sounded like allthese years, but there was one vitallyimportant aspect to them that allother formats missed.

You could record on them at home.

Before the tape recorder, youneeded access to a studio.Equipment for recording ontovinyl was expensive, bulky, andyou only got one take. Decadeslater, recording onto CD sufferedthe same inflexibility, plus thesound quality merely amplifiedthe fact that you’d recorded inyour bedroom. If you had a taperecorder, however, you couldrecord an album’s-worth of tunesalmost without regard for howbad they were. Getting a tune offyour chest was the point.

The reason I mention all this isbecause the first properly compact,cheap cassette-recorders emerged inthe ‘70s, at a time when culturalcommentators were first proclaimingthe death of rock. Disco, it was argued,had elbowed rock (by this point deepinto pretentious prog and cardboardglam territory) off the stage, and thenascent dance genre, represented bythe likes of Kraftwerk and The HumanLeague, looked set to keep it there.

But they reckoned against the taperecorder. Suddenly, legions of angrykids, dejected by their lack of jobprospects and life in Callaghan’sBritain, inspired by the trash aestheticof New York’s Ramones, started

recording simple three-chord songs intheir bedrooms. Punk was born, andthat part of rock, eternally youthfuland angry, has been with us ever since.

The story repeated itself many timesover. In 1994, when Kurt Cobaincommitted suicide, rock’s death wasannounced, only for Oasis to lead theBritpop charge into another youthmovement before Blair killed it. In themid-‘00s it was said the Ibiza dancescene had killed rock again, but theyreckoned without Kevin & Perry GoLarge taking the piss, and the fact thatdance, too, would grow old. Plus, it’shard for a genre that at heart hasnothing in particular to say aboutanything to stay fresh. ‘Eye-beefer’descended into Club 18-30 hell andanyone who was anyone contributedto the rise and rise of the live rockfestival instead.

So what are we to make of the latestassertion by media commentatorsthat rock is dead, simply because onlythree of last year’s top 100-sellingsingles were rock? (and one of themwas Don’t Stop Believin’, which almostdoesn’t count). Again, I think theyspoke too soon.

Kids can’t afford to buy albums, butwhen they can, chances are they’renot the same artists as the singles. My

‘plays the same both sides’ tapesingles collection is full of mindlesshammerings from Haçiendarefugees. The albums are a differentstory altogether. As with today, lookat the album chart and the liveconcert revenues, and go into anylive venue, there’s a different story.Listen to XFM, Amazing Radio orBBC6, check out the new artists onJools Holland’s show. Rock is youthfuland far from dead.

However, the reason why rock willnever die is down to its simplicity.Pop’s appeal lies in its expensive showand production (without this, LadyGaga would be A.N.Other artist). Toproduce good dance music requires amind-bogglingly expensive array ofequipment and skills. Hip-hop comesclose in its accessibility, but very, veryfew people can rap convincingly –even some major artists, let alone kidsin bedrooms.

However, all it takes to create rockmusic – great rock music, sometimes –is a few chords and something to say,and when this apparently rocklessgeneration comes to find its voice,they will merely add to the vast andvibrant melting pot that is rock music.Long may it continue.

Reports of rock’s death have been greatly exaggeratedSam Dawson

Filled Filo Parcels(serves 2)

TEN

Disclaimer: I don’t intentionallyset out to do any of these. This list is purelyhypothetical.

Adam Hart

NINE

EIGHT

SEVEN

SIX

FIVE

FOUR

THREE

TWO

ONE

Kirsty Booth

This recipe is for creamy spinach parcels howeveryou can play around with all sorts of fillings. I’velisted a few variations to get you started but thepossibilities are quite literally endless. A pack offilo pastry usually contains around 10-14 largesheets so one pack goes a long way. If you buy itfrozen, defrost the whole pack before carefullypeeling off the number of required sheets, theremainder will keep well in the fridge as long asthey are tightly wrapped.

You will need

2 sheets of filo pastry

100g cream cheese

250g fresh spinach

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp oil

1) Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (gas mark 5). Boilthe kettle and place the spinach in a colander. Pourthe boiling water over the spinach so it wilts. Leaveto stand for a minute then rinse under cold water.Squeeze out as much water as possible from thespinach and then roughly chop.

2) Mix the cream cheese with the spinach, season withthe nutmeg, salt and pepper and put to one side.

3) Lay the filo pastry flat and cut into quarters. Brush asquare of pastry with a little oil then place anotherpiece on top at an angle. Brush with more oil andplace a further two pieces on top. Repeat with therest of the pastry to form the other parcel.

4) Divide the filling between the two pastry bases,keeping it in the centre of each one. Gather all theedges and press them lightly together to make themstick (use a little oil if necessary). Brush the outsideof the parcel with the remaining oil and place on abaking tray.

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is crispand golden. Serve with potato wedges and salad.

Filling variations :

Roast a halved butternut squash, remove theskin once tender and mix with cream cheese

Mix roasted pieces of pepper, courgette andaubergine with cubes of feta cheese

Try mashed chickpeas mixed with choppedred pepper and fresh coriander

Take a small seed,and plant it into analready highlycompacted andmessy world; theseed will grow andtake life from all thatsurrounds it.Suddenly that seedthat felt harmless inthe beginning,becomes the bane ofyour life andeverything in it. Thisis my story and theincredible journey Ientered in becomingat ease with myselfand all those aroundme and the feeling ofloss when youcontinue to drag thedemons of life uponyour shoulders andsuddenly they arelifted and you aregiven new air tobreath, new strengthto fight the colourand complexitieswithin our lives…When I was asked to attend theRetreat back in September, I felt alittle uncomfortable to say theleast. The idea of opening myselfup to religion and other people inthat same mindset was quitedaunting. However I do consider

myself to have an open mind, andluckily as I tend to ruminate, Iagreed to give it a go.

As the weeks passed leading upto it, I decided initially to researchthe notion of a ‘retreat’ and whatwas to be expected as well as howI could benefit from it myself inrelation to my aspirations ofbecoming a nurse.

A few days before I began myjourney, I celebrated my 27thbirthday. On my birthday I gotseveral cards and one of themwas someone close to meexplaining their understandingof my need to find faith in thisway and its importance in mylife and the positive impact onothers including my husbandand children.

I already felt strongly attachedto a remarkable emotional andspiritual path, but those wordscompletely put into perspectivehow and why this was sonecessary in my life;

“If you can’t have faith in whatis held up to you for faith, youmust find things to believe inyourself, for a life without faithin something is too narrow aspace to live” Alec Bourne.

The day arrived and as I beganmy journey I was already deepin contemplation, but I hadpromised myself not to expectanything precise and keep anopen mind to the people andplaces I would meet both inmind and spirit.

On the first day, I found itrather difficult to simply donothing other than sit quietlyand think or pray. I had spentmy whole life busying around,not giving myself theopportunity to feel the calmand quiet. I found myselfwandering aimlessly.

That evening I sat with the fireroaring in the lounge,completely at ease. I began toreach out to God and ask thathe walk with me along thisjourney. I sat for possibly hours,focussing on the many cornersof my life and the cracks I hadcreated, forever preventing mefrom reaching across andalleviating those memories.

Finally I had tired myself outwith these thoughts, so Iprepared to now empty mymind and sleep. The most

incredible experience was thatfirst night’s sleep…I dreamt ofbright lights and peaceful song,it was as if I had stepped out ofthe darkness and opened myheart and mind into a life ofpeace and serenity.

When I arrived home, I feltstrangely different. I wasnoticeably calmer, but couldn’thelp feeling like there was apiece of me missing, like I hadreturned with a hole in myheart…

It took me a little while, but Isoon realised that the part ofme that I had left behind wasthe grief and heavy turmoil Ihad been carrying around withme for several years.

Overall, the experience albeita short one, was the mostincredible, emotional andspiritual journey I had everencountered. If I took anythingfrom this, it would be that it wasparamount to my life to healmyself before I could begin toheal others and that isessentially why I believe I cannow be a better person and abetter nurse. But in order toheal myself, I needed to havegreater clarity in my life andothers around me and acceptthat other people aren’tnecessarily ‘wrong’ but perhapscome from a generation in timewhere their opinions are suitedto their individual lifeexperiences.

All I can do therefore is allowthem to recognise that myviews are based around my ownencounters with the life that Ihave been given, and inexpressing my passion, I shouldabsolutely not attempt to beforceful or persuasive.

Now go… set out and find yourinner peace, for without it youare simply being.

Features

Sara Joyce


Salford Student Direct / February 14th 2011 FEATURES :33

Retreat Reflection “I contend we areboth atheists. I justbelieve in onefewer god thanyou. When youunderstand whyyou dismiss allother gods, youwill understandwhy I dismissyours.” StephenHenry RobertsI grew up in a sleepy ex-mining villagein the back and beyond of the North,there religion was treated with thesame quaint idealism of country fêtesand coffee mornings. My schooltaught Christianity in the way manydo, no questions asked, Jesus wasborn, died and rose from the dead.

Each year would be happily

interspersed with Harvest festivals,Easter Sundays, Nativity plays andReligious Education which focussedpretty much entirely on fables fromthe Bible.

I was one of the lucky few, orperhaps the unlucky few (dependinghow you feel) who was forced toquestion this all. My father is anatheist, and I for this reason was neverchristened, leading to some of myclassmates informing me I was goingto hell (nice to hear as a seven yearchild).

However, despite not beingdropped in a font at birth and having aparent who owns an incredibleamount of literature on the subject ofscience and atheism, I attendedChurch every Sunday until I wasabout 14 years old.

Now you may be expecting me totalk of how I lost my faith, how myfather forced me to change my waysor how I one day left the house, had anepiphany and ran down the streetscreaming ‘I no longer believe’, but tobe honest I don’t think there was everany to lose.

Faith to me was like believing inSanta Claus, one day I woke up and Ididn’t feel it anymore – I couldn’t seehow there was a God, I didn’tunderstand why religion was sosecular, I couldn’t comprehend thethousands of tragedies inflicted in hisname, it all seemed too simple andeasy; when everything was socomplex.

I questioned everything, why doyou have to belong to a certainreligion, why can’t you just believe in

God and that’s that? Why could Godnot have created the big bang? Whydoes he turn from being a tyrannicalbastard in the Old Testament, to alllovey dovey in the New?

No one could answer thesequestions; my Sunday school teacherswould stare blankly at me, myclassmates would wonder what I wason about, my teachers would nod inappreciation that I was using mymind – but there were no answers.

The frustration began to build andthen suddenly I no longer murmuredto God at night, I didn’t take the Bibleby face value, I just couldn’t. I lost faithin Faith.

I understand what Faith can bring topeople, but it just does not bring thatto me. I do not get a sense of security, ablanket covering all my problems. Itleaves me angry and confused; Icannot follow blind, not questioningand wondering.

The world is an amazing place, it isbeautiful and terrible. Why do youneed religion to realise this? Isevolution not so incredibly brilliantand fantastic, to think that it justhappened? It was not created by an allseeing power, but it changed andadapted because it could.

As my father would often say “I don’tcare what religion you believe in, aslong as you don’t force it upon me”,with that I will say I will not force youinto atheism but do not try and makeme question my beliefs, because Ihave faith in humanity, not in a higherpower.

Yours Faithlessly.

NofaithinFaith

The Insight FilmFestival 2011 is anexcitingopportunity foryoung filmmakersyearning for achance toshowcase theirskills and taketheir first steps inthe filmmakingindustry. The focalpoint of this eventis the universaltheme of faith.

The festival encourages filmmakersover the age of 18 to produce andsubmit short films which explore thetopics of culture and tradition in thetwenty-first century. Insight focuseson faith as a theme, and does not workto promote any religious ornonreligious views.

According to Insight coordinatorBex Tennenhaus, “the aim of Insight isto promote community cohesionthrough the screen.” She alsoemphasises that the festival is “not areligious organisation and welcomesfilms (and filmmakers) of allviewpoints.”

Although the Insight Film Festivalwants to encourage youngfilmmakers under the age of 35 to takepart, entrants of all ages are alsowelcome to enter.

The festival was established inManchester in 2007 and takes placeevery two years. Since 2007, entry hasbeen restricted to film makers wholive in the UK. However, the festival hasreceived so much global interest thatorganisers are now inviting entriesfrom all over the world.

Insight coordinator BexTennenhaus states that “previousfestivals have been fairly low-key,whereas the event this winter is set tobe much larger and broader. Thanks

to our associate partner, the CoexistFoundation, we have funding whichhas allowed us to open submissionsinternationally. This means that forthe first time ever we will be screeningfilms from across the globe, and havealready received films from Albania,Iran and Turkey, to name a fewcountries.”

The Insight Film Festival aims tobroaden the mindset of young filmmakers and film critics in the twenty-first century. Organisers of the eventwant participants to submit filmswhich show exploration, discussionand understanding of faiths inmodern societies.

Submissions will be assessed by ahigh profile judging panel who willultimately determine the winner ofthe festival. Among the judges whohave been confirmed are Hollywoodproducer Gary Kurtz (Star Wars,American Graffiti), Hollywoodscreenwriter David N Weiss (Shrek 2),Nev Pierce (Editor-at-Large for EmpireMagazine), and BBC Head of Diversity,Amanda Rice.

According to Emmy winningscreenwriter David N Weiss, “InsightFestival encourages filmmakers toexplore ideas and emotions thatcentre on our need of meaning andpurpose.”

The prestigious panel of judgeswill view a certain number of short-listed entries at the Universityof Manchester Screen StudiesDepartment after they have beenassessed by a preliminary judgingpanel.

The impressive range of associates,partners and sponsors of this eventhas made it possible for there to be aspectacular array of awards and prizesfor the winners of the Insight FilmFestival 2011.

Participants of the competition willbe in with a chance of winning a£1,000 cash prize (The CoexistAward), an expenses paid place at asummer film school in Paris (TheFestival Award), and the opportunityto sit on an international festival jury inItaly (The SIGNIS Award).

The next Insight Film Festival willbe taking place in Manchester andLondon in November 2011 and callfor entries is now open. Filmsshould be submitted online via theInsight Film Festival website(www.insightfestival.co.uk) byMonday 7th March 2011 (earlyentries) or Thursday 7th July 2011(final entries).

Films of Faith Insight Film Festival 2011Natalie Bowyer

It has been a while since SalfordUniversity Boat Club (SUBC)have appeared on these pages,but that does not mean the clubhas not been performing to itsusual high standard. So here isthe round up of the last fewmonths.

Members of Salford UniversityBoat Club (SUBC) enjoyed awinning end to 2010. Despite thecold weather leading to multiplecancelled water training sessions,and even the odd race, the clubput the gym time to good use at theNorth West Indoor rowingChampionships.

The format gave both fresherrowers and seniors a good chanceto perform to their best. With thefreshers only required to tackle ashort, sharp one kilometer on therowing machines, and the seniorsthe more gruelling 2k distance.However every competitor had tobe seeded into a final, with onlyracers in the A finals having achance to win a medal, this wouldbe achieved by each rower havingto pull a fast 500m sprint.

Every rower from SUBC pulledstrong 500’s, with the result that allgot into either A or B finals, withmany setting new personal bests.The fresher girls had three in the Bfinal, and one in the A with a

notable performance from AliceTingle.

The fresher boys had a spread ofrowers in different finals, and allperformed beyond expectation.The stand out fresher boy wasGeorge Hollgate, who qualifiedinto the A final second fastest butcould not quite hold on to thirdplace, finishing a well deservedfourth.

The senior heavyweight boysagain had a spread of qualifiers tothe A and B finals, the first medal ofthe day finally came when thesenior lightweight men took to thefloor. The A finalists were last year’sBUCS Regatta lightweight pairfinalists Alan Moore and PatrickSalmon. An extremely strong last600 meters saw Patrick go fromsixth to third, pipping the bronzeby just 0.1 a second.

In the team relay races thefresher boy’s team and a mixed

team with SUBC fresher girls bothtook very well deserved silvermedals. A strong day left SUBCwith seven medals, and asmattering of very close fourthplaces.

2011 began with the cold weatherending, and water training andracing commencing once again. Atraining camp in January shockedmany of the members back intoshape in preparation for theupcoming Warrington Head of theMersey race.

Crew selection was tough, andmultiple rowers were trying foronly a few seats. The final selectionlists put out a Senior Men andWoman’s coxed four, NoviceWoman and Men’s Coxed Four anda Novice Sculler. The raceconsisted of two 1800 meter legs,one going upstream and onedown. The heavy rainfall ensured atough upstream leg, but a fast

return journey. All crewsperformed extremely well, withwins from both senior crews andthe Novice men’s four. The novicewomen raced well in the horribleconditions, as well as the sculler,but both missed out on a win. Anotable performance by all thecoxes, many of whom wereundertaking their first races, wastopped off by veteran cox CarolineDangerfield who brought in twowinning crews in one day. Despitethe rain SUBC members turned upin force to cheer for their fellowcrew member, and once again itwas a great morale boost for theclub.

So a brilliant end to 2010 hasbeen followed by an even betterstart to 2011. If you are interested injoining one of the most successfulclubs at university, there will be arecruitment drive coming soon, sokeep your eyes peeled.

Sport

Give It A Go is a programme of activities andtrips just forSalford students.

The new Give it A Go programmeruns for two weeks in February.Although we’ve shortened its length,we’ve pulled out the stops to pack thefortnight with the best activities, tripsand one day classes yet – and many are completely

FREE!With Give it a Go you can try anythingfrom belly dance to cricket, kung fu toyoga. Or how about a day out in the LakeDistrict exploring the countryside?

Student life can be hectic, so we’re holdingevents you can try as a one off. You can doas much or as little as you like, there’s noneed to join anything and you don’t needany experience to take part.

So Give It A Go and make the mostof your free time.


February 14th 2011 / Salford Student Direct34: SPORT

England’s cricketers jettedoff to the Cricket World Cuplast Friday with the fall-outfrom their 6-1 ODI defeat toAustralia showing no signsof abating. Batsman EoinMorgan has been ruled outwith a ‘substantial’ fractureof his finger which requiressurgery and he will bereplaced by Ravi Bopara ofEssex.

Andy Flower’s men arealready facing several injuryconcerns with Stuart Broad,Ajmal Shazhad, Tim Bresnan,Graeme Swann and PaulCollingwood attempting torecover from various

grievances. All are expected tobe fit for the start of the WorldCup, which gets underway onthe 19 February.

Arguably England’s bestbatsman in the ODI format,Morgan is a key cog in themachine which has thepotential to go all the way inthe tournament. With the2007 World Cup shamblesand ‘fredalo’ incident wellbehind them, Strauss’s menhave had an impressive 18months in the one day scenesave for the Australia series.Only a fool would writeEngland off, yet all too oftenwe are left wondering whatmight have been on theworld stage. They can do it,but don’t bet on it.

Cricket World CupThomas Kural

Patrick Salmon

Rowing Round-up

Want to promote your club?

Get in Touch with Salford Student Direct. We want to hear from you! Email the editor on [email protected] tell us all about your achievements.

We are here to support you, so get in touch!www.salfordstudents.com/giag


Salford Student Direct / February 14th 2011 Sport :35

Salford men’s hockey firstteam faced tough opponentsin the Manchester Universityfourth team, who showedresilience and drive in a hardfought match. Which, despiteboth sides best efforts,unfortunately ended in a 2-2 draw.

Manchester started thematch strongly andaggressively, with Salfordmainly sitting deep. HoweverSalford defended well, andheld off the continuous attackfrom the away side. Most of

the action early in the first halftook place within Salford’shalf of the pitch, howevereventually Salford settled andbegan capitalising on theiropponents mistakes andlaunching several counterattacks.

The strategy of sitting deepand waiting for the breakeventually paid off for Salfordwho opened the scoring inthe game. The Manchesterdefensive line had all butfallen asleep and Salford’sJames Eplett was impressivein dribbling past severalopponent players and wasrewarded with a goal, with thescore standing at 1-0.

Despite this goal goingagainst them Manchestercontinued attacking andputting pressure on theSalford defence. HoweverSalford were strong in defenceand rebuffed the attack.Salford went onto to capitaliseon Manchester’s forwardthinking side and brokethrough their defence andwent on to score another. The scorer this time was LiamDudley.

However, Manchester werequick to recover and as halftime approached the Salforddefence finally conceded asoft goal. The lapse inconcentration at the back was

disappointing for the hometeam, who had defended sowell up to that point.

At the half time breakSalford had played well andwere fortunate to be ahead,but they had certainly beenput under a lot of pressurefrom the visitors who hadshown that they were not outof the game yet.

The second half startedwith several chances forManchester, who had comeout from the break playing ata much higher tempo. Salforddid not seem prepared forManchester’s rejuvenationand the away side equalisedearly on the in the second

half, the score now standing at 2-2.

Salford were clearly angry tobe level, especially having hada clear two point lead. ButManchester relented andmost of the second half wasscrappy between the twoteams, with neither having aclear advantage. Both sidesalso began to take theirfrustration at not being aheadout on the referee’s, bychallenging every decisionthat went against them.

In the final ten minutesof the match Salford hadfinally managed to get agood amount of momentumbehind them and looked far

more likely to win thegame. The home team hadall the chances, and it wasdisappointing to see so manygood opportunities go towaste.

However the continuouschallenges to the referee’sauthority finally came to ahead and both teams had akey player sent off fordisrespecting the officials.This was a disappointing end to the match, as all thegood momentum for Salforddropped into a stalematebetween to the two teams.Had it not been for the illdiscipline, Salford could haveprobably won the match.

Sport

Salford draw with tough Manchester rivalsSalford Men’s 1st 2 v Manchester Men’s Hockey 4th 2

Jack Machin

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Salford Student Direct is lookingfor budding sports journalists to

cover university matches and givetheir opinion of sport around the world.

If you would like to get your name in print, [email protected] for more details.

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ssd: issue 14

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